Friday, September 7, 2012

The Glow Family Road Trip, now with bonus map

On Sunday, I'm heading out on a 1200km road trip. One thousand, two hundred kilometers.When I spell it out it seems so much longer and all of a sudden I'm wondering what the hell I've gotten myself in to. 1200km of being cooped up in a car, singing endless renditions of Old MacDonald, passing innumerable snacks to the back seat before capitulating and handing over the iPad.

For most of it, there will just be the three of us. One husband. One wife. One child. Unlike our other road trips, this one will be sans farting dog who is staying home with a sitter. Already, it's ten times better than any previous car trip.

Like any family holiday, a bit of planning goes in to it. And if you're Map Guy and have wanted to create maps since you were seven years old and asked your dad what the person who makes the maps is called, a little bit of mapping goes in to it too.

Behold, the Glow Family Road Trip Infographic:

That's not just a squiggle, that's our actual route. And those icons? Exactly what we'll be doing or seeing at each stop. The man has too much time on his hands is a genius.

I'm looking forward to visiting the biggest free entry playground in Australia, a winery, an Alpaca farm, a winery, a lavender and berry farm, a winery, The Cidery, a winery, a "hands-on-feed-the-animals" farm, a winery, the home of the best steak sandwich in country WA and visiting a few wineries. 

I'm looking forward to it being just us with nothing to interrupt our time together (1,2,3, nawww). And, though it's hard to believe, I'm actually looking forward to the severely restricted mobile internet coverage in regional WA.

So if you don't hear from me for a week, don't worry. If you don't hear from me in two weeks, print out this map and give it to the police - we'll be somewhere along it.

I've got some lovely bloggers guest posting for me while I'm away, so show them some lovin' and if you're feeling particularly generous share their posts - because I won't be able to!

Do you do giant road trips? Are there wineries involved?

32 comments:

  1. If there is no wine left in Albany by the time you get there..... I'm sorry.... X :-p

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  2. No Gloucester Tree climb? Or Tree Top Walk? Perhaps that is for the best after stopping in at all those wineries. Have fun.

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  3. I love this. The kids could highlight the parts you have been to as we went.

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  4. Sounds like a great holiday! We do road trips nearly every weekend in Spring & Summer, down south, where we do around 500km in a day - 250km down & around and then 250km back up. Everyone thinks we're crazy but we love it and we head down to Dunsborough or Yallingup or Margaret River, have some lunch, a wander and then drive back home!

    Enjoy every minute!

    p.s. That playground in Donnybrook looks awesome, it was packed last time we were down there and the kids were having a ball :-)

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  5. Ah, that looks like exactly what my parents are doing right about now, with a side trip to Pingrup to look at their old farm! Enjoy it - I love driving holidays too and that map is fantastic!!

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  6. I've pleaded with my husband to take a road trip but he refuses to be in the car with the kids for that long. "Across the Nullabor?" I asked. "How boring, there's nothing there. And if we broke down you'd go all paranoid and Wolf Creek on me." was his reply. Sounds like a great trip, have you considered stopping at a winery? Enjoy x

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  7. I think you need to fit in more wineries.

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  8. We go down south every year and love it! We've got a trip planned for the end of October. :) My recommendations - Hidden River (winery and cafe) in Pemberton - great wine, good food and a playground. ;p Also Salitage is good in Pemberton too. Pentland Alpaca Farm in Denmark is fab - just make sure you stay for the animal feeding. It's SOOO much fun! :D Oh, and go to the award-winning pie shop in Denmark. I dream about those pies! And Whale World in Albany is freaky. There is a soundtrack. It is not pretty whale-song noises, it is more like creepy whale-death noises.

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  9. Would love to do a road trip like this one day. But the odds of one parent to two kids terrify me. Have a fab time!

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  10. We did similar this time last year - but went from Wagin to Pemberton. Donnybrook playground is so much fun - and the wine, oh the wine xx

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  11. Damn, that trip sounds awesome! I remember doing some road trips, across states. And some others, where I was far too little to either care or remember.
    I want some sort of road trip, maybe do a winery tour around the state! haha

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  12. Oooh! I'm slightly jealous (well ok.. a LOT jealous). When I lived in Rockingham for about 3 years, I'd always planned on heading south and checking out everything. I never did it... and I kick myself for it every time I hear "Margaret River" uttered! Have fun!!! It's going to be quiet around here without you... you'll still have twitter right???? xo

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  13. No! No twitter! I'll have nothing on my phone cos I have a crappy provider, and Map Guy will have only a little bit in the major towns. Once we get to Albany we'll be back online :)

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  14. Definitely, Connie! Doooo iiiiiit!

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  15. Do you think it's wise to combine wine and the Donnybrook playground???

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  16. You can do it! Have activity books and spotto games ready to go!

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  17. We're going to the Pentland Alpaca Farm!!!! Can't wait for Tricky to feed them :) I will keep my eye out for Hidden River, sounds great!

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  18. I know. There is simply not enough. Shame on me.

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  19. I did a train ride across the Nullabor... it broke down. Thankfully no Wolf Creek-esque behaviour was noted! And FAB suggestion Kelly, I think I might look out for a winery to stop at!

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  20. I will now ask everyone we meet "Is your daughter called Mary and did you have a farm in Pingrup?"

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  21. LOVE me a good one day trip - we've done a couple of those to visit friends in Bunbury. The only down side to it is that, you know, it's Bunbury :P

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  22. YES! Great idea, Claire! Map Guy used to make a map and mark it off when he was little apparently. They did massive road trips up to the top of Australia when he was little.

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  23. Not doing the Gloucester Tree but we are doing the Tree Top Walk :) And definitely not after the winery!!! x

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  24. Bloody hell woman, leave me a little bit! Don't make me drink beer!!! xxxx

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  25. Isn't it a given that wine is required to survive all playgrounds???? ;)

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  26. Yvette @ DTlilsquirtsSeptember 9, 2012 at 10:08 AM

    Enjoy!! We did donnybrook on the way to margs a few weeks ago!! The cidery there wasnt open on the friday - which was a pooey!!

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  27. You will be happy to know there is wine left! :)

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  28. Oooh - That is a fabulous trip! Way back when I worked in FNQ, I had a conference in Esperance (which was great to visit when you get to fly there) and my husband met me in Perth and we took a weeks holiday before going back to FNQ. We drove down the coast to the SW corner of the country, then across the bottom to Albany. I loved the MASSIVE forests, the tree-top walk, the mill and train ride at Pemberton, the roaring ocean, the surf comp at Margaret River, and the vastly different landscape from tropical north Queensland (I am still amazes at what grows on such poor soil in WA!). Oh God - I also looooved the wine! I had my 29th birthday the day we drove through Mt Barker where my husband bought me a lovely jewellery box made from a jarrah burl. Can't wait to see your photos!

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