Author: Jodi

Toodyay and York

An unplanned weekend getaway to re-charge. Just what we needed.

A month or so after our anniversary, at the start of the flower season we needed another weekend getaway.

You may think we sound precious, but we really did. While we are lucky to live the way we do, it isn’t without its difficulties and these really came to the surface in Perth.

In the south west, during winter, it rains. So we spent a lot of time in the van. As a way to save our sanity, we tried to book into accommodation ever so often.

  • One of the walks we went on.
  • We have since been back to this Christmas Shop – it’s a must do!
  • This country is stunning.
  • There were flowers spotted along the entire drive. We did get out to explore a few spots.
  • So peaceful, this was just out of Toodyay on the way to York.
  • Well in York.
  • Notice the copper coil – that’s the radiator to cool the engine. This thing reached 160 mph I believe.
  • Artist came from Japan to create these straw figures
  • I wonder if this would have been our set-up…
  • I think these were some peach trees.
What a weekend exploring!

This weekend away was just what we needed. We managed a few little walks, explore a new place, find an amazing Christmas shop and it just so happened York had a classic car festival on the Sunday we were there. It was fantastic. The town’s are historic and there is a car museum there that operates all year round. We even jumped on an old school bus for a tour of the town.

After York, we toured the region, headed south and found an old plane that was built in WA! This weekend was just what the doctor ordered!

2019 Anniversary

Weekend getaway for our anniversary. I picked a good spot!

It was becoming clear we needed a break from Perth. So I booked us a cabin with a fire place in or near Yallingup. I wasn’t really sure… It turned out to be just what we needed.

We started off with breakfast at Busselton and a sticky around town.

We explored the Yallingup area but didn’t do any major hikes. It became evident our plans to travel the Margaret River region for our weekend getaways was simply wishful thinking. The region is amazing and not simply a weekend getaway as we felt the region needed a designated block of time.

So we agreed to explore the area on the way out of Perth.

I’ll pop in some pics but as the locals said the weather was bad, we had many places to ourselves. Naturally we loved it! We ate out loads, tried a few craft breweries, and even went to a vineyard on the way home.

Yep, it was a great weekend away!

  • Busselton, called in on the way down.
  • Eagle Bay Brewery.
  • Wild hop with jalepeno and truffle popcorn.
  • The high tea was delightful!!!
  • Margaret River Beer!
  • He didn’t go down the stairs.
  • It was freezing but there were still surfers.
  • Cold and wet.
  • Breakfast with no crowds. This place was amazing!
  • Yes,I looked for a cottage with a fire place and yes it was worth it.
  • The vineyard was lovely
  • Stopped off at this beach on the way home.

Araluen

A top spot to explore. You can take a picnic basket and simply enjoy the outdoors!

There is nothing I could recommend more. We thought it was just a catch up with Rach and Justin. Justin had mentioned there are a few flowers but essentially it was to be a chilled Sunday catch-up for his birthday. I guess that was exactly what it was, but these gardens are something else.

For about two weeks in the month of September, the tuplips bloom. Boy do they bloom! I have seen nothing like it. Judging by the car park, this is a favourite for many people.

Spring had definately sprung. We were surrounded by families, couples and generally just happy people.

I have heaps of photos from today, however, if you ever go, I don’t want to spoil all the fun! It is well worth it! Pack a basket, take the family and enjoy the day. Thank me later. 😊

Of course, we ended the day by calling into Coors Cider. 😁

She brings such joy but may be the death of us

Introducing Cooper Dawn McLeod. The newest clan member.

For months our mate Voss has been harping on about friends of hers that have had an unexpected litter of puppies. These weren’t just any puppies but Boarder Collie, Kelpie cross pups.

At first, we held off as the main focus has been to get Tim well enough so we can leave Perth. As most of you know, capital cities are not our thing.

As Tim seemed to be getting better, we decided to go visit Vossy and her mate to check out these puppies. Well, we fell in love. We couldn’t leave her behind so against my better judgement, I agreed with Tim to bring her home.

That’s when the sweetness ended. You see, puppies are hard work at the best of times, but living in a van adds a different element all together. We are up at least three times every night with her. I have no idea where she gets her energy from. If I did, I would certainly cut her supply. Also, I’m not sure yet if she is a vampire puppy or simply sees me as her living, breathing chew toy. Either way, not great.

Aside from the negatives she really has brought us both such joy. Her crazy antics make us laugh and with this added responsibility we are more than ready to finally make it home to Rocky.

We have given up looking for a new place to call home. We simply want to make a home, and figure it is time to head home. At least for a little while.

I have been terrible with my updates of late but I will see if I can sort out my website dramas as we will be doing loads of travel in the months to come. It has taken us 3 years to get to Perth and hope to get the rest of the trip done in 2 months. Wish us luck!

Oh and recently Cooper made her WA tv debut. She was on Caravan and Camping WA. Funny, as it was Caravan and Camping Australia’s insta account I managed for a week. She has Tim’s temper but takes after me creatively! Haha.

Kalbarri

Kalbarri – top spot for a catch-up!

We were looking forward to Kalbarri for a number of reasons that included better weather, amazing sites of nature and we were catching up with our mate Vossy (you may have seen her grace our instagram once or twice).

On our way, we stopped by an old lead smelter and what a bit of history this place was. It is in the middle of nowhere but was maintained by a local historical society. The best part was they ensured the information was stored out of the elements in a nifty bar fridge. Here Tim is obtaining some of the details. They even had a travellers comment section.

We did the usual stuff such as Nature’s Window, where I took a spectactular fall down the hill and Tim wanted to catch a kid (to be clear, it was a baby goat) and not only did we find a great little craft brewery, but we also managed to find a pub with espresso martinis on tap!!! Getting close to a city I think! ☺️

It was great catching up with Vossy, although we weren’t that sure on why she insisted on swimming in such cold water…this should have been an indication to us of the months ahead…but the views were stunning and the salt water was so clear.

Carnarvon

slowly catching up

After exploring Cape Range National Park near Exmouth it was time to move on. We continued travelling south, past the Tropic of Capricorn (nod to Rocky), a quick drive through Coral Bay, past MacLeod Lake and on through Carnarvon. We went a little further south to catch up with Nev and Annie. Spent a couple of nights catching up, doing some 4×4 and trying our hand at fishing before saying our goodbyes and moving on once more.

We decided to stop off at Wooramel Roadhouse for a coffee and a bite. Met a lovely couple who were looking after the place while the managers took a break.

We weren’t the only folk there as a couple of coppers were having a late breaky.

Turns out they were having a few dramas with their car. So after Tim went and helped out, the couple running the Roadhouse said we should be able to go 180 down the coast without getting booked. Haha if only!

Then, on our way to Kalbarri we stopped off at an smelter. It really is amazing what was accomplished back in those days. It’s now maintained by the local historical society who leave the details of the smelter in the fridge. Don’t worry, the fridge isn’t on but it does keep out the snakes.

The journey is half the fun!