2010 three month Trip Blog,
October 2010
Thu 30 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, Rockingham WA
These few days were spent with family in Perth, so no blog. Family dinners, going out to lunch on the forshore, touring around the various points of interest, enjoying walks along the cliffs and long chats catching up on all the news, were all enjoyable and happy pastimes during these few days. Back on the road tomorrow.
Sun 3 Oct, Lake Grace WA
We left Camp early and headed around to say good-bye to the family. Coffee, biscuits and farewells and we were on our way again, heading SE through Armidale and down the Albany H'Way. We stopped for coffee a North Bannister then continued on through Williams then down to Arthur River where we turned East for lake Grace. Although very pretty down this way, it's not that different to parts of Victoria. Once we turned East, the road was almost completely straight and was visible through the trees all the way to the horizon. Wheat crops were intermingled with saltbush patches and scrubby trees with a few huge gums now and then. We neared Lake Grace and took the turn to the lookout, about 1km off the road, having read that it affords great views right across Lake Grace. A very slight rise brought us to a parking area consisting of a small turning circle and a stone lookout about 15ft off the ground. The steps were very uneven and sloping which would have made it quite impossible for older people to climb. Once at the top, after about 12 steps, the view was probably the same as you would have got had you stood on the roof of your car. Quite disappointing. We continued on into Lake Grace and set up camp just behind the main street. No fuss, no frills but power and a clean shower. We spent 5 mins having a look around then headed back for an early night.
Mon 4 Oct, Esperance WA
Decamped early, fueled up then continued East. Other than a small curve to come into Lake Grace the road continued completely straight. About an hour on we hit Newdegate (no, we didn't go to the Newdi Bar but bet there's a few laughs over this town name). We grabbed a coffee here before heading off again. This looked like a nice little town. Good coffee. We conitnued on to Lake King, the road still straight and not much change in the scenery. We were through Lake King before we realized it. We caught a glimpse of the Roadhouse as we passed through. Just East of Lake King we opted not to take the main drag South but continued East out past the Airstrip then onto a dirt track. Yes, definitely good choice again. As soon as we hit the dirt we sighted a stumpy tail lizard, also particularly agile for this time of morning. Our spirits lifted as the countryside opened up and we began to see quite a few more lizards. Time to dawdle, time to stop and potter round in the scrub. This was definitely the best route for us. The lizards were quite numerous, their colouring different in the various areas. Once again our luck held as we spotted quite a large black snake basking in the sun on the road, but of course as we approached, he scuttled across the road, up the bank and into the bush, but not before we'd had a chance to stop and take some photos of him. Unfortunately he was a bit quick for positive identification but when he stopped at once stage and turned his head towards us, we didn't wait to check out his markings. We turned SE onto Cascade Road and enjoyed more of the same. Great to see lots of lizard life. We stopped for lunch at a nice cleared area, lit a small fire and sat back and enjoyed our toasted sandwich and coffee. Great too, that there were very few flies here. Setting off again, we spotted a beautiful goanna, standing majestically with his head held high before scurrying off into the bush. Cascade Creek provided another opportunity for photos, the dark almost black water throwing out amazing reflections. Not much further on, we came across another small lake with a family of black swans with about 5 little ones. Finally, we had to leave the dirt track behind and turned East onto the main South Coast H'Way to Esperance. The scenery along this route is also very pretty with long, low undulating hills, the lime green of the crops and the bright almost lemon yellow canola. It wasn't long before we could see the white sand dunes along the Southern horizon. We arrived in Esperance and made our way a C'Van Park located on the foreshore. It was quite warm but the breeze had a bit of a chill to it, definitely different to the shores off the Indian Ocean. We set up camp then went for a walk along the beach, a brisk walk, as the wind chill factor had definitely kicked in by this time. Not much time to check out the town but time for this tomorrow.
Tue 5 Oct, Esperance WA
With no need to pack up this morning, we took the time to get our washing done, catch up with emails and generally do the little things we don't normally get time to do. Unfortunately the Webpage Server let us down and this took a bit of mucking around to change Servers and get it up and running again. What happened to professionalism? Satisfied that the Webpage was now back on track and with our bellies rumbling, we headed into the town centre to find a place for lunch. With a good-size roast dinner tucked away we wandered about the shops for awhile then headed off to check out the Pink Lake a few kilometers East of town. The lookout gave a good overview of the Lake but unfortunately it wasn't pink. The pink colour is a result of the algae that contain a high content of beta carotene that protects it from the light etc.. This might have been affected by the weather or water conditions but it wasn't giving off its glory today. Although this was a bit disappointing, we continued around the Pink Lake Drive and stopped in at the Wind Farm. This was certainly the place for it, as the wind was strong and gusty with a fresh southerly chill. Next we stopped in at the Nine Mile Beach and leaving the car at the top, we climbed down the wooden steps to the rocky beach. The wind was so strong it was difficult to hear each other, so we gave up yelling and wandered off in different directions to potter in amongst the rock pools and over the large smooth rocks that were strewn from shoreline to the sandy cliffs. As the sea was actually breaking in on a large flat rocky ledge that ran along the shore, there was no actual beach until a few feet before the high sandy cliffs. The rocks were littered with sea shells and debris that had floated in with the tide. A large tangle of fishing ropes and a couple of very new looking tyres were wedged in amongst the rocks with another tyre half buried in the sand a few feet up the cliffs. The power of the sea was awesome as the surf thundered into the shore breaking against the rocky ledge only a few feet away and rushing up and over the rocks, filling the rocks pools a little farther with each wave. We were both so absorbed in poking around that it wasn't until we looked around for each other that we realized just how strong and gusty the wind was and how cold we had become. Shouting out was quite useless so frantic arm waving relayed the message that it was time to go. Heads down and holding onto our caps, we climbed back up the wooden steps and into the quietness and warmth of the car. The walk along the shore had been quite exhilarating and it was quite a surprise to see we had been poking around down there for about an hour and a half. With pink cheeks and cold noses we were both yawning as we drove back to the Park. A very beautiful place but too cold and windy for us to spend any more time here.
Wed 6 Oct, Harms Lake, WA
The weather was better this morning, so after leaving the Park we went for another look at the beach along the Esplanade which there was very little of, as the tide was in. It was quite strange seeing the water so close to the footpath. The water looked clear and inviting with low, gentle waves but as we were anxious to head North, we said good-bye to Esperance and headed North enroute to Norseman. Not much wild life spotted along the way except a large black snake, who came within an inch of being a very large flat snake but luckily we were able to avoid him just in time. We pulled over near a railway line for a coffee break and it was interesting to note the difference between this line and the rail tracks up North that belong to the Mining Coys which are always kept in pristine condition with concrete sleepers rather than the old wooden ones. You could eat your dinner off he tracks up North. We arrived in Norseman where we fueled up and grabbed a bit of lunch before heading East and onto the Nullabor. We both love the Nullabor so we were looking forward to exploring it again over the next few days. Poking around a few of the tracks that we missed on the previous trip. At last, we sighted two big red kangaroos. The kangaroos have been few and far between on this trip. Plague proportions? Hard to believe. We see more around the city suburbs than we have in the scrub. We called it a day and pulled off the road at Harms lake, setting up a great little camp in the bush.
Thu 7 Oct, Manoora Tank, WA
GPS Log 14555 klm
Nothing quite beats the quiet of the bush for a great night's sleep. Decamped and continued East on the Nullabor, the Baladonia Roadhouse only about 30mins on from where we camped. We broke the journey with a side-trip into the Culver Repeater Station about 1km in off the H'Way. As always, getting off the main drag is always a lot more interesting that boring along at 100kph. We spent a good hour here just poking about in the scrub. There's always something interesting to look at or photograph. As luck would have it, we spotted two wild camels some way off but weren't lucky enough for a close-up. Back on the H'Way, our next stop Caiguna, where we fueled up again and took the opportunity for a lunch break. We spotted another large black snake enroute but unfortunately this one hadn't been as quick as the last one and was quite flat by the time we got to see it. Another side-trip into the bush, this time leaving the car and going for a hike in about half a km to check out an unusual looking piece of debris, which turned out to be an old Bondwood Caravan, totally in pieces except for the trailer frame. Looked like it had been there a very long time. We're yet to get lucky in catching a photograph of an eagle. We've seen quite a few, but the shots have escaped us. Such beautiful birds. A couple of emus provided the only wildlife photos today. Not too far past Cocklebiddy, we turned South on a track that winds down to the Eyre Bird Sanctuary. We decided to leave this trip for another day and just had a bit of a wander around the bush before setting off again. We almost camped along this track but decided to get a bit closer to Madura, pulling into an area called Manoora Tanks. We were able to go a fair way into the bush before setting up camp, a really great little spot. The sun's nice but still a bit of a chill in the air, it's hard to believe we were sweating with the heat only a week ago. Still, this is the Nullabor and we love it, so we'll take it anyway it comes. Another beautiful sunset just to remind us to appreciate being here.
Fri 8 Oct, Koonalda Station, SA
The lizard population is definitely alive and well with another little fellow visiting our camp as we were packing up. This was a small goanna who was as curious about us as we were about him. Decamped and headed East for Madura. A couple of recently dumped cars along the way provided a bit of interest before we hit the Madura Roadhouse and fueled up. We had intended to try to locate the Old Coach Road around this point but there were quite a few tracks in this area, none too promising, so we decided to try to pick it up a bit further along. Still plenty of lizard sightings. Today we sighted a shingleback that was very light tan, one of only two we've seen with this colouring. We reached Mundrabilla and had a bit of lunch before continuing on to Eucla. The large convoy escorting two large over-sized transporters that we had passed yesterday, were just coming in to Eucla and made it a bit awkward to dawdle along to look for the turn-off tot he Old Coach Road so we kept on East, deciding to settle with the Old Nullabor Track we had traversed last time. We came through the Border Quarantine Station with no hassles and turned onto the Old Nullabor track. The track was a lot greener and more over-grown than our last trip (nearly 2 yrs ago) and you could definitely see the results of the rains that had been through here. The track was rocky with deep troughs in places and quite narrow as the grass and spinifex had grown quite high on either side of the track. This meant extra caution when exploring off-track with the sightings of a couple of very agile snakes along the way. The shingleback lizards are always a delight to come across as they waddle hurriedly along on their determined course. Their little legs pushing them along at quite a fast pace. These are the only lizards that mate for life so it was nice to see quite a few 'couples' hurrying along together. The disappointment was the lack of sighting any kangaroos, emus, dingos or wild camels. One theory is, that because of the rains in the Centre there is plenty of feed to keep them further up North, but we've been up North and didn't sight too many up that way either. We hope the latest trend for 'real Aussie' cuisine isn't part of the effect. Being keen to camp at the abandoned Koonalda Homestead we pushed on and arrived in good time to set up camp near the old homestead. It was disappointing to wander through the homestead again and find there had been many things vandalized since we had been there last time. The old hall table with some old newspapers on it had been removed and the papers torn up and strewn about. An old hinge lay forlornly in a pile of ashes, the result of some ignoramous burning one of the homestead doors. The old kitchen stove had been damaged and rubbish left lying about. The mind can't seem to comprehend the idiots that do this. Last time we were here and came through the homestead it was almost as if you had walked into yesterday. You could still feel the families presence. With idiots like this about, soon there won't be anything authentic for people to enjoy. What happened to respect????!!!!!!!!!
Sat 9 Oct, Penong, SA
Decamped and made our way out of Koonalda, turning East to continue along the Old Nullabor Track. Almost as soon as we turned onto the track we saw a large snake. Too quick for us though. Enroute we again saw many lizards, their camouflage is quite amazing. At one point, when we had hiked in off the track to look at a large sinkhole, Val stepped back to take a photo and looked down to find her foot only a few centimeters from a shingleback hiding in a small bush that we had just passed. It was a small reminder of what else might be very well camouflaged in this low scrub. Gazing at the clouds is definitely not the thing to do if you want to poke about in the bush. The Old Track provided lots of interesting things to stop and look at, including the usual old wrecks, sinkholes, old tanks, bores and caves. Snakes, lizards and a multitude of different birds were also abundant but unfortunately no sign of other wild life. As we neared the Nullabor Roadhouse where the Old Nullabor Track meets up witht he Eyre H'Way, we glanced across to see trucks, caravans and cars racing along the H'Way towards the Roadhouse and we unconsciously slowed a little. Ah Well, back on the treadmill. Quite to our surprise, not long after leaving the Nullabor Roadhouse we saw a very healthy dingo run along the side of the road then into the scrub. At least we know they're still around. The lizards and snakes did not fair so well on the Eyre H'Way with quite a few not making it across the road. We pushed on to Penong C'Van Park, a favorite of ours from last trip and were happy to see it hasn't changed. Still very sparse but clean, small and no fuss.
Sun 10 Oct, Streaky Bay, SA
Left Penong and headed for the Border Check at Ceduna. We liked Ceduna last time and were pleased to see it is still a nice, clean little town. We took our time through here, taking a walk along the jetty before heading off again, turning onto the B100 South. We stopped in at Smokey Bay for lunch, then on to Streaky Bay, another favorite from last trip. This place is really nice, so it was without hesitation that we decided to stay on here for two nights at the C'Van Park right on the foreshore. After stocking up our larder, we went for a walk along the beach, some sort of footwear a must, as the beach is covered in very small fragile shells that are quite sharp when broken. With our washing done and put away, we went for another walk along the beach, this time the tide was out so we were able to walk out quite a distance in the shallows looking at all the different sea creatures floating about and the little sand crabs floating in the water until you neared them, when they would very quickly bury themselves down into the sand. It was quite easy to pick them up and being so small there was no worries about their little nippers latching on. What a great spot to be camped, right on the beach with perfect weather and only a few steps back to camp.
Mon 11 Oct, Streaky Bay, SA
A leisurely morning this morning. You couldn't help but be relaxed, listening to the gentle ripples as they lapped into shore. We took another walk along the foreshore, this time going further up along the beach, then into the town to look about the shops and have some lunch. This is only a small place but the few shops they have here are excellent. Substantially stocked, good quality, clean, friendly and a great atmosphere. Lunch was great as was the service. Back to camp and with our few jobs out of the way, we decided to walk back up to town via the path along the shoreline. The walk was great, with the sun not too hot to enjoy it. We spent a bit of time just watching a guy and his dog playing with a frisby then walked out along the pier before heading back to the Park. This is a good place to come if you want to relax.
Tue 12 Oct, Port Lincoln, SA
We left Streaky Bay early after having really enjoyed our stay here and continued on South to Port Lincoln. We saw our only wombat for the trip but unfortunately it was belly up on the side of the road. The drive South was without too many stops, although the scenery was extremely picturesque, there was not to much else that grabbed our interest. We pulled into Elliston for an early lunch and a quick coffee then off again. We arrived in Port Lincoln and were extremely surprised at its size, for some reason, expecting a much smaller town. We had long had Port Lincoln on our list of places to visit and we were not disappointed. The beautiful deep blue of the water, surrounded by rolling green hills just grabbed your attention and held it. We found our way to the C'Van Park, not knowing what to expect, and were very pleasantly surprised to find a lovely, spacious Park set out on a grassy hill directly over-looking Port Lincoln. Our camp site gave us clear views right out across the water. A really nice Park with quite a low tariff for its location. After setting up camp we headed into town for a bit of a look around then set out to locate the area we had wanted to buy a block of land in. Wow! Very hard to knock one of these blocks back, the views were absolutely stunning and still only a short distance from the City Centre. The only negative being distance from family, but this negative unfortunately, out-weighs all the positives. We headed back into town with that dream put to bed, stopping to grab a few things to stock up our larder then back to the Park. With the washing out of the way, we went for a long walk, admiring the views once more before the light faded.
Wed 13 Oct, Port Lincoln, SA
We woke up this morning and had a quick look out the door, yep, the views were still there. Beautiful blue water, rolling green hills, clear blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds, little birds darting about on the grass and the sun throwing the morning shadows across the grass, how could you not appreciate just being alive? We lazed around a bit then decided to head North up the Lincoln H'Way to Tumby Bay, about 40kms, for lunch. The drive was well worthwhile, the countryside beautiful. Tumby Bay was quite a small town, with by the look of the period photos, had its hayday around the 1930s. We enjoyed a really good lunch in a small Cafe located along the shore, which had apparently been quite the spot to lunch back in those days. Judging by the quality of the food and the cleanliness of the place, its still the place to visit for a good meal. We headed back to Port Lincoln, picking up a few odds and ends we needed then back to the Park for a bit of relaxation. It's been a hard couple of days.
Thu 14 Oct, Pildappa Rock, SA
A bit sad to leave Port Lincoln but we were ready to hit the road again. We packed up and headed into town where we lingered a bit to pick up a few necessities and dawdled over a cup of coffee before finally bidding farewell to Port Lincoln and heading North up the Tod H'Way. We stopped in at Cummins, a rather nice little place, to replenish our water then continued on. The inland road proved to be excellent. Very little traffic, interesting scenery, colourful crops and quite a few lizards. Interesting to note that the railway sleepers were made of steel. This whole Peninsular is very unspoilt. It seems to have been caught in a time-warp where the frantic pace of modern life has not yet caught up, yet all the modcons are available. A really nice area to spend some time in. Another couple of poor kangaroos that didn't make the hop across the road. It would definitely be nice to see a couple more live ones hopping about. We turned West on the Eyre H'Way and arrived in Wudina in time for lunch, stopping at the Bakery, the same place we stopped last trip. Their fresh sandwiches are great. We continued West to Minnipa, then turned North for Pildappa Rock, another favorite from last trip. The weather didn't look the best with heavy rain clouds looming overhead, so we set up camp as quickly as possible in a nice sheltered spot at the base of the Rock. We hiked a short way up the rock but had to call it a day when the rain started to fall. 
In between showers, Don replaced the rear brake rotors & pads and had just completed the job when the rain came swooping over. It had been quite awesome to watch it approach. The longest, darkest, black rain cloud stretched continuously without a break right across the Western horizon with the a dark blue sheet that seemed to hang from it, touching the ground. You could see the rain sweeping across the fields as the blue sheet turned dark grey, softening as it touched the ground. Thunder and lightening warned of a heavy downpour, so we were well prepared when the wind picked up and the first drops pattered against the camper roof. Although a very heavy downpour, the clouds were fast-moving and it had passed over the rock in about 20 minutes. The colours in the sky were awesome. Large black thunder clouds moving in quickly from the West across white fluffy clouds and clear blue sky, lit up from behind by the sun. Once the thunderstorm had passed, we took the opportunity to walk up the rock and capture some photos of that amazing sky.
Fri 15 Oct, Pildappa Rock, SA
It rained on and off during the night and continued during throughout the day, not allowing enough time to climb the rock, so we just pottered around camp and amused ourselves with various activities. One benefit of having to amuse ourselves in the camper was a terrific damper Don cooked up. This is definitely going to be a staple. Too windy to venture outside too far, so not much blog today. We definitely can't complain as we've been so lucky with the weather to date.
Sat 16 Oct, Gawler Ranges, SA
With the sky still overcast and it looking quite grey further North we tossed up whether to stay put for another day or continue on as planned to Gawler Ranges. With nothing ventured, nothing gained as the saying goes, we decided to trust our instincts and stick to our plan, so we busied ourselves and packed up camp before another shower rolled in. Before leaving Pildappa Rock, we took the opportunity in a break in the weather and climbed up the rock. You just couldn't come to Pildappa Rock without climbing it. Not only are the views amazing, but the whole rock is amazing, with small rock pools located all over the top and the smooth undulating surface making climbing relatively easy, its narrow girth allowing for amazing 360 degree views over the vast farmlands surrounding it. We spent more time than we meant to here but that's very easy to do on Pildappa, then we headed North towards the Gawler Ranges, with one of us deciding they knew a short-cut onto the track into the Ranges. 
Despite protests, we continued along a very narrow, sandy, winding track with more pot-holes than track, when finally it became obvious that we were traversing through some farmers paddocks in between his well-planted crops. With no words necessary, the job was handed back to the navigator and we back-tracked to Yardea Road, a much more inviting dirt track that wound up through the Gawler Ranges. A couple of rabbits and a goanna later, we made our way into the Gawler National Park. First stop was the Organ Pipes, with a 10km drive over a track worse than the farmer's paddock, and a 1 km return walk. Back-tracking, we turned East onto the Old Paney Scenic Route, intending just to drive through the park before looking for a camp, but as we drove further into the Ranges it became clear that a better place to camp we couldn't find. The Gawler Ranges has only been deemed a National Park since 2002 so is still quite raw and pristine as far as National Parks go, with no facilities. This generally means not too many noisy tourists. Oh the bliss. We couldn't pass up such an opportunity to camp in such a beautiful place, so we headed for the Wagonway Campground, an area set aside for campers. There are no facilities here, just a track leading into some nice areas in amongst the scrub with high, rocky hills surrounding the area. How perfect. We set up camp, then hiked up one of the hills hoping to reach the top, but with some dark clouds looming, we erred on the side of caution and made our way back to camp, just in time as a small shower moved in. With the dark clouds thinning out and blue skies appearing we are looking forward to hitting the hill again tomorrow.
Sun 17 Oct, Gawler Ranges, SA
What a great campsite. We just couldn't bring ourselves to pack up today. After spending a couple of hours just poking about the area surrounding the camp, watching the various bird activity and photographing ants (maybe we've been in the bush too long), we decided to have another go at the hill. 
With water bottles and long pants (have seen too many snakes on this trip to don the shorts when hiking), we set out to climb to the top. The hill is covered in large and small granite boulders with mostly low shrubbery and small trees. There were plenty of wombat poo and rabbit holes but we didn't sight either. After almost making it to the top, we were thwarted again, the route we had chosen leaving us quite a bit short of the top. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. No disappointment though as the views were fantastic. We made our way back to camp and with still a couple of hours of daylight and a couple of hungry bellies, Don set about to make another loaf of damper. Once again success, with a great afternoon tea of freshly made damper spread with butter and Pushpa's home-made jam. Life's good.
Mon 18 Oct, Cowell, SA
Very hard to make the decision to leave this beautiful camp today, but with water and fresh provisions getting a bit low and both our laundry and us needing a really good hot wash, we bit the bullet and packed up camp. We had only gone about 20 meters when the sun on the hill was too much to resist. We pulled up, grabbed our hats and water bottles and headed once more up the surrounding hills. Choosing quite an easy route this time, it wasn't long before we had achieved our goal and reached the top, the reward being the amazing vista laid out before us. Gawler Ranges is a beautiful, natural bushland Park that offers a great camping experience. We will definitely return to this National Park on a future trip to discover more of its wonderful treasures. We chose the long route out from the camping area, winding back around Waulkinna Hill, 362m. What a great drive. Just a small track winding through the grass, the track being barely visible as it wound through the natural grasses and around the bottom of the hill. Finally, our first mob of kangaroos we have seen on this trip. This was really a nice moment. It's just something you expect to see in the Australian bush and it's been disappointing not to see more hopping about in their natural environment, so to finally see a strong, healthy mob, alive and well was definitely a plus. This sight was repeated quite a few more times before we left the Park. Gawler Ranges National Park had been a really great experience and one we hope to repeat in the future. Heading SE towards Kimba also proved to be a really interesting route, with beautiful green parrots and quite a few lizards spotted along the way. The road was dirt but well maintained and under-going an upgrade. We reached Kimba, a town we hadn't stopped at on previous trips, only passing through enroute to the Nullabor. We won't make this mistake again as it's a great little town with an excellent meal topping it off at the local Pub. Leaving Kimba, we crossed over the Eyre H'Way and headed South to Cowell. We've yet to be disappointed in anywhere we've been on the Eyre Peninsular. This was a really good road, also under-going an upgrade, with plenty of lizards making the hazardous journey from one side of the road to the other. It was good to note that most must make it as there were only 1 or 2 that ended their journey on the road-way. No matter how many lizards you see, each individual one brings a smile to your face as you watch their slow, lazy amble over the road, change to a hurried dash as their little legs scurry madly to cross when they realize you are there. We were very careful not to cause these little fellows any undue stress, they have enough to contend with. We arrived in Cowell, a small, clean looking town, located on the fringes of the Franklin Harbour. Quite a busy Port in its hayday, now servicing the local fisherman and aqua farmers as well as the many tourists that traverse along the Lincoln H'Way. We opted to stay at the Harbourview C'Van Park, a nice quiet park nestled on a hill overlooking the Franklin Harbour, totally suited to what we like in a Park. This will also be on our favourites list for future trips. We had hardly finished setting up camp when we decided to make this a two day stop, after a few days in the bush, fresh water and hot showers were too much to resist. With both our clothes and ourselves washed and dried we sat back in the deck chairs, relaxed and watched another amazing sunset.
Tue 19 Oct, Cowell, SA
Nothing to do but relax this morning, which wasn't hard. We roused ourselves enough to get the few odd jobs that needed to be done out of the way, then headed into town for lunch. We walked both sides of the street then opted to have lunch in the local Pub, which had the most extensive menu that would rival any top restaurant. With this Peninsular providing such a fresh variety of seafood, we couldn't miss the opportunity to sample some. With a great lunch under our belt, we headed over to the Post Office only to find it was closed for lunch............what sweet memories this brought back, of days when hustle and bustle meant moving slightly faster than walking pace. With about half an hour to wait, we ambled over to a seat in the sunshine and passed the time just watching the passing traffic both vehicle and pedestrian and mused over any philosophical meanderings that happened to come to mind. Interesting to note who the locals were. They were the ones that nodded, said 'Hello', waved or left their cars unlocked and windows down. Quite an interesting and enjoyable half hour, sitting together, arm in arm just passing the time of day. With the Post Office now open, we reluctantly dragged ourselves off the sunny seat, stopped in at the Post Office and then on to the local IGA to replenish our supplies. Back to the Park via a tour of the township and surrounds. Sometimes, no activity can be an activity in itself, with its own form of reward. Today was most enjoyable.
Wed 20 Oct, Port Pirie, SA
Departed C'Van Park and headed up the Lincoln H'Way for Whyalla. Reaching Whyalla, a large industrial town, we fueled up then continued on to Port Augusta, where we stopped for lunch. Just out of Port Augusta we turned East, spotting a couple of emus before winding up through Horrocks Pass, a picturesque area with very high green hills rising steeply on both sides of the road. Coming down from the Pass and into Wilmington was a pleasant surprise. A small town with a wide main street and quite a few historical and interesting buildings. The atmosphere was casual and unspoilt and a great opportunity for some good photographs if you like old buildings. We stopped in at the Toy Museum which housed quite an amazing collection of old toys and memorabilia and spent quite a bit of time here speaking to David, the owner, who was both interesting and clever. Leaving Wilmington we headed South to Melrose, a nice looking town situated on the East side of Mt. Remarkable National Park, then on to Murray Town before turning West for Port Germein. This route took us back into the hills which consisted of about 26km of winding road, very picturesque, which upon reaching the last winding turn and up a crest, suddenly opened out onto flat open country with the blue of the Spencer Gulf shimmering in the distance. Quite a contrast to the high green hills we'd just been through. Turning towards Port Germein, we were lucky enough to come to the Rail Crossing just as an extremely long freight train came around the bend, pulled by two engines, which took quite a few minutes to pass. After a quick look around Port Germein and with Port Pirie only a short distance South, we decided to push on and stay there for the night.
Thu 21 Oct, near Warooka, SA
It wasn't hard to pack up and leave this morning after quite a noisy night and an even noisier early morning. No birds to be heard this morning. We set off and had a good look around Port Pirie, quite an appealing town with some of the biggest bottle brush trees we have seen, all laden with beautiful red blossoms. Leaving Port Pirie we headed South down the West side of the 'leg' of the Yorke Peninsular to Port Broughton, a small town on the shores of Fisherman Bay then on to Wallaroo, the East side Port for the Ferry crossing over to Lucky Bay on the Eyre Peninsular, but currently not running as the change-over ferry is not yet complete. This town was a lot larger than we expected but despite the huge amount of new housing going on, the town itself looked old and tired and in need of a face-lift. We opted not to stop here for lunch but continued on to Moonta. After a look around the town and a rather nice lunch we kept on South to Maitland, out to Port Victoria, then on to Minlaton and headed for Corny Point. Maybe it was the lack of sleep last night or the beautiful sunshine that streamed in the window but we had just reached the 'foot' of the Yorke Peninsular when we began to eye off the bushland looking for a campsite. A few yawns later and the perfect little bit of scrub presented itself. It wasn't long before we had the camp set up and the deck chairs out and were nodding away lazily under the coolness of the trees. Rousing ourselves enough to go for a walk to check out the surroundings was difficult but we managed to get in a bit of 'exercise' before heading back to the deck chairs. No flies, a cool breeze and able to hear the twitterings of the birds again, meant for a very good camp.
Fri 22 Oct, Port Wakefield, SA
Awoke this morning to a chorus of crows just as the sun was rising. It was great to be back in natural surroundings waking up to the sounds of the bush. We both had a really good night's sleep, the camp site was excellent. We decamped then headed down for a look at Flaherteys Beach, which was about 1km from where we camped. The wind had a bit of a chill in it but we went for a walk along the beach before heading off again down the West side of Yorke Peninsular to Corny Point, the NW point. We reached Corny Point and took the dirt track out to the Lighthouse. This was the highlight of this Peninsular for us. The Lighthouse sits on a high bluff overlooking the Gulf with nothing else or no-one else around except a small parking area. We continued along the dirt track which wound around the cliff tops before turning in to meet up with the sealed road down to Marion Bay. This dirt track was the most interesting part of the Peninsular, with a lot of bird activity including a beautiful Goss Hawk that perched quite near us. Reaching Marion Bay, we found not much else other than a reasonably shabby roadhouse and quite a bit of road-work going on in a new estate on the hill, with street lights already in place. The planned estate looked quite out of place for the area, but there must be some master plan afoot to warrant it. We decided not to continue out to the Innes National Park as the weather was overcast and not being overly awed by this Peninsular we made the decision to continue on up the East side to Yorketown. We opted again for the dirt track that wound around the south of the Peninsular, sighting a snake and a few more lizards along the way. Arriving in Yorketown, we ambled around the town before having lunch at a local Cafe. An excellent choice with good food and great coffee. Back on the road again, we continued up the East side, stopping in Ardrosson which is well-known for its history in salt mining. We had to cut this stop short as Don was suffering badly from hayfever which was playing havoc with his eyes and with his contact lens going missing (in his eye) for about 20 mins, it wasn't a very pleasant time. Contact lens back in place, we decided to push on and get off the Peninsular to try to avoid whatever it was that was causing the hayfever. With Port Wakefield not too far away, we headed for there. After setting up camp in the local C'Van Park and with Don's eyes feeling much better, we went for a walk along the wetland area near the Park before calling it a day.
Sat 23 Oct, Gawler, SA
GPS Trip Log 17522km
With not too much to keep us hanging around Port Wakefield, we packed up, fueled up, then headed NE to Balaklava. Not far out of Port Wakefield we were pleasantly surprised with a call from Rob (Son) in the U.S. Setting off again, we hadn't gone far when we spotted a R'Way locomotive which had been shunted to the end of the track quite close to the road, so not to miss an opportunity to see one of these beauties close up, we spent a good 15 mins or so checking it out, before heading off again. Only a moment or two later we were again surprised when we received a call from Sophie (Granddaughter) in the U.S., so once again the timing was perfect. Great start to the morning. We reached Balaklava, stopping in for a coffee, before heading North to Blythe then turning East to Clare. The Clare Valley is quite well-known for its wine growing and we were curious to see how the area compared to the Yarra Valley in Victoria, another well-known wine growing area. The vines we spotted on the way into Clare weren't all that impressive as far as scenic goes, with the township of Clare also not grabbing our immediate attention, so we turned South and headed down to Gawler. The countryside opened up a bit once out of the North Mt. Lofty Ranges and the grape-vines were a little bit more impressive but not nearly as scenic as the Yarra Valley in Victoria where the grape-vines present quite a scenic view covering the high rolling hills of the Valley, the various Chateaus impressive against the sky-line. But, the wine may be very good and that's probably the important part. We reached Gawler, quite a large town with lots of historical houses and town buildings. As it was Saturday, we expected it may be busy with weekend tourists, which is was, but surprisingly there were very few specialist shops open to cater for the tourists. After a walk around the town and a bit of shopping for non-essentials, we opted to have an early tea in a tavern at the end of the main street, lucky again, the food and coffee was really good. Back to the C'Van Park to discuss the route for our final few days before heading home.
Sun 24 Oct, Victor Harbour, SA
Departed Gawler reasonably early but not early enough to beat the weekend traffic. There were cars everywhere. Quite a popular spot. We headed South, stopping off in Elizabeth to have a look through an interesting 2nd hand junk shop we spotted. Good stop, we spent about half an hour just poking through everything. Luckily we don't have a lot of room so temptation was kept to a minimum. Leaving the junk shop we thought we would stop off at Maccas and get a take away coffee. That's one thing they do well. Big mistake. Not sure what the problem was but they were taking orders but not filling them and before you knew it you were 3 deep in a queue just waiting for 2 coffees. After a 'reasonable' time, we got a refund and headed out of Elizabeth, leaving the kaos behind not only at Maccas, but the streets were jam-packed with cars. Not sure if they were locals or sight-seeers but Elizabeth was definitely attracting them for some reason. It wasn't just traffic, it was frantic! With Elizabeth behind us it wasn't long before we hit the Adelaide CBD, skirting around the West side and taking the Main South Road. We took a breather for half an hour to stop off at some shops on the way through. Great shops here. They seem to have everything you need and more. Clean, neat and service with a smile. With neither of us liking shopping that much, it was actually a pleasant experience. We continued on South, hooking up with the new Freeway out of Adelaide then back onto the Main South Road. What a great drive, hardly out of the CBD and the beautiful hills opened up in front of us. Heading down through the McLarenVale area, also well-known for its vineyards, gave us the experience you hope to get when traveling through a wine-growing area. Rows and rows of vines covering the beautiful rolling hills, the Yarra Valley has definitely met its match. We reached Myponga around the time our bellies started to rumble so this was a good opportunity to stop and have a quick look around the local market. An hour and a half later, we were back in the car and on our way. This was such an interesting place, a quick stop just wouldn't do. Once again, clean, neat and service with a smile. The stall holders were genuine and helpful. The Fleurieu Peninsular was definitely proving to be a winner with us. Knock-out scenery, great little townships, pleasant people. Traveling on South, the hills became a bit steeper, the car chugged a bit harder but the views remained knock-out. What a beautiful area. The last hill before Cape Jervis was the steepest with a very steep grade on the down-side. No hope if you had a brake problem going down this hill with no emergency run-offs, but the view was amazing. The look-out point above the Ferry Terminal was excellent with Kangaroo Island providing the back-drop. Although the Lighthouse on the point was a modern one, it provided an excellent photo opportunity, its stark whiteness accentuated by the bright blue water. Making a snap decision we decided to push on to Victor Harbour and headed East. The views were still stunning. We arrived in Victor Harbour and booked into a local C'Van Park near the foreshore. Although tired after quite a long day, we set up camp quickly then headed off for a walk along the beach. We continued our walk along the Esplanade and onto the Causeway Tramway, a bridge across to Granite Island. The tram is a horse-drawn tram, that travels back and forth across the Causeway every hour. There were Food Vans on the Esplanade and Parkland and Market Stalls, along with a lot of very nice looking eating places. Everything was very clean and appealing. There were quite a few tourists enjoying the walk across the Causeway as well as the tram and the place had a great atmosphere. You could see why it is one of S.A. most popular holiday destinations. Back to camp and a rest before tea. The day finishing off well with a phone call to our daughter and grand-daughters. A few pangs of home-sickness starting to creep in.
Mon 25 Oct, Berri, SA
Departed the C'Van Park then fueled up before heading East out of Victor Harbour through Port Elliott, Middleton and Goolwa then turning North for Strathalbyn then East through Langhorne Creek to Wellington. The countryside between Langhorne Creek and Wellington was extremely picturesque with kms and kms of grapevines covering the landscape on both sides of the road. Although not as spectacular as the hilly wine-growing areas, it was still quite a sight. There are quite a few lake beds along this route, most of them dry, but just above Pelican Lagoon, quite close to the road was a small lake, coloured pink from the type of algae growing in it. It made quite an eye-catching sight as we came around the bend, with the sun glinting on the soft pink of the water and the salt crystals forming a frothy white border around the edge of the lake. Obviously we weren't the first people to have our attention grabbed by this spectacle, as the grass by the side of the road had been trodden down where people had walked over to the fence to capture the moment. An electric fence ensured that sight-seeers went no further than the fence. We reached Wellington and opted to get the car ferry across the Murray River to head on to Tailem Bend. Wellington is where the Murray River empties into Lake Alexandrina then on to the Southern Ocean. The ferry provided an interesting break, with the ferry being hauled across the river by power driven cables. Quite surprisingly the ferry crossing was a free service. We arrived in Tailem Bend and decided on a nice spot for lunch. Once again we were lucky with our choice, good food, good coffee, good service with a smile. We headed NE to Karoonda where we stopped at the local IGA for a few stores. As we crossed the railway line out of Karoonda we were taken by the mass of wildflowers growing all down the railway line and on the surrounding areas. This definitely required a photo stop. Between Karoonda and Alawoona, we pulled off the road to give the car an oil change, which was due after traveling over 5,000 kms since the last one, done in Perth. With the oil change completed we continued on to Alawoona where we turned North for Loxton, quite a busy place. Although an interesting looking town we didn't spend too much time here but continued on to Berri. The richness of the Riverland area being evident with the many vines and fruit trees in abundance. We arrived in Berri and made our way to the C'Van Park which turned out to be a perfect spot for our last few nights before crossing back into Victoria. Our campsite, a large grassy secluded area, shaded from the West sun by large shade trees and in a quiet section of the Park was definitely a nice way to finish this leg of the trip before heading home.
Tue 26 Oct, Berri, SA
Woke up to another beautiful morning, just perfect for a walk. We made our way down to the street and ambled around the shops for awhile then went for lunch at a Cafe located on the bank of the Murray. Sitting outside under a shade sail with the sun filtering through was so relaxing that we thought we better move ourselves or we would both nod off. We walked down to the base of the bridge that crosses over the Murray and took the pathway through to underneath the bridge to the Berri Bridge Mural, a large Aboriginal artwork depicted on the wall of the Bridge depicting the Ngurunderi Dreamings, showing the story of the origins of the Murray River. Also located in a circle, were wooden carvings, beautifully done, atop15ft poles. These carvings were quite striking, silhouetted against the clear blue sky, as you looked up from under the shadows of the bridge. Leaving the bridge, we strolled around the town again before heading back to Camp along the bank of the Murray. Along the river walk, is a trail depicting the life and contribution of Jimmy James, an Aboriginal tracker, who gave 30 yrs service utilizing his amazing tracking skills, to locate not only felons but also lost children and adults. He was extremely well-respected by both the black and the white communities and held in high esteem for his incredible tracking abilities and his gentle, humble nature. The memorial was carved with human and animal prints as well as animals, and highlighted by a large granite stone, highly polished with a copper portrait of Jimmy James kneeling in the position he took up when tracking. What made this memorial walk memorable, was the understatement of its position but the significance of its location. This beautiful work, hidden from view amongst the trees, unless you were walking on the track, gave it far more meaning that had it been in the middle of the town square, placed on a large pedestal. Back at the Park we took time to just relax then headed across to the Basketball Court for about an hour before deciding we'd had enough activity for the day.
Wed 27 Oct, St Arnaud, Vic
Left Berri early as we had a long drive ahead of us today. We fueled up then headed NE to Renmark where we stopped to fill our coffee cups, then on to the Victorian Border. Back in Victoria again.....still hard to believe we are nearly home. We got off the main drag and took a dirt track South then East until we met up with a minor sealed road that took us across to the Sunraysia H'Way where we turned South. Not much to distract us enroute except some major road-works that held us up for about 20 mins, which we didn't mind, as road-works are always interesting to watch, especially when they are laying the sheeting over the tar. We continued on through the small Victorian towns, stopping briefly at a few that looked particularly interesting and grabbing a pie in Birchip for a late lunch as we passed through. We decided on St. Arnaud for the last two nights and set up Camp at the local C'Van Park.
Thu 28 Oct, St Arnaud, Vic
Trip almost officially done, Just a few small hiccups so far,
80 Series Timing belt failure in the Pilbara, replaced with 105 series.
One of the expensive Companion camp chairs broke and I fixed the arm better than new & then the oppisite arm on the other chair broke in a different spot, Plastic failure in the UV department. Replaced with ah, two more expensive Companion camp chairs but with a UV stabilized plastic.
Had a few furniture screws unscrew themselves in the Jayco Penguin, Tightened & they came out again so replaced them with some PVA glue on the threads & they stayed put.
Had one flat tyre on the trailer
Coiltek Speaker on Minelab GP3000 Gold detector stopped working & replaced coax & resistor with bits found in a dumped TV
Mirror glass fell out of towing mirror & did a u-turn to find it intact on road so glued back into place with silastic
Sat phone developed a fault & would not turn on so bypasses power switch by soldering a wire from IGN detect pin to +12V & now turns itself on
No other problem come to mind except trip not long enough.