Hi there, for those of you who don't know us, here is a bit of background as to who we are, why we are travelling around Australia, and how we are affording it.
Both Ross and myself had been married previously, but neither of us had any children in our first marriages. After we were married in January of 2001, we decided that we did want kids, but unfortunately, things didn't work out that way for us when Ross was diagnosed with Leukaemia in December of 2001. He underwent a complete bone marrow transplant, chemo, the works, and it took him years to recover fully. By this time we were both in our late 30's and decided although we weren't physically too old to start a family, that we were not prepared to be "old" parents, so we stuck with the dogs instead.
We had always planned to travel around Australia, but like most people, though we would do it once we retired. Ross' illness made us look at life a little differently, and we decided that one or both of us might not make it to retirement age for one reason or another, and we didn't want to go through life just going to work 9 to 5 for the rest of our lives and not experiencing what's out there. We made a pact that by the time Ross turned 40 that we would take our trip around Australia, whether we could afford it or not!!
Over the next few years while Ross was recovering from his illness, we bought a few positive/neutrally geared properties, and moved into my parent's place in Port Macquarie to save money. My parents have spent the last 15 years travelling around Australia and the rest of the world, so they weren't home much and needed someone to look after the place while they were away, naturally, we volunteered!
I spent the last 18 months doing a Medical Transcription Course that I could do online anywhere we could get wireless internet access, and could work as much or as little as I liked. I am just finishing the training part of that course and will be ready to start earning money from it any day now. Ross worked at Harvey Norman in Port Macquarie, and his boss told him that any time he was in a town that had a Harvey Norman, to ring him and he would organise for Ross to get work any time he wanted! We are currently in Brisbane, staying with family, and Ross is starting on Friday with Harvey Norman in Loganholme, just for a few weeks while we are here getting things more orgainsed for the trip. We might also have a go at some fruit picking, head up around the mines areas to see what's availiable, and just generally pick up bits and pieces of work as they come along.
We decided to bring our dog "Boris" with us, despite everyone telling us we are crazy, but he is our kid and we love him and couldn't imagine him having to stay at home and miss out on all the fun! We know that we will be limited in where we can stay with him, but that's fine by us - we will just work around it.
We are not planning on staying in caravan parks if we can help it, we have solar power to run everything for us and are wanting to go "off the beaten track."
We have a Landrover Discovery 2003 model Turbo Diesel. We decided on this vehicle because we wanted something affordable (Landcruisers and Patrols were too dear), we wanted something with dual airbags for safety, and we wanted something that we could sleep in the back of if we decided we were going somewhere the caravan couldn't go and we had to leave it behind. The Disco was the only vehicle that fitted all of the above criterea, and we have set it up with draweres and cupboards in the back, as well as a bed that we can both comfortably sleep in. In fact, the bed in the Disco is bigger than the one in the caravan!! Ross is 6'3", so we have to extend the bed in the caravan in order for him to fit in it.
What to tow was a big dilemma for us, as neither of us liked caravans, but we agonised over it for months, and took in affordability, towing weight, ease of set up, etc, etc, and a little old 14' pop-top caravan again was the one that fitted all of the criteria. We could have gone for a really good off-road caravan, but that would have cost $50,000.00 plus, and we only paid $2,750.00 for the one we ended up with. If we decide that we want to keep travelling in the future, we might upgrade, but as it is, we might only get a few months down the track and decide we hate it and want to chuck in the towel, so we will see how it goes before we start spending that kind of money! Ross set up all the solar himself, something that would have cost a small fortune if we had to get someone else to do it for us - he's such a clever boy!
So, that's our story, hope you enjoy following our adventures!
Lisa, Ross, and Boris
Monday, July 16, 2018
Introduction to us
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 2011
1 July 2011
We were on the road early and headed for Renmark for a look around - we went and had a look at Lock 5, as well as the lookout at Heading Cliffs - spectacular!! WE then headed into Mildura, did a bit of a shop then headed for Graham and Margaret's place in Pomona which is near Wentworth, just over the border into NSW. They were out for the day so we sorted ourselves out and they then arrived later in the afternoon.
2 July 2011
Spent the day sorting gear out and we worked out that the blue car still needed some work so Ross was sorting stuff out with that.
That evening we got the big fire going out the front of their place and had a big BBQ. They also had some friends around (Denis and Sandy) and Denis got his guitar out and entertained us for the night - what a great night!
After a few days here and Ross finally getting the blue car fixed, The Oldies decided to head for home as the weather is freezing and it's windy and miserable - definitely not going down the Great Ocean Road in this weather. We had a great trip, saw some wonderful things and had lots of laughs - thanks Mother and Lester for enriching our experience - we loved it!
24 June 2011 - 30 June 2011
24 June 2011
It was 2 degrees overnight - brrr - you would think we would be getting used to the cold by now and I'm sure we have acclimatised a little but it sure is hard to get out of a nice warm bed of a morning when it's that cold!
We went and had a look at the toy museum, the boys were much more interested that us girls were but it was interesting and the guy there had the biggest model collection of Land Rovers in Australia so they had a bit in common!
We also went and checked out the big garage sale and it turns out it was a big deceased estate auction with HEAPS of antiques and there was a huge crowd there - apparently antique collectors from all over the place were attending.
We then headed off to Mirrabura - Ross and I had been there before which means we have finally made it all the way around Australia! It took us a few years but we made it eventually!
We had a breif stop in Mirrabura and then we headed off to the forest as there was a tree arboretum that we went and looked at last time that we found fascinating and we wanted to visit again as well as show The Oldies. We would also love to come back to this area one day when Boris has moved onto a better place and check out Mount Remarkable as there are heaps of walking tracks and it looks like a very interesting place.
We went and had a look at the arboretum, had some lunch, went and had a look at the King Tree and then headed for Terwowie (a nearly ghost town) with the thought of going to Peterborough tomorrow where we have also been before and loved and wanted to go back again.
25 June 2011
0.1° overnight! The Oldies headed off early as Lester wanted to have a look at the train museum and we weren't interested so we stayed behind and finished packing up camp and met them in Peterborough. We then headed to Meldonfield which is absolutely fascinating and so is the guy who runs it - you could stay there a whole day. Unfortunately he is getting on in years and wants to start winding things down and having more time to himself so if anyone has been thinking of going there - best go sooner rather than later!
After lunch we headed back towards Terwowie but took a slight detour to go and have a look at Lancelot - on old ghost town that doesn't have much left except ruins but we found it fascinating.
On our way back to Terowie we stopped to have a look at the sculptures in the yard of one of the locals there - he obviously has quite an imagination but it was fun to go visit.
The Oldies have had enough of the tent so we have decided to buy them a little camper trailer for the rest of the trip. We found one that we are going to go and have a look at in the Adelaide Hills tomorrow for $700 so we started heading that way looking for a campsite. For that price we are not expecting anything flash but we won't need it for long and as long as it will hold together for the rest of the trip and we think we can get our money back we will buy it.
We drove through heaps of lovely little towns with beautiful old buildings, if we had the time we would have loved to have stopped at lots of them for a look around but we had to keep going unfortunately. We originally picked Hanson Rest Area but the toilets had been removed so we pushed on and ended up at Saddleworth Rest Area instead. At first glance it wasn't much, especially as the parking area was TINY. Once we looked around though, it was actually quite a beautiul little spot. The caravan was set up in the parking area and we set up the tent on the grass. There was a little stream on the other side of the BBQ/shelter and I went for a walk and came back with heaps of firewood so we did vegies in the coals and a BBQ for dinner - yummo.
26 June 2011
We didn't get on the road until about 9:30 after a leisurely breakfast. We went through Tarlee - another beautiful town and then through Gawler and then up through the Adelaide Hills to Summertown where we were looking at the camper. It was a great drive up to Summertown and when we arrived and had a look at the camper we knew straight away it was the one for us, in fact, we couldn't work out why he was only asking $700 for it - there was absolutely nothing wrong with it! The only thing was he said that it needed waterproofing - no sweat so we hooked it up and off we went. We headed back into Adelaide to pick up some waterproofing as well as a couple of other things that we needed, including an adaptor for the lights for the trailer - actually, they ended up buying a whole new wiring thing and rewired the trailer in the carpark of SuperCheap while us gals got lunch ready. It was starting to get late but we had to drop in at Bunnings for a couple of things and right next to Bunnings was Anaconda so Ross went in there while I went to Bunnings and then he called us from next door saying to get over there as they were having a big sale that was just about to end so we all trooped over there and Ross bought a new chair and a few other things that we had been wanting for a while, waiting for a sale to come on. It was getting really late by then and Ross had previously rung up a guy that he had talked to on the Land Rover forums who offered for us to hole up at his place for a couple of days to do a few things on the camper and the blue Land Rover that needed doing. We all thought it was a lovely gesture as we had never met the guy before and he was offering for us to use his yard and his shower and toilet, etc while we did the work that needed doing. As we put the address in the GPS we realised that the place was only a few kms from where we picked up the trailer from - aagh - back up the mountain again! We got there late and set up - we were all pretty bushed so we crashed.
27 June 2011
David and Becky are their names and they have a huge Doberman called Asha, but he's absolutely lovely but Boris is sh** scared of him! We were up early taking photos of the farm - he grows grapes and has sheep and deer and alpacas - lovely spot. It was 0° overnight.
Ross headed into town to buy parts for the blue car while we waterproofed the canvas on the trailer and did a few other things. David and Becky have another house down in town and Becky has gone there for a few days so she left last night and is not due back for a few days so it left just David and us. David cooked us a beautiful meal - a stirfry and we all had a lovely night - what a great guy!!
We got all the things done we wanted to so we were planning to head off in the morning but after we went to bed I got another bad pain in my bladder but this time it was much worse and I was in total agony so Ross took me to the hospital. It was quite late so we didn't want to wake David up to ask which hospital to go to so we looked in the GPS and it said the closest hospital was Stirling so we headed for it. It was a horrible night - so foggy we could hardly see and the roads are so windy through the mountains. We finally got to Stirling Hospital only to find there is no Emergency Department! Crap - now what? We tossed up whether to go further into Adelaide or closer to where we were camped and we chose closer to where we were camped and headed for Mt Barker, thinking that it is a much bigger town and should have an Emergency Department but no - it doesn't have one either! By this time we were desperate and I rang 1234 and they put me through to the reception at Mt Barker Hospital and I explained my situation and they told me to come in. By this time the pain was so bad I couldn't even walk so they had to take me in in a wheelchair. Apparently in SA in the country towns there are no Emergency Departments open at night but they do have a couple of nurses on and they can call a doctor in if it's needed. The nurses were great and they took a urine sample and told me there was blood in it so I must have a urinary tract infection - they gave me some Panadeine Forte and sent me home and told me if it didn't settle down to go to the doctor and get some antibiotics.
28 June 2011
I was still in agony in the morning so David rang up the local doctor and got me in to see him first thing in the morning. He took another urine sample but the results wouldn't be back until the following day so he gave me antibiotics and Panadeine Forte and sent me home. I went back to bed for most of the rest of the day and was feeling a bit better by the night - David graciously let us stay another day - what a guy! Everyone else was wonderful too - The Oldies went out and bought me all sorts of things to make me feel better and Ross looked after me - I was feeling rather spoiled by the end of the day!
29 June 2011
Still in pain but the drugs are keeping it under control so we packed up and headed off. We went to Murray Bridge and had lunch, did a bit of shopping and then went to have a look at Mannum. We found a great lookout on the way there but it wasn't really near any town so I can't even tell you where it is but it was wonderful to see The Murray at its best, full of water and life - last time we were here it was quite a different story with drought taking it's toll on the beautiul river. I rang the doctor to get the results of my urine test and they said that there was blood in my urine but there was no infection so they weren't sure what caused the pain and suggested I go see a doctor when we get to Wentworth which is where my cousin, Graham and his missus, Margaret live. We will be looking after their farm for a few months while they go on holidays. We weren't planning on going to their place for a few weeks yet as we were planning on doing the Great Ocean Road but the weather has turned a bit nasty so we thought we would head there, take stock and then decide what to do from there.
We stayed in Mannum overnight - another great spot.
30 June 2011
We packed up camp and headed towards Berri/Renmark. We stopped at Swan Reach for a short time to look around and then we saw Banrock Station which is a brand we know so we stopped in there but didn't buy anything in the end.
We headed into Kingston on Murray for a look around and had lunch before heading into Berri where we stopped briefly for a look around too.
We camped the night in Renmark at Plush's Bend which had a tick in the camps book so we were looking forward to stopping there. Unfortunately the floods had been through it and all the grass was dead and, although we didn't realise it when we were packing up, the toilets had been flooded and were locked up - bugger! Lucky we have the portapottie!
17 June 2011 - 23 June 2011
17 June 2011
We took off this morning to go on the treck we were told about by the guy who owns Streaky Bay Bush Camp which is on a private property. We had to go through a few gates and then we went on a little dirt track that hugged the coastline for a few kms - it was just spectacular - really worth the drive, it was very rugged and beautiful and we all had a ball, especially when there was one particular rocky bit where the Land Rover couldn't get up and we had to find another way around! We were in the blue one, not our original one - if we had have been in that one with the diff locks we would have had no trouble but without diff locks and with only plain road tyres she just couldn't get up there!
After that we decided to go and look at the sea lions at Point Labatt Conservation Park. I had never seen wild sea lions before so it was a real treat. If you ever go there - make sure you look for the NZ fur seals that are futher out on the rocks as the sea lions won't let them closer - they are very hard to see! It was really cold and windy but we saw babies suckling on their mothers and sea lions playing in the ocean so it was great.
After that we went to Baird Bay for lunch. There is a free campsite there that we almost went to but luckily we didnt as there is no shelter there even though it is a beautiful little spot but with the wind it would have been horrible!
We headed back to camp and got the fire going and cooked curried sausages, had our showers and relaxed. There was a bit of rain but not much.
18 June 2011
We then headed off to have a late lunch on the water at Elliston - another lovely little town with murals on many of the walls of buildings. After lunch we started heading across to the east side of the Eyre Peninsula. The first bit of the road was quite ugly with heaps of paddocks with hundreds of dead trees laying or standing in the paddocks - that went on for quite a way before the scenery finally got better with better land and no dead trees. Along the way we spotted a sheep running along the side of the road so we stopped to see if we could get it into a paddock but it had other ideas and after we got out and started trying to herd it towards a gate it charged at the fence and managed to get through by itself - great fences!!
We ended up pulling into Yeldnuckie Weir for the night - what a lovely little spot - rainwater as well as town water available, lovely clean showers, a picnic area with electric BBQs and beautiful scenery to boot! We got the fire going and decided it might be a good place to stay for a few days and relax.
19 June 2011
It had sprinkled overnight but nothing major. A couple of locals stopped by and we had a chat to them, they are part of the Lions Club who run the campsite and they were full of information about the area - lovely guys. They told us that there was an 8 km walk and told us what there was to see on the walk which included the weir and an old garden bed where the settlers used to grow there vegies and used the water from a soak, etc, etc so we all started out on a trek along the road. The oldies only made it as far as the weir but Ross and I kept going and had a beaut walk, it was really lovely country and it was good to be able to just relax and take in the scenery. We got back at about lunchtime and had jaffles on the fire for lunch. After lunch we went looking for firewood for the fire and spent some time tripping back and forth with wood to stock up.
20 June 2011
We had heard about bad weather coming with 60 km/h winds but we like this place so much we decided to ride it out. It was a bit of a miserable day but it didn't stop us doing more exploring - we walked over to the old quarry and cut up and collected more firewood to keep warm. We also went into town for bread and milk (Cleve is only about 5 kms from the campsite). Another local stopped by for a chat and a cuppa - such friendly people around here!
21 June 2011
It was a better day today though still windy but it was sunny. We drove out to Arno Bay for a look around on the recomendation of some of the locals - they have built quite an extensive boardwalk around the mangroves and out to the beach and we had a lovely couple of hours wandering around looking at the area. They even have special fishing spots designated with chopping boards and such - it's really well set up! Towards the end it started raining again so back in the car and back to camp.
Lester and I were bored so we walked up to the old settlers garden and planted some capsicums and tomatoes in there - I wonder if they will grow someday??
The mice have been driving us a bit nuts around here - there sure are plenty around and they are cheeky little buggers and Boris has managed to catch one (with a little help from Ross stomping on it first). He's not a very good mouser - a bit old and slow unfortunately but Ross decided to have a go at killing a few tonight as well and spent a good deal of the night with a shovel in his hand trying to kill mice but he wasn't very successful - they are too quick. Boris managed to get another one - he had pretty much given up after a night of chasing them around and was lying on his bed near the fire when one got too close to his front paws and he just grabbed it - he was quick as lightning and didn't even leave the comfort of his bed!
22 June 2011
We finally decided to get back on the road after a lovely stay at a great little campsite. We were on the road by 9:30 and started to head towards Whyalla. Once we reached Whyalla we had a bit of a look around but the town itself wasn't very exciting, though it was big. We stopped and bought a couple of things that we needed and as we were only stopping for one night so we decided to go out to Point Lowly rather than Fitzgerald Bay as was recommended by a friend as it was a bit further out of town. Another beautiful spot - completely free and you are allowed to stay here for two weeks!! We set up near the toilets which were only a few hundred metres from the water. There were showers there too but they were cold so we had to heat the water and we just took the buckets into the shower recess and had our showers that way. We went for a walk and there were a couple out on their back deck that were really friendly and had a chat with us - we had a great afternoon.
Mother and I got up early and went for a walk down to the lighthouse to watch the sun rise. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise but it was a great walk (albeit freezing) and we had a lovely time. There was a very interesting sign down at the lighthouse that explained about the salinity, etc around the Point Lowly area, making it unique. We then packed up and headed to Port Augusta which was a very interesting little town with a very interesting Information Centre and some very interesting old buildings. We did some shopping and had lunch in the park there before heading off towards Wilmington through a back road that took us through part of the Flinders Ranges. The back road itself was like a goat track that had bitumen on it but it then came out onto a main road before heading through the mountains - what a majestic drive! We stopped off at Hancock's Lookout which was really worth the 7 km devation off the road with it's fantastic view.
We continued through to Wilmington and we were originally going to go through to Wirrabura for the night at the showground there but we had rung ahead and they told us that they were closing for a while for repairs so we decided to stay at the caravan park at Wilmington instead as it looked like an interesting town as we drove through it with a toy museum that the boys were interested in. There was also what looked like a large garage sale that was happening and we wanted to go check it out tomorrow. It was a nice little park that wasn't too expensive and there were also bush camping sites available out the back but we didn't find out how much these were. We got some washing done and had an early night.
Monday, June 20, 2011
10 June 2011 - 16 June 2011
10 June 2011
Packed up this morning - everything in the tent was wet - we knew it had been leaking but didn't realise the extent - looks like we need to get some seam sealer as it seems to be the seams that are leaking (hey - that rhymes!). Ross and I headed into Kalgoorlie to fill up gas bottle and do a few other things while the Oldies headed back to Coolgardie to take photos of the old buildings there as we didn't get a chance on the way through the first time. We met up in Norseman, had a quick lunch and headed out across the Nullarbor - our first night - woohoo!
We stayed at Ten Mile Rocks campsite which was quite a nice campsite. We had a big fire and cut up a bunch of wood - apparently there won't be much wood for a while so we loaded up the car with as much firewood as we could carry.
11 June 2011
The Salmon Gums seem to be the main trees around here - they are just spectacular and completely different to the gums we are used to seeing. Their bark ranges in colour from salmon (of course) to orange and brown and even a weird shade of pale olive green but the best ones I think are the ones with the copper coloured bark. We went for a wander around the campsite this morning - it was really misty and with the water from the fog reflecting in the early morning sunlight they looked like they were glowing. We took photos but they looked fake because they were so amazing.
We wandered in to have a look at Fraser Range Station because it was on the map of interesting things to see on the Nullarbor, there is also a caravan park there. We had a look around as there are the ruins of an old station there but there wasn't an awful lot to see so we didn't hang around long.
We moved on to Balladonia and looked at the museum there which was interesting. We couldn't have showers as they don't have any water and they have closed down the showers. The town of Balladonia isn't actually a town - it's a roadhouse and I think there was a caravan park there too but nothing else - strange.
We stayed at Domblegabby Rest Area overnight which was a nice enough spot. We have run out of trees so lucky we brought the firewood with us - we had another nice fire.
12 June 2011
There was no rain overnight but it was a very wet night and everything was wet again so we had to pack up wet and we headed to Caiguna. They had had a big dump of rain overnight so there were puddles everywhere - very welcome for them as they don't get much rain out this way. Caiguna was the same - just a motel and a roadhouse and a caravan park - this is where mum and dad broke down in the bus a couple of years ago - what a place to break down! About 5 kms before town is Caiguna Blowhole which is a hole in a rock in the ground - wow.
We moved on to Cocklebiddy (just love that name) where they had enough water there so that we could have showers which we all gladly did as there is nowhere along this trip where you can get water as far as we know so you can't afford the luxury of using the water you take with you for a shower. We had lunch at Cocklebiddy and then headed off again. We have been driving through a bit of rain as we go along - not a lot but you can see where there has been a fair bit of recent rainfall around the area. Everything so far has been nice and green and lush and really interesting. The next thing on the Nullarbor Map to look at is the Eyre Bird Observatory but we decided agains it as it is a fair way off the beaten track and due to the rain we were worried about the state of the road as it is a 4wd only road anyway.
We stopped at Madura Pass Lookout which was great and then stayed the night at Moondini Bluff - another great campsite. We are trying to eat up all of our fres fruit and veg because of the checkpoint at Caiguna so we had potatoes and onions in foil in the coals - yummo! There is a checkpoint at Eucla but that is for people coming into WA.
We saw a funny sight on the way to the campsite this arvo, a little van passed us and when we looked across a the passengers, they were two Alpacas!! What a funny site to see!
13 June 2011
There was a lot of dew again last night and everything was wet again inside and out this morning so another wet packup. We had pancakes for brekky this morning - what a treat!
We headed off to Eucla and had a look at the Old Telegraph Station ruins down on the sand dunes. We were surprised that Eucla also wasn't a town and again was only a roadhouse.
WE wanted to get as far as we could tonight as we are running out of supplies as we had to make sure all fres stuff was eaten before the checkpoint. It's been getting dark by about 5:30ish so we have been trying to stop by about 3 to give us time to set up camp and get a fire going and have some time to relax, etc. The sun dosn't get up until about 7ish too so it makes for a short day!
We went through Border Village (another roadhouse) and then we were on the coastline with a few signs for photo opportunities which we stopped at to take photos of the cliffs over the ocean. There are a few campsites along the coast which we could have stayed at but they are all very exposed and have no toilets so we kept going and eventually got off the coast and found a nice campsite on the left hand side of the road (?81 K Peg Rest Area?). No toilets there either but we dug a hole for "number 2's" and had the Porta Pottie for "number 2's". We know you can use the Porta Pottie for number 2's but none of us like the idea so we do the little seat over the hole thing instead.
There were no trees today - definitely the "Nullarbor".
The timezone has changed twice over the past two days which is a bit hard to get used to.
14 June 2011
WE went into the "town" of Nullarbor this morning (another roadhouse). When we pulled up there was a plane parked in the parking lot - not something you see every day!! It does joyflights over the Head of the Bight to look at whales - I think it was $140 pp which I thought was a pretty good price, but we are going to do it the old fashioned way and go and look from the boardwalk.
We got to the Head of the Bight and went in and as soon as we got near the water we could see whales!! It was a lot of fun although they didn't do anything exciting like breach though we did see a flipper. A lot of them had babies with them. You couldn't see them all that well, you mostly saw their backs but it was still great fun. As we were walking around and looking at whales we kept bumping into one particular couple and exchanged pleasantries a few times and then on the way out Lester bumped into them again and then the realised that they knew each other and were cousins - small world! We had lunch at the Head of the Bight and then headed off again to Penong. On the way we saw a ?black fox cross the road in front of us. I can't find anything to say there are black foxes in Australia but that's definitely what it looked like to us.
WE stayed Kidnippy Rest area which ended up being a lovely spot - no toilets again but we had the loos set up so no problem. We are back into the treed area so we had a big fire - the best yet! I made a bacon and cheese damper - yummo! It is almost a full moon so it was a very bright, clear night with no clouds, no wind - just beautiful.
15 June 2011
It was 2 degrees when we got up this morning and there was frost on the cars - BRRRR!!! We packed up and headed into Ceduna. We need supplies, we need a shower and we need to do laundry so we will stay in town in a caravan park tonight.
WE drove through Nundroo and filled up with the cheapest fuel we had seen since leaving Norseman. Got quite expensive at times - I think $2.09/L was the dearest!
We have left the Nullarbor behind now - we all really enjoyed it though it wasn't what any of us were expecting. For me, I expected there to be no trees and basically desert the entire way from Norseman to Ceduna but there really was only one or two days where we didn't see any trees and although there was not much water about, everything was beautiful and green with lots of bushes when there weren't any trees. I also expected the "towns" marked on the maps to be towns, even tiny little ones but they wer mostly only roadhouses with the odd caravan park and motel thrown in - it was quite strange I thought.
When we got to Ceduna we booked into the A1 caravan park on the recommendation of a lady we had come across on our travels. It was about the cheapest and nastiest caravan park any of us had ever seen!! It was full of drunk Aboriginals and it was small and rundown but it had everything we needed - washing machines, showers, toilets, so we couldn't complain. The Oldies were getting sick of putting up and pulling down the tent every day so decided to stay in an onsite van - wow - that was an interesting van!! It was about 50 years old, had no running water in it but it had a bed and it was dry and it only cost $20 so - again - can't complain! The guy in the next caravan to them was a permanent resident and was the friendliest guy you could meet - he even let us use his dryer to get our washing dry - he had only known us for five minutes! Oveall the residents were fine and it wasn't as bad as we thought it was when we first layed eyes on it. We got some shopping done and had fish and chips for tea!
16 June 2011
We had a bit of a look around Ceduna which was a much nicer looking town than I thought it would be and then we headed off to Streaky Bay. The weather has not been windy at all up until now but by the time we hit Streaky Bay it was blowing a gale! Mum told me to call into the IGA there to see an Ian Beck (relative?) but he wasn't on so we headed off to Sceale Bay Bush Camp to camp the night. We found a nice spot out of the wind - it's top little campsite with flushing toilets and even a bush shower!! (pump hot water out of our bucket into a holding bucket above your head with a tap on it). The guy who owns it comes around every night to collect fees ($6 pp) and told us about a drive along the local cliffs we had to go on tomorrow - looking foward to it :)
3 June 2011 - 9 June 2011
3 June 2011
We start our next leg of the journey today - off across the Nullarbor - we are all very excited about it - a first for all of us and not really sure what to expect along the way. Nullarbor literally means no trees and we have heard some people say it's boring and others love it so we will have to make our own decision about what we think of it.
We took off by about 12:30 and were hoping to get to Kulin tonight but there were a few hiccups with the turbo on our car and we had to pull over a few times along the way. One of the times we were pulled over we had three people stop to offer help - wow!! It's amazing how things change once you get out into the country. We only made it as far as Corrigan. One of the stops we made for a pee break was at Quairading where they had free hot showers in the public toilets - good to note for future reference! We stayed in the caravan park at Corrigin which was a nice park and cost the four of us $40 for the night to stay there ($28 for 2 plus $6 per person).
4 June 2011
We left by 9:30ish and went to Kulin where they have coin operated hot showers in the public loos there. Heading out of Kulin there is the Tin Horse Highway which is just out of Kulin where the local farmers have spent the past 15 years trying to outdo each other by decorating the roadside with tin horses - what a hoot - we had a top morning. We also stopped at Gorge Rock which was okay but nothing to write home about. We then headed for Jillakin Rock for lunch and then headed for Wave Rock but we got there fairly late so we decided to stay at the Wave Rock Caravan Park overnight and go and look at the rock in the morning. Lovely caravan park, a bit more expensive than we normally pay but the price included free entry into the rock.
5 June 2011
We were up early and had brekky and partly packed before we headed off to look at the rock - it was quite phenomenal and once you have looked at Wave Rock itself you can go hiking up on top of it and there is a bunch of other stuff to look at. It's quite a climb but wasn't stopping Mother - she had her hiking boots on and she was away!! We had a beaut morning and when we got back from Wave Rock Ross and I jumped ont he bikes and headed off to see Hippo's Yawn and follow a couple of other tracks around the place. We got back, had morning tea, finished packing up and hit the road again.
We went the back way from Hyden to Kalgoorlie via a very nice dirt road. We stopped for a pee break again at the Shell servo at Yellowdine where they had showers also. We pushed on and got to Lake Douglas campground just 12 km west of Kalgoorlie just before dark. In the camps book it says there are fire pits at Lake Douglas - it is a huge camp area but we could only see one fire pit and it was already being used but it was a big fire pit and we chatted to the people using it and they were more than happy to share which was great.because it was freezing!! It sprinkled rain overnight.
6 June 2011
Still drizzling rain so we moved the van over near the tent and put the annexe up to make a bigger living area. WE then went into the Information Centre and had a wander around town but being a public holiday there was nothing open and nobody around so we went back to camp.
7 June 2011
WE went and had a look at the Super Pit which was quite spectacular by OMG it was windy and COLD!! Poor mother didn't have a good jacket so we headed back into town to try to find one for her so she doesn't freeze to death while we are here. We went to historic Burke Street and had a look in the Super Pit shop and wandered around and then did a bit of shopping and we found a coat for Mother at Vinnies.
8 June 2011
Still miserable - Lester went into town but the rest of us stayed put.
9 June 2011
Much nicer today. The boys went and checked out the local museums while us girls headed to the laundry. We asked at the Information Centre about the laundries in town and were told there were four. The first one we went to was closed permanently, the second was a bit dicey but we thought we could come back to it if we couldn't find a better one, the third one was a commercial laundry and the last one was back on Burke Street and was a fantastic one - beautiful stainless steel machines and friendly staff to help. It was a bit pricey compared to other laundries but we fitted the whole lot in two loads whereas if we had been at a normal laundry it probably would have taken four loads so it didn't end up expensive anyway.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
May 2011
1 May 2011
It dawned bright and clear this morning and we all felt much better with the sun out. We decided to go and have a look at Augusta which is right at the bottom easternmost tip of WA – wow – what a pretty place!! We did the river walk and it was just magic. We stopped and had a picnic lunch at the edge of the riverbank and then headed off to look at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse – another fascinating place and so different from the one on Rottnest. This one has all the original buildings there and there is a lot of history to go with it as well. It is also where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet.
We headed back to camp and got a great fire going and boiled our water for showers and cooked a date scone mix in the form of a damper in the camp oven – yummeeee!
2 May 2011
We went exploring along the “Caves Road” today, heading towards Margaret River. First stop was at Lake Cave which is “a stunning crystal wonderland” as they put it. It is quite a climb down and back up again but totally worth it. Mother chickened out again but the rest of us went and had an amazing time – we sure earned our WeetBix today!
After that we headed in to have a look at Margaret River as we had heard so much about it but the actual town itself was a bit of a disappointment – we came to the conclusion that it must be the countryside around it and all the attractions that make it famous rather than the town itself.
3 May 2011
We were heading off to Busselton today as we wanted to look at the underwater observatory on the end of their jetty which is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere but on the way we decided to stop at Margaret River Chocolate Factory – omg – chocolate-lover’s heaven!! Did you know that it is actually possible to have too much chocolate!? I thought it was a myth! We had morning tea consisting of real hot chocolate (hot milk with chocolate in it rather than chocolate powder) along with an assortment of different chocolates and slices ... Wow – way too much chocolate!! The chocolate they make there is the best I have ever tasted too – not too sweet – just right!!
We moved on to Busselton only to find that the tours to the observatory were booked out – bumma! It was nearly the last day of the school holidays which may explain it so instead we went to have a look at Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse but we didn’t end up going in as it was a bit of a walk and it was getting late so instead we did something that Mother had been desperate to do ever since landing in Perth – we stopped at a little beach not far from our campsite and watched the sun set over the ocean – what a beautiful sunset it was too! It was a great end to the day.
We are going to try again for the observatory on our way back.
4 May 2011
We packed up this morning and started heading towards Albany.
Just before Pemberton we came across the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree which was originally a fire lookout but was turned into a climbing tree in 1988. It is a 70-metre high tree and it has stakes winding their way up the tree right to the top. I was the only one stupid enough to give it a go but I thought it was great and got to the top so see the magnificent views over the karri forests. There are a couple of other trees in the area you can climb too but one was enough for me!
We went through Pemberton where we stopped for lunch at a little park and ended up staying at Quinninup Eco Tourist Park which was a great little park with very take Skippy’s (drove Boris nuts) but we only intended to stay the night and didnt want to get all the cooking stuff out and there was the Quinninup Pub only about 500 m away so we walked down there and had a beaut dinner in the cozy little pub. In the morning we discovered a mini “Gnomesville” right outside the Park which was very cute.
5 May 2011
On the road again and we were driving though very pretty country all day – such a beautiful part of the country!
We kept heading east and stopped at Walpole for lunch – it was pouring rain and we all got soaked. We decided to have lunch in the little bakery there rather than try to get all our lunch stuff out in the rain. We found a cozy, warm, dry corner of the bakery and dried out and hung around for an hour or two hoping for the rain to stop as we wanted to do the treetops walk in the Valley of the Giants but it didn’t let up much so we went and did it anyway in the rain. Only the three of us did the treetops walk which is 40 m up in the canopies of some enormous tingle trees. Ross wasn’t all that happy about the way the walkway swayed around – it was making him a bit nauseous but he survived! It was great and then when you finish with the treetops walk you go on a boardwalk around the base of some other trees which we all went on – that was great too! It was quite an experience – just trying to contemplate how old those trees are makes you head spin!
We moved on to Denmark and as it was still raining and we didn’t want to set the tent up in the rain we booked a little cabin at the river mouth in a caravan park – we slept in the caravan still and The Oldies stayed in the cabin but we all squeezed in there to have dinner, showers, etc – lucky we all get on as it was quite cozy!
6 May 2011
We packed up in the morning and left our 4x4 and van at the Visitor Information Centre and all jumped in the other car and went exploring Denmark. We went on the tourist drive and stopped at a couple of places including Duckett’s Mill Wines/Denmark Cheese Factory where they have AWESOME cheese!! We didn’t know what to buy but in the end we bought a couple of different sorts of feta cheese and a Scottsdale Cumin cheese which is the BEST CHEESE I HAVE EVER TASTED – I’m in love!! Unfortunately we only bought a little bit but maybe its for the best or I may have had a cheese overload!
We then went for a drive down to have a loot at Green’s Pool, etc before heading for Albany to look for another campsite for the night.
We headed for Cosy Corner which is a free campsite and when we arrived it was pretty full and it wasn’t looking good but we eventually found another part of the camp area where there was nobody so we set up there. Again, toilets but no showers but that’s ok!
7 May 2011
I woke up in the morning with a horrible pain in my ?bladder? It was really intense and I had no idea what it was about but it was extremely painful. Ross and I were going to head into Albany anyway on our own today to give the oldies a day off so we jumped in the car and headed off thinking that if the pain didn’t improve I would get it checked out in Albany. The pain did improve so we went up to the Desert Corps Memorial lookout – wow – what a view! Albany has to be one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen. As you drive in it reminds you almost of those pictures you see of the Greek Isles where you see all the little houses dotted on the side of the mountain – that was my first impression of Albany.
After the walk up to the lookout I was still in pain so I finally decided I had better go to the Emergency Department of the Albany Hospital – what a great hospital – wonderful staff and I was in and out so quick it made my head spin! Lucky it was quiet, they did a bunch of tests, assured me there was nothing to worry about and it was most likely just a “muscle strain” but to come back if it didn’t improve, etc and within an hour I was on my way!
While Ross was waiting in the waiting room he read the local paper and read about a ?TracMech which was some sort of get together he thought with a bunch of vintage cars so we decided to go and check it out. When we arrived, it was not only vintage cars but vintage tractors and even an old Tiger Moth that we saw – there were also a bunch of old stationery engines – steam, etc, all very interesting. We didn’t stay too long as I wasn’t feeling all that crash hot. We stopped off a the Information Centre before heading back to camp and having a quiet afternoon – something we haven’t done for who knows how long!
8 May 2011
MOTHER’S DAY. We all bundled into the car and headed for Albany for the day. The first stop was the Brig Amity which is a replica of an old brig used in several notable voyages of exploration and settlement in Australia in the early nineteenth century.
Second stop was the lookout again – even better than yesterday as less clouds – what a magnificent view! After that we headed back to the Info Centre to find out if we could pay for hot showers somewhere in town and yes, they do them at the Info Centre so we had showers before heading off to Emu Point for famous fish & chips at the Squid Shack. It was really busy with a 50-minute wait so we spent the time wandering along the foreshore and looking at all the bird life. When we finally got lunch it wasn’t all that crash hot – the chips were nice but I didn’t like the batter or the taste of the fish particularly – so much for the best fish & chips in town – never mind.
We went and did our washing at the laundromat and went for a walk in ANZAC Peach Park before heading “home” again.
9 May 2011
It was our turn for a quiet day while the oldies headed into town today. They wanted to do some shopping, etc so Ross and I went for a walk on the beach and had a relaxing day, actually, this is the first real chance I have had to be on the computer for more than five minutes for the whole trip so today is the day I have written up this whole blog from the beginning of April!
10 May 2011
Another trip into Albany today - we wanted to see all the sights and do the whole touristy thing. The first thing on the agenda was Whale World. Can't say I enjoyed it. It was interesting as far as the whole history thing went but they went into so much gory detail about killing, chopping up and cooking the whales it made me feel quite ill - it was a bit like going on a tour of an abbatoir without the live meat.
Next stop was the blow holes. With these ones you have to be there at the right time to see anything and we weren't there at the right time though there was lots of noise and it was a beautiful walk down to it. On the way back up Ross was in front and spotted a little ?bandicoot - something like that anyway and decided to film it as it was on the footpath. Only seconds later a ?falcon swooped down to try to catch it and Ross got it all on video - it was like - aww - look at the cute little mousy thing - oh dear ... we are pretty sure the bird didn't get it but it was a bit of a hair raiser! Mother was very brave and walked most of the way down to the blowholes and back - quite a feat as it is a very steep climb!
After that we headed off to The Gap and the Natural Bridge which are together - wow - absolutely stunning! Mother surprised us all (including herself) by standing out on the platform over The Gap to take photos seeing as she is petrified of heights!!
11 May 2011
MOTHER'S 70TH BIRTHDAY
We packed up camp today and headed off to Denmark again before heading back to Quinninup to camp at the Eco Park again.
When we reached Denmark we stopped to do a shop and it being Mother's 70th birthday we decided we needed to do something special so while everyone else shopped I went off to the "toilet" and went to the bakery and bought a Black Forest Roulade which was the only thing they had that resembled a birthday cake. Ross bought some candles from the shops and we managed to smuggle them into the caravan with Mother being none the wiser. When we reached Quinninup we told her we would shout her dinner at the pub for her birthday but before we all headed down to the pub for dinner Ross and I took Boris for a walk and smuggled the cake down to the pub and lined it up with the people there to bring it out for desert with the candles lit, etc.
When we arrived for dinner we all sat at the bar for a while for drinks and Mother ordered her usual Advocat and lemonade but the girl could only find a bottle that was nearly finished and only had a small amount of Advocat in the bottom of it. We told her to put the lemonade in the bottle and shake it up and that would be okay but before she had a chance to put it into a glass we grabbed a straw and gave it to Mother to drink it out of the bottle - she looked like an alco!!
The surprise cake thing worked out great and we all had a wonderful night.
12 May 2011
We moved on to Manjimup and Greens Island campsite - what a beautful spot! When we arrived there was only one other lot of campers there and we soon worked out that they were the same people we had seen down at Cozy Corner. They were a hubby and wife with 3 kids who were doing home schooling on the road with the kids - lovely lot and we all got on great.
Mother cooked silverside in the camp oven with white sauce and spuds in alfoil in the coals - yummo!!
13 May 2011
Ross and I went into Manjimup to have a look around - lovely little town. There is a Timber and Heritage Park in the town and we will all come back another day to check it out.
When we got back to camp Ross and I went for a bike ride along one of the parts of the Bibbleman Track which was right near our campsite - wow - what a windy, up and down track - I was exhausted!
14 May 2011
We had a lazy day today and didn't do much at all - tough life!
15 May 2011
We went to the Timber and Heritage Park today - very interesting. We had Subway for lunch before heading back to camp again for another lazy afternoon.
16 May 2011
We packed up this morning and headed up towards Bridgetown which is an area where Mother's relatives used to live so she was very interested to have a look around. We split up to get there as The Oldies wanted to go back into Manjimup first and go on the bitumen whereas Ross and I wanted to go the back way through the forest and through Donnelly River where you have to drive around the local kangaroos who have taken up residence in the middle of the road area and who obviously get fed as they are very quiet and not bothered at all about cars.
Bridgetown is just gorgeous and what a fantastic time of year to be touring around with the trees showing off their wonderful autumn colours! There is a little museum and jigsaw display in the Information Centre there - absolutely fascinating! We all ate lunch in the little park across the road from the Info Centre before hitting the road again only to stop at the next town - Balingup which is another lovely little town.
We were looking for a campsite near Collie as we wanted to go to Gnomesville in the morning. The first campsite we pulled in at was Glen Mervyn Dam which was an almost completely dry dam that was extremely uninviting so we decided to go onto the next campsite - Stockton Lake Recreation Area - wow - what a difference - glad we picked this one!! What a gorgeous spot! It is actually an old open cut mine site and the water is very acid so you can't swim in it but what a glorious backdrop it made - got some great sunset and sunrise piccies there!
17 May 2011
Packed up and headed off to Gnomesville this morning - what a top spot. If I had gnome there were going to be so many gnomes there we would have taken some of ours along and added them to the pile! It was quite incredible actually - it just went on and on - there were thousands of them there and many had their own little houses, stories and poems - you could spend a whole day there.
The weather was starting to turn nasty so we headed into Bunbury. Ross and I are heading "home" tonight but The Oldies are going to stay the night in Bunbury as there is a display that Lester wants to see in Dardanup tomorrow.
25 May 2011
LESTER'S BIRTHDAY
We went to Kings Park today and had a look around at the Botanical Gardens, War Memorial, etc. We had a BBQ lunch at Kings Park before we all had to go to the osteopath. Well, the other three went - I didn't need to go - Westcoast Osteopathy - Todd - he has done wonders with all of us - we are deeply indebted to him for the fantastic work he has done on us all. I have been going to chiro's, physio's, masseurs, etc, etc for over 20 years without one of them being able to help me and Todd is the only one who has found out what my problem has been all this time - I had a "rib out" - don't know what the technical term is but that has been my problem the whole time - I have been in pain for 20 years!! He also gave me exercises to do to help keep it in and fix up the different muscles that have weakened and strengthened over the years to compensate. Lester also had a similar problem from a work accident 15 years ago and he had never come across anybody who could fix him either before he met Todd - it's quite mind boggling actually. Roz' mum also went there and has had a huge improvement and Mother has also found a great difference.
On the way home we stopped off at Alfred's Kitchen - a great little burger joint on the side of the road in Guildford that has a streetside open fire - we shouted Lester a burger for his birthday.
April 2011
April 2011
Well, it looks like we are finally going to be getting back on the road again after an 8-month stop in Perth. We are going to do a quick trip down to Margaret River/Albany before coming back to Perth for a final packup before heading off across the Nullarbor to head for Mildura where we will look after my cousin’s farm for three months before heading back to Port Macquarie for Christmas. Sorry I stopped abruptly for the end of the trip but everything happened at once and I ran out of time! Basically we made our way down to Perth and decided to stop for a while and work as Ross got a job at Harvey Norman again. We stayed in a caravan park for a few days while we looked around and we found an ad on a housesitting website that looked promising. We met up with the lady – Roz – we all seemed to get on well and we moved our caravan onto her property. We all get on famously and make sure we have happy hour ever afternoon on her verandah. She has a couple of old geriatric dogs – Brontie and Nerah (or Bronnie and Piglet) – Bronnie is a Blue Heeler and Nerah is a Staffy and the girls and Boris get on just fine apart from the occasional altercation over food. There are also the chickens (The Terrorists) who are allowed to roam fairly freely except for on the verandah and of course – because they’re not allowed on there that’s where they always want to be so we are forever hearing Roz yelling at them and shooing them with the broom. Roz’ son also “came home” while we were there – Ryan – he had been touring with his brother who is in a band in England – Pendulum – and thought he better come back and get a job and stop bumming around!!
We had a great say in Perth – got to see a lot of the sites, made some new friends, loved going down to the Parkerville Pub for FREE, yes, FREE meals on a Wednesday and Friday night and got to stay on a great property with great people – we are definitely coming back sometime!
For Christmas last year we gave Ross’ parents (affectionately known as “The Oldies”) a present – a return flight to Perth to come visit us as we knew his mum was just dying to come over and visit not only us but Perth too as she had never been over here. We expected them to visit for a week or so but they had other plans! Ross had bought a cheap Land Rover while we were here and redid the head on it and was planning to sell it but The Oldies offered to drive it back to Port Macquarie for us – tagging along with us on our camping tours.
Before they came over we were a bit worried about what accommodation we could offer them for such a length of time as it would be a few weeks of them staying in Perth before we set out on our trip so we went and bought an old caravan and did it up for them and the boys (Ross and Ryan) made a shower and toilet in the shed nearby which they had been wanting to do for ages anyway so it all worked out quite nicely in the end.
12 April 2011
We decided to go visit Mandurah today as a day trip – what a beautiful spot! We had a lovely time walking around looking at the markets at the marina and then walked over to the boardwalk on the water and had lunch at Cicerellos which claim to be the best fish & chips in Perth and although we haven’t tried all of the fish & chip shops in Perth they sure were great fish & chips!!
On the way back from Mandurah we went to Penguin Island and saw Fairy Penguins being fed – what a treat! There are also HUNDREDS of seagulls nesting on the island and although seagulls aren’t my favorite bird, it was nice to see them in a setting where they weren’t used to being fed and weren’t harassing us constantly. There were also a bunch of pelicans nesting on the island and we had a lovely afternoon looking around.
27 April 2011
Off to Rottnest Island today!! What an absolutely beautiful place!! We had perfect weather and had a fantastic day looking around the island. It would have been good to bring the bikes but we did the hop on hop off bus tour instead which was really crowded but it was a good way to get around. We had “wild” quokkas come up to us to say hello, one even licked my fingers!! Lester and I went up Wadjemup Lighthouse (the other two chickened out) – what a view and the guide was great too, telling us all about the history of the place. You would really need at least a few days there to see everything there is to see and really get to apprentice the island but we only had the day so we made the most of it.
29 April 2011
We hit the road today – we were late getting started as there were a lot of last-minute things that needed doing as there always are and then we stopped to do a bit of last-minute shopping down in Midland before finally getting on the road after lunch. We picked a free campsite that we wanted to head to near Donnybrook which had toilets but no shower. We got there in the dark, having left so late so when we arrived we were the only campers there and it was pitch black and didn’t look very inviting. Lesley (Mother) wasn’t thrilled about it as she was worried about bugs, etc, as the place was really in the forest and there were hundreds of millipedes about but that was about it – we didn’t come across any other bugs. It was getting late and we were out of options so we camped the night a little uncomfortable but we all made it through the first night in one piece.
30 April 2011
We went into Bunbury today to have a look around and went to the Dolphin Discovery Centre which was absolutely fascinating. Sometimes you can be lucky and have dolphins swimming in the water at the centre but there were none there today unfortunately. They have this amazing room where you go in and there is a 360° screen with some footage of wild dolphins doing various things – it was great!
We had a bit of a wander around town and then headed off looking for our next campsite. We saw one at Alexandra Bridge which is south of Margaret River that was showing a cheap camping fee with showers and toilets – unfortunately I didn’t think to ask if the showers were hot or not and when we got there we discovered that the showers were cold!! The weather has been beautiful but not beautiful enough to take cold showers! Never mind, we will get out our pop-up en suite and heat up water and do it the old fashioned way!! It’s a beautiful spot, right on a river and the water is spring water – crystal clear and tastes great! It started raining right when we were trying to set up – aagh!! Setting up a tent in the rain isn’t my idea of fun – I think I forgot to mention that we are in the caravan and the oldies are in the “OzTent” which is a 30-second setup tent that Ross and I recently bought. We offered for them to sleep in the caravan but Lesley didn’t like the step so they are in the tent. The boys made a pod to go on the roof of the new Land Rover to take the tent and the mattress. Anyway, we finally got camp set up and we all huddled around under the shelter of the tent awning to have dinner followed by an early night.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
28 September 2010 to 4 October 2010
30 September 2010
Well, we spent a lovely few more days at Miaree Pool but then we had better get back on the road. It was a lovely spot but we only JUST had internet and it would cut out at midmorning so I would have to get all work done by then.
We hit the road and spent the next 2 days heading to Carnarvon as there was really nothing in between Karratha and Carnarvon.
1 October 2010
We arrived in Carnarvon this afternoon and I spent the afternoon working and it was getting late by then so and there was nowhere nearby to free camp so we decided to stay in a caravan park - I KNOW, I KNOW!! Goes against our religion but I really wanted a hot shower - so sue me!!
2 October 2010
We are both a bit crook in the tummies today so we didnt do much and decided to stay in the caravan park again to stay near a toilet!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
21 - 27 September 2010
21 September 2010
We headed into Broome today to the information centre and I worked while Ross did some shopping, etc. We then filled up with water and headed out to Quandong rest area - we have found pariadise!! What a beautiful place!! We have set up directly overlooking the beach and the water is that beautiful aqua colour you see on all those island paradise pitures!!
We headed down to the water and had a look in the rock pools and talked to some other campers - we had a great afternoon.
22 September 2010
Well, our perfect paradise has been rudely interrupted by a bushfire!! We were just lying about relaxing and enjoying ourselves when our neighbours pointed out a bushfire just over the hill so we thought we had better keep an eye on it. It kept coming closer and closer and we could then see the flames not too far away from us so we decided it was time to pack up and get ready for evacuation!! The people who were closer to the fire just decided to abandon their vehicles and take all their most valuable possessions down to the beach (esky full of beer) and watch the proceedings from there!! It kept getting closer though it seemed to be heading inland rather than towards us but it was still too close for comforte, especially seeing as there were freak gusts of wind about - one picked up our solar panel and dropped it down the gully - how rude. We decided to get mobile and headed over to have a closer look and it seemed to be ok. The fire brigade arrived and said it should be safe but keep an eye on it. We decided we didnt want to take the chance so headed further down the beach to a campsite that was nowhere near the fire and set up there for the night. It had blown itself out by morning and we found out that the way it had started was by some guy lighting his toilet paper after going to the toilet!! Dont know about you but I wouldnt be admitting that!!
23 September 2010
We went for a drive this morning - south - past where the fire had been. We kept driving until we came to an intersection and took a right and then came out onto an open area and headed left along the coast again and eventually came out to a creek where some other people had just arrived and were about to go fishing. They said you could catch just about anything there but you could only get there and leave on low tide and the tide was on its way in so if we werent staying we had better hustle. We had a quick look around and I can surely imagine that it would be the perfect fishing spot as there are some rock cliffs that arent too high that go directly into deep ocean - it would be great but we didnt want to stay for several hours waiting for the tide to turn so we headed on out - lucky we did because we already had to drive through some water to get out!!
We then headed back north again and took another turn to the left that took us towards the beach (there are several turns here but you have to take the one with the red soil rather than the white sand) and it comes out again onto a beautiful beach with the same type of rock/cliffs (only about 10' tall). It was just lovely so we decided to throw the lines in but werent very successful because, unlike the other fishing spot, you are fishing straight off the beach and we dont have beach rods so we couldnt cast very far. There is a bit of a cave there too that you can shelter from the sun in - what a great place!!
We headed back to camp and had a swim then I worked in the afternoon - tough life!!
24 September 2010
I worked this morning then we headed into Broome as we want to see the Staircase to the Moon tonight and maybe see a bit of Broome before we head south again. It has been beautiful here but its still a tad on the hot side and there is no water out at the campsite (other than the ocean of course but not much good for drinking or washing in) and it is an hour's drive back to Broome to get more water.
We got into Broome and spent the afternoon looking around - we went out to the big jetty and wandered around, went out to have a look a the dinosoar footprints in the ocean but it wasnt quite lowe enough tide so we couldnt see them. We went out and had a look at the Buddah temple with the 4 m hand, carved quartz crystal - pretty impressive! We did some shopping etc and then went to watch the Staircase to the Moon http://www.broomevisitorcentre.com.au/events.asp which we were really lucky to see because it had been really cloudy all afternoon but it managed to clear up just enough for us to see a beautiful Stairway to the Moon - it was a great end to the day.
We headed out of town for a rest stop just south of Broome for the night.
25 September 2010
What a stinking hot day!! We took off in search of the elusive Telstra signal so I could work, dropping in at Barn Hill station on the way to see if we could be tempted to spend a week there if it was a nice enough place – you can stay there for $15/night for an unpowered site but there was very little shade and it was very hot so we decided to press on until we found reception which we eventually did at a little roadside stop with no shade but we had no choice but to stop because we didn’t know how long reception would last for as there was nothing showing on the Telstra map that they so kindly provide but it tends to be rather unreliable. (go figure). So we sat in the stinking hot sun for about 5 hours while I worked – I normally only do 3 – 4 hours but my boss is away so there was heaps of stuff I had to deal with.
We were eventually underway and just kept on driving into the night until we reached De Grey River rest stop about 80 kms north of Port Hedland which is a lovely stop right on the river– there is really nothing in between Broome and Port Hedland – bit of a boring drive. It was still hovering around 40° at about 5 o’clock!
26 September 2010
31° by 8 am this morning! There was no reception at De Gray so we headed into Port Hedland and I worked there - it was so much cooler being right by the ocean!! Port Hedland isn't much to look at, it's primarily a mining town so unless you have a burning desire to go visit a mining town there probably isnt much point in going there. We moved on after lunch and doing some shopping and started looking for a place to spend the night. It is so hot and dry around here, every river we go across is dry so we dont hold out much hope of finding a nice spot by a river to camp. We had a bunch marked on the camps book to look at but every one of them was next to a dry, hot river, bleh. We eventually reached Karratha and just past Karratha there is a rest stop that we found that actually has water in it, not only that, it beautiful and clear and cool - yay!! We obviously decided that was the place to stop for the night. We are even out of croc country now so Boris can safely swim which he is very pleased about.
27 September 2010
I worked in the morning - yes - finally a nice place to camp that has internet!! We have a great spot on the river though it seems to be the local swimming hole so all the locals come here to swim. Apparently only a few weeks ago this hole was almost dry but they had some rain and it has filled it up again - what a relief!!
Boris was run absolutely ragged by all the local kids today - he sure is going to sleep well tonight. There are a bunch of Aboriginal kids that come down to swim - what a great bunch of kids - they are like little energizer bunnies though - they just dont stop - they run Ross and me ragged too!! Its all fun and we had a great afternoon.