Day 24-30 Narooma and Phillip Island

Day 24 - 24th November

Today we left the camp site near Canberra and heading on the road out towards Batemans Bay. We went along the coastal road to a place called Narooma. We had a little chill before going on the search for a public shower. Sometimes these are easy to find, but other days like today it proved harder. We ended up going to a swimming pool to use the showers. We paid $5.20 each for entry to the pool. Then had a long shower after. This was worth it as it had been a few days (gross I know!).

Tonight we are staying at a free camp site in Delmany near Narooma. 

^Bar Beach in North Narooma 

Day 25- 25th November

Today we drove for a couple of hours to a place called Tathra. My boyfriend bought a skateboard yesterday so he went to the skatepark which was right on the beach, and I sunbathed on the beach! Tried to go in the sea but it was SO icy cold! Which is so crazy considering the weather is so hot. But I guess after summer the sea will be warmed up. 

My boyfriend left his phone at the side whilst he skated, came to the beach to see me then realised he left it there. It wasn't there when he went back. He asked the young boys there who said they saw it on the side but aren't sure where it is. I gave one of them my number to call me if it 'turns up'. We logged into find my iPhone on my phone and played the annoying beep. The boys then came over with the phone and said it was 'in a bush'. How strange !... but at least we got it back. 

 ^Tathra Beach

Day 26 - 26th November 

Today we had a chilled morning before leaving the campsite to endure another longish journey. 

After a couple of hours we arrived in a place called Marlo which is in Victoria! We've made it across 3 states!

Marlo looked so stunning from the pictures, but sadly it was overcast and started to drizzle. This was so disappointing because the beaches looked so untouched and picturesque. If it was a nice hot day this would be amazing. Hopefully we can stop here on our journey back up to Brisbane. 

We went to a free camp site 30 minutes away in Murrengower where we had a chilled after noon and an early evening meal. 

^Marlo

Day 27 - 27th November 

Today started off very cold and rainy again. We drove for a couple of hours to a town called Bairnsdale where we got a coffee and did our laundry! The man who ran the laundrette was from Greece, he was so friendly and nice! He started talking to us in German because he thought we were German. It was so funny we didn't know what he was saying!

After this we headed to the camp site and had a chilled afternoon. 

The sun came out in the afternoon so we sat outside for a little while - before the flies took over and were EVERYWHERE!

Hopefully we can find a nice beach tomorrow. 

Day 28 - 28th November

We went to a beach called Golden Beach. It was really nice weather so we had a few beers on the beach in the sun! 

We wanted to swim in the sea, but as we walked closed we saw lots of white washed up things with what looked like blood in it. We think they were jelly fishes as we also heard other people say that. 

In the end we didn't go in the sea! It's a shame, but it would of probably been cold as it seems that way the more South we travel!

Tonight we are staying at a free camp site called Minneha'ha Falls campground which is lovely! It's in the country side, we have hills all around us with sheep on! Theres even a waterfall right next to us and we have the whole place to ourselves!

In a couple of days time we should be in Melbourne which is very exiting. Then our journey back up to Brisbane begins- this part should be more chilled as we have travelled south in just over a month and have two more months to go back up!

^Our spot for the night - all to ourselves at Hiawatha. 

^Minneha'ha Falls

Day 29 - 29th November 

Today we drove across what felt like North Yorkshire! So hilly with sheep and cows everywhere. It was lovely. 

We went to a place in Agnes to have a shower (luckily we found free ones in public toilets!) we also treated ourselves to some chips here. The town felt so weird and eary here it was so strange. No one was about it was completely dead. Apart from one man who got out of a lorry and walked about in his shirt and boxers ??!

It was SO hot today. And it was so annoying that we weren't near a beach to cool off in the sea. Definitely the hottest day we've had so far! 

We are staying at a free camp site on the M1 called Longwarry which is set back a little from the main road. 

Day 30 - 30th November 

Our friend from England is staying near Melbourne for a while, so this morning we went to the farm he is staying at to see him. 

It was so hot again this morning. We found a camp site for $33 on Phillip Island which we were told is beautiful. 

We arrived on Phillip Island and somehow arrived at the wrong campsite. We went to one right next to the one we had in mind. It was only after booking in and looking on the map for the swimming pool (which we couldn't find) that we realised we were at a diffenent site! This was so frustrating as it was no ones fault but our own and we ended up paying nearly $40 as we couldn't work out why this was more than it originally said?!  

Nevertheless we are parked in a beautiful location - right on the beach. 

There's supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight which I'm secretly looking forward to watching over the sea from our little camper!

^Dusk on Cowes Beach at Phillip Island 

I can't believe December is here tomorrow. This is definitely the best November I've ever had and one I'll forver remember. 

We've had some challenges along the way with not everything working in our favour, but all in all it's been the most amazing experience so far. I can't quite believe we picked up the campervan 30 days ago today.

It's very strange that I would be freezing back home at the moment! It's even snowed a little back home which makes me realise how far from reality I am at the moment!!

I'm feeling quite sad that the trip has gone so quickly so far, but I guess 'time flies when you're having fun'. And to say I'm having fun be an understatement. 

Day 18-23. Blue Mountains,Jervis Bay & Canberra

Day 18 - 18th November

We went to Echo point lookout on the Blue Mountains. It was very foggy so hard to see anything. But once it cleared a little we could see the Three Sisters mountains. We walked to them which was along a path and then very steep steps going down. It was so scary! Especially because the steps were metal and slippery from the rain! 

We are staying at another campsite in the Blue Mountains tonight. Hoping the weather clears up soon because I'm so ready for some sun now! 

Day 19 - 19th November

Today marks 2 months until we give back the campervan. I guess that's still a while, but I already feel about the fact that it's going so quickly. Don't get me wrong, I miss the luxuries of a hot shower, clean bed sheets, my family & dogs, my car and electricity... but I don't want the experience of a lifetime to ever end! I don't want to say it in past tense. 

Anyway, lets make the most of it! Today we did a food shop at Aldi. This started as a weekly thing spending $40. Now we seem to do two a week, usually at $40 each, but today it came to over $70 ooops! There goes the budget. 

We stopped at a bakery on the way back from the food shop and got some pastries and rolls for breakfast (just carrying on the spending!) then headed back to the camp site as stayed at 2 nights ago as this is more on the route out as the plan is to leave the Blue Mountains tomorrow. 

Ben introduced me to the game 'hungry shark' and we are both addicted! Tonight we have a steak din dins with fried potatoes and coleslaw which we are very excited about. And of course, some tim tams later! Yay. 

Day 20 - 20th November 

We headed out of the Blue Mountains and towards Wollongong. 

On the way we stopped off at Bulli Lookout to take some photos. I had a wee here and then saw a lizard sharing the toilet with me! I don't think I even flushed I wanted to get out of there so badly!! 

We went to a beach just below called Bombo. It was so lovely as it was really quite - just a few surfers and us. I soaked up as much sun as I could before ben got itchy feet. We went for a wander along the cliff at the side of the beach and took some amazing photos. 

After this we went to a bottle shop to stock up on beers! This time we ditched the 'Gold Lager' and went for 'Victoria Bitter'. It feels like an upgrade. Hahah. 

We also went to a bakery and shared the most amazing pastry, creamy, fruity thing! It was so good. 

^Bulli Lookout

^Bombo Beach

^The most amazing treat from a bakery!

Day 21 - 21st November 

We went back to Bombo Beach quite early on. We cooked some breakfast here and had a little chill before heading to Jervis Bay. The beaches around Jervis Bay are beautiful the whitest sand I've seen. The sea was very choppy but so clear and turquoise. We had such fun here in the sea!

We then drove down further to Milton Showgrounds where we will be staying tonight $25 for a powered site. 

Day 22 - 22nd November

I can't believe how quick this is going. Each day is so amazing I never want it to end. 

We left the Showgrounds and headed to Batemans Bay. We sat at Surfs Beach which was really hot but a slight breeze on the beach, it made it so nice to just sit and not get too hot! 

Ben and I sat on the beach for a couple of hours and had some really lovely chats about life! 

We cooked some cheese toasties for lunch (we've mastered making these in a frying pan now!)

Then headed on the B52 to a free camp site. It's about half way to Canberra which is perfect for tomorrow. 

^Malua Bay at Batemans Bay

Day 23 - 23rd November

We arrived in Canberra and went straight to the War Memorial. This was recommended to us by a local man we have met along the way- and we are so glad he did. 

It was so moving and touching going somewhere like this, I felt really emotional throughout our visit there. There is so much to see and read, you could quote easily spend all day here. 

After this we headed back to the same rest area we stayed at last night as it's on the road in/out of Canberra. We didn't see much of Canberra but felt it wasn't so easy to take a Campervan into the city centre. We are really glad that we at least visited Canberra for a short while. Another place to tick off the list. 

Im Going Travelling...

If all goes to plan i should be going away at the end of October on a big travelling trip. We will be starting in Australia and spending a few months travelling around the gold coast. We're not sure whether to go on from there or come back after Australia but we have a few ideas floating around at the moment. Nothing is set in stone just yet. The idea is to potentially land in Brisbane and hire a camper van. I never realised the amount of effort that goes into planning a massive trip.

We spent a long time deciding on a destination. But obviously thats the first big decision to make. Australia both appealed to us, and its such a popular place to travel that we figured doing a popular route would teach us all the tricks we need to know when travelling so that when we travel different countries in the future we have some knowledge behind us, rather than going massively off the beaten track for our first big trip.

Next we decided on a time length. We new that going in our winter would be ideal for my work, and it would be Australias summer. Going for a few months means we can really make the most of it and relax at the same time without it being too stressful and intense.

A camper van seemed perfect for us as its our accommodation and allows us to travel. When i went to Australia in March we were going to get a camper van, I'm really glad we didn't as it wouldn't of worked because we were really central in Sydney. Whereas a trip like this seems perfect for a camper van. This is definitely the thing that is going to cost us the most money whilst travelling, but we can justify this as it is our home and car for a few months and we need to be comfortable. We are thinking about hiring a mid-sized camper van to ensure we have enough room. As we will be there for Australias summer we need to make sure we don't overheat!

Nothing is set in stone for our trip yet and we are still planning to make sure we get everything as right as we can. We could even change our mind and choose a completely different destination! But for now these are our plans.

If anyone has any tips for travelling, especially in Australia please let me know, it would be much appreciated.