Sunday, January 29, 2017

Sunday's Seven Snapshots: Houseboat Holiday

Okay.  Yea.  There's probably going to be more than seven snapshots this Sunday, but hey, I was on holiday...

Thursday was AUSTRALIA DAY!  It was also the last weekend before school starts back up for the stepkid.  We figured a long weekend getaway was called for, so we rented a houseboat.  This is something my guy has wanted to do for years, and it's on my "50 Before 50" list.  Win all around.

This was our "luxury" houseboat.  We decided the business should be called "Friendly Houseboat Hire" or "Myall Lakes Houseboat Hire" because I think "luxury" might have been a little misleading.  But, it was fine.  Seriously. 

Think RV or caravan, but on water.  My biggest piece of advice: don't rent a houseboat with people that you don't want to be trapped in a small space with, 24/7, can't get away, for a few days. 

Where we rented is about 3.5 hours north of where we live.  You start by driving for about 2 hours down a river that spills you into a lake system of 4 separate freshwater lakes.  The first day was overcast, and the river reminded me of Louisiana swamps. 

What did we do for 4 days and 3 nights?  Relaxed and rejuvenated.  Yes, we had pretty decent phone service and charging abilities, but I made a point to take a few pictures, then put the phone away. 

I disconnected from the phone and the rest of the world, and I inhaled fresh air while connecting with my two favorite guys. 

There were several places to anchor or moor and go on some hikes as this set of lakes is apart of the Myall Lakes National Park.  We did this a couple of times.  One hike took us to a BEAUTIFUL beach, but I had been swimming and didn't have my phone with me, so you don't get a picture except this one that I borrowed from the internet:

The boys fished a little but didn't catch much.

We swam.  The bottom is sandy and no dangerous Australian animals such as stingers, crocodiles, or sharks anywhere.  That's a bonus. 

I did a little driving from time to time.  It is a cruising boat...not a speed boat...so it doesn't go anywhere fast.

Mostly, I helped navigate.  Or, really, I helped decide where to go/what to do by pointing on the map.  Then, my guy got us there while I read, relaxed, and got some sun.

Finished one great book and started another

Got a little sun

Checked out some of the locals like watching pelicans fish for food, watching a goanna stroll on a boat dock, feeding the greedy ducks, and watching the black swans glide across the water.

We played monopoly, watched a couple of movies (by the way, " Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" movie is actually pretty entertaining), and took in these views:












I got back to reality, had a few news notifications, and discovered Donald Trump's attempt to halt refugees from certain countries and targeting certain religions, and my blood immediately began to boil...but, I refused to let it ruin this trip.  So that topic will be for another day's post.

Have you ever stayed on a houseboat?  Would you?

15 comments:

  1. You know, I don't think I've ever considered renting a houseboat, but I definitely would now. It looks like you had a great little getaway to reconnect and recharge. Given Trump's activity since taking office, I think that (reconnecting with ppl that matter and nature and recharging our souls) is something we all are going to need more of in the next four years.

    Lovely photos by the way!

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  2. This looks so relaxing, I would love to do something like that. Love the sunset pictures!

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  3. This looks amazing! Such a fun holiday. And those views! Aaahhh.

    I think disconnecting from everything and ignoring the news for a few days once in a while is going to be necessary for everyone's sanity for a while :-/

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  4. How I wish I'd been lounging on a houseboat instead of watching this country crumble down around me. *sigh*
    That looks heavenly! So much downtime and swimming and reading and family time- I love it!! I loved all your Snaps and IG pics. I was worried about crazy Australian wildlife, but I'm glad you didn't have to fight off any alligators or sharks! :)

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  5. This looks like it was so much fun. I would totally be down for something like this. Sooo much reading time.. and puzzle time. Although Teh German would go nuts without wifi.

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  6. this has never been on my to do list, but all your snaps and such totally make me want to. i don't know how to drive a boat though haha. but it looks like tons of fun to relax and do nothing. was that book good? i had it from the library but didn't read it in time.

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  7. I've never stayed on a houseboat but I think it would be fun - but I'd definitely take your rule of be sure you want to be with these people 24/7 seriously! I like my alone time and can get cranky without some! :D The pics are beautiful and you were so smart to take a break from electronics and just relax.

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  8. My family did a houseboat rental vacation when I was a kid and I loved it SO much! I totally want to do it again! It looks amazing!

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  9. Going on a houseboat trip really does sound like such a blast, although I'm pretty sure that I would have been scared to drive it. And hooray for getting to go swimming without fear of something biting you!

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  10. Gorgeous photos!!! Looks like such a relaxing time! My entire extended family did a houseboat vacation over a long weekend when I was a teenager and we had 3 houseboats between all of us...it was a great time! So much fun swimming, spending tons of quality time with my cousins, hiking, hot-tubbing (ours were pretty luxurious!) and driving. Loved it :) I would love to do it with my kids someday!

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  11. Happy Australia Day! It looks like you guys had a great weekend! I have never been on a houseboat before but I think it would be totally cool for a weekend.

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  12. It looks so warm and lovely.
    Glad you got to spend time together relaxing before school begins!

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  13. Oh this looks like a blast! I would love to do something like this some day. Oh my, dangerous poisonous animals sounds not great. hahah Glad you were able to avoid them. I loved seeing your snap story! I was moving... so yeah.. this looked amazing! hehe XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  14. Your houseboat adventure looks like it was AWESOME! Glad you got a few days to relax (and you got to check it off your bucket list! )

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