The Long Way Home - The Happy Optimists

10/07/2025

🐝 😎

29/05/2025

How wild and crazy is this- 🙌🏻

24/04/2025

Macquarie River and 2 great Free camps

The beautiful Macquarie River and Free camps Ponto Falls and a very small tucked away freebie with only enough room for 2 big van, but swags and off road campers… this is a winner if silence in nature is your thing. From Geurie, jump onto Old Dubbo Road and head to Brilbral Reserve. The roads better from that way rather than Dubbo which is loaded with eeeerrrrs.

We are so lucky to have areas provide us with these beautiful places.

Thanks Dubbo Wellington Region ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

24/04/2025

🌿 Wandering Through Dubbo’s Tranquil Treasure - Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden

⭐️⭐️Top tips. ⭐️⭐️

💫Check the map out at the front! Make sure you see all the Gardens!

💫Take a picnic and water enjoy the beautiful space

Tucked away in the heart of Dubbo, we stumbled across something truly special – the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden. A peaceful, beautifully curated haven, this garden offers more than just plants – it’s a journey through culture, connection, and calm.

Set just off Coronation Drive in East Dubbo, the garden is made up of five distinct spaces, each with its own flavour and purpose:

Shoyoen Japanese Garden – An exquisite reflection of friendship between Dubbo and its sister city, Minokamo. Picture koi-filled ponds, traditional wooden bridges, and delicate maples whispering in the breeze. It’s serene, soulful, and absolutely stunning.

Sensory Garden – Created to engage all five senses, this space invites you to slow down and tune in. The textures, scents, and sounds here feel like a meditation in motion.

Wiradjuri Garden – This deeply respectful space honours the Traditional Custodians of the land. With native plants significant to the Wiradjuri people and a design that echoes the region’s rivers, it’s both grounding and inspiring.

Biodiversity Garden & Oasis Valley – Together, these areas showcase the diverse native flora of the region, with shady walking paths perfect for quiet reflection or a breezy stroll.

The entire space is free to enter and open daily – a true gift to the community and travellers alike. We are planing visits over the years as the seasons change and the gardens grow.

If you’re passing through Dubbo, don’t miss this.
It’s the kind of place that gently wraps around you, reminding you to breathe, connect, and just be. We’ll definitely be back – and next time, with a picnic rug in tow.

Have you visited? I’d love to hear what you enjoyed the most.

29/03/2025

How good are these!

No more glass bottles in the caravan.

Customisation of our 'The Standard Squeeze' bottles turned out awesome.

The Standard Squeeze

11/02/2025

Know your weight - that’s thee latest QLD police warning

With close to a million registered caravans on our roads, the risk factor appears to only be rising.

01/01/2025

We are planing our next van for our next lap and I found this 🤭 I’m wondering how I can make the top pop up 😂 it’s so awesome.

In the late 19th century, caravans were more than transport—they were symbols of freedom and resilience. Romani communities popularised vibrant, artful “vardos,” while performers, merchants, and adventurers embraced caravans to escape urban life.

✨✨✨Fun Facts (apparently 🤣)✨✨✨
The Victorian era brought a caravanning craze among the wealthy, with ornate, handcrafted wagons blending elegance and practicality. These mobile retreats offered an escape from polluted cities to the countryside.

Caravans also doubled as traveling theaters and trade hubs, bringing goods, stories, and entertainment to remote villages. Although motor vehicles eventually replaced horse-drawn caravans, their nostalgic charm endures, sparking modern-day inspiration and a timeless spirit of adventure and freedom - 🙌🏻

31/12/2024

Koala spam 💚 ok it’s not free lol but $6 to book in and stay for free 🙌🏻🐨💚 Sandy Bend Murrumbidgee Valley National Park - thank you

07/10/2024

If you’re ever around the Southern Highlands of NSW Sutton Forest has the most incredible place. Red Cow Farm This place pleas once a barren landscape with only cattle yards and a house. Now it’s the most stunning and vibrant garden- such a credit to the owners. Full of WOW factors and so peaceful.

✨✨✨Top tips: ✨✨✨
Take a book and a picnic lunch relax and enjoy nature.

If you’re a garden buff or just someone that loves regeneration and Traquil surrounds this place is all of those.

$15 per head
There is a discount rate for pensions and student

https://redcowfarm.com.au/the-garden/

06/10/2024

Awesome mystery drive today - out via Bannaby across the Tarlo River and up to Taralga. Not Caravan worthy - but awesome for 4Wd and a camper trailer.

15/09/2024

The Illawarra Rhododendron and Rainforest Gardens in Wollongong are a beautiful destination located at Mount Pleasant, under the Wollongong escarpment. Spanning 13 hectares, these gardens feature an impressive collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, and both native and exotic plants. Though spring is the best time to see the gardens in full bloom, their thoughtful design ensures that there is always something to admire throughout the year.

The gardens also provide an important habitat for wildlife, including birds, frogs, and even echidnas. Visitors can explore via a network of brick and grass paths, winding around the gardens and the peaceful lake. For those looking for a bit more adventure, there are bush tracks through the Illawarra escarpment rainforest, where you can find the May Barrie sculpture and the towering red cedars and fig trees.

The gardens are a popular spot for quiet picnics, leisurely walks, and even weddings. With picnic facilities, BBQ areas, and public toilets available, it’s a family-friendly destination suitable for all ages and mobility levels. The entry fee is $5 per adult, which helps maintain this tranquil space, and they are open on weekends and public holidays from 10 am to 5 pm.

For more information, you can visit the garden’s official page or plan a trip to experience its natural beauty firsthand

24/04/2024

When you buy a tent from Temu 😂