Heading Home

6/12/2018 Thursday Despite the warm night R & R slept well. RA woke shortly after 5:00am and watched the umbrella tops of the mallee trees swaying through the fly screen window only disturbing RL about 5:30am. They got straight into gear, with breakfast, tidy up and pack down.  Taking advantage of the coolest part of the day, RL had a shave and changed the low beam bulb on the Ute.  Already it was 24*C with a strong warm breeze from the north east and a forecast of over 40*C. It was shortly after 7:00am when RL took to the Eyre Hwy heading east for Wirrulla about 80kms and RA put a country music CD in the player and made a coffee.  An hour later, they stopped at Wirrulla, the town with a secret, to take photos of its jetty.  R & R had seen it last time, when they drove through heading east, but had not taken any pics.  Shortly after 8:00am Wirrulla was 29*C, living up to its reputation of being a very dry and warm town.  R & R saw school children waiting for the bus and wondered why there was no school in town and where the nearest one was considering that Ceduna was 95kms away. Only a few kilometres out they saw the sign for Mittaburra Area School and shortly after a school bus heading in that direction. Question answered.  Another CD in the player and about an hour later R & R were topping up with fuel in Ceduna. Generally speaking. The countryside was undulating grain and sheep farming with mallee featuring as vegetation in the paddocks as wind breaks and on the road verge, looking much better in November than it had in March.  RL turned toward Penong (70km) just before 8:30am, agreeing that they would not stop for fuel or op shopping as they didn’t need either, nor the break that it would provide. R & R spent 15 minutes topping up with fuel and using the conveniences at Penong, famous for its many and largest windmills and headed west again for Nundroo about 10.30am. The farming of crops seemed to run out about half way, 40kms, before Nundroo, being littered with coastal shrubs and bushes, part of the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve, though a couple more crops were seen just west of Nundroo before the Yalata Reserve proper. The day was a scorcher, already 36*C with winds of 35hm/hr blasting hot from the north.  RL opened the windows, preferring the warm air to the risk of overheating the engine. White shorn sheep gathered at a water tank where there was no shade. At Nundroo, the Ute’s tank was topped up for the last time before the expensive fuel on the Nullarbor.  R & R set their sights on Nullarbor Roadhouse, about 145kms.  R & R had seen at least half a dozen big new yellow and orange mining trucks heading east and had wondered all the “W” questions. Just before the beginning of the reserve, RL saw a sign for Piacentini & Sons Mining and Earthmoving.  RA calculated fuel consumption for the morning, 14.2 lt/100km!  Just proved how strong the wind was.  The Yalata Reserve really was very pretty and unique with its unspoilt vegetation of green and grey shrubs and bushes of varying shapes, colours and sizes growing at ground level, with mallee and other gums growing above them. Forty kilometres before Nullarbor, RL noted the sand dune at the Head of the Bight with the coast about 15kms south. Shortly before noon, about 33kms from Nullarbor, RL stopped in a line of traffic for a vehicle to be moved from the middle of the road following a caravan rollover.  It was only about 10 minutes before everyone was instructed to pass through. RA looked back and seeing limited damage in the now empty seating area, hoped that there were no fatalities. A little after that there was an almost instant change in vegetation with a distinct lack of trees.  Then, RA saw the sign for the Beginning of the Treeless Plain about 20kms from Nullarbor. R & R spent half an hour taking a lunch break and comfort stop at Nullarbor before heading west again for the WA border nearly 200kms away. RL could not resist the opportunity to take a photo of a guy in one of those cycle contraptions that you sit in.  A picture of sheer foolishness, considering how vulnerable a cyclist would be on roads like the Eyre Hwy. It was 41*C there; the northerly wind, incessant.  As the Ute joined the coast about 40kms before the turnoff to Koonalda, R & R wanted to believe that the wind was cooler.  They passed the first lookout with the intention of stopping to break the journey at the one, half way to the border.  By the time they had arrived at the middle lookout just after 3:00pm, the sky was covered with cloud and it was definitely cooler, though they had no way of knowing as there was no reception on their phone.  R & R enjoyed a pleasant interlude walking along the carefully crafted, tasteful bollard and chain path to the lookout where a cool wind, was indeed, blowing from the south up and over the massive limestone Bunda cliffs. Back on the highway, R & R ate their last apple so that there would be no waste at the border check.  A few times they were able to see the sea where, rather than cliff, the land and rocks came down to sea level.  The border check took a little longer than expected as the officious inspector insisted the camper be wound up and pulled out.  According to the phone, it was 41*C, at 4:30pm at border, where time had to be switched back to 3:00pm, but it no longer felt that hot.  RA rang and they chatted with their daughter, H, as RL drove through Eucla and down the pass.  The road was in good condition and ran flat with the ridge of the plateau to the north always visible, sometimes closer, sometimes not, for about 100kms between Eucla Pass and Madura.  It was one of RA’s favourite parts of the drive across, with its lovely green vegetation.   RL drove through Mundrabilla at 3:30pm, stopped at Moodinni Bluff for a break and up through the Madura Pass about 5:00pm with the intention of getting just a little further with the extra time gained.  They passed two sets of extra wide loads travelling east; wide enough to require getting off the road and stopping but because RL had the CB on he was pre-warned.  As it had been cooler since the border, RL had been able to turn the air con. back on and they listened to the Playaway story One Step Behind that they had started months ago and not got back to.  Since the border R & R had seen road kill, mostly roo, which they had not seen for quite some time.  They saw three eagles on separate carcasses.  It was shortly before 6:00pm when R & R stopped at the rest area just before the Eyre Observatory turnoff, approximately 17kms to Cocklebiddy.  Dinner was only a little late as it was already half started and the weather was much more pleasant.  It was 19*C with a moderate breeze of 21km/hr from the south and a forecast low of 12*C.  RL had spent the best part of 12 hours driving, nearly 1000kms (924km to be precise), in the one day.  Both R & R were looking forward ... to seeing the children and grandchildren and going home. 

7/12/2018 Friday R & R slept well and woke at 5:00am (body clock still on EST) and the camper was dry even though there had been a light mist just after dark. The sky was grey but at 16*C is was not cold. R & R breakfasted pack down and hitched the camper before adding the 60lts diesel from the three jerry cans. RL pulled out of the rest area heading west for Cocklebiddy only 17kms. It was only a short distance of 70 kms to Caiguna listening to Johnny Mathias singing Christmas carols. Then it was Connie Francis turn. There was water in the ruts of the bitumen for a while which indicated it must have rained a little in some places. A sign at Caiguna indicated that time needed to be set back 45 minutes. RA set the Navigator for Baxter rest area about half way between Caiguna and Balladonia. That section of the Eyre Hwy is the longest straightest stretch of road in Australia being 146.6 kms or the “90 Mile Straight”.  It is also one of the longest straightest stretches of road in the world. At Baxter, RL checked the air cleaner and RA wondered about the name of the rest area.  Eventually it came to her that Baxter was one of the explorers (along with Wylie) who accompanied Eyre on his expedition in 1841. Caiguna marks the western end of the Nullarbor as stands of mallee could be seen and increasingly, there were sections where, they were more and larger with other trees as R & R proceeded. RL noted that the signs warning of wildlife (of which R & R had seen none, only a few carcasses) no longer included camels. RA was busy calculating the angle (262*, just a little lower than due west) and the number of degrees of latitude that the straightest stretch fell over the 146kms.  She figured it was not more than a few (maybe 5) degrees.  R & R commented on the amazing RFDS airstrip which they passed on the highway. They had a strip of vegetation clearance and flat smooth surface on the verge to allow for the wings of the craft.  Shortly after 9:00am, when RL had already driven 270kms in 3 1/2 hours, they arrived at Balladonia and took a break. RL chatted with an interstate truck driver who was moving a Bond style motor boat and a hybrid caravan/camper while RA engaged in conversation with a family, a boy in Y8 and daughter in Y10, who had taken to the road indefinitely after the husband was in remission from cancer.  Back on the highway at 9:40am, they were having coffee and a ginger nut biscuit with 190kms to Norseman when a sign warned of unfenced road with the possibility of livestock including camels, again.  It was not long before they saw cattle and calves feeding on the edge of the road.  To help pass the time they play more of One Step Behind.  A sign pointing north said Nova Mine heralding the fact that R & R were to see a couple of mining trucks.  The vegetation, of tall growing mallee, other gums and bushes in bloom of creams and yellows and the shiny brown of gimlet trunks, on orange soils was beautiful. About half way between Balladonia and Norseman, the road which had been mostly flat and straight became undulating and then hilly as R & R went through the Fraser Range, which ran virtually north - south, with Mt Pleasant at 579m. RL spotted a couple of emus and there were orange sand dunes before the Dundas Nature Reserve.  About 10kms east of Norseman the Navigator indicated the presence of mining in the area as R & R passed the Jimberlana Hill Nature Reserve. At Norseman, just before noon, RL put 30lt diesel in the tank to make sure there was enough to get to Coolgardie. Half an hour later, after a look around the BP shop and a drive down the Main Street, RL turned north toward Coolgardie 170kms. The road led past the huge salt lake, Lake Cowan and another Nature Reserve with the pipeline and rail not far off.  RA noticed the striking white trunked tree whose habit is to lose its thick tough black bark from the top down. There were signs and roads to mine sites (Sinclair, Higginsville, Mariners, Mitel, Bald Hill and Paris Gold) and mining trucks along the route.  There were several sections of road works and more nature reserve.  RA noted a section which had been burnt a few years earlier that had recovered well.  The dead burnt tops of old taller trees peered eerily over the green canopy below. Shortly after Widgiemooltha and noon, R & R stopped for half an hour for lunch before pulling out again for the last 60kms to Coolgardie where they intended to refuel. It was 27*C as they refuelled and the breeze was mild, so though warm, it was nothing like the scorcher of the previous day.  They also stopped at the Railway Museum on Woodward St briefly. By 3:00pm R & R were headed west on Great Eastern Highway bound for Perth. RL commented on a particular wildflower in bloom which had a distinctive posy shape while RA recognised nulla nulla in bloom with its cone shaped pink flowers heads and noted the spear grass growing on the road verge.  The highway ran though the Goldfields Woodlands National Park, of which Victoria Rock, where R & R camped nine months before, is a part.  Shortly after they were driving through the Boorabbin National Park where bush fires claimed the life of three truck drivers in 2007.  That section of the Park, even ten years on, has stunted regrow caused partially by the severity of the fire and partly by successive years of dry.  Realistically speaking R & R knew it was impractical for them to drive on through to Perth so they stopped at the Boorabbin rest area 114kms from Coolgardie. By 5:00pm they were having a drink and ringing their children to make arrangements for catching up on the weekend.  RL read while RA wrote the diary before cooking dinner.  RL rang his siblings, G, S and R, but one of them were home so he left messages.  R & R were tired having travelled 750kms in the day but it would shorten their travel time the next day.  They were really looking forward ... to seeing everyone again.

8/12/2018 Saturday R & R slept well and were awake before 5:00am. They got out straight away and breakfasted before packing up. It was 14*C and the canvas was dry so they were away just after 6:00am, with Perth about 420kms west. Shortly after pulling out they entered the Shire of Yilgarn and, again, they noticed water in the deepest puddles and drains on the road verge, which indicated that it must have rained heavily only a few days before.  The highway passed through Yellowdine Nature Reserve where sections of the reserve, before and after Yellowdine, were really pretty with the low light of the morning sun from the east highlighting the bronze, copper and metallic olive green of the trunks and stems of a particular gum tree. It was 17*C and still, when RL drove through Yellowdine at 6:30am. Other vegetation, some of it in blooms of creams, yellows and a little red, featured on lower growing shrubs and bushes including conifer, sheoak and grevillia.  For most of the journey, the water pipeline ran alongside the road.  The scheme to pipe water from Perth to Kalgoorlie was driven by C Y O’Connor in the late 1800s, took five years to build and was completed in 1903. Along the route many pumping stations feature in a trail.  R & R noticed, that while some sections have been patched and were due for renewal, most of it was in excellent condition.  The railway line from Perth to Kalgoorlie, for the most part ran near the road from Southern Cross to Perth.  Before that it had veered in northern arc while the road followed a southerly arc.  About 15km east of Southern Cross the country side opened up into cereal farming which, along with sheep, would be the primary agricultural endeavour most of the way to Northam, just short of Perth, with Southern Cross having a past and current history of gold mining. Along the way RA noticed many rocky outcrops and the sign Ribbons of Green which is a verge re-vegetation project.  G, RL’s brother rang and they chatted most of the way to Merredin. At Merredin they rang their daughter, H, to say they were on target for lunch at Henley Brook. R & R took a break there, admired the town’s Christmas Tree before driving past its massive grain handling facility and taking a photo of the silo art. It was 24*C by 9:00am when RL hit the road again playing AC/DC “Highway to Hell”. He drove past the Kelleberrin grain facility and stopped briefly for the east bound Prospector (passenger train from Perth to Kalgoorlie) to cross the highway.  Later they saw an east bound Pacific National carrying freight.  There were a couple of sections of road works that required waiting for a little before being directed through. RL drove through Tammin where, in between the fields of golden grain there were parcels of land that were either salty, swampy or had lakes. They went past the pub at Cunderdin which is a copy of the Ettamougah Pub in NSW and the town’s grain silos. Built in 1960, they were the first concrete silos in Australia. A few kilometres further, RL drove through Meckerring, Home of the Big Camera where all the film and camera equipment displayed is in working order. Shortly after, RA saw another Ribbons of Green sign immediately following the sign Meckerring Fault Line, as it was the site of an earthquake in 1968.  Though the buildings in town were completely demolished, no one died. S, RL’s brother rang as R & R were driving up and down the few steep hills on the bypass round Northam, so they chatted a while. About 11:30 am RA set the Navigator for Henley Brook (the Home of their elder daughter and her family) with about 60kms of busy forested hilly country, through the hills via Bakers Hill, Sawyer’s Valley and the city, to go. Jacaranda bloomed blue in some of the streets as they drove.  As RL drove down Greenmount Hill from the Darling Scarp, RA rang H to say they would be there soon.  R & R arrived at the home of their daughter, H, and her family shortly after 12:40pm for lunch and a catch up. It was lovely to see how the children had grown and how much they had learned during the year R & R were away.  After a couple of hours R & R headed for the home of their other daughter, S, at Langford where they intended to stay for a couple of nights. It took only 35 minutes to be at the other end of the city.  Everyone chatted for ages before, eventually, doing a shuffle of vehicles to get the camper backed onto the lawn.  S and S, her boyfriend, made dinner and helped with the tidy up after.  R & R had a shower before bed.  It had been a really long day but absolutely wonderful ... to catch up with their daughters.

9/12/2018. Sunday. R & R slept well but woke early. They made the best of the cool in the early morning and did some gardening and sorting out of the picnic area out the back in preparation for BBQ lunch with their boys J and S and S’s wife, F.  They had breakfast before heading to 7:30am Mass at St Jude’s. After Mass they finished off the BBQ area and went to Coles at Thornlie for a food shop. On return RL fired up the barbie while RA made some patties to cook in the oven and a coleslaw, since H and family were bringing another cut salad.  S and F arrived with their dog Effy and shortly after J arrived. It was not much longer before H and family arrived. S and F had to leave early as they were going to the basketball game but everyone else chatted for ages while trying to keep the children from getting bored. Eventually H and family left to visit the other grandparents who live only a couple of streets away.  About 4:00pm, J had a shower before heading off to another engagement leaving R & R and their daughter, S, free to go to Anaconda, BCF and Spotlight.  They day had really warmed up to over 30*C but when they got back R & R took the opportunity of the cooler end of the day to do some gardening out the front yard.  Again S & S cooked dinner and helped tidy up. Everyone sat to watch Absolutely Fabulous - The Movie but just couldn’t tolerate it so RA wrote diary while the others watched something else on TV.  Again, it had been another long warm day ... but they had caught up with everyone that mattered. 

10/12/2018 Monday R & R woke early again at 5:00am and had breakfast before making an assault on the garden out the front of the house, finishing off with the weeding down the side of the garage. RA shuffled a few plants to make it easier for S to water them. It was just after 9:00am when R & R drove to get a script filled at the chemist, went to Bunnings to see about ceiling fans for the bathroom and popped into Thornlie Square.  The day had really warmed up again, nearing 30*C, but R & R had no choice but to pack the camper down and hitch it up in the heat of the day.  They had to re-pack everything on to the roof rack.  S had helped to get it all down when R & R arrived because, while still on the Ute roof rack, it was too tall to be backed in under the roller door.  Finally, in the noon hour, R & R took leave of S & S and went to Yule Du at the top of Armadale Hill to refuel. It was about 1:30pm when R & R parked in the shade at North Bannister and ate late lunch. They stopped again at Kojonup, briefly, just to stretch the legs and get some fresh air.  It was precisely 5:32pm when R & R turned up their drive in Mt Barker after being away for nine months. They were pleasantly surprised at how neat the garden was thanks to S, RL’s brother who must have been taking it seriously. R & R set the camper up so that they could take the food out of the fridge.  They did not intend to do anything else for the day.  Dinner was easy, since it was leftovers, cold, from Sunday lunch. After dinner, R & R rang their sister-in-law, L to make an arrangements to catch up later in the week since she would be travelling to Canberra for Christmas.  It was strange to be back home ... but so comfortable.

Heading West

2/12/2018 Sunday It rained heavily a couple of times during the night, was particularly warm and generated thunder, though all had cleared, bar a grey sky, by morning.  R & R were out by 6:00am as they intended to take J to the markets before leaving for lunch with CT, RA’s brother, and his wife, CA on the north eastern edge of Melbourne before finding a camping spot to begin the journey home.  But J had thought that he could enlist R & R’s help to get some back boards loaded into the truck and get them down to Casey and maybe still get to the markets before lunch.  The truck was loaded by 9:30am after which coffee was in order before RL drove J in the truck to Casey about 10:00am.  They were back about 11:30am and were just contemplating going to the markets when W sent R to pick up some bits and pieces from J.  That meant R & R had time to pack the camper down and put it on the back of the Ute.  J figured it would be nice if he had lunch with R & R before they left.  After watching Landline and last-minute instructions about medications and food, R & R set off for Greenvale via Princes Highway, Bourke St, Rosanna, Greensborough Hwy and then across the top of the city toward the airport.  It took a couple of hours which surprised R & R as they had hoped it would be less busy on a Sunday.  Not so … in Melbourne, anyway!  R & R arrived at C & C’s about 3:30pm and stayed for a couple of hours, eating a very late lunch or very early tea and chatting.  It was 5:30pm when RL headed away from Melbourne, in an easterly direction, to Bulla and through Sunbury, up the Calder Freeway to find their free rest area at Kyneton Mineral Springs Rest Area.  The sky was dark and grey, but the sun shone golden on the near ripe grain crops.  There were lots of trees in the hilly country and Mt Macedon stood to the east of the road.  It was lovely to be out of the city and the Kyneton picnic spot, with its gazebo and water pump, was delightful. It was 6:40pm when R & R set up the camper and within 20 minutes RL was ringing his sister, E, and then his brother, G, while RA prepared dinner despite the fact that they had already eaten three meals for the day.  When R & R had finished it was well after 8:00pm and they were just too tired to do anything.  At least they had begun their journey home … even if the next day was not exactly westward.

3/12/2018 Monday RA woke early and could not get back to sleep.  Eventually she disturbed RL near 5:30am and they got out of bed to a cool 10*C with the promise of a pleasant day and quite strong winds from the west.  By 7:30am, RL was heading north to Kangaroo Flats just south of Bendigo, about 50kms, where fuel was 143.9c/lt.  The Calder Freeway had been built to level out the road, so it did not follow the ups and downs of the countryside and tended to obscure much of the view.  Grey clouds and a mist hung over the mountains to the left and right at a distance while sheep and cattle grazed.  Other activity included vineyards and orchards and all the communities just off the freeway boasted historic or mining connections, ideal for boutique cafes and antique shops.  On the outskirts of Bendigo, R & R popped into Spotlight to ask about a specific embroidery kit which they did not have.  Fortunately, RL had parked near an op shop so all was not lost.  About 9:30am, they were headed north to Kyabram.  RL stopped twice in Huntly.  First for a comfort stop for RA and then a few hundred metres further as he had seen another op shop, so it was more like 10:00am before they were really out the other side of Bendigo.  The road was flat to undulating.  There, the crops they had seen weeks before were already cut and baled and could be seen in massive storage sheds by the side of the road, while other crops, still near harvest were in paddocks next to green crops where sheep grazed, supported by water from nearby channels and ditches.  A large horse agistment facility featured just before RL turned east at Elmore, on the Campaspe River, towards Shepparton.  R & R saw some ploughed ground, vineyards, more sheep than cattle and swamps near Corop where nearby Green’s Lake and Lake Cooper supported channels for irrigation.  One sign welcomed the traveller to Yorta Yorta Country while another in Stanhope claimed to be Legendary Capital 2015 and Town of the Tastiest Cheese.  RL turned north a few kilometres to Kyabram where R & R spent about an hour chatting with the guys there about the Northstar campers, again.  From there RL drove to Shepparton to chat with the guys at Mazda and then to take RA to see the Windmill Café at Emerald Bank, Kailia.  It was 1:45pm when R & R had lunch in the Ute on the street.  It was a pleasant 21*C with quite a strong breeze while RA checked out where a suitable place might be for camping that night. With two good options in hand, RL drove out of Shepparton south east towards Bendigo about 125kms on the Midland Highway.  They passed Turnbull Road and then the turnoff to Ardmona. RA rang and chatted with their daughter, S, as it was country that they had been through before. RL stopped abruptly on the main street of Goornong when he saw that the price of a gas refill was $20.  RA could not resist taking a photo of the Drovers Arms Hotel which was built in 1882.  It was just before 4:00pm when R & R went through Bendigo and 11kms to Marong on the Calder Highway before veering west onto the Wimmera Highway another 30kms to Tarnagulla where an old hut and historic cemetery stand on the side of the road.  That section of the road wound and turned, passing through state forests with lovely big trees on the verges.  R & R saw sheep and cattle stud farms, Shetland ponies and patches of rocky ground in between good crops.  The last 15kms towards the Moliagul rest area was more hilly.  R & R arrived at the camp site shortly after 5:00pm, had a cup and studied maps.  They ate dinner just after 7:00pm when their friend from Perth, J, rang, so it was good timing for a chat.  RL read a while and RA wrote diary.  It was after 9:00pm when a flock of kookaburras set up a chorus. RA was delighted … since she could actually remember how long ago it was when she last heard that sound. 

4/12/2018 Tuesday It was 12*C and the wind was mild when R & R woke at 6:30am.  Within an hour and a half, they had breakfasted, set down and were heading west on the Wimmera Hwy towards St Arnaud’s with 108kms to Rupanyup where R & R were hoping to see the first of six silos on the Silo Art Trail.  The countryside was very pretty with sections of forest or reserve in between grain growing farmlands.  In the early morning galahs, pink and grey as well as white and yellow, were feasting on the spilled grain left from harvest on the ground in the fields.  Lovely old buildings featured in St Arnauds.  The area around Marnoo was called Wimmera Ag District and RL commented that, in the early days, Wimmera Rye was grown with oats in the south west of WA.  It was just on 9:00am when R & R drove into Rupanyup and refuelled before looking at the silo.  The Silo Art Trail followed six different sets of silos built as far back as the thirties, in different towns, and each focussed on aspects of community and rural life, painted in different styles during 2016-17. Rupanyup’s silo featured youth and team sport; a monochromatic work by Julia Volchkova.  Forty kilometres north, having passed through Minyup (Coopers Crossing) which was the setting for the very popular Australian TV series The Flying Doctors, R & R arrived at Sheep Hills.  Its silo, a colourful work by Adnate, featured indigenous persons, young and old, the importance of transferring knowledge and custom, and the night sky.  At 10:20, R & R stopped in Warracknabeal where they popped into an op shop before continuing up Henty Highway to Brim.  Brim’s silo, the first to be painted in the Wimmera Mallee, features young and old, male and female farmers exemplifying the resilience and strength of the farming community despite economic and environmental changes; the work of Guido van Helton, it had been worked in sepia tones.  Twenty-four kilometres north at 11:30am, R & R stopped in Rosebery where Kaffeine’s sepia toned work featured young farmers.  The young woman on one of the silos symbolised the future while the mutual trust and love between young man and horse wass depicted on another.  The silo at Lascelles was only another 40kms so it was not long before R & R were admiring it.  It featured the mature faces of a husband and wife with a four-generation farming history; depicting wisdom and concern for farming and the community over a period of time.  North of Lascelles, at Speed on the Sunraysia Highway, RL turned west to Patchewollock a total of 60kms.  There the silo, worked in colour by Fintan Mage, featured a young famer whose expression and appearance reflect the harsh environment and the challenges it presents.  R & R were enchanted with the cactus garden which was in bloom near the silos.  It earned a spot with the photos of the silos.  Back at Speed, RL turned north to stop at Tempy for lunch at 1:30pm.  It was warm at 24*C with not a cloud in the sky and the bush flies, which R & R had not seen for weeks, were out in force.  Up and down the roads, grain truck moved the harvest.  At 2:30pm, at the junction of the Mallee Highway, R & R stopped at Ouyen with the knowledge that there was a Vinnies.  Initially they missed the building but were please to find it and see that they had a sale on.  There were a couple of pieces of blue and white china that RA felt she could find a spot to store.  It was 27*C at 3:00pm as R & R headed to Pinnaroo, 142kms west.  The road was excellent with sections of orange sand hills or swampy land in between the areas that were suitable for cropping.  R & R had to pass through border inspection before entering Pinnaroo and there was a time change requiring ½ hour set back to 4:00pm.  There, R & R turned north for Loxton 104kms and knowing that it was another long session of drive, RA popped Slim Whitman in the player. Along the way, R & R saw, one paddock with four harvesters all working together, another paddock with green potatoes being irrigated, a feedlot and close to Loxton and the Murray River, orchards and vineyards.  “That’s the Murray! Whoa. Love it!” RA exclaimed as they drove through Loxton and veered west to Swan Reach just short of 100kms at 5:20pm, back through crop farming country again.  R & R were pleased to be riding on the ferry 860-004 Water Hen at 6:30pm with Tenbery-Hunter Reserve, a free camping area, on the other bank.  RL had driven 700kms in the day, almost all of it flanked by grain farming in stages of: near harvest, harvesting or harvested.  R & R walked down to the river before dinner to dip their toes in the water and after dinner to take photos of the sunset.  It was lovely to be by the river again.  R & R read and wrote a while and quit a little later than usual about 10:00pm … which was actually normal as they had gained that half hour.

5/12/2018 Wednesday It was a warm 15*C, and still, when R & R woke early to breakfast and pack down.  They were heading the wrong way back over the river on the ferry only to turn around, wait and go back, just over 160m across, again.  The ferrymen never ceased to be amused at the number of tourists who make the same mistake.  R & R were heading for Angaston, passing first through Sedan where conditions were dry and the settlement featured some very old stone buildings.  Ahead of them R & R saw a mountain range and it was not long before they were driving through what is called dry stone wall country.  There the hills were virtually treeless with sheep grazing up and down in a scene where the paddocks and the edge of the road were fenced by stone walls.  These had been constructed in the early days by the German pioneers. It was an amazing sight!  Almost impossible to take a photograph as there were no turning out or parking spots and the road was busy with vehicles and a school bus at that hour.  The route was only about 5kms up and then similar down again into the Barossa Valley.  While the road had been about 100m above sea level at Sedan, Mons Hill was 473m and required a couple of switch backs with suggested speeds of 35 and 45 km/hr.  It was very pretty countryside with taller gum trees going down into the valley and the land too rocky to crop. At Nuriootpa, where a magnificent statue of Michael the Archangel feature in the main street, R & R refuelled and sought instructions from the cashier at 8:30am.  She suggested setting the Navigator for Port Wakefield (and then Port Pirie) via the Sturt Highway, Gawler, only a distance of 51kms, to Two Wells.  The route would take R & R away from the hills and wine growing region, through more grain farming lands on nearly flat roads, virtually directly to the coast, with only a minor diversion to the south. That suited R & R nicely as they were towing the camper and were homeward bound, not looking for diversions or distractions. It was flat at 10m when R & R joined the Stuart High heading north 68kms to Port Wakefield at a distance of less than 10kms to the South Ocean coastline.  Beyond Port Wakefield the road veered inland and the coastline dipped back down to form the back of the boot which is the Yorke Peninsula.  A drive of 127kms to Port Pirie required the soothing sounds of the Howie Brother (Australia’s combination like Foster and Allen) to help pass the journey.  The Hummock Range with its wind turbines ran to the west of the road, which passed Lochiel and its salt lakes.  RA noticed a saltbush nursery venture and was surprised by the storm damage from the weekend.  Trees were ripped from the ground and dozers were still in the process of tidying up.  Shortly before noon, R & R arrived in Port Pirie on the coast to a very warm 33*C where they did some shopping at Coles and popped into an op shop.  There were lovely old buildings, possibly about 60 silos near the port and the sea was brilliant azure blue.  The road north ran near the railway line and RA counted the 100 or so carriages on the south bound Pacific national which required 2 engine and another which followed only five minutes later with three engines. RL commented on the police presence on the road.  R & R had seen at least half a dozen that morning and very few in total over the entire time they had been on the road.  For a long way south (at least 50kms) of Port Augusta, R & R could see the beacon of light from the Sundrop power station and wondered at why it shone imagining only that it was to release excessive power as required, since the temperature was just short of 40*C.  At Port Augusta, R & R picked up a globe for RL’s low beam, refuelled and enquired where they might find shade under a tree for a late lunch.  Again, R & R noted how clean and tidy the town had become and the toilet block was just another example. “A quarter to three … and heading west!” RL commented as they set their sights on Kimba.  There at 4:00pm they had a shower before getting back on the Eyre Highway looking for fuel at a good price or a free camping spot which ever came first.  The auto fuel pump at Kyancutta was malfunctioning but R & R were able to refuel (including all three jerry cans) at Wudinna about 6:30pm.  Within half an hour RL had parked at Minnipa free camp spot.  Dinner was a little late at 8:00pm after which RA only worked on the day’s expenses on the ipad.   It had been a long day … RL had driven about 700kms and … it was still 33*C.

Chez J @ Dandenong

R & R stayed eighteen nights at J’s in Dandenong from Wednesday 14/11/2018 to Saturday 1/12/2018.  Having driven from Dromana they visited J in hospital on Wednesday and Thursday before being allowed to bring him home on the Friday. Much of their stay revolved around shopping for food, cooking, washing and just supporting J in adjusting to greater independence after being in hospital for so long.  As well as helping put a sock and shoe on when necessary, R & R reminded J to take his medicines and encouraged him with his exercises.  In between J was keen to do as much as possible so enlisted RL to drive him to stadiums where he needed to see the venue, chat with a foreman, take measurements or visit a friend.  RA went along for the ride.  Going to Sale provided RL with the chance to show J the swing bridge while they had a coffee break.  RL had the opportunity to drive on tolled roads as J’s vehicles had e-tags and through both the Domain and Burnley Tunnels, which normally he would avoid as RA does not like them.  He also drove a couple of J’s trucks around Dandenong.  J was keen, as always to take R & R to the Dandenong Sunday Market on the Drive-In grounds.  R & R were keen to join him, as well as doing a few of the op shops in Dandenong and Cranbourne.  All in all R & R were kept busy … and enjoyed getting to know J better. 

Mornington Peninsula 2

9/11/2018 Friday R & R woke to a dry start to the day even though they were aware that it had rained during the night.  It was a little early at 6:00am but RA was keen to catch up on the diary from the day before so she wrote while RL read.  About 8:00am, R & R had breakfast before tidying up.  RL put 20lts of fuel in and by 9:00am, they were on their way to Phillip Island for the day.  RA selected a route via Dunes Creek Rd and Hastings and it took them over the range that runs down the middle of the peninsula with a few kilometres in the middle which were steep and winding with bends bearing as low as 30kms for suggested speeds.  That section was forested while, either side of that, R & R saw small farms with cattle and vineyards.  The Mornington Peninsula would be less than 30kms across at its widest and it was not long before the road came close to the eastern side near Warringine Park, a coastal wetland just south of Hastings.  RL stopped at the Western Port Marina and then Hastings Yacht Club to have a coffee and a comfort break.  From there they could see, over the waters of Hastings Bight, the tanks and gas stacks of Long Island Point.  From Hastings to Tooradin was about 20kms and along the way they saw many market gardens, some in green houses and others outside.  R & R were totally surprised to see a row of workers (nationality unknown) wearing wide brimmed Chinese straw hats!  The large number of horses, many with foals, was noteworthy.  It was another 55kms from Tooradin to Phillip Island bypassing Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang on the South Gippsland Highway and then south on the Bass Highway.  Just before Koo Wee Rup, R & R stopped to climb Swamp Tower where they bought apples off a doughnut vendor who also sold vegetables.  The road south along Bass Highway was in good condition with double lanes both ways until the last 8kms or so and it ran more or less closely to the coast.  R & R saw vineyards, horses, alpaca and cattle farming, a deer farm near Bass and the Maru Koloa and Adventure Theme Park near Grantville.  The sea was a dark grey mirroring the clouds in the sky.  The highway veered eastward near San Remo and became the Narrows, a long bridge spanning the waters between the mainland and Phillip Island.  Phillip Island is 26km long and 9km wide with an area of 100 square kilometres.  Its coastline is approximately 97kms.  Sixty percent of the island is farmland taken up with sheep and cattle grazing. R & R did see other activity like silage in rolls, olive oil and quarries.  A major focus is on tourism supported by wildlife related attractions and the Grand Prix race track.  It was 11:25am when R & R went into the information centre to enquire about attractions and their prices.  As there was only half a day left R & R were not inclined to rush around different venues using PIE, the Phillip Island Experience Pass which give access to 3 out of 4 of the best venues for $55 (valid for 12 months) even though it was great value.  RL drove to the Grand Prix visitor centre, established in 1958, before going to Pyramid Rock lookout.  The road was unsealed but in good condition with a blue metal mix on it.  R & R were surprised at the number of Cape Barren Geese, with their distinctive greenish cream coloured beaks, all over the roads and in the fields of reedy grasses blowing on the hills and ridges.  It was a little warmer at 16*C about noon when R & R walked the boardwalk out to look at Pyramid Rock, so RA took her jumper off for the first time in the day.  RL drove to The Nobbies and point at the far western end of Phillip Island.  There, the 1.2km boardwalk traversed windswept coastal cliffs covered in grasses and succulents like the small pink pig face in bloom.  The view down over the rocks and cliffs with white foam and splashing from the waves that repeatedly crashed onto them competed for attention with the gulls, geese and the burrows of the tiny fairy penguin.  R & R were lucky enough to see one at the entrance to its burrow.  It is almost unimaginable how such a tiny fragile creature is able to get down to the sea each day over such terrain and back again every day.  The board walk provided the opportunity to see where water swept in and out under a rock that was hollow and to see the blowhole where water swept into a cave-like formation and blew back up and out again.  From several vantage points, seals could be seen on Seal Rocks about 1.5kms out.  Shortly before 3:00pm, RL headed for Cowes on the northern side of the island.  Cowes is Phillip Island’s CBD with shops and traffic lights so it was no surprise when RL stopped on the main street because he had seen an op shop.  There was a short sharp shower of rain as R & R went into three op shops near the Ute, before driving down to the jetty where tour craft pick up and drop off tourists.  Under the jetty there were some lovely red rocks most similar to the black ones along the coast, only a deep maroon colour.  It was 4:30pm as RL drove back over The Narrows, away from Phillip Island, up along the Bass Coast.  RA used the Navigator to get RL to Pearcedale Road in South Cranbourne to refuel at the local general store where diesel was 154.9c/lt.  It drizzled the rest of the journey home to Dromana using the same route as RL had driven out on earlier in the day.  The journey from Phillip Island to Dromana was about 120kms and took them just under two hours (including a couple of kilometres detour and time for fuel) so it made dinner a little late, but not seriously so.  RL watched an episode of Walker – Texas Ranger while RA wrote her diary.  It had been a long day and RA knew … they would sleep well.

10/11/2018 Saturday RL’s birthday.  R & R woke to a calm and sunny 11*C at 7:30am.  They had a coffee before showers and putting a wash in while breakfasting.  Having hung the wash RL read a while and RA finished off the diary from the day before.  So, it was about 10:00am, when R & R left the house to look at some of the back beaches in search of ship wrecks and rock pools.  First stop was at the Dromana information centre where the ladies said that, though the maps show where ships have been wrecked in the past, there are none that are visible from the coast.  Craigburn (1891) – Number 16 Beach, Formosa (1869) & Sierra Nevada (1887) – Point Nepean and Wauchope (1918) – Port King.  As for rock pools, the ladies suggested Bridgewater Bay and Sorrento Back Beach.  Armed with all that information, R & R set off in the knowledge that whatever they did, there would be constant interruptions with family ringing for RL’s birthday which began with a call from their daughter, H, shortly after they left the centre.  RL pulled over and chatted for ages while RA made coffee.  By the time R & R arrived at Bridgewater Bay off St Johns Wood Rd it was nearly noon.  There they did not really see any rock pool that looked like the one described by J, their brother-in-law.  They did walk over the ridges to get a good look at the rock formation. just out at sea, called The Bridge.  K, RL’s sister rang. Shortly after, they drove to Koonya Beach via Hughes St where they saw a rock formation called Dog’s Head.  R & R arrived at Sorrento Back Beach about 1:15pm ready for lunch and spotted what they thought might be J’s rock pool under the feature called The Amphitheatre, so they took a couple of photos as it was only another hour to high tide and they were not sure how much higher the water would rise over it.  Only then did they have lunch and chat with J, RL’s brother and then E, his sister, before returning a missed call to their son, J.  It was a lovely sunny 17*C so RA took her jumper off and walked up and over the sand ridge to look at The Sphinx Rock and back up to the top where standing in the Rotunda gave a 360* view to the Point and both sides of the peninsula.  On route to shopping at Rosebud Plaza, both S, RL’s brother, and Z, R & R’s son rang so RL pulled over to stop and chat.  While standing at the seeds and nuts in Coles, C, their daughter’s mother-in-law, also rang, as did RL’s brother, G, on the way back.  So, it was nearly 6:00pm when R & R got back to Dromana.  RA put the shopping away and fetched the washing in while RL chatted with G.  By that time, RA decided that fish and chips was absolutely on the menu for dinner, so R & R walked down to Dromana shopping centre to find some.  When they returned, they set the fish and chips up on the coffee table with some cut salad, in front of the TV, and ate with very little decorum.  It really was a birthday treat!  No sooner was RA doing the few dishes than their son, S, rang followed by their daughter, S.  RL had driven just on 50kms for the day, seen three beaches, picked up some groceries and fielded no less than 11 phone calls with birthday wishes; all the best ingredients for a lovely day … finishing with fish and chips.

11/11/2018 Sunday It was a calm 10*C when R & R woke at 6:30am to breakfast and be at Mass by 8:00am just around the corner so there was plenty of time even after showering.  After Mass, R & R chatted with a local couple who had previously lived in Broome for 30 years and had just returned from a three months stint on the mission at Kalumburu.  When R & R returned, they put a wash in, had coffee and chatted with R, RL’s sister.  At the appointed hour, they rang A, their granddaughter, to wish her a happy 7th birthday.  Naturally, little R, their younger grandson, wanted to tell his story and then R & R chatted with H while she worked on the birthday cake for afternoon tea.  R & R gathered up some essentials and set out for the Point Nepean National Park via London Bridge near Portsea Surf Beach about 11:30am.  From Dromana to London Bridge was 28kms.  The drive to the bridge was sealed with a huge carpark and good facilities.  Part of the beach with access from the sand to the bridge had suffered a cliff face collapse so it had been closed but it could be seen quite well from the top so R & R did not stay long.  The route to the other side of Point Nepean and the main entrance of the park and its historical points of interest was just a few kilometres.  R & R were surprised how many cars were in the carpark near the Gunners Cottage, which also acts as an information centre, and how many people were coming and going along the main sealed route and in and out of all the various tracks.  Although the walk was just short of three kilometres to the point itself, it was quite steep and ignored the fact that the way was littered with paths to look at this or that and required time to read boards and take photos.  Point Nepean was critical to the defence of Victoria, and Australia, from 1878-1948, beginning first as a quarantine station for cattle (and later leprosy patients) and finally, being declared redundant after WWII, was closed to the public.  During that time, it was used intermittently as a training ground and firing range.  For the Bicentennial in 1988, it was reopened to the public after unearthing some of the buildings and emplacements from sand that had covered much of them over time.  What remains and the way they have been presented for the public is invaluable to transmitting an awareness of its unique place in the history of the area.  Parts of the buildings at Fort Pearce and Point Nepean Fort were in excellent condition, like the Engine House which was built in 1882 for powering search lights, including some of the tunnels, which were lit.  “Thank goodness!” RA thought.  R & R took phots at every turn.  They were keen to see the memorial to former Prime Minister, Harold Holt, who disappeared off Cheviot Beach and were totally impressed by the stone and concrete wall which surrounded the coast on all sides.  Having got to the end, so as not to feel that they had short changed themselves, it was 2:30pm, so R & R put the cameras away and set a hot pace back to the car park.  They covered the 2.8kms in just under the half hour.  The journey back to Dromana along Point Nepean Road was about 23kms (a total of just over 50kms for the day) so R & R were having coffee and chatting with C & C in their house about 3:30pm.  About 5:00pm, R & R walked down to Dromana foreshore to take a photo or two of St Marks Anglican Church.  The grounds had been covered with 100s of crocheted poppies!  It was spectacular and a wonderful tribute to the 100 years since Armistice Day 1918.  They returned to fetch the washing in and sort it out.  R & R had insisted that they provide dinner, which was just as well because CA was not feeling great, so they set to it.  Everyone enjoyed meatballs, hot veg and gravy at the table before retiring to the TV to watch Part 2 – The Days of Our Lives about the rock band Queen.  When that finished, R & R retired to the camper on the front lawn.  R & R’s biggest disappointment about the afternoon was that they should have allowed a full day, not a half, for the excursion and, even then … there was a feeling that one would still be left wanting to go back.

12/11/2108 Monday R & R woke early and got out at 5:30am.  So as not to disturb C & C, they had coffee in the camper and RL read while RA wrote diary.  It was a not too cool 11*C and forecast 26*C, a lovely sunny day.  About 8:30am R & R went upstairs to join C & C for coffee.  C & C had a man coming to look at a window repair job so they chatted with him for a while.  About 10:00am, CT and RL loaded the last of the green waste into the back of CT’s Ute and took it to the refuse tip while CA did domestics and RA sorted emails and paid on line accounts like insurance for Officer and the Sat phone bill.  An hour and a half later RL and CT returned so it was about 12:15am before the towels were thrown in the wash and everyone headed to the local IGA, which just happens to have been voted Australia’s #1 IGA in 2018, to pick up ham and bread to make sandwiches for lunch on their return.  R & R picked up some yoghurt at the same time.  When R & R returned, they hung the towels.  After late lunch everyone chatted about C & C’s planned trip to Western Australia in November 2019 before having quiet time for half an hour.  Feeling refreshed CT and RL tackled a couple of jobs: taking a lock off the door downstairs and replacing to make it work better, hanging a children’s swing from the tree down the back yard, trimming the tree to make it safe and packing the Ute up with its tools and the new tree clippings.  CA did some more domestics and RA went back to the shopping centre to buy a dress that she had seen.  The day had really warmed to 27*C and because it was mostly cloudy and still, it had become quite sweaty.  By 4:30pm everyone was ready for a drink before thinking about dinner and turning on the TV.  C & C had a couple of favourite game shows they enjoy watching, so RA used that as an opportunity to write her diary.  A gentle cool breeze could be felt after 5:00pm.  R & R made chow Mein for dinner for everyone.  After dinner RL watched a TV competition show called “Child Genius” but RA took the phone down stairs and chatted with her daughter, S.  It had been a lovely quiet day … and it felt a little sad that C & C would be heading off the next morning.

13/11/2018 Tuesday R & R woke a little early at 6:45am after a warm, but not hot, night, to a temperature of 19*C.  R & R had breakfast and did a few domestics in the camper before heading upstairs to join C & C for coffee.  After a coffee and a chat, R & R had showers and helped wash up while CT put one of RL’s CDs in his player for everyone to enjoy.  About 10:00am everyone walked down to the Dromana foreshore along the main the street and popped into two op shops there.  Shortly after getting back C & C decided to have an early lunch before heading back to Melbourne.  There were hugs all round with the knowledge that their next meeting would not be until November 2019.  R & R waved them off and then headed for a drive up the coast to Mornington.  The Esplanade followed the coast closely, past Safety Beach and Mt Martha.  Sometimes, the coast was a cliff face falling at some depth to the west side of the road and, at other times, the coast was a beach with beach boxes at the water’s edge.  The road wound through coastal vegetation in some places.  Ä bit like Marine Terrace …” RL commented.  Shortly after 2:00pm, RL parked at the Mornington Park where there was a statue of Matthew Flinders.  R & R walked down to and along the Mornington Pier. Part of the pier was under repair after wild storms with 100km/hr winds in 2018 damaged the wave protection barriers. It was a warm afternoon with a top of 29*C though there was quite a breeze that made the yacht’s flip upward and dip downward on the waves.  From there RL drove into the CBD and parked the Ute.  They had just popped into an op shop when M, an acquaintance, rang so they went outside and chatted a while before heading into a couple more op shops and checking out Woolworths and Aldi to compare some prices.  RA wanted to go on the wetlands walk at The Briars, so about 4:30pm RL headed south down Nepean Highway a few kilometres.  R & R were really quite disappointed to find that the gates are closed and electrified at 4:30pm.  In order to protect the wetlands fauna, the entire wetlands complex is fenced and gated.  R & R popped into the visitor centre and looked at some of the animals that are protected in the sanctuary. There was also a café, a restaurant/reception centre, a school camp facility, a historic homestead, a plant nursery and vineyard.  RA just felt it a shame that they would not have time to go back as they had promised to see their brother-in-law, J, the next day, in Melbourne.  When they returned to Dromana, RL watched the news on TV while RA wrote the diary before dinner.  Both RL and RA were looking forward with a little trepidation … to seeing J and taking responsibility for him for a while.