You, Me, Two Dogs and a Van

🐘 A F R I C A H E R E W E C O M E 🐘

We are about to head off to Africa on our Safari, so excited, life time dream. Thank you so much to Mum and Dave for watching Maddie and also to our house sitters for watching the rest of the crazy farm. See you in six weeks, we will pop up some updates along the way. Ticking off the bucket list, cheers to good times with good people. Next trip when we return will be exploring Western Australia in the van.

😂 F U N N I E S T T H I N G T O D A Y 😂

Took Maddie out for drive today and found this lovely little family on the road, they had taken themselves out for a walk. All home safe and sound now. The pig is called Pig and is the Pack Leader so funny it thinks it’s a dog.

❤️ L I K E T W O P E A S I N A P O D ❤️

Maddie’s new friend goes home today. Thanks for staying with us Nakey you are a good girl. Dogues and Greyhounds are quite similar who would have thought, two of the most chilled breeds ever.

❤️ L I K E T W O P E A S I N A P O D ❤️

Maddie’s new friend goes home today. Thanks for staying with us Nakey, you are a good girl. Dogues and Greyhounds are quite similar who would have thought, two of the most chilled breeds ever.

🏚️ C O U P L E S W H O F L A T P A C K
T O G E T H E R S T A Y T O G E T H E R 🏚️

What a mission, by far the worst part of the renovation. A fair bit of yelling and swearing but we did it, another job completed. We thought we were done yesterday but I had forgot the two cupboards on back order 😂 all collected and finished now. Kitchen and laundry getting installed Monday. Maddie and her friend Nakey the greyhound stayed well away during this build. Thank you Jason for your patience 💕

💕 L I T T L E M I S S M A D D I E 💕

Someone had a little visit to a new hospital in Yeppoon yesterday. She had some suspect lumps removed, three big ones in total, they said she was the perfect patient and is a healthy nine year old Dogue after having some tests prior to her surgery.

Lots of rest and sleep, not much different to every other day 😆 No swimming though which will hurt her. She was on to us with giving her only half her normal meal due to the anaesthetic, she kept nose pushing me and looking at her bowl to get the rest. Thank you to the lovely Doctor April, Tracey and all the ladies at Quality Veterinary Care Centre, Yeppoon you were all amazing.

💕 H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y J A S O N 💕

Happy Birthday to our Number One ! What a fabulous year we have had. Whatever journey the year ahead brings, we are so lucky to share it with you. You are so very special and we hope you have the best day. Love you with all our heart xx

🎄C H R I S T M A S C E L E B R A T I O N S🎄

We had such a lovely Christmas, heaps of family and friends, always lovely to catch up with everyone. The weather was pretty warm but we all survived. Ready to now bring in the New Year. We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and Safe and Happy New Year.

🏖️ T R O P I C A L P A R A D I S E 🏖️

📍Bondoola, Queensland

All systems go here for us with the renovations. We have nearly completed everything we can inside before the professionals come in and do their bit. We are having the best time it’s been an experience.

Maddie is loving having her own little base and is getting quite protected of her area 😆 She loves having the goats to play with. We got to go enjoy the coast while we had some family visit such an awesome place to live.

We are also sending heaps of love to our dear friends at Wonga Beach, Ali, Keith and Gem who have been affected by Cyclone Jasper 💕

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💕 W E L C O M E T O T H E F A M I L Y 💕

Big day in paradise this week we have welcomed three new additions to the family. Introducing No, No and No 😆 also known as Gertie, Gus and Gormez the goats. They arrived yesterday and have settled in well. Maddie has made them feel very welcome and is enjoying their company. Let the mini farm begin at Bondoola.

Poor Maddie had a trip to the vets this week she has a very bad rash which turned out to be Hot Spot a skin irritation from the humidity. We had never heard of it, she has to stay out of the water for a couple of weeks to let it heal. She is good had her neck shaved she looks like a turkey, some very expensive cream later 😂 and will be all good.

💕 B E A U T I F U L B R U N O 💕

21/04/2014 - 21/11/2022

Can’t believe it’s been 12 months since we lost you. You were the most precious boy, we were so lucky to have had you in our lives and we miss you like crazy. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of you. Hope you are having the best time up there lapping up all the pats and treats with all our favourites.

“We loved you for your whole life and we will miss you for the rest of ours”

Well the plastering tools are back out, let’s see if he’s still got it after all these years 😂 Putting down the pen and hanging me some sheets.

🏖️ T R O P I C A L P A R A D I S E 🏖️

📍Byfield, Queensland

We have had some gorgeous days of late out exploring the coast and showing the family some sites. Taking breaks when we can between renovating. We went and explored Byfield such a lovely place. We went and had a lovely lunch at the store, walked through Waterpark and Stoney Creek. Had a big drive along Farnborough Beach out to Sandy Point. Finished it off with a nice day out at the Rosslyn Bay Marina.

Maddie is enjoying having her cousin Dozer around she will miss him when he goes travelling.

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🏡 R E N O V A T O R ‘ S D E L I G H T 🏡

Capricorn Coast, Queensland

Since we have been on the coast helping some family were getting a little bored so we thought why not do a little project. We decided to try and renovate this beauty, it needs a lot of love and it’s going to be a massive job.

We may have gone mad but look we will give it a go. There is a lot of work to do with twenty acres of unkept gardens and a full renovation to a house and granny flat. Should be fun they say 😂 Once we are done we will hit the road again and finish the rest of our journey with you all. We will keep giving you little updates of our progress.

A big big thank you to Jazz Cullen and Grace Low from Harcourts Low & Co for helping us find this gem, we will try our best to do it justice. Watch this space and wish us luck we will need it 🍀🍀

🚜 L I F E O F A F A R M D O G 🚜

Let the clean up begin, we are home to do a heap of work. Our day started well little Miss was a great help for about five minutes. Second photo two hours in 😂 absolutely shattered. I think she is done for the day so lazy.

💕 If anyone needs a place around Darwin for your loved ones whilst you explore, this place was wonderful 💕

🏖️ S T U N N I N G S E A S I D E 🏖️

📍Yeppoon, Queensland

So we made it back to our home State and the weather has been beautiful. Must have been fate that we came back as Western Australia has experienced some pretty bad weather and also the Gibb River Road was closed. We will venture over there again in the near future. For the time being we are going to explore around this area for a few months. Thank you to our wonderful friends for letting us stay on their lovely block it’s perfect.

We have some family commitments in the next few months, we had a lovely family wedding in Townsville we had such a great time, it was so nice to catch up with everyone. We have also made the tough decision to sell our beautiful home in Emerald, it’s a little sad but after seeing so much of this lovely country we think it’s time for a sea change.

Maddie has been excellent she is loving being back at the beach 🏖️ loving her daily swims and walks. She is also loving people watching on the Main Street she has even made some new friends 🐶

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🏙️ T H E T O P E N D C A P I T A L 🏙️

📍Darwin, Northern Territory

What a great city, we thoroughly enjoyed it, so much to do and see. We took advantage of having Little Miss I’m her Hotel and headed in to the big smoke for a few days, we stayed in a motel which was strange for us and did all the touristy things.

We went and dinned out on the wharf, had some lovely food and cocktails, checked out the fair on the waterfront, chilled out at the lagoon, it was awesome. There are some great things to look at and so much history in this city. The underground tunnels were really fascinating we enjoyed them. We scooted through the city and looked at the memorials from Cyclone Tracey and also the bombing of Darwin. The War Museum was exceptional and really well done a credit to the people who put it all together.

We really enjoyed Darwin had a lovely birthday in town exploring. Maddie got to go back to Helga’s Pet Resort which she loved. Darwin is a must make sure you pop it on your list.

After our few days we had to head back and pack up. We are now off to Yeppoon for a couple of months looking forward to seeing some family. We are so grateful to have had family in the Darwin area who looked after us so well. Thank you Stuey and Barb for your warm hospitality we loved staying with you. We will be back it’s a such great place.

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🐊 A T A S T E O F K A K A D U 🐊

📍 Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

Whilst we had Maddie booked into Helga’s Resort for the week we made our way out to Kakadu National Park. We decided to use Mardukal Campground as our base it was pretty much in middle of Kakadu. There are no bookings but heaps of room for everyone.

We went and explored everything that was open, quite a few places were still closed, all the falls were closed due to crocodiles. We still got to see so much and it was lovely. We did the Yellow Water Cruise nothing quite like seeing all the animals especially all the wild crocodiles on their natural environment. We did all the walks and looked at all the aboriginal artworks. We went to Cahills Crossing which was amazing we drove over which was great. Heaps of crocodiles lurking around some people were right down on the bridge but scary as over the years a few people have been taken.

We called into Cooinda Lodge for a swim it was lovely they had a massive pool which anyone can use. Jabiru was great we had a good look around we even got to have a quick little visit to Arnhem Land. Another iconic place off the bucket list a lot of history and heaps to explore. Now back to pick up Little Miss who we missed having with us.

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🦀 T O P E N D P A R A D I S E 🦀

📍Crab Claw Island, Northern Territory

Nestled on the water’s edge of Bynoe Harbour was this picturesque little place called Crab Claw Island Resort. The Island is only a short drive from Darwin and is a coastal retreat nestled on the water’s edge.

This was a lovely little place we decided to hire a fishing boat and spend a day on the water. It was easy as they had everything we needed on the boat. We had a day in between before we went to Kakadu so it worked in well. We checked Maddie into the lovely Helga’s Pet Resort for the week so we thought why not.

We had a good day and caught a few fish and a big mud crab. It was well worth it we would definitely recommend it. After we finished our boating we went up to the lovely bar which over looked the water and had some drinks.

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🏖 B E S T K E P T S E C R E T S 🏖

📍 Dundee Beach, Crabclaw Island and Wagait Beach, Northern Territory

Dundee Beach was an amazing little spot it would be a great base while you explored The Peninsula Way region, its only an hour and a half drive from Darwin on all weather sealed roads.

Dundee Beach is one of the Top End’s best-kept secrets with its pristine beaches and location. It was such a pretty, quiet little stop with the most amazing beach, it broke our hearts that we couldn’t swim. We had a lovely day checking it all out. On our way back we called into Crabclaw Island it was a cute little fishing place really well set up. We are going to head out one day soon and take the boat out fishing there.

The next day we headed around to Wagait Beach, it was a lovely and quiet little place. Mandorah Jetty which wasn’t too far away was also good and had wonderful views of Darwin. The locals were catching heaps of fish it was a great set up with lots of places to fish. They were catching everything Queen Fish, Squid and Tuna.

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🌴 L I T C H F I E L D P A R K T A K E T W O 🌴

📍 Litchfield Park, Northern Territory

We went back and finished exploring Litchfield National Park as some of the places were closed the first day. Maddie stayed at camp so neglected 😆 she is still sooking. We went to The Lost City which was very impressive with its towering sandstones, the rock formations give the impression of ancient city ruins. It was really interesting walking around it.

We went and looked at the magnet termite mounds, they were pretty amazing some of then stand two meters high. The grass was quite high but you could still see them as we walked around the board walk.

It was pretty hot like really hot so we decided to go and check out The Cascades and have a swim. It is divided into two sections, upper and lower. The lower was closed but the top one was open. To access either section you need to walk along rugged bushland. The walk was pretty rough and graded moderate to difficult. This place was stunning and well worth the long walk. The Cascades are considered a quieter and more tranquil swimming hole it was absolutely beautiful. Thank you Litchfield National Park you were a beauty to explore.

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🌴 T H E L I T C H F I E L D E X P E R I E N C E 🌴

📍Litchfield Park, Northern Territory

Litchfield National Park was pretty special and well worth it. Some of the sites were still closed but we will go back and look at them when they reopen. This place is stunning we loved it. Maddie stayed back at camp she was really well behaved but wasn’t impressed she couldn’t come, she was pretty excited when we returned after ignoring us for a bit. We will head back and do the rest of this beautiful park next week.

Litchfield National Park is a must see if you're in the Top End. It's home to several stunning waterfalls that cascade into crystal clear pools, iconic magnetic termite mounds and clusters of sandstone pillars.

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🐊 A L I T T L E T A S T E O F T H E N T 🐊

📍Darwin River, Northern Territory

We are so lucky to have family in the area so we have pulled up camp on their beautiful property for a while to explore the area. It is the best we are so grateful we can use it as a base. Such a great position and so close to everything.

Our first experience was the Original Jumping Crocodile Tour on the Adelaide River. It was so awesome we couldn’t believe how close they were. We were lucky enough to see so many crocodiles. It really is one for the bucket list. We called into to the iconic Corroboree Hotel it has a crocodile and an albino Buffalo so cool. Then we had lunch at Humpty Doo Hotel it was awesome.

On our way back to our camp we called into the beautiful Berry Springs it is one of the most beautiful parks to cool off and relax and so close to Darwin. We are lucky it’s only up the road from where we are staying.

We also ventured to Minbil Markets in Darwin they were awesome so much to look at, we had some nice food and watched the sunset. Even ran into some people from our home town which was lovely. Little Miss stayed back with the other pups she enjoyed it and seems to be enjoying patrolling a yard again 😆

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🍹T R O P I C A L W I L D E R N E S S 🍹

📍Lake Bennett, Northern Territory

As we were heading up to Darwin we stopped in at the Adelaide River Inn, it was a lovely little spot we stayed overnight and had a look around it was great, same owners as the Daly Waters Pub. The camping was out the back of the pub, so nice and easy for dinner and they also had live music.

The next day we went and stayed at Lake Bennett it was a beautiful spot. The place and facilities were pretty run down and looked like it needed a fair bit of work, it was nice and relaxing and we enjoyed our stay. If it was all tidied up it really could be amazing. Lake Bennett is a small artificial freshwater lake located 80 km south of Darwin. We enjoyed canoeing and swimming, Maddie was a natural and really enjoyed. Can’t believe how many places you can swim in the Territory we had no idea.

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🌺 O U T B A C K M E E T S T R O P I C S 🌺

📍Katherine, Northern Territory

Well this was certainly a very pleasant surprise, not at all what we expected. We set up camp the first day and walked down to the river and saw a Freshwater Crocodile straight up couldn’t believe it. Maddie and I stayed well away they terrify us. Heaps of people where down fishing it didn’t seem too bothered.

The next day we went and explored the Katherine Gorge, it was simply stunning we opted to do the three gorge cruise so we could have a good look around. The canoeing was still closed due to the monitoring of crocodiles after the wet season. It was so beautiful the scenery was phenomenal, at the end they let you have a swim in the gorgeous Lily Ponds it was amazing. So glad we did it was well worth it we wouldn’t have got to see it as much of it otherwise. On our way home we went and checked out the Hot Springs in town it was a lovely spot we enjoyed it.

We were so lucky the place we stayed offered pet sitting so we were able to do so much in the area especially in the National Parks. It was $20 per day and it’s all donated to the local gymnastic club, Maddie seemed to enjoy her experience she was happy when we returned.

We set off on day two and went to Edith Falls such a lovely place it was so beautiful. We did the big loop walk and swam in all the waterholes. One of the nicest swimming holes we have been too.

We opted to stay outside of Katherine and it was perfect. We had the babysitting at the farm stay which was a bonus, it was a lovely setting and had heaps of facilities. It was a lovely family run business and we enjoyed our stay, we would recommend it.

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⛺️ Manbulloo Homestead 🔌 Unpowered 🚿 Hot Showers 🚻 Toilets 🧺 Laundry 💦 Water 🐶 Pet Friendly 🐾 Pet Sitting 👟Walking Tracks 🔥 Fires Permitted ☎️ Phone and Internet Service 🏕 Camping and Vans 💰$30 per night