If you would like to watch a youtube presentation of some of our favourite photos please use the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYpRl1lZjs&feature=youtu.be
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Victor Harbor to Melbourne
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Victor
Harbor 21/11/12
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We left
Adelaide at 10am after Craig washed the car & caravan. We are heading down
the Fleurieu Peninsula today to Victor Harbor. We had lunch at the nice little
coastal town of Normanville. Then we carried on to Cape Jervis which is where
the ferries leave from to go too Kangaroo Island. The ferry was halfway across
the Passage when we arrived, but they run 2 ferries so we were able to see the
other one still at its’ moorings. We then continued onto Victor Harbor along a
nice rural scenic drive. We arrived at 2.30pm at the Victor Harbor Beachfront
Holiday Park which cost $29.50 a night. Victor Harbor is the schoolies
destination of choice for Adelaide & surrounds. The manager of this caravan
park told us they had 938 schoolies there over the weekend. They charged them
$60 a night each, & spent $22,000 on security & fencing. He didn’t get
much sleep & saw many sights that he hopes never to see again, & then
spent the next 2 days cleaning up. Today (Wednesday) was the first day they
were taking bookings again from the general public. On the plus side due to
Adelaide’s recycling efforts, he estimates they have made $3000 from bottles
& cans. Later in the afternoon we walked into town & went to the
information centre & had a look around. When we walked past one shop front
we were surprised to see that it was a radio station with the radio announcer sitting
right at the front of the shop & facing towards us. He then went on air
& made mention of Braydon standing there looking & said hello to him.
There was obviously a speaker outside, & then he waved & said goodbye
to Braydon. We travelled 177km today.
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22/11/12
Today we
went on the well-known double-decker Horse Drawn Tram from the mainland via the
600m wooden causeway over to Granite Island. It took 20mins. to be pulled over
by 12 year old Thomas, a Clydesdale horse. We had lovely views over the Bay,
the Bluff & the Island. When we arrived we walked the 1.5km Kaiki Walk around
the Island, with spectacular views. We also went to the Penguin Centre that
looks after distressed Little Penguins, where we saw a few being fed &
learnt about the colony found at Granite Island. Their numbers are being
reduced here dramatically, so much so that they don’t think there will be any
left this time next year. In the year 2000 there were about 2000 of them, &
this year there were only about 25. In the afternoon we drove out to the Bluff
& then went grocery shopping.
Kingston
SE 23/11/12
We left
Victor Harbor at 9.30am, & today we had no plans as to where we would stay
tonight on the Limestone Coast. We stopped at Strathalbyn & went to the
Visitor Centre. They told us of 2 nice places on the coast, so we headed to the
first of these, Kingston SE. On the way there we had to catch a free ferry
across the Murray River at Wellington. Dianne got out to take some photos of
the car & caravan going on, but then nearly missed it as the guy started to
shut the gate. It was only us & a truck that fitted on for that trip. We
arrived at 3.15pm at the Kingston Caravan Park which cost $37 for the night.
After setting up, we went for a walk along the foreshore where we were attacked
by a magpie a couple of times. We had fish & chips for tea from the caravan
park café & ate it outside as it was such a lovely evening. We travelled
291km today.
Robe 24/11/12
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After taking
a photo of the iconic Big Lobster “Larry”, we left Kingston SE at 9.15am &
headed the short distance of 50km to Robe. We arrived at the Sea-Vu Caravan
Park at 10.45am which cost $41 a night. We had a lovely site up high overlooking
the coastline & beach. After setting up we did the washing, & then for
something different we watched a wedding that was being held in the campsites
directly across from our site. When it was finished we went for a drive to the
headland & had a walk around. 
25/11/12
The whole
town had the power disconnected today, which meant that the town centre was
dead as most of the stores did not open. We went for a walk around and took the
kids to the swings. With beautiful weather again we decided we would do some 4
wheel driving today, so we drove to some tracks that run along the foreshore
and headlands along the coastline. The tracks were very sandy with some very
steep sections to try out the car. The track was fairly narrow in parts but we
had some fun.
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We Left Robe
at about 9.30am and headed along lush green farmlands before arriving at Mount
Gambier at the Big 4 Blue Lake Holiday Park at 11am which cost $38 a night. Mount
Gambier is built on the slopes of an extinct volcano with three craters, the
largest containing the world famous Blue Lake that mysteriously turns a vibrant
blue during the summer months. We set up camp and had some lunch before heading
into the city and having a look at the “Cave Gardens” which is a sinkhole in
the middle of the city with beautifully maintained rose gardens &
landscaping. After this we did the grocery shopping. We travelled 133km today.
27/11/12
This morning
we got the bikes off the caravan and went for a ride around the rim of the Blue
Lake, which was indeed a beautiful blue colour. The ride was a little
challenging as it is quite hilly, but nothing that we could not handle. In the
afternoon we walked up a rather steep track to the Centenary Tower (190m above
sea level) where we got fantastic views over the lakes, the city and
surrounding countryside, and then hopped back into the car to drive a scenic
loop.
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28/11/12
This morning,
after doing the washing, we went into Harvey Norman to do up some Calendars for
Christmas for our families of photos from our trip. We had organized the photos
we wanted last night. In the afternoon we picked them up & were happy with
how they turned out. We then called into the Engelbrecht Cave, but it was
closed when we arrived. The man kindly let us in to view the cave from above,
but this cave had to be seen with a tour guide as it goes down into 2
underground chambers where you have the opportunity to see where cave divers
can dive beneath city streets.
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29/11/12
We had
basically packed up the van ready to move out when Braydon spotted Lizzie the
Landcruiser with a flat tyre. What are the chances of a flat tyre in a caravan
park! Craig changed the tyre, and he & Braydon headed in to get it repaired
at a tyre place. The first tyre place we took it to said we should take the
tyre to a Coopers dealer as they might warranty it, so we headed to the Coopers
shop. They got the tyre manager to have a look and he said that there was a
small defect on the side wall where the bead is. This would not have caused the
flat and would not be dangerous if left, but it is a defect and we would be
able to get new tyres on a prorate system on what we have used. He looked at
the other tyres and said that they were starting to look like they were doing
the same thing, so they could be replaced as well.
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He worked out it would cost
us $710 to change over, which seemed very reasonable considering the chunks of
rubber missing, and looking very second hand due to the Gibb River Road. Craig
agreed to pay the extra and get new ones, but it would mean them getting them
up overnight, so we were able to spend a little more time here. In the
afternoon we headed to “The Lady Nelson” Visitor & Discovery Centre, and
the Umpherston Sinkhole, which is a beautiful sinkhole filled with lovely terraced
gardens and flowers. There are also lots of Possums living in all the rocky
escarpments. The kids filled in the rest of the afternoon on the jumping
pillow. It was a hot day today with the max. temperature at 36deg which was
very high for this region.
Victoria
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Warrnambool
30/11/12
We did some
shopping while we got our 4 new Coopers tyres fitted this morning. We headed
back to the caravan park and hooked on the van ready to head to Warrnambool in
Victoria. On the way we stopped to take some photos of a huge koala sitting on
the side of the road. He didn’t appear to be injured as he seemed happy enough
just to look around, but he didn’t run off. We drove through the lovely little
town of Port Fairy which is a little historic seaside village, & it was like
stepping back in time. We arrived at the bustling town of Warrnambool at 3.45pm
and booked into the Big 4 Warrnambool Discovery Holiday Park at a cost of
$40.50 a night. In the afternoon we had a quick drive around the coastal town
to get a feel for the area. We travelled 236km today.
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| Found a way of cutting fuel costs |
01/12/12
There is a
huge playground just down the road from the caravan park so we let the boys
have a big play before heading into town for some Christmas decorations and groceries.
Once we were home it was time to watch the motor racing, & then Braydon
hired a 3 wheel buggy to have a play around in the caravan park. We must admit
that we all had fun on it though. We went to the local Bowls Club for dinner as
they had good meals at reasonable prices.
Port
Campbell 02/12/12 Great Ocean Road
We left
Warrnambool at 9.30am and headed for the Great Ocean Road which weaves its way
around the cliff edges which skirt the Southern Ocean for approx. 256kms. The
first stop was about 15km out of town at the Allansford “Cheese World” where we
sampled some lovely cheeses. With the caravan fridge stocked up with cheese we
had a look around the adjoining historic museum before heading back to the car.
It was time to see our first bit of the Great Ocean Road scenery at the Bay of
Islands which is a spectacular group of islands. It was bordering on raining so
we just had a quick look around and took some photos before heading straight
for the small coastal town of Port Campbell. The Great Ocean Road was built by
returned servicemen from World War 1 between 1918 & 1932 as a memorial to
their fallen colleagues. We pulled into the Port Campbell Holiday Park at
12.30pm which is very close to the beach and town at the cost of $38 a night.
In the afternoon we watched the motor racing as Braydon wanted to see Jamie
Whincup hold up the championship trophy. In the late afternoon we went for a
walk to the beach, jetty and had a stroll through town. We travelled 72km
today.
03/12/12
This morning
we were planning on seeing the highlights of the Great Ocean Road but Braydon
was vomiting through the night so we spent the day relaxing and catching up on
things while letting him recover. The weather is fairly cold and windy so it
was nice to be indoors today.
04/12/12
After a very
windy, cold and rainy night outside, but snug and warm in the van, Braydon woke
up feeling better after vomiting again last night. We decided that we would put
on some warm clothes and start having a look around at the sights. With the
wind still blowing hard we all had beanies and big coats on and headed for the
Grotto which is a beautiful rock pool about 8m above sea level. We then headed
to see London Bridge & The Arch. London Bridge has changed considerably
over the past 20 years with the arch linking the “bridge” to the mainland
collapsing in January 1990. The seas were very rough and there were showers
coming across but we managed to get out & see these spectacular features
& coastline. On the way back we went to a lookout with views over Port
Campbell, & then headed back to the van for lunch as the weather was
becoming worse, so we spent the afternoon inside.
Cape
Otway 05/12/12
We left Port
Campbell at about 9.30am & headed to Loch Ard Gorge. It was so named
because in 1878 the ship “Loch Ard” sank claiming 49 lives, & 2 young
survivors were washed into the gorge. You can appreciate how lucky they were to
be washed ashore into this gorge with a lovely little beach as the majority of
the coastline is sheer cliffs. There were a few walks we did in this area. The
first went out to the beginning of the gorge which was great to see the power
of the ocean coming into the gorge & crashing into the surrounding cliffs.
The second was a rock stack called The Razorback which was formed over the
years by constant wave action, wind & erosion. The third was called Thunder
Cave which was another gorge which became very narrow & then formed a cave
with the ocean coming thundering in. We then travelled to the world famous
off-shore rock stacks The Twelve Apostles.
They were magnificent & lived up
to their reputation. Today was another very windy day so the seas were very
rough creating a lot of white water. We were conscious of how different it
would look on a calm still day. We had lunch here, & after calling in
briefly to see the Gibson Steps, we went to Gorge Chocolates where we sampled
some chocolates & Dianne bought some dark mint chocolate which was
delicious. We then carried onto Cape Otway in the Great Otway National Park. We
arrived at the Bimbi Park (Camping Under Koalas) at 4.30pm which cost $28 for
the night. It lived up to its name as there were koalas everywhere. We have
never seen so many koalas in the wild, & had fun spotting them in the
caravan park as well as on the road into the park. We travelled 118km today.
Apollo
Bay 06/12/12
We were allowed
to stay past the usual 10am checkout time, so we left the van put & drove
out to the Cape Otway Lightstation. Again there were koalas everywhere you
looked – too many to count. We have been to so many lighthouses before but we
decided to climb this one which is the oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland
Australia & has been in operation since 1848. The views from the top didn’t
disappoint as it is perched on towering sea cliffs 80m above where Bass Strait
& the Southern Ocean collide. Also in the Lightstation grounds were a
restored Telegraph Station & a World War 2 Radar Bunker.
After having a
good look around we drove out to Blanket Bay which was a lovely little bay
& a nice campground area. We then drove back to the caravan park, had
lunch, hooked on the van & travelled the short distance of 37km to Apollo
Bay which is right on the coast. We arrived at the Big 4 Pisces Holiday Park at
2.30pm which cost $41 a night. We took it easy in the afternoon & planned
our day for tomorrow.
07/12/12
Craig got up
early this morning & did the washing. We had a big day planned for today.
First of all we went on a lovely drive through rainforest to The Redwoods which
was a pretty little spot with a forest of giant Californian Redwoods. We then
carried on to Hopetoun Falls where we had morning tea. As we were planning on
walking to another falls in the area, we didn’t walk down to this one but had a
nice vantage point of them 20m from the carpark. We then carried onto Otway Fly
Treetop Adventures which is a spectacular walk amongst the giants of the
rainforest. The platform walk rises 25m above groundlevel & to 47m at the
lookout tower & is 600m long. It was a long walk to get to the platform so
were all tired when we got back. We decided to buy a pass here which would give
us unlimited entry to a dozen or so other attractions on the east coast (mainly
in Melbourne & Sydney).
We thought it would be good value because most
places are where we would want to go anyway & you get your money’s worth
after about 3 places. You also get 20% off lunch so we of course had a yummy
lunch there. Then we went to Triplet Falls which was a beautiful walk (1.8km) along
raised platforms through ancient rainforest to view the awesome triple cascades
flowing over rock ledges. Then we returned to the caravan park via another nice
scenic drive. We were all exhausted when we got back as it had been a huge but
great day with a lot of walking.
Torquay 08/12/12
We left
Apollo Bay at 9.30am & continued to the end of the Great Ocean Road at Torquay.
It was a beautiful scenic drive but slow going as it was very windy. We stopped
at Lorne for morning tea, & then carried on & had lunch at Bells Beach
which is Australia’s most famous surfing beach. Today it was hard to believe
this as it was very flat. We then drove the short distance to Torquay &
arrived at the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park at 1.30pm & it cost $31 a
night. After setting up & having a rest we had a drive around this popular
beachside town. We travelled 95km today.
09/12/12
This morning
we went shopping at Surf City Plaza which is home to many surf clothing stores
with a number of factory outlets nearby. Torquay is recognised as Australia’s
Surfing Capital. We also did the grocery shopping. In the afternoon we drove
out to Jan Juc & had a look at the beach & reef breaks which are
popular with surfers.
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Geelong 10/12/12
We left
Torquay at 9.30am & headed for Geelong. We travelled through Barwon Heads
& onto Queenscliff which is a heritage township known for its grand
Victorian Hotels & colonial buildings. We had morning tea looking out over
Port Phillip Bay. We arrived at the Geelong Riverview Tourist Park at 11.45am
which cost $40 for the night. After setting up & having lunch, we drove
down to have a look at the Geelong Waterfront & walked along the foreshore
of the bay. They have an excellent Beach Swimming Pool which is very large
& has diving platforms & fun water activities. We then went to Maccas
& all had an icecream. We travelled 80km today.
Melbourne 11/12/12
We left
Geelong at about 9.15am & arrived in Melbourne at the Ashley Gardens Big 4
Holiday Village at 10.45am which cost $49 a night. After setting up we took it
easy for the rest of the day. In the afternoon we went for a swim in the heated
pool of the caravan park. We travelled 78km today.
12/12/12
It was time
to head into the centre of Melbourne today. We caught the bus from across the road
of the caravan park and headed into the city. The trip was a bit like being on
a rollercoaster as you had to really hold on the entire trip. We only paid
$7.50 which is pretty cheap for two scary rides. Once we put our feet back on
the ground and got our stomachs settled down, we headed to have a look at the
Christmas display in the Casino. After a look there we headed to the “Melbourne
Aquarium” where we used our passes & had a good look around. We
particularly liked the King Penguins as we hadn’t seen any of these before.
After lunch we headed onto a city tram for a ride around the city. After this
we went & had a look at the Myer Christmas window display and a look around
the city. It is such a fast paced city with everyone seeming to be in such a
hurry. We then boarded the bus for a thrill ride back to the caravan park.
13/12/12
Today we had
to organise some Christmas parcels so they would arrive before Christmas. We
headed off to the shops to post them, then called into Aldi for some groceries.
This is the first Aldi we have stopped at since leaving Brisbane as we haven’t
seen any in the other states. This Aldi however had a Liquor section with
really cheap drinks; not that we bought any. In the afternoon we went for a
swim in the pool as it is a beautifully hot day today with a max. temperature
of 32deg. and not a cloud in the sky.
14/12/12
We decided to
drive into the city today to have a look around Harbour Town as it is lightly
raining. We managed to get a park easily and had a look around & bought a
few things. The highlight of the day was we went to a huge shop called Costco
which is an American store. We went to walk in but were stopped at the door
because we didn’t have a membership card. They gave us a visitor’s pass so we
could have a look around but not purchase anything. It is like a Coles and
Kmart combined in one shop and then put on steroids. Everything was huge in size,
from the trolleys the size of semi- trailers (almost) to all the food in
packets about 10 times the normal size. The prices appeared to be very cheap
with all the major brands. They told us one was opening up in Brisbane in a few
months. It was just amazing to see. Di loved the size of the Mud Cakes which
were $20 but they would have weighed about 3kg and were the size of a tyre
(exaggerating a bit).
15/12/12
This morning
we went to the Caravan Mega Store to get a couple of spare parts that we have
broken, but were very disappointed by the stock that they had. We then decided to
go to the Queen Victoria Markets, so we again braved the bus and headed into
the city. We had a good look around the huge markets and managed to make a few
purchases which is unusual for us at markets. It is such a multicultural city,
and you could easily think English is the second language. We had a lovely time
looking around but we have all decided Melbourne is not the place for us. It
again has been drizzly most of the day.
We have uploaded a youtube clip of our favourite holiday photos so far. If you would like to watch it try the link below......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYpRl1lZjs&feature=youtu.be
We have uploaded a youtube clip of our favourite holiday photos so far. If you would like to watch it try the link below......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYpRl1lZjs&feature=youtu.be
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Streaky Bay in WA to Adelaide in SA.
Streaky
Bay 19/10/12 Gran and Gramps arrive
Today we
left Ceduna at 9.45am and made the 110km journey east to the small coastal town
of Streaky Bay. We were all excited to catch up with Craig’s Mum and Dad as
they had arrived at Streaky Bay yesterday. We arrived at the Streaky Bay
Foreshore Tourist Park, costing $35 a night, at about 11am. We set up camp next
to them and caught up on all the news. In the afternoon we all walked along the
foreshore to the jetty where we saw a dolphin in the water. We finished off the
day with some fish and chips by the water.
This morning
we went for a drive along the Cape Bauer Loop Drive. We first of all went to a
nice beach called Hallys Beach. Then we went to the Whistling Rocks &
Blowholes which are created by huge waves pounding the coastline. We had
morning tea overlooking a beautiful little bay that had crystal clear water.
And lastly we went to Cape Bauer where we saw a couple of surfers riding the
huge waves, and there were lots of sculptures on the roadside lookouts. After lunch all the boys watched the first race of the Gold Coast
600 Motor Racing.
We left
Streaky Bay at 9.45am, & after calling in to get groceries, we started
heading towards Venus Bay. We first of all went to Sceale Bay which is yet
another lovely bay, where we had morning tea. We then went to Murphys Haystacks
which is a unique outcrop of pink granite boulders. We arrived at the Venus Bay
Caravan Park at about 1.30pm, & after setting up we had a late lunch. It
cost $31 for the night. The caravan park was right on the water so we had a
lovely view. In the afternoon we went for a walk down to the jetty. We
travelled about 85km today.
We left
Venus Bay at 9am & continued heading south. First of all we went on the
Talia Cave Tourist Drive where we saw 2 great caves - The Tub & The Woolshed. Both caves are
limestone & granite formations which are common to these areas. We then
went to another nice coastal town, Elliston, where we had lunch. Then we went
on the 12km Anxious Bay & Clifftop Drive which had more spectacular views
of the coastline. We arrived at Sheringa Beach (Camps No. 702) at about 3pm
& set up camp. It cost $10 for the night. Then we went 4 wheel driving in
the sand dunes near the camp. We travelled 154km today.
First up
this morning we drove up to the lookout near the campground. Then we hooked up
the caravans by about 10am & headed to Coffin Bay. We arrived at the Coffin
Bay Caravan Park at 11.30am, & after setting up we had lunch. It cost $39
for the night. After doing the washing, in the afternoon we went to the Coffin
Bay National Park which cost $11 for an Entry Pass. We really enjoyed this
National Park, although we didn’t allow enough time to explore all of it. It is
a remote area & most of it is accessible to 4WD Vehicles only. We first of
all had a look at the Templetonia Lookout which had lovely views over the area.
Then we went to Yangie Bay, up to Lake Jessie, & onto Black Springs Well
where we had afternoon tea. The bays we saw as we drove along had beautiful
clear water, & we saw a lot of wildlife such as kangaroos, emus with their
chicks, a rabbit, a snake (later identified as a Tiger Snake by the photo),
lizards & many different birds. When we got back to the caravan park there
were kangaroos & emus there as well. We travelled 115km today.
Port
Lincoln 24/10/12
We left
Coffin Bay at 9.30am for the short drive of 49km to Port Lincoln. We arrived at
the Port Lincoln Tourist Park at about 10.30am. It is situated on the foreshore
of Boston Bay & cost $33 for the night. Boston Bay is one of the largest
protected natural harbours in the world & 3 times the size of Sydney Harbour.
In the afternoon we went grocery shopping, got fuel, & some supplies from
the local caravan shop.
25/10/12
We all went
for a drive in the morning out to the Lincoln National Park, which is south of Port
Lincoln. On the way we drove past the Marina that was full of fishing trawlers
and fishing boats. There are numerous fish breeding enclosures that are all
around the bay, and we can see the trawlers and fish feeding boats getting
around the bay from the caravan park. It is again very cold and windy today so
we were not very keen to get out of the car to have a walk around too much. It
cost $11 for an Entry Pass. It is the sort of National Park that in summer
would be lovely to go camping at one of the many bays, as the water is just so
clear, but today it was just nice to look at from in the car. We went to the
lighthouse at Cape Donington on the northern tip. The seas looked fairly rough.
Then we did some 4 wheel driving on a track to a bay, but it got very narrow so
we did not follow it to the end.
Arno Bay 26/10/12
One of our
neighbours from Port Lincoln told us about a nice little town 119km north that
was nice, so we decided we would head there and have a look. We left at 9.30am.
It was a pleasant drive along the Gulf, and before long we pulled into the
little coastal village of Arno Bay. It is a one pub, one shop, one caravan park
town right on the beach. We arrived at about 11am & booked into the Arno
Bay Foreshore Tourist Park, costing $35 for the night, and set up camp. Before
long, Braydon and Mum had come back with a handful of roses that they had
picked from their huge rose garden. In the afternoon we all went for a walk
around the Boardwalk & Mangrove Trail. We can’t believe how pristine the
water is in all the creeks and ocean. It is fairly cold today, as it is
overcast and the wind is blowing with a maximum temperature of about 15 degrees.
We left Arno
Bay at 9.30am and headed north to Port Gibbon which is only about a ½ hr.
drive. We stopped here to have a look at a Sea Lion Colony and sand hills. We
managed to see a seal and a pod of dolphins, but we also had fun playing on the
big sand hills. After a bite of morning tea and watching some 4WD’s playing on
the sand hills, we continued heading north till we came to Whyalla, the
north-eastern gateway to Eyre Peninsula. We pulled into the Whyalla Discovery Holiday
Park at about 1pm, costing $39 a night, and got a lovely site right on the
beachfront. We set up camp and had some lunch, but it was extremely windy and
quite hard to even open the caravan door, but on the up side we did the washing
and it dried really quickly. We all decided to go out for dinner so we headed
to the local hotel and had a nice dinner. Whyalla is a city that mines and
manufactures steel. We travelled 174km today.
Today was a
day to wash the car and caravan and generally relax. In the afternoon we called
around to see some people that Mum and Dad did a Simpson Desert trip with just
a couple of months ago, Bruce and Viv Rossow. We had a lovely afternoon tea,
and then headed to the Hummock Hill lookout to have a look at Whyalla and the
coast. Today is a beautiful day with the wind dying down and no cloud cover, so
the temperature got up to about 25 degrees. We have decided to stay another day
tomorrow, as we have got such a lovely caravan site and the weather has come
good.
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| Braydon sounding the ships horn which is still operational |
We packed up
camp this morning at 9.30am, and headed a short distance north to a free campsite
(Camps No. 662) right on the coast at Fitzgerald Bay. After a look around at
Stony Point & the Point Lowly Lighthouse, we arrived at about 10.30am. It was
a very hot but relaxing day, and in the afternoon we had a play in the 4WD on
some steep tracks, and then went on a track around the coastline & saw lots
of kangaroos. In the late afternoon we went for a walk on the beach down to the
waterline. It was amazing to watch the tide coming in – it was literally
following us as we walked back. We had a very disturbed night with an invasion
of mosquitos, but we couldn’t see where they were getting in. We travelled 56km
today.
We left
Fitzgerald Bay at 9.30am & headed to Port Augusta. We arrived at about
10.30am & booked into the Port Augusta Big 4 Holiday Park, costing $45 for
the night. It was a fairly easy day for the rest of the day. We did the
washing, got groceries & fuel, & then went for a little drive around
the town. It is known as the crossroads of Australia because it is where the
Sydney, Perth, Adelaide & Darwin rail lines intersect. We travelled 88km
today.
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| Looking over the Flinders Ranges |
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| The Bentley Car Club was at the Resort |
We left at
9.15am & headed to Wilpena. After stopping at a lookout on the way, we
arrived at Wilpena Pound Resort & Campground at 10.45am, which cost $33 a
night. This is in the Flinders Ranges National Park & cost $10 for an Entry
Pass. Wilpena Pound is shaped like a giant crater & is 17km in length &
8km wide. Because it is surrounded by mountains with only 1 opening, it was a
great spot to keep the sheep in so they couldn’t escape in the early pastoral
days. In the afternoon we went for a 20km 4WD to Bunyeroo & Brachina
Gorges. We viewed some of the oldest rock formations in the world, &
spotted a couple of the endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies in Brachina
Gorge. It was a first for us in that we didn’t have to walk to either of these
gorges; we drove through them. It was a slow trip home as it was late in the afternoon
& there were heaps of Roo’s around. Upon rounding a bend, we nearly hit a Roo.
When we returned to the campground we noticed about 12 1920’s Bentley
Convertibles parked at the resort. They were part of the Bentley Car Club,
& the cars were valued between $200,000 & $300,000 each & were in mint
condition. We travelled 57km today.
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| Car needed a good wash after Skytrek, but well worth it. |
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| We felt on top of the world with 360 deg. views |
It was fairly slow going as the track was very up and down and windy, so we were probably only doing about 20km/hr most of the time. The drive started out running along the base of hilly country where there were sheep grazing, kangaroo’s hopping and lots of emus walking around. At this stage the track was in pretty good condition, & we stopped at an old drovers hut for morning tea before continuing down the track. Before long the countryside was getting sparse and the track became full of bull dust, but it was still through dried up creek beds which kept it interesting. After 37km of driving, we stopped in a dried up creek bed for lunch under a huge Mallee tree. Now refreshed we drove past cliffs, and up dried up river systems. There was every type of track surface you could think of, from gravel, slate, river rocks, bull dust, sharp scramble rocks, to smooth compressed tracks. The track was starting to rise up hills gradually at first, but the higher we got the steeper the track became. Until now the track had lots of little challenging sections, but now the map says to engage 4WD (at 64km) so we knew it was about to get interesting. With a big smile on Braydons face we engaged low range 4WD and started heading up the side of a mountain. The Landcruiser and the Prado performed really well, with us being surprised where they went without any wheel spin or fuss. The Traction Control worked impeccably, along with the Downhill Assist and ABS, where we always felt in control considering the terrain. After continually climbing up and down ridges we climbed up to a spectacular advantage point with 360 degree views over the Flinders Rangers. Di was worried that once you go up you must come down, but again we got down no worries down a very steep and rocky track. After a few more mountain ridges, the highest being 740m, it was time to again follow the ridge back to where we started. What a great day to spend playing in some spectacular scenery testing out our vehicles. The only thing left to do is clean all the dust off our vehicles and dodge all the kangaroo’s, sheep, and emus on the road coming home, as it was 5pm.
.JPG)
This morning
we took a short bus ride to Hill’s Homestead. The road is not open to the
public, but it is short enough that some people walk to it. The homestead was
in excellent condition although some parts such as the roof had been restored.
From here we walked 500m to the first Wangarra Lookout, & then a further
400m to the second Lookout. We had panoramic views of Wilpena Pound. It was a
really hot day & night. In the afternoon we did the washing & the boys
watched the Motor Racing. Braydon’s favourite Jamie Whincup won yet again. We
had a storm during the night.
.JPG)
We left at
9.15am & travelled to a small town called Burra. We arrived at 2.45pm &
stayed at the Burra Caravan & Camping Park. It cost $41 for the night,
which was very expensive because we were charged for Aaron, which is the first
time that has happened in 7 months of travelling. This historic township has
been proclaimed a State Heritage Area, with many heritage sites & museums.
Burra was made famous from the finding of Copper in 1845, & had one of the
world’s biggest copper mines. We went for a drive & found it to be a very
picturesque & tidy town. It was like stepping back in time as all the
buildings were old but in excellent condition. We also drove to the Mine
Lookout, & past some Miners’ Dugouts where thousands of migrants once
squatted in homes dug into the banks of Burra Creek. We had a huge electrical
storm pass through early in the evening. We travelled 286km today.
.JPG)
We left the
caravan park at 9.15am & filled in time until 10am when the Morphett’s
Enginehouse Museum opened. This was located at the Burra Mine Site where we
learnt all about the copper mine & saw the remains of some buildings. The actual
Enginehouse was built in 1858, gutted by fire in 1925, & restored to its’
former glory in 1986. All the parts for the Enginehouse came from England,
& many mine workers came with their skills from the UK, particularly Cornwall.
We really enjoyed this tour. After having lunch at the Burra Bakery, we then
continued the 176kms to Adelaide. We arrived at 2.30pm at the Big 4 Adelaide
Shores Caravan Park, which cost $41 a night. The caravan park is right on the
beach & very close to the airport. Soon after setting up we drove a couple
of kilometres down the road to Harbour Town Shopping Centre, where we went
grocery shopping & bought a present for Cousin Matthew as it is his
birthday today, & he, his brother James, & Mum Susan (Craig’s Sister)
are coming from Brisbane to visit us tomorrow.
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| Braydon & Matthew next to a tram |
Craig washed
the car this morning as it was still filthy from the Skytrek 4WD track. He also
put up the tent for his sister & 2 boys. Braydon is very excited to see his
Cousins Matthew & James & Aunty Susan today. Their plane landed at
11.35am & we drove the 6km to the airport to meet them, along with of
course Gran & Gramps. We all took it fairly easy for the rest of the day
& caught up with news. We went for a walk down to the beach, & the boys
had a jump on the jumping pillow & went for a swim in the heated pool.
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| Braydon driving a fire truck |
Today we all
caught the bus into the city. We had a good walk around & had lunch in the
Myer Centre in the mall, topped off with a Maccas icecream each. When we
started walking out of the mall there was a fire truck with the firemen doing
some work, & one of the firemen asked Braydon for a high five. Then he
invited Braydon & Matthew to sit in the the fire truck, firstly in the
front passenger seat & then in the driver’s seat. They were both so
excited. Then we caught the tram to Glenelg, which is Adelaide’s most popular
seaside destination. It is a nice mixture of old historical buildings with
contemporary hotels & cafes etc. It was a short walk from the Tram to the
beach. The World Lifesaving Championships are here at the moment, so we walked
out on the jetty & watched them practicing rescues in their rubber duckies.
We then continued walking along the front & around the Marina. After some
difficulty in finding the right bus stop, we finally caught the bus back to the
caravan park at about 6pm.
This morning
we drove up into the Adelaide Hills. We first of all went to the German
settlement of Hahndorf. The main street is lined with Elm trees & touristy
shops that are beautifully restored & maintained buildings. There were
beautiful gardens everywhere, particularly rose gardens. We had morning tea
& a barbeque lunch in a lovely little park. We then drove to Mt. Lofty for
panoramic views over Adelaide.
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| Aaron having some fun |
Today we
caught the bus into the city to go to the 2012 Credit Union Christmas Pageant.
It started at 9.30am & went for a couple of hours through the streets of
Adelaide. We had an excellent vantage point by sitting on the front balcony of
an old building. The pageant was excellent for all of us, but particularly for
Braydon & Matthew. They were celebrating 80 years of doing this, & it
was set to be the biggest ever. There were 250 clowns, 1000 characters, and a
huge collection of bands, performers and floats. And of course Father Christmas
came at the end. It was televised so we watched it that night. There were
thousands of people around so we didn’t want to catch the bus back until most
of the crowd had gone home. We had lunch at the Adelaide Zoo café (much to the
boys disappointment we didn’t go into the Zoo), and then caught the bus back to
the caravan park. The boys had a play on the playground before tea.
Today was a
rest day. We did the washing first up in the morning & then went for a walk
along the foreshore. It was very hot today. After lunch the boys all had a swim
& then we drove up to Port Adelaide. Along the way we drove past many
lovely little coastal villages. It was a beautiful day today, so it was very
busy at all the beaches. When we got back the boys had another jump on the
jumping pillow.
We left
Adelaide at 10am & drove 275km to Point Turton in the Yorke Peninsula. We
first of all went to Ardrossan & had lunch. This is a little costal town
& was where we were originally planning on staying the night, but it was
very windy there for Susan & the boys in the tent. We then continued on to
Port Victoria which was on the coast on the other side of the peninsula where
we thought it would be more protected from the wind. Much to our disgust the
wind had changed direction & made this spot too exposed. So we then
continued heading south to the little coastal town of Point Turton which was
more protected. We arrived at 4pm at the Point Turton Caravan Park which cost
$28 a night. After setting up we went for a short walk down to the beach &
along the jetty. This is a really protected spot from the wind and a nice
little fishing village.
We thought
we would have to move camp today as the nice little caravan park was full and
we were told we could only stop one night, but luckily enough there was a
cancelation so we were able to stay put. We decided we would drive down to the southern
tip of Yorke Peninsula and have a look around at the Innes National Park, which
cost $10 for an Entry Pass. We drove the coastal road down to the Corny Point
Lighthouse before heading to Gym Beach for a bite of lunch at a beautiful
little headland. After a nice picnic we continued to drive to the Innes
National Park to the Cape Spencer Lighthouse, and then to the Inneston Historic
Township which is the relics of a gypsum mining area.
Wallaroo 14/11/12
We left
Point Turton at 9.45am to head up the eastern side of the peninsula. The wind
has dropped today and it is a beautiful sunny day. We headed across to
Edithburgh, and then up to Port Vincent for morning tea & to Ardrossan for
lunch. It is a lovely drive through the many wheat fields being harvested and
small coastal villages. You could easily spend a bit of time at many of these
little coastal towns when the weather is good, but we headed west to Wallaroo
and booked into the Wallaroo North Beach Tourist Park, arriving at 3.30pm which
cost $31 for the night. It is a lovely park right on the waterfront. We decided
we would head out for dinner tonight, but on the way we stopped to watch the
car ferry that goes across the Spencer Gulf. It was a huge ferry with only 5
cars on it and two passengers, so we guess it would have lost money on that
trip. We found a nice restaurant and had a lovely dinner. We travelled 220km
today.
Adelaide 15/11/12
It was time
to head back to Adelaide today so we left Wallaroo at 9.45am for the 171km journey.
We again headed to the Big 4 Adelaide Shores Caravan Park as it is in a
sensational position, being right on the beach, and close to the city, Glenelg,
the airport and Harbour Town Shopping Centre. The kids love it because it has
two jumping pillows, a couple of playgrounds & a heated swimming pool. We
arrived at 1pm & set up camp, and then in the afternoon decided to do some
Christmas shopping, so we all headed to Harbour Town to get some presents so
Mum and Dad could take them home. The kids then had another play on the jumping
pillow & playground. You would wonder how they have got so much energy as
they just play all day.
16/11/12 Christmas Dinner
We did some
washing this morning before spending the day relaxing in the caravan park. The
kids had fun playing on the jumping pillow and swings while Mum and Dad took
off to see some friends that live in the area. We are going out for dinner tonight
at a buffet restaurant to have our Christmas dinner together before everyone
leaves to go back home. We had a lovely dinner together & all came away
with full stomachs.
After a very
disturbed night with Aaron being miserable for some reason, Braydon and Craig
got up early so they could say goodbye to Susan, Matthew & James as they
were flying back to Brisbane on a 7am flight. It was great to catch up with
them again, and the kids had such a great time playing together. After saying
our goodbyes we watched the plane fly away before heading back to the park for
breakfast. We packed up the tent and camping gear that Susan & the boys
used, and then spent most of the day relaxing. In the afternoon we headed down
to Glenelg to watch some of the World Lifesaving Championships, and had a nice
Royal Copenhagen icecream. We watched the beach running relay finals and the
women’s beach flag race which was quite interesting. We also watched a boat go
through a lock so he could get the boat into the marina which was very
interesting.
18/11/12 Goodbye Mum and Dad
It was time
for Mum and Dad to leave this morning, so with a sad goodbye they headed for
home, back to Ipswich in Queensland. We did some grocery shopping and watched
the motor racing in the afternoon.
Today Dianne
got her hair cut & coloured, & then we all went shopping at Harbour
Town. Braydon & Dianne came away with a couple of new outfits.
After doing
the washing first up this morning we went to the Barossa Valley, famous for
its’ winemaking, which is approximately 74km from Adelaide. We first of all
travelled through the nice little town of Lyndoch, & then we went to
Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre. Craig tasted a few of the wines & then bought
the one that he liked the most. We then carried on to Tanunda which had a
beautiful garden entrance to the town. We had lunch here at the Tanunda Bakery
& Café. We then travelled the Barossa Scenic Heritage Drive. The first
point of interest was a lookout with views over the Barossa Valley & all
the vineyards. We also drove along Seppeltsfield Road which is lined with palm
trees for a few kilometres. It is known as the “avenue of hopes & dreams”
as the date palms were planted during the Great Depression providing local
families with work. We then travelled south to The Toy Factory near Gumeracha.
It had a huge Rocking Horse near the entrance that you can walk up a couple of
flights of steps to the top, but we didn’t do this as there was a storm
approaching. They make all their own toys, & they also had a farm attached
to it, so we bought some food & Braydon enjoyed feeding the animals. We
plan on leaving Adelaide in the morning.
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| Mmmmmmmm, I like the smell of your shampoo |
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