For those interested, Gordon and Barbara are keeping a blog of their 14 weeks in Tassie which commenced on Thursday 2nd September.  To enable non-ACC members to also keep up with our news, the blog is located at:

http://www.ranndystone.blogspot.com

We hope to update the blog daily so recommend you add that URL to your "Favorites" list so you can easily find it.  Please be sure to leave comments, especially if you have suggestions for places we should visit based on your own experiences in this beautiful little State.

Continued from 

http://www.australiancaravanclub.com.au/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=long-way-round-to-the-national-muster-home-to-alice-springs.html&Itemid=77

After overnighting at Marla and doing some minor repairs to the plumbing from the rigours of the Oodnadatta Track we parted ways with Ray and Kath, they headed south and we headed north to Alice Springs.

We stayed in Alice only a few days, top temperature was 14C and was forecast to be that way for some time, there was even water in the Todd.

So after cleaning the tug and the van at the local car wash and replacing the sullage hose lost along the Track we headed north again overnighting at the Devil’s Marbles.

It’s starting to warm up.  We arrived at Daly Waters and got a spot In the crowded and dusty caravan park next to the pub. 

Finished up the day with a fairly pricey dinner at the pub and a show by the ‘Chookman”.

Next stop was Katherine and we checked into the “Shady Lane Caravan Park” out on the road to the Gorge.  Nice site surrounded by palm trees.

Some shopping today in Katherine and then out to the Gorge for a bracing walk from the Visitors Centre up to the lookout at the top of the cliff.  Good walk, got the heart rate up substantially and a great view from the top.

.

Next day we took the “3 Gorges Trip” up the Katherine Gorge.  Very imposing scenery 

and interesting rock art.

The rangers had closed the river off to smimmers and canoeists because a saltie had been spotted in the 2nd gorge.  Those canonists still up the gorge had to be ferried back by the tour boats.  All we saw was a little freshie.

We tried to get a site at the Tumbling Waters CP but they were full so we moved on to the Free Spirit CP at Darwin for a few days.

Lazed around Darwin for while and even tried out the Wave Pool down on the water front.  A wave machine generates large waves in a pool for 15 or 20 minutes and you float around on inflated rings or surf on boogie boards.  The wave machine is then turned off for a while and the process repeats all day.  A great experience though I imagine it would be packed on the weekends.

Packed up and moved out to the Tumbling Waters CP, nice spot with our site surrounded by palms.

Tumbling Waters is just north of Litchfield so we headed down via the backroad, about 40 odd K of reasonable gravel that is progressively being black-topped.

Spent the afternoon at Wangi Falls swimming  and taking the walk through the rainforest around the top of the falls.

And observing the wild-life

Had a great fryup on the Biji Barbi that night.  Those Bijis are marvellous, over a gas ring or a campfire, they do a tremendous job.  (We have them in the club shop at a good price.)

We’re just down the road from the Territory Wildlife Park and that’s well worth a visit with a great predator bird show and other interesting exhibits.

Took a trip out to Dundee Beach and Crab Claw Island, if you are a fishing “tragic” this area would be a great.

Berry Springs is close by and we spent a hot afternoon enjoying the cool spring waters.

They have a croc lagoon in the middle of the caravan park (freshies only) and the weekly feeding gets them active.

Another trip to Litchfield Park, this time the long way via Batchelor, we visited Florence Falls and did a great walk there,

 then onto the Lost City via a long rough track

 and finally ended up at Wangi Falls again.  It was closed this time because of crocs but every cloud has a silver lining, got some good shots of the falls with no swimmers crowding the view.

Drove up to Mandurah just across the harbour from Darwin and had a great Barra and Chips at the Mandurah pub.

We used the 2 for 1 ticket we had won at a Bingo game at the Free Spirit CP for a fishing trip on Darwin Harbour.   Lots of bites and reeling in of small fish but nothing of any size and most were thrown back. Still it was a fun day.

The markets in Darwin are great.  We went to the Parap Market and had some excellent food and a chine massage.

On the way back home we called in at the Sticky Beak shop a very strange place.

The Beercan Regatta is a great Darwin attraction.   It takes place on Mindil Beach and is an all day event with tug-of-war competitions, 

thong throwing,

And of course the boat races with the boats constructed from beer cans glued and gaffer taped together.  There was a large flotilla

 including an entry from the US Hospital Ship the “Mercy”.

The racing concluded as usual with the various crews bombarding each other with flour bombs and water jets.

The Mindil Markets ran all day with a huge variety of food and souvenirs available.

We head out for Kakadu tomorrow.

Barham is just across the Murray River in NSW and the Barham Caravan Park which is right next to the river was the venue for another very successfull Gippsland Gypsies Muster, the park has very generously sized sites some with ensuites. The facilities are excellent, a very clean toilet block and large camp kitchen area with a huge fire place at one end, at the moment the area is only closed off on one side but there are plans to extend and close off the rest of the area which will make it nice and cosy in winter.

The river was filling very nicely due to all the recent rain in the area and this made all the locals very happy, they are looking forward to a bumper season and all looks well on the Murray. It was interesting to hear that the Murray Cod is making a come back in the area and according to one local that I was talking to they will eventually out number the Carp in the river. If you want to try your luck he says cheese or grub worm is the go. Good luck and tight lines.

Eleven Vans and two Camper Trailers made the trek to Barham. Derek & Lyn were first to arrive on the Tuesday. Thursday saw the arrival of nine other Vans and Camper Trailers and by Friday everyone had arrived. 

Once everyone had become settled in and organized it was just about happy hour well sort of close enough, the fire had been started for us by the owners of the park so we all settled around the huge camp fire it was a great time to catch up with friends and those new to our small but happy band of Gypsies.

There is a beautiful lake complex next to the caravan park and this was a very popular spot to go for a walk and as the weather was very kind to us, many of our group took advantage of it. The lake is home to a pair of Black Swans and they were seen out on the lake with their five very young babies tagging along behind them.

Dinner was at the local pub and all attended, this was a great night out the meal was very good and the company even better I am sure everyone enjoyed themselves, after dinner it was back to camp fire and a few social drinks and lots of fun and laughter.

Saturday was again reasonably warm and sunny in the morning and early afternoon with the cloud forming in the afternoon with a few wintery showers. Nothing organized for today which is the way we like it, an easy going, do what you like sort of day. A bunch of us decided to walk back to Victoria to Koondrook and along the way we passed some red gum carvings these were carved using a chain saw, very well done.

Saturday night dinner is traditionaly organized by the lady Gypsies and they always do an excellent job and this night was certainly no exception. Casseroles and desserts were eagerly devoured by the masses. Well done Ladies (special thanks to Gwen for organizing who brought what)

Sunday morning saw some of our group leave for home but not before the Gypsy Breakfast, bacon and egg rolls and sausages were as usual very popular and is a great way of getting everyone together before parting ways.

We still had ten vans left on Sunday night and everyone gathered around the campfire and had great time, it did not take long for the jokes to start and everyone was in stitches with laughter, another great night around the campfire.

Gypsies you have done it again, another fantastic Muster, easy going unregimented fun had by all.

"WELL DONE TO ALL FOR MAKING THIS SUCH A SUCCESS"

Marion and Rol are currently in Proserpine Qld enjoying the beautiful 28 deg weather. This is week 11 of our 20 week trip up to Airlie Beach and returning to Geelong for late sept.
We are unfortunate to miss the musters but we cannot be in 2 places at the same time. We look forward to catching up in Nov

Rgds Marion and Rol

Saturday, 17th July. Time to head for home. We had hoped to head up the Parmango road from Duke of Orleans Bay, but the previous night’s rain meant that was out, so we turned west, back to Esperance. The rain held off until lunchtime, but as we travelled north to Norseman we had pouring rain. It eased off just before we reached Norseman, and as we turned east we could see the sky clearing ahead. We still had a few showers, but more and more of the sky was blue, the further east we travelled.

We spent the night at Balladonia roadhouse, where we caught up with Brian and Linda (members of Touring Oz and also the Australian Caravan Club). Brian is the manager at the roadhouse.
While we were waiting for a coffee, a wallaby with a joey in her pouch, came up to the door of the shop and stood there waiting. Someone said she would come right in to the shop if she was allowed. Someone gave me an apple to give her, and as Eric had gone out to see her, I handed it to him, and he fed her. Apparently she was a wild wallaby who had become a pet. The lad in the shop reckoned she must be the most photographed wallaby in Australia.


The sky was still clear when we went to bed, so we were hopeful that the rain might not catch up with us. One disadvantage of the clear night was that the temperature got down to about .9, so it was pretty cold.
Our next stopover was Eucla, with a stop on the way at the lookout at Madura Pass. Before we booked in at the caravan park we drove down to the old Telegraph Station. There was quite a lot of it uncovered – more than we have seen on previous visits. Eric and Ron walked down to the remains of the jetty, but it was cold, and I had “been there, done that” so I decided to head back to the car. When I got back to the telegraph station the evening sunlight was shining on the walls, so I took a few more photos, then waited in the car for the sunset, which unfortunately wasn’t very marvelous.



Bunda cliffs on the South Australian side of the Nullarbor.




Penong. The caravan park here is quite small, but the owner was very friendly. During the day we discovered six more apples in the van fridge that we had forgotten about, so we ate a couple for lunch, and I stewed the rest up for dessert tonight. We cooked up most of the veggies we had left, and the little we had left over, a couple of onions and a bag of carrots, we left with the owner of the caravan park, who said she would pass them on to some needy locals.
We had wondered what the surface of the ground was in the park – thought it was some sort of sand – but apparently it is gypsum.
Next day, Tuesday, we crossed in to South Australia. One comment I must make about South Australia. We have noticed on previous trips that it is hard to find toilets in rest areas in South Australia. It seems to us that the government must be systematically removing them from rest areas. As we crossed SA this time, from the WA border to the NSW border, there was not one single rest area on the open road that had toilets. The only places we found them were at roadhouses and in the towns.
We spent a couple of nights in Port Augusta, partly so that I could do the washing, and partly to have time to visit the Wadlata Centre, which has had a million dollar upgrade since we were last there. We spent a couple of hours there, and would have spent longer except that it was bitterly cold in the exhibit. The shop itself seemed bigger and brighter than before, and the new exhibit takes us back in time (about 400 million years I think it was) then gradually brings us to the present. It was all very well presented, with lots of videos of varying lengths. It had a section on the aboriginal dreamtime stories and then some history of the European exploration and settlement. The Ghan featured, of course, and the Flying Doctor. Then at the end we found the old stuff we had seen before – peddle radio, etc.

Explorer Charles Sturt.


Eric tries out the peddle radio.

For lunch we made our way to the Coles shopping centre where we found the Office Café that served fish and chips and salad for $10. Had we known how big the serve was going to be we would have ordered half serves ($6) but we didn’t know, so ordered full serves each. Eric had soup ($5) and a hamburger ($6.50) and was very satisfied with his meal, as were we and thought we had had very good value for our money. We picked a table by the window in the sun, so we could thaw out.
After lunch we drove out to the Arid Botanical Gardens, which we had visited eight years ago. Even in mid winter some of the eremophila were in flower.
 


Time to move on again, this time to Broken Hill. We stopped at Orroroo for morning tea, at the Lions picnic area. This was a very pleasant place with a small dam (and ducks), and some nice trees to give shade. Orroroo is a nice, tidy little town. The old houses look well cared for, and look as though they were probably owned by the well-to-do when they were built. At the western end of town in the main street was an unusual metal horse and mouldboard plough. The street was divided by a strip down the middle, which at the eastern end had some formal gardens.


 The dam at the Lions picnic area in Orroroo


And the horse sculpture in the main street.

Once we had unhitched the van at Broken Hill we went around to the Visitors’ Centre where we picked up a key for the Living Desert sculptures, which we had seen before, but Eric had not. On the way down from the Sculptures, but still in the locked area we saw a sign indicating there were Sturt’s Desert Peas in flower. We pulled over and found huge patches of them. The patches were spread up the hill, and each time we thought we had seen the last of them, we found more patches further up. This is by far the most we have ever seen in one place. They were in good condition too – bright scarlet with very black centres.
 

Before heading back to camp we called in to Woollies and came out with bags and bags of fresh fruit and veggies – enough to last us until we got home.
Next morning we were planning to head out to Silverton, but had to drop the key for the gate to the Living Desert Sculptures back to the Visitors’ Centre first. We arrived there just before ten, and learned that a guided walking tour was to depart in about five minutes, so changed our plans and joined the tour. Our guide introduced herself as Margo.
One of the stories she told us was about the Union owned newspaper. The paper was supported financially by subscriptions from the union members membership fees. Every union member was entitled to a copy of the paper, so if you had a family that had, say, five union members, then five copies of each issue would be delivered! When Woolworths first came to Broken Hill they gave their advertisements to a rival, independent newspaper. The union owned paper approached them and asked that they also put advertisements in their newspaper, since this was the town policy. Woolworths refused, saying it was against their policy. So the union bosses informed Woolworths that unless they advertised in the union owned paper, the unionists would instruct their wives not to shop at Woolworths. Woolworths capitulated.
Just after visiting Trades Hall, we passed a small building with a sandwich-board notice outside, and Margo pointed it out and told us this was the local historical society, and if any of us had any family connections to Broken Hill, we could get information there. My father was born in Broken Hill, so after the walking tour finished we walked back, and found some information about my grandmother. We also got an address for her, which had been taken from an advertisement she had placed in a local newspaper. But either it had been transcribed incorrectly from the newspaper, or the lady who gave us the information wrote it down incorrectly, because as far as we could ascertain, the address was wrong, which was a bit disappointing.
For lunch we went to the Workers Democratic Club where we got the Seniors’ Special, battered Butterfish, chips, bread roll and salad bar for $7.50. The fish was really nice, and once again we felt we were getting good value. We had passed this place on the walking tour and seen the sign outside and Margo had commented it was a good place for a meal. The staff were all wearing pyjamas, and one guy who was clearing tables was getting around in a dressing gown and slippers. Turns out it was a “dressing down” day, in which many people in Broken Hill were taking part, to raise funds for Lifeline.
It was getting too late to go to Silverton, and also too late for the Museum, which closed at three, so we decided to stay another day.
When we were doing the town walk, our guide told us about the “war” in Broken Hill, when a disgruntled “butcher” got together with a friend and declared war on the townspeople. One New Year’s Day, when a train full of picnickers was heading out of town, they ambushed it at a cutting, killing four people and injuring seven.
When we visited the museum next morning, we found an account in the local newspaper of the time, of the incident, with a series of headlines set in a “box” at the head of the page.
These read, “Attack on a picnic train. Under the Turkish flag. Men and women shot.
 Four killed and seven wounded. Broken Hill in arms.
 The chase of the murderers. A fight on the hills.
Behind the Cable hotel. The murderers riddled with bullets.
 Both pay the last penalty. The constable twice wounded.”
Apparently in more recent times, someone was sent an article by a tourist, from a German newspaper of the time that gave an account of the attack on the picnic train. The German newspaper reported it this way…
“We are pleased to report the success of our arms at Broken Hill, a seaport town on the west coast of Australia. A party of troops fired on Australian troops being transported to the front by rail. The enemy lost forty killed and seventy injured. The total loss of Turks was two dead. The capture of Broken Hill leads the way to Canberra, the strongly fortified capital of Australia.”

A Hornsby steam engine at the Broken Hill museum.

The museum is mainly a railway museum, and after a while I got bored with what Eric and Ron were looking at, and told Ron I was just going to slip down to the Family History place to see if they were open. Anyway, I decided to go to the loo before leaving the museum. I came out of the loo, and found that the door to the outside was closed (it had been open when I went in) and went to open it. It was stuck fast. I couldn't budge it. What was I going to do? Ron would think I was down at the Family History place and would have no idea where I was. There were no windows. I thought of using my phone, but then remembered that Ron had left his phone back at the van, and Eric had left his in the car. So I banged on the door. Fortunately there were a couple of visitors in the room outside the loo and the husband tried to open the door, but he couldn't budge it either. So he called out that he would find a staff member. Some minutes later a staff member came and he managed to get the door open - it really was jammed tight. When I came out I saw a sign on the door "Toilets out of order. Nearest toilets at the Visitors' Centre". I commented that that sign hadn't been there when I went in.” He said, "I know. I just put it there, but didn't realise there was anyone in there. The sewerage has blocked up."
After lunch we drove out to Silverton, first visiting the Day Dream mine, which is on a side road on the way. We were just in time to take part in a tour.
On arriving at Silverton, we went first to the old gaol, which has been turned into a museum. One of the exhibits there was a specimen of the first dial telephone, which was invented in 1889. “Mr. A B Strowger invented it in America in 1889.  He was an undertaker and made the invention because the manual telephone operator was directing all the business to his opposition.”

Catholic Church in Silverton, built in 1886.

We left Broken Hill next morning and when we got to Wilcannia we enquired about the condition of the road up the Darling, and decided to take it. It is about 80 kilometres shorter than going through Cobar, but has over 300km of dirt. However, apart from a few corrugation near the beginning, and occasionally along the way, it was in pretty good condition, and Ron drove at around eighty or ninety most of the way.
We stopped for lunch at the Tilpa pub – a steak sandwich each. While we ate it, we sat at a table on the pub “verandah” chatting to another couple who had come down from Bourke and had an Ultimate camper. This was their first trip with it, as they only picked it up on Monday, and are very pleased with it.  At Bourke we stopped at Kidman camp.
 
Next morning (Monday) we were aiming for Goondiwindi, but noticed there was a rest area about seventy kilometres east of Goondiwindi, and thought we might try for that if we felt up to it. Between Moree and Goondiwindi we found a couple of new rest areas,which we had been told about by a truckie. The first one we came to was about 32 kilometres south of Boggabilla, on the western side of the road, but would not be suitable for camping.    The second one was only one kilometre further on, on the eastern side of the road, and looks to be really set up for overnight camping, back from the road, lots of big trees, and plenty of space.
When we got to Goondiwindi we decided we would keep going and use the rest area 70km further on. We were about half-way there when Eric called up and asked how would we feel if he carried on home. His navigator was telling him he could get there some time after eight, and he felt fresh enough to keep on driving. We told him that was fine with us, and to go ahead.

Sun behind the clouds as we left Goondiwindi.

When we eventually reached the planned rest area, around six, we were a bit dubious about stopping there. It was right close to the road and there were no other caravans there. Had there been anyone else, or if Eric had still been with us, we would have stayed, but felt a bit too exposed to stop there on our own. There were no further rest areas before Millmerran, but there was a caravan park there, so we rang to make sure they had a vacant site, and decided to carry on.
By the time we got there we were really tired. It had been a very long day. Just to top it off, when I got out of the car I started to stagger, and before we had finished setting up I knew I had vertigo.  Fortunately we had Stemetil with us, and after taking that and lying down for a couple of hours I could at least walk straight.
I still felt rather fragile in the morning. However, we managed to pack everything up and get on the road. We got home around 11:15, and just parked the van on the footpath, grabbed the morning tea stuff out of the car and headed inside, where we had a cuppa before unpacking.
We were gone exactly nine weeks, did 16,080 kilometres, 13,285 of them towing the van and 2,795 without the van. Haven’t got around to working out the total cost – we’re not sure that we really want to know!
Jan Barham

Monday, 12th July. We stopped off at the tree-top walk between Walpole and Denmark. We were still having intermittent showers, and it chose to rain while we were there. Since we had previously done the walk Eric suggested he would slip quickly around while we had a cup of coffee. He was prepared to do it in the rain, but got a bit more than he bargained for, as while he was gone it started to hail. Fortunately it was quite small – somewhere between a peppercorn and a pea in size, but there was a lot of it. Admission to the treetop walk includes the ground level walk amongst the huge tingle trees. We stopped for the night at Jerramungup. This is only a little town, but we had perfect TV and full phone signal. The outside temperature around six was 5.6 degrees! No wonder we felt cold when we arrived. The forecast for the night is storms and high winds (125kph) between Albany and Esperance - and we are about half-way between the two! It was a bit blowy – every now and then the van rocked from side to side! On the Tuesday we passed through Esperance. We stopped to shop and drive around their Great Ocean Drive, past some beautiful beaches, and the Pink Lake that on this occasion wasn’t pink, then continued on to Duke of Orleans Bay. We had originally planned to spend two nights each at Cape Le Grand, Duke of Orleans Bay and Cape Arid. However, with the cold, wet weather we had been experiencing we decided to base ourselves at Duke of Orleans Bay caravan park where we would have power for the heater, and do day trips to Cape le Grand and Cape Arid from there.


Duke of Orleans Bay campsite.

On Wednesday morning we set off for Cape le Grand. We took Merivale Road instead of going up to the bitumen. It is shorter that way. However, after the rain it was terrible, and we came home along Fisheries Road on the bitumen. Once at Cape le Grand we first went to the Cape itself, took a few photos and checked out the camping area. Hellfire Bay was the next place along the road to Lucky Bay. It was drizzling rain when we got there, but since our last visit a big shelter with four picnic tables has been erected, so we decided to have lunch while we waited for the weather to improve. We could hear lots of little birds in the bushes beside us, and got tantalizing glimpses of one we didn’t recognise, but it wouldn’t stay still long enough to get a photo. Just as we were finishing lunch a couple of families arrived, and shortly after that we saw the six children in the water! Brrrr. We carried on to Thistle Cove and the Whistling Rock (that wasn’t whistling today). Just after we got there the sun came out, the sky cleared, and we had lovely fine weather for the rest of the day. We had been finding a few wildflowers along the way, but there were quite a lot at Thistle Cove. We were quite surprised to find so many in the middle of winter. While here a group of New England Honeyeaters came swooping through. Two of them landed in the middle of the road and started dancing around each other, beak to beak. Not sure if they were courting or fighting, but they looked so funny as they spun around and around.

Whistling Rock, and below, on the other side of Whistling Rock.  The whistle (more like heavy breathing) is caused by the wind blowing between the main rock and the little appendage on the lefthand side.



And someof the wildflowers at Whistling Rock.





Lucky Bay looked just beautiful after the rain. The sand is so white and the delicate blue of the water was set off by the white of the breaking waves. We walked down to the Matthew Flinders monument, which reads, “To commemorate the naming of Lucky Bay by Matthew Flinders who used this bay as a safe anchorage on Saturday, January 9th, 1802 during his circumnavigation of Australia. Erected by the Esperance Bay historical society, January, 1974.” Lucky Bay would certainly be a lovely safe anchorage.

Finally we drove to Rossiter Bay where we did the wildflower walk. Not as many wildflowers as last time, of course, but certainly some. On the other hand, when we arrived at what they call the “bird sanctuary” at the end of the walk there were far more birds than last time. Myriads of small birds were continually flitting through the canopy, but so fast, and sheltered by the leaves, it was impossible to identify them, let alone photograph them. It had been a great day, but coming home we hit a wallaby on the road down to the caravan park, which put a real dampener on the day. Fortunately it was killed outright, as its leg was broken. We drove back to it and Eric pulled it off the road, as it was lying in the middle of the road. We spent Thursday exploring the Duke of Orleans Bay area. Big Wharton Beach is yet another beach with white sand backed by big white sand dunes, very similar to Lucky Bay. We carried on to Little Wharton Beach, which has a number of island offshore. More photos! While standing on the beach watching the waves we saw a pair of big birds on an island in front of us. They were huge, with a white breast and appeared to have a nest on the island. We think they must be sea eagles. We could hear lots of little birds in the bushes nearby us, but didn’t catch sight of them.
Little Wharton Beach

Approaching the beaches we had seen a big “rock” with a cairn on the top. From Little Wharton Beach we walked up a smaller “rock” and found it had a connection to the bigger one, so carried on up it as well. I only had my sandals on, and was a bit concerned about getting down the steep bits on the way back, so I stopped part way up while the guys carried on. They reached the cairn, and Eric added a couple more rocks.
The "rock" with the cairn on top.

We turned off onto the “gravel” (we think it was more like dirt) road that led to a view of Nares Rock. At the end of the road a 4WD track continued on, which Ron took. It eventually continued over the bare rock surface on the side of the “hill”.
Nares Island.

After lunch we set out on the walk behind the caravan park. This is along the track that Eric uses when he goes fishing. The track is very narrow and requires the walker to push through the bushes. Wildflowers were growing along here as well. At the end of the track we dropped down on to the beach, and at this point Eric decided he wanted to show us where some big birds (he’s not sure whether they were Pacific Gulls or Sea Eagles) use the rocks to break open shellfish, by dropping the shellfish from a great height. It was quite a scramble for me to get over the rocks. I only managed it because Ron took my camera, leaving me with both hands free to hang on to the rocks. Once we had reached the spot where the shells were, we then had to decide whether to go back the way we had come, or continue to scramble over more rocks and across the banks of seaweed along the beach, back to camp. We decided to carry on along the beach, and after a few more rock scrambles got to the path Ron had found earlier in the day. That was a bit easier going, but though it bypassed a lot of the rocks, we still had the seaweed to negotiate. These banks, or drifts, of seaweed are quite deep, and sometimes there are logs or branches out of sight beneath the seaweed, that could trip us up. We sank into the seaweed with each step, and it was hard to keep our balance. Friday was our last day here, and we drove out to Cape Arid National Park.  Since our last visit, the park has been devastated by a fire in 2006, right out to the western boundary. There was no rain in the next year, so the vegetation we saw was only three year’s growth. With the big banksias gone everything is much more open at the Thomas River campground, and macrozamias have been revealed that previously were hidden. There are lots of young banksias, single stemmed so far, up to about six feet high.
View from the campsites at Thomas River, with the river in the centre of the photo.

The ranger has been very busy, providing a new graded path down to the beach, and two camp kitchens and new toilets. The campground will be ready to re-open in August. Everything looks great. The camp sites have been increased and access is easier so that big caravans and even fifth-wheelers will be able to get in.
One of the new kitchens.

We carried on to Dolphin Cove carpark, and walked from there down to Dolphin Cove and then Little Tagon Beach. These two beaches are smaller than Lucky Bay, but still have the white sand and blue water, and huge expanses of rock, that give them a beauty of their own. Leaving there, we drove down the 4WD track to Tagon Beach. What a difference to last time, when the vegetation formed tall walls, higher than the car, on either side of the track. This time we could actually see the track winding down to the beach. Tagon Beach is a much bigger beach than the other two, and although it still has the blue water and white sand, with big white dunes behind it, it doesn’t have quite the same magic. The vegetation hasn’t grown back to the same height here as at Thomas River. At one place there was a big area of wattle in bloom – just a few feet high as yet.
Dolphin Cove, and below, Little Tagon Beach



To reach Poison Creek we had to exit the park, and re-enter it further east. We decided to try Melville Road. The first part of the road, to the 4WD section was in good condition, and when we reached the area that really was 4WD a big sign announced “traffic hazard ahead”. The road became a sandy track. That was okay – it was slow, but just a 4WD track. However, we soon had water holes along the track. Someone had been along before us, and we followed their tracks through the waterholes. After that it became very corrugated between the patches of water – worse than the corrugations at Karijini! Not long before we arrived at Poison Creek Road we saw a big stretch of water ahead – with a couple of ducks swimming in it! Now, we have experienced ducks beside the road on occasion, but never ducks swimming on the road! They flew off before I could get a photo. The Poison Creek road had a “4WD only” sign at the start, but we think it may have been a temporary sign. The road was good, though wet in places, which was probably why the sign was there. However, it was smooth driving and Ron mostly drove at about eighty. When we finally arrived at the creek we found it had overflowed across the road. We got out and walked along the bank at the edge of the road to see around the corner. Last time we were here the creek flowed into the bay, and Ron and I waded across it to the beach. This time the creek was blocked, which no doubt is why it has flowed across the road. Anyway, we could see someone had been through the creek. Ron checked the hardness of the sand under the water with a stick (it was too cold to walk through), and decided to carry on to the beach. As it was possible to walk around on the bank beside the road, I got my camera to get some photos of Ron driving through.
This used to be the road!


Ron driving back through the creek.

After a bit of time on the beach, having a look around, taking some photos, and having afternoon tea, we decided it was time to head back to camp. This time we carried on up to Fisheries Road – a much, much better road, and our trip home was uneventful except for a huge flock of White-tailed black cockatoos that took off ahead of us. The weather forecast was not good. Another low was on the way, expected to reach Esperance around midnight and Israelite Bay by sunrise. When Ron went up for his shower that evening the outside temperature was under 8 degrees. When I went up, only five or ten minutes later, it was over 8 degrees and by the time I got back it was over 9 degrees. We got up around two in the morning and it was over 11 degrees, but the sky was still clear and there was no wind. Not long after that it started to rain – lightly at first, then it just poured. When we got up there were pools of water lying everywhere, but the rain had stopped, and though the sky was cloudy, we had no more rain while we were packing up.

Jan Barham

Last time we blogged we were on our way back south from Geraldton to Perth to get the car repaired.  We spent a week in Perth with our daughter and found a place to fix the car.  EFI Automotives of Balcatta did a great job getting the fuel consumption and tuning sorted out.  In the end it was a computer problem, ie, bad memory which was cleared and the car now is running like a Singer Sewing Machine, well almost.!   The mechanic did some adjustments to the autogas tuning but when we hooked up the van it still backfired under duress.   We decided that due to the need to get home to Adelaide we will use ULP and not bother with the autogas.  The mechanic told us that if the computer problem happens again next time, just disconnect the battery and that will clear the computer memory and it should be OK .  That's fine for him to say but I think I'll be calling a mechanic.

We left Perth on Saturday and spent the first night in Southern Cross.  Sunday we got to Fraser Range and Monday we are in Eucla.  The car is performing very well, we are getting between 14-16ltr/100kms.  Excellent for towing at 100kmh.  Tomorrow night we should be in Ceduna and Wednesday in Pt Augusta.  If all goes well we will be back home on Thursday.

Sitting around the fire at Happy Hour, Fraser Range.

Sunset, Fraser Range.

Cooking with the Turbo

Update:  We did a dash across the Nullarbor to Eucla after we left Fraser Range.  The wind was behind us and we had excellent fuel economy.  We arrived at Eucla at 4pm Central western time, 45 minutes difference with Perth.  Overnight a wet front moved through and left some rain on the ground.  Next day we continued on to Ceduna again with a tail wind.  In Ceduna the rain and wind caught up with us again.  Today we drove to Port Pirie again with a tail wind.  At Pt Augusta a rain front was moving east being blocked by the Flinders Ranges. Tonight we are at the Port Pirie CP, in between rain showers.  Expecting some rain overnight.  Tomorrow will be a quick trip to Adelaide.  Till next time, safe travels.!!

While at Dunsborough we were hoping to see some wild and woolly weather on the coast.  However, we hadn't ordered rain as well, but we got it.  Fortunately it came in fits and starts, and inbetween the showers we had blue skies.  We were amazed at how quickly a totally blue sky could become totally grey.

Our first destination on Friday was Becketts Flat Winery, which is owned by former members of the Queensland Mitsubishi 4WD club.  Last time we were over here we scored a ride on the top of the grape picking machine, and helped to handpick some grapes from some of their vines that weren't able to handle the grape picker.  Noni and Bill have won a few prestigious awards with their wines, and we picked up a few bottles to take home to our sons and son-in-law.  After some time chatting with them, and making friends with their friendly Doberman (who knew when he was on to a good thing, and kept thrusting his nose into my hand every time I stopped petting him) we felt we had better get on our way.

As we drove down to Cape Leeuwin the sun shone and the sky was blue - right up until we were about to get out of the car at the lighthouse, when down came the rain.  We sat in the car for a while, and when it started to ease decided to brave the elements.  Ron went to the back of the car to dig out our ponchos, and down it came, heavier than ever, this time with tiny hail - so small it could almost be called sleet.  The wind blew the poncho all about and soon it was as wet inside as out.  At this point he gave up and got back into the car until the rain stopped.



We did eventually make it into the lighthouse grounds.  This is the tallest lighthouse on the Australian mainland.  Ron and I had done the lighthouse tour on our previous visit, so didn't bother this time, but did pay the $5 that let us roam the grounds.  As we walked up the hill to the lighthouse, and breasted the crest, we were nearly blown over.  We hurried to the lee of the lighthouse, where the ground was dry for about six feet out from the lighthouse wall.  While we were there it started raining again, but we were kept quite dry, protected by the lighthouse.  The winds were only 40kph on this day - the previous day they had been 45kph.

Cape Leeuwin is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet, and we had been told that in winter the ocean can be a sea of foam as far as you can see.  It wasn't like that on this occasion, but still fairly spectacular.

Before leaving the lighthouse area we made our way down to the waterwheel.  This waterwheel originally had a pump attached to it, and supplied the water for the lighthouse and surrounding farms.  Water from a spring 300 metres inland, running down a trough, turned the wheel which operated the pump.  Over the years calcium in the water was deposited over the wheel and coated it all with limestone.




We had planned to base ourselves in Hamelin Bay, as we had been told it was a pretty place, but with the adverse weather reports we had been hearing, we felt we might be better off at Dunsborough, which is on Geographe Bay, and possibly more protected than Hamelin Bay, which is on the ocean.  So as we headed north on the coast road, we had a quick look in at Hamelin Bay.  It certainly is a pretty place, and it would have been nice to stay there.

Time was getting on, and as we hoped to make the 2:00 tour of Lake Cave, we didn't tarry here, but quickly resumed our way north.  Caves Road winds its way through the forest and is a very pretty road.



We arrived at Lake Cave just in time for the tour.  The entrance to Lake Cave is a big doline.  The roof of part of the cave fell in around 700 years ago, and makes a spectacular entry to the Lake Cave.



After negotiating 270 steps, at this point we only had 60 more to go.



The formation that Lake Cave is most famous for is this suspended "table".  It was once part of the floor of the cave, and when the rest of the floor sank, remained suspended, attached to a couple of stalactite columns.  The stream that gives the cave its name runs right through the cave, and although it is quite shallow, the reflections make it look very deep.



Close by the "table", at the side of the cave is another suspended formation.



Heading north once again, we detoured to Canal Rocks.  Here we found the spectaclar waves we had been looking for, as the water roared over the huge rocks and through the "canal".  Trying to get to the end of the walkway, I had to make a hasty retreat as the water rose up over the walkway.  Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice, as the water hides most of the rocks, so it doesn't show just how high the water came.  I could have stayed there for ages, watching it, but by now it was getting late and it had been a long day, so we kept moving.



Our final stop was at Sugarloaf Rock, at Cape Naturaliste, near the lighthouse.  This was what we really wanted to see, as previously we had seen a photo in which it was covered by the waves in winter.  Well, as Michael Flanders (of Flanders & Swann, if you've heard of them) would say, it was a "dead waste of a shilling".  Nothing much was happening there at all.

On the way back to camp we detoured by Meelup Beach, but it was raining and the light was going, so didn't get out of the car.  It had been a long, but very enjoyable day.

Next morning we packed up and moved on.  One final look at Dunsborough - our water-logged campsite.



Jan Barham

We set off today on our journey to the 2010 National Muster at Maryborough.  We're going up the Oodnadatta Track to the centre then up to Darwin to enjoy the warmth then across the Savannah Way to the east coast and down to Maryborough.

We're overnighting at a camp spot about 3ks north of Hattah on the Calder Highway.  We've stayed here before in fact I think I put an entry for it in the Camping Resource.  It's a large area between the highway and the railway track.  You can get a fair way back from the road so noise isn't a problem, Telstra and Optus reception is excellent.  We're the only ones here tonight. 

The head-wind and the rain on the drive up from Melbourne was diabolical, as Ray said it was like you are dragging a parachute.    4th gear all the way.  When we pulled into the camp spot at Hattah, the wind dropped and the sky cleared leaving us to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

It's pretty chilly but the diesel heater is doing a great job of keeping us toasty in the van.

The next day we set off, against headwinds, though Mildura then on to Renmark to resupply with fruit and vegetables.  They are pretty strict at the SA border and will confiscate most fruit and vegetables.  We had taken none with us.

We then travelled on to a campsite on the Murray at Hogwash Bend  a few k west of Waikerie.

There we caught up with Ray and Kath Barton and set up camp and a campfire.  Dinner was cooked by Ray in his cam oven and was excellent.

Day three saw more headwinds as we set off towards the Flinders Ranges.

First stop was Burra.

Then on through Peterborough to a camp spot about 18k north of Hawker.

Dinner was a fryup on the Biji-Barbi under a great sunset.

The weather forecast didn't look good and the next morning we woke to heavy rain.

Broke camp and headed up the road to Leigh Creek, we had to cross  the flooded Emu Creek along the way.

We stopped for a look at the Leigh Creek mine then travelled on to Lyndhurst were we stopped for the night in the caravan park attached to the pub.  The floods on the road ahead to Maree were a little deep for us and the van. (Around .8m apparently).

The afternoon and evening were clear and windy and we were hoping the road ahead would be passable.  We cooked up a nice camp-oven roast for dinner.

Late next morning, we filled our tanks at the tap at the front of the Lyndhurst Pub (reasonable water) and set off through the mud and slush for Maree where we met a group of ACC Goldcoast Gadabouts.

We had an excellent pie for lunch at the Maree store and then noticed that the Oodnadatta Track had been reopened (4WD only)  so the tire pressures were dropped and off we went.

The track was in good condition but pretty wet along the way, the advantage was that there was no dust, great.

A little down the track Ray got bogged in a creek crossing (his centre diff didn't lock).  So I unhitched my van in the middle of the track, backed up to him applied the snatch straps and dragged him back a little until his diff reengaged then he was off.

Interestingly,  while the tow was being organised, Judy was holding one end of the straps and a chap yelled out, "Don't step back, there is a snake behind you!!!"  Jude's response was quite restrained, along the lines of "Golly-gosh, goodness me" and I thought it was a joke until I got out and saw an Inland Taipan crawling across the track. I checked later in my photos and sure enough, there it was, with Judy oblivious in front of it.

Ray was not at all impressed, he yelled out "Bugger the snake, just put on the strap".

The next stop up the track saw Ray bogged about 10 yards short of the end  a half kilometre stretch of mud.  I backed up a k to tow him out but an obliging grader driver did the job much more efficiently.

The next stop were the desert sculptures constructed from various odds and ends lying round the countryside along the track.

We pushed on to our overnight stop at Lake Eyre South.

The lake is filling, a marvellous sight and a great sunset.

Up early next morning and back on the track.  Lots to see along the way. Ruins of old Ghan track stations are in reasonable condition, road in good condition if not a little muddy in places.

The mound springs at Coward Springs are well worth a visit.  The springs have built up substantial mounds over many years.

We arrived for an overnighter at the William Creek Pub.

Beer was good at $8 stubbie.

Petrol was a not so good $1.89/litre

We booked flights over Lake Eyre then settled in to our sites (powered $30 night).

Next morning we walked down to the airport for our flight, there were a large number of planes in operation and there was quite a bit of activity.  We were in an 8 seater.  We took off and headed for the lake.  It was vast, a true inland sea. Pity it is so ephemeral.

A change of direction and we set off for a flight over the Painted Desert, brilliant colours and rugged terrain.  Definitely a visual feast to be seen from the air.

After 2 hours of a wonderful flight we landed back at William Creek.

Left the vans locked up in the parking area and set off by road to Hartigan's Bay on Lake Eyre.  The water was a very short way off shore and Ray and I went for a paddle.  A lot of small dead fish on the shore and very squelchy mud between our toes.

Back to William Creek and on up the Oodnadatta Track

to an overnight stop at Edward's Creek.  Great camp spot, plenty of wood, just wear your shoes to protect from the burrs.

Off again the next morning, track still good.

Even 1928 Chev Roadsters could traverse it!!!

 Lots of ruins, including the great Algebuckina railway bridge were we stopped for a tea break.

After that we continued to Oodnadatta and that centre of architectural elegance, the "Pink Roadhouse".

I had that epitome of gastronomic delight the "Oodnaburger" at $14.80.  A snip at the price and quite filling

After Oodnadatta the track got dry and stony, I'm glad I let the tyre pressures down, 27 PSI down from 38 in the cruiser and 30PSI down from 48 in the van tyres, plus we kept the speed to around 60 and 70 kmh.  We did have one hold up, a herd of beef appeared just over a rise, lucky we weren't hammering.

We arrived at Marla on the Stuart Highway later that day and checked into the caravan park behind the roadhouse.  Not much damage from the run, just a few busted pipes underneath from the stones in the last 30k, easy to fix.

Next morning we parted ways with Kath and Ray, they were heading south, we were heading north.