Those who follow us on Facebook or Instagram, would have seen that recently Rog and I hit the road for an epic adventure across parts of Queensland and New South Wales. The goal of our road trip? To visit our amazing stockists, meet new ones, and expand the places where you can buy and try Slappas Thongs!

Setting Off from Darwin

Our adventure began in Darwin, where Slappas Thongs was born 15 years ago at the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. We set off down the Stuart Highway, turning left onto the Barkly Highway, ready to cover thousands of kilometers. For me, it was my first time driving the Barkly, and while the road is pretty straight and quiet, the journey felt exciting and new. Rog had driven it before bringing the Slappas Kombi bought from Maitland, NSW, back to Darwin. We were both looking forward to what the trip had in store.

Meeting Our Stockists and Welcoming New Ones

The journey saw us traveling through and stopping at some wonderful outback towns like Camooweal, Winton, Longreach, Mitchell just to name a few. It was great to meet so many of our current stockists and fantastic to welcome new ones into the Slappas family. In Mt Isa, we were thrilled when Sarah, the caretaker of the hotel where we stayed, was already wearing her Slappas Thongs! She can now purchase locally. We’re happy to announce that Ozzie Outdoors in Mt Isa is now a proud stockist of Slappas. Their stock will be arriving in the next few weeks.

Next, we headed to Cloncurry to set up a stand of Slappas at Puma Cloncurry Roadhouse. Not only can the locals get their hands on or should I say feet in a pair of Slappas, the many travellers passing through can now fuel up and pick up Slappas at the same time. How convenient is that!

Along the Way

A quick stop in Barcaldine was another highlight. We caught up with an old friend, introduced ourselves to the new owners of Barcaldine Post Office (which has been stocking Slappas for 3 years), and then hit the road again. After five days and 3,000 kilometers, we made it to Cobar, where we delivered new stock to The John Mitchell Pharmacy. Susie and her team there were so welcoming—definitely worth the drive! It's not that often they get visiting suppliers and really appreciated us driving the miles to make this happen.

Along the way, I also set up my office in a few local parks, which made for a nice change of pace. The beauty of working on the road!

Exciting New Stockists and Fan Stories

While we were out on the road, we called into Wilson’s Advantage Pharmacy in Adamstown they had received their restock of Slappas Thongs. Their customers are loving them, with one customer even buying four pairs at once!

We also restocked some of our other stockists, including Priceline Hornsby, Terry White Chemist Edgeworth Town Square, Piggotts Pharmacy Lambton, and Wanda Beach Pharmacy Salamander Bay.

At Nelson’s Bay, the receptionist at our hotel shared that she’s had her Slappas for over five years and still loves them. This made our day! Now we just need to find a local stockist in Nelson’s Bay—if you know anyone who might be interested, let us know!

More Adventures and New Stockists

Day 12 took us to Myall Pharmacy Tea Gardens and Bulahdelah Pharmacy. I think Bulahdelah might just be one of my new favorite small towns. On the same day, we welcomed 3 Beaches Chemist as a new stockist! We love bringing Slappas to more local businesses and communities.

After that, we spent a few days in Port Macquarie to avoid Cyclone Alfred and visited Alliance Kempsey West and Blooms the Chemist South West Rocks. The future is looking bright—Slappas should be stocked in Port Macquarie by next summer!

We're excited to announce our new stockist in Coffs Harbour: Watson’s Leisure Centre – Camping World Coffs Harbour. This partnership is a perfect fit for us. We're thrilled to have Rohan and his team on board! Slappas are ideal for camping, whether showering or slipping on when leaving your tent or caravan. They're perfect for walking, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Women who love thongs should check out our handmade crystal collection by Rog.

Cyclone Alfred and the Detour

Cyclone Alfred cut our trip short, preventing us from visiting all our stockists due to flooding and no power. Some towns were completely cut off. Thankfully, none of our stockists were affected, and business is back to normal. Leaving Coffs Harbour we had a little adventure crossing The Great Dividing Range via a mostly dirt track to Dorrigo. After stopping for a coffee (and even selling a pair of Slappas at the coffee shop!), we surprised our friends in Armidale and then headed to Tamworth.

Wrapping It All Up

From Tamworth, we travelled through Moree, Mitchell, Augathella, Tambo, Blackall, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, and finally Julia Creek, where we welcomed new stockist Puma Julia Creek Roadhouse! The staff are super excited to be selling Slappas and absolutely loved the amazing colours on offer. Kevin made us an amazing coffee for the road and Rog picked up a souvenir and we set off on the final leg of our journey back to Darwin.

After 22 days on the road, 9,500 kilometers, and countless songs (probably around 1,230!), we made it back to Darwin, greeted by heavy rain. The trip was a huge success, with five new stockists secured and many more on the horizon.

Final Thoughts

Our road trip gave us an incredible experience—not just in growing our business but in connecting with local communities and businesses. We believe strongly in serving outback communities, making it easier for people in rural and remote towns to access products locally. We’re so grateful to everyone who welcomed us along the way. We're excited about what the future holds for Slappas Thongs.

If you're traveling through any of the towns we visited, be sure to stop by and support local businesses. And don't forget to visit one of our stockists to grab yourself a pair of Slappas Thongs!

If you know of a business that would be a great stockist, we’d love to hear from you!

Until next time,
Rog, Denise & the Slappas Team