The last caravan journey ends

Today we traveled 250 km to Wodonga. The drive was uneventful and when we reached Wodonga we drove to our house. We parked the caravan in front of the house and took out everything. And I mean everything. We're selling the caravan now so we had to take out about a tonne of luggage. After 2 hours we had it unpacked. Then we went inside and had lunch. I found it hard to cope with all the space. And the fridge is massive compared to the one in the caravan. After lunch and a nice cool drink we drove the caravan over to the shed where used to keep it. We parked it outside and unhooked. Then Mum and my sister went and did some shopping. While they were gone Dad and I drove to the Mountain Trail Campers store.

After selling the caravan we're going to get a camper trailer and Dad wanted to have a look at the design of the one we ordered. After a few minutes of looking around and looking at different campers we drove back to the house. After a few hours we had a shower and got dressed in nice cloths so that we could go to dinner with Mum. I didn't want to go to a dinner party because I was so tired. We got home by 11:00 PM and I went straight to bed.

Lockington

Today we left Mildura fairly early and drove 400 km to Ron and Vicki's Farm. The drove was boring and we didn't do much. When we arrived at the farm we got a phone call from Ron telling us that Vicki had fallen over in a paddock and broken her leg. When Ron arrived five minutes later we saw that Vicki was on crutches and she had a lot of trouble going up the steps into the house. We had some nibbles and my sister and I played with the dogs until it got dark. Then we headed inside and I did some schoolwork. After that we had dinner. For dinner we had some of the fish that we had frozen form Broome. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had Mangoes and Ice Cream. Then we stayed looking at photos and after a while my sister and I went to bed

Mildura

Today we left Broken Hill in the morning and drove 300 km to Mildura. The drove was uneventful and we saw a couple of Emus but that was it. I listened to my iPod and worked on yesterdays blog while we drove. At one point we couldn't figure out whether we were still in Wentworth or if we were in the next town. After a quick look at the map we figured out that we still in Wentworth. So we continued to head towards Mildura. When we arrived we drove to the caravan park. Once the caravan was backed in Dad and I took the jerry cans off the roof and poured the diesel into the fuel tank.

It was a very smelly job and by the end of it my hands stank of diesel. The most difficult task was getting the 20 litre/20 kilo jerry cans off the roof rack. After we had emptied the jerry cans I went and washed my hands at the water tap. After several pumps of Enjo Handwash and a lot of rubbing the diesel smell was still there. I gave up and headed inside to where Mum was cooking lunch. For lunch we had chicken burgers with bread and avocado. It tasted great. After lunch we had some yoghurt. Then we hopped into the car and drove into Mildura to have a look around.

First we drove to the Mildura Chocolate Company. It had a big glass window behind the counter where you could see how they produced all the different forms and flavours of chocolate. We ordered some of the hot chocolate that they had advertised. It tasted really good. The hot chocolate wasn't one of those crappy powder and water mixtures, we watched as they ladled molten chocolate into cups and poured heated milk onto the top of it. Then they crumbled chocolate on top of Mum and Dad's hot chocolates. You must get better service if your an adult. The hot chocs were really good and in the visitors book lots of people had written that they were really tasty.

Then we bought three bars of dark chocolate. After that we heard about the disabled people that they employed at the shop. The person who wrapped the chocolate frogs was legally blind and there was another person who was completely deaf and partially blind and was trained by a choclateer for three months. The chocolate frogs were wrapped so precisely that you could make out the shape of the frog under the wrapping so clearly that I though there was no wrapping at all.

After the chocolate company we drove to the river and watched a houseboat go through a lock. There were a lot of dead fish and we learned later that they were killed by a bacteria that lives in their stomach. The cold water sets that bacteria off and it kills a certain percentage of the fish. We got told that they were called silver bream here but in fish identification book the fish are called Bony Bream. After watching the boat go through the lock we drove to the marina and enquired about hiring a houseboat. We got taken through a few and found them very luxurious and spacious. Dad thinks that we might hire one around christmas time while Grandma and Grandpa are here.

After looking at these monster boats we hopped back in the car and drove to the shopping centre. We did some shopping and then we drove back to the caravan. Once we were back at the caravan we unpacked the car and I went to have a shower. After I had washed my hands thoroughly I finally got rid of most of the diesel smell. Some of it still lingered though. After a nice shower I returned to the caravan and wrote my blog. Then we had dinner. For dinner we had nachos. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had the bars of dark chocolate. After dessert I went to bed.

Silverton

Today we got up in the morning and I made a hot chocolate. Then we toasted some bread. After that we had breakfast. Once breakfast was finished my sister and I went to explore the other playground. It wasn't anything flash but the seesaw was great. After 15 minutes we got off and walked back to the caravan. Then we all piled into the car and drove to Silverton which is a town 20 minutes drive form Broken Hill. On the way we saw 3 Camels but they were pet ones.

We drove to the Mad Max Museum and got out. Then we walked inside and had a look around. I've never seen Mad Max and after seeing this Museum I don't intend to! It looks like Mad Max is a horror movie with all the freaky looking people. After an hour we left the place. Dad had spent a few long minutes talking to the guy who runs the museum so we were rather late at getting outside.

After looking around for a further 2 minutes we hopped in the car and drove to the Daydream Mine. We joined the tour which was guided by a fellow called Trent. He taught us a fair bit about the mine. First we went down a set of badly created cement steps to level one which was 18 feet down. Once we were at the bottom we turned on our headlamps. The adults got battery packs like the ones we got on the Ballarat camp last year. My sister and I were the only kids but we got different hardhats. We got ones that had a head torch with battery on the helmet.

Once we got our eyes adjusted to the dimness we continued walking down the passage to the third level. We got told about the people who worked in the mine. They were cornish people that were only 5 feet tall so the mine wasn't exactly high enough for Dad to stand in. Apparently they had forearms that were so thick because they pulled up buckets that were capable of carrying 1 tone of silver or rock. They also put boys as young as 8 years old down the mine so that they could reach the hard to access spots. The most fun they got was when the buckets had to be winched to the surface empty. Then stye hitched a ride up to the surface. A 50 kilo person wouldn't even be felt by these strong bloke at the winch.

We continued down until we reached the third level and we walked around there for a bit. Trent showed us a bit of silver and then he blacked out the mine. This happens when the candles the miners were using for light got blown out. We waved our hands in front of our faces and we couldn't see them. After that we were lead to the surface and walked back to the Acacia Tea Room. We bought some scones with Jam and Cream. They were really good.

After the scones we hopped into the car and drove into Broken Hill. We stopped for a very good lunch at Bell's Milkbar. For lunch we had warm waffles with ice cream and a massive Milkshake each. It was a very tasty lunch. After lunch we drove to the Geology Museum. It was interesting. We watched a short film about the geological history of Broken Hill. Then we got taken through the miners hut. After that we left the museum and drove to the shopping centre. We bought some chicken burgers for tomorrow's lunch. Then we bought some other stuff and left the shopping centre.

Once we were back at the caravan I rang Mitchell on Facetime. Then we had dinner. For dinner I had stir fried dumplings. Then I wrote the blog and went to bed.

Broken Hill

Today I woke up and found that I had overslept. It was already 7:00 AM! I got up and made a hot chocolate while my sister hunted Mum out of bed. Then we had breakfast. After breakfast we headed outside and packed up the caravan. Then Dad and I fixed the jockey wheel. We found out yesterday that the thrust bearing was stuffed. We had to fix it so we did it this morning. After 15 minutes we had it going more smoothly than before. Then we washed the grease off our hands and drove out of the caravan park. We were out of Port Augusta by 8:30 and heading towards Brocken Hill.

We stopped once for fuel and we didn't stop any other time. We reached Brocken Hill by lunchtime. My sister and I cunningly managed to get out of unhooking the caravan and doing our jobs by disappearing to the playground. After half an hour I thought it was safe to return. I returned while my sister stayed at the playground. When I got inside the caravan Mum, Dad and I had lunch. For lunch we fried some more chicken burgers. They tasted really good in bread with avocado or mayonnaise. After lunch we drove into town and went to the tourist information.

While we looked around Dad got the info on good tours. After a bit we left and drove to the top of a hill and sat on the big bench. The bench is about 2 metres high and 5 metres long. We climbed on it and mucked around before joining Mum and Dad inside the building. We looked at the gift shop and had a good laugh at some of the stuff. There was an Aussie slang insult generator. It had three wheel that you turn. In three different boxes the words would appear. It was a real great invention and my sister and I spent the next half an hour insulting each other. Then we drove to a different lookout.

It was pretty boring and we hopped in the car and drove off fairly quickly. We drove to the Royal Flying Doctor Service museum next. It was a good tour that we got and it finished in the hangar where all the planes are stored. After that we watched the film and looked around the museum. Once it was time to go we headed back to the car and drove back to the caravan. When we arrived I went inside and did some schoolwork. After it was finished I wrote my blog. Then we had dinner. For dinner we had spaghetti bolognese and noodles again. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had german wafers. After desert I went to bed.

We crossed the Nullarbore in 2 days

Today we got up in the morning after Dad had clapped his hands very loudly and woken us up. Feeling very sleepy I climbed out of my bunk and made a hot chocolate for my sister and myself. Dad toasted some bread and made it nice and crispy. After a very nice breakfast we headed outside and I took out the jockey wheel and put a sway bar in. Then we drove away from the Nullarbore Roadhouse and headed east towards the end of the Nullarbore. The drive was pretty uneventful. All we did was stop at every second Roadhouse for fuel.

After a bit we reached Ceduna where the Quarantine station is located. We declared all our fruit and veggies and moved on to the petrol station. Dad filled up the car, I cleaned the windows and my sister took some photos of Ceduna Bay. When Mum came back from paying she was carrying a paper bag. In that bag there were some delicious chicken strips. They were nice and crunchy and we got 2 each. We kept on driving until we reached a small rest area.

There we stopped for lunch. For lunch we had some packet soup and bread. The toilet there was in a concrete water tank and it said 'Concrete Crappa' on the side. I took some photos and then we moved on. We stopped at Wudinna for fuel. Then we continued east until we reached Port Augusta. Once we were in Port Augusta we found the caravan park and got a site.

Once we were backed in we unhooked the car and drove into town to do some shopping. After an hour of shopping we headed out of the shopping centre to the car and out the shopping away. Then we drove back to the caravan park and my sister and I went to the play ground. We were on the swings when these people came up and we got talking. They told that they were riding from Perth to raise money for Diabetes. Then they told us that they'd been riding for 7 and a half weeks. Thats a lot of riding.

After a bit we headed back to the caravan and I went and had a shower. After a nice warm shower I went back to the caravan and started writing my blog. Then we had dinner. For dinner we ha spaghetti bolognese and noodles. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had some chocolate milk and some crusty bread. Then I finished writing my blog and went to bed.

The Nullarbor Plain

Today we were awoken in the very early morning by Dad who rushed us out of bed. Feeling very sleepy I made my way to the stove and made a very hot chocolate for my sister and myself. It felt like it was about minus 3 degrees but once we got in the car the temperature gauge told us that it was plus 3 degrees. We headed east along the Nullarbore Plain. We stopped for fuel at Balladonia Roadhouse and then we kept driving east.

After another couple of hundred kilometres we reached another roadhouse where we stopped for fuel and I got to fill up the car. Then we continued our drive. On the way we ate some fruit because we need to get rid of it before we hit the S.A road block in Ceduna where we have to hand over all fruit that we still haven't consumed. Eventually we drove through the W.A Roadblock/Quarantine station.

After driving through we were officially in South Australia even though the roadblock isn't until Ceduna. We kept driving for another hour and then we pulled into a rest area that is situated about 300 metres from the Great Australian Bight. We had lunch and we ate as many veggies as we could. After lunch we took some photos and walked back to the car. On the way to the car my sister farted and the strong wind wafted it over Mum, Dad and me. It stank a lot!

After we finished coughing we hopped in the car and drove away as fast as we were allowed. We kept driving until we reached the Nullarbore Roadhouse. We stopped for fuel and Dad enquired if we could stay the night. We got a powered sight and since we were in S.A it was already 5 o'clock! Once we'd backed the caravan in we went inside and I wrote my blog. After I finished my blog we had dinner. For dinner Mum, my sister and Dad had some fried rice and I had some potatoes that were left over form yesterday. Mum very kindly fried them to a light crispiness for me. After dinner we had dessert. Dessert was Strawberries with whipped cream. After dessert I went to bed.

Fraser Range

Today we got up pretty early to make a breakfast of balked beans on toast with eggs. We decided to make it because Mum said yesterday that she felt like a nice fried egg. So we had to all get up really early so that we could fit it in before we had to leave. It tasted great. After breakfast we headed outside and hooked on the caravan. Then we drove out of the caravan park and headed south towards Norseman.

The drive was pretty uneventful except for the time when 6 bikies zoomed past. While we were driving I did some more schoolwork. Once it was finished I listened to my iPod until we reached Norseman. Just out of Norseman we passed a burnt out truck trailer. When we reached Norseman we pulled in at the roadhouse for fuel. After we were fuelled up we headed about 80 km east until we reached Fraser Range Station. We stayed here on the way across.

Once we were backed in we had lunch. For lunch we ate all the veggies that we could eat because we're crossing the border into South Australia tomorrow. After lunch we lazed around and listened to the radio. It announced that yesterday night there had been an accident just out of Norseman. A truck that was carrying some flammable liquid had rolled and caught fire. We saw that same burnt out trailer just out of Norseman. After listening to that I read a few magazines. Then I wrote my blog. After that I did some more things on the computer. Then we had dinner. For dinner we had potatoes. After dinner we had dessert. Dessert was german wafers. After dessert I went to bed.

Boulder

Today we got up in the morning and I made some breakfast. We've been out of the tropics for a few days now and we woke up to a freezing 10 degrees Celsius. After we got over the freezing weather we got the car hooked onto the caravan. The water that came out of the tap that I washed my hands in was so cold that I thought my fingers would drop off. Then we hopped in the car and drove off. While we were driving I did some schoolwork.

After 2 hours we arrived at Kalgoorlie. Last time we did the super pit tour but this time we just pulled into the caravan park and set up the caravan. Then Dad gave the towbar and the coupling a good hose down. After that we all hopped back into the car and went shopping. While we were shopping the Dad spotted some Chicken burgers that we could fry. So we took a pack and added it to the trolly.

After finishing our shopping we headed back to the car and drove back to the caravan. Once we were back at the caravan we put the shopping away and had lunch. Fro lunch we had those chicken burgers fried to the perfect crispiness inside some long bread rolls with avocado and cucumbers. It tasted rather like a Subway roll. After lunch we had some chocolate milk and some bread with it. Then I did some drawing.

After finishing it I did some schoolwork. That took until dinner to finish. After it was finished we had dinner. For dinner we had some chicken and noodle thingamajig. After dinner I wrote my blog an dried the dishes. Then we had dessert. For dessert we had some fruit. The Strawberries tasted really good. After dessert I went to bed.

Menzies

Today we got up in the morning and I made some breakfast. After breakfast we drove off. We drove until we reached Leinster. There we stopped for fuel and and Dad bought some early lunch. We had some Hamburgers and Mum and Dad shared a Cheeseburger and a hamburger. While they ate, my sister and I shared a Hamburger. Then we kept driving. We saw loads of Wedge Tailed Eagles on the side of the road. They were feeding on roadkill. The wingspan of a full grown Wedge Tailed Eagle is supposed to be 2 metres. Today we saw them up close. Just as the car rush past I saw them stretch their wings and take off. The wingspan is really 2 metres but up close it looks like 3 metres.

Just as Mum stated that there were no more eagles we were scared out of our skin by an enormous shape that appeared out of nowhere. It soared right above us for a split second before we rushed past. We didn't hear a thump but we stopped anyway. I wasn't really happy at the thought that we might have hit a Wedge Tailed Eagle with the caravan. We didn't hit it and Dad thought the reason for that was the won that the caravan was pushing. Our caravan slopes down at the front and the wind rushes up it when were doing 110 km/h. Dad suspected that the eagle got sucked over the top of the caravan. The Eagle had been right over Mum's window and it looked like it would have crashed right through the caravan.

After that we started driving again and Mum cut up some fruit and shred it around. Then we kept driving until we reached Leonora. We stopped for fuel there as well. After a quick stop we were driving again and didn't stop until we reached Menzies. Menzies is a small town which has the smallest caravan park that I've ever seen. It wouldn't have more than 30 sites. We were not alone though. There were some motor homes and two other caravans. Once we were backed in and set up I went inside and did some drawing.

After I finished it Mum and Dad drove around Menzies and filled up the car. While they were gone I tried to do some more drawing but none of them turned out any good. Then Mum and Dad came back. After that I went and had a shower. When I got back I wrote the blog. After I finished it I did some stuff on the computer. Then we ha dinner. For dinner we had Nachos. After dinner we went to bed.

Mt Magnet

Today we got up early in the morning and I made some breakfast. After breakfast we got dressed in long sleeved T-shirts and long pants for the mine tour. Then we went puttied and packed up the caravan. After that we hopped into the car and drove around Newman. We found the Masonic lodge and Dad took a photo. Then we drove to the top of the hill and Dad took some more photos. After a lot of photos we drove back into Newman and headed for the visitors centre. There we got decked out in safety goggles, a hardhat and a high vis vest. Then the tour bus arrived and we climbed aboard.

The tour guide gave us some background history about the mine and told us about the big Haul Truck that was standing in the front garden of the visitor centre. Then we drove off to the Mount Whaleback mine. It got named that because, before mining started, the arial image of that mountain resembled the back of a Humpback Whale.

Once inside the mine we drove to the lookout area. It was the oldest part of the mine and had some of the machinery on display there. There was half of the crushing part of the crusher. There were also some pump pulleys and some old shovels that used to go on the front of the big earth movers. One of the tyres from the trucks had been placed there to sow you the actual size of these monster tyres. They were 3 metres in diameter and weight 2 or 3 tons without rims. With the rims the total weight of the tyre was 6983 kilograms. Thats nearly 7 tons!

After a bit I moved to the binoculars that were there. I looked through them and was amazed to find that I could watch the expression on the operator's face in the big earth moving machine! The mine is the biggest single pit open cut mine in the world and is 5 km long and nearly 2 km wide. The big earth moving machine was on the other side of the mine and looked like a minute model without the binoculars.

Then the tour guide called us all in and we listened to a talk about the different operations in the mine and why the ground had holes in it on some of the levels. The reason for this is that they put these 17 metre deep holes in the ground is for blasting. Once the drilling rig has finished drilling the explosive truck comes along and stuffs the holes full of a type of explosive that is made from diesel and some other type of non dangerous explosive. Then they clear a kilometre radius and blast. We didn't get to see a blast because we within the 1 kilometre exclusion zone.

After that the tour guide led us to a pile of rock where we got ziplock bags and could chose any rocks that we wanted and put them in our ziplock backs. We got some of the high grade iron ore and a really heavy rock that should only have weighed 1 kilo. After that we piled back onto the bus and drove back to the visitor centre. At the visitor centre we handed in purr safety gear and we drove off back to the caravan. When we arrived we hooked on the caravan and drove off.

After an hours driving we stopped to have lunch. After a very quick lunch kept driving. On and on we drove until it felt like it was next year. Finally we reached Mekatharra where we stopped for fuel and stretched our legs. Then we kept driving until we reached Cue. Cue is a nice little town but the caravan park didn't have anymore powered sites so we drove a further 80 km to a rest area called The Granites. It's 5 km out of Mount Magnet and we were there all by ourselves.

Once we found the turnoff we backed in and then we went inside to write my blog. Pretty soon Mum told us dinner was ready so we took a break. Dinner was Beef Stroganoff with noodles. After dinner we had dessert. Dessert was some Paw-Paw. After dessert I finished writing my blog and went to bed.

Newman

Today we got up fairly early and I went outside to crack some more rocks in search of iron ore. Then I went inside and made a hot chocolate for my sister and myself. After breakfast we drove off. While we drove I listened to my iPod. After 2 hours driving we reached Newman. The first thing we did when we arrived was go to the tourist information and book a spot on tomorrows mine tour. After that we drove to a caravan park and got a site. Once we were backed in we rolled out and cleaned the awning. Then I went inside and wrote a bit of todays blog. After that I did some schoolwork. Then we had lunch. After lunch we drove around Newman until we found the shopping centre.

Once we found it we did some shopping. We got some chocolate milk as well as the stuff we needed. Then we walked outside and packed the shopping into the car. After that we drove to the lookout on top of the hill that overlooked Newman. We took some photos and then Dad started talking to a guy that standing next to us. It turned out that he was from Rutherglen! The people that you meet while travelling is just amazing. After an hour of talking Dad decided that it was time to go back to the caravan.

Once we arrived at the caravan I went inside and did some drawing. Then I went and had a shower. After a rather cold shower I returned to the caravan and did some more drawing. Once I was finished I finished writing the blog. After that we had dinner. Dinner was Nachos and cheese. After dinner we had dessert. Dessert was a choc-berry milk that we bought earlier. It tasted OK. After that I went to bed.

Road-trains Road-trains and more Road-trains

Today we got up early in the morning and had breakfast. Then Dad and I went outside and started packing up the caravan. Dad had rolled up the awning yesterday and all we had to do was disconnect the water and power and take off the waste water hose. After doing that we hooked on the caravan. Then we said goodbye to Alan and Judy. They're heading north and we have to head south. Then we drove out of Broome and headed south to Sandfire Roadhouse. After 3 hours of travelling we reached Sandfire. On the way we passed about 50 Road-trains. Just about every vehicle we passed or overtook today was either a Wide Load truck or a Road-train.

After Sandfire we headed south to Port Headland. On the way we ate some fruit. After driving for a few hours we arrived at Port Headland. We drove straight through Port Headland we kept driving to a rest area. There we had lunch. After lunch we kept driving to Auski Roadhouse. At Auski Roadhouse we filled up the car. Then we drove another couple of kilometres to a rest area near Karijini National Park. Altogether we traveled 870 kilometres and it was a long day. Once we had the caravan backed in Dad an I rolled the awning down to dry it. After that I set around looking for rocks.

Up here all the rocks are rusty red because all the iron ore inside the rocks has rusted. But when you split them open with another rock you get the nice silver colour of 89% pure iron ore. After cracking plenty of these rocks I went inside and washed my hands.Then I wrote todays blog. After I finished writing my blog we had dinner. Dinner was Chicken Alfredo with noodles. After that we had dessert. Dessert was yoghurt. After dessert I went to bed.

Saya melihat jalan dengan kereta api.

Di besar!

Tiap-tiap so sampai bertemu lagi

Broome Day 15

Today I got up in the morning and did some reading for my schoolwork. After that I made some breakfast. After breakfast we headed off to the market. Dad and I dropped Mum and my sister off. Then we drove to Bunnings and bought a bolt for Alan. Then we drove to some other stores and got some other stuff.

After that we drove to Cameron's place and picked up our fish from Wednesday. Then we delivered the fish back to the caravan. After that Dad and I drove to the market and got a fruit thing. I got a Mango Pineapple and Dad got a Mango and Coconut (again!). Then we found Mum and my sister. We then found Racksha and took some photos. After that we drove back to the caravan.

After half an hour we had lunch. Then my sister and I went for a swim. We stayed for about an hour before we got out and walked back to the caravan. After that I had a shower. After a nice shower I walked back to the caravan and packed away the fishing gear. Then we had a few nibblies. After that we had some dinner. For dinner we had Nachos. After dinner I went to bed.

Broome Day 14

Today we got up in the morning and I made some breakfast. Then I did some more schoolwork. After that I cleaned one side of the caravan while my sister did the other side. Then I cleaned the back of the caravan. After that I went into the caravan and did some more schoolwork. After I finished it I did some stuff on the computer. Then we had lunch.

After lunch my sister and I went for a swim. The water was nice and cold. After a few hours we got out and walked back to the caravan. Then I wrote the blog. After that we had dinner. Dinner was toasted sandwiches. After dinner we drove to a spot out near twelve mile to see an astro tour. The guy who runs the tour is called Greg Quike and is a real expert in astronomy. He told some funny jokes and taught us a lot of stuff.

after 2 hours of this the tour was over and we derive back to the caravan. As soon as we arrived I went straight to bed.

Broome Day 13

Today I got up in the morning and finished yesterdays blog. Then we had a rather late breakfast. After breakfast I did some schoolwork. That took until lunchtime to finish. After lunch I finished some other schoolwork. Then my sister and I went for a swim. After a bit I found a small lizard swimming in the water. I rescued it and took it back to camp. Then I released it in the rocks.

Then a friend of Mum's brought her Thermomix over and made a Mango smoothie. It tasted great. Mum debated weather she should buy one or not. After that we lazed around a bit until dinner. Then I wrote my blog. After that we had dinner. For dinner we had a chinese cabbage salad. It tasted really good. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had some more Mango and ice cream. Then I went to bed.

My Birthday Surprise

Today I got up and woke up Dad as well. Seeing as the birthday surprise was shifted from Monday to today I was eager to find out what it was. After taking a Travel calm (Dad said I had to) we set off to an unknown location. I had no idea where we were going because they blindfolded me. 5 suspense filled minutes later we arrived and I took off my blindfold. As I had suspected we were at Gantheaum Point. We parked right next to the Sentosa Charters car. After getting out we looked around for Cameron and Sealegs. I think we got a picture of Sealegs this time. Dad and Cameron greeted each other like old friends with plenty of hand shaking.

Then we hopped aboard Sealegs and drove off to Kai-Aura. It was just like I remembered from my deckhand experience. We climbed onboard and got the safety briefing. Then we received the game plan for the day. My brain only really woke up when Cameron told us that our first stop was the Mackerel grounds. With that Cameron disappeared into the upstairs wheelhouse and started the engine. I went into the wheelhouse as well because the view from there is better than the ground floor. After we were out of the mooring area Cameron opened the throttles and we sped along to the Mackerel grounds.

After an hour we reached the Mackerel grounds. Cameron put some lures on a rod for me and a rod for Alan. Then we set off trolling through the grounds. After 5 minutes Alan hooked up and I wound in my lure. 3 minutes later Alan had a nice 1 metre Spanish Mackerel on the boat. Then we started trolling again. Again Alan hooked a 1 metre Spanish Mackerel. After it was landed it was killed and bled as well. On the third run I received a big strike. I yelled out and Cameron stopped the boat. I fought the fish for about 2 minutes. Then I had the biggest Mackerel of the lot on the boat. It was about 1.1 metres long and snapped violently at everything around it. As Alan was winding in his lure, a small, 50 cm Mackerel got his lure and he wound it in fast. Then a shark came and took it. Alan snapped it off and wound in his line.

Then we drove to the bottom bouncing grounds. Once we arrived at the bottom bouncing grounds we baited up and dropped our lines down. I felt some nibbles but had to leave them. You have to lift your rod and if the rod bends you've got a fish on. Then you reel it in as fast as possible so that the sharks don't get it. We lost all the bigger fish because they fight and we couldn't get them up fast enough. I was onto a good fish at one point and I just couldn't beat the sharks. Suddenly my rod bent right over and the reel screamed as the shark swallowed my fish whole and took off. After a minute Cameron saw the Shark was showing no sign of slowing down and snapped it off by tightening the drag. We also had to be careful because the sharks were swimming under the surface and had a habit of eating our 20 ounce sinkers. After 3 drifts we had enough fish and we headed north to the Sailfish grounds.

Sailfishing is the most interesting and exciting form of fishing in the world. Two, 3 metre long fibre glass rods that are about 3 cm thick and have rope through the runners are held out over the water in big rod holders. Attached to the rope is a wire trace with things called Teasers on the wire trace. These are plastic things like plastic squid and attractor floats and other stuff with tentacles. These are let out on both sides of the boat. The last teaser is actually a real Queenfish tied on and it swims in the water with a lifelike action. The Queenfish is dead because it's gutted and stitched back up again. Cameron steered form the top of the flybridge and kept a close eye on the teasers.

After about half an hour Cameron saw a big Sailfish move in and yelled out "Sail on the left!" Alan and Dad didn't move quickly enough so Cameron flicked his bait to the Sailfish. It moved in and stunned the already dead bait with it's bill. Then Cameron dumped the bait and the Sailfish ate it. Then he flicked the bail arm on the reel over and the Sailfish hooked itself. It turned and swam in the opposite direction to the boat while the line peeled off the reel. Cameron put the boat in reverse and gave the rod to me. The Sailfish was still running strong. Then Cameron rushed to the bottom deck and I passed the rod down to him. Then I rushed down and put on my gimbal. When you hook a fish and it's big you tend to jam the rod into your waist and after several fish you get a big bruise, so people have invented a gimbal. It's a triangular shaped pad that goes over your waist and you clip the rod into the gimbal. Then I took the rod and started fighting the Sailfish.

I was fighting a 25 kilo Sailfish on 10 kilo line. The only way to land it was to reverse the boat and I took up the line. That didn't stop the Sailfish from fighting hard though. The Sailfish performed a few spectacular leaps for us but Mum didn't get a photo. My left arm was getting sore from pulling the rod up and whenever the Sailfish ran I gave my left arm a rest. After a good 10 minutes I had the Sailfish close to the boat. Then Cameron told me that I had to fight it by myself for the last 20 metres. He stopped the boat and I fought the fish for a further 2 minutes. Then Cameron grabbed the Sailfish by the bill and lifted it onboard.

It jumped around for a few seconds and then lay still. Dad put on a glove and grabbed its bill and I grabbed the tail. Then we lifted it up for a photo. The Sailfish was very heavy. I told Mum to take the pictures quickly. Then we put the Sailfish down and Cameron 'swam' it. When you swim a Sailfish you grab it by the bill and and drag it in the water behind the moving boat. When the Sailfish starts biting your hand you let it go and it swims away. The reason you let them regain their oxygen is so that the sharks don't get them. Then we put out the teasers again and motored for another hour. We didn't see any Sailfish or Marlin so we pulled in the teasers and motored at top speed closer to shore. Then we put out the teasers again. No Sailfish was seen so we pulled in the teasers and motored back to Ganthium Point. When we arrived we jumped aboard Sealegs and motored back to shore.

Today wasn't really a surprise because when I was out as a trainee deckhand Cameron told me that Dad had booked a private charter. Then he remembered that he wasn't supposed to tell me and told me to act surprised when Dad told me. Once we arrived back at the shore I put some Mackerel fillets in the fridge and then we drove back to the caravan. Once we arrived I started writing the blog. Then we had dinner. Fro dinner we had some Mackerel filets with potatoes. It tasted great. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we some more mangoes and ice cream. After that I went to bed.

Broome Day 11

Today I got up in the morning and did some schoolwork. Then I made some breakfast. After a few boredom filled minutes I decided to put the new reel on my sister's rod. Then my sister and I went for a swim. After that I got out and walked back to the caravan. Dad and I stuffed around and made some rigs for a while. Then we had lunch. I couldn't wait until we went fishing and was eager for lunch to finish. After lunch Alan, Dad, Rudi and I pile dint our car and drove to the jetty. In the way we stopped at the tackle shop to buy some 40 pound leader material.

Then we drove to the jetty. We set up our rods and got some bait out of the freezer. Then we walked to our spot and let down our lines. I felt some hits and let the fish nibble a bit more. Then I struck. The fish put quite a bit of bend in the rod. I reeled at top speed and soon had a nice 20 cm Trevally on the jetty. It looked exactly like the one that I caught yesterday. After that I let down my bait again. After some more nibbles I caught a nice little cod. The only fish caught after that were some small cod and a Spanish Flag. Eventually Rudi hooked a small cod as well.

After a few hours we drove back to the caravan. Beate and Uwe were there as well. They got me a nice little Malcom Douglas keyring. After that we had a cake that Mum made in the microwave. It tasted great. After the cake we all ended up going back to our own caravans and putting on warm clothes. Then we had dinner. Dinner was Nachos. After dinner I wrote the blog and went to bed.

My birthday (and Alan's)

Today I got up in the morning an depend my presents. I got a Malcom Douglas T-shirt and some other T-shirts. I also got a nice big fish identification sheet in A3 size. After that we had a nice breakfast of crusty bread and a hot chocolate. Then we drove into town and bought Alan a fishing rod. Alan has his birthday on the same day as me. I also got a new light action rod. Seeing as I broke my other one I was in desperate need of a new one. It came with a relatively good reel which we put on my sister's rod to replace her crappy, cheap one. I put my good reel on the rod and set it up to my liking after lunch.

but first we drove to the mango place to get some Mango Smoothies. They tasted great! After a quick visit to the mango place we drove back to the caravan and had lunch. After lunch Dad, Alan and I went fishing. I had made some rigs for myself and was going to test out my new rod. Once we arrived at the jetty we got out the bait and set up our rods. Then we walked out to a specific spot that Dad had checked out earlier. We baited up and let out the line. I had some nibbles in about five minutes.

I struck but missed the fish. Then i wound up and changed bait. After putting on a piece of Mulie I let it down again. This time the nibbles came hard and fast. I struck hard and hook the fish. My rod was bent right over because it was light action. The sort of stuff that one might use to catch small trout is not recommended for big fish. Luckily it was only a 20 cm Trevally. After a quick photo it was released and swam of quickly. Somebody show us these big Trevally that were nibbling the oysters on the pylons. They were massive. The fish were, not the oysters. The person asked us if we'd seen the big groper that swam around the jetty. He told us the fish weighed about half a ton in weight and 2 metres long. We believed him because Dad's friend had caught a 300 kilo groper on a fishing trip.

15 minutes later I spotted a big shape under the water. It was the groper. And it was absolutely massive! I wound my line in fast so that the groper didn't get hooked. If a fish over 5 kilos got hooked on my line it would snap the rod. We saw some big turtles and some sea snakes while watching this king of fish swim up and down the jetty. After a bit I let down my line and fished a bit more. For the next few hours I caught 2 small cod and some Spanish Flag. Then after some very frustrating minutes I hooked this pesky fish that had been annoying me. It turned out to be a Remora. Remoras are more commonly known as Sucker Fish due to their ability to suck onto the belly's of sharks and large fish with the sucker disk on the top of their head. We took a photo and then released it.

Then, without warning Alan's new rod and reel screamed to life. Alan started winding immediately. After a few nervous minutes the fish bit through the line and the fight was over. After that I only caught a small Spanish Flag. After that we drove back to the caravan. When we arrived I talked to Lochie over the phone. After that I did some fish identifying. Then I started writing my blog. We had dinner after a bit. After a delicious dinner of Chicken Mango Salad I went inside and finished writing my blog. Then we had dessert. Dessert was mangoes and ice cream. (Again!) After dessert I went to bed.

Broome Day 9

Today we got up in the morning and I wrote yesterdays blog. After that I made some breakfast. Then we lazed around a bit. After lazing around I decided to de-husk a coconut. It was hard work. Then Mum went to the market. I stayed back with my sister and Dad. Then I went inside and watched Rogue. It's a movie about a rogue croc. After that I watched Trapped. That's one of my favourite TV shows. Then we had lunch.

After lunch I watched some more trapped. Then my sister and I went for a swim. After about an hour I got out because the water was getting pretty cold. I walked back to the caravan and then I went and had a shower. After a nice warm shower I returned to the caravan and wrote my blog. After writing my blog we had dinner. For dinner we had another type of salad.

After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had some more mangoes and ice cream. It tasted great. Then I went to bed.

Broome Day 8

Today we got up and lazed around a bit. Then Dad opened the pearl shell that we found at Willie Creek. After a few tense minutes for Mum and my sister Dad had the pearl shell open and looked around for a natural pearl. Believe it or not there were 2 small pearls in the shell! Mum and my sister were over the moon with happiness. Dad was rather happy that we had the pearl shell. The nacre layer was so shinny that it reflected the sun like a mirror. After our morning find we headed to the market to get some more fruit things.

Dad dropped Mum, my sister, Judy and myself off at the market. He drove off to a fridge store to do some research for Alan. While Dad was gone my sister and I had some fruit things. I had Pineapple and strawberry. My sister had Mango and coconut. My sister and Dad have never tried anything other than Mango and Coconut. I saw a man doing canvas paintings of the local bush. There was one of Winjana Gorge and another one of Cape Levique. Then Dad came to the market and he got himself a fruit thing. After that Dad got two more fruit things and rushed off to the car. Seeing as Alan was not with us Dad had to bring one back to the caravan for Alan and one for himself. I found a coconut on the way back to the car and picked it up. I could hear the milk sloshing around inside it so I carried it back to the car.

On the way back to the caravan park we met Be

ate and Uwe. They're also german and they are travelling in a mobile home. Dad decided to play a trick on them. He rushed to the door and said (in german) "Hands up this is a holdup!". Apparently Uwe jumped about 1 metre into the air. Then he saw Dad and burst into laughter. After a few minutes chatting Dad came back to the car and we drove back to the caravan. When we arrived we had lunch. After lunch Alan drank a coconut that we had in the fridge. We all tasted but Alan had most of it. After lunch Dad and I did some serious rig making. I got Dad to tie a snaplock swivel onto my handline. I also made some rigs with small hooks and big sinkers. My theory is that the small fish hide on the bottom and attack your bait when it hits the bottom. So I put on a small hook and decided to try that.

After a bit more rid making we packed all the stuff into the car. Once we arrived at the jetty we walked out to a spot and started fishing. I had nibbles as soon as my bait hit the bottom. I got cleaned out a few times but eventually I felt some good, hard, persistent hits. I yanked my line upwards and wound in the weight on the end of my line. I thought it was a carnation trout but changed my mind after seeing it up close. After that Dad took the fish by the line and shook it until the fish fell into the water. Unfortunately the hook snapped off and I had to put on my spare rig. I snagged the spree rig and lost it. Then Mum snagged her line and we had to back to the car to get the hooks and sinkers and all that other stuff fro Dad to make a new rig. While we were gone Dad hook a big Blowie. It was about 40 cm long and fortunately it threw the hook on the way up from the water.

After that we dissent catch anything else so we packed up and walked back. On the way we saw 2 sea snakes in the water. One was about 2 metres long and the other 1.5 metres. Once we were back at the car we hopped in and drove back to the caravan. After a bit we had dinner. After dinner we went to a thing at the museum. It was a Malcom douglas documentary that I'd never seen before. After that we drove back tot eh caravan and I went straight to bed.

Willie Creek

Today we got up in the morning and had a hurried breakfast. After that we drove to Willie Creek Pearl Farm. We did the tour last time so Mum, Dad, my sister and I fished off the jetty. After some very frustrating minutes I had a small hooked rig tied onto my hand line. Once it was tied on I baited it with squid and dropped it down. I felt a good hit and yanked the line up. Then I pulled in a small Fingrmark Perch. I showed it to dad and then released it.

Then I re-baited and let it down again. The fish were at it while I could still see the bait. After it sank out of sight a good hit told me that I had another fish on. I pulled my line up and found another flapping Fingermark Perch. It was small like the other one and found itself in the water before it knew it. I caught another one after that and released it quickly.

Then we had to move aside to let the people for the tour on. After hay were on the boat I started fishing again. There were some big Blowies that kept nipping my bait. After that I caught another Fingermark Perch. Then the tour boat came back and we had to move aside again. Once the tour was underway again we moved back into our spots. I tempted some more Blowies from under the steps. They were hiding under the first step into the water.

The tide was rising fast and I was finding it increasingly difficult to entice a fish to bite. I enticed a small blowie out from under the step and foul-hooked it through the guts. After that I didn't get any more bites. So I cast out as far as I could. The bait sank to the bottom quickly and I felt some good hits. I let the fish nibble a bit and then I yanked the line hard. I felt a big weight on the end of my line and pulled it in. I was hoping for a Bream but it turned out to be a 30 cm Blowie. It didn't inflate itself until Dad had the pliers out to remove the hook. It inflated to a pretty big size.

After that there were no more bites and we packed up and went back to the car. The tour finished and we watched the senic tour helicopter take off. The downwash from the rotor was so strong that I was forced backwards a few steps. After five minutes they landed and the downwash blasted Dad and me with dirt. Then we all hopped in the car and drove back to the caravan park. When we arrived we had lunch.

After lunch my sister went and had a swim in the pool. I got out after an hour because the water was rather cold today. When I got back to the caravan I wrote the blog. After writing the blog we had dinner. Dinner we had a turkey salad made by my sister. After diner we had dessert. Dessert was ice cream and mangoes again! Then I went to bed.

Broome Day 6

Today we got up and I made a hot chocolate for my sister, Dad and myself. After that we piled into the car and dropped Alan and Judy off at the Pearl Luggers Tour. We did that last time we were here so we didn't need to do it again. While they were there we went and did some shopping. We got our groceries and then we went and picked up Alan and Judy. Then we drove back to our caravans. When we arrived I set to work on a bit of bush poetry Alan asked me to write.

Then we had lunch. After lunch my sister and I went for a swim. After an hour I got out and walked back to the caravan and put on dry clothes because I was so cold. Then I started writing my blog. After that called Mitchell on Facetime. After half an hour of chatting the sound dropped out and Mitchell couldn't hear me anymore. While Dad tried to sort it out I husked a coconut. It's hard work! after half an hour I had the coconut husked and then Dad got Mitchell on Facetime and I talked a bit more.

After that we lost sound again and we decided to call each other on saturday instead. Then I put the coconut in the fridge to chill the milk. After that I finished writing my blog. Then we had dinner. Dinner was a tuna salad. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had ice cream and mango sauce. After dessert I did some more stuff on the computer. Then I went to bed.

Broome Day 5

Today we got up in the morning and I made some breakfast. After breakfast we drove into town to drop Mum and Judy off. Then we drove to the Brumbys Bakery and bought ourselves a snack. Dad and Alan had a danish each and my sister and I shared a chocolate filled croissant. After having our morning snack we set off for the tackle shop. We bought some more sinkers and two kilos of frozen Mango. When we got back to the car Dad and I taste the Mangoes. They tasted like a solid Fruit Thingy. After that we drove to the Woolworths and did some shopping. After a long shopping trip that would have been torturously longer if Mum was there we drove back to the caravan.

Once we arrived I unpacked the car and gave the stuff to my sister who gave it to Dad who put it in the fridge. After that we had lunch. After a tasty lunch my sister and I headed off to the pool. After a good 2 hours of swimming we climbed out and lay on our towels to dry off. Then we saw Dad drive past on his way to pick up Mum and Judy. After a while we saw him come back. Then we waited for Dad to come for a swim. When he didn't come my sister went to see what had held him up. She same back 5 minutes later and said that Dad had just come back from the toilet.

When Dad came we plunged into the water followed by Dad. Dad swam some laps in the lap lane and then got out. My sister and I showed Dad a few of our self invented pool tricks and then we got out as well. We lay on some deck chairs to dry off. Eventually we went for a last swim of the day. We met a woman from Malicoota in Victoria. After a short chat my sister and I climbed out of the pool and walked back to the caravan. When we arrived my sister went to have a shower and I wrote my blog. After writing the blog we had dinner. Dinner was a Chicken and Mango salad. After dinner we had dessert. Dessert was Mango sauce over ice cream. After that I went to bed.

Broome Day 4

Today we got up and had breakfast. After breakfast my sister and I walked to the pool. The sign outside the pool says that it's opens during daylight hours and it was already eight thirty. There's this old man who's at the pool gate who says to us "Pool's closed". Feeling slightly annoyed I returned to the caravan with my sister. We went back to check half an hour later and the man was still there! We went back at nine fifteen and finally got in the pool. It was nice and cool and we swam for about 2 hours. Then Mum came and got us and we hopped out. Then we drove to the Broome Jetty. We walked out to the point and watched a big cruise ship come in.

It had 2000 people onboard and was very interesting to watch come in. After watching the ship come in we drove to the jetty lookout. I saw lots of little baitfish. Suddenly I saw a long green shape come in and watch the baitfish. The long green shape watched the baitfish for a while. Then, without warning the green fish leaped out of the water and grabbed on of the 100,000 baitfish. I think the fish was a Longtom but it had a red bill like a Garfish. After that we drove back to the caravan.

Then we had lunch. After lunch my sister and I went swimming. We swam for about 5 hours. When we got back we dried ourselves and went and had a shower. After a nice shower I returned to the caravan and started writing my blog. Then we had dinner. For dinner I had two slices of bread with crunchy peanut butter and pickled gherkins. It tasted great. After that I finished writing my blog. After that we had dessert. For dessert we had ice cream and frozen Mangoes. After that I went to bed.

Crocodile Galore

Today we I got up at 7:00 AM and finished yesterdays blog. Then I made some breakfast. After breakfast we drove to the Mango Place. It's a Mango Farm 12 miles out of Broome. Dad bought a Mango Slushy but I don't know why. I thought that the slushy tasted disgusting but my sister liked it. The Mango smoothie tasted a lot better. Then Mum bought a Lemon and Lime iced tea. It tasted great. Then my sister went and bought some Mango Fudge. It tasted a bit like caramel. After that we drove back to the caravan and had lunch. Fr lunch we had some of the bread that they bake out at the Mango Place.

after lunch we drove to the Malcom Douglas Crocodile Park. We went there on our last rip and it was just as interesting as last time. I looked around for a bit and then the tour started. First we went and saw some Freshwater Crocs. These ones are nice and calm. The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile is the aggro one. The guide poked the Freshies with his stick and they just lay there soaking up the sun. After that we went to the American Alligators pen. These ones are the 'Puppy dogs' of all crocodiles. The guide sat down next to one of the Alligators and scratched it between the eyes.

After that we went to sea a different one that was lazing on the bank, not doing anything. The guide fed it fish and then we went to sea a croc that was submerged completely in the water. The guide banged the food bucket with his stick and this 3 metre crocodile exploded from the water. They called this one Willie because he was caught in Willie creek. He put up a nice show and then showed us all how crocs their swallow food. After that we went to see one called Bluey. He was hidden from view under the surface of the murky water. The guide who was standing in a pen that was used for throwing food to the crocs took a pearl float that was tied to a rope and threw it into the water.

The 5 metre croc exploded from the water and chomped down on the pearl buoy. Then Bluey let go the float and the guide pulled it back in. I was taking picture after picture with the camera and the croc made some great pictures. The guide whacked the buoy down 2 more times and each time the croc exploded out of the water as fast as lightning. After Bluey we went and saw Fatso. This croc weighed about a tonne. Bluey weighed three quarters of a tonne and this croc was absolutely massive. He was very sluggish because it was winter and crocs aren't as active in winter. After that we went to the baby croc pen.

The guide jumped over the low wall and grabbed a baby croc. He was quick as a flash and he had a hair tie around the croc's mouth in seconds. I took photos of the crocs still left in the pool while other people held the croc. Then my sister got the croc and I took a photo of her. Then Mum held it and I took a photo of her. The same happened with Dad and then it was my turn. While we were holding the croc the other croc made a break for freedom and took off through the park. It had barley gone half a metre when a woman grabbed it and held it for a photo. The poor croc got sod scared it started peeing all over the place and the woman half screamed in surprise!

After that we took some photos of the Kangaroos and Wallabies. Then, with the tour finished, we walked out of the park and drove to the shopping centre. We bought some tomatoes and some Mango Beer. Then we drove back to the caravan and tasted the Mango Beer. It tastes like V.B. I wasn't that surprised because it was one and a half standard drinks. Then I wrote my blog. After that we had dinner. Dinner was Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil in Balsamic Vinegar. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had mango syrup over ice-cream. Then I went to bed.

Broome Day 2

Today I slept until 7:00 AM because I was so tired from yesterday. After I got up I started writing yesterdays blog. Then Dad made a delicious breakfast we drove to the market. We got some more Fruit Things. I had a Mango and Pineapple, Mum had a Mango and Strawberry and my sister ands Dad both had Mango and Coconut. After eating our Fruit Things we drove to the jetty to do a spot of fishing. We walked down the walkway to the second bin. There we baited up and threw in. I had nibbles immediately but it was only small stuff. Then Dad caught a small Blue Lined Emperor. Dad asked us if we knew these fish could fly. We said "No" and Dad said "Watch". He threw the poor fish over the railing and it plummeted down into the water.

After that Mum caught a small fish. I don't know what it was but it looked like a Spanish Flag. After that we didn't catch anything so we packed up and drove back to the caravan. On the way we stopped at Brumbys and got some bread. Then we drove back to the caravans and had lunch. After lunch my sister and I went swimming. The water was nice as usual. Then Dad came and got us. We were going to and anti gas hub concert. It was ok. The band were playing off the back of a catamaran. The news helicopter flew over a few times and everyone waved. At 5:00 Pm the concert ended and we walked back to the car.

After that we drove back to the caravan and had a drink. After that we drove to the staircase to the moon at the town beach. We had dinner at the market and the Fruit Thing people there as well. We got a Fruit Thing as dessert. Then we went and watched the miserable excuse for the staircase to the moon. There was lots of cloud cover and there were only 2 steps. After that we drove back to the caravan and I went straight to bed. I slept well.

Oggi siamo andati da pesca.

Ho preso 0 pesci.

E stato divertente.

Sentosa Whale Watching

Today I got up and wrote yesterdays blog. After that I started todays blog. Then I made some breakfast. After breakfast we drove into town and went to the market. At the market they sell these things called a Fruit Thing. They take frozen blocks of fruit of your choice and put it through a sort of mincer. Then you get the cup with your minced fruit in it. It tastes so good that last time we were here we bought three in one day. When we arrived at the market we looked around for the Fruit Thing stand. Well we found it and ordered a Mango and Coconut one. It tasted even better than I remembered!

After eating the Fruit Thing we looked around the market until quarter past ten. I saw the wildlife stand and went to have a look. The ranger was feeding a one year old Fruit Bat. It was hanging from the ranger's fingers with it's tiny feet. When it got a piece of apple it grabbed it with it's front paws and held it like a sandwich. Then the ranger brought out a newborn Kangaroo. It didn't even have any hair yet. The joey's little legs were very large in comparison with it's body. It blinked around at everybody before starting to try and eat the apple. The ranger hastily picked up the pocket knife and cut a bit of apple and gave it to the joey. The joey held it like a sandwich and munched through the middle. After that the joey was left with two small pieces of apple which it dropped on the ground.

Quarter to ten couldn't come soon enough even though the market was very interesting. Once quarter to ten arrived Dad and I hopped in the car and drove out to Gantheaume point. Once we arrived we drove down onto the beach. After half an hour on eleven o'clock on the dot Cameron arrived with sea legs in tow. Sea legs is a boat that has three wheels. One at the front and two at the back. These wheels can be lifted up by hydraulics. Once out on the water the skipper lifts the wheels and starts the outboard. Cameron and Dad yakked on a bit and then Cameron climbed aboard Sea Legs and lowered the wheels. Then he reversed off the trailer.

Cameron drove clear of the trailer and then lifted up the front wheel which in turn lowered the bow. I climbed on and Cameron lowered the front wheel which raised the bow. Then we set off along the beach at 30 km/h. It was a rather rough ride as the sand had many ripples and bumps. Then we stopped so abruptly that I nearly fell over. Cameron lowered the bow again and Jess, his real deckhand, climbed aboard. Then Cameron turned towards the sea. He drove into the water and in 30 cm of water he started the outboard. I though the outboard would break down because I learned that in freshwater you never start the outboard in 30 cm of water. But this was saltwater and it didn't break down.

Cameron waited for a higher than 35 cm wave. It came in and Cameron gave the motor all it had. We motored out into the the deeper water and then Cameron lift up the wheels. With the drag gone, the 115 horse power outboard engine did it's work. We shot off through the calm sea with me hanging onto one of the storage pockets so that I wouldn't fall off. After a few minutes of zooming through the water we slowed down and we arrived at Kai-Aura. I later found out that Cameron had named the boat Kai after his son. Kai means ocean and Aura means spirit. So he named it Kai and Aura to make it Ocean Spirit. After jumping aboard Kai-Aura I tied Sealegs on. Then I got a taste of deckhand work. First I vacuumed inside the cabin and the back deck. After that I lifted the vacuum cleaner onto the flybridge. Then I vacuumed the wheelhouse and and the deck behind the wheelhouse. Then I went downstairs and did some polishing while Jess and Cameron cleaned the windows.

After polishing the stairs and poles Cameron drove Kai-Aura in close o the shore. Then he jumped in sea legs and went to pick up the passengers. After two boat loads we had all the people on board and we motored away through the maze of boats. Once we were clear of the mooring place Cameron put the hammer down. We were doing 16 nots which is 30 km/h. I spotted some birds wheeling overhead. Cameron told me that they were feeding together with the Long Tail Tuna. The seagulls were picking the small baitfish off one by one and the Tuna were eating the larger ones. Cameron drove through the school at full throttle. The Tuna were jumping left ad right to get out of the boats way. After a bit we spotted some whales. They were breaching all over the place. The whales had to get used to the boat first so we watched the dolphins. They were zooming around just under the surface and they looked like sharks.

The whales went very sociable. They came up twice and breached once and that was it. After that we motored north and found some more whales. These ones were very sociable and they came up five metres off our starboard bow. They swam around but got sick of us after five minutes. Then we motored around the ocean. There were lots of whales breaching about a kilometre away. Eventually we were so far from land that land was a 2 cm high strip on the horizon. While we were motoring around looking for sociable whales I spotted a 1 metre Sea Snake. Then Cameron found some whales. While we were watching the whales from a distance someone yelled out "What's that". 'That' turned out to be a crab swimming on the surface of the water. I rushed into the wheelhouse and checked the depth. It was 20 metres deep and here was a crab, swimming on the surface! We moved on soon after that and began to motor towards land.

We were motoring at 8 knots. It was a nice speed and we could see any whales breaching. I spotted some whales and Cameron drove over there. We had to wait fort five minutes before they surfaced to breath again. They only came up twice and we set a course back to shore. These kids came up onto the flybridge and we got taking. One of them asked me were I'm from and I told him. He said to me "My uncle lives in Wodonga as well". It's a small world! After about an hours travelling we still hadn't found any whales and we were nearly back at Ganthium point. One of the kids started trying to press buttons on the instrument panel. Cameron told him to press the button labelled 'Horn'. The kid was about to push it when he had second thoughts. He seemed to think that he'd get in trouble if he pushed it. He was about to have another go when Cameron said "Boo!". That kid nearly jumped overboard in his haste to get out of the bridge. His brother asked what happens if you push the button and Cameron pushed it. It was disconnected and no sound came.

Once we were in the mooring area Cameron took over steering from the auto pilot and slowed right down. After we were tied successfully to the mooring Cameron jumped in Sealegs and ferried the first boat load of people back to shore. After 10 minutes he came back with the passengers still in the boat. He said that he had to take out the spark plug. After some quick maintenance Cameron had Sealegs running again. He motored off to the beach and returned at top speed. Then he took the second load of people. Wjile he was gone Jess and I went around collecting the empty soft drink cans and water bottles. Then we went up to the flybridge and put on these anti gull spinners. What they do is spin around and make sure the seagulls don't poop all over the sparkling white deck. Then Cameron came and picked us up. We rocketed through the calm sea and the wheels hit the sand with a thump. Then we drove out of the water. By now it was 6:00 PM and it was dark. Once we were at the trailer Cameron lowered the front wheel and the bow went down. I jumped off and Cameron drove Sealegs onto the trailer.

After that Cameron drove off with Sealegs and we drove to Jandamarra. It was a great story about and aboriginal person but I was to tired to make sense of the story. After that we drove back to the caravan. When we arrived I went straight to bed. I slept very well.

Broome Day 1

Today my alarm woke me up at five thirty in the morning. After I got up I had a cup of tea and then went outside to pack up what I could of the caravan. Then Dad came out and we disconnected the water and power. After that we hooked on the caravan and drove off. We were driving out of Barn Hill Station by 6:46 AM and we travelled 120 km north to Broome. When we arrived it was nearly 8 o'clock and we drove to a caravan park. Then we waited until someone else drove out and then we got a site.

After setting up my sister and I went for a swim. The pool here is great. It's got a waterfall sand a lap lane for training. It was a very nice temperature and it's great for diving. Then we got out and walked back to the caravan. After drying ourselves and putting on dry clothes we all hopped into the car and drove into Broome. When we arrived we drove to the shopping centre and had lunch at the BBC. That stands for Broome Boulevard Cafe.

For lunch I chose a chicken, avocado, salad, and mayo. Mum, Dad and my sister had chicken strip wraps. After lunch we went into the woolworths and got somer more sparkling water and some other stuff. Then we walked back to the car and drove back to the caravan. When we arrived we unpacked and then my sister and I went for another swim. After a few hours Dad came and got us and we got out. Then we dried ourselves and put on dry clothes. After that we drove into town and picked up Raksha. She used to be a cub leader in the 3rd Baranduda scout group. So of course she knew Dad.

Then we drove out to Gantheaume Point to look at the dinosaur footprints. They weren't much longer than my boot. After that we climbed back up the rocks. On the way we found a small, blue crab eating weed in it's rock pool. Once we were at the top we took some silhouette photos and then went and identified our foot print photos. We saw the Therapod print. We also probably saw a different kind. But we're not sure as that print looks like a hole in the rock.

After that we drove back into town and dropped Raksha off back at here house. Then we drove back to the caravan and had a quick dinner. For dinner I had some avocado and cheese on bread. Then I went straight inside and went to bed.

Barn HIll Day 2

Today we got up and had breakfast. After breakfast my sister made a real nuisance of herself by annoying me so much that Mum made ME go and draw outside. After a bit the guys next us moved on to Port Smith Lagoon and Dad dashed up to the office. He asked if Alan and Judy could move in next to us instead. The office agreed and after an hour or so Alan drove his van over here and backed his van in.

Then we sat and chatted and drew until lunchtime. After lunch we had some more vanilla slices. Then I went and had a shower because the dirt here made my feet so dirty that you could hardly see the skin lines. Once I was clean again I sat around and wrote a bit of stuff on the computer. Then I wrote the blog. After that we went and saw the sunset once again. I took some more photos and then we headed back to the caravan for dinner.

For dinner we had spaghetti bolognese with noodles. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had wafer slices. After that we sat around for a bit while Mum had a wine with Alan. Then my sister and I went to bed.

Barn Hill Day 1

Today we got up early in the morning and had breakfast. After a quick breakfast we hooked the caravan and drove about 80 km north to Barn Hill Station. When we arrived we checked in and set up the caravan. We're getting very good at putting up the awning in a short amount of time. In about 5 minutes we have the awning up, water and power connected and the mat under the awning out.

After five sweaty minutes we were finished and sat down to a small morning tea. Dad had bought two small vanilla slices and we divided them up between the three of us. After that I sat around and did some more fish drawing. I drew a Porcupine Fish which Mum and my sister think looks cute but I think looks good. Then we had lunch. After lunch we sat around a bit. Then I finished my porcupine fish.

Then I went inside and read my book. After a while we got called outside to see the sunset. We walked the 500 metres to the beach. I learned how to take sunset photos. Then while Dad and alan tried to get reception on their phones my sister and I picked up big clumps of dirt and had competitions who could throw theirs downy to the beach. The beach was about 20 metres away. When the dirt hit the sand it exploded in a puff of red dirt. Then we alkyd back to the caravan via the check in station. There we picked up the pizzas that we had ordered earlier on.

Here on Barn Hill hay make theta own pizzas, bread, ice cream and sausages. After picking up the pizzas we walked back to the caravan and had dinner. The pizzas tasted pretty good and that's really saying something. I'm usually very fussy about what pizzas I eat. After dinner my sister and I went inside and wrote our blogs. After that we had dessert. Dessert was vanilla pudding and fruit salad that Mum made. Then we went to bed.

Bush Poetry

Today after getting up and having breakfast we lazed around for a bit. Then I found a Kangaroo lounging in a chair outside a house and went to took photos of it. The Kangaroo looked right at the camera and I swear it smiled! After that we sat around until lunch. After a lovely lunch we sat around. Then we hopped in the car and drove down to the lagoon.

When we arrived we unloaded the kayak and carried down to the water. Alan and Judy went for a paddle out of the lagoon. While they were gone we walked out onto he rocks and watched a guy fishing. He caught a small Angelfish and a good sized bream. Then we moved on and watched some people fishing from a boat. Just as we got there they caught a small Estuary Cod. After that they put out a small barracuda as bait. Suddenly the woman's rod went off. She seized it and tightened the drag. Then she wound and wound until a nice Mangrove Jack broke the surface. It would have been at least 3 pounds.

After watching them for about half an hour we headed back. On the way we looked for shells. I found a really nice cone shell with stripes. When we got to a sandy point Alan caught up with us and Dad and I hopped in. We rowed over the sand flats. Then Dad showed me a massive 3 metre whiptail ray. It's tail was 2.5 metres long and it wasn't troubled by our appearance at all. After a bit we rowed on. We rowed around a point and up the channel. Then we dragged the kayak to the car and drove back to the caravan.

After we arrived my sister and I went and had a shower. After we got back we went and saw this bush poetry thingy. It was hilarious. They poet was very skilled in writing poetry and treated us to poems that had me in tears of laughter. There were two which were my favourite. One was called 'The Man Who Couldn't Reverse' which was about a know it all bloke who backed his 27 foot van into the ladies toilet block. The other one was called 'A Fateful Days Fishing. It was about the poet when he looked around to find a barra fishing spot. He found someone who told him that he ate curry and went to a lagoon in the mooring. Then he let rip with a monster fart that knocked all the Barramundi in the lagoon out cold.

The poems were very, very funny. The end of the entertainment was over way too fast and before we knew it we were heading back to the caravan to have dinner. For dinner we had sausages and noodles. After dinner we wrote our blogs. Then we had dessert. For dessert we had some cookies. After dessert we went to bed.

Paradise

Today we got up and I made breakfast. Then we lazed around a bit. After that we drove down to the beach with Alan. When we arrived we unloaded Alan's inflatable kayak. Then we carried the kayak down to the water and launched it. First, Alan and I paddled around to a section of the beach and beached the kayak. When Dad and my sister came to our spot Alan and Dad went to the cars to get the pump. While they were gone my sister and I went swimming. Well more like diving. We spent 99% of our time underwater and we only came up for breath.

We looked for shells with life in them. I found a hermit crab which was very aggressive but it couldn't reach me with it's pincers. Alan got back after fifteen minutes and he sat on the beach waiting for Dad while my sister and I paddled up and down the channel. When Da arrived he and my sister went for a paddle around the island. They saw some people fishing and said hi. Then they came back.

After their paddle Dad and my sister hopped out and Dad went to collect Mum because he had left her at the caravan park. She had wanted to be left behind to do some washing and Dad agreed to collect her after an hour. It was paradise downy there. the beach was nice to stand on and it stretched for about 200 metres back. As the tide receded it left these little channels which were about 20 metres long. My sister and I swam up and down these looking for hermit crabs and other stuff like that. Then Dad and Alan came up with a funny idea. They said that they were going to make a sail for the kayak. They used an old tarp and tied it to the oars.

Then they set off. The kayak really flew and within 5 minutes they were on the left hand shore of the lagoon! They needed a longer mast so that that could control the boat. After they walked back my sister and I rowed up and down the little channel and one time my sister fell in on purpose. After a while we beached it and dove up and down the channel. We were looking for slime. We took the slime and made it into balls and left them out to dry in the sun. We returned every now and again to check the tide hadn't covered them. Soon the tide started coming in and we had to move before we got cut off from the road. On the way back Alan lost his sandal and we walked back to look for it.

I found it and we walked back to the cars. Then we drove back to the caravan. My sister and I went and had a shower to wash the salt water off. When we returned we had lunch. After lunch we went and got an ice cream for each of us. I got a Cadbury Flake, my sister got a Rocky Road Magnum, (so did Dad) and Mum got a plain Drumstick Vanilla. We also bought Alan a Splice (which is a type of fruit ice cream). Then we Mum and I made tonights dessert. A chocolate pudding. After that Mum washed up and I went outside to read my book.

After a bit Dad went and had a shower. When he got back we all wrote our blogs. After writing our blogs we had dinner. For dinner we had fried sausages and fried potatoes. Dinner was very yummy indeed! After dinner we had dessert. The chocolate pudding tasted very good. Then I went to bed.

Port Smith Day 2

Today I got up in the morning and went outside to draw. Then Dad called me in for breakfast. Breakfast was some toast with some chocolate milk that we still had in the fridge. After breakfast I went back outside and drew some more. Then I went inside and started writing the blog. After that Dad and I went fishing. We took Alan from next door. When we arrived at the lagoon we walked down to the beach. Then we walked through the water channel to the mangrove island.

Then we started fishing. We didn't catch anything and started walking back. I saw a small, cute stingray. I also saw a turtle. It came up for breath every few minutes. After that we walked back the channel. The tide was coming in and it was deep in places. When we got back we had lunch. It was pretty tasty. After lunch I wrote the blog and then we went to an entertainment thingy. These people were playing their Ucalalies and they played some songs. It was a very enjoyable affair.

When we got back we had dinner for dinner we had meatballs and noodles. After dinner we went to bed.

Oggi siamo andati da pesca.

Ho preso 0 pesci.

E stato divertente.

Port Smith Day 1

Today we woke up in the morning and had breakfast. After that we packed up the caravan and drove out of the station. We traveled for 300 km to Port Smith Lagoon caravan park. When we arrived we set up. The ground was so hard that I had to get Dad to hammer in 2 of the pegs. After that we sat down and had a cool drink. Then I had some lunch.

After lunch we had some dessert. Then Dad and I went into the office and got the good oil on the fishing spots. After that we drove down to the boat launching place. My immediate impression was that we had entered a clearing in a mangrove forest. It was very interesting down there and we saw the launching ramp. The space in the mangroves where they launched the boats was about 3 metres wide. It was great fun to watch the boats being pulled out of the water. There were some guys who had caught a 24 pound Estuary Cod. It was pretty heavy.

I got some really good photos of the sunset. I also found a mullet that had been left behind by the tide. Then we drove back to the caravan and I started writing the blog. After a bit we had dinner. Dinner was Nachos with some other stuff. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had some pineapple chunks. After dessert I finished writing my blog. Then I did some other stuff. Then I went to bed.

Pardoo Station Day 2

Today we got up in the morning and had some breakfast. After that we sat outside and read. Then I sat inside and watched some TV show. After that Mum got some morning tea ready and we ate. Then we drove to the creek. We fished for a bit. It was more like 2 hours and I was soon dehydrated. I went and sat in the shade of the car. Then I began to feel sick. I had a drink of ice tea and sat in the shade a bit more. After a bit I went and joined the others.

We fished for about 4 hours. A man had got us some live bait. There were some pop eyed jumping mullet and some other fish. Then we drove back to the caravan. I was feeling really sick and when we got back I drank two big cups of water. Then I walked up to the office and bought our bread. When I got back I had some late lunch. After that my sister and I went for a swim. It was pretty cold and cooled me down.

When Dad came to get us we hopped out and walked back to the caravan. Then we went and had a shower. After that I sat in the caravan and read a bit. Then we had dinner. Dinner was some Bluenose Salmon that we gat from a woman down at the creek. It tasted great. I fried some potato wedges and they were very nice and crunchy. After dinner we had dessert. For dessert we had some ice cream with mango sauce. Then I went inside and read a bit. After that I went to bed.

Pardoo Station Day 1

Today my sister and I got up and did some shark drawings. I decided to draw a Mako shark. Then we had breakfast and hitched up the caravan. We drove 120 km to Pardoo Station. Along the way I finished my Mako Shark and it looks quite good. when we arrived at the station we chose a site and set up the caravan. Dad and I rolled out the awning and I pegged in the guide ropes. Then I connected the wastewater hose. After that my sister and I sat down and drew some more fish. We decided to draw a Mahi Mahi (aka Dolphin Fish).

Then we all piled into the car and drove to Pardoo Creek. I found a dead Shovelnose Ray entangled in the mangroves. The tide was out and the creek was barley 5 metres wide. It was really muddy and my sister found a barra lure. Then Mum saw a dead stingray up high on the mudflats. It was dead well and truly but it was still rurally interesting to look at.

Then we drove back to the caravan and had lunch. For lunch we had some fresh, station made bread. Then we packed the fishing gear and drove back to Pardoo Creek. We fished with bait and lures. I flicked a barra lure and after a few casts hooked something. It didn't fight hard so it was pretty small. I reeled it in hoping for a small Barramundi. I released it and continued fishing. We didn't catch anything after that and went back to the caravan a few hours later.

When we got back my sister and I went for a swim. After a nice cool swim we went and had a shower. Then we wrote our blogs. After that we had dinner. Dinner was Mexican Potatoes. Mexican Potatoes is where you bake the potato in the fire and make some meat sauce out of mince meat. When the potatoes are ready you cut them in half and put the meat sauce through the middle. It is one of the best campfire dishes in my opinion. After that we had dessert. For dessert we had chocolate milk with some bread. After that we went to bed.