- Hi, I'm Stephen.
And that's my beautiful wife, Jess.
And this is our little daughter Hunter.
We packed up our home,
moved into a van full-time
to travel around our home of Australia.
On last week's episode, we traded Cooper the van
for a home that floats.
- Oh my gosh, we're going (screams)
- Okay
- No, you do it, you do it.
- Okay, wait wait let me just...
This week we continue our adventures
in the great Aussie Outback.
- So, our battery just died.
- One of the hottest days we've had so far,
which meant Hunter skipped her nap.
(baby crying)
- Well, I was just about to say
we survived the hike with a sleepy baby.
- Hi friends,
It's six in the morning,
and I can't believe we're doing this a second time.
- So, another day of leaving a very busy campground.
I feel like we cannot be the only country right now
that's going through this because
at the moment you can't leave Australia.
And so the safest way to travel is your own backyard,
which means I think there are way more caravans
and camper vans on the road
in Australia than probably ever before.
Do you think, Steve?
- (Stephen) Sure, I'm sure.
- It's wild.
So all the campgrounds are always so booked up
and today we're going to a place that is very popular,
which means we are assuming that the campsite on location
is going to be busy,
so we've left bright and early to get there.
But a lot of you guys have also been asking
why we haven't been wild camping.
And I don't know about the rules in different countries,
but here in Australia,
that are some places where you aren't allowed.
So when we were in Broome,
you have to stay as like, in a designated campground.
We are off today to Bitter Springs,
which I think this may be the most amazing hot springs
here in the county.
(indie rock music)
♪ We'll carve our names in the sidewalk of life ♪
♪ We'll leave our mark for everyone behind ♪
♪ You've got your friends ♪
♪ I got mine, we're a big happy family ♪
- (Jess) So, got a quite line, at 8 a.m.
- (Stephen) Three people behind me, show the side.
- (Jess) So we managed to grab this big shady campground.
Hunter is absolutely so excited
because there are a lot of dogs here at the park as well,
which she's very excited about.
Stephen's currently setting up,
we've got a powered site and when we were leaving,
two people saw Hunter and gave us their pool noodles
to use in the springs, which was so nice.
Plus, this place has laundry.
So, I'm going to go put on washing.
And then I think we're going to
spend our days at the springs.
What did you work out? We just had a big revelation.
There's a crocodile in your book.
Yes, a crocodile.
Oh, that kinda looks like a crocodile.
It's a big green dragon.
- (Stephen) Honestly feels a little bit
like an oasis out here, so much sand,
and then you just see these beautiful tall palm trees.
- Ready?
What have we got here?
- (Stephen) Um, how big... (laughs)
- How big's this gonna be?
What is this, Hunter?
She looks shocked.
- (Stephen) Wow.
How clear and beautiful is this spot? (gasps)
So warm as well.
(folk music)
♪ They find a getaway ♪
(family chatting and laughing)
♪ Say hello to a new day ♪
- It's almost like a nature-made lazy river.
It just takes you down, but it's a lazy river,
it's warm
But the next coolest thing,
this is some of the clearest waters we've ever swam in.
Let me show you guys.
(upbeat indie rock music)
♪ Oh yeah, sometimes nothing's all you need ♪
♪ When you're stripped of all your armor ♪
♪ You can finally feel the breeze ♪
♪ Ooh ooh, we're living in the moment ♪
Definitely if you... (laughs)
(baby laughs)
definitely every time she sees me talking to the guys,
she thinks it's the funniest thing.
Definitely worth coming out here to Bitter Springs,
if you're doing the drive down to Alice Springs.
Those hot springs are so unbelievably unique,
so what you do is you just jump
in your pool noodle at one end and then it just floats,
You just float down the river
and then you come up to the other end,
jump out the ladder, walk all the way back, rinse, repeat.
And this one has absolutely loved it.
So we've pretty much just been
in and out of the springs the entire day.
(indie rock music plays)
- Good morning, everyone. Today is quite a big day.
We just passed a sign that said
1000 kilometers until Alice Springs.
And we are now getting into that part of the drive where
you're kind of in the middle of nowhere,
so you want to get a lot of Ks done in a day.
So today the goal is we've headed on the road
and we're just gonna drive until we give up.
So we don't know where (Stephen laughs)
we don't know where we're gonna end today,
but we're all set up ready for Hunter and the long drive.
I just have that pile of books and flashcards
and anything basically that's going to
keep the little one entertained.
But we've left during nap time, always recommend,
so she's now dozing off and we're going to get some Ks in.
(indie rock music)
♪ I, it can pass you by ♪
♪ It can be your road ♪
♪ A road worth traveling ♪
- All right, it's 12 o'clock
And I think today it is worth not cooking lunch.
(baby giggles)
Today it's worth not cooking lunch in the van today
because here in Daly Waters there is a pub,
Daly Waters Pub, it is almost a hundred years old.
So we have to check it out.
An Aussie Outback pub.
(soft guitar music)
Helicopter!
♪ He's always looking for me ♪
- We need Cooper's license plate,
but how awesome would it be if we could add him on here?
So you guys come pass in the middle of nowhere and see him.
- This looks like it would be an amazing place to stay.
It looks like they do live music,
there's like a bucking bull,
but we've just stopped for lunch.
And they were serving bruschetta Aussie style.
So it's bruschetta served on damper.
- (Stephen) Let us know what that's like.
(baby grumbles)
- Mmm.
That is yummy.
Want some?
(truck engine revs)
(country guitar music)
- Probably the strangest place I've filled up.
- (Jess) Outback servo?
- You just take a photo, head in to the pub.
(country instrumental music)
(laughing)
(funky country soul music)
♪ We were born a way back ♪
♪ In the hills, in a shack ♪
♪ We were the oldest ones of ten ♪
(family laughing)
♪ On one hot and sultry day ♪
♪ Mom got sick and passed away ♪
♪ Giving birth to baby brother Ben ♪
- (Jess) You need to walk before you run!
♪ When our mama was laid to rest ♪
(Jess laughs)
- (Jess) Maybe you need to play that song,
I get knocked down, but I get up again.
She just decided today's the day.
Yee-haw! (laughing)
See, this is why I went and bought a new hat.
- So I think we drove for around five, six hours.
We got here around four o'clock
and we saw a turnoff around sunset
for a place called Banka Banka Station.
They said they have campfires, live country music,
and we said, well, that's just perfect.
So we've pulled in.
Think in about 10 minutes time, the music's gonna start,
the campfire's gonna start.
And I think they have a bar made out of mud.
- (live country singer) This dirty old sidewalk
(country rock music)
♪ Finally caught up with... ♪
- So today our road trip continues,
we're getting so close to Alice.
There's still one spot we wanted to check out.
We've just come to Devils Marbles.
It is such a unique spot in the middle of nowhere.
There are just these perfectly round boulders everywhere.
And we saw that there was a campground,
So we're going to go in and see if there's some spots,
because I think this is going to be
a pretty unique spot to spend the night.
- So it's just pretty much an honesty system here.
Four bucks each to stay a night,
you just fill in an envelope, pop it in,
and then you can camp, which is kind of cool.
There isn't really any facilities here,
it's just a spot to park your camper van.
(car engine revs)
- Well, that was an afternoon.
- So today has been a day of all days.
It has been 40 plus degree heat.
So decided to put up our recently fixed awning,
just a shader, just to cool the area down.
And then we had the sand storm aka the cloud monster
from James and the Giant Peach
come through and destroy our recently fixed awning,
the part that it gets plugged into on the van,
that just got ripped off as if it was a piece of plastic.
So with the sand storm, the 40 degree plus heat,
we decided to hide inside.
We all went a little bit cuckoo.
(baby squeals)
We haven't really plugged into power the last few days
and abused the air-con.
- So, our battery just died
- And we had no idea what to do.
Thankfully it just a quick reset and we got it back on,
but now we just have a little fan to cool the van down
in one of the hottest days we've had so far,
which meant Hunter skipped her nap
and we're about to go hike the Marbles.
So let's see how the rest of this afternoon goes.
(folk guitar music)
- So we're just coming out to a little lookout
and I can see why they call it Devils Marbles,
because it feels like you could just
push one of these perfectly round boulders
and they would just roll down the hill.
- The local aboriginals call this place Karlu Karlu,
and it has been a meeting place for hundreds of generations.
- You get parched on these hikes, huh?
- (Stephen) She's doing the most work.
- It's like she's just run a marathon (laughs)
(indie easy rock music)
♪ You brought me to your favorite place to eat ♪
♪ You pride yourself on your taste in company ♪
- We are currently between a split rock,
as if Zeus had sent a lightning bolt
through one of these marbles. This is so cool.
This one just thinks she's in a jungle gym at the moment.
- (Jess) She's trying to go through (laughs)
I definitely do think that these are one of those places
that you need to see at sunrise and sunset.
So if there are spots at the campground,
I recommend grabbing a spot because this place during sunset
I'm not gonna sing
(singing) Shoo fly, don't bother me
Shoo fly, don't bother me
Don't bother Jerry.
- (Stephen) Who's Jerry?
- Is this the right way?
(baby crying)
I was just about to say,
we survived a hike with a sleepy baby.
Is that the end of it? Is that what you think of it?
I've got another person behind the camera
ordering me to make him tacos.
- (Stephen) I can make the tacos.
- I'll make the tacos. Hopefully we've got electricity now.
- (Stephen) Why? There's been no sun, oh yeah.
- There's been sun.
- (Stephen) for a solar top top
- We're in Australia, there's definitely been sun
(laughing)
- Somebody ready for bed?
Yes, somebody ready for bed.
- (Jess) That's bed bed bed bed bed.
- That bed? Yeah bed bed bed bed bed and tacos.
That's a truck.
(chill electronic music)
♪ Say you'll come with me, move back ♪
♪ Say we'll spend our days parading through the library ♪
♪ And I will offer you my hand and you'll ask me to dance ♪
♪ A senior citizen romance ♪
♪ It's true, I see myself with you ♪
- Peek-a-boo! (laughing)
Morning!
We decided seeing as we stayed the night,
we may as well enjoy our coffee and our breakfast
with this amazing view.
(baby squeals)
- So after dancing with the devil just one last time,
we packed up and continued our journey south
with one last unexpected stop on the cards.
Hey!
(sci-fi music)
- (Stephen) Stick your head through, Jess (laughing)
- Welcome to the UFO capital of Australia.
- (Stephen) She's like, get me away from that.
- Aw (laughing)
- So welcome to Wycliffe Well,
probably the cheesiest spot we've come across
on our travels so far.
It's hard to explain,
like my expectations were already low pulling up,
but somehow seeing it in person was even lower.
I think we'll get fuel somewhere else.
- Alright. 1500 kilometers later,
we've officially made it from Darwin
all the way to Alice Springs.
- Whoo hoo! I can't believe we made it.
Wow.
What an adventure. We saw so much.
(upbeat music with whistling)
- So, Sundays is pancake day here at the caravan park.
- (Stephen) We're ready to get some pancakes.
- Thanks.
This is like the best campground.
It doesn't only just do pancakes on Sundays,
our spot has its own en-suite, so we have our own bathroom.
And, it has a water slide and a massive jumping pillow.
Hunter is just loving it.
Oh, and go carts.
- And go carts.
(upbeat rock music plays)
♪ It's about time, I've been waiting ♪
♪ I've been waiting for so long ♪
♪ It's about time, I can feel it ♪
♪ I can feel it coming on ♪
♪ There's a magic moment ♪
♪ Hanging on ♪
♪ It's about time, it's about time ♪
(baby crying)
- Someone's afraid of helmets.
(baby laughing)