Come along a journey with Summerstar’s very own Sarah Corbitt (daughter of our owners John and Dani Layman and one of our Joint CEO’s), as she shares everything she learned from an 8-hour road trip with three kids. Strap in, ‘coz this one will have you laughing, crying, and hopefully learning a thing or two about how to take a road trip with kids.
I’ve gotta be honest, the first thing I learned is that an 8-hour road trip with kids is probably closer to a 10 hour journey. Between toilet breaks for our newly toilet trained three-year-old and snack breaks for our 11-month-old – the road from Perth to Esperance never seemed longer.
But let’s start at the beginning. Why did I subject us all, (myself, husband and three kids included), to a road trip to Esperance for just three nights? Well, it was the start of the school holidays, the end of the financial year, and two of my three kids had their birthdays within the next 14 days. I asked my eldest son if he’d rather have a party with his mates (please, no!) or head to one of our Southern WA caravan parks for the holidays and he gleefully chose the latter - specifically, Esperance. I don’t blame him really; the place is magic, but it meant we had a huge distance to travel and not much time to actually spend there.
Overwhelmed with the packing, the organising, and the general end-of-term mania, by the time we got in the car to leave, tense words were exchanged (mostly about where everyone’s shoes were and why, YES they would need a jumper in Esperance in July!). As we were about to pull out of the driveway, the eldest son Charlie proclaimed, “I don’t like any of you”. Off to a flying start!
Over the first 200kms and 2 hours to Harrismith, a small town in the wheatbelt, the devices did the heavy lifting while we all sunk into holiday mode. When I reached my limit and couldn’t listen to one more episode of Bluey, we stopped at the world’s most amazing playground in Wickepin to let the poppets run off some steam.
Wickepin Playground, Narrogin Observer
This playground has one of the most enormous slides you’ve ever seen. While my daughter, Pip, is incredibly scared of heights, her brother…well…he’s not so fussed. He sped off - up the ladder to the top of the slide, zipping himself down, time after time. Pip - never to be outdone - cautiously started the climb. Level after level, she took them on with Dad by her side. When she reached the top, she cautiously slid down to her brothers and me, cheering her on and it was lovely to see her pleased as punch. Her brothers were so proud, and with that one brave endeavour from Pip, we all felt a huge weight of tension lift. We’d reconnected. We’d gotten out of our normal routine and space and, in a tiny moment, remembered we were on the same team. This is where I learned the value in stopping to enjoy the journey rather than rushing to the destination.
If you’ve never driven from Perth to Esperance, let me give you a head's up. The road between Lake Grace and Lake King is 1) endless and 2) exactly the same. Our usual road trip game of ‘I Spy’ had to stop, as we’d exhausted everything we could see, - the road, the signs, the lines on the road. As we all sunk into what passes for silence in our family, I began to remember the trips I’d taken with my family as a kid. No technology and no reading (when travelling with my Nanna)! We were expected to chat to the driver, which is how I’d learned to love wildflowers, learned about space, and even developed an interest in the family business. Mum and Dad would endlessly chat about ideas, strategies and plans on our road trips and I learned it was ok to be quiet and not actively engage the kids. There is value in letting them listen, absorb and be present without distraction.
From Lake King to Ravensthorpe, everyone napped (well, except James, who was driving). We had decided, albeit a bit foolishly, to drive down on a Sunday, so we couldn’t find lunch (or even an open service station) for over 200kms. We also couldn’t find anywhere to buy water! I was surprised at this, but also reminded of WA’s remoteness. While it wasn’t a problem as we can firmly manage 200kms without sustenance, it was an important reminder to me - especially when travelling with kids - to make sure I have water, extra food, and blankets for them. In an emergency where you might have to wait hours for help, making sure you have these things would be vital. Much like the scouts have long known, I learned the importance of being prepared.
Yummylicious Candy Shack, Ravensthorpe
Once we reached Ravey, things started to improve! The kids found the world’s ‘BIGGEST LOLLY SHOP' (that they’ve ever seen, anyway) and we had some time to run around. There was also coffee, water and hot chips. Rungs on the board for the Corbitt fam! This was the point where the kids could see the end in sight and started to get excited. They started planning their sleeping arrangements, (in the same room with the beds pushed together) and the anticipation of all the things they were going to do (climb the whale, go to mini golf, ride the mini train, go to the skate park) kicked in. The joy started to build for James and I as well, whatever we’d forgotten to pack wouldn’t matter and even if no one slept for three days, there was a Nespresso machine in the park and a hot shower to help. What did matter was that this moment in their childhood will never be repeated. One day, Pippa will understand that a bunk bed is not something that exists only on boats (don’t ask me – the reasons are only known to her) and Charlie won’t want to ride his bike in the skate park. Even in a few short months, things change so much – I learned that when you travel with kids, especially road tripping with kids, the hard parts always pass, and the good times will remain.
Esperance, Annabel Claire
We drove into Esperance in the dark (at 5pm!) and were in the difficult, all-too-familiar ‘witching hour’ time of day. The kids needed food, showers, a run around, and to Go. To. Bed. Usually, we would worry about the kids’ routine, especially travelling with our baby – would a late bedtime mean no sleep? Wow would the other two go if he fussed? Throwing caution to the wind, we decided food was more important at that point and discovered that the local brewery we’d been wanting to try was open. We pulled in and immediately knew we’d made the right choice! The pizza was hot, the beer was good, and the playgroundOh my goodness, the playground. There was a tractor, a yacht, a slide, and an oval big enough to play two games of footy at once! The kids ate, found some mates to play with, and burned off the last of their energy. The routine went out the window for something more important - the experience of being there together.
I started the holiday with a great sense of fun and family. Now… the trip back up will be a different story.
Sarah, James and their three kids stayed in a 2 bedroom family holiday unit at Esperance Bay Holiday Park. Plan your road trip with kids by booking ahead at one of our Summerstar Tourist Parks, with 14 family-friendly caravan parks in remarkable locations across Western and South Australia.
