These handy zippered bags are the best thing since sliced bread. They are cheap as chips, readily available and great for storage and all manner of things. We store our seasonal clothes (out of season) in these and use them for dirty clothes. We prefer them to plastic when shopping or picnicking and they are great for holding ropes, cables and the like.
I wanted to do a blog purely on camping out. Mainly because we usually use the freecamps, National Parks and Forestry’s when we can and this is the true and traditional Aussie camping out experience. This is a choice of ours and a clear preference of many, although we do have a holiday every now and then in a holiday park… or caravan park, like everyone else who uses occasionally or actually prefer these ‘plug in’ settings every now and then.
We’ve completed The Lap, an Aussie dream and yes… we adored our time travelling. It was all part of our retirement plan and given 18 months we feel that we took way too little time to appreciate all our country has to show us. We planned diligently and as happens, found we had commitments to meet with family and friends all along the way as well as our many adventures. These we all very much enjoyed but there was so much to see that we had to set aside for another visit a great deal and already we have made plans to return to many of these places. We also made lots of new and great friends who we continue to run into, who we follow on Facebook and with whom we will catch up with again for sure. Plans are already afoot.
While we are preparing to point our noses east across the ‘Nullabor’ once more, (colonial spelling here), having dawdled around the shores of the SW corner of Western Australia, there is a history here that has become more evident. It is an unexpected tale perhaps. We have all heard of Australia’s whaling history, where the giants of the sea were once harvested indiscriminately along our shores and particularly along the shores of the SW WA, while settlement and colonization crept across the land. The harvest that is believed to have begun around 1837 was huge and bountiful and it decimated the whale population leaving a lasting impression on places like Albany, Esperance and much of the south west coast in a vivid history. The industry lured the French and Yanks to our shores as their ships cargoed the convicts and then turned their interests to whales in season. On the return run back to their home port they took the bounty of our seas with them. This oceanic massacre however eventually led to the industries own demise as whale numbers declined steadily over the decades of indiscriminate hunting and killing. Continue reading
Free E-book, available for download from Amazon.com for a short time to celebrate Australia Day and its true meaning.
“Out on the Never Never” is a true Australian adventure in traveling our land. One celebrating the love of our Land as two Grannies, two pups in a ‘Bitch Box’ set out to cross the continent in their little caravan… join them on their journey to discover modern-day Australia.
Celebrating our love of the Land and our Freedom. This is the original meaning of the peoples celebration known as Australia Day, the 26th January.
Down through the history of Australia many groups, factions and Governors have tried to hijack what is and always was the “peoples” celebration, this to their own cause but it is truly time we reclaimed what rightfully belongs to the people.
We are having lots of trouble leaving our current camp. It is just a great camp… few public amenities but we don’t require them. There is the cool rolling ocean water, warm white/golden sand and smell of the salt in the air that keeps us here. It’s the peace, the wildlife around us and the entertainment in those who share our day as they come and go. It’s the people who stay and 5 o’clock happy hour, which we are sharing with our fellow campers. It is the freedom of life and the adventure of a country we love. Continue reading
Jan Hawkins Author 