maiden voyage away

Our First Adventure in Henry:
A Long Weekend at Ellis Beach

What an exciting long weekend it was!

We sorted our clothes and added them to the plethora of stuff we’d already spent the week squirrelling away and loading up into our newly acquired motorhome Henry, and headed north east to beautiful Ellis Beach.
This trip marked our very first adventure away in Henry, and we couldn’t have been more excited.

Setting Off

We had our two older dogs Hamish and Molly booked into the kennels again this time round, so that was our first stop around 30 minutes after leaving home.
 We didn’t want to overwhelm ourselves or our ‘youngest’ dog Mabi, who was also going to be on her maiden voyage away with us.
All three dogs travelled well, tethered by seat-belts on the bed that we had made for them by temporarily converting the dining area.

We had decided to book a powered site at the caravan park – which we thought would be a good choice for our inaugural MoHo trip – as we spent time learning some (though we’re sure not all!) of his little quirks.

We stayed at: Ellis Beach Caravan Park
[Sept’24 prices: $68pn + $10pn for dogs!!]
The above cost was for a large site with power and water supplied, and included an area next to the motorhome, that was ‘carpeted’ with soft-under-foot astroturf.

Sandy Beach Tails

Ellis Beach is stunning, with its golden sands and gentle waves, and some very picturesque rocky outcrops – the perfect place for long walks, and the whole beach – apart from where the designated swimming area is between the flags; is dog friendly.

Mabi had a blast exploring the beach, playing in the ocean waves for the first time ever, and discovering all sorts of unusual smells.

The joy mixed with uncertainty as she bounded through the waves was priceless, and the different surroundings left her both energised and exhausted, in equal amounts.

Mabi was recently diagnosed with Addisons disease, so we’re closely monitoring her health during adventures like this.
It will be interesting to see how her blood tests turn out after this trip, especially considering the new environment and her medication adjustments.

Speaking of Mabi, this trip was extra special as we celebrated her 8th birthday while we were away.
To mark the occasion, she indulged in her favourite birthday-only treat of a sausage roll, which also served as her birthday cake.
There’s nothing quite like a happy puppa!

Highlights of Our Trip

Throughout the weekend, we experienced a myriad of wonderful moments:

• Beach Walks: We took many many manyyyy strolls along the shore, soaking up the sun and fresh sea breeze, and the gloriously fresh water — it was absolutely lovely! We ended up walking over 30kms over the weekend.
• Dining Out: We made a couple of visits across the road to the Ellis Beach Hotel. (Insert link)
If you’re ever in the area, we highly recommend stopping in, as it has excellent food and welcoming atmosphere – it’s also very super dog friendly.
• Dog Encounters: Mabi met plenty of new dog friends during our stay. While she still feels a bit anxious around other pups, she handled it remarkably well, with only a few anxious barks here and there.
• Socialising: Mabi adores meeting new people, and it was heartwarming to see her receive so many pats and scratches from fellow campers and patrons. We also got to meet a lovely couple from the Daintree.
  Mabi did an amazing job of adapting to being tethered for the majority of the weekend, whenever we were outdoors. 
She has had only minimal training with being tethered, so we were very impressed by how well she adjusted!
• Organisational Insights: We quickly realised that we have enough “pre-emptive” storage containers in Henry to start a pop-up shop! 
We’ve already been contemplating the best organisational strategies and will likely need to empty every single cupboard multiple times before settling on a system that works for us.
 We may be seriously considering the popup shop idea, for all the extra containers we’re anticipating that we’ll have left!
• Air Conditioning: The air conditioning unit needs some love. It’s quite loud — actually it’s so loud we can’t actually hear each other over it! 
For now, we’re only using it for quick cool-downs inside, while we’re outside working or relaxing, or when we’re out and about on a dog walk.
• Morning Rituals: There’s nothing like a brisk early morning walk on the beach as the sun rises with an excited furry co-pilot. 
It’s a fantastic way to start the day and set a positive tone, before coming back home to enjoy a cuppa and a gentle start to the day.
• Kitchen Luxuries: Having a ‘proper’ kitchen in Henry feels like such a weird luxury!
  After 8 years of washing dishes outside both at home and at campsites, it’s quite a change to do them inside!

Final Thoughts

Our long weekend at Ellis Beach was a delightful escape filled with new experiences, relaxation, and cherished moments with each other, and with Mabi.

We have decided to not yet take the other dogs on these initial early outings, until we have a better grasp of how things will need to be set-up to best suit everyone; and we also want Mabi to have an established ‘routine’ before adding even more elements to the mix.

It was a learning adventure in so many ways, from navigating our motorhome to understanding Mabi’s needs better; and as we packed up to head home, we couldn’t help but feel grateful for our little family, the amazingly beautiful country we live in, and for the joy of exploring the great outdoors together.

Here’s to many more adventures in Henry!

Have you been, or are you now on the road with your furry friend; or thinking about hitting the road in the future with your canine or feline companion?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below about your travels or plans – even if you don’t have any animals with you!!

After our experiences this weekend, we’d say: Don’t hesitate!
Get out there and enjoy this big beautiful land we get to call Home.
Just remember to plan ahead and embrace the unexpected…

Until next time – happy travels, and make the moments matter.

Ready for the weekend – let the relaxation begin…

 

Early mornings on the beach were just spectacular!