Photo a day - 31/03/17

* Morning shower (a luxury) + breakfast
* Visitor centre (paid our park pass) + information gallery about fauna and flora of Kakadu National Park (needs to be freshened up).
* Went to Nourlangie region famous for its aboriginal rock art. Did 2 walks and saw great and interesting paintings on the rocks some might be older than 20 000 years old.
* After our 1st walk, we sheltered in the car during a thunderstorm and had lunch.
* Then we climbed Nawurlandja lookout. The view was breathtaking! We could miles away.
* During our 2nd rock art walk we saw more great art and got rained on, on the way back...
* Neither sleeping options in the Yellow River region pleased us (especially with the rain) so we decided to be sneeky and sleep in our car at Mirrai Lookout.

Photo a day - 29/03/17

* Woke up early (before Damien!) Had nice bday messages waiting for me.
* Spent most of the morning by the hotel pool.
* Had Mexican for lunch in town.
* Spent nearly 3h at the wave pool by the waterfront.
* Had dinner at a tapas restaurant, ate so much that I did not ordered dessert...
* just before 10pm: swam in hotel pool during a thunderstorm, it was pretty wild!

Photo a day - 27/03/17

* Went to Bachelor to get info about Litchfield National Park. A lot is closed due to the wet season and recent rain.

* In the park we saw the Magnetic Termite Mounds, went to Florence Fall, Buley Rockhole (we had a swim there), Tolmer Falls, Wangi Falls and drove to Cascades but did not go on the tracks.

* Sneaked in the campground of Florence Falls and had a shower + did our dishes.
* Went to the closest free camp from Darwin, (met the Canadian&Spanish couple again).

Photo a day - 24/03/17

* Tried to leave the campground early to not pay but while leaving the ranger picked up the payments nearly right in front of us.
* Parked the car in the day area of the gorge, had breakfast and we went for THE big walk.
* I stopped after an hour or so, it was planned that way, because you have to swim part of the walk and i did not want to do that. Damien kept going.
* Waited for Damien at the Gorge where I had a swim and read for a while.
* I am tired of the heat and the sun, I really need a day off. So when Damien came back I drove to Alice Springs and we checked in the YHA hostel.
* Each in different room, some the apart will do us some good.
* Had a late lunch together, I skyped my mum and then had dinner together. We finally bought our plane tickets out of Australia!
* The night was not really relaxing, there was some hard drug issues with some guest and screams so the police was involved but it took a good part of the night away.

Photo a day - 23/03/17

* Drove to Alice Springs (I think I killed a bird...)
* Wandered in Alice for a while, had breakfast in a carpark looking at a field.
* Decided to leave and go straight to the MacDonnell Ranges.
* Stopped at Stanley Chasm and Ellery Creek Big Hole (really bad dirt road but gorgeous gorge and good swim).
* Finally stopped at Ormiston Gorge for the night at the campground. Damien went for a walk while I relaxed in the car.

Photo a day - 22/03/17

* Up before 6am again. In the car heading for Kata Tjuta (or the Olgas).
* Sunrise from the Kata Tjuta platform had a really nice surprise: view of Uluru (far away but not for my camera!)
* The sun rose right behind Uluru it was a fantastic sight! Worth the early rise!!
* After sunrise headed to the Valley of the Wind for our morning hike. We walked in the gorge of Kata Tjuta's boulders.
* The second lookout was worth the walk, great view from it.
* We continued the walk instead of walking back (like most people did/do).
* We caught up with French couple and they 1 yr old son and had a nice walk and chat together.
* Did a second walk inside a gorge. It was nice but getting too hot again, ౩9°C.
* Back in Yulara, went to campground had lunch and showers.
* Took the road towards Alice but stopped 50kms beforehand.

Photo a day - 21/03/17

* Alarm early to see the sunrise but woke up before it anyway. Left the hostel at 5.45am.
* Parked close to the path and walked fast to make sure we will still have some space on the viewing plateform (a lot of buses are arriving at the same time).  Managed to get a good sport and took loads of pics, it was really nice!
* Went to do the Base walk (walk all around the base of Uluru: 10kms). We did it anticlockwise. It was nice but quite boring for most parts.
* Then we went to the cultural centre to inform ourself a bit (we already new a lot of things from reading the signs around Uluru). We also saw some aboriginal art, I really like it, it is colourful with dots and small streaks of colours and animals. Can't bring any home though...
* Back at the hostel we cooked lunch: pasta  bolognese with meat and roasted peppers+onions. Made also some hummus.
* Went in the hostel pool for a while (too hot to do anything else) and had showers afterwards.
* Checked into the campground for the night and rushed to see the sunset on Uluru again (Kata Tjuta was too far).
* Had dinner in the campground and then bed.

Photo a day - 20/03/17

* Left before sunrise and saw the sun rising in our rear-view mirror.
* Arrived at King's Canyon and did the rim walk (walk all around the top of the canyon)

* Walk from 8 to 11am and it was already way too hot by 10am... we enjoyed the small break in the Garden of Eden (hidden garden inside the canyon at the back of it).
* Drove to Uluru and reached 6000kms on the odometer on the way.
* Checked in the hostel for a night out of the tent (too hot outside).
* Went to the national park and see Uluru for the first time during sunset: STUNNING!!
* Back at the hostel we got picked up at 8.25pm for the "Field of Lights", an art installation with rainbow coloured lights, beautiful.

Photo a day - 19/03/17

* Awake around 7am, up 30min later. Breakfast in the sun and by 8.15 we were on the road.
* Drove to Coober Pedy, the underground city. We visited 2 underground churches and an old Opal mine transformed in a museum, with the inside of an underground home.
* Reached 5000kms at some point in the morning since leaving Perth 13 days ago.
* Back on the road at 2pm. Drove the rest of the day, swapping seat, nearly all the way to King's Canyon. In the middle of the afternoon we made it to the Northern Territory.
* Most of the afternoon it was 38℃
* We saw the sun set just before 8pm while on our last piece of road to the campsite. We pitched the tent with the last ligths and had a quick dinner while attacked by millions of ants.
* Early night because early get up tomorrow to go to King's Canyon.

Photo a day - 18/03/17

* Alarm at 6.45, still in bed at 7.40am, but got up quickly after that. Tidied up everything and went to the buffet breakfast. Damien ate so much!
* Started our walk "Mount Ohlssen Bagge" at 9.40. Recommended 4h and rated as hard. It was indeed exhausting, so hot and no shade. But the view at the top was well worth it. We did it in 3h30 including resting at the top for 30min.
* Sneaked back in the campground to use the showers. Then we were on our way back to Port Augusta.
* PA: petrol stop + lunch by the beach at 3.30pm.
* 4pm, back on the road towards the "Red Centre" to get to Uluru, hopefully in 2 days.
* On the road, stopped at lookouts. One of them, we got to walk on Lake Hart, which is a salt lake.
* Drove until we reached a campsite on King's Canyon. Got attacked by ants over diner in the dark.

Photo a day - 17/03/17

* No matter what time we get up, we are more and more late in the morning.
* left a 10.30 for Mount Remarkable National Park, we did the Alligator Gorge Walk. Really pretty walk.
* Lunch in the carpark before heading for Port Augusta.
* in PA we went to a specialised information centre for the "Red Centre", the woman suggested which route to take. Then food shopping in Coles.
* Headed to Flinders Range National Park. Around Hawker to the park the scenery was stunning. Saw a few kangaroos (or maybe Euro - smaller race apparently)
* Mounted our tent, got it ready and had diners at the BBQ/kitchen area: meat + roasted peppers and feta. Dessert: rasberries and dark chocolate.
* Showers and bed!

Photo a day - 16/03/17

* Lazy morning, we slept so well! I will be hard to go back in the tent tonight...
* 10am drove to city centre. Visited Central Market, bought fruits and veg + crêpes for breakfast! Yum!
* Walked to North Terrace where all the nice buildings were (universities, parliament, railway station, museum...). Also went to the Botanic Garden and to the National Wine Centre of Australia.
* Visited the museum then Damien had a taste of 5 different wines of his choosing: Riesling, Chardonnay, Grenache, Shiraz and Sauvignon-blanc. They were all from Australia.
* Walked back through town via the river to the Market for a really late lunch and a treat.
* Left town for the lookout of Mount Lofty around 4.30 but too hazy to get a nice view. Headed to our campsite via the scenic route through Clare (wine area). Traffic made us arrive late but the colours were beautiful.

Photo a day - 15/03/17

* Slow start, we left the campground after 10.30am.
* Drove to Adelaide and met our friend Glenda at her place. She is hosting us for the night.
* We both had showers and did 2 loads of laundry. It feels good to be clean and have clean clothes!
* I checked my emails and there is great news in my inbox: my working-holiday visa for Canada has been accepted, it is official we are going to Canada!
* Glenda took us on a car tour of the city, showing us all the good stuff to see tomorrow.
* We picked up her mum and went to the restaurant. Judy is turning 85 tomorrow (we are birthday crashers!) It was a nice evening hanging out with Australians.

Photo a day - 14/03/17

* late getting up this morning, the 2h30 time change really threw us off...

* Were on the road at 9.45, I started driving and same drill as yesterday we swapped every 2h or so.
* While driving we had really good long talks about our wedding, our summer in Europe, moving to Canada... It was really productive!
* We crossed: the Nullarbor plain, Nullarbor roadhouse, Yalata roadhouse, Penong village (we stopped for lunch), the quarantine stop (had to bin an apple, half a lime and a few cherry tomatoes...), finally reach Ceduna (1st real town! Topped up fuel), Wirulla roadhouse, Kimba village, Port Augusta (where we got flashed....not used to be in towns again...) and reached a campground near Port Pirie for the night.
* We murdered an unbelievable number of various insects and were unable to keep a clean windshield...despite cleaning it several times at petrol stations....
* We drove 1050 kms today, and both have pending headaches.

Photo a day - 13/03/17

* We really started our day of driving at 9.30am after having breakfast, doing groceries, getting information at the tourist centre and filling up our petrol tank.

* We drove around 750kms today. We swapped seats every 2h or so.

* We drove past: Balladonia roadhouse, Caiguna roadhouse, Cocklebiddy roadhouse (petrol + lunch), Madura Pass Lookout, Mundrabilla roadhouse, Eucla roadhouse (petrol), the quarantine stop at the border between WA and SA, Cliff 1 lookout and finally our campsite for the night Cliff number 2.
* We drove the longest straight road in Australia 90 miles = 143 kms. Pretty boring!
* We saw too many dead kangaroos by the side and often on the road... some eagles too... So sad... And crows eating their carcasses. Also saw a group of 3 emus hanging out by the side of the road (thinking about crossing but not decided yet!)
* Did some proper camping cooking tonight. Trying to use all our leftover rice before it goes off. We did a fried rice with onion + carrot + peas with spices and we also did a rice galette (rice + spices + beaten eggs).

Photo a day - 12/03/17

* Did not sleep great, we were super cold during the night, were awake at 5am for more than an hour... Slept again and woke up sweating!

* Gorgeous morning, went for a climb above Lucky Bay. Pretty views + dolphins and seal in the bay!
* Drove and climbed Frenchman Peak in 1h (30 min less than the recommended time!)
* Stopped at Hellfire Bay for pics and stealing some white sand!
* Drove back to Esperance for a late lunch and use the internet a bit.
* Back on the road again towards Norseman for the night. A really straight road from Esperance.

Photo a day - 11/03/17

* Woke up early but read a bit more in bed. Left campsite kind of late.
* Arrived in Esperance around 10.30am. Got info from tourist centre about Nullarbor and Lucky Bay.
* Quick groceries and the drive to Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park.
* Got the penultimate spot in the campsite! Set the tent and our camping chairs (a 1st!)
* Had lunch and then a long walk on the whitest beach of Australia! 6kms.
* Met kangaroos on the beach on the way back!
* Had our 1st showers in a while and the water was hot!!
* Rice and marinated steak for diner! Yum!

Photo a day - 10/03/17

* Good night sleep + woke up with sun shining!
* Went to see the beach before leaving for Stirling Ranges: Gorgeous!
* Drove to Bluff Knoll, highest peak in Western Australia. We climbed it! Recommended 3 to 4h return. We did it in 2h55 with 15 break at the top.
* Drove to Esperance and experience our first detour: 48kms in dirt road! Got a bit scared with our petrol situation!
* Camped 90kms away from Esperance, it is getting dark.
* Noodle for our late dinner. We used our camping burner for the 1st time!

Photo a day - 09/03/17

* Really good night sleep from 7pm (we were knackered!) to 6.30am (with toilet break at 12.30am).
* Crappy weather with rain here and there.
* Wasted our time to see some pretty inexistant falls at Beedelup.
* Damien climbed a 61m tree that was used as a fire lookout. I managed to climb maybe 4m!
* Back on the road we saw 1/3 of a tree drive, then stopped at Walpole (we were in the red for petrol!)
* Had lunch in the carpark of Tree Top and visited the Ancient Empire. Lovely thrisle trees.
* Drove to Albany, where we did more groceries (Kmart/Coles...)
* Slept in campsite by the Southern Ocean. Hopefully it won't rain.

Photo a day - 08/03/17

* Woken up super early due to workers (between 4 and 6am), luckily went back to sleep until 8.30.
* Visited Bunkers Bay (looked like South of France or Corsica).
* Wasted our time at the Lighthouse. + hot walk with flies...
* Went to recommanded beaches: Yallingup and Injidup. The second one was our favourite! Big white stretch with no-one around. Beautiful turquoise water with some waves.
* Got burried with sand under a really big wave! Loads of fun! A bot less fun trying to get rid of all the sand everywhere!
* Had lunch in an eclectic bakery at Margaret River.
* Drove to Pemberton for the night. Our 1st campsite / night in the tent!

Photo a day - 07/03/17

* Our hosts are gone to work. We packed and planed, before leaving their place by 10.30.
* Shopping runs for camping supplies: Kmart + camping shop + Aldi + Coles.
* By 2pm we are on the road south towards Margaret River.
* Could not find a campsite for the night so decided to go to the YHA in Dunsborough.
* Walk on the beach at sunset (but the beach is facing the wrong direction).
* Busy hostel, full of farm workers (foreigners for 2nd year visa). Went to bed early. 

Photo a day - 06/03/17

* Bank/Public Holiday in Western Australia.
* The 4 of us went to Rottnest Island for the day. Crossed by ferry.
* Once on the island we booked bicycles for the day. Did a bit of groceries for lunch and headed towards the other side of the island.
* Damien did great despite not having ridden in 2 years (when he learnt for the 1st time to ride).
* Great weather, lovely scenery, gorgeous beaches!
* Lunch stop on the beach called "the Narrow". Went for a swim.
* Cycled back to "village", gave bicycles back and went for a drink and nibbled.
* Search for Quokkas + selfie time with one!
* Back on the ferry.
* Lazy evening, Janet cooked for us (delicious curry) and started watching Zootopia on Netflix but our working host fell asleep in front of it.

Photo a day - 05/03/17

* Janet is at work, Daithi is recovering from yesterday. We had a lazy/easy morning.
* Damien & I took the bus and went to Fremantle aka Freo.
* Went to the market, had lunch there, saw the prison (the outside of it), crossed town, saw the Round House and the artsy beach, crossed back town and headed home.
* Made plans with Janet and Daithi for diner and evening: restaurant + open air cinema.
* Mixed up in the restaurant booking but found a different one and ate good food.
* The open air cinema was pretty cool. It was several short comedies from different countries, some really good ones. We had great spots (comfy beanbags not to far from the screen) and ate cupcakes from Freo's market.

Photo a day - 04/03/17

* Joined Daithi (Damien's cousin) for breakfast with his doctor work colleagues after their night shift.
* Met Janet (Daithi's wife) for the 1st time.
* Spent afternoon and evening at the leaving BBQ of one of their friends. Went for our 1st swim in the Indien Ocean and watched the sunset on the beach!
* Home and bed (especially for Daithi that has been awake for more than 24h....).