Weekend Wonder Moments

Kirsty and JAK journeyed south last weekend to visit family...in particular newest Litzow family member...Sebastian. Thanks to the tilt train, it was a quick and smooth trip to Cooroy and thanks to Mum and Dad it was 2 days of wonderful catching up time with family. So lovely to see everyone...even via Skype and soul refreshing to spend time with family. Thanks all for your fantastic hospitality.

Here's a few of the wonderful moments captured on film....

Dad and grand-dog Jessie cruise the lake. Jess now climbs aboard herself and despite the backward traveling and constant shaking, she assures me she has a great time on the paddle board.

My first trip through the Clem Jones Tunnel. A great way to avoid city and valley traffic on a Saturday night.

The newest Litzow family...they are a happy bunch....a little frightening looking...but happy. Daddy - Nat...Mummy - Tati.....baby - Sebastian.

Aunty Kirsty is besotted.

Now you know why...how gorgeous is Seb? Or is that Bas?

Visiting the other end of the generations spectrum. Nan is turning 90 later this year and is in pretty fine form considering the number of kms on the clock:)

Yummy Mummy Taryn with #5...the sweet and cuddly Rohanna.

Anything Mum can do we can do too. Rohanna's big sisters and one of her big brothers with their babies.

And for those concerned that Jon was missing all the fun...don't be. He had a fun weekend working on his bike, socialising, eating yummy junk, watching movies and anticipating K n JAK's return:))

The End is Nigh

From Fraser to Freo....from Lake Eyre to Lawn Hill.....from Tassie to the Tip.

She's served us well!

Yes, we are selling our Carry Me Camper and I think there will be a few tears:(

So glad we have so many great memories of our travels and adventures last year...and wonderful photos too. As much as we'd love to keep it, our needs are changing and certainly a baby on the way means that we need space for 3, not just 2. And Jon wants a motorbike!

So if you know anyone who might be interested in a new addition to their camping gear, let us know. She's a little ripper!

Lately....

...we have been:

...beguiled by blowholes...

...basking on beautiful beaches.....

....wiped out by windsurfers....

....loving the lake....

Now we are back in Central Queensland spending some time with Jon's family in Biloela. We have made good use of the local swimming hole as days have been in their mid 30s and it has been fun spending time on the dam with Grandfather....you'll see pics soon.

Travelin' South

Since leaving the awesome Cape York Peninsula, we have ventured south....way south. Here's a few of the sights and delights we have enjoyed over the past 2000 km.

Big Crystal Creek swimming hole is about 1/2 an hour north of Townsville. It offered a welcome cool down on a hot day and despite the dust haze and a nearby bushfire billowing smoke, we had a great dip and picnic lunch here.

Jon's new best friends. Actually there were four cute kookaburras who swooped in and stole half of his sandwich straight out of his hand near Finch Hatton Gorge (an hour from Mackay). As you can probably guess, Kirsty was the only one who thought they were cute.

We really liked the two swimming holes in the gorge, especially Wheel of Fire at the end of the walking track. But this place does rate as 'winner' for having the coldest water we have swum in during the whole of our trip. FREEZING! It was fun to sit on the warm rocks after our quick plunge and watch everyone else's face as they either tentatively dipped their toe in the water or unsuspectingly, dove straight in...only to surface spluttering and sprinting back to the edge to make a quick exit.

Eungella National Park.....home of the elusive platypus. Sadly, they were so elusive you'll just have to enjoy these little critters instead. Plenty of turtles, lizards, birds and goannas....but NOT even a ripple in the platypus pond. Which has done absolutely nothing to help me in my quest to prove to Jon that Ornithorincus anatinus are not just a figment of peoples' imaginations.....they DO exist. Really!

That dust haze was becoming a real bore after 5 days traveling in it. But this view down through the Pioneer Valley from the campground at the top of the Eungella range was still pretty special. For an even better one make sure you check out www.eungella.com.au You'll even find a platypus pic there too.

You just gotta love Queensland!

How'd ya be?

Isn't it ironic?

We have travelled 36 000 km+ on all sorts of road surfaces.......dirt, sand, gibber rock, gravel, bitumen....

We have passed thousands of vehicles (and had a handful pass us)....road trains, camper vans, 4WDs, family sedans, motorbikes.....

And some of those vehicles have thrown rocks our way.

BUT it wasn't until we took a drive through Mossman, north of Cairns, on a quiet afternoon in a 50 km zone that we copped a big chip in the windscreen that has now become........

In the Beginning

As promised, here's a couple of photos of the first few days of our trip north from Cairns.

The Crew - Nathan, Dad, Mum (Litzow), JVI & KJVI : Rex's Lookout on the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas.

Beautiful Mossman Gorge....a great place to cool off.

Noah Beach in the Daintree Rainforest.

On the way to Cooktown. The Lions Den Hotel was established in the 1800s to serve travellers and then tin miners living and working up north.

Jon's BIG catch (he he!)

Delicious dinner with great friends in Cooktown.

Let the (Fun &) Games Begin!

As Mum and Dad Van Itallie departed, Mum and Dad Litzow arrived….with (Kirsty’s brother) Nathan in tow. With the full team now assembled, our Cape trip was ready to begin.

We enjoyed the winding roads through the Daintree rainforest as they took us into a new Top 5 campsite….Noah Beach (just south of Cape Tribulation). Nestled under a rainforest canopy and only metres from the white sand and azure waters of the ocean, this was a perfect base for a bit of Fathers’ Day exploring in the area. We even found a nice, croc-free swimming hole to enjoy.

The Bloomfield Track has to be one of Australia’s top drives for those lucky enough to own a 4WD. It winds its way through rainforest on the edge of the east coast, offering stunning views out over the reef and ocean. Creek crossings, an ice-cream stop at the famous Lion’s Den pub and a waterfall swim in a ‘local secret’ were some of the highlights as we made it to Cooktown.

We had a great 2-night stay with ex-Gladstone friends David and Emily. Jon caught his first fish of the trip….so what if it was a tiny herring to be used for bait! Cooktown has a very colourful history and it was great to stand in places where Captain Cook had stood over 200 years before us and enjoy a lovely dinner over the water at D & E’s favourite restaurant ‘Cook’s Landing’.

We farewelled Nathan before hitting the road for Cape York….just the Terracan and the Navara, and the question: “Will we make it to the tip of the top in one piece?” (Actually the Navara drivers thought no such thing, but they did wonder how the Hyundai would go.)

PS...Taking too long to load photos with only 2 bars of service, so you'll have to check back in a week or so to see them....sorry:(

Days in the sun

And the kilometres just keep clicking over....

Darwin was great...hot and sandfly ridden...but it was terrific to catch up with a Gladstone friend working for YWAM and get to the beach markets and opening concert of the Darwin Festival. Troy Casser-Daly puts on a good show:)

Kakadu had a flying visit from us....just 2 nights. But it was good to go see what all the fuss is about and I can appreciate the World Heritage listing. We saw aboriginal rock art, billabongs, birds and a few crocs, along with LOTS of tourists. Also, a little travel tip...NEVER camp at Merl. I nearly didn't live to tell the story. No not crocs attacking.....but swarms of ferocious, carnivorous, ravenous mosquitoes!

Now....Jon's currently firmly wedged under the Navara investigating a mysterious 'clunk' while I got to go shopping in Katherine....needed to buy an anniversary gift for Mr Wonderful. It's 2 yrs tomorrow:)

Tomorrow...as long as the car gets sorted - again - we'll head to Mataranka and then tackle the second half of the Savannah Way across the Gulf. We aim to be in Cairns by the end of the month, relaxing on a beach somewhere and getting ourselves psyched for the Great Cape Adventure with my folks.

Since WA

Keep River NP...one of the NT's best kept secrets

Can you spot Jon at Edith Falls?

They build jolly big termite mounds in Litchfield NP.

'Crazies' at Florence Falls.

Buley Rockhole lovers.

Yes...we are back in the Northern Territory and can't get over the late sunsets, the heat and the flies. Very different from WA.

But the scenery is lovely and the swimming has been great! Haven't seen a croc....yet! But we are off to Kakadu later this week so I am sure my 'croc counter' will be working over-time.

Since crossing the border we have visited:

Keep River NP - a mini Bungle Bungles

Katherine - home to the very popular hot springs

Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) - sheer rock faces and a wide, cold river

Edith Falls - the full moon rising over the escarpment was truly beautiful

Douglas Hot Springs - left foot hot, right foot cold

Litchfield National Park - I'll never forget Sandy Creek Falls or Buleys Rockholes

Now we're in Darwin and readjusting to traffic lights, shops and the worst sandflies since Broome.

Having a ball....as we have been for almost 6 months now!

The Kimberleys

Kirsty says:

WOW!

I would totally understate the magnificence and grandeur of the Kimberleys if I tried to describe this place to you. No words can really do this amazingly beautiful part of Australia justice. But then again, our photos are also just a second rate reflection of how great our 16 days on and around the Gibb River Road were. But I am going with that option....a collection of snaps that show just some of the highlights of this remote and wonderful part of God's creation. The best bit for me is the kaleidoscope of terrific memories Jon and I get to take away from our 2 week adventure through this land of rugged beauty and mystique.

Some places we enjoyed....Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Lennards Gorge, Charnley River Station, Mornington Wilderness Sanctuary (Dimond Gorge especially), Adcock Gorge, Galvans Gorge, Manning Gorge, Drysdale Station, King Edward River, Mitchell Falls, Ellenbrae Station, Home Valley Station (Pentecost River & Cockburn Ranges) and all the beautiful gorges, rivers, falls and waterholes in between.

Been a While

Our adventures up the Western Australian coast have continued, even taking us on a detour inland to the Pilbara. From the dramas of the dented rim at Steep Point, we were able to buy a new rim in Carnarvon. And take in some of the local sights - including a river of sand that suppports 176 fruit and veg plantations - and tastes....yummy! pure fruit iceblocks. Coral Bay beckoned and we spent a night there after an afternoon snorkelling with the snapper. Exmouth - gateway to the Ningaloo Reef - was next. More snorkelling and sight seeing. Jon was fascinated with the naval communications base there and Kirsty loved that only 10 steps into the ocean and you were on reef. We detoured inland then, to mining town Tom Price....home of the richest iron-ore deposits in the world. But we weren't there to look at the mine. 50ks out of town you come across one of the most amazing places we have seen on our journey.....Karajini National Park. 3 days exploring gorges and waterholes was so fun....as was joining the mule team in an SES rescue. We helped pull an injured tourist in a stretcher and an SES guy 70m up the side of a gorge cliff. Cold nights out there....frozen dew on our bonnet one morning...but days warm enough to swim. From there we visited Millstream NP and last night was spent in industry boom town, Karratha....where we felt a little like Mary and Joseph - no room in the inn! 

Swimming in Fern Pool, Karajini NP.....yes! Jon DID go in too:)

Circular Pool, KNP.....one of the most beautiful spots in Australia....in our opinion.

Hiking through Weano Gorge to Handrail Pool.

Cape Range NP.....near Exmouth. The reef is JUST THERE.

The mighty Gasgoyne River in Carnarvon. Farmers access underground water through bores in the riverbed.