As we take a moment to plan, reflect and enjoy being on the Homesite before we are off on our next travel adventure there are things that I have now noticed about how the world, my world, has moved on without me.
We are currently back where we began many years ago.. in fact we are fluffing around what could be considered “Country”. The meaning of the term, in the Aussie modern vernacular, means a great deal. It is where you find your world, where you are at home even though it may not be your home anymore. It is often the place of your birth and passage to adulthood as within the Aboriginal meaning.
Albany Shire has long held a reputation for welcoming the traveller. She sits on the middle shores of the Great Southern Ocean in Western Australia. Her beaches stretching into inlets and bays are now the precinct of the fisherman and boaties alike. It was once where whalers and sealers hunted, where emigrants passed by following the coast seeking the path to inland gold, the often sad tears of the sun and where traditional natives feasted and followed their Songlines and sandy trails in an endless cycle of surviving the seasons of the sun and wind. It is a region of immense beauty with tall giants settled into her forests and winding tracks of soft and solid sands offering recreational entertainment for the 4×4 enthusiast. The shire is RV friendly with a number of rest area’s, many that could do with a loo or two, yet she sits proud amongst those coastal towns of WA offering welcome within her region and a myriad of activities and entertainments. Continue reading
It has been a year. A whole year since we settled into the van to live permanently in transit, travelling the highways and tracks of Aus… out on the wallaby. This was a dream of ours since The Man and I met. It was one we shared from very early on in our lives and now we are living that dream. One we hope to live for many more years to come.
As we prepare to depart the Cairns region, and head west there are a few things that I have learnt and many things that I will miss. While on the other hand there are some things that I am very much looking forward too… actually quite a few things.
We’ve been back on the wallaby for a few weeks now, making our way north chasing the sun. There are two routes to choose between when travelling between north and south in Queensland.
Yellowstone is an experience like none other, but for a diversion The Man and I took a run outside its limits. We had been told of the incredibly beautiful drive that is the road up over Bear Tooth Pass and the return run back into Yellowstone along the Chief Joseph Trail. God bless those who told us of these excursions.
Well we arrived after a 16 hr flight via Auckland… Barely 2 hours after we left Bris with a turn up through New Zealand. We have gained in time which is rather nifty. I thought the night would never end however. Sleeping sitting up has never been a favourite of mine but this night was definitely more difficult and disorientating.
Seeing the snow capped Columbian Mountains in the distance though was a sight to behold, simply gorgeous. It is a prelude to sights we have yet to see as the Rocky Mountains lay beyond these. Driving on the right hand side of the road… a small nightmare. We could have been anywhere in winter Aus’, though the sky is a brillant blue, the breeze brisk and the city friendly. That we are actually in spring/summer, which is Vancouver now is our reality.
Well we are now stumbling into May and June is just around the corner. Ratting around the bush this last weeks has been a great adventure but it is time to prepare for something mammoth. You might have noticed that my posts have spread out a bit and this is because preparations have been underway for something of a hiatus.
Jan Hawkins Author 