Hi everyone, Sorry I haven’t sent you any messages – we have been in the middle of nowhere. We are having such a great time, so we are taking our time. It is too cold south, so we are staying where it is warm. I can’t believe we have been away for over 9 weeks – how time flies. Not sure when we will be back, it will be sometime before my FIRST Christmas. Day 49 – Sun Oct 21 We left Broome today and headed south to 80 mile beach. Nice beach but it had jelly fish around so I couldn’t swim. Day 50 – Mon Oct 22 The beach was much nicer today, so we hung out at the beach again, while the boys fished, (but I slept). Dad saw a large shark bout 10m offshore, so we all stayed in ankle deep water. The boys caught fish but they through them all back as they were mainly catfish. We lazed around in the arvo, and also went for a long drive along the beach. We went to the beach at night, the boys fished - and dad caught a shark, and the girls went turtle hunting as it is nesting season. I slept again as it was past my bedtime.

80 Mile beach

Dad and Lee fishing

My very proud dad!!

Day 51 – Tue Oct 23 Today we drove to Port Hedland, where there is a BHP mine in the middle of town. Not much to do around here so we went for a swim, played in the TV room on the table tennis table and hung around all arvo. Day 52 – Wed Oct 24 We drove inland to Karajini National Park, which is about 350km. We set up camp and had a look at some of the gorges – they are beautiful. We bush camped here – with no power – it was great but the flies were terrible. I had another big stack today – I nearly fell out of the van – but dad caught me – lucky me, but I still hurt myself.

My first sore!!!! OUCH!!!

Knox Gorge – and what makes these gorges even better is that you walk no more than 500m to view them.

This is Joffre Gorge – imagine the

waterfall in the wet!

Dad and Lee at Knox Gorge

Oxers lookout – where 4 gorges meet – it was awesome, 100m high. Day 53 – Thur Oct 25 We packed up this morning and checked out another gorge and waterfall. This time we had to walk a bit to go to the bottom of the waterfall and also see fern pool. Dad carried me and I had a mozzie net on me to protect me from the flies. Then…..what made it worse is that I was playing with dad’s sunnies, at the very bottom and mum took them off me and put them on the bench – and when we got to the top we realised we didn’t have them – so dad had to walk all the way down again to get them. The falls and pool were very pretty, but the water was a bit stagnate so we didn’t swim.

Us at Dales Gorge Fortescue Falls – we walked to the bottom….

Fern pool

I fell asleep, so mum and dad decided to leave and drive on to Tom Price (a mining town – previously known as a drinking town with a mining problem). I slept nearly the whole way and missed all the excitement. We nearly ran out of petrol in the middle of nowhere. Dad rolled down all the hills and kept the revs below 2. Dad thought for sure that we wouldn’t make it – but we did – mum and dad couldn’t believe it. We escaped the humidity by heading inland, a saying we heard was, in Tom Price you only burn your lungs, not drown and burn them. It does get that hot!!! That afternoon we drove to the top of Mt Nameless, just over 1KM high and you look over the mine. Day 54 – Fri Oct 26 In the morning, we hung around, swam and went shopping. That afternoon mum and dad took me on a tour of the Tom Price mine – owned by Rio Tinto. It was awesome – everything is so big, and there is so much $$$ invested, but they make so much money, they get $100 a tonne for iron ore and mine about 28.5m tonnes from this one mine only.

This is about 500m deep. I wasn’t supposed to leave the bus, but mum talked them around – so I had to wear a hard hat.

This tipper holds 240 tonne

Day 55 – Sat Oct 27 Left Tom Price today. When we were driving we can across some stranded German tourists, who had been stuck on the side of the side overnight – they had 2 flat tyres, so dad helped them (repaired their tyre), and we were off again. We were supposed to stop halfway between Tom Price and Exmouth as it was 600km, but the roadhouse in between wasn’t very nice, so very spent the whole day in the car today. Day 56 – Sun Oct 28 We are in Exmouth – home of the Ningaloo Reef – talk about awesome beaches. We drove around and had a look at some of the sights, a shipwreck, lighthouse. It is so much cooler here, 31 degrees, too cold swim (isn’t that ridiculous), but we did anyway and it was cold.

The view from the lighthouse – awesome!!!

Day 57 – Mon Oct 29 We did some more touristy things today around Exmouth, went to Pebble beach and checked out some canyons – they were pretty – but to be honest not as nice as we have seen.

Shothole Canyon

Sir Charles Knife Canyon

I love being on dad’s shoulders.

With my mum and dad

I play with this ribbon all the time.

Day 58 – Tue Oct 30 Another lazy day today, we went for a drive today and dad went fishing – no luck and we hung around camp. We went swimming and surprise surprise Lee/a turned up (after parting ways in Tom Price).

Day 59 – Wed Oct 31 Today was yet another lazy day, although we did go fishing – well I hung out on the beach with mum, while lee/a and dad fished off the jetty/beach. Lea caught 4 squid so we the adults calamari for dinner – mum said it was sooooo yummy. Day 60 – Thur Nov 1

My cousin “Scarlet Clare Staples” was born this morning, weighing 7 pound 10

and 52.5 cm. My Aunty (Mel) is going so well, and my new cousin is just beautiful.

We packed up today to head into the National Park only approx 40 km away. We stayed at a campsite called Mesa, which is right on the beach, but provide some shelter from the wind/sun, but there is no power or showers, just a pit toilet (we ended up staying here for 5 nights). The beach is awesome here, the water is soo clear and Dad/Lee are catching fish – who can complain. Dad caught a large Golden Trevally – but threw it back. It is pretty windy – so hopefully it will die down soon.

Day 61 – Fri Nov 2 We went for a drive today and checked out some of the local beaches. At one of the beaches we saw about about 50 large turtles – they were swimming around and even coming up to the shore. It is very windy today and I was about to go for a swim but the sand blew all over me and it stung – so we gave up. Back at our camp we went to our beach, I swam with Lea and mum, while dad and Lee fished. Mum, dad and I were standing in knee deep water when a 3 metre hammer head shark swam right in front of us and was only 2 metres away – I wasn’t scared – all I wanted to do was swim – but ,mum wouldn’t let me. Mum and dad thought it was so cool to see something so large and wild so close.

A Turtle

The shark

Me playing on the beach

Dad and Lee fishing

Our view of our beach.

Me playing on the beach – again…..

Me with mum and dad (dads fishing) – I Love the beach. Day 62 – Sat Nov 3 We went to the most beautiful beach today – Turquoise bay (appropriately named), the water is so clear and blue, mum and dad snorkelled, fed the fish. We hung out here most of the day. Mum said the snorkelling was pretty cool, the coral wasn’t as amazing as the great barrier reef, but it is so close to shore and there were lots of fish. Lee/a even swam with a turtle.

Turquoise Bay

That’s me, mum, dad & Lee

Turquoise bay - so clear!!

Me with mum and dad

Me with Lea and Lee

Day 63 – Sun Nov 4 Groundhog day – the boys went fishing in the morning (and caught more fish), and then we all went back to Turquoise Bay for another swim and snorkel.

Bath time

Day 64 – Mon Nov 5 I am 10 months old today – whoohoo. Another groundhog day, the boys fished (and caught more fish) and I hung out at the beach with mum and Lea. Dad caught a big turtle on his fishing rod, and rather than cut the line he reeled it in, so he could untangle the line from around its flipper, he saved the turtle but it snapped his new fishing rod – whoops. Day 65 – Tue Nov 6 Cup Day – we headed into town today to buy dad a new fishing rod and stock up on supplies. We moved camping spots to a bit further south (Yardie Creek)– but it wasn’t as nice. Day 66 – Wed Nov 7 We went to sandy bay today and watched the kite surfers – it was a beautiful beach – so clear and sandy. One of the kite surfers, was a guy from mum’s work - Julian (what a small world). We hung around the beach for a bit, and went back to camp, and had drinks with Julian and his wife. Day 67 – Thur Nov 8 Packed up today and we drove to Coral Bay. Mum and dad and Lee/a haven’t showered for 7 days (they are a bit smelly) so we are all hanging out for civilisation. Coral bay is really pretty. Well this is TORAH the EXPLORER yet again, signing off. Love, TORAH (and mum and dad) Missing you all

XXOO