The Busy Mum Hub - Half Lap of Aus

How we saved with a family of 5... A lot of people have been asking me how did I afford or save for this trip, seems people like talking about money so I'm going to fill a few blanks in with the $$ and please let me know if I can help with anything. For about 12 months Adam (my adorable husband) has been NAGGING me to commit to this trip! Think I'm joking... I'm not! So after month and months of small fights, I finally caved after he said: "If you don't want to go, ill go by myself!" Selfish hey... Rewind... November 17 (OK OK ILL GO) Now to work out how we are going to afford this trip! So we both have really good jobs but as a normal Australian family we have overheads right, and they won't be going anytime soon. We sit down every couple of months a talk about our finances. So we had a rough idea how much we could scrape by with and for how long to be about to save  $10 000. Now, I don't know any normal working family that can save...

Day Fifty-one - Moonee Beach / Coffs Harbour, NSW Population is 1933 Free camping - Friends Fuel - $92.45 226km Another exciting few days ahead... Michelle and Leigh 😝 R E S T    D A Y  Thank you so much for offering us your driveway for a few nights, along with your bathroom and loo. This will be the third place on our trip that we can just veg out and relax. I first met Michelle over a Zoom (work meeting) each week we would catch up and have small talk about the business and help each other when needed. This soon turned into quirky messages and even exercises together of a morning online. We have since had two trips to Perth (work) and on the last one trip, I got to meet Leigh.  I was keen about having some time with you guys and for Adam to meet you in person. And don't forget the kids 3 + 2 will be a nice mixture.  This is one thing that I really love about embarking on something new! The people that you meet along the way and the ...

Day Forty-nine    -  Lennox Heads Accommodation 2 nights - $76 per night - Powered   Population - 6407 Fuel - $94.60 Lunch - 67.00 176km Lennox Heads was starting to cool down a little, the days are really nice if there wasn't any wind. The nights are great sleeping weather. We are about 500 metres from the beach (So I can still sleep!) The kids loved this park, very spacious and bike friendly. No park to play on, but the office had loads of board games, balls, cards, buckets and spaids for the sand. and Reception was wonderful. Nothing was a bother when the kids went up for stuff. Washing it is (story of my life) $4 per load and I reckon I had four loads to catch up on but didn't use the dryers. The clotheslines next to the washing rooms were in full sun. So I let mother nature do her job. I really love to walk along the beach and just absorb the ocean breeze and the sound of the crashing waves. So off we toddle, the kids with the buckets and spades fr...

Day Forty-Five -  Kirra Beach Tourist Park Accommodation 4 nights - $75 per night - Powered Fuel - $94.60 Lunch - 67.00 176km (as per the previous blog) V 8   S U P E R B O A T S -  This was the only place we had locked in and a date to be somewhere.. Great friends of ours race V8 Superboats and we really wanted to catch up and support them. Cabarita has a caravan park that was closed for renovations, so we are booked in at Kirra Beach Tourist Park, Kirra. This park was really spread out and the Laundry and Toilet blocks are really nice and clean. We have three nights booked, which turned out to be 4, cause we loved this area. Once again the washing is filling up the end of my bed and you know who much I love washing!  The kids are playing at the Mummies Tummy, so this gives me time to get the caravan back into living order. It's amazing how something so little (with 5 humans) can get so untidy and messy... But on the flip side, it doesn't tak...

Day Forty-Two -  Kin Kin, QLD Population is 764 Free camping two nights Fuel - $122.94  243km  ...Justin and Kerrie... Adam first met Justin at work (Lake Cowal) and soon became really good mates. Justin would come to our house for dinner when in town and Adam would go out to dinner with Justin the next night. This went on for a few years. Justin no longer works for the same company which means they don't get at catch up like that anymore. So when we started planning our trip Adam said that he really wanted to visit.. So we locked it in! They live in the Hinterland on the Sunshine Coast. On an acreage block on top of a hill with magnificent views. Now when I say on a hill, I had no idea the incline was going to be this steap.. as we drive (whilst towing a 27-foot caravan) Adam put the ute into 4WD and I honestly thought that the front wheels of the ute are going to come off the road...  Now I trust Adam with my life! But this makes me feel very uneasy...

Day Thirty-six -  Giru Grass area Free camping - one night Fuel - $67.00 We've driven a long way and the kids have been amazing again. We have lunch at Ingham and hit the road again. Townsville was on the list to stop and check out as I've met this lady named Tabitha Jane..... I know right! Who would have thought that there was another lady with the same name.. Love it! I came across Tabitha on social media, who also has a side hustle (different to mine). So we pull up at The Strand and found a nice park for the kids to play at and we just got chatting, it was like we have known each other for years. Thank you, Tabitha, for taking time out of your busy day to catch up in person 💗 We drove a few more Km's and land ourselves at Rockhampton. Day Thirty-seven -  North Rockhampton - Riverside Tourist Park $75.00 powered site 683km Fuel $161.07 Food shop $119.08 Washing and dryer (3 loads) $32 We get in at about 5pm, not leaving us much time to check anythin...

Day Thirty-one -  Cairns  Ellis Beach Oceanfront Bungalows - 30 minutes up from Cairns $66 per night - 4 nights Fuel - $67.00 97km  I get up this morning with a huge smile on my face... Now I'm not much of a swimmer but I LOVE the beach, the sound, the smell and most importantly the way it makes me feel...  When we planned this trip I really wanted to do the coast last and enjoy this leg and we head home (back to normality)  Two nights ago I did ring ahead and we managed to get a beachside caravan park for a few nights. Ellis Beach Oceanfront Bungalows.  O...M...G... we are about 4 caravans from the beach! Can you believe it, I'm so excited that we have finally reached to coast. A little tight but it will do (LOL) We spend that afternoon walking along the beach. The kiddies have a swim, even though it was a little cool. Day Thirty-two - Sleep on the beach I said... Stay as close as I can... I want to hear the ocean crashing at night... ...

Day Twenty-six – Attack Creek Camping Area Karumba Free camping ground Fuel - $270.25 - three fuel stops 863km We head off about 7.30am so that Brooke and co can head to work and school. Now we have a massive three or four days coming up with a trip across the Barkley highway to Cloncurry Qld, then the Matilda Way to Normanton before crossing the Gulf Development road to Cairns This trip will be 2735.9km = 30 hours of driving in a ute, towing a caravan, three kids with iPads. The first day we manage to get as far as ‘Attack Creek Camping Area’ at 9.30pm. This little overnight stop off was full but we managed to get a spot that was right on the highway, we are all buggered and don’t need much rocking tonight. On the way, we did have three fuel stops, two coffee breaks, Grocery shop, lunch stop, Mataranka swim for an hour, afternoon tea stop, a dinner stop. So, this was a really well broken day with travelling, Kids were so good! Day Twenty-seven –  ...