REFLECTION

REFLECTION

42,000km's later I can honestly say that Australia is a beautiful country that has absolutely everything to offer. We met lots of awesome people and made some life long friends.

We all get so busy in day to day life, continually chasing the almighty dollar, paying off mortgages, dreading Mondays at work, paying bills and so on that sometimes spending time with family comes second. This trip has made our family unit stronger and we enjoyed and will always cherish the family time we had together this past year, without the monotonous interruptions that so many of us encounter.

As a family we enjoyed the most beautiful sunsets, spectacular sunrises, star filled sky's, flattest land, beautiful oceans and the whitest sand.

So many memories, too many to mention them all but the few that come to mind are;

Ayers Rock and the Olga's were breathtaking no matter how many times you saw it. I wouldn't rave about the change of colours during the sunset but the sheer size of the rock blew us away each and every time we saw it.

Daly Waters Pub - We will be back one day......I promise.

Devils Marbles - amazing experience and awesome night sky.

Loved Darwin. Loved the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Lots of bargains, yummy food, great atmosphere and awesome buskers.

Emma Gorge - beautiful....picture postcard perfect.

Broome was unforgettable and will be up in the favourites for us. Cable Beach rocks and we enjoyed the best time with our friends here.

Turquoise Bay in Cape Range had wow factor. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it. The Ningaloo Reef is the best reef I have ever seen. Coral Bay was a close second to Turquoise Bay and very similar but here we swam with a wild sea turtle which was pretty cool.

The Great Ocean Road was a good experience but it was so cold and windy that I want to do it again during warmer weather so I can enjoy it even more.

Esperance was beautiful and the colour of the water is unbelievable here. Its the bluest of blue and the sand, white as snow. Definitely will be back here one day.

Aborigines are an interesting race. Not all but most are their own worst enemy.

Port Hedland is a shit hole. Its like one huge building site.

Karajini was nice but overrated by our standards.

The Dog on the Tuckerbox is pretty small. Not what I expected.

Wolfe Creek was eery.

Bungle Bungles were awesome. The drive back to camp was long, it was dark and we were so hungry.

Gibb River Road was stressful but an achievement in itself. Wish we had given it more of a chance and did it at a slower pace. Really enjoyed the river crossings though.

Kakadu - Kakadont. Lychfield was better and would of been even better if it weren't for the mozzy's. Poor Alicia got attacked with mosquito bites.

Giant tree walk - pftt. Overpriced and boring.

Nullabor was so long but we enjoyed camping in the middle of nowhere.

The Great Australian Bight - Gobsmacked.

Wild emus and wild camels are always cool to see.

Giant Red Kanagaroos - where?????? no where to be seen but I am told they come out at night and we don't usually drive at night, not in the outback anyway (except for the Bungle Bungles and Cape Leveque where we did hit a kanagaroo but it was smallish).

Melbourne - Great food and great shopping.

Staying at free stays are so much fun. We met so many nice people and enjoyed many a drink around a blazing camp fire. The girls enjoyed toasting marshmallows and playing with other kids. Some of our best days or nights were spent at a free stay location.

2010 will be a year this family will never forget. What an experience!!!!!