Learn more tips about budget-travelling from this Aussie couple, how scary experiences turn into life lessons, a place and products they are not keen to recommend, the biggest splurge they’ve ever made for the Big Lap and was it worth it, and that one item they or probably most campers/travellers can’t live without.

Welcome to Aussie Travel Stories, the series where we ask Aussie travellers questions to help inspire and educate the Big Lap community to enjoy the greatest road trip of their lives.

What’s Your Travel Story?

Isaac: We are currently travelling full time for the next 12 months or so around Oz, we left in October so we’ve been on the road for just over three months.

Where are you currently, the route you’re taking?

Lyss: We did a bit of time on the South Coast of New South Wales before we headed into Canberra along the Murray River, and then over the border into Victoria, we headed for the Mornington Peninsula and then did some time on the surf coast where we ended up spending an extra few weeks in. We thought we would until we headed over into Tassie for six weeks over Christmas.

Why did you decide to do a Big Lap?

Isaac: Well, we’ve lived in Oz, our whole lives pretty much and we realize we’ve done more travelling abroad than we have in our backyards. So, with all the overseas travel restrictions, we thought, why not get out and explore our own country?

RELATED: Buy Your Big Lap Bible Here

What is your setup?

Isaac: We’re just travelling in a Toyota troop carrier, we’ve decked it out with a bit of a bed in the back, which we’ll show you soon. We don’t have a pop-top or anything, it’s a pretty simple tight little setup, but we’ve gotten used to it in the last few months that’s for sure.

Lyss: And it does the job.

Where do you stay – caravan parks? Free camps? Both?

Lyss: We generally stay in free camps where we can the majority of our camping has been free camps when we need a hot shower and to do some laundry, that’s when we tend to book into a caravan park but that would be…

Isaac: Yes. Once a fortnight maybe if that.

Lyss: If that is, yes.

What is the best camping spot you’ve stayed at?

Isaac: it’s hard to narrow it down to one Tasmania was so good for free camping, camp spots ride on the beach or ride on beautiful lakes. And it’s just so pristine that you can’t narrow it down to one campsite in particular.

Lyss: Yes. And the free camps in Tasmania, there’s so many that you find a lot of the time you have a spot right on the beach or right on the lake by yourself with no one else in sight, so.

Isaac: We’d be pulling up to these campsites just can’t believe they’re free.

Lyss: Yes, so Tasmania would be our favourite so far.

Where is the best place you’ve ever been?

Isaac: My favourite place was probably Marrawah on the west coast of Tasmania, it was a pretty roar and rugged, I suppose I get the roaring forties down there, but we had some unbelievable weather and just had two or three days of unbelievably fun surf where it was just us and some friends had the whole beach to ourselves.

Lyss: Yes. It’s an extremely untouched place too; you find a lot of the coastline is.

Isaac: Non-Accessible.

Lyss: Yes, there’s a lot of farmland that is privately owned so to get down to the beach, you can’t, unless you go through private properties, so the beaches are just so beautiful.

Is there a place you won’t go back?

Lyss: Not that we wouldn’t go back there, but we found it extremely difficult for free camping or camps that were reasonable price would be the Mornington Peninsula. It was very expensive for a campsite that was essentially just a dirt patch so that’s one place that we wouldn’t rush back to.

Related: Get 100s of Discounts for your Big Lap with Our Livin’ Barry platform

Where can’t you wait to go?

Isaac: We’re sort of just taking it day by day at the moment. Especially now that WA’s borders are closed, I’d be lying if I said we weren’t looking forward to going over there, but at the moment we’re just sort of looking forward to today or tomorrow we don’t know where we’re going to be. So that’s kind of the most exciting bit about it.

Do you travel with a pet, does it restrict you?

Isaac: We don’t travel with any pets.

Any scary or funny moments on the road?

Isaac: Well, neither of us have any four-wheel driving experience at all, I think before we own the Troopy I’ve driven on the beach twice, pretty much. We’ve done a few four-wheel drive tracks in Tasmania, just because so much of the land’s untouched over there. You need a four-wheel-drive to see it all and there are definitely a few tracks that we probably shouldn’t have gone down where we carry a lot of gear on our roofs, so we’re quite top-heavy and one track in particular that we went down, we were this close to rolling on the car.

Lyss: That was very scary.

Isaac: Yes. We’re going to be a little bit more careful from now on when we go; because we’ve pretty much got our whole life in here we can’t afford to lose it.

Lyss: Yes. All the gear, no idea.

Tell us about the item you can’t live without

Lyss: An item that we definitely cannot live without would be a coffee maker and a jet boiler, the jet boiler has been life-changing we use it every single day.

Isaac: We had it recommended to us before we left, I can’t remember who exactly recommended it, but it’s an absolute game-changer.

Coffee-maker (unsure yet where to get, it’s not in the marketplace)

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Tell us how you fund your Big Lap and budget – did you save before you left? Do you work on the road?

Lyss: We worked extremely hard in the 12 months leading up to when we left; we both worked two jobs after-hours weekends. So that was quite a lot we hardly saw each other, but that’s all good. We also rented our house out. We bought a house back in 2019, we rented it out and we make a little bit each week off the rent that we’re currently receiving. So, that definitely helps we will work on the road if the option’s there to pick up a job like, we are not fazed whether we do or don’t.

Isaac: I think if we just find a place that we want to stay for a couple of weeks and there’s not much happening and we’ll just try and pick up a little bit of work.

How much do you spend and what is your biggest expense?

Lyss: We’re ranging between 500 to a thousand dollars a week and our biggest expense at the moment would be petrol. I think we’ve spent a lot more on petrol than we initially thought we would, but in saying that we have driven a lot and we tend not to park up for too long, we’re constantly chasing that next view or that next place that we’re excited to see.

What’s something you know now but didn’t before you left?

Lyss: Less is more.

Isaac: A 100%  less is more.

Lyss: And to not have high expectations of places that you see online or…

Isaac: Yes, sometimes the picture doesn’t show the entire outlook.

Lyss: Yes definitely. And Instagram can tend to be very filtered so just keep that in mind that not everywhere is as beautiful as you’ve seen it before.

Want to share your story? DM us on Instagram today…

What is your favourite thing about travelling?

Isaac: What is our favourite thing about travelling? I think it’s almost like just the unknown. We don’t know where we’re going to be tomorrow we don’t even know what we’re going to do today, we’ve got the freedom to do what we want when we want.

Lyss: And I think waking up in a new place every day is pretty special.

What has been your biggest splurge? Was it worth it?

Isaac: Does the car count?

Lyss: Yes.

Isaac: Because it’s been our biggest splurge.

Lyss: Before coming on this trip, we had a van.

Isaac: A little high ACE.

Lyss: And we thought that it wasn’t going to cut it, doing the lap around doors with how much full driving you can do to get to those secluded pristine beaches. So, we sold it and decided to buy a trip courier and we ended up buying one brand new just because the resale price at the moment is through the roof. So yes, it was a very big splurge, but worth it.

Isaac: A 100% worth it.

Is there anything you bought but don’t use as much as you thought or it wasn’t worth the money?

Isaac: Not really. I think we’ve done pretty well sort of limiting, our purchases I can safely say we use absolutely everything in this car.

Lyss: We have purchased two double camp chess and both of them have broken on us. So we would say that they are not worth the money so don’t bother.

How were you affected by lockdown?

Lyss: Our trip was delayed maybe two months because of the lockdowns but that was probably a blessing in disguise. There were a lot of extra things that we needed to do that we didn’t realize at the time so we utilized that time very well.

Isaac: We missed two weeks in Tasmania because they hadn’t opened their borders as well, but we still got to spend six weeks out there.

What is your biggest tip to other big lappers?

Isaac: Set out all the clothes that you want to take on your trip and then cut them in half. Honestly, we dead set only pick up the clothes off the top of the pile anyway, and it’s not like we’re going out on the town every night so putting on a stinky shirt doesn’t matter.

The post Aussie Travel Stories – Setting Up Expectations On The Big Lap appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Welcome to Aussie Travel Stories, the series where we ask Aussie travellers questions to help inspire and educate the Big Lap community to enjoy the greatest road trip of their lives.

What’s Your Travel Story?

Katherine: Hey Big Lap Bible, it’s Katherine and Alex here from @discoveringoz and we have just completed our big lap around Australia.

We left in April and got back just a few days before Christmas. We’re on the road for about nine months in total.

Because we only had 9 months on the road, we did decide to save up around 30-35 grand before we left and we didn’t have to work our way around and 9 months was a good amount of time for us to do the whole lap in that amount of time.

RELATED: Buy Your Big Lap Bible Here

Where are you currently, the route you’re taking?

Katherine: At the moment, we’re currently back in our home town in Casselden in Victoria, and we are back to work and we’re just doing little weekend trips away, but we do have big plans to keep travelling in the future.

Do you travel with a pet, does it restrict you?

Katherine: While we’re away on our big lap, we decided not to take the dogs. We kind of really struggling for room and we thought it’s gonna be a bit too hot for them to travel on a canopy so we decided to leave them home with our parents. We were lucky enough that they looked after them.

What is your setup?

Alex: This is our 2006 Hilux we took on the lap. It’s got a 3-inch lift. So we did a little bit of work to get it sort of reliable before we left and it didn’t miss a beat.

Decide to go with 32s in 50 good ridge KO2s just to save a bit of fuel, and a good all-around sort of tyre, not the best in the market but that’s got us through.

Got a winch, definitely, a master’s snorkel and other mask, cut down the roof rack to suit the tent on the top, and that’s about it.

Katherine: We did the Cape York and we tackled the Old Telegraph Track and we got throughout pretty much no worries with just those few little things so…Just kind of did really well, and even on the really rough roads as well.

So in this log box here, we have things like our 12v hot shower, spare gas bottles, we had a step ladder, a picnic blanket that we some used for quite a lot on the trip. We had lots of collapsible buckets, so we actually had a big bucket that we can stand in to have our shower so that we can recycle our water so that we’re not wasting water when we have a shower.

We have little blocks to help level up our car in front of big funny little angles so that we’re sleeping nice and flat.

Alex: We decided to go with the Bush Company Alpha, as our tent, was really good, the big fly, sort of kept the rain off, window down, didn’t get too wet. A fishing rod holder on the top that’s where we put all the rods out of the way, so we didn’t have to sort of carry somewhere else, fit anyway.

We pan around, we went with the Darchi 180 awning, we saw it couldn’t go 270, just cause we wanted to get it on the back, not the of our setup and didn’t want to put up doors or sort of stuff down. Other than that we go around the kitchen side, where Katherine will tell you what’s going on.

Katherine: So this is kind of sort of where our kitchen was, we like a stainless steel table that Alex made, it was really good for filleting fish, when we cooked fish because it’s stainless steel and it’s really good for putting hot stuff on so nothing melted.

We had a little gas cooker, and this is usually our dog box, as you can tell our dog is in there.

And then usually in this dog box, we would have all the fishing gear, all that diving gear, another gas bottle, all spare parts for the car, car oil, and little bits and pieces in there as well.

And then in here, we kind of have, really big slide-out drawers. This one fitted all our food in there, this one had all of our cookware in here. With our cookware, we have a lot of collapsible saucepans and things like that, they save a lot of room and makes it so easy to be able to fit them in.

Up here where we kind of fit it all like, camp chairs, walls for our awning, spare tubs for our toothbrushes, all our tin food, and things like that.

And then down under here, we have a water tank which is mounted under the trail, tap here, and a tap on this side as well as a breather and it’s a 55-litre water tank.

We think that’s probably the smallest you should probably go, ‘cause we can survive on that for probably about a week being very sparingly, but it can be really hard to get water so that probably will be the smallest size tank we would recommend ongoing,

And then in our backseat, we actually did something a little bit different as well. So we took our backset out altogether and Alex built this kind of shelf. So on the bottom half of the shelf is where we put all the tools, all our cover gear, we had the legs so we could jack off the canopy.

Nothing we used all that much, we probably jacked off the canopy for about 3x in total, so all our tools and everything in here, and on the top part we had all of our clothes, and towels and linen things on the top shelf. That saved us a lot of room. If we’d just had the backseat, we would’ve really struggled for space, so that was really a good idea.

What is the best camping spot you’ve stayed at?

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Where is the best place you’ve ever been?

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Is there a place you won’t go back?

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Related: Get 100s of Discounts for your Big Lap with Our Livin’ Barry platform

Where can’t you wait to go?

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Do you travel with a pet, does it restrict you?

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Any scary or funny moments on the road?

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Tell us about the item you can’t live without

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Tell us how you fund your Big Lap and budget – did you save before you left? Do you work on the road?

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How much do you spend and what is your biggest expense?

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What’s something you know now but you didn’t before you left?

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What is your favourite thing about travelling?

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What has been your biggest splurge? Was it worth it?

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Is there anything you bought but don’t use as much as you thought or it wasn’t worth the money?

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How were you affected by lockdown?

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What is your biggest tip to other big lappers?

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The post Travelling Australia With Rooftop Tent: Aussie Travel Stories appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Full-time travellers Jono and Monique from Instagram @joniquelife loves hiking, mountain-climbing and taking the tougher challenges in life (if the title didn’t give that away yet) Here you’ll learn about their favourite camping spots, and how much time they’ve spent with the beloved quokka!

Do you also travel with any unique pet? Do you need to be young and fit to travel the big lap or it can be completed at any age? Learn how being young and fit helps you in conquering the challenges of the Big Lap adventure.

Welcome to Aussie Travel Stories, the series where we ask Aussie travellers questions to help inspire and educate the Big Lap community to enjoy the greatest road trip of their lives.

What’s Your Travel Story?

Jono: Hi, Big Lap Bible. We are Jono and Monique and together we are @joniquelife.

So our travel situation is we are full-time travellers, travelling here around Australia, been doing so for almost two years now.

Monique: Long time.

Why did you decide to do a Big Lap?

Monique: We decided to do the big lap just for randomness, to be honest, it was just a spur of the moment thing that we thought of. We had a unique work situation that popped up and we thought let’s take advantage and travel around Australia.

RELATED: Buy Your Big Lap Bible Here

Where are you currently, the route you’re taking?

Jono: We are currently staying behind the surf lifesavers club at Penguin Tasmania. You can see this beautiful view directly behind us here.

Monique: So beautiful.

Jono: Right next to the train line waiting for that to scare us in the middle of the night. And yeah, we’re just sort of zigzagging all around Tasmania at the moment for the next 10 weeks.

What is your set-up?

Jono: So our travel setup is we are towing with a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, 2015 model and towing an essential exceed cruiser 26-foot van that’s fully self-contained as well.

Where do you stay – caravan parks? Free camps? Both?

Monique: So we generally stay at free camps and we use our lovely beloved Wiki camps to guide us through it. I would say 70% of our accommodation is free and 30% is caravan parks. We love caravan park sometimes because it lets us do our washing, have a long shower and just do our general maintenance and cleaning.

Jono: And run the air conditioner.

Monique: Oh, I forgot about that, needed, especially in Tassie at the moment it’s freezing.

What is the best camping spot you’ve stayed at?

Jono: One of the best free camps we’ve stayed at most recently is the Bunda Cliffs in South Australia, right on the Nullarbor there. That was really cool, just sort of picturesque, right on the edge of the cliffs there completely, dead that day. We were the only caravan for many miles. 

And our favourite paid camp was the Cairns Coconuts big four up in Cairns Queensland. They had a spa there that we just sat and soaked in for many hours every night for about two weeks.

Monique: Every night. I swear we did not miss it at all. 

Where is the best place you’ve ever been?

The best place that we have ever been on our travels was definitely Roddy Island. Sorry Rottnest island, I mean. We loved it because we could see the beloved Quokka and we literally spent two hours with them, just admiring their awesomeness, taking some selfies. And it was really cool as well to literally cycle the whole island. We would definitely want to go back there and probably stay a couple of days because we only did a day trip, but at least it leaves more to explore in the future.

Jono: Yeah. That was so fun. That was over in WA for anyone that doesn’t know where that one is. 

Is there a place you won’t go back?

Jono: Not really. Every place we visited has its own unique sort of quirks and things about it. We wouldn’t say we regret going anywhere and there’s always something you miss at the locations you go to. So it’s always good to go back a second time and have a look.

Monique: Yeah, that’s true. We miss so much and everyone always goes, oh, you should have gone there. You should have gone here. And it’s like, yes we should have, but at least for next time, we can save it.

Related: Get 100s of Discounts for your Big Lap with Our Livin’ Barry platform

Where can’t you wait to go?

Monique: We can’t wait to go to Lightning Ridge. I think it would just be an awesome town to go to. Cupa Pity was great as well. And this is another Opal mining town and we love the quirkiness of the places that we go to and we think that’s gonna be really quirky.

Jono: Yeah. I was looking forward to going somewhere warmer as well. It’s freezing.

Do you travel with a pet, does it restrict you?

John:  We do actually. It’s quite a unique one. We have a green tree frog named Bella and she’s joined us on our travels now for almost two years as well. So it’s quite odd but unique.

Monique: It’s better because e don’t want any other pets. That’s enough. That’s our baby. 

Any scary or funny moments on the road?

Monique: So we have both scary and funny moments that we need to share. So John and I were once driving on the road casually with our caravan in toe, I was sitting down and on my left air vent, a huge Huntsman spider as big as my hand literally crawled out. I jumped out of my seat and went to the driver’s seat, really close to Jono. 

Jono: Pulled me off the road.

Monique: He nearly swerved off the road. I was screaming. And then thank goodness I could get the window down. And then the spider crawled out of my passenger window. That was so scary. And I have nightmares till this day, looking at air vent too.

Tell us about the item you can’t live without

One item we can’t live without being millennials is definitely our telephones. We like our mobile phones. They keep us connected to the world and they help us with our travel blog and stuff as we go around Australia and just to help keep us connected to sort of friends and families back home, especially during COVID, we haven’t been able to fly home to home states and everything and see family too much over the last two years. 

Monique: Yeah. That’s true. It’s always keeping us connected. 

Tell us how you fund your Big Lap and budget – did you save before you left? Do you work on the road?

Monique: To fund our amazing big lap. We actually did sell our property. So that just helped give us a bit of a boost for our travels. But currently, at this time we do random farm workaround and we’ve been doing that for basically a year now, where we just pick up random, odd jobs.

Jono: Yeah. We find about sort of four to five months a year of work sort of covers the cost we need to get us for the full 12 months on the road.

Monique: To keep going.

Jono:: Pretty good work-life balance.  

How much do you spend and what is your biggest expense?

Jono: So our annual spending roughly on the road is about the 40 to $50,000 mark. And the biggest expense is the fuel which is only getting worse at the moment, going up and up here in Tasmania averaging about $1.85, a litre for diesel. And yeah, that’s not too much fun, but if you travel quicker, you burn through a lot more fuel as well. So if we’re not on a time restraint, we do try to sort of travel at a slower pace and try and save on fuel as much as we can. 

What’s something you know now but didn’t before you left?

Jono: Something we’ve learned just been on the road. Our solar and battery systems, we sort of didn’t have a clue how that all worked before we hit the road. And our first AGM battery died due to a bit of neglect on our behalf. Not really understanding how those systems worked. We’re now doing a full lithium upgrade as well about halfway through the lap. About a year ago now we’ve loved our new system ever since, but yeah, definitely learned a lot about battery systems and solar systems and how to manage those more effectively. 

Monique: It’s amazing. You can charge your phone now and the battery won’t go dead. That’s amazing. 

Check various options for Solar Panels and Battery Systems available here.

What is your favourite thing about travelling?

Our favourite thing about travelling is all the hikes and the mountains that we are climbing, we love hiking and the tougher the challenge the better, and we always are striving to go to the really hard ones. So yeah, hiking is just the best and we love it.

Jono: Yeah. Being sort of young and fit, it sort of was good to do the lap at our age now. So we can actually climb all the mountains and do all the strenuous hikes.

What has been your biggest splurge? Was it worth it?

Monique: Our biggest splurge was Horizontal Falls. And that’s off Broome and Derby in WA. The best thing that we’ve ever done. And we would never regret it that we went even though it was quite expensive and we would even recommend others to do it. We did the night tour, the overnight tour and you could see the horizontal falls, amazing food, amazing company, best experience ever.

Jono: Yeah we love that one. Definitely do that one when you’re up North.

Monique: Definitely.

Is there anything you bought but don’t use as much as you thought or it wasn’t worth the money?

Jono:  To be honest not really, we pack and travel quite minimalistic as it is. And everything sort of has a function within the van. If it doesn’t have a function, we sort of tend to just get rid of it. Being in a caravan you’re very weight-sensitive obviously, and we wanna make sure that we’re always towing legally and if it no longer has a function, we generally discard it.

Monique: Yeah, that’s true. We’ve thrown out a lot of clothes. I love to cook, but I don’t even have much cooking equipment or utensils. I just use my hands and that’s it.

How were you affected by lockdown?

Monique: So we’ve been really lucky and we haven’t been affected by the lockdowns. It’s kind of just right place, right time, I believe. And we always are doing everything the proper way. So we look at the websites for the states that we’re going into, making sure we’re doing the right things and yeah, pure luck it’s been.

Jono: Yeah. I had a couple of close calls. Almost didn’t make it into WA but sort of just got in in time. And we sort of avoided Victoria for most of this trip as well, just because they’ve had sort of more lockdowns than any other state a

What is your biggest tip to other big lappers?

The biggest tip for those who want to do the big lap. Don’t forget your doormat. We’ve left about three or four doormats in random locations around Australia and keep having to buy new ones. So have a good checklist. And don’t forget your doormat.

Monique: Yes. Have a good checklist. I have one on my phone because we are moving obviously every week we’re basically moving like a couple of times.

Jono: Every day.

Monique: Every day. That’s correct. Every day we are moving and there are some things that you can forget. So have that checklist and also just have fun. You only live once. If you do see that amazing walk that takes to you to a great place. Go ahead and do it. Take your time. Enjoy.

*photos by @joniquelife[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post They Sold Their House To Travel Australia – Here’s Why It Was Totally Worth It appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Have fun watching this video and get to know a deeper insight into foreigners living and enjoying their van life as they travel the Big Lap in Australia.

Mathilde and Pauline from Instagram @backpack_withus arrived in the Oz three years ago with a working/holiday visa share with us their road and work experiences, budgeting and planning from their first time to arrive in Aussie till present.

Learn some differences between France and Australia in terms of travelling and see if you can relate to any of their funniest or scariest moments. That and more details on how the lockdowns became their blessing in disguise, off-peak/peak seasons travelling, and how they’ve understood more of Australia and its culture through their Big Lap travel experiences.

Welcome to Aussie Travel Stories, the series where we ask Aussie travellers questions to help inspire and educate the Big Lap community to enjoy the greatest road trip of their lives.

What’s Your Travel Story?

We’re travelling around Australia as a couple and will celebrate our six years together in April this year! We’ve been on the road for almost three years now under a WHV and most recently the COVID Visa that gave us a bonus year of exploration around OZ and allowed us to finish our Big Lap. We usually travel for a couple of months and stop working in a city we really like for the next three or four months before hitting the road again. Our plan is to go back to France for our summer in June as it’s been a while we are away from our families and friends, but we’ll probably get itchy feet again and will definitely keep travelling after that!

Why did you decide to do a Big Lap?

I think, even in France we had the idea in mind to do the big lap of Australia. The only thing was that we didn’t know where to start, or which direction to take. We figured out everything bits by bits here, that the best way to do it was simply to follow the seasons and look for a job for the peak time of the tourism season, especially in hospitality. Months after months we started to fall in love with the country, the landscapes, the wildlife and we just kept going further! We started in Perth and our first road trip took us up to Carnarvon, WA. You can easily imagine how France is different from OZ and everything on that road amazed us! The long-distance driving, our first kangaroo, the immensity and emptiness of the outback, the extreme weather, the kindness of the Aussie, the lifestyle, the freedom, everything! Once you get a taste of that, it’s quite difficult to stop!

RELATED: Buy Your Big Lap Bible Here

Where are you currently, the route you’re taking?

We are currently living and working in Broome, WA since November and we’ll be back on the road in three weeks! Starting with the exploration of the Dampier Peninsula we’ll then make our way down south to Karijini, Exmouth, Coral Bay, and follow the coast until Perth! We’ve already discovered this coast during our first year in OZ but this time we’ll do the trip in a convoy with a friend and with a 4WD! We’re really excited as we’ll then be closing the loop and coming back where all this big adventure started! 

What is your setup?

We are currently travelling with Charly our Green Prado and also our fourth car in Australia! We previously owned a van and two other 4WD! After trying a bit of everything I think we can agree on the fact that the set-up we currently have is the one that gives us the most freedom and the most comfort in our everyday life! Charly has a rooftop tent, two awnings and a wooden structure we made ourselves in the back. The dual battery system we set up gives us power everywhere and whenever we want which is super convenient for us and our passion for photography! I can even get my hot coffee in the morning with the mini kettle we can plug into it! After many months of sleeping in the car, the rooftop tent is definitely our go-to option! Wider, more open, you breathe and move so much better! A game changer! We’ll see if we still agree during the rainy days of the Wet though!

Where do you stay – caravan parks? Free camps? Both?

It really depends, a bit of both! As much as we can we try to enjoy free camps as we love having a place for ourselves, a great sunset view, a nice campfire spot, and just spending time exploring the surroundings or listening to the birds! But not every free camp has amenities and our love for hot showers and kitchens equipped with a nice oven is too strong! As well, it’s only since Charly that we have that full autonomy with power on the road and it was often a must for us to stop charging batteries, drones and cameras somewhere! Overall, we like free camping the best for the freedom it gives you, and with no light pollution, it makes it a million stars camping spot!

What is the best camping spot you’ve stayed at?

That’s a hard one! There are so many places we’ve stayed at, so many different vibes we felt there, people we stayed with that made these places special… Giving you only one is mission impossible, so we’ll give you our top five! Not too bad after touring the whole of Australia? 

Mathilde: Might be a bit weird, especially after what’s been on the news but my number one campground is the Blowholes,

WA near Carnarvon. It’s one of the first campgrounds we’ve stayed at when exploring on our days off from the farm and it symbolises so much for me! The place in itself is really cool, you can park your van just behind a sand dune and sleep with the sound of the ocean. There’s a bay you can snorkel in and where we’ve seen heaps of marine wildlife, and the blowholes are impressive!

photo by: Mpoutside via WikiCamps

A place all in one where you can easily stay for a few days! In the same area, Quobba Station and Red Bluff are just as amazing! Accessible in 4WD these places will make you forget about time, and live the Aussie way! Salty and happy! On the menu, fishing, snorkelling, surfing, and sunbathing… 

In WA again, is Two People’s Bay, another campground near Albany where you’ll get a nice room with a view! Opening your van’s door in the morning on the clear blue water of the bay and its white sand. Sunrise and sunset colours will leave you speechless!

Change of scenery, this time I take you to the Boranup Forest, WA where you’ll be surrounded by some of the tallest trees I’ve seen! I got really amazed by the mystical vibe of this forest and deliberately put up a tent to sleep in with the sounds of the forest at night instead of sleeping in the van!

Last but not least, a campground you can only get to by boat and sleep there without your car set up! Something original that makes you feel almost like a Robinson Crusoe! Right in front of Mission Beach, QLD is Dunk Island or also known as the lover’s island! Crystal clear waters, white sand, and the island for yourself, it was an amazing memory!

Also loved: Fortescue Bay (TAS), Corinna (TAS), Cape Range (WA)…

Pauline: I share the camping spots of Mathilde, and would say as well Noah Beach at Cape Tribulation. I had an amazing sunrise there, so peaceful, in front of the ocean, and in the tropics! Surrounded by the rainforest. 

I loved our camp on Dunk Island, you must take a water taxi to get there, and then we spend the night there, sleeping in our tent. You have a sandbar next to it, and it’s pretty cool for walking on it, taking shots, and we even saw an eagle ray there! 

Where is the best place you’ve ever been?

Again, it’s so difficult to choose only one amongst all the places we’ve been to and loved! But some places hold a special memory that makes them stand out! Number one is the Great Barrier Reef in QLD and most particularly the catamaran cruise we did to Whitehaven Beach.

And that’s the magical place that Pauline chose to do her proposal. I never could have dreamt of a better place where to say yes to her.

The Whitsundays are also where we did our skydive and a flight above the Great Barrier. Another kid’s dream fulfilled! The second place we loved the most is the Daintree Forest and Cape Tribulation in QLD! That’s where we celebrated Pauline’s birthday two years ago. It is the World’s oldest tropical lowland rainforest and the Wet Tropics are the only place in the world where two World Heritage Areas are side by side! The third step of the podium is shared by Uluru/Kata Tjuta and Broome and its surroundings! The rocks for being so mystical, their unique red colour, representing so much of the indigenous culture and for the chopper ride at sunset, we did for my birthday! And Broome for being our home for almost five months! The colour of the ocean, the red sand, the rockpools, the wet season and the lightning, Cable Beach, the camels, and the peninsula… We feel really lucky to be here! 

Is there a place you won’t go back?

There is no place, in particular, we disliked so much we would not go back to but we had a common feeling about South Australia being the state we liked the least. It certainly has great places to visit like the wine valley, the vibrant Adelaide city or the Eyre Peninsula, but we were not incredibly amazed by it. Pauline would say that she feels the same regarding some parts of Tasmania, such as the Hobart region, the centre and maybe the NE of the island too. However, these places might fit what you’re looking for!

Related: Get 100s of Discounts for your Big Lap with Our Livin’ Barry platform

Where can’t you wait to go?

We are super excited to discover the Dampier Peninsula, North of Broome! Going camping to James Price Point, and Cygnet Bay.

Do you travel with a pet, does it restrict you?

No, but we wish to have one dog!!

Any scary or funny moments on the road?

Scary: Buying a drone was a big step for us as we always wanted one but we were also a bit stressed by having so much money flying more than 100 metres from the ground like that! So when taking it out I would always feel a bit anxious when Pauline would really push me to fly it higher and further! But somehow I got more confident days after days until I would push it to its limits! That special day we launched the drone in a really cool place but a bit windy, at that time we only had the Mavic Mini 1 which is already a good drone but doesn’t handle strong wind as much as the recent ones. About halfway through the drone battery my phone screen freezes and I can’t see what the drone sees anymore. At that moment, I had no idea in which direction the drone was and just had a strong wind alert showing up on the app. Not too sure about the height of the drone I didn’t want to move it too much because of the surrounding trees but had to drop the altitude to get away from the strong wind zone. After a few minutes with literally no screen feedback, the remote starts beeping to express the low battery level of the drone. That’s when the situation got really stressful I have to admit! Somehow the connection came back on the screen and I noticed I had only a few minutes to get it back or it would just drop from the air! Only a beginner at that time I didn’t know all the features of the drone and just learnt that morning you could see the position of your drone on the little Google Map screen of the app. Thanks to that guy who showed me this trick I managed to get the drone back full speed and made it land in Pauline’s hand at the last minute. The moral of the story is only get confident when you know what you’re doing! I think I stopped flying the drone for a good week after that!

Funny: We have many funny moments on the road… I think what entertains us the most is each other! Starting with the many faces Pauline does when she’s sleeping next to me when I drive, when she can’t handle the heat and loses it, her crazy moments playing with snow in Tasmania, the way she’s scared with every sounds at night, or simply when the way she tries to get away with doing the dishes!

Pauline: You should see her when I am at the steering wheel, or her morning face without a coffee! I also remember the day we chose for fun which animal would suit us the most and we agreed with a friend on a meerkat for Mathilde! You should have seen her face! Still talking about it now!

Tell us about the item you can’t live without

An SD card? Funny story, Pauline did just order a new one two days ago! Definitely, something we can’t live without as it allows us to share with you all the content we try to create with our phones, camera and drone! It has always been one of our most precious belongings, same with our external disks! On their own, they contain absolutely everything we have seen and experienced in Australia for these past two years and a half!

For Mathilde, we would say the speaker, as she can’t travel without good music!!

For Pauline, we would say her camera, she can’t go anywhere without it, and would feel frustrated to miss a good shot!

You can get the speaker here and the camera here

Tell us how you fund your Big Lap and budget – did you save before you left? Do you work on the road?

We usually travel a few months and stop in a place to work and save for the next road trip. We did come to Australia with some savings but thanks to our many work experiences we managed to send that money back home and we are now travelling with what we make here!

How much do you spend and what is your biggest expense?

Our biggest expense is definitely the fuel! Driving a V6 is clearly not the same as driving the small car we had in France and the distances are not the same! But every cent we put in it are worth it and get us to incredible places all the time! I guess biggest expenses after that are the activities/experiences we do, the maintenance of the car, the camping fees and the food. On average, we spend around 2000$ per person per month on the road when enjoying really well!

What’s something you know now but didn’t before you left?

Another hard one! From the start, I really wanted to know more about the indigenous culture here and I guess we just got lucky with the people we met during the trip! We once got invited to one of their community, shared some moments with them learning about their backyard, their way of life influenced by climate change, their beliefs, or their activities… It was a very humbling experience and we learned a lot from them. But there’s so much more! We learnt how to understand the wildlife surrounding us, we got to understand better how some simple things like veggies and fruits grow and get to our supermarkets… And I guess we also learnt a lot about ourselves! Travelling makes you grow!

For Pauline:

• How to build a wooden structure on our own
• Permaculture 
• Snakes and spiders, marine life, kangaroos and wildlife in general 
• How to drive with a 4w drive car 

What is your favourite thing about travelling?

I think this one is going to be easy for the two of us to agree on! Freedom is definitely what excites us the most when travelling! Having a car is clearly a must for that as we love being independent and even if we plan a bit in advance our road trip, there’s always a place for the adventure and plan Bs! Nothing holds us anywhere, we just go where the wind takes us and it’s been working pretty well so far!

What has been your biggest splurge? Was it worth it?

There’s actually been two! Obviously, we couldn’t leave Australia without doing a skydive so might as well do it in one of the most incredible places! So this is how we ended up 15 000 feet above the ground Airlie Beach, QLD for one of the most breathtaking experiences of our lives! The second one would be snorkelling with the whale sharks in Ningaloo, WA. They would take us for half a day out on the reef to spot these gentle giants and do some snorkelling too. Not easy to spot, we did see one juvenile and we could swim with him for a couple of minutes before he dived in the depth of the ocean. That moment was amazing but it also went very fast! We still got super lucky as we had three humpback whales playing and breaching very close to our boat. That second sighting definitely made that experience unforgettable! 

Is there anything you bought but don’t use as much as you thought or it wasn’t worth the money?

Surprisingly, we use most of them! But if there’s one thing that has been left aside by Pauline during our road trip is her yoga mat and her dumbbell! I can still remember her full of motivation in the shop when buying them and now I just laugh when she gives me another excuse not to use it ahah! 

How were you affected by lockdown?

The first time Coronavirus seriously affected our trip was in March 2020 when Australia closed its borders and invited all the visa holders to either go back home or find a way to live with no income for the next six months. We were in Tasmania at that moment and just got a job in hospitality at the Cradle Mountain hotel. They provided us with free rent, free food and enough hours to get through this two months’ lockdown without too much trouble. They have done so much for us at that moment, and I think that’s what allowed us to stay in Australia. Otherwise, I think we would have had to go back to France! Since then, we just got lucky with timing, border closure and work! We’ve never been in a big lockdown since then and almost never had to wear a mask! The hardest border to cross might have been the NT-WA one as we know how serious WA gets when it comes to letting people in! We decided to leave for the Kimberley in October last year after Darwin’s lockdown (3 days) but everything went smoothly. And I think we got the perfect window as only a couple of weeks later if I remember well, the border closed and remains closed until now! 

What is your biggest tip to other big lappers?

Pauline: Between the two of us, I’m the one that takes care of the planning and booking side of the road trip and my biggest tip would be to do some research on the area you’re going to visit beforehand! Read blogs written by other lappers, tourism brochures, or simply ask around and talk to the locals! That should give you enough information to see all the main spots and the secret ones too! The second piece of advice would be to take your time! We strongly believe we would not have seen so much wildlife and so many beautiful sunsets if we didn’t take our time when travelling! We got lucky seeing some very hard to spot animals such as the tree kangaroo by taking our time and persevering!  

Mathilde: My biggest tip would be to get up early, and not be afraid of getting off the beaten track! Australia is a huge country with many, many places to explore! Get curious, stay away from the big cities and get out of your comfort zone! Stop and support the local businesses and care for each other travellers! We’ve always been helped when in trouble on the road, or simply when we didn’t have hot water for a coffee and that makes travelling the Big Lap so beautiful!

The post We Travelled Australia For 3 Years – Aussie Travel Stories appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

What’s Your Travel Story?

Monique: So we started our big lap in May 2021.  

What is your setup?

Monique: We’re travelling in a Nissan Navarra with a camping trailer.

Do you travel with a pet?

Monique: Our dog Satchel

Where are you currently, the route you’re taking?

Monique: We started up to North Queensland across to Northern Territory and into Western Australia, where we are now in the Perth area. Staying put, exploring a bit more and topping up the funds. 

Why did you decide to do a Big Lap?

Monique & Ryan: Well, why not?

Monique: So we both enjoy camping and doing the outdoors. I’ve particularly always wanted to do the lap because while we’re fit and young enough and still able to see all the beautiful surroundings

RELATED: Buy Your Big Lap Bible Here

Where do you stay – caravan parks? Free camps? Both?

Monique: So we stay in a lot of the caravan parks, and the reason being is for the facilities. We have a lot of dog-friendly situations as well. Ryan is on Wiki Camps checking out some lesser-known places and he’s always on the app looking for the next adventure

Where is the best place you’ve ever been?

Ryan: Well, mine was Broome, just liked it. I just really like Broome.

Monique: Broome was really lovely. I think when you first come across into Western Australia, you don’t see the ocean for a little bit. And Broome is one of our favourite places for that very reason. We just drove straight into the ocean. I also liked shark bay. It was quite dog-friendly. Satchel could come to the aquarium with us. And there were lots of dog-friendly beaches and activities that we could do.

Gantheaume Point, Broome WA

Related: Get 100s of Discounts for your Big Lap with Our Livin’ Barry platform

Any scary or funny moments on the road?

Monique: One of our scariest moments in the camping trailer was at Shark Bay. There was a lot of wind and the camping trailer doesn’t have walls. So it blew us around a bit but we survived. And we still remember it as a really good time. 

Tell us how you fund your Big Lap and budget – did you save before you left? Do you work on the road?

Monique: So with our funds, we saved up for a number of years. We sold our house as well, and there are plenty of opportunities to be able to work whilst on the road. At the moment we’re stopped to top up the funds at the moment and maybe change a few things in our setup. But other than that we are just enjoying a good time.

What’s something you know now but didn’t before you left?

Ryan: Just take the essentials, you get most stuff on the road, so you don’t need to pack your car. Just get it on the road if you need it.

Monique: And for me is just going with the flow. So you can’t plan everything, things change, especially with borders. Bookings, if you book ahead, if you wanna stay somewhere a bit longer you’ve got that opportunity if you haven’t booked a whole bit of places after that particular spot.

Want to share your story? DM us on Instagram today…

What is your favourite thing about travelling?

Ryan: Just exploring different places and meeting different people along the way as well. It’s been there. It’s been pretty good doing that. 

Monique: And then for me, it’s been the freedom to do what we want. So we have been able to do what we want. So not really having those plans locked in place.

How were you affected by lockdown?

Monique: We weren’t really affected by lockdowns. It’s all been kind of behind us. It has probably affected us in our decision to stay put in Western Australia. Just because the east coast is a bit of the unknown with what’s going on over there with covid.

What is your biggest tip to other big lappers?

Ryan: You don’t always need the best, we’re all in the same spot. We’ve got this, going to the same places you don’t need a big fancy caravan, big fancy cars. You do it in anything you want.

Monique: Absolutely. And we’ve seen people doing it in swags, rooftop tents to the big rig. So something like a big five-wheeler caravan. So absolutely, that’s a really good tip. And then for me, it would be “just do it now”. You’ll never have the best setup. You’ll be constantly changing your setup on the road from what you are using, not using. And just do it, just do it is the biggest tip.

The post Aussie Travel Stories: Travel Tips From Camper Trailer Travellers appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Related: 25 Tips For Keeping Healthy Whilst On The Road

Lessons We Learned From Our First Trip

On our first stop in Barcaldine, we visited the local food store to buy milk and bread. The store only had four cartons of one litre long-life milk on the shelf. Our family drinks over 21 litres of milk a week, so these four cartons would have been lucky to last a day for our family. And what if the locals needed milk as well?

Another thing we discovered was the volume of food our children eat when they are home all day. There’s breakfast, second breakfast, morning tea, pre-lunch, lunch, and all this by midday! The food bill was skyrocketing too. It took some time to figure out that this was not a holiday where we eat out at bakeries and go to restaurants for dinner every night. This was a way of life and we had to watch where we were spending our money to ensure us the freedom to keep travelling.

Things To Keep In Mind

Available Storage Space

When feeding a large family, your storage area needs to be considered also. We have a slide-on camper and a caravan, giving us two fridges with a small freezer in each. Our usual frozen fruit smoothies were the first to go, as we do not have the freezer space to keep the ingredients frozen. Frozen vegetables are also off the list, as the available freezer space is kept for freezing meat for main meals.

Best Storage Containers To Use

Before we started our trip, I collected square flour containers that all of our dry goods are stored in. This saves room and also keeps them fresh. Some thought needs to go into the fridge stacking also. With limited space, having odd-shaped items can be the difference between keeping leftover dinner or having to throw it out. We use glass rectangle containers that we already had at home, they stack well in our fridge and our children are older, making the heavier more fragile glass not an issue. You can use any stackable containers and some companies sell containers that add to the shelf or fridge life of your food.

Related: 23 Caravan Kitchen Accessories You Need For Your RV Adventures

What We Eat On The Road

So, what do we eat? Here is a list of the foods we find filling, easy to store and great for the budget.

Oats

They’re nutritious, filling, and cheap. Making a big pot of oats in the morning fills tummies and gives slow-releasing energy to see our kids through until lunch.

Long-Life Milk

We bulk buy long-life milk before we leave home and have milk crates in our truck storage area, so it makes it easier to store it all. If you can stomach it, milk is a great source of protein and calcium.

Rice

Rice is a staple in most countries and why wouldn’t it be. It’s easy to store and it gives your body the carbohydrates it needs to boost your brain function.

Potatoes

Sweet or white, both have a long shelf life and do not need to be refrigerated. They can be used as mash, chips, potato salad, hash browns, roasted or boiled. They’re super versatile and affordable!

Onions & Garlic

They add flavour and are good for your gut. There’s also no need to refrigerate either and they can make a plain meal more flavoursome.

Rice Cakes & Crackers

These are an easy snack to have with cheese, vegemite or peanut butter. They can be used instead of bread when you run out or to change it up from having vegemite sandwiches every day.

Cans Of Fruit

When you are unable to get fresh fruit, canned fruit can be a great substitute. You can add them to your oats or eat them on their own. You can even make a fruit crumble in your gas cooker by stewing the fruit and adding oats and sugar to the top.

Eggs

They offer a complete mix of fat and protein. Eggs also do not need to be refrigerated in Australia, so this saves precious fridge space. When space is available in the fridge, we boil up a dozen eggs for quick snacks.

Cheese

Great for calcium, protein, and fat. We buy a block of cheese and have a square container to put it in. We cut it into cubes that can be added to a platter or straight onto crackers. The kids often grab a couple of cubes when they are peckish.

Popcorn

It’s an amazing snack for the kids and when you make it from scratch, watching the kernels pop can be a science experiment (great fun if you’re homeschooling your kids while on the road).

Nuts & Seeds

These are another nutritious snack that are easy to store. A handful of nuts and a cut-up apple is a great morning or afternoon snack. Nuts can also be added to cereal or stir-fries, whatever takes your fancy.

2 Mintue Noodles

Love them or hate them, they’re a super quick snack or meal for our children. I’m not a fan and it did take me some convincing to pack them. But, at $1 for a pack of 5 at Aldi, the kids love them and can cook them independently, so my argument fell flat.

Bonus Tip

Lastly, keep cash on you and make the most of roadside fruit stalls along the way. You can pick up fruits, vegetables, eggs, and honey for decent prices – plus, it’s all fresh and you’re supporting locals.

Related: 20 Quick and Healthy Meals Every Full-Time Caravanner Should Know About

The post Our Top Tips For Feeding A Large Family While Doing The Big Lap appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

After getting ourselves some actually decent snorkelling gear we started slowly by taking the kids to local rock pools and beaches so they could get used to using the masks and seeing what it was all about. They have surfed for a little while now, so are normally pretty comfy in the ocean. Over the past few weeks, we have taken them on some guided snorkelling trips and to some little freshwater pools to experience some real snorkelling.

Before You Try Snorkelling…

My advice, before I recommend some tours and places, is to absolutely get your own gear and make sure it is decent. The cheap masks hurt after a while and they leak, two things you absolutely do not want happening while your kids are out floating around the ocean. Good fitting wetsuits are also pretty important to make sure they feel comfy and stay warm when the conditions aren’t warm enough. Be prepared for tantrums, seasickness, and fear when taking boat rides to snorkel. Our experience so far is only the east coast of Australia but we will be visiting all over so will definitely have more advice in the coming months.

Read Next: Top 15 Shipwreck Dives In Queensland

Our Snorkelling Adventures – Places You Must Visit

Hook Island & Whitehaven Beach

Our first boat ride out was with Ocean Rafting! Ok, these guys are awesome and it is a lot of fun, but a warning, this is a thrill ride out to the reefs at Hook Island and Whitehaven Beach. There will be wave hopping, doughnuts, and racing involved! If your kids are not adventurous you may end up with tears, like we did, and of course attitude – depending on the age!

Even with the tears, our guides Kevin and Scotty, were brilliant and the ride out was great. These boats are nice and fast so no seasickness happens. We opted for the Northern Exposure tour which includes 2-3 snorkelling locations (depending on the weather), plus lunch at Whitehaven and then Hill Inlet, so it is a jam-packed day. They are fantastic at helping out with beginner snorkelers and even kids that decide to throw a tantrum right before jumping in (yes that happened to us). So, eventually, all kids were thrown in and all got to see some Nemo fishies amongst other awesome marine life. 

Whitsundays & Whitehaven Beach

Our second ride out was with Cruise Whitsundays, these guys are a huge catamaran and it’s more of a cruise of the islands and then a swim and snorkel, if you wish, off the beach. They do feed the fish at Whitehaven so you get a great show of some super cute fish in the clear and warm waters – no wetsuits required at Whitehaven. This boat ride is rough and many people on board were sick, so be prepared. A little tip, when the kids are unwell or scared, the staff will offer out a little turtle teddy. Yes, we ended up with three teddies!

Big Crystal Creek, Paluma

Our next adventure was actually free snorkelling at Big Crystal Creek in the Paluma National Park. This place only has a few fish but man it is an awesome adventure.

Green Island

Our third boat ride was with Big Cat Green Island. While this wasn’t my favourite snorkelling trip, it was great for the kids. Snorkelling straight off the beach with so many fish was a real highlight and they absolutely loved it… well, our youngest wouldn’t go in, but such is life. They also offer glass-bottom boats and a semi-submarine ride, which I highly recommend so the kids can see the fish in the water and know what is out there.

At the end of today, even with the tears and tantrums, we are still pumped for more snorkelling around this gorgeous country so the good definitely outweighed the bad. My top tour for kids would be Green Island, purely for the boat options and the off-beach snorkelling. But for overall fun, definitely Ocean Rafting. Their service and experience in the water was amazing and it was just an all-around fun day.

Our Recommendations for Snorkelling Gear

Snorkel mask recommendations… well, this one is tricky. We started with cheaper full-faced masks for the kids, which were a total nightmare and waste of money. We eventually opted for the Ninja Shark ones and I am so glad we did. But, and yes there is a but, make sure you have backup masks as well. If your kids are anything like ours, they change their minds like the wind. Ours loved their full-faced masks in Victoria and then decided that in Queensland, they couldn’t use them properly (actually, they were ok for one day and then not). Feel my frustration?!

So, test out masks, if you can, but still have backup options. The full-face masks are great as they don’t need to be able to hold the bite in the snorkel and they can breathe normally, but they are a little tricky to put on and take off when needed. So we have both full-faced and two-piece masks just to avoid any stubborn moments. Wetsuits – make sure to get ones that fit correctly so they are comfy and keep them warm when needed (ones that are too big or too small just don’t work).

All in all, we are loving our snorkelling adventures and the kids have something amazing to write about in their journals each night. Another bonus, it really tires them out and they sleep so well after a day snorkelling!

Read Next: Top 23 Places To Snorkel In New South Wales

The post Awesome Kid-Friendly Snorkel Spots Around Australia That You Need To Check Out appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Broome is the last bastion of civilization prior to reaching the northern-most tip of Western Australia and the vast Kimberley region. It is also where this famous beach, named after cable that was laid between Broome and Java in 1889 for telegraph lines, is located.

We arrived here on our Big Lap right, smack-bang in the midst of the north Western Australia winter. Most days it was a balmy 30 degrees celsius and it was like an oasis in the desert after driving for days through the dry, arid Pilbara region. Luckily we had booked our camping site well ahead of time, because Broome does get booked out early.

First Impressions Of Cable Beach

After setting up camp we headed out to Cable Beach to see what all the hype was about this beach. I mean to say, we come from Queensland, and don’t we have some of the most stunning beaches in the country?

We discovered that Cable Beach is a 22 kilometre-long stretch of pure white sand, set against a backdrop of red ochre cliffs and fringed by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. The contrasts of the vivid colours is soul-stirring and I think that this alone is what makes this beach one of the top beaches in Australia.

Read Next: 7 Incredible Broome and North West Experiences To Have On Your Big Lap

Things To Do In Cable Beach

Apart from taking a stroll along this lengthy beach, there are many other things to do in Cable Beach.

Try 4WDing along the beach. We accessed the beach at the vehicle ramp at Cable Beach Road West and headed north past the rocks.

We took our drinks, nibbles and camp chairs down to Cable Beach and watched the sunset. The spectacle of the vibrant light show of the sunset and the sight of the camel safaris along the beach is definitely worth watching.

I took a sunset camel safari along the beach and I feel it is one of the must-do experiences in Cable Beach. There are a couple of companies that take these safaris twice daily. It is extremely popular, so make sure you book ahead.

For a relaxing sunset experience in Cable Beach, set sail on a catamaran or embark on a historical adventure aboard a pearl lugger, on a sunset cruise with a glass of bubbly in hand.

We visited Gantheaume Point at the southern end of Cable Beach to observe the 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints set in the rocks. We also saw the skeletal tower of the Gantheaume Point Lighthouse, a steel structure that was built to guide ships around the point. There are some shallow rock pools here where you can take a dip if you feel inclined.

We swam at Cable Beach in the shallow pristine water each day we visited, but after seeing a warning sign that there had been a sighting of a big “salty” croc we decided to stay on the land!

You’re able to hire stand-up paddle boards or kayaks and take a paddle offshore in the calm waters of the Indian Ocean. There is the Broome Beach Hut located right on the beach where you can hire paddle boards, surfboards or boogie boards. Otherwise book yourself on a kayak tour with Turtle Kayak.

Hire a boat and go fishing or fish off the beach.

Go “clothing optional” north of the rocks at Cable Beach and get rid of those tan lines! Since the 1960s naturists have been doing exactly this!

Read Next: Top Beaches in Western Australia

Where To Camp In Cable Beach

There are several caravan parks located within walking distance to Cable Beach. We stayed in Broome at the PCYC Campground, as we had our dog with us and had to stay somewhere pet-friendly. We drove our 4WD to Cable Beach each day during our stay here, only a short drive from town.

The three options are:

• Cable Beach Caravan Park
• Tarangau Caravan Park
• RAC Cable Beach Holiday Park

A word of warning though! These caravan parks book out early in the high season between May to August. You need to book well ahead of time to secure a caravan or camping site.

Although Cable Beach in Broome is a little remote and difficult to get to, it is one of those must see travel destinations in Australia that everyone should do at least once. I could easily escape the cold months during winter and stroll along this ravishing beach, climb aboard a camel or just sit back and chillax with a chilled wine in hand and watch the light shedding colours on the beach as the sun goes down.

Read Next: 18 Free Camps You Need To Know About in Broome & The North West

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Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Of course, Uluru makes the top of the list, and for good reason! There really is something special about Uluru and Kata-Juta (The Olga’s). They are the crown jewels of The Red Centre and until you have been there yourself to experience and feel the power, the culture, and the beauty of the rock formations, it’s hard to explain, and it’s deeply moving.

There are so many ways to explore Uluru and Kata-Tjuta, and can be done in complete luxury or on a budget. There are guided tours, day hikes, camel rides, Segway tours and bike riding. Or you can just drive around to the many viewing areas and take in these magical formations at sunrise and sunset and bask in all their glory, and of course, get your insta-worthy shots!

An absolute must-do while you’re visiting the area, is to see Bruce Munro’s ‘Field Of Light’ installation. An incredible display of 50,000 coloured LED lights scattered through the spinifex grass with Uluru as the backdrop. Watch the lights come to life as the sun sets on the horizon with Uluru in the backdrop. Once it’s dark, you can walk down into the display, with the stars shining above you. It is true magic. 

Pro Tip: There’s no free camping, only the Ayres Rock Resort accommodation, which usually has special deals and offers, so keep an eye on their website and  make sure to book in advance during the tourist season (May-September).

Read Next: Every Free Camp You Need To Know About In The Northern Territory

Watarrka National Park – Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park, is a lesser known gem in the Red Centre but boasts some serious wow-factor and the views across the valley are breathtaking, especially as the sun is rising.

The most scenic way to get to Watarrka National Park is driving through the West MacDonnell Ranges and via the Mereenie Loop Track which has 200kms of dirt road and is a great way to experience the vastness and landscapes of the Red Centre on your way to Uluru. You can see the escarpment from miles away before you arrive, building your excitement as you draw closer!

Pro Tip: Plan your fuel consumption! Fuel up in Alice Springs and carry extra fuel with you if possible. Fuel is very expensive once you leave the larger towns and there are long distances between fuel stations.

The best way to explore Kings Canyon is by hiking the iconic Rim Walk as the sun rises. Set off  early and leave from camp before sunrise, so that you can start your hike in the cool of the early morning. The glow of the morning sun will illuminate the valley below and highlights the 300 m sandstone rock face, for which the canyon is famous for.

The early morning hike is quiet, cool, and pure magic to see the canyon come to life as the sun rises. Take lots of snacks and take your time to explore the hidden gems that the hike offers, like the Garden of Eden. The hike is 7.4kms and has many stairs to the top, but it’s worth it! Once you’ve explored the canyon, head back down to the bottom before the heat of the day and spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool at the Kings Canyon Resort. It’s an epic place to explore  and definitely one for the bucket list.

Tjoritja West MacDonnell Ranges 

The “West Macs” as they are affectionately known, stretch 644kms from east to west, west of Alice Spring and is the home of the famous Larapinta Trail. There is so much to explore in the West Macs, and you can spend anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks exploring the extensive and striking gorges, sandy water holes, escarpment lookouts, or enjoying some of the many hikes and day walks through each section of the West Macs. 

The West Macs are teeming with bush flora and fauna and are rich with aboriginal significance and artefacts. Some highlights include the Ochre Pits and the striking landscapes made famous by the Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira.

There are so many highlights along the West MacDonnell Ranges, including Ellery Creek Big Hole, Omiston Gorge and Standley Chasm. 

A great place to cool off and refresh is Glen Helen Gorge, 133kms west of Alice Springs. Glen Helen Gorge is a permanent water hole and the junction point where the Finke River makes its way to the Simpson Desert. It’s also where you can take in views of Mount Sonder. 

Glen Helen Gorge is one of the few spots where you can sit in the air-conditioned pub and enjoy a cold schooner after a swim.

Read Next: 4 Hikes In The Northern Territory You Can’t Miss

The Red Centre region is so unique and is the ultimate representation of the Australian outback, rich in Aboriginal culture and natural beauty. Getting there can be a bit of a mission, but definitely somewhere you should plan to stay for a while and explore, there’s so much to see and do.

Read Next: Your Ultimate Guide To The Red Centre Way

The post 3 Incredible Places to Experience in The Red Centre appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Read Next: 18 Of The Best Walks In Australia That Even Non-Hikers Will Enjoy

Karijini National Park – Everything You Need To Know

Roughly 50kms from Tom Price you will find these unique gorges. Formed more than 2500 million years ago these banded rock formations showcase Australia’s north west region magnificently. Karijini has it all, from wading through freshwater and mountain goat climbing to relaxing under waterfalls and show stopping lookouts. Depending on how much you would like to achieve in a day, at least three days in this National Park is recommended. We personally made it our mission to hit every gorge walk and managed to smash it out in three days. Let me tell you, bedtime for us on those nights was averaging around 6:30 to 7:00pm!

There are two options for camping within the park, Dales Campground, and the Karijini Eco Retreat. We opted for Dales which is a great base especially if you are towing. It has basic facilities including picnic tables, barbeques and toilets. Karijini is quite a big park, the gorge trails are quite spread out and require a 4WD. This being the case, we made our way out and worked our way in.

Our first trail saw me ever so gracefully sliding down a rock (in front of many people) because of a wrong shoe choice and actually realising what the next three days were going to entail! After this walk, I became the person who would ask anyone who had just completed the trail we were about to embark on – “How long did it take?”, “Was it really hard?” Having had three knee surgeries I am definitely set on not having another! I needed to know what I was in for.

Knowing I wasn’t the only one out there asking these questions, I decided to give you an insight into what each gorge trail is like when exploring this epic park.

Read Next: 96 Things To Know About Your Big Lap

Hamersley Gorge

Northwest of Karijini is the most remote gorge of the park, Hamersley where it all began for us and where I turned bright red to match the beautiful banded walls of rock. This trail is one of the easier walks (how ironic) with some rough steps down onto the gorge floor. From there you are surrounded by colour, texture, and all these different shapes that were formed millions of years ago. The walk is about 1km return and took 30mins one way. At the end, you are greeted by a beautiful waterfall that you can continue to climb up! It has beautiful pools before the water flows into the swimming hole below.

Lower Weano Gorge- Handrail Pool

Using the Australian trail classifications, this amazing walk is a class four that eventually turns into class five, meaning it is moderately difficult but oh so worth it. This trail was the first where we had to wade or swim (depending on height) through water. Having purchased a brand-new camera before our trip that is attached to my hip, my recommendation to anyone is take a dry bag with you or get a really tall boyfriend who can hold it above his head. As you make your way through, the gorge slowly narrows and you walk downstream leading to the hand rail where both hands and feet are needed to climb down a vertical drop of stepping stones to reach the pool. This trail is 2kms return and took roughly 30-40mins one way.

Handcock Gorge- Kermit’s Pool

Adrian and I do like to get a lot completed in a day! Seeing as Lower Weano Gorge & Handcock Gorge are next door to one another, we thought we would smash both of these out in one day. Handcock Gorge, home to Kermit’s pool, for obvious reasons was a trail that I really enjoyed. A short but still challenging trail leads you down a ladder, narrow walkways and through the infamous Spider Walk to the green waters of the pool. Just by chance, we managed to get there at the perfect time as the sun only hits the pool for 1 hour a day at around midday. An 800m return walk, it took 30-40mins one way.

Joffre Gorge

There were two trails in Karijini that required me to bring out my inner mountain goat. Joffre Falls was the first. The majority of the 3km return walk, rated as class 4, was quite easy (my confidence had returned at this point). As for the last 150m, being the descent into the bottom of the gorge quickly, it turned into a class 5. Heading down, something that my knees don’t necessarily like, I found it easier to do the old, sit down and drop your legs. This walk took us 45-50 mins one way. Hitting the bottom is the first pool downstream to the most beautiful waterfall. Be careful, the rocks below are harsh on the feet! For all of the trails (except Hamersley Gorge) Adrian and I wore diving boots which worked a treat, another common choice of footwear I noticed was Dunlop Volleys.

Dales Gorge- Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool

If you have had a hard couple of days and need to give the body a rest, Dales Gorge is the one. There are well-formed man-made stairs down to the gorge, with a pathway down stepped rocks to the base of Fortescue Falls. Here, you can enjoy the pool and float while taking in your surroundings! Fortescue Falls gets quite a bit of sun which makes it a beautiful place to lay like a lizard on the rocks.

If you prefer a quieter setting, make your way down to Fern Pool. From the base of the stairs, make your way upstream with a 300m easy walk to one of the most amazing spots in the park and possibly one of the most recognised. There is a deck for easy entry into the pool and is definitely a spot you could spend all day at. It is a 1.2km return walk from both Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool – it took us 15-20mins one way.

Kalamina Gorge

A consistent class 4 trail that’s 3kms return from the beautiful Rock Arch Pool. After the initial descent into the gorge, it’s a rather easy walk following a beautiful stream, crossing shallow water with a small amount of ledge walking on some slippery rocks. Although if you don’t feel up to the 3km walk, you can walk to the small waterfall with its permanent pool as soon as you arrive at the base of the gorge (definitely worth the 3km’s though). It took an hour one way to the Rock Arch Pool and being the mountain goat Adrian is, you can climb up into the arch which gives you an amazing view of the gorge itself (so I have been told).

Knox Gorge

Somehow, we always manage to save the best and hardest until last, Knox Gorge, in our opinion, was definitely the hardest. A class 5, 2km return trail that required our last bit of mountain goat energy, it took us 45mins one way. The walk down into the gorge was a killer with no real defined track and required both hands and feet to make your way down and back up. The scenery along the way, the pool, and view when we had when we reached the end were out of this world. Karijini was really showing off with this one! Making your way down into the pool is super steep, it required Adrian to pull me out of trouble once or twice as my legs weren’t long enough to reach the next slippery step up or down. 

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