Robinvale to Coonabarrabran Weeks 57-60+

      Robinvale to Coonabarrabran

                    Weeks 57 - 60+

Hello world. We are back. Forgive us for we have been lax , lazy and late, putting off wjhat can be done today till ‘manyana”. Thus more than three weeks have  flown without us sharing our travels and travails.

You are lucky memory fades with age so we will be succinct . Since our last blog, we have meandered , gone with the flow, the lay of the land, in a general direction and without direction. Leaving Berri we fond ourselves in Robinvale, still following the Murray, crossing between states as we crossed the muddy waters, not nearly as attractive as our earlier experiences. This part of the river has not benefited from the flow from the Darling River and is much narrower and muddier.

We found Swan Hill far less enticing than Swan Reach where we had spent those idyllic days soaking in the colour changes on the riverside cliffs. From Swan Hill through to Bendigo, we feel we have already seen the best. We are starting to feel the cold and long for sunny days to get at least an impression of warmth.

Bendigo was a surprise stop. There are big city moments with parks and statues, towers to climb and history to discover. Steeples and historic buildings needle the skyline. The Bendigo pottery has lots of product to tempt a few dollars to fly from your pocket amidst the huge kilns from yesteryear, many still in use.

Still feeling the cold, why oh why are we traveling further south? We of course need to see Eric and his lovely lady Jacqui. It is a few years since we have seen Eccles in person, so it was great to take in the Wee Willy Winky hat and his contented smile. As a Mum it is a relief to see one of your children content with life. See you in July Eric and Jacqui.

Melbourne is full of surprises on the street. We missed out on the Tutenkhamun exhibition, booked out during our time there, but we still got to explore the museum and wander the streets and markets, reminding us of earlier visits. Eric lives not far from Brunswick Street, streaming with life and colour day and night. While he went to work we enjoyed a pleasant evening with Jacqui at a local vegetarian restaurant so popular there was a half hour wait for a table. Well worth the wait was the popular opinion of all. The train and bus journeys from Rockbank, our “Bedrock” caravan park was a bit of an education for naive northerners, but we survived and are still smiling. A visit to the big city is always an adventure.

Now we are in a phase of travel where the destination has become more important than the journey, a distinct deviation from our prior attitudes. Just past Glenrowan, we stop for a free camp at Oxley, a very pleasant, but cold, night by the river. We are passing through history, promising ourselves a return when we have more time to linger and savour.

We find ourselves finally heading in the right direction - home, but the Easter traffic defeats us and we pull in to Holbrook on the Hume Highway. The traffic is unbelievable, and the bakery in the main street has a line up out the door and into infinity. The local businesses are smiling, but everyone else just wants it to go away. We find a lovely blackwood table her circa 1910 just right for our small space at home for a very reasonable $850. The problem was to get it home was going to cost $700, so it is just a memory, left behind.

Of course when we reach Gundagai, we have to stop awhile to see the famous dog, festooned in the autumnal colours so foreign to North Queelnslanders who do not experience autumn.

Through the southern stares we have encountered a multitude of vintage, kit and pre-loved cars that have been restored to states of splendour. Perhaps it is the season to motor and show off.

Deja vue comes into play as we arrive in Canberra. Last time we stayed in a five star unit and this time in a third world park. Last time we road around the Lake on bikes and this time we watched hobbiests sailing boats and fishermen catching carp for no other reason than the pleasure of catching them and lugging more gear than a family would need for a camping weekend. Very strange.

Last time we visited Questicon and we did again. Brian is very keen to introduce his grandson to the mysteries of science as soon as he and his unborn cousin are old enough. We meandered around the National Portrait Gallery which was a history lesson in itself and some great portraits to boot. The National Gallery is another matter. It represents art through history and much of it needs an imagination to figure why anyone would buy it in the first place.

I waited while he went hight into the telstra tower and satisfied his quest for knowledge. I would rather keep my feet firmly planted. We did learn in Canberra that caravan fridges are wider than the doorway ( and the windows) so repairing them is easier said than done, especially if the repairman wants you to bring the repair to him. The one we convinced to come to us we later found lived in a warren of tunnel roads wide enough for a smart car, studded with roundabouts like diamonds in an eternity ring - Canberra likes circular roads and roundabouts. When you arrive, there is no space for parking, even driveways are from “Honey I shrank the kids”. Long story cut short and the wallet lightened we still have a nonworking fridge, but lucky to have a back-up Trailblazer in the car.

Heading on we continue through more history. We find ourselves in Cowra, enjoying a very pleasant, but slightly wet game of Monday golf and finding out about the Japanese prison break in WW2. It was incredible just how many POW’s there were here in those times.

Interspersing caravan parks with free camping we wend our way further north, taking time to stop outside Parkes at the famous Dish. Brian delights in these investigations. Part of the display are some 3D movies, so the main thing I learnt was that a 3D TV is not on my wish list.

Been there, done that we arrive at Coonabarrabran. As we drive toward it we see the Warrumbungles, the Breadknife especially where years ago I stood transfixed, unable to move in any direction I was so afraid. Part of me is happy we are just passing through, but I am sure we would have lots to do if we lingered a few more days. We did visit the rock shop and I got another ‘memory necklace’ to add to my collection.

The highway has been busy - trucks zoom day and night so we do our best to make sure they aren’t held up. Believe it or not, today we passed a car. Now that my friends is a rare event indeed.

We are looking forward to our homecoming, having friends swanning in for a chat and a cuppa - bring it on. Just a few weeks around Brisbane now catching up and we are really on our way - home at last.

Cheers

The languishing Nomads

Kangaroo Island to Berri Weeks 55-56

              Kangaroo Island to Berri

                      Weeks 55-56

Our final days on Kangaroo Island were spent at Kingscote and Penneshaw, to delightful sunny days. Now it is not difficult to imagine why this is a popular destination. We call into American River where there is cheaper camping available, but it is not suitable for our van. We could get in if it was empty, but if anyone else arrived we would be in trouble.

Both townships boast golf courses but you can’t play them all, so we contented ourselves with nine at Penneshaw, just beside our accommodation. We are getting some exercise.

Brian had one last must do, the sheep dairy. They were cute lining up for the twice daily milking, and the cheeses including some interesting haloumi and some platter cheese as well not unlike a strong cheddar that appealed to our palates, but perhaps not our waistlines.

At last we found ourselves with a much calmer journey back to the mainland. The plan was to renew our provisions and head off along the Murray on our way through to Victoria. Oh what innocents we are. Remember those “I think I can” hills? We survived the ups, but not the downs. The linings of the brake shoes on one wheel separated and the wheel was trying to lock. Another traveler followed us back into Victor Harbour to let us know there was a strong burning smell coming from the van, but no smoke. Of course the parts were obscure and only available from Melbourne. Thus we spent the majority of the week shivering and waiting.

We did have some great fish and chips on the foreshore at Port Elliot. Middleton, the next port of call has some wild looking brown surf, and lots of eager learners. From here it is a hop step and a jump to Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island, so close to where we were two weeks ago.

Believe it or not, we did get a round of, you guessed it, golf at Victor Harbour. Wow! Manicured fairways and greens. My score dropped half a dozen points. What a pleasure here. Murphy’s Law prevailed and the day the brakes were repaired and we moved on, the weather was magnificent.

Brian has his heart set on some free camping so we stop at Langhorne Creek for a very pleasant stopover. This proved to be a “small world” experience as the people in the next van recognized me, but we didn’t really know each other. They were from Centennary Park. Turns out they learned to dance with Diana and knew Robyn and Lawrence from way back - their names were Mary and Tom and wanted to be remembered to Diana. I used to ride my bike through that area a lot when I was on my fitness jag so maybe that’s where they remember me from. Who knows.

The following day we learnt who pays the ferryman. Not us. They are free. Apparently there are 11 crossings, and we did only do three of them, but several times on the last, Swan Reach, where we spent two idyllic days luxuring less than a stone’s throw from the mighty Murray.

The river is busy with traffic. Paddlesteamers stop here to let passengers ferry across to the local museum. Houseboats make a leisurely glide down, exploring areas that have been too long to explore in recent memory. Canoes slide by with the current. They made need a motor if they are to negotiate their way back upstream. Hopefully they have a better plan. The sunlight on the cliffs here dapples the waters with a golden hue and as the day stretches, the colour intensifies. What a joy life is.

Brian got to have a game of golf here without me. A neighbour looked very hopeful at the sound of “golf” but didn’t want to share clubs, so I let him use mine. I was secretly glad not to go because the day became quite warm, lovely by the river, but uncomfortable for three hours of golf. 

From Swan Reach we have moved on to Berri, to a park by the river here, so the level of ambience has diminished, but we get the opportunity to wash, replenish supplies and fill up the water tanks for the next anticipated free camp destination.

Berri bucks the trend and there is a bridge crossing the Murray, built in the late 1990’s. The locals say they waited through nearly 40 years of promises before it finally happened.

The Murray River National Park here is all but closed to camping, but boat users are free to explore to their hearts’ content. We delighted in the farmer’s market here with all sorts of home made produce, fruits and vegetables. Too many temptations, not all of which remained at the market. The best was a biscotti that you drizzle with water then cover with cheese, tomato, olive oil and whatever your heart desires. You get that marriage of texture and flavour that delights.

Anne, you will be pleased to hear that we also acquired a couple of bottles of local wines to salute the next beautiful sunset.

As I type this, Brian is busy making a grasshopper shield to protect the front grill of the car. He didn’t want the fabric commercial ones for fear of the car overheating on a long hill, so he is making use of mesh and a pop-rivet gun to do the job - he does love a project. I think he will be in the shed a lot when we get home.

Thus our journey is close to leading us to another state, Victoria and a much anticipated visit to Eric and Jacqui, and hopefully the young king Tutenkhamon (which I promise to spell properly next time we meet).

Hope you are all enjoying life as it unfolds.

The ubiquitous Nomads

(almost been everywhere)

Mount Compass to Kangaroo Island Weeks 53-53

      Mount Compass to Kangaroo Island

                       Weeks 53-54

No room at the inn!

We have to move on from Adelaide, but the McLarenvale parks are full as is the esteemed destination, Victor Harbour. We settle on Mount Compass and enjoy peace and quiet, a stones throw away from the areas of interest anyway. What a great find if you don’t want to look out of your window into another stranger’s van.

Here Brian gets all excited about another man’s solution to the problem, how do you navigate your satellite dish from the comfort of inside your van without spending your inheritance? He met another do it yourself man who had the answer, and a very groovy motor home to boot.

We take a spin to Hindmarsh Island ( Secret Women’s Business fame) and view the mouth of the Murray, actually flowing into the sea again. Brian tries to wade out to the birds, but it gets a bit too deep for dry wading. It is a very popular place for “locals” on a long weekend to see the rare sight of water after so many “lean” years.

This is a bit like a journey in reverse because it is our intention to track along the Murray because of the name link, and because it will be at its best. When I was a kid in primary school, I used to shudder every time the River Murray was mentioned as every eye in the class would focus on me. Shame. Now I am anonymous with a new name and find it interesting.

So of course we spend a pleasant few days exploring tourist drives, the many small towns in the district and of course playing at one of the several golf courses in the region. This nomadic lifestyle really is hard to take.

Moving on, we approach Victor Harbour, ready to make up our minds about the next destination. This is a favourite retirement spot for South Australia. It is pleasant. There is a horse drawn tram that pulls a tram over to the island offshore each hour or so. It is pretty and there are plenty of opportunities for walks along the shore.

We find at the Visitor Centre that we can travel to Kangaroo Island for a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than we had been quoted so decide to take the plunge, bite the bullet and go for it.

Brian dreams of backing the caravan onto the ferry which turns out to be a piece of cake for him. Straight as a die.

I dream of a rough passage and seasickness. Got the first but not the second because I took some quells. Lucky choice as we had quite a bit of rise and fall, enough to make it difficult walking around the vessel during the crossing.

We have had quite a few “I think I Can” hills in this region, but none as long and steep as the one leading off the ferry back on the mainland. I caught Brian checking out the towing companies because he is certain we will be buying a new engine for the poor old landcruiser after we attempt it next week. He is a worrier. I say worry about it on the day.

Kangaroo Island is a bit rough around the edges. There is a road system that circles the island, but lots of dirt roads which thread around. If you want to see everything , you must go onto the dirt roads, some much better than others. The one to Vivonne Bay was so corrugated that as we bounced over one section, “Tom Tom” our navigator burst into full voice telling us to turn at the second exit at the roundabout ahead. The bouncing had turned him on and he was still in Victor Harbour.

Our first stay on the island was Penneshaw where the ferry lands. It is very basic and quite overpriced. We drive to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse from here, but everything is closed. A group of tourists pulled up with crossed legs desperate for a loo, so we did discover an unlocked toilet at the back of the cottages to let. As with most things here, even to walk around the light house costs and the entrance is through the Visitors centre, of course closed. It is a long drive over dirt to find disappointment, but that is what is like here. “Tours at 12:30”, or “every third Sunday of the month” is not a way to make the tourists feel welcome.

Our next port of call is Western KI Caravan Park, a stones throw from Flinders Chase National Park. There are Kolas in the trees around you here as well as Cape Barron Geese and of course kangaroos. The park is much more relaxed and close to camping in a national park but with more comforts.

The telephone box here is a beauty. The once horse drawn bread van that serviced the island is now a telecom box. Jenny Jackson was impressed with the name.

The feature spots of Flinders Chase include the Remarkable Rocks. You can tell they are popular, because the road is bitumen all the way.

Brian had a bit of a rest here.

Admirals Arch is the other “must do”. As well as the arch, you get up close and personal with a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals. You have to like that strong “sea smell” but they are delightful to watch. Your $9 park entry has obviously been spent on boardwalks and is very fair for just this experience alone. There are lots of places to camp here as well if you want even more nature. We unfortunately have some ordinary days where the weather gods are not the kindest, but it is still enjoyable.

Brian has been wanting to see Seal Bay. It is a little more expensive here, but again a lot has been spent on board walks. We shiver along and are glad we are not seals, but again we get very close and feel it is worth the journey to see these Australian seals in their natural circumstances.

There are some limestone caves here at Kelly Hill. We arrived just as a tour was starting so took the walks around the top instead. We talked ourselves out of the caves experience as we have been into quite a few over the years and decided to save our dollars.

Parndana is our next stop. Here we find a powered site with no facilities for $10 a day. Great. We have privacy and don’t have to listen to the generators in the free area behind the hotel. We have extended our stay on the island and can wait out the weather to choose some blue sky for our visit to Stokes Bay.

Here you walk out between the rocks to a delightful beach that leads to some very interesting rock formations and a concave cliff that has been weathered over time to its present glory. The other surprise here is the bitumen road. The map shows two, but reality is much more and the whole journey will be tarred in the next few years. That is a good indicator of the popularity of this little part of the island.

Waiting for fine weather, we tackle some of the dirt roads to see the Emu Ridge  eucalyptus oil plant. Brian remembers a film he saw at primary school about the process, still the same today, but is of course disappointed not to see the process in real life. I think it only happens three times a year so you would have to be lucky.

Celine, an orphan local, is not in a hurry to join real life and is happy to stay warmly snuggled for as long as possible.

After once again ditching our honey before the trip over here, we go to Cliffords Honey farm. We are very pleasantly surprised that the prices are real, comparable to what we pay at the supermarket, a little less actually. Well done Cliffords, the honey is yum.

We stretch our legs on the Tea Tree Walk at Murray Lagoon. Here bird life surrounds us. We see a few birds and hear many more. It is quite a pleasant walk and closer to the lagoon it is interesting to see the Ibis platform nests in the low tea trees.

Our final full day here at Parndana we get our usual game of Friday Golf. It is a bit dear for the standard of the course. We are back to playing in the rough ways, no fairways. Brian got a bit testy but it was still OK. Playing golf in 14 degrees is very strange for us, but once the sun shone, it was very pleasant indeed.

Today we are preparing to move over to Kingscote and the eastern part of the island, but that is a story for the next blog.

Stay safe and keep smiling. We are.

The Rattling Nomads

PS We saw an echidna yesterday, and some gos hawks swooping through copses of trees, but no pictures. Grouse!