We all had a pretty good sleep last night and got up this morning feeling quite refreshed. I think the couple of days rest has done us all good. Showered, breakfasted and then got stuck into sorting out the caravan cupboards. Up to now things have just been put in wherever. By spending a bit of time we have made more room in the cupboards (so now we can fit more things in!) and we also repacked the back of the car so everything fits much better and there is room for more stuff if we want.
We went to the Breakaways this afternoon and stayed there to watch the sunset. We drove to an area past the Breakaways called the Moon Plain (because it looks almost like the moon's surface - flat and dead) and the dog fence.
The Breakaways are fascinating and the sunset was spectacular. I have put a few photos on for interest - some taken during the day and some taken right on sunset when the colours are quite different. I actually took over 160 photos today and I am not posting all of them otherwise I will be up all night! Have just put a few on for interest.
What is of interest is that we have seen almost no wildlife in or around Coober Pedy at all. We thought that coming back into CP after sunset we might have seen kangaroos or similar but they are very absent! We saw a small hawk or falcon, a couple of crows, one butterfly and one cocky but that is all.
Nonetheless it was a lovely afternoon / evening.
We are leaving CP tomorrow morning and continuing on our northward journey. We will probably stop somewhere between Marla and Kulgera tomorrow night and I have no idea whether internet access will exist so there may not be a blog until we get to Uluru.
The weather today has been glorious. Blue sky and about 25 degrees. Just lovely.
PS: Will upload photos tomorrow or next day. At the moment it is taking too long and we will be up until midnight at this rate.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
COOBER PEDY
Left Lake Hart this morning (see photo of last night's sunset at Lake Hart) and travelled through to Coober Pedy with a couple of stops on the way. One stop was at Glendambo to use the toilets and I am so pleased we did. Surrounding the area was masses of the Sturt Desert Pea in full bloom. They were absolutely beautiful! We filled up with fuel and then headed off, stopping at a rest area about 200km short of Coober Pedy where we made lunch and had a cuppa. We had decided to use the portable gas cooker to boil the kettle and we put it on the ground to try to block the wind. Almost as soon as Royce put it down a gecko ran under it. When packing it up Royce found the gecko had gone into the cooker, not just under it. He was looking for the gecko and it fell out of the gas cooker. Poor thing looked a bit the worse for wear but Raymond picked it up and put in the grass and it ran off. Behind the rest area is a fabulous looking camping spot where we will probably spend a night or two on our return leg. We walked around exploring that area for a while (see photo) then continued on. While driving to CP we picked up some chatter on the UHF radio which went a bit like this:
PERSON 1: Must be old
PERSON 2: Or Mum is driving
ME: Nope - Mum's not driving
Note - both person 1 and person 2 must have thought the other had said this
PERSON 1 or 2: Then they must be old
These people were travelling behind us and were commenting on the fact that we were toodling along at about 80-85kph.
ME: Not old but getting there
At this point the penny dropped for person 1 & person 2 and they sounded a bit embarassed to be caught out! We laughed about it and chatted with them for a while after they had overtaken us. It was quite hilarious!
We got into CP about 4pm and went to find Royce's cousin Katrina. Katrina and her husband Trevor live in CP. We discovered they are both overseas on holiday so our timing wasn't that good. We went to the Information Centre to suss out a caravan park, dump site (wastewater) and to fill up our water tanks (as we had been told by other campers getting water at CP is hard). It turns out you have to buy your water so after a bit of driving back and forth we positioned the caravans so we could empty the toilets (only to find that you have to pay to get some water to rinse out the cartridges as well!) then to fill up our water tanks. The type of hose fitting to the water supply didn't fit in our caravan inlet very well and we were spilling more water than we were getting into the tanks. Royce jiggled and jossled and finally got the tanks filled up. We found out later that we were using the wrong hose and there was another one that we should have been using.
We booked into the Big 4 caravan park and got the caravan into position, set it up and put up the awning. We have booked for 2 nights at this stage but we may well stay 3 nights.
By the time Raymond and Hazel booked in and set up their caravan it was almost 7pm and too late for cooking (and we were all pretty stuffed) so we went in and ordered pizza for tea. While we were waiting for that we went for a walk and found an opal shop that was still open so we went in and had a look. The people in the shop were lovely. Mum cuts and polishes the opal and the adult son works in the shop. The opal is mined by dad who has worked the opal mine since the early 1970s. Royce bought me a lovely bracelet for my birthday and we will probably go back and have a better look around in that shop (and the others in CP) tomorrow.
The weather has been a bit kinder to us today. Not very windy and whilst we have had a bit of rain through the day it has been pretty light and fairly intermittent.
Sunset at Lake Hart
Some of the masses of Sturt Desert Pea at Glendambo
Sturt Desert Pea
Raymond (left) and Royce at our potential future campsite
Does anyone know what sort of plant this is? Lots of it around between Glendambo and Coober Pedy. Looks a bit like lavender.
PERSON 1: Must be old
PERSON 2: Or Mum is driving
ME: Nope - Mum's not driving
Note - both person 1 and person 2 must have thought the other had said this
PERSON 1 or 2: Then they must be old
These people were travelling behind us and were commenting on the fact that we were toodling along at about 80-85kph.
ME: Not old but getting there
At this point the penny dropped for person 1 & person 2 and they sounded a bit embarassed to be caught out! We laughed about it and chatted with them for a while after they had overtaken us. It was quite hilarious!
We got into CP about 4pm and went to find Royce's cousin Katrina. Katrina and her husband Trevor live in CP. We discovered they are both overseas on holiday so our timing wasn't that good. We went to the Information Centre to suss out a caravan park, dump site (wastewater) and to fill up our water tanks (as we had been told by other campers getting water at CP is hard). It turns out you have to buy your water so after a bit of driving back and forth we positioned the caravans so we could empty the toilets (only to find that you have to pay to get some water to rinse out the cartridges as well!) then to fill up our water tanks. The type of hose fitting to the water supply didn't fit in our caravan inlet very well and we were spilling more water than we were getting into the tanks. Royce jiggled and jossled and finally got the tanks filled up. We found out later that we were using the wrong hose and there was another one that we should have been using.
We booked into the Big 4 caravan park and got the caravan into position, set it up and put up the awning. We have booked for 2 nights at this stage but we may well stay 3 nights.
By the time Raymond and Hazel booked in and set up their caravan it was almost 7pm and too late for cooking (and we were all pretty stuffed) so we went in and ordered pizza for tea. While we were waiting for that we went for a walk and found an opal shop that was still open so we went in and had a look. The people in the shop were lovely. Mum cuts and polishes the opal and the adult son works in the shop. The opal is mined by dad who has worked the opal mine since the early 1970s. Royce bought me a lovely bracelet for my birthday and we will probably go back and have a better look around in that shop (and the others in CP) tomorrow.
The weather has been a bit kinder to us today. Not very windy and whilst we have had a bit of rain through the day it has been pretty light and fairly intermittent.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
LAKE HART
Neither Royce nor I slept very well last night - way too much traffic noise - which is a pity because the camping area at Mambray Creek is a very pretty spot. Needed to watch out for the mozzies as well but because it was so cold wet and windy we didn't spend much time outdoors. Royce and I were up at 5.45am, had a cup of tea then went for a bit of walk exploring the area. At one stage we were watching two magpies which appeared to be fascinated with a rock. It was only after watching for a while when one of the magpies jumped at the 'rock' that we discovered it was a rabbit!
We headed off to Port Augusta once Raymond and Hazel were up and about (lazybones!). Filled up with fuel and did a bit of shopping and then treated ourselves and went to a bakery for lunch.
The weather is a lot better today although the wind did spring up a bit at Pt Augusta. Most of the time it has been more of a tail wind than anything.
We headed off to Port Augusta once Raymond and Hazel were up and about (lazybones!). Filled up with fuel and did a bit of shopping and then treated ourselves and went to a bakery for lunch.
The weather is a lot better today although the wind did spring up a bit at Pt Augusta. Most of the time it has been more of a tail wind than anything.
 |
| From a lookout at a lake on the way to Pimba |
We had a pretty good trip from Port Augusta to Lake Hart (which is 40km west of Pimba). Lots of 'wildlife' - or should I say ex-wildlife. We saw about 4 dead kangaroos, one dead sheep, about 6 dead cows, one dead rabbit, one dead wedgetail eagle, one dead fox, some live cattle and sheep, one live wedgetail eagle (at least we think it was an eagle - it was flying and it was pretty big). We also saw some unidentifiable roadkill! The road isn't too bad although there were a couple of surprisingly steep hills. Called in briefly at the roadhouse at Kimba then on to Lake Hart. A very pretty spot but way too many campers and we have decided to move on again tomorrow. We had originally thought we might stay here for 2 nights but that is unlikely.
 |
Leaving Mambray Creek this morning       |
Part of the 'salt rock'
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
MAMBRAY CREEK
After a very stressful and slow start we finally managed to head off today at about 11am or a bit later. We had tried to get the caravan loaded up yesterday and thought there was only a few last minute things we would need to worry about this morning - but once again we were wrong. We finally got everything loaded and were about to hook up the caravan when the heavens opened up. So we decided to sit down and have a cup of coffee! When the rain stopped we hooked up the caravan and drove it out onto the road so we could remove the existing hitch and put the new weight distribution system on. After a couple more recesses (to avoid the rain) and several attempts we finally got everything sorted, said our goodbyes to Rory and Emma and started the car up. That's when we realised we hadn't put the towing mirrors on! Fixed that and off we went.
The weather was pretty ordinary - wet and windy and cold. We discovered when we were on Port Wakefield Road that we had 'lost' the cover over the front caravan window. We don't know if it was a particularly nasty wind gust or perhaps we hadn't locked it down properly but it was certainly gone!
We finally got to Port Wakefield and luckily Aussie by Design had a cover that would suit so they fitted that and fitted a meter so we can check the caravan batteries (to know when they need to be recharged) and fixed up the second anderson plug so we can charge the Thumper when it is in the boot and we are travelling. While all that was happening we had some lunch at the bakery (diet is well and truly out the window - on day one too!) and then hit the road again with Raymond (brother) and Hazel (sister in law).
We have all camped at a free camp at Mambray Creek tonight. The wind has died down a bit and not as much rain so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Still pretty cold but thank goodness for the diesel heater.
The weather was pretty ordinary - wet and windy and cold. We discovered when we were on Port Wakefield Road that we had 'lost' the cover over the front caravan window. We don't know if it was a particularly nasty wind gust or perhaps we hadn't locked it down properly but it was certainly gone!
We finally got to Port Wakefield and luckily Aussie by Design had a cover that would suit so they fitted that and fitted a meter so we can check the caravan batteries (to know when they need to be recharged) and fixed up the second anderson plug so we can charge the Thumper when it is in the boot and we are travelling. While all that was happening we had some lunch at the bakery (diet is well and truly out the window - on day one too!) and then hit the road again with Raymond (brother) and Hazel (sister in law).
We have all camped at a free camp at Mambray Creek tonight. The wind has died down a bit and not as much rain so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Still pretty cold but thank goodness for the diesel heater.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
We're back
We stayed Monday night at the Mount Rescue Conservation Park and woke to a paddock full of sheep right next door! I think the sheep were more concerned than we were. We had a pretty good trip home and arrived back about 2pm. We caught up on a bit of TV watching (finally got to watch the Port v Hawthorn game) and then slept in the caravan last night.
We have been cleaning out Rory's old room today and getting it ready for the new bed to be delivered tomorrow and hopefully we can then sleep in our new room tomorrow night (fingers crossed).
One thing leads to another and I am now thinking of relocating my office/craft room to another area and using that room as a separate 'lounge' room for use by us when we have visitors or for Rory and Emma when they have visitors. This will leave the actual lounge room available for general use by any of us.
Lots of things on my To Do list but not much that is likely to be of interest to anyone else so may not be posting any entries for a while. We had flights to Melbourne booked for next week but because we have so much to do before we go away (north this time) on 23/8 we have decided not to go to Melbourne. Anyone want cheap flights?
Take care all
We have been cleaning out Rory's old room today and getting it ready for the new bed to be delivered tomorrow and hopefully we can then sleep in our new room tomorrow night (fingers crossed).
One thing leads to another and I am now thinking of relocating my office/craft room to another area and using that room as a separate 'lounge' room for use by us when we have visitors or for Rory and Emma when they have visitors. This will leave the actual lounge room available for general use by any of us.
Lots of things on my To Do list but not much that is likely to be of interest to anyone else so may not be posting any entries for a while. We had flights to Melbourne booked for next week but because we have so much to do before we go away (north this time) on 23/8 we have decided not to go to Melbourne. Anyone want cheap flights?
Take care all
Monday, August 2, 2010
WOOD CARVINGS
The diesel heater died last night but we didn't know it had run out of fuel until we were ready to go to bed, so we had a pretty cold night in the caravan last night.
About 20km north of Penola on the road to Naracoorte, a park has been established to commemorate Father Woods. These are some of the carvings. It is a lovely spot but we only stayed for a short visit then drove on to our campsite for the night. We had intended going into the Kelvin Powrie Conservation Park (approx 6-7 km from Keith heading towards Adelaide) but with other vehicles sitting close behind and no prior warning signs we missed the turn off. We had no-where to turn around so continued on and have set up camp at Mount Rescue Conservation Park. The heater is now working (it is amazing what fuel can do!) and it is quite toasty and warm in the caravan now (thank goodness).
Sharon - if you read this, Royce left his jacket on your clothes line. Would you bring it home with you when you return to Adelaide? Ta
PENOLA TORNADO
We left Casterton this morning and drove through Penola, which had the misfortune to be hit by a tornado on Saturday night. Luckily no-one was hurt but a number of buildings suffered pretty severe damage. The photo attached was the bowling club building
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday 1 August 2010
It had to happen - I now have a cold and feel pretty miserable! Sharon, Richard, Raymond and Hazel headed off this morning for a drive but Royce and I stayed home. I sniffed, sneezed and slept while Royce read. It rained very heavily last night and this morning and the rest of the gang said it hailed where they were. I have spent the afternoon knitting, playing around with the format of the Blog and helping Sharon set up her Favourites on the computer. The others have watched TV or read. A very peaceful and quiet afternoon.
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