Dinters On Tour

Day 80 January 19, 2010

2010-01-21T06:58:00.003+11:00

Considering how keen everyone is to get home, I was surprised that they all slept in until 8. Playing cards until after 10 every night is a habit we’ll need to break once we get home and school starts for the boys.
It’s surprising who you meet on the road. While packing up this morning, we got to chatting with our neighbours to discover they’ve come for a holiday at Narooma from Bilgola, just 2 beaches north of Mona Vale. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why would ya?” I’m sure it’s nice here when it’s warmer.
As we left Narooma, I was pulled over at an RBT station and after 18,000km of driving without incident, this so amused Jacqui, she took a photo of the Policeman. We stopped off at Batemans Bay for a coffee while the boys played in a park and Jacqui searched through the local boutiques for new clothes to bring back. We stopped again at Ulladulla for lunch and by the time we got to Nowra, the traffic and agro drivers quickly had us back into city mode. Coming into the southern suburbs around La Peruse and then under the airport tunnel at the beginning of peak hour was a little daunting. With the van swinging off the back of the Jeep, I felt the early stages a headache building.
We made it through the harbour tunnel and across the Roseville Bridge with just a few beeps and a couple of hand gestures from the local natives before we started to slowly sneak along Parkland road, all of us straining for our first glimpse of home after almost three months on the road. The lawn man had come earlier today so the yard looked tidy and greener than we expected. Inside was as we left it and once I’d turned on the water, gas and electricity, we began removing the essentials from the van.
The boys are excited to be home and Jacqui is excited to catch up with her family and friends. I’m also looking forward to seeing friends and family but still a little unsure about how I feel being back. The 80 days seems to have flown past us so quickly. We’ve crossed state borders on 7 separate occasions, put the van up, and then down 40 times, celebrated Christmas, New Year, and 4 birthdays. We got the car bogged once, stayed in one hotel, slept in one beach shack, had one flat tyre, skinny dipped 4 times, and met a vast number of unique characters. We stayed in the White Cliffs Underground Hotel, had our clothes stolen at Broken Hill, drank at the William Creek Pub and got chased out of the Tanami desert by the local aborigines. We saw the brightness of the stars on a clear night in the desert, the sun rising from behind Uluru, the sun setting into the Indian Ocean, and the stunning but rugged beauty of Australia’s west coast. We’ve seen 3 states, one (Northern) territory, 6 deserts and 8 apostles. We’ve covered over 18,000 kilometers and taken more than 7,000 photos. I’m happy to have gotten everyone home safely, but a little sad the adventure is over. I wonder what the next adventure will look like.
Cheers,
The Dinters On Tour

Day 79 Narooma

2010-01-20T07:10:00.008+11:00

I woke at 4am to another beautiful Victorian summer morning of pouring rain, van-rocking winds and a brisk 8 degrees with the expectation of a high today of a sweltering 18, with thunderstorms. Woohoo!! How can this be summer?
It was so cold, the family just slept, and slept, and slept until about 8am, when I woke the boys and then Jacqui, so we could make our escape by the 10am deadline. The guy that owns the park looks like an extra out of Underbelly. He’s solidly built with close cropped hair and seems unreasonably interested and nosey. I asked him what he did before buying the caravan park, (he’d volunteered that he was a new owner), and apparently he made his fortune as a salesman selling the plastic bases for flower pots. He must have sold a heap of em. He stood and watched and like many others, he was impressed with how efficiently everyone chipped in to pull the van down. We’ve had plenty of practice.
As we drove out of Lakes Entrance at 9:30, the temperature had climbed to an impressive 12 degrees but just 10 minutes up the road, it was back down to 10 and staying in the warmth of the car all day seemed like a good idea. We cruised through what is without doubt, stunningly beautiful (but cold) country, and we slowly made our way to what we intended would be our next stop, Eden.
We drove into the car park of the Australasia Hotel and found the sign promising a counter lunch before pulling up some chairs for a family conference.It’s cold and we keep seeing the signs showing the distance to Sydney. The boys are keen to see their friends and Jacqui would like to see them settled for a few days before sending them off to school. I am acutely aware of the text message I received from Eddie a few days ago saying, “the closer you get to home, the more you start to feel like a homing pigeon”. A vote was taken and the decision was made to keep driving to get ourselves into a position to make a run for Mona Vale on Tuesday.
I was keen to spend some time at the Eden Killer Whale Museum before heading north, so we ate lunch and then began scouting around town for the museum. The Museum was a great experience and we all learnt heaps. I’d never heard of the pack of Killer Whales that helped the shore based whalers during the 1920’s & 30’s by herding Humpbacks, Sperm Whales and Blue Whales into Twofold Bay, then alerting the whalers to come and get the catch. Who knew that a man at Eden was once eaten by a whale, but survived when the whale was caught and he was cut out of its stomach? Jacqui and the boys got an added bonus when they looked out to sea from the museum’s balcony and spotted a bunch of dolphins cavorting and putting on a show, just off shore. We spent almost 3 hours at the museum and it could well have been much longer.
We drove on through the mountains but by about 4pm, I was getting a little drowsy and told Jacqui that I’d be needing a 15-20 minute power-nap. I pulled into a little roadside stop on the side of the highway outside a small village called Quaama. I asked Jacqui to take the boys to a small table in a shelter and play cards, while I dozed off. I was a little surprised when I woke about an hour later and couldn’t see or hear Jacqui or the boys. I assumed they’d gone for a walk and when I saw the clips on the van unlocked, I began locking them down so we could leave when they returned. As I locked the clips, I faintly heard Jacqui calling, “Jorg, Is that you?” I looked around wondering where the voice was coming from when I heard it again. It seemed to be coming from the van but that wasn’t possible. The van was completely down, but for the clips. They couldn't possibly fit in but then I heard the voice again. I opened the door to the van and sure enough, there they all were, squeezed in like foxes in a borough. To escape the cold and the wind, they’d made some room near the door and squeezed themselves into the van. The only one with any chance to move around was Jacob. Jacqui said they’d opened the door a few times, much to the shock and surprise of people in their passing cars.
Now, completely awake, we all piled back into the front vehicle and made our way further north, to Narooma. It’s a pretty little town and if the weather was warmer, we could happily have stayed for a few days. While checking in, the caravan park owner told Jacqui that it had hailed here this morning so in our current circumstances, we found a spot for the night and settled in to prepare for the dash to Sydney in the morning.

Day 78 Lakes Entrance

2010-01-18T07:12:00.003+11:00

I woke to the sound of traffic at 4:30am and began driving at 5. We made our way along the M1 through Warragui, Morwell, Sale and Bairnsdale before arriving at Lakes Entrance at 9:30.
I haven’t been to Lakes Entrance for over 30 years but I’m surprised that there are caravan parks dotted all over town. Strangely, people seem to have turned their homes into small, intimate caravan parks for 10 – 15 van, and the local council have obviously allowed the practice to thrive. It’s very clearly a popular holiday location as some of the recognised franchises are charging as much as $85/night for a standard powered sight. We settled for a small park just off the beach with, much to Jacqui’s joy, our own private bathroom facilities.
After setting up, Jacqui had a nap while I took the boys for a walk around town and the waterfront. They’ve taken some trees out on the main street but instead of removing them completely, the let a local artist carve the tree stumps into images of WW1 diggers and the families that were left behind. We took a couple of pictures of these unusual carvings. We also saw a local sand castle artist shaping a pile of sand into an ocean theme, again on the main street.
We were all pretty trashed after the long day and night on Saturday so other than diving into town for food now and again, Sunday was a very quiet day for us all. Its cold and wet so moving further north tomorrow looks like an appealing option.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 77 Nar Nar Goon

2010-01-18T06:02:00.010+11:00

We’d been looking forward to seeing the Great Ocean Road for such a long time now that when we woke up at Portland, we were all keen to get started. Jacqui and I were looking forward to seeing the 12 Apostles and Zach, Tom & Jake were just as curious to see what we were so excited to see. We pulled the van down and prepared for what we expected to be a fairly long day of Driving. The hand pump on the van had stopped working somewhere near Broome and we’ve been dragging 250 litres of water around the country ever since so with the fairly bouncy roads here in southern Victoria and the new front suspension highlighting the softer rear suspension, I took the opportunity to drain the tank just before we left the van park and thankfully, it’s helped making the driving much easier and less bouncy. I probably should have waited for level ground before draining the reservoir but who knew the ground was so hard.
We stopped off for coffee at Port Fairy about an hour after leaving Portland and got our first glimpse of the old English feel this south eastern corner of the country is known for. It’s a very pretty little town with lots of well cared for homes and boutique shops set on wide, tree lined streets.
With coffee in hand, we continued east and after about an hour, we passed through Allansford and the old Dairy Farmers Cheese making facility. It now has Warrnambool Cheese & Butter signage all over it and we were tempted, but resisted the urge to stop in at Cheese World to see if the Monty Python team were right when they said Blessed are the Cheesmakers.
Once through Allansford we began to get our first sightings of the spectacular limestone formations resting just off the rocky coastline. The sky was overcast and the wind cut through us as we parked and made our way along the well worn foreshore tracks. As we began our journey from the western end, The Grotto was our introduction to what we’d be seeing further along on the Great Ocean Road. It was OK and it was interesting, but not quite the spectacular stone formation we were anticipating. Thankfully, our next sighting at London Bridge was much closer to what we expected to see. This was followed by the Arch, then Sentinel Rock and Razorback, and at a single parking location, we saw Loch Arid Gorge, The Blow Hole and Thunder Cave. As we moved further east, we passed through Port Campbell which delivered the much anticipated pretty coastal village we expected to see as we travelled across the windswept peaks towards the 12 Apostles.
After Port Campbell, we finally arrived at the 12 Apostles and they delivered everything we expected. The overcast conditions spoiled the pictures a little but never-the-less, we saw what we were anticipating and while only 8 of these monoliths remain, I’m glad we came before there are only 7, or even 6.
After the 12 Apostles, it was off to Apollo Bay for a late lunch and for the boys to have bit of a play with the other kids in the park. While they played, we tried to find a camping ground but with everything booked up, it was off to Lorne. As we drove along the coastline, we began to see the type of landscape and scenery for which this road is famous. Up until Apollo Bay, all the action is off shore at sign posted stops. The drive itself is nothing special but this all changes once you arrive at Apollo Bay. The road winds and dips along the very edge of the ocean and feel that your living in a Vic-tourism television commercial. The views and the road are everything we’d hoped for. Amusingly, even with the cold and overcast conditions, every little beach we came to had holidaymakers playing in the waves in their wetsuits. Not surfers but people playing in the shore break wearing wetsuits. If you need a wetsuit, why would you do it?
We were immediately impressed by the scenery and the ambiance of Lorne when we arrived and its obvious why this town is so much loved by Victorians. We could easily imagine ourselves holidaying here somewhere dow the track, but not today. All the caravan parks had the house full sign out so we decided to head closer to Melbourne.
Not long after Lorne, we came upon a sign pointing us to a national park and with it getting dark, we decided to investigate the opportunity for a bush camp. About 5km along, we arrived at Point Adis and with the boys getting hungry, we set up in the car park at the lookout where we were joined by two other cars. We had coffee and dinner but then the wind picked up on the point and with Jacqui wondering if we might get blown off the point, we packed up and moved on, looking for a more protected location.
We made or way off the Great Ocean Road and headed north through Geelong, then Melbourne, and then Pakenham before finally pulling in for the night at a service station just off the highway at Nar Nar Goon where we slept in the car from midnight.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 76 Portland

2010-01-16T07:45:00.004+11:00

It was cold when we went to bed but who knew it would get down to 7.5 during the night, and it’s January. Isn’t it supposed to be warm in summer?
The cold must have affected us because we appeared to have saved our worst car-to-van hook-up for day 76. The packed the van up without any trouble but for some reason I failed to understand, we couldn’t seem to get the tow ball located under the corresponding hitch on the caravan. There was some sort of communication breakdown and with a stream of cars lining up to get past us, things became a little tense. Jacqui managed to find the tension release valve when she also found the local Beachport Jewellery shop. The owners were keen to relieve Jacqui of as much tension as was required to make the days travel easier to deal with.
We arrived at Mt Gambier in time for an early lunch and we then went in search of the Umpherston Sinkhole. Anyone who comes to Mount Gambier must go to see this thing. Apparently, some 15 million years ago, water eroded the limestone under the present sinkhole and with an earth tremor or some similar event, the roof collapsed into the hole. By the early 1800’s, the water table had lowered and the owners of the land, Mr & Mrs Umpherstone decided to landscape the bottom of the hole. The result is spectacular as we hope the pictures show.
Both before and after Mount Gambier, we noticed what appears to be thousands of hectares of pine forests and also the corresponding logging trucks. I’m not sure who owns the forest but with Carter Holt Harvey having a processing plant at Mount Gambier, my guess is that most of these millions of trees are destined to end up as toilet paper or tissues. As we drove through the coastal forests, we saw the differing stages of the trees with hectares of seedlings, then hectares of saplings and so on through to freshly cleared earth. They almost looked like steps in the landscape.
After Mount Gambier, we finally crossed out of South Australia and into Victoria. Without intending to be disrespectful to South Australians, we all heaved a collective sigh of relief as we crossed the border. We haven’t had a great time in SA other than our time in Streaky Bay. It’s been cold, wet, and fairly dull and we’re all keen to move around the coast into some warmer weather before our final border crossing back into NSW.
We arrived at Portland in the afternoon and had a drive around before heading for the van park. Portland looks to be a thriving community and it’s a pretty town in a great coastal setting. Formerly a whaling town, the locals have turned the town into a major whale watching location and tourism appears to have delivered the money to stop the place from fading away.
We finished setting up the grabbed the boys and walked into town for look around. We roamed along the harbour front and around the main commercial streets before settling into a waterfront pup, The Gordon Hotel, for dinner. We followed dinner with a quick visit to the travelling fair where the Zach and Tom survived the rollercoaster. Jacob and Jacqui joined them to test the Dodgem Cars before we convinced Jacqui to trust the rollercoaster herself. We survived and everyone had a good 1st day in Victoria. Tomorrow should deliver us our first view of the great ocean road.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 75 Beachport

2010-01-15T08:02:00.003+11:00

The man that can make the Men’s toilet smell less like a toilet will be a very rich man. Even with the sophisticated audience of Adelaide’s Vale Park, the toilet still smells like someone pee’d all over it.
And what’s the go with males wearing their jarmy’s to the communal bathroom? It’s bad enough that men are taking their jarmy’s on holiday with them but to be seen wearing your long PJ’s, or your nice silk dressing gown to the communal bathroom, when you’re still in you’re 20’s or 30’s is just un-necessary. What’s wrong with these people?
Thankfully, we escaped Adelaide just after 8am and by mid-day, we had arrived at Kingston, the home of the Giant Lobster. We got a lot of laughs when our good friends sent us a text photo of their kids at the Big Mango in Queensland, just as we drove past the Big Lobster in Kingston SA. Their message read, Leah & Hayden at the Big Mango. We immediately stopped the car, took a few quick pics on the phone/camera and Jacqui responded with, Zach, Tom & Jake at the Big Lobster. Sadly, other than the Big Lobster, Kingston has very little to offer which is probably very different to Airlie Beach and the Big Mango, so we headed further east. We arrived at Robe about an hour later and we cruised through town, only to be battered by the cold southerly winds. While Robe is a really pretty place, the bad news is that with all the seaweed in the bay, and the rancid salt lakes around the towns perimeter, the place stinks. Again, we decided to move further east and eventually we arrived at Beachport.
What a nice little town Beachport is. They found room for us in the caravan park and we had a little stroll around town. We would’ve enjoyed staying here for a few days but for one thing. It’s fffrrreeezzzing! We’re down to about 15 degrees and it’s expected to get down to 12 during the night. That’s about equal to the coldest day we had at Mona Vale all winter. We’ll probably sleep in tomorrow before making our way along the great ocean road and up towards Melbourne, and hopefully, to warmer weather.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 74 Adelaide

2010-01-13T22:54:00.004+11:00

With the delays we’re experiencing getting the suspension repaired, it looks like we’ll be missing Kangaroo Island entirely and we’ll be waving at Melbourne as we drive through, from Apollo Bay to Mallacoota. The 3 days in Adelaide has taken up any slack left in the itinerary and we don’t want to rush The Great Ocean Road more than we already are.
Our only city stop so far on this journey has been Adelaide and frankly, it’s been a major disappointment. With the rain yesterday, there was little to do once we’d confirmed the need to replace the shock absorbers, so we spent the morning in the city, then cruised through the afternoon.
Today, the sun was out again, but we had no car. The Koni’s arrived from Melbourne earlier than expected so I collected them with Jacob and then dropped the car at Pedders for the installation. I was told a couple of hours should do it so Jacob and I walked around for 3 hours.
We found Australia’s only licensed poisonous reptile retailer and stopped to have a look at the stock-on-hand. They had Black Snakes, Diamond Pythons, Carpet Snakes, Bearded Dragons, Thorny Tailed Minotaur’s, and giant Perenties, plus many more I couldn’t remember but that I’m sure will visit me in my dreams. After the reptiles, we found a donut shop and then a coffee shop, followed by the R. M. Williams Museum, before again visiting the reptiles on the return trip to the workshop. After 3 hours of walking the streets, we got back to Pedders to find that they had only just removed the 1st shock absorber.
Mitch, the Pedders dude explained that he didn’t realise he’d be required to remove the battery from one side of the engine bay, and part of the air-conditioning unit from the other side, in order to remove the shock absorbers. He did however explain that now that he’d learnt how to take out one side, he was certain the other side would be much easier. I decided that it would be best if I just left him to work it out so Jacob and I caught a cab back to the van to begin planning our escape.
At 4pm I called Mitch to be told that he was just finishing up and that I could come to collect the car. It took him 6 hours to do the job but sure enough, the front feels great and I’m now certain I’ll get the family home safely. Another day lost in the city of churches.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 73 Adelaide

2010-01-12T22:18:00.004+11:00

It rained!

After 72 days of sunshine, with only 5 minutes of light drizzle at Alice Springs on day 20, we finally had some real rain. At 4am, Jacqui and I both woke up to the sound of drops landing on the roof of the van. We jumped out of bed and out the door to make sure our chairs were under cover and that we hadn’t left our towels out. Sadly, after what we’re certain was no more than 9 single drops of rain, it all stopped, and we went back to bed. It seems the weather God was just teasing.
At 6am, the weather God got serious and it began pouring. The boys woke up and asked us what the strange noise was. I was so excited to see the rain, I took pictures of it on the windscreen of the car which gave Jacqui a laugh and the boys enjoyed seeing the baby ducklings strolling around the vans in the wet. We sat around watching the rain come down and it didn’t get boring for a good hour. As the need to move around in the rain increased, our pleasure at finally seeing rain decreased. Our joy at living with a cooler temperature also disappeared fairly quickly and while reliving the 45+ of yesterday isn’t something we’re looking forward to, today’s drizzly 21 isn’t all that much fun either.
When we finally got moving, we headed out to the nearest Jeep service department to see if they could replace the front shock absorbers with Jeep originals. No chance for today so we headed off to the nearest Pedders where the owner confirmed that the front shocks are shot. He also can’t do them today but he’ll put in Connie Shocks for the same price as Jeep so he’s getting the work.
With us already being in town, we took the boys for coffee and cake at Rundle Mall and then to The Jam Factory to look at the pieces produced by last year’s graduation class. A little after midday, we were back at the van and we’ve all agreed that the city isn’t doing it for us. Maybe it’s just Adelaide but the quicker we get the car going and we’re on our way down The Great Ocean Road, the happier we’ll all be.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 72 Adelaide

2010-01-12T21:51:00.003+11:00

Our industrious neighbours at Port Augusta decided to start their day at 4am this morning. They showed outstanding efficiency to get their van packed up and hitched up, and by 4:20 they were almost ready to begin moving. They’re final task was to ensure they had the radio tuned to the correct station and this only took 5 minutes with the aid of the search button and half a dozen in-car speakers.
Meanwhile, I was now awake and as the sun began creeping up into the still dark sky, I worked on converting my day 70 photos from RAW format to Jpeg while Jacqui and the boys slept. I’d changed the format on the digital camera to get better quality in the shots not realising that without a specific program installed on the computer, I wouldn’t be able to review or edit the RAW format shots. It’s not particularly exciting reading for you, but it was devastating for me to think that we wouldn’t be able to use or share the pictures of the Sea Lions. Day 70 would have been a blank page in our journey.
By 6am, I’d downloaded a program from the net and thankfully converted the pictures so it was now time to get the family out of bed. I was keen to be on the road fairly early to avoid as much of the 40+ heat as possible and an 8am start should have us in Adelaide by midday. We just needed to work out where we could stay once there. The camp book we have with us specialises in free camps, either just off highways and main roads, or along beachfronts and in national parks. We have nothing with us to help select or find organised caravan parks.
The drive down the eastern side of Spencer Gulf and then Gulf St Vincent was fairly uneventful, but for the hot northerly winds. They were fairly constant although every now and then, a much stronger gust would hit us side on. I could see it coming most of the time but a couple caught us off guard and one in particular was so intense, it pushed the car next to me on the two lane dual carriageway completely off the road. Thankfully, he didn’t hit anything but I’m sure he got an awful fright as he moved from tar to dirt without any conscious effort.
We arrived on the outskirts of Adelaide at about midday and with no real plan, we found ourselves driving along King William Road. For anyone that doesn’t know Adelaide, King William Road is to Adelaide what George Street or Broadway is to Sydney. Not somewhere you’d normally see a Jeep towing a caravan. We kept going west thinking there must surely be a caravan park somewhere near Glenelg. No such luck and we eventually found ourselves at a McDonalds on the southern end of town, trying to google Adelaide caravan parks, and then calling them in search of a vacancy. We got lucky with the second park we called and now we just needed to find it, without the GPS. It was locked away in a far corner of the van. We solved this, again with the help of Google, and we found ourselves driving through the streets of Adelaide with the laptop sitting on Jacqui’s lap. Makes sense but things became a little tense as Jacqui found it harder to rotate the laptop the way she flips a map around and strangely, left hand turns became rights and at times, the ocean was to our north. Never-the-less we eventually got to the correct spot and settled in.
Tomorrow should be just as exciting as we look for someone to replace the Jeeps shocky’s in preparation for Kangaroo Island and the great Ocean Road.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 71 Port Augusta

2010-01-11T21:26:00.005+11:00

Happy Birthday To Me

Spoiled again! I awoke to another sunny day with a warm breeze drifting in from the north and after a quiet coffee on my own, Jacqui and the boys awoke and loaded me up with lots of presents and more importantly, lots of love. I got new shirts, a book, ACDC memorabilia, and my own voodoo doll to keep us safe on the remainder of our trip. I had calls and messages from family and friends and then it was time to pack up and move ourselves to Port Augusta.
Not surprisingly, we found getting started a little difficult but by 8:30, we were on the road. The heat in this part of the country is oppressive and with the anniversary of Victorias 2009 bushfire disaster upon us, we made our way across the Eyre Peninsula with an ever vigilant eye on the horizon searching for signs of smoke. The winds blowing in from the north gained intensity throughout the day with the occasional hot and dry gusts blowing us around, making the drive a little scary. The temperature gauge in the car got to 44 degrees. We stopped in at Iron Knob which was interesting if for no other reason than the two brothers we met that are running the roadhouse. Even if they hadn’t mentioned that they’ve lived at Iron Knob for over 40 years but that both where born in Tasmania, I would have guessed it.
When we arrived at Port Augusta, we set up the van and then went for a quick stroll around town where we took a few photos at the towns central park. It wasn’t all that exciting but after we found a Woolies to restock the fridge with fruit, drinks and meat, it was back to the van for a swim, but not before Tom trialled for a management role. We followed this up at the park pool, where Zach managed to dive into the shallow end and scrape the skin off his lips but luckily, his teeth are still in place.
According to the weather site on the net, it’s still 38 degrees at 10:30. We have the 300km long drive to Adelaide in the morning and with this heat expected to continue, it should be an interesting day.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 70 Streaky Bay

2010-01-10T21:37:00.008+11:00

What an adventurous day we’ve had. As the boys had slept in late after the last few days of travelling, we took them into town and treated them with toast and milkshakes for breakfast. It doesn’t sound like much but after almost 70 days of weetbix, toast and milkshakes hit the spot nicely.
We then headed out to explore the local coastline with Baird Bay looking like a good starting point, about 70km southwest of Streaky Bay.
Once at the bay, we began our exploration by heading to a place named Point Labatt which is famous locally for its Sea Lion colony. The view on its own is fantastic with a viewing platform built into the cliff face some 30-40meters above the point, but when you add in about 100 wild Sea Lions, it transforms from great to spectacular. It’s difficult to explain the magic of seeing so many of these creatures in a truly natural environment, without any impact at all from man. They’re not fed, protected, enclosed or managed in any way by humans and the point is completely sealed off to ensure people can’t get to them and destroy their untouched playground. We stayed and photographed them for a good hour or more before the heat and exposure from the platform forced us to look for somewhere to swim.
We headed west in search of Sceale Bay Beach via the Yenerbie Sand Dunes. The entire area is dirt road only, with access to most of the beaches if you have a 4WD so rather than tackle the sand dunes on our own, we went in search of the beach access road. When we found it, I couldn’t get the Jeep over the seaweed quickly enough and we headed along the sand until we came to a clear spot for a dip. Yet again, we found ourselves on a safe, pristine beach, with no one else in sight.
Speeds Point was our next destination. A great spot with small isolated coves offering tiny sheltered beaches, regardless of the wind direction and then it was on to Smooth Pool which is a coastal rock pool. Again, we jumped in for a swim. The temperature was hovering in the mid forties all day so exploring the coastline and jumping in for regular cooling dips was a great way to manage the heat.
By the time we left Smooth Pool, it was about 3:30 so we took the opportunity to get lost. We’d been darting in and out of all these coastal dirt roads during the day and after a while, they all looked the same. Some friendly locals pointed us in the right direction and we managed to get back to Streaky Bay by about 5pm.
I took Jacob for a paddle on the kayak before a quick shower to wash off the salt and we then headed to the local pub, for dinner to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. It must be our lucky day because when I went to pay for our meal, one of the locals, that wanted to remain anonymous, had paid $20 towards our dinner. Nobody could tell who our benefactor was but never-the-less, it was a gesture much appreciated by us all.
It’s been another big day.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 69 Streaky Bay

2010-01-09T08:56:00.005+11:00

After 69 days, I face my first serious blogg dilemma. When considering the outstanding and nationally recognised holiday locations of South Australia, the bays of Fowlers and Streaky would feature at the very pointy end of any lists prepared by well travelled judges. I would however council all visitors to consider the words that make up a name.
Consider the name Fowlers Bay. Apart from the endearing link to my adorable wife’s respectable and much loved family, when we think of the name Fowler, we generally think of bathroom appliances, where a large portion of the country takes a load off, and has a small rest. It’s where we wash the grime from our hands after a day of toil, where we brush our teeth, or where we rinse away the unwanted stubble after making our best efforts at a respectable appearance.
Streaky Bay on the other hand immediately conjures up images of fit and healthy sports enthusiasts with little interest in overdressing and with a great joy derived from using their afore mentioned, fit and healthy bodies to enjoy the beautiful environment delivered to them through the blessing of Mother Nature. It incites the imagination to consider the recognised summer sports of cricket, sun baking, swimming, snorkelling and warm water frolicking and a good streak could refer to either a clothing free public run which contributes to the good humour of a nation, or to a run of luck for which Australia is renowned. As all parents would know, there is much to consider in a name.
Although we all slept quite late this morning, we left Fowlers Bay as quickly as we possibly could. We drove around both streets in this coastal village looking for fuel but with none available, we made a dash for the highway, lest we become marooned at Fowlers Bay. Unfortunately, our existing fuel only got us 50km away from Fowlers Bay, when the closest service station was 55km away. Luckily the gerri cans were still full making the distance an inconvenience, rather than a disaster. A quick fuel stop at Penong, and it was on to Ceduna to get a replacement bung for the kayak, a new battery for my watch, replacement fruit and vegetables that we handed in at the border checking station, (for Fruit-fly), and a top-up of the gas bottles. We then struck out on the final 100km to Streaky Bay where we were immediately struck by the beauty of the place. The bay itself is a shallow and protected cove that looks ideal for the boys to kayak on and as we drove through the town, we noticed all the facilities we’d need as well as a couple of pubs and restaurants. It also has an abundance of service stations.
After booking in for two nights and setting up the van, we all threw ourselves into the ocean to take the sting out the dry, 44 degree heatwave being experienced by most of SA, before settling in for a quiet night of pondering the real meaning to a name. As the pictures show, we fit right in here at Streaky Bay and we’ve even begun to eat our meals without the need to wear restrictive or confining shirts. Who knows where it will all lead?
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 68 Fowlers Bay

2010-01-08T23:33:00.006+11:00

The roar of the road-trains racing past woke me just before dawn so I began packing up the van while Jacqui and the boys slept a little longer. The noise got to them before too long and after a quick coffee and corn flakes, we were back on the highway at about 6:30am.
Our 1st stop was Eucla where we grabbed a coffee before driving out to the ruins of the old Telegraph Station. The sand dunes have reclaimed the building and I’ve been told that on some days, the sand completely covers the house while on other days, there’s so little sand, you’d wonder why the ever moved out. We got some great pictures.
After Eucla, it was on to the WA/SA Border and the obligatory border-crossing pictures. The border also put us in our third time-zone in the past 18 hours, which confused us all. Of far greater significance to us all was the sadness we all felt as we left the western state. We crossed into WA on the Tanami during day 21 and here we are on day 68 crossing the boarder again, but this time, we’re leaving this great state. During the past 47 days, we’ve seen virtually the entire west coast with some of the highlights including Cape Leveque, Palm Springs at Halls Creek, camel rides at Broome, crocks at Windjana Gorge, snorkelling on Ningaloo Reef, skinny dipping in the Python Pool at Milstream and the views at Natures Window. To add to the great locations are the great people including our caravan park friends at Derby, Dampier and Hyden, not to forget our Swiss backpackers. We’ve had a great time in WA and we’ll always hold the memories close.
We stopped at a number of lookouts along the Nullarbor Plain but none presented views more spectacular than those we encountered at Bunda Cliffs. The views from the edge of the cliff, quite literally took my breath away. We’ve seen some amazing sights on this journey but these cliffs are hard to beat. With no railings or barriers of any kind, you can get to the very edge of the cliff’s 90 meter drop and the feeling of standing on the very edge of Australia is exhilarating
When you look at the map, you’ll see towns all along the Eyre Hwy. Towns like Balladonia, Caigunu, Cocklebiddy, Mundrabilla, and Nullarbor so when planning this trip, I thought we could stop at some of these little towns to break up the journey, but the reality is, there are no towns. All of these places are nothing more than highway service stations where they gouge every penny they can from passing motorists. Fuel and cold water are the two things making someone out here rich, but its money they’ve earned if it means living on this stretch of road. I’ve learned that the name Nullarbor comes from two Latin words, nullus and arborus. The rough translation to English is, godawful, boring, long straight drive. We saw one camel along the way and if not for the cliffs, I could have slept all the way. It’s done, and we made it without incident so it’s time to enjoy what little time we have before the reality of Sydney again claims us.
The boys are excited to have finally arrived at Fowlers Bay as we’ve told them that it’s named after Jacqui’s long distant relative Robert Fowler, 1st Lieutenant to Mathew Flinders on his initial circumnavigation of Australia in the 1802. We were pleased to discover that after another 562km today, Fowlers Bay really is a town and not just another service station. I’m not sure how people survive financially here but it does have an unusually long pier and the town sits in amongst magnificent sand dunes. It has a caravan park with showers and toilets, which is all that really matters to us after the 1,300 km of the past two days. We’ll be having a shorter, easier day tomorrow. We seem to be having a problem with the fridge when we turn it over to battery power and despite the indicator on the gas bottle, we seem to have run out of gas. Luckily we have the spare bottle with the cooker to get us through the night. Our original plan was to spend today driving down to Lucky Bay and catch the Sea Ferry across Spencer Gulf but we’ve learnt from some fellow travellers that the ferry is closed until mid year. I called the SA Ferry Company and sure enough, no Sea Ferry across the gulf until July, 2010. It looks like we’ll be taking the long way around via Port Augusta after we check a few things out at Streaky Bay.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 67 Madura Pass

2010-01-08T23:20:00.003+11:00

After 5 cold and windy days and nights, we were happy to turn our backs to Esperance in search of some warmer temperatures and to continue our exploration of Australia’s south coast. While we tried to get away earlier, we finally got on the road to Norseman at about 8:30. Our original plan was to head into Cape Arid for a night and then, make our way along the Balladonia track to the Nullarbor but with the suspension on the Jeep still dodgy, we chose not to risk becoming stranded on a track that by all reports, is rarely used.
The 1st 200km to Norseman was uneventful apart from the proliferation of salt lakes. We continued to see them well past Norseman and while they’re pretty to look at, I can’t help but wonder if they’re the result of mans mismanagement of the land, in this part of the country. In many of these salt lakes, there are dozens of large dead trees indicating that the appearance of the salt lake is a relatively new event. I spoke with a West Australian about the lakes and he indicated that they’re in some way, the result of local wheat farming practices.
190km past Norseman is Balladonia. While I’m sure I would have enjoyed the adventure of the Balladonia Track, I’m not certain I wouldn’t have become lost, as we couldn’t find any sign of where the track joins the Eyre Hwy. It looks easy enough on the map but somewhat different in real life. Just after Balladonia, we came upon the highlight of today’s travel, the 146.6km length of dead straight highway. This is the longest straight stretch of road in the country and if I’d turned on the autopilot and had a nap, I wouldn’t have missed anything. We haven’t seen an animal from the road all day and other than the salt lakes and the tin camels at Norseman, there hasn’t been much of interest to see on this days drive.
As the shadows got longer from the setting sun, we began looking for a campsite for the night. For most of the day, the temperature had been hovering around the 45 degree mark and other than Australia’s miraculous result in the cricket, I had very little to keep me focused on the road ahead. We finally pulled in to a roadside camping area just before the sun actually set and we quickly put the van up for the night. The long straight roads, hot temperatures, and the less than perfect camp ground had all contributed to the late afternoon tension, so we were all happy to close the book on a long day after 740km.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 66 Esperance

2010-01-06T00:11:00.001+11:00

We must all be worn out after Jacobs birthday yesterday, as we’ve all slept in and then followed up with our laziest day so far. Jake slept in until about 8:30 this morning and the other two boys only just beat him out of bed, with Jacqui not far behind.
We had a slow-ish breakfast before heading out to search for a sheltered beach. Jacqui, the boys, and I all agree that Esperance is pretty from a photographic perspective but the wind puts a handbrake on most of the outdoor activities. We’ve only had one warm day out of the past 5 and we’re all looking forward to moving on.
With the wind stopping us from settling into a sunny beach, we strolled around town stopping for coffee and new music before heading back to the van for lunch. The boys enjoyed their 1st day of just hanging around in the past 65 days and Jacqui and I spent our time tidying a few loose ends before heading off tomorrow.
All up, we enjoyed a day of doing not much, and taking virtually no pictures. Tomorrow will see us heading into the Nullarbor and we’re all looking forward to getting our first look at The Great Australian Bite. It must surely be more interesting than Esperance.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 65 Esperance

2010-01-05T10:02:00.005+11:00

Jacob’s Birthday
When you’re 4, there are only two days of the year that you get up before 6am. One is Christmas and the other is your birthday and the surrounding holiday makers became aware very early that today was Jacob’s birthday. The noise began at about 5:45 with birthday cuddles, present giving, and then pancakes with maple syrup. Throughout it all, Jacob let everyone know that today was the day Jacob Nelson Peter Dinter was one finger older. The excitement continued after presents and breakfast with birthday messages and calls from friends and family, and Jacob filled in the gaps playing with the new toys Jacqui had miraculously kept hidden, in our own version of The Tardis.
Immediately after my responsibilities as Chief Pancake Maker had concluded, I headed out to the industrial area of Esperance looking for someone to check over the Jeep. I’d finally decided to replace the battery and keep the old one as a spare, as well as get a quote on replacing the shock absorbers. The problem was always going to be finding someone that could do the work in the time frame available; i.e. today or tomorrow. We’re all keen to move on from Esperance as it’s mostly been cold and windy here. I found Darren’s A1 Auto Repairs and Darren seemed competent so I agreed to come back after lunch while he called around to get quotes on the parts needed.
While Darren did his work, I headed back to the van as we needed to move ourselves to another spot before 1pm. We packed up the chairs and the awnings, pulled up all the stakes and disconnected the water and power. We lowered the roof and had the van ready to hook on to the car Car, and then we waited. Checkout here is 1pm and until the site was vacant, they wouldn’t tell us, to which site we’d be moving. Finally at midday, we got the call that we’d be in the same row and only 3 doors down, on the other side of the road. Approximately 12 meters from our existing location.
The move, from start to finish took about 45 minutes and I then took Jacqui, Jacob, and his brothers into town to see a movie for his birthday, while I headed back to the mechanic. The battery was replaced and the electrics checked to ensure nothing was draining the power from the battery, and the old battery was put on a charger for collection tomorrow. Quotes had come back for the shockies and with Jeep parts hard to get, the only ones available in Esperance are Connie’s. According to Darren, these are the Ferrari of shockies and at almost $600 a pair plus labour, I’ve decided to keep my $800 and wait until I get to a larger town where I can have Monroe’s or something similar installed. Never-the-less, the car now starts just fine and while we might be driving a little slower, we’re confident we won’t finish up stuck on the Nullarbor Plain using the satphone to call the NRMA.
Meanwhile, back at the van, I completed some paperwork National Foods are waiting on, before collecting the family from the movies. We had birthday cake, with Auntie Martina joining in to sing Happy Birthday via Skype, and we then headed into town for a birthday dinner. With the local Pizza place shut on a Monday, we settled for Chinese. Even though it was only 8pm, 3 quick hands of cards were all we could manage before it all became too much for us. It’s been yet another eventful day.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 64 Esperance

2010-01-04T09:48:00.007+11:00

It’s been yet another full day on this epic and exciting journey of discovery for the five Dinters. We began the day with a skype call to Sydney during breakfast and then we headed into town for quick visit to the local markets. While at the markets, we noticed an old church and the music and voices wafting from inside, over the market visitors so when Jacob walked in to investigate, we all followed him. While inside the church, we took the opportunity to say a prayer of support to those close to us before again exploring the community markets. Jacqui picked up a hand full of jewels and the boys grabbed an ice-cream after which we headed out to Cape Le Grand National Park.
Lucky Bay Beach was the destination of choice as it’s been awarded The Whitest Beach in Australia. I’m not sure by whom, but who really cares? It was beautiful and the sand was a soft powdery white that hadn’t ever seen a corse shell fragment that might add an element of grit to the sands squeaky consistency. We stayed for an hour or so before completing our exploration of this most beautiful of National Parks.
Next was Thistle Bay and it was of equal beauty, with the added attraction of Whistle Rock on the peak and then it was on to Hellfire Bay. Along the way, we stopped to get a picture of a beautiful orange flower that is exclusive to this area of WA. It grows wild around the coast and looks a little like a wattle. By the time we left Hellfire Bay, we were a little beached out as each cove delivered another splendiferous view with equally fine and squeaky sand so by the time we reached Le Grand Beach, we’d decided that it must surely be the Le Grandest of them all and somewhat sadly, we didn’t even bother to get out of the car to check. Instead, we ramped the motor up to a Le Grand 60Km/h and roared along Le Grand beach for the next 22 kilometres.
Jacqui was very concerned as we had no certainty that the end of the beach would provide us an exit from the sand but I’d been reliably informed that a sealed road led from the other end of the beach, back to Esperance. Sure enough, we escaped the rapidly rising tide to make our exit onto a tar road which reduced our return drive from a relatively boring 56km, to an exciting, if somewhat tense, 22km.
Once back at Esperance, I dropped Jacqui and the boys at the van while I went in search of a car wash. I’ve never seen the car so filthy with caked on grime and salt changing it from a silver, to a dirty grey. It needs to go in for some work on the electricals and on the suspension, before we tackle the Nullarbor Plain. After cleaning up the outside, I then spent about 2 hours wiping down the inside to remove as much dirt and dust as I could.
Tomorrow will be another full day with Jacob’s birthday, a move from our current spot, to another spot within the same park, and the car being serviced. There’s never a dull moment.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 63 Esperance

2010-01-03T10:11:00.005+11:00

What a full day we’ve had. At 5:30 this morning, I woke with the thought that I’d try my luck at helping some poor fish out of the cold salt water and onto a nice warm BBQ griddle, so by 6am, I’d showered, had breakfast and 2 cups of coffee, brushed my teeth, and prepared my tackle and bait. By 6:30, I was standing at the far end of the jetty with just a few other hardy and hopeful souls full to the gills with anticipation and confidence. By 8, I was heading back along the jetty without the bait and still without a fish wondering why all the small fish had decided to come to Esperance Bay for the New Year. I caught two small Harlequin Cod but threw both back as neither would have fed a small cat, let alone provided breakfast for 5 hungry Dinters. At least I’ve improved to a level where I can now at least catch a fish, and I’m less certain they laugh when they see me coming.
Back at the van, Jacqui and I discussed our plans for the next few days. The car needs some attention and Jacob is having his 4th birthday on Monday so it makes sense to hang around for a few days. When I went to the caravan park office, to give them the good news that we’d stay with them for at least two extra days, we discovered that our site has been promised to others. We can stay one extra night but we’ll need to move locations if we want to stay in the park on Monday night. A pain but with little choice during peak holiday season, it looks like we’ll be moving sites on Jacobs birthday.
Everywhere we go, people speak of Esperance as having the best, most beautiful beaches in Australia. We’ve always thought our own Northern Beaches of Sydney are impressive and Byron Bay and Crescent Head on the NSW north coast, or Queensland’s Sunshine Coast beaches would take a bit of beating for the Best Beaches title, so we thought we’d have a look around. I’ve gotta admit, it’s not a false claim. The beaches and coastline here are mighty impressive. The islands off the coast provide a spectacular backdrop and the rugged coastal cliffs remind me of Hawaii but for pure family satisfaction, we couldn’t get past Twilight Beach just west of town. The sand is a pure white and fine as powder, and the water is crystal clear. The beach gently slopes into the water making it a perfectly safe beach for small children despite the consistent, gentle waves delivering enough swell for body surfers and boogie boarders. The boys had a fantastic time and for the 1st time, we saw Thomas head out into the swell with complete confidence when he’s normally reticent around any kind of wave. While the water gave us all hours of enjoyment, Jacqui and I also enjoyed sitting on the beach watching people jump from the huge rock just off shore. Locals and visitors alike, climbed the rock, full of bravado, and then become seriously nervous once the arrived at the jump-off point. The only down side here is the water temperature. It’s a little like Sydney in October. Probably about 17 or 18 degrees which is a little hard to take after the 30 degrees we enjoyed at Broom.
After a few hours at the beach, we explored the coast a little, with every curve in the coastline unveiling another stunning vista. This south coast must be a haven for anyone involved in wind sports. From one particular bluff, I took a photo that has a surfer, a sailboarder, and a kite surfer all together, one behind the other. They put on a great show for us up on dry land.
Back at the van, the boys completed their travel diaries while Jacqui prepared dinner and I took Jacob for a shower. After dinner, I loaded my photo’s onto the laptop and now with everyone asleep around me, it’s time to turn out the lights.
We’ve all had a very full day.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 62 Esperance

2010-01-02T01:02:00.001+11:00

Like most people, we had a fairly quiet start to New Years Day. We slept in for a while, then we had a lazy breakfast, and then I had a lazy, drawn out shave as the itch of 5 days growth was getting to me. Then, while we casually pulled the van down for a casual drive to Esperance, we had our guests from last night, Frank and Helen, come past for a relaxed and casual chin-wag. The outcome of all this casual and relaxed activity was that we didn’t get away from Starvation Bay until a little after 11am. Not that this was a problem in any way. Jacqui and I quite enjoyed not having to be up and out, in line with the usual 10am departure rule. It was nice to go a little slowly for a change.
We arrived at Esperance at about 12:30 and immediately made our way to the heart of town for a lazy lunch before we eventually tried the ocean front caravan park to see if they had space for us during the busiest week of their year. Surprisingly they did and we’re now ensconced in a very pleasant location not far from the water.
As we haven’t been able to shower for the past 4 days, after setting up, Jacqui made a mad dash for the amenities block and we boys followed fairly closely behind her. Once we were all tidied up, we had a quiet BBQ followed by a walk to the extremely long jetty about 2km down the road. Once we got there, we walked along the jetty, I attempted some photos in the 9pm darkness, (no daylight saving), without a flash, and then we walked back to the van. We didn’t really do much of anything today but never-the-less, we’re all pretty tired and keen for a good nights sleep.
Esperance looks like a great place with stacks of things for all of us to enjoy. The water and beaches look great, the wildlife and national parks look impressive and we’ve got a few shops around. The last one is important with Jacob turning 4 in just a few days. We’ll need a good nights sleep as we prepare for the hectic days ahead.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 61 Starvation Bay

2010-01-01T19:59:00.004+11:00

New Years Eve
Surprisingly, I wasn’t required to clamour out of my bed in the early hours to deal with some disaster caused by the wind and rain. I did, in fact, sleep through the night, like a veritable baby. There was no rain, and hardly a breath of wind. Although the morning was overcast, the grounds are dry and the birds are chirping away, confident their nests are safe for another day at least.
It’s cold here, where the wind blows off The Southern Ocean. For 60 days, I didn’t wear long pants of any kind and today, I found myself in trackydaks and hoody. Jacqui was convinced her tan would disappear over night as she searched through the van for her winter clothes. The search didn’t last long with the sun emerging not long after breakfast so we loaded the rods onto the roof and took a drive along the beach looking for a likely spot to throw in the lines. After an hour of catching weed, we called it quits and headed back to the van. The boys worked on their travel diaries until lunch and we began the afternoon with a long walk along the beach exploring into all the rock pools for crabs, fish and shells. Jacqui found a spot out of the breeze and we left her to soak up the rays while we boys hunted. By 4:30, (no daylight saving), we were back at the van and had the cards back out for Uno with the kids while we worked out what our New Years Eve feast would look like. We took a stroll around the camp-site and dropped in on our new friends, Frank and Helen and they agreed to come around after dinner for a NYE drink.
Jacqui whipped up some pasta perfection with a few stray mushrooms, onions, some cream and bruscetta, (can’t spell in Italian), and we’d just finished cleaning up when our visitors arrived. After a couple of beers and some champagne for the girls, we had another visitor letting us know that the fireworks were about to begin. Who expects fireworks in the middle of the bush when you’re surrounded by nothing but cockies and kangaroos? It appears the local farmers have been coming to Starvation Bay for New Years, for the past 40 years and somehow we’d nestled ourselves right in amongst them. Fireworks on the beach are part of the tradition, while not quite Sydney Harbour, the kids and adults alike appreciated the effort and enjoyed the show.
After the show it was back to our van for a couple more drinks and when the boys began nodding off, we celebrated midnight in Sydney, (9pm in WA), and called it a night at about 10:30pm.
Happy New Year to all our readers, even though we have no mobile or internet reception.
Cheers
Jorg & Jacqui

Day 60 Starvation Bay

2010-01-01T19:24:00.003+11:00

When the winds began noisily flapping the canvas walls of the top half of the van at 2am, Jacqui and I lay awake wondering if it would get any worse. At 3am, with Thomas now also awake, we stood up and tried to hold the top half steady as the gale force winds threatened to carry us back to the east coast in the early hours. Zach and Jacob slept through the shaking and the noise of the night, although I can’t imagine how. By 4am, we were all asleep again, with the wind having calmed enough to convince us we wouldn’t suddenly take an unplanned flight. By 6:30, Zach and I were strolling amongst the beach-front campers with a coffee, (Milo for Zach), in hand listening as they spoke with their neighbours about the nights wind. In most cases the damage was limited to chairs and other loose items simply being blown around but in one case, the wind had bent a strut on a van that would require repair. While it was our 1st night in the wind of Masons Bay, it seems it was a repeat performance for many as they began packing up with a plan to find somewhere less exposed. It would appear that we had a relatively sheltered location although at 4am, who knew?
Frank and Helen, whom we met at Hyden drove by and said G’day just after breakfast. They’re camped in Starvation Bay, which they said is packed to the gills but beautifully calm and serene. Once they’d left, we decided to pack up and try our luck at Starvation Bay and if we can’t get in, we planned to keep driving in search of somewhere else. Having the flexibility to move as we wish adds to our relaxed state. By pure luck, when we arrived at Starvation Bay, we drove straight into an almost level spot giving us plenty of privacy, with an ocean view so we parked the van before heading into Hopetoun for supplies. On the drive, we saw a 1.5m snake crossing the road and we stopped to photograph a Stumpy-tailed Lizard, also on the road.
Back at the bay, we had lunch then headed to the beach. Being deep in a bay gives us plenty of shelter from the wind and the waters are crystal clear and calm. The wind has blown clumps of seaweed in to the shallows, which gives the air a certain aroma, but at least the whitecaps are in the distance rather on our step as was the case at Masons Bay.
After a swim, we headed back to the van and Frank came past to drop off some bait. He stayed for a chat and Zach and I joined him back on the sand to try our luck. No luck today but a few bites to get us back in the morning.
After fishing, we saw our second lot of rain on the trip. In Alice Springs, we had a three and a half minute shower and that was complimented today by a very light, almost un-noticed mist that lasted for 30 seconds. It didn’t go un-noticed by Jacqui however, so I spent 30 minutes preparing for the storm that must certainly be on its way. The fly-covers are down over the beds to protect us from the inevitable pouring rain and the outside chairs and boxes have all been elevated to keep them out of what must surely become fast moving waters.
To calm our nerves before the inevitable calamity, we played cards again before turning in for the night.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 59 Masons Bay

2010-01-01T19:07:00.002+11:00

And so we begin our third and final stage of this most excellent adventure.
Stage one for us was all about crossing the centre of the country from east to west, with all the challenges of the great distance, the oppressive heat, and the enormous expanse of sand in the middle.
Stage two was about the west coast and all the beautiful, almost undiscovered little towns and coastal villages that are mixed in with the rugged and dusty mining communities of places like Dampier and Port Headland. Of natural marvels like Windjana Gorge, Cape Leveque, Ningaloo Reef and Natures Window at Kalbarri.
Stage three is about the road home to Sydney. It’s about seeing the contrasts at the bottom of Australia as places of renowned natural beauty such as Esperance, Cape Arid and Cape Le Grand butt up against the rugged beauty of The Nullarbor Plain and The Great Australian Bite. We’re looking forward to seeing Kangaroo Island and what’s left of The Twelve Apostles before they all disappear, and we can’t wait to catch up with friends in Melbourne before we tackle the final stretch, up the east coast to Sydney. We’ve seen so much in stages one and two and we expect the next 25 days to be just as exciting.
Masons Bay is a small secluded free-camping area just east of Hopetoun on the south coast of WA. This area is coming to terms with some impending ecological issues as the rising salt impacts the native vegitation. Entire tracts of bushland have been decimated by salt lakes that have appeared over the past 20 years, Though it’s secluded, Masons Bay is hardly unknown as when we arrived at about midday, we secured the last of the 20 sites available. We’re right on the water in a little bay that’s safe and quite. We’ll have to see how the fishing shapes up. The only down side is that there’s no water or electricity and the toilets are the long drop variety. No problem for me after Kokoda, but a challenge for Jacqui. We saw The Southern Ocean for the 1st time here and celebrated with a swim and then a quiet night playing cards under gas-light.
The different environment is keeping us all on our toes.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 58 Wave Rock

2009-12-29T08:47:00.006+11:00

After another session of show-and-tell with curious neighbours during breakfast, we headed into Hyden to look for some fresh fruit. Who knew it was a public holiday and that the town had been evacuated of all Christmas Elves? Back at the ranch, we donned hiking boots and went exploring Wave rock. Very impressive. We took the obligatory 100 pretend surfing photos and then, for no sensible or logical reason, we climbed to the top, and over Wave Rock. Anyone that has been to Wave Rock will know that all the good bits are in the curl of the wave. There’s nothing happening on the top other than a fair bit of heat and a lot of sun, which is much the same as down the bottom.
After exploring the rock, it was back to the park pool for a dip. Obviously a good idea considering every other person at the park was crammed into the 8m x 3m pool, along with us. Very cosy!
After lunch, we took the advice of a couple of fellow travellers we met, Frank and his wife, and we went in search of a natural salt lake only a couple of kilometres away. By the side of the natural lake, is a man-made pond that takes its water from the natural lake nearby. The excess salt in the lake water alters the buoyancy of swimmers and you simply couldn’t drown. Much like Europe’s Black Sea, the salt changes how our bodies respond to the water and we simply float. It’s the weirdest feeling, a bit like what I’d assume a gravity free experience must feel like. If you lay on your back, you will naturally fall into the floating position while laying on your front forces your feet up, keeping you above water, but with your head down low. Jacqui was ecstatic to find water in which she could finally rival her cousin, Lisa’s synchronised swimming skills and is now determined to have a similar pool designed for our back yard in Sydney. It’s hard to explain the sensation but never-the-less, finding the lake has been an once-in-a-lifetime experience, much like the rest of this adventure.
Tomorrow we head down to Hopetoun and begin to make our way to Esperance via Stokes National Park.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 57 Hyden – (Wave Rock)

2009-12-28T13:19:00.005+11:00

In hindsight, 550km in one day, towing a caravan sounds a huge distance but it hasn’t felt particularly huge. The boys were terrific and Jacqui was great as well. No-one complained and we all seemed to have fun singing along to tracks on the ipod or on CD’s as we made our way through the countryside. We even discovered that Jacob can easily manage two handed mathematics. Things like 5 + 3 or 4 + 2 are simple to him. He’s doing really well for a three year old and we were all pleasantly surprised.
We had a bit of excitement when we pulled into Gingin for fuel and the car wouldn’t start. The battery died in the driveway but we got her going again and off we went.
The day started with the PCDC’s standing around at Cervantes watching us pull down the annex and the van. Everyone comments on how good the boys are with helping and with Jacqui taking on more of the work I was doing at the start of this journey, we’ve had many comments on our teamwork. It’s working because by 8:30, we were on the road. Before we left, the boys attached the star and some tinsel from the Christmas tree yo the UHF radio antennae so we drove all day being led by the star of Christmas wishes, as Thomas put it.
I packed a tool kit before leaving Sydney and while putting it together, I wondered if I’d really need some of the tools I packed. After today, I can stop wondering. When the trailers power connection came out and became damaged while being dragged along the road, I suddenly found a use for the small metal file, the pointy nose pliers and a few other tools I wasn’t sure would see daylight on this trip. Jacqui’s taken to calling me McGyver.
As we drove, we saw some interesting stuff that kept us either intrigued, interested, or in some cases bewildered. We saw a huge wind farm which must have had 100 turbines, the town of Corrigin had statues of utes and dogs and apparently has an annual event where they line up utes with dogs in them. The record stands at 1,527 ute and dog combinations. We passed the Rabbit Proof Fence and stopped for a look, and we checked out the series of statues made from scrap metal, lining the main street of Hyden.
Once we got to the Wave Rock Caravan Park, we experienced an entirely new group of PCDC’s watching us put the swan up. People seem drawn to the van. We had one young 9 year old come and tell us that I’d parked it crooked, and we had another neighbour come and begin a conversation with, I didn’t use to be racist, but now I am, and then ask us if we’d had any bad experiences with the abbo’s. Others are more friendly and like to look at the van, inside and out, and many are just curious about travelling with 3 young boys. Once they hear about the length of the journey we’re on, they all like to share information on places to go and places to avoid, which is very handy and is what brought us to Wave Rock in the first place.
After today’s long drive, we’ve decided to stay here for two nights and begin making our way to the coast after exploring and recharging the batteries. Ours and the one in the car.
Cheers,
Jorg

Day 56 Cervantes

2009-12-27T01:24:00.004+11:00

It’s become clear to us very quickly that there are two distinctly different types of camper. There’s the pre Christmas Day camper that’s best defined by a casual, happy-go-lucky and friendly nature, who’s happy to lend a hand, share a meal, or pass on advice when requested. These are the campers that begin their journey somewhere around October or November and who tend to travel just out of peak tourist season wherever possible. Generally a friendly bunch that can be any age, any nationality, and at any stage in the common life-cycle, from single tourists to travelling empty nesters.
The other camper, the Post Christmas Day Camper, (PCDC), is committed to ensuring they don’t give up an inch of their allotted space. They mark the corners of their domain the moment the keys are out of the ignition and they commonly arrive with more equipment than can be stored on their allotted space. Their most common facial expression is the scowl or the I didn’t realise look when they’re caught encroaching on a competitors turf and as they’ve travelled 100’s of kilometres on Boxing Day, without a smile or a friendly look, there is absolutely no chance they’ll be wasting a kind word on anyone while the take full advantage of this small break, from their routinely bleak, city-based lives.
As you can probably tell, we’ve been inundated by the holiday season crowd and out of nowhere, we suddenly feel as though we’re in the crowd at the start of the Sydney-to-Hobart, or the crowd walking out of a Wallaby’s test match. We’re certainly seeing the same level of courtesy from our new neighbours. It’ll be good to get away from the coastal crowd for a couple of days as we make our way inland and then down to Esperance.
It’s a strange Boxing Day, with not watching the first session of the Boxing Day Test Match and no watching the start of the Sydney-to-Hobart. After breakfast, we watched the influx of people from Perth for a couple of hours and at about 9, our Swiss friends came to say goodbye. One is on her way home to Switzerland and the other is on her way to the east coast where we expect her to come and see us in January. We then headed into town to exploring Cervantes. That took all of 6 minutes so we went in search of a beach protected from the winds. This required some off-road exploration and eventually the sand became too soft. As I hadn’t bothered to let any air out of the tyres, we began to spin all 4 wheels so rather than risk the need for a tow-out, we headed back to the camp for lunch. Our newest neighbour had parked his boat partially on our spot but as we’re moving on tomorrow, saying nothing seemed the best option.
We took the afternoon to explore the Pinnacles and stayed for the sunset. It’s a unique location and one that’s well worth a visit offering so many sensational photo opportunities.
We got back to the van at about 8:30 and after a shower and snack, everyone was keen to see the insides of the eyelids as we gear for an early start tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jorg