What A Year So Far!

Hello there, I’m back. It’s been a while since I posted a blog and so I thought I’d bring you all up to date on our year so far.

We began this year in a very special way with the wedding of our youngest son, Simon to his beautiful lady, Laura, in February at Goulburn. It was a perfect day, we couldn’t be more proud of these two young people. We are so happy for them. This is a special day I’d like to write about in a future blog though.

Murray and I decided after this happy event we would do a trip south to visit our eldest son, Andrew and his beautiful lady, Laura in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria. (Yes, you heard correctly, we have two Lauras in our family.) We headed off on 7th April, planning to be away for roughly 6 weeks or so, passing through Jugiong where we spent our first night, lunching the following day at the airbase at Wagga for a walk down memory lane for Murray and spending our second night with Lachlan.

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  Wagga

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  Jugiong

Our great nephew Lachlan had moved from Townsville to Wanganella, so we thought we’d visit him. Wanganella is a small town not far from Deniliquin, it is not a big place, with one general store and a population of 30, now 31. Lachlan is living and working at Avenel, a merino stud farm, while completing his studies in Agriculture with the Hay Inc Rural Education Program. Our campsite for the night was on the property down by the Edward River, a picturesque and peaceful site. It was a balmy 30 degrees when we set up but cooled nicely overnight. We sat under the stars and enjoyed Lachie’s company and stories. He was happy to see some family.

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On the Friday we passed through Deniliquin, Moama, Echuca and the beautiful town of Rochester where we took in a walk while enjoying a pie from the bakery for lunch. I would highly recommend a stop here to appreciate the architecture of the old buildings, murals on the silos and billboards in the park along with other artworks. We arrived in Koo wee Rup in time for happy hour that evening.

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The time we get to spend with Andrew and Laura is always special as they live so far away and since COVID began there has been a lot of time between visits. While there we enjoyed the company of Laura’s family, Jane, Steve and Matthew a few times, visited the block the happy couple are going to build their future home on, spent time around the fire pit that Andrew built at their unit and enjoyed Andrew’s spit roasts. For Murray’s birthday we all went to St Andrew’s Brewery down on the Mornington Peninsula, a beautiful area. The weather was great, the company was too, we absorbed the atmosphere around us while enjoying pizzas and drinks. We took a drive around the peninsula and ate the biggest and best vanilla slice at Sorrento. What a day!

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Our plan was to head from Victoria to our friends in South Australia but we got sad news while at Andrew’s that our dear friend Jim had passed and then a phone call that Murray’s dad was not doing too well. It was with heavy hearts we headed home to say goodbye to our mate and make our way to Far North Queensland. The best laid plans don’t always come to fruition but we had a fabulous 10 days with Andrew and Laura and we will return.

Cheers for now. X

Time To Head Home.

While on Phillip Island we received an invitation to my cousin Alan’s 60th birthday celebration in Orange but it was before we returned home therefore we wouldn’t be able to attend.  I felt sad about this as Alan was always there for my mum, dad and I for as long as I could recall so the want in my heart to be there for him, and to represent my side of the family, was strong.  Murray suggested that we could return home early, as he also wanted to go to the party, and we could manage it within seven days.  It was then that the decision was made to head for home, or at least to our second home of Orange.

Phillip Island had been enjoyable and relaxing, we were ready to move on so we headed to Sale. The trip was rainy, when we arrived it had eased but left the ground very wet. The camp kitchen here came in handy again and allowed the luxury of somewhere dry and warm to reheat our dinner and eat. In the ammenities they had heat lamps over the shower areas making it very comfortable for getting out of the shower.  This park cost $17 per night plus you paid for the power you used which for most is minimal unless you run a heater or airconditioner.  The next morning on our way out of town we took a walk around the old swing bridge that still operates allowing the boats to pass down the river. We then took a walk through town before heading to Bruthen, not too far down the road.

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As it was Father’s Day Murray’s choice for lunch was a pie from the Bruthen Bakery.  Pies are something we haven’t been having but this one was worth it, the pastry was perfect and the meat wasn’t spicy or runny.  This isn’t a big town with only one caravan park at which we stayed and enjoyed the originality of the place.  The manager holds a real passion for his park and puts a lot of effort into treating his guests to a warm welcome and maintains the grounds to perfection.  We took a walk to the hotel and Murray had a beer while enjoying the ambience of the old pub and its view.  That evening we had dinner in the camp kitchen which also had heaps of character about it with its cobwebs, candles and old fireplace.

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On Monday 5th September we made the long drive from Bruthen to Lakes Entrance, 34km, where we stayed at the Silver Sand Caravan Park.  Ammenities were heated here with air conditioning, which I love on the cold night and brisk morning and the camp kitchen, although outside, was protected and accomodating for us to enjoy. We took a four kilometre walk to and from the information centre and then around the township taking in the sites and surrounds of this pretty little seaside town.  That evening we had the best fish and chips of the whole trip at the Footbridge takeaway which had been recommended to us by our friends and took in the quiet of this time of year in the caravan park.

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Tuesday we headed to Cooma stopping for lunch in Cann River and crossing the New South Wales border 44kms later.  We pulled into Cooma early, booked into the van park and set off to the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre to learn about how things work in the scheme of water management and power generation. This Scheme is a well documented part of our nation’s history.  After we took a walk around town then headed back to the camper to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and warm temperature of 22. It was nice to be able to sit outside the camper for a change away from the cold we had been feeling.

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The next day we took a drive to Thredbo, enjoying a picturesque drive through Jindabyne where we took a walk along the lake taking in the heat of the sun once again which had warmed up the morning to a nice 20 degrees. When we drove into Thredbo there was still plenty of snow and the place was buzzing with a hive of activity.  We had a lovely walk in the fresh air and a cuppa while relaxing with the view of the snow.  I’ve never been so near snow and yet been so warm before, when we were kids in Orange it was always freezing when it snowed and even colder when the snow was melting.  On our drive back to Cooma we went via Dalegety, where Our friends Lili and Tom have a house, we enjoyed our lunch down at the river while listening to and watching the gentle babbling of the water. No platypus were about this day though. Driving back through this beautiful countryside it is hard to remember that you’re still in Australia. The mountains, the snow and the rolling green hills made us feel like we were in Europe somewhere.

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Thursday came all too quickly and we were on the move again.  It had been a busy few days since we left Phillip Island but we had seen and done plenty of things on our way but we were starting to tire and we’re looking forward to stopping for more than a night or two.  While packing up that morning Murray filled the water tank on the camper, while packing up the hose he got distracted chatting with a gentleman who had been in the airforce and forgot to put the cap back on the tank. Somewhere between Cooma and Canberra it rolled off the top of the trailer with the keys still in the lock on it. We didn’t discover this till we pulled up for a toilet stop in Canberra. Driving through Canberra a man walking down the centre of the busy avenue disturbed some cockatoos and one flew straight into our windscreen right where we had a star and cracked it.  Poor cocky. Finding parking in Canberra was difficult, we would have loved to spend more time there but that will be for another trip away and we can then catch up with our friends there.  Cowra was where we were spending the next two nights before returning to Orange. The Cowra Van Park was right on the edge of the Lachlan River which was quite a torrent from all the rain the region was getting and our site overlooked it.  We took a walk around the streets of the town before having our dinner in the camp kitchen to keep warm.

Canberra visitor centre.

Cowra Van Park on the Lachlan River.

Murray had never been to the Japanese Gardens and we wanted to visit the Japanese War Cemetry as well so Friday we were setting out to do some touristing.  The weather held off while we spent time in the gardens, which were absolutely amazing, but started to creep in on us as we stopped at the site of where the Japanese soldiers had been imprisoned.  At the Cemetry it looked like it was snowing as the wind laid a carpet of white from the blossoms billowing down but it was becoming quite cold so we didn’t hang around long here. That evening we went to the pub for dinner and our last evening on the road. When we went to bed that night it didn’t stop raining and was very slushy the next morning as we packed up.

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Another lovely drive as we travelled the last leg to Orange through Canowindra and Cudal with golden canola fields among the deep green of the wheat fields forming a natural patchwork quilt.  The Central West is certainly green at the moment.  We had some shopping to do before heading to Robyn and Tim’s at Nashdale and as Murray waited for me to return to the car with the goodies who should park near him but Andrew, he had arrived the night before us.  As I came out to the car I could see him and Murray chatting and couldn’t get to him quick enough, wrapping my arms around him not wanting to let go and , of course, I cried. That was the best cuddle ever from him after six months away. After an afternoon of catching up with Aunty Helen, Andrew, Robyn and Tim we all went to Alan’s party where it was fantastic to see everyone again. Six months is the longest time to not see all these wonderful family members.  The night went off really well with Alan feeling very humbled by all the fuss over him and we were privileged to be a part of the evening.

So bright.

Fields of yellow.

Enjoying some stories from all of us.

The birthday boy. A very special man.

Another special cousin.

Robyn, Tim and Murray enjoying happy hour.

On Sunday we had a big catch-up with Robyn’s side of the family over a beautiful Chinese lunch after which Andrew headed home.  We spent the evening at Nashdale with many stories told and laughs shared. Monday we had lunch of curried sausages, as per Murray’s request, with Aunty Helen then hit the road for our own home, at last. On the drive through Bathurst we did the traditional lap of The Mountain, trailer and all.

Atop of Mount Panorama.

It really was exciting coming down Mount Ousley and seeing Wollongong in the distance. After over 25,000 kms and more than 6,000 photos we finally pulled into our driveway.  The birds were all still alive, the house was still standing and quite tidy thanks to the boys taking care of it. We didn’t even unpack, it was just so good to be home we just sat with Andrew, cracked open a drink and chatted the afternoon away. simon was away for the weekend so when he came home on Monday it was once again great to get the cuddle I’d been waiting for from him.

Well folks, there you have it. We did a lap of Australia over six months. Feeling refreshed, relaxed and satisfied we have settled in quickly back at home. The car and trailer certainly don’t look like they’ve just done a lap as they’re so clean again. There is still more for me to write in follow up blogs, little things I forgot and like last time Murray will do a wrap up of things that interest the men following along. Keep an eye out for more to come.

Thanks for coming along for the ride folks, I have again loved writing about it all and getting feedback from you all. We are sad it’s over but have no regrets. Australia is such a grand country, it has so much to offer, do yourselves a favour and get out there among it all sometime.

Cheers xo

 

Checking Out the Island.

On the morning of Tuesday 30th August we took the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento with the car and trailer.  The weather was cloudy but the sea was calm, so it gave us a good crossing.  This allowed us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the trip rather than driving all the way around and through Melbourne and it was something different to do.

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We then drove through some beautiful countryside arriving on Phillip Island in time for lunch which was fish and chips in Cowes down on the Esplanade, it wasn’t the best, the one we were told about was closed. A lot of shops in Cowes were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday so we found as we walked our lunch off on a trek around the streets checking out the shops.  Anchor Belle Caravan Park was where we were staying for the next four nights, 4 nights for the price of three.  Very quiet at this time of year, just us most of the time so we didn’t have to line up for the laundry or showers at all, actually our site was directly opposite the ammenities and once again we made good use of the camp kitchen.  One thing I have discovered in Victoria is that the mozzies are huge, just saying, also they are slow movers and left me alone which is most unusual.

Camp Phillip Island., Cowes.

Murray has been to Phillip Island three times before this but this is the first time he has seen another side to the Island other than racing.  A trip out to the track in the early freshness of the day and we found out there was a tour but not till the afternoon at 2pm.  Simon had messaged Murray though to let him know that Nissan were testing the new Skyline GTRs that week at the track so we hung around the fence and got some Secret Squirrel photos as the cars and drivers did their thing out on the track.  In the meantime we took a walk on the wild side and took in the boardwalks at Nobbies where the seals and penguins can be sighted going about their daily stuff.  On this day no seals but we might have seen a penguin hiding, have to come back to that one and check it out again. In the meantime back to town for a haircut for me and lunch at the caravan park by me, salad is so hard to make.

Cape Baron geese with their young at the Nobbies.

In the afternoon, 2pm, we returned to the track to do our tour with Hayely.  This took in everything from the museum, the pits to the marshalls room, tower, timing , stewards room, media, hot lap car garage to the the winners podium. We saw all the new Nissans and got the Birdseye view of Bass Strait and the track. Lindsay Fox is now the owner of Phillip Island Motorsport complex and is a passionate supporter of Motorsport within Australia and a collector.  This facility on a whole was absolutely brilliant. Do yourself a favour and take a look. The tour goes for one hour but Hayley walked us around for just over two.  Excellent day.

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The next morning we got up and headed out to do some more touristing.  First up was the Bass Dairy Farm.  Mmmmm, my kind of place, we enjoyed the tastings and a cuppa and headed to San Remo for the midday pelican feeding down at the wharf, then a walk through the town, a look through Pannys chocolate factory in Cowes and back home to the caravan park for lunch.  We headed back down to the Penguin Display to check out the times for the evening pilgrimage but decided not to go as you’re not allowed to take photos while there, we went back to Nobbies, still no seals to see but we did find the Penguins hidden under the boardwalks where we thought they were the day before, a coastal drive across a dirt road full of wildlife then home to rest. Something had upset my stomach so I needed a break, we had a very quiet night in.

At the Bass Dairy Farm.

Milk, cream and cheeses. Mmmmm.

Love this one.

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Friday we got the washing up to date, walked around a bit and enjoyed a quiet day resting up for the next leg of the trip. We went out to dinner, which is something rare, and enjoyed the hospitality of the Rusty Water Brewery. Murray tried a couple of their brews Koala Pale Ale and Dark Malt Burnt Toffee Ale, I tried the local Purple Hen Chardonnay.  Our meals were fantastic and Murray even enjoyed a huge sundae for dessert, satisfied and full we headed home to sleep, our time here complete. Tomorrow was another day and the beginning of our trip home and that folks….is another story, of course.

Cheers. Xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Amazing Road with Plenty of Adventure.

Before I begin to write about the Great Ocean Road I need to put in a couple of photos that I forgot to talk about in the last post Victor Harbour to Warrnambool. Just before Port Fairy we drove in to take a look at The Crags, a cultural reserve to do with the aboriginals. The point of interest is not only for the unusual formations of jagged rocks offshore but for the fascinating memorial that has been erected here to four RAAF personnel who lost their lives when their plane went down near here.

On leaving Warrnambool we went for a bit of a scout around to take in some sights. We never just get up and go in a hurry as there is always something of interest in every town we have been through. This morning was no different, we went for a short drive down to Logan’s Beach where we had heard whales were spotted off the coast but no luck for us on this day, might as well go for an early coffe break instead. We took ourselves down to Proudfoots Boathouse on the Hopkins River where we received very friendly service and a lovely cuppa to get us on the road.

Logan’s Beach

Proudfoots.

From Warrnambool we began our journey along this road we had heard so much about and it wasn’t too long before the first of many diversions would catch our attention, The Bay of Islands and The Bay of Martyrs. What fascinating rock formations we saw here, just popping up in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful beach walk as well.

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Next stop was in Timboon which was an off track diversion but we wanted to check out the brewery and creamery and as they were both in the same place we could kill two birds with one stone.  What we found out is that ice cream here is expensive and no better than what we have previously enjoyed and the scotch was divine but I wasn’t paying $70 a bottle for it, so we hit the road and had a beautiful drive through some very lovely forestation on our way.  Port Campbell was the next town down the road and it was here we stopped and made our lunch while enjoying the scenery. There seemed to be plenty of scenery happening as some car enthusiasts were holding a street meeting with the local police keeping an eye on things and a group of older gentleman were also out for a day on the bikes. Murray didn’t know where to look or point the camera next  there was so much action, he just clicked away and got some good shots.

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Loch Ard Gorge was our next point of interest, another group of rock formations that just seem to appear out of nowhere, there were also a few walks in this area which we enjoyed?  Razorback, what can I say more fascinating formations but this one really caught the eye with its razor sharp edges and its own little natures window, the colours in these rock platforms truly are unreal.

Loch Ard Gorge.

Look at those colours and edges.

Then it was onto the piece de resistance of this road The 12 Apostles. This place was jam packed with bus loads of people and it was tough to spot the Aussie.  We did the walk to Gibson’s Steps first which was about 4 1/2km round trip which meanders through low lying scrub but on a well appointed track, plus lots of steps down to the beach where you can just see a couple of the Apostles. Absolutley fabulous but boy did I feel the butt workout on those steps after the walk. The place was so crowded and it was hard to get good photos with all the selfie stick owners running around but Murray did well.

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Once back up the top we made our way to the next lookout of the Apostles about a kilometre and half walk out and back. This one was busier than the other one, hardly any room to breathe let alone move. All the buses that were there were loaded up with heaps of Asian tourists and there were lots of other nationalities out there too all jostling to get the best shot of these great monoliths, still difficult to spot the Aussie. Murray did manage to get our own photos and they are pretty special.  What a place!  It is sad to think some of these formations have already dissappeared to piles of rubble but the one that remain are so picturesque and noble.

Happy with our lot.

This one I call the Great Wall of China because all the bus people were out there. Jam packed.

I’m stoked to be here.

What a day we had enjoyed, the trip from Warrnambool to Marengo is only 164km, we had taken all day to do it and we didn’t miss a thing.  Just amazing. We had a well earnt rest that night at Marengo Caravan Park enjoying an omelette and salad then a relaxing hot shower before falling into bed satisfied with what we had seen and done.

Marengo cp

The view from Marengo CP is across to Apollo Bay.

Monday 29th we passed through Lorne for morning tea plus a walk through town, the drive was all ocean views today on a very windy road right near the ocean with views from every bend.  We stopped off at the famous Bells Beach just before lunch in Torquay while  watching life pass by at a very peaceful beach.  We drove on to Queenscliff  for the night staying at the Ocean Grove Caravan Park which was also peaceful as it was only us and another couple there. It was right on the river with a lovely walking track along the shore where we sat on a bench seat and enjoyed our happy hour on this lovely evening.

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Ocean Grove CP

Sunset over river.

We would be setting sail the next day for Sorrento….and that is another story.

Cheers. Xo

 

 

Victor Harbour to Warrnambool.

Loaded up with souvenirs, more wines, cheeses and chocolates we set off from Adelaide towards the Great Ocean Road and our next step into our adventure.  A little place called Victor Harbour was where we were heading, not too far to travel making it an easy day for our first one back on the road.  Night time temperatures were quite cool so powered sites will be a must for most of this leg of our trip and hopefully good camp kitchens to cook and eat in.  Adare Caravan Park was where we were spending the night, it was a lovely quiet place up in the hills but not too far from town and the beach.  It is run by the Uniting Church, the grounds are well kept and the old buildings were beautiful.  We cooked up pasta for dinner, not a good as Max’s though, and spent a quiet night in.

Victor Harbour from the lookout where we had our lunch.

Victor harbour view.

Campsite at Adare CP, Victor Harbour.

Wednesday 24th August we packed up and went into town to have a look around before heading off, we  were not in a rush.  Granite Island is just across the harbour, you can take the horse drawn tram or walk across.  Walking was our choice as we knew we’d be in the car later.  The views were fabulous from the top of the island and the walk around the island is easy.

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After walking around the town we had morning tea then got back in the car to head to Keith for the night.  We stopped for a late lunch in a sweet little place called Milang at Anzac Park. It was here we met a lady and her dog out for a walk in the sunshine, she was in for a chat. Later we found out from her it was her husband’s birthday, he had only passed away a few months ago, and his memorial was in the park he had done a lot of the work on the place. She was sad and lonley and it bought tears to our eyes when we talked about her later.  Chatting to her we could tell she was glad of an ear to listen for a while. Back on the road we were happy that we were able to bring a little bit of cheer to a hard day for her. We caught a ferry across the Murray River again and arrived in Keith where we stayed at a council run caravan park and enjoyed a curry to keep warm.

Keith CP,  cooking curry for dinner as it cooled off.

Our drive on Thursday took us through a couple of wine regions Padthaway and Coonawarra. I can’t believe we travelled straight through without stopping. Sacrilege, I know.  Naracoorte was where we had a stop for a cuppa and a walk in the fresh air.  We came across a fascinating memorial park to Father Woods, a parish priest who had dedicated many years to the community in the Coonawarra region. Many quaint little towns along the road this day on our way to Mount Gambier.

The things you see on the road.

Central Caravan Park is just around the corner from the main drag in Mount Gambier, we were staying her for two nights to have a good look around.  Our caravan park manager gave us good advice of where to eat dinner, the South Australian Hotel and made sure we had vouchers for drinks.

At Central CP in Mount Gambier.

We took a walk around the main shopping precinct of the town. There is certainly no lack of eateries or pubs in Mount Gambier, which is the major service centre for the Limestone Coast. Dinner at the South Aussie was fantastic.  We arrived early for happy hour. The special of the night was Scoth fillet with your choice of sauce, Dianne for me and gravy for Murray plus salad/veges and chips all for $15 each and we got our free drink with it. Another walk around the streets taking in the ambience of the evening before returning to our abode for the night.

Friday was all about taking in the sites around this pretty town. Firstly we headed out to the crater lakes which were set in stunning backdrops of greenery with glorious panoramic views. We would have liked to walk around Blue Lake as it was only 3.6km around but the rain was against us, so we settled for driving and still enjoyed the vistas. Blue Lake wasn’t blue at this time of year as it only changes colour in the warmer weather, around October onwards, it’s all to do with the light the water receives but it was still picturesque and worth the look. This lake is also the town water supply.

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Next we went to Mac Park where Murray used to race his motorbikes back in the day when he lived in Klemzig. Everywhere is very green at the moment making places like this look fresh and vibrant. From her we went to the sunken gardens, Umpherston Sinkhole, which has to be seen to be believed. We walked around the rim taking in the size and depth, a spectacular sight from above as well as from within. The sinkhole was originally beautified by James Umpherston around 1886 and it doesn’t cost to enter it. Stunning.

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Friday night we cooked our own dinner and then enjoyed another stroll around this nostalgic town, which looks better under the night lights.

Town Hall.

Caves Garden.

South Australia Hotel.

Saturday came all too quick and we were once again on the move.  The day was turning out okay as we travelled towards Warrnambool and the beginning of the Great Ocean Road. We crossed our fifth border on this trip,  stopped at Nelson on the river for a cuppa then had lunch in Portland near the wharf.  The Police helicopter was on display to the public while the officers enjoyed their lunch break before they continued their search for some armed robbers. It was a big day in Portland as there was also a whale and her calf about a hundred metres off shore frolicking about in the surf.  Wow, how lucky were we to be there.

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On arrival in Warrnambool we booked into the Surfside Caravan Park.  This park had the best camp kitchen to date.  Full serviced kitchen, separate dining area with to and heater and an undercover BBQ area that could be opened up or closed in a with heats as well.  It was nice to sit in here out of the cold.  Everything we needed was in this camp kitchen except utensils, pots, pans and plates.  They provide the tea towels, sponges and washing up liquid.  The amenities were pretty good too, spacious and quite modern. This park is council run and they have done a fantastic job.  It was here we met up with a couple from Tasmania that we had actually met last year at the Molong Caravan Park. Small world.

Kitchen with two ovens. Three sinks microwaves, three cooktops and heaps of bench space.

BBQ area.

Sunday morning we were going to hit the Great Ocean Road and yes that’s another blog.

Cheers xo

 

 

 

More Time with Friends.

The Flinders Ranges was an amazing place but we only just scratched the surface as there is so much more to see and do, we can’t wait to return another day, but for now we’re off to Adelaide with a detour via Peterborough, not far from the Flinders. This little gem of town is a railway town which was built as one of three steam train maintenance depots within South Australia.

The weather was warmer on our arrival but not hot by any means. The Caravan Park wasn’t far from the centre of town and was our home for two nights, it was a tidy little park  with plenty of character, backing onto open paddocks with a beautiful park next door.

Our site at Peterborough CP.

Murray wanted me to play cowgirl on this old dray. I thought my new hat was good enough.

Steamtown has converted the heavy maintenance depot into a museum and we took ourselves along for the early morning tour with Bec our guide.  It took in all the old trains which are housed in the roundhouse plus a few other displays.  We were there for a few hours and by the time we finished I was like an iceblock as inside the old building was bitterly cold. The tour was fantastic.

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From there we headed to Magnetic Hill about 27km from Peterborough.  We did just what the sign said to do and to our amazement we were going uphill backwards not in gear and without any hands. Intriguing. After we took a walk around the streets of Peterborough with its beautiful old buildings.

Peterborough Town Hall. Beautiful old building inside and out.

I have put out this video in as proof of what happens on this hill.  Be patient and it will play. Enjoy, we had a good laugh especially with Murray swinging himself around in the door.

 

That evening we returned to Steamtown to take in the light and sound show. We sat inside an old carriage,where it was nice and warm, and watched a movie, on a drop down big screen outside the roundhouse, about how this industry was formed in this town and its surrounding areas. It’s sad that this place is no longer used for the purpose it was built but it really was worth going to visit and hear the story.

The next day we set off for Adelaide stopping at Burra for a cuppa and Morgan for lunch. After this we caught a ferry across the Murray River in Waikerie, drove down through the hills arriving in the late afternoon at Max and Tricia’s in Klemzig where we would stay for the next week.  Murray used to live in this house with Max when he was in the Airforce, so he had good memories here. Our first evening was a big one with all the catching up being done, a lovely roast dinner cooked on the Weber and a few too many drinks, for some whom I won’t mention, Murray and Tricia, being enjoyed late into the night. Poor Tricia wasn’t at all well with a sinus infection when we arrived but she soldiered on and once the antibiotics began to kick in we were able to continue enjoying our time there. Our first day was a quiet one with some housekeeping of the vehicle and trailer, a walk around the local area and a shepherds pie for dinner.

Waiting for the ferry

Crossing the Murray River.

The first outing was to the Adelaide Hills where we visited Melba’s Chocolate Factory, Bird in the Hand winery, the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, tried cheeses at Udder Delights, bought some handmade fudge and had lunch in Hahndorf and lastly the Beerenberg Farm and factory before returning home for a cheese platter dinner and a well earnt sleep that night.  What a huge day.

At Melba’s.

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After such a busy day in the Hills, the next day we decided to have a break to get washing up to date and relax before heading out with Max’s brother and wife, John and Lyn to happy hour at the Casino in Adelaide then dinner at a Thai restaurant. What a wonderful night we had.

Happy hour at the Casino.

Tricia still wasn’t well but was able to taste a little better so we ventured out to the Barossa Valley for a day.  First port of call was the Chateau Tanunda winery set in all its grandeur on a picturesque property with its majestic old buildings and picture perfect gardens. We were happy with our tastings and purchases here. Off to the next one.

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Grant Burge was next but we needed to eat as well before indulging anymore so we had morning tea/lunch in the cafe here, then it was time for some port and Muscat tastings. Mmmmm, heaven. Tricia knew what she wanted from here so she made her purchases up front without tasting.  I, on the other hand, made my purchases after tasting. Hey, someone had to do it.

Mmm port and Muscat.

The view from Grant Burge wines.

Maggie Beer Farm is at Nuriootpa set among the olive trees and farm fields.  This place was very busy with plenty of produce to be tasted. I must say I was a little disappointed Maggie wants there but I hadn’t let her know I would be there either. Anyway, tastings done, purchases made, off to the next stop which was Barossa Valley Cheese.  Wow, these cheeses were the best. I have now learnt that I eat my soft cheeses too early, they need to be more ripe and runny before consuming. Lesson learnt and I now enjoy them even more.  Shame about that.

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Home to Max and Tricia’s we headed to enjoy some of our purchases and a lovely chicken curry made by Max.  Another fabulous day but I think we need an extra trailer to get our things home now.  Sorry Murray.

Every time we have a big day out we had a rest day because we could. The dog, Patches/Shorty certainly appreciated us all being home with him for a change and it gave us the opportunity to teach Tricia to play canasta during the afternoon.  That night max out his culinary skills to work once again and made pasta from scratch. He entertained us all with his prowess in the art of pasta making and Tricia made the sauce to go with it. What can I say but it was amazing.  I now need to bring this skill into my kitchen when I get home. Can’t wait.

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The evening was complete with Canasta, a Grant Burge 10 year old Muscat and lots of laughs.

Great night.

Settle down Max. Haha.

Murray and I did our shopping on Monday ready to get back out there on the road of adventure.  Our time with these two lovely people had been wonderful. We spent our last evening with them and their daughter, Amy and her boyfriend Guy, enjoying a barbecue dinner and some more Canasta afterwards.  This time we had the music pumping and the singing and actions happening into the early hours.

Sad as it was we hit the road once more, refreshed and relaxed from our time in Adelaide with friends. Thankyou, Max and Tricia we shall return again.

Cheers. Xo

Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

The Flinders Ranges spread  from Quorn in the South to Leigh Creek in the North.  From Whyalla our trip to the Flinders Ranges took us through Port Augusta, Quorn, which was just lovely with great cafes, beautiful old buildings and friendly townsfolk, then up through Hawker.

Morning tea by the fire…caught with a mouth full of scone.

Rawnsley Park Station was where we were heading for four nights and better weather was predicted for our time there. Yes, finally we were away from the wind and we had a fabulous camp kitchen with a wood fire.  Only problem was limited reception on the phone once again but by now we were very used to that.  This station offered lots of walks some extremely difficult and some just right but with some steep climbing…that was so the signs said.  We tackled Alison Saddle on the first afternoon, it wasn’t too bad, the steep parts were just that and it was very windy at the top.  The view, well it was fantastic as it was directly at Rawnsley Bluff set among the evening glow, the setting sun showing off different facets in the rock face, with the cool night air coming in but the climb of the Bluff, we were told, was very extreme in places so we didn’t partake in that one while we were there. We spent the evening in the camp kitchen, cooked our meal among the banter of many travellers who were also partaking in the warmth of the fire Murray had lit earlier and watched some of the Olympics on television.

Wilpena Pound was our adventure of the day on Thursday 11/08.  It was a cool, crisp start to the day and I was well rugged up for it, once again looking my best as the Michelin Lady, as the first part of this trek was along the creek bed but through the shadows of the forest.  We chose the Wangara Lookouts walk which was around an 8km round trip, this included the climb to the top of the pound which was 0.9km.  The sights and sounds on our walk were unreal as everything was in its morning freshness and the wildlife was just waking up with all the sounds of the native birds singing and whistling.  The trees were absolutely huge, towering above us in all their glory.

Rugged up ready to go.

Refer to previous sign

A family who were on the same journey.

Pioneer’s homestead.

At the top of the steep climb we were greeted with the breathtaking view of the Pound before us. This was well worth all the effort. It went for miles. Murray has become quite the photographer on this trip but sometimes even photos don’t tell the story of what it’s like in real life.

After a rest at the top we made our way back down and had a bite of lunch at an old homestead of one of the original pioneers of this area. On the walk back we ran into some other long legged locals who wanted to race me but I let them go ahead. What a wonderful morning, back to camp for a cuppa and a warm up by the fire.

On Friday we took ourselves on a self drive tour from Rawnsley Park to Blinman, through some very beautiful gorges Bunyeroo, Brachina and Parachilna, stopping at the Prairie Hotel for some light refreshments. This place is well known for its culinary delights of fresh local Aussie game on the plate but we settled for a Devonshire tea which is a bit odd from a pub, I know.

Morning view of Rawnsley Bluff.

Cazneaux Tree

Razorback lookout.

Through the gorges.

Our return trip from Blinman took us past the Great Wall of China or Mt Emily, where we stopped and made some lunch while taking in the view, then back past the Appealina Ruins which were old miners quarters plus a homestead. Stokes hill lookout gave us a complete 360 view of everything before returning to Rawnsley Park where the sun was beginning to set and it was time to light a fire at our own campsite for a change then dinner in the camp kitchen once again. Another fabulous day in the Flinders.

Saturday saw us having a camp day where we caught up on some housework (washing and checking the car) before we hit the road again on Sunday heading towards Adelaide for a few days of R and R, plus wineries, with our good friends Max and Tricia.

Cheers for now, love us. Xo

The Nullarbor and Beyond.

If you wish to cross the Nullarbor it can be covered anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.  Knowing what to look for and do is key to your journey and we probably didn’t know as much as we could have before we began. I’m not sure but since we crossed we have found out little places we maybe should have smelt those roses. Knowledge and time is what you need as we have sometimes discovered along this journey of ours.  Either way we were happy with what we saw and did. This is my recollection of our time across the Nullarbor, the people we met who helped define our time on this road and the places we visited or stayed.

The weather was in our favour to begin our journey across the plains. From Kalgoorlie we headed down to Coolgardie then Norseman where we stopped for some lunch by the roadside. We had it on good advice from Nerida, Murray’s sister, that Fraser Range Station was a lovely stopover therefore we made our way there and booked in for a couple of nights. We needed to cook up some meals and use our vegetables before the checkpoint at Ceduna.

Our campsite was private and spacious at the Station, the weather was good enough for now to not need the awning up and we managed to cook our meals for the next few nights which makes it easier if rain does happen. The Station had a wonderful camp kitchen with plenty of room for everyone, a warm fire to sit by which we made use of each night rather than sitting outside in the cold night air, as did many other travellers. The campfire area was also great to meet up with all the neighbours around us for happy hour. We had lots of animal neighbours here as well, with emus and kangaroos roaming around freely and peacefully near the campsites and on the open plains.  There were some pretty walks around the Station which we enjoyed and Mack the Station dog joined us on these walks, the views were spectacular across the camps from the hilltops.  I picked myself up a new vest here as I needed  a second one and some souvenirs in the little shop/office.  With plenty of beautiful birdlife and gardens to relax in this place was great to have our two night break.

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Our next destination for the 05/08, after talking to many people at the Station and receiving much helpful advice, was Moodini Bluff, a free camp with good toilets, plenty of spread out campsites with little fire pits. We lit our fire, heated our dinner of lamb Rogan Josh and sat under the stars enjoying a quiet chat and each other’s company. It drizzled a little bit but didn’t spoil our fun.

06/08 we drove on to Mundrabilla Roadhouse for a warm drink and a stretch of the legs, then onto Eucla.  Just outside this little town we were stopped for a random breath test by a young policeman, who was only to happy to have a chat while he checked everything over.  Apparently they were after some stolen vehicles. There were many bikers on the road with side cars and plenty of gear in them. Murray chatted with a few in Eucla and found out they were on a 40th anniversary border rally being held over the weekend. We crossed the border into South Australia on this day, our fourth Border, two to go.

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Another border crossing.

The temperatures rose to 26 as we pulled into the first point of interest, of which there are four along the Nullarbor, Bunda Cliffs. Spectacular colours and sheer drops of cliffs into the water. Under the blue skies of a clear day these cliffs shone in all their beauty.  Each point of interest was certainly different and we hoped for the next one to display the wildlife we were waiting to see.  Whales.

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Head of the Bight, pay the $15 each and do the walk down to the observation areas and you will not be disappointed at all.  Around fifty whales were in the area and it wasn’t early in the day, after 4pm, stay and watch to see the display of mums and bubs playing, be patient and you’ll see others flipping out of the water and putting on a brilliant display with flippers waving and tails slapping. One little white baby was with its mother and having a lovely time in the late afternoon sun. These mammals were really putting on wonderful displays for us as we watched and clicked away on the camera. Five o’clock approached quickly and we had to leave but we were very satisfied with what we had witnessed. Whale, whales and more whales. Magnificent.

We returned to the entry gate where there was a free camp called the Whitewell, an old Waterwell in its day, and set up for the night with one other couple in a van, Stewart and  Kay from Albury, for company.  What a day we had spent on the Nullarbor. Tomorrow would be our last day across these plains.

On a recommendation from some people we met at Fraser Range, Brian and Margaret, we spent our second last night on the Nullarbor, 07/08, at Coorabie Farm, near Fowler’s Bay, where the owners Poggy and wife Deb greeted us with open arms and friendly hospitality. These two not only came and had happy hour but spent their meal times with us all as well, in the camp kitchen. Brian and Margaret were staying here too.  We went on lovely walks out of the station and within it, checking out all the wombat holes around the fields and the old machinery.  We had a very protected site with power, clean and roomy ammenities and can highly recommend this place.

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Haslam Council Camp, $5 honesty box, was our last night on the Nullarbor. This is a tiny town just past Ceduna and Smoky Bay but before Streaky Bay. There isn’t much here, a block of toilets for camp use,  a few houses, small post office which isn’t manned regularly and a jetty to fish from with a lot of people catching squids. We did some shell collecting and witnessed a pod of six dolphins playing just off the end of the jetty.  That night we had a campfire with our neighbours Sue and Tony and were also joined by John and Helen, Ross and Sue.

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The weather had turned for the worst again becoming wet and very windy as we headed toward Streaky Bay but it was too wet to enjoy the coast.  Morning tea was at a little bakery in a pretty coastal town of Elliston and then we drove to Whyalla where we booked a cabin for the night out of the high winds and rains that were now hitting hard.  Deb was the manager of the Whyalla Caravan Park and she couldn’t have been more helpful for us giving us a fully self contained unit which had been recently refurbished and a $9 discount, only charging us $81. Warm, showered and fed we slept well and were looking forward to our trip to the Flinder’s Ranges the next day.

Cheers xo.

Running from the Weather.

Rain, hail and wind were all forecast for Albany, Esperance and all coastal areas of WA, where we had planned on going.  Rain doesn’t really affect us unless we are packing or unpacking but wind can play a big part with our kind of set up.  The winds were supposed to reach around 120kms per hour so it could do some damage to us.  We now had to head inland to avoid the winds. Kalgoorlie here we come but not all in one day.

As we drove the winds were picking up in this area as well. I looked up Wikicamps and a place for us to bunker down from the winds.We headed towards Hyden and decided that we would like to see Wave Rock which had been our plan on our York Weekend  Time Spent With Lifelong Friends.  This countryside was full of luscious green wheat fields and rich golden canola fields.  The colours just jumped out at you like a patchwork quilt.

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Karlgarin is a little town of 50 people, it is 320kms from Perth and only 21kms from Wave Rock, Tressie’s Caravan Park was our choice for the night.  Merv and Laurie were absolutley lovely, friendly, helpful and full of information on the area.  They were retired farmers and had built this park to give Merv something to do while their son ran the farm. During the day Merv tends the office and also runs a tour twice a day of his Museum of collectibles and memorabilia.

Tressie’s CP, Karlgarin.

We booked a cabin for the night, due to the weather, as it was too windy to safely set up the camper.  The local Country Club was open for dinner on Thursdays and Fridays and as it was Friday we decided to patronise this little club. When we got to the club there were six of us from Tressie’s in for dinner so we all sat together and had a great old chat. One couple were from Perth, Bob and Gail and the other couple were from Herberton on the Atherton Tablelands, Dennis and Karen.  The meals were plentiful and delicious, everything about the place was good old country hospitality.  After talking to everyone, as we enjoyed the warmth of the fire, the decision was made to stay another night to enable us to see and do everything this area had to offer.

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Saturday morning we set off to Wave Rock where there are several walks to enjoy.  As we drove through Hyden we pulled to see the story of Hyden depicted in a sculpture storyline in the Main Street.Wave Rock is part of a massive granite outcrop known as Hyden Rock, there is also Hippo’s Yawn which is a cave that has been weathered out of its middle. Both walks form a loop of around 3.6kms meandering through the surrounding bush filled with wildlife and wild flowers. On top of Hyden Rock are many rock pools and different rock formations which are Spread throughout the 1.8km walk. The outlook is over a picturesque golf course and next to Hyden dam.

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After all this exercise we took the car for a drive along the road to Kulin which has been aptly name the Tin Horse Highway.  It is scattered with many tin horse sculptures made by the owners of the farms along the road and some really are quite clever. What an awesome day this had turned out to be with lots of surprises along the way.

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While in Kulin we checked out our new trailer but decided to give it a miss even though it already had our name on it as we thought it would definitely make our fuel economy rise on the trip home.

Sunday we travelled to Kalgoorlie on the best gravel road/shortcut ever, 151kms and no traffic the whole time we were on it and it cut 200kms off our trip. We got to Kalgoorlie around 1.30pm just in time to drop by the tourist information centre before it closed.  We grabbed all the details of tours to the Superpit and what was around town to see and do then found a Caravan Park for the next few nights.  Weather was still upsetting our being able to put the camper up so we booked into a cabin for the first night (which was just as well as a storm hit as we were booking in and was pretty hairy with torrential rain and huge winds) then a site for the other two nights with power as it was very cold.

Good to be back in our little home away from home.

Monday morning we took a walk along the Main Street, booked into our tour of the pit for Tuesday morning,  I got a haircut at Envy, and am very happy with it, and we took a walk through Hammond Park with its lush green grassed areas, bird avaries and its own miniature Bavarian castle near the pond area.  Such a beautiful park in such an historic town.

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Tuesday morning we had to meet at the Goldrush tours booking centre for our tour of the KCGM Superpit (Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines).   We were kitted out with a reflective orange vest and safety goggles before we got onto our bus, with our tour operator Dan, who was excellent, and headed to the mine.

The Super Pit covers more than 35,000 hectares of leases and is made up of around 260 individual mining leases joined together. Alan Bond was one of the brains behind forming this single large-scale, cost effective operation.  KCGM manages the Super Pit, it produces around 700,000 ounces of gold each year (22,000 kg per year or 60 kg a day).  This pit runs 24 hours a day, 365 a year.  Our tour took us to the boneyard where the retired vehicles, old tyres and scrap metal ends up and the workshops are there too. There is a fuel farm on site with a capacity of 700,000litres, each month they use 5-6 million litres of diesel.  We went to the mill where the gold is extracted from the ore and leaves the plant in gold bullion form then taken back to Perth Mint on commercial flights.  The only part of the mine we couldn’t enter was the floor of the Pit as it is deemed too dangerous for the tours and blasting takes place in this area twice a day.

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After our 2 1/2 hour tour we took a look around the York Hotel in Kalgoorlie, as advised by Dan, for its amazing interior and then returned to the viewing platform at the pit for the 1pm blasting that afternoon.

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After another magical day we did our groceries and returned to the camper for a barbecued rissole dinner and some well earnt rest that night.  Wednesday we were back on the road and on our way across the Nullarbor towards South Australia. Of course that’s another story for later.

Cheers. Xo

 

 

A Long Jetty and a Tall Lighthouse.

On the road again and travelling through some wonderful little towns in southern Western Australia, what could be more perfect.  Pinjarra, early lunch stop at a great little bakery which was very popular; Waroona; Yarloop the town that was burnt out only six to twelve months ago, so sad to see but they haven’t given up; Harvey with all its horse studs; Brunswick very rural and plenty of dairy farms. All these little places just pop up and leave a mark on your memory for their uniqueness.

Busselton, a very lovely seaside town about 300 kms from Perth, this was where we were spending the next three nights at the Kookaburra Caravan Park. This was a very neat little park with great facilities including an indoor camp kitchen and outer BBQ area and a great location not too far from the shops.  Quick set up of the camper because we would be using the camp kitchen for our meals as it had everything we needed and our camp was right next to it and the ammenities.  Off we went for a walk down to the beachside and jetty where we found the tourist information centre to grab all the information we needed on Margaret River, Augusta and find out just what Busselton had to offer.  Then a walk into town to check out what was around and get some fresh rolls to go with our dinner of pumpkin soup, which I had made in Perth and frozen.

We made the most of the kitchen that evening face timing the boys for a chat, we had our heater set up in there to keep us warm while we enjoyed the comfort of the indoors away from the cold evening, warm soup and the company of our neighbours, Barry and Tess Guerin, whom it turns out are from Figtree near Wollongong and Barry worked with our neighbour and friend, Tony, before he retired twelve months ago. Small world again.

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Our first morning we took ourselves across to the Jetty where we wanted to visit the underwater observatory and walk the Jetty but due to the weather tour was closed and as it turned out it would remain closed for the rest of our stay as it wasn’t a clear view from the observatory.  Back to the caravan park to regroup and, decision made, we headed to Margaret River and Augusta for the day. First we headed across the coast to Dunsborough and Simmo’s Icecreamery where we enjoyed a delicious treat that left us very cold inside and out. We both had two scoops, mine were salted burnt caramel and coconut, Murray had salted burnt caramel and hazelnut nougat.  Yum!

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Now, off to hit the wineries and whatever else we can find along the way. First stop was the Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Distillery and Killerby Winery, we were on a mission for Dave and Leonie Bere back home for a bottle of Liqueur Shiraz they liked.  What a shame I had to do the tasting for them.  The pear cider from the brewery was just lovely but not on the shelf for purchase yet.  We did go to Willespie Wines for our friends Bec and Kev but it’s was closed on Wednesdays so I’ll just have to come back over another time.

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Murray wasn’t too interested in the wineries as he was driving and it wasn’t as much fun for me without a drinking buddy, Sharyn, so even though the weather wasn’t the best we decided to forego some wineries and take the drive to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.  The drive down was just spectacular as we passed through Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and Boranup Karri Forest with its huge trees that towered way above everything else.

Tallest trees ever.

Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is 56 metres tall and has 176 steps to the top, it is the tallest mainland lighthouse situated at the most south westerly tip of Australia, where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean, it also overlooks Flinder’s Bay.  Our guide was fabulous and very informative, we could tell he loved his job by the smile on his face the whole time he talked.

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On our trip home we called into the Margaret River Dairy Company and tasted the most beautiful cheeses and yoghurts and made sure we didn’t leave empty handed.

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The next morning we returned to the Busselton jetty and did the 1.8km walk out. It was very windy and cold but well worth it.  It’s the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

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After our excercise on the jetty we took the drive back down to a winery called Aravini where the owner has a collection, 10, old cars within the showrooms.  This place was amazing, the cars were beautiful and so were the wines. We were both happy with this place.

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Another great day finished off with a catch up with Tess and Barry, a night walk to the jetty for some night photos and another dinner in the warmth of the camp kitchen.  Busselton, what a lovely place to have visited.

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The next part of our trip would change again but that’s another story. Till next time.

Cheers. Xo