Tag: australia

Attractions · Australian Travel · Destinations · Motivation · New South Wales · Random Thoughts

Our answer is Australia’s natural beauty

S and S6 Comments

It may have come out of left field to some but our sea-change is sitting really well with us. For us it didn’t come out of nowhere it was really years in the making and something that has always been on the cards but still to actually take the plunge…. well let’s say it has been an adventure.

The other day I was walking through the sand-dunes following the tyre tracks which had been carved out by 4WD’s making their way onto the long stretch of white sandy beach and I had a break-through.

Since telling everyone of our sea-change and then successfully moving to our little sea town we have had lots of support but also lots of haters. Now, this bound to occur when you put yourself out there on social media and the world wide web in general and I am okay with that. But it does make you question what if the haters are right? What if it is not the move for us? What if it doesn’t work out? What if it goes against what we are all about…… and SO ON and SO ON……

 

BUT…..

As I walked over the sand-dunes, my thongs kicked up the fine grains of sand onto my calves, memories came flooding back. As I peaked the dune and saw the ocean, it took my breath away and I sat down and listened to the waves crash, just me and no-one else.  Over the last several years this exact thing has occurred many times. I have walked over sand-dunes in the Simpson Desert, in the Pilbara and in Territory and have felt whole-heartedly at peace. I have listened to the stillness, to nature and the silence in countless locations.

What does all this mean? What is it that I am getting at?

My epiphany is that I LOVE nature. It is the natural beauty of Australia we continue to love. Yes, most of the Eastern Sea-board is densely populated but not all. If you head away from the masses and follow nature you will find tranquillity and beauty beyond belief.  Our sea-change is exploring another aspect of Australia’s beauty and I have to say after years of travelling and dwelling in the inland it is a sight for sore eyes.

We love the desert country, we love the outback, we love rural Australia, we love the hinterland and we love the epic Australian coast line.

So we will let the haters hate, the lovers love, while we immerse ourselves in the stillness and the beauty of the sun, surf and sand and everything in between.

S & S

 

Attractions · Australian Travel · Health & Wellness · New South Wales · Random Thoughts · Reader Interaction

our top 5 Tweed coastal eats

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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.DSC_0950 

  1. 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. IMG_7177
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.  
  5. 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. 

Budgeting · Destinations · Finance · Motivation · Preparation

5 ways travelling Australia has changed our life

S and S14 Comments

Our lives have changed, we have grown and our relationship has shifted.

What’s to blame? Our travel filled gypsy lifestyle.

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Here are 5 powerful and positive changes that have come our way

Our finances are better!

Say What! Yes, it’s true?!?!?! It is hard to believe that our finances are better while travelling!! BUT our finances are in better order than ever before. Why? Because we set a goal and we achieve what needs to be done. We have a purpose. It’s the difference between thinking about what we want to do and doing it. So if we have two months to save X before we head off again, we do everything we can to make it happen. If you want to upgrade the tent, camper-trailer or caravan along the way you can! As you know we do work on the road and this also assists our finances but it also allows us to travel slower. To stop in certain areas for longer and enjoy what each place has to offer. We were never “savers” but we are now. But we don’t hoard our money, we exchange it for experiences. Life is short and you cannot take it with you when you go!

We genuinely enjoy the simple things.

Before it took bells and whistles to impress us. We would go on holidays and stay in fancy hotels which would constantly disappoint us. Now if a hotel has running water and air-conditioning we feel spoilt by good fortune. The simple things are appreciated ten-fold; sunsets, weather, good people, each other, the list goes on. Whether we are sitting around a campfire with friends we have just met, exchanging stories or if we are standing at the top of a mountain we have just climbed. These moments are special…….magical. We have learned to enjoy them and be present. Living in that exact moment. Not in the past, not in the future. In this precious life altering moment.

Travel has pushed us out of our comfort zone. 

I have suffered from anxiety as many residents of the modern world currently do. It can be debilitating and even worse it can hold you back from your full potential and living a life you love. Travelling has pushed me out of my comfort zone and while I may not ever bungee jump or eat a pickled peacock heart. I have tried so many new things, tasted many new things, experienced once in a life time experiences – multiple times. I can tell you, living out of your comfort zone is A-MAZING!

Our relationship is that much stronger.

It is something we didn’t think of very much before we headed off into the sunset. The reality of being stuck in a car or working in each others pockets. Or the reality of being the only people you interact with for days or weeks on end. We have spent so much time together during our time on the road; travelling together, working together and playing together. Our lives are more intertwined then ever. We thought we were bests friends before we left on our trip of a lifetime and travelling together has only strengthened that bond.

Travel has provided us with so many new and diverse opportunities. 

When you are ready to embrace opportunities, they find you. They come knocking. We have stumbled upon multiple opportunities along the road and have been in the perfect frame of mind to grab them with both hands. It is win-win. We have worked for one of Australia’s richest men, we have built an online following, we have been published in various publications. The biggest thing for us is we now embrace these opportunities. Instead of fretting about the opportunities thrown our way, we embrace them. We take them head on.

And you should too. Embrace life! Live the life you love. We only get one!

Sarah

Attractions · Australian Travel · Destinations · Queensland

Noosa we love you

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We must be crazy!

Let’s go to Noosa on a long weekend we said! It will be fine we said.

Fine = crazy busy!!!!!

But thank you Noosa, you let us have our cake and eat it too.

Not actual cake guys!! Sugar-free and all that jazz!

What we are stabbing at with our poetic license is we got the best of both worlds. Hastings street was PACKED. Main beach was PACKED. The Surf Club was PACKED. While there was all this PACKED going on, we enjoyed the quieter life on the Noosa River off Gympie Terrace. There were people around but we weren’t crammed in like sardines while dining out or pushing people out of the way for a patch of sand along the river. We found Noosa bliss and we liked it.

Ahhhhh Gympie Terrace has a smorgasbord of restaurants to choose from. Thai, Mediterranean, Indian, Modern Australian and of course seafood by the razoo. We enjoyed many sunset drinks at the aptly name sunset bar at the Boathouse on the Noosa River. Spectacular views over the water. We dined in their restaurant one night and it was delicious plus we had a friendly pelican floating backwards and forwards past our table.  Sirocco was a another dining gem! Great menu with lovely customer service. Well worth a visit. As some of you know we are BRUNCH people, we LOVE brunch and we loved it even more at Grind Café. Top customer service. Flexible (please hold the mushrooms, I want extra mushrooms, ice coffee no milk etc etc) No eye rolling what so ever. Plus the meals were divine and the coffee bang on. Oh and the view….. the view is amazing!

We stayed in a townhouse on a canal of the Noosa River. The complex was booked out but we saw hardly another soul. It was great. Lovely accommodation with waterfront views. You can even moor your boat out the front of your accommodation. We spent a few hours paddling kayaks up and down the river which were easily hired from the accommodation. Bruce the manager is more than accommodating. We will recommend this place to anyone planning a Noosa visit anytime soon.

We did venture in to Hastings St. We hired some bikes and peddled our way in. This was heaps more efficient then driving in the traffic which was bumper to bumper and I bet they all had fun finding a park. We had a drink on several occasions at the Noosa Surf Club. You cannot beat their view of Main Beach. We also had lunch there on two occasions. Great meals and again the view!!!!!

Long story short Noosa we love you. We will return soon.

S & S

a clean slate
Australian Travel · Budgeting · Four Wheel Driving · Preparation · Random Thoughts

a clean slate

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We finally SOLD our beloved camper-trailer. Talk about mixed emotions. We have been to so many places and experienced so many good times since purchasing it back in 2012. The trailer has been our home on wheels and has treated us very well indeed. However, although there may be a few nostalgic tears it is still VERY EXCITING!!!!! Why? Because it means we now have a clean slate. It means we can start to seriously look forward to the next chapter, WHAT NEXT?…………

Watch this space…….. there is change in the air…..

Australian Travel · Four Wheel Driving · Preparation · Random Thoughts · Travel Photography · Words of Wisdom · Working on the Road · Writing & Reading

OffRoading online magazine

S and S2 Comments

Did you see our article in OffRoading Online Magazine? Head across and check out our article and others about all things off-road. Click on the screenshots and we’ll take you to the OffRoading Online Magazine.

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Attractions · Australian Travel · Camping · Caravan Parks · Destinations · Four Wheel Driving · Free Camping · National Parks · New South Wales · Preparation · Reader Interaction · Working on the Road

we haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our list

S and S4 Comments

It has been a long while since we updated our travel map of big old Australia. So here it is…. this is our travel paths since the commencement of our blog & indefinite travels back in 2011. As you can see we have barely scratched the surface! This country is well and truly AMAZING!

Where are you up to in your travels? Share your maps with us on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/norrisaroundaustralia

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Attractions · Australian Travel · Destinations · Queensland · Reader Interaction · Victoria

dreaming of water

S and S2 Comments

385405_10150355416394538_1247540912_nWhen one lives in the middle of nowhere during  a drought they cannot be scalded for dreaming of water. I’ve been constantly thinking about rain, rivers and oceans, oh my. Apparently it can also cause people to book two water based getaways within the space of a fortnight. Well that’s our excuse and where sticking to it.

Our first getaway coincides with the October long weekend and will see us head to Noosa in Queensland. We are looking forward to exploring the Noosa area including:

  • boating on the Noosa River
  • beach fishing at Noosa North Shore
  • enjoying a wine &/or coffee along Hastings Street
  • walking through Noosa National Park

Please share with us things we must see and do while visiting the Noosa Region. We’d love to hear some insider secrets.

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Our second water based holiday is one we have dreamt about for years. You cannot get anymore water-based than holidaying ON the river. So we’ve booked a houseboat on the Murray River has been booked for our Christmas-New Year break. Our boat departs from Echuca which is a lovely town that we have visited multiple times in Victoria.

Have you house-boated on the Murray River? We’d love to know how you enjoyed your experience? Please share any places to stop and explore?

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Australian Travel · Budgeting · Finance · Preparation · Random Thoughts · Reader Interaction

Reduce the Roadblocks

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Let’s get you out there travelling and seeing Australia.

What’s holding you back? What’s blocking your road to travel?

House/Mortgage:

Is your mortgage the only thing that stands in your way of full-time travelling? If you want to travel short-term why not get a house-sitter? Or a short-term rental tenant. If you find your tenant through family or friends you may be happy to leave your furniture in place to reduce storage costs. If you are travelling full-time rent your property out for an amount around the cost of mortgage repayment. if the market allows. This will ease up the financial burden of paying your mortgage while allowing you some financial freedom to travel.

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Children:

We cannot speak from experience here as we are yet to have a family. However, we have met many families along the roads travelling with their children. There is children of all years on the road from very young to school-age. If your school-aged children are making you question whether you should wait until they finish school, home-schooling is a definite option. Your children will learn fulfilling lessons from a trip around Australia. Imagine the life experience they will gain. There are many distance education options available for travellers.

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Insecurity:

Let’s focus on why you feel insecure? Are you worried about leaving family? Money? The biggest fix for insecurity is knowing you can always return to your everyday life. While it might take you a while to get back your ideal apartment/house and get your fantastic job back, you can always go back. No one will judge you for deciding to go home, after all at least you took the plunge in the first place. As they say; “You never, never know, if you never, never go”. You will learn so much about yourself, your partner and your family. You will love it but you may hate it. This is okay, at least you tried. Trying is the most important thing. Don’t always sit there wondering, what if?

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Savings:

We were by no means savers when we decided we wanted to go travelling. It was less than 12 months from when we decided to travel to when we hit the road. This is not a long time to get yourself sorted. We were in debt and didn’t have much in the way of savings. However, when we made the decision it was like a switch was flicked. We went into over-drive, we set our departure date and then made a plan. We downsized and moved in with family. (This may not be an option but why not move into your caravan before departure or move into a one bedroom flat instead of a 3 bedroom house with high rent?) We cut all our costs that weren’t necessary, no more Foxtel, no more fancy dinners out and so forth. We still lived in that 12 months with numerous adventures and camping trips. Everything went into paying off our debts and building up our savings. We saved a substantial amount over that 10 month period and hit the road. It proved to us if you set your mind to it, you can achieve it.

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Debt:

Debt is a hard one to overcome. When we refer to debt we are not referring to mortgages. We are referring to  bad debt such as personal loans, store cards, car loans and credit cards. We recommend travelling this form of debt free. Why? Well because the repayments on these types of loans can eat into your savings very quickly and can make you more reliant on finding jobs along the way. From personal experience you want to work when you find a place you like not because you’ve run out of cash or need to make your next repayment. Our advice: create a budget which focuses on paying off your higher interest loans first for example start with credit card and then follow with your car loan. Set yourself a deadline to have each paid off by and you can make it happen. Keep a little nest egg to the side but put everything into paying off your debts. Cut back your house-hold costs to ease up cash flow. Look at all your money going out and question where it is going and why? You can probably go without Foxtel if it means your loan is paid off in 6 months instead of 12 and lets you leave on your journey sooner.

Day Twenty Two: Mapping it Out

If it all seems too impossible start with little trips a weekend here, a week there, a month here. Dipping your toes in will allow you some security while still exploring this beautiful country.

What is holding you back from travelling? We’d love to help you out and reduce the size of your road blocks…….If something is holding you back, you can and you will overcome it.

Attractions · Australian Travel · Camping · Random Thoughts · Travel Photography

One Week until our 2015 4X4 Desert Trek

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How exciting is the week before you embark on an adventure?

Everyone is excited for you! Your family, your friends, you neighbour, the postman….. This week is full of catch ups and dinners. It’s great to catch up with family & mates who will constantly fire questions about your “big” trip and this make you get even more excited (if that is even possible).

This week is also full of packing, un-packing, packing, un-packing, re-packing and shuffling. How can we fit so much in such a small space? It is also filled with to-ing and fro-ing, rushing around and finalising last minute details.

It is all part of the adventure and even though we are counting down, we are not wishing this part away……..