Gone Fish'n, Paint'n, Love'n.

Caves and Glow-worms

2011-10-23T15:13:00.004+08:00

As the saying goes....”If I were a glow-worm, I never would be glum: for how can I be gloomy, when the sun shines out my .....”

We came to the Waitomo Caves which are known not only for the fantastic caves and caverns with the usual stalagmites and stalactites, but also for the “adventures” one can do there. Companies offer rappelling down 100 meter caverns (30 stories), abseiling into deep holes, often with water at the bottom, and black water rafting ( same as white water rafting except that you do it in an underground river where you are in the dark, have to go down waterfalls etc and then wade through underground rivers!!) There are also a few caves with glow-worms all over the ceilings, and you can take a tour to view them. Of course all this comes at quite a price...

When we arrived at Waitomo it was still raining and the fields were flooded. We booked into our cave adventure for the following day and then decided to do a nearby walk which we were told was the prettiest walk in NZ. Well, it WAS pretty! A walkway travelled along a bubbling river surrounded by lush tree ferns and moss, over bridges and in and out caves. The river itself came gushing out of a cavern at one stage, only to disappear underground into another cavern somewhere else. You climbed in and out of the rocky , mossy rocks and it was gorgeous. Someone told us that if you went back after the sun went down you could view the glow-worms in the undergrowth. So, despite the rain, we came back after dark with a torch and walked along the path...suddenly, I looked up and the whole bank was lit up with a thousand little stars..it was magical.

The glow-worm is actually the larvae of a type of fly, and it exudes a sticky web like a spider and then glows in the dark to attract unsuspecting insects for a meal. Their habitat has to be very humid and moist, and usually near water to bring the insects to the webs. They are native to New Zealand, and not related at all to the South American and African firefly which actually flies! I was so thrilled to have seen them, especially as I now didn’t have to pay to see them in a cave on a tour.

Next day we went to do our Caving “adventure”. We had booked into a tour which went to St Benedicts Cave (did you know he is the Patron Saint of caves??). Firstly we had to rappel down a dark and narrow chasm for about 30 meters, then balance on a narrow ledge and abseil down another 20 meters kicking the side walls to keep away from the jutting cavern walls...again in darkness except for our meagre headlamps. It was quite an experience and as I had never abseiled before I found it scary but exhilarating. After that we walked through many different caves strewn with rock falls and broken stalagmites, slipping and sliding through dripping water and wading through underground streams. Finally we got to a huge cavern which was full of the most amazingly lovely cave formations..from delicate “straw” stalactites to huge “angels wings”...really lovely! But then we did the final part of the adventure which was the flying fox ( foofy slide to us!) through one cavern into another in pitch dark.....nothing like zooming down at full speed into a place where you can’t see where you are going!!!! It was great fun and something we won’t forget in a long time.

We then drove through Auckland and started the final leg of our journey into what is known as “Northland”. Our first interesting stop was at a wonderful Museum dedicated to the amazing Kauri trees. These huge trees covered most of North Island once, many of them over 2,000 years old with girths of 14 meters and more. But with extensive logging in the early years there are only a few left in reserves. The museum told of the old logging days with very realistic mannequins each modelled to actually look like the pioneer they represented. They had cross sections of these huge trees as well as wonderful pieces of furniture made from the wood. It was the most lovely wood I have ever seen..a rich honey colour with waves of caramel colour going through it. Kauri trees also exude a gum which was used to make varnish, lacquer and things like linoleum. The gum is a wonderful golden colour which of course becomes the Amber we know now when it fossilized. Unfortunately many trees were killed from the gum diggers trying to bleed them .There were displays of Amber, fossilized Kauri trees which are known as Swamp Kauri, and are still carved into lovely pieces despite some of them being dated at over a million years old. An interesting morning..and to top it off we later drove to see a huge Kauri in a forest.

The Northland is far more isolated and remote than I thought it would be..long distances ( for NZ) between small villages, few petrol stops! The country is either sheep/dairy farms or forest, and we drove almost to the very top peninsular called “90 mile beach”. It is a long straight beach along a narrow peninsular and the Kiwi’s use it like another highway, driving along it from one end to the other. In fact the tourist buses going to Cape Reingi at the very top use the beach to get there..I could not get over seeing a huge bus full of tourists driving along a beach with the waves crashing a few meters away.....The most unusual part was along the ramp to the beach there is a sign reminding people that the normal road rules apply, and a speed sign telling us that the speed limit was 100 kms !!!

The east side of Northland is a series of peninsula’s jutting out from the coast making delightful bays of lovely coloured sea and crescent shaped beaches. Also jutting out from the sea are many small islands in many of the bays, obviously because the land was submerged and left the many hills and mountains standing as islands. The most remarkable of these bays is known as the Bay of Islands which is very picturesque and a tourist haven with boat cruises etc. It is known for its big game fishing and also all kinds of fishing and water sports. When we were there the weather was rainy and grey so we did not see the Bay at its best, but still very lovely.

The trip back to Auckland was through scenic coastal towns, lush farms, and pretty villages. We were looking forward to spending a few days seeing the sights in the biggest city of NZ before we reluctantly left for home.

The final night our of Auckland we stopped at a little town called Helensville which also had hot springs which we thought we would use. The springs had been tapped into a huge swimming pool area which steamed away while people floated in the hot water. That night they had a huge screen up so you could watch a movie while you steamed......I prefer r the quiet meditation of the earlier pools. Along the way we came across many interesting sights..waterfalls, towns that can only be reached by boat, and the most interesting artistic toilets in NZ! ( the insides were more flamboyant than the outside!)

In Auckland we stayed with a niece of ours who kindly took us around to see the sights as the traffic is unbelievable. Auckland has about 18 volcano mounds within the city so it is very hilly, and of course the huge bay makes the Freeways interesting. It has an outstanding museum which we enjoyed especially the section which showed the geological history of NZ and all the volcanic and earthquake impacts over the years. Auckland has a very large radio tower in the centre of the city which towers over all the other buildings. You zoom up to the top in a fast lift and then the viewing platform is built with a glass floor so you walk and see the city many stories below your feet!! I am not normally afraid of heights but I must confess to holding onto the walls as I looked down and saw the tiny cars and people many stories below......what a view!!And some brave souls with lots of cash can either “skywalk” around the outside or even rappel down to the ground?????

Sadly we had to end our trip to NZ knowing that we had only just scratched the surface of this gorgeous country and we will have to go back and do the things we had not managed to do this time.

Rotorua, Bay of Plenty and the Coramandel Peninsula

2011-06-20T16:46:00.003+08:00

Rotorua is to GeoThermal activity as Las Vegas is to gambling..it is the most thermally active place on earth and also the most touristy place for this kind of thing in the world. There are many Thermal “parks” you can go to each with their own special attraction. The ones in Rotarua itself are big and expensive and offer a range of different attractions including a lot of Maori cultural exhibitions. The Maoris were very established in this area as they used the hot water springs for cooking and warming. However we chose to go to a park outside the city where they had a cross section of deep craters with boiling mud belching fumes, sulphurous streams leaving bright yellow terraces, and huge lakes that were multicoloured and boiled away in various steamy vents. This park was known for its vibrant colours , all due to different minerals dissolved in the water, and again we were mesmerized by the various thermal features knowing that it was the fury below the ground that was the fascinating part. One lake was brilliant yellow ( from the sulphur) and another was fringed with red, and yet another was bright green. We watched as a geyser spurted meters into the air, and saw the layers of ash laid down by the huge supervolcanoe of Taupo.

Rotarua also has a huge forested area which covers the whole caldera and the various cone shaped mountains. One of the forested areas was a grove of Redwoods towering high above the other species of tree. They were planted to see how well they would do in this area as a commercial tree, but years later they have made a stunning forest which is open for hiking..it smelled just like being in North America.

The next stop was the Bay of Plenty which is known for its fruit growing and beaches. The area around Opotiki is still thickly forested with parts of virgin bush. The early settlers tried to farm this area but its ruggedness and poor soil meant that they failed..when they tried to grow grass for animals the ferns and tree ferns just regrew. This is where the story of the movie The Piano was located. There is a swing bridge across the fast flowing river into this area which the pioneer farmers used to get access into the mountains, but now it is only used for hiking.

Across the Bay is the mountainous Coromadel Peninsula. Once again we made the mistake of thinking it was just a short journey when looking at the map..but with the twisting mountainous roads it took much longer..especially since it had started raining heavily. The reason for going there was more than just the scenery which was stunning...but also we wanted to see a phenomenon called the Hot Water Beach.

When we arrived at this beach we sat in the van and looked dismally at the rain lashing the windows and the cold miserable wind and thought...”how much do we really want to do this??” However, since we had driven 3 hours we thought we may as well go and see it. So, dressed in warm woollies over our bathers , rain gear,and towels stuffed under ponchos we crossed a river and walked onto the main beach 100 meters around a rocky cove brrrr! But what a surprise when we got there...people had dug pools ( with shovels they had brought) and were all sitting happily enjoying the warm mineral springs that were bubbling up through the sand on the beach in various spots. At first we just put our toes in, but it was so warm that we stripped off and sat in a pool digging out the sand with a little bowl. There we were in rain and wind, having a spa on the middle of a beach.....bizarre!! But what fun, and we stayed there a good while enjoying it. Some of the bubbles were jolly hot and took people by surprise judging by the odd exclamation of “ouch, S...t !! ’An old chap in the pool next to us made us laugh..he used a metal colander to dig the sand, and was laying on his back with the colander as his head rest and knitted cap on his head and beer in the sand next to him!

Also on this peninsular are many rugged islands in the bays which jut out of the surf with caves and blowholes. The scenery is wonderful and rugged, and the hikes around there very worthwhile. We did a part of the Cathedral Cave walk with views from every ledge.

As we returned from the trip up the Peninsular we travelled through the Karagahake Gorge. A very fast flowing river ran through the mountains cutting a gorge which was scenic with its towering cliffs.

When we stopped at the little village we decided to do the hike across the swing bridge. We were amazed at what we saw. The site was used in the early 1900 ‘s as a very productive gold mine and there were ruins of huge stamp mills and shafts etc built into the gorge. But more amazing is that they hued tunnels along the precipice and walkways for the horses to pull the coco pans of ore along narrow ledges and the mine openings were meters away from the rushing river. These same pathways are now hiking trails, and as you walk along the solid rock ledges you realize that only about 250 men worked on these mines and hewed out this amazing infrastructure. You climb high into the mountain thro solid rock, and there are tunnels with openings for light where you gaze at the narrow tracks below and marvel at the strength and industriousness of those miners.

North Island and the “HOT property”

2011-06-15T16:34:00.003+08:00

We caught the ferry from Picton and travelled thro Queen Charlotte Sound anyway..and the clouds obligingly lifted so that we could see the wonderful mountains and bays of the whole Sound Region. Three hours later we sailed thro the heads of Wellington; a very pretty city that seems to hang off the surrounding mountains and set around a huge bay. We stayed the first night at a small campground on one of the bays, then went to the small village of Upper Hutt to see some friends. The Te Paupa museum of Wellington was fascinating as it has the only preserved Giant Squid in the world..a massive creature about 3 meters long and eyes as big as soccer balls. The hooked tentacles could rotate and penetrate its victim to grab a hold. There was also a simulated earthquake room and a whole section devoted to quakes, volcanoes and the precarious existence of the New Zealanders. I guess if you HAVE to live life on the edge ( ‘scuse the pun) you may as well make a tourist attraction out of it...

The countryside of North Island is very pretty...forested, rural and hilly. Again we took a short cut to the west Coast and it twisted and turned and climbed until we came out on the precipice of the most amazing mountain side with sheer cliffs and views forever...another surprise!

That night we stayed at a free campsite in small coastal town and then drove to the highest mountain in North Island....( in fact three active volcanoes together called the Tongariro Nat Park). As we drove towards the mountain we glimpsed its imposing snow clad peak rising above the clouds, and then the rain and mist started so we saw it no more! To drive up to the top ski area is like driving on a moonscape. Obvious signs of its last eruption in 1996 were everywhere..boulders strewn across a lava encrusted landscape, solidified lava flows looking like the frosting dripping off a cake. Soon all that would be covered in a blanket of snow when the ski season began. Reluctantly we decided to leave the area because the rain had set in for a few days and we could not see anything anyway.

We drove to the Lake Taupo area .This lake is actually a crater lake created by a massive volcanic eruption a few thousand years ago. The bang blew a 660 sq km hole in the earth which sent ash flying all over the world and felt as far as China. It’s a huge and beautiful stretch of water, full of trout and all manner of water sports, surrounded by volcanoes and forest clad mountains. We found a small caravan park on the edge of the lake outside the city of Taupo which had its own Geothermal pools for guests. There were 3 of them ( as well as spas) and they were graded “simmering” 40 deg, “rapid boiling” at 42 deg and “thermo” at 44 plus deg...as Paul says, enough to hard boil eggs....sorry!

Nearby were some free Thermal walks in the little village. It was surreal to walk around the earth which was literally boiling mud, hissing steam, and bubbling water in every nook and cranny..the whole area was surrounded by jets of steam coming out on pavements, drains and odd holes in the ground. It really made me wonder as I walked around the little neighbourhood that none of the homes had many walls or gates , yet there were boiling mud holes in vacant lots, hissing steam vents and HOT ground on the pavements, and fumeroles hissing in every second backyard garden..I bet the residents still had to make sure their pools were fenced for the kiddies tho???!!!! It was also amazing to see the huge thermo power stations and steam rising from pipes and ditches along the way. The whole area along the mids section of North Island is on a very active fault line and is one of the most active, simmering geothermal regions of the world. The mountains were calderas, the many lovely crater lakes had hot springs surrounding them, and wherever you looked there was steam and bubbling mud...a surreal place. Yet the local people obviously thought nothing of it and life went on as usual.

We stayed at a lovely free campsite alongside the main river flowing out of Lake Taupo , the Waikato. The rivers and lakes are so clean and blue, and very fast flowing. Near Lake Taupo was the Huka Falls..most unusual because it is actually the River flowing thro a very narrow Chasm and then falling with tremendous force over an 11 meter drop. The speed and fury of the “horizontal waterfall” in the chasm is just incredible, as are the nearby rapids.

As we drove to Rotorua, the Thermal “capital” of NZ, the countryside was full of jets of steam rising from hillsides, and boiling mud pools along backroads. We decided to stay the night just outside Rotorua at a Geo Thermal Pool resort where you could camp and use the various therapeutic pools of various temperatures and surrounded by exotic ferns...mmmm . It was beautiful because they had designed the Thermal pools with rocks and infinity ledges of different heights and temperatures. The folk there were all very relaxed, when Paul and I tried to talk they all raised a collective eyebrow and then went back to sighing mmmmmm.....Soon we were following suit as we soaked before and after dinner, with twinkling lights shimmering off the steamy pools. BUT, this was the most surreal sight we have seen so far! Next to the resort was a boiling river.....The source of the river bubbles up from underground at 55 litres a second and at 98 deg C...the whole area is full of steam and boiling rapids. There are rare ferns growing in the area and fungi/moss thingys that are the beginning of ancient life forms. To get the water cool enough to bathe in they have to run it over a series of cooling ponds, and sprinkle the water over waterfalls...and even then it is HOT! The whole area was covered with steam and we could hear the boiling and hissing right next to the pools. We spent the night listening to the River boiling away and thinking about the fault line we were blithely resting on stretching from White Mountain on one side ( an active marine Volcano,) and the three active volcanoes on the other side.....

Secret Seal hideaway and the Abel Tasman

2011-06-07T06:57:00.003+08:00

After reluctantly leaving the Hot Springs we drove to the coastal town of Kaikoura and then started the drive northwards. Along the road we saw the unusual signs “beware seals next 7 kms” . The road was running right alongside the coast only meters from the sea and rocks, and sure enough we soon saw dozens of seals right on the beach and playing in the rock pools below. The larger ones just looked at us as if to say..dont disturb my sleep, but the younger seals were really curious. They can climb right up the bank and get onto the road. We saw a baby seal sleeping under a bush just next to the road but when it saw us it gave a little yelp and slithered down the slope. Some locals told us about a secret place up the road which we visited. The sign could easily be missed and I don’t think many people even know about this enchanting place!

We followed a little river rushing over rocks in a dim forest for 10 min to a waterfall. The baby seal pups come up the river during the day and play at the waterfall till evening till their parents came back from fishing and then they all returned to the beach to be fed. As we walked along the ferny forest and looked down at the river we saw many baby seals slithering over the rocks. But what a surprise to get to the pool and the waterfall...the pool was teaming with baby seals, frolicking in the pool, lying on the banks and sitting on the rocks only feet away from us. They looked at us with their huge eyes and little whiskered chins as if to say “what are YOU doing here?” we could not believe what we saw..they played like little pups ( scuse the pun) , chasing each other in the water, jumping off the jutting rocks into the pool, doing flips and dives, and of course head butting and practice fighting as all baby animals do. The signs said not to touch them cos they could bite, but it was so tempting cos they were obviously curious and wanted to sniff us out. Unfortunately the light was dim so the photos don’t show the numbers in the water or how they were playing and swimming. What a special experience we will always treasure.

That night we stayed at a DOC campsite along the coast, parking a few feet from the beach with towering cliffs behind us. So peaceful and not a light near us. We drove though a small town of Blenheim ( some of the names are So Olde English and others are completely Maori) where we refuelled and stocked up. From there we drove to a ski resort in the mountains called St Arnaud and stopped at a DOC site on the edge of a postcard perfect lake with mountains surrounding us. We were the only people in this huge, beautiful natural camp, although I could see in Summer it was very well used for boating and fishing. Driving on we finally reached the northern side of the country. On looking at the map we thought that we could make it to our destination by afternoon tea because we only had 40 kms to go. So ,we set off across Takaka “hill”.....and we climbed, and we climbed and we climbed. The GPS showed hairpin bends that looked like seismagraph, and we saw valleys below that seemed like they were from an airplane. But still upwards we climbed, thro the clouds, and finally an equally nerve wracking decent. If the New Zealanders call that a “hill”.....

We were now in an area called Golden Bay. We drove to the furtherest point of the West Coast ( yes we had crossed over to the West Coast again!) and the longest spit in the world reaching out into the ocean...37 kms. The west coast here is wild and windy with huge rocks in the sea with intriguing shapes and holes. The geology is amazing showing rocks of all sizes imbedded into the limestone, large caves, folded rocks etc.

The north coast is famous for its wonderful Hike along a stretch of very wild and beautiful coast line called the Abel Tasman. It takes several days to hike end to end with huts at various bays, tidal crossings and wonderful rainforest vegetation. There are some endangered species that thrive here so isolated and dense is the bush. For those wanting to do just parts of the hike there is a water taxi which can take people to various stages, and drop them off/pickup in other parts. We decided we would stay in the DOC campsite at the most northern end of the hike. Once again we saw a gravel road 12 kms on the map, but again had to wind our way through narrow , winding and climbing curves with steep precipices to get there ...but later found out that a BUS service did the trip too......!!!!!! The Campsite was idyllic....natural rain forest right onto the golden beach, total privacy because there were only a few of campers ( in summer the camp holds over 800 sites allocated on a ballot basis ), showers and toilets, and best of all for Paul...a FIREPLACE. He loves to have a fire when he is camping but most places don’t allow fires anymore. Imagine his delight when the ranger pulled up and gave him a whole pile of wood! It was such a special place that if the weather had not turned nasty ...rainy and thick mist...I could have stayed there a week. We did do some of the Hike track and it is one of the most beautiful.

The next day the rain and thick mist covered the whole area..the “killer” hill had no views, and as we drove along the coast of Nelson we only got glimpses of the coast line. Because it was predicted to last the next few days we decided to carry on thro the Sounds and go to Picton and the ferry. The last night on South Island we used a DOC site on the banks of Charlotte Sound overlooking the wonderful bays and mountains...covered in thick cloud. As the ferry travelled through the Sound the mist lifted for a short while and we said goodbye to the lovely scenery, promising to come again one day. After 3 hours the ferry sailed into Wellington with rain and cloud, but still very impressive...the next leg of our journey.

The Glacier Country

2011-05-31T13:39:00.003+08:00

Queenstown was also the setting for some of the “Lord of the Rings” films. We drove along a scenic road carved on the edge of the mountains and along the Lake ( second biggest in NZ and hundreds of meters deep) to Glenorchy. All along the way were signposts saying that this was the setting for a scene from the movie....no wonder. The mountains had a majestic Otherworld quality, suggesting lost kingdoms in the far distance, and the trees were bent and gnarled and dripping with moss and ferns...all very mystical! Queenstown has a friendly and young atmosphere with backpackers gathering in sidewalk cafe’s and all discussing which amazing adventure ride they were going to do next!

From Queenstown we drove over a steep mountain pass to Wanaka, another lovely town on a turquoise glacial lake surrounded by snow capped peaks...and NO, we were not getting Ho Hum about the scenery...I could not get enough! As we took our last look back at Queenstown we saw the panoramic view of the mountain backdrop that they used for the opening scenes of so many movies.

We stayed at a small campsite on the edge of a rushing glacier river and forest that night only a few kms from Wanaka...run by the council, the payment was by Honesty Box. The town has a lot of fun things to do and includes a very unusual “puzzle world” with rooms full of puzzles , optical illusions and double decker maze..spot the optical illusion with Paul!! Once we had explored the pretty town we left in thick mist to cross the famous Haas Pass which wound its way to the West Coast through treacherous hairpin bends and steep gradients. On the way we stopped at numerous waterfalls along the way, the dripping ferns and beech trees made all the more otherworldly with tendrils of mist wrapping around them. Everywhere there were waterfalls gushing over rocks and down ditches, fast flowing rivers, and thick rainforest vegetation. The Blue Pools were carved out of a river bed with the bluest water and from the swing bridge we could see fat rainbow and brown trout swimming below. We drove along the West coastline of NZ which reminded us very much of the coast of Oregon...steep cliffs with jagged pieces of land jutting from the surf. There were numerous lookouts of the spectacular coastal scenery.

Once again we stayed at a Dept of Conservation Camp on the edge of a pretty lake surrounded by mossy ferny rainforest...very scenic and pretty and only marred by a cloud of sandflies which inflicted very itchy bites!

Our first view of the Fox Glacier was breathtaking. These are the most accessible glaciers in the world and the only ones that come down to rainforest. From the car park you walk along the long rock strewn flat valley floor toward the icy mountain river gushing out of the glacier. The moraine is so interesting when you think of the awesome force of nature and the steep almost 90 degree angle of the valley sides are evidence of the glaciers retreat in the not so distant past. The walk is about an hour, and all the way the path is carefully laid out between barriers because rock falls, ice falls and avalanches are daily occurrences ...in fact a young tourist died not so long ago because he ignored the signs and walked up to the glacier face where a huge chunk of ice fell on him. The following day we drove to the Franz Joseph Glacier and did a similar walk along the boulder strewn valley floor for an hour and half with these towering cliffs dwarfing us at the bottom. The word awesome does not do it justice. Of course Paul, being Paul, could not resist climbing over the barrier for a better photo.....

The drive further along the West Coast beaches saw some wild surf and lots of rain and mist...that region gets 5 meters of rain annually!!!! No wonder the vegetation is so lush. We drove over the mountains to see Arthurs Pass , another steep pass with precipices on each side of the road and some amazing engineering as can be seen by the photos. We camped again in a Doc campsite with an Honesty box..the site was along side a bubbling river surrounded by forest...and we were the only ones there!!

As we emerged from the dripping, lush and misty West Coast via the Lewis pass back to the East coast we had to blink and get accustomed to the bright sunshine again...something we had not seen since crossing to the other side of the Island! It was not as lush, and the mountains not as high or snow covered, but very pretty and rural. The first stop was a Hanmer Thermal Springs...a resort where they had made a wonderful set of baths from the natural Thermal springs of the area. There were rocky pools of all temperatures, spa pools with therapeutic jets, waterslides for the kiddies, lounging chairs in the pools to just lie back and relax in the wonderful hot water while the chilly air around us made clouds of steam...bliss. Talking of Thermal springs, we had been doing some reading about the various fault lines crisscrossing NZ and how they, like the San Andreas fault, were anticipating the BIG one. We actually drove over the main fault line a couple of times.

From here we head up the West coastal and along the top of South Island. The weather is lovely sunny days of 13 deg, but the nights are minus 2 and lots of frost.

Fjordland..

2011-05-24T13:36:00.005+08:00

After we left Invercargill we drove northwards along the Eastern side of lower South Island known as Fjordland..with good reason. Ancient glaciers have left huge fjords and rugged mountains in their wake, and much of the area isn’t even accessible. As we left the grey clouds of the south behind we were surrounded by mountains which got higher as we drove along. Because of the recent cold snap the mountains were topped with snow, and the scenery became more and more majestic. That night we stopped on the edge of a huge glacial lake at Te Anau, which is ringed with mountains and forests. It is the gateway to the majestic Fjordland National Park and a very pretty village.

Next day we did the awesome drive to the famous Millford Sound. En route we stopped and did a strenuous hike up a steep ascent to Key Summit for 3 hours. It was also the beginning of the famous Routeburn Track which takes several days to do. There were amazing views all the way up to top, but as we go to the very top, thick cloud covered the mountains and we could not see anything else. We drove through the mist and drizzle along the steep and winding road to the very heart of the mountains, at times with steep, sheer cliffs soaring above us covered with snow. The twisty road with hairpin bends was scary with lots of ice on the side of the road. Also there is a tunnel and Paul had to drive the Campervan through with a huge tour bus coming the other way...we each had inches to spare in the dark.That night we slept at Milford Sound camp, and in the morning the mist and rain had cleared!! We did the famous Boat cruise up the Sound with near perfect weather, and saw the amazing glacial mountains with their distinctive sheer rock formations, wonderful glaciers, dolphins etc. Rarely do things you dream about not only meet your expectations, but EXCEED them!!! This was one of them. Doing the Milford Sound was one of the top things in our “bucket list” and it is a MUST DO!!

That night we drove back still gobsmacked. We decided to stop and camp at the edge of a stunning lake surrounded by snow capped peaks and forest. It was a Parks Board Camp site with an honesty box costing $10.00 per night..it was so lovely.Because it was still early Paul tried to make a fire with soggy wood, and I sat and painted a picture with the lake, forests and relflections...what a treat.

We are now in Queentown..the adventure capital of the world....It is also incredibly beautiful built along the huge glacial lake and surrounded by the snow topped peaks called the Remarkable Range.

Something Paul has ALWAYS wanted to do was Hang-glide, so he talked me into joining him on a flight.We drove high up Coronet Peak (see picture) which is also a ski field area, and both did an amazing flight down. I was so scared at first, but once we were airborne it was so peaceful and lovely that I relaxed. The scariest part is running down the edge of a steep cliff and then launching yourself upwards. Paul was thrilled to bits, especially when the pilot did a few “stalls” and sharp swings up and down for good measure. After that we took a Gondola Ride up the main mountain in the city and did a Luge trip around the top. What a day. Tomorrow we will do some scenic drives because all these exciting activities like Bungy , Jet boat etc etc costs the earth!

It has been a fantastic trip so far and we are so Blessed to see this lovely country and its awesome scenery.

New Zealand

2011-05-16T12:26:00.005+08:00

We decided to go to New Zealand because it was always a dream of ours to visit this beautiful country and we got some amazing deals with air and campervan hire. The time was also right because there was nothing more we could do while our home was being built and we had no garden etc to have to look after. We were so excited to be going on another adventure and had lots of advice about itinerary and clothing from our good friends Pat and Des!

Finally, after I resigned from my job of 18 years and signed the last papers on the house we were ready to go.

As we arrived in NZ we flew over Mt Cook in bright sunlight and were able to get a birds eye view of the Frans Joseph , Fox and other Glaciers...how lucky to see them from the air! We arrived in Christchurch and collected our campervan in the late afternoon. The day after we did some shopping and sorted out things we would need for the 60 days on the road. We found the traffic unbelievably busy because the city centre had been closed off and many of the businesses and people had to move to the suburbs..it was like 5 o’clock traffic all day. The folk of Christchurch were looking stressed and edgy..with good reason . They were still in shock from the recent biggest earthquake in the city which destroyed much of the centre of Christchurch and killed many. Many of the buildings were damaged even in the suburbs, even our camp site.

We left Christchurch and drove south in the drizzle and mist to the Akaroa peninsula..we could hardly see the mountainous cliffs of this amazing place. However the next morning the sun came out and we drove into the quaint French style village to see the museum. We were enchanted with the views as well as the pretty French style architecture. What a surprise when we found that the first Frenchman landed there BEFORE the British and had hoped to establish a settlement..and his name was Francois Langlois! He also had his family with him and the museum is in the little cottage that Louis Langlois lived in...we were able to peruse the documents telling about these early settlers. The drive back was wonderful because we could see the views that were hidden the day before.

We then drove to a little town called Fairlie which was so pretty with all the winter colours on the trees. From there to Lake Tekapo which is a glacial lake that glows a luminous green because of the “rock flour” of ground pebbles coming down from the glaciers. Normally the snow capped mountains frame the lake to add to its beauty, but it was misty and drizzly that day so we could not see them..but what a lovely spot.

We then drove to Mt Cook where we stayed at the Forestry dept campsite right at the base of the mountains two nights. Because we arrived in thick mist we had no idea where the mountains were, so imagine our surprise when we woke up in the morning to see that we were surrounded by snow capped towering mountains..what a sight!! That day we hiked 3 hours to the glacier along a rushing mountain river and crossed 3 suspension bridges over rapids .The final lake had icebergs floating on it and the glacier right in front of us. The sun shone the whole day and it was the highlight so far of the trip! We even saw two avalanches ( in the photos ) which was so interesting. There was an excellent museum there with an Edmund Hillary exhibition and statue because he lived nearby and trained on Mt Cook for his accent of Everest.

We left the next day in sunshine and drove to a place near Dunedin for the night. We awoke to find that a huge gale was battering the coast and our drive to Dunedin was in 110 km winds that blew trees and roofs onto the road. We were diverted along a mountain Rd and had to travel with the van swaying dangerously along the narrow rd being passed by busses and trucks! We saw the wonderful Otago peninsular with its awesome views, all the time climbing those narrow precarious roads in the howling gales. At the end of the peninsular is the world Heritage Albatross preservation centre which is perched high on a headland with commanding views of the dramatic coast and estuary.

Next day we did the touristy things in Dunedin because it was pouring with rain. It has an excellent museum and art gallery...and the Cadbury Chocolate factory!

From Dunedin we drove round the bottom end of South Island in an area called the Catlins. It is forested, steep hills, rural and awesome coast. Along the coast there are penguin colonies and sea lions, steep walks to light houses and wonderful views. For two glorious days we had sunlight and were able to enjoy the waterfalls and fern forests. However the afternoon of the second day a huge cold front blew in covering most of the Island. That night in Invercargill our van rocked and swayed in the wind and it was FA-REEZING, with ice and snow on the slopes. We were cosy with our thermals and van, but even so it looked bleak. The fact that we had to take our van in because of drive shaft bearing trouble did not help the grey day. There was an interesting museum here with the actual motor bike of Burt Munroe of the “Worlds Fastest Indian” fame...he was a local here and used to practice on the beach.

While we wait for the part to come we will tour the coast line around here, with winds coming directly from Antarctica , and then onto the Millford Sound area.

The Final Chapter

2008-08-21T09:21:00.002+08:00

Sadly we packed up at Quobba and started the long drive through Carnarvon and down the Great Northern Highway, at this time of year edged with lovely wildflowers. Towards evening we realized we would not make Geraldton so decided to stop over at Kalbarri. Although 60 kms off the Highway we knew it was an attractive seaside town from previous visits over the years. Set at the mouth of the great Murchison River it is surrounded by National Park as the river cuts an impressive gorge through the surrounding countryside. There are also spectacular cliffs plunging into the sea with wonderful view points, and whales and dolphins are often seen swimming by. We stayed 2 nights at Kalbarri doing some sightseeing and dodging the showers...and getting used to the lower temperatures! From then we drove inland and stopped the night at a little wheat belt town Moora en route to stop over with Michelle. The countryside was lush and green from all the rain they had had and we could not believe how far away we still were even though we were technically almost home!
Shelly and the children were thrilled to see us and vica versa..they had grown and so had the dogs, chickens, lamb and other members of her household. We had a lovely day catching up with them all, and went to school with both the grandchildren as part of their “show and tell” to the class. The classmates could not believe we had driven all the way round the country, or the stories of the huge crocs! Lots of fun and it was lovely to re connect with the family. Our arrival home was quiet and thoughtful..both of us were sorry that the adventure was over, yet looking forward to seeing how the new garden had grown and having our own bathroom and chairs. The next day we went and saw our new grandson and the girls and had a wonderful reunion with the family, and started the unpacking and rearranging of our home.

Would we do it again...DEFINATELY! In fact we can’t wait to see the stuff we missed this time. Both of us had a wonderful time and it was an adventure a day. Nine months was not long enough to see and do it all..but far too long to be away from family.
We did 29,135 kms and had almost no problems with our Commodore or Caravan. We ate mostly wonderful home cooked meals (fresh fish!) so our living expenses were low. Petrol was higher than we had hoped, and we did a few tours and rides which were an added enhancement to the area.
We came back fit and well, and Paul’s blood pressure is the lowest it’s ever been 113,68,61
All our planning and equipment worked perfectly and the route and weather planning also went according to plan with a few small surprises. Would we use the same rig again? Probably not, but we are not sure what changes we would make yet. A 4x4 would have been good in the northern reaches of WA where it was so remote and undeveloped, but we are not sure if it warranted the extra costs. We would like a small bathroom/loo in the next van, and are not even sure whether next time we would take a campervan because it’s so much easier to just stop somewhere..although there are disadvantages too. These are all plans we are going to make after a lot more homework.
Advice to those thinking of this trip? DO IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN. As we get older we will obviously be able to do less and camping becomes harder when knees and backs are not as supple. So many people we spoke to knew of someone who had planned a trip like this but their partner died or became incapacitated, or they had a heart attack or something. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. It really paid off that we did loads of research before we left, and preparation with the house/finances/equipment etc.
Best buys: Wireless Internet (kept us up to date with family and we could access it most places except most remote)
Sat Dish. Meant we could get clear TV anywhere and watch the news, cricket etc
Small 12V/140V freezer. Meant that we could have fresh bread/meat etc as well as store all the fish we caught.
GPS. The marriage saver. In urban areas was worth its weight in gold to have the little lady say...”take second exit at roundabout;!
Air con: we had some really hot days and it was really essential for my mood and well being that we could be cool.
Have your entire dental up to date before you leave because two appointments 2 weeks apart cost a month in a place that may not be the best place to spend a month.
These are just a few items that stand out, but there were many more little things that we have found useful over the many years we have caravanned.
Paul and I thank all of you who have read and commented on the blog. We hope you have enjoyed hearing about our journey and we would love to hear your comments.
Picture Kalbarri – Free like a bird oh! what a feeling!!!!!!!

A Whale of a time at the Coral Coast

2008-07-25T18:02:00.005+08:00

From the Pilbara we headed west to the Exmouth peninsula, and turned north again to Exmouth at the tip of the narrow land mass. The west side of the coast has the famous Ningaloo Coral reef, which is one of the few rare coral reefs on the WEST side of a continent. Here the coral comes virtually to the shore and is so easily accessible..unlike the Barrier Reef which is sometimes 90 kms out to sea. It is also the place where the famous Whale Sharks swim up and down the coast. These are the biggest creatures on earth ..huge gentle giants which eat plankton and cruise along the edge of the reef with their gaping mouths open like funnels. Many whale watching cruises take people out to snorkel with these beautiful creatures..but they cost a fortune so we did not do it. However, we saw many other whales swim by, dolphins, turtles and a giant Potatoe Cod which was about 6 foot long with a girth of a couple of meters. ..probably weighing well over 200 kg. Unfortunately when we got to Exmouth we realized that it was school holidays, and since this is such a wonderful family place and also warm in the winter, all 5 if its Caravan Parks were booked out. For a while we thought the 300 kms journey was wasted, but finally managed to get 4 days in one park, and another 4 at a park on the west side nearest the Coral. We had a few wonderful days snorkelling at Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks beaches, and also tried our hands at fishing the rugged coast. It is still an area that is very remote and treacherous despite the crowds in the parks. Going south again we had wanted to spend a week or so at Coral Bay, our favourite holiday spot from years ago. Here the Coral comes into shore in an idyllic azure bay with pure white sand and gentle waves. The coral and fish are wonderful and it’s like swimming in a giant aquarium. Once again we knew we would have trouble getting a place since the school hols were still in full swing, so had resigned ourselves to having a swim and driving to the next town. Somehow there was ONE spot left for a couple of nights for which we were grateful, and managed to get in some nice snorkelling despite the windy and miserable weather. Disappointed, we drove 300 kms south to Carnarvon where we restocked and decided our next destination.
We re- evaluated and decided to explore a remote area along the lower WEST side of the peninsula which had only one dirt road going up through a couple of Sheep stations and then ending abruptly. We had heard that the fishing was good along that coast, but it was difficult to get information..people we asked seemed evasive and mumbled..”Yes, the fishing is good, but it’s VERY dangerous”. There was no real accommodation except for a bush camp where the campers were allowed to camp on the edge of a lovely bay, but there were NO facilities...one had to be self sufficient with everything. power, water, food etc. Since we had our little freezer full of fish, we opted for the only other place..a sheep station that had turned its shearing sheds into basic Fishermans cabins, and cleared some bits of bush for caravans...VERY remote and basic. There was borehole (salty) water, a wood fired hot water for the dingy showers, generator power for 8 hours a day, and nothing else. Only windswept salt bushes, sheep, and the pounding of the huge ocean nearby. We wondered WHY people came here..the coast was spectacular, but surely it was more than that? Well, we soon found out..here fishing is an EXTREME SPORT, and fishermen come from all over and risk their lives fishing on this very dangerous coast.
This is the world’s premier Balloon fishing region, and many people have lost their lives along this savage coast. Balloon fishing is basically land based big game fishing. The fisherman stands on the edge of a high cliff and releases a large helium balloon into the wind and it floats out to sea, dangling a large fish with coloured tassles just onto the surface of the waves. They need large rods, 700 metres strong tackle..but more than that..nerves of steel! In this area the cliffs are 40 meters high covered with large jagged rocks which extend to a shelf out to sea. The sea is wild and has huge swells which foam up and dash 20 meters or so up the rocks, often washing right over them. Add to that, this is the area of the King Wave..extra large waves that come from nowhere and engulf the whole cliff face. Enthusiasts come here for weeks/months at a time, getting up before dawn to get the best vantage point..often on precarious ledges or rock stacks out to sea..reached by scrambling along wave swept ridges. Sadly, the whole coast is testomy to this obsession for the fighting fish...cliffs are studded with crosses, memorials and warnings. Only last year, we were told, someone was swept to sea at this ledge, or that high rock. The fish they catch are Tuna, Spanish mackerel, Cobia, huge sharks, Sail Fish ,and other game fish. Once a ‘strike’ has been made, the fish has to be brought up to the cliff which often involves scrambling down the cliff face with many different kinds of gaffe arrangements..only to have the catch chomped in half as it leaps out of the water by a huge shark!
Yes....We DID go fishing here..how could we not at least give it a go? Since we don’t have the balloon gear needed for that type of fishing we decided to just put our ordinary rods into the water and see what happened. We chose a high rock (the highest we could find to hopefully be out of range of the swell) which had a steel cable running along the edge so that fishermen could tie themselves to the cable, and the rods to shackles. (Even so there had been people washed over at that same place the year before).The sea crashed onto hidden ledges below, and anyone with vertigo would feel seasick immediately. To get to this place one had to traverse half a km across sharp rocks of moonscape, and there was nowhere to stand or sit comfortably. Paul immediately tied me to the cable with a cord (it’s not that I am clumsy or foolhardy you understand, it’s just that he was afraid that a big fish would jerk me suddenly into the drink!) We spent an exhilarating day fishing and Paul caught enough for dinner. Dolphins swam just below, and the highlight for me was watching the whales swim by, diving and leaping with their tails flapping in the waves. At one stage we looked behind us at a little bay and there were two whales swimming only meters away...so close we could see their eyes and hear the swoosh as they spurted the water...huge and wonderful creatures. The dedicated fishermen at the station were quite a clique..they all knew each other and watched balloons bobbing around along the cliffs and could tell who had caught what. They were also very generous and we came away with large pieces of tuna, mackerel and other fish which we sliced to take home. On our last day we went to the big rock we had fished from before and pitched our bait into the swirling maelstrom below us. From our high vantage point we had a view of the whole coast and the whales and dolphins swimming past. We also had good day fishing with Paul catching a large Spangled Emperor and I caught a huge Rankin Cod (well, huge for me..he was about 3 kg and 53 cms). Since this was the best fish I had ever caught (they are wonderful to eat) I was so thrilled and did a dance on the top of the sharp rocks..for a minute or so!
Before we realized it a week had slipped by, and it was time to start the final journey home. We are nearly home now, even though it is still 1300 kms away!!
Photos
Coral Bay
Fishermen on rock stack ballooning
Quobba Coast
Huge waves crashing over high cliffs
Fishing from cliff
Colleens cod

Mudcrabs and the Pilbara

2008-07-06T20:28:00.008+08:00

In perfect weather we headed south of Broome to an interesting coastline with long stretches of wonderful beaches and interesting lagoons. We stopped at a small caravan park called Port Smith down the end of a 23 km long dirt road. Here it was like living in a bowl of red talcum powder...every footstep throws up a puff of red dust, cars drive in a cloud of crimson and the dust gets into every nook and cranny ...before long everything seemed to look pink. The reason we went off road was because we had heard that the fishing was marvellous at Pt Smith, and what a lovely place it was! We drove down to the edge of the large, azure lagoon which stretched several kms before going through a channel into the sea and gazed at the clear water lapping the edge of the mangroves. We thought..OK , looks pretty..but not so special for fishing. Next day we walked to the lagoon and could not believe our eyes! It was as if a bath plug had been pulled out of the bottom of the lagoon because there was NO WATER in the whole lagoon except odd pools and trickles where the rivers had run....just sand as far as the eye could see and islands of mangroves. The tides were 8 meters or more and one has to see it to believe it! The trick to fishing here was the fish that were caught in the pools that were left behind were generally easier to catch..and we proved that by catching about 6 fat Bream as the tide was running out one morning. We caught a variety of fish, but the most fun was had by catching the muddies (Mud Crabs). Another couple we befriended who knew the ropes offered to take me and show me how to catch a mud crab the way the locals did it..by hooking them out of their holes at low tide. This was not as easy as it sounds cos the tide comes rushing in faster than you can run, and there are so many little rivulets and islands one could easily get caught. Also the mangroves are full of twisted roots in knee deep foul smelling mud. Even one of the pros dallied a few minutes too long the day before and before he knew it he was up to his neck and going against the tide..scary!
Anyway, while Paul fished nearby, “Bruce” took me sloshing down a small stream between the mangroves brandishing a long piece of thick wire with a hook on the end. After slipping and sliding in the mud for a while, and climbing over and under tortured roots, he spied a hole in the bank and told me to put the hook in and jiggle it around until I heard a knocking sound...then to yank the large and angry crab out of his hole..which I did. He then said “now grab it by its back legs and hold it up,” I said “ERRR, he has huge claws which are thrashing around and look like they could easily bend backwards...” But I did what he said and moments later proudly staggered out of the undergrowth bearing my huge and frantically wriggling mud crab...you should have seen Paul’s face! I also said to Bruce...what about crocs and sharks here? He replied casually “No worries Mate... haven’t seen a croc in years and no sharks here!” Next day a fisherman hooked an 8 ft Hammerhead Shark which took his rod and reel out of that same lagoon.... Next day Paul and I set off early at low tide to catch our own muddy. We slipped and slithered up banks and streams of mud which sucked at our feet and tripped us up over the mangrove roots. We prodded countless holes until we found a MONSTER mud crab and caught him very professionally the way we had been taught..even getting him into the bag which is no mean feat as they grab the edges with their razor sharp, strong claws. He was delicious and worth every bit of muddy struggle. I must add that I was completely out of my comfort zone as normally I like to be able to see my feet at all times!
Reluctantly we left Pt Smith for a place further down the coast called 80 Mile Beach. Another red dusty road brought us to a lovely park right on this perfect beach which DOES stretch for 80 miles and as far as the eye can see is just perfect white sand and turquoise water. The beach is famous for its Salmon fishing at high tide, so we headed off to the beach at sunset to try our luck...together with what seem like hundreds of other fishermen all lined along the beach every 20 meters or so...as far as the eye could see. After a few casts Paul caught a lovely Salmon which was delicious, and to watch the magnificent sunset while we were doing this was just mind blowing. Next day we caught another Salmon and I caught an enormous Silver Cobbler...about 8 kg (Released).
By then our supplies were finished so we headed into Port Headland to restock. It is mainly a port for the huge Iron Ore mines of the Pilbara region, and there were always at least 10 Ore Carriers on the horizon and a few in the dock. It was really something to see the ore carrying trains coming into town as some were 2.70 kms long..3 locos in front and another 2 mid way!
The coastal road then went via Karratha and Dampier, which were two more port towns. We decided instead to veer inland to the Karijini National Park which is known for its awesome gorges. This is the Pilbara region which has red earth, unusual ridge and mountain formations, and wide open flat arid vegetation. It’s also the region which has rich mineral deposits and there are huge Iron Mining operations which have opened it up. But it is the National Park which people flock to from all over the world. We stayed at a nearby mining town called Tom Price and took a tour into the park. At first glance the NP looked unspectacular except for the red earth and mauve hills surrounding it. But what was hidden until we walked right up to them were the deep gorges cut into the valleys and waterfalls, pools and narrow chasms....the more spectacular because of the ruggedness and colours. From the lookouts we gazed at these sheer cliffs and the rivers a 100 meters down and wondered what they looked like in the Wet season. One of the gorges we took a walk down to the bottom to find a lovely fern pool and lush vegetation. But the highlight was another lookout where 4 gorges met and the narrow passages between them had waterfalls and rapids. Even with fenced lookouts the area is treacherous because of crumbling rock and there have been many deaths here. Last year a tourist fell down a slope and was injured and while being rescued a shower of rain further inland miles away caused a flash flood in the gorges and washed one of the rescuers many kms down the gorge. Sadly he lost his life, but the other two rescuers were able to hang on to the stretcher and save the tourist and themselves. After a well prepared buffet picnic lunch we all donned swimming gear and non slip shoes and were taken down one of the more spectacular gorges. It was breathtaking when we got to the bottom to see these high coloured walls of ancient rock rising on either side of us. But more was in store! We trudged along the sandy bottom as the chasm got narrower and narrower and then started to wade through waist high icy water. Eventually the cleft was so narrow we were holding both sides as we walked through slippery icy water gushing into a huge pool deep in the rocks. The final part was scary in that we had to hold tightly onto surrounding rocks as it started to slope downwards, then became a rushing torrent! As the water became a small waterfall over the steep, slippery rock there was a handrail on one side that we had to cling onto to save ourselves dropping many meters below...talk about canyoning! All this time the walls of the chasm rose steeply and ruggedly 100 meters blocking out most of the light..but what filtered through had an eerie blue look caused by the water onto the now blue/black ironstone! Once at the edge of the pool we only had time for a quick photo clinging precariously to the ledge before starting back UP the waterfall. We learned later that this part was a Grade 5 climb and at the next part of the chasm it became Grade 6 where you have to have a licence and training to do it! Definitely the best thing we have done for a while..very memorable!

Photos

Karinjini Nat Park hand rail pool

Karinini Nat park Weano Gorge

Red Dust on road! -Port Smith

Mud crab monster -Port Smith

Colleen's first Crab - Port Smith

Hunting crabs in Mangroves - Port Smith

80 Mile beach Salmon

80 Mile beach Magnificent Sunset

Fishing on 80 Mile Beach

The Kimberley and Beautiful Broome

2008-06-19T21:02:00.008+08:00

The Kimberley region of WA is the most northerly, most isolated and most remote in West Australia. We had been dreading going there because we don’t like deserts, hot weather or arid vegetation...Paul and I are cool, lush forest types! So we started the next phase of the journey with some trepidation. But its huge skies and dramatic scenery tugs at the heart strings and we found that we actually loved it in a strange and primitive way. Most of the region is inaccessible, harsh, and many of the billabongs, rivers and bays have never seen a boat. The coast line is inaccessible except by plane or large boats, the tides huge and dramatic, and it is almost an unexplored frontier. The Outback is known as the red heart of Australia, and it is easy to see why because the soil is crimson/maroon and glows in the brilliant sunlight. The sunsets are breathtaking.
The first stop in WA was Lake Argyle where the huge Ord River is damned so that crops can be grown in otherwise arid country, and water and Hydro can help the north of Australia to open up. It was a massive undertaking building this dam, and it now holds up to 55 times more water than the Sydney Harbour. The country reminded us of Kariba, but the difference is that dramatic red cliffs frame the dam and drop dramatically into the blue water. It is huge, but only a small part accessible unless you have a boat or take a tour. We stayed a couple of days as it was peaceful and had great bird life, but then left to stay in the nearby town of Kununurra. There we camped on the edge of a billabong covered in water lilies, with freshwater crocs swimming around under the reeds.
Next on the journey took us to the most northerly town in WA, Wyndham. On a huge delta where five massive rivers drain into an even larger estuary it becomes a wide Sound. The town is small and rundown with a harbour and the huge tidal river is surrounded by mangroves and tidal mudflats which extend for many kms. Our first thought was...one night and we are out of here! There was a small jetty, a magnificent lookout where you looked down on the 5 rivers that drained into the delta..and not much else. But as luck would have it we met a real old character in the caravan park..a legend in the area. He and his wife knew the history of the area and the flora and fauna, and were its best ambassadors. He also knew all the best fishing spots around, and when he heard it was Paul’s birthday he offered to take us to a secret billabong. We set off with two other 4x4 across the mud flats with clouds of red dust billowing behind us, then onto a badly rutted track lined with mangroves and boab trees. Our first stop was at a muddy hole where he threw his cast net into the shallows a few times and caught some small mullets which he kept alive in an aerated bucket. Then off to another spot on the King River where there was another muddy billabong. I thought..”you must be joking; there are no fish in this shallow, muddy hole!” But he said calmly..”the tide will be in soon.” We were about 15 kms from the coast and so again I looked incredulously at him..what tide? However, true to his word there was a noise and a small tidal wave came roaring through the river bed and the next thing the river was a few meters higher and lapping at the banks! We all threw our lines in and waited. Paul caught a Barramundi but it got away. Our new friend caught a nice one, and it was very exciting, muddy work. Between us all we had a marvellous dinner of fresh Barramundi and chips..what a birthday! Paul also caught a small shark off the jetty which we cut up for bait and some tasty dinners. We stayed longer than we thought we would, and drove off with many waves and exchanging addresses.
We stopped overnight at a little place called Fitzroy Crossing, which, surprisingly enough, is at a bridge crossing the mighty Fitzroy River. Near the town is a gorge which has been eroded out of the ancient limestone beds formed when an ancient Coral Reef 350 million years ago was raised out of the sea bed..many fossils are found in these beds. However it is the Gorge that is interesting. The river runs through during the dry season at a rate that would fill Sydney Harbour in 5 hours. But during the Wet season it is at least 6 meters higher and rages as a torrent down the narrow chasm. We took a boat ride and evidence of the flood line was easily seen on the walls of the gorge. The walls were eroded limestone with interesting shapes and colours in the high sheer cliffs, and the bird life and crocs we saw were an added bonus.
Next stop was another little town further down the inaccessible coast called Derby. Once again we stood on a jetty that had pylons 3 stories high because the tides were a staggering 11 meters. The low tide showed mud flats as far as the eye could see, the high tide had water lapping the top of the jetty and showing only the top of the mangrove trees. We dropped some crab nets and caught 3 huge “mud crabs” which are delicious eating and have claws as big as golf balls. Tricky getting them into the bucket cos they are aggressive and go for unwary toes with razor sharp pincers which can cut through a can! That night we dined on chilli crab and wine. We also went to a typical outback fun night where they had “Crab Racing”. Mud crabs were put into a roped off ring and bets were taken on the various crabs ability to run, claws up and angry, to the edge of the ring. All participants were eaten at the end of the evening and much beer was consumed during the various races! The Boab tree is common in Derby and the sunsets were marvellous.
Finally we drove into Broome..the jewel of the Kimberley. This small town is so popular in the cooler months that its population multiplies 3 times and you have to book a year in advance. We took a chance and managed to get 3 days in one of the many caravan parks at an exorbitant price. But I must admit that there is a romantic holiday atmosphere in the place and it is gorgeous. We stayed near the famous Cable Beach (voted as the 5 th best beach in the world) and it is wonderful. Palm trees, pure white sand stretching 22 kms, and azure sea...and a balmy climate to watch the famous sunsets. A former Pearl Diving town it has a long history, and is an interesting little place with a thriving Arty community. There is also a huge tidal variance here and the impressive jetty with pylons 3 stories from the sea in low tide always have many hopeful fishermen leaning over the dizzying rail trying for the big one.
We took some photos at sunset one evening at some weird shaped rocky cliffs overlooking the beach..they literally glowed! Another night we watched the moon rise over the mudflats and witnessed a remarkable phenomenon known as the “Staircase to the Moon” because the mudflats and reflections look like a heavenly staircase..very lovely. Regrettably we packed to go to our next destination south of Broome on the impressive 80 Mile Beach.
Photos: Lake Argyle at sunset
Lookout at Wyndham showing the huge delta and 5 rivers flowing
Paul caught a shark
Geikie Gorge on the Fitzroy River.
Our Mud Crabs
Sunset at the point in Broome
Cable Beach with some tourists on a camel ride
Stairway to the moon

Darwin and Kakadu

2008-06-05T21:18:00.004+08:00

Darwin is a busy modern city, with a turbulent history. Not only were early settlers constantly wiped out with disease and other tropical maladies, but it was frequently flooded and hit by cyclones. The worst cyclone ( Cyclone Tracy )to hit the town was in 1974 Mid night on Christmas Day when it became a Category 5 and winds of over 280 kms an hour almost wiped out the whole town, killed 400 people (most had left) and left a terrible scar on the morale of the townsfolk. They were also bombed repeatedly by the Japs during the Second World War, so they have had a lot to contend with. But to my mind the hardest part is the HOT WEATHER!! The tropics only have two seasons..”wet” monsoonal which is humid and very hot, and “dry”, less humid. Even though it is the ‘dry” season, days were almost always 35 deg and nights 25 deg. Also it is a VERY long way from anywhere...a long boring drive of hundreds of Kms to Darwin and then out again. Having said all that it had a certain vibrancy which comes from having a mix of many ethnic backgrounds. Being so close to Indonesia there were folk from the Asian countries that had made it home, as well as many from all parts of the world. It was teeming with tourists and backpackers, and the inevitable Victorians who all go “up north “ to escape their dreary cold winter. There were lots of colourful markets selling not only the usual clothes and souvenirs, but also some mouth watering food sold at stalls featuring all sorts of Asian and local delicacies. We went to a Sat morning market where we had lunch by trying tit bits from multiple stalls, and bought the biggest, reddest paw paw I have ever seen, and huge pineapples. We also went to the Mindle Beach Sunset markets which were set on the beach as the sun went down with buskers, side shows, people having champagne on the beach..and again the aromas from the dozens of wonderful food stalls. Darwin is not attractive as such. The beaches are often mud banks because of the huge tidal rivers, the vegetation not as tropical as one would expect (most of the big trees get blown away during cyclones! And the “dry” IS dry and dusty!) But it has a lot of atmosphere and tropical character and is a clean and modern city. We went to the excellent museum and art gallery. In the former they had a huge stuffed crocodile named Sweetheart who once had attacked dingy motors and tipping the occupants into the drink..something which made the fishermen a bit nervous..Understandably. Apparently Sweetheart thought the hum of the motors were other males (??) and so got all territorial. Unfortunately when they were trying to move him out of the area he got tangled and drowned. There are a lot of military museums and remnants of the WW2 camps, artilleries and other buildings dot the country. Darwin played a big role in protecting Australia during the war and even now there is a large army, navy and air force base. We tried our hand at fishing at a river mouth but had to be real careful cos the river was teeming with crocs. Our van park was very noisy because the whole town seems to be set around its huge airport so we had not only the Freeway noise, but jets taking off night and day. So after 5 days we left Darwin, having seen the best, had the car serviced, bought some new fishing tackle and prepared for the long drives ahead.
One of the biggest attractions for the overseas tourists is Kakadu national Park which is a World Heritage place not only for its scientific and ecological significance, but also for its cultural. It is a vast 20,000 sq km flood plain where the major rivers of the Northern Territory drain into the ocean, and in the “wet” they virtually flood the whole area making it one huge bird sanctuary. This is the place featured in Croc Dundee, and there are also Aboriginal paintings going back 300 000 years, and beautiful escarpments. Fishing is also good if you can avoid the huge number of monstrous Crocodiles. Once again we were blown away with the size of this land...what looked like a suburb of Darwin on the map, is actually a round trip of nearly 500 kms. Our first stop was near the Mary River which has the most crocs in the whole world! We found a spot on the bank which looked suitably steep (so steep we were almost slipping in) and went fishing one evening. As we fished we watched some really big crocs glide up and down the river. Next thing Paul caught a large Barramundi..one of the prize fish of the area..not only for its good eating but for its good fight! He was so thrilled, especially as the fish really prefer summer water temp above 30 Deg and are harder to catch in the “cooler” weather. It was tricky landing him on the steep bank without getting too close to the water, and then getting him up to a safer place to unhook him!
We went on a cruise on the famous “Yellow Water” billabong (a billabong is like an ox bow lake, a small lagoon in the dry season which is usually covered in lilies and reeds). This one is a huge stretch of wet land with reeds, Lotus lilies, thousands of birds and of course crocs. We did the early morning cruise ( dawn) and it was magical seeing the sun rise over the still water with the birds all flocking over the reeds and lily beds. We saw Jabiru, Brolgas (huge stork things) Large Fish eagles, colourful bee eaters and kingfishers, Kookaburras, and many other water birds...and the crocs of course. Lovely memories.We then started our long drive back through Katherine, and started heading west, passing some wonderful rock formations and ridges rising out of the generally arid and sparse landscape reminding us of the Kariba escarpment. We finally got to the West Australian border after two days driving, and I must say that I was pleased that we had passed through the NT and were now back in “our” state.

The “Top End”

2008-05-28T06:16:00.006+08:00

From the first few kms that we left Mareeba the vegetation started to change from green farmlands to arid Savannah. We started heading west and came to a place called Undara Lava Tubes. A huge shield volcano had spewed lava for many years and it had flowed for hundreds of kms towards the sea. As the outer crusts cooled the liquid lava continued to flow through the tunnels until the volcano gradually emptied...leaving huge tunnels stretching for hundreds of kilometres. These lava tubes are particularly well preserved and are now a national park and preserved area. We camped there for the night and in the morning took a tour around these amazing structures...like huge cathedrals these tunnel walls show amazing colours and the level of lava as it flowed. Where the roof had fallen into the tunnels a rainforest had sprung up in the micro climate. We saw bats, rare wallaby’s, and many birds. Then onwards into the very arid Queensland interior where the road deteriorated into a single strip of bad tar and huge road trains came barrelling towards us every now and then towing up to 5 trailers and had 120 wheels! You just get off the road completely and hope!
We travelled to a little fishing village way up on the Gulf of Carpentaria called Karumba..very isolated and wild. The Normanton river flowed into the sea there and the biggest croc on record was caught in this river...”Kris” was 28 and half feet. A replica had been cast and to stand next to it was awesome. While at Karumba Paul and I did a fishing trip and he caught a large Queen fish and several large Salmon..all excellent eating! They gave a nice fight and he was thrilled...we filleted them and now have our freezer full of fish.
Now our trip through the Outback started in earnest. Once again we could not comprehend the size of this country. What looked like a reasonable trip from Cairns to the Darwin was 2 and half thousand kms odd and took us a 7 days of driving all day and just sleeping in little roadhouse parks overnight...the heat was oppressive. The country became more and more arid, and petrol more and more expensive until we paid nearly $2.00 per litre. We crossed the border into the Territory which is like the Ozzie Wild West. We turned north up the Stuart Highway( The Track as they call it here ) to Darwin and still had to stop a few times enroute.
One of the stops was at a little historic pub which dates back to the original homestead of 1830 called Daly Waters..its airstrip had been used extensively in the WW11 but otherwise it was in the middle of nothingness. When we drove into the (awful) caravan park we could not understand why it was so full. But the pub had oodles of character..Memorabilia from years of tourists’ decorated the walls...bank notes, T shirts, bras, ancient artefacts. There were amusing slogans and signs all over the place and it looked like it had come straight out of Crocodile Dundee. That night a fairly well known country and western singer entertained the crowd with singing and bush poetry and jokes until 10.00 pm and the crowd was swinging..what a surprise! The man was a comic and he had two funny looking chooks (chickens) sitting next to him while he played which he called his Baby Wedge tail Eagles...and they were part of the act.
We stopped at some thermal pools along the way which were set in a wonderful tropical oasis of palms and ferns..the pools were crystal clear and very pleasantly done...and free! From there to the Katherine Gorge. The Katherine River has eroded a huge gorge over the centuries and is now a very scenic national park. During the wet season it was a raging torrent of 13 meters higher than the normal river flowing half way up the walls of the gorge. During the dry it was a series of gorges connected by rapids. We took a boat ride up to the fourth gorge and it was spectacular to see the sheer red cliffs on both sides of the boats rise up with bands of coloured rock faces. We saw two crocs sunning themselves, and walked to a lovely waterfall and pool with water lilies where people swam.
Before we got to Darwin we stopped over to see the Litchfield National Park. Within this park were gorges and breathtaking waterfalls, and clear cool natural pools with water slides. The country was arid but the vegetation surrounding the waterfalls was a tropical oasis. There were also giant termite mounds, some 3 meters or more, as well as the very clever Magnetic Termite mounds where the termites build the towers exactly north to south to make the most use of the sun and shade. After a couple of days there, we left for the Darwin, the most northerly point of our journey and the Capital of the Northern Territory.

The Tropical North of Queensland..Above the clouds and below the water!

2008-05-17T18:02:00.005+08:00

We stayed at Airlie Beach for a full week because it was an attractive park with huge tropical trees, amazing bird life, and quite reasonably priced. We did some admin things like doctor checkups (Skin and Mole!), Haircuts and Mail drops. The drive further up the coast saw the vegetation getting more and more tropical..the sugar cane fields, banana plantations etc reminded us that we were really up the north of the country. The constant humidity is draining, and the bush looks not only thick and lush but quite threatening and prickly in a way. Rivers now routinely have “beware of the crocodiles” signs, and the sea is dangerous because of the lethal Jellyfish. We passed the huge and interesting Hinchinbrook Island which is close to the coastal delta and has high mountains, thick forests and lots of crocs! Mission Beach was postcard perfect and we had a park right on the beach for only $15.00 per night. It is crescent shaped, lined with coconut palms and looking over the turquoise water with islands dotted in the bays. Only thing was..you can’t swim there in summer cos of the box jellyfish....bummer! The wind started blowing steadily and stayed that way the whole time we were in Q...so much so that we did not think that a trip to the Great Barrier Reef was an option since it is a 2 hour fast cat trip and in the 25 and more knot winds not only would that be unpleasant but we would not see much. So each place we went to with the intention of going to a coral cay never happened so we moved on.
From Mission Beach we stopped at a place called Paronella Park..an amazing and hard to describe place. A Spanish man had come to Oz early last century and decided to build a castle to remind him of home. Over the years he built this amazing castle with gardens and features all set around this wonderful waterfall...the castle became the hub of the areas recreation with dance hall, movies, tennis courts, playgrounds, swimming holes and much more..acres of this fantastic fantasy which he had personally moulded hundreds of pots, railing supports and fountains.. Unfortunately the area is in a cyclone belt, and after two devastating cyclones he died and the family let it go to ruin. They have now turned it back into a wonderful attraction with night tours lighting up the lush botanical gardens and ruined castles, and interesting birds, butterflies and botanical species. The sheer scope of this man’s work is unbelievable..we really enjoyed it.
From there we travelled to the Atherton Tablelands where we stayed with a friend who had a coffee/banana/pawpaw farm overlooking the scenic mountains of the Great Dividing Range. It was great not having to cart the caravan up and down the passes to see all the sights..and there were many sights to see in that area. In Kuranda there is the historical railway that goes up the mountains, hewn by hand with tunnels raising from sea level to 750 meters to the top and going over the gorge and right next to a waterfall which literally flows past the train line. Then to descend back to the valley there is a 7.5 km cable way which soars over the gorge and rainforest, 60 meters in the air and with views of the whole coast...all with stops and guides. We managed a trip to Green Island which is a coral cay only an hour out of Cairns even tho it was windy and choppy. It was beautiful and lush but the snorkelling was not that great. We also visited the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest area which is the last remaining untouched rainforest in the world with the area dating back to pre Gondwala land...very beautiful. Just what one pictures in a rainforest..vines, buttress trees, ferns. From there to the tip of the forest..Cape Tribulation, and also Cooktown..way up on the York Peninsula. One of the highlights of the stay was a complimentary Balloon trip! We got up at 4 am in the morning and were treated to seeing these giant balloons being filled with gas and light, and then being one of six balloons to soar into the air over the Mareeba Tablelands seeing the most spectacular sunrise over the mountains. It is really something to glide over the farmlands and see kangaroos hopping away below...then onto a champagne breakfast!
We truly loved this part of Queensland for its scenery and loads of wonderful things to see and do. However I would not want to be doing it in the “wet” season as the humidity was high even in the ‘dry”.
Now we start the long trek across the Gulf and Savannah way as we start going across the “Top End”....REAL OUTBACK!!!
More wildlife spotting!
We have seen a Cassowary in the wild..large flightless bird with blue neck..quite aggressive.
An Amathystine Python ..14 feet, yellow and black markings
Feral Pig
Gorgeous butterflies including the radiant blue Ulyssis Butterfly
Rare Mareeba Rock Wallaby
Photos:
Paul in the Balloon with sunset over Mareeba
Mission Beach sundowners
Paranella Park ..part of the castle grounds
Paul on Beach of Green Island..Great Barrier Reef off Cairns
View taken in Skyrail Cable car showing gorge and railway in distanceGiant Curtain Fig in Daintree Rainforest

Central Coastal Queensland and the Whitsunday Islands

2008-04-25T14:42:00.003+08:00

We drove up the north coast of Brisbane called the Sunshine Coast. Much of that area is an extension of Brisbane’s urban sprawl, so although it was pretty we just drove through it. After an overnight stop in the little village of Gympie we found ourselves in the twin hamlets of Agnus Water and 1770. The latter was named a number to commemorate the landing on that spot of Captain Cook in the year 1770. It had lovely inlet and cove, but the main reason for their popularity was for the boatie clan and because they were the ports for the two Coral Cays of the southern Great Barrier Reef.... Lady Musgrove Is and Lady Elliot Is. It was expensive to get to these Islands and it was windy so we only stayed there for 2 days and moved on. We passed a sign for a large Dam on the way called Lake Awoomba where they advertised catching huge Barramundi and other fish. We decided to spend a day or two having a look as it was a pleasant bush camp with views overlooking the pretty lake and surrounding mountains. The fishing unfortunately had been bad since the floods (this dam had risen by 6 meters), so we again decided to move on. So after only 5 days out of Brisbane we found ourselves in Rockhampton and into the Tropic of Capricorn. We found a little park in the centre of the city with large trees and on the banks of the big Fitzroy River..the one that had flooded the whole area only weeks before. There was debris hanging from impossibly high branches in trees, and photos of the caravan park under water! Couldn’t believe how nice and normal everything looked considering. We were amused by the sign on the bank of that river advising that there were crocodiles in that river and not to venture too close to the bank. We laughed at how the council could be so overprotective of tourists; after all, this was the centre of a large town. Then we heard that a croc had taken a man only weeks before...... The tropics are attractive with lots of lush vegetation, palm trees, native Hoop Pines ....large flowers,large butterflies, large mozzies! The main “wet “season is almost over, but the temperature is still warm and humid.
From Rockingham we detoured to the small coastal strip of Yeppoon, Causeway and Emu Park. We tried fishing but the water is so shallow there because of the Barrier Reef that you can walk out many meters in low tide on vast sand flats. The area was pretty but the beaches were on the whole rocky and muddy. So once again after only a day or so we moved on.
Near Mackay we went inland to the Great Dividing Range again, this time to see the Famous Finch Hatton Gorge and Escarpment overlooking the Pioneer Valley. This area is known for its bird life, and for Platypus in the Rivers. The road was flanked with miles of high, green sugar cane, which contrasted with the blue of the surrounding mountains.
We are now at Airlie Beach which is the very touristy gateway to the famous Whitsunday Islands ...a dream area for sailing and boating, and some of the most exclusive resorts in Australia. We decided we would try a boat cruise and see what the Whitsunday Passage was like, and booked on a fast boat which took us to Border Island for some snorkelling, and then to the famous Whitehaven Beach which is the third most photographed place in Australia and voted one of the most pristine beaches in the world. The Whitsunday Islands look just like a submerged mountain range (which of course they are..volcanic mountains which were once part of the mainland) set in the most gorgeous azure sea. The passage between them is perfect for sailing charters and there are thousands of yachts, tall ships and schooners in the many miles between the 74 Islands. Some are high enough to have a cloud cap, others mere rocky outcrops. The day was wonderful..we enjoyed our snorkel for an hour and half and saw many amazing coloured fish. The visit to Whitehaven Beach breathtaking, especially swimming on the beach and walking on the white, icing sugar sands. It was a really great day.We decided not to go to the outer reef from here as it is still 90 miles away so expensive, but will wait until it is closer to shore in Cairns.

Beautiful Brisbane

2008-04-13T15:31:00.005+08:00

Crossing the border at the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise we drove through the busy, touristy Miami style beach front as quickly as possible. This is the place of the Great Theme Parks like Sea World and Movie World, and we were glad not to have children with us who would have wanted to do all those gut wrenching rides. Instead we went to Mt Tambourine, a piece of the scenic rim which rises over 1000 meters from the coast and is very scenic and pretty. It is actually flat on top so there is a small, arty town on the top, lots of pretty walks and lookouts, and wonderful patches of rainforest. We did some hikes to waterfalls, visited craft shops and also went to a mine which had “thunder rocks”..those rough egg shaped rocks which reveal wonderful crystals and topaz when cut in half.
From there we went to my brother and his wife who live south of Brisbane. We spent Easter with them and their delightful children, fished in the Logan River, and went on some pretty walks along the creeks. The following week they moved house so we were able to help them pack and then unpack into their lovely new home..busy time! We found Brisbane to be a young, vibrant city and we were very lucky with the weather which was cool and pleasant. My other brother and his wife from the UK were visiting their daughter and stopped over in Brisbane ...we were so lucky to have been able to meet up with them and that our itineries coincided as we had not seen them for over 10 years. It was a great family reunion.
Brisbane itself is not big; the city is built around the winding Logan River with several bridges spanning the two banks. We took a bus into the city and the fare included the very efficient ferry service up and down the river so we took a ride up the river one day and down the next time we went in...that way we got a good view of the houses along the banks. We also managed to see the very good art gallery and Museum, and other sights in the city. One Sunday we met up with some friends of ours from Perth who were visiting their son, and together we went to Mt Coo-tha and Brisbane State Park for a picnic..the former giving views of the whole city and surrounds. A lovely day in very scenic surroundings ..even though it was misty and some of the views were guesswork!
Our stay lasted 3 weeks and it went very quickly..we were sorry to leave the dear family and continue the circumnavigation of Australia again. After hugs and goodbyes we set off for northern Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef, and more adventures.
Photos:
Paul on Ferry in Brisbane
Fishing with family
Family reunion
New house
Brisbane Nat Park...Aboriginal Humpy

2008-03-19T17:47:00.000+08:00

Farewell to NSW

2008-03-17T16:17:00.006+08:00

We loved out visit to NSW and the northern section was just as pretty as the southern coast. We stayed at lovely beachside bays called Lauriton, Hat Head, and Evans Head where large rivers flowed into the sea leaving lagoons, estuaries, sand banks and idyllic beaches. The “Heads” were large hills jutting out to sea at the river mouth, forming protection the beaches and scenic backdrops. We had lovely camps sites virtually on the river or beaches, and the weather was perfect. This was our opportunity to test the fishing of the region, so each evening we would set out with our rods and bait and spend some pleasant hours in the sunset watching the pelicans and waterbirds and feeding the fish! We did catch a lot of Bream, and Whiting but most were under the legal limit (35 cms) so were throw backs. We did eat a couple of our catch, but really we did it for the enjoyment......
We also went to the Dorrigo Tops World Heritage park (another part of the volcano system) and related to the Barrington Tops area. Lovely mountains with forests, rainforest walks and impressive waterfalls. One of them, the Crystal waterfall, has the path going behind the actual waterfall.
So goodbye NSW, we loved every minute of the time spent here (from mid Dec until Mid March) and will definitely be back! Our adventure continues as we head into the Sunshine State (Queensland).
Photos;
View if the New England Nat Park from lookout near Dorrigo Tops.
Crystal Waterfall in the forest at Dorrigo Tops..you can walk behind the falls
One of our camps on the river bank..we could almost fish from our annex
View from Pt Macquarie looking over the bay with Hat Head in the far background

Mt Warning and the Border Ranges

2008-03-17T16:04:00.004+08:00

One of the things we had wanted to do on this trip was visit and climb Mt Warning. I guess we had seen it once on National Geographic and it looked like an awesome place. Mt Warning is the central Magma chamber of a HUGE volcano that erupted 2o million years ago. It was almost twice the height of the present Mt Warning but after years of eroding it now sits at 1157 meters from sea level (which is the surrounding country). Its lava flows covered 5000 sq kms and as far as 100 kms out to sea. Its caldera is the second largest and best preserved basin in the world, and it forms a huge sheer escarpment of mountains surrounding the central plug of World Heritage Rainforests which have hundreds of species of animals, birds and plants. Mt Warning was named by Captain Cook because he could see it way out from the coast and it warned him of a treacherous coastline. The Aboriginals named it Wollumbin..meaning “Cloud Catcher” because its height means it is often covered in cloud and rain, and it is of spiritual significance for them.
Well, why would we want to go there and climb this awesome feature....I don’t know, must be some sort of masochist part of our character. The topmost central cone of this mountain rises 200 sheer meters and the top can only be reached by climbing with a chain ....1157 meters up in the air! The bottom slopes to the vertical top are a steep climb of 4.4 kms, going through different kinds of Rainforest until the top is fairly rocky and scrubby. The grading is “Strenuous for experienced climbers only”...I am NOT one of those. Anyway, we decided to give it a go, even tho I had stubbed my toe a day earlier and it had swollen up and gone black....
The Camp Park was lovely, set in lovely big rainforest trees, with a little creek running thru it..we were almost the only campers because it is out of season. There were lovely birds, Brush Turkeys and different butterflies.
Well, the day dawned clear (the first fine day without clouds for ages) and we left after a breakfast of egg and bacon for energy...All I can say is it not for the feint hearted! The 4.5 kms going up is a constant climb, getting steeper and rockier as it neared the top. Most of the hike is in forest which is very pleasant, but even so it was sweaty work. After 2 and half hours hiking, we got to the vertical part and then had to scramble up steep rocks with the help of a chain rope which waves around as you cling to it. Fortunately the chain was on the right hand side and I could hold on to it with that hand because my left shoulder was not strong enough to haul me up..I used a walking stick to balance myself! That seemed to go on forever, but at last we got to the top where a lookout platform had views 360 deg and right into Queensland and the coast ..Byron Bay 42 kms as the crow flies. The weather was clear and although there were cloud s on some of the other peaks we could see for miles. The hike down the chains was not pleasant, going down backwards and for me a lot of it on my bottom, and after the 9.8 kms there was not a part of me that did not hurt. I am glad that we did it but won’t repeat that again in a hurry!
The next day we drove the surrounding mountain range called the Border Range which is the edge of the caldera..a huge escarpment surrounding Mt Warning in a Shield shape. The slopes were covered with thick forests of temperate and sub tropical Rainforest, huge trees with vines, palms, ferns, moss and very very beautiful. The views from the lookouts over the valleys and Mt Warning were breathtaking. One of our highlights was seeing a 3 meter Carpet Python lying sunning itself by the side of the road..
Photos:
View from the top of Mt Warning
Warning about Mt Warning!
The climb
Paul looking at the Carpet Python in the forest
View of Mt Warning from the edge of the caldera rim..Border Ranges. That view of the mountain is 15 kms away and it juts out into the sky in a pointed peak..nearly always covered in cloud.

Beasties, Creepies, and Leeches!

2008-03-06T17:22:00.002+08:00

The Question I get asked most often by the overseas folk is “But what about the SNAKES???” Now I know that Australia is known to have 20 of the 25 most poisonous snakes in the world, and spiders that are lethal, and other dangerous fauna that can make humans crook. Books like Bill Bryson’s “Down Under” go to great pains telling about the many Dangerous Australians lying in wait for the hapless traveller, and even the humble Stingray managed to spear our famous Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin. In the Ocean there are more lethal creatures like the Box jellyfish which kills by stinging a person to death in agony, the Stone Fish, the Blue Ringed octopus and of course the Saltwater Crocks. If you worried about all of these hazards I am sure that no one would leave home, but in fact the country is teeming with grey nomads and backpackers all having a ball.
So far our tally of sighting fauna is abysmal. Maybe it’s because we come from Africa and are used to the bush being alive with big animals, but we find the bush very quiet and seemingly empty. Many of the Australian animals are quiet, small, gentle marsupials which are nocturnal. And the nasties really don’t want to get you either. Our tally so far is:
Many, many kangaroos, including the small, furry Brush Tailed Wallaby which is dark and lives in mountainous areas.
Many Emus
2 dead snakes on the road in SA
2 Echidnas
Few Dingos
A newly dead Wombat on the road
Lots of spiders webs, but nothing looking like it was out to get us
2 large lizards/ goanna things, which were about 2 meters long.
There are many wonderful birds and we are always seeing new types of parrots and kingfishers, water bird, doves, and the Whipbird with its strident call. We see many majestic Sea Eagles, Ospreys and heard the Cat Bird which Meows like a cat.
There are also many wonderful trees and plants, especially now that we are going into the subtropics. My favourite wildflowers so far are the Flame Lilies which are growing wild in this area. Also St Joseph Lilies seem to grow wild along the sides of the road, as well as Status and what looks like yellow Cosmos.
The worst experience we have had was when we were hiking in a rainforest in the High Plateau. It was a misty, drizzly day and the rainforest was breathtaking with huge buttress trees, ferns, and birds nest ferns growing on tree limbs. We hiked 3 kms down a steep slope which was muddy, and covered with a mat of dead leaves. We finally got to the waterfall we were going to see, and stood on the wooden lookout gazing at the 200 meter spout falling into the ravine in awe. After a minute or two I looked down at my walking shoe and saw that it was covered in....LEECHES! I squealed and immediately pulled my shoes and socks off to see a few attached to me and many more wriggling towards my foot...Paul looked at his shoes and saw that he, too ,was covered in the horrible little slimy , big mouthed creepies. I realised that there were many more coming for me, literally, and I tried to shake out my socks while dancing en pointe and balancing with as little of me touching the ground as possible. Every time my hand touched one it sort of stuck, and I’d squeal to Paul to take it off (which he heroically did) even tho he had problems of his own. I could not believe my eyes, these little worm like thingies came humping towards us from every crevice on the platform, as if drawn by the smell of blood. Paul even found one more than half way up his leg, enough to make a grown man weak just thinking about the possibilities. Finally we got our shoes and socks back on and started back up the steep and slippery path...and made it back in half the time we took to get down! Each time I stopped for a breath ( on a flat rock) I would suddenly see lots of tiny heads rear up through the damp leaves and then start their wriggle towards me....Horrors. Even tho they are not harmful the mere thought of them sucking my blood was enough to keep me almost jogging up the hill. They are masters of gaining entry, as we saw them make themselves thread thin and wriggle through the stitching of our shoes, and through the weave of the socks..only to grow to bloated slug like sizes once they attach themselves. They inject an anti coagulant so you bleed profusely, but other than that there are no side effects. We now know we must spray personal repellent on our feet and legs before a hiking in wet, foresty places next time as that deters them.. That, and some quite voracious sand flies at the latest campsite are the most lethal things we have had to contend with.
But the trip is not over yet.........

The Central Coast, Barrington Tops and fishing at last

2008-02-22T18:27:00.004+08:00

We wanted to continue our journey along the coast road and the circumnavigation of the country. The area we were aiming for looked lovely on the map...two huge lakes with a small entrance into the sea, bays, lighthouses and beaches! The area was called The Entrance, and we drove eagerly looking for an isolated beach for some fishing and beach walking. What a disappointment...the whole area was just an extension of the Sydney sprawl and was built up, expensive, overcrowded and BUSY! The coast was lovely, but after one night we decided to move on to something more peaceful and unpopulated. We moved to a small hamlet on the northern banks of Port Stephens called Hawks Nest. Port Stephens is a huge bay ( twice as big as Sydney Harbour) with two rivers flowing into the bay which then flows out to sea between two large headlands and numerous small islands...very beautiful. The beaches inside the bay are peaceful and turquoise and there are many playful dolphins in the shallows. The open sea side beaches are long stretches of golden sand and huge waves. We stayed on the quiet side of the bay in a small caravan park right on the beach and surrounded by huge trees and national park and it was so peaceful we stayed there a week (also it rained a lot so then we had to stay indoors). The opposite side of the bay are the trendy and busy touristy places like Nelson and the pretty Shoalwater Bay. There are ferries across the bay hourly so we took one to see the other side and then took a bus to the various little bays across the peninsula. The whole area is green and lush and the beaches are crescent bays with picturesque headlands at each end. We were entranced, but have since realized that this is also the case on the whole central and northern coast of NSW, i.e. big rivers flowing into the sea making estuaries, lakes and bays, with lovely beaches. Since the whole area is volcanic and the Great Dividing Range extends to the sea, the surrounding bays are framed by these wonderful green lush mountains. We did a bit of fishing on the river, and walked in the Nat Park where we saw a few wild Dingoes wandering around and many different bird species. There were even some Brush Turkeys in the camp site.
We intended to meander up the coast, but decided to make another detour inland to see an area called Barrington Tops. This is a World Heritage Area which rises to 1600 meters pretty much from sea level. The “tops” are a series of rocky outcrops on the tops of mountains formed by the huge volcanoes which dominated the area millions of years ago and which have now eroded leaving only the lava cores. The valleys and slopes are covered in subtropical and temperate rain forest and have many endangered species of plants and animals. We stayed in the nearest town which was Gloucester, which had the fast flowing Gloucester River flowing through the caravan park. It had been raining on and off for days but on a day that “they” promised would be clear we started driving to the Nat Park 60ks away. The dirt road was terrible, made worse by recent rains..potholed and slippery. Still we slowly (12 kms an hour) pushed on by the promise of views and hikes. The road climbed and climbed, and when we got to the first lookout we hiked to the edge to look at the view and saw.....milky white cloud!! Only tantalising glimpses of the steep gorge through the mist now and again showed us what we were missing. We drove a bit further, but it started to rain heavily, so we drove all the way back slipping and sliding in the mud without even having had the experience! Still the forest had been wonderful, and we did see a glimpse of what we will see next time. It continued raining ( records broken and floods all over the country at this time), and we nervously watched the big river rising nearer the bridge knowing that only a week before it had covered the bridge and the town was cut off. A walk along the river bank had a memorial erected to the “big flood of 1960 which had the town one and half meters under water”..the town was one km away and on a hillside!! We decided to move on back up the coast.....
Next stop was another lovely collection of Hamlets near Port Macquarie where we stayed in Laurieton. Again, it was at the mouth of a large river and the estuaries and lakes made the area perfect for fishing. There was a steep mountain at the edge of the town called North Brother which rose steeply from the bay to 600 meters and had wonderful views of the area..they did hang gliding from the edge! Paul and I did a lot of fishing in this area as it was so peaceful sitting on the lakes edge watching the sun go down, the pelicans cruising around us, and the bird life. I am getting quite good at casting, baiting, and even rigging the rod..still have nothing edible to prove it though. Caught a lot of Bream but the legal size for them is 30 cms. Paul caught a large long fish with a long beak and nasty teeth..we think it was a type of Barracuda called a Long Tom. We did a trip into Port Macquarie and saw the scenic little bay towns along the way like Bonnie Hills. Lots of rain..but when the sun did come out it was humid. A sure sign that we were heading closer to Queensland and the tropics!
PHOTOS: View of the beach at Shoalwater bay showing the headlands
Paul holding up a Beach Worm we found on the beach being attacked by a crab (normally they are hard to find) ...they grow larger than this one and the fish love them for bait. This beach we found in a Nat Park was about 4 kms of perfect flat white sand....and we were the ONLY people on the whole beach!!
Colleen looking over the lookout in Barrington Tops trying to see the view of the gorge through the mist.
Paul holding up the pine cone of the Bunya Pine tree which is native to the East Coast. The Pine grows to about 45 meters and the cones can weigh up to 10 kg. The kernels which are found in the ripe cone are as big as plums. One has to be careful sitting under these trees as they are quite prolific!

Beautiful Blue Mountains

2008-02-04T18:47:00.000+08:00

On the doorstep of Sydney, about 70 kms west, is the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains...much of it an impenetrable forest wilderness region. This unique and beautiful region is over a million hectares, much of it so remote and inaccessible that it has never been walked in by humans. The landscape is inconceivably ancient. When the Grand Canyon was still a shallow creek, these cliffs and chasms looked much as they do today. It is a high plateau which has been carved into deep canyons, sheer cliff faces, and huge gorges with waterfalls cascading down their sides, caves and underground rivers. I could not believe that this remote wilderness was on the doorstep of a city of 4 million people!
As we stood on the edge we were struck, like everyone else, by the bluest sort of mist shrouding the mountains, giving them an azure look. Of course it IS a sort of mist because the millions of Blue Gums exude a sort of oil which refracts the light and gives the area its blue haze...gorgeous. As we sat gazing at the view from one of the many lookouts atop a sheer cliff face of over 350 meters, over a valley stretching for miles into the distance, we felt awed and stunned. A few tourists would wander over, and be silent; then after moments of just looking we would hear them say softly,” Wow!”
We have had many “wow” days since the beginning of the trip, but this region was full of “WOW” days! Each day we would head off to see a different part, thinking we could not possibly see anything better, and each day we would come home impressed. We stayed in a little town called Lithgow on the edge of the mountains because it was smaller and cheaper, and had fewer crowds. Only thing was that it was next to the main Rail line from east to west (i.e. Sydney to Perth) and so trains rattled through at all hours..but after a few days we hardly noticed them. We saw a movie on a Giant Screen ( 3 stories high) called “The Edge” all about the Blue Mountains and it was spectacular and well worth it...scenes of the gorges being taken from a helicopter flying dizzyingly over and around the bends. Another day we went to Katoomba which is where the most spectacular Valley has lookouts and cliff walks right around the ridge, including the famous view of the “3 Sisters”. Here also is the “Disneyworld” part of the mountains ..Scenic World. There was a steep cable car ride into the valley floor where they had made a lovely interpretive walkway meandering through the forest of ferns and towering trees. There was also a “skywalk”...a sort of cable car strung between the two cliff faces which goes over the valley floor and right over a waterfall tumbling way down below...all looked at through the open side windows or a Glass Bottomed Floor! Not for those with vertigo! There was also the steepest railway 52 degrees in the world...an old mining rail which they used to haul coal out of the valley 150 yrs ago and which is now used to scare the pants off tourists as it plunges down the gorge though a part through a tunnel to the bottom. Expensive and touristy, but well worth it.
Other days we drove to scenic lookouts, down valleys, and did amazing walks along the edge of the chasms, marvelling at the view at each different place. The region is dotted with small historic towns dating back to pioneer days with convict built buildings, old English gardens, and grand Victorian hotels. We also went to the peak at which the original pioneer, Cox, found his way through the range and opened the route to the West and new farm lands for the colony. We marvelled at how they brought carriages up these slopes, dragging concrete blocks behind them to slow them down on the slopes on the way down, and seeing the marks the convicts made with their picks while hacking through the rocks to make gateways.
Another day we drove into the Wollemi Wilderness part of the mountains which is the most remote and inaccessible (in fact we could not get very far into it ourselves). It was in this part that an adventurer made the most remarkable discovery in 1994..he found a stand of “Dinosaur Trees” which until that moment was thought to have been extinct for more than 6 million years. Discovering them was as likely as finding a dinosaur wandering through the forest in Botanic terms. They are now known as the Wollemi Pines, huge trees of 40 meters tall, and only about 40 in the known universe. Its exact situation is a closely kept secret but who knows what other rare and unknown creatures and plants exist, as it is largely unexplored.
On another day we went for a ride on the ZigZag railway...an engineering wonder of its time. Trying to get coal and goods down the precipice, an engineer designed this railway to go down the gorge in slopes and then reverse the engine and take it down the next slope to the bottom..incredible when you ride on it and see the bridges and tunnels which were build using the most primitive tools.
There was so much to see and do that we were there for 10 days..our record. One of those days was to fix the car which had a few problems, and there were a couple of rainy, misty days too which were well used to do admin, painting and repairs.We left the Blue Mountains reluctantly, and drove through some scary mountain passes in heavy rain and mist..in some places with tyres briefly spun on the steep road, many 180 degree bends. We also took a “short cut” (it wasn’t!) through the mountains and Hawkesbury River valley with 180 degree switchback twisty corners and two ferries (max veh length 7.5 metres permitted) across swollen rivers...all in the rain and mist. Someone had suggested the route as beautiful, which it was, without mentioning that no one should ever take a caravan there. The sad thing was that we couldn’t SEE the beauty either with the mist! On to the next region which is the Central Coast of NSW!!

The Inside Story

2008-01-27T15:01:00.000+08:00

As we go along we meet all kinds in the caravan parks..mostly grey nomads. From bald pear shaped couples in their little fold ups, to lithe, tanned and sinewy couples in their huge 5th wheelers that are as high as ours is long with lounges, bathrooms and even washing machines. Many of them are going round for years, and in fact have sold up their homes and are using the vans as their “retirement homes”,so that each day is an adventure and they can follow the weather, festivals and displays along the way. They seem blissfully happy, and seem to have everything they need, including a positive and healthy outlook on life.
I wondered what they did with all their “STUFF”? You know what I mean..we have a house full of stuff at home, yet we seem to have everything we need for daily life here in this van and all the comforts. Do we really NEED it all, and is the accumulation of all that stuff an asset or a liability to enjoying our autumn years?
But while thinking of it I realised that I LIKED having all our pictures, comfy furniture, and memories around us. Also, we like having our community around us..our parish, neighbours and friends, and a sense of belonging which you can’t get when you don’t stay in any place for long. But most importantly is being close to family...we like having children, grandchildren and close family pop in for lunch, special occasions and for a spot of babysitting. Seeing them once a year as we swung into their part of the world would not be enough for me. So although it sounds romantic and fun, we will stick to caravanning as our recreation and not a permanent lifestyle.
Since a few people have asked about the actual nitty gritty of our trip, I will try and answer a few Q.
We have a 2002 Commodore and tow a 15 foot Pop up caravan (the type where the topmost roof section pops up and has zip vents for cross draughts) It has all the comforts of home except our own shower and loo. There is a gas stove and oven, sink, microwave, two beds, TV with DVD player which tucks away on a extendable arm , Sat dish, radio and of course our laptop with wireless internet (the BEST invention!) We also have a reverse cycle air con which is great for those hot days. We had a special annex (side tent) made which is not the usual canvas, but a plasticised shade cloth type fabric which allows the fresh air to flow in but keeps the goggas out. We only put the annex up when we know we are going to be in one site for a few days, cos although it is all very streamlined, it does take extra time. We also now only put the sat dish up when we know we will be in one place for a few days cos it does take time and is not worth it for an overnight stop. Generally we don’t even unhitch when we do an overnight stop, but if we are going to do any touring then we level the van and free up the car! Although Paul has rigged the van up with 12 V and also 240 V, we have not camped in the bush on this trip. We have a deep cycle battery which we could use to have power in those cases, and generally it copes with most things except heavy users like microwaves. There are many wonderful free campsites and basic campsites in National Parks where we would normally have stayed, but this time we have used our little portable freezer which needs power to stay frozen so we have been reluctant to stay where there is no power. I must say it is nice to have hot showers and loos, but of course that does mean we are paying for accommodation every night.
Caravan Parks vary from quite plush with pools, spas, tennis courts etc, to very basic with just a shower and loo. All have been clean and adequate...of course you pay for the extras. Also, school holidays and public holidays play a big part in the cost...some vary from 25.00 (= empty parks ) a night to 45.00 (and packed like sardines) a night depending on season. We never book ahead cos sometimes we look at a map and think that an area looks great to stay in, but when we get there it’s a barren place with Caravan Park on the main road..so we would rather take chances and just be gypsies. Fuel -planned 5,000kms but done 11,000 kms, at $1.32 - $1.48 even in Sydney.
We eat well and we don’t eat out of tins or takeaways. I have the microwave, a wok, a griller as well as the usual toaster/kettle etc. We eat outdoors when we can and light candles and candlewood sticks for the mozzies. A lightweight table and two deck chairs with side tables completes the comfort.
There is enough storage space if we only take what we need..that is the million dollar Q..what do we really need? Under one bunk Paul has all his tools..angle grinder/drill/tool box etc. With those he has already fixed many things in the van that needed doing. It also has our hiking gear and various spare parts. Under the other bunk is my painting kit in one container, all the paperwork and books in another, and clothes from the next season in a corner. The last bunk has fishing rods, axe, and wet weather gear..with a corner for the beers and wine! The pantry has three shelves for foodstuffs, a cupboard for pots and pans and overhead cupboards for crockery etc. The clothes wardrobe is a bit mean with only 4 narrow shelves, and another small cupboard for shoes. (Not nearly enough for my liking!)The Sat box and other equipment go on top the wardrobe.
Although we are living in a small place we don’t seem to get in each other’s way...although we do have to pass in the passage sideways – a delight indeed. Somehow we each have our roles and we each have our routines and so there is harmony..most of the time. Only when the roles or leadership issues are transgressed do things get heated. The biggest cause of heated discussion has been helped immensely with the new GPS with screen and speech instructions..but believe it or not , even “she” is not infallible and there have been cases of us going round in circles getting heated. A lot of the time we are out sightseeing, and even when we are van bound cos of rain there is always lots to do to keep our interest. We have lovely CD’s, DVD’s, the Sat dish, books, planning our short term itinery, painting.....and of course the internet! Also repairing and maintaining car and van.Best buy..the GPS and wireless internet. Worst buy..a small portable washing machine which works well by turning the handle. But it still needs to be wrung out and it takes up a fair bit of room. With washing machines and driers in all caravan parks for a couple of dollars it was not worth it. So the local St Vincent’s got a donation. So far, so good. We learn all the time!

Sydney and Surrounds

2008-01-18T13:49:00.000+08:00

Canberra was fantastic and we were so lucky to able to stay here and do trips using this as a base. Not only did we travel to the Snowy Mts, but also to the south coast to Merimbula and up to Batemans Bay...all gorgeous. We then decided to drive to Sydney which is 3 hours away and leave the caravan in Canberra. The challenge we have is that the East Coast is very busy during the January School holidays and without a booking we would not get in anywhere on the coast. We stayed with our wonderful niece and nephew who have a sweet apartment in Manly. They kindly took us up the coast to Palm Beach (where they shoot “Home and Away”) and also to North Head for a picnic. Each bay has high headlands overlooking the crescent bays, blue water and full of moored boats, each more scenic than the last. The Manly Ferry was such fun as it goes right across the gorgeous Sydney Bay to the centre of Sydney and we went into the city most days to see all the museums, galleries and various sights. Standing on the steps of the Opera House is such a buzz after seeing it on all the pictures, and walking through the famous Domain and Botanic Gardens was such fun. It is a very busy, rushed city and traffic and parking is a nightmare ($8.00 to park on a beach, about $600 plus a month for a parking bay in the city), but very beautiful, with bays, water and forests everywhere. The heritage buildings were lovely, and of course the mansions on the bay are breathtaking. We had a weekly Ferry pass which enabled us to use ferries and buses as much as we wanted, so we took the ferry’s to all corners of the Sydney area i.e. Darling Harbour, South Head, Parramatta etc. We loved every minute of staying there. We also stayed with Paul’s wonderful cousin and his wife and they took us to Bondi and surrounding beaches, and we they took us on a long walk with them along the very pretty Bay side walks with yachts bobbing, water dragons sunning themselves on rocks, lovely birds in the trees. Such a lovely place..we were just so lucky to be able to experience it without having to drive in long distances from a remote campsite.
When we left Sydney (a feat in itself going over The Harbour Bridge in peak hour traffic and getting stuck in the inner city! at 8.30 am) we drove down the south coast looking at all the many scenic places along the way..Kangaroo Valley, Jervis Bay (supposedly the best beach in the world cos of the white sands) and of course the Pacific Highway a part that is built out into the ocean. There are many rivers that flow into the sea along the route and each one forms a lagoon and huge bay..ideal holiday spots for families and each one was chokabloc with caravans and wall to wall people.
So back to Canberra to fetch our caravan and head off to the Blue Mountains.We will do our next Blog on the Inside Story as requested!

Canberra and aroundabout

2008-01-04T15:34:00.000+08:00

Our stay in Canberra has been wonderful! Our cousins Debbie and Brett kindly let us housesit while they were in Perth, so we had a base to see the region and our Capital. What a lovely city, and the attractions were fantastic. We have spent a week or so here and know that we want to come back some day. There are so many things here that make us proud to be Australian, and such interesting museums and venues that one could spend weeks looking at them. Parliament house was a real eye opener, and we were able to wander around completely freely to see the many famous places, the Houses of Senate and Representatives, and the valuable exhibits. Looking down the Anzac Parade to the War memorial from the heights of the roof of Parliament house is breathtaking and made us feel very proud. The flag pole is 20 stories high (80mtrs) and flag the size of a double decker bus. The War Memorial is amazing, and of course there are all the “National” things like Museums, Art Galleries, Library, Archives etc all set in park like surroundings with wonderful buildings. Highly recommended. All this is surrounded by hills and mountains and is so scenic.
We took this opportunity to visit the south coast of NSW to visit some old South African friends of ours. We drove through Bega to Merimbula and stayed in a little beach side community of Tura beach. It was SO like the South African Cape region with its high hills surrounding the bays, huge rivers flowing into the sea via lagoons and lots of forest. Made us quite homesick for the old country, and we were so impressed that we would have sold up and moved there if we had not been so imbedded in WA. After our visit, where we celebrated New Year with our friends, we drove up through many seaside resorts, each prettier than the last, to Batemans Bay. The only trouble with travelling in such a lovely area on New Year’s Day is that the whole of Sydney seemed to be there on the beaches and lagoons..it was SO crowded! Not a parking or spot to be had. We selfishly wished that the school holidays would be over so we could have the place to ourselves again! This is one area we are going to return to on our “next” time around!
Back to Canberra for a few days of catch up, painting and cricket. We are now going to take the opportunity to visit Sydney and leave our caravan in Canberra (only 3 hours drive on Freeway). With the school hols we fear that caravan parks will be chockers and expensive, so this is a chance to see the Big Smoke without the van. We will stay with relatives for a few days and then return to Canberra to resume the big circuit.
Due to repeated requests we will write a “inside story” segment on the Blog for those, like Chris, who are interested. But there is not much time when we are having fun...next time!

Christmas on Top of the World!

2007-12-27T13:31:00.000+08:00

We arrived in Canberra and were so blessed to be able to stay with our lovely cousins Debbie and Brett. We stashed the caravan in a side parking and for the first time in weeks did not sleep on wheels and had a bathroom near us..bliss. Thank you!!Canberra is a wonderful city, our Capital ..but first to Christmas.
We decided to do something completely different this year as I knew we would miss the family and togetherness which we have always had on Christmas day. So we decided to drive to the Snowy Mountains and climb Australia’s highest peak to have a toast to us all from there. The Australian Alps have many ski resorts and more snow than Switzerland in winter ( bigger area). The biggest rivers also have their source in these mountains, including the Murray, the Murrumbidgee and of course the Snowy River. The latter has been made into the biggest Hydro scheme in Australia hailed as one of the engineering wonders of the modern world. It is a complex infrastructure with 16 major dams, seven power stations (two underground), pumping stations, 145 kms of interconnected tunnels and 80 kms of aqueducts. To build this scheme in these wilderness mountains with unforgiving weather is a true marvel, and when you see the size of the tunnels and pipes (30ft inside) it is breathtaking.
We stayed in a caravan park overnight and on Christmas morning drove into the heart of the mountains to Thredbo which is a ski resort with multiple chair lifts etc in winter. We took the chair lift 500 odd meters to the top of the ridge, then hiked the 6 and half kms to the top of Mt Kosciuszko at 2229 meters. While that does not sound all that high, most of Australia is very flat and low, so these mountains rise abruptly from the plains and we could see 360 deg views of the mountains. The lower parts of the slopes had amazing wildflowers growing among the granite tors, looking truly like God’s Garden. However as we climbed higher there was only spongy alpine moss and grasses with patches of snow. Being at the top was an exhilarating experience, and we felt a real sense of achievement. Christmas lunch was smoked salmon sandwiches, fresh cherries, nuts, and a swig or two of Port! We got a real buzz from being able to phone Joe and Geoff from the peak to wish them Happy Christmas, because believe it or not there was a signal (intermittent but usable).We thought we would be one of the few people daft enough to do something like this on Christmas day, but there were quite a few other brave souls and the atmosphere was festive! The weather was a brisk 10 deg (less with wind-chill) but bright blue skies..magic! We felt for our Perth family who were sweating it out in a heat wave of 40 deg. The trip down was great with views all around us, and we also got a buzz from standing at the source of the Snowy River! I used Australia’s highest loo with views of Kosciusko. From the chairlift we could see for miles (and even saw a little echidna scuttling around below us). We drove back and had a spa at the caravan park which eased our muscles!
The next day we drove back to Canberra through the centre of the Great Dividing Range with wonderful views, hairpin bends, and saw the highest reservoir, the highest town in Australia ( Cabramurra), and some historic mountain huts straight out of “The Man from Snowy River”.
It was a wonderful and very different Christmas!

The Lakes, and the Croajingolong National Park

2007-12-23T15:23:00.000+08:00

We headed east resolutely and aimed for the Lakes District. These are 3 huge inland fresh water lakes into which 5 rivers flow enroute to the sea. In actual fact they are really big lagoons, but are the biggest fresh water expanses of fresh water in the Australia, and support a huge fishing industry and tourism. As we passed a little town called Bairnsdale we stopped off at the Catholic Church of St Mary’s as we had been told that it was worth a visit. The church was not huge, and was about 150 yrs old and big for a small town with soaring ceilings and alcove over the altar. But what made it special were the frescos decorating the ceilings and walls. An Italian artist had come out to Australia after WW1 and during the depression had to find work. The local priest offered him a job to paint the ceiling of the church and this he did..the whole ceiling is covered with murals of saints, angels, scenes from the Bible etc. The Altar area had depictions of the judgement and heaven..very impressive. It was not the Sistine Chapel, but very inspiring none the less.
We drove by the main town of Lakes Entrance intending to stop further along the road and return the next day. However we decided it was too touristy and that we had seen what we needed to see and so pushed on towards the NSW border. The whole south eastern corner of Victoria is covered by National Park called the Croajingolong and is a wilderness coast. It covers a huge area and most of it has never been cleared or logged so is untouched. Only a few roads penetrate into the temperate rain forests to the coast, and the whole area is thick and wild. We stayed at a little fishing village called Bemm River where the river flows into a huge lagoon, and went for a walk into the forests on the few overgrown tracks to the river banks. We heard and saw lots of bird life, but not much fauna (most of the Australian wildlife is nocturnal) except for FLIES! We also drove to the beach past the lagoon on a rutted track and then had to scramble through thick overgrown bush to get to the beach which was utterly beautiful and completely deserted...it is called the 90 mile beach and you feel like you are the only person to ever have walked on it. We decided to try our hand at fishing for Bream in the river with what they told us was the local fish delicacy..sand worms. These sea creatures are dug out of the sand using a small prawn or cockle as temptation before they peep out and are nabbed by the experienced sand wormer. They look disgusting..small red/orange things with lots of wriggling legs and big mouths...ugh. Anyhow, the Bream were not that interested, but we had lots of fun anyway. As we sat on the banks in this isolated spot, every now and then a huge fish (18 inches plus long) which we were told were some kind of mullet would suddenly LEAP out of the water quite a height and then flop back into it with a huge splash. Not sure why, probably to catch the mossies and flies. This happened randomly every couple of min or so, and we had great fun trying to predict with the camera where the next splash would be. It rained most of the time, but we still managed to see quite a bit.
And so to Canberra.....

Gippsland: Tree Ferns, Scenery and Giant Earth worms!

2007-12-12T14:59:00.000+08:00

Gippsland is the area east of Melbourne and is by far the most scenic, lovely countryside we have been in so far. The whole area was originally covered by Temperate Rain forest, and the hills and mountains had towering Mountain Ash, Myrtle Beech and tall tree ferns. The early settlers cleared a lot of the land for farming, and the area now looks like driving through Scotland with green hills, tree lined valleys, and fertile farms. The National Parks have preserved the original Forests which have rare and endangered species dating back to the Gondwanaland era. Every drive and corner is prettier than the last, and the weather cool and moist the way we love it. We stayed at a lovely campsite in Korumburra where we got a spot under two huge Oak Trees which must have been at least 100 years old. We were almost the only people in this delightful park which backed onto an arboretum, and little brook with nature walk. There were wombats in the park, and possums in the trees. We did some scenic drives along the Grand Ridge Road, and went to some galleries where the artist’s studio looked out onto the mountain ranges for inspiration! (lucky things..they had peacocks strutting around the lush gardens, huge trees..what a place.)An interesting fact about this area is that it is the only place in the world that you find Giant Earth Worms. These worms live in the boggy ground near river banks and grow from 80 cms to 2 meters and are about 2 cm wide..otherwise the same as other earth worms ( David Attenborough had a programme on them, and Bill Bryson mentions them in the Down Under ).Of course we did not see any ( but then do you see ordinary earth worms just lying around on the surface?) But the blurb said you would k know they were around by the slurping sound, like water going down a plug...So of course we walked around listening for the slurping sound!
After 4 days we tore ourselves away and drove down the coast towards Yarram where we came to the Tarra Bulga National Park which is my little bit of heaven. Huge trees, 1000 yr old Myrtle Beech, Towering Tree Ferns, birds everywhere..a precious remnant of the Temperate Rain forests that only exist now here, NZ and a bit in S. America. We could not believe that the campsite was on the bubbling Tarra River, and we were the only campers there! Every corner has moss, ferns and streams. There are colourful parrots in the trees and even the lyrebird ( heard but not seen).We could stay here for ages, but need to keep moving and find a spot for Christmas as we have not booked in anywhere and all the popular places will be booked out for the Christmas holiday period. We were originally hoping to make Sydney to be with our family Hanneke and Steve for Christmas, but that will be rushing too much.

The Spa Country

2007-12-07T18:40:00.000+08:00

Goodbye to the Grampains as we drove into the area north of Melbourne known as the “Spa Country” because of the extensive Mineral Springs found in the mountains and forests of the area. We found the most idyllic campsite in the middle of a huge National Parks called the Lerderberg. It is a small hamlet called Blackwood and has the sweetest old cottages with pretty gardens..but the caravan Park is in a clearing surrounded by huge trees and forest on the banks of the river...the only sounds were the birds and gurgling of the river. We put up our annex (side tent) which we don’t do for short stops and our Sat disc and decided to stay for awhile. The reason they call it the Spa country is that the mineral springs that bubble up in various places are full of minerals and trace elements and are supposed to be therapeutic. As a result commerce has cashed in and made the region a hedonistic paradise for those wanting every kind of Health Spa experience from Massages to mud baths. As it happens our Blackwood has a mineral and Soda spring called “Soda Fountain” and we went and tried both. We could not believe it, the water had a sparkle and tasted just like the bottled soda water! Very pleasant, and quite a surprise. We added a little fruit juice and it was like those posh flavoured mineral waters. The area is also known for the mining boom which was so huge in the early 1800 that thousands of men from all over the world, incl China, California, and of course UK flooded in to try and make their fortunes. The area is riddled with old mine shafts and very historic buildings and towns..many of the little diggings and shafts we found while doing hikes in the forests. We drove into historic Ballarat where the famous Eureka Stockade took place (the miners revolted against the gov because of unfair taxation and laws) and so is regarded as the birthplace of the Aussie spirit of “fair go” and the trade unions. Ballarat is the second largest Victorian city and has grand Victorian buildings and gardens dating for the Gold Rush area and prosperity. It had a wonderful Art Gallery where they had some priceless paintings from all over the world and well known Australian artist. On Sunday we drove into Melbourne for the day and had a wonderful day going to the Craft Market, the famous Victoria St Market, and the National Art Gallery of Australia. The latter was awesome, floor after floor of famous paintings by Monet, Rembrandt, Constable, Turner and more. Eventually we could not absorb any more, so went to the markets where we got some real bargains as it was close of the weekend. We have loved this area of lush forests and deep gorges, and our 5 days here have been very restful.
From Spa Country we drove over the “top” of Melbourne and went into the Yarra Valley, which is a beautiful mountainous and forested area, also known for its wines. We stayed in Yarra Glen on the banks of the Yarra River where we saw amazing birds. Paul even thought he heard a platypus during the night (but it could have been a wombat). The Yarra River is the main river that runs through Melbourne. We could not get over how picturesque Victoria was even a close distance (80 kms) from Melbourne.

The Grampians

2007-11-27T09:36:00.000+08:00

Colleen says “We are in Victoria now and what a difference in climate and scenery. As you cross the border it’s as if it’s a different country, fertile farms, big huge trees, lots of English trees planted in the towns like Oaks, Beech, and Elms. It is nice and cool and we are loving it. We stopped at a little town called Dunkeld which is in the foot of the Grampian Range of mountains. Even though it is just the Southern end they tower above us like a brooding Table Mountain covered in mist over the top. The little park is small, shaded, friendly and has thousands of birds, incl some I have not seen before. Flocks of Musk Lorikeets, King Parrots and Eastern Rosellas (all types of colourful parrots) and lots of kangaroos. We took a drive into the valley of the Grampians, Halls Gap, and did some of the spectacular lookouts and waterfalls (McKenzie Falls) in the area. Today we went into the little town of Hamilton, and saw their well designed Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery. I must say for a small town the Art Gallery is really a tourist attraction. Started by a generous bequest by a local farming family who were avid collectors of fine art, it is now a showpiece. Not only does it have original Mc Cubbin, Hans Heyson and the like, but notable overseas painters as well. There is also a huge collection of Paul Sandby who is considered a “father” of modern watercolour, and whose collection other than this is in Windsor Castle. We also drove to an extinct volcano called Mt Rouse which is in the Volcano valley where there are a few volcanoes from the Australian Volcanic era, and from the top one could see not only the other extinct/dormant volcanoes, but a wonderful view of the whole area.

Fleurieu Peninsular/Mighty Murray River

2007-11-24T18:21:00.000+08:00

Thank you for your comments. Much appreciated and valued and makes us feel that we are connected to you all in the rest of the world! I know it seems that we have done the first part of the journey like a “bat out of hell”, but I guess partly the Nullarbor takes up a large part of it, and partly we have seen a lot of SA before. Also we were unfortunate to have a big heat wave for the first two weeks which was difficult for Colleen as she hates the heat and wilts. So hiking or staying in hot places was no go as she just wanted to head out to the cooler climate. We are now in Victoria -3/8 States/Territories of Aus and the weather is gorgeous - 20deg at 8.00pm, last night saw thousands of bats emerge from their cave after sunset, today toured a cave, tonight nestled against a mountain with cloud covering the top, birds roosting, hot shower, beer, prawns and nice drop of wine from the wine tour we did. The scenery is spectacular and there are lots of interesting places for us to see. We are now starting to get into it and our pace will slow dramatically. We are not really “desert “people, and while we can appreciate the rugged ranges and remote outback, we really want to be in the green and treed parts of the country. As Frank from London says 60% are grey nomads been on the road years on average and loving it 20% Overseas visitors in camper vans. Vans from ours to one as high (18ft) as ours is long from tow bar to back and 11 metres long made in Canada, one year old.

Colleen says “We decided to drive to a beachside caravan park in Adelaide in the hope of getting some sea breezes in this awful heat wave. We drove through the Clare Valley which is renowned for excellent wineries, but it was too hot to stop, and even the being right on the beach in Brighton gave no relief to the 37 deg. The next day we decided to do some admin things like our early vote (very efficient, they had the voting papers ready with candidates for our constituency right there ready..what a pleasure). We also had to do some things for our caravan (the gas struts on the pop top packed in..they quoted us a huge amount, but Paul is so clever he sourced a re- gas guy and did the whole job himself in two ticks).After a couple of days of doing things we had to, we just had to get out of the big city and somewhere quieter and cooler, so decided to go to the Fleurieu Peninsula, which is south East of Adelaide..What a discovery. Not only was it much cooler, it was So beautiful..lovely hills, valleys with huge trees, fields with crops and fat cows, vinyards and wineries, gorgeous old buildings dating back to 1820 (don’t laugh you poms..thats old for here!) and spectacular beaches with icing sugar sand which squeaks when you walk in it. Our caravan park was right on the beach, surrounded by wonderful views and bluffs, and everywhere we looked there were art galleries and historical sites. It was the Margaret River of Adelaide, and it was 23 degrees..I was a happy camper again! We took a drive around the Peninsular and stopped at Victor Harbour where there was a lovely little island which had a causeway across the sea which we had a Clydsdale horse tram ride across which was very interesting. There we saw seals and fairy penguins and wonderful granite rock formations with the southern ocean crashing into the bays. We were very taken with this whole area and every new turn brought a wonderful view. We only stayed 4 days cos would you believe it, it was “schoolies week” this weekend and this is the Dunsborough of Adelaide and was about to be invaded by schoolies ( the hundreds of school leavers who go away to celebrate the end of their school life by being totally wild for a week). We left the area sadly and stopped by a charming little village called Strathalbyn which was settled by Scottish immigrants in the 1800 and so all the names and character of the village was from that country ..ie Angus River. Lots of art galleries and gorgeous old buildings. The Fleurieu Pen ends at a place called Cape Jervis where you can take a Ferry to Kangaroo Island. It is the third largest island in Oz..Tasmania is the largest. It is 13 kms across the sea and is about 150 kms long. We toyed with the idea of going over, but in the end decided against it. The scenery was spectacular and there were seals, koalas, penguins etc..but frankly nothing we had not seen before.

Murray River
Colleen Says “We went to Murray Bridge which is a town with a huge bridge over the Mighty Murray..the biggest River in Australia and the fourth largest River system in the world according to the blurb. It is about 3 and half thousand kms long and its catchment area encompasses the Snowy River project and the Murrumbidgee and Darling rivers. It starts in the Vic Alps and its mouth is near Murray Bridge in a series of wetlands of international importance for migratory birds..the Coorong. It’s not a particularly wide river, but considering that it waters huge areas of farming lands, Adelaide, dams, weirs and all sorts its no wonder..and of course the awful drought that the area is having is having an impact. We were going to take a Paddle Wheel cruise but the area there is flat and marshy so we drove upriver instead to see some of the wonderful red cliffs as it meandered to the coast. You can hire a house boat from 2 people to 50 in various levels of luxury and people hire these and go for weeks upriver stopping at all the little historical towns along the way. But at every lookout there were dozens of houseboats chugging up and down the Red Gum lined river. I could see that it could be quite relaxing to just float along with the fishing line out the back. From there we drove through the limestone coast area which has extensive farms and vineyards all irrigated by extensive artesian wells. We came to a place called Naracoorte which has Limestone Caves which are World Heritage listed. The reason is that they have found extensive fossils in the areas caves which tell of the climate in the prehistoric areas as well as many animals that lived then, specifically Megafauna. ..ie gigantic kangaroos, wombats and koalas etc! They have a wonderful centre which recreates these animals in a lifelike tropical forest..huge wombat things that are as big as a baby elephant, marsupial hippos, giant goannas of several meters long with huge jaws and claws, and of course giant kangaroo type animals. VERY interesting and informative. There are series of limestone caves and guided walks ...also a bat cave which thousands of Bentwing bats emerge at sunset. We walked into the bush after sunset to see the bats emerge, and after waiting awhile watching kangaroos hopping around and the many parrots of the area roosting, the bats finally emerged in their thousands. Nearby the bat cave was a Bat Informative Centre where tourists could go during the day and view the bats in their cave with infra red light and get talks about them. As we walked past we noticed a light on, and peering around the door we saw a young zoologist looking at the bats with the powerful cameras in the cavern. We asked a few questions and he obligingly told us that the previous night he had seen a bat mother give birth and he was trying to find her again. As I watched the hundreds of bats flying around I thought what a hopeless job, but then he told us that it was extremely rare to see anything this, and it was a world first to have filmed an endangered bat being born..in fact in the scientific world it was a breakthrough and was going to be in the newspapers (local and international) the following week. He then replayed the video of it and we watched fascinated while the mother gave birth to this tiny bat which clung to her as she fluttered around , showing the new arrival to the interested “aunties” that gathered around.Talk about being in the right place at the right time! We also went on a Fossil Cave tour of 500 metres where they showed the actual fossils of these prehistoric Megafauna and where David Attenborough had filmed one of his series.
After this onto the Grampians in Vic. Only been gone for 3 weeks and cant believe how much ground we have covered and what we have done already.

Flinders Range

2007-11-20T19:36:00.000+08:00

Flinders Range

2007-11-20T19:22:00.000+08:00

Colleen says “We left Streaky Bay in South Australia and travelled all day across the top of the Eyre Peninsula..again, very arid and almost another Nullarbor...very hot. We were planning to stop a night at Port Augusta at the top of Spencer Gulf, but it was still hot and the place did not inspire us so we decided to push on to the Flinders Ranges a few hundred kms north..ie into the REAL outback! I know we should not have been surprised, but we are still astounded at how HUGE this place is..what looks like a hop and skip is many many miles..and when you see it on the map of Australia it is barely a freckle. The Flinders Ranges rise up from the flat, scrubby landscape into a surprisingly high and scenic mountain range which span from quite high in SA to down near the Adelaide Hills. The part we went to was called Wilpena Pound which is a huge circle of mountains which looks like a giant meteorite crash site or the centre of a huge extinct volcano. The middle bit is quite lush and the most amazingly beautiful huge trees called Red Gums grow there right along the creek beds..the subject of many famous paintings. There is a lovely resort there and the caravan park is natural with kangaroos, emus,goannas and lots of bird life wandering amongst the campers. It is part Drakensburg, part Magaliesburg in appearance..bright red Buffs with the wonderful colours of the Red Gums. We went on a walk/climb for 8 + kms to a lookout where you could see the whole Pound surrounding us. There are many hiking trails all around, but we won’t be doing anymore cos of the 37 deg heatwave!! Instead we took a drive on what turned out to be a dreadful road ( 4x4 track really) to the Brachina Gorge ( 100 kms round trip) where it has some of the oldest rock and fossils on the planet..over 640,000 million years old. These huge red folding cliffs were an awesome sight, and I believe there have been real breakthroughs in science from some of the fossil finds in that area (the missing link between amoeba and living creatures). But at one stage we were literally driving down a rocky river bed! Once again the heat did not help, but we managed to see some more scenic gorges before heading back to camp. We will leave tomorrow and head closer to Adelaide where we will probably stay for awhile.

To South Australia

2007-11-11T16:04:00.000+08:00

Relaxing in South Australia

Colleen says “We crossed the Nullarbor and its tedious driving in about 2 and half days..Listening to music and Bill Bryson’s “Down Under” along the way. The petrol price in the middle was $1.80 per litre..Luckily we managed to eke it out to the slightly cheaper stations. Once again we stopped to marvel at the massive 90 meter high sheer cliffs of the Bight, with the endless blue ocean stretching across to the ant arctic, and crashing on the rocks below..awesome. We have stopped at Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula for a few days rest..It’s been a long drive from Perth. It’s a pretty bay and a caravan park right on the beach...the water is only meters from our caravan and the pelicans strut around hoping for a feed from the fishermen. The park is almost full..all of us with grey hair! there are the most amazing rigs that must have cost thousands...high tech 4x4 with huge off road vans...funny to see two tiny grey podgy folk jump out, and then set up their laptops! There are also modest rigs with the couples who are retired and are now working at odd job to pay their way round the country. MOST seem to have been on the road for 18 months, 2 years or more, and are just taking their time going around the whole place. What a life! From here we are going to Port Augusta, and then to the Flinders Ranges, Wilpena Pound.”

Paul says ”The picture has some aspects of the Nullabor desert, Honour box, Road train passing us - 46 wheels and the Great Australian Bight”

1sT STOP

2007-11-05T21:55:00.000+08:00

The Open Road

2007-11-05T21:27:00.000+08:00

Colleen says “ We have been on the road for 4 days now. At first I was anxious and sad to be leaving my family and friends. Our first stop was to spend a night with Michelle in the little rural town of Toodjay where she has a small farm house on 5 acres. We were so impressed with all she had done is such a short time, chicken run, vegie garden, fruit trees with reticulation! We played with the children and collected eggs, helped her fix things and generally had a great time...we were sad to leave. The next day we travelled through the wheat belt and stopped over night at a small village called Lake King on the edge of a huge salt lake. The following day took us to the Southern Coast in the Fitzgerald World Biosphere and to Hopetoun where we stayed with Paul’s cousins and had a wonderful visit with them and Uncle Willie. Then we drove through Esperance where we bought a few fresh provisions to see us through the dreaded Nullabor...expensive, isolated and very barren. So far its been all go go go, but once we are on the “other side” of WA we will stop for a few days to enjoy some lovely bay. “
Paul Says “After 1st stop 1,600kms still to get to West Aus border – 4 days travel to get 1/3 across Aus Southern Coast. Tonight we stopped in Salmon Gums, little town where $10 night gets hot shower , free washing machine, Powered site, only 2 vans here, Thousands of stars and no other lights and two days to the WA border. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with Ron/Pete’s gift of Sauvignon, and Nib’s delicious crunchies. A great sunset over the Gums at Gods own restaurant – top table- a VERY Happy camper –Boy will I sleep well tonight. ” Had 1st challenge today car alarm/immobilizer fails – Freezer/ fridge full and stops for 1heart pumping hr – all fixed – back in the game and we move on with another new skill –isn’t live full of surprises ?”

Welcome!

2007-10-26T15:54:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our site as we journey together around this beautiful country. We hope you enjoy our comments, photos and sharing in the excitement of our dream trip.

2007-10-23T10:42:00.000+08:00