Journal

I promised to tell you about the girls returning to normal life, preschool and day care. Jasmine was so excited about seeing all her friends again and showing off her photos and collections of everything she brought back. She loves preschool so much and gets so excited every day she gets to go. It is really a joy taking her to school and watching her face light up as soon as she wakes up on school days.

Jemma on the other hand, she loves taking her sister to preschool however when we leave she gets all sad because she doesn't want to go to care. It is heart breaking having a child who just makes this sad face and won't let you go when you get to the door. I know she cheers up and has lots of fun while she is there but I still hate leaving her. After having us all to herself 24/7 she doesn't want to give that up. She isn't too bad with Daddy going to work or if I go out without her however when we both leave there is tears. She had 2 weeks of Care when we got back and now her Day Care Mother, Swarna, is on leave for her daughters wedding. Jemma enthusiastically waves good bye to everyone in the mornings and runs to me excitedly for a big hug. She is happy through the day to draw and play on her own and is a different child from when she is with Jasmine. It has been an interesting time with her. She is looking forward to going to preschool herself and gets so excited at the thought, unfortunately that won't be until 2010.

This weekend marks the official closing of the PowerShot Great Aussie Road Trip Project. While this is the official end, it is just the beginning for us. We are currently working on book deals, articles, Photographic Tours and lots more as a result of our fantastic time we had on the road. We are itching to get out and travel more and will be doing it a lot more often (as soon as Greg finishes off the paving).

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I am happy to announce that we are expecting our third child - see trips like this really do change your life! I have been struck hard by morning sickness that also hits in the afternoon. I have to say that I have renewed my love for the DreamPot as a lifesaving device for cooking dinner at lunchtime - the only time I feel ok! The girls are very excited and want a baby sister while Greg and I would like a boy, we would love whatever we have but a boy would be a nice change. Jasmine keeps saying "Mummy, if you have a girl it's cheaper... you don't have to buy new clothes or toys we have everything already!" Wise beyond her years that one, it is true though everything we own is pink and girly!

Watch this space for news of our latest offerings and make sure you tell us on the forum what you would like to see from us.

For anyone in Canberra please come and see us this weekend at the FBA Family Expo at the National Zoo and Aquarium. We will have our camp set up with lots of photos to show off and we are looking forward to chatting with lots of people who have been following our adventures.

There are new images from our trip on the gallery so make sure you check them out. THanks for following and while I won't be updating this as regularly now we are home, I will still make posts to let you know how we are going.

We are planning a 6 week trip too at the moment and will keep a journal for that one too. It will have an interesting aspect as we will have a very little one with us on that trip! Stay tuned...

Well, here we are, a little over 2 weeks since we got home and how are we coping?? Greg started back at work late last week and I was preparing for the worst with the girls (especially Jemma who has loved Daddy's attention). To my surprise, they both took it in their stride and there was no effect at all.

We are settling back into home life and Greg is finishing off the landscaping. Our backyard is quite a sight with pavers, landscaping rubbish and knee high grass. I think this is the hardest part for the girls, not having the wide open spaces to play. Daddy gets very upset when bikes are ridden on the unfinished paving, the girls get upset that they have no where to ride them! Nearing the end so all will be well in a week or so hopefully (finger crossed).

I have found keeping the kitchen and lounge clean is so much easier and Jasmine in particular is much more helpful when it comes to cleaning up that she has been. I think living in confined spaces has changed us. I am still determined to get rid of a lot of things however as it feels so cluttered we just have so much 'stuff' it's time to go!

Jasmine is looking forward to starting back at preschool on Thursday. She counts down the sleeps. We are putting together a photo album for her to take in and show off. She is so excited, it is great to see.

Jemma is looking forward to going back to care (2 days a week while Jas is at preschool) because she found out that Swarna hs a new bike for her to ride! The first few weeks will be interesting with her. I have noticed an increase in the spontaneous cuddles from Jemma which I love however I am sure it is because she doesn't want things to change. She loves having Daddy and Mummy 24/7 and it will be hard to get back into her routine with care. I mentioned finding an early preschool for her and she got so excited so I guess I have my work cut out to now find one.

We still haven't unpacked the Camper Trailer. I think we are procrastinating as it really means the end. We have our first weekend away booked for the end of November which we are all looking forward to. I think the trick is to have the next trip planned so there is something to look forward too.

I will post again next week and tell you how we went with school and care starting back... it will be an interesting time.

For those of you in Canberra I will be roof sitting on Friday 17th Oct to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes. Come out and see us and sponsor us per hour, we will be at Urban Contractors, Beltana Road Pialigo (on the other side of the round about from the nurseries). Come and say Hi.

I think I have been putting this post off way too long! It feels so final posting our last trip that it is a bit sad.

We spent our last week and a bit in Tathra and although we thought we would be so home sick, Tathra is just like a second home and we didn't want to leave. Tathra is on the NSW South Coast and is where Greg and his family grew up holidaying. After Greg proposed to me on the cliff Tathra had a place in our family too and we love to visit as often as possible. I have to say thank you very much to Beth and Roger Hart, owners of The Waves Holiday Units we stay at. We decided to stay our last week in a unit to make the transition to home a little easier.

We arrived home on Sunday evening and headed straight to Mum and Dads for dinner with all the family. The kids were so happy to see all their cousins and were on such a high it was hard to get them to bed that night!

It is so great to be home after 4 months however our hectic schedule is continuing. We have radio spots in Sydney next week and on Canberra Mix 106.3. We appeared on WIN News on Tuesday which was fun and then a whirlwind trip to Sydney to appear on the Today Show (Channel 9). If you missed the interview - http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&vid=a9f27dd2-294...
This is possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen! Jas and Jem were so excited at seeing themselves on TV that they made all kinds of faces and completely overshadowed the interview! I had a lady see us at the airport on our home trip commenting on how it was so funny that she and her partner couldn't stop laughing.

For anyone who would like to meet us, we will be at the Family Business Australia Family Expo in November. The expo is being held at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra and we will be showing off the fantastic products we have been travelling with including our camper, Patrol, WAECO products and lots more. We would love to have you come and chat with us about the trip and experience the other fantastic family businesses on show at one of Canberra's favourite attractions. For more info on the expo please visit www.fbafamilyexpo.com.au

Now we are home I plan to keep this journal going with weekly posts on getting back to normal life, work and preschool. Keep reading the journal to find out what life after 4 months away is going to be like. So many changes we plan on making, I hope they will stick!

Thanks for following our trip, we have lots of new things planned for the future. Lots more travel, photography, exhibitions and much more!

The Grampians, what a wonderful place! The views are spectacular. We stayed in Halls Gap, a little town with a whole lot of accommodation! The Halls Gap Caravan Park was one of the cheapest sites we have had so far, and one of the nicest. Mountains surround you with lots of green grass and a great playground with lots of little shops to potter around when you are done walking the mountains. This was Jasmine's first chance to take her brand new shoes for a test run, she was dying to find some slippery rocks to test them out on, no matter how high of the ground they were! Jasmine has this thing where she loves to do exercises (Can't imagine where she gets that from - I don't do much in the fitness way of things!), She finds a great place and she feels compelled to stretch! Of course Jemma can't be left out and always copies! Here they found a helipad on the top of a mountain and amused many passers by with their exercise!

The walks through the Grampians were well marked and thankfully had plenty of rails to stop my monkeys going too far. One of the things I have noticed the most with Jemma is that at her height she often can't see much through the railings so we now make sure we pick her up and show her the world at our height. This was highlighted by the photos she kept taking with bars in them!

While in the Grampians I decided to give Jasmine's fringe a cut. I always get scared as her curls around her face make it difficult to cut evenly. Greg thought it would be easy so while I had a shower he decided to lop the fringe himself - he now knows it isn't that easy, his comment was "how long will it take to grow out??" Poor Jas, she doesn't mind though she loves to get the water onto her fringe and style it in different ways everytime she goes to the toilet, lucky!

From the Grampians we travelled to Warrnambool and the start of the Great Ocean Road. If you have never travelled this drive it is a must see. Photographs just don't do the scenery justice (well mine don't anyway). You travel with sea and amazing cliffs on one side and rolling green hills on the other. The girls were having a great time spotting the different cattle and animals out their windows. We did have a bit of a laugh at this sign, I was going to make a Victorian joke here but they have been such lovely people I don't think I should!

We stayed at Port Campbell Holiday Park for the evening where we enjoyed seeing the news for the first time in a long time on the common room tv. We caught up on a little work in there only to have a big storm hit and the lights flicker for a bit. What we didn't realise is that it did something to my laptop which is no longer working. I think we fried the thing and I am too scared to do anything incase I make it worse so now we are down to one laptop (sharing isn't a good thing when you have so much work between two adults!) On a good note, the weather fined up and we visited the beach at Port Campbell, had lunch and headed along the Great Ocean Road again. There is so much history along this coastline and plenty of little lookouts you stop at to really appreciate the incredible scenery. There are little signs at each the explain what you are looking at and Jasmine never misses any of them. (that is Greg having fun near the boat launch with Port Campbell beach in the background)

Yes we stopped at the 12 Apostles and yes it was even better than the photos you see. It was terribly windy and a sudden storn came over while we were at the lookout which froze us all but made for some great shots! The cliffs and beaches were stunning as were the rock formations. We were half hoping one might fall down while we were there, just so we could get a shot! Very selfish I know!!

We have seen some wonderful wildlife on our trip, kangaroos galore at the Grampians, Emu's at the Flinders Ranges, Dingo at the Bungles and plenty of birdlife. Nothing quite beats seeing koalas in the wild however, like this guy we spotted on the drive out to Cape Otway lighthouse (which was closed but the koalas made it all worthwhile!) We were driving along wondering why there were people stopping on the side of the road everywhere. We told Jas to watch out for koalas thinking that might be the reason and 30 seconds later she was screaming with excitement. We pulled over and walked up the road to be greeted by about 5 koalas in so many trees. On the drive back we found this guy only about 2-3m from the ground and right beside the road. The girls were thrilled, they thought it was certainly so much better than seeing them in a zoo.

The only thing left on the list to see was the wombats...

After a quick overnight stop at Apollo Bay we hit the road again heading for Bells Beach. Greg wanted to get some surfing shots and what better place. I don't think I have had to walk down so many steps to get to a beach in my life! It was a really nice beach and I enjoyed letting the girls have a bit of a run and play around on the sand however the surf was way too dangerous to let them near the water. The waves broke very close to the beach and the depth dropped right off really quickly, Jasmine lost her footing very easily while trying to catch water for her sand castle at the edge and was immediately up to her thighs in water (she started being right out of the water) Thankfully she got a bit of a scare and didn't go near the edge again. Great for surfers though and there wasn't any shortage of those!

From Bells we travelled to Gisbourne to catch up with some friends with a new little baby girl. Ty and Alex and baby Lilly helped us to celebrate Greg's 34th birthday. Jemma just wanted to play with Lilly's toes and loved saying her name! The following day we packed up camp and decided to brave the city of Melbourne, camper trailer and all! We still can not work out how to turn right from the left lane and managed to go round in circles until we found a street where we didn't have to. We apologise right now to anyone who was driving around us as we tried to navigate our way through the city and out to Docklands! We eventually made it safely and went for a walk on the docks. Sadly we found the area very pretentious, often I was looked down on for my sensible camping outfit and I think our girls were just a little too outgoing (not to mention not dressed in name brands) for the likes of the people in the area. Needless to say our stay was a short one! We decided to go out to Dandenong to visit my Great Aunt Janet's old house where I have many memories of spending Christmas and January sales!!

AJ, your house hasn't changed, the white gates are still there as are your wonderful citrus trees by the driveway. I know you will be reading this! The shops are much the same with the markets now being taken over by Aldi and an undercover parking area built beside where the markets are now held (I assume, it was hard to make it all out the area is so large now!) It was lovely to go back, there are so many memories of your house and the markets (and shops!!)

I have to apologise, that got a whole lot longer than I expected! I do have one little story I have to leave you with, I promised Dad I would post it. Remember we hadn't seen any wombats, well that was until we reached Wilson's Promontory where we are now. Jas spotted one as soon as she got out of the car. Last night we were told to brace for gale force winds with weather warnings for the Prom. In the dark Greg and I were trying to peg and pole the camper down, Greg hit the peg into the ground turned around to get the rope and lost where he put the peg. I remarked that most people would do this job with a torch so Greg called to Jas to find the WAECO torch. I suddely saw something move under the trailer and backed away telling Greg who realised it was a wombat and also backed away (there are signs up asking you to report any wombat agression so we wern't taking chances!)as he backed away from the trailer towards the car he realised there was another one under the car. This one came out and headed for the tent door, just as Jas found the torch and opened the zip to hand it to Greg. We both shouted at her to shut the door which she thankfully did very quickly and scared the wombat back under the car.

Meanwhile the big one under the trailer decided to come out and head for me, not knowing where the other wombat was I had no where to go but the bullbar of the front of the car so up I jumped as quickly as I could. The big wombat ran right under me and took off into the darkness but I wasn't getting down till Greg got the torch and made sure there wasn't one waiting for me under the car! He didn't realise where I was until he got the torch and then nearly died laughing. The two of us were smiling for a long time after that.

We made it through the gale force winds that were close to 90kms/hour last night, we also had torrential rain and hail and the 3 Dog Camper took it all in its stride! We are told the weather is fining up now so we might be able to get you all some great shots on the gallery soon.

I leave you with Jemma's new found love, herself - she spent the whol lunchtime looking at herself in the serviette holder and making faces. Again, she kept everyone around amused too. I'm glad our girls bring so much laughter to the world!!

Wow, again, so much news and not enough time!

There are two things I would like to re-visit that I forgot to tell you about. Firstly, if you travel to Albany you have to go to the marina and visit a place called The Squid Shack - UNDOUBTABLY THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS I HAVE EVER EATEN!! (cheap too, and they make a mean coffee)

Secondly I found this shot of Jasmine in Flinders Ranges that I just had to share with you. She is very excited about fossils and I think we may have found her calling in life. This shot shows what she called her "Shop" where she spent hours and hours "chipping" rocks in the hope that she might find her own fossils.

From Flinders Ranges we travelled to Menindee and camped on the bank of the Darling River. For those who don't know, the area is made up of about 5 lakes that are flooded from the water dammed from the Darling. The lakes feature the dead trees sticking out of the water, although only one of the lakes has water the dead trees still make an odd sight. Greg will put some shots on the Gallery soon to show you what I mean. The Darling River is so very dry, it is a sad sight to see the once mighty river so low. Camping beside the river was so serene. We had the whole place to ourselves with a camp fire burning and even had a quick fish (not that we caught much, we only had cheese as bait!)

I couldn't resist putting this shot in. Jemma still hates wearing pants - we had a hard time trying to keep pants on her when she was toilet training and she will still take every opportunity to get out of them! This shot is for you Mum!! You might also notice my boots in this shot (and are featuring lots more as the weather gets cold). These were a Mother's Day Gift that I chose. They are called Toaster Boots and appropriately are SO WARM!! they are my slippers and my hiking boots and don't come off till I crawl into bed!

From Menindee we travelled to Lake Mungo. It wasn't until we got there that I realised that it was another dry lake (hasn't had any water for over 18,000 years). It is such a fantastic place, Greg had visited Mungo about 3 years ago and was excited to take us all back. There are Pinnicle like sand structures that are so fragile you can not touch them. While Greg spent time trying to get the right shots I spent time trying to keep Jemma away from the sturctures, she had way too much energy and just didn't understand that she had to "Look and not touch!"

We took the self drive tour around the National Park that was such a great idea. It was around 70kms and gave you the background on the pastoral, archeological and aboriginal history. Again, Jasmine was in heaven with the great big animal the size of a Rhino that used to live in the area millions of years ago (there was a life size replica in the Visitors Centre). I never thought that Jasmine would beso interested in the actual science behind the animals and artefacts that are found from millions of years ago. This is just one of the things that has amazed me about Jasmine and I know her poor teachers are going to have a hard time teaching her when we get back (she is going to have the hardest questions for you Karen and Kathryn!!)

While on the self drive tour around the park we came across SAND DUNES!!! This is possibly the most favourite thing for Jasmine and Jemma (and Greg, the big kid!) they absolutely love running down the dunes. They spent about half an hour running up and down the dunes, I was amazed at how much energy that had. I thought they would sleep well that night and I wasn't wrong!

When Greg was in Mungo last there was a bar at the Mungo Lodge just up the road from the camp ground. Looking forward to a great beer we decided to see if it was still there. We drove up and to our surprise we found a newly renovated 5* lodge. It was not only an amazing place to have a drink, we stayed for dinner. When you camp there is one thing you look forward to - someone else cooking AND washing up! The food was divine. The service was also amazing, Lahnee and Pablo often walked over to chat with the girls through the meal and to make sure we were happy. They put cartoons on the big tv for the girls so we could enjoy our meal in peace, they even took us through one of the rooms that was so luxurious I was jealous!! If you don't like camping (and lets face it pit toilets aren't for everyone) Mungo Lodge is such a fantastic option for you. They are working on a self contained cabin at the moment and Pablo was telling me about some of the kids activities they run - boomerang throwing, didgeredoo playing, dot painting and lots more.

We have decided we will certainly be back and we will be staying at the Mungo Lodge we were so impressed!

From Mungo we drove through Mildura to the Grampians and we are staying in Halls Gap. This is such a great little place with shops and open areas for the girls to play. The Halls Gap caravan park we are staying at is just as lovely. We sit outside our camp surrounded by mountains and kangaroos with joeys in their pouches. This is such a great place to spend Father's Day and Greg is loving it here, again we are looking forward to exploring lots more.

Before I say good bye I have to say Happy Father's Day to my Daddy Bear. My Dad Jim Power is one in a million and I really miss his little unannounced stop ins to play with the girls. We really miss all the family however Father's Day really hits home how much we both miss our Dad's. Happy Father's Day to Eddie Pook, Greg's Dad too (Greg is chatting to him right now) We hope you have had a great day and although we are sad to miss sharing the day with you all we will make up for it when we return!

Sorry, I didn't realise that it had been solong since my last post! We have been so busy we simply fall into bed in the evenings (as do the girls which is even better).

To bring you up to date...
I managed to talk Greg into Margaret River however, as a family on a budget, there was nothing really suitable for us to do together. It was a bit disappointing however we still enjoyed sharing our dinner with the kookaburras by the river in our caravan park. Greg reluctantly said goodbye to his chicken kebabs (twice) as they completed a fly through snatching - leaving the boring sausages for him!

From Margaret River we travelled to Albany. It was such a wet day when we drove in however the scenery was incredible. You will see some of our shots in the gallery, the looming clouds made for fantastic photography and none of us really minded the wet.

From Albany we visited Experence (2 pics), similar to Albany for its incredible bays and beaches only Esperence decided to turn on the sun on our last day, thankfully! We found a lovely little caravan park in Esperence that didn't charge us the world and they had a great camp kitchen that was so great to use, we sat around the camp table and chat with a few other travellers. It was so nice to sit back and relax and share stories. Thanks to Neil for the great info on Fraser Range Station. We stayed there for the night before we hit the Nullarbor and it was such an incredible place!

When you are on the road and only stopping for 1 night, anything that makes packing up in the morning easier is most welcome. One of the things we love to make use of is the camp kitchens. The kitchen at Fraser Range Caravan Park was awesome. There was everything you needed to cook and eat dinner, the place was immaculate and there was a lovely fire to keep you warm. Such a lovely place and all Jasmine could say to everyone was "I found a ram skull in my camping spot!"

Back on the road again and we travelled a fair distance to Eucla which is only about 20kms from the SA border. We stopped in our first free camp spot by the road house and it was fantastic. We had the whole place to ourselves including the stars!

From Eucla we wanted to make it to Ceduna. Again we were recommended by Neil to visit the Head of the Bight to see the whales. Again Neil - you were so right. There were so many Southern Right Whales swimming with their calves. It was such an incredible sight and the gils were amazed. The viewing platforms were fantastically built and there were lots of people there enjoying their lunch on the platforms watching the whales frolicking. If you are thinking about travelling this area of Australia Head of the Bight and Fraser Range Station are definate MUST SEES! You have to read our entry in the Fraser Range Visitors Book too.

Ceduna was another great little town. We didn't have too much time to experience too many sights however we did visit the lookout. On the lookout sign it told that the islands visible from the coast were very likely to be the ones used in the story "Gulliver's Travels" coincidently this was a dvd we picked up for the girls to watch so Jasmine spent lots of time trying to see little people on the island!

From Ceduna we travelled to the Flinders Ranges which is where we are now. Another incredible location that we have really enjoyed. We spent the first day here relaxing and walking around the resort at Wilpena Pound. That was a bit of a mistake as that night it POURED and rained most of the next day, we had 2 inches in under 24 hours! The 3 Dog Camper held up fantastically while we witnessed other campers with their own indoor swimming pools.

The pic you see here is of the girls seeing the fossil castings in Brachina Gorge. After their favourite movie being Walking with Beasts they undertand what fossils are and were very excited!

Tomorrow we leave for Broken Hilland into Far west NSW, Meninde and Mungo areas. We arelooking forward to another unique part of Australia!!

We have decided that Perth is such a beautiful place, we have seen a fair bit of the North and city and it is so great. We like the people too.

On our way into Perth we were stopped at a red light, the man in the car next to me asked me to wind down the window. "What part of Canberra are you from?" "Northside, Belconnen," People know that area but they often don't know Kaleen. "I'm from Chisholm, you'll love it here. Have a lovely holiday!" THat left a smile on our faces for ages afterwards, it was a fantastic entry into Perth.

Our first stop was to Dick Smith Powerhouse at Inaloo for a Canon arranged event - The Hour of Power (we heard the radio advert, it was hilarious). This was the first time we have seen any of the Canon Promo material for the Win your own $15,000 Aussie Road Trip. As you can see from Jemmy's face, the girls loved seeing themselves!

We found a caravan park at Burns Beach, a northern suburb of Perth and the only spot they had left was an ensuite spot. We wouldn't normally be extravagant like this on our trip however the price was less than $3 more than what we are used to paying. An ensuite spot is a powered camp site with a little room with your own shower, toilet and basin. Little would not be the way to explain this ensuite, it is LUXURY!! We love it so much not having to share, we have also become accustomed to having late night showers before bed to warm ourselves up after working on the computers until 10pm. The girls love it too, Jasmine is alright with showers and loves the chance to get in there all on her own. Jemma who HATES showers, she screams from the second she gets into the water until you take her out, she managed to fit into the laundry sink in the ensuite and as you can see she thoroughly enjoyed her first bath since we have been on the road!

Our first day in Perth was a relaxing time, we took a drive to the city beach (where we collected more shells), grabbed some groceries and just looked around a bit. It was nice having time to do nothing really. Friday however was completely different.

I had read a bit about the Swan Valley Region and the wineries, breweries and growers in the area - more to the point the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. I even managed to talk Greg into going out there! The girls and I were in heaven, Jas loved the chance to watch how the chocolates were made through the viewing windows and Jemma couldn't decide which chocolate she thought looked yummiest in the display. There was tastings of everything from the awesome chocolates to the jams, chutneys and fudge. The staff displayed the best customer service I have experienced at an attraction, it was obvious that they loved their job (how could you not)and they had plenty of suggestions on what to buy. Greg had two chocolates and that was enough for him so bought a caramel milkshake and sat outside at the cafe. I came out to join him to find one of the staff members walking around with Irish Cream Truffles for everyone to taste.

To top off a fantastic place, the cafe had outside seating that overlooked a big grassy area that was great for the kids to play. They ran around for a bit then we realised there was a bucket of toys, cricket sets, tennis balls and frisbies they loved it and so did we. These guys have thought of everything, it is no wonder the place is so busy, great chocolate, great service and attention to detail.

We didn't have much time left to see much else, thankfully across the road from the Chocky Factory was Lancaster Cellar Door. With a little arm twisting we went in to find one of the lovliest cellar doors I have ever seen, again with fantastic service. James served us up tastings of delicious wines, mind you anything tastes better than the Coolibah casks I am used to on this trip! It was so hard to decide which bottles to buy as I liked them all (Yes Aunty Mel, they had lots of sweet wines and Yes I bought a bottle to share with you when we get home!! if it makes it that far) What you see the girls drinking in the photo is James special Eskimo Cocktail - the girls thought they were very special. What was really nice was that when we arrived James asked Jasmine if we had just come from the chocolate factory (she had it all over her cheeks), he then asked her if she thought Mum and Dad wanted to try some wines "Mum does" was her reply. "Well, you had all better have some cheese to get the chocolate taste out and some water the wash it all down. I always like someone who cn involve the children in what we are doing, especially in that sort of environment where there isn't anything for the kids. It meant that they didn't get bored which meant I enjoyed it more (Greg didn't say much but I am pretty sure he liked it but didn't want to admit it). If you would like to see Lancaster Wines visit www.lancasterwines.com.au I highly recommend them.

Possibly not the greatest idea to visit a winery just before heading out to a tv interview, even worse to forget to eat lunch! Straight after Lancaster Wines we had a meeting with Channel 10 for an interview in Kings Park. Another really lovely park of Perth. Thankfully the wine went down ok without any effects (maybe just a little more courage!) we had been joking with James about holding one of his bottles during the interview - sorry James, we didn't get the chance, I tried though! The interview was our first for TV which was quite exciting, it would have aired on the news tonight - if anyone saw it please let me know how it was.

From Kings Park to East Perth through the city, to the ABC Radio studio for another interview. Again, the girls thought it was fantastic and Greg really got the chance to be involved in this one. The only thing I would do differently is give Jemma a quieter lolly, LifeSavers are not a good noise crunching in the background! Geraldine was such a great interviewer and she was great with Jasmine who as soon as we went live to air clammed up with 1 word answers rather than the stories we are used to. It was very funny.

We finished the day with dinner at the harbour with Vanessa Walker from Blue Sky Healthcare, and her family. Greg met Vanessa on the Kimberley Cruise he took from Derby, it was great to meet people he had spoken about and hear the soapy dramas that were happening on the cruise.

Another beautiful location that we could spend so much more time exploring. It is really nice to be in a city for a change too, and to see the price of Diesel under $2! I am trying to twist Greg's arm into visiting Margaret River as our next stop but not sure if we have time on the itinerary - oh well another great reason to return!!

I think I am becoming an advocate for WA Tourism, this has been such a lovely state with great locations hidden away that astound you when you find them, looking forward to a few more before we hit SA!!

Those who have been following us from the southern states will be happy to know we are now spending more and more time in our tracksuits and Greg has pulled out the thermal underwear (very fetching). Still better than the snow I hear Canberra is having!!

From Coral Bay we travelled to Denham to visit the Dolphins at Monkey Mia. We were there for the first feeding of the day and were able to see 9 dolphins. Jemma was very sooky and all she wanted to do was take a photo of the pelican (in the opposite direction to the dolphins) and Jasmine just wanted to build a sand castle then got very upset when it was time to leave and she didn't get a photo of the dolphins - can't win! I am sure if we didn't get them out of bed so early they would have been much better and enjoyed it more.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Denham, the beach and the boardwalk over the cliff. While a nice area, in hind sight to be honest we would have missed this stop as there really wasn't much to see or do. Perhaps with older children it may have been different.

The wildflowers are starting to appear in great numbers by the road side now. It makes for much more interesting driving and the games have changed in the car to see who can spot a new flower we haven't seen before. They look lovely when there are lots of different colours in the one field, Greg has some shots that I am sure will end up on the gallery.

We have had some trouble with Jemma in the car the last few trips, her nose starts bleeding. She is never phased by it which unfortunately means by the time I realise what she is telling me she is already covered in blood! Luckily I always carry a box of tissues in the car, the only problem is that I can't always reach her and she is hopeless at pinching her nose to stop the bleeding, she always wants to look at the tissue. Greg came to the rescue with a tissue plug up her nostril which she thinks is very funny as you can see. The first time it happened I told her to put her head back on the seat and relax so it would stop bleeding, 30 seconds later I look back and she is fast asleep with the plug still in (yes, I took it out). We don't know if there is a reason the nose bleeds or if she is picking it? Jasmine said that she squeezed her nose and it started, so we will have to monitor that one closely I think.

After Denham we travelled to Geraldton. This was an important stop for me as I wanted to visit the HMAS Sydney II Memorial. My Great Uncle on my father's side, Raymond Reeves, went down with the Sydney aged only just 18. My Grandfather on my mother's side, John Grieve, disembarked at the Sydney's last stop. He was always part of the scuttling (boarding) parties for the Sydney and could never understand why or how the Sydney was close enough to be sunk. The Sydney was a big part of his life until he died shortly before Christmas, unfortunately he never saw the ship recovered.

To be able to lay a wreath in memory of my relatives on behalf of my family was an honour. The memorial was a fantastic tribute. There are more images on the gallery.

Geraldton was a great place and we would have liked to spend more time photographing, especially the industrial and shipping areas. The girls loved to see the road trains going past camp on th bridge (thankfully far enough away not to disturb us), we were told that soon you will see road trains with 5 trailers, to which the girls were amazed.

We are in Cervantes at the moment, just outside Nambung National Park - home of the Pinnacles! The Pinnacles are limestone rocks sticking out of the sand, doesn't sound too interesting however when you see them they are incredible. We have had some fun with Greg's shots here, mine are terrible as you can see and when he gets time to get the shots on the gallery you will see how great they really are.

Jasmine is getting very adventurous with her photography now. I took this shot as she climbed the rocks to get a "better shot." While in the Bungles Jasmine set us all up for her own shot, she used the timer and ran into the photo herself. They are great shots too. We witnessed Jemma lining Jasmine up to take a shot of her the other day too which was very cute - Daddy has certainly influenced them!

Make sure you check out the Competitions page to see the new comp we are running on the forum. Anyone who posts us a message on the forum goes in the draw to win a framed photo of their choice from our journey. Get posting! If you have already made a post, you are already in the draw.

Off to Perth in the morning and to buy more clothes for Jasmine (warm ones). She has one pair of pants I bought at the start of the journey and they are already 2 inches too short!

There is always comfort in camping next to other families while on the road. You can hear them go through the same issues you fight with your children over - it is great to know you are not alone. We met Dianne, Anthony and their 4 boys at Eighty Mile Beach and not only did the girls love having other kids to play with but we also loved seeing that other families go through exactly the same arguments - Dianne and I had a good laugh about it! These guys were travelling around the country to show their children what Australia is really like. There are more and more families doing this, we thought two girls were a handful!

After our short stop in Port Hedland and a few lovely treats for my birthday we packed up and were off to Karijini. We didn't know anything other than what other travellers told us - "You will love Karijini, you have to go there!" We were not disappointed! The one thing that has really struck me about WA so far has been the incredible landscape changes. You go from completely flat country into these incredible rocky mountains in the space of 2 minutes!

We arrived at the eco retreat at Karijini (we stayed in the camp ground) as we were checking in, Greg was checking the restaurant menu and guess what... They had Pavlova! I set him the challange to find me some pav for my birthday and he succeeded - he was very proud of himself! We returned that evening for the much awaited pav and after the girls had devoured half of it we realised that the cream was off. Rather disappointing under the circumstances!

Luckily we were looking forward to some walking and after working out that class 3 was suitable for the girls we were off. We were thinking we were a little over gorges until we got into these. On the second morning Greg walked through Hancock Gorge (too difficult for the girls) his comments were "Spectacular, heaven on earth, magnifico," you get the picture! He was sad we didn't have longer however when he gets the images together we will put them on the gallery so you get an idea. This shot was taken on that afternoon, we visited Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool (following pic). It was stunning, the layers in the rock, the plants and then coming out into a huge pool with waterfall that you can swim in (although it was freezing). There were little fish in the water that amused the girls and they nibbled on your toes

The scenery was amazing, the red rocks and red dirt with towering cliffs were really worth seeing. The down side to all of this however is the amount of washing you have to do and the red dirt is very hard to get out - I have never seen Jas and Jem so dirty and so happy!

From Karijini we travelled to Coral Bay. This was not a planned stop off on our itinerary however so many people had been telling us to go there that we thought we had better check it out. We arrived in this little town with 2 caravan parks and both were booked out! We managed to get a spot in the overflow camping for Bayside Caravan Park and set up. Shortly after setting up we said g'day to our neighbours over the fence (the divider between the park and the overflow section) and realised it was Dave and Barb who we met after our first week on the road at Rainbow Beach. It was great to catch up and the kids loved every second they could get to play. They travelled a different way to us and it was interesting to see the different locations. They have now been on the road for 3 months with their 3 children Frank, Sophie and Lucy.

We didn't really know what we were going to do in Coral Bay as we couldn't travel due to a broken brake line. We decided to take the girls out on a glass bottom boat cruise and try a bit of snorkelling. The tour was fantastic, the best part was seeing massive Snapper as soon as we got onto the boat! Jemma went all strange on us for the first 30 minutes of the tour, she was so worked up and energetic she just couldn't sit still and we were trying to listen to the tour guide. Thankfully she settled down or that would have been a long 2 hours.

While I wasn't sure if the girls would snorkel we got gear for them just in case. Jemma wasn't having a bar of getting into the water so I stayed on the boat with her. Jasmine geared up and got in the water with Dad, I was very proud as I could see she was scared (one of the biggest changes I have seen in her - pushing through her fear). She lasted a short time as her tummy had a small rash from her shorts and it quickly became very sore in the extremely salty water. She was happy to watch from the boat and I think Greg liked the chance to swim freely. The shot of Greg in the water was taken at our second snorkel location, he is surrounded by Snapper about 60cm long. They threw fish food at him from the boat so the fish swarmed and he loved it, he was heart broken that he had to get back into the boat with nothing for dinner though! We were unable to take to girls out in Cairns as most tours were too expensive, it was great to be able to take them out here where there were less people and the price was much more suitable for a family.

Coral Bay was incredible, the beach was shallow at high tide so there were plenty of areas for the girls to splash around. I went snorkelling from the shore and I even got to swim with a school of Snapper too as well as lots of other fish. There is plenty of coral to snorkel over from the beach also, for a family location this is fantastic. The Bayside caravan park was also great, there were two really big parks, a pool, beach volleyball area and they arrange all the tours for you. Just make sure you book well in advance!

It seems that the best locations also happen to have no internet access! We have just come from Eighty Mile Beach where not only was there beach as far as you could see, the shells were incredible! The girls now have very healthy shell collections!

We spent one night in Broome after Derby and the water there was an azure blue, I have never seen water like it. It was a fleeting stop so unfortunately I was unable to purchase any of the lovely Broome Pearls.

We are in Port Hedland at the moment on our way to Karijini National Park - another fantastic place with no internet access! I am celebrating my 29th Birthday today and have had lots of calls and messages from family and friends. The girls made sure I have enough chocolate to survive a few more bush walks and made sure I promised to share it with them. Greg made me a lovely brekky of scrambled eggs, coffee and crossiants.

Sorry short one today, I'll let the images say all you need to know about the beauty of this part of Australia (and we have to be out of the van park in under 30 minutes!!)

All I can say is Greg is back tomorrow and not a second too soon!

I have been struggling today that is for sure, anyone within a mile of the shower block tonight would have guessed that! The last few days have been alright however. I have tried to have at least one activity that gets us out of the caravan park. After a day tour, we heard about a few fantastic things to see and do in town so I have been slowly working my way through the list. We went birdwatching at the Derby Waste Water depot (and no it didn't smell) the girls were amazed at the amount of wildlife they could see and it didn't matter that they were so far away we couldn't tell what they were! The pic shows them coming down the tower that has been built specially for bird watchers. I was more worried about the sandy road I had just driven in on and hoping I wouldn't get stuck as I wouldn't have a clue on how to get out!

We have seen the most incredible sunsets at Derby. This shot I took about 30 minutes after the sun went down and the colour still lasted for another 20 minutes (but not long enough for me to reach the jetty unfortunately). Every night has been incredible and you never get bored of watching the sun set. The girls are very good at reminding us about the sunset as it is Greg's favourite time to get out and get photos. They still hope that I will take them for a drive to show them different places to see it set, so I have obliged a few times.

Good old Mr Whippy has been enticing us daily (there are actually 2 that have visited the van park every day since Greg has been away), I gave in twice as it is very hot and they had been well behaved (and I wanted one too). Today I wasn't going to give in! The man in the van across the road from us couldn't resist their big blue eyes and gave in, he very generously bought three ice creams dipped in chocolate. The girls were in heaven (I enjoyed mine too mind you) as I only get them a small cup with no topping, by the end of it they were absolutely covered in ice cream and chocolate (hence the shower). It wasn't until later I found out they girls (and their friends) were standing by the van "Oh I wish I could have one of those with nuts," "no, I'd love one with chocolate," "No, topping and sprinkles." They know exactly how to stike the right chord with Nomads missing grandchildren!

Yesterday we went for a walk to the shops and the girls played with four other girls all about the same age. These girls are lovely, they are all bright and happy and love to play, as soon as we are out of bed they are here to see Jas and Jem. There was the addition of a young boy in the afternoon, he's about 7. It was interesting to see how the games changed with a boy in the mix! Jemma is obsessed with seed pods at the moment. She will see them on the ground and squeal running over to see if there are seeds inside. She shakes it by her ear and then runs to everyone else around her so they can hear them too. It is very cute except then she breaks it up to get to the seeds inside - she is normally inside the tent when she does this and it makes a terrible mess. All the other children spent the afernoon finding pods for Jemma who very excitedly showed me her collection.

In the afternoon we went to the jetty again to see high tide. As we were driving away Jasmine says to me,
"Mummy, I have a boy friend," to which I calmly replied
"that's nice dear, do you know what a boy friend is?"
"no, what?" PHEW!!!
"That's just a boy who is your friend." Later today I heard one of the girls they were playing with say "Jasmine's broken up with her boy friend." and realised where the comment came from.

I mentioned on the phone to Mum a while ago, Jasmine seems to be turning into a teenage already, that's not fair. We have comments like, "you can't do that" when we threaten punishment, she is the expert on EVERYTHING - even if she has just asked you a question about it, and now boyfriends!!!

We were all looking forward to the CWA Markets this morning. I love markets at home, it is normally the only time I have to myself as Greg looks after the girls. I have been trying to get to markets every weekend we have been away but it hasn't happened so I was determined to get to these no matter what! Jas was excited at the possibility of buying a carved boab nut or an aboriginal painting (I can only let her do that while Greg is away, he is too practical otherwise!) unfortunately there wasn't any there. We had a great chat with Kristy (pictured with daughter Amber) who makes jewellery that is awesome. Jasmine wanted to get a piece for me for my birthday however Greg has already bought me a Zebra Rock necklace (which I am wearing now!) so I couldn't let her. It was great to see the local work with a photographer, a wood turner and lots of plants. I also bought some rosella jam for our pancakes - looking forward to trying that!

I also took the girls to the CWA Craft Fair which had lots of lovely knitting, embroidery, papercraft, teddy bears etc and I handed Jamsine the camera and said "I want you to take a photo of your favourite thing here." Off she went, straight to the kids craft table and took a shot of a snake made from beer bottle tops and foil. It was very clever, I also thought it was interesting that in a room full of dolls, teddy bears and lovely dresses that this was what appealed to her the most.

Well we have made it through 4 nights without Daddy, we are looking forward to seeing him very much and I am sure he feels the same. This afternoon the owner came over to me asking how I would have liked to have gone on the tour and left Greg behind to which I don't have to tell you my answer! "Well," he said "the owners ahve just rung me, one of their staff have had an accident and they need a kitchen hand on their next cruise - you could go and enjoy yourself and leave hubby behind here with the kids!" I was SORELY TEMPTED!! If we didn't have such a tight schedule, I would have JUMPED at the chance. Sadly I declined metioning I would find another way he could make it up to me, not sure how yet but there will be something.

I won't lie, it hasn't been easy. It would have been a whole lot harder if we were not in such a lovely van park with lots of grass for them to play, and other children to occupy them. That along with a full day tour early on (giving them so much to talk to people about) have been my only saving grace. I can see the frustration in the girls too, they have loved having Daddy around all the time, it has made them so happy and they are getting very edgy knowing there isn't long to go. Getting them to bed tonight wasn't easy.

I think they are also ready to move to a new place. Derby isn't a big town by any means. We have seen all the sights in town and I am too scared to venture too far on dirt roads. It has been very nice to stop however with Derby being our longest stop planned for the whole trip.

On a happier note, our new video camera arrived today! Very cute little Canon HD (I would tell you the actual brand but am scared of waking the girls to check). Took a bit of footage today and am going to really enjoy being behind that camera. Being behind is better than in the film - you can't photoshop camera footage to make me look better, especially first thing in the morning. What this means is that you may just start seeing the Power Family popping up on TV.

I am told as of Friday you will see our smiling faces in every store that sells Canon PowerShot Cameras as Canon release a MASSIVE promotion in conjunction with the road trip. We are still trying to work out ways to have fun with the staff in store. Greg reckons he will walk in and ask a few questions and then point to the poster and say "don't you think that bloke looks a bit like me?" If you have a good idea, tell us on the forum - we want to have as much fun with this one as we can. If we try your suggestion, we'll let you know the result!

Off to Broome for a few days on Monday, we have been told there are some lovely places there to see so we are looking forward to new scenery and actually looking forward to being on the road again.

We have just had an incredible day. We were taken out on a day tour of Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek with Windjana Tours. I have to say that this has been a real highlight of our trip.

It started with a pick up at the caravan park in a big bus/truck (which in itself was a higlight for the girls) and a drive out to Windjana Gorge. We had morning tea and were then taken for a walk into the gorge. The first photo is the entrance to the gorge through a rock tunnel. Jasmine was so excited and even more so when she was told later that day we would be walking through a huge tunnel with a creek running through it!

On the otherside we took a short walk past towering cliffs (you never get sick of seeing towering cliffs, it is always amazing) with fossils from what used to be a coral reef. Then we saw our first croc across the bank, then two then five and it kept going. We came out onto a big sandy beach where the water and waters edge were full of freshwater crocs (both sides of the bank). Thankfully the girls are quite aware of crocs now and respect their space, they were just so excited to finally see crocs so close to them. We had our own time to take as many photos as we wanted and the girls loved acting like crocs themselves (and yes they are crocs behind them in the pic).

The setting was incredible, the orange and black cliffs with blue/green water, lots of crocs of all sizes (and no salty's) and the chance to listen and learn about the history of the area. Back up to the bus for a delicious lunch that was all home made (including morning and afternoon tea). It was so lovely not to have to think of what I needed to take with me to feed the children, it was all catered for (even vegemite sandwiches for back up). (Jemmy saying good bye to the crocodiles)

Back on the bus and off to Tunnel Creek. I wasn't too sure how the girls would go with this one as you actually had to walk through water. I was told it was knee height on an adult, we thought we would try it and see. I knew Jaz would be ok so I could piggy back Jemmy if needed.

As soon as we got out of the bus Annie our tour guide took Jasmines hand and said, "you're my assistant for this one, you stay with me." Jasmine was a dream. She got into the water straight off which came almost up to her waist and after a little hesitation (the water was quite cold)she pushed on and lived out her dream of being a tour guide. Annie if you read this, she is still spouting your stories to everyone in the caravan park just as you told them. There is no exageration here!

I also have to say a big thank you to Jude (the other guide) and all the other people on the tour. They helped me with the girls through the tunnel when my hands were full and they were very happy to do so, a big relief for me on my own.

Annie used to live on a station in the area and her knowledge was incredible. We got all the history, the aboriginal stories and the personal stories of her sayd in the area. It was such a great chance to gain an insight into the area that we would have completely missed if we had simply walked the areas ourselves. Jasmine is always asking me so many questions that I just can not answer, today she asked Annie and she got an answer for every single one. (Annie with the girls in Tunnel Creek)

After our walk/wade through Tunnel Creek, we had afternoon tea and jumped back onto the bus out to the ruins of an old station that was converted into a police station and was the centre of the story of Jandamarra, an aboriginal outlaw in the late 1880's. The story was throughout the areas we visited and if you don't know it - come on the tour and learn all about it (or ask Jasmine when we get home).

We have had such a great day, we were catered for really well with the two littlies and only me to look after them. There was always someone there to help them on and off the bus and through difficult walks. Annie's commentary was easy enough for Jasmine to understand, bits she didn't quite understand it was easy enough for me to explain. While it was a little over Jemma's head, she just loved the walk, scenery, crocs and walking through water with her shoes on!

If you are travelling with children, it can get very expensive to take tours however you really need to weigh up the benefits of the additional knowledge and sights that will be pointed out to you that you would be otherwise unknown (not to mention petrol, spare tyres, food etc). For children it is the little things that are most memorable, in this case, Jasmine loved the chance to see what a Boab Nut tastes like - we didn't know you could eat them, let alone when and how to pick them! While Windjana Tours are mainly taken by the older people, they catered fantastically to the children and everyone had a great time. The prices were also far cheaper than many of the other tours AND they have a decent price for children (a rarity on tours).

Thanks you so much for the fantastic tour, and for helping me to entertain the girls for a full day without Greg!

I was worried about how the girls would behave on a tour with no other kids. They were angels, they remembered their manners without me prompting. Jasmine even asked if she could have the last biscuit at morning tea and then shared it with Jemma when she got upset (even though Jemma already had a full one in her hand!) then did the same at afternoon tea. It was really an enjoyable day for all of us that could so easily have been very stressful. I urge anyone travelling with children to explore tours more it was such a great way to see the area.

We certainly arrived in Derby at the right time. We just managed to catch the end of the Boab Festival that runs on weekends in July. Saturday night we went to the Mud Crab races. I have never been to anything likt this so it was exciting to start off with, it didn't disappoint.

We bought our first crab for $5 to race, being very thankful to our fantastic sponsors we named him Canon (pretty good racing name). There was a bit of controversary over who won our heat (they took the first 3 crabs to the rope) we thought Canon came 3rd but everyone else thought he was 4th so we were out voted.

We tried again in a later heat and this time Greg took over naming rights (I didn't even know until it was announced) number two crab was Nanger and YAY he came second so got through to the grand final.

Before the final race they auctioned off each individual crab who made it into the last race. Nanger reached a fair $80 (the highest bids were around $150, lowest $30). All 30 or so crabs were then put into a garbage bin and raced together, we have no idea where Nanger was there were crabs everywhere and they were heading right for the closest toes! The eventual winner was a crab called Face Like a Smashed Crab!

The carnage left after the heats, there were even a few claws bit off before the crab even got to race. It was all very funny and lots of laughs. The girls loved it. After the race was dinner, $10 for a dinner of crab and salad, a very good deal. We bought sausages for the kids thinking they wouldn't like crab - we were very mistaken, Jasmine couldn't get enough and Jemma just wanted anything that resembled food. It was a great night.

Sunday night we were told there was the Marsh Art on. We had no idea what it was however it was right behind our van park so decided to hop the fence and see what was happening.

We got over the fence and there were two camels that Jasmine had been watching all afternoon. She was so excited at the thought she might get to ride one we couldn't disappoint her, we also didn't want Jemma to be left out so offered her a ride thinking she might be too scared. The two girls sat on the front seat with me behind (holding tightly to Jemma), as soon as the camel went up, out came the laughs and squeals of delight from Jemmy. They both loved the ride so much they didn't want to get off the camel. The grin on Jasmine's face for the rest of the evening was priceless. Greg got some great sunset shots of us on the camel and he will load them onto the gallery when next week.

The art part of the show was not ready till after dark. They had a whole light kind of show with an indigenous film, slide show of local photographs, performances, fire dancers (who were very funny and one of the guys nearly lost a few dreadlocks) and finished off by lighting shapes of a turtle (pictured), fish, bull, bird, and letting off lanterns that flew up into the night sky. It was great and again the girls loved it. We didn't stay for the band as it was getting a little chilly (yes we had to actually put trackies on!) but the girls could just hear it from their bed which was enough for them.

This morning I took Jasmine to see the School of the Air. She thought it was so great that she wanted to join! We sat in on the news from kindy/grade 1 (I think they were) and then we were asked if we had any questions for the children, Jasmine asked one of the boys about the big snake she had seen at Australia Zoo, did he know what it was? She was very shy and a little scared but there is one thing I have noticed about Jasmine since being on this holiday, she no longer lets being a little scared get in the way of doing anything! The School is no longer over the radio, it is all done through computers. It was so great to see how it all happens and be able to sit in on a class. We also walked through the library and store rooms. What I didn't realise is that it takes $22,000 to set up a new child, they are provided with everything from computer and desk to art and craft supplies and books. These people are amazing in the distances they travel to visit the children.

There is a group of children and teachers comeing to visit Canberra in October. I hope to catch up with them then and maybe we can show them what a great city we live in. Jasmine hopes that they might be able to visit her preschool. She was very impressed but decided she likes playing with her friends too much.

The real challenge for Derby is about to begin. This morning Greg left to go on a Kimberley Discovery Cruise, 5 nights exploring the Kimberley coast, going to regions inaccessible by land. He was very excited however Jasmine was very sad. She took this pic of Greg as he boarded the bus this morning then sobbed for a few minutes until I mentioned I might make piklets to chear her up - it worked. Grandma Jasmine misses your pikelets VERY MUCH!

Tomorrow morning I am taking the girls on a tour to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We are all looking forward to it. We were going to visit the gorge however after another flat and the bumpy drive out of the Bungles we didn't really feel like more dirt road. This way we get driven, someone else prepares morning/afternoon tea and lunch and it we get a flat I don't have to pay for it!

Well that will be two days down, not sure how we will go after that - if you are in the Dreby area and have some ideas for me PLEASE HELP!!

Off to bed now. I have been asked to do a radio interview in the morning which I don't mind except that we are two hours behind so I think I will be chatting at about 6am (which will be 8am home time). Our first night without Greg, lets see how things go...

Well, What a long time between access! The last few places we have been to I have been laughed at for asking if they have internet access!

Darwin was fantastic. Greg managed to get some great shots which I am sure he will load onto the gallery shortly. We stayed at a place called Lee Point Tourist Park and if you travel to Darwin - please stay here! The people were lovely, the grounds were shady and lush green, they had heaps of free activities they put on (not that we had time to attend any)and they had plenty of ameneties (about one block for every 10 or so camp sites). They even had an undercover area with tables so that campers could meet eachother and have a shared area to chat.

I would have loved more time to explore Darwin as we found the city a thriving hub, a little too commercial for my liking. There was a fantastic beach at Lee Point about 200m from the van park. Jasmine picked up a few bits of cool coral from the beach and was excited to see a real ship wreck!

From Darwin we travelled to Litchfield National Park - anyone who is visiting Darwin MUST visit this area it is incredible. We didn’t know what to expect and walked to the end of our camp site into a clearing with an amazing waterfall and pool below that was so inviting. In we jumped - FREEZING however so refreshing. We spent quite a lot of time there.

We also visited a few other places too, there is so much to see and we only 2 days to see it all. We went to another waterfall that was 4WD access only. Again, a fantastic site with a cool swim to make it all worth while.

We had to cross a river on the track and you are never too sure how deep it is (we don't have a snorkel on the car). Poor Jemma gets so scared anytime we go through water, she is scared of crocs getting her in the car. We waited to see another 4WD cross the river then went for it (again we are waiting on photo approval to show you the shots so will update when it comes through).

You really do need a 4WD to get away from the touristy areas up here, it is pretty fun too!

After leaving Wangi Falls in Litchfield we were headed for Timber Creek until we crossed the Victoria River in Gregory National Park. There is a roadhouse on the river with a van park and the whole area is surrounded by red rock cliffs - we were speechless. We decided to stay a couple of nights as the scenery was so fantastic. Greg got some great shots at dawn and sunset (which again will go into the gallery when approval is granted gggrrrr) and on the second day he and Jasmine went up in a helicopter. We were worried about how Jasmine would go, needlessly! She thought it was fantastic and snapped away the whole time. The only problem was that Jemma got upset she didn't get to go up too, we told her she was too little and might fall out of the chopper (it had no doors). Late that evening Jemma came up to us, put her hands on her hips and remarked "Look Mummy, I bigger now," not knowing where she was going I fell into the trap of agreeing with her to which she responded "I go on the helicopter now?"

Back on the road again and we finally travelled into Western Australia. At the border we lost our honey, seed pods Jasmine had been collecting, a bit of Paperbark she was also collecting, all our fruit and the veg I hadn't yet thrown out. Jaz didn't like the border patrol man very much! She cheered up when he gave her an info pack on cane toads though.

We are now in Kunnunurra and this is the first powered site we have had for a while so I have been able to catch up with family, emails and the journal. Kunnunurra is only a short distance from the border however the difference in scenery is amazing. The rugged cliffs of the Territory have turned into "blobby mountains" as Greg put it. We spent the morning 4WDing which was great until we came to the biggest creek crossing yet

We met Alan and Robyn who were also waiting for someone else to cross first! Eventually a tour bus arrived and while they didn't go through the driver gave us all enough confidence to make the path through.

This is yet another fantastic place and we are off to explore some more!

Think back to the earliest memory you have, mine is of cliffs towering above me on both sides as we travelled down Katherine Gorge. I was 4 when my parents took me to Katherine Gorge and revisiting the same cruise has been incredible. We took the girls on a cruise at dawn and they were so excited, Jasmine showed us just how good she has become at photography (we'll post her photos but we are just waiting for the proper permissions from the National Parks).

Often memories revisted don't quite live up to your expectations, this was so much more, I also got to share it with my family.

You see so much about the Northern Territory however until you see it for yourself you can not appreciate how incredibly beautiful this part of Australia really is.

We are in Kakadu at the moment and enjoying a sit by the pool (love wireless), it is about 28 degrees, a long way from the rainy Canberra (so I was told this morning).

Exploring Kakadu is another must do. We are staying at Cooinda Lodge caravan park, with all the facilities of a resort available to the campers too, a great change. We took the girls for a walk at sunset last night along the Yellow Waters board walk, it was great except for the Air-o-guard resistant mozzies! The girls saw 3 crocs in the water and saw how good they are at swimming without making a ripple.

Jasmine saw lots of Magpie Geese that she had learnt about in the Aboriginal Cultural Centre that we visited, she saw how the Aboriginals caught them, seeing the actual birds in real life was such a bonus for her.

I was going to give you lots of photos however until the permits come through I can't use the images in the public domain (naughty Rachel leaving things to the last minute).

I'll leave you with a few things that the girls have seen that made them squeal with delight, and Jemma's recently acquired egg on the head (she makes a great sad face, you will also notice that the egg is on the other side to where she is holding the ice).

Mum made me promise to tell you about Jemma's tantrums (I think she likes the idea that I have to go through it all now), I will do so in my next post as my laptop is about to die. Stay tuned!!

The Camels
Eagles swooping aroung the bushfire
Bumps and Bruises
Milky Whiskers
All these shots were taken by Rachel on the PowerShot SX100IS - Jasmine kept hiding from the camera so no shots of her this time!