27TH MARCH 2013 - PORT GIBBON, EYRE PENINSULA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

It's my turn to be the driver today as we are going on a day trip inland & then offroad along the coast & I love driving offroad.  It also gives Stu a rest from being the chauffear.  Naturally there will be no van on the back to tow as we will leave it at the  camp.   The scenery inland is still pretty boring but we stop at at a little place called Cleve en route, then back to the coast to Cowell which we had seen the day before, then offroad right along the coast.  It was amazing how many caravans were  camped in amongst the sand dunes etc,  most of them interested in fishing.  Had we known, we could have followed suit.  However it was good to leave the van where it was & be freer without the worry of towing.   With Easter weekend starting tomorrow everyone we meet is a little concerned where they will find a site. It's a wonderful open coastline, with lovely white sand & dunes which were good to photograph.  And guess what?  I actually got us back without any mishaps.

Next morning is Good Friday, rather dull with rain on the horizon.  It is 19deg & only caravans & boats on the road.  It is so popular for all fishing along this coast - it seems there is hardly an Aussie who doesn't enjoy fishing.  There is a big fishing industry here & the varieties of fish caught are amazing.  We had a shock to our system today - a GREEN paddock!  It's so long since we've seen green we've almost forgotten what that colour is.  Must have been a crop I guess, or perhaps just well irrigated  grass.   By morning tea the temperature has risen to 22deg & is nice & sunny when we reach yet another port, Port Neill.  Most of these were obviously working ports at some time, but a lot have no large ships now, some would have fishing boats though.  Anyway Port Neill is a lovely little bay, again with a long jetty (great for fishing off) & a lovely white sandy beach.  There are families enjoying themselves here because there is a camping ground on the beach, but even though it is Easter weekend everything seems very quiet no matter where we go.  Even through residential areas there doesn't seem to be any life - if it was really hot weather I could understand that they would stay inside, but that can't be the reason at present.

View from Farm early morning
 

We choose to stay at a farmstay camping spot for the next two nights - thought it might be an interesting & educational experience. We rang first to make that it was OK & were told there was only one site left (untrue), & on arrival discovered there was only one flush toilet & one shower, though it did have a little twintub washing machine.  If we used power it was $30 per night, but I decided it was not worth that so we did without the power & used their washing machine, shower & toilet for $20 p.n.  The owner was away & a young Swiss lad was looking after things including delivery lambs which were early.  The good part was that there were some other kiwis staying too.  Well, I say Kiwis but they were all Aussies now.  There were 2 other vans & a tent,  (7 people - all from Tassy)  & 3 of them were Kiwis, plus a large 5th wheeler with two other ex kiwis.  The latter had only been here 7 years & have been travelling all that time & intend to keep doing it in the near future.  They said they didn't think they could live in a house in one place again.  It made for a good evening talking to them all over a wine or two.  One of the ladies is going to email the owner here after she leaves to tell them she thought the facilities were not worth the money.  Good on her!
A nice finish to the day was a lovely sunset.

Yannik's 20th birthday cake
 

Party in the old shed
 

Sunset from the farm
 

To fill in the next day which was cool, windy morning, we set off on another day trip to Port Lincoln.  (Yes I know it's confusing with all these ports).  It is a much bigger town &supports a large fishing industry.   Being  Easter Saturday all the cafes & supermarkets are  brimming with people & parking is at a premium. Feels strange to be back in the hustle & bustle.   Much to our pleasure we find a cycle trail which takes us right around the coast, though after 5kms it started to rain so we decided to return as we were not prepared for that.  Luckily it stopped long enough to enable us to ride back to the car, but 10kms was a nice length for me anyway.    On the way round we discovered a great caravan park situated right on the bay & there were heaps of unpowered sites vacant, so we could have stayed there -  will be more thorough when looking for somewhere next time.  Mind you, it was not in our 'bible' so probably expensive but at least we would have got what we paid for.  The climax to this stay was a wonderful night spent in the farm shed celebrating the young Swiss boys 20th birthday.  The Tassie crew had purchased a 'Happy Birthday' banner & tied it to his caravan plus a delicious chololate cake with candles, so we all had a barbie with lamb chops from the farm's own sheep, drank wine & generally an hilarious night.  Yannik had a Swiss girl come down from WA who he had attended  'farming school' with.  Apparently in Switzerland a 20th birthday is like our 21st so he was quite overcome that we all took the time to make it special for him so far from home.  We really liked the Tassy crowd & will keep in touch, so some time in the future we'll no doubt be visiting Tassy. We may not have been impressed with the camp but the company was great!

Skeletal trees
 

25TH MARCH 2013 - PORT AUGUSTA , EYRE PENINSULA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 

Couldn’t keep to our usual timetable of leaving camp at 8.30am due to some conversation with a couple of Aussie campers who gave us some good tips of what to do & see. However, we left Gladstone on a lovely, sunny, cloudless blue sky morning - again! 27deg by 10am so aircon on again. This part of the highway heading through the Southern Flinders Ranges wine region is not quite as good as most we have been on. We pass through the dear little town of Laura with wide tree-lined main street, & I discover it was the birthplace of the famous Aussie poet C.J. Dennis (harping back to school day recollections). The next two little places (hardly towns) have so many derelict old buildings & even those currently inhabited show signs of poverty among prosperous large properties. Morning tea was at Melrose, established in 1885 & is the oldest town in the Flinders right underneath Mt Remarkable. This is a marvellous base for walkers with numerous wonderful walking trails.

Gladstone (Ghost Town)
 

 

Incarcerated in Gladstone Jail
 

Next stop is Port Augusta which is at the top of Spencer Gulf on the Eyre Peninsula. It is a slightly warm 39deg. The wind blew us along across the plains from Port Augusta to Whyalla – a great fuelsaver. Again we had been here last time but even in this large country you have to sometimes backtrack. Campsite for the night is at Point Lowly right on the waters edge of Spencer’s Gulf on Eyre Peninsula. There are about 10 vans already here, & unbelievably you can stay for up to 14 days with lovely clean toilets, cold showers, rubbish collection, Ph & TV coverage ALL FOR FREE!   it is Easter weekend in 3 days time so it is filling up mainly because of a fishing competition I think. Close by is an oil & gas refinery with an extremely long jetty. Stuart & I take a walk out to the nearby lighthouse in the afternoon to stretch our legs. Next morning we are farewelled by a lovely sunrise though the forecast is for thunderstorms. Stuart has booked a steel mill tour in Whyalla, not my sort of thing so I will stay in the van & try & catch up with the blog while he is away. It blows a gale after he leaves me & I was a bit concerned   with the van being buffetted every which way,    but luckily it didn’t last long & turned to rain for an hour or so. Whyalla, ‘Where the outback meets the sea’ is a mining town with a steelmill (formerly BHP) which makes steel products for Australia. The hematite iron ore(the best)  is brought in by rail from the mine, & the magnetite ore(small bits)  is made into a wet slurry & piped in via a 63km pipeline. Stuart got the feeling that production was slowing down. A lot of the ore is also shipped to China & no doubt Australia then buys back some of the finished products. Crazy world. Another icon in this city is the HMAS Whyalla, an ex navy ship originally built here for the war & after a colourful life at sea giving service in a variety of ways, has it’s final resting place beside the information centre. It took about 2 years to move it to the site & it has been restored & looks in wonderful condition.

Harvested grain fields
 

 

We are now half way across Australia & turn onto the Lincoln Highway which we will follow a long, long way. The surface is really good to drive on & passes through yet more grain pastures to Cowell, one of the best fishing destinations in South Australia with an incredible variety of fish plus crabs & oysters which are being farmed in the Franklin Harbour. It can also boast one of the largest jade deposits in the world which was discovered in the nearby Minbrie Range in 1965. It is recognised as the oldest & one of the largest in the world with a variety of col. ours & patterns not found elsewhere. One of the tourist attractions is cage-diving with white pointer sharks – unfortunately we didn’t have time to do that!!!

20TH - 25TH MARCH 2013 – ADELAIDE HILLS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

 

We need no introduction to this area having visited our friends here in 2011. We love all the little villages with their stone buildings & avenues of autumn trees, not into changing mode just yet. They, like Paparoa, have had no rain & the current weather is quiet grey & cool. After a day or two there are a few showers & a terrible tornado ripped through Victoria causing a lot of damage & injuries. It was in the area close to where we cycled for 12 days last trip. It’s lovely to catch up with our friends , have a break from being on the road & for Stu to do a few little jobs on the van. One day Stu & I took a drive out to the coast through more little rural villages who no matter how small seem to have a cafe or two. The temperature was only 13deg en route so we actually had the heater on in the car for a short time – a change from the aircon. Traffic is practically non existent but there are plenty of wineries advertising tastings. Lunch at McLaren Vale which is a delightful area, then we do a 14km ride along their rail trail through lots of grape growing & other little villages.

Along the Rail Trail Bike Track
 

Rail Traiil

We passed a high school which fascinated us. There were children caring for farm animals, sawing trees, caring for vegetables etc which we thought was wonderful. Everything is so tidy & well cared for. On our return trip to base we do call into a winery recommended to us & Stu stocks up for the weeks ahead (if he can contain himself from drinking it beforehand). Ruth & Doug usually ride on Sundays so another rail trail from their local shopping area is chosen – I suspect more to suit me than anything else as I am just getting back into the hang of it. Must say I am quite pleased, no sore muscles. Next day just so we don’t forget what work is we shift some mulch for Ruth, payment for their hospitality & the lovely meals we have had together. It’s sad to say goodbye not knowing when we will see them again. I think next time it will probably be a ‘fly-in’ holiday. Time will tell.

Flowering Gum
 

Port Wallunga
 

 

18th MARCH 2013 – WENTWORTH, NSW.

Houseboat on Murray River
 

Paddle Steamer Industry at Renmark
 

 

Next morning it’s off to Wentworth where the Darling & the Murray Rivers meet. This is our second visit here – last trip was just after the big Victorian floods in 2011 & there was still a lot of evidence here. However this time it is all OK. We pass through to Mildura, the centre of the Riverina where they grow huge amounts of fruit, nuts, wine etc & where all those gorgeous Aussie dried fruits are produced. It’s disappointing not to have arrived on a weekend as that is when they have their markets & was fabulous last time to stock up on all those goodies.

We have followed orange markers all along the Silver City Highway from Broken Hill to Wentworth, & eventually discovered that they are the underground fibre-optic cable for fast broadband communications, 260kms, & then continues much further in other directions. There have also been 100’s of kms of wheat fields which seem to go on forever, now only stubble. It’s a mind boggling industry. Crossing the Murray to Mildura we actually change states from NSW to Victoria, & later today will cross into SA. We follow the Murray through more fruit growing including citrus, grapes & vegetables plus more large wheatfields. There are lots of little villages & I would imagine most people are involved in those industries either employed directly or providing some type of services. Naturally a lot of the grapes will become dried fruit, not necessarily wine though we passed ‘Banrock Station’ winery as one name we did recognise. There are giant irrigation machines in the paddocks which look like jurassic birds with wings spread trying to take off. We still have not witnessed rain since we left QLD but unfortunately for QLD it has not changed up there.

Our planned route from here is to continue following the Murray River into South Australia later today.

Paddle Steamer Cruiser on the Murray

Corella



 

Morning tea break at Waikere, alongside the River after passing through the pretty little town with it's avenue of flowing gums.  It's a lovely spot & would be peaceful were it not for a large flock of Corella parrots doing their usual 'concert' performance.  I did at least manaage to get a good photo of one.  The large paddleboat 'Murray River Queen' was docked at the pier but didn't seem to be operating.   We watched the car ferry crossing from the other side - we could have taken that short cut too but chose not to although it is free.  There are a number of these ferry crossings across the Murray as we have seen before.  The next one is at Swan Reach just further along.  This is by far the nicest section of the Murray as it can be viewed from high cliffs above - great for photos.  Would love to be here in the early evening as the sun strikes the red cliffs.  Our lunch stop is again by the riverbank at another tiny place called Bowhill.  Incidentally, the Murray is the third longest navigable river in the world.  As we are now leaving Victoria & entering South Australia it is necessary to pass through a Quarantine Station & unfortunately we lose all our fresh fruit & vegies as they are very strict about carrying fruit fly from one state to another.  Rather spoilt our day.

16 – 17TH MARCH 2013 - KINCHEGA NATIONAL PARK, NSW

 



The Old Kinchega Sheep Station

Lake Meninde

Time to depart Broken Hill & head for this National Park beside the Menindee Lakes. It’s only 120km from Broken Hill, no traffic to speak of. We have been told there are camping spots along the Darling River which flows through the Park. En route there are again lots of roos been hit by vehicles & of course the ravens & crows have a field day along with many hawks/eagles? At one stage two emus crossed in front of us like two old ladies who think they own the road. Surprisingly we’ve never witnessed any of those dead roadside. There are large groups of them in this area – they really are scruffy looking birds. Lots of dry creek beds as we travel along & a few cattle but goodness knows what they eat & drink. There is a very large pipeline from the Darling River which supplies Broken Hill with it’s town water. The small township called Menindee just before we reach our destination has certainly seen better times, but it was the first established on the Darling River. The Darling flows from Bourke further north to Wentworth where it meets the Murray River. It was also part of the series ‘Where the Rivers Run’ filmed & shown on TV some years ago, depicting the days of the paddle steamers which plied this route. It’s easy to imagine it when looking at the river & it’s surrounds. The road into the Park is quite rough & winds with the river, with 32 individual campsites to choose from. We find a nice level one with part shade, part sunshine, keeping away from overhanging branches of the lovely red river gums. They have a tendency to drop especially in high winds & that’s something we can do without. Once settled we relax reading & I try to catch up with the belated blog, which is proving difficult with lack of internet connections. Stu has now had the bright idea of doing it as an email to myself offline & then when we have signal we can just copy it over to the blog. If it doesn’t work it will mean a lot of retyping!!! As it is I had just finished typing a whole page one evening & accidentally deleted it. NOT happy! Liked our old laptop much better than this one but am stuck with it. Newer is not necessarily better it seems.
 



Corellas



Kangaroo drinking at camping site

The weather has been quite windy these past few days, cold mornings (13) – the sun doesn’t rise till 8am, though fine & sunny through the day. There seems to be a distinct absence of birds here apart from a few white egrets on the river now & again. In the afternoon we drive further through the park to one of the small weirs which have been built to control the flow (& therefore floods I assume). There were a few kangaroos around & we also sighted a fox which of course is not a welcome visitor in a National Park. At the old Kinchega Homestead site there are small remains of the old home beside a billabong & a wonderful old woolshed which has been restored. The camping fees in this N.P are only $3 p.p. per night and no daily car fee as we are pensioners.

Next day we explore some of the lakes of which there are several. I call them the ‘dead’ lakes as they have black skeletons of trees still standing all over the lakes. It’s quite picturesque & interesting. I think all these lakes are really floodplains but I could be wrong. There are other camping sites here too, actually nicer than where we are in some respects. One is named after the Australian explorers Burke & Wills who obviously discovered this area. The main weir is also in this area & there is certainly a lot of water passing through it at present. Another small lake we found was called Copi Hollow & we decided it was a getaway for Broken Hill residents with waterskiiing, a caravan park & quite a few weekend cottages. It’s so outbackish other than that it seems quite incongruous.

Next day we have to backtrack to Broken Hill in order to head towards Wentworth. There is a shorter route via a dirt road & though we have been told by some people it’s OK for caravans if one takes it carefully, we decide not to chance it as we don’t want any damage done to the van before we sell it. So we will drive about 240kms today & stay in a free rest area just before Wentworth. The morning is lovely with clouds like feathers in the sky but is quite cold & we don our ‘ugg’ boots & for the first day do not turn the aircon on.

I am thrilled to see a Major Mitchell cockatoo fly over in front of us. These are not the common sulphurcrested cockatoo but have a pink breast & pink crest & rather lovely. Would have like a photo. A few sheep cross the road this morning too & a group of emus appeared to be having a race with one group running along - one side of the fence & the rest on the other – really looked amusing. It’s a really boring day scenery-wise with little change, so we are glad to reach our overnight parking space about 80km north of Wentworth right beside a small river & only joined by one other van later in the afternoon. The flies are really bad here but we pour insect repellant over ourselves & manage to stay outdoors in the sun We are joined by a friendly goanna who wandered around our van & up the trees nearby for a couple of hours quite oblivious to our presence it seemed. Certainly didn’t disturb our reading & crossword time & he was definitely welcome to the flies. Also present were some native swamp hens, brown with a very upturned tail & smaller than our Pukekos, however they do have purple swamp hens which are quite similar to the Pukekos but a bit smaller.

14th MARCH 2013 – BROKEN HILL, NSW
 

After a good nights sleep we are off to explore Broken Hill. Neither of us were sure what to expect but it is a lovely big town, the usual wide streets & historic buildings. The first visit is always the Info Centre where they are very friendly & helpful. I must say we find this is normal in all the dealings we have had with people whether it be retail, caravan parks etc. Next port of call is Silverton 40kms from B/H. Again an historic mining town which has been a virtual ghost town for more than a century. However several historic buildings survive including a popular hotel – what a surprise! Also a couple of lovely stone churches. A small number of gifted artists have taken over these & attract a large number of tourists. We were most impressed ourselves, especially with one young man probably in his 20’s who does the most quirky, amusing art which we both loved & purchased postcards. There is something about Aussie art – perhaps it’s just that it pulls at the strings of my Aussie roots. Those outback colours are so eyecatching. Silverton also lays claim to much of the memorabilia from the movie ‘Mad Max II’ which was made out there including ‘A Town Like Alice’, ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’, ‘Mission Impossible II’, ‘Razorback’, Reckless Kelly’ & ‘Wake in Fright’ to name but a few. The actual film studio is in Broken Hill in a huge old power station building & is another example of Broken Hills reinvention of itself to keep things humming. There is a constant flood of Australian & International feature film crews using it.

Mad Max Museum
 

Bottle Top Jeep at Silverton
 

Back in Broken Hill in the afternoon we visit several art galleries, but the most amazing art we see is the worlds largest acrylic painting on canvas (12m x 100m). The artist is a world renowned Australian by the name of Peter Andrew Anderson (Ando). It used 9 tonne of paint, & is held in place by hydraulics, pulleys & counter weights. After walking through a simulated Aboriginal cave the picture is viewed from a timber platform which is surrounded by the painting, giving the impression of walking into it. It took over 2 years (all hours of day & night). It features natural & manmade landmarks within 300kms of Broken Hill. Between the viewing point & the painting lies more than 300 tonne of re earth, 10 tonne of rocks & trees & scrub native to the area. It was opened to the public in 2001, the year Peter turned 40. It’s just mindblowing & the whole effect is like walking into the landscape.

The street names in the city centre are named after chemicals, e.g. bromide, iodine, sulphur, oxide & so on.  I guess it all adds to the atmosphere of the place.  The Line of Lode (the seam of the mine itself plus the tailings & mullock) are situated only about two streets from the main shopping centre &  surround  the southern side   like a giant wall extending for about 5 kms.

The housing in B/H is an eclectic mix , from basic huts to beautiful stone, from Victorian to Art Deco & not forgetting a proliferation of corrugated iron on houses, fences whatever, entirely in keeping with the surroundings on the edge of the city.

 

12TH MARCH 2013 – DUBBO TO BROKEN HILL

Another free rest area night called ‘Mac’s Reserve’ which is quite large & further from the road. There is only one other van when we arrive so we get the chance to choose a good spot. By early evening there are 7 vans. Some of them light small fires which we can’t understand being in such a dry area surrounded by scrub & trees, but there is evidence that it is the common thing to do. Who needs it anyway when it is so hot.

We have travelled the Mitchell Highway through the small towns of Narromine, then another 115kms to Nyngen, & and onto the Barrier Highway. It is still agricultural country, very flat, probably wheat country judging by the bleached stubble in the paddocks. There is huge grain storage by the railway lines ready for transport. The highway is quiet so I begin to look at road signs as we go along. The funny ones today are “Bumblebox Lane’ & a place called ‘Nevertire’. Another sign also informs us that we are now officially in the outback. Driving is a bit harder for Stu as we have a head wind which is no doubt increasing our diesel useage as well. It is very obvious the lack of speeding drivers here & because the roads are so long & flat it must be quite tempting. The only wildlife we see are groups of feral goats which farmers tried to eradicate many years ago. However today they are allowed to breed as goat meat is low in fat & cholesterol so they are mustered & sent to abbatoirs. . Even though the surroundings are becoming quite a bore there is a real sense of freedom being so far out in the backblocks & away from the hustle & bustle. Incidentally there are occasional emergency phones by the highway which is quite reassuring.

Gold Mine at Cobar

Onward to Broken Hill

Our lunchstop is 120kms before the township of Cobar, a town rich in mining history. Copper was discovered here in 1869 & became a magnet for Cornish miners so even today there are many Cornish surnames in the area. Large deposits of gold, silver, zinc & lead were later found & mining continues today despite many closures over the decades. We took the time to go to a lookout to view the large opencast gold mine not unlike Waihi. It has recently started underground mining again. There are many lovely old heritage listed buildings dating back to the 1860’s & 70’s.

Next township will be Wilcannia in another 300kms . For the first time we have a kangaroo leap out in front of us – there are the occasional signs reminding motorists to watch for this occurrence but it is still a surprise. Thanks to the quick reactions of  me calling 'whoa' & Stu  reacting too, we managed to avoid it. 

 

We are now in the Central Darling Shire named from the Darling River which flows from Bourke all the way to Wentworth in lower NSW near the Victorian border. Someone with a quirky sense of humour has decorated some trees by the roadside, one with caps & hats, one with shoes & socks, & one with underwear. Does break the boredom a little & give one a smile. We finally see some hills, the McCulloch Ranges. There are now lots of road kill (roos), probably caused by the large trucks thundering through during the night. Several we saw today held HUGE mining equipment. Lots of emus now evident in groups of 10 or more. We finally reach Wilcannia & have to stop for fuel – price now $1.73. It’s only a small place, mostly aboriginals I would say, & has certainly seen better days. A group of them were sitting on the roadside shouting at each other & it makes me feel rather sad seeing the children & wondering what sort of future they have. There are lots of large ‘station' properties but all it’s possible to see are the letterboxes – the houses could be many, many kms away out of sight down the red dirt roads. Yet again a free rest area for the night & the hottest night of all – 32deg at 10pm! We didn’t think we’d sleep but after a nice cold shower to refresh us we managed to drop off. We leave at 8.45am for our last leg to Broken Hill which we reach at 3pm to seek out a caravan park for two nights. The first one we approach is weird with a sign saying ' no-one is here due to a bereavement so just choose a site & call a phone number.'   Upon driving in we site the ‘swimming pool’ – more like a sludge tank- & the whole thing is totally run down. Naturally we drive off. It’s not too difficult to find another one close by which is fine. Once again we are in quite early but the park fills up consideringly by the end of the day. One of our ‘neighbours’ sees our QLD number plate & figuring that’s where we are from strikes up conversation. A nice couple about our age, similar circumstances, who have sold up & living permanently on the road. Like many others have left QLD to get away from the wet.

11th MARCH 2013 - DUBBO, NSW

25deg at 9am on leaving Lake Burrendong for Dubbo via Wellington.  Named after the Duke of Wellington it is a pleasant little town with lovely buildings & park.  It is bounded by the Bell River which adds to its charm.  Journeying on through sheep country with rolling hills till we reach Dubbo, a go ahead city with wide streets which show off the fine colonial buildings as well as modern structures which are evidence of its recent growth.  The site for Dubbo was decided in the 1840's   beside the Macquarie River & became a stopping place for mobs being driven south to Victorian Markets. 

It's time to stay in a caravan park to refill with water & do washing etc, & find that the one chosen is cheaper than expected ($27) & it even has a pool.  Stuart needs to  buy two new batteries for the van - one has a failed cell & that has affected the second one as they were run in tandem.  He has now changed the system to run one at a time & we need power to charge them both up.  While he is away I have time to do my chores  & relax with my e-book as it's too hot to do much else.  Our plan is to vacate the park next morning .

Just out of the city is the Taronga Western Plains Zoo which is the first open range zoo established in Australia .  It is some years since we have visited a zoo & probably wouldn't bother, but this one is different in that it is possible to cycle right around it, approximately 6kms or more if you follow all the extra tracks, & we feel the exercise will be good for us.  However the big attraction for me is that it's possible to handfeed the giraffes (my favourite African animal) although not touch them.  Apparently they are not keen on that.   For a extra fee it was also possible to feed the Sumatran tiger but that's definitely not my scene.  Anyway we arrived at 89am on the dot trying to beat the heat.  It proves to be well worth the visit - there are no high fences & the country is so like Africa in the dry of summer, so the animals all look quite at home & so close - great for photos. There were talks by young lady zoo keepers who were really great & so knowledgeable, especially the one with the Meerkats - she could name & identify every one of them (about 18).  They are amazing little creatures with the breeding female getting pregnant again just a matter of weeks after her last litter  of 3 or 4 pups (or should that be kits???)  Actually they are related to the mongoose so I'm not sure what I should call them.   Unlike rabbits there is only one breeding female in each group & she stops breeding when the group is getting too large. Sounds sensible to me.
The highlight is definitely feeding the giraffes who are really greedy for carrots & so funny with their long........... blue tongues.  Stuart took photos so I have the proof.  The next highlight was being so close to a very large, very old  Galapagos tortoise that I was able to gaze right into it's rheumy old eyes which looked so sad & wise.  In an area on it's own was a hatchling of 3 years old which is the first bred here.  It was the opposite extreme - so small it was hard to imagine it ever growing to the size of the other one & so cute to watch it in it's tiny basin of water trying to eat it's greens.  All in all a most enjoyable morning but we were happy to leave & get out of the heat by lunchtime. 

Black Rhino

Aren't I Cute.

A dream come true



The face of wisdom

9TH - 11TH MARCH - LAKE BURRENDONG STATE PARK, NSW

Pleased to arrive in another lovely spot in the middle of the afternoon.  The camp is situated high above the lake/dam which has a capacity more than 3 and a half times Sydney Harbour.  There are very few caravans so we get a site with a  nice view, but there are lots of day visitors down on the lake water skiiing & fishing.   There is also a golf course here but I didn't see anyone using it.  There are also lots of permanent cabins many which have started out as large caravans & had large additions so much so that it is hard to see the van anymore.  Many of them have nice gardens & patio areas with BBQ's etc.  A couple even had extractor fans over their barbies!  I guess they are just weekenders as most were deserted.  We had a lazy afternoon as the temperature was in the 30's  much too hot to do anything active.  My e-reader is very handy though I think Stu sometimes  regrets buying it as I become too engrossed.

Lake Burrendong

Checking GPS

 

Next morning we take an early morning walk to a lookout over the lake, then after morning tea decide to cycle to a nearby arboretum, about 8 kms.  It was extremely hot & sometimes quite hilly so I personally was glad to get back to the van.  It was quite interesting though I think it has seen better days, & unlike QLD hasn't seen rain for some time.  They did however have a rather nice fernery with an amazing shade cover made from natural brush.  Would like to copy it at home. 
After lunch & some relaxation Stu thought we should walk down to the lake itself - quite a long way downhill so obviously the same to come back up .  Not keen I suggested driving but Stu still had lots of energy so off we set on shanks pony.  We didn't go far when we realised we were on a no exit road, but there was bush which looked as if it would lead down to the lake, so Stu took the lead.  I might tell you we were both in jandals with our swimwear in a backpack & it soon became obvious that this was not a good idea.  There were little cacti hidden all through the weeds & it was bad enough to step on one, but when you tried to pull it off it then stuck in your hand - just great!  Apart from that it was all shale rock & most uncomfortable & slippery.  Somehow we managed to get to the bottom of the slope, then had to cross a bit of a swampy area, then more shale right along the foreshore.  Eventually we reached 'the beach' area where all the ski boats launched & there was no way either of us would consider swimming in that water.  We saw two fishermen with two  very large European carp who explained to us that there used to be thousands of Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Yellow Belly & Redfin.  Unfortunately the Carp have taken over & it's rare to catch anything decent so the fishermen just leave the Carp on the foreshore for the birds.  They are fun to catch but that's all so they just leave them rotting on the foreshore - yuk!    Of course we still had to get back to camp & yes, it was all uphill & so, so hot but at least it was on a sealed road with no cacti!  So although the lake looked lovely from a distance it failed miserably close up.  I guess when you live so far from the sea or decent rivers it is better than nothing but makes us realise how lucky we are at home.

Fern Gully at Arboretum

Sunset from campsite

7TH MARCH 2013 - COONABARABRAN, NSW

Burnt out Warrambumgles
 

Observatory at Warrambungles
 

Stayed in freebie again last night with 2 vans, multiple trucks, very noisy again.  Lots of roadworks & holdups, & lots of roadtrains on the road today so lots of pulling over to let them pass.   Beautiful clear blue skies again - aren't we lucky?  We arrive at Coonabarabran which is the Astronomy Capital of  Australia due to the fact that the skies are so clear in this area.  There is a large observatory on top of the Warrumbungles National Park (meaning 'crooked mountains) ,  so we head for the Info centre to check whether we can visit it and the park itself.   It has  been recommended to us - lovely rock formations & 19 different species of parrots plus lots of wildlife like koalas, eastern grey kangaroos, wallaroos & emus.  Unfortunately the whole park  was burned out by bushfires in January, but a young lady at the Info informed us that the road was open as far as the entrance and the view of the rock formations was good because there was no bush to block it.  As usual we checked   that it was suitable to take the van & the answer was to the affirmative.  A pleasant enough drive out despite the site of many burnt trees & a few burnt out buildings (they looked like they may have been pretty old & basic), but on the positive side there were lots of houses which had escaped unscathed even though there were burnt trees right beside them. Luckily the observatory escaped practically unscathed too &  amazingly, even though the fire was in January, most trees were already starting to sprout new branches, especially the Eucalypts which are very tough (like the Aussies themselves).   Anyway we arrived at the end of the road to find a barrier -  fine - but the road was so narrow & ditches both sides & here were we with a large caravan to turn round???   Stu has now faced his worst nightmare but after thinking about it,  jack-knifed the caravan, then decided to unhook the van & try to squeeze the landcruiser out somehow & then hook up again.  Success!  I can tell you we were a little concerned for a short time.  If we had time we would have gone back to the I- centre to suggest they check their facts before giving out assurances, but we were limited for time in order to reach our next destination & meet our Sydney friends there.

 WOLLEMI NATIONAL PARK  -

 This National Park covers nearly 500,000 hectares & is the 2nd largest park in NSW.  Dunns' Swamp or Ganguddy as the aboriginal people know it, is formed by the trapped waters of Kandos Weir which was built in the late 1920's when the Cudgegong River was dammed to provide water for the Kandos Cement Works 25 kms away.   We arrive about 3.30pm & our friends & some other caravans, campers etc are there but being a Thursday not too busy.  Although very hot there are  lots of trees & shady camp spots, ours  a lovely large one.  I know I am going to love this place even before I explore it.  After a nice cuppa we do a familiarisation stroll down to the beautiful lake/dam which was tranquil & still with a few kayakers paddling around.  Would love to have had ours with us.  We were visited by a few birds & a wallaby before we had dinner & the four of us chatted & caught up from our last trip till it was time for a good nights sleep with NO road trains.  Temperature down to 14deg in the van which helped too.

The Long Cave
 

Breakfast about 7.30am outside with tiny birds flitting round us, then walking tracks to explore before it gets too hot.  Wonderful rock formations, some called Pagoda Rocks for their interesting shape, beautiful views of the river & weir from the high ones.  A picnic lunch was a welcome relief in the shade as it got hotter.  At one stage from a high platform we heard Lyre Birds - very vocal as it is nearing their mating season.  When we reached the weir itself Stu amazingly spotted a platypus, not in the water but climbing down the side of the weir.  Unfortunately it was too far away to photograph but we watched it till it reached the river again.  After 3 hours of walking  we headed back to camp for a break from the heat, so just relaxed for a couple of hours.  About 4pm there was one more track to do which proved to be longer than planned & took us right around the end of the lake to the other side where we could watch people from the camp swimming kayaking & relaxing.
All in all a wonderful start to our travels & we are feeling much more relaxed.

Saturday 9th March.

Look at me!

Dunns Swamp

14deg in van again first thing in the morning, but it's not long before it warms up.  Left Wollemi 8.30am through lovely countryside with mountain views & amazing rocks.  It is very cold in this area during winter thus the cherry orchards though of course they are not producing now (boo hoo).  Lots of big hills to climb with van now that we are in Mid Western NSW.  There are quite a lot of lovely old stone churches as it is a very historic area.  Again we have cloudless blue skies & the roads are quiet.   Bathhurst is one of the big towns we pass through, & you will no doubt connect it with autoracing.  Actually it's probably a city & a very old historic one at that, with mountain scenery & very cold in winter.  We stopped for lunch & did some txting & e/mailing while we had connections.

The next town was Orange similar to Bathurst but smaller.  However there seemed to be a lot of new subdivisions on the edge of town so obviously it is expanding.

WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH - GOONDAWINDI QLD/NSW BORDER

Woke to a beautiful blue sky morning & on the road by 8.15.  The morning chorus of cockatoos, galahs & choughs had woken us early anyway, and when you are in a roadside area there is nothing to linger for.  Long straight roads are the order of the day with paddocks of stubble of some crop or other.   There is still water up to the sides of the road in places but nothing to worry us thank goodness.  By 9am we arrive at the large town of Goondawindi which is the bordertown between Queensland & NSW.  It's a lovely town with big wide roads as are so many of these old heritage ones.  Here we have to adjust our clocks by an hour.  As on our last visit we smile at the amusing names of both places & things, like 'The Wobbly Boot Hotel' in the very small village of Boggabilla.  The driving is very good over here & it's easy to see why when you see signs informing you of fines of up to $1380 & loss of licence for speeding.  Traffic is now mostly big rigs (or road trains), fortunately going in the opposing direction, but we did get a call on the CB radio from one truckie going our way, just telling us he was there & would pass us when there was a gap - very polite.  Stu has begun his Aussie handwave again to caravans coming towards us though it's not so prevalent as when we travelled up through Northern Territory etc last time.  No where so many caravans either at this point.    Lots of sunflowers roadside just before Moree where we stop for lunch where it is 32deg.

5TH MARCH 2013  -  LANDSBOROUGH, SUNSHINE COAST QUEENSLAND
 

Finally hit the road from Landsborough at 10am in the rain, we turn  inland through winding native forest roads, with great views of the Glasshouse Mountains which unfortunately I  couldn't stop to photograph.  Later the surroundings became lush cattle country & we are always amused to see the white egrets in large numbers either eating insects off the backs of the cattle or hovering around their feet waiting for them to stir up luscious morsels.  Passing through Kilcoy, a tiny little country town in the Somerset region which changes to  rolling hills & sheep country.  There is still evidence of washed out rivers & closed roads, though the latter did not apply to our route.  The temperature soon rises to 29deg as we climb the hills & finally see two other caravans.  Roadworks become numerous which isn't surprising given the floods they have had.   Our lunchstop was in a lovely little town called Pittsworth with beautiful paved streets so we took the opportunity to purchase meat in a  small town butcher shop who called themselves the 'sausage kings' with varieties I have never heard of before.  They did prove to be very tasty.  Passing over the Condamine River it was obvious how high the water had been & many of the crops were adversely effected.  We were not sure what those were but discovered that it was grain country including birdseed of all things.  By 3.30pm we were pleased to stop at a free roadside rest area for the night which had lots of roadtrains arrive throughout  the hours of darkness.  We were obviously rather tired as we still managed to sleep quite well.

JOINING THE GREY NOMADS - EDITION II  -  2013

26th February 2013 - Brisbane Queensland

 '
"Here we are again, Happy as can be!"

Can't believes it was August 2011 we left our Aussie home on wheels, so much has happened since
with the building of our new home & workng hard to landscape etc before we could escape  - .
In some respect hard to leave it all behind, but adventure & a change of scene calls.

The weather was of course brilliant on arrival in Brisbane on 25th February - NOT!   It's been rain, rain, rain almost continously. Luckily we were collected  at the airport by friends who have recently moved here from Sydney, so it was nice to spend a night with them & their two delightful children.  Took the train next morning to Landsborough  just an hour away,  where my son Trevor met us.  We were  lucky to have a window of opportunity to take the cover off the caravan  & service the landcruiser etc next day.   All was well with both thanks to the care of  Trevor.  It was nice to see my three grandchildren  - it's amazing how they grow up in just 18/12's, so it's always nice to get reacquainted. 

Finally after a week we have woken to sunshine & a hot breeze, so good for packing up the van ready to hit the road tomorrow.  Roadwise things are not great here due to the floods, so we have had to adjust our initial route a little to avoid any problems. Our plan is to head inland from the Sunshine Coast in QLD down through northern NSW for a couple of days where we will meet up with some friends from Sydney in their campervan in a National Park.