Great Places To Visit.

Great Places To Visit: Tocumwal NSW on the Murray River.

2022-05-26T13:56:00.002+10:00

Perhaps I'm a little prejudiced, as Tocumwal is my home town, but I've always loved the Murray River Red Gums and watching the river & the bird, animal life here. All year around it delights me. Even the noisy Corella's can't put me off, I love living here.

So why would a visitor want to spend time in Toc? Let me list just a small few off its attractions for you:

Water sports: Fishing, skiing, swimming, canoeing, and any other water play you might like.

Food: We have a number of Pubs, Clubs, Restaurants & Cafes if not in town then in easy driving distant. BIG variety for good old schnitzels, salads & chips to take-a-way favorites, great Coffee & Cakes and Bakery delights to tempt the taste buds!!

If you're an Artist or Photographer then Toc is a plethora of diverse landscapes to draw (pun intended) your attention. I for one have never tired of its beauty.

For the traveler's in their campers or caravans Toc has a selection of options for you to choose from. There's free camping along the river, budget friendly sites at the local Town Beach, & Caravan Parks on the river & in town to choose from. The caravan parks also offer cabin accommodation. If you want something a little more relaxing there are also holiday lets and B & B's in town to choose from. Variety is the key.

So what's stopping you from visiting our wonderful little town nestled on the banks of the Murray River? It's only a 3hr drive from Melbourne for you city folk, so pack your bags and plan a relaxing or busy weekend away from the big smoke.

Did I mention we are surrounded by wineries, nearby river towns with their own eating places etc to choose from and so much more. Also our own Golf Course is spectacular & has bowling greens as well. The Club house is warm & friendly in this cooler weather with a variety of hot meals for your dining pleasure while you look out onto the magnificent greens with their gum trees etc. If this isn't enough for you it's only a short drive to the Cobram Barooga Golf Course & Club house. Choices, choices.

Don't take my word for it, come & check out our piece of paradise for yourself. Who knows you might just fall in love with Toc & plan a river change to live here. Plenty of folk have!

Great Places To Visit - Uluru, Yulara Resort, N.T. Australia

2021-05-29T17:47:00.018+10:00

Well I don't think there is a more spectacular place to visit in Australia than Uluru. We have visited before and will no doubt visit again. We stayed with our caravan for a week in the camping grounds of the Yulara Resort near Uluru. Very good spot.

The Yulara Resort shopping precinct is excellent for tourist. Plenty of things to purchase. There is also a very good IGA supermarket, one of the best we have seen in a remote area.

The purpose of coming here of course is to see "The Rock". Well I've now had the fun of seeing it in all kinds of light at many different times of day. Of course I did the obligatory sunrise and sunset, that's what I really came for and also to walk around the base. We did this over a number of days so I could stroll along and take numerous photos. Wonderful time spent is all I can say. So worth the long trek up here with the caravan. As it was April (2021) when we arrived it was fairly quiet. We booked in at the office for 1 week and were pleasantly surprised to be offered a stay 3 nights pay for 2 deal, which we were allowed to double up on. So normally a powered /water campsite costs $52/night, but with the deal it worked out to $35/night. What a bargin!!!

Anyway enough prattle. The weather was simple gorgeous every day, 25-27 C and cool at night 9-12C. Now I'll show you some of the excessive amount of photo's that I took. I hope it wets your appetite to visit this incredible piece of "rock" in the centre of this amazing country.

Great Places To Visit - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Global Ballooning Australia - Sunrise Flight

2020-02-22T18:24:00.000+11:00

Took a fantastic sunrise flight over Melbourne this morning under the guidance and care of pilot Steve Buckley from Global Ballooning Australia. Wonderful experience. Steve took good care of the 10 of us on his flight and kept us informed of what was expected, what was happening next, and what to look for on the flight. He also carefully explained safety procedures and landing instructions confirming that everyone understood what was explained.

The experience was amazing. The weather was perfect for flying with the sun rising serenely as we drifted towards Melbourne City. The flight lasted for about 1hr and we landed safely at Essendon Airport. Those who wanted participated in the unpacking and packing up of the balloon which was great fun.

Wonderful experience, great flight, felt safe at all times. Would recommend Global Ballooning Australia, and pilot Steve Buckley.
www.globalballooning.com.au

Shoalhaven Heads- NSW South Coast, Fitzroy Falls, Berry, Kangaroo Valley, Australian Tourism.

2019-01-14T18:53:00.002+11:00

Such a pretty area, it's hard to pick a favorite spot. We have based ourselves at Shoalhaven Heads in the Mountain View Resort. Good spot.

We have done a day trip up to Fitzroy Falls (Moss Vale Rd, towards Moss Vale) and through Kangaroo Valley. Back to Kangaroo Valley for lunch, then across to Berry and back to the air-con in the caravan.

Such a pretty drive through the mountains. Kangaroo Valley is stunning. Green on green, and then greener.

Lunch at the Kangaroo Valley Hotel was lovely. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the main street popping into some of the local shops. The wood crafters shop with rocking horses out the front got out attention as we love all things timber.
The lolly shop was another we couldn't walk past and came out with delicious, cold ice creams in cones.

We then enjoyed a scenic drive to Berry which was much larger than we expected, and tourists certainly know about this spot as it was teeming with people. We drove through but didn't stop. We then took the tourist drive back to Shoalhaven Beach which had signs advising trucks and large vehicles NOT to take this route. It was very twistie, lots of sharp elbow bends, but the scenery was gorgeous. We took our time and found most other drivers on this road were also cautious.
It was well worth the drive.

The Southern NSW Coast is a very beautiful area and well worth an extended stay and look around.

Fitzroy Falls will cost you $4 for day parking. Small price to pay to help maintain the facilities available there.


Cambewarra Lookout.

Head of Fitzroy Falls.


Fitzroy Falls NSW Sth Coast


Fitzroy Falls.


Some of the steps for the walks to the various lookouts around Fitzroy Falls.


The home made lollie shop in Kangaroo Valley. Great ice creams also and plenty of gifts.


The tourist drive from Kangaroo Valley to Berry. Not for caravans!

Nelson Bay, NSW Coast, Australia.

2019-01-12T11:04:00.001+11:00

This summer is shaping up to be one of the hottest in years. Inland temps are consistently in the high 30's to mid 40's. Not something we get on such a regular basis. The coastal regions whilst also getting hit with higher than normal temps at least has the advantage of the sea breeze.

In our caravan travels up the east coast to the Sunshine Coast for Christmas we had intended to come back south via the inland routes. Then we checked the weather forecast......high 30's to mid 40's....consistently....not for us. Whilst it is not unusual to hit the mid 40's on occasion, this year it seems summer is vengeful as inland temps are regularly hitting the mid 40's C. Too hot for this old girl, so back to the coast we go! Yes it's hot on the coast also, but not as hot and we have the double advantage of a cool sea breeze and a lovely cool ocean to swim in. Whilst on the Sunshine Coast you may get jelly fish, we have moved south to the mid north coast and are currently at Nelson Bay area. No jelly fish here and the ocean breeze and water is refreshingly cool. Thumbs up from me!

We have parked our caravan at Bays Caravan Park and have headed to Birubi Beach today for a tasty breakfast and coffee whilst enjoying the delightful blue sky and sandy beach views. Hubby is not a beach enthusiast, so I have left him after breakfast with a drink and the paper in the open air Cafe. I'm off to the beach for a paddle and a walk, both happy.

The water is delightfully cool around my ankles and calves and I find myself wishing I had brought my bathers. The surf lifesaving club is patrolling here which I hadn't thought of, so I would have felt safe swimming here. Lots of people here but also lots of beach. There are waders like me, swimmers, surfers, jet skis towing skiers, paddle boards, you name it, it's here, but no congestion as there is literally klms of beach to use.

Great spot, lots of beach choices with Birubi Beach at Anna Bay, Fingal Beach, Shoal Beach and plenty more. An assortment of accommodation is available in this area as well although, being high season you will need to book and you will pay premium prices. Still worth the consideration when I think that at Tocumwal where we are based it has been in the 40's on and off for some days now and it's looking to continue on that vein. Too hot for me, so here we are enjoying the cool coastal breezes and the cool ocean waters. Much kinder.


Birubi Beach Cafe.


Birubi Beach, Nelson Bay NSW


Camel rides on Birubi Beach

Great Places To Visit - Doncaster East, Melbourne, Mullum Mullum Walking Track

2018-05-09T14:44:00.000+10:00

Just because I'm currently in the city for awhile doesn't mean I have to "miss out" on my daily bush walks. Nearby to us is the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail. It's fantastic for walking. A track shared by walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Right beside us is Currawong Bush Park and the track goes through it. In the other direction it heads off through parklands in Doncaster East and Templestowe. I'm certainly enjoying my daily walks now that I've discovered this trail. Have a look for yourself, it's very picturesque. I have found myself talking to walking groups, people walking dogs, a quick "hello" to cyclists and walking alongside fellow walkers and having a chat. It seems to be a very popular track. Today I even passed a group of Bushwalkers!! Well, they passed me as they were going in the opposite direction. I stopped and chatted with a lady who was out walking her dog and then enjoyed the beautiful scenery as I continued along. Great way to spend some time and get some exercise.


A reminder that I'm in the city.


Crystal Brook Caravan Park


You have to watch out for the "wild life."


Mullum Mullum Creek

Great Places To Visit - Sanders Apples U-Pick and Orchard Tours. Three Bridges Yarra Valley Victoria Australia.

2018-04-11T12:44:00.000+10:00

Like to do something a little different? Love fresh home grown produce? An apple a day keeps the doctor away, or so they say. So why not treat yourself and the family and friends to a new experience. U-pick apples. That means you get to go into the orchard and pick your own fresh apples!

You can have a guided 45 minute tour walking or for more fun for the kids (any age) a tractor tour! See first hand how an orchard operates and gain an understanding of the apple growing process. Great education for the kids to learn how their food is grown and produced. Not just the product on the shelf in a store.

Want to have a picnic with the kids? No better place than Sanders Apple Orchards, Three Bridges, Yarra Valley, Victoria.
First you can take your time wandering through the rows of apple trees, hand-pick your apples straight from the tree and enjoy them with your picnic lunch in the beautiful surrounds. Fresh apples for dessert of course! The kids will love them, and so will you. Juicy, crunching, crisp, delicious apples. Just imagine biting into the crisp, juicy apple and feeling the juice running down your chin. Nothing better!

Well I'd better tell you a bit about this Sanders mob I suppose!

Sanders Apples is a family owned and operated apple orchard nestled in the picturesque Yarra Valley and is currently run by 3rd generation brothers Kevin, Bob and Peter Sanders.

Sanders Apples opens its grounds during the apple picking season to give you the unique opportunity to pick your own apples and participate in guided tours of the orchard. The tractor ride is great fun!!

Private tours can also be arranged by contacting Kate (a 4th generation Sanders) and making a reservation.

What did you say? When can you book your outing? Well, weekends, school holidays and public holidays from late March until late May. Opening Times: 10.00am - 4.00pm. (last entry at 3.30pm)

U-Pick Prices:

Adults: $15.00
Child (4-12yrs) $12.50
Ticket includes entry into the U-Pick area and a 2kg bag of U-Pick apples.

Children 3 and under are free - bag of apples not included.

Walking Tours:

Adult: $20.00
Child (4-12yrs) $17.50
Family/Group (4+ people) $17.50 per person.

Ticket includes the walking tour, entry into the U-Pick area and a 2kg bag of U-Pick apples.
This is a great way to increase your knowledge of how apples are grown and support your local farmers. The kids will no longer think that apples only come from the supermarket shelf. They will learn how the trees are tended and when is the right time to pick apples and so much more.

Tractor Tour Prices:

Check out the web page for details or contact Kate!

www.sandersapples.com.au

Email: kate@sandersapples.com.au

Phone Kate: 0430 589 310

What are you waiting for? It's apple picking season right now!!!!!!

Where is Sanders Apples:

1020 Yarra Junction - Noojee Road (Little Yarra Road)

Three Bridges, Vic 3797

Contact:

Kate Sanders : Phone 0430 589 310

Email Kate: kate@sandersapples.com.au

Web: www.sandersapples.com.au

F/B: www.facebook.com/SandersApples

Note: Prices are correct at time of writing and are subject to change without notice.

Great Places To Visit-Baroosa Valley, South Australia, Wine region.

2018-02-06T19:52:00.003+11:00

We are currently spending a week in the beautiful Baroosa Valley in S.A. Our caravan is parked at the Nuriootpa caravan park which is handy to the area's attractions. Wineries!!

I am getting spoilt as Bernie doesn't drink wine, so is being my personal chauffeur. We are both enjoying the history and lovely old buildings in the area also.

One place on my hit list is Maggie Beer's Farm. Contacted some friends who live in the area and met up with them for lunch there. Had a wonderful few hours together. We each picked an entree and then shared them. Great way to get to taste a variety of dishes. Maggie's produce store has a large variety of goods available for sale and the majority are available to taste test before you buy. Made sure I took full advantage of that opportunity. Delicious!!!!! Came home with a little bag of goodies.

Took a tour of Chateau Tanunda, fantastic! You get a glass of bubbly to sip while you listen to your guide. Great tour. Highly recommend it. Beautiful old winery.

That's just a bit of what you can see and do here in the Baroosa. We are going to stay a few extra days, it's so beautiful here, even though it's summer and dry. So much to see in the area, and so many wineries to pick from. Lots of little towns around steeped in history as well. Come and see for yourself.

What you expect to see in a vineyard - grapes!

Boutique Winery. Traditional old machinery, once used in harvesting.


Found a little boutique winery with our surname.


Craft Beer

Local road.


Chateau Tanunda.


Chateau Tanunda - stunning architecture.


Maggie Beer's beautiful Farm.


Some of the lovely produce I purchased at Maggie Beer's Farm.


Chateau Tanunda


Very nice!


Chateau Tanunda Tour


Chateau Tanunda Tour


Chataeu Tanunda Tour


Chateau Tanunda tasting room.


Chateau Tanunda Tour.


Baroosa Valley area.


Tanunda township.

Great Places To Visit - Tumby Bay South Australia.

2018-01-17T13:16:00.001+11:00

Nestled on the S.A. coast about 50kms from Port Lincoln S.A., is the little town of Tumby Bay. It's a quaint little fishing village. Lovely beaches, Top Tourist Caravan Park (very comfortable), assorted shops including a delicious Bakery. People here are friendly, the weather has been great and it's very relaxing.

We are staying in our caravan at the Tumby Bay Top Tourist Park, right on the beach. It about a 1 1/2km walk from here to the shopping centre. We take our bags and head off each morning straight to the bakery for fresh supplies. Each day we reward ourselves for the long walk (Ha!) and buy a sweet for morning tea, then walk home via the Foodland, butcher, chemist, post office, hardware store or whatever shop we need to stop at. There is a bit of sea weed about at the moment, but it's not here all the time....we just got lucky! Doesn't bother me though. Still clear areas you can swim in.

It's a great way to start the day. Later on we head over to the beach for another walk or perhaps a swim. Peaceful, clean, pretty. What more could you want?? If you do want more shops, then slot in a visit to Port Lincoln which is a major town and has everything you could need. Only 50kms down the road. Too easy.

I'm thinking we will be back here again in the future.

Port Lincoln S.A. Beautiful sunsets, delicious seafood, great coastline walks.

2018-01-11T22:41:00.001+11:00

It's hard not to like Port Lincoln in South Australia. After all it's said to be the seafood capital of Australia, so if like us you like a bit of fresh fish, prawns, scallops, oysters or crayfish, you can find plenty of it here and more. Every cafe, restaurant, or pub you go into for a meal is guaranteed to have some seafood on the menu. Delicious!

So far we have enjoyed a variety of fish cooked a variety of ways as well as prawns, calamari and scallops & oysters kilpatrick. We were keen to try the crayfish also, but when we saw the price (AUS$150/kg) we decided we would stick to prawns!!! Crayfish are very popular and expensive I suppose because 95% of crays are exported to Asia!!! Anyway as we had crayfish for Christmas at our nephews (he shouted) we decided that would do us!

The Esplanade is lovely here. Beach front, then grass beneath tall pine trees, then the main street and shops! What's not to like. Oh and the pier on the Esplanade has a designated swimming area in the deeper part, so you can swim without the sharks! Tourist places here do offer swimming with the sharks for the adventurous, but that's not me!

We were planning on staying 3 nights but have made it 6 nights. Enjoying the mild weather (about 23C) and cool nights (about 15C). People are friendly and the Caravan Park is a short drive or a 4km walk from the main shops. Nice park, good amenities, clean, tidy and lots of shade and grass. Also a pier here for the fishing folk and a small beach for those who want to paddle or swim. Lovely walks in either direction along the coast from the Caravan Park.

We went up to the look out today and enjoyed the views over town and the ocean. Very pretty spot. Will mark this one as somewhere to come back to again.

Went back to the lookout to see the sunset (behind us) and watch the colours in the sky and the light in town. Gorgeous!!


On the Esplanade looking out to sea.


On the pier. The swimming pool is the rectangle on the side.


Moody skies on our walk today, but beautiful. Didn't rain either.


Lovely coastal walks for kilometers.


Beautiful sunsets over the caravan park.

Sunset skies

Sunset from Port Lincoln Top Tourist Park where we are staying.

The lights reflected in our car bonnet.

Dusk over Port Lincoln

Gorgeous clouds and colour. No enhancements, as photographed.


View over town and ocean & ski from the lookout. Beautiful clouds The last glimpses of colour in the sky over Port Lincoln Beautiful sunset from Winters Lookout. Gorgeous colours in the sky. No enhancements, as photographed. Dusk at Port Lincoln. The Pier at night The Esplanade from the Pier. Red lights under the trees along the Esplanade.

Walpole WA, Valley of the Giants, Treetop Walk - Australia

2017-12-14T15:22:00.000+11:00

The Coalmine Beach Caravan Park is nestled in the bush just out of Walpole. It's and idealic location with its lovely beach frontage for nature walks and easy driving to local attractions such as The Tall Trees Walkway, Giant Tingle Tree, The Walpole-Nornalup Inlet for boaties who like fishing, and during Whale watching season you can watch the migration of whales on the South Coast. The Walpole-Normalup National Park covers 18,000 hectares and basically encircles the town. With it's spectacular tall Kari trees it's beautiful just to drive through. We did the Hilltop Gully Rd to the Giant Tingle Tree (paved walking paths from the car park), then left onto Allen Rd, completing a circuit of beautiful forest driving on excellent well maintained dirt roads(suitable for any vehicle). The Giant Tingle Tree was as promised....GIANT.

We went on over to Valley of the Giants in order to do the tree top walk - AMAZING!!! The walk is suspended 40 metres into the forest canopy, which is not the top of these amazing trees. They can grow over 70 metres high!! Truely beautiful. Lots of birds calling, but very difficult to see them. You can take your time on the tree top walk, and go around it more than once if you like. Well worth the money. Also they have The Ancient Empire Walk (ground level) that you can wander through and here you can see the gorgeous Fairy Wrens (hard to get a photo, they move so quickly) and many other birds. Wildflowers are scattered throughout the bush here and are beautiful. Some are so tiny you wonder how they survive.
We spent a few hours here as it was a good day weather wise and seating is provided throughout the valley walk. Highly recommend a visit here.


Can you spot the 2 Fairy Wrens?

Great Places To Visit - Manjimup W.A. - Fonty's Pool & Caravan Park

2017-12-10T00:31:00.001+11:00

It's December and the Cherry Festival is in full swing in Manjimup W.A. It's a quaint little town that really knows how to have some fun. The festival runs for a few days and has a large produce market on the Saturday morning as well as lots of various stall holders. They put on a great show with dignitaries (W.A. Premier) doing the official opening of the Cherry Festival. Lots of entertainment to watch and plenty of things to look at or purchase. They expected about 10,0000 people to attend, so no little thing! The also had a parade of vehicles, police band, drummers, fancy dress, fire truck, semi-trailers, just to name a few. A very entertaining morning was had by yours truly and hubby. As it was about 35C today we left about lunch time and retreated to the peace and quiet of Fonty's Pool & Caravan Park where we are staying with our caravan.

What a great spot Fonty's Pool is!!!!! A MUST if you come to W.A. especially in summer! The pool is a lake that was set up as a swimming pool back in about 1940 by a local family. It's set amongst acerage of lush green grass, gardens and trees. There are cabins for the non caravan or camping people and good facilities. We originally booked in for 2 nights and liked it so much we decided to stay for 4!!!!


The Drummers in the parade.

Delicious local cherries.


Entrance to Fonty's Pool & Caravan Park


Sunset over Fonty's Pool


Diving Platform


Night Herron & Ducks


Sunset

Great Places To Visit - Prevelly Western Australia. Surfing Paradise, Beautiful Beaches.

2017-12-06T00:34:00.000+11:00

Visiting the lovely little village of Prevelly W.A. Gorgeous beaches and lovely coastline.
Very windy today as evidenced by the seagulls sitting on the fence!!


Windy Surfer

You know it's windy when the seagulls sit down!

Walkway to the beach.

Great Places To Visit-Fraser Range Station WA.

2017-10-19T15:14:00.001+11:00

We recently crossed the Nullabor from East to West and stopped at Fraser Range Station for 2 nights for a breather. It's only 3kms off the main road, on a well graded dirt road (we don't have a 4 x 4 caravan) and is peaceful, beautiful, with good amenities that are cleaned daily. We liked it so much we ended up staying 5 nights.

They offer a main meal each evening which varies in price depending on the menu. The caravan park is excellent with plenty of shade and they are adding to it and doing up the old shearing shed to be another amenities block and office. They also have unpowered sites, and camping sites. Very well set out. They are developing more sites for the future.

Fraser Range Station is a MUST stop for a good look at an Australian Working Station that has diversified. They have an assortment of walking tracks well sign posted which allow you to see different sections of Australian Bush and animals. We went on a couple of the tracks available and saw, kangaroos, lizards, wallabies, emu's, a variety of birds, a python or two (not poisonous), goats, sheep and I can't remember what else! They have a little golf course also which is part of the Nullabor Plains Course.

Staff are friendly and welcoming and very hospitable. We purchased tickets each day for the evening meal and thoroughly enjoyed it! You get sweets as well in the price! They have an assortment of drinks on sale at regular prices. We had a stubby of beer, which was served icy cold.....just how beer should be! The food was good and the company great. They had tables set and you just sit anywhere with your fellow campers. Good camaraderie all around. Lovely way to end a day getting to know fellow travellers whilst enjoying a cold drink and a lovely meal.

A very enjoyable break. We will be staying there again, and can only highly recommend it.


Traded for a camel!


The entry drive way.


A local getting a drink.


The watering hole! Meals to.


Units


The garden.


Camp Kitchen and Nullabar - meals and drinks!

The Office.


The Caravan park Amenities Block.


The fire pit for fun on cold nights.


Busy bee.


Lovely shade and views from caravan powered sites


To the golf course, or for a walk.


Wildflowers

Great Places To Visit- Wilmington S.A. - Mt. Remarkable - Flinders Rangers.

2017-10-05T19:22:00.000+11:00

Just spent a week in the Beautiful Valley Caravan Park. Old park, but very clean, plenty of hot water and very peaceful. Like country people's attitude to life. The have "resident lawn mowers." They are a small mob of friendly sheep and a creamy miniature mare called Snowy. Adorable! The kids of all ages love them. Really enjoyed our stay here at it truly is a beautiful valley. Our stay included a drive up to Hancocks Lookout, which is a must by the way. Also we went for a walk along one of the bush tracks. About 5kms through the bush, over rocky creek beds etc. Gorgeous scenery.

The area was originally named Beautiful Valley, as was the township of Wilmington, but the named was changed to Wilmington due to confusion with a local property by the same name. So the town is Wilmington, the local Cafe and Caravan Park are Beautiful Valley...

They have a great service station/grocery store/hardware store, come everything store at Wilmington also. The prices are reasonably for everything. We shopped there for diesel, food, groceries, and odds and ends. Staff are typical of country, friendly and welcoming.

The weather was great also. 20-30C every day. Spring time.

This area is filled with history. Lots of old ruins to see. I love old buildings. Something about them. Anyway, here are some pics from our stay in Wilmington and our tripping about the local area.

We also enjoyed bush walking/trekking around the Mt. Remarkable area. LOTS of different trails to tackle depending on your fitness level. We chose easier tracks to moderate. That was PLENTY challenging enough for us. Paths are easier to see and well signed at the beginning. I took a photo of the map of the area before we left the car park....just in case!
Had no problems, really enjoyed our walk. When we got back to the car park, we pulled out our fold up chairs and sat in the shade and enjoyed our picnic we had bought with us. We deserved it! The cup of tea was especially welcome!


Canyon Walk


Creek Bed Walk


Original National Bank - Wilmington


Beautiful Valley Caravan Park - Wilmington


"Snowy" the lawn mower.


Tenacious trees!


Reflections in rock pool


Look up!

Canyon Walk


Dry Creek Bed Walk


Where the water flows, it grows.


Beautiful canyon walls

Gum growing against/into rock wall.

Bush walking near Mt. Remarkable.


Old ruins


The Stables


Old Shearing Shed


Click go the shears boys.


Mt. Remarkable.


Dry Creek Bed near Melrose.


Needing a drink.


Beautiful Red Gum


Melrose Memorial Lookout


Melrose Memorial Lookout


Moving the mob.

Great Places To Visit - Quorn, Melrose, Port Germein, Port Perie, South Australia

2017-09-30T20:43:00.000+10:00

South Australia is filled with beautiful scenery, and interesting towns. Some we have visited lately are: Quorn-Historic Old Ghan Rail Line, Port Augusta-larger town for shopping,Port Germein-longest peir, Melrose-quaint shops-Mt. Remarkable, Port Perie-Industrial town, larger town for shopping also.

We are staying at Beautiful Valley Caravan Park in Wilmington whilst visiting this area. Older caravan park with only 3 1/2 star rating, but don't be put off by that. Whilst the amenities are old, they are clean and tidy and functional. We are enjoying this cute little park with it's resident "lawn mowers", a small mob of very friendly sheep and a miniature pony called Snowy. Great place to stay for families, animal lovers, peace and quiet, central location to the above towns, etc, etc. We have a caravan so a powered site was all we required. Cheap at $25/night for 2 adults. Would recommend this park if you don't mind older facilities as we don't so long as they are functional and clean.

I like horses so am enjoying "Snowy" the creamy miniature pony. He enjoys the back scratches and apple cores I give him. We are friends already.

From here its only a 20minute drive to Melrose. It was the annual Melrose Show today: 30th September 2017. Great country show complete with side show alley, horse riding events, car display, cattle judging, sheep dog trials, various food stalls, a band, assorted sheds with arts and crafts etc, and amusements such as "The Sheep Races." This consisted of metal sheep attached to a long rope. The object being to pull your sheep over the finish line first. Funny to watch. There were several heats for both female and male "racers", and a Grand Final Event. Most entertaining day. If you've never been to a country show, then you are missing out on a fun and entertaining day filled with plenty to see and do and lots of food!


Melrose main street


Melrose main street


Melrose main street


Melrose main street


Melrose main street


Melrose Show Entertainment.


Country Farm supplies

Side Show Alley


Side Show Alley


Rides and smiles


Sheep Dog Trials


Cattle Judging


The winner is..


Plenty to crow about!


Ducks 'aint just ducks, Ducky.


The "Sheep" Races - Men


And the winner is......


First sheep to finish in the men's race.


Nice and green around Melrose


Old ruins along the road.


Port Perie


Port Perie


Quorn Service Station


Quorn Railway Yard.


Quorn Railway Station from the railway yards.


Quorn Railway Yards


Historic buildings in Quorn

Information on the Old Ghan Line.


Quorn Railway Station from the street


Quorn Historic building.


Port Augusta


Port Augusta


Salt Lake Port Augusta


Port Germein History


Port Germein Wharf

What is it?


Historic water depth metre


Why So Long?


Port Germein Peir


Half way out looking back to town.


Half way out looking towards the end!


Port Germein Wharf

Great Places To Visit - Wilpena Pound - Ikara - Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia.

2017-09-23T19:24:00.001+10:00

If you like me have not been to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, then you are missing out.....big time! I had seen photos etc of the area, but not actually been here. So glad we put it on our "to do" list!

We are staying at Wilpena Pound Caravan/camping/resort. There are limited powered sites here. We have a 24ft caravan, even more limited sites. So a word of warning: If you plan to bring your over 20ft caravan/motorhome etc here, ring first and check availability. If you don't want a powered site, or you are camping, then it's not so hard to get in, except perhaps for school holidays. You decide. Worse comes to worse you can try Rawnsley Park Station or one of the other stations in the area that take caravans and travellers. Or you can go to Hawker Caravan Park. It's very nice and you could visit the Jeff Morgan Art Gallery while you are there. That's a definite must do by the way even if you're not staying there. Anyway I digress.

Wilpena Pound Caravan/Camping Park is in the National Park. The grounds are lovely. It's very dry here at the moment so a bit of dust. What else could you expect when there's been no rain. The trees and shrubs and the creek bed are beautiful, as is the wildlife that wanders, flys, hops, struts, creeps through.

Warning! Do NOT feed or approach the wildlife. They are wild, and that's the way they should stay. The kangaroos in particular are great to watch as they graze and gaze at you. They are cautions and keep their distance, as it should be. If they had been fed by people then, they become aggressive demanding/taking food. Dangerous animals then. It's so nice to be able to walk near them here and observe them in their natural state. We had a mother and her joey right at the back of our caravan a number of times, grazing and resting in the shade. She kept a respectable distance away and no one bothered her, so she stayed for quiet some time. Mind you they do have some fencing around some of the areas with tracks winding through them for the humans to walk on to go to the amenities etc. The wildlife go where ever they like!

An emu with chicks casually walked straight through the fence and then strolled of down "the road" yesterday. They have right of way of coarse. Lovely green ring necked parrots fly in late in the afternoon and much, much more. So much to see and do here. LOTS of walks. Do check the weather, etc before you go for one of the many walks. Only go on a trek to suit your fitness level. There are a variety of walks, of varying lengths and difficulty here.

We choose the homestead/Wangara walk/trek. The easiest of the bunch to do. Suited us beginners well.

Emu and chicks wandering through our camp!


Massive Red Gums - burnt out by still alive and growing


Wilpena Creek Bed - dry.


One of the easier treks.

Views from some of the many lovely walks/treks available within Wilpena Pound. I'm not going to name them all. You'll have to come and visit and work them out for yourself!


Some of the wildlife you might see on a walk.


We also took our 4 x 4 on some of the sightseeing tracks.

The dirt roads are well maintained withing the area, we found and easy to navigate with a 4 x 4. They are not especially made for other vehicles though. Even though the road in the above picture looks great, and it is, it is still a bit corrugated at times so not good for regular vehicles.

Below are some of the magnificent views we visited in our 4 x 4 to various lookouts in the region. Gorgeous scenery even in dry conditions as they are now.

The township of Blinman is not far away. We went for a drive for lunch at the pub. Highly recommend it. Nice town. There is a mine here that takes tours as well, which is interesting. You'll have to come and see that yourself.

Do pay attention and read the bushwalking signs you will see around. They are very informative and helpful. Just might save your life or at least save you some distress. They are very accurate with their walking/trek times we found. We are beginners at trekking so paid close attention to the information here and followed it. Enjoyed our walks immensely.

Australia is a very hot, dry country. DO heed the temperature warnings. It's VERY easy to dehydrate out here when walking/trekking. Pay attention to these signs and take note of the information. It's for your safety.

Alright I'll tell you where this trek was. It's the Wangara Lookout trek. There are 2 lookouts on this one. We checked them both out. Well worth the effort. As it was going to get to 32C on the day we wanted to walk this trek we left at 8.00am and were back home by 11.30am. The temperature had reached about 26C by then. So it was a good time to be finished, home safe and rest and hydrate for the afternoon when it got hotter.

Were is the start of the track? Oh thank you. That way!

The homestead.

There is still water here. It is not for us tourists to swim in as this would pollute it for the animals who need the water to survive.

This is the easy part of the trek. You can cheat a bit if you want and catch the tour bus to near the homestead from Wilpena and this will take about 3-4 kms off your walk. So instead of walking about 9kms you only walk about 6kms. This is the easiest and shortest of the walks from Wilpena Pound.

Naturally if you are not a walker/trekker than don't worry, as I said earlier there are heaps of lookouts accessible by 4 x 4 so you will still be able to see a great deal of the area. We did the lot! Stayed 7 nights in Wilpena Pound so we could do something different each day. Really enjoyed our stay and would certainly come back for another visit.

Great Places To Visit - Arkaroola - Mt Painter Wilderness Sanctuary - S.A. - Australia

2017-09-16T21:05:00.000+10:00

Do yourself a big favour and visit this amazing part of South Australia. Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary has a huge variety of accommodation options from 4 x 4 Caravan and camping, powered, un-powered, and camp sites to budget rooms to very comfortable motel rooms.

This amazing sanctuary has lots to offer from 4 x 4 Ridge Top Tours, to numerous mapped 4 x 4 self drive tours, numerous walking tracks of various lengths and walking abilities to astronomy, scenic plane flights or you can just sit around and enjoy the peace and quiet. There's also a great restaurant that serves a good variety of delicious meals.

We decided to do the Ridge Top Tour. Naturally you have to book for anything you want to do as there are a large number of people staying here at one time and that changes daily.

Our driver/guide Steve is an experienced 4 x 4 driver and has an extensive knowledge of the area, it's history, it animals, plants and minerals. He's one of a group of experienced tour guides here. So if you're a native plant lover, a native animal lover or a budding geologist, perhaps even an enthusiastic landscape photographer, this is a tour you will enjoy. Oh yeah, and if you want a look first hand at what it's like to do some serious 4 x 4 steep, rocky driving, then do this tour and take a peek. Steve loaded us (8 adults) into the back of the Toyota and instructed everyone to put on their seat belts with a mischievous grin. Little did we know what was coming!
Fun, laughter, rock and rolling, stunning landscapes, hair raising descents, and panoramic ridge top lookouts, with a cup of tea and a lamington! Our 4 1/2hr, 50klm trip was the best thing I've EVER done.......seriously!

First we all carefully kept our seat on the bench we were individually buckled to. Then we came to the locked gateway, were Steve announced through his headset to us, that only the tours can come this way. That's why it's locked! Closing it again behind us we were off! The road was very rocky, with some large boulders that Steve carefully navigated us either around or over. All the while he was chatting away to us and pointing out areas of interest, flora or fauna and pulling up, where possible for us to take photos. It wasn't long before we reached our first climb.....rocky, bumpy, rocking from side to side......we soon gave up the personal space idea and happily jostled and rocked around together, in shrieks of laughter and good natured bantering. What the heck, the views were indescribable, spectacular, and then yellow tailed wallibies, kangaroos, emus with chicks, flowering plants in yellow, white, cream, red, all were brought to our attention and where possible our camera lens by the ever pointing, narrating, amicable driver...Steve.
His knowledge was incredible. He answered all questions with honesty and a good knowledge and obvious love of this area.

We eventually reached the top of a majestic rocky cliff where Steve announced we would be stopping for morning tea. We all hopped out camera's in hand with panoramic views to snap away at, while Steve produced some thermoses, tea, coffee, and milo and then the best yet.........chocolate lamingtons!!! We spent some time consuming these and the view, enjoying the sunshine. Then Steve rounded us up for the trip back....down steep inclines, up steep slopes, over rocky creek beds, and back through the locked gates.....all still in one piece......though perhaps a little "shaken but not stirred."

Visit: www.arkaroola.com.au or click on the link above to go to the web site also.


Arkaroola Village at Sunset


4 x 4 tour


Flinders Ranges - Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary


Rocks ain't just rocks!


Fun and games. Yes please!


And to your left or was that to your right?


Rock and roll!


Male emu and chicks. Dad does the babysitting in this family.


Walk anyone?


Can you spot the person amongst the giant boulders?


Beautiful gum blossom.


Flowering among the rocks.


Beautiful butterflies mating in the spiny wattle. Living dangerously!

Great Places To Visit - Peterborough S.A. - Steam Train Enthusiasts

2017-09-11T19:40:00.000+10:00

This blog is for all you train enthusiasts out there. I'm thinking of joining you.

Peterborough in South Australia is a fantastic place for train lovers. They have small replicas at either entrances to town as well as a big train museum. Trains still run through the town also. Yes, here in Peterborough they are a steam train and diesel train loving bunch. I thoroughly enjoyed the Steam Train Museum. They even got a "head of steam" up on the loco on display. Fake steam of course, but it looked good.

So if your planning on going to South Australia for a holiday, put Peterborough on your list, especially if you have train loving children, or a husband who is keen.

The local caravan park is comfortable and clean if you have a van or some such item. If not, they do have cabins as well.

There is also a variety of other accommodation available depending on your budget. The main street is very interesting if you like old architecture as I do. The historic old pubs (I counted 3 but there could be more) also offer meals. We ate at the Peterborough Hotel (the one with the motorbike on the roof). The caravan park people own this pub and lease out the dining area. The meals were nice, and budget priced. You can also get take a way food there.

Nice old historic town, we stayed with our caravan for 2 nights and enjoyed it.

Great Places To Visit - Swan Hill, Mildura.

2017-09-02T18:03:00.000+10:00


Pioneer Settlement Swan Hill


Murray River from the Caravan Park at Swan Hill

Swan Hill on the Murray River is a nice little pioneer town. We stayed 2 nights here on the Murray River in the Caravan Park in town. Nice walk to the shops and back or a short drive if you're not up to walking. Good amenities in the park as it's all been re-done about 5 years ago. Enjoyed out stay here. For tourists there is the Pioneer Settlement to wander through and see a bi-gone era and the history of the town. Very interesting.

Moved onto Mildura for our next stop. Staying in town, at the Top Tourist Park - All Seasons. Small park right near a shopping centre, Coles, Woolworths, Target etc. Easy walk to Coles, almost next door. Being on the Calder Hwy it is a little noisy, but didn't bother us. This park is small which we like. The amenities are old, but kept clean and tidy and everything works as it should. We are staying about 5 days. Lots to see in the local area, with it being the food hub. Also wineries in the area. Mungo National Park is about 110Klm away.

We are enjoying a few quiet days on The Murray, walking in the parks, watching the people, the pelicans and the paddle steamers! For those who would like a ride on the paddle steamers they do a 2hr run along the river.


Paddle Steamer at Mildura


Wharf at Mildura


Park near the wharf Mildura

Great Places To Visit - Cohuna Victoria, Australia

2017-08-30T17:40:00.001+10:00

Cohuna : A great country Victorian town with an interesting and pretty weir right in the heart of town. It's spring time and it's lovely to walk along the paths and admire the gum trees and the wattles in flower. There are an assortment of Cafes and eateries in this historic old town as well as banks etc.

If you own a caravan or RV then you can camp free for 3 nights in a nice grassy area, which is beautiful, or you can book into the caravan park a short distance away. The tourist information is in the heart of town also with parking available for caravans etc. Nice spot, worth a stop and look at least.

Just a bit further "up the road" is Lake Boga. Very pretty. We stopped here to have a "cuppa" from our Thermos and enjoyed the view.

Great Places To Visit - Fremantle WA - Australia

2017-02-07T19:26:00.000+11:00

Spending a few weeks in beautiful historic Fremantle WA. Lovely spot. Lots of history. Very friendly people. Free buses (called Cats) which travel in 2 different loops (blue cat and red cat) in the area. Great to hop on and off to check out different locations/tourist spots,etc. We are staying at a B and B, separate self contained unit only 10minutes walk from the Fremantle markets. Great locations. Nice unit. There is a Fremantle cat bus stop out front! So convenient. Jump on and off to the beach or the markets, or the malls, the post office, the railway station etc, etc. It literally takes you anywhere of interest in it's long loop but it's only 15 minutes to do a full circuit.

Enjoying the beautiful weather Freo has turned on for us. Highly recommend a visit to this fascinating part of Australia. The beaches here are fantastic!!!! Plenty of restaurants to pick from and all we have tried so far have been good.

Benny's Bar and Cafe had to be good....our son's name is Ben! LOL And it was good food and good coffee. As I was there for brunch it was a bit early in the day for me to try out the bar.

On the weekend we went for a short drive on the coast to Mandurah. Great spot! Lots to see and do. Highly recommend a visit here. It's only about 45minutes drive from Fremantle.


This is the kitchen/dining area of our cute little B and B unit.


Bathers Beach Huts


Benny's Bar & Cafe


Warf


Free "Cat" bus stop No 2


Sunset on the marina


Morning tea at Mandurah


Bathers Beach Fremantle at Sunset


Bathers Beach at Sunset

Great Places To Visit - Birrarung marr Night Noodle Markets - Melbourne - Australia

2016-11-12T11:12:00.000+11:00

Southgate

Friday night. What to do for something different for date night? Ok. So maybe a train trip into the city. Get off at Flinders Street station and walk across the road to Birrarung marr. Take a leisurely walk along the Yarra and check out the Noodle Markets. We're early, so no crowds yet. Had a look about and then we decided we rather sit at one of the pub/restaurants on the river, enjoy an ale and some tapas. It's Melbourne right? We have multiple choices. So we wandered back from the Noodle Markets, left those to the rest of Melbourne and went to Pilgrams, found an indoor seat (the outdoor ones were already full) facing the gorgeous brick archway, made ourselves comfortable, and our waitress magically appeared with menus and took our drinks order while we were deciding what to eat. Sat back in our comfy soft chairs we managed to snaffle, sipped on our icy cold Carlton Draught and watched the city, the people, and the Yarra in front of us. Nice way to spend an evening. We shared the food, ordered some desserts, pot of tea, relaxed, chatted and watched the world go by. Our waitress was delightfully cheerful and attentive.
We left her a nice tip for her beautiful smile and "no problems" attitude. We need to encourage this type of thing after all.

Anyway, if you want a nice night out in Melbourne, especially now the weather is lovely outside, then use the train system if it's handy to you, and then you can enjoy a drink or two and some walking, which is good for you. We enjoyed our leisurely night out, wandered through Southgate after dinner, over the foot bridge again and back to Flinders Street Station and home by train.

Melbourne truly is a very livable and beautiful cosmopolitan city.

Birrarung mar Noodle markets before the crowd.

Cooking before the night markets.


People starting to arrive.

Step up and order.


City backdrop


Birrarung mar walk

Yarra River


Pilgram. Inside looking out.

Cold Carlton Draught Beer


Federation Square from Birrarung mar.

Melbourne Skyline


Looking at the city from Birrarung mar

Dining out on the Yarra.

City Tram.


Eureka Tower


Kinky Boots at the Theatre.


Melbourne skyline.


Dusk


Southgate

Christmas is just around the corner.


Admiring the view.


Street Art


Street Theatre

Great Places To Visit - Archibald Art Exhibition in Ballarat 2016.

2016-11-11T12:20:00.001+11:00

Spent a lovely day wandering around beautiful Ballarat. The Archibald Art Exhibition was held in the Ballarat Art Gallery again this year....it's last one in Ballarat, Vic.

A small group of friends and I travelled by train from Melbourne to view the exhibition and spend a day out of the city.

The train trip from Melb to Ballarat was relaxing. We passed the time with chit chat and scenery watching or snoozing.

Walked from the train station up to the exhibition, which was a short easy walk, browsed around the gallery, then selected a spot for lunch, enjoyed a nice glass of wine with lunch, then a gentle stroll back to the train station to catch the 2.20pm train back to Melb. Back in time to catch the local train home before peak hour rush.

A tired but happy bunch of Archibald wanders!

Recommend a train trip to Ballarat even without the Archibald Art Exhibition. The Art Gallery itself is worth a trip to visit and then wander around the town. Nice area of the country and plenty of good spots to stop for a meal.

The Garry McDonald painting was my fav. There were plenty of artworks to look at and consider. I believe the Barry Humphries portrait was the "winner". I always enjoy looking at the many artworks and marvelling at how talented people are. Some interpretations leave me a little "speechless" but I remind myself that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we all see things differently and think differently.

A trip to the Archibald Art Exhibition is a day well spent I believe. This is Ballarat's 2nd year of hosting the Archibald's so I've been told it gets moved every 2 years. I have no idea where it will be next time, but guess I will find out.

Great Tasty, healthy, heart friendly, vegan friendly, diabeties friendly, recipe. Polenta with Beans and Mango Salsa

2016-11-04T14:55:00.000+11:00

Polenta topped with Beans. Mango salsa on the side. Garnished with coriander (celantro).

Here is a delicious, healthy, dish . It's easy to make, but takes a little time as there are 3 components to it. Worth the effort as any leftovers can be turned into an assortment of other dishes. This amount serves about 4-6 depending on how hungry you are! I make it for myself and eat it in an assortment of ways for the next couple of days, so it makes easy cooking for me after the initial recipe.

Firstly make your polenta, then your salsa as these need time. Then lastly cook your bean mix. As the bean mix is cooking, take your polenta out of the refrigerator, slice it and place onto baking paper lined slice tray and lightly brown in the oven; about 15mins at 180C. Place on serving plate, top with bean mix and garnish with coriander. Put a generous dollop of mango salsa on the side.

The beans and salsa are delicious in a wrap of any kind, i.e. tortilla's, with chopped fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

Also good in jacket potatoes.

Sure you will think of other uses for this recipe, it's very versatile.