( CNN ) -- It was supposed to be a dream trip : Two children and their parents on a yearlong family road trip around Australia . But the dream turned to tragedy Wednesday when the parents apparently got into trouble while swimming off a remote beach in Western Australia , while their children , ages 10 and 12 , were on shore . The children watched as other beachgoers desperately tried to resuscitate their mother after her body drifted ashore , CNN 's Australian affiliate ABC News reported . The children had spotted their mother floating face-down in the water , ABC News said . Their father was also briefly seen floating face-down before disappearing under water , the broadcaster said . Kathreen Ricketson , 41 , is believed to have drowned , Western Australia police said . The search continued Thursday for her husband , 48-year-old Robert Shugg , but there is little hope of finding him alive . `` His body has n't been recovered , '' 1st Class Constable Richard Du Cloux of Exmouth police told CNN . `` The search is still going on and will continue until all avenues have been exhausted . '' The children have been reunited with family members , Du Cloux said . The family was camping by Ningaloo Reef , a remote but beautiful spot about 45 kilometers ( 28 miles ) south of Coral Bay , when disaster struck . Ricketson , who described herself online as `` mother.maker.wife.artist.writer.traveller . Adventuring with my family on year-long road trip around Australia , '' had been blogging about their trip . Her last entry , posted Monday , reads : `` We are bush camping at a station on Ningaloo reef , Western Australia . A dream come true -- is that totally corn ball ? '' They had met another family there , Ricketson 's blog said , and the children were enjoying playing together . A photo of a beach at sunset posted to Instagram by Ricketson on Sunday was captioned : `` Ningaloo beach for Robbie 's birthday . Sweet . '' `` It 's an extremely remote , rugged area , '' said Du Cloux . `` People go camping there , ( but ) you 've got to be fully self-sufficient , there 's no amenities at all . '' The alarm was raised by a fellow camper , who set off an emergency positioning beacon , Du Cloux said . The nearest police station , in Exmouth , is about 2Â½ hours away . Efforts to find the body of the children 's missing father are being led by the police and Department of Environment and Conservation officials , he said . An aerial search will resume at daylight Friday . This kind of incident is thankfully unusual in the area , Du Cloux said . The family set off on their road trip -- described by Ricketson as a `` 12 month family sabbatical to reconnect as a family and slow down our life '' -- in early January . The parents planned to home-school the children on the road and continue their online work , according to her blog . Ricketson ran a crafts and lifestyle website , Whip Up , as well as a children 's activities website , Action Pack Magazine . `` We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the sudden death of Whip Up founder , Kathreen Ricketson . Her partner Rob Shugg is still missing at Coral Bay , Western Australia . Their two gorgeous , beloved children , to whom we send our love , are with relatives , '' a post by a contributor to the Whip Up site said Thursday . `` This was their adventure of a lifetime and it has come to an end in the worst imaginable way . ''
Kathreen Ricketson is believed to have drowned off a remote Australian beach , police say . Her husband , Robert Shugg , was last seen floating face-down in the water . The couple 's children saw desperate efforts to revive their mother , local media report . Score: 6