Every day this week Pip and Charlie have asked me "are we going to Kalbarri today". Every day I've had to explain there is more time to wait and that, yes, they did still have more school. But… not today.
Today when they burst in at 6am I could say "YES WE ARE GOING TO KALBARRI TODAY!!!" Cue excited squeals and temporary "best friends forever" chants.
Now I don't like to brag, but I was so organized for this trip. None of my usual "just chuck it in, we'll be right". I had a list. I had boxes. I even had a 'vague' meal plan. I know, right! All of this organization meant we got the ground running, had time for the traditional Maccas coffee and still were looking at the CBD in the rear-view mirror by 7:30am. So far, so good.
Now after 7 years of traveling with kids, I have learned a couple of things. Aside from the ever-necessary snacks, the second most important thing to keep my kids from going mad is to get them moving, often. When we travel to our northern parks, we always choose the Brand Highway to drive on. While there’s always more trucks than the Indian Ocean Road, there’s also more over taking lanes and places to stop. Our first stop this year was Badgingarra (Badgie as we call it, or as my kids call it the place with “peacocks and chess”. ) It’s the perfect distance from Perth in my opinion, far enough that you feel like you’ve got some distance behind you and close enough that tempers aren’t too frayed.
The kids played a few rounds of what’s the time Mr Wolf, knocked over (and then put back) all the cheese pieces and Baby T chased a Peacock. The things that happen in regional WA. With the wiggles run out for the short term, we jumped back into the car.
The journey onwards was relatively smooth. The kids are getting more and more used to the distances and pretty much settle into their own worlds (and their screens) until we arrive at the next stopping point. In this case it was the Geraldton Foreshore Playground. The play equipment suits all the ages, and it’s fenced – so it’s an excellent place to have a coffee and watch them make some friends. The Coffee Shop next door, Two Foreshore, did an excellent Flat White and even better sandwich. This was a new find for us and we will definitely stop here again!
From Geraldton it’s a straight shoot to Kalbarri. This year the rain we’ve had meant the countryside was glorious. Green paddocks, abundant wildflowers and Hutt Lagoon was even pink enough to impress Pippa! Last year she responded to my excited; “Look at the Pink Lake” with, “That’s not even Pink, Mum”. Given her three-year-old adoration of all things pink, I wasn’t going to argue.
Driving into Kalbarri is always a treat. The ocean becomes visible and (as we often arrive near sunset) you see the sun setting over Red Bluff as you drive in. The Ocean shines with the gold of sunset and it feels like holidays have officially started.
Bunkbeds at Kalbarri Red Bluff Tourist Park
We pulled into our room and the kids promptly sat on every bed until they decided which one they were keen on (Charlie on Top Bunk, Pip on bottom bunk – but as long as we understood she possibly might move to the third bed, depending on how things went.). The bunk beds have bunker lights and the EXCITEMENT of being able to have their own ‘cubby house’ in their beds and autonomy over the light was worthy of the 7 hour drive itself. The chorus of saying ‘Happy Holidays” to each other started and didn’t stop until dinner was called.
As part of my organisational queendom for this trip – I had also packed a secret weapon. Our dear friends who have a daughter Pip’s age and who make the best Aperol Spritz, Lasagne, steak sandwiches and who were so prepared they even managed to bring an air fryer. The meals they managed to cook while we were away blew me away and also inspired me to try a few different things on our next trip. Usually, I stick to BBQs, frozen pizza and easy to make meals. Emma caramelised onions, made focaccia from scratch and whipped up charcuterie boards that belonged on Instagram!
One of the things I love about staying in caravan parks is, given that they’re self-contained, everything is easy and inexpensive to stay for long periods. We stayed for 7 nights and cooked about 80% of meals at the park. This makes a family holidays a lot more affordable and often more enjoyable our little kids don’t like to sit for long periods of time while we eat and drink and chat.
At the Park, they could hang out on the patio in front of Red Bluff, run around free on the grassed BBQ area, ride their scooters on the driveway and explore the natural ‘delights’. While we were there, Kalbarri was having a moth plague due to the heavy rain. The kids adored the moths and spent ages chasing them with their crabbing nets! Our friend’s daughter would often chat to them and say ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ every day. We managed to achieve some good times, great laughs and lots of happy memories.
Given George’s commitment to perfecting the Aperol Spritz (he’s almost there, I just need to taste test a few more!) I also can’t understate what a blessing to be able to wake up every morning to a Nespresso Coffee Maker! James doesn’t form sentences until his caffeine limit is restored, so getting the first cup of coffee into him means we are up and at it sooner. The comforts of home are always welcome.
While there were a lot of excellent things about the units, we’re busily learning for our next build (possibly somewhere downs south with lots of trees…...!) The drawer dishwashers are great for a couple of if you’re only staying a few days – but for a longer stay – the full machine would have been a treat! We also would have loved a bigger frying pan for the morning bacon and eggs for 5. It’s great for us to see what we can improve in our units and live in them the way we designed them. All in all, we’re chuffed with them and could see the families around us enjoying the ensuite sites too.
The holidays passed too quickly, as they always seem too and soon it was time to say goodbye to the moths (individually!) and pack the car for the trip home. Somehow, we managed to have more stuff going home than we did on the way up. Must have been all those very special rocks we couldn’t leave behind. And despite how organised I thought I was, I still managed to forget bug spray and bathers for Baby T. In the end, it didn’t matter – we still had an amazing time. Memories were made, laughs were had and when Charlie went back to school at the start of Term 4, he could share with pride about catching an Octopus at Blue Holes.
Our caravan park in Kalbarri sits right in front of the majestic Red Bluff, and boasts cabins as well as caravan sites. All our caravan sites also have ensuite sites attached to each site, making your camping and caravan experience a truly convenient one!
