What a 9 week trip taught me about bookkeeping, letting go, and trusting systems
Cape York. The kind of trip where a bacon and egg roll costs $20 at the only roadhouse for hundreds of kilometres — and you don’t argue, because what else are you gonna eat.
The kind of trip where you tag along in convoy with a bunch of other 4WDs, swapping stories at camp each night and tackling the southern half of the Old Telegraph Track together… crossing creeks, gripping the wheel and quietly praying you don’t end up on a viral YouTube “4WD fails” video.
The kind of trip where you stand on the northernmost tip of Australia, after braving nearly 1,000 km of red, bumpy, dusty roads, and stare at the majestic ocean thinking: yes, made it! (and now have a photo to prove it).
Back in 2023, I spent 9 blissful weeks exploring Far North Queensland with my family — including 3 unforgettable weeks in Cape York…
… exploring the Chillagoe Caves and WWII plane wrecks.
… wandering through old mines and homesteads.
… spotting gigantic cattle and rare birds like the Golden-Shouldered Parrot and Palm Cockatoo.
… watching a murmuration of starlings off Chilli Beach.
… eating dinner at sunset on Loyalty Beach.
… fire-twirling (with rope and steel wool) at the Lion’s Den Hotel in Rossville.
And it was magic — by far the best trip I had ever taken.
It was also one where I switched off completely for 3 whole weeks.
Not in a “I’ll just check my emails real quick” offline.
But properly offline.
No laptop. No notifications. No bank reconciliations.
And you know what? Nothing blew up while I was gone.
It was business as usual for Cameo Bookkeeping.
My ever-reliable team kept everything humming along.
Clients were well looked after.
And it’s moments like these when I realise: I could switch off because I had good people backing me up and also good systems in place.
So here are some of the ones that made that possible:
1. Xero
No surprise there (we are a Xero-only bookkeeping practice after all!), and for good reason.
We love the fact that it:
- Automates the routine stuff (think bank reconciliations via feeds, invoice generation, and payment reminders).
- Continuously rolls out clever features, like Ask Jax (their AI tool) and Xero Analytics which gives you deeper insights into your business performance at a glance.
- Comes with Xero Me, an app that allows staff to submit timesheets, retrieve payslips, and request leave — without needing to come to you directly.
- Has a user-friendly layout and intuitive feel, which makes it easy for us to train clients on how to get the most out of Xero.
- Is easily accessible from a phone or iPad — so even while I was away, I could check in on clients’ accounts (if I felt I needed to) from anywhere with internet coverage.
2. Dext
If receipts and invoices had a junk drawer, Dext would be the one that finally sorts it out for you (we’re big fans!)
Dext is a cloud-based expense automation app that streamlines the way businesses handle receipts, invoices. and bank statements.
It:
- Captures and extracts key data such as supplier, amount, date, tax, and categories — with 99% accuracy.
- Lets users submit documents via mobile scanning, email, or browser upload, and feeds them in real time into accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks.
- Goes beyond scanning: checks the ABN status of suppliers, allows you to set rules for each one, helps reconcile supplier statements, and even provides insights into data health.
- Doubles as a secure sharing tool. For example, if a client buys a new car using finance, they can snap the finance agreement and send it straight to us via Dext — no email needed.
There are alternatives out there, but for us, Dext stands out. It’s easy to use, powerful, and offers more features than the rest.
3. Asana (before moving to Karbon)
When it comes to collaboration and task management platforms, we started with Asana and now run on Karbon — both have played a big role in how we work.
Asana kept everything in one place: tasks, deadlines, and communications. It automated workflows, integrated with other apps like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive, and gave us the satisfaction of seeing every job or task ticked off in a single view. As a practice owner, I could see exactly what was being worked on — and when.
It’s no exaggeration to say Asana was critical to my 3 weeks offline being such a success. The team had all the information and structure they needed to keep things ticking over without me.
Eventually, though, it was time for a transition. After 7 years, we moved across to Karbon, a platform built specifically for accountants and bookkeepers, giving us the same clarity and collaboration as Asana — but with features more tailored to our industry
Wrapping up
So, there they are: the systems we use and love every day at Cameo Bookkeeping —to keep your books in order and your business moving forward. And it’s backed by a team solid enough that I could disappear into Cape York for 3 weeks and nothing blew up! Want that kind of headspace? Let’s chat.
Belinda