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:

Photo Source

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?