NSW

Our 5th state, and we're back on the East Coast. Beautiful beaches again, but too cold to really enjoy them!




We stayed in a little town called Eden just across the Vic border. Stayed at an awesome campground with jumping pillow, playground, huge play teepee - and we practically had the place to ourselves. Over January apparently you can only get in by bookings months in advance. The campground also had the cools bikes above which Rob and I had to take turns in taking the kids for laps around the park (they couldn't reach the pedals dammit).


On the way north from Eden we stopped at a little town and found an old wharf (while hunting for the public toilets - which were closed!) We saw whales going past off the wharf and watched them for a while - they were pretty inactive (no big jumps out of the water) but still pretty cool to see them, and another mammal to tick off the list - without having to pay ridiculous amounts to go on a whale watch boat trip. The next day we were told about a guy and his two children drowning off the same wharf, just hours after we were there (dad was fishing, 4yr old pushed 18mth old in a pram off the edge of the wharf by mistake). Really reminded us of how things can go completely wrong at a moments notice, especially where water is concerned.




We headed up to Batemans Bay from Eden. Nice town on the riverfront with about 10 different beaches within 10km of the township. Kind of place I'd like to live, but only if it was warmer! We had some rainy weather here (pretty standard really), spent a morning at an indoor playground - bit of an eye opener for Rob. ("So you sit here with your friends all morning, with coffee and cake while the kids to burn off all their energy - and why don't you want to go back to work?") We did get onto the beach a couple of times, and saw some dolphins go past about 20ms from the beach - freaky to see them that close!

Next off to Sydney (well really north of Manly - no caravan parks in the inner city!!) First day there we went to the Maritime Museum which was good value (ie free), and we got to have a look around a naval warship (not free, but the kids got to play with cannons). We met up with Sally (Rob's sister) and had a nice beach walk and meal in Manly. Next day it was raining unfortunately but we got out anyway, met Sally and headed around some of the city - we rode the monorail, did a wee bit of shopping and had a wine at the waterfront - oh and Rob got to wander around a $300k catamaran - you could say a little bit for everyone!

Ash checks his ticket on the Polar Express at Myers - free train ride and a one-on-one chat with santa, it would've been a cheap day out if we'd stayed away from the kids clothing dept.

The reindeer didnt make too much of a mess eating icecream on the Manly ferry (thanks Auntie Sally for a great day out!!! and the icecreams!)

Next stop Port Macquarrie and we have a weird feeling of having done this all before (oh thats right, we did do a Bris-Syd-Bris road trip only 3 yrs ago.) This time we splashed out and got a waterfront cabin - this was our view from outside the cabin - pity we could only afford to stay one night!

Ruben shows off his new/favourite t-shirt bought at Sydneys Maritime Museum - for a week or two he was wearing this day and night!

We headed back to the wildlife park we visited on the last trip because we knew the kids could pat the koalas and kangaroos for free (a lot of places charge for patting!)

Finally Ash plucks up his courage and feeds a kangaroo.

From Port Macquarrie onto Coffs Harbour, where we stayed at Moonee Beach. The boys went yabbying to get bait (yabbies are like tiny crayfish - you suck them out of the sand with a pump) and did a wee bit of fishing with not so much luck.

We went to the Pet Porpoise Park at Coffs, bit expensive but awesome interaction and show. The boys both got kissed by a seal.

And got to throw food in the pond for the big turtles.

And got to pat a sea lion (Ash refused to pat him because he was 'smelly' - quite right too).

And Ruben got kissed by a dolphin, Ash refused so I got a kiss instead.

AND the boys got to handfeed a penguin.


Then there was the show which was pretty cool too - dolphins, seals, sea lions all performing the usual tricks.

Moonee Beach - our cabin overlooked the estuary (this was underwater at high tide) with beach and headland beyond. Idyllic and we could've stayed much longer than 3 nights.


But onto Yamba - another lovely beachside town, for two nights. Again in a cabin as we've had enough of tenting in the rain.

Ruben taught himself to bodysurf, he was pretty good too. He wants a boogey board for xmas now.

From Yamba to Evans Heads for 3 nights. Look at that face is it cool or what. We won't see this again for another 50yrs. India (cousin) says its venus and mars.

We also had a big thunderstorm with lightening, hail and strong wind thrown in. We almost lost the tent as some pegs pulled out and it lifted off the ground.

Victoria

Next stop Warrnambool before heading down the Great Ocean Road. We went to a fantastic nightshow here where they recreated the sinking of the Lockhardt ship (which travelled from the UK) in a laser light show over a man-made lake. Pretty awesome effects but a bit scary for the kids - Ash had to bury his face for half of the show. We were driven around a recreation of an olden day village by tractors pulling carts, and that was the best part for Ash.

We went for a drive in an old volcanic crater where we finally saw some koalas in the wild, very cute. Loads of emus and kangaroos here too.

This is the blowhole where the Lockhardt shipwreck and bodies washed up. There were only two survivors. This area was named shipwreck coast as a few ships went down here.

And onto the Great Ocean Road. We heard the 12 Apostles were an amazing sight to see, but we found that there was lots of other awesome sights along the way, some of the best were down unmarked tracks rather than the tourist spots.

There were massive crowds at the 12 Apostles, it was very set-up for tourists with a huge visitor centre, loads of carparking and a tunnel under the road to the various viewing platforms.

Some of the 12 Apostles, there's not 12 left anymore. The weather was a bit second hand too with rain on and off, so we had to time our trek out to view it.


This used to be a bridge that people could walk across but one day it tumbled into the sea - luckily there was no-one on the bridge but people did get stranded on the other side, must've been a dramatic experience!

We found this rock off a little 4WD track that ended in a 5min walk. Probably our favourite stop on the road.

And we saw our first echidna on the same day. Kids were very excited to see it. Echidna was not so pleased to see us after Rob manhandled it off the road into the bushes.

We spent two days in Apollo Bay, gorgeous little beachside town, and then headed off to do the end of the Great Ocean Road and into Melbourne. We had lunch in Geelong and wandered around the really cool statues scattered around the waterfront. The last part of Great Ocean Road was picturesque but really windy (with lots of slow tourists) and Ruben discovered car-sickness. He wasnt a happy boy. We spent the next couple of days getting the vomit smell (and lumps) out of the car.

Melbourne was really full-on, we stayed 3 nights and were ready to get out of town again by the end of it. We took a tram into the city and had a look around. Loved the Victoria markets - super cheap, super yummy deli food, meat, veges, fish, coffee etc etc.

So off down to Wilsons Promontory next (the 'Prom', Victorians favourite local spot). Beautiful scenery, bloody cold though - we didnt even consider swimming in the sea, it was cold enough just to venture onto the beach. This is where the aussie Prime Minister Holt disappeared back in the sixties, never to be seen again (amid many conspiracy stories).


And our first sight of wild wombats, although you couldnt really call them wild. They hang around the campsites wanting food. We were told not to leave any food in the tent as the wombats have been known to rip tents open to get into them (and they do have sharp claws). Rob caught one getting into our 'pantry' in the back of the patrol.

The wombats were sure to come around at dinner time too! I reckon this one would've made a great footstool, but he wasnt keen.

Our short beach outing at Wilsons Prom. It was windy and cold but didn't stop the boys collecting up wood and making a seesaw. After two nights here we headed north for NSW. We could've spent a lot more time in Victoria, some of the inland areas sounded really nice but we're now on a deadline to get back to Brisbane for flights out on 13 December so we stick to the coast for the rest of the trip.

South Australia - into the arctic...

And so we cross our second border into SA. Still warm but our run of good weather won't last....



First stop is Coober Pedy which was just amazing in its difference from any other town I've ever seen. All around Coober are the 'moonscapes' above - you can't go for a walk here or you'll fall down a mineshaft. Coober Pedy is an opal mining town (so of course I had to buy an opal necklace while here ;-)




This is the centre of town, theres no grass, not many plants and a number of the houses are big holes that have been drilled into the hillside - keeps the temperature very stable as it can get very hot during the day here and very cold at night - it is the desert after all.


Going on advice (or complaints) from fellow travellers who had passed this way we decided to splash out and get an underground motel room to save us from the dust/cold/heat. It was fantastic! Bigger than some houses we've lived in, and the kids loved being back in a 'real house'.



Here's a typical Coober Pedy house for sale - you can just see the front door buried into the hillside, what a way to live!



I got over my claustrophobia and ventured down into the Old Timers Opal Mine with the boys, which they really enjoyed - the mine had an underground house as part of it, that still had all the furniture in from when a young family lived there. Bizarre.


From there we headed south to Port Augusta, nice little town but a bit cold and although being surrounded by water, nowhere you could swim! Very disappointing as we hadn't been to the beach since Darwin, and haven't been able to swim at the beach since Nth Queensland.

We headed inland from Port Augusta to the Flinders Ranges National Park, which was quite pretty - very different from the parks up north, and obviously different from the red centre. Only stayed one night here as we have booked our flights back and need to be in Brisbane by early December to fly out on the 13th. Time to get moving on, as theres still lots to see.

After a short stop in Port Pirie we headed to Innes NP at the bottom of Yorke Peninsula (one Peninsula west from Adelaide). Beautiful place although far too many snakes here! We were warned about them by the local ranger, and only five minutes after arriving I came face to face with a brown snake (venomous, and very close). We both froze for a minute and then the snake turned and headed off in a different direction - straight towards our tent! It went into undergrowth and must've veered off elsewhere as I didn't see it again. But we saw two other brown snakes slithering across the road during our stay. Needless to say the tent was zipped up at all times!



The beaches at Innes NP were beautiful, but a bit cold even for the kids - they got in once, and only lasted two minutes. There were also March Flies here in force (they bite) which made the beaches less appealing.


We decided to take a scenic dirt road out of the Park and hit complete disaster. We rolled the camper trailer, smashing it into three separate pieces and scattering our gear all over the road! The camper trailer was a mess and we had to hire a car trailer to transport it to Adelaide. Thank god for the offroad hitch that allowed the trailer to roll and not the vehicle! Anway we got to Adelaide and had it assessed, it was a write-off. So off to the camping store, and we're now doing the last part of the trip in a tent!



Our new setup (as some wag said, you haven't got your mother-in-law in that box have you mate?) We sold and gave away a bunch of stuff, and sent six boxes of stuff we want to keep back to family in Brisbane (thanks Debbie, did we say three boxes??) So on the road again, albeit not as comfortable as before. One plus though the insurance company paid for our accommodation for a week while we got sorted, so that was a bit of luxury while sorting the mess out.





Where else would we head after something like that, but the Barossa to calm our nerves! Stopped at the worlds largest rocking horse on the way which the kids enjoyed. It was at a wooden toy factory so we had to do the round of that too... and a little farmlet which had a peacock that followed Ash around half the place. Really enjoyed Adelaide, very easy city to get around and with Adelaide Hills and the Barossa so close it was great, although spent a bit much on wine, but hey its christmas (almost).



Next stop Fleureiu Peninsula just south of Adelaide, where we stay at Victor Harbour - awesome holiday town. Unfortunately full of harley's as there was a hog convention on in town, they were well behaved but the constant bike noise got a bit annoying after a while. We rode a horse-drawn tram across a bridge to Granite Island (600m offshore).

Ruben standing on some of the granite rocks on the island, Victor Harbour and bridge behind.

Granite Island was also home to lots of Little Penguins who were very cute.

From Victor Harbour we head through the town of Wellington (a tiny place on the banks of the Murray River) with just the one shop and a ferry service that takes you across the river, no bridges here. The Murray was quite impressive, everyone says the water is at an all time low but it didn't seem so to us. We'd had a bit of rain in the last few days, maybe that made a difference.

A group (a gaggle?) of pelicans flying above the Coorong.

And a kangaroo hops away from us at the Coorong.

From the Murray we head down to the Coorong which is at the bottom of the Murray River, a long skinny lake with high sand-dunes separating it from the sea. Looked awesome on a map but someone had told Rob it was the toilet bowl of the Murray, and we knew why when we stopped at a scenic lookout. Phew! It stunk. We'd been planning on freecamping there but changed our minds at that point and kept on to Kingston, a little crayfishing town, where the boys wanted their photos taken next to the big crayfish.

We headed onto Narcoorte after this which has a world-heritage listed fossil site that we had to go and see. Not too mention the fact that it was 18m under the ground. Luckily for me the cave system was well-lit, cavernous and the ground was even concreted - you've gotta love tourism. It was a pretty amazing experience to see the fossil site and how they worked through the massive numbers of bones they found down there to piece together 'Leo' a very vicious lion-like animal that used to roam Australia and may have dropped out of trees to capture its unsuspecting prey as they ate. (theres an aussie campfire story about a 'drop beast' that eats children who venture out of their tents on school trips, I guess made up to make the kids stay put - now seems the drop beast is real, but extinct.) Then off to Mt Gambier where we gave in to the bad weather (freezing nights, rainy days) and spent two nights in a cabin while we saw the local sights. Victoria next! and we hope it warms up!