4th April - Perth 25th April 2009

Taine and Riley playing on the roof of the car

As usual the time since i last made an entry in our Blog has just flown!

Already three months have pasted and we only find ourselves back in Perth. We have so much more to see and do and some big distances to travel.

The SW of Western Australia is absolutely beautiful and we have really enjoyed the giant green forests, rivers with water in them, cool weather and beautiful scenery.

From Fontys Pool Caravan Park we headed out to a bush camp at St John Brook Conservation Park - Barrabup Pool. The first section of the park was packed with caravans, so we travelled around to the other campground and found ourselves a wonderful spot only a short walk to the pools. The campsite is really only for tents but hey we are getting pretty good at getting our 'little' van into them. Our only problem at this site was trying to get the van levelled. After putting the ramps under the rear wheels, we still felt like we were walking up a slight hill - but hey all it meant was i woke up hanging off the edge of the bed with Kym rolling on top of me. When we were set up we all went down to the pools so the kids could have a swim. The pools are beautiful and if it wasnt too busy i think you could even get away with parking for the night in the carpark right on the edge of the pools and that would be magnificent. Anyway the kids spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the freezing water and jumping off the landing. Taine even got into the act this time and jumped!



Barrabup Pool - SW Western Australia
5th April 2009


























We collected fire wood (actually we got it from the wood pile left by the Rangers) after the swim as we again planned to cook dinner on the open fire - Spag Bol. As the light faded we went to use the lights but we had nothing!!!!! Kym tried to find out what the problem was but could not fix it so that meant we had no 12v for the evening. We had the fire and a gas light so all of us were fine really, except Kym who was very p----- off (as we had spent alot of money before we left making sure everything had the capacity to let us bush camp and now it wasnt working). Anyway we enjoyed the Spag Bol and then spent the night spotlighting the possums that were everywhere. For school DArcy had to do a report on an animal that included sitting and observing them in their natural environment if possible. With so many possums around we all observed them for a couple of hours as well as getting some photos.


Western Ringtail Possum or the Pseudocheirus occidentalis as we now know it




















The problem with the 12v and Solar Panel system meant that we needed to head into a larger town to find an Auto Electrician to help us. We travelled back into Bussellton, found an auto sparky and proceeded to spend the next four and a half hours in the car park having alot of work done to the system and repairing some of the work previously done. The kids were wonderful. The boys kept themselves busy by 'helping' with the van and car repairs and Riley too was kept busy reading, listening to music and doing craft in the car. $2000.00 later we headed to find a caravan for a nights stay. The caravan park was across the road from a park and playground so we sent the kids across for a play as they had been sssssoooooo good for so long. Kym and i had a drink then a shower after we had set up camp and already it was close to 7pm. The day at the workshop had messed up our plans so we decided to head out for Chinese for dinner. Just before dessert i realised it was the 6th April - our 13th Wedding Anniversary - so as it turned out it was a good reason to be out for a meal together as well.


The Tuesday morning (Happy Birthday - Vicki) was a school day so we packed up the van - drove 20 metres across the road, set up the computers and had our online lessons. We then headed down the coast to a campground called Big Valley near Margaret River. The coastal views were ok but still not as spectacular as we had seen further down South. We stopped for lunch at Smith Beach then drove on to Big Valley for the night. Big Valley is just a big open space on a working sheep farm, where you can pretty much park where you want to and connect up to the power. The facilities are pretty basic but clean and the camp caters mostly for the seasonal workers that come to the area. DArcy and i had some school work to finish off and Kym set up the van only to discover that he had left our jockey wheel at Smith Beach where we had stopped for lunch. To cut a long story short we decided that it may still be there the next morning so we stayed the night with plans to head off early on Wednesday.


We were up early - actually very early as it was my birthday and the kids had snuck around and put balloons up in the caravan while i was 'asleep' then showered me with home made presents and others. It was a wonderful start to my day. As we were set to go (7.30am) the people from the van next door came over to chat. Believe it or not, they are from Clarendon in SA and they have a daughter Georgia who is in DArcys open access class. They knew we were in the same area as them, but we never expected that we would end up camped next to them. Well our early morning turned into a 9am departure and of course by the time we got back to Smith Beach the jockey wheel was no where to be seen. The saga of chasing down a replacement meant backtracking to Bussellton again. Again Kym was P----- Off!!! Anyway as part of my birthday present i had booked myself in for a hair cut and colour down in Augusta - so from Bussellton we had to make a mad dash to be their by 1pm. We made it by a whisker so Kym and the kids dropped me off on the way through and went on to set up our camp for Easter.















My birthday cake that the kids made as a surprise for me- please note the lovely Milo icing and the streamers for decoration.


We were booked in for seven nights and had a fantastic time catching up with all my Western Australian family and of course spending more time with Sheridan, Kelly and family. In summary we spent the time chatting and did some sightseeing and had the most relaxing of time. There were 12 kids ranging in age from 3 - 15 and from 7am until 9pm they played and entertained eachother without any major issues.

Some of us went caving over Easter - Giants Caves

Looking good arent we!

Marnie and DArcy handfeeding the big stingrays near Hamlin Bay - Easter 2009

Augusta is on the banks of the Blackwood River and right on the coast so is beautiful spot and we just had a fantastic time.











Canoeing on the Blackwood River - Easter 2009




From Augusta we headed through the very beautiful Sues Bridge where we stopped for lunch and the kids had a swim . It is a beautiful place to bush camp and we spent a good two hours there by the clear river.











Sues Bridge on the Blackwood River





We stayed for the next couple of nights with my cousin and her family in Capel. We saw the sights, Kym saw the pub and the little boys got to ride the motorbikes.

DArcy on the motorbike at Capel
















Taine on the little motorbike - Capel WA

They live on a one acre block so it gives then the space they want without the work of a large 'farm'. They are in the middle of renovations so we thank them for having us to stay. While in Capel we also visited my cousin and family in Donnybrook and the kids spent a good couple of hours playing at the Apple Fun Park - playground.




Girl Darcee, Tahnee and Boy DArcy
Apple Fun Park - Donnybrook WA









The kids playing at the Apple Fun Park - Donnybrook WA

From Capel we went North to Bunbury and caught up with another cousin and her family and had homemade scones for morning tea then onto Bunbury Port where the kids had a play on the beach, lunch and then inland to Ninga Mill for our final bush camp before heading into Perth for a couple of weeks while Kym works.

Marnie, DArcy and Taine fishing in the creek at Ninga Mill


We are staying in a differnt caravan park this time - it is nice and still close to Sheridan and the kids but more suited to the Grey Nomads i think!

The school books for next term have arrived and we are ready to get back into it next week! Actually i dont think the kids really are that keen, but they know that it has to be done and being settle for at least the first week of school makes it a bit easier for us all.

Again sorry for taking so long to update our blog but time passes so quickly and im so busy with all the housework..... i never seem to have the time it takes to sit down and do it!

Hope this finds you all well. We would love to hear from you all.

We continue to travel safely and happily.

Love Themitchellsonthmove.

18th March 09 - April 3rd 09 SW Western Australia

Time has really flown and all of a sudden it is April and Easter is around the corner. It really has been a while since i update the blogg but i put that down to lack of internet service over the last week!

We were excited to get on the road again after three weeks in one place even though we had a fantastic time in Perth.

We headed South towards the coast but had plans for three nights of bush camping on the way. Our first night out saw us stopping at the Borden Recreation Ground giving us our own personal soccer pitch, playground, perfectly manicured football oval and cricket pitch. The kids had a great time using all the sports equipment and even had a few of the local kids come in and join in on a game of soccer. We had Internet access so spent the morning of the 19th on the net for school before heading to the Stirling Ranges National Park. We set up camp in the afternoon in the camp grounds and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening chatting to a couple who have been on the road for 3 years after selling their yacht they had lived on for 25 years. They had lots of recommendations of places to see and free camp sites as well as lots of interesting stories from their years on the sea. The kids loved it!

The scenery is different in this area of WA and is beautiful, green, lush and cool and they even have creeks and rivers that run!

Although it was overcast and rainy we still got out and had a good look around on foot and by car.

Bluff Knoll - Stirling National Park

We then travelled South to Albany a place i havent visited since 1977ish. Its amazing how things change in 30+years isnt it. Our first stop was the information centre where we got the low down on all the parks in town. The kids had been told about a park that has all the extras that the kids love but the cost and the tight fit of the sites put us off and we all settled for the Emu Point Caravan Park for 5 nights giving us heaps of time to see the sites as well as get some school work done.

The weather according to other travellers had been up and down over the past week so when Sunday was a fine and warm day, we headed out early to see the produce market, some of the natural land marks and then to the well known Whale World museum.

The Blow Holes - Albany WA
The Natural Bridge - Albany WA

Albany WA

Whale World - Albany WA

Riley, Taine and DArcy - Whale World - Albany WA - Pygmy Blue whale skeleton

Whale World was a wonderful place to visit and well worth it. We all found it very interesting and the volunteers have done a wonderful job of creating all the shows, exhibitions and tours. The last time i visited Albany as a kid they were still hunting and processing whales so it was very different this time for me but the smell of whale blubber and oil is still there.

Marnie, Taine and DArcy on one of the Naval guns at the forts - Albany WA

The following few days were spent around town and the beaches. We did a little bit of shopping and bought a light weight 6 man tent with the idea of using it up North at a couple of places that we want to see but cant take the van. The kids thought it would be fun to set it up on our site, so set about putting it up together without our help as a test of their teamwork. They did a great job and had a fun night sleeping it together too!

Riley and DArcy putting the new tent .Good team work guys.

We headed off late again after doing our online lessons - towards Parry Beach. But after a quick chat to another couple we headed instead to Shelly Beach and we all loved it so much we ended up staying two nights, parked up right on the beach front.

TAINE fishing early (sunrise) KYM

DARCY Our Camp Site at Shelly Beach WA

26/27th March 09

We had fish (Tommies and Bream) for dinner caught from the beach, a drop toilet and a natural running creek for water, what more could you want for free!

The Boys with some of their catch at Shelly Beach - WA

Saturday (28th Happy Birthday Ella Bird) we left Shelly Beach to make tracks to our original destination of Parry Beach - stayed five minutes, hated it - looked like a shanty town to us so we got back in the car and headed to Peaceful Bay where we parked up for the night, did some washing, had a shower and recharged the caravan batteries and filled the water tanks before heading out to bush camp again.

However on our way to Parry Beach we went via Denmark. Denmark was beautiful and with the local school having its annual fete or (feet according to the kids) we spent a lovely few hours in town and spent a couple of hundred dollars (groceries included) befroe heading off to Peaceful Bay for the night.

Sunday we headed into Wapole to do the Tree Top Walk and we loved it. There was hardly anyone around, it was a clear day and the walk is fantastic. It is soo easy and the rise is so gradual that you hardly feel as if you are 40 metres off the ground, until you notice the trees and bridges beginning to sway in the breeze.

On top of the Tree Top Walk - Walpole - WA

The hollowed out section of the trees in the area are so large that people would reverse their cars in for a photo opportunity until one of the trees fell over !, so now they have a tree and car cut out instead!

Sunday night was spent hiding in the car park at Mandalay Beach in the National Park. The site we had intended to camp in was a bit tight for the caravan and the carpark was just perfect for the van so we stayed. I was nervous most of the night thinking i could hear the ranger coming to move us on, but really what are the chances of that happening on a Sunday night in the middle of the bush! Any way i had us all up early (7am) on Monday ready to head into town (Walpole) to have breakfast and pick up some mail that we had to sign in regards to the sale of our house. We parked up in the visitor centre car park, cooked some toast, and started on the school work meanwhile Kym headed over to collect the mail. Surprisingly the Post Office wasnt open yet and it was already 9.30am, but we just put it down to it being a country town. As it turned out we had not realised that Day light savings was finished here so it was infact 6am when i had everyone up and on the road and the Post office did infact open at 9am as expected!!!. The only problem we had then was that the mail didnt come until after 3pm, so we headed out to our next bush camp to get set up then we planned to come back into town to get the mail.

Fern Brook falls in the National Park was only 30 kms out of town, so we headed out, found the only site big enough for the van - vans are not actually allowed as it is a camp ground, but with some good driving and some excellent directions we set up, had a look around then headed back into town to get the documents. They were there, we signed them and posted them off so all was good.

It was wet, wet, wet but we were dry and the camp site was lovely. The previous day on our walk we had gone to Rowells Pool and we had mentioned to the kids that there may be yabbies in the pool. That got their attention so Tuesday morning was spent with a stick, fishing line and a chunk of meat fishing for yabbies. Well DArcy had the first bite and from then on Kym was kept busy with the net pulling the yabbies in. It was so much fun and the kids and Kym had a ball. Our plan at first was to throw them back, but once we had enough for a snack we decided to keep them. We put the yabbies in a small bucket and put them in the freezer to sleep, hitched up the van and headed off towards Shannon National Park.

Kym showing Taine how he used to do it in the 'olden days' at Sturt Creek

We then took the yabbies out of the freezer, cooked them inside the van and ate them for lunch. The kids enjoyed shelling them and playing with them but werent so keen on eating them. We loved them though.

DArcy doing his 'Mr Bean" impression Taine caught the two biggest yabbies

Shannon NP is a beautiful spot and we found a great site on a concrete slab - it was raining most of the day off and on, had flushing toilets and a shower. The shower water however was only hot if you lit a fire under the special hot water system using the timber and axe provided. Kym did the chopping and got the fire going, the boys collected more wood and also got a fire going to cook dinner on. We had a beautiful dinner of chicken and vegies all done in the fire as well as a damper for dessert. That was our first dinner of the trip done on the open fire and we all enjoyed it very much. Dinner was followed by a very warm shower in the middle of the national park and we were all very happy campers!!!!!

April Fools day saw the kids play tricks on both Kym and me. At the crack of dawn Riley faked a big vomit which had Kym running around in the dark and in the nuddy trying to find something, anything for her to vomit in so as not to get it on her bunk. He was greeted by a lot of laughing and giggling on behalf of all the kids and me who was in on the prank. They then got me at breakfast time with salt instead of sugar in my morning cup of tea. Thanks Riley.

The morning was damp so we packed up, jumped in the car heading for Windy Harbour on the coast. We passed through Pemberton only to be greeted by 2000+ bike riders on a Ride the South West tour, doubling the population of the town, so we kept on going directly to Windy Harbour with plans of coming back through in two days when the riders had moved on.

Taine sorting his cuttle fish into size order - Windy Harbour WA

Another Maths lesson - Taine 'measuring' a log - Windy Harbour WA

Windy Harbour is a fishing settlement built around the Salmon fisherman and the camp ground is fantastic. It is grassed, there is fireplaces and they supply the wood. The showers were hot, we had kangaroos jumping through our campsite and we stayed two nights instead of one. Its a site i would recommend to anyone. We did some school work under the awning while it rained then headed out to check out the views along the coastline and had a big walk along the beautiful Salmon Beach collecting cuttle fish.

Today, Friday 3rd (Happy Birthday Randal Mitchell) we headed back into Pemberton - minus the bikeriders - and headed off to climb the Gloucester Tree. It is a 60m high Karri tree that was used previously as a fire look out for the area. Long lengths of 20mm reo bar have been put into the tree as rungs to use to climb, and up you go. We picked a perfect day as the weather was clear and there was next to no one around. We all went up and we all made it although i must admit climbing something like this with your own kids is a little more scary. I guess you worry about them and if they fall they are stuffed as there is no real safety measures. I think it was hard for Mr Safety having the boys truncing up the tree ahead of him without a harness!!

Heading up the Gloucester Tree Then heading down!!

We stopped for lunch at the Pemberton Bakery - much to the delight of the kids and Kym as that meant no dry biscuits with vegemite and cheese today - then headed back north towards Manjimup. As we were heading out of Pemberton there was a road sign that said Albany 235kms, so in real terms, although it feels as if we have seen heaps and been to alot of places over the past week or so , we really have not gone far in KMs terms at all. Today we made camp in a park at Fontys Pool just out of Manjimup and it is a real find. Its an inderpendant park built around Fontys Pool. The pool is a famous local landmark and consists of nearly an acre of fresh spring water and the kids had a ball this afternoon swimming and floating on old car tubes. They said it wasnt that cold but i find that hard to believe as it is pretty cold here.

We listen to the footy on the radio tonight - disappointing, although DArcy was pretty happy as he was the only one to pick the Saints to win so he won the $1.00 jackpot. (we all had to bet 20 cents to play!!)

The weather is much much cooler in this area and we have had to put away some of our Summer clothes and bring out some warm stuff as im certain we will need it even more over Easter.

Our plans for the next few days are pretty fluid as our next due date is not until the 8th April at Augusta. Augusta is near Margaret River right on the SW coast so we have a few days to drift before we get there. We are camping there for the Easter week with Sheridan and Kelly and kids as well as our Western Australian cousins and their families. It will be great fun and we look forward to catching up with them all.

Life for us continues to be pretty relaxed and although we have our 'times' we are all getting on great guns. Kym continues to keep us safe on the road and to create great camps each stop we make. The kids are fantastic and each day seem to be having more and more fun together. Dont get me wrong, they still complain at school time, and still enjoy causing trouble for eachother but generally they are doing very very well. Im proud of them.

Hope you continue to enjoy our travels.

Love to you all.

TheMitchellonTheMove xxx