Norris Around Australia

sea-change, life-change and new beginnings

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Well we have taken the plunge and dived right in. Excuse the pun, or don’t, it is up to you.

Our sea-change has finally taken place and we are slowly finding our stroke. No floundering has occurred as yet and we are hopeful it won’t occur at all…. but we never say never here at Norris Around Australia and neither should you. Life is a wild and crazy ride and anything can happen.

We are hoping this is our place…..after travelling all over Australia we always keep coming back to the Northern Rivers of NSW. If you keep coming back somewhere and you can feel it inside you, you should at least give it try. This little coastal village combines all our loves; water, small-town feel, a sense of community and close to a world of exploring.

Don’t fret our dear and loyal readers, we still have nomadic blood flowing through our veins and are still the travellers you have grown to love. Although we are trying to build a nest here in the Northern Rivers of NSW, there will plenty of travels now and in the future. These may be big trips, short trip or weekend gallivants but they will be worth sharing and worth reading about.

After years on the road exploring this great country we are under-taking a massive life-change. Change is good. It challenges you and stretches you.

Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life. Robin Sharma

As I look back over the past several years, we have done exactly that. We have not done so without fear mind you. Some of the best decisions we have made have left me frozen stiff but these have turned out to be the best years of our life so far. We will continue to design our own life and live a life worth living. We hope you do to. Here is to new beginnings.

S & S

Baby, things change

It has been quiet on the Norris Around Australia.com front of late.

As I type this morning I am surrounded by not a lot. There is furniture missing, piles of mess and overflowing boxes. There is a move in the pipeline and it is coming up quickly but slowly. We are excited beyond belief! However, there is still quite a lot to organise and still what feels like a lot of time so we are also anxious, overwhelmed and not getting too ahead of ourselves.

Our travels around Australia have been all about change and evolution. How we travel has evolved over time. When we began our travels we set off in a tent and swag and travelled for 6 months without working. From there we bought a camper trailer and began the next few years of working and travelling the Outback! Over the last two years we have based ourselves in one location and began to travel at every opportunity with flexibility and ease. We recently purchased our off-road caravan and it is time for another change.

Our travels have taught us many, many things and one of these is WE LOVE TRAVELLING! We love the freedom, experience new places, meeting new people and we have a deep love of LIFE! We always talk about living a life you love and creating a life that you don’t need to “escape” from and the time has come for us to continue to build that life.

We are about to start living a life we do not need to escape from, a life where we do not NEED a vacation every other week. A life where we still want to travel and still want to explore but a life where we enjoy each and everyday living somewhere we want to.

There will be travels still, day-trips, weekend-warrior stints, holidays and BIG trips. We are evolving. But it is okay because baby, things change!!

Stay tuned for more information our pending SEA-CHANGE.

What is everyone tips for moving?

Ours is don’t keep TOO MUCH STUFF!!!

the best thing about camping in winter

The humble camp-fire.

A place to gather with fellow travellers.

A place to cook the most delicious winter meals.

A place to heat the billy for a nice cup of tea.

A place to soak in the warmth of the coals.

A place to toast a marshmallow or two.

Bring on 2016 winter camping.

Where are you going this Winter?

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our top 5 Tweed coastal eats

Oh my how we LOVE the Tweed. It has everything. The coast, the river, the hinterland and oh my the food, the glorious food.

The Tweed region is a foodie hub. It is a natural food bowl with a fresh and diverse of locally-grown produce. It is famous for its paddock to plate style dining.

We have tried a wide range of places on the coast so this post is about our coastal eats. In the future as we eat our way through the Tweed Valley we will add a Tweed Valley specific post.

Here is our top 5 Tweed coastal eats.

Choux Box, Kingscliff: breakfast and brunch are to die for and the coffee is one of the best we have ever had…..anywhere. Oh and the staff are fabulous and friendly.
Chinderah Tavern: fantastic pub fare, affordable prices and great view over the Tweed River and out to Mt. Warning. Excellent lunch specials, nice for dinner or a few afternoon drinks.
Tango Gelato, Kingscliff: for a sweet treat after dinner or a after a a big swim at the beach. Delicious gelato with so many flavours. You cannot go past a scoop of coffee or my favourite a lemon sorbet. Or for those health nuts like us try a Acai Bowl in the am.
Tweed River Seafoods, Chinderah: fresh seafood and good old fish and chips. Quite reasonable. Plus location, location, location. The shop is right across the road from a park right on the Tweed River with views out to Mt. Warning. Perfection.
Kingscliff Meat Gallery: This is for the caravanners like us. Or even the holiday-makers visiting the area that have the facilities to cook for ourselves. A wide range of fresh and delicious cuts of meat at good butchery prices. We enjoyed various cuts of tender steak and enjoyed a few varieties of rissoles and cracked pepper and Worcestershire sausages yum.

Have you been somewhere in the Tweed you think we should try? Let us know by e-mailing us or commenting below.

Life is short, you cannot afford to get stuck

We all know it. We all forget it. We all need to remember it.

Life is short.

Our life is but a fleeting spec in the universe. Yet we all get caught up in the drama of what is going on around us and forget to live from within.

I believe this time we have on Earth is the most precious gift we have. No matter what our individual beliefs are, we all share life on Earth. That is what is known. Don’t worry about the unknown. We may all end up in “heaven”, we may all burn in hell, we may just all be buried in the soil 6 feet under. There are many “mays” but the known is we are here and we should appreciate it.

We all have the power to design our own lives. We do not have to fit into any pre-made cookie cutter molds. Life is precious and one should be able to live out their dreams (providing these dreams don’t hurt anyone of course.) From a travellers perspective we spend all our “leftover money” on travel. We want to see the world and at this particular phase of our life, we want to see Australia. This is the life we choose. Yet we have many people tell us that we are acting foolish. That we should have a big mortgage and be a family of four by this stage of our life.

No matter the type of life you lead, it is inevitable that at some stage you will feel stuck. Yes even us gypsies get that bogged down feeling. That feeling where you are standing on the edge of something big, a change, a new chapter but you do not know what that “big” thing is. And you definitely don’t know how to make it happen! It is one of the worst feelings. It feels like you are on a merry-go-round. Not going forward, not heading backwards but staying in the same place or going round in circles. Don’t let yourself stay in your stuck state for too long. Life is too short and too precious for that. To get yourself out, start digging.

How to dig yourself out:

Don’t focus on what you cannot control. Let it go.
Plan around the things you can control.
Look at how far you have come in the past 12 months. It will be further than you think.
Move forward constantly. If you take a step back, step forward again.
Appreciate the simple things.
Make a change. Even a small change can be enough to pull you out of your rut.

testimonial – G & M Eddie

A testimonial for our trip planning and preparation services.

We were invited to travel with 5 other vehicles on a 21 day outback trip starting from Roma, Queensland in July 2015.

We needed advice for the setting up of our 4×4 Holden Colarado for off-roading and the camping that would be done on this trip. Shaun’s mechanical back ground and his experience of travelling in these isolated areas showed in his guidance in the setting up of our vehicle. Sarah and Shauns extensive camping knowledge gained from their travels in the outback regions of Australia were passed on to all people in the group and this showed when we all got off the beaten track. Sarah’s planning and trip itinerary was well done with everyone knowing what was to happen on any given day.

The trek was from Roma to Birdsville, across the Simpson Desert, down the Oodnadatta Track to Coober Pedy, from there to Lake Ayre and then on to the Flinders Ranges. The return trip was back up the Strzlecki Track to Innamincka and then on to Windorah and Charleville. The total trip was about 7500klm with dead lines to be met.

Both Sarah and Shaun did a fantastic job right from the start with the planning and the guiding of everyone throughout the trip with all their knowledge and camping tips.

Cheers,

Gavin and Marian Eddie

Thanks to Gavin and Marian for your kind words. We are so glad that you enjoyed the trip and are now set up and planning more outback adventures. Shaun and Sarah

inland to the coast

We recently spent some time in Northern NSW. To us this really one of the most naturally beautiful parts of Australia. From the hinterland of rolling green hills, to the big rivers of the northern tablelands to the quiet pristine beaches of the coast there is a whole lot to love. If money grew on trees and industry was booming in this region we would most certainly base ourselves there in a heartbeat. It has the best of all worlds colliding in one spot.

The Tenterfield region is full of history and scenic beyond words. We enjoyed a quiet campsite out at Boonoo National Park, 27km from Tenterfield. It is right on the Boonoo Boonoo River and with plenty of rock pools for swimming and bush walks throughout the granite scattered landscape there is heaps to enjoy. The national park is also home to the spectacular Boonoo Boonoo Falls which are well worth the short walk to view them.

The Tweed region south of the Gold Coast is a diverse and naturally beautiful place to visit and explore. From the Tweed Coast to the Tweed Valley and every where in between there is plenty to see and do. Our favourites include boating and fishing along the Tweed River, winding our way through the scenic valley roads, relaxing on the beach at Fingal and dining at the cafes of Kingscliff.

If you haven’t been before make sure you add Northern NSW to your bucket list. If you have been we would love to hear from you? Please share your favourites of Tweed Region with us.

The Vanning Tribe

Norris Around Australia.com have set up a brand new and exciting initiative, The Vanning Tribe!

We would like to invite everyone to join The Vanning Tribe, an online community where we can ALL share stories, photos, tips, hints, advice on all things caravan, camper and camping related.

Head over to Facebook to join The Vanning Tribe!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/175548759469676/

S & S

Endings

As our long summer break comes to an end it makes us realise how lucky we are.

We have spent the last few weeks tooing and froing between vastly different yet beautiful locations.

The house boat down the Murray was a long awaited tick off the bucket list. What an enjoyable and relaxing way to holiday. The Murray is the perfect location for hiring a house boat and we would definitely like to do it again. Next time we would probably avoid peak season but sometimes you have to go when you can.

Our time in the Riverina is always enjoyable as we have family in the area but even so there is still plenty of highlights for the traveller including Catania Fruit Salad Farm, West End Wines, Altina Wildlife Park and delicious Italian cuisine.

Welcome to Catania

the grandeur of the entrance and buildings draws visitors in

The Tweed coast is an absolute gem. We have returned here many times and will continue to return for many years to come. In fact we have already have already booked our next stay. Our favourite Tweed caravan park is Fingal Head due to its beachfront and out-of-the-way location.

With every ending there is a new beginning and new adventures are already being planned. Where are your travels taking you in 2016?

The Mighty Murray

We have both always loved the Murray River and have returned frequently throughout our travels. It provides so many perfect free camping opportunities all along its beautiful banks in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Every time we camp along the banks of the Murray we would watch the house-boats float past our campsite and say “One day.”

And now we have. What a wonderful experience. If you haven’t had the chance, it is an absolute bucket list item! The Murray is absolutely magical any time but to stay on the river itself is something else.

The Murray is the third longest navigable river in the world. Its length is third to the Nile and the Amazon. The history of the Murray is a large part of Australian pioneering days. Paddle steamers are synonymous with the Murray River. In the olden days paddle steamers carted wool, grain and general cargo. The paddle steamers are now used mostly for tourism and cart tourists along the waters of the Mighty Murray.

We can highly recommending spending time on the Murray in a houseboat. Our best advice is to research the houseboat extensively and speak to others who have used each particular company before booking.

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