On The Road Again

For those who know me, buying a caravan and selling everything I own to go on a travelling adventure will not seem a big leap. I have of course done this before with my husband, 3 children and a rock band (that's another story). However this time I am lucky enough to have the luxury of an ensuite and every sort of travel technology known to man. Before it was just a bucket!

My aim on this two year trip is to have a complete change in lifestyle from the corporate 12 hour minimum day I have experienced for the past 20 years. I haven't retired, just taken a fork in the road. My aim is to use my wits to earn a good living with flexible hours and lifestyle using a portable office and of course the internet. The next few months though is pleasure only.

So here I am in Augusta writing my first travel blog to keep in touch with all my wonderful friends and family. I hope you enjoy it.

Canopy on the Road to Augusta

After leaving a fabulous weekend in Dunsborough with friends and a night with Diana Krall at Leeuwin Estate, it was fair to say Michael and I were a little tired and not really in the mood to go far. Taking Caves Road out of Dunsborough we made our way down the coast and into the most beautiful country. Tall graceful trees lined the road covering us in a warm canopy that made us feel cocooned in a peaceful repartee with nature (picture attached).

Michael is always up for exploring so we made our way in to the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park. We bumped and ground our way down a rugged corrugated Conto Road to check it out. Fantastic sea views abounded but not a lot of parking or camping spots for a 25 Foot caravan, so unfortunately it was back out onto the road. The area is set up for hiking and camping not caravanners like us.

Just a short while later we pulled into Hamelin Bay, a gorgeous little place near Augusta in WA on the recommendation of our friends Brian and Vivienne. The place was packed with young families, hippies and grey nomads of all shapes and sizes. Vans riddled the caravan park and the beaches were filled to bursting. Beautiful coast line with views to a couple of islands and a lovely swimming beach. Although it was lovely we decided to carry on to Augusta just 16 km away to escape the ravaging hordes.

Augusta is a very small town that has the look of a traditional coastal fishing village - run down and not that attractive as far as the housing and town are concerned.  It's real charm lies with the rocky windswept outcrops, river inlets and dark blue, white tipped ocean entrancing sea lovers to catch that fish, kayak or swim in clear waters.

With the Blackwood River on its’ doorstep Augusta has something for everyone. Not quite so lovely yesterday and today with wind gusts sweeping us off our feet -  but it is wildly beautiful and sea lovers will love the clear blue ocean filled with jet white Pommies out here for sun and sand. A most interesting sight!

The Westbay Retreat is the Caravan Park we are staying in at the moment. It is situated on the Blackwood River just out of town and is really gorgeous. We are surrounded by trees and nature whilst having all the amenities we need to finish our van modifications. Michael is still doing some wiring and odd jobs and I am setting up my blog and starting to sketch ideas for my first design projects.

After a hard morning of sitting around doing bugger all, Michael tried his hand at fishing after spotting them practically leaping into boats as they passed by. However none of them conveniently leapt onto his rod. I therefore am cooking a casserole for dinner in my new Thermal Cooking Pot. Why aren’t these things advertised for the normal kitchen? It cooks casseroles, bread and all sorts of things with no power just using the heat stored from bringing it to the boil on the stove top for 10 minutes. Brilliant piece of equipment that I would recommend for anyone.  

Anyway, it is just about time for ‘drinkies o’clock’. Tonight I am preparing Margarita’s for those of you who want to know! Michael is now out doing his jobs and I am just going to watch and admire his handiwork.

Tomorrow we head off to do some ‘free camping’. For the uninitiated this is a place with no amenities to speak of in the middle of nowhere with spots for us to stay for a short time. We have a generator, solar power, water and water pumps and a satellite dish so this should be easy enough for us intrepid sorts.

I will let you know how it goes. Till tomorrow!