Three months around Australia

This is a small Time capsule of our Trip Around Australia in 2003.

In 2003, our parents put us winks (what they used to call my brothers and me) in the back of our 4WD, with a caravan in tow, and took us around Australia for three months.

It was a trip of a lifetime.

We got to skip school for three months (well, skip the classroom at least, not the work) and hit the road — with all the craziness and awesomeness that comes with that.

Each day was different: exploring gorges, hiking, finding animals, adventuring, and discovering Australian history.

It was one of the best experiences in my life.

There’s so much to remember.

But, these are a few of my favourite memories.

our Caravan set-up.

This was our caravan set up. We had everything we needed inside — a kitchen, lounge room, plenty of space to draw and read, bunk beds, and space for the bikes. And the beautiful thing about a caravan is being able to un-hitch at any time and drive off down inaccessible roads in the 4WD and discover the different corners of Australia.

It was our little home-on-wheels.

8.05.03 — Our caravan set-up.

Departure Day.

On the day that we left, a few of our friends and extended family came over for some final goodbyes and to see us off.

It was exciting, but also incredibly sad, because as a kid your friends are your whole world — and we wouldn’t get to see them for three months!

Did we really have to go away for so long? Well, yes.

And we’d find out why.

10.04.03 at 10am — Departing home for three months.

The Nullarbor.

‘Nullarbor’ means place without trees.

It’s like an expansive gate to the west. Almost like a right of passage.

As a kid, it felt immeasurably huge and mesmerising. But also it felt scary. There is a lot of anticipation around it — Mum and Dad were very focussed on making sure we had enough water, food, and petrol. And that the car was ok and ready… just in case.

I don’t remember how long it took, just that it took a long long time.

And it was exciting to experience.

13.04.03 The Nullarbor — It looks never-ending.

Our Bikes.

The bikes were a big part of life on our trip. They were our secondary mode of transport.

Mum and Dad encouraged us to ride them any time, any where. Probably because we were brimming with energy and would drive them crazy otherwise.

So we rode whenever we could.

And because of that, there was a lot of maintenance required on our bikes. We spent a lot of time fixing flat tyres and pulling bindies out of the casette. Well, perhaps we were just Dad’s glorified assistants, easily distracted when there was a gorge to explore.

Swimming with whalesharks (or not).

Whilst we went out in a boat to find these magestic creatures, we didn’t actually find any whalesharks. But we got to look for them and swim with tons of fish and manta rays and dolphins.

We got all kitted out in wetsuits and a snorkle. When we jumped in, I remember us squealing whenever something came even remotely close. Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t get to see any whalesharks, we would have been absolutely beside ourselves.

It’s actually quite funny seeing these pictures. It looks so picturesque and calm. And it was.

But it was also traumatising for me — mainly for one reason. The captain and the crew caught some big fish to eat for lunch, but gutted them right in front of us, with the blood and guts draining everywhere. It was quite a sight for a 10-year-old, especially one who hadn’t been exposed to that sort of thing much. I’m not sure I have quite recovered from it.

2.05.03 Ningaloo Reef — Searching for whalesharks.

The Inevitable Breakdown.

This is us.

Pulled over on the side of the road, somewhere outside of the Tom Price mining town, with dusk settling in fast and three increasingly hungry kids and a flat tyre.

Mum and Dad were arguing — one of only a handful I’ve ever heard between them — because they’d been trying to take a shortcut. But, as often happens with these things, the shortcut ended up becoming the longcut.

We’d driven down this dirt road too fast with our heavy load, trying to race to our destination before dinner. And we’d inevitably got a flat tyre. Well, looking at it, a completely destroyed tyre.

So, there we were.

Stuck for a while.

Changing our very flat left rear in the middle of nowhere.

It was definitely a 2-minute noodles for dinner kind of night that night.

These things happen. And then they turn into hilarious memories.

Me and my brothers still remember it and laugh about it.

3.05.03 Somewhere near Tom Price — Not sure if helping or hindering dad fix our flat tyre.

The Gorges.

I can’t get over how beautiful Australia is.

I remember it being beautiful. But the photos, wow.

I’m not sure we were looking at it like that. As kids we were so focussed on hiking as fast as we could through the gorges, climbing every rock that could be climbed, and jumping in to swim whenever we were allowed.

At one particular spot, we could see the gorge from our camping spot. And we were itching to hike down so we could go for a swim. The sign for the hike said it would take 45 minutes to get down there. So we were told we’d have to wait for the morning because it was getting too late. The next morning, we (probably) dragged our parents out of bed and out of the caravan. It took us 10 minutes to hike down. Definitely made a few comments to our parents about that time differential.

But really, no complaints. These places were really nothing short of gorgeous.

4.05.03 Karijini National Park — Fortescue Gorge (I swallowed a moth here — good times).

The toilets.

I have to preface this by saying that I was a fussy 10-year-old.

Because, despite being busting of a morning, I’d insist on walking to every drop toilet in the wide caravan park until I found one with an acceptable number of bugs at the pit (which was preferably zero).

Probably did a bit of damage there.

But as I’ve grown up I’ve learnt to embrace this as part of living life in amazing places like this. I don’t run away at the mention of a drop toilet anymore. That’s an achievement I think.

7.05.03 Karijini N.P. — Drop toilet set amongst the beautiful gorge (See what I had to work with?!).

A camel ride on the beach.

This was pretty special.

We had an opportunity to ride a couple of camels in a convoy across Cabel beach.

Camels are interesting creatures. Their silhoutte is instantly recognisable, and they seem wise and knowing but also hardened and tolerant, and are perfectly suited to their climate. It’s a strange but amazing feeling to ride a camel, especially when they stand up.

A very special memory.

It’s also quite a funny story because Mum and Dad got a bit of a shock on this tour. They were not prepared for all the different things we’d see. For example, unbeknownst to them prior, the tour took us past one of the nude beaches and there was an array of sights. Apparently, us kids were strategically distracted by something else in the opposite direction and we were none the wiser. The distraction worked because I have no recollection of any nudies.

13.05.03 Cable Beach — Camel tour.

Camping on the beach

I don’t know how Mum and Dad found these places. They are just incredible.

Sadly, I can’t remember the weather, the conversations, what we ate, or what we did in particular. I guess that’s just human memory.

But luckily I do remember getting to sleep on the beach here, wrapped in our sleeping bags on our camping mattresses, completely safe out in the open. It felt like we were breaking all the rules, which is an awesome thing for a kid.

14.05.03 Middle Lagoon - Sleeping under the stars .

Cape Leveque

In the northwest corner of Australia is a small off-road place called Cape Leveque. It’s right on the ocean, so it’s got the views, the water, the red dirt, and an array of wildlife.

Another beautiful corner of the world.

Interupted only when a wild pig rummages for food inside your small shack. And a deadly Western Brown snake that tries to infiltrate the family “home”, that had mum sprinting and screaming out the door as fast and as loudly as possible.

Luckily, we were rescued by a snake handler. Turns out it was a harmless carpenter snake. But we don’t hold that against her.

17.05.03 Cape Leveque — Featuring our snake-catching hero and foraging pig.

All the animals.

These pictures make me smile.

It was fun discovering different animals around Australia.

Like finding frogs in the toilet. And seeing wild horses run in front of the car. And a puppy that I wish we could have brought with us. And having to be careful to check for crocodiles before we went swimming (something completely new for us southeners). And of course, the goannas that would stare us down at a distance, threatening to chase us if we took even one step closer. There were spiders, and toads, and lizards, and birds, and fish, and kangaroos, and so much more. It was incredible.

I remember holding this hermit crab. I probably should've just left him or her just be. But you don’t have those inhibitions as a kid. It wriggled and squirmed until I eventually placed it back down where it belonged, ready to get back on with its day.

Animals are just so cool.

8.05.03 Indee Station — Maybe the dog’s name is Indee too.

The Bungle Bungles

The Bungle Bungles are a world heritage site located in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

It’s an epic part of Australia. These unique georgraphical sandstone forms look like little beehives, but spans thousands of acres. It holds great historical significance for First Australians, over centuries and thousands of years.

We had the opportunity to take in the view and historic gravitas from the sky — once in a lifetime kind of stuff.

The Bungle Bungles — The beautiful little beehives.

Life in a caravan.

We lived a pretty simple, Aussie existence in the caravan — which was perfect. Eating jam on toast, lots of fruit and vegies, and probably spag bowl with a glass of milk on more than a few occasions. I guess it was as simple as it could be, given that us three winks were probably bouncing off walls and impossible for our parents to control.

From the caravan payphone or computer, we could call and email our friends. Very much so a priority for us winks, who were missing everyone and life back at home.

But even though there were gorges to explore and friends to chat to, we still had homework to do.

It didn’t feel fun in the moment, especially because it was probably maths that we had to do. But admittedly that classroom looks pretty awesome.

3.06.03 Somewhere in Australia — Living life in a caravan.

A funny story (or two)

We were wild as kids.

As a strategy to keep us calm on the long drives from place to place, mum bought us lap rests that we would draw or write or play on. As younger siblings often do, we’d copy our older brother, in particular what he drew. So, there are some very famous drawings from that era, as well as some excellent forgeries.

We’d also rile each other up. On one particular day, I did an excellent job annoying my little brother. So much so, that he weaponised his drawing pencil and stabbed me in my arm. I almost fainted in the moment, but it is hilarious thinking back on it. Everything was fine in the end. Although, I think the graylead is still in my arm. Thanks for that one Benny, love you.

16.06.03 Katharine Gorge — Look at us dorks.

Boab trees.

Boab trees play a big role in Australian history. In centuries gone, they were as a place of shelter and rest. They were also used to make boats throughout time. Boabs are also an extremely important part of the ecosystem, providing a source of food and water for many species. Consequently, boab trees are an inspiration for a lot of stories, movies, and songs.

Sadly, this particular boab tree was used by white settlers to hold prisoners as they awaiting sentencing. In particular, Aboriginal prisoners. This is living proof of the abhorrent history, trauma, and injustices that First Australians endured. It’s a heritage site now, and a reminder of how far we still have to go as a country.

4.06.03 Western Australia — The Prison Boab Tree.

Uluru.

Uluru is an Aussie icon, a symbol of Australia.

This sandstone mammoth sits stoically in the centre of the big red that is the Aussie outback.

I can’t believe it took until 2019 for the climb on Uluru to close finally, because it is an incredibly spiritual place for the Anangu (traditional landowners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park) and holds great significance.

Uluru is just as beautiful admiring from afar, or when riding around the base.

2.07.03 Uluru — An incredible place in Australia.

Devils Marbles.

Ok, this is funny. Well, to us winks at least anyways.

We used to love tormenting Dad, because he was a worrywart.

To test him, we’d creep as close to the edge of a cliff or steep decline as we dared, until Dad would inevitably call us back to his version of safety.

I remember us doing exactly this at Devils Marbles, which he wasn’t too pleased about. But now, we just laugh about it together. Well, at least us winks do anyways.

20.06.03 Devils Marbles — Testing Dad’s tolerance for fear, and having fun doing it.

There are countless more memories that precipitate out of my brain every now and again. Like sliding down sand dunes, climbing termite mounds, running out onto open flats, noodling for scrap opals, and so much more.

Memory is a funny thing.

There are big gaps in my memory, and things necessarily didn’t happen in the order I remember. It’s hard to string together the series of events, adventures, and memories that we experienced as young kids around Australia.

But there is something unforgettable about that trip — this sense of complete freedom.