Adventures with our family

Bucket List

Rather than create a seperate list that may get lost, I thought id just add it here. For all to see. And if anyone ever reads this and has a suggestion of something amazing to see, do or experience it can be added in the comments.

So this list is not a complete, definitive list, but more a dynamic work in process.

Victoria

Most of the things here have been seen, as we’ve lived here most of our lives… but that may have been a family holiday when we were kids, so a revisit or redo is necessary… and to show the girls too.

The Grampians
The Great Ocean Road
The 12 Apostles
Sorrento – Queenscliff Ferry
Snow fun at Falls or Buffalo or BawBaw… one of them
Wilsons Promontory- stay at tidal river and walk down to the lighthouse (I have done this many times with my dad, however it would be great to do with Mat and the girls once they are older).
Penguin Parade – Philip Island

New South Wales

Our first road trip is going to take place August 2019 – and well be heading north. North to see friends, family and the places we know and love.

Byron Bay
Mullum
Seal Rocks – walk to the lighthouse (I have a thing for lighthouses)
Port Macquarie
Jarvis Bay – white sands
Tree top rollercoaster – Ourimbah
Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sky diving over Byron
Climb Mt Kosciuszko

Queensland

Sail the Whitsundays
The theme parks once more – Gold Coast
Noosa
Fraiser Island
The Top End
Great Barrier Reef
Hot Air Ballooning
Port Douglas
Daintree Rainforest
Bungy swing – Cairns

Northern Territory

Visit the Kimberly’s
Walk around the base of Uluru
Visit Arnhem Land

Western Australia

Rottnest Island – Quokka selfie!
Fremantle
Cross the Nullabor
Margaret River
Pink coloured lake – Lake Hillier

South Australia

Cage dive with sharks
Kangaroo Island

Tasmania

See the Aurora Australis
Go over on the Spirit of Tasmania
Wine Glass Bay
MOMA – art gallery
Walk Cradle Mountain

Our set up

With any big Australian road trip comes planning and set up.

While we are hoping to do an extended trip around Australia at some point, we are planning on starting off with a few shorter trips closer to home (Melbourne). However getting a quality set up that would endure was important to us. Something that we believe is quality made, that would last multiple trips, have great warranties and fit the way we plan to travel.

We decided to go with a Toyota Land Cruiser Sahara and a JB Caravans Dirt Roader Extreme.

Now Im fully aware that there are a number of great vehicles that fit the bill for caravanning. But the Sahara is a vehicle that has both, powerful caravanning capacity and a luxury interior to make long trips a delight – especially with small children (including DVD players for those few extra k’s needed).

The main features we wanted for the caravan was spacious enough, bunks for the kids, a bathroom and good, usable kitchen and hardy enough to withstand semi off road adventure if we so chose. We’ll most likely stick to roads and dirt tracks, but its nice to know we have a more durable caravan and the warranty coverage to go with it. And we found all these things and more in the JB Caravan’s Dirt Roader Extreme. It even has a full queen sized bed with access either side, and a 4kg washing machine!

Excitingly, we picked up our Sahara this afternoon, which was most fun. As the red cloak that draped over the car was seductively removed, we once again where reunited with the vehicle that would allow our adventuring dreams to come true… and into the sunset we drove…

Toyota Land Cruiser Sahara - the day of pick up... — Our Toyota Land Cruiser Sahara… We’ve Started Feeling It!

Next up… Our caravan pick up – Monday 15th July 2019

Who? Why? Where?

Hello there!

Clare, Mat, Heidi and Emma here.

Nugget Point, South Island, New Zealand 2019

We are a family of four who love to travel and experience the world, as much as we can, whilst holding down jobs, running a business, attending kinder and just generally living in Melbourne, Australia.

Mat works for a construction company full time, with long service leave up his sleeve, we’re in a good position to do some extended trips. Heidi is four years old and goes to kinder, and Emma is 2 years old and doesn’t yet. I, Clare, am studying my Masters in Primary Education online and have a jewellery business, Clare Quinlan jewellery – which doesn’t really do much, but the designs are all mine and I handmake everything, and I love it when they do come in (its really more like a ‘side hustle’ as they say) and I have the kids full time when they’re not at kinder. We also have James, Mat’s 10 year old son, who is at school and will hopefully be joining us on an adventure soon.

So we currently live in Melbourne, and over the last few years have lived in Port Macquarie (where the girls were born), Sydney, Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour, Adelaide – thanks to work. I used to work in construction also with Mat, so we moved a lot together – mostly in NSW.

In 2017 and March/April 2019 we hired a motorhome and travelled around the South Island, New Zealand. And LOVED it! So easy, so fun. The perfect way to travel around with a young family in our opinion.

And since our last trip in NZ, we’ve been discussing the idea of getting a caravan and road tripping around Australia. We thought that once I qualified as a teacher I could homeschool the girls (turns out you can do that regardless of whether you’re a teacher or not). And it would be an amazing experience for them and us and something we would all enjoy and remember. And Australia is an amazing country in which we live!

Well, we decided to bring it forward a few years. The girls don’t go to school yet, Im studying online so can do it from anywhere, and Im not working, and Mat has Long Service leave that he needs to take. So all the dots are pointing to us having some adventures now.

And here we are… a woman, a man, two girls, a 4WD and a caravan… and one giant, amazing, beautiful country to explore.
Let the adventures begin….