January 27, 2018
"Because the greatest part of a road trip isn't arriving at your destination. Its all the wild stuff that happens along the way." - Emma Chase
I am already having such a great response from my family and friends about my blog and this is only my 1st post! I love you all. I apologize for the delay of beginning my blog. I learned that reliving my Australian Adventure was harder than I thought it would be due to how it ended with my travel partner. It was scary and risky for my heart, BUT this trip was life changing by how much he brought to my life; love, adventure, passion, & so much more. So let me take you with me through this incredible road trip in a Ute called Lucy ;)
PERTH
I flew into the beautiful city of Perth, Australia! I met my amazing travel companion on my 6 month deployment to the UAE. He asked me to be his workout partner and that is where we started our amazing friendship that blossomed into more. When I arrived in Perth, after a very long 22 hour travel time, he video chatted me saying he was so close to getting there. I had to still go through customs so it wasn't a big deal. When I got through the line I called him back and asked where he was at. He replied with "when you go through the doors take a left." I walked through and a flood of family members, friends, etc. where there waiting for their members to get off the plane. I look to the left and see this handsome man standing there with a little koala bear holding the Australian flag and I swear music played in my head as I ran up to him, jumped in his arms, and I don't think our smiles could have been any bigger seeing each other after 5 weeks apart. We then headed to our hotel that was in downtown Perth. Coming from cold Minnesota to Australia was breathtaking. I was so mesmerized by the simple beauty of Perth. Maybe I just wasn't used to seeing so much green & it being in the 90s at the beginning of December, but I could not believe I was finally getting to experience my #1 bucket list item - visit Australia! Our hotel was Fraser Suites and it was a gorgeous room in a perfect walking distance from downtown Perth. I would recommend going to Perth Bell Tower and have a couple drinks with a pizza at a restaurant/bar by the pier. Pretty views and super good mojitos.
DAY 2 Agenda:
consisted of ---
1) Drove to Free Mantle Markets: sadly I didn't get any inside pictures, but it was a very cute setup with different booths of homemade salsas, fresh fruit, indigenous crafts from bowls & plates, to wooden boomerangs and clothes. Definitely a stop to be made.
2) Hilary's Boat Harbor - Had some great shops, beautiful beach to swim, & recommend Boost Juice! And, obviously, gorgeous boats to look at.
3) Marmion Beach - This was a gorgeous beach where Alex and I went snorkeling! We saw soo many different kinds of fish and the views were incredible. Not too populated so absolutely perfect to enjoy with one another.
4) Later that night we got all dressed up and went to the Royal Tavern on Swan River. I walked there in 4 inch heels from our hotel and while I wouldn't recommend that because there were MANY hills...in the end it was worth it ;) I had the perfect date with me, delicious food (some that I have never tried before) & and when the sun started to set the bridge lit up behind us adding to the romantic back drop.
DAY 3 was in my top 5 best days on this trip because we went to Cohunu Koala Park and fed kangaroos, wallabies, ostriches, Emu's, cockatoos & you guessed it, held a KOALA BEAR! This day was SO much fun! We got to be little kids for the day and walk around feeding all these animals popcorn. The double chin was unavoidable in these pictures for how happy I was! ;)
ALBANY
Day 4 - We then arrived at Middleton Beach Caravan Park. It was a very nice, neat, clean camp ground. We had an ensuite since what we were sleeping out of was a tent built on top of his Ute, called a Swag. Even though the rainy weather followed us, it was absolutely stunning when we followed the sandy path right behind our ensuite that led to a gorgeous beach. Where Alex had his first beach fishing experience and actually caught a fish! I was way too cold to get up from my chair, but loved watching him freeze his butt off to fish ;) The next day we went 'bulk bush,' as Alex would say, and took an amazing hike. At first, I thought we were extremely lost, but secretly Alex knew where we were going...at least he hoped he did! After a serious uphill climb, with great views along the way, we made it to the Albany Anzac Memorial. I was so in awe as Alex spoke to me so passionately about the history of Albany being the birthplace of the Anzac story and how much he loves his country, and loves serving. When people you deeply care about show a different side of them you fall in love with that person even more. We walked along a path with giant trees looming over us and in front of each one was a plaque that said the name of a fallen soldier and how old they were. I couldn't believe how many I read that were just in their early 20s, and how they sacrificed their lives for a place they love. We walked through this path hand in hand and were just silent as we read a few of them & then the quotes that were aligning the path as well. That day I gained a whole new respect for this man I have known only a few short 6 months. Everyday of this adventure I learned more and more about him, but this day was particularly special. We ended our VERY long, sweaty hike taking a dip in the freezing cold ocean!
ESPERANCE
Day 5 - Esperance is a touristy place, but as you can tell from our experience so far...we are thinking outside the box. We did however stop at the 'pink' lake, but to my disappointment it was NOT pink. It looked like a Minnesota lake. I was disappointed because Pinterest 'talked' it up so good to me, but the weather was crummy and it has to be a certain temperature outside for the alga to start creating red pigments. Something about the salinity level in the water being greater than that of the salt water...I'm not really sure. I just remember reading something like this on the sign. Either way it wasn't hot enough outside for this process to happen. I also read that it hasn't turned pink for 10 years, which I probably should have done my research before suggesting we stop. Lesson learned;) What WAS a really memorable, and also horribly terrifying experience for Alex, was some intense off-roading in the Ute! This quest was full of sand dunes, great ocean views, thousands of attempts to get up hills, trekking over boulders, & Alex's personal favorite...going on an unmarked trail thought to be used by vehicles, but was only big enough for a dirt bike. How you ask did we make it through/how did Lucy survive...? Well, she came out with a lot of scratches & bruises and tears may have been shed by the manly man next to me, but we ended up on the other end without losing the canopy, permanent scratches in the canvas, or any underside damage! In the end it was a success! I feel like through life you go through a lot of these challenges and like this unmarked path you don't know what to expect ahead. You just have to keep pushing through because, yes, part way through we thought turning around would be an easier option & to look for another way to the end, but you don't learn anything by taking the easy way out. And though some of us were scarred emotional, hint hint Alex, we had a REALLY fun time & experienced something completely different and new! And these kind of memories will stay with us forever.
I apologize for the not so great images with this part of the trip. Took them off my GoPro & only so many good pictures you can get through a dirty windshield ;)
BUNDA CLIFFS
Day 6 - Our plan was to stay 2 nights at the Seafront Caravan Park, but the rainy weather was still with us and instead of making day #2 a lazy one we cut our camping short & took on our longest day with a 10 hour drive to Bunda Cliffs. Guys, I seriously cannot tell you how lucky I am I got to do all this with an Australian who has 1) done this road trip before but with WAY more stops than last time 2) who loves to adventure off the beaten path just like I do & 3) who is manly as hell and loves to camp! Also, probably someone who doesn't mind your terrible singing because 10 hours is quite the trip. Specially when he has a manual and you can't help drive soo THANK YOU Alex for loving to drive and doing it all ;) Anyways, we had to cross the boarder into NSW and give up any fruits or vegetables we had. Then Alex went and looked for the perfect side road to exit off on and get an amazing view of the ocean. After finding the perfect spot and driving in a ways away from the road we set up the swag and went to sleep. Well, we tried to fall asleep. It was SUPER windy, freakishly cold, and Alex was worried someone was going to drive up, murder us, and rob us...some movie he saw freaked him out of this. Since neither of us could fall asleep from the obnoxious wind. We quickly took down the swag, grabbed the comforter & pillows and camped out in the front seats of the Ute. Oddly enough...this was the best sleep we had gotten even though we woke up and everything was sore, we got to wake up to the prettiest view, which is the first picture below. We both stank sooo badly, but we roughed it. I was the first one up, which never happened, and I just got to stare at the gorgeous view in front of me. Alex ended up shifting and was laying on me and as uncomfortable as my body felt in the position I was in I was completely in awe of that moment. I couldn't believe where I was! In Australia, sleeping in a Ute on Bunda Cliffs in an area no tourist would explore on their own with a man who completely flipped my world upside down over deployment sleeping on my chest. It all sounds so incredibly cheesy, but when you are caught up in those moments you cannot help thinking how blessed you are. When we both were awake we went on some off road that was deep enough inland the road was no longer in view and gave ourselves a quick baby wipe/luffa 'shower,' had some cereal and then were on our way to Ceduna. Before we arrived, we stopped at a known gas station where it documents your journey on the Nullabor Road. This road is considered your journey to the "Golden Outback." Nullabor is a 96 km stretch of road with no turns or bends and we were coming close to the end of it. So of course we had to document it with pictures!
Ceduna was a great place to stop & we stayed at a nice caravan park that had a great remodeled cabin! Felt incredible to sleep in an actual bed after the night we had.
PORT LINCOLN
Days 7 & 8 - We spent some time in Port Lincoln, but if I had to live somewhere in Australia I would set up camp here. Absolutely gorgeous views; being surrounded by the water in a very cute town. This is where most people experience cage diving, but Alex wasn't up for it, too scared ;) , and it didn't fit into our schedule and budget, but I will for sure be back and check that off my bucket list. We did check out a few of the shops and I wish I could remember the name of this home décor shop! It was very very cute & I wanted everything! Alex and I left early the next morning to head to the most gorgeous, quaint, delicate, amazing part of Australia...Barossa Valley! But on the way we took a scenic route and stopped at a beautiful location to swim and look at sea sculptures. When I say swim I mean Alex attempted to but the water was ice cold and with the breeze it was too much for me. So he tried to snorkel and I sat on the beach to soak up some sun. Pictures do not even do this spot justice for how beautiful it was. No one was in sight and it was an incredibly romantic location for us to enjoy each other and take some cute pictures. Make sure if you visit Australia try to find the beaches that are less crowded or tucked away somewhere in the rocks because these moments with someone special never escape your mind.
"Live for the moments you cant put into words."
BAROSSA VALLEY
Days 9 & 10 - If you are a wine lover, have never been to a winery and want too, or just want to look at some incredible views this has to be a must on your bucket list. After a 6 hour drive there we decided to go right to one of the wineries probably looking and smelling pretty fresh. It was called Smith Winery and the view we had of the vineyard was breath taking. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather and the man telling us about each wine was delightful. We got pretty 'cooked' as the Aussies say, but it was one of the best times. We ended up buying a couple bottles and may have finished two that night at our cottage. Alex was so cute & romantic and rented us a cottage for 2 nights and yes the price gets up there for your own personal cottage, but it was incredible and absolutely worth it having a place all to ourselves. The cottage also featured a beautiful garden in the backyard. The picture below of us standing under the arch, me in the dress, is us in the garden area. We spent two amazing days driving around Barossa Valley going to different wineries, walking downtown, going to a little ice cream parlor, & just enjoying being together. This was the first and last time that I had kangaroo for dinner. Not because it wasn't good because it was really delicious, but just that was the only time we had it :) I wouldn't take back one memory I had on this trip so far. We got to be with each other away from all the eyes and judging on deployment. Got to truly be ourselves and every part of it was incredible. I can't wait to share the other half of the 30 day Australian Adventure with you!!
