Howdy guys, sorry it's been a while but we have been out of range, so, we left Forster/Tuncurry heading for Nelson Bay.  Even through the rain clouds you could see the beauty of this place.  We checked into Halifax Caravan Park, and thought we would treat ourselves to a bought lunch.  We found a place that had won the best Fish and Chips Award in NSW... and it was pretty good.  With the rain on and off, we decided to go exploring in the car and came across massive sand dunes, which done tours to go Sandboarding.  Wow, how fun, even the twins went down these huge sand mountains.  We climbed up and slid down for hours.  It was unexpected and so much fun. There were alot of Koreans on a tour bus who were astonished at how brave the kids were, one of them said that Sammi was a real Aussie girl....
We woke the next morning to find the rabbits (which were everywhere) munching away on our travelling herb garden (sorry Scott, it did survive though) and Rosella's that the kids fed bread to.  We walked the beaches and rocks (Troy thought he found a wonderful secret path to a beautiful beach, only to find out later there was an entrance to that beach a short walk from our caravan) so cuts on feet and soaked from the waves crashing into us just added to our little adventure.

                                            The rocks Troy made us walk around

                                                       Sand Boarding

                                             The Rabbit eating our herb garden

We leave Nelson Bay with the intention to free camp on the way to Tamworth.  We set the co-ordinates into "Sarah" (GPS) only to pull up at 2pm to a, lets just say 'a spot not desirable' and decide that 100 more km to Tamworth would so be worth it.  I'm extremely excited at this point.  Tamworth is a place I have always wanted to go, and was so excited to share this experience with Troy and the kids.  We visited the Golden Guitar and the Wax Museum. The kids would hear a song from Slim Dusty or the likes and say " This is Poppy's song mummy" very cool... Two days in Tamworth and we were ready and excited to head towards Dubbo.

                                            Troy found out its not REAL gold

                                             Elley and I in front of  Slim Dusty

We found this amazing free camp at Mendooran, which if we hadn't of booked into Dubbo Big 4, we could have stayed for weeks.  It was on a river bank, where I thought I would play fair and not fish, just to let the others have a chance at catching some.  Troy (and Kaicey) caught 6 Carp on sweetcorn kernels, which one of the locals had told us about.  We cooked a roast in the camp oven the first night and thought we would do our version of wallaby stew the second.  It was so yummy and had plenty left over so Troy sent Elley over to a campervan with two young tourist to see if they were hungry.  So the only version suitable for this blog is that a Frenchman, an Irishman and a family of Aussies shared wallaby stew, fresh baked damper and alot of laughs around a camp fire, next to a river.  One thing they did say to us was "we were told only gullible tourists ate Kangaroo in Australia".......

                                                 The River we camped beside

                                                    My first attempt at Damper

                                                             Our version of Wallaby Stew

We wake in the morning with cloudy heads from our shenanigans the night before,with our sights set on Dubbo.  We set up at the Big 4, then went to the local markets to replenish our supplies.  Cherries are all our favourite thing at the moment, so stalls are doing great thanks to the travelling Bryants.  We wake in the morning with much anticipation about going to the Zoo.  Mmmmm, the Zoo was a little disappointing to be honest.  With saying that, I think we are a little spoiled from having Australia Zoo on our doorstep.  To us, the animals (or should i say animal) as there were only one in each enclosure, looked sad.  But, each to their own and I'm sure if you haven't visited Australia Zoo, you may very well enjoy this experience.  The highlight for me were the Giraffes.  The next day Troy visited the old Dubbo Goal with the Kids, (i was a little unwell).  It was awesome, only very short lived (turns out Sammi has a major fear of Goals).  That afternoon after dinner we relax by the jumping pillow.  This was also very short lived as Kaicey was taken away in an ambulance with a neck brace on, as she was bounced and landed on her neck.  After most the night and early hours in the hospital and x-rays done, she was cleared with bruising (thank goodness).  After a rest day, we treat ourselves to a lovely meal at the bowls club and share 3 desserts with 6 spoons. Dessert is not something we do very often, so this was a highlight for the kids.

                                                    Dubbo Zoo

We leave Dubbo setting our sights on Bathurst.  We free camped just north west of Bathurst, with the flies and also a lovely young couple ( Ann and Barry, we invited them to stay at the Block, so expect a call from Lee and Yasmin).  After un-hitching the van, we drive to Mt Panorama so Troy can do a lap of Bathurst ( he thinks he beat Lowndes time, i think he quad droupled it).

                                             The camp with the flies but alot of fun

                                                    Troy driving the course

We leave there and free camp 20km from the Jenolan Caves.  Wow, what an amazing experience.  Our highlight of the trip so far.  This is a must!!!!!!!!! The kids loved it, Troy loved it, and I loved it.  Four hours of going WOW.  After a  self guided tour, we do a tour with a guide to the Imperial Cave.  Sammi was chosen to lead the tour group, which was really cool.  Front row all the way!!  Afterwards, we head to Katoomba, to see the Three Sisters, and also ride the Skyway.  On our return, Max was chosen to drive the Skyway back.  That smile never left his face.  All the way back to the free camp Max asked Troy "Dad, have you ever driven a Skyway before" Troy, "No mate", Max, "Well, I have".... Found out it really pays to have cute Kids.!!

                                           The caves you have to drive through to see the caves

                                                   Some of the crystals

                                                         The pics dont do this justice

                                          The Three Sisters At The Three Sisters

                                                     On the Skyway

                                                   Max driving the Skyway home

Its getting close to Chrissy, so we decide to find a camp and slow down a bit.  We find a place called Coolendel Bush Camp.  After a driving on a goat track to get there, turns out it was all worth it.  Beside the Shoalhaven River, wildlife galore, Peacocks, Goannas, Wallabies, Wombats and our tribe.  Camp fires, marshmallows, camp ovens, swimming, paddle boating and rapids is how we spent Christmas.  Santa found us, so blessed to have four wonderful children who are so grateful and genuinely excited about what we are giving them as in our year long trip.  It makes one think, how much importance we place on material possessions.  We are living in a 6 meter by 3 meter caravan and have more than what we need, our back yard is Australia, and we are happier now than what we have ever been, we are a family unit so close and are only going to get even closer ( something i never thought would have been possible).

                                               The kids patting the Wombat

                                                        Christmas Morning

                                                            One of the many Peacocks

                                                           The river we swam in

                                                      The Peacock's feathers spread
                                                            
We hope all our families and friends had a wonderful Christmas, we love you, we miss you (sometimes), only joking, so until next time, The Travelling Bryants, OUT!!!

P.S We hope not to leave it so long in between blogs, but due to unforseen circumstances, it was un- avoidable...