Staying Home

We will be at home for a while, Christmas festivities, hot weather, crowded caravan parks and things to do at home mean that there will be no travelling. Next trip planned for February! Trying the Windows Live blog writer, the date is 2/12/09 at 10:48, not sure what day Windows Live thinks it is.

Millicent Dog Show

Another hot week end at a dog show. Tiffany got her Best of Breed three times and we went to the coast to cool down. Pic shows Kathy and Tiffany doing the cliff top walk at Cape Buffon, near Southend.
While we were having a quiet week end, enjoying the out doors and the dog show, some Spotty Herbert was ripping $1000 out of my credit card. They had got hold of the details and were spending up big in England. The Credit Union rang early on Monday morning to tell us, and that they had already put a stop on the card. Fortunately we had other methods of access to our money so we were OK. By Wednesday some of the money had already been refunded, and I should get a replacement card by tomorrow. As Terry Pratchett put it, All bastards are bastards, but some bastards are Bastards.

Barmara Dog Shows

The temperature is about 37 Centigrade, the shows for tomorrow has been canceled, but here we are chasing points for Tiffany. She got her 6 points for the morning, just waiting for the afternoon show for possibly another six points, then we will pack up and go home for the comfort of the air conditioned house.

The van is air conditioned, but it is noisy. Still, if you need cool, noise is tolerable.

We are on the show grounds with all the comforts of home, except that we have to share the toilets, and you would not believe the number of people that can not use a toilet!

Preparing to go again

We will be on the road again next week with a trip to Mt Gambier. Dog shows and trials being the main purpose, getting away for a few days is also part of the plan.

Barmera

No pic today, we may get one from the video later!

We are at Barmera for a few days. The dog trials went well with Clyde the Rotty getting a UD title. Tiffany had a great time playing with dogs and people and we had a chance to catch up with old friends.
Not sure how long we will stay, maybe home tomorrow, but then maybe not.

Return Home

Pics from the Sculptures on the OOdnadatta Track. The Windmill Flower and the Plane Gates.

After several days of putting up with a nagging cough, we had to come home for medication. No one got any sleep, Keith was coughing all night, Kathy and Tiffany were awake because of it, and everyone was grumpy from lack of sleep.

At last the asthma is coming under control, and we will be off to the Riverland for the dog trials soon.

Marree and Lake Eyre

We made it to Lake Eyre South. The water had evaporated, but it is still an amazing sight. Click on the pic to get a full size view.

We carried on up the track to Mound Springs, a series of springs that are on top of small mounds. Tiffany was restricted to the car, so we had to go one at a time to look at them.

On the way was a Sculpture park, with two light aircraft stuck in the ground to make an entrance. The sculptures were made out of metal, bits of old cars, anything the sculpture could get their hands on. There was a windmill made to look like a flower, a washing line, and the old Ghan watertank looked like a dog, (with eight legs). Lots to see up there, but a long way between sights.

We wantede to go to William Creek, but ran out of time.

Smile and Pay Up

Another day, another tyre. We got within sight of the caravan last night when the right rear tyre went down. It was the spare from the day before and had not even got the tatty bits worn off the tread, but it failed. We had been through the Glass Gorge to Blinman then back to Parachilna and about 70 k on the bitumen back to Leigh Creek. The tyre was not repairable as the walls were damaged. Tyre Service and Sales is a big business up here.
We stayed another day at Leigh Creek and did a trip out to Arkaroola through the Gammon Ranges. A pleasant day out, even if Tiffany had to stay in the car for most of it.
Pic shows the Aroona Dam which is the water supply for Leigh Creek.

Coal Mine

We went to see the Leigh Creek coal mines, a huge hole in the ground. Then we went to Maree just to buy a $360 tyre because we got a flat. A 10 cm rip in the wall of a tyre that had done 8000 km, and we got it on a dirt road that was as good as a bitumen road. Such is life!
Tiffany is spending most of the travelling time asleep, so when we stop she is as bright as a button and we need to run her for half an hour to get the steam out of her.

Leigh Creek

We got as far as Clare last night. Tiffany got her first night in the van and her first look at emus, kangaroos and deer in the Fauna Park next to the Clare caravan park.

The Navara pulls the van as if it was not there. The long range fuel tank means we go over 500Km before the gauge moves off the full mark.

We will be in Leigh Creek for a few days having a good look at the Northern Flinders and the last of the water in Lake Eyre

Changes.

The Xtrail has gone, replaced by the Navara Twin Cab diesel, and we have a new traveling companion, Tiffany the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Pic shows both of the new additions.
We could fill the Xtrail when we went away, but when Tiffany joined us we just ran out of room. There is a canopy on order for the back so that we can keep all the equipment safe and dry, with plenty of room for Tiffany in the cab.
We had a long range tank fitted, so that we do not have to stop every 300 k or so just for fuel. A full tank on the Navara should get us almost in to Sydney! No more remote country fuel prices.
Tiffany has her own Blog at www.tiffanys-tail.blogspot.com if you need to know more about the dog. Check the educational video link about Duck Tolling on her Blog.
Next trip will be in August now that Tiffany is old enough to travel, with maybe a practice run for a weekend in July just to make sure everything works on the new rig.

Back Home

The visit to Mungo National Park was hot. 42 degrees and with thousands of flies all trying to cool us down by fanning us with their wings, we were still hot. It was interesting in the park, but we were not game to leave the air conditioning in the Xtrail for long. Pic shows the approach to the visitor centre at Mungo.
We left the park about 2:00pm and got a flat tyre. It went down about 10k short of the bitumen on the way out of Mungo
Then we went back to Pooncarie to pick up the van and stayed in Wentworth. After two showers to get the dirt off, we had dinner in the Crown.
Next morning we went to Willy's Tyres to get the flat fixed then left Wentworth at about 10:30 and got home late in the afternoon.

Pooncarie

We are at Pooncarie. Many people are advised to wear a hat made from a fox when they say they are coming here, but we did not have one. It is near the Mungo National Park, which is where we will be today.
Yesterday there was a fundraising day for the bush fires. The pic shows the cricket game in progress with the sheep fielding.

Robinvale

The picture shows the terrible conditions we have to endure at Robinvale. The river is right behind us, the gum trees are all around us and there are ducks, parrots, pelicans and various other birds flying about. We do not know how we can stand this for much longer, especially at $20 per night.
Huge drive today, about 150Km non stop. It is so stressful being on the road. Tomorrow we may try for Mildura or even Wentworth if we feel up to it.

Swan Hill

Swan Hill for a couple of nights. We went to Paddock Boga, (no water in it so its not a lake), to see the Catalina Flying Boat museum. They had old equipment on show that makes me depressed, because I can remember installing that equipment.
Funny weather over here. Yesterday the car outside temperature gage recorded 44 degrees, to day it rained and the temperature is about 20.
More tourist trips today

Echuca two

We are getting lazy in Echuca. Yesterday we got up just in time to get a shower before they closed them for cleaning, then wandered around to the shops to stock up the pantry, and it was lunch time. Kathy has wanted to put up extra shade at the ends of the awning, so yesterday we bought the materials and rigged them up. We (Kathy) will have to sew them up properly when we get home.
Ducks from the river come into the park, and it was not long before Kathy had one eating out of her hand. See pic.
Ants get everywhere. We have ant traps on the van legs, we spray surface spray on everything that touches the ground, but the little devils manage to find a way in. This time they were crawling up the broom handle that was leaning against the van.
This morning we had a cruise on the river. The paddle steamer Emmylou took us up the river and back. A real steamer, burning wood to boil the water to make the steam that drives the paddles, none of that “diesel engine that puffs steam up the chimney just for the effect” trickery.

Echuca

We left the Great Ocean Tourist Rip-Off Road at Port Campbell, ($1.38 a litre for petrol) and went to Echuca on the Murray River via Ballarat ($1.13 a litre, 100km away). It was an easy drive along relatively quiet roads. The smoke haze from the fires got quite thick and was beginning to irritate our eyes between Ballarat and Bendigo, but after that it cleared up. We had lunch at Lake Wendouree, or perhaps Pond Wendouree or even Puddle Wendouree might be a more accurate description. We were there in September last year when there was still water in the lake, but now it is dry. Click on the picture to see a bigger version, then compare that with the September 26 2008 blog.

Lake Elizabeth

We went bush walking on Saturday to a couple of waterfalls (not much water falling) and finally to Lake Elizabeth. We were hoping to see a platypus but they stayed hidden. We did see a lot of birdlife such as Blue Wrens, Yellow Robins and Azure Kingfishers.

Moving on today, not sure where, just somewhere a bit further up the Great Ocean Road

Tree Tops Walk

The Tree Tops Walk on Friday was really interesting as the views were spectacular and the sight of Kathy on a swaying platform, looking a long way down to the ground was worth a fortune. Video will be available at a reasonable cost. She got her revenge when I was attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex and all she could do was giggle and take this photo.

Apollo Bay

The Werribee Zoo was a bit smaller than we thought it would be; a sort of bijou zoo, but was still a good mornings entertainment. The bus ride took us round the open range enclosures which do allow the animals to live a more natural lifestyle, except for the fact that they are not allowed to eat each other. The picture shows the White Rhino, or would have done if Blogspot was not having problems uploading pictures.
We are in Apollo Bay for a few days. The Otway National Park is nearby with lots of walks, waterfalls and animals so there are plenty of things for us to do.

Werribee

After the fires forced us to change our plans to do a lap of Victoria, we reached Werribee. Tomorrow we will go to the Werribee Zoo then on to the start of the Great Ocean Road and the Otway National Park.
The Victorian State Rose garden at Werribee is looking a bit the worse for high temperatures and low water, despite the fact that it is only 23 degrees centigrade and has been raining today. They always say if you don’t like the Melbourne weather, wait 20 minutes! Kathy took the picture of the rose.

Foster area

We are well away from the fires, the nearest being in Wilson's Promontory across the Corner Inlet, however the fires are still causing havoc in Victoria. Even with the better weather, there are several fires still not controlled and many major roads are closed due to the possible spread of the fires. Wilson’s Promontory is closed, we can not go further east to Lakes Entrance as planned, and the probability of the roads being open to traffic soon is remote, so we will be heading west. The Werribee Zoo looks like a good place to visit on the way back via the Great Ocean Road.
Picture shows Kathy coping with the crowds on the beach at Waratah.

Foster

We got as far as Foster near Wilson’s Promontory thinking we would spend couple of days in the Prom. Unfortunately, a lightning strike set fire to a remote part so the CFS has closed the park until the fire goes out. See Photo. It is not threatening any homes so it is low on their priority list at the minute.
Further east, they have closed the road due to the threat of the fires, so we will not be going that way for a while. It could be that we will have to turn back and have a long look at the Great Ocean Road.
The ABC radio is giving regular updates, and so is Channel 10. It’s the only TV station still operating in this area since the Channel 7 transmitter went on Saturday night.
There are lots of places to see around here. The coast is dotted with little communities, whose main industry seems to be fishing, farming or mending roads, and there are always spectacular views of the coastline.

Venus Bay

We have had several calls and emails about the fires in Victoria. We are not in the danger zone, although there is a serious fire risk with the dry conditions all over the state. The nearest fires are about 80km away and we have been keeping an ear open to the CFS radio reports to ensure we stay away from the fires.
Today we went down the coast to Venus Bay and the Cape Liptrop Coastal Park. Every other house in Venus Bay is for sale, so if you are thinking of buying, now would be a good time.
We called in at just about every bay and beach on the way. A beautiful area well worth the time spent here. Photo shows the historic lighthouse, still operating, at Cape Liptrop.Tomorrow we head for Wilson’s Promontory

Phillip Island

A very hot day on Phillip Island. We did the tourist thing, looking at the beaches, rookeries and rock formations around the Island, but when the north wind came in and the temperature went up like a space shuttle we ran back to the caravan and turned the air conditioner on. We heard on the news that Victoria had 67 fire incidents, but fortunately for us, none of them were near Phillip Island.
We will have to keep an eye on where the fires are and make sure we stay away from them.
Kathy saved an echidna. We saw the echidna start to cross the road in front of us, so we stopped and Kathy rushed out to herd him off the road. A car came over the rise, saw Kathy waving franticly and stopped about a metre from the echidna, who scuttled off to the side of the road and disappeared in the undergrowth.

San Remo

What a journey we had today. We left Warrnambool and went to Queenscliff and got on the ferry to Sorrento. (The one in Vic, not San Francisco). A pleasant cruise across the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, see pic of the approach to Sorrento. Then we headed for Phillip Island, following the directions of the Tom Tom navigator. It sent us down dirt tracks, single track roads, up hills and down dales including having to cross a three lane highway with heavy traffic travelling at 100+ Kph round a blind corner. Brown trouser time!
Anyway, we got to San Remo, at the start of the causeway to Phillip Island, found a nice caravan park on the beach and have set up to suffer the next couple of days of heat. The locals say it should not get above 30 degrees, but the Melbourne forecast is for 44, the hottest February day ever.

Warrnambool

We had a great drive to Warrnambool. We stopped at the Wannon Falls which would have been spectacular, if there was any water flowing, but there were just two stagnant pools, one at the top and one at the bottom of the falls. There does not seem to be a petrol station in Hamilton, apart from a BP on a roundabout that I could not get into with the van on, so we drove further on to some little village that had a credit card operated pump. It did not tell us that it would charge $4.51 as a usage fee.

We got to Warrnambool, set up the van and went touring. Picture shows the Fletcher Jones Gardens. Kathy saw the two floors of the Mill Markets and the Fletcher Jones Shop, so that's where we are going today.

Kaniva

We had an early start on Tuesday, about 1:30pm so we got out of SA on the first day. The Kaniva park is part of the community swimming pool area, which means it is a community owned asset. Drive in, find a spot and the lady calls round later in the evening to collect the money. They had a couple of devices operating that we have not seen for a long time. Sprinklers chucking water about! Beautiful green grass all over the place.
Happy Birthday Maisie. (Kathy's mum)

Home Too Long

We are planning the next trip, starting early in February, to see South East Victoria.
In our usual way, we have a general idea about where we are going, but no fixed plans, if we like where we are we stay a bit longer and when we are ready we move on. Life is tough, but someone has to do it.