Arriving in Mandurah and catching up with family.

I was up early this morning; my mind was in overdrive after yesterday afternoon.  First thing I did was get up and walk around the car to make sure that there were no more flat tyres!  All was good so then the normal chaos started as we wanted to be at the service centre as it opened at 8am.  It was only 21km away so not far and we missed the first turn but quickly worked out another way, then we pulled up at a place and read that the service centre was further down the road.  So off we went.  We asked where we should leave the van and then proceeded to unhitch it.  Jason went inside to give them the list of things to look at and hand over the keys and found out we were at the wrong place.

The first place we stopped at was the right one (insert face palm) so of course we re-hitched which thankfully we got first time and the right place was just around the corner.  This time we were smart enough not to unhitch until we double checked that we had the right place.  Yes we did so I packed the necessities (all our beer) into the car and we were off to my sister’s place which was just down the road.  There the kids quickly made themselves at home and had heaps of fun playing in the toy room.  Jodi took over teaching school whilst I managed to catch up with some of the jobs.

Oh look toys.

Poor Madie at the bottom got taken out.

Little Mister Hugh.

Most of the day was spent with Jodi teaching school, myself catching up on washing and taking Kayla to the doctors (minor issue – just needed some cream) and Jason looking at getting our tyre fixed.  Naturally as we expected the tyre that had the nails could not be fixed but we also asked them to check the condition of the other tyres as they were looking a little worn to me.  So yep in the end they recommended two of the tyres should be changed.  So we booked it in to get four new tyres on Thursday morning but are getting some tyres that are more suitable for towing and going off road.  Something we have always wanted to do but weren’t going to worry about it until we had to.  I think I am relieved about this as safety on the road is important to me.

Later in the afternoon, after lots of nagging from Hamish, Jodi finally agreed to pick up Madie and Hugh from day-care early.  It was a nice easy walk down to the centre and I don’t think I have ever seen Hamish move so fast.  Later, after a while, we even ventured out for another walk to the top of the nature reserve near their house.  From there we could see how close they live to the ocean and the inlet areas nearby.  We took their two dogs for a walk which caused lots of dramas as there were only two dogs but three kids that wanted to walk them.  I think Kayla cracked it for over half the walk, only stopping when she either got to hold the leash or we put Missy on her lap to hold.  Even that didn’t last though as Missy eventually jumped off.

Still we were very appreciative that we had a place to stay and I got to catch up with my family.  The next day we didn’t have much planned and couldn’t really go out too far in case we got the call to come and pick up the caravan.  Jason and I couldn’t decide on what caravan park we were going to stay in, so ended up popping out quickly to check them both out.  The one we thought we would like, as it had everything for kids (jumping pillow, playground and pools), was nice but my gosh it looked cramped and hard to get into and out of the sites. 

So we headed to another one further down the road but actually closer to my sisters place and it was lovely.  Yes nothing for the kids but nice big sites that looked relatively easy to get into.  Nice green grassed areas and some big tall trees added to it but I think the big selling point came with how close it was to the estuary.  At least now we won’t have far to go when we take Hamish crabbing.  Now we had picked a park, we just needed the phone call to come and get the van.  That thankfully came just before lunch and I was rather nervous driving to pick it up.  Mainly because I was just hoping it was all sorted and they had found the real problem with the hot water system as I wasn’t convinced the element was the problem.

This time we took Kayla with us as she was getting rather grumpy so I thought she would just fall asleep.  Well she wasn’t asleep by the time we got to the caravan centre, so in we all went.  I must say I have been very impressed with their service and to call ahead of time to say come and pick it up in an hour just means that you aren’t having to rush back to it straight away.  Justin finally put my mind at ease explaining that the tank inside the hot water system was leaking so they replaced that and also swapped over the element whilst they were there.  So yes a leaking hot water system would explain why it would throw the safety switch on power and sometimes stop the gas from working.

There are ducks at our caravan park - Kayla is happy.

They also installed our carbon monoxide alarm we had bought and checked over the pump that we had the issue with.  He did explain that the pump could have been having trouble switching off if the hot water was leaking which did make sense and I had read it on my google search that one of the tips to fixing it was to make sure no taps were dripping.  However I did not think I had a leaking hot water system and it must have only been a little bit but that is all it takes.  So then we set off to hitch on and take it back to our caravan park.

I had a little scare hitching on as just as I was doing it I heard a guy yell but thankfully it wasn’t involving us, just working in the caravan centre nearly hitting one of the sales people in the yard with one of the vans as they moved it out.  Obviously the sales guy was not watching where he was going as he walked right in front of it.  At least they got a good laugh out of it all and when I looked back down we were perfectly hitched on.  Then it was our normal routine of checking everything was all good before pulling out.  I think we impressed Justin with these checks as he was going to do them but I was all over it and said we had our little routine.  Really wonderful customer service though and I couldn’t fault them one bit.

So we took the van to the park and managed to score our second pick of sites and booked in for the two nights.  Even though we are planning to stay a week I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and pay for a week up front in case the hot water system did go again and we needed to take it back again.  Reception was really nice and they made sure we were on a site that didn’t have anyone booked in for the next week and noted we would most likely extend.  I certainly hope that I will be in the office there on Friday morning paying for the weekend as I really don’t want any more troubles with it.

The drive to the caravan park was interesting, especially since we have found out that it is quite fine for everyone to exit through the entry at some carparks.  Certainly makes trying to turn right in a van even harder.  Made so even worse when they don’t look before taking off!  Once we had quickly set up all the outside furniture, which we keep in the back of the car, we headed back to Jodi’s place.  Sean had arrived home from work so while Jason caught up with him, Jodi and I popped out to the shops to grab some stuff for dinner.  Our plan was for drinks and nibbles watching the sunset over the ocean and then come back to their house for a bbq dinner. 

Once we were back from the shops, Jason and I loaded up all our stuff that we had taken to Jodi’s place into the car (golly gosh we had taken a lot of stuff for one night).  So we ducked back, put all that away and then returned again and headed down to the beach.  The colours of the sunset were beautiful and it was such a treat to watch the sun go down over the ocean.  The kids all had a blast in the water and the sand and before we knew it we were back at the house having a good dinner.  It was a late night by the time we left and when we got back to the van I was happy to see the power was still on and I could enjoy a nice hot shower.  Oh the small things in life are sometimes the best.

Something got the boys attention.

Having a bit of a dig.

Sunset with a seagull photo bombing it.

Cousins having a blast.

Not a bad way to see out a day.

And then it was gone.

Well I woke up and we still had power so that means the hot water is still working.  I do wonder how long it is going to take for me until I start to not worry about it every time I wake up or return to the van.  I guess it is only a matter of time really.  Before we could function though, we needed to stop in at the Miami Bakery for some coffee and delicious morning treats.  It just happens to be perfectly located out the front of our caravan park – what a coincidence!  It is a really great bakery which has won numerous awards over the years.

So today we couldn’t go far as we had the car booked in for its new tyres at 11 so we did some school before meeting the Connolly family down at the information centre/foreshore at 10am.  Jason went in to get some information whilst I stayed outside with Jodi and the kids.  After that Sean followed Jason to the tyre place to bring him back and we enjoyed a picnic on the water front.  It is a lovely area with so much happening and looks like there are great places to eat.  Probably should have chosen one to eat at as the sandwiches I had made were pretty basic and ordinary really.  Oh well we saved some money.

We all managed to fit on one carriage.

Off we go.

Hamish and Hugh on their boat.

The boys took the kids for a  paddle.  The kids came back soaked.

From there we went to a chocolate shop and I had huge expectations but for some reason I just wasn’t in the mood for chocolate.  I hope I am not getting sick as hello I love chocolate normally.  Everyone else had a slice of cake and drink and I just had an ice coffee.  Not even a slice of the very delicious looking cakes!  Obviously my ordinary sandwiches had totally ruined my appetite.  So never going to do that again!

From there it was time to get our car back so the boys all went in one and they picked up the car whilst we girls headed home.  Kayla fell asleep so I was really enjoying the peace and quiet but it didn’t last too long.  Jason loves our new tyres and I have to admit so do I.  Maybe they just make us look like more the part or maybe I feel safer, but they are pretty cool as far as tyres go.  As we were having a roast for dinner the boys headed out to get some more beer.  Two hours later they returned.  I was so worried as I had tried to call and text Jason and hadn’t gotten a response, which is so odd for Jason.  Anyway I was just so relieved when I saw them pulled up in the driveway safe and sound.  It turns out Jason had accidentally left his phone in the car.  God help me when my kids grow up and start to go out!

So another lovely dinner was enjoyed with the Connolly family but this time we headed off home a bit earlier to get the kids to sleep at a more reasonable time, in an effort that they wouldn’t be as tired and cranky the next day.  I even volunteered to babysit Hugh and Madie as Jodi got a call for some relief work next week when Sean is back at work.  I then realised what I had just signed up to. Madie will be a piece of cake but Hugh needs to be constantly watched as he is at that age of putting everything (and I mean everything) in his mouth.  Oh how you easily forget what it is like to have kids at that age.

Friday was finally crabbing day.  Hamish was super doper excited and my brother-in-law Sean arrived spot on time.  Pity we were running a bit behind time with our organisation, however it certainly did not make a difference as to how many crabs we caught.  Absolutely none.  It was such a letdown after having such high hopes of being in the crab capital.  We did actually get two but both were under size.  Still we will not give up and have been told of another area to try.  The water was so nice and shallow so the kids did enjoy walking around in it and we even saw a stingray (thankfully from a distance).

Trying their luck crabbing.

Jason decided to pull out the big guns.

Hamish wasn't too impressed there were no crabs.

After that we headed back to the Mandurah foreshore for a swim and the boys and Jodi tried some paddle boarding.  We were a little late getting there as we seemed to miss-place (i.e. did not put back where they belong) important things like the kayak plug, car keys and even the caravan park boom gate key.  All of which eventually turned up when we started searching in odd places or in the car keys case, where they belonged.  I think it was just going to be one of those days and well to be fair to us we hadn’t had a proper coffee yet.

Sean having a go on the paddle board.  No he didn't fall off!

After a nice picnic lunch we returned to the van.  The idea was to get some school done and send off the last unit of work.  This did not happen though as we suddenly couldn’t open the files necessary on the computer.  So we spent what felt like forever trying to fix it (we knew what caused it… never say yes to a pop up box unless you know what you are saying yes too).  In the end I have worked out a temporary work around so we can continue with school, however that wasted most of the afternoon and it was time to get ready to go out for dinner.

So off we all went, mentally exhausted from a long day with no real coffee included in it.  See that is where we went wrong.  Dinner was down at the local pub with the Connolly family and it was rather busy with kids everywhere.  It was hard to sit down and fully enjoy the meal as kids were being quite loud and active on the playground.  Honestly none of them were being that bad really, just kids having fun but it is hard to relax when others don’t see it that way.  Sometimes I feel people expectations of kids go back to the old era when they were expected to behave like adults.  Childhood only last for a short time, let them enjoy the innocence before they know the worries and judgements of the world.

After we left there we weren’t ready to go home so we headed to the Mandurah night markets and enjoyed strolling up the streets before treating ourselves to some ice-cream (Baskin Robbins) for dessert.  Now that hit the spot and instantly we all felt at ease and happy again.  So off we headed home to get the kids to sleep and start to do some more research into where we go next.

We had big plans for Saturday as I had booked us into a cruise of the Mandurah canals and estuary.  So after a really slow start thanks to Kayla who decided she needed a bigger bed to sleep in, we managed to do a bit of school and be out ready to board the boat.  Of course we got a little lost getting there as I had in my head the wrong place to go but had luckily also put the flyer in my bag which had the address.  The cruise was wonderful and just the right length really.  We got to see the new canal living area which they refer to as little Venice.  It looks quite cool and we want to go back and explore it on foot.  Mind you I couldn’t live there now as there is no room for kids to run around but I can see why the retirees or young couples would love it

Just a little boat.

Loving the cruise.

Little Venice - didn't do it justice.

Then we got to see two dolphins swimming around so naturally the kids just loved that.  From here the cruise took us into the canal area so we could all admire and dream of owning the massive homes on the canal front.  It seems to me that even if they bought a double block they just built bigger homes rather than having a yard.  Oh and most of them were holiday homes.  I think the cruise said that about 40% of them were empty the majority of the year.  We did see one we liked, probably because it also had a tennis court and was right near the park but I highly doubt we will ever be able to afford that.  Oh and in case we were thinking of buying a block the cruise did inform us that the land costs about 1 million dollars and you have to build a house that is of the same value or more.  They specifically mentioned that you can’t park a caravan on it!  Well there goes that plan!

One of the dolphins.

Jason's favourite house.

The one had won lot of surprises.

The biggest house.

I thought this one looked cool, pitty it had no garden.

Finally they took us into the estuary for a look around before docking, just in time for lunch.  My brother in law had told Jason that there was a place nearby that did great chowder so of course Jason wanted to try it.  Lucky for us it was right near where the boat docked so off we went for lunch.  The meal was great and had really nice views out over the water.  If I had my time again I would have booked a table near the fish tank as that would have kept the kids entertained for ages.

Great place for a meal.

After this we all felt a bit tired so headed back to the van for a rest.  Kayla of course didn’t rest, therefore making it hard for any of us to fully have a nap.  Still it was probably a good thing as I had arranged for us to go and meet some fellow Coromal Caravan owners ‘Tracey and Steve’ who were camping around on the other side of the estuary.  The drive around was really scenic and before we knew it we were there.  The kids loved checking out their van.  I on the other hand kept having a heart attack at the mess they were making.  It was so great to meet them and we got some great suggestions of places to visit and camp when we head down south.  I have already gone in and booked marked them all before I forget. 

Tracey and the kids holding the cool placemats she gave them.

Even better was that Steve gave Jason some tips for crabbing and that we should go out at night to see if we can find any.  So of course that was what Jason wanted to do that night.  After we said goodbye to Steve and Tracey and thanked them for their wonderful hospitality we headed straight home.  Kayla of course decided to have a nap on the way home – typical.  The rest of the evening went by in a blur as I was super tired, but I did meet and chat to our neighbour as he had a disco ball radio outside so of course it drew the kids over to his motorhome.  Mind you when Hamish kept trying to turn it up and down in volume it was a clear sign the kids were ready for bed.

I crashed as soon as I had finished reading the book to the kids.  I have no idea if they went to sleep at the same time or not but I was out to it.  Jason on the other hand did not go straight to bed and actually went out looking for crabs.  He managed to see six and tried to catch one in his bucket but he really needed a scoop thingy that all the locals around here have.  So I think he will be hitting up my brother in law tonight to see if he can borrow his.  I am glad he got to go out and enjoy that on his own while the rest of us got our much needed sleep.