Are we there yet? How much longer to go? How long have we been driving? I don't think we have been asked these questions the whole time we have been gone until today!!! The kids are so excited to be getting back home to see their animals and be back in their own rooms. Glen and I are pretty excited too. We are very much looking forward to a bit of space now, however, I am not looking forward to unpacking the van and catching up on 3 months worth of paperwork. A phone call from Glen's Mum confirms my worst fears that we have had mice, so who knows what mess awaits me when I get back.
The road to Southern Cross is pretty horrible, but from there onwards we head to Bullfinch, on Dad's advice, and the road is excellent, no traffic and a shorter distance. It is a very strange feeling as we start to hit familiar towns like Koorda and Cadoux. It is so dry and dusty and we thank our lucky stars we missed out on the heat this year.
By the time we drive down the Sheoak Springs drive way the temperature as reached a pleasant 26 C. It is very nice to see the house and the sheds and we call in to Peter and Marie's for a cuppa on the way. The kids are off over to the animals almost immediately. We have lost one guinea pig while we have been away, but the others are as fat as anything.
We drive the very familiar road home with a couple of gates to open on the way. It is dusty and windy but we are glad to be back. As expected the mice have had a bit of a party while we have been away, but Marie has very kindly been over and tidied up a bit for us. What a saviour she is.
So the rest of the afternoon is spent cleaning the house. It is going to take quite a few days before we are organised I am afraid. The van is our first priority as as soon as it is cleaned it will be up for sale.
So I can't quite believe our journey has come to an end. It has been so many years in the planning and the trip itself has been drawn out over nearly a 9 month period. We have seen so much of our beautiful country, and have only just scratched the surface it seems. What a wonderful experience we have had with our children. They were a perfect age to travel with and Glen and I know we will never have another trip quite like it with them. We have learnt so much about each other and spent so much time together, the school days and work days ahead are going to take a bit of adjusting as we all go our separate ways once again.
Thank you for sharing our special journey with us. I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog. We will not be moving far from home in the near future but would love to catch up with you all if you would fancy a trip to the farm. Bye for now.......Nat :-)
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 68 - Our last day on the road
Well, this morning we are all very aware that this is our last day on the road. Kids pile into bed with Glen before breakfast as they know that once we get home they won't get much of a chance to do that for a while. It is freezing in Kal today with a maximum of 19C forecast.
This morning we head out to the bush to collect some rocks for our little gold miner. We come back with a bag full of quartz that he can crush when we get home, in search for gold. That will sure keep him busy!! Then up to Mt Charlotte for a view of Kal fromt the lookout. After that we grabbed some lunch and ate it at Hammond Park which is a great park for the kids. A fantastic playground and there are heaps of birds for the kids to see. Cockies, emus, budgies, peacocks, ducks etc. There were a couple of schools there and we saw the camp school with all their gear for lunch and Michael the bus driver!!
After this we drop Glen off at the Royal Flying Doctors so he can do a tour. The kids and I head down the street to get some souvenirs.
This afternoon I go down the street on my own to make some clothes purchases, as none of mine fit anymore!!!! I also start thinking about school and buy contact, pencils etc as the kids will be able to go back for the last week and a half. In the afternoon the girls have hair appointments and then we just get organised for an early departure in the morning. It is about a 530km drive which we can easily manage, it will just be a big day. We had considered heading out this evening and camping on the side of the road, but the thought of another stop over somewhere didn't excite us much and we knew everyone would be bounding out of bed tomorrow.
Everyone is very excited about going home. I take one last photo of them all lined up in their bunks and we all have a good sleep for the very last night in our van.
This morning we head out to the bush to collect some rocks for our little gold miner. We come back with a bag full of quartz that he can crush when we get home, in search for gold. That will sure keep him busy!! Then up to Mt Charlotte for a view of Kal fromt the lookout. After that we grabbed some lunch and ate it at Hammond Park which is a great park for the kids. A fantastic playground and there are heaps of birds for the kids to see. Cockies, emus, budgies, peacocks, ducks etc. There were a couple of schools there and we saw the camp school with all their gear for lunch and Michael the bus driver!!
After this we drop Glen off at the Royal Flying Doctors so he can do a tour. The kids and I head down the street to get some souvenirs.
This afternoon I go down the street on my own to make some clothes purchases, as none of mine fit anymore!!!! I also start thinking about school and buy contact, pencils etc as the kids will be able to go back for the last week and a half. In the afternoon the girls have hair appointments and then we just get organised for an early departure in the morning. It is about a 530km drive which we can easily manage, it will just be a big day. We had considered heading out this evening and camping on the side of the road, but the thought of another stop over somewhere didn't excite us much and we knew everyone would be bounding out of bed tomorrow.
Everyone is very excited about going home. I take one last photo of them all lined up in their bunks and we all have a good sleep for the very last night in our van.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 67 - Kalgoorlie
Well, the rain has stopped over night but it is a cold day today. It is so nice to be able to relax this morning knowing we are not moving, however, I am awake at 5:30 and the family is not far behind me. I decide to go and do a grocery shop at 8am so when I get back everyone is ready to go and do the tourist thing.
Next we have a look at the Super Pit shop and across the road the pub which has part of the floor which has been panelled with glass. It has an 11m mine shaft which goes under the pub. Apparently, years ago, the miners used to smuggle some of their findings into the cellar under ground, then at the end of their shift go and have beer at the pub, where the publican would give them their gold, after taking his share of course.
Tori is loving being in Kal as she was here in November on her school camp, so it is like having our own personal tour guide.
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| What a responsible parent!!! |
After this we head to the museum where we do half hour tour. The museum is great. They have replica houses and original buildings from years gone by. It is amazing to think that during the gold rush so many people lived in the one spot with no water supply, no medical services and no food on hand. However, it wasn't long before there were 92 pubs in this area and quite often water was worth more than beer.
Then it is time to eat again, one of our favourite passed times!!! We decide to have one last meal out at a restaurant before we go home. We go to DeBernales on the main drag. Very strange to be here during the day with the family, last time I was here was nearly 20 years ago........a scary thought.......the band was pumping and it certainly wasn't lunch time!!!
Tori and I head to the shops for the afternoon, she still has some of her Diva voucher to spend from christmas and is dying to look in Supre again. When we get home everyone is huddled in the van as it is so cold. Soup for tea tonight as a barbi is out of the question in this "brass monkey" weather!!
Monday, 19 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 66 - Kalgoorlie
Well, this morning the whole van is up with the sun at 5:30am and eating breakfast. It is very hot and humid. Everyone is grumpy and our bodies are totally confused by the change of time and the weather. Glen and I decide to have showers as we will be in a park tonight and don't need to save water. We are on the road by 6:20am and we have full sunlight. We stop at Cocklebiddy for a toilet break and we are all looking for lunch by 9am!!!! The outside temperature on the car reaches 34c by 9:30am. I was the lucky driver to get the 146km stretch of straight road, not one corner in sight!!!!!
At this stage we still don't know where our destination is today, Kalgoorlie or Esperance. We figure we can put in another 750km day of driving to reach our destination, however, with the rain forecast we are not sure which direction to head. The original plan was to go down to Esperance, enjoy a few days on the beautiful beaches and show the kids, then head up to Kalgoorlie for a couple of days before we head home. However, with the cyclone, the weather is not so conducive to beach time and we don't want to travel 500km out of our way to spend three days sitting in the van and playing cards. We have no mobile reception to get an update on the weather so we decide we will wait until we get to Norseman, check our the weather forecast then and make a decision with the kids.
We stop at Balladonia for a quick break on the way. They have a great museum there and Skylab displays. When we leave Balladonia the rain sets in. There has been a lot of rain in this part of the country over night by the look of the water on the side of the road.
By the time we arrive in Norseman the outside temp has dropped to 20C. We can't believe the difference in just a few hours. It is now 1:30pm and we have to make a decision. A check of the forecast shows tops in Esperance over the next few days of 19 and 20 and rain.........mmmmm......not great beach weather. Kalgoorlie isn't a lot better, tops of 22 and less rain, but you can look for gold in that sort of weather. So we reluctantly make the decision to head north. Glen and I had our hearts set on Esperance, but the kids are stoked to be going to Kal, especially our rock boy who is determined to find gold and be rich!!!!
We drive all the way in the rain and set up in the rain. Looks like this damn rain is going to be with us until the end!!! We had the idea in our head that when we hit the west we would be back in the heat again, but not so. We wonder what ratio of wet to sunny days we have had in this last half of our trip!!!!
At this stage we still don't know where our destination is today, Kalgoorlie or Esperance. We figure we can put in another 750km day of driving to reach our destination, however, with the rain forecast we are not sure which direction to head. The original plan was to go down to Esperance, enjoy a few days on the beautiful beaches and show the kids, then head up to Kalgoorlie for a couple of days before we head home. However, with the cyclone, the weather is not so conducive to beach time and we don't want to travel 500km out of our way to spend three days sitting in the van and playing cards. We have no mobile reception to get an update on the weather so we decide we will wait until we get to Norseman, check our the weather forecast then and make a decision with the kids.
We stop at Balladonia for a quick break on the way. They have a great museum there and Skylab displays. When we leave Balladonia the rain sets in. There has been a lot of rain in this part of the country over night by the look of the water on the side of the road.
By the time we arrive in Norseman the outside temp has dropped to 20C. We can't believe the difference in just a few hours. It is now 1:30pm and we have to make a decision. A check of the forecast shows tops in Esperance over the next few days of 19 and 20 and rain.........mmmmm......not great beach weather. Kalgoorlie isn't a lot better, tops of 22 and less rain, but you can look for gold in that sort of weather. So we reluctantly make the decision to head north. Glen and I had our hearts set on Esperance, but the kids are stoked to be going to Kal, especially our rock boy who is determined to find gold and be rich!!!!
We drive all the way in the rain and set up in the rain. Looks like this damn rain is going to be with us until the end!!! We had the idea in our head that when we hit the west we would be back in the heat again, but not so. We wonder what ratio of wet to sunny days we have had in this last half of our trip!!!!
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 65 - WA border
This morning we have an early start. Well, as early as we can anyway. We drive out of the park at 7:45am just as the sun is coming up. We would have liked to get away earlier but it is just too dangerous driving in the dark. Today we plan to drive about 600km and get as close to the border as we can. We still have fruit and veg that needs eating so I night free camping before we cross over is what we planned to do.
A fairly uneventful drive. We stop at Ceduna for fuel which isn't too badly priced for this area. Impossible to get a decent coffee now though. We pay $2.50 for one I have to make myself, then discover the urn isn't even hot!!!! Insignificant you may well think, but this is important stuff when you have to sit behind the wheel for the next couple of hours!! The roads in SA are really good, so we can relax a little and enjoy the drive. We also have a tail wind so we are just hooning along at around 100km and just under 2000 revs, great for the fuel economy.
We stop at the Head of the Bight and walk down the walk way to see the water crashing against the cliffs. It is really quite warm now, about 32C and we sure feel it in the middle of the day. It does look like someone has taken a big bite out of Australia, as the cliffs are just a sheer drop to the water. We see a couple of sea lions frolicking in the waves but it is the wrong time of the year for the whales. We could stand and watch the waves forever, but we must move on.
At about 70km away from the border we stop at a rest area to have a look. It is only 4pm which is a bit early for us to stop at a rest area as there is nothing for the children to do, it is hot and windy, Glen and I will just start eating and drinking, plus we don't feel 100% happy to be camped so close to cliff faces with our exploring kids looking for something to do. We have the wind behind us as well, so we decide to head across the border after all. So I jump in the van and cut up my remaining salad and throw some dressing over it, as Mum said quarantine are happy for you to have salads made up. I hand out some fruit and off we go.
The border inspection is the most comprehensive one we have had so far. The inspector checks all eskies in the car and hops in the van and checks the pantry and fridge. They take the last of our apples and a couple of onions and the last of Shannae's creamed honey that she bought on Kangaroo Island. She wasn't too impressed about this. Then off we went.
We then turned all our clocks back. So instead of being 4:30 and time to start thinking about stopping, all of a sudden it is 2pm so we can still fit in another couple of hours on the road!!!! We don't of course, we drive for about another 100km before we find a rest stop with a toilet and decide to stop for the night. The weather is starting to get very windy and threatening now. We eat tea at about 5pm, which is really 7:30 to our bodies, and we end up in bed by 8pm, which is really 10:30. It is completely dark by 6:30 which is very strange. It is a hot night, vehicles come and go from the rest stop and no one gets a great night's sleep!!!!!!
A fairly uneventful drive. We stop at Ceduna for fuel which isn't too badly priced for this area. Impossible to get a decent coffee now though. We pay $2.50 for one I have to make myself, then discover the urn isn't even hot!!!! Insignificant you may well think, but this is important stuff when you have to sit behind the wheel for the next couple of hours!! The roads in SA are really good, so we can relax a little and enjoy the drive. We also have a tail wind so we are just hooning along at around 100km and just under 2000 revs, great for the fuel economy.
We stop at the Head of the Bight and walk down the walk way to see the water crashing against the cliffs. It is really quite warm now, about 32C and we sure feel it in the middle of the day. It does look like someone has taken a big bite out of Australia, as the cliffs are just a sheer drop to the water. We see a couple of sea lions frolicking in the waves but it is the wrong time of the year for the whales. We could stand and watch the waves forever, but we must move on.
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| They are standing on a fenced off area at a rest stop right at the edge of a cliff here!!! |
The border inspection is the most comprehensive one we have had so far. The inspector checks all eskies in the car and hops in the van and checks the pantry and fridge. They take the last of our apples and a couple of onions and the last of Shannae's creamed honey that she bought on Kangaroo Island. She wasn't too impressed about this. Then off we went.
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| Cody, being camouflaged!!! |
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| The kids go feral after being cooped up in the car!! |
We then turned all our clocks back. So instead of being 4:30 and time to start thinking about stopping, all of a sudden it is 2pm so we can still fit in another couple of hours on the road!!!! We don't of course, we drive for about another 100km before we find a rest stop with a toilet and decide to stop for the night. The weather is starting to get very windy and threatening now. We eat tea at about 5pm, which is really 7:30 to our bodies, and we end up in bed by 8pm, which is really 10:30. It is completely dark by 6:30 which is very strange. It is a hot night, vehicles come and go from the rest stop and no one gets a great night's sleep!!!!!!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 64 - Streaky Bay
I start the day again with another delightful walk around the bay, I don't think my body is capable of running any more!!!! Today is a day of preparation for the couple of big days of driving we have ahead to get across the nullabor. So we do the washing, fill the water tanks, check the gas bottles etc, etc.
Just before lunch we go into town and walk along the jetty to see what everyone is catching. We have lunch at the local bakery which is very nice, then we head back to the van for a bit of R and R. It is warmer today, a top of 27C forecast so good to have some sunny weather.
In the afternoon is spent playing more board games, the kids go for another swim and I do some blogging. Glen decides that he actually would like to see the NAB cup grand final, so this fills in the remainder of the arvo trying to get the dish to work. Unfortunately we don't have any luck, but discover we are able to tune into channel seven on normal tv, not such a good reception, but at least we can see the game. We pack up what we can tonight and hook up the car ready for a big day of driving tomorrow.
Just before lunch we go into town and walk along the jetty to see what everyone is catching. We have lunch at the local bakery which is very nice, then we head back to the van for a bit of R and R. It is warmer today, a top of 27C forecast so good to have some sunny weather.
In the afternoon is spent playing more board games, the kids go for another swim and I do some blogging. Glen decides that he actually would like to see the NAB cup grand final, so this fills in the remainder of the arvo trying to get the dish to work. Unfortunately we don't have any luck, but discover we are able to tune into channel seven on normal tv, not such a good reception, but at least we can see the game. We pack up what we can tonight and hook up the car ready for a big day of driving tomorrow.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 63 - Streaky Bay
This morning I got up at 7:30 with the sun and went for a walk around the bay. The tide is right out and people are walking about 200m out from the shore, trying to find crabs I think. What a beautiful time of the day. A Japanese man is out on the beach with his tripod and camera, snapping away as the sun comes up. All the grey nomads are up cleaning their car or van or emptying their porta - loos!!!!
I get back to the van and enjoy breakfast and my crossword before the family finally arises at about 9am. It is pretty cold still, only a top of 24C forecast, but it is really only pretty early as far as the sun goes!!
We don't do a great deal today. I spend most of the morning doing bookwork. I am just doing the bare necessities, so I think my first week at home will be catching up in the office. The kids play on the play ground and Glen reads the paper. We are trying to make the most of our final days, as we are very aware that it is all about to come to an abrupt end, however, after 9 weeks of living in the van we are all starting to get a bit "over" living on top of each other. The kids are thinking about their animals and all their friends at school. Glen is thinking about all the things that need doing on the farm and I just long for a normal size fridge, my beautiful big kitchen and our own toilet!!!
In the afternoon the kids do some school work, something they haven't done much of on this half of the trip, they play boardgames and go for a swim. This evening, we have the usual barbi which always includes meeting someone new and sharing travel stories. We do like it here and decide to stay just one more day.
I get back to the van and enjoy breakfast and my crossword before the family finally arises at about 9am. It is pretty cold still, only a top of 24C forecast, but it is really only pretty early as far as the sun goes!!
We don't do a great deal today. I spend most of the morning doing bookwork. I am just doing the bare necessities, so I think my first week at home will be catching up in the office. The kids play on the play ground and Glen reads the paper. We are trying to make the most of our final days, as we are very aware that it is all about to come to an abrupt end, however, after 9 weeks of living in the van we are all starting to get a bit "over" living on top of each other. The kids are thinking about their animals and all their friends at school. Glen is thinking about all the things that need doing on the farm and I just long for a normal size fridge, my beautiful big kitchen and our own toilet!!!
In the afternoon the kids do some school work, something they haven't done much of on this half of the trip, they play boardgames and go for a swim. This evening, we have the usual barbi which always includes meeting someone new and sharing travel stories. We do like it here and decide to stay just one more day.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 62 - Streaky Bay
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!!
This morning we get away by 8:20am. I feel sad for the kids as they run over to their friend's place to say good-bye, but their Mum gets out of bed to tell them that everyone is still in bed. Oh well, not much we can do.
Today is pretty uneventful, about a 390km drive to Streaky Bay. What a lovely spot. It is a small town and it seems that everyone likes it, as the sign out the front of the park says "No powered sites available tonight" and it looks like it has been sitting there a while. We go in anyway, just to see if there is a non-powered site available. Sure enough, there's the "in case of emergency" spot, which is a nice big spot out of the way, with our name written on it. They say it is not powered and has no water, but we fill the tanks and some people lend us an extension lead and we are in business.
This park reminds us a bit of Eighty Mile beach. Everyone here is booked in for weeks on end. They all have a boat each and there is notification of whose mail has arrived, on the front door of the reception. There is a bit more here though, a lovely little town with a couple of nice eateries, a chemist, two groceries, a nice pub, a fantastic walkway all the way around the bay and what beautiful scenery of the bay and the jetty. The colour of the water is beautiful and the resident pelicans spend the day on the beach pruning themselves waiting for the fisherman to come and clean their fish.
This afternoon we head out of town to the Whistling Rocks and Blow holes. Unfortunately, the blow holes aren't happening, but it is still worth the drive out. What a rugged coastline it is.
We really like it here and we have internet access so decide it is a good spot to stop, chill out for a bit, and catch up on some office work that I desperately need to do, bills still need paying unfortunately!!! This evening we buy some local King George whiting and crabs for tea and then, another family movie on our bed........the bed seems to be getting smaller!!!
This morning we get away by 8:20am. I feel sad for the kids as they run over to their friend's place to say good-bye, but their Mum gets out of bed to tell them that everyone is still in bed. Oh well, not much we can do.
Today is pretty uneventful, about a 390km drive to Streaky Bay. What a lovely spot. It is a small town and it seems that everyone likes it, as the sign out the front of the park says "No powered sites available tonight" and it looks like it has been sitting there a while. We go in anyway, just to see if there is a non-powered site available. Sure enough, there's the "in case of emergency" spot, which is a nice big spot out of the way, with our name written on it. They say it is not powered and has no water, but we fill the tanks and some people lend us an extension lead and we are in business.
This park reminds us a bit of Eighty Mile beach. Everyone here is booked in for weeks on end. They all have a boat each and there is notification of whose mail has arrived, on the front door of the reception. There is a bit more here though, a lovely little town with a couple of nice eateries, a chemist, two groceries, a nice pub, a fantastic walkway all the way around the bay and what beautiful scenery of the bay and the jetty. The colour of the water is beautiful and the resident pelicans spend the day on the beach pruning themselves waiting for the fisherman to come and clean their fish.
This afternoon we head out of town to the Whistling Rocks and Blow holes. Unfortunately, the blow holes aren't happening, but it is still worth the drive out. What a rugged coastline it is.
We really like it here and we have internet access so decide it is a good spot to stop, chill out for a bit, and catch up on some office work that I desperately need to do, bills still need paying unfortunately!!! This evening we buy some local King George whiting and crabs for tea and then, another family movie on our bed........the bed seems to be getting smaller!!!
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 61 - Back to Port Augusta
This morning we got up early again. On the road by 6:45am, which was probably a bit early as the sun didn't come up until 7:40am. We were a bit worried about the roos, but there was no bush for them to jump out of for the first 100km so it really wasn't a problem. We had a brief stop at Glendambo, we got a bit of a laugh out of this sign as you enter the town.
Then we went off the main highway at Pimba, about 5km into Woomera where they do a lot of missile testing and rocket launching. This place is also quite amazing. Not very big, but the information sign lists every possible sporting facility you can imagine from a softball oval to squash courts, to swimming pool, footy, netball, you name it, they had it. Obviously a lot of money sent out this way. We figure that it is due to all the testing the area is used for. They also have a very impressive outdoor museum with a lot of the weapons that have been tested, on display.
Anyway, we had lunch at "Spud's Roadhouse" then headed back to Port Augusta with everything crossed that the van was still in one piece. As we approached the park, the weather starts to get wilder and wilder. The wind picks up, it becomes very overcast and the dust blowing around increases. We get back to our van to find it intact, much to our relief. After two minutes of being back, the kids are off to find their new friends who aren't at school.
It is too late and the weather is turning bad so we can't move on even if we wanted to. I quickly put a load of washing on and jump in the car to go down and collect our last mail pick-up. I do another grocery shop and get fuel. By now, thunder and lightning are in full swing and the odd hale stone hits the road in front of me. I head down the road to the main drag and an enormous branch off a big old gum tree falls across the road about 20m in front of me and into the front yard of the house opposite it. A bit scary.
When I get home, the van is full of kids with muddy feet!!!! Our guests are dear children and help me unload the groceries. I have to ignore the mud they are bringing back into the van and all over the car as they climb in to grab the groceries. The storm is fairly short lived, thankfully, and the kids go off to play until we call ours in for tea. Glen and I can't wait to get out of this dump as it would be the worst park we have seen so far. Isn't it amazing though, we see filth, dirt, a rubbish dump in the park, kids not attending school, broken down washing machines, old playground equipment that would no longer meet regulations. The kids see new friends, an adventurous playground, hidden treasures in what other people have thrown away and they don't want to leave!!!
Then we went off the main highway at Pimba, about 5km into Woomera where they do a lot of missile testing and rocket launching. This place is also quite amazing. Not very big, but the information sign lists every possible sporting facility you can imagine from a softball oval to squash courts, to swimming pool, footy, netball, you name it, they had it. Obviously a lot of money sent out this way. We figure that it is due to all the testing the area is used for. They also have a very impressive outdoor museum with a lot of the weapons that have been tested, on display.
Anyway, we had lunch at "Spud's Roadhouse" then headed back to Port Augusta with everything crossed that the van was still in one piece. As we approached the park, the weather starts to get wilder and wilder. The wind picks up, it becomes very overcast and the dust blowing around increases. We get back to our van to find it intact, much to our relief. After two minutes of being back, the kids are off to find their new friends who aren't at school.
It is too late and the weather is turning bad so we can't move on even if we wanted to. I quickly put a load of washing on and jump in the car to go down and collect our last mail pick-up. I do another grocery shop and get fuel. By now, thunder and lightning are in full swing and the odd hale stone hits the road in front of me. I head down the road to the main drag and an enormous branch off a big old gum tree falls across the road about 20m in front of me and into the front yard of the house opposite it. A bit scary.
When I get home, the van is full of kids with muddy feet!!!! Our guests are dear children and help me unload the groceries. I have to ignore the mud they are bringing back into the van and all over the car as they climb in to grab the groceries. The storm is fairly short lived, thankfully, and the kids go off to play until we call ours in for tea. Glen and I can't wait to get out of this dump as it would be the worst park we have seen so far. Isn't it amazing though, we see filth, dirt, a rubbish dump in the park, kids not attending school, broken down washing machines, old playground equipment that would no longer meet regulations. The kids see new friends, an adventurous playground, hidden treasures in what other people have thrown away and they don't want to leave!!!
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 60 - Coober Pedy
Well, we looked into some of the tours and once again, it is going to cost us over $200 for the family, plus we have already seen some of the sites that are part of most of the tours, so we decide to do the rest ourselves. First stop this morning, the "Old Timers Mine". This is an underground mine, including someone's house. No one lives in it now, but what an amazing place. It is like a rabbit warren and we spend a lot of time exploring here. We come back up to the surface to watch the demonstration of how a "blower" works. You see these things on the back of trucks all over town, and they actually "suck up" the dirt, blow out all the dust and dump the rocks. Everyone has a go at "feeding" it. Before we leave, the kids park themselves in the "noodling" pit, searching for opals. They basically search through the rocks, dunk them in water to see if they can see the shining precious stone. Again, we get back in the car with another couple of pockets full of treasure!!!!
After this we head out to the Breakaways and the Moon plains about 15km out of town. It is out here that a lot of the movie Mad Max was filmed. The Breakaways are formations like odd shaped hills that have been left behind, about 70million years ago the place was under water and a lot of sea fossils have been found out here. Hard to imagine when we are so far from the coast.
After this we head to Umoona opal museum and yet another opal shop. We are continually amazed at what looks like a gravelly hill with a door, can open up to a whole museum and show room for opals. I do love this place and quickly find the perfect necklace I would have bought if I had recently had a lotto win!!!!
We head back to our hotel in the afternoon and drop Cody and Glen off, then the girls and I proceed to visit every opal shop in Coober Pedy. Shannae buys a beautiful pair of earrings and Tori a bead containing a boulder opal, for her necklace. I then drop the girls off and have some time to myself. I buy a small souvenir necklace, not quite the original I had picked out, but one that wouldn't send me broke!!!!
What an interesting place, we are so glad we made the trip out here.
After this we head to Umoona opal museum and yet another opal shop. We are continually amazed at what looks like a gravelly hill with a door, can open up to a whole museum and show room for opals. I do love this place and quickly find the perfect necklace I would have bought if I had recently had a lotto win!!!!We head back to our hotel in the afternoon and drop Cody and Glen off, then the girls and I proceed to visit every opal shop in Coober Pedy. Shannae buys a beautiful pair of earrings and Tori a bead containing a boulder opal, for her necklace. I then drop the girls off and have some time to myself. I buy a small souvenir necklace, not quite the original I had picked out, but one that wouldn't send me broke!!!!
What an interesting place, we are so glad we made the trip out here.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 59 - Coober Pedy
This morning we set the alarm for 6am. Pitch black outside at this time of the day. We make sure everything is locked and secured and just hope to goodness the van will be okay while we were away. Unfortunately we didn't have many van storage options. When we pull out of the park at 7am the sun is still not up. I just can't get used to daylight savings and while it doesn't worry us on our travels, I thank my lucky stars we don't have it at home!!
We have 540km to drive today, but it is so nice not to have the van on and to be out in the wide open spaces. We are on a decent road where everyone waves hello and the only thing you have to worry about is a cow or an emu wondering across the road in front of you. The landscape is very bare, not many trees and the Pimbi roadhouse is like an oasis after the first 200km. I drive most of the way today to give Glen a break. I encounter a mob of kamikazee cockies and reduce the group by about 5, and when we stop for the toilet, one is still wedged in our roo bar, much to the horror of Shannae!!!
We arrive at Coober Pedy to a beautiful 36C. A bit of a shock to our system, we have forgotten what heat is like. The place is dry, dusty and there are mounds of sand and rock everywhere from the mining. The town itself has a few shops down the main street, every second one selling opals, and we are struck by the security rails on all the windows and doors, reminds us a bit of Carnarvon. Every hill has a house built into it. We find our hotel "the Underground Motel", where our rooms are built in to the side of a large hill. Thankfully it is quite cool in here.
We are not feeling too much like sightseeing in this heat, as we are a bit weary adjusting to this temperature, but we head out anyway. Firstly to the Opal Cave where we find our first underground shop. What a bizarre sight. What looks like a run down little house from the outside, opens up to a beautiful showroom underneath, a cave of jewels. The kids can't believe it. Opals everywhere, they can't get their money out of their wallets quick enough.
The first place we visit is "Faye's house". A residence that was dug out by hand by three ladies in the 1960's. We just can't imagine how hard it must have been and are amazed by the number of rooms including a decent sized cellar for the bar.
After this we head out to the Serbian Church which is not only underground but has had carvings carved into the walls and ceiling. Quite an amazing place.
This afternoon we head to the Big Winch" lookout where we encounter some very bizarre "art" work and it is about now that we start to realise that the people living in Coober Pedy are quite unique.
Coober Pedy is certainly like no other place we have seen so far. Cody is beside himself with all the rocks to choose from and by the end of the day his pants are weighed down with all the treasures he has collected. He can't wait for "noodling" tomorrow when he can search for opals. The girls are also in awe of this beautiful stone and start to count their pennies for the jewellery purchases that plan to make before we leave!!!!!
We have 540km to drive today, but it is so nice not to have the van on and to be out in the wide open spaces. We are on a decent road where everyone waves hello and the only thing you have to worry about is a cow or an emu wondering across the road in front of you. The landscape is very bare, not many trees and the Pimbi roadhouse is like an oasis after the first 200km. I drive most of the way today to give Glen a break. I encounter a mob of kamikazee cockies and reduce the group by about 5, and when we stop for the toilet, one is still wedged in our roo bar, much to the horror of Shannae!!!
We arrive at Coober Pedy to a beautiful 36C. A bit of a shock to our system, we have forgotten what heat is like. The place is dry, dusty and there are mounds of sand and rock everywhere from the mining. The town itself has a few shops down the main street, every second one selling opals, and we are struck by the security rails on all the windows and doors, reminds us a bit of Carnarvon. Every hill has a house built into it. We find our hotel "the Underground Motel", where our rooms are built in to the side of a large hill. Thankfully it is quite cool in here.
 |
| Our car parked outside our hotel room. |
We are not feeling too much like sightseeing in this heat, as we are a bit weary adjusting to this temperature, but we head out anyway. Firstly to the Opal Cave where we find our first underground shop. What a bizarre sight. What looks like a run down little house from the outside, opens up to a beautiful showroom underneath, a cave of jewels. The kids can't believe it. Opals everywhere, they can't get their money out of their wallets quick enough.
The first place we visit is "Faye's house". A residence that was dug out by hand by three ladies in the 1960's. We just can't imagine how hard it must have been and are amazed by the number of rooms including a decent sized cellar for the bar.
After this we head out to the Serbian Church which is not only underground but has had carvings carved into the walls and ceiling. Quite an amazing place.
This afternoon we head to the Big Winch" lookout where we encounter some very bizarre "art" work and it is about now that we start to realise that the people living in Coober Pedy are quite unique.  |
| "Art" |
 |
| One view of Coober Pedy from the lookout. Yes, these are all car wrecks that have just been left!!! |
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 58 - Port Augusta
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TRACE AND MICK!!!!!
Today we decide to move on. We had planned to go into Adelaide for a day, however, after driving through the city we couldn't bring ourselves to drive back in to do more sightseeing. We are nearly "sightseeinged - out ". Unfortunately, on a trip like this, after about the 5th museum and 3rd zoo and 15th tour, you get a bit over it, which is how we are feeling at the moment. Which is a shame as there is still so much to see. And as Dad says, once your vehicle is pointed in the direction of home, you just want to hit turbo boost and head for home. But, had we read your email yesterday Michael, we most likely would have stayed another day....oh well!! thems the breaks!!!!
So today was just a day of travel. Although we did manage to meet up with Glen's Aunty Anne and Uncle Jamie who are heading across to Queensland to pick up their new Bushtracker. It was great seeing some familiar faces and having a chat, even though it was brief, it was perfect timing.
We pull into our caravan park in Port Augusta......what a dive. I'm afraid Port Augusta has lived up to it's reputation, we hadn't heard many good reports. However, this is just somewhere to leave the van for a couple of days while we scoot up to Coober Pedy. Unfortunately the park is about a "minus 5!!!" star, so we have everything crossed that the van will still be here when we get back and in one piece. The kids immediately made friends with some kids that actually live in the park. Needless to say, they received quite an education in the space of just one afternoon!!!
Today we decide to move on. We had planned to go into Adelaide for a day, however, after driving through the city we couldn't bring ourselves to drive back in to do more sightseeing. We are nearly "sightseeinged - out ". Unfortunately, on a trip like this, after about the 5th museum and 3rd zoo and 15th tour, you get a bit over it, which is how we are feeling at the moment. Which is a shame as there is still so much to see. And as Dad says, once your vehicle is pointed in the direction of home, you just want to hit turbo boost and head for home. But, had we read your email yesterday Michael, we most likely would have stayed another day....oh well!! thems the breaks!!!!
So today was just a day of travel. Although we did manage to meet up with Glen's Aunty Anne and Uncle Jamie who are heading across to Queensland to pick up their new Bushtracker. It was great seeing some familiar faces and having a chat, even though it was brief, it was perfect timing.
We pull into our caravan park in Port Augusta......what a dive. I'm afraid Port Augusta has lived up to it's reputation, we hadn't heard many good reports. However, this is just somewhere to leave the van for a couple of days while we scoot up to Coober Pedy. Unfortunately the park is about a "minus 5!!!" star, so we have everything crossed that the van will still be here when we get back and in one piece. The kids immediately made friends with some kids that actually live in the park. Needless to say, they received quite an education in the space of just one afternoon!!!
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 57 - Barossa Valley
Well, this morning we woke to another beautiful day. Another couple of loads of washing on and Cody and I head down the street. He has blown out yet another pair of thongs, so we have to get another pair, and while he has clean hair, I jump at the opportunity to get it cut, as it has been a while!!!!
So today we decide to have a look at the Barossa Valley. It is a bit dry but otherwise what a beautiful spot. We stop at Tanunda for a more detailed map and to ask for further info on the best spots to visit, then head to Angaston. First stop the Angus Park fruit shop, full of dried fruit, nuts and chocolate, next stop the Barossa cheese factory, then, what I think was the highlight of the day, Maggie Beere's Farm. Wow, what a fantastic place if you like food!!!. Every product she produces was available for tasting, pates, jams, marinades, biscuits, relishes, sauces, you name, it was there, then afterwards you could order a picnic basket with the products you like for lunch. Absolutely divine!!!! She was giving a cooking demonstration at 2pm but we didn't stay for that. A very popular spot so it was very busy.
Afterwards we hit the wineries. First Penfolds, I think they had about a dozen reds to sample here, which Glen tried each and every one of!!!!!! He was talking a bit funny by the time we left!! Then we went to this lovely little family owned winery called Whistler. A bus load of people on a wine tour having a great time out the front. Made us think we should have done the same!! We really liked this place, and their wine. We then did a couple more, couldn't go past Jacobs Creek which had its own visitors centre and restaurant. They were very well set up here, had a beautiful grassed area and toys for the kids and lovely people behind the counter. Needless to say we made a few purchases here as well.
It was a great day, nice weather and beautiful surroundings, not to mention food and wine, what more could you want!!! No wonder our clothes aren't fitting us anymore!!!!
So today we decide to have a look at the Barossa Valley. It is a bit dry but otherwise what a beautiful spot. We stop at Tanunda for a more detailed map and to ask for further info on the best spots to visit, then head to Angaston. First stop the Angus Park fruit shop, full of dried fruit, nuts and chocolate, next stop the Barossa cheese factory, then, what I think was the highlight of the day, Maggie Beere's Farm. Wow, what a fantastic place if you like food!!!. Every product she produces was available for tasting, pates, jams, marinades, biscuits, relishes, sauces, you name, it was there, then afterwards you could order a picnic basket with the products you like for lunch. Absolutely divine!!!! She was giving a cooking demonstration at 2pm but we didn't stay for that. A very popular spot so it was very busy.
It was a great day, nice weather and beautiful surroundings, not to mention food and wine, what more could you want!!! No wonder our clothes aren't fitting us anymore!!!!
Friday, 9 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 56 - Back to the Mainland
This morning when we get up at 7am and it is just freezing. Glen and I do everything we need to do as quickly as we can and I make some breakfast for the kids to have in the car so they just hop out of their beds and straight into the car. We know that by the time we get to Adelaide it is going to be about 28C today, but it certainly doesn't feel like it at the moment. We wave farewell to our friendly neighbours and head off on our 120km journey back to Penneshaw and the Sealink Ferry. We stop at the visitors centre for the kids to get changed and sort some things before boarding the boat.
We arrive at the wharf by about 9:45, the boat departs at 10:30. To our surprise we run into our Belgian friends who we met on the Great Ocean Road. It is like a reunion, the kids are happy to see each other and we exchange stories of what we have done and seen on Kangaroo Island. I am surprised we didn't run into them somewhere. We have a very enjoyable trip back on the boat with them. Much calmer than the trip over and we are lucky enough to witness some dolphins playing in front of the boat. What stamina those animals have. When we arrive on the mainland we exchange email addresses and contact details with our new friends and head off on our merry way.
We are headed for a place just north east of Adelaide called Gawler, between Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. The plan is to use this as our base and spend one day sightseeing in Adelaide and another in the Barossa. We arrive by about 3pm. I am so desperate to wash, I cannot wait until the morning, so I fill all the machines in the laundry, then fly down to the local woolies to do the usual shop, giving the family strict instructions to hang out the washing as soon as it is finished!!! They all recieve major brownie points from the old dears in the park who think they are the best husband and children in the world for hanging out the washing!!!
This evening we just love the nice clean ablutions here with no timers. Cody washes his hair for the first time in about 3 weeks I reckon!!!! It is amazing how much you appreciate the little things when you have to go without them for a while!! The weather is warm now, most of the washing dries by 8pm and tonight everyone is in their summer pj's!! Surprising we don't get sick more often on this trip!!
We arrive at the wharf by about 9:45, the boat departs at 10:30. To our surprise we run into our Belgian friends who we met on the Great Ocean Road. It is like a reunion, the kids are happy to see each other and we exchange stories of what we have done and seen on Kangaroo Island. I am surprised we didn't run into them somewhere. We have a very enjoyable trip back on the boat with them. Much calmer than the trip over and we are lucky enough to witness some dolphins playing in front of the boat. What stamina those animals have. When we arrive on the mainland we exchange email addresses and contact details with our new friends and head off on our merry way.
We are headed for a place just north east of Adelaide called Gawler, between Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. The plan is to use this as our base and spend one day sightseeing in Adelaide and another in the Barossa. We arrive by about 3pm. I am so desperate to wash, I cannot wait until the morning, so I fill all the machines in the laundry, then fly down to the local woolies to do the usual shop, giving the family strict instructions to hang out the washing as soon as it is finished!!! They all recieve major brownie points from the old dears in the park who think they are the best husband and children in the world for hanging out the washing!!!
This evening we just love the nice clean ablutions here with no timers. Cody washes his hair for the first time in about 3 weeks I reckon!!!! It is amazing how much you appreciate the little things when you have to go without them for a while!! The weather is warm now, most of the washing dries by 8pm and tonight everyone is in their summer pj's!! Surprising we don't get sick more often on this trip!!
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 55 - Vivonne Bay
This morning Glen cooked his Millsteed famous pancakes for the family. Everyone was very excited as he did a great job given the less than perfect cooking conditions. All the ingredients but no scales, no measuring cups, lack of utensils!!!
The weather today was divine. Not windy and just warm, one of the nicest summer days we have had for a long time. We head straight down to the beach/river, me with the fishing rod, kids with their boogie boards, Tori with her blow up boat that she got for christmas and smuggled into her suitcase for the flight back!!! and Glen is headed for the waves. Everyone has a great morning. Cody, Shannae and I catch some more fish, but we throw them back as they are a bit small.
Not much is required for lunch today. In the afternoon we go for a drive to the jetty where we go fishing and Glen jumps off the jetty and went for a quick swim. Not too keen to stay in the water for long, as we had spotted a couple of seals and sharks love them for lunch so it was a quick dip. The water is such a beautiful colour here.
Later on we start to think about packing up and heading off in the morning. Shannae spends the remainder of the afternoon on her board in the river and Cody and Tori fight it out in another marathon game of monopoly. Another pleasant barbi in the camp kitchen and a relatively early night. However, by early I mean about 10pm. The kids pretty much go to bed the same time as we do these days, with daylight savings, and we all sleep in until about 8am as the sun doesn't come up until about 7am. It is bizarre, but as we don't have to be anywhere on any day it doesn't matter to us. It is really cold at night here, so the kids sleep in their trackies and have all the rugs pulled up!!!! No summer for us this year!!!
The weather today was divine. Not windy and just warm, one of the nicest summer days we have had for a long time. We head straight down to the beach/river, me with the fishing rod, kids with their boogie boards, Tori with her blow up boat that she got for christmas and smuggled into her suitcase for the flight back!!! and Glen is headed for the waves. Everyone has a great morning. Cody, Shannae and I catch some more fish, but we throw them back as they are a bit small.
Not much is required for lunch today. In the afternoon we go for a drive to the jetty where we go fishing and Glen jumps off the jetty and went for a quick swim. Not too keen to stay in the water for long, as we had spotted a couple of seals and sharks love them for lunch so it was a quick dip. The water is such a beautiful colour here.
Later on we start to think about packing up and heading off in the morning. Shannae spends the remainder of the afternoon on her board in the river and Cody and Tori fight it out in another marathon game of monopoly. Another pleasant barbi in the camp kitchen and a relatively early night. However, by early I mean about 10pm. The kids pretty much go to bed the same time as we do these days, with daylight savings, and we all sleep in until about 8am as the sun doesn't come up until about 7am. It is bizarre, but as we don't have to be anywhere on any day it doesn't matter to us. It is really cold at night here, so the kids sleep in their trackies and have all the rugs pulled up!!!! No summer for us this year!!!
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 54 - Seal Bay
This morning we pack up and head for Vivonne Bay. There, waiting for us, is a perfect site just next to the walkway to the beach. We set up and decide to drive around to Seal Bay. Here, our hand is in our pocket again. $41 for the privelidge of walking along the board walk to view the seals on the beach. For more than double this, we could have joined a tour which actually took you down to the beach a bit closer, but hey, this is getting beyond a joke.
I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the boardwalk. A very impressive path purpose built for viewing the seals. We could have watched them for ages. There were a lot lazing around doing nothing, but quite a few out swimming and others fighting or chasing each other up and down the beach.
After this we headed back to camp. I went and got some bait. The sun is shining and we can feel some real warmth in the air. It is pretty windy but we all head down to the river/beach for a swim and a spot of fishing. Cody is keen for a fish and pulls one in after his first cast. A very excited young man!!!!
This afternoon the kids play monopoly and Glen and I sit outside the van and soak up some sun. We are all most appreciative of our 3 minutes showers tonight!!!! After tea we decide to head down to the jetty where we are told the penguins come in at night. We get there on dusk and wait until about 9pm, however they must have heard us coming as none of them show up. We do however, see the smallesst lighthouse we have seen so far!!!!
I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the boardwalk. A very impressive path purpose built for viewing the seals. We could have watched them for ages. There were a lot lazing around doing nothing, but quite a few out swimming and others fighting or chasing each other up and down the beach.
After this we headed back to camp. I went and got some bait. The sun is shining and we can feel some real warmth in the air. It is pretty windy but we all head down to the river/beach for a swim and a spot of fishing. Cody is keen for a fish and pulls one in after his first cast. A very excited young man!!!!
This afternoon the kids play monopoly and Glen and I sit outside the van and soak up some sun. We are all most appreciative of our 3 minutes showers tonight!!!! After tea we decide to head down to the jetty where we are told the penguins come in at night. We get there on dusk and wait until about 9pm, however they must have heard us coming as none of them show up. We do however, see the smallesst lighthouse we have seen so far!!!!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Pt 2 - Day 53 - Stokes Bay
It is supposed to be warmer today, well it certainly doesn't start off that way. After discovering the beautiful bay yesterday, we decide to stay another day and enjoy it. So we all head down the beach after breaky. It is a bit cold for swimming but the kids busy themselves anyway, they just love exploring.
At 12 pm we head to "Paul's Place", a local farmer who opens his place up to the public every second day and does a tour of all his animals. Apart from the usual sheep, roos, ducks, geese, emus, he also has a deer, echidna, carpet snake, koalas, possums etc. Well, we didn't know what is was going to be like, but when it reached 2:30 and the children still hadn't had lunch and no one had asked for food, I decided it was well worth it. What a character Paul was. He had us all in fits of laughter. Made the children sit down and plonked this huge roo on their lap so they could feed it like a baby. He noticed I cowered a bit when the emu headed for me so thought it would be a great joke to give me the bucket with their food in it. Poor Glen got told to stand against the fence and squat down then Paul proceeded to put food on his head so the emus could eat it from the top of his head......ouch!!! It was so "hands on", it was just great, and I got to hold a koala which I just loved.
We headed back for a late lunch and then back to the Bay. I decide to get the fishing rods out. I had better use them as every time Glen gets something out of the boot of the van and he has to shift them he says "Gee, I'm glad we bought these rods" The only problem is I have no bait and no shop insight!!!! I try a rig with louas (sp??) to start and lose the lot on the rocks after the second cast. So much for my plan to catch a fish to use for bait. Oh well, I will pick up some bait tomorrow. We all have a swim as this is our shower for the day. Luckily the temperature has risen to about 24C, but the water is still pretty fresh on this southern coast.
Tonight we have a barbi over looking the rocky part of the bay and eat lamb and feta sausages from the dairy. The kids beg and plead to go back to the beach for one last look and Glen and I sit and watch the sun go down. Now we are ready to move on in the morning!!
At 12 pm we head to "Paul's Place", a local farmer who opens his place up to the public every second day and does a tour of all his animals. Apart from the usual sheep, roos, ducks, geese, emus, he also has a deer, echidna, carpet snake, koalas, possums etc. Well, we didn't know what is was going to be like, but when it reached 2:30 and the children still hadn't had lunch and no one had asked for food, I decided it was well worth it. What a character Paul was. He had us all in fits of laughter. Made the children sit down and plonked this huge roo on their lap so they could feed it like a baby. He noticed I cowered a bit when the emu headed for me so thought it would be a great joke to give me the bucket with their food in it. Poor Glen got told to stand against the fence and squat down then Paul proceeded to put food on his head so the emus could eat it from the top of his head......ouch!!! It was so "hands on", it was just great, and I got to hold a koala which I just loved.
We headed back for a late lunch and then back to the Bay. I decide to get the fishing rods out. I had better use them as every time Glen gets something out of the boot of the van and he has to shift them he says "Gee, I'm glad we bought these rods" The only problem is I have no bait and no shop insight!!!! I try a rig with louas (sp??) to start and lose the lot on the rocks after the second cast. So much for my plan to catch a fish to use for bait. Oh well, I will pick up some bait tomorrow. We all have a swim as this is our shower for the day. Luckily the temperature has risen to about 24C, but the water is still pretty fresh on this southern coast.
Tonight we have a barbi over looking the rocky part of the bay and eat lamb and feta sausages from the dairy. The kids beg and plead to go back to the beach for one last look and Glen and I sit and watch the sun go down. Now we are ready to move on in the morning!!
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