NORTH SHIELDS S.A. SUNDAY 25 MARCH 12

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

SUNDAY 11 MARCH ......Today we headed off crossing into Sth Aust, Sandra isn’t feeling well with a sore throat & back. We drive east stopping at a number of scenic spots overlooking the cliffs. The free camp area we choose was vacant but by the time nightfall arrived there were six other vans in. MONDAY 12 MARCH....Happy Birthday to Karen & Sharon. We headed off with our phones changing to SA time which makes us only 1/2hr behind you’s now. Today we stopped at the Head of the Bight where there are walking paths & platforms showing the end/beginning of the cliffs. It is $5 but well worth it.

Rans’s golf has not improved with one shot going 3cm to his right.!! Another shot landing in the top of a grass shrub!!! The boys golfing has been a sight to see with them using plastic bottle tops to hit off as you can’t place a tee in this ground as it is sooo hard, and you don’t want to hit your club on the rocky ground. John has got 1 par whilst so far Rans hasn’t lost a ball which is good for him :) He has had one double figures (11) hole but the rest are not too bad. Sandra’ condition worsened today so we headed into Fowlers Bay, a small fishing village with a van park. After setting up they drove into Ceduna to the hospital where she was given some antibiotics. We in the meantime made some calls as there was no phone service across the Nullarbor. Also congratulations to Toni and the birth of her baby girl, Duskka. Rans meets up with 3 other ex coppers here and has a good talk about the old days. The most expensive fuel was at Nullarbor Roadhouse being $1.99.9...TUESDAY 13 MARCH .... Today is washing etc day as we have dust in everything & we mean everything. The weather becomes very warm & breezy again. It is a very hot day 36deg at 7pm, we went for a short walk along the Jetty with John & Sandra who is feeling slightly better.

After dinner us 2 went for another walk along the Jetty as its still hot & we can escape the March flies. The generator at the park also goes out for 2hrs which didn't help our cause of staying cool. We also had a brown snake slither from our van to next doors (no not the Bewells), and across the front of their annex & van, a bloke gave him the shovel on the head trick.....works every time!! WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH ....We wake early to the sound of sprinkles of rain. We headed off travelling east seeing lightning strikes in the distance, & we had to play another hole of golf !!! Better wear our rubber thongs (we heard later there were 35,000 strikes of lightning over S.A. ..luckily we only saw 3 !!)

We stopped at Pardoo and it was still sprinkling but no strikes so we played the hole with John getting the luckiest bounce off a tree I have seen, we both went OK, a 5 each on a Par 4. We then made it to Ceduna and set up, then heading into town for fruit & vegies as we couldn't bring any into South Aus. The arvo is taken up with paperwork. The weather has come good with sunshine & a nice breeze. We have a wonderful corned beef meal for tea, it was so yummy.....THURSDAY 15 MARCH......Rans goes for a walk along the beachfront & streets. We then did some home duties before heading out to the Golf Course for our last 2 holes, probably our worse 2 holes. I got a 10..par 5 & a 7 for a par 4, but I LOST MY BALL ! which had survived 17 previous holes. I finished up with a 134 whilst John had 117, not to bad for us & especially some of the places that we played.

The arvo we went for a drive out around the towns foreshore & then out to Denial Bay, where there are Oyster Farms. We returned & purchased some Oysters & prawns for tea. So it was Oysters la Natural, Coconut prawns, Garlic Prawns, Battered & Crumbed Fish, salad & chips how good!!!! ....FRIDAY 16 MARCH ...A small drip of rain during the night, this morn Rans washes the van & car don't know what for as it will be dirty within 24hrs !!! Rans looking forward to watching Footy tonite...League on TV yippie!!!....The boys had Oysters Killpatrick before dinner tonite.  So we watched the Broncos v Knights game and then Rans set up to watch the Dragons v Tigers but as the game was about to start Imparja TV went live to the game just as the full time siren was sounding so we saw the score..well done. Anyway he watched it to half time. SAT 17 MARCH.... We headed off this morning to Streaky Bay which is a nice town on the water. We decide to try a free camp 20k out of town, the road was in good nick & the site we had was only 150m from the ocean, also no other vans etc so it was good.

 After setting up we then went for a drive following the coastline seeing some wonderful sites, rugged escarpments, fantastic blue waters & beaches. We stopped at places like Smooth Pool,Speed Pt, Tractor Beach & the Granites.

We then made our way into town & out to Cape Bauer,Whistling Rock & the blowholes which although they weren't working they are approx 50m from the ocean and there are a number of them. we also stopped at the Servo where there was a small info centre with a replica of the largest shark caught off the Bay 1500kg. 

We then returned for drinks. SUNDAY 18 MARCH....Today we headed off around 9.15am & drove down to Sceale Bay, a nice small town on the water. There is also a good free camp here. We then drove down to the Sea Lion colony at Pt Labatt passing Baird Bay a beautiful waterway with a number of free camping spots on the water. At the Pt there is a viewing platform that looks down onto more than 50 sea lions which are lazing on rocks/sand.

We watched 2 of them having a great time playing with each other in the clear waters, it was great to see.  We then made our way inland to Murphy's Haystacks, a group of rocks that from a distance look like haystacks. This was also Amazing to see as there is nothing else around other than these rocks with a convex shape and colours.

We then made our way back into town & had lunch at a nice cafe on the waters of Streaky Bay, then made our way out to Back Beach where it is an area for surfers not swimmers, but the boys jumped into a couple of rock pools which were so clear & according to them a bit cool !! We then returned to our site for arvo drinks & plans for our next few days. At this site we also had a toilet which was up off the ground and if you left the door open you had the best views of the ocean, .....luckily no one drove past!!!

MONDAY 19 MARCH.....We headed off today towards Elliston, stopping at Talia/Woolshed Caves & The Tub. Here there is a large cave which goes back in under the ground, it looks like one of the caves has caved in, but the coastline here looks... yes again... fantastic.

The beach of Talia also goes for miles and has the best colours & waves. We then continued onto Elliston & set up for 1 nite. After lunch we went for a drive out to Walters Rock and drove along the beach. The waters here were also clear, just a great sight. We then went on the Clifftop Dve around Elliston doing the Northern side. Another area of fantastic views, colours, cliffs, water & also there are a number of sculptors along the way. One is a pair of huge thongs & John decides to lay down on his back & slip his feet in the straps for a photo....only one problem the thong broke so it was a hurried job to try & fix before the next tourist arrives!! Anyway we think it wasn't the first time they had been broken, so it was a quick exit. We then stopped at a number of viewpoints, all just magnificent passing places like Black Fellows, Cape Finniss & Salmon Pt. We drove into town for a quick look before heading back for drinks. Rans not feeling too well with his back/hip out. After tea the 3 go for a walk down to the wharf for sunset whilst Rans listens to Manly getting beaten !( feeling sicker now !) TO THE SHARKS !! oh boy. They get some great photos of the sunset over the jetty.

TUESDAY 20 MARCH....... Rans is up early and goes for a walk and gets some sunrise photos from the Jetty. After breakie we head off stopping at  Lock Well, where you have to park your van approx 1km from the platform overlooking the ocean it was pretty disappointing. We then stopped at Cummings Lookout which was great, it was probably the most scariest place to stand with a straight drop off to the Ocean, plus in a number of places the ground has started to subside.

We then continued onto Coffin Bay. It was very windy driving & it hasn't let off. We have also got a slight shower of rain just after setting up. The Bewells have gone into Pt Lincoln to buy a new battery for their van as the other one is RS. We have given the van a quick clean to get rid of some of the dirt...only some. The evening is windy with slight showers but clears later. WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH....Wake to a cool morning, we do some washing then head into Port Lincoln for the day, we go straight to the servo and get 72lts..it only holds 75! ( we were definately getting low !) We then meet up with the Bewells who have to to take their car in to check the wiring, we do a bit of shopping catch up with the Butlers and have a cuppa. We then have a drive around the Marina. There are heaps and heaps of huge trawlers here all catching Tuna mainly. There are also some very nice, big homes on the canals & waterways. We made our way back into town & went to a Chinese Restaurant which did GF food it was great for Caz & Sand. We returned to the van park and did some work around the van. THURSDAY 22 MARCH.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MURPH.....Today the 4 of us went for a drive around Coffin Bay, out into the Nat Park. We first headed out towards Gunyah Beach, which turned into a very sandy road. We stopped before it got bad so John & Rans walked ahead to check on the road. They found a Britz van stuck in the sand, with a couple trying to get out. At the time the boys were on top of a sand hill and decided to run down to where the couple was, with both boys sinking up past their knees. John then went back to the car to tell the girls and move the car, whilst Rans helped the couple get out of the sand which they succeeded in doing. The girls also decided to run up & down the sand hills....you could hear them laughing for miles. 

Well it goes without saying we reversed up & headed further into the Nat Park going to Pt Avoid, Almonta Beach Lookout & Golden Is Lookout, all of which were great, even with an overcast day. We then headed over to Yangie Bay where you can camp but sites are small. We didn't venture any further as they had shut the rest of the Park off due to culling of Roos. We made our way back to our vans where we done some repair work . Later in the Arvo John & Rans went & bought a couple of doz Oysters and came back and opened them..with a great team effort & no losing of fingers!! We then had Oys Nat & Killpatrick, very nice.

After tea, us 2 went for a walk along the foreshore but it was a bit cool so back for a hot shower. Having problems with Tv or aerial or cables...I think rans will throw something very soon!! FRIDAY 23 MARCH......We headed off fairlyy early today as we had things to do in Pt Lincoln, so it was a big drive all of 54kms to North Shields. The Bewells had already left as they had to go into the centre of town re their electrical..we think it was still dark when they left.(8am).  We arrived, J & S were already setup. After we set up, us 2 headed off into town (10kms) away for what we thought would be an hr or so....turned out to be 4 & half hrs...Oh Boy!!! The rest of the arvo was spent trying to pack what we had bought & then trying to get the TV to work.....Rans is here now at 9.15pm & has just got it working perfect...their is 6min to go in the Parra game.....yes he was very close to throwing something. We have had some rain this arvo/nite but it is clear now. We can hear the waves splashing up against the rock walls & have a good view out into the Bay. SAT 24 MARCH........Rans had a bad nite sleep with his knees playing up so he stayed in bed this morning until Sandra came a knocking so as to go shopping with Carol....only problem, the stores weren't open yet. ( she had not looked at a clock !) Good thing about holidaying you don't have to worry about dates & time. Anyway the girls went into Pt Linc for some shopping whilst the boys worked on a few things on their vans. After lunch we all went into town to the Fish shop where they had a sale on, with huge discounts so we got some stuff for Easter, ( just in case the boys don't catch anything !! ) not that we don't trust the boys fishing abilities ????.. We then went for a drive north to Tumby Bay a small town on the water, very nice but again the seaweed on the coast is so so much, it is everywhere and at nearly all our stops so far, across the Southern part of Aus.

 We returned for drinks/bikkies etc & discuss our plans for the next couple of weeks (as Easter school hols is then) prior to heading North to meet up with the others. SUN 25 MARCH......A clean up day,car..van..washing. A real nice weather day, no wind, not cold so we all did our cleaning today. Rans is still having prob's with his TV looks like an aerial problem. The Bewells came through & he could watch his footy over at their abode. Anyway bye for now hope all of you's are well, Happy B'Day to Murph, Jo Urkie, and of course a big HAPPY 25th Birthday to our Adam. xxxxxxxxxx 

WA/SA BORDER 10-11 MARCH 2012.

WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH 12...............Today we headed off back towards Norseman where we played another hole of golf. We also meet up with Di & Terry who had come from Esperance, so it’s the sickofworkinsix again as we turn onto the Eyre Hwy and make our way across the Nullarbor. We topped up fuel here & it was $1.57.9. We continued, stopping for a hole of golf at the Fraser Station Caravan Park. Here they have turned their property into a caravan park. There is not much shade & it is $30 a nite but it would be a good spot to stop if travelling in the opposite direction.  We all continued on to a free camp spot which had shade. We also played another hole of golf with things such as fairways almost nonexistent not that worries us as we are way off a straight hit.

 

THURSDAY 8 MARCH  .....Happy Anniversary to my Darling Carol... Di and terry head off a bit later than us as we have 2-3 holes to play today. Carol & Sandra drive along the straightest/longest road in Australia & possibly the world 146.6km's or 90mile. The compass stays on East & doesn't move for the 146k's. 

It is good to break the trip up with golf as I personally think the trip is boring. Not much wildlife, a few trucks/semi’s but a lot more vans heading West.  Today we make it to another free camp spot near Cocklebiddy, another good area. We go for a drive to a blowhole which is 15/20k's from the sea, it blows cold air up through the hole. The air is very cool. We have a nice night out under a full moon...

FRIDAY 9 MARCH ....Today we drive almost to the border and set up at a free camp area which is well shaded.  We have decided to stop here for 2 nites as so to have a baked dinner and a trivia night about our trip, but this has been put on hold as the Butlers have decided to continue on first thing in the morning. The arvo is taken up resting....

 SATURDAY 10 MARCH ...The Butlers head off in the morning whilst the fab Four go for a drive across the border to a couple of the scenic headland lookouts which look over these amazing, yes that’s right “amazing” cliffs looking out into the Great Australian Bight. It is a great sight and well worth the trip. It would have been a 10 if we were in whale season. We also head out to the ruins near the sea from Eucla, a small roadhouse/van park on top of an escarpment with fantastiv views. In the arvo we head back into WA & prepare for a baked dinner which was very nice out under the stars....GOODBYE TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA  as we enter South Australia tomorrow. We entered WA back on the 11th Sept so its been 6mths and everyday we spent here  has been worth it. There is so much to see still and both of us know that we will be returning sometime in the future.

 

KALGOORLIE TUESDAY 6 MARCH 12.

Hi to all and especially to Alex, Justine, James, Thomas & Amber and hope you's had a great birthday. Well we have moved on from Albany which was a great area to visit and explore, some great beaches & shorelines. So here is what has happened SATURDAY...25 FEB 12......We headed off and travelled to Bremer Bay. After setting up & catching up with Di & Tezza as they arrived a day earlier, us four(Bewells & Ransleys) headed off for a drive around the area. This is another beautiful place with pristine waters & white sands. We stopped at the following places, Fishery Beach where there is a small harbour for Trawlers & a nice small beach.

We then drove to Short Beach which is a nice area for fishing then onto Banky Beach & then down to Little Boat Harbour which was so nice. Here Rans & John have a swim. We also went down to Blossoms Beach. We also saw some homes nestled in the bushland with the best views over the Ocean. The weather had come in by the time we returned & we had some sprinkles of rain.

SUNDAY 26 FEB 12......Di is still not well so the four of us go for a drive into the Fitzgerald River Nat Park. The road part of the way in is bitumen then onto the smoothest dirt road that we have travelled on. We went to Mt Maxwell lookout with the smallest platform in Australia! We had to take turns on it !! We then had morn tea at West Mt Barren, passing on the way some wonderful native flowers & trees, some of which even Carol & Sandra didn't know or had seen before. Then made our way down to Pt Ann where the St Marys Inlet comes into the Ocean. This is a beautiful place of Australia with beautiful green coloured waters & white sands.

There is a camp area here which would be nice but no vans allowed. We then had lunch looking over the Ocean & met 2 people from Chain Valley Bay, then went on a walk around the headland with 2 lookouts, where at one we saw a Seal chasing Salmon which were in a school. We then started to make our way back & we took a detour down to the Old Homestead & then continued on a 4WD track travelling through bushland, we were in the middle of NOWHERE ! We stopped to check our map & whilst the four of us were concentrating on the map an old lady came from out of the bush and scared the .hit out of us.... She lived here and told us her name & where her husband was and that we should have known them!!!! What are the chances of that happening ??? We did have a good laugh after we drove off !!! We decided to continue on..maybe not the best decision we have made, as the road became very rough with deep corrugations, but we did make it out thankfully, ( as Carol had us almost lost & gone forever)!!! On arriving back we sat down with a drink & cheese and had a laugh about what was another nice day . MONDAY 27 FEB 12.....We had light showers during the night and the ground is quiet wet....a first!!It continued to sprinkle rain throughout the morning/lunchtime so we caught up on computer stuff & Caz watched a Video (The blind Side) In the arvo us 2 go for a walk down to the beach & on returning Caz had her hair cut & we had some cheese & bikkies again. We then had a nice tea...Sandra's cooked Corned Beef, yummy. TUESDAY 28 FEB 12........Headed off with slight rain with Caz driving. She continued to drive in rain, roadworks & some rude people on the walkie talkies but she done a great job. Very proud.We all pulled over at Ravensthorpe and had morn tea. Yes as those rude people drove past Rans gave them the bird!!! We then continued onto a Roadhouse where we were thinking of camping but it was a very poor site. We then continued on and drove into Stokes Inlet, which was a great campground with a good site for all 3 vans to park in. The amenities were also good. Here we caught up with Doug & Jan who we had met back at Walpole (from Umina), Later that arvo as the wind was blowing quite hard across the inlet the 5 of us went for a walk through the Nat Park.

Here we passed large Cycad trees, there were so many. We then made our way back for arvo drinks etc with Doug & Jan who were taking over as camp hosts from tomorrow. It was a good arvo. We continued to get rain throughout the nite.

WEDNESDAY 29 FEB 12.....Us 2 head off earlier than the others as we wished to get to a couple of camping spots in the Le Grand Nat Park. We got to the entrance to the Park and there were signs up stating that the camp areas were full so we rang the contact number & they said that the sign hadn't changed since last nite so there maybe people leaving, so we continued on to Lucky Bay but it turned out not to be so lucky with the camp hosts informing us that all spots were full. In the meantime John & Sandra had caught up & they checked out Le Grand but that was also full. We then decided to continue East to a spot called Dunn's Rock. In the meantime the Butlers decided to return to Esperance to set up in a caravan park. The road into Dunn's was approx 15kms of dirt with some bad corrugation but when you got there it was well worth it. There was only one other van here so we set up in a spot out of the wind. After lunch we then made our way into Esperance where we shopped & caught up with Di & Tezza.

On returning we drove down onto the beach but it was very windy so we returned for our normal drink/bikkies. We had some rain during the night. THURSDAY 1 MARCH 12....Some slight rain this morning but it clears to an overcast day, so we went for a drive for the day. We firstly go to Duke of Orleans Bay, where there is a van Park. This is a nice area with the start of the best couple of days sightseeing that we have had. Words & Photos will not due justice for what we are about to write & show but here goes. In close proximity is Wharton Beach with a nice headland, wonderful white sand, clear water. There is a lookout and a Little Wharton Beach which was so beautiful.

Here we drove down to the water's edge and had morning tea on the rocks..How good is life. We then made our way back to Lucky Bay, where we saw the vans almost on top of each other in this small camp ground, but when we go down to the beach we know why. This beach was voted as having the whitest sand in Aus & its true. We went for a drive along the beach to the other end where there is a viewing platform looking over Lucky Bay and 2 other small inlets which are so so pristine. Its so beautiful. We decide to have lunch on the actual beach. After lunch we went up to the Flinders Monument showing where/when Matthew Flinders came to Lucky Bay.

Don't know why he moved on!!!! We then drove to Thistle Cove & the Whistling Rock another great placed with fantastic rock formations & water, then went to Hellfire Bay which was just almost the perfect spot. The water was so clear, sand so white, the area so beautiful ( Rans's best spot). We then made our way to Cape Le Grand passing Frenchmans Peak a Mountain with a large hole through the rock near the top. You can also walk to the top to have fantastic views but we were running out of time (that's our excuse). Arriving at Le Grande we have another almost perfect beach. Here you can camp but again all full. We walked up to a platform overlooking the beach which gives great views.

We then decide to go for a drive along the beach. This is one of the best beach drives anyone could take. It go for 20kms to Wiley Beach which is almost in Esperance. The surf was so clean, we even saw a seal surfing through the waves. We then made the return journey again being so enthralled in the water & views. We then drove back to our camp site having enjoyed the day so much. We finished the day off with some cheese & bikkies & a nice tea with the stars out. Our neighbour had moved on so it was just us 2 vans to the whole area..so so good. It started to rain heavy around 10pm but it lasted only a short time.

FRIDAY 2 MARCH 12....Rans is up early & decides to sit outside on his camp/homemade toile..... the next thing a bloke walks past ! but not too close, thank goodness, you just can't sit anywhere in peace.!! Rans then walks down to the beach and meets up with the bloke who came in last nite when it was raining. Anyway Rans goes for a long walk on the beach, he has the whole beach to himself so he goes for a nudie swim before returning for a nice cooked breakie. The weather has turned out great today. After packing up we went for a drive down along Dunns Beach. Rans & John have a swim catching some good waves.

It was a great morning. we then head off into Esperance where we set up at the same park as Di & Tezza.  The arvo is spent doing stuff to the van etc before having arvo drinks. Its baked chook tonite & its was bloody beautiful. Just a fantastic day.

SATURDAY  3 MARCH 12....Well today TOPS our stay in Esperance & the surrounding area off.  Rans first off goes for a walk along the Esplanade & Jetty. The four of us then head off west from Esperance following the Coast, we stopped at the following places, Rotary Lookout which looks over  Esperance, the Recherche Archipelago's  & the start of the best beaches in Australia. West Beach...fantastic Salmon Beach.....so pretty. Twilight Bay & Beach....Probably the best so far, Rans & John have a swim here.

The water is so clear it looks like the bottom is only 2ft below you but its over 10-12ft. As we were leaving the beach, Sandra sees a Tiger snake come out of the sand hills and warns others. We then made  our way to Picnic Beach, Observatory Hill which overlooks the ocean. We have morning tea here. Then onto Observatory Pt, Nine Mile Beach, Ten Mile Lagoon...here the colour of the water changes so so  much....greens, blues light & darks. Eleven Mile Beach.. here with small water holes inside a long reef which looks magnificent.

 We then drive to the Pink Lake which was a bit disappointing so we decide to turn around and see it all over again, stopping again at Twilight Beach for lunch and also Blue Haven Beach. We then make our way back to our site,we decided that the beaches we have seen today & over the past 2 days are the best by far. If we had more time we would stay with no questions asked & it will be a place we "WILL RETURN" to & a place everyone should see. SUN 4 MARCH 12...Rans is up early & headed down to Salmon Beach for one last swim. On his return the 2 sisters go for a walk along the Jetty seeing Sammy the seal.

They then proceeded to the local markets & on their return we headed off travelling North to Kalgoorlie. It took us about 5hrs with Sandy driving a bit of the way. By the time we set up it was well into happy hr so... we extended the happy hr. After dinner the 2 of us sat outside with a beautiful night watching the stars.

 MONDAY 5 MARCH 12.....Another nice day, today we went for a drive up to the Super Pit Mine where they bring out truck after truck load of rock looking for gold. This is a big pit, one of 22 in an area of 900km's. We then went to Mt Charlotte Lookout where the first water reservoir was built, then went for a drive through the town, seeing magnificent buildings, also down Hay St....the Brothel St... We then went thru the Mine Museum which was very interesting. We then went to Carol & Sandra's cousins place Doug & his wife Jules, and also met his son Daniel. The girls haven't seen Doug for 36yrs.

We had a good arvo but Doug had to go to work about four so we then returned to do some repairs to our vans. Another nice nite.

TUESDAY 6 MARCH 12............John & Rans go & play the first 2 rounds of Golf of the Nullabor Course. Rans says the course is good. He got a 9 & 8 whilst John got 6 & 7. Later on we went into town to look around & do last minute shopping. The weather is nice here again today...sorry.

 In the arvo us 2 go back into town to go on the Local Establishment Tour but we were a bit late so we missed out, so the next best thing, Woolies liquor for Nullabor Supplies, we then returned for a swim. Another nice nite outside for tea. So bye for now and will catch up again in about a week when we hit South Australia. Have a good & safe Holiday Colleen & Ernie, Happy Birthday Karen T & Sharon. Also have a good Holiday resting that Thumb Deb Houlie.Also Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife, love you heaps Darl.