Our Holiday is Over!!!! Nyngan to Cessnock - 16 August 2012 - 499km

We awoke to a very cold morning,  but by the time we were on the road it was sunny and warming up nicely.  The drive home was uneventful and we stopped at Merriwa for lunch, arriving home about 3.30pm.  It was a good feeling to be home again and to find everything was just as we had left it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our road trip.  There is no doubt Australia has many unique and wonderful places, towns and tourist attractions to visit and enjoy.  Travelling to them in our caravan was a first for us and we enjoyed this lifestyle and the people we met on the road and in the parks we stayed in.  We did learn one lesson though.  That caravaning for us,  is more enjoyable in the warm weather than the cold!!!!

Kilometres Travelled While Pulling the Van:   15,120km

Caravan Parks Stayed In:                               38

Off Road Stays:                                                1



Signing off for now.   Until our next holiday.
Cheers

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Broken Hill to Nyngan - 15 August 2012 - 573km

We departed Broken Hill at 8.00am and stopped at Willcania for petrol.  It was a beautiful sunny day, probably the warmest we have had for some weeks.  Lots of wild goats and emus feeding by the side of the road.

It was a long boring drive and we arrived at Nyngan Riverside caravan park about 3.30pm ($28 power & water).  Before checking in we contemplated driving on to Dubbo,  but it would have meant it would be close to dusk when we arrived,  so decided to stay.  This was the same caravan park we stayed at on the the 6th May,  the first day of our holiday.  Seems such a long time ago now.

It was a very warm afternoon at Nyngan, so we sat outside the van for our last happy hour, until it started to get cool.

Home tomorrow.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Port Augusta to Broken Hill - 14 August 2012 - 405km

We woke up early for our drive to Broken Hill and kept stopping along the way to check how our sway bars were doing with one bracket missing.  No problem there.  We were driving on roads we travelled way back in May when we first left home.  The sky was full of dark clouds and we expected it to rain.  Once again very little traffic once we left Port Augusta.

After Peterborough the scenery changed to very flat desert type scrub and we got stuck behind a road train transporting a huge dump truck.  No chance to pass it as it took up all the road and traffic coming the other direction had to pull off the road.  We decided to pull over and stop for lunch and let the dump truck get ahead of us.

I had booked a drive through site at Broken Hill City caravan park ($38 power & water) which was the same one we stayed at when we first left home.  Just overnighting again.

Tomorrow we will travel to Nyngan to overnight and then will be home the next day.  It seems ages since we first left home on 6 May.

Cheers
Rhonda (sam) & Pete

Coffin Bay to Port Augusta - 13 August 2012 - 373km

Departed Coffin Bay for Port Augusta and drove for a short time on the Flinders Highway and then joined the Lincoln Highway at Port Lincoln,  where the highway followed the coast for some time.  We drove through sheep country and past fields of bright green grass and fields of yellow flowers.  It was very pretty.

When we stopped for petrol at Cowell,  Pete noticed that one of the brackets and chains for our sway bars on the van was missing.  He fixed it as best he could and we continued on,  checking into Big 4 Port August ($36 power & water) at lunch time.  Again we asked for a drive-through site and set up the van before setting out to try to find a new bracket and chain - with no success.  Looks like we will have to wait until we get home to replace it.

We should be arriving home this Thursday,  all being well,  as we plan on doing one night stays until we get there.  So......see you soon.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Streaky Bay to Coffin Bay - 12 August 2012 - 275km

The morning was sunny, but still cold when we left Streaky Bay caravan park for the drive to Coffin Bay. There was very little traffic and it felt like we were the only vehicle on the road.  For most of the drive on the Flinders Highway we passed huge sheep farms and roads turning off to lots of small towns on the coast.

Coffin Bay is a small fishing village with a thriving oyster industry and a population of 650, except in holiday season when it jumps to 2,500.  We checked into Coffin Bay caravan park ($30 power and water) about lunch time and asked for a drive-through site as we only intended to stay over night. The amenities block was new and the best we have seen so far.  Although the sun was shining there was a cold wind.

In the afternoon we did the Oyster Walk which took us along the foreshore with excellent water views,  and through areas of beautiful flowering bush. By the time we arrived back at the van it was too cold to sit outside so we spent the evening indoors enjoying our new heater!!!

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Driving Across the Nullabor - 7 to 11 August 2012 - Cocklebiddy, Nullabor, Streaky Bay

KALGOOLIE TO COCKLEBIDDY - 7 AUGUST 2012 - 572KM

We left Kalgoolie for our trip across the Nullabor intending to spent the night at Balladonia Roadhouse caravan park, but made good time driving the Eyre Highway and arrived about 12.30pm, so decided to drive another 200km to Cocklebiddy.  Part of the drive was Australia's longest straight road - 145.6km of Eyre Highway.

Cocklebiddy Wedgetail Inn caravan park ($25 power) had no water connected to the sites.  We still had drinking water in our tank so this wasn't a problem.  We were given a token each which covered a 10 minute hot shower which incidentally worked very well.
 
We could get 3 channels on TV but no mobile or internet. All the caravan sites were drive through so we didnt have to unhook the car.

COCKLEBIDDY TO NULLABOR - 8 AUGUST 2012 - 465KM

Our drive to Nullabor took us through a change of scenery,  from green bush to very flat scrub where you can see for miles. The ocean was also in view at lots of places.  There was lots of roadkill, mainly kangaroos but we saw our first dead camel by the side of the road.  Several sections of the road are set out and marked for the Flying Doctor so that the aircraft can land there when there is no airstrip nearby.We stopped at Eucla for lunch. 

As we were to cross the WA/SA border at Border Village Quarantine Station,  we expected to be stopped and so ate all our leftover fruit so it wouldn't be confiscated. We needn't have bothered as this particular quarantine station only stopped vehicles going into WA - not coming out!!!  Apparently there is another  quarantine station just before Ceduna and we will be checked there.

We checked into Nullabor Hotel/Motel/Caravan Park ($27 power - no water again).  Luckily we still have drinking water in our van tank.  Showers here ar $1 for 5 minutes. As most  roadhouses, this.one has a restaurant, bar and petrol station.   Not impressed with this caravan park.  The showers and toilets are part of the roadhouse and right at the front of the building next to the bar on the main highway. The doors are never locked and anyone can use them. It is a popular stop for road trains. I felt a bit uncomfortable walking from the caravan park to them in my flannelette p.j.'s!!!  We can get TV reception, but no mobile or internet coverage We are just overnighting again and we dont  have to unhook the car.

NULLABOR TO STREAKY BAY - 9, 10, 11 AUGUST - 408KM

After leaving the Roadhouse our first stop was Head of Bight, a premier whale watching area on the Bunda Cliffs of the Nullabor.  It is very well set up with the boardwalks taking you right to the cliffs at the edge of the water.  There was at lease 20 Southern Right Whales swimming close to the cliffs, some with babies.  We were fortunate to see a small white baby whale swimming close to its mother who was the normal dark colour.  It was well worth the 12km detour to see them.

Driving from Head of Bight along the Eyre Highway the roadkill changed to a dead camel and several wambats.  After stopping at a roadside rest area for lunch we checked into Streaky Bay caravan park ($28 power & water).  Streaky Bay is a very attractive small coastal town and the caravan park is right on the beach.  The caravan sites are large and the amenities buildings excellent.
It also has a very good cafe.  Our site is only about 50 metres from the water so we had happy hour whilst enjoying the water views, and took advantage of the cafe to order a takeaway dinner.  We are having beautifull sunny days, but very cold nights.

The next day we walked to town for a few groceries and to purchase a small heater for the van.  In the afternoon we took a good hard walk along the beach to get some exercise.  We walked up to the local pub that night for a few drinks and an excellent meal. It is a lovely old pub built in the late 1800's  and has been modernised in keeping with its history.

On our last day we enjoyed a lazy day, walking out to the town jetty and ordering oysters kilpatrick from the caravann park cafe for dinner (yumm).

Tomorrow we drive to Coffin Bay.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Southern Cross to Kalgoolie - 5,6 August 2012 - 226km

We departed Southern Cross, (the state's first goldrush town and the last  wheatbelt town), in thick fog and drove for quite a long  way before it lifted.  We drove for most of the way alongside the Golden Pipeline, which brings water from Perth to Kalgoolie, a distance of approximately  600km.  It was built in 1903 and has just been given World Heritage status.

Checked into Prospect Holiday Park ($45 power & water), and after lunch had a walk around the town with its lovely wide streets and many old, well presereved buildings.

The next day we drove out to the gold producing Super Pit Lookout.  Its hard to describe the huge hole (500metres deep), which made massive trucks look tiny at the bottom.  Each load in the dump trucks is worth $10,000.  We then went to find the Mining Hall of Fame, only to find it had closed.

In the afternoon we took the Brothel Tour at Australia's oldest operating brothel, Questa Casa.  The madam was a very well spoken lady and not a working girl!!!!  The tour was very entertaining as she shared many amusing stories of her 20 years as owner and madam of the business.  Before returning to camp we went to one of the beautifully renovated pubs for a drink,  served by a "skimpie"  (very attractive bar staff wearing only underwear).

We liked Kalgoolie.  It is an interesting town with lots of history. Tomorrow we begin our drive across the Nullabor.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Perth to Southern Cross - 4 August 2012 - 370km

We were up early to go to collect our van from storage.  We had planned to re-pack everything before setting off,   but a very heavy shower prevented that so we just loaded all our gear in and set off.  We drove along the Great Eastern Highway, stopping for a quick lunch at a roadhouse and checked into Southern Cross caravan park about 2.00pm ($30 power & water).

Our site was a drive through so we didnt have to disconnect the car and didn't have to get up too early to continue on to Kalgoolie the next day.

More from Kalgoolie.

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Cervantes to Perth - 30 July to 3 August 2012 - 200km

We drove down Indian Ocean Drive (the coastal route) to Perth using "Lady Garman" and didnt have any trouble finding the caravan park where we had arranged to store the van  for a few days.  We unloaded the items we wanted to take with us and drove to Marg & John's new town house in South Perth.  It was great to see them and we spent the remainder of the day catching up with them.

In the morning we drove out to Cottesloe and had breakfast at a lovely cafe on the beach.  John then drove us out to Freemantle and dropped us off there as he had to go to work.  We walked around Freemantle looking at the sights,  but the weather was wet and cold so we didnt stay too long,  and caught the train back to the city.  We ate an enjoyable dinner that night at an Italian restaurant in South Perth and caught up on some Olympic viewing when we returned home.

Up early the next morning and walked down to the ferry terminal and caught the ferry over to the city where we purchased tickets for Rottnest Island on the Rottnest Express Ferry.  First a bus took us to Freemantle to board the ferry.  The day started out overcast and rainy and the ferry ride across to the island was extremely rough.  Lucky we are good sailers!!!

We decided to take the Bayseeker Bus to see the island as you can hop on and off wherever you wish. The bus takes about 45 minutes for the round trip.  Our first stop was Parker Point where we did a loop walk to Little Salmon Bay and Salmon Bay.  We were joined by a young French backpacker whose name was Cedric and who was travelling around the world for 12 months.  He had a camera with a huge lens and was taking lots of photos. We had only walked a short distance when a rain storm blew in from the ocean.  We had worn our rain jackets, and they got drenched as there was no shelter at all in this area. We remained dry underneath, if a little uncomfortable.  When the rain stopped, out came the sunshine and dried us pretty quickly and we found the osprey nest we were looking for on a large rock surrounded by water, with an osprey sitting on the eggs.

We jumped on the bus again for a short ride to our next walking spot, Wadjemup Lighthouse where we walked up a steep hill and took took the guided tour to the top.  Unfortunately I only made it up to the 2nd level (there was 4 levels), as my vertigo took over and I waited there for the others to return from the top.  Apparently the view from the top was awesome.

Back on the bus again and we completed the circuit of the island. We were ready for lunch by this and Cedric joined us at The Dome Cafe for a tasty lunch and a glass of wine.  After lunch we walked around the village and came across some of the local quokkas  (the protected furry little mamal).

The boat trip back to the mainland was pretty rough, but not quite as bad as the morning one.  We were taken back to the city by bus and then caught another ferry across to South Perth, where the heavens opened again and we had to shelter before we could walk home.

On our last day in Perth we went to visit some old friends who we first met in Johannesburg in 1970 and who now live in Perth.  The last time we saw them was 11 years ago.  We spent the morning  with them and it was great to catch up.   We did some packing in the afternoon and caught the bus into the city to meet John and Marg for dinner.  Had a drink at "The Moon and Sixpence" pub and ate at Ecucina Restaurant - a great meal.

We really enjoyed our time in Perth and it was great to spend some time with Marg and John (and Muzzy!!!!)  Although we had a lot of rain during our stay it didn't prevent us seeing the sights.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Geraldton to Cervantes - 27 to 29 July 2012 - 250km

We took the coastal road to Cervantes, a crayfishing town, north of Perth and checked into Pinnacles Caravan Park at about 12.30pm ($30 power & water).  After lunch at the van we had a look around the town and called in to the Visitors Centre.

That night we went to the Community Club for Happy Hour and dinner.  We had been given a voucher at the caravan park for a seafood platter and made that our dinner.  It was good value with oysters kilpatrick (1 each), king prawns, fish, chips, a small half lobster and help yourself to salad bar,  all for $65 per couple.

The next day we drove out to Nambung National Park to visit The Pinnacles Desert, an area of thousands of limestone pillars, rising from the sand dunes.  We walked the loop walk around the dunes and enjoyed this extraordinary area.

We then drove to Lake Thetis to see more stromatolites, but after seeing them at Hamlin Pool a few days before were not very impressed.  Pete reckons they are as interesting as watching paint dry!!!
Caught up with our washing in the afternoon and had dinner in the van.

On our last day in Cervantes we took a walk along the beach in front of the caravan park.  Lots of crayfish boats moored in the water.  It was very windy.  We thought we couldn't leave this crayfishing town without trying the local product and went to the Lobster Shack for a late lunch.  I ordered grilled Lobster served with salad and chips and it was great. Pete had fish and chips.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon preparing the van for storage in Perth,  where we are going to stay with Marg and John.  Looking forward to a proper bed and a real inside bathroom!!!!!

We have decided that we are ready for home and when we leave Perth will be heading home by the most direct route.  All going well,  we will most likely be home around the middle of August.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Kalbarri to Geralton - 25,26 July 2012 - 155km

Hello

It was a pleasant drive down the coastal road,  passing the Pink Lake near Port Gregory to our destination, Belair Garden Caravan Park at Geraldton ($32.30 power & water).  Setting up didn't take long and after lunch we drove into town where we visited the HMAS Sydney memorial,  before visiting Wooolies and the local cinema to find out what was showing.  Unfortunately there was nothing on we wanted to see.  We had another cold night that night.

Geralton is quite a large town compared to those we have visited on the coast and has a lot of industry.  The city centre fronts the ocean,  but it too cold to swim at present.

We spent the morning of our 2nd day catching up on things around the van and in the afternoon took a walk down to the beach across the road from our caravan park.  We walked over to Fishermans Wharf for a look,  but it was an industrial wharf with lots of businesses associated with boats.

Again a very cold,wind night.

Tomorrow we leave for Cervantes,  so more blog from there.

Cheers

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Shark Bay to Kalbarri - 22 to 24 July 2012 - 376km

When we left Shark Bay we called into Shell Beach, a beach covered in countless tiny cockle shells, layered over 10m deep and stretching for over 120 km.  These shells cement together after rain and can be made into bricks.  We saw buildings made up of the shell bricks in Denham.

We also drove to Hamlin Pool, a marine reserve, containing the worlds best known colony of stromatolites (the oldest living organisms on the planet). These rocky looking lumps in the water resemble the oldest and simplest forms of life on earth, dating back 3.5million years and can be viewed from a viewing platform over the water.  (Bet you didn't know what stromatolites were until you read this - neither did we!!!!!)

Continued on our drive to Kalbarri, stopping for a roadside lunch at Billabong Roadhouse, and booked into Murchison Caravan Park ($34 power & great water) in the town of Kalbarri. Kalbarri is a holiday town, situated where the Murchison River meets the coast and is surrounded by national park.
for the first time we can receive 7 TV stations,  but we still cant find anything we want to watch!!!!

On our 2nd day we drove along Red Bluff Road, stopping to walk to the various points of interest along the coastal cliffs.  We walked the Nature Trail that connects Mushroom Rock and Rainbow Valley, walking to the ocean through a gorge filled with wildflowers which were just beginning to bloom.  We also stopped to view Eagle Gorge, Shellhouse Grandstand, Island Rock and Natural Bridge,  all interesting rock formations along the spectacular cliffs.  Saw lots of whales, but they were a fair way out.  When we returned to town we decided to have a late lunch and visited a local cafe for an excellent burger & chips.

We awoke the next day to blue skies,  sunshine and also cold blustery winds and spen he morning in the van.   After lunch we went for a walk along  river and then back around the lagoon to the ocean where we saw a whale and her calf.  We couldn't believe how close they were to the beach and watched them for a long time. We found out later at the local fish and chip shop that the local boat hire business will ferry people across to the island and come back to get them when they ring the bell.  Had we known this we would have gone across and would have seen able to see the whale and her calf from no more than 50 metres away.  They were so close to the sand that we thought they might beach.  The locals told us that whales often come into that spot to rest.

It was freezing in the van that night and I went to bed in my flannette pj's, thermal jumper,  thick socks and woollen hat and thought it would be a good idea to buy a heater!!!!

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Coral Bay to Shark Bay - 18 to 21 July 2012 - 547km

Departed Coral Bay at 8.00am for the long drive to Shark Bay.  Once again we drove through unfenced cattle country and saw dead cattle by the road.  Also saw several groups of emus close to the road.  It was quite a windy day and we could feel the wind buffeting the van.

The Shark Bay Region is World Heritage listed and home to an extensive range of rare marine life, rare plants, mammals and birds.  It is estimated that one eighth of the world population of Dugongs live in Shark Bay waters.  The coastline has rugged red cliffs,  white sandy beaches and clear blue waters.

The town of Denham is built on the beachfront and is a good base for visiting the marine park and Francois Peron National Park,  and as most of the coastal towns on this coast has very good fishing.

Our caravan park is situated on the beach and is quite large.  It is unusual in that it is built on a hill on 3 levels, connected by ramps.  Our site is on the top level and we get good TV reception for a change.
The usual red dust that we have come to expect in caravan parks in this part of the world, has been replaced by finely crushed white shells and is much easier to keep out of the van.

We drove 20km out of town to visit Eagle Bluff where a boardwalk along the edge of the bluff gives a great view of the bay. On the way back to town we called into Ocean Park where we viewed sharks, turtles, stingrays and fish and joined the 45 minute tour by a marine biologist.

We were up early the next morning to drive to Monkey Mia for the 1st feeding of the dolphins. We stood barefoot in the water for ages waiting for the dolphins to arrive.  Eventually we had 4 dolphins for the feeding and another small group of wild ones who refuse to be hand fed and just played in the water.  The feeding itself was quite brief and our  feet felt frozen by the time it was over,  so we adjourned to the restaurant for a hot buffet breakfast.

We can feel the weather cooling down since we have been here and had 2 very  brief, very light showers of rain yesterday.  It is too cold for swimming at present.  We are expecting more cold, rainy weather as we head further south.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Exmouth to Coral Bay - 13 to 17 July 2012 - 152km

When I booked Coral Bay I could only get 4 nights from 14th July and so when we left Exmouth we intended to drive to Minilys Roadhouse to overnight and then double back to Coral Bay for our   booking. As we had to pass the turnoff  to Coral Bay we decided to take a chance and call in to Coral Bay to see if we could pick up a cancellation for 13th.  Lucky us - we did!!!!

Coral Bay is a tiny community, set on a bay on Southern Ningaloo Marine Park.  There is only one street in the town and a beautiful white sandy beach and you can snorkel on the reef just off shore.  Our camp site in the caravan park is only 100m from the beach. In the afternoon we took a walk around the small shopping centre and along the beach to familiarize ourselves with the area.

Most mornings when the tide is out it is an interesting walk along the beach and we walked there most mornings.  Most afternoons we went to the beach for a swim and snorkel.  The sunsets over the beach here are beautiful and people take their chairs and drinks over to witness them.

We wanted to do the swimming with whale sharks cruise but as it is almost the end of the season we were a bit hesitant about booking because of the possibility we wouldnt see them and there is no refund.  Anyway we decided to book and hope for the best.

The cruise started with a snorkel at a site inside the marine park, where we saw huge coral bomas (spelling??) and grey reef sharks hovering over a large coral boma where tiny fish come out of the coral and clean their teeth.  It was amazing snorkeling.  Heading back to the boat against a strong current and heavy swell, Pete developed a strong cramp in his bad leg and I had to help him get back to the boat.

When we left this area we headed out to the open sea and were expecting a 2 hour journey to the area where the whale sharks are usually seen, when the spotter plane contacted the captain to tell him there was a 4 metre whale shark swimming about 20 minutes in front of us.  Everyone got excited at this as apparently the day before they didnt sight a whale shark at all and didnt get back to port until 6.00pm that night.

We were split into 2 groups and when we reached the area the shark was in, the boat was positioned in front of the shark and the 1st group jumped into the water and swam towards it in a line.  As the shark passed them the 1st group were picked up by the boat and the 2nd group jumped in.  We were in the 2nd group and Pete went in, but as it was quite a long swim to reach the shark and because his leg was still bothering him, he swam back to the boat.

I stayed with my group and we swam alongside the shark 4 times.  It was only 3 metres away from us and we could could see it very clearly.  We could keep up with it as it swam quite slowly and didnt seem bothered by us at all.  It was an unforgetable experience and a great day out.

Although the whale sharks have been known to grow up to 15 metres, the only ones that visit this area are young males about 4-5 metres long. On the way back to shore we saw humpback whales, a manta ray and dugongs and stopped for another snorkel in a more shallow part of the reef.

When we got back we were knackered (again) and had takeaway fish & chips for dinner and an early
night.   It seems to me we are getting knackered quite a lot lately.  Maybe our age has something to do with that!!!!

Our last day in Coral  Bay was spent catching up on chores and not doing much at all.  We went to Fins Restaurant for dinner and had a very nice meal of Ruby Snapper.  The fish in this part of Australia is the best we've eaten for a very long time.  It was also the quickest dinner we have eaten for a long time. We arrived at 7.00pm and were home by 8.00pm (unheard of!!!!)

Coral Bay was great but we wont miss the tap water.  It was vey salty and not recommended for drinking or washing cars.  It was like having a shower in sea water.  Drinking water was available to fill small containers.  We also had drinking water in the van tank, so no problem.

More blog from Shark Bay,  our next stop.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Point Sampson to Exmouth - 11,12 July 2012 - 569km

Our drive to Exmouth was a bit of a drag until we left the North West Costal Highway and drove along Burkhill Road, where the scenery changed from drab scrub to the bright red soil, pale cream grass and dark green trees, very similar to the landscape near Uluru.  Both sides of the road on the last 150km into Exmouth was lined with grazing sheep and newly born lambs. The road was pretty narrow and there were no fences to keep the sheep off the road.  We saw lots of road kill (roos and sheep) in the area, but didnt hit anything ourselves  (thank goodness).

Nigaloo Lighthouse Caravan Park ($35 power) was about 17km past Exmouth close to the Cape Range National Park.   We had planned to stay in Exmouth for 4 days,  but everything was booked out and I could only get a booking for 2 days.  We arrived late afternoon and after a lot of manoeuvring up a steep slope of red dust,  finally got the van in position with the help of a regular in the van opposite, who told us "they have problems with vans on that site every year because of the steep slope and big concrete curb". The first thing we saw as we drove in the gate was 6 emus strolling through the park.  The water in the park is salty and not suitable for drinking, but you can fill small containers with rainwater for drinking.

Because we really only had 1 full day there, we decided to spend it in the national park and drove the 76km to the end of  the tarred road to Yardie Creek.  Here we walked the Nature Walk and The Gorge Trail, first following the trail along the creek and then climbing to the rim of the gorge where there were spectacular views over the gorge to the ocean and Nigaloo Reef. Hoped to see some wild life, but it didn't happen.

Our next stop was Mandu Mandu Gorge where we ate lunch before tackling the gorge walk, first walking in a very rocky dry creek bed deep into the gorge.  We next followed a steep path up into the gorge rim, again enjoying the views of Nigaloo Reef and the surrounding country, before decending down a steep rocky path to the car park. It was a 2 hour hard slog and we were both knackered.

Our last stop before heading back to camp was the Mangrove Bay Bird Hide, where you can observe local and migratory birds in a coastal mangrove swamp from a purpose built wooden hide.

Unfortunately we didnt get to do as much as we wanted to in Exmouth because the place was booked out and we couldn't hang around waiting as we were already booked into Coral Bay.

Next blog from there.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Pardoo Roadhouse to Point Sampson (Karratha, Dampier) - 7 to 10 July 2012 - 343km

We were awake early so arose at 6.30am for the drive to Point Sampson.  The morning was sunny but quite cold.  We drove through flat, dusty, boring terraine on good roads.  More traffic than usual because of the many mines in this part of the country.  We set up the van and then drove about 10km to nearby Wickham, a Rio Tinto mining village where there was a supermarket as we needed to stock up.

Point Sampson is a small seaside town near Karratha and our caravan park is right on the beach.
It is a good fishing spot. There are some homes here and a Tavern, but nothing else.  Our caravan site is right on the water and we have a good view of the bay from our van.

The next day we drove into Karrtha and Dampier for a look around, and found Red Dog's statue and of course took a picture of us with Red Dog.  Dampier was quite nice as it is situated on the coast, but Karratha is a typical industrial town that supports the surrounding mines.  That afternoon we walked along Point Sampson beach. The tide was out and the beach was very rocky with some sandy parts.  We joined our neighbours (Elizabeth & Ron from somewhere outside of Perth) for happy hour and swapped stories of our travels.

It was time to catch up on some chores the next morning and we walked again on the beach in the afternoon.  Happy hour again with the neighbours before dinner.

TV reception here is garbage, but we can get internet (although it drops out and in) and mobile coverage.  There are no touristy things to do here and its great to just go for a walk or sit outside the van with a book and coffee or just do nothing at all!!!

On our last day we spent the morning at the beach,  walked by the water again in the afternoon and started to pack up the van (not that it takes very long), so we can get an early start tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow we have a drive of about 560km to Exmouth.

More blog from there.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Port Smith to Pardoo Roadhouse - 6 July 2012 - 338km

We had originally planned to stay overnight at Port Hedland, but couldnt get a booking at any of the 3 caravan parks there, so overnighted at Pardoon Roadhouse ($30), which was about 150km north of Port Hedland.

The caravan park was in a paddock behind the roadhouse and had power and water connections and 6 ensuite bathrooms.  The caravans were lined up quite close together with no room for us to put our our awning.  Not that we intended to anyway.

We spent the afternoon cleaning the car and van and trying to get rid of some of the fine red dust that has accumulated over the last few weeks. Surprisingly we could get 1 TV channel (9) and internet, but not mobile coverage.  It got cold very early, so we didnt bother sitting outside and had an early night.

More blog from Point Sampson.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Broome to Port Smith - 4,5, July - 166km

After leaving the Great Northern Highway and driving 23km on a dusty red dirt road, we arrived at Port Smith caravan park ($35 power & water), about 166km south of Broome.

Port Smith was originally a successful pearl farm but after years of operation was forced to close because a virus attacked the pearls. The owner, who still lives on his property near the lagoon, developed the caravan park and a bird sanctuary there.  He eventually sold the caravan park to its present owners and closed the bird sanctuary 2 years ago. There is only the caravan park and the former owners property in the area, but it is a very good fishing spot.

On the afternoon of our arrival we walked down the dusty red dirt road to the lagoon, which is between 2 mangrove areas with a clear sandy area in the middle where the tidal ocean flows in and out. We were there at low tide and walked out a long way over the mud flats to the water where we saw a turtle swimming in the lagoon.  Its a safe swimming area - no crocs.

The next day we walked down to the lagoon at high tide and spent a few hours enjoying the beach and swimming in the lagoon.  Back to the van for lunch and then went back in the afternoon at low tide to take photos of the mud flats and mangroves. We saw a group of  wallabies by the road.

Every Thursday night the caravan park holds a fish & chips dinner, where campers take their own chairs, table, drinks, plates etc and sit around campfires.  Dinner cost $5 per person and was well worth it as the fish is freshly caught and donated by fishermen in the park and the park management.
Seconds were available for a gold coin donation and all proceeds of the night go to the Flying Doctor Service. There was a five piece Aboriginal band which was excellent and raffles were held with the prizes being huge mud crabs.  Unfortunately we didnt win one!!!  We joined Willie & Rachel (friends from Broome) and Ken and Chris and their dog Bonny, who were our neighbours at the park and had a top night.

We loved this caravan park.  The staff were great, bathrooms were always clean and management charged reasonable prices for everything ($3.80 for a loaf of bread, not $5.40 as we have paid in lots of parks). If we were keen fishermen we would have stayed longer.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Derby to Broome - 29 June to 3 July - 220km

Only a short drive to Broome from Derby and we checked into Broome Vacation caravan park ($45 power & water) about lunch time.  Our site was quite small.  Lucky we have a small van.  The caravan park is about 6km from both town and Cable Beach.

We drove to the Visitors Centre for info and had a walk around Broome town centre before finding a shopping mall and shopped for groceries.  It was our 38th wedding anniversary and we had planned to go out for dinner, but decided to postpone it until the next night.

The next day we drove out to Cable Beach and took a long walk along the beach.  It is a long flat beach and good for walking.  A beautiful sunny day but quite windy. We checked out 2 restaurants and decided to return that night for dinner. We caught the last bus (5.10pm) from our caravan park to the Divers Pub at Cable Beach for a few pre-dinner drinks.  We had a guided tour on the bus as the bus driver gave a running commentary.  At the pub the Knights were playing Parramatta on the big screen, so we decided to watch the game before walking up to Zanders Restaurant for dinner.  We shared an entree of crocodile which tasted like overcooked turkey (not impressed), while sitting at a table overlooking the beach.  The rest of the meal was enjoyable and we had to cautch a taxi back to the camping ground.

On Sunday we spent all morning at the beach and then drove to Gantheaume Point to see the Dinosaur Footprints.  Didn't get to see them as the tide was in and they were under water.  Late in the afternoon we drove back to Cable Beach to watch the sunset.

Our car was booked in for a service on Monday morning so I took it in and then caught up on some chores while Pete went for a game of golf with Willie, a guy we met on the courtesy bus.

On our last day in Broome we went to have coffee and cake with Simone (a friend of a friend) and then went back to Cable Beach with our chairs and books and spent the remainder of the day there.  I had a swim, late in the afternoon when the tide was out.  It took ages to walk to the water from our chairs.

We really enjoyed Broome, but are ready to move on and will be heading south to Port Smith tomorrow.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Fitzroy Crossing to Derby - 27,28 June 2012-259km

We checked into West Kimberley Lodge caravan park in Derby ($35 power & water) about lunchtime, after driving the latter miles of our journey with yellow wattle trees in full bloom lining both sides of the road.  Nothing in the van tempted us for lunch so we drove to a coffee shop in town for coffee and cake or in Pete's case homemade meat pie and coffee!!!  We had intended to park somewhere and have a walk around the town centre but the businesses and shops were strung along several roads with large distances in between, so we just drove around for a look.

We drove out to the Derby Wharf, a good place to fish or view the sunset over King Sound.  Tides here are Australia's highest with tidal variations being as much as 11 metres, meaning vast areas of mud flats at low tide.

Our main reason for staying at Derby was to do the Horizontal Waterfall Flight and the next day we were picked up at 8.15am and driven to the airport to board our seaplane. The pilot offered the co-pilots seat to anyone and Pete jumped at the chance and spent the flight looking very authentic with headphones and microphone.!!!

At first we flew over the mud flats with the stunning mud colours changing from milky latte to coffee to brown.  We flew over some of the islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago and over the falls themselves before landing on the turquoise waters and taxiing to the pontoon.

We boarded a jet boat and took off for the falls where we rode through the narrow gap between the first gorges. The second gap was too small to ride through safely as the water was flowing out very fast., so back  at the pontoon we fed the fish and swam in a huge shark cage.  The pontoon has a few sharks and a very big groper that hang around the boats and we could see them in the clear water, swimming by the pontoon.

We went out in the jetboat for a cruise around the untouched surrounding bays and creeks and as this is crocodile country, we looked for crocs without success.

Barra burgers seem to be the lunch of choice in the far north and we enjoyed them again for lunch.

We did one last jet boat ride out to the falls where the gap between the second gorges had widened enough for us to ride through so we rode through both gorges several times.

We flew home over the scenic Buccaneer Archipelago and King Sound.  It was an excellent day out and one of the highlights of our trip so far.

The Kimberley would have to be one of the most colourful places we have been.  The white, yellow, red, black and grey of the gorges,  red earth,  turquoise, emerald and green/grey waters of the ocean and waterways,  dark green scrub and creamy spinifex make for a beautiful ever changing vista.

Next stop.  A little R 'n R in Broome.

Cheers
Rhondae (Sam) & Pete

Turkey Creek to Fitzroy Crossing - 25,26 June 2012 - 451km

Still travelling the Great Northerm Highway.  We arrived at Fitzroy River Lodge caravan park about 1.00pm after stopping at a rest area called Ngumban Cliff Lookout for lunch.  The rest area was at the top of a hill with a wonderful view, but also with a cold blusterly wind which rocked the caravan, so instead of enjoying the view, we ate in the van.

Our caravan park is part of a resort and is on the Fitzroy River.  Its great camping with shady trees, grass and an excellent amenities block.  No mobile coverage, but we could get wireless and 4 ABC channels on the tv.  I caught up with internet jobs and spent the afternoon not doing much of anything.  Happy hour was early as by 5.00pm it started to get quite cold.

The next day we drove out to Geike Gorge and walked the River Walk, an easy walk along the bank of the Fitzroy River, before joining the DEC boat tour into the gorge.  This tour is run by the National Park and although only an hour, was excellent.  We saw lots of fresh water crocs (no salties in this area), and the gorge itself was beautiful.  We both agree we are gorged out.  Time to move to beaches!!!

After the boat trip we walked the Reef Walk, along the base of the gorge wall.  It was classed as moderate, but as we mostly had to walk in sand, found it pretty tiring. We did see some red tailed, black cockatoos though and took some great photos.

Feeling like we deserved some lunch we left the gorge and drove to the oldest pub in The Kimberley, The Crossing Inn.  We enjoyed lunch and on the way out walked through the pub bar which was full of drunk locals, so we didnt linger.

Off to Derby tomorrow and will hit the WA coast at last.  Hope the weather stays good.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Kununurra ti Turkey Creek (Warmum) - 23,24 June 2012 - 198km

An easy 198km drive to Turkey Creek and we spotted a flock of Brolgas and some wild horses on the way.

The caravan park was a small one attached to Turkey Creek Roadhouse and only held about 20 vans, with a small toilet and shower block. The local Aboriginal people own the roadhouse and surrounding lands and mostly work at the 3 mines in the vicinity. We were surprised to be able to get mobile and wireless coverage there, even though it was in the middle of nowhere.

We had already booked a 4 wheel drive tour into Pernululu National Park and the Bungle Bungles and were picked up at the roudhouse at 5.30am on a very cold morning, by our guide for the day, Bruce.  It was a 2 hour drive to reach Pernululu, driving across creeks and riverbeds and over dusty, corrugated roads.

The Bungle Bungle Range is renowned for its striking sandstone domes, striped with orange and grey bands.  It is estimated to be 360 million years old.

Our first stop was the Visitors Centre and then we drove 20km to Echnida Chasm.  We walked along a river bed to the spectactular long, narrow chasm which has striking colour variations, depending upon the angle of the sun gleaming into the chasm. The palms waving from the 200m high ridges above make the area great for photos.

Our lunch stop was at East Kimberley Tours base camp, where you can stay overnight if you wish.  Lunch ws pretty ordinary and was a salad that looked like it was made of leftovers and tinned vegetables -not even a bread roll!!! Tea /coffee and Arnotts biscuits was the dessert.

A 27km drive out to Piccaninny Creek and Cathedral Gorge followed.  Here we walked a trail that followed Piccaninny Creek through striped sandstone beehive like rock formations.  There was evidence of waterfalls that cascaded down steep rock faces during the west season and eventually the narrow trail opened into a huge amphitheatre.

Our journey home followed a slightly different route (although we still drove with lots of dust, riverbeds and a corrugated  road), to a small hill where we stopped for afternoon tea and to view the sunset. We drove the last 1 1/2 hours in the dark which was a bit of a worry as there were lots of cattle on the road.  Bruce entertained us on the way home with bush poetry and stories about the local characters and crocodiles.

The massive Mabel Station has locked its gates and left lots of its cattle to graze by the side of the road for about 40km.  Apparently the locals are not impressed as the cattle are continually being hit and killed by traffic, making travelling in that area much more dangerous.

We arrived back at camp at 7.00pm - a long day,  but very enjoyable.

Tomorrow we head west to Fitzroy Crossing.  We haven't booked anything, so hope we ge a site with power.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Katherine to Kununurra - 18 to 22 June 2012 -503km

Had an early start and took our time to drive the 503km to Kununurra.  The further we drove the nicer the countryside became and we drove through areas of majestic silver/grey boab trees with no leaves.  We stopped for fuel at Victoria River Roadhouse which was a lovely area and had we realised this sooner would probably have stayed there a night or two.  Apparently it is a good Barra fishing spot.  On reaching the border between Northern Territory and Western Australia we had to hand over our vegies and a jar of honey at the quarantine station.
Our caravan park in Kununurra was called Town Caravan Park ($33 power & water) and as its name indicated was right in town!!!   Plenty of shady trees but a bit noisy as our van backed onto a main road. It has a "Live Cane Toad Box", so if anyone finds a live cane toad they place it in the box and they are euthanesed twice a week!!!  I always looked in when I passed, but didnt see any.WA are trying to prevent them spreading.

Our first day we visited the Tourist Information Centre to get information on the area and headed out to Mirima National Park where we walked up hill, through stunning rock formations to a look out.  Our next place to visit was Kellys Knob which was quite close to town and gave a great view of Kununurra town.

We then drove out of town over the Division Dam of the Ord River to Zebra Rock Gallery, a workshop where they produce all sorts of ornaments made of a unique striped rock.  We walked  down to the river to watch the kids feeing the milk fish (a type of catfish) and then treated ourselves to coffee and cake.

On the 3rd day we drove the 200km round trip out to Wyndham in the far north of the East Kimberley.  On the way we called into The Grotto, a 175m deep pool, which lies at the bottom of 140 rugged steps which have no railings.  Not good if you are scared of heights as some places were quite narrow.  Nevertheless we made it down and saw 2 monitor lizards on the rocks near the pool.

On reaching Wyndham we drove up to 5 Rivers Lookout where 5 rivers meet and the tides are some of the largest in the world.  The lookout is 350m above sea level and the panoramic views are spectacular.  Had a look around Wyndham Port before going to the Wyndham Hotel which had been recommended for lunch. Unfortunately we arrived the same time as a tour bus and waited over an hour for our Barra Burgers,  as half the hotel staff had not turned up for their shift.  It was a pretty good burger though!!

Next day we drove 70km out of town to Lake Argyle, Australias 2nd largest reservoir which holds 21 times the water of Sydney Harbour.  It is a very picturesque spot and a great place for a picnic and also for fishing.  We saw a very large freshwater "snapping handbag", sunning itself by the river.

Our last day in Kununurra was spent catching up on the mundane things like washing, shopping and after phoning every caravan park I could find,  I managed to land a booking in Broome. I'll now  have to start making bookings for our trip down the west coast as its school holidays in a week and they will be very busy.

Tomorrow we drive to Turkey Creek for our visit to The Bungle Bungles.

More blog from there.

Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Litchfield National Park to Katherine - 15,16,June 2012 -249km

Drove south from Litchfield N.P. on a very hot day and out of the blue a herd of about 20 cattle raced across the road in front of us with no warning.  Pete managed to brake just in time to avoid them and we were grateful there was no road train behind us.

Katherine is situated on the Katherine River and is considered a big town in this part of Aussie, and the Stuart Highway runs through the town. We checked into Knotts Crossing Caravan Park ($39, power, water, ensuite) and after settting up drove into town to book our boat trip to Katherine Gorge for the next day.

The next morning we drove 30km out of town to Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge). 
Nitmiluk is the Aboriginal name for the gorge and means cicada country.  Our boat trip took us to 3 of the deep sandstone gorges which have been carved out by the Katherine River. We changed boats 3 times to get to the 3 gorges, with our guide (Chris) explaining the history of the gorge and its indiginous owners.  There were no waterfalls to see as the gorges are almost at their lowest point, but the towering cliff walls were an awesome sight.  Before leaving on the last boat we were given the opportunity to swim in the rock pools.  On the way back we saw several fresh water crocs, sunning themselves on the banks.

Spent the remainder of the day relaxing and preparing the van for our journey tomorrow.  It will be goodbye Northern Territory and hello to Western Australia.

More from W.A.
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Darwin to Litchfield National Park - 14,15 June 2012 - 134km

It was only a short drive to Litchfield N.P. and we checked into Litchfield Tourist Park ($28 power & water) before lunch.  The caravan park is just outside the boundary of the national park and our camp site had a concrete slab and a roof over it to keep us cool.

That afternoon we drove out into the park and stopped to view the Magnetic Termite Mounds.  They are called magnetic because they are built north to south.  We thought they looked a bit like large toombstones!!!!

We then continued on to Florence Falls where we walked down the 135 steps to the bottom pool and had a swim before walking back to our car via the Shady Creek walk.

Just a short drive then to Buley Rockhole, which is a cascading seried of pools and is also great for a swim.  So we made the most of that.

That was enough for our 1st day, so back to camp for happy hour with the mossies and bugs and a long night with no TV.  Just as well we both like to read.

We had decided only to spend 2 nights there so we left camp early the next day to see the remainder of the sights and drove out to Walker Creek first.  Here we did a lovely bush walk along the creek which had 8 small camp sites along the way.  If you wanted to camp at them you would have to carry all your gear in.  The track was quite steep in places and it was a very hot day, so at camp no.7 we cooled off in a big rock pool.

Our next stop was Wangi Falls where we walked the loop walk which was a steep climb and took us around the back of the falls.  It was a hard climb going up and coming down was very hard on the old legs. Again we cooled off in the pool at the bottom of the falls.  There were warnings that freshwater crocs live in the area, but we didn't see any.  We are told they won't harm you unless provoked. By this time we were ready for lunch and ate our picnic lunch on the grassed area in front of the falls.

Tolmer Falls were our last stop for the day and we reached them after a short walk to the viewing platform.  By this time we were all walked out!!!  All the falls areas were impressive.

There was no shortage of water at our caravan park and they had sprinklers watering the grass and gardens all day.  There was no lighting around the camp and although the toilet block and the cafe/bar area were well lit, it was pitch black everywhere else, which mad the view of the clear, star filled sky, exceptional.  We had no coverage for mobiles or intenet and no TV.  Although the camp was very nice with green grass and shrubs,  this was the worst place we have stayed at for mossies and bugs.

There is no doubt Litchfield National Park is a very beautiful area and we are really glad we came to see it, but again the burning off of the bush spoilt the scenery and left the air very smokey for days.  One spot of fire we passed had large flames by the side of the road.  Apart from 2 dingos which ran in front of us and 2 small roos by the side of the road, there was no other wildlife to be seen.

Tomorrow we will be travelling south to Katherine.  More blog from there.

Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Kakadu to Darwin - 8-13 June 2012 - 250km

Seeing as we only had 250km to travel we left Jabiru about 9.30am for the trip to Darwin.  It was a hot day and we were travelling on a good road.  We did have a near miss when a small red roo jumped across the road in front of us, but we saw it in plenty of time to miss him.

We checked into Shady Glen Caravan Park ($39 power & water). It is aptly named as there are plenty of shady trees.  Just as well as its pretty hot here.  We needed to stock up on a few items, so shopped at a nearby supermarket and were back in time for happy hour!!!

The next morning we awoke to find our fridge was not working and transferred everything over to the Engel.  Pete phoned a few places to try to get a fridge mechanic, with no success as its a long weekend here, so he had a go at fixing it himself.  Not an easy job, but he got it running again.

It was Pete's 65th birthday so we caught the local bus into town (no charge for Seniors!!!) and went to happy hour at one of the many pubs in the main street.  We had been recommended a restaurant called Crustaceans which is situated right on the end of Stokes Hill Wharf, and decided to walk there for dinner.  We stopped to ask directions from a young girl who was on her way home and she offered to drive us there.  (The kids seem to take pity on us when we take these long walks!!!).   The wharf has a great view over the water and we sat outside and ate Barramundi.  On the walk back we had dessert (a big double ice cream cone each!!!).

After a nightcap in town we headed for the bus station to catch the last bus home.  We had a 40 minute wait before it left and were a bit uncomfortable as there were quite a few drunks around.  Next minute several transit police arrived and surrounded one drunken Aboriginal and asked the people waiting if he had threatened anyone with the knife he was carrying.  No one said yes,  and then our bus arrived so we boarded and off we went.

A few stops down the road and four more drunks got on and we only drove a short way when the driver stopped the bus, turned off the engine and asked them did they know they were on the no.8 bus, not the no.4.  After about 20 minutes discussion on the matter they decided to get off and we continued on our way without further disturbance.

On our 3rd day I had a problem with the computer and couldnt fix it, so phoned a few places to try to get it fixed.  One guy was very helpful and tried to fix ti with me over the phone - no luck.  Being a long weekend I will take it into him on Tuesday when the shop opens again. After lunch we drove into town andd walked around the city centre looking at the sights.  We then drove out to the sunset markets at Mindl Beach and ate dinner from the stalls there.

Monday morning we drove out to East Point Recreation Reserve and spent a few hours on the beach which has a great view of the city skyline.  That afternoon we called in to visit our friend Bill, who we met at Stockton, but lives in Darwin.

On Tuesday we spent the morning catching up on a few necessities and booked the car in to have a transmission fuel cooling kit installed the next day.

With the car in the garage on Wedneday,  we decided we needed some exercise and went for a walk along the Stuart Highway.  Very hot but we needed to do something.  Afterwards we cooled off in the caravan park pool.  Our caravan park is very close to Darwin Airport and never seems to close.  We have heard planes landing at 2.30 am - quite noisy.

Tomorrow we start our travelling again and are heading to Litchfield National Park.  Keep your fingers crossed that our caravan fridge doesn't pack it in!!!!

Not sure if I will have wireless at Litchfield.  So next blog may have to wait until I do.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Mataranka Springs to Kakadu - 4 June 2012 - 411km

We departed Mataranka Springs at 8.15am as we had quite a big day of travelling before us.  We stopped at Katherine to stock up on food.  There was a Woolworths on the Stuart Highwat (Katherine main street), so it was easy.

After leaving Katherine we drove about 91k and turned onto the Kakadu Highway, stopping at Mary River Roadhouse for lunch.  The 208km journey on the Kakadu Highway was on a good road, but with very little to see as the scenery didn't change at all.  The only thing of interest was the burn off fires which is an aboriginal tradition, tens of thousand years old and is summed up by this quotation.   (It took my fancy!!!!)

"This earth, I never damage. I look after. Fire is nothing, just clean up.  When you burn, new grass coming up.  That means good animal soon, might be goanna, posum, wallaby.  Burn him off. new grass coming up.  new life all over."
BILL NEIDJIE  Bunitj Clan

We arrived at 3.30pm and checked in to Lakeview Park Caravan Park at Jabiru, ($40 power AND OUR OWN ENSUITE).  The caravan park is all grass and shady trees which is a pleasant change from red dust or gravel.

On our first day we drove to Bowali Visitors Centre to check out what to see and do and then drove on to Mamukala  Wetlands, where we walked the 3k loop.  The bush at the side of the path was still smoldering as the local people had been burning off.  No chance to see much wildlife in that area as it would have run off to escape the burning.  However, there were lots of hawkes hunting for those animals who had been flushed out by the fire.

We came across a young American birdwatcher who had just witnessed a dingo eating a dead pig.  We walked the remainder of the path with him.  As it turned out he was from one of our favourite places in the States,  Flagstaff.  Before leaving we visited the observation deck which overlooked the wetlands where we did see lots of bird life.

It was a pleasant change to have TV reception again and so we watched the Queens 60th Anniversary Concert - good stuff!!!!

We were booked on a Yellow Water Wetland cruise at Cooinda at 9.00am the next morning and had to drive for 45 minutes to get there on time.  Originally we were going to book the 6.45am cruise, but were advised to go a bit later and were glad we did, as we saw lots of crocs which surface to sun themselves on the banks when the sun is hot and were not around for the earlier cruise. It was a lovely, warm day and we saw lots of birdlife in a beautiful wetland setting which will only be there for another month, when a lot of the water disappears and the pigs and buffalo move in.

After the cruise, our next stop was the Nourlangie Region where archaeologists have uncovered 20,000 years of Aboriginal occupation.  We walked up to Nourlangie Rock Lookout, passing several aboriginal rock painting sites along the way. When we reached the top the view was spectacular.

On the way back to Jabiru we stopped by a bridge over a small wetland and saw Jabiru Storks and a huge black wild pig in the shallow water.  We ate a late picnic lunch at Jabiru Lake, before returning to our camp.

No need to rush out early on our last day at Kakadu, so we took our time before driving out to Ubirr.  The Ubirr area is about 39km north of the Arnhem Highway and has the magnificent Nardab Lookout and lots of Aboriginal rock art, dating back 8,000 - 15,000 years.  Some of the art is not very visible as it has faded over the years.  Others have survived better because they have been protected from the elements by large overhanging rocks.

We climbed up to the lookout and found ourselves surrounded by a 360 degree view of wonderful flood plains and distant ranges and we could see right across to Arnhem Land.

During the drive back to Jabiru we drove through a few areas where water crossed the road, but no problems as it was only shallow.

We have enjoyed our time at Kakadu, but were a bit disappointed to be here during the large scale burn off which produced lots of smoke in several areas we visited, and we didnt see as many animals as we thought we would.  However, having OUR VERY OWN ENSUITE was a luxury!!!!

Tomorrow we drive to Darwin,  so next blog will be from there.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Daly Waters to Mataranka Springs - 3 June 2012 - 170km

Not far to drive today, so we didn't leave too early.

The terrain is changing.  The roads aren't as straight and there are larger trees, and we seemed to be driving steadily uphill.  There are lots of anthills at the side of the road that look like man made sculputures.

The caravan park at Mataranka Homestead  ($29 power & water) is very shady and very dusty!!!  The  fine red dust gets into everythin and makes your throat feel dry.

We went for a walk to the Waterhouse River. It has freshwater crocs which we are told are not dangerous.  (I dont think we will test that though!!!!).  Apparently every year after the wet season the rangers check for the big saltwater crocs and if they catch  any they take them out of the area.  We saw some aboriginal kids looking for turtles at the river and watched them for a while.

The thermal pool had very clear water, was warm, not hot and we enjoyed our swim there. We spent the remainder of the afternoon reading outside our van with visits from a little red kangaroo and several peacocks.

At about 9pm the power was cut off unexpectantly.  Not knowing how long this would last,  and because we were worried about our 2 fridges being off all night,  we took the torch and walked to the main reception building, which was closed, and no staff were around.  One of the locals drinking in the dark bar told us it happened all the time and should come back on in an hour or two.  Which it did.

Next stop - Kakadu.  More blog from there.

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Renner Springs to Daly Waters - 2 June 2012 - 244km

An uneventful trip, stopping at Elliott for re-fueling.  Arrived at Daly Waters before lunch and were shown to our site by a man on a push bike.  We had a great site by a shady tree ($24 power).

They say the pub is the oldest pub in Australia.  It has a great atmosphere filled with weird and whacky memorabillia.  The bar staff were Irish backpackers and Pete was the only one who could understand them!!!  We booked in for their special Beef & Barra BBQ that night and spent the afternoon relaxing under our shady tree watching the vans roll in.

The dinner was very well organised with 3 sittings available.  The meal was excellent and the entertainment surprisingly good.  The entertainer's name was "Chilli" and was a real bushy, comedian, bush poet and singer.  We haven't had such a good laugh for ages.  It was a unique nights entertainment and we really enjoyed it.  We even bought his C D.  Pete got it autographed because Chilli said he would get $1 more if he sold it on ebay.  The pub has won the award for the best outback pub for the 6th time.  It was an excellent night and everyone travelling in this area should give it a try.  We walked back to our camp under a most unusual sky full of small white fluggy clouds, a bright moon and lots of stars.

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Devils Marbles to Renner Springs - 1 June 2012 - 276km

We had very little packing up to do and were away early to drive the 276km to Renner Springs.  We arrived before lunch and checked into Renner Springs Desert Caravan Park ($30 power & water). Once again we didnt have to unhook the car so setting up didnt take long.  Took a short walk to the lagoon where there were lot of large hawks circling above.  We were told at check in that the springs water there is the best in Austrtalia (a little poetic licence you think)??  Had a lazy afternoon watching the birdlife (pelicans and peacocks among others).

Cooking dinner turned into a bit of a circus as we no sooner started to cook, than the power cut off.  Two yardies employed there were trying to fix it.  Maybe it would have turned out better if the older guy hadn't had a few too many beers.  As it happened the power went off and on for the next hour, with the pair of "fixers" trying different fixes, but really not having a clue.  Finally another guy turned up and spotted the problem straight away and all 6 vans breathed a sigh of relief.  He showed Pete where the reset button was and Pete had to reset it 3 times before it finally settled down.

We have had no mobile or broadband coverage since Alice and it looks like we wont have it again until Darwin.  (I'm not sure about Kakadu).

It seems we have left the really cold weather behind. The weather in Renner Springs was hot during the day and pleasantly warm at night.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Alice Springs to Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu) - 31 May 2012 - 393km

On the road by 8.30am, headed for our first top up town, Aileron.  The roadhouse there was great with a nice bar and restaurant area and a small caravan park.  It also had a very big wedge tail eagle in an enclosure.  Apparently the eagle had been hit by a truck and now has pins in both wings and a metal plate in its chest.  It was 39 years old and the owner of the roadhouse told us he had know it for 21 years.

We are driving the the typical long straight stretches of road and came across a corral full of camels (at least 50 or 60).  It is a holding pen for when they catch the wild ones. Just passed a large flock of bright green budgies which were by the side of the road.

After stopping for a bite to eat at a roadside rest stop, we arrived at Devils Marbles for our first off road camping experience at about 2.30pm.  Just as well because the camp filled up very quickly after that.
Devils Marbles is an area of large granite boulders, scattered across a wide shallow valley.  The massive boulders stand out spectacularly against the rolling hills and level plains of the region.  The camping site is right amongst the marbles and is tendered by the national park.  It costs $3.50 per person, and the money is put in an envelope and left in a box on site for collection.  There are no facilities, except one pit toilet.

As it was just an overnight stay we didnt unhook the car and after setting up camp we took a walk into the marbles area. We climbed up several rock formations and were rewarded with spectular views.  We spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing with a few drinks and checking out the dingo who wandered into the camp and made himself comfortable in the middle of the vans.  Had a chat to one of our neighbours, a German who has lived in Australia for 40 years and travels around a lot. We had no electricity, and prepared an easy dinner on our gas stove, by the light of our tilly lamp.  We read for a while, using our head lamps and had a very early night (no telly!!!). The sky at night is exceptionally clear and is full of bright, twinkling stars.

We got up early to find the same dingo in the camp again.  A women had let her old dog out without a lead and the dingo started to stalk it.  It was about to attack when it ws chased away.  Dogs are supposed to be on a leash at all times.  Some people will never learn!!!  I am surprised at the amount of people travelling in vans who bring their dog with them.

We enjoyed our off road experience and would certainly do it again for a night here and there if necessary.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Kings Canyon to Alice Springs - 27 to 30 May 2012 - 477km

 Got up early as we had a reasonably long drive, but didn't have to set the alarm as the howling dingos woke us at 6 am.  When we came out of the van, 3 of them walked past, in between our van and our neighbours, not too worried about the campers in their backyard.

The speed limit on the Stuart Highway in this area is 130km.  We didn't drive that speed, but we made good time and arrived at Stuart Caravan Park, Alice Springs ($32 power & water), at about 2.30pm.  This gave us plenty of time to set up before dark.

The caravan park is a good one with lots of shady trees. The park seems to have stronger security than usual and we need a key to enter the grounds. Like everywhere else we have stayed lately,  it gets very dusty.  The weather is cool and there is a cold wind, even during the day.

The following day we strolled around Alice town centre.  It is not a big town, but has all the usual chain stores and lots of galleries showing Aboriginal art.  There were lots of local Aboriginals in town, mainly wandering around the streets or just sitting around,  seemingly with nothing else to do. Lots of police presence. We needed to stock up again, so shopped at Woolies and then found a butcher shop owned by a Scouser who had lived in Alice for 4 years.  He and Pete had a good chat about Liverpool and we bought some camel & date sausages (I'll tell you what they were like next blog).  Pete also treated himself to a pork pie (heaven!!!!!).

The MacDonnell Ranges run east-west through Alice Springs for 640km and we drove out there on our 3rd day.  The traditional owners, the Arrente people, are spiritually connected to the Ranges through Dreamtime stories.  The Ranges are protected through National Parks.

We stopped first at Simpsons Gap and after a short walk beside a dry creek bed,  the towering gap in the range became visible.  Quite a site!!!  Apparently this is a good area to see rock wallabies, but unfortunately they weren't around while we were there.  We did get some good photos of the Gap though.

Our next stop was Stanley Chasm, which is a privately owned property and therefore not part of the National Park and a fee is charged to enter. The path was very rocky and took us through a gully of ferns and tall gum trees,  sometimes walking in a dry rocky creek bed.  The Chasm is a narrow corridor sliced through the bright red/orange rock walls which are about 80m high and looks spectacular with the sun shining through the crack.  More photo opportunities!!!!  On the drive back to town we stopped at John Flynn's grave,  the flying doctor's final resting place.

We made the most of what was left of the afternoon by cleaning the car inside and out as it was full of red dust.

Our last day here and I caught up on our washing.  We had arranged to meet our 4 friends from Sydney in town for a coffee as it is unlikely we will be running into them again.  Did a little more shopping and had to wait until 2.00pm when the liquor stores open to by more grog.  There are very strick restrictions on the sale of grog here and everyone must show ID before being allowed to purchase.  On the local TV stations we have seen several ads stating that your car can be confiscated if used for transporting grog into dry areas.  Those who do are called grog runners.

We took a walk up Anzac Hill which is in the town and gives a really great view of Alice Springs town and the surrounding countryside before going back to the van to prepare for departing tomorrow.  After leaving tomorrow we will be doing 4 different one night stopovers before arriving at Kakadu.

Oh,  just for your information.  The camel and date sausages were very tasty, so we bought a few more today and froze them for our trip North!!!!

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Uluru to Kings Canyon - 24 - 26 May 2012 - 306km

We only had 300km to travel so we didn't have to leave too early, arriving at Kings Canyon about 1.30pm.  On the way we saw 3 wild camels which were eating the bushes at the side of the road (another photo opportunity!!!)

We stayed  at Kings Canyon Resort caravan park ($42 power & water), where the sites are quite large with lots of shady trees.  There was a very cold wind, even though it was a sunny day.

We met up with our friends from Sydney again for happy hour which didnt last long because it was too cold outside. These are probably the coldest nights we have had so far.

There are dingo warnings in the park and we have seen a dingo wandering around.  It doesn't seem to be too concerned with the presence of lots of people, as he wanders around the camp. Early in the morning we heard them howling.  Believe me, when I go to the shower block in the evening I am keeping a look out for them!!!

The next morning we had a sleep in before driving out to Kings Canyon to do the Kings Canyon Rim Walk.  This is a 6km loop which begins with a steep climb to the top of the canyon, then follows the canyon around the rim on a well sign posted track.  The climb up was pretty tough, but well worth it as the view from the rim was spectactular.  The trail is very rocky and makes difficult walking.  Again we didn't see any wild life.  One section of the walk is called The Garden of Eden, a very pretty area which includes part of Kings Creek and has lush vegetation.  It took about 3 1/2 hours to complete and we were ready for a rest.  A great way to spend the morning.

That afternoon we took it easy and cooked a  bar b q with our friends for dinner after happy hour.

There is no mobile or wireless coverage here so once again we are out of touch with the world.

On our last day we awoke to a very cold morning, so much so that there was ice in our milk. I am wearing flannelette p.j's, a thermal jumper and thick socks to bed to keep me snug on he these cold nights!!!

We drove over to Kings Canyon again and did the Kings Creek walk.  It was an easy walk (2km) which meandered along Kings Creek,  ending at a viewing platform where where there was a stunning view of the shear canyon walls.

We returned to camp and walked the Kings Canyon Resort Ridge Walk which took 45 mins.  This track took us along an escarpment that surrounds the hotel, giving great views of the George Gill Range.  When returning to the camp we say the scrawniest dingo we have ever seen.

Tomorrow we are driving to Alice Springs.

More blog from there.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Kulgera Roadhouse to Uluru - 20-23 May 2012 - 240km

On leaving Kulgera Roadhouse we topped up the tank and set off for Uluru.  At Curtin Springs we paid $2.25/litre.  Its getting more expensive the further north we get.

Again we drove through a flat landscape with long periods of straight road.  As we drove closer to Uluru the vista changed to combination of rich red soil, pale cream long grasses and dark green scrub.  It looked awesome.

We checked into Ayres Rock Resort caravan park ($41 power & water), and set up camp.  The resort has 4 hotel/apartment/lodge complexes, a camping ground and shopping centre.  It is very well designed and slots into the local landscape beautifully.

On our 2nd day, we drove out to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where we purchased a 3 day pass for $25 per person and then drove out to Mala carpark at the base of the rock.  Here we joined a free Ranger guided walk, which lasted about 1 1/2 hours.   We walked the Mala walk (about 2km) around the base of the rock while the Ranger explained the Anangu Aboriginal culture and the significance of Uluru.  The walk was very informative and gave us an idea of what to expect the following day when we did the Base Walk.  We then drove out to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and stopped along the way at Kata Tjuta Dune Viewing site where we ate our picnic lunch whilst enjoying the wonderful landscape.

After lunch we continued our drive to the Valley of the Winds where we hiked to Kara and Karingana Lookouts.  This was a round trip of 5.4km along a track that was as much a climb as a walk, at times over very rocky, rough ground but it was worth every step as the scenery was spectacular.  Although the day was hot and dry, when we walked in the shade of the huge rocks, the temperature dropped quickly and was quite cool.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours to complete and by the time we finished we were ready for happy hour!!!

We were up early on our 3rd day as we planned to do the Uluru Base Walk and wanted to beat the heat.  This walk is a 10.6km loop.  It was a good, flat track and we did it comfortably, carrying plenty of drnking water. The scenery in this area is all about colours, which change constantly, according to the sunlight.
We are surpised about the complete lack of wild life.  We haven't even seen a kangaroo and there is no road kill in this area at all. Before returning to camp, we visited the Cultural Centre which was worth a visit.

We had arranged to meet some travellers who we first met at Coober Pedy (Pat & Warrick, Debbie & Eric from Sydney) at Naninga Lookout in the caravan park to watch sunset over Uluru. We all turned up with drinks, nibbles, chairs and a table and enjoyed the sunset in comfort.

On on our last day at Uluru,  we rose early to watch sunrise.  The morning was really cold and we rugged up and walked up to Naninga Lookout again.  It was a pretty ordinary sunrise, but something we had to see while we are here.  Should have stayed in bed!!!!

We spent our last day doing a little shopping, preparing for moving on to Kings Canyon and having a bit of a lay day.  Tonight we are going down to the Outback Pioneer Bar and Restaurant to have a few drinks and dinner and watch State of Origin.  Go the Blues!!!!!!!

Next blog from Kings Canyon.

Cheers

Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Port Augusta to Coober Pedy - 16 May 2012 - 559km

We departed Port Augusta about 8.30am for the trip north on the Stuart Highway.  It was another beautiful blue sky day and we drove through small dusty, dark green bushes and again the red earth.  The road kill is getting bigger!!! We've gone from wambats and foxes to very big cows.  The scenery changed to flat plains with just desert grass and not much vegetation for as far as the eye can see.  We topped up with petrol at Spuds Roadhouse and then drove past Lake Hart, a very large salt lake.

On the last stretch of the trip we had 253km to drive without being able to top up with petrol.  We thought we would be OK but weren't sure. No problem.  We arrived at Coober Pedy with easily a quarter of a tank to spare.  Now, at least we have some idea of our petrol consumption while towing!!!!  We checked into Big 4 Oasis caravan park ($30 power,no water),  had a few drinks with our neighbours from Sydney and had an easy dinner.  We have good coverage for mobile phones and internet here,  so I took the opportunity to  do some forward bookings by using Skype phone.   Easy peazy,  and very cheap.

The next morning I took my first coin operated shower.  20cents for 3 minutes.  It took me the first 2 minutes to adjust the temperature so I had a one minute shower before it cut out.  Another 20cents and it started again at the same temperature and I was able to finish my shower for 40cents. Cheap at half the price!!!

We took a 1/2 day tour of Coober Pedy.  Our bus driver as an ex opal miner who was 77 years old and very knowledgeable.  We visited the opal fields and mines and the noodling area where anyone can go to fossick for opals, (and keep whatever you find). Also visited the Serbian Underground Church which was an amazing building, built underground of course and extremely beautiful.  We drove all over town to Rudi's excellent commentary and lastly visited the Umoona Opal Mine & Museum which we found really interesting.

That afternoon we set off on a Sunset Breakaway Tour, first visiting an area of abandoned opal mines, where we were not allowed to leave the road because the area is pitted with abandoned prospecting drill holes up to 30m deep.  Apparently its illegal to fill them in, in case someone is down there and could get trapped.  Some of them have been almost covered with vegetation over the years, so the area is very dangerous.

Our next stop was the Breakaway Reserve, 32km north of Coober Pedy, which consists of colourful low hills, which have broken away from the Stuart Range, hence the name "The Breakaways".  As the sun moves across the sky, the colours change.  We stopped at 3 vantage points to take photos and view the Breakaways at sunset.  This area has been used for several films (Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome and Ground Zero).

We also visited the Dog Fence.  This 2m high wire barrier stretches for over 5,300km across 3 states to protect the sheep country in the south from Dingos.  The Moon Plain lies on one side of the fence and has fossilised shells, grey, soft clay dirt and cracks that appear to be bottomless.

It was a great tour to a very beautiful, area.

George, our driver, is the manager of the caravan park where we are staying, and before dropping us off, offered to show us his home, which is a dugout.  (there were only 4 of us on the tour).  It was amazing.  A very large 4 bedroom house, dug into the side of a hill with beautiful red sandstone walls with pick marks on them making a pattern.  The only windows were at the front.  We were very impressed with the original Aboriginal art in every room and its slate floors.  This wasn't part of the tour and we were lucky to have been invited.

That night we walked up the main street to Jo's Pizza Restaurant for dinner.

Our last day in Cooper Pedy we took a walk up the main street which is full of opal shops and restaurants,  filled up the car with petrol, and prepared the van for our trip into the Northern Territory tomorrow.

Tomorrow night we will be staying at the Kulgera Roadhouse, which is just over the border.  Looks like I will be losing my lettuce again, as we will be passing through another quarantine station!!!  I'm not expecting to have phone coverage or inernet access there so it will probably be Uluru before we will be contactable again.

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete

Flinders Ranges to Port Augusta - 15 May 2012 - 136km

We left The Flinders Ranges and drove to Port Augusta which was only a about 136 km.

This is just a stopover before heading North to Coober Pedy and we spent the day stocking up on food and drink and catching up on the washing.

We have also filled our water tank for the first time as it seems water can be a problem where we are heading.

Catch up with you all again from Coober Pedy (if we can get wireless coverage there)!!!

Cheers
Sam (Rhonda) & Pete

Broken Hill to Flinders Rangers - 11 to 14 May 2012 - 593k

We departed Broken Hill at 8.30am on the Barrier Highway, crossing the NSW/SA border at Cockburn. We intended topping up our petrol at Olay but a very friendly guy at the roadhouse told us he hadn't had any for years, but if we were desperate he would give us some from his own car.  We weren't desperate, we were simply topping up as we drove, so continued on and filled up at Yunta.  We had to stop along the way to let a flock of sheep, handled by guys on motor bikes,cross the road.  Very flat dry landscape.  No hills or mountains.  We crossed a lot of creeks that were all dry.

We left the Barrier Highway at Peterborough and stopped there to stock up on fruit and veg, as we had  passed through a quarantine station and could not keep the few veg we had.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and after we left the Barrier Highway it seemed like we were the only car on the road - very little traffic.

As there was no radio reception, we arrived at Hawker listening to C.D's and singling along to "Land of Hope and Glory" from "Last Night at the Proms"  (thanks Chris). We arrived at Rawnsley Park Station camping ground at about 3.15pm and set up camp.  The ground there was hard and rocky and impossible to put pegs in.

I took a tip from friends who have done a lot of caravaning  and before we left Broken Hill had made  up a bucket of soapy water and put some dirty clothes in to wash.  The sealed bucket was placed in the stair well of the van and the motion of the caravan washed the clothes while travelling.  After setting up we emptied the bucket, rinsed the clothes and hung them out to dry.  Too easy!!!

It was very cold after sunset so - a few drinks, dinner and 2 episodes of "Mad Men" (thanks Mick) we were ready for some shut eye.  Apparently is was 6 degrees through the night.

Rawnsley Park Station sits in shaddow of Rawnsly Bluff, amongst lots of shady trees and rocky, red ground and is quite large.  We were connected to power and bore water which is OK when boiled. We can receive 2 TV channels (ABC & 7). There is no mobile phone or internet coverage here.

We woke up to a cold  morning - perfect for porridge.  We drove out to Wilpena and hiked to Wilpena Pound, which is an 80 sq km natural basin, ringed by gnarled ridges.  The day had turned out sunny and warm, so we climed up to Wingarra Lookout which overlooks the Pound.  Beautiful scenery. On leaving Wilpena we drove along the Blinman Road for a short way to Stokes Hill Lookout before returning to our caravan.
 
There is a fine red dust everywhere which sometimes makes breathing difficult and gives us the sneezes.  The car and van look like they have been on the road a long time!!!

Another very cold night (it got down to 3 degrees)  and we didnt feel like sitting outside for too long.  Lucky for us our doonas are very snugg.

Next day we decided we would do a scenic drive through the Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges and Aroona Valley.  We hesitated to do this as we dont have a 4 wheel drive, but after checking things out with both Wilpena Information Centre and Rawnsley Park reception we decided to give it a go. The road was a steep, winding, gravel road (about70km) and in places we actually had to drive in a riverbed.  We had to drive very carefully as there were lots of loose rocks and in some places, shallow streams, but despite this and the dust, the scenery was well worth it.  We saw a group of emu by the side of the road and took pictures of course.  We stopped at Hawker on the way home for coffee and home made cake.  The car seemed none the worse for its experience, but had to be washed and cleaned when we got back, as it was full of dust.

Our last day at Rawnsley Park we decided to do one of the hikes on the property,  the Pine Caves Loop which was 5.4km.  The track was well set out and easy to follow and passed through several dry river beds.After reaching the cave we hiked up 2 small knolls that gave us great views of the Chace Range, Elder Range and Rawnsley Bluff. Didnt see any wild life except for a tiny Red Capped Robin.

We spent the afternoon preparing to leave the next day for Port Augusta.

More blog from there.

Cheers
Sam (Rhonda) & Pete

Nyngan to Broken Hill - 7 May 2012 - 707km -8 1/4 hours

Hi Everyone

We set off from Nyngan for Cobar 8.00am with half a tank of petrol.  As we only has 124km to travel we thought this would be ample.  Unfortunately, we didn't know about the continuous uphill climb which had a huge impact on the fuel consumption.  Our petrol light came on with 20km to go and we started to wonder what we would do if we ran out in the middle of nowhere!!! Fortunately we made it.  We have learnt our lesson though - top up continuously!!!!

There was very little traffic from Cobar to Wilcannia and we were driving on continuous straight road and noting red soil and goats by the site of the road.  Lots of road kill, (roos, foxes and wambat) but he only wild life we saw were goats and 1 emu.

After filling up at Wilcannia,we drove about 70km out of town and ate lunch at a roadside stop over.  Finally arriving at Broken Hill at 4.15pm.

We had not booked a caravan park, but had no trouble getting a site at Broken Hill City Tourist Park ($33 per night with power).  The sites are very tight and the park was booked out by nightfall.  2 couples travelling in Maui campervans, asked us over for a drink,  which of course we accepted.

The next day we walked into the city centre and walked the Heritage Walk. We then drove out to the Living Desert Flora & Fauna Sanctuary and spent a couple of hours walking the trails there.  Enjoyed the walk but didnt see any animals at all.

We then  drove to the Living Desert Sculptures in time to be there for sunset.  There were quite a few others with the same idea, including a 40 seat tour bus of pensioners which mde it difficult to get good shots of the sculptures at sunset because they all sat in the middle of them to have snacks & drinks, blocking the views we had come to photograph  (No we haven't forgotten we are pensions too)!!!!

Next morning we had a bit of a sleep in and drove out to Silverton which was originally a silver & lead mining town.  Today it has a  population of less than 60 and is the town where Mad Max and A Town Like Alice were filmed.  After checking out the sites there we adjurned to the Silverton Hotel for lunch.  A very interesting hotel with lots of nick nacks and film memorabilia,  friendly staff and good counter lunches.
The road out to Silverton is 25km and has 39 signposted deep dips. Good job we weren't towing the van!!

On the way back to town we visited the Pro Hart Gallery and enjoyed seeing the art there.  Back at the camp,we enjoyed  happy hour with our new neighbours from Melbourne.

On our last day in Broken Hill we visited the Line of Lode Miners Memorial and then drove out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base and did the tour there which we found very interesting. Hope we never need them!!!

Before going to bed we made sure everything was packed and ready for an early start in the morning as tomorrow we will be crossing the border into South Australia and heading for the Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound.

More blog from there -if we can get conneced.t

Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete

Cessnock to Nygan - 6 May 2012 - 623km - 7 Hours

We intended leaving home at 8.00am,  but unfortunatey had a problem with the electrical connections in the car and didn't leave until 10.30am.  Our neighbour is a mechanic and fixed the problem for us.  It was actually a stroke of luck that we discovered the problem before we left and not when we were on the road.

It was a beautiful sunny day and we stopped for a late lunch at Dunedoo and arrived at Nyngan Riverside Caravan Park just on dusk.  The caravan park itself was OK ($28 for a powered site). It was a very cold night.  A few drinks,  a quick dinner and bed so that we would be ready for our trip to Broken Hill the next
day.

Next blog from Broken Hill.

Cheers
Sam (Rhonda) & Pete