Spending hours reading the favourite books of the trip (the four reference books on mammals, reptiles, fish and birds of Australia) and then seeing animals up close. Holding baby turtles a fellow camper found and shared. Figuring out whether a whale shark is a mammal or a fish. Learning about magnetic termite mounds and and learning to deal with green tree frogs in toilets! Knowing whether you're looking at a saltwater or freshwater crocodile and respecting the domain of these animals in the wild.
Gross motor - climbing steps in Tasmania and running along the bottom of Australia yelling 'wheee'. Climbing waterfalls and lookouts and piggy backing your little siblings when the going gets tough. Devouring each new playground discovered. Pushing individual limits of physical comfort, understanding how a suspension bridge can hold you up and then walking over its wobbly frame.
Meteorology - sheltering through a cyclone and understanding its movement and the colours of the warning system. Researching why Alice Springs is so cold at night and why it's felt like summer for most of our trip. Learning that the top end of Australia has two seasons, the 'wet' and the 'dry' and questioning whether the children that live there still learn about autumn.
Imagination central - finding new and innovative ways to stay entertained while on the road.
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Creating with corn husks
from dinner and the tent
pegs - Busselton, WA |
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Rock tower on Gorge Rock,
Corrigin - WA |
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A bush game of scrabble
Tcharkuldu Rock, Minnipa - SA |
Writing - postcards, emails to friends and helping with the blog. Creating journals full of memories and experiences, as a keep sake and as a means of sharing our journey with others.
Reading - all of the books we packed have been read many times, but there's also maps, road signs, and tourist brochures. Not to mention camp reviews to figure out where to stay and information signs at every museum, visitor centre and attraction we visit.
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| Port Hedland, WA |
Transport and industry - gaining a sense of the immense transport networks across the country and in the ports. Wondering at the machinery and vehicles involved in supporting industry, from canefields in Queensland to mining in Western Australia to dairy in Tasmania.
Navigational studies - learning how to read maps and how a compass works. Looking at the stars at night to figure out the constellations and learning how to find south by using the Southern Cross. Understanding why sometimes we've seen the sun set over ocean and sometimes over land but always in the west.
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Avocadoes from the
Atherton Tablelands, Qld |
Culinary awareness - tasting our way around the country. Learning about fresh food and what's in season from farmers markets in small towns. Stopping at roadside stalls to buy bags of avocadoes, passionfruit, coconuts and tomatoes. Gaining a better sense of how food is produced and the beauty of local fresh produce: cheese factories, bakeries and even a handcrafted chocolate or two. Learning what a truffle is and tasting its unique flavour, savouring the sweetness of buckets of strawberries you've picked yourself.
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Bread and cheese from Bruny Island
Tasmania |
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Strawberry picking at
Beechworth, Victoria |
Maths - calculating distances between stops or towns or states or roadhouses. Learning why we can get to places faster in the Northern Territory where there are long straight roads and no speed limits but the speed in Tasmania is a constant 'slow and steady' thanks to the winding roads. Adding up how much we've spent on fuel in a day and why the dollars on the pump go up so quickly when diesel costs $2 a litre! Playing snakes and ladders and cards and uno and adding up the scores as we go along. Counting and sorting discoveries of the day: shells, brochures, seed pods, icecream spoons.
Communities and socialisation - understanding the different ways people live in various parts of the country - mining communities, indigenous communities, farming communities, city communities. Pitching in and helping a community clean up after a cyclone. Learning to make friends wherever we are and finding kids at a caravan park to kick the footy with.
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Lukas' favourite painting 'ever'
Alice Springs - NT |
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Emu egg sculptures
Geraldton, WA |
Art - viewing art across the country and having an opinion. Seeing different mediums and different styles, from regional galleries to ancient aboriginal rock art to murals on walls to dot paintings and carved boab nuts. Learning that 'art' is a word that seems too small to encompass the variety of creativity that exists across the country.
History- of people, places and things. Touching and engaging with history in a tangible way. Understanding the history and culture of indigenous peoples in this country.
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| Rock art at Ubirr, Kakadu - NT |
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Learning about pearl diving
in Broome, WA |
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In the dock with Ned Kelly
Beechworth, Victoria |
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| Evacuation centre bed, Denham - WA |
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Catching up on sleep while
driving in Suzy Q |
Adaptability - learning to live in a small space and be able to sleep anywhere. Getting used to and then embracing the idea that sometimes you wake up and don't remember where you are.
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| Campfire at Undara Lava Tubes - Qld |
Reflection - taking time to sit and appreciate wherever we are. Watching the waves roll into the cliffs, listening to the wind whispering through the trees, seeing the full moon slowly rise up in the night sky. Appreciating sunsets and sitting around a campfire watching the stars and talking about our day. Stopping and breathing and taking in the journey.
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Great Australian Bight lookout,
Nullarbor - South Australia |
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