Day 79
The day we:
- woke early after a better night's sleep to celebrate Adrian's 12th birthday and play 'Pass the Parcel'. The weather is beautiful but as we pack up clouds close-in so we hurry and get away by 8am
- had morning tea at Cowell to break the journey - the boys have been pigging-out on Adrian's lollies and we've been listening to his 'Triple J Hottest 100 Vol 5' CD
- had a quick tour of Whyalla, didn't stop to tour the mine, then arrived back at Port Augusta, the end of the loop by lunchtime. It seems such a long time since we were here the last time. We recalled memories of jammed caravan cables and fears of a ruined trip, the day we went fishing for the first time and caught garfish on gents, flat tyres and almost hitting a 'roo. There's a strong urge to turn up that Northern Hwy and do it all again, there's still so much to see and do or to enjoy again
- revisited the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens to see the flowers that have now bloomed, found it crowded today. Boys weren't interested, they played table tennis with friends they've met before in Coral Bay and Perth
- grabbed a few groceries and more bait (gents again) to try our luck now we are so much more experienced. Found it doesn't help, just not biting. Adrian got one but it was too small so we let it swim, didn't want to cook tonight anyway
- went to a pizza restaurant for dinner to celebrate Adrian's birthday then cleaned up a mud cake between us
- have to ask, "How can we entertain ourselves now we no longer will be counting weeks, days and hours to Adrian's birthday?"
Day 80
The day we:
- were rudely awoken at 5am by the two vans beside us as they banged, bumped and wound then finally packed-up and departed. Shortly after, the sun came up so Eric had an early run, brilliant in the early light and just birds for company
- were on the road by 8am, travelling via Quorn and beside the Pichi Richi railway to Hawker, arriving about 9.30am, just as others were packing-up!
- made a hasty picnic morning tea and lunch then drove straight to Wilpena Pound carpark. We chose a 2 and half hr hike up Mt Ohlssen Bagge, 2.3kms straight up to the peak and lookout over the pound and 2.3kms back down. A demanding walk that nearly brought Luke undone, he did whinge and moan a bit (well actually a lot) . The view was spectacular across the pound, the original homestead where graziers stayed while tending their sheep and cattle in here
- had lunch back at the carpark after the long walk down, saw two new birds for the record
- followed a tourist drive that visited Bunyeroo Gorge, Aroona Ruins where Heysen painted, Brachina Gorge and Moralana Scenic drive. Views were magnificent, great twisted old gums in creek beds between tall cliff-topped peaks and rugged, dry countryside with roaming emu, kangaroo and wallaby
- arrived back in town with just enough time for Libby to visit the local Arts Council Festival which had displays of woodturning, paintings, photography, pottery etc. Bought a lovely book of wildlife photography. A big day, all ready for an early night.
Day 81
The day we:
- are awoken at 6am by loud banging on the door, we jump up to discover it's the wrong van! The sun is already well up so no more sleep to be had, we get moving. On the road by 7.45am and only 262kms to Clare. The posters pasted all over the lamp posts remind us that there is to be a federal election soon, the radio is full of interviews and political opinions. Its hard to be interested out here so we turn it off and listen to cds instead
- settled into Clare Caravan Park again about 10.30, visited Leslie for lunch and Des joined us. Boys engrossed in the computer and playstation
- after Des finished work we went up to the block to see progress on the shed that is now to be the home and were quickly roped into helping shove vine cuttings into a sand bed, watering and constructing a rock retaining wall until dark
- went back to the Menz rental household for dinner and caught up with Catherine who had recently had her Formal land just picked up the photos
- watched the Brownlow Count and talked of all our travels since we'd seen them last. Finally got to bed about 11.30, a very late night for us these days
Day 82
The day we:
- laid in bed feeling sorry for Leslie who'd had to get up early and drive to Adelaide for a conference. We lazed around all morning, the boys showing obvious effects form the late night, that's a nice way of saying they were brawling
- drove to Burra, Aust's first mining town (1840's) and where Des and Leslie lived before Cobram. They'd spoken of it so fondly so often we were interested to visit. The local tourist authority has set up a passport and key system where visitors can go on a self-guided tour. An excellent idea as the town has so many sites of interest. We completed the whole tour though the boys were not overly interested except at the mine, the gaol (where the film Breaker Morant was made and they have been listening to a song by John Williamson about him) and the dugouts (where 1,800 Cornish people lived in caves dug into the riverbanks)
- we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the duckpond in town and Eric also had a Cornish Pastie which is reputedly as authentic as those the miners ate. Drove back to Clare through Mintaro another town entirely heritage listed. Visited Martindale Hall, a stately old mansion where Picnic at Hanging Rock was filmed
- spent the evening with Des, Catherine and Jakke (complete with his new braces) and were treated to a Dolphin massage. Have to get one
- departed for home in pouring rain, Des worried about his chooks. What about us!
The day we:
- packed up at our leisure until threatening clouds gave us the hurry-up, got away about 9.30am travelling through Gawler and Elizabeth (recognised the pub where we'd had a drink with Doug 22 yrs ago on our S.A. trip
- had no trouble navigating our way through Adelaide to West Beach C'van Pk, lovely layout right on the beach behind the dunes. Complete with games room, TV etc, everything's great except for the wind coming straight off the water
- relaxed, got groceries locally and went for a stroll on the beach. In the late afternoon we drove to Glenelg just 5mins down the road. Ron proposed to Iris here, boys very impressed by the look of Magic Mountain (dodgems, waterslide, pinball machines etc). Looked along Jetty St, the main shopping centre and found Old Gum Tree Reserve where Capt Hindmarsh proclaimed the Colony of S.A.
- came home to dinner and planned our next few days; markets, shops, hills, Handorf, Victor Harbour and Goolwa
- played umpteen games of UNO then Eric cleaned us up at Pontoon
The day we:
- endured a very windy night again, this time our fly and it's attaching channel became separated at one stage. Eric had to get up and tie the boys' end down with occy straps so the same didn't happen to theirs. Not much sleep , how he managed to go for a run this am is beyond me, boys washed the car
- drove into town to do the city sights, followed the trail of the Adelaide Explorer. Most eye-catching thing about town is all the AFL Grand Final promotion, there's much excitement about the possibility of back-to-back premierships. Streets are lined with banners, shops have streamers, balloons and mascots - everything is black, red and yellow
- saw Botanical Gardens, zoo gates, Torrens River, Adelaide Oval, St Peters Cathedral, etc. Parked the car and walked up Hindley St and Rundle Mall, had to buy Libby a jumper as it is quite cold and she had only dressed in shorts and t-shirt (a good ploy)
- boys delighted as they've bought Warcraft 2, a cd game they've been keen on since finding it in Perth on special
- visited the Bradman Collection, an exhibition at the Library which all of us enjoyed then went to the Migration Museum which we found very interesting too. It's home is the building which was once the city's Destitute Asylum, also an interesting story - very Oliver Twist-like
- had lunch in Chinatown then wandered through the Central Markets, collected our mail (last for the trip) and visited Haig's Chocolate factory to see how its made and sample some
- drove to Semaphore area near Port then Grange Golf Course on our way home where Eric booked in for a round tomorrow
Day 85
The day we:
- relaxed at the park while Eric enjoyed his 6.30am golf at the Grange Course. It's right next to Football Park and yesterday as we drove in we'd seen Malcolm Blight drive out. Eric had some trouble starting the car this morning so had the battery checked and it was cactus, another $100 gone by the boards. On the way home he picked up the photos we'd had developed, so on arrival back at the park we had a coffee and all enjoyed looking at what we'd seen and done since Perth
- had an early lunch and then drove around the Adelaide Hills. Our first stop was Mt Lofty Lookout for a great view of the city, could almost see our van in the park just past the airport (just kidding). Its a city that runs North/South between sea and hills and is very easy to navigate
- Went to Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens which are beautifully landscaped around the steep hillside
- drove on through the hills to Melba's Chocolate Factory at Woodside, boys think chocolate factories are the best of tours. It was interesting to see all the old machinery still in use
- drove on to Handorf and walked the street of this lovely old town settled by Germans, found a massaging dolphin which we are all looking forward to having used on us. Loved the local art gallery which has artists in residence -painter, papermaking, leather worker, lead-lighting etc. Lots of beautiful works for sale including Heysen's
- enjoyed a roast cooked in our oven and chocolate. Went to the laundry top watch the TV because Sarah Henderson's Bullo Station was featuring on a program
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