western australia: karijini national park, fortescue falls, fern pool

A few walks in Karijini National Park are achievable with kids. A few others are achievable but I would also describe them as a challenge. The kids staying at Karijini were all good bush walkers and accepted some great challenges for their ages and abilities. It turned out to be a week for teamwork all around - for the parents and the children.

The walk down to Fortescue Falls and then on to Fern Pool was the easiest of walks as well as picturesque. A swim in Fern Pool was refreshing. Tiny fish were attracted to the dead skin on our feet which was amusing and ticklish! The pool must have been special place for locals for thousands of years.

Photos courtesy of Vivid Imaging. 

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western australia: karijini national park, dales gorge

Karijini National Park is north east of Paraburdoo and south of Port Hedland. The predominant industry in the area is the mining of iron ore but the National Park attracts thousands of visitors each year and it's not hard to see why. This part of the country is overwhelmingly beautiful. The landscape is dotted with huge termite mounds and rocky outcrops change from black to orange to red throughout the day depending on the sunlight. We spotted a couple of dingos during our stay.

Thanks Jo for the photo of our girls! 

A bunch of travelling families happened to all be staying in the same campsite area (Warlu Way)at Karijini. We met New Yorkers Miranda, Jay and their twin boys at the Bay of Fires in Tassie and then Carnarvon. Luke and Jo are travelling with their two children from Newcastle. We met new friends, Ben and Saskia, from Belgium with their two children too. It was inevitable that the kids would play and they had a ball wielding sticks, creating hideouts and generally getting bronzed by the red Pilbara dust.

Meanwhile we prepared up a huge combined feast for brekky - bacon, eggs, pancakes and fruit salad. It turned out that none of us can live without coffee, so we compared coffee grinding and brewing techniques in caravans, campers and camping trailers. There can be some in-depth conversations on the road!

The days at Karijini went like this - wake, breakfast, kids play, Baby A's sleep, school work for all the kids, lunch and a gorge walk before dinner and then happy hour, ukulele and a drink under the Karijini stars once the children had gone to sleep. What a great week!

J had to drive to the car park to let Jay and Miranda know that we wouldn't be joining them on the first day for a gorge walk. He recognised Robert Irwin from a book B has been reading, Dinosaur Hunter, and which we'd only bought a few days prior in Exmouth! B was so envious that his dad met the Irwins but they kindly gifted an edition of Australia Zoo magazine. It turned out J's friend, Paul de Gelder is featured in the mag too! It's a small world!! We hope we'll get to Australia Zoo in Queensland and B is desperately hoping Robert will be home!

western australia : steep point

Overnight J decided that he should have visited Steep Point when we were camped at Monkey Mia and he had to go back. 

I have funny rule that I've tried to stick to. I don't go backwards. By all means I was happy for J to break my rule so he headed out of Carnarvon a happy man with the truck, his kayak and his tent. It's some 360km from Carnarvon to Steep Point with 130km of dirt with the final 30km a soft, sandy single lane 4WD track. J was so pleased he went back and you can see he made the most of time on his own with his truck, his tent and his kayak. 

victoria: port fairy

We've fallen in love with the quaint town of Port Fairy. As her name suggests she's perched on the water. Sailing boats line her shores and cows graze in paddocks a few blocks away. 

We spent a while deciding where we'd stay. There's a caravan park positioned nicely behind the dunes on the southern side of town (which has some sites that would be protected from southerlies) but we finally decided to stay at the Big 4. We think that it's important that the kids get time in these places socialising with other kids too. Plus there's a jumping pillow, mini golf, three playgrounds, a movie room, a games room and an indoor heated pool. The kids can ride their bikes within the park too. 

J treated me with some "me time" so i rode in to town - just as hundreds of road cyclists finished the final leg of a tour of Victoria. I felt like a bit of a fraud because it took me all of six minutes to cycle from the caravan park. 

A local gave me a tip for where to find coffee. As with some places it can depend on who is behind the machine but Slitti is known for producing consistently good coffee, not to mention homemade chocolates & raw/pales treats and tasty sandwiches. I treated myself to a particular good slice of chai cheesecake. 

The kids spent the morning making their way through the various activities at the CP but we jumped on the bikes to the little lighthouse on the point past the mutton bird colony. This is a pretty flat ride but a picturesque one. You can ride down the path by the water for a lot of the way.

It was magic weather for it. 

These two spotted some seagulls and they're signing "bird."

Spirit of Tasmania

I'm I'd like to begin this post with a letter: 

"Dear Tanya, 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

When we booked our ticket for the SoT you politely insisted we pay a little extra and get ourselves a four berth cabin for the trip. I was reluctant to book this given the cost to take a caravan across but at $84 this was so worth the money. 

Our littlest was able to have uninterrupted day sleeps while our son completed his schoolwork on a lower deck. When we all started feeling a little sea sick we retreated to the cabin for some quiet time - reading books and telling funny stories. 

When our daughter vomited in her Dad's hair they could both shower and feel *refreshed*!

We'll be forever grateful that you suggested we have a cabin!"

What's a cruise without a game of hide n seek? 

It was a LOONG day but it went surprisingly well after an anxiety-provoking start. We left the caravan park at 624am and we're making good time until the queue to board the ferry (thanks to scrupulous security). We were in view of the ferry for the final 500 metres which took us an hour to drive! The baby was screaming, the parents were clock watching and then a cop pulled over a guy in front of us for going through a red light. It would have been easier if the big kids just kept asking "are we there yet?" But instead we were bombarded with complex questions about the traffic, the ferry ride & what we were doing (not much!) Argh! 

We finally made it onboard and we're lucky that our deck was the first to disembark in Devonport ten hours later. 

B declared "this is kind of the BEST day of my life." I suspect he was referring to the Twisties he was bought (& had never had before) and not the seasickness! 

Moments after disembarking. 

P: Where's the Tasmanian devil? 

B: (emphatically) They live in the jungle.  

Daddy: Well, not really the jungle. They live in the bush. 

P: Can we go to the bush where the Tasmanian devil is because I really want to see a Tasmanian devil.

Buchan Caves Reserve

Buchan has been our favourite spot thus  far. Nestled between the hills the Buchan Caves Reserve is simply beautiful. It was hard to believe that the CP was full two days before we arrived. We shared the park with three other families though you wouldn't have known it. We were spread throughout the grounds and it was quiet aside from the whispering of wind in the branches high above us. 

The campground is a short walk to the caves & you can arrange a tour with the site office. This was unlike anything our children had experienced and they were intrigued. We challenged them to consider what it would have been like to be Frank Moon & discovering these caves over 100 years prior. We also discussed the double-edged sword which is opening them to the public, education and conservation. I know we'll be having so many more conversations on this topic. 

The most queried angle from B was along the lines of "why can't we see the REST of the caves - the Federal (open only for special tours) and the Duke's Caves (not open to public)?" 

Danny was the ranger on duty at Buchan. He was informative, approachable & inclusive of the children. 

It's rumored there are 300 or more caves on private properties nearby. 

The cost for our caravan for two nights was about $108 which isn't cheap but worth it. The cost for cave tours isn't cheap either but there are family packages & you could choose to only visit one. 

We could have spent another few days in Buchan. Even with the rain it was gorgeous & there are so many places out of town we would have liked to explore. 

Melbourne was calling! We had our first caravan service booked in which includes the fixing of the fridge (it's never quite worked properly), a leaky window & a loose pantry door that flings open when we drive. 

The kids are expected to help out more than they've done at home. They do dishes, washing, help prepare meals & set up the van when we arrive at a destination. They don't complain either... yet!

Don't be fooled. This spring waspositively  FREEZING not that I know! I had to hold the baby but I'm going on the fact that the kids jumped in and immediately crawled on to Joels head! 

Mallacoota

The country around Mallacoota is simply beautiful. We came in from Genoa (where we went past a very busy free camp on the river) along the windy, wet road. There was so much more we could have done in Mallacoota but it was wet & the seas were huge! 

We arrived in the afternoon and took refuge in the camp kitchen where the kids had a ball playing in the fireplace & toasting marshmallows after homemade pizzas. 

It was a windy, rainy night but we were tucked up in our little home on wheels. 

The cost of powered caravan park sites varies. Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday Park cost us $28.50 and our kids stayed free. We are finding that the kids, more often than not, incur a fee. 

Bega River

It was a warm day yesterday but we had to get in to Bega to get a few jobs done so we planned to break up our trip with a dip in the Bega River just up from its junction with the Brogo River. We took some lunch down to the picnic tables under the trees before jumping in the water. After all the rain the river was flowing enough that we could float down in the rapids. 

The kids & J had fun jumping off the bank (& tree) in to the rapids then floating downstream. We imagined people have been visiting this part of the river for as long as there've been people living in that area. What a great way to cool off!

Baby A slept through the whole thing but the rest of us had a ball. 

we'll be making jam... blackberry jam

As the Michelle Shocked song goes "if you want the best jam you've got to make your own." 

That's precisely what we did today. While Baby A slept the big kids & J went out to harvest more blackberries. 

I used the Thermomix to make this batch of jam and despite the lemon being omitted (it was full of grubs) there must have been enough pectin to thicken it. Again I read a few recipes and came up with this one with a slightly less sugar to berry ratio. 

This recipe makes about a litre of jam. 

ingredients 

700g blackberries 

500g raw sugar 

 

method 

Rinse the berries under cool water and drain. Add 500g of the berries to the Thermomix bowl. Add the sugar. Set the timer for 45 mins/speed 2/100°c. After 45 minutes add the remaining blackberries and increase the temperature to Varoma. Cook on 15 mins/speed 2/Varoma. 

To test the jam place a teaspoon full on a saucer. Wait until it's cooled slightly & run your finger through the mixture. Place saucer in the fridge. If, after a few minutes, the jam doesn't run then it is set.

Store jam in hot clean sealable jars or just scoff it! This is good on toast or with ice-cream!

Want some crackling with your pork?

We bought our Weber BBQ just before we left Sydney & we've have only used it a handful of times so we wanted to use it on the farm and see what we could do with it. A very crackly pork appears regularly on the Weber Facebook page I follow. 

I've only ever made one other roast pork with crackling & probably eaten pork a dozen times at most so it's not something I feel comfortable cooking & I was a little worried about the outcome yesterday. 

Before I started I made sure I read lots of recipes so I didn't miss any vital steps. 

This recipe is based on a few. 

ingredients 

1.5kg rolled pork (deboned) 

oil (I used EVOO)

salt (I used pink himilayan salt) 

Any vegetables you might like (we had carrots, potatoes, Brussel sprouts & broccoli)

Apple sauce (I used store bought because I wanted to focus on the pork but it's dead easy to make. I'm sure there are plenty of recipes flying around on the web). 

 

method 

Leave the pork out of the fridge for up to two hours so it reaches room temperature. 

Turn your BBQ on the highest setting & leave to preheat for 20 minutes. You don't need to lift the lid during this time. 

While your BBQ is heating up prepare the meat. Firstly pat the meat dry with paper towel. You will need to score the fat ensuring you don't cut in to the meat. I remember seeing Jamie Oliver using a retractable art knife and measuring the fat from the side of the cut of meat & retracting the art knife just a few millimetres so the knife would only cut in to the fat. 

To score the fat cut along the shortest side of the cut in lines measuring about a centimetre apart. 

Now baste the meat with oil. I used EVOO but plenty of sites recommend vegetable oil. Using your hands rub the skin with salt enduring you push it in to the cracks. I used a handful & it was a lot. You don't need to layer it on (like I did) but it does need to coat the skin. 

Place the meat on a Weber trivet & then on a convection tray. These are designed to let the air flow around the meat, acting like an oven.  

Leave the meat to rest for 30 minutes. 

Now that the BBQ has heated up place the meat (on trivet & convection tray) on the BBQ. Leave the temperature on the highest setting & cook the meat for 25 minutes. This will crackle your crackling. After 25 minutes lift the lid and you'll see that the pork has crackled. 

           This was our final product.

Reduce the heat to medium (half way) and leave the meat in the BBQ for a further 1 hour & 5 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this cook. This will give you time to prepare the veggies. If you're organised (I wasn't) you could cook these for the 1hour & 5 minutes around the meat on the BBQ. 

After 1 hour & 5 minutes turn the BBQ off but, without lifting the lid, let the pork rest (as the oven cools). 

After 20 minutes carve the pork and divy up the veggies & crackling. Don't forget the apple sauce! 

This is best eaten by an open fire looking down the paddocks out to sea (if you're lucky). 

at the farm

Readers of my blog will recognise the farm. After visiting friends in Tathra today I returned to the farm. J had harvested some almonds from the old orchard planted by his parents about thirty years ago. By some almonds I mean two. In total. But J was determined to find more & the kids scoped out the orchard to identity the almond tree before they collected J to see if they could find more to add to the measly harvest. 

While I wouldn't suggest the tree had given a good return for investment when they came back with four more almonds, I would say that there's nothing more special than harvesting fresh food from plants that you know have been lovingly planted and care for. The almonds were like nothing I've ever tried - crunchy and succulent at the same time. I'll never look at a store bought almond the same again! 

While I was out J also set up our new annexe. We didn't have the time to set it up before we left Sydney but it's very pleasing to see it has met our expectations. We ordered the annexe through Winston at Express Annexes at Calga on the Central Coast. We were specifically after a versatile annexe that made from Australian products & with sturdy poles. This will add an extra room to the caravan and will be particularly useful when we're staying in places for more than a few days at a time. The windows mean we'll have light coming in because we won't have to close canvas covers when it's raining. 

We've been making the most of our outdoor shower. Does anyone else have one on their van? We've used it to wash sand off after the beach but we've loved having our evening showers outside. The photo isn't great but you get the picture! I can't see out the farm shower window because I'm too short but this means I can still take in the view. 

blackberry crumble on the farm

Each time I make crumble I think of my first few weeks of Uni & living out of home. A friend from uni called in & I was pleased to offer him some apple crumble I'd made with an oaty topping - very improvised. I'd never looked at a recipe for crumble & it was pretty ordinary really. I applogised to my friend but it wasn't until after he'd eaten it that my mature-aged uni friend kindly told me he trained as a chef before doing teaching. 

I didn't make another crumble until I found this - my favourite crumble recipe - for peaches or nectarines. (http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/just-desserts.html?m=1) 

J & the kids were out in the paddocks for the morning. They had the biggest grins on their faces when they returned with a shopping bag full of blackberries. 

They'd put on their long sleeved tops & trousers to protect them from the thorny bushes with gifts of black gold. Yum! 

I was kicking myself that I didn't have my scrap book with my crumble recipe in it when I realised is probably posted it on my foodie blog (missmayblossom.blogspot.com) and there it was! 

You may wonder how I managed to bake a crumble in a caravan but the truth is I used an oven that's in the shed on the farm although I do have an oven in my caravan. (Virtual tour to come). 

I turned those tasty morsels in to a jammy apple & blackberry crumble. 

ingredients

filling

shopping bag full of blackberries

5 large Granny Smith apples 

1.5 cups raw sugar

1 cup of water

crumble topping

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tspn baking powder

1 tspn each ground ginger & mixed spice 

3 tblspn flaked almonds (I didn't have any this time but I do recommend them)

60g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into 1cm cubes 

100g plain flour

Preheat oven to 200°c. In a saucepan over a medium heat place 1.5 cups raw sugar and a cup of water before adding five green apples (cut into 2cm cubes with the skins on. Cook the apples until soft. 

In the meantime make the crumble topping by mixing sugar, baking powder, ginger & mixed spice. Stir in the flaked almonds. Crumble butter in to mixture to form pea-sized pieces then toss the flour mixture with the sugar mixture. 

{Note: I wouldn't want to make this topping in the Thermomix as it can easily be overworked & needs to be kept coolish but I do love that I can easily weight the ingredients on top of the bowl.}

Once the apple is soft add the shopping bag full of blackberries. Stir for three minutes over the heat before transferring to a pie dish. I liked to keep the form of the blackberries. 

Strew topping over fruit. Bake at 200°c for 25-30 mins until the topping is golden brown & the fruit is bubbling through at the edges. Serve with cream or ice cream.