Victorian Charm

Victorian Ruin


Narracoorte Cave


Wannon Falls


Horsham Sunset Reflections


Grampains Infrared

Another firsts,  Em has ticked over 90,000K a few days back.  I know that doesn’t sound like much, but considering that when we bought her we think she had about 65,000K.  Even if she didn’t, we traveled many K in the last 6 months.
 
We last left you in Mt. Gambier and all its sites.  The guide book really panned it, but it really wasn’t that bad of a town.  The campsite was really nice.  You only needed a pass code to get into the campsite and not one to use the loo, laundry or anything else.  It also had a terrific camp kitchen that even had a tellie so we could watch the evening news.  It was so cold our nights there that one night we just hung out watching TV and talking to other campers while staying warm.  From there we did a day trip up to Penola.  This is the home of Australia's one and only saint, that was just canonized two weeks ago, St Mary Mackillop.  Aside from that it is the home of an Antarctic explorer and mapper, one of the first wineries of the region and many other things.  We really loved a little vineyard just on the outskirts, it has been in the region for over a hundred years, but what drew us to them was they had goats.  Any place that has goats draws our attention.  After buying yet more wine we continued up to Coonawara for more wine tasting. 
 
Continuing on up the road we had lunch in Naracoorte, then went to the caves.  They were really cool although I think that Steve is getting a little caved out.  The first cave was a self guided wet cave, the second was a guided tour of the Alexandra Caves.  The whole area it lettered with caves, and the grape growers are always finding them when they go to put in stakes for the vines.  They are truly fascinating but I could never be a spelunker, not enough light for me!
 
From Mt Gambier we turn east and shortly cross the border into Victoria!   We drove through little towns of Casterton to Hamilton, then north to Horsham where we based ourselves for two nights so we could see the Grampians NP.  They are very different from the Flinders, much more jagged and sharp looking.  We walked the walks and saw the waterfalls, then just ‘cause, we hiked up Mt William, the highest peak in the Grampians with an elevation of 1167m for a stunning view.  We only had to walk the last 2 K but that was enough, going down was much harder than going up.
 
Yesterday we were in Dunkeld, a tiny town at the base of the Southern Grampians, touring the southern end of the range, trying to se it all before the bad weather set in.  We did, and it has.
 
Here we are in Port Fairy, a very charming seacoast town at the far end of the Great Ocean Road.  We found Port Fairy last Feb. when we were traveling and really fell in love with it, so here we are again for a couple of days.  No traveling, just enjoying the moment.  Tuesday?  Who knows where we will point the car…
 

Where's Waldo?

Blue Penguins (or Fairy Penguins) in Port Victor

Middleton Beach Storm

Granite Island Seascape

Granite Island Tree

Window to the Past

For those of a certain age, myself included, the phrase "follow the bouncing ball" had to do with learning music and it wasn't very easy, at least in my case. I feel like the bouncing ball and following us has not been easy for all of you. So, without further ado, here is a recap of our travel itinerary:

Byron Bay to Wooli to Grafton to Glen Innes to Moree to Narrabri to Coonabarabran to Gilgandra to Nyngan to Cobar to Wilcannia to Broken Hill (all in New South Wales) to Peterborough to Hawker to Blinman to Port Augusta to Marla (all South Australia) to Uluru (Ayers Rock) to Kings Canyon to Alice Springs to Glen Helen (back to Alice Springs) to Devil's Marbles (just past Wycliffe Wells) to Katherine to Katherine Gorge to Jabiru (in Kakadu Nation Park) to Darwin to Mataranka to Alice Springs (all in Northern Territory to Coober Pedy to Port Germein to Clare to Adelaide to Cape Jervis to Kingscote (Kangaroo Island) to Middleton (by Goolwa) to our current location, Mount Gambier (all in South Australia).

We are here for three days to see the local sights. We have found that the best thing for us is to find a central location and explore from there. That way, we only have to set up Snappa once every three days and it sure helps at the end of a long touring day to have a nice and snug home to return to. What we have found is that Australian caravan parks (campgrounds in the States) are by and large very clean, well run and very affordable. Most have laundries, all have showers and kitchens (of varying levels), and most are close to where we want to be. Traffic noise can be a nuisance, but that's the case with motels too.

I am a bit obsessive when it comes to weather as I hate camping in the pouring rain so on the days when the forecast is for heavy rain we get to splurge on a hotel/motel for the duration of the storms. So far, in 45 days on the road, we have camped in Snappa for 32 nights and in a motel for 12. Not a bad percentage, if you ask me. When we get to Tasmania, that ratio could flip, but that is fine. We are here to enjoy our time in Australia, not to endure it.

For those who have been following our tale to date, we have spent a wonderful four days on Kangaroo Island, Australia's fourth icon after Sydney Harbour, The Great Barrier Reef, and Uluru. The place is huge, 150 km long by 50 km wide and 90 percent of the roads are dirt. A very unspoiled place and that is one of its charms. The Remarkable Rocks are truly remarkable, the beaches pristine, and the people very friendly.

After KI, we went across the Fleurieu (pronounced 'floory-o' by the locals) Peninsula to the charming seaside town of Goolwa, which was having a Lions convention so there was no room at the proverbial inn or caravan park, so we backtracked to Middleton and stayed in the cleanest caravan park to date! We had a ball in Goolwa and Port Victor and could have stayed longer but we wanted to keep moving and see more.

We drove through Strathalbyn, a crossroads town known for its antique shops, and continued to Wellington and crossed the mighty Murray River on a small ferry, which was great fun. Then we continued south along the Coorong National Park, which is very much like the North Carolina barrier islands and then headed inland at Kingston S.E. (for South East to differentiate it from other Kingstons) to Mt Gambier.

There is a blue crater lake just over the hill from the caravan park along with two other crater lakes in the vicinity. Other than that, there are caves and other attractions in easy driving distance. From Mt. Gambier, we plan to tackling the Grampians in Victoria, probably basing ourselves near Horsham on the northern end of them. Then down to the Great Ocean Road and our favorite little town on the southern coast, Port Fairy. But that's a tale for another day.

Kangaroo Island

McLaren Vale Vineyard

Kangaroo Island from Prospect Hill

Remarkable Rocks

Admiralty Cave

Little Sahara

We seem to be doing nothing but eating and drinking our way around South Australia, locally known as SA (pronounced "essay"). We have tried and bought many bottles of wine from the Clare Valley. But as much as we wanted to stay, the weather took a turn for the worse so we headed down to Adelaide for the weekend.

Like the rest of SA, Adelaide is a gem. It is a very well laid out city, surrounded by parkland. It is a very intimate feeling city that didn’t start out as a penal colony. There are gardens and roses everywhere, a huge international food scene and beautiful architecture with an interesting juxtaposition of very old and very modern, but it works. None of the buildings are very high, maybe 20 floors. The city doesn’t feel as though it need to compete with Sydney or Melbourne so it follows its own tune. We met friends of friends and they kindly put us up for a night and showed us their city. The best way to see anything is to get an insiders view I reckon.

After leaving Adelaide we traveled south through the McLaren Vale wine region. Excellent wines, stunning views, much more open with bigger wineries while the Clare had more boutique style wineries. It’s hard work trying all these wines! Then we drove on down the Fleurieu Peninsula to catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island (or KI-"kay-eye") for a few days. KI wasn’t on the list of to do’s, but enough people convinced Steve that we had to see it, so, here we are.

KI is much bigger that either of us expected. From where the ferry puts in at Penneshaw, it is 58K to Kingscote, the largest of the towns with 1400 people. To get to Flinders Chase NP visitors center, it is 99K. As you can see, the distances are vast for an island. The three main roads are paved, all the rest are like pave pack, fine for driving if a bit washboardy. We have climbed all 512 steps to the top of Prospect Hill for an incredible view of Pennington Bay, the Southern Ocean and Pelican Lagoon; driven out to Flinders Chase National Park to the Incredible Rocks and Admiralty cove. We have explored Kelly Hill Caves and climbed the sand dunes at Little Sahara. I’m sorry to say that we haven’t visited any wineries, but, we have gone into art galleries, KI Spirits that makes the most delicious liquor, they distill their own vodka and gin as well as other distilled goodies. They also had the most incredible honey walnut whiskey ice cream that was to die for. Then to top of the food day, we visited Island Pure Sheep Dairy for a tour and samplings. They make a divine sheep yogurt with local honey. I tell you, it is hard to not eat well or drink well here in SA.

Next? Honestly, we only have ideas, but we are working our way east that much I do know.

Roughing It

Sevenhills Vineyard at Dusk

Burra Ruin

Awaiting their Time

Hanson Ruin

Brown's Lookout

Hi Everyone!

Although it is raining yet again, we are snug here in our cozy stone cottage. We decided that after a month on the road and the "enjoyment" of setting up and taking down Snappa, our trusty tent on a daily basis, we would splurge and stay in a B&B for a few days. Actually the tent is the easy part, it is getting everything off the top of Em, the car, setting up the tent, assembling the cots, pads, sleeping bags, pillows, ground cloth, chairs and table that take so long. Then doing it all over the next morning in reverse.

So we are enjoying glass after glass of local wines from the Clare Valley. Every wine aficionado knows of the Barossa Valley of South Australia, but the Clare is premier when it comes to Rieslings and fine whites and there are another four more wine regions here in SA (Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Southern Flinders). That and some dark hand made chocolate from Adelaide's own Haigh's Chocolate (Since 1915 owned and run by the same family).

We have been to monasteries, mines, malla forests (a kind of tree), and many, many vineyards and wineries in the last four days, not to mention a grand manor with more rooms than you could count that had 14 servants at its peak. Now it is used as a very high priced B&B and as an occasional movie set.

Most of all, we have been impressed with the land and the people who live and work it. Friendly and abundant, certainly a place to put roots down, even if you aren't a vintner!

Next we are off to the big city of Adelaide, via a drive through the Barossa. It will be interesting to compare with this magical place called Clare.

Week 4 on the Road

Cutta Cutta Cave

Katherine Gorge

Magnetic Termite Mounds

Litchfield Falls

Port Germein Pier (the longest wooden pier in the Southern Hemisphere, 1.5km long!)

10,000 K and Onwards

Let me see, what have we done in the last week. I believe we left you all hanging in suspense when we arrived in Katherine. Well. We arrived in Katherine, about three hours south of Darwin, just after midday and splurged on a motel room with AC. It was hot, about 38C and we just weren’t used to it. After cooling down and veging out, the next day we went to the Cutta Cutta caves, just amazing as you can tell by Steve’s photo. That afternoon we went down to the hot springs that was just a short walk form where we were staying. Despite the water being 34C, it was clean, clear and refreshing, just what we needed.

Next we got a campsite up at Katherine Gorge. A definite must for anyone traveling to the Top End (the northern end of the Northern Territories). The three gorge trip that we had wanted to take was booked out for the day so we opted for the sunset dinner cruise and it was the best. I think we were the youngest of the 40 people on the cruise that night, everyone else was from a tour, but we had a ball. The tour started around 4:30, taking you up the first gorge, then you get out, walk about ten minutes to the next boat and then travel that gorge. Then back we go walking to the first gorge again, but this time getting on the dinner boat. It was beautiful, white linen tablecloths etc. so while we were eating we just floated around the gorge enjoying the sunset and the moment. It was magic.

Then next day we headed up to the famous Kakadu National Park. Well, lets just say for us it was a bust. This park is to be seen during the wet season, not in the build up season, and we honestly didn’t see it anything special. They call it Kakadon't for a reason. During the wet, if you were to fly into Darwin, go on a three day guided tour, it would be great, but right now… so we ditched Kakadu and drove on up to Darwin and spent the night.

We said good morning to the Timor Sea at dawn from Darwin's esplanade, and headed south to Litchfield NP, a much better park with lush greenery, curvy roads, elevation, magnetic termite mounds, waterfalls, rainforest and more. We loved it so much more than Kakadu, but again, it was hot, about 42C by 10:00 in the morning, so we continued south on the famous Stuart Highway back to Mataranka where we spent the night.

Now we are on the great race to get out of the Northern Territory. Darwin to Mataranka, day 1; Mataranka to Alice Springs, day 2; Alice to Coober Pedy, day 3; and here to Port Germane, SA for three days. The highlights on the way back down the Stuart Highway? Well, we passed the 10,000K mark since we left Suffolk Park and we have been traveling for almost 4 weeks straight. No really it has had some fantastic parts, but a lot of it was just driving, driving, driving. Can’t even play those driving games like how many license plates can you get? Just 7 if you’re lucky. I spy? No good, it all looks the same…so we just listed to downloaded books and music waiting to get somewhere that is somewhere. It will be much better now…..

Week 3.5 on the Road

Simpsons Gap

Serpentine Gorge

Glen Helen Stars

Devil's Marbles Sunset

Milky Way Marbles

Hi everyone!

I know it hasn't been a full week, but we took a much needed break here in Katherine, NT. We have found that every ten days or so we need to just stop. Stop traveling, stop photographing, stop writing, stop doing and rest. So, this is today.

It gives us a chance to catch our breath, work on photos, and reflect on where we have been. If we are in a place with a grocery store, we stock up for the next leg of our journey.

One more thing, I try to make it that we are in a motel so even setting up the tent isn't even a problem.

Since our last missive, we have been to the western MacDonnell ranges, the Devil's Marbles and the Cutta Cutta Caves, along with a very long slog up to Katherine. The MacDonnells are a series of mountain ranges that spread east and west out of Alice Springs, mostly west. They are simply magnificent and a surprise for all who think that the center of Australia is flat. Within the MacDonnells are distinctive locations such as Simpsons Gap, a gap between two ranges with a pool at the base, Standley's Chasm, a very narrow crack in the range (~20 feet), Ellery Pool, a popular billabong with the locals and Serpentine Gorge, a snaking riverbed that cuts through the ranges and has a lookout to die for (if you don't die from first - try 1.6 kilometers straight up very dangerous rock slope).

We camped out at Glen Helen "Resort" which was as resortish as Howard Johnson's was 5 star dining. However, the stars were magnificent.

The Devil's Marbles are a very large group of weathered red granite boulders that do look like giant rock playthings nestled in a startling green landscape. This year has been very, very abnormally rich in grasses and vegetation due to the best rains in 30 years. Great for flowers and crops and unfortunately even better for the expected locust plague, which is feared to be the worst in 70 years. Hopefully, we'll miss out on the majority of it.

Cutta Cutta (local aboriginal for starry, starry) caves are a series of caves embedded in local limestone karst and are worth the visit. Fans and spires and columns of stalactites and stalagmites fill the caves along with very reclusive ghost bats and ringed tree snakes.

We'll be off to Katherine Gorge National Park tomorrow and then the fabled Kakadu NP afterward, then Darwin and Litchfield NP later. Depending on the attractions and sights, it may take a week or two. Who knows.

Then, we embark on an unplanned variation of our journey.

We originally planned to see Western Australia (WA), but that will have to wait. After seeing how long it is taking to see all we want to see and how long it is taking to drive places, we came to the unfortunate realization that we do not have enough time before an already planned and payed for photography workshop in the first week of December in Tasmania to see WA. In a nutshell, to get to the places in WA we want to see, we'd have to drive nearly 5000 kilometers in 6 weeks and see four national parks, visit Perth, swim in the Pacific, and do all the things we wanted to.

So, our variation is as follows: drive like mad back down the Stuart Highway to Port Augusta and then see the Southern Flinders Ranges, visit the Clare wine region of South Australia, tour Adelaide, meander down the Fleureieu Peninsula, pop down the coast to Mt. Gambier and then retrace the Great Ocean Road in Victoria on our way to Melbourne, from where we'll take the ferry to Tasmania. There will probably be a detour up to the Grampian Mountains, VIC, but we'll see.

This way, we will be much more relaxed and really get to enjoy what we are seeing, rather than rushing to make a deadline and missing so much in our haste.

Take time to enjoy the gifts given you.