25 January 8 April 2008
Another trip and another travelogue so delete now if you are not interested! The trip is to WA for the grape harvest at Peter's place followed by a slow return to the east via the south west of WA and the coast of SA.
We left Canberra for Adelaide on Wednesday 23 Jan 08 and stayed overnight at Hay. Found a great place on the banks of the Murrumbidgee adjacent to the town where there were a few other travellers. Next morning after a brief run we had a swim in the river after seeing some locals doing the same. It was delightful and we wished we had done the same thing the previous (hot) evening!
Onwards towards Adelaide and to a camp southwest of Ouyen. Kate had looked up our camping guide and found a free camp next to a lake in a Nature Reserve south of the road to Adelaide. After following some back roads we eventually found the dry lake and disused toilet block - think our camping guide was five years out of date and the drought had not been taken into account! We decided to stay and had a very quiet night! The night sky was amazing.
In Adelaide we stayed at Geraldine (my sister) and Dick's place at Urrbrae. We spent the long weekend with them visiting their new beach house near Victor Harbour for a welcome to the neighbourhood for Dick and Geraldine and a farwell to their friends from whom they were purchasing the property. We did a bit of cycling around Adelaide and enjoyed the cycling friendly atmosphere generated by the Tour Down Under. We watched the final criterium stage through the streets of Adelaide which was very exciting.
The following Tuesday we picked up Kate's mum and sister Tricia from Adelaide airport for the trip across the Nullabor and travelled to Port Augusta that afternoon. It was stinking hot there so Margaret and Tricia booked into an air conditioned cabin and we hooked up to power and turned the air conditioning on! Next day we started the trek across South Australia and spent the first night on the side of the road. Found a suitable spot at about 4 pm and set up camp. Kate and I slept under the awning on stretchers and Tricia and Margaret in the van. Fortunately the truck traffic wasn't too bad and we had a comfortable night.
What can you say about the Nullabor - if you haven't driven across you need to for the experience! If you have then you know that it is ever changing and a very interesting drive. The cliffs of the Great Australian Bight are stunning and it was enhanced for us by the misty background over the water and the clouds forming from the moist air rising from the cliffs - truly magnificent and wild. There didn't seem to be as much road kill this time (this was our sixth crossing) so the number of wedge tailed eagles was down. I think we only saw about five. We had another camp by the side of the road and enjoyed a peaceful night apart from the flapping of the annex. We had to put up two sides to stop being blown away by the powerful south easterly wind which persisted most of the night. Fortunately on our roadside camps the weather was kind and the night temperature dropped which enabled good sleeping.
We went past the spot where a number of truck drivers were killed recently when they became trapped in their vehicles in a bushfire. The highway had been closed then reopened when it was considered safe. Unfortunately an unexpected wind change caused the fire to change direction and increase in intensity trapping them. It was obviously a very intense fire as everything was burnt completely, just ash left. Very sad.
We spent that night at Southern Cross in the local caravan park. Once again it was a very hot night so we were grateful for air conditioning after a very pleasant pub meal. The following day we arrived in Gingin at Peter (my brother) and Leeann's place to a very warm welcome.
Kate was looking forward to spending a few days in Freemantle with her mum and sister so next day it was off to the south. We borrowed Luke's (our nephew) new satellite navigator and it worked a treat - once I had established that I wanted to go down the Brand Highway and not head over to the coastal route. It kept wanting me to turn right then recalculating and trying again at the next right turn. After a while it gave up and happily took us through Perth and onwards to Freemantle. It certainly came into its own in the narrow streets of that city and brought us to the front door of the hotel with ease. After leaving the troops at the hotel it happily navigated me back to Gingin via the same route - smart machine! I am sold on the thing, and have added it to the shopping list!
Kate spent the next couple of days touring Freemantle and Perth before saying farewell to Tricia and Margaret at the airport. We think they are enjoying the trip across the Nullabor more in hindsight than the actuality! Anyway it was great having them with us.
Meanwhile the grape harvest began in earnest with three successive nights harvesting Chardonnay grapes. We began at about 7 pm and continued through the night till we had achieved the target truck loads for that night which were 60, 98, 60 tonnes. On the middle night we had two harvestors working and three tractors with chase bins (one of which I drive). It was very hectic! When not grape harvesting I have been hay carting - loading round bales onto a truck and trailer with a front end loader in the paddock then unloading them into a storage area. The final night of harvesting was last night when we started at 3 am (the only time the harvestor could get here) and loaded 36 tonnes of Chenin grapes onto the truck. We could have done another 2 tonnes but did not have enough bins.
News came through the other day that they might have a buyer for the Shiraz grapes (100 plus tonnes) which had previously been contracted to Evans and Tate (they went bottom up last year owing money to the farm). Apparently there is a bit of a glut of them here and everyone is looking for buyers. It seems the grapes might go to a buyer in South Australia. With the limited water in the Murray Darling system grape production is expected to be severely curtailed so South Australian buyers have been contracting grapes from the West. They crush the grapes here then transport the grape juice across the Nullabor by tanker trucks.
Weather here has been hot, hot, hot with 35-38 degrees almost daily and night temperatures not dropping much below 20 degrees. There is usually a bit of wind so it hasn't been too uncomfortable. It has made us appreciate our air conditioner and it has certainly had a good workout.
We are off to Durian Bay with Peter and Leeann in their Winnebago this weekend to swim with the sea lions and with a bit of luck a trip on a crayfish boat. More later!
2.
Well the trip to Jurien Bay to see the sea lions did not turn out as expected but more of that later. We did get away on Friday afternoon and had a relaxing trip up the Brand Highway to the turnoff to Cervantes. Along the road in we passed a massive windfarm - I counted 50 but it turns out there were 48. I really enjoy the sight of these massive machines (blades are 40 metres) churning away - much prefer them to the sight of fossil fuel burning power stations. And this location was well away from the coast on fairly ordinary farmland so it was doing noone any harm.
Needless to say we (I) had to turn in to the visitors' viewing area and read about it. Commissioned in 2006 the farm was set up to provide the power for the Desalination plant which has been built to provide Perth with extra domestic water capacity. So supposedly the huge power requirements for that plant are carbon neutral. Makes you wonder why they haven't done the same for other power requirements.
We camped north of Jurien Bay at Sandy Cape for the princely sum of $11 per night and for that we got a composting toilet! But the coastline was magnificent with high sand dunes and beautiful water. Leeann and Peter arrived at sunset in their "new" Winnebago. Unfortunately their "house batteries" were not charged and we couldn't work out why this hadn't occurred on the drive up. This meant a bit of mucking around with his generator to get power for pumps and hot water - a little disappointing for them. Swimming was great but the snorkelling not so successful because of turbid water.
We had a couple of days of enjoying the swimming and fishing with some success at the latter. Peter, Leeann and Rachel left on Sunday afternoon but organised a trip next morning for us on a crayfish boat. The rock lobster industry on this section of the coast is world famous and 90% of the catch is exported.
Next morning at daybreak we were at the jetty ready to board "Mind Games" with Stephen, the captain, and two deckies, Stephen's son Lee and Cody. For the next 5 hours we navigated around Jurien Bay using GPS to locate over 100 pots which were each checked and re-baited.
The skipper motors up to the buoys (usually two per pot/line) and the decky throws a grab over the line then using a capstan winch hauls the crab pot to the side of the boat. The cray pot is shaped like a matchbox with one of the large sides larger than the other. You could say it looks like pyramid with most of the top cut off. They are made of pine and have a red plastic entry funnel in the top beside which is the bait chamber. It seems the crayfish cannot swim upwards through the funnel which is about 15 cm in diameter. The pot has a removable end and two escape holes for undersized crayfish and other creatures. So the pot is hauled up the side of the boat and into a cradle where the removeable end is slid to the side and the crays tipped into a stainless steel holding trough. The end is then slid back into place and the bait chamber is replenished with more bait (in this case a fish - probably a mullet or like fish). The pot and accompanying lines and buoys are then stored on deck until all the pots in that area are checked (10-15). The skipper then motors around until he finds a suitable mound on the seabed using his echo sounder. He sounds a horn and the deckies immediately launch a pot over the side together with accompanying rope and buoy. You have to admire the deckies running up and down on a moving deck moving the 70 kg pots and making sure the ropes and buoys don't get tangled. It is also dangerous work as a tangled rope when the pot is launched can easily drag things over the side including humans on occasions!
The boat goes out every day and only has three days off every month during the season. The pots are removed from the ocean during that time and I am not sure why - it may be the time they moult into a larger shell, memory not so good. It does mean the pots dry out which prevents or kills the myrid of sea creatures which attach themselves to the sides of the pots and most importantly for the wood worm which destroys all but a few species of wood when they are immersed in salt water.
The mortal enemy of the crayfish is the octopus. We saw about four hauled up in the pots and the resulting shells of crayfish which the creature had devoured. They are quickly dispatched by the deckie and taken back to shore for bait.
The crayfish are all measured very carefully as they must be more than 75 cm along the thorax. Far more were thrown back than were kept which probably indicates a healthy population of growing young ones. The crew ended up with two large boxes of crays which we were told amounted to $1200 so it was an average day for them. They gave us a couple to sample which was very kind of them.
Kate took half a seasickness tablet before departure and another half later when the seas were larger and the boat started to sway. Unfortunately she felt very lethargic and got to the stage when she could hardly talk because of a dry throat. But she wasn't sea sick!! I didn't bother and for most of the trip felt okay watching the deckies at work. I would have liked to have helped but couldn't imagine how I could have stayed upright on the heaving deck. During the last hour I felt a bit more queasy and was very grateful to step onto dry land back at the dock!!
All up it was a fascinating day and we will never eat a lobster in future without remembering the work which goes into landing them on the dinner table!
The plan was to go and swim with the sea lions on the next day but it was not to be. Kate had a little "deja vous" feeling as she had the same phone conversation with the tour provider four years earlier when told that it was unlikely there would be a tour next day because of rising seas due to a gale warning. So we abandoned Jurien Bay and headed back to Gingin. We have been doing cattle work and some much needed maintenance on the many trees which adorn the property. It seems likely the property will be sold in the next six months so the owners wish to tart the property up ready for potential buyers.
We will be heading off soon on our elongated trip back via the south west of WA. The car and caravan performed faultlessly on the trip over. Our "new" Landcruiser is much more stable on the road than the Discovery so driving is far more relaxing. We covered 4600 km on the trip over using 884 litres of fuel for an average consumption of 19 litres per 100 km. We are very happy with our purchase.
3.
We are back on the road and arrived at Esperance this morning. Fortunately the caravan park has wireless internet so I am sitting in our airconditioned caravan writing this email on our laptop. Our little temperature gauge says that it is 43 degrees outside but inside it is a pleasant 29 degrees. I stepped outside a minute ago and it was like walking into an oven!
It was sad to leave Peter and Leeann as we had enjoyed being their "neighbours" for the past three weeks. They had been great company and had made our stay delightful. We had the caravan set up on a large 120 x 40 metre stretch of green grass which Leeann assiduously waters through the summer months. It adjoins their house and is in front of a large stable building which in a previous life could house 20 horses. Now it only houses Rachel's horse and several motorbikes!! We had views across much of the farm including the vineyard blocks through some large gum trees. It was really lovely to sit outside the van as night descended with a much deserved drink after a day's work on the farm.
It is rather amazing to come from the drought ravaged eastern states to this little oasis where water is plentiful thanks to the Gingin Brook and a bore (which of course is all monitored and paid for). I managed to wash the caravan for the first time in two years and even washed the car twice, wait for it........with a hose!! Felt really guilty but it was great!! Kate says Ruth will never forgive me!
Driving southwest from Gingin we connected up with the freeway which has extended Perth's development north along the coast. It is quite an amazing transport corridor with a commuter train running down the middle of the freeway and bike paths adjoining it. We drove straight to Perth with no holdups then continued on to the relatively new southward equivalent where a new rail link has been built to Mandurah down the middle of the freeway. I don't think we dropped below 80 kph all the way. It is a little startling and unnerving to be sitting on a freeway at (100 kph) and be overtaken by a train travelling at 120 kph.
Shades of Europe! So we cleared the city effortlessly and continued down the coast stopping at Bussellton for a swim and walk out on the jetty(2 km). We thought we would find a free camp further on at Dunnsborough or Cape Naturaliste but we were surprised at the development which had occurred there. Seems anything near the Margaret River area is being or has been developed for the tourist whether local, interstate or overseas. So in the late evening we found ourselves at the extremely pretty town of Yallingup. We wandered the beach in the late evening and watched some surfers catching the waves on the new craze (to us anyway) of standing on large surfboards and using a long handled paddle to build speed to get on the waves. Some of them were quite graceful.
Next morning we wandered south and called in at Vasse Felix winery (as recommended by Julie and Milton!). Had a pleasant coffee and Kate tasted and purchased some wine. You get the impression after a few visits to wineries that every winery has a flash restaurant, stunning grounds, a well laid out tasting room including local artefacts and winery-embossed clothing, and maybe a sculpture garden. Maybe this is the only way to make it onto the "tourist trail". I must not be cynical as a non-believer, it does make for a pleasant, if expensive, (whoops sorry!) experience.
Onwards to Hamelin Bay where we set up for a couple of days. Out came the fishing rods (not fast enough for my fishing-tragic partner) and to the beach for some pleasant hours. The beaches in this region are stunning and the water very clear. We did some snorkelling and watched the stingrays in the shallows. They seem to be used to humans coming right up to the water's edge at times (I am sure someone feeds them). I think Australian's are much more hesitant to interact with rays after Steve Irwin's tragic death but it didn't seem to worry some of the overseas visitors we saw! We did a day trip from there to Augusta and Cape Leewin which is right on the tip where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. This was a truly stunningly picturesque location. One could imagine it being a wild place in storms but fortunately it was very calm and overcast for our brief visit.
Unfortunately for us the weekend coming up was the long weekend in WA so we had to vacate the ocean and head inland to Pemberton - most of the seaside caravan parks were booked out. We spent a couple of days exploring the karri forests including a run and ride on our mountain bikes. A culinary highlight was the delivery to our van of a marron and trout dinner prepared by the local hatchery (marron is a freshwater crayfish local to WA). Delicious!
We went to the famous Gloucester tree but were not tempted to climb it. For those not familiar with WA forests, in years gone by the Forests Department constructed lookout platforms on the tops of strategically selected trees throughout the karri forests to give early warning of fires during the fire season. They are no longer used for this purpose but a couple have now been made tourist attractions. The Gloucester tree is one of them and anyone can climb it. 25mm steel rods which are about 70 cm long have been sunk into the tree at 50 cm intervals spiralling up the tree. The Lonely Planet describes the 60m climb as "nerve wracking". Needless to say this bunny with the yellow stripe down his back was not tempted to go more than two rungs! Even the "egging on" of two smug elderly senior citizens who had recently descended could not shame me. We did of course have cycling shoes with metal cleats on them so it would have been irresponsible and unsafe............! Well that is my excuse and I am sticking to it! Kate went up a little higher than me, would have gone all the way but she was sensitive enough not to shame me. I remember driving up to the tree in 1982 on a gravel road and seeing a sign and that was about it. Now there is an entry gate with a manned booth for the entry fee (we avoided the charge by riding bikes!) and hotmix roads and carparks. Signs, toilets, shelters, you name it it is there. Progress!
We moved on to Walpole for the tail end of the long weekend and stayed in an out-of-the-way caravan park as all the others were booked out. Next morning we managed to get on the local cruise through the lakes system. We agreed it had to be one of the better ones we have ever been on. Whilst the scenery was good and the local history interesting, the guide had all of us in stitches. He managed to get an informal question and answer session going pitting one side of the boat against the other. Some of the yarns he told were very funny highlighted by a bungled hold up attempt of the local bank.
We have been fishing at various locations and have had mixed success. We caught some whiting at Hammelin Bay and some herring (know as tommy ruff in the eastern States). So no big fish but a number of small ones.
Next day we left Walpole via the Valley of the Giants where we did the Tree Top Walk. If the Gloucester tree was nerve wracking then this walk was spine chilling. I wasn't prepared for it and it sneaks up on you. The walk is about 400 metres and goes out over a valley on a narrow walkway the flooring for which is see-through mesh. The Walkway is supported every 30 - 40 metres or so by a vertical pole. The walkways snake through the canopy of the tingle forest and at one point is 40 metres above the floor of the forest. I couldn't wait to get off it as apart from having a see-through floor the sections sway about as you walk on them. Not a very secure feeling for one who is not happy looking down!
We passed through Albany on that day but did not stop as the town was overrun with passengers from the QE2. Lovely town but we decided to move on. About 80 km out of Albany we turned towards the coast and stopped at Norman's Beach which was about 26km off the main road on dirt. This turned out to be a beautiful camping ground on the beachfront. Cost $8 per site and it was collected on a Saturday, if you were there. We were not so a free camp. The beach had a rock shelf about 100 metres off shore so the water was very calm and clear. We snorkelled and saw some beautiful fish and a large stingray. We also fished further along from a surf beach landing a feed of herring - a great spot and one we would love to come back to.
So we will spend a few days here at Esperance and the nearby national parks before heading back across the Nullabor.
4.
Since the last email we have been here in Esperence and in the National Parks to the east. What a wonderful coastline with great headlands and off shore islands with fine white sand and turquoise water (I think the two are related!). Many of the granite islands drop away dramatically to the sea with smooth rock faces. It is great scenery.
Esperance is a bustling town enhanced by the mining boom. The port of Esperence exports grain, mainly wheat, nickel and iron ore. They have nearly 200 ships per year including a recent 200 tonne giant loading iron ore. I would really like to have seen that in the harbour, I think it would have filled the area. Interestingly the nickel is coming from a new massive mine which we passed at Ravensthorpe. The nickel is delivered in containers so they have imported a massive container crane from China to load the ships.
Esperance has a wind farm nearby which supplies about 20% of its and nearby areas requirements (they had the first wind farm in Australia. The rest is supplied by a gas fired power station. They are not connected to the national grid.
We did a wildlife cruise as recommended by other caravaners and it was very good. We saw dolphins, sea lions and NZ fur seals. They also have some local white breasted sea eagles on two of the islands we passed which flew around the boat and dived on a fish thrown out by a crew member. It was fantastic to see the eagle diving from 50m up down onto the ocean. They seemed to pick up the fish without touching the ocean.
After our cruise we went for a ride along the coast on the bike path from hell. We were initially very impressed with this path when we drove our car past it, hot mix surface, beautiful scenery along the coast and well off the road. When we rode it however we found it an extremely difficult challenge probably impossible to the average recreational cyclist - the hills!! I am sure we couldn't have ridden it on our road bikes because the grades were so steep. For all that however it is a remarkable path with magnificent scenery.
Next we headed for the National Park to the east and stopped at a camp site at Cape Le Grande. We were successful after a while fishing from the rocks and managed to land four snook (long thin fish). We also hooked a 5 foot ray or banjo shark. I say we because it was a combined effort. Kate hooked it and thought she had snagged her line. Part of my role in this fishing life is to do the dirty work like unsnagging lines and re tying them if we loose tackle! So I took her rod and moved along the rocks to try and unsnag it. After straining to the point of breaking the line I suddenly felt it move. I wasn't sure what was going on but after much straining and dragging I finally could see this ray shark. After getting it to the water's edge and taking the photo we let it go.
So the place was so nice we ended up staying for 4 nights. We explored the many beaches and coves by car and bike. One of the highlights was climbed Frenchman's Peak which is one of a number of rock granite outcrops which rise above undulating ground. The Peak rises spectacularly with bare rock sides to a cap which has eroded away underneath. In addition erosion has left a cave which opens north and south. Thought of another way there is a rock bridge at the top of the hill. It took us half an hour of hard climbing to reach the peak and the views were spectacular. To the west we could see Esperance, to the north the flatter wheat/desert country, to the east more bays and islands of the coast and to the south islands and the southern ocean.
Today (Saturday) we are heading off across the Nullabor with the aim of staying a few days at Fowler's Bay before heading for Adelaide and Melbourne.
5.
Leaving Esperence we travelled north to Norseman then turned right to head across the Nullabor after first checking to find out the prices of fuel on the way. There is one company which owns several fuel outlets on the Nullabor and their operational mission statement is something like "rip off the travellers". So it is important to plan to avoid them - on this stretch Balledonia, Caiguna, Cocklebiddy, Madura and Border Village. As an example, on the way over Border Village had diesel at $1.88 and less than 10 km down the road at Eucla it was $1.68. So we had to make Norseman to Mundrabilla which is about 650 km, probably equivalent to the maximum distance we could tow if we drained the tanks. Unfortunately we had to purchased 21 litres of fuel at Cocklebiddy at $1.88 per litre to make sure we could get to Mundrabilla where the price was $1.68.
We stopped on the side of the road for the first night then turned off the Eyre Highway in South Australia for Fowlers Bay. We had started reasonably early after our side-of-the-road stop and as the day wore on it got hotter and hotter. When we stopped for lunch our little electronic thermometer in the van registered 41 degrees. A little later the air conditioning in the car seemed to be loosing efficiency and we thought it was cactus. Fortunately after a bit it resumed operation and hasn't stopped since. Hopefully it was only a momentary protest at the difficult task it was being asked to achieve because it was bloody hot! Apart from that we are very happy with the car's performance. I had a transmission temperature gauge put in before leaving and it didn't rise above 85 degrees during that horrible day so I was very happy.
We found Scotts beach, a remote beach in the Fowlers Bay Conservation Reserve, and we had the place to ourselves after the locals left on Sunday evening. The water was fairly brisk but after 40+ degrees we weren't complaining. So we had the quietest night yet with only the breaking waves to serenade us, much better than the trucks on the Nullabor.
Next day we fished before deciding to move to a different beach in the same Reserve (the real reason was that Kate remembered a nearby beach where we had a wonderful time fishing in 2004). Unfortunately the fishing wasn't so good this time and we headed for Ceduna next day.
A traveller's dilemma - on the way to WA from SA they confiscate all your fruit and vegetables at the border. On the way back the SA authorities confiscate all your fruit and vegetables at Ceduna. Why is it so? Does one State believe that the other State has some disease it doesn't? Beats me! We expected to loose everything on the way over and planned accordingly. We knew we would loose our fruit on the way back and planned accordingly. But we didn't think we would loose the vegetables on the way back. Bummer!
We spent one night in Ceduna before travelling south down the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula to Streaky Bay then 50 km south to Baird Bay. Why Baird Bay I hear you asking?
You might remember from a previous email that Kate has been keen to swim with sea lions - she isn't anymore! At Baird Bay we were able to take a boat ride which visited a sea lion colony and we could swim with sea lions. They are truly beautiful creatures and we had a great time snorkelling with the young ones. Unfortunately there was one older one that took to nipping people in the water and unfortunately decided to try and take a piece out of Kate's leg. It also nipped me on the leg so I am also cured of swimming with them. The "Eco" tour operator shrugged off the incidents as just part of the tour but I am not sure how long he will be in business if the biting continues! Kate had a big bruise on her thigh to prove it, fortunately she was wearing her wetsuit or it could have been worse.
The second part of the tour proved to be very much more satisfying as we were able to swim with dolphins. The operator motored over to a certain part of the bay and found a pod of dolphins. Dolphins always like to ride the bow wave of boats and the tour operator took advantage of this to enable us to swim with the dolphins. We were dropped off then the boat circled us with the dolphins swimming in front of the boat. They obviously knew we were in the water and seemed to come over to us out of curiosity. So we observed them swimming under us and alongside us and so close that we could have reached out and touched them. Fantastic!
The township(?) of Baird Bay has about 20 houses and we were told three full time residents. It also has a camp ground and we were able to camp for the princely sum of $5 a night. For that you get a composting toilet and a sheltered BBQ with picnic tables. Lighting is provided by solar panels. It is a lovely spot overlooking the bay. We decided to prop there after our sea lion tour and avoid the overcrowded caravan parks at Easter. A few local wheat farmers arrived for some Easter fishing, their families following a day later. The little camping ground was rather full but nevertheless great fun.
The fishing was great from the nearby (3.5km) ocean beach which we rode to on our bikes over very rough tracks - frequent limestone outcrops. Generally we had the beach to ourselves and we landed a good number of tommy ruffs, one 40 cm King George whiting and three good sized salmon. Kate landed the largest salmon after a good fight. We thought we would have to ride back to put it in the fridge as we landed it early in the morning and we intended fishing for most of the high tide. Fortunately our neighbours came past and took it back in their car fridge. I mention this bit of trivia because when we got back they teased Kate and said there wasn't much of the fish left as after they had each photographed each other they said it had got a bit knocked around so they ate it. Fortunately they were only kidding and we had a beautiful baked fish that night after cooking it on the BBQ.
Next stop was Elliston for a day then we travelled to Melbourne stopping at Port Augusta, Adelaide and Horsham. The trip was uneventful but much busier than on the western side of the country! We can also report that with the end of summer the grey nomads are on the road again and heading west! We passed lots and lots of caravans heading the other way.
Our Ben arrives here on Saturday night so we will spend a few days here catching up with Julia and the rest of the family before wandering back to Canberra.
6.
Not too much excitement on the last part of our trip from the west. Ben arrived on time at Melbourne Airport and apart from the shock of the parking fee ($10) it was great to catch up with him. We spent a few days in Melbourne checking out Julia's newly purchased flat before heading south east for a few days at the coast.
We were at Julie (Kate's sister) and Milton's place at Venus Bay when the destructive winds hit Victoria. We battened down the hatches of our caravan and the house and watched the wild weather. It wasn't long before we had lost power in the house so we were grateful we had the Bushtracker especially when the power was off for more than 24 hours (no power in a tank dependent house meant no water as pumps need electricity). With our own water supply and solar power we were even able to watch TV and enjoyed a comfortable night.
Next day the winds were still howling and Ben and I got a bit of cabin fever so we decided to go out for a ride. It was fairly difficult with gusts nearly flattening us but we managed to pedal to the surf beach (No 1 beach). Here we saw an amazing sight with white caps everywhere. The underlying rollers were breaking on the sand but beyond them the wind waves were at right angles to the beach and the sea was like a boiling cauldron. On the beach the wind was picking up dry sand so that there was a moving sea of sand about 30 cm high.
We watched for a while then decided to go to the next beach upwind and see what it was like there. After a hard fought battle with the wind we got to No 2 beach and bravely decided to ride back along the beach to No 1 beach. The wind was still howling and the sand-sea peppered us as we pushed the bikes to the hard sand. Once on the bike I was instantly doing about 30 kph without peddling and it was quite unnerving. The wind was blowing my T shirt up my back and the sea of sand seemed to be passing me at a prodigious rate so that I almost felt as though I was standing still. This was all happening as I flew along the beach at between 30-40 kph. Frightening!
Ben, who was behind me and as always had his little digital camera at the ready, managed to film some of it, how I don't know. The film is full of noise and I don't appear to be moving much the sand was going past so fast.
In a very short time we were approaching No 1 beach and I wasn't sure how I was going to stop. I should explain that the ocean beach at Venus Bay is a long curved beach running about 10 km to the west and 16 km to the east which was the direction we were going - all of it is rideable at low tide. After No 1 beach there is only about one spot to get off the beach and that was about 13 km up the beach. It was impossible to walk into the wind so you can see it was fairly necessary to stop at No 1 beach. I did manage to ease the bike towards the ramp and finally slowed in the soft sand. Ben with a 50 m wide beach to pull up on nearly managed to clean me up as he couldn't pull up as quickly. I lifted my bike out of the soft sand and the wind instantly blew it up to the horizontal like a flag. After that I have no desire to be caught in a cyclone!
We abandoned the beach and Venus Bay to return to Melbourne and then on to Canberra. Ben is with us for another week and a half before returning to England. We are settling back in to the suburban life cleaning up the garden after weeks of neglect.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Monday, May 28, 2007
Vietnam
23 Aug - 13 Sep 2005
1
Well here we are in Vietnam. Arrived on Monday and will be here for three weeks. We are basing ourselves in Hanoi and have been acclimitising ourselves - it is another world!!
Our arrival in Hanoi was not without incident. I think we made an error in the time we told the hotel (which we had booked on the internet) to pick us up so we ended up in a taxi. On arrival a fellow from the hotel poked his head in the door and told us our room was occupied by a sick person whom they had been unable to move so we would have to stay at this hotel – a related one. He kept flashing cards from our booked hotel and explaining that it had changed names! Fortunately Kate had read about this particular scam in Lonely Planet and after ten minutes of heated (on our part!) discussion we eventually insisted that the taxi driver take us to our booked hotel. Of course our hotel had our booking and was wondering where we were as their driver was at the airport! I live in wonder to this woman I am married to - I would probably have ended up in the scam hotel!
It has been an interesting cultural experience to cope with Hanoi. Stepping onto the street is frightening at first. We are based in the old quarter and stepping out of the hotel we are immediately "in it". The footpaths and narrow streets are crowded with motor bikes, mini kitchens, pedicabs, motorbikes, pedestrians, motorbikes, women carrying the traditional baskets supported by a wooden bouncy rod over the shoulder (amazing the weight they >carry), motorbikes, hawkers of all sorts, motorbikes, cyclists, motorbikes etc... A lot of the time you have to walk on the road and there is a constant stream of motorbikes, bikes and people passing or overtaking you.
I am fascinated by the traffic. On the major roads there is just a wall of motorbikes loaded with 1-4 people, baskets of food, produce of varying sorts, beds, mattresses, furniture, you name it you will see it on a motorbike. The only way to cross the road is to walk forward with confidence into the wall of bikes (and occasional cars, trucks and buses) keeping an eye on the traffic as you do so. Magically the motorbikes part to give you room, not much, but after a while you get used to it! It is extraordinary and has to be seen to be believed!! Noone gets agro, they just make space and move on. Watching it from the edge of the road is nothing short of mind boggling. In Australia, if the same thing happened as here you would be able to measure road range by the square metre!! But here they just weave around someone doing anything stupid (in my mind anyway!). There are millions and millions of motorbikes - all about 125 ccs and travelling at no more than about 40 kph, usually much less.
So we have been getting used to moving around and shopping. We have been stitched up a number of times but the people are so nice and we are so affluent by comparison that we just love it. Kate cannot resist interacting with them at every level. Consequently we have enough post cards to write to everyone we know for the next year or so - warning here - don't expect one as buying does not mean writing!!
Yesterday we took a tour of four villages which specialised in pottery, woodwork, silk weaving and noodle production. It was fascinating - they are certainly an industrious people. In the wood village we were told that a lot of the timber comes from outside Vietnam usually imported from illegal operations in neighbouring countries. Nothing goes to waste however – every bit of timber is used in some way. We saw a stack of stumps which would be burnt in Australia being used as a valuable resource for carvings of every shape and size. Mostly the markets for the produce seem to be local or Asian as the ornate style would only be found in Franco Costas furniture business in Melbourne's Brunswick otherwise!
We were able to watch the making of pottery from the ground up and both Kate and Julia (who is also with us) were unable to resist buying some examples. (Kate has had some foresight here - she purchased a Tosca case at an OP shop for $25 which expands into probably double its compacted size and will take two very strong men to lift, once she fills it - this won't take long on >present indications!!).
At the silk village we watched women using ancient (well they looked that way) wooden weaving machines (electrically powered) to make silk fabrics. The factory was noisy and dark but the amazing fabrics being produced were wondrous! Needless to say we left the village with some packages!
Julia has caught up with Leah and her son Lewis as well as Leah's parents and brother who are also here at this time. We had dinner within the Australian embassy compound where Leah lives in the lap of Australian luxury! Her cook had prepared a sumptous banquet for us so we had a great introduction to Vietnamese cooking.
Yesterday morning we decided to get up early and go for a run - we thought that at 5.30 we wouldn't find too many people about. We were half right. The streets were relatively bare of the ever present motorbikes but when we got to the lake we found a great stream of locals out for their constitutional walk, exercise class, fan dance, badminton match etc. We had to run along the road!! Needless after two laps of the lake which took about 20 minutes we had had it - the humidity is stiffling and more than we could cope with!
I am having trouble coping with the local currency. Yesterday I was a millionaire as I withdrew 1 000 000 dong from our account. 10 000 dong corresponds to $1 Australian - actually it is probably closer to 12 000 but for ease of calculation we are using 10 000. So every time you make a purchase you need to knock off four noughts to get an idea of what you are paying. The problem is that they also deal in American dollars so some prices are in dong and others in $US. So you cash some $US for dong and think you have plenty of money and next thing you are paying in the thousands of dongs for something and before you know it you have nothing left. You pay 36 000 dong for a meal and think you are paying a fortune but it is only $3.60. Confused?? Well so am I! Yesterday we went into a flash restaurant and looked at the menu. We thought it looked very reasonable in price until we realised they were in $US - tails between our legs we snuck out!! But overall it is a very cheap place to visit - the food is great no matter where you buy it.
Today it is bucketting down with rain so we are resting this morning and hoping it will ease later. Kate has had her touch of the "runs" but has not felt ill, Julia the same. I am usually the first to succumb to this affliction but so far so good!
We have booked a couple of trips out of the city but more of that later.
2
Thought I would email you sooner than this but after typing for 35 minutes at our hotel in Hanoi I lost the lot! Frustrating!! So I will try and remember what I typed and see if this computer in Sapa is any better.
Since our last email we have all had the "runs", Kate's persisting longer than Julia and me. I don't think we are completely out of the woods yet as every now and then we all get a tummy rumble which threatens to turn into something worse. Kate was quite sick and we had to curtail our activities for a couple of days.
Despite this we have been enjoying the sights and sounds of Hanoi. In addition we have had a three day trip to Halong Bay. According to Lonely Planet this bay is the number natural wonder in Vietnam and has world heritage listing. The bay is dotted with over 3000 steeply sided limestone islands some of which have caves of considerable size.
On our first day we left the traffic of Hanoi behind and travelled along a freeway - well at least that is how it would look from the air. The reality is that it is a very bumpy concrete road - don't think they used much reinforcing in it or did much of a job of compacting the area before bridges. The traffic is still fairly dense with motorbikes occupying the right hand lane (left in Australia) whilst trucks, buses and cars the left. You are in no doubt of when a following bus or truck wants to pass as there is a blast of sound from behind which rises to a continuous noise if you don't move over. Moving over is not always easy as the motorbikes are not moving as quickly so the driver has to find a hole in the traffic to move over. The public buses are the worst as they travel fast. We were told they are paid on contract and are responsible for many of the over 12000 deaths on the roads every year.
On reaching Halong Bay we were escorted to our vessel - one of 50 or so highly polished wooden vessels which owe some design characteristics to junks. They have a couple of coloured decorative sails which are raised for effect at the first stop after a sumptous lunch. This was at one of the islands which have a cave system open to the public. If you have been to Buchan or Jenolan caves you have probably seen it all. It seems to be a compulsory stop for all the tours so there were hundreds of people crowded into a fairly confined hot, humid cave system so it was a relief to get back to our boat.
I didn't mention that our multicultural party consisted of a French couple, a French Canadian woman, a Malaysian, an Australian couple from Fitzroy in Melbourne, two recently graduated law students from New York, ourselves and an English speaking Vietnamese guide. The vessel had a crew of five Vietnamese who provided us with fantastic meals and really looked after us.
After travelling for ten minutes after the caves we stopped for the night and it was over the side for a refreshing swim. The water temperature is only just refreshing however as it is very warm and easy to get in.
Next day we cruised further through a fantastic maze of islands and past the locals who lived on floating islands and fished in basket boats. These are interesting craft made from woven cane sealed with a bitumenous substance. They are powered by oars or a noisy whipper snipper-like arrangement poking out the back. An additional source of income is provided by servicing the needs of the on board tourists - a bit like having a roadside stall on the water. They are amazingly able seapersons! Their villages are like floating docks made from wood and plastic drums for buoyancy. They can be 20x20 metres or so in size.
Mid morning we arrived at "base camp" which consisted of cane huts equipped with, light, fan, mosquito net and the thinnest mattress you could imagine. After dropping our bags we were immediately into preparing for our kayaking trip. After basic instructions we were off in double sea kayaks paddling to who knows where behind our instructor. The scenery was fantastic and this is definitely the way to explore this bay - not that we saw a great deal of it as it is so huge! Unfortunately we had a windy day so some of our party struggled with the conditions. By lunchtime they had all had enough. Our lunch stop was on a boat and after a lovely swim in slightly cooler water (thank goodness) we lounged around eating a very nice Vietnamese meal.
Kate had been suffering on the boat in the morning and had had to be pursuaded to come on the kayaking trip. She used this excuse to avoid any serious work with the paddle so the captain had to descend to the engine room and provide the motive power. By lunchtime she was beginning to feel better but was cautious with the food. She seemed to feel better in the water so after lunch she and Julia decided to explore an enclosed lake which was accessed through a shallow cave. Unfortunately it was about 500 metres from the boat so I had to follow. We surprised ourselves in how we swam - didn't expect to enjoy it after being out of serious training in the pool for over 18 months. Julia managed to get there but had to sponge a lift back with the guide who followed us in one of the kayaks. She had swum well however.
Back on the boat the vote was to ride the boat back to base camp and not kayak. Shame really but everyone was buggered after the paddle against the wind before lunch. The rest of the day was whiled away talking and swimming. At dark they started the generator and we could use the light and fan in the huts. After a pleasant meal and a few beers it was off to bed early for a rather uncomfortable night.
Next day it was back onto the big boat and back to Halong Bay town after a swim. We were treated to a fantastic lunch in a flash restaurant accompanied by live Vietnamese music. We could probably do without the music but it was interesting to see the traditional instruments being played. Three and a half hours later we were back in Hanoi. An interesting sidelight - have you ever seen a fully grown pig strapped upside down across the pillion seat of a Honda stepthrough? I have the photo to prove it - don't think the RSPCA would approve!!
After a day in the frantic Hanoi we took the overnight train to north western Vietnam and a bus trip finds us here at Sapa. Will write later about this as I am worried about loosing this again!
3
We are back in Hanoi at 0600 hrs after travelling on the overnight train from Lao Cai. We had to wake the porter up at our hotel and we cannot get into our room till later this morning. Fortunately they have free internet and this morning it seems to be working well - I have got used to the page only half loading and the links having errors!
Lao Cai is only significant in that it is where you get off the train to go to Sapa, from where I wrote the last email. Obviously we had travelled to Lao Cai on the train from Hanoi a few days earlier, overnight again. We got stitched at the train station when leaving Hanoi by a bloke who immediately grabbed our bags as we got out of the taxi and proceeded to lead us through the crowds of people in the direction of the train. He took us along the platform and across the tracks to our train and got us to our cabin then extracted $4 from us which is what the taxi cost to get us from the hotel. Whilst we were angry at being "stitched" again we were grateful to get on the train as the signs are all in Vietnamese and we would have been very concerned that we would be late. We need't have worried - the train didn't leave for another 45 minutes and on time to the second.
We got a four berth cabin and paid for the extra berth to ensure our privacy, money well spent we think! It was very pleasant to get into the nice air conditioned cabin but we didn't get a very restful sleep as the tracks are very rough and so is the ride. At Lao Cai we unloaded at 0700 hrs and amongst the crowds of people we saw a welcome sign reading Kate Crowe. The hotel at Sapa were providing us with transfer from the train to Sapa so we dutifully followed our man to an ancient "people carrier" for the one hour journey to Sapa.
I should say that Sapa is in the north west of northern Vietnam and is not far from the Chinese border. In fact Lao Cai is only two kms from the border. We thought we should step over the border just to say we had been there but we neither had the time nor appropriate visa.
When we departed the station our ancient vehicle had 13 people and a fair bit of cargo aboard. We didn't think this was a great problem until we started the 35 km climb to Sapa. This would be a great road for a stage of the Tour de France. In quite a number of sections there are signs saying the road rose at 10%. Mostly it climbed steadily and unrelentingly at something less but still soul destroying for a cyclist. Our ancient vehicle apparently thought the same as it gave up the ghost after making some rather nasty noises about half way to Sapa. After several minutes of looking enquiringly under the front seats the driver unloaded the freight hoping his ancient vehicle might recognise its burden was relieved. Apparently not so as it refused to start.
With the usual casual efficiency a passing more modern vehicle was waved down and we were all loaded aboard to continue, thankfully without further incident.
The reason for going to Sapa was to visit the colourfully dressed hill tribe villages and we were not disappointed. There were many members walking on the roadside in their black tunics and leggings which are colourfully embroidered. As soon as we alighted we were besieged by women and children who tried to sell us all sorts of clothing and jewelry.
Cat Cat hotel sprawls up the side of a steep hill and we were of course on the top floor. The view was stunning but we were a bit puffed to enjoy it at first!
Once again Kate engaged with the locals as soon as we left the hotel for a walk around town and soon had five or six followers much to Julia and my disgust. They are very persistent once you have started a conversation. Two women must have followed us for a couple of kilometres in the afternoon when we decided to visit Cat Cat village. It was a 2-3 kilometre walk down to the village - it seemed a lot longer coming back in the humidity. Fortunately there was a very pleasant restaurant in the hotel with modest charges so we had a very pleasant meal there at night including a 1996 Bourdeau red for about $10. I don't think Kate could believe the price but then again we were sure it wasn't one of the best from that region! Wine is generally very expensive in Vietnam and the cellaring in this warm climate is probably questionable.
Next day (yesterday) we went on a mountain bike ride whose degree of difficulty was supposedly intermediate. The bikes were probably originally quite reasonable quality but lacked proper maintenance - the main problem was stiff brakes. Seeing we were descending for over 30 km this became quite important. The first part was down a smooth bitumen road and all went well. Then we turned onto a wet dirt track with numerous rocks to add a further challenge. We stumbled our way down hoping that when we got to the valley floor things would imporve. Alas we were disappointed!
The trip was to take us through three different tribes areas and villages. The first was the poorest and was a bit depressing. They mainly depend on growing rice, corn and increasingly, the tourist trade. Apart from this they live a traditional life and have as yet spurned modern medicine and schooling. Despite this some of the children were able to speak excellent English apparently by interacting with tourists. The second village was one where the women wore elaborate, colourful headresses. They placed emphasis on education and the benefits were obvious as the standard of living was much higher.
We next had to climb out of the valley floor back to the main road and this is where we had to work! Julia has benefited greatly from her riding to work as she challenged Kate for the King of the Mountain title at the top!! Unfortunately for her a cunning sprint from her mother relegated her to second place, not by much though! After lunch we again descended into a much deeper valley - I think it took us nearly 40 minutes to get down. The track was wet and rough in places and the recent rains had caused major landslides across the track. At the bottom the village inhabitants were of Thai origin and the housing was of a yet higher standard. We were to swim in a nearby lake but after seeing how the river was used upstream we declined the offer.
To get out, our bikes were strapped to the back of motorbikes and taken to the top. We followed on the back of motor bikes to a spot where an old Landcruiser awaited us. The driver had managed to get over the massive landslide which surprised us. There was no way we were going to go over it so we got out at the appropriate time and watched him manoeuvre the vehicle over. After a couple of attempts he made it but we were glad we were not aboard!!
The rest of the trip was reasonably uneventful and as we descended down the road to Lao Cai in the gathering dusk we marvelled at the amazing terracing of the hills which enabled rice growing in metre-wide strips down fairly steep slopes. Erosion from landslides is obviously a major problem and restoration of trees planted appropriately may help prevent some of this. To me it looks unsustainable in the long term.
So it is a day in Hanoi then off again - more next time.
4
Today we leave for home after nearly three weeks. Over the past week we have been mostly at Hoi An which is near Dar Nang, about an hour's flight south of here (Hanoi). The reason for going there was that it is on the seaside and, more importantly, the home of the Vietnamese tailor (at least that is how it seems to me!).
Kate and Julia have been having a ball buying clothes, actually having them tailor-made. Julia has had two very smart suits made and other pants and tops. Kate has been hard at it as well and I have lost count of how many items she has had made - I need to say they were not all for herself!! So we have been backwards and forwards to the tailors measuring, getting fitted and finally purchasing. They have both been having a ball!
My dream of having a dozen cycling shirts made for about $10 each has been dashed unfortunately. Whilst they are more than happy to tailor them the material appears to be unavailable in either Hoi An or in Hanoi. I guess material that hugs you is hardly appropriate in this climate!
We did take a trip to some old Cham ruins near Hoi An called My Son. This is the site of a very old civilisation and although not as well preserved or restored as many other similar historical sites it does show great cultural depth in the Cham society which still exists today. Unfortunately it was suspected of being a Viet Cong stronghold in the Vietnamese war and was bombed by the US - the craters are still visible near a number of the remaining buildings. Apparently prior to the bombing there were many more buildings in good condition.
We also journeyed to the beach by bicycle but were disappointed. The ocean was heavily polluted and, whilst we could have put up with that, it was very warm. So warm that it was hardly refreshing at all. The water in the hotel pool was also tepid and barely refreshing - we did lash out a bit here with a four star hotel including breakfast!!
We said goodbye to Julia on Sunday and she should be in London by now, hopefully catching up with Ben in the next day or so. It was very sad to see her leave as she is a great companion on holidays and we won't see her for four months as she has work in London. Kate in particular has lost a great shopping partner, a role I am afraid I fall well short of!!
In general everything is very cheap here depending on where you go. It is possible to spend a huge amount on accommodation if you wish to stay in the lavish hotels found in every capital city in the world - $200-300 a night. But if you are prepared to drop the standard and stay in cheaper accommodation, as we have, then you can get clean, air conditioned rooms for about $20 a night. Food is also very cheap with a good meal obtainable for both of us for less than $20, often $15. But despite this I still can't get used to forking out 200 000 dong (about $16) for anything - I just seems like a lot of money!!
We will be glad to leave Hanoi despite enjoying it immensely. It is very close living and it is very hard to find a peaceful spot - hence the need to return to our air conditioned room. Possibly we have come at the wrong time of the year as we have found the combination of heat and humidity quite trying. Despite all these woes we have loved the people. You can always get a smile and they are invariably good humoured and extremely tolerant of others. I still can't believe the way the traffic works here! No sign of aggression and amazing forebearance of, what seems to me, others stupidity. Australian drivers could learn a lot!
So it is off to the airport at 3 pm laden with bags. Fortunately we have found our baggage limit is 32 kg so we should be okay!! See you all on our return.
1
Well here we are in Vietnam. Arrived on Monday and will be here for three weeks. We are basing ourselves in Hanoi and have been acclimitising ourselves - it is another world!!
Our arrival in Hanoi was not without incident. I think we made an error in the time we told the hotel (which we had booked on the internet) to pick us up so we ended up in a taxi. On arrival a fellow from the hotel poked his head in the door and told us our room was occupied by a sick person whom they had been unable to move so we would have to stay at this hotel – a related one. He kept flashing cards from our booked hotel and explaining that it had changed names! Fortunately Kate had read about this particular scam in Lonely Planet and after ten minutes of heated (on our part!) discussion we eventually insisted that the taxi driver take us to our booked hotel. Of course our hotel had our booking and was wondering where we were as their driver was at the airport! I live in wonder to this woman I am married to - I would probably have ended up in the scam hotel!
It has been an interesting cultural experience to cope with Hanoi. Stepping onto the street is frightening at first. We are based in the old quarter and stepping out of the hotel we are immediately "in it". The footpaths and narrow streets are crowded with motor bikes, mini kitchens, pedicabs, motorbikes, pedestrians, motorbikes, women carrying the traditional baskets supported by a wooden bouncy rod over the shoulder (amazing the weight they >carry), motorbikes, hawkers of all sorts, motorbikes, cyclists, motorbikes etc... A lot of the time you have to walk on the road and there is a constant stream of motorbikes, bikes and people passing or overtaking you.
I am fascinated by the traffic. On the major roads there is just a wall of motorbikes loaded with 1-4 people, baskets of food, produce of varying sorts, beds, mattresses, furniture, you name it you will see it on a motorbike. The only way to cross the road is to walk forward with confidence into the wall of bikes (and occasional cars, trucks and buses) keeping an eye on the traffic as you do so. Magically the motorbikes part to give you room, not much, but after a while you get used to it! It is extraordinary and has to be seen to be believed!! Noone gets agro, they just make space and move on. Watching it from the edge of the road is nothing short of mind boggling. In Australia, if the same thing happened as here you would be able to measure road range by the square metre!! But here they just weave around someone doing anything stupid (in my mind anyway!). There are millions and millions of motorbikes - all about 125 ccs and travelling at no more than about 40 kph, usually much less.
So we have been getting used to moving around and shopping. We have been stitched up a number of times but the people are so nice and we are so affluent by comparison that we just love it. Kate cannot resist interacting with them at every level. Consequently we have enough post cards to write to everyone we know for the next year or so - warning here - don't expect one as buying does not mean writing!!
Yesterday we took a tour of four villages which specialised in pottery, woodwork, silk weaving and noodle production. It was fascinating - they are certainly an industrious people. In the wood village we were told that a lot of the timber comes from outside Vietnam usually imported from illegal operations in neighbouring countries. Nothing goes to waste however – every bit of timber is used in some way. We saw a stack of stumps which would be burnt in Australia being used as a valuable resource for carvings of every shape and size. Mostly the markets for the produce seem to be local or Asian as the ornate style would only be found in Franco Costas furniture business in Melbourne's Brunswick otherwise!
We were able to watch the making of pottery from the ground up and both Kate and Julia (who is also with us) were unable to resist buying some examples. (Kate has had some foresight here - she purchased a Tosca case at an OP shop for $25 which expands into probably double its compacted size and will take two very strong men to lift, once she fills it - this won't take long on >present indications!!).
At the silk village we watched women using ancient (well they looked that way) wooden weaving machines (electrically powered) to make silk fabrics. The factory was noisy and dark but the amazing fabrics being produced were wondrous! Needless to say we left the village with some packages!
Julia has caught up with Leah and her son Lewis as well as Leah's parents and brother who are also here at this time. We had dinner within the Australian embassy compound where Leah lives in the lap of Australian luxury! Her cook had prepared a sumptous banquet for us so we had a great introduction to Vietnamese cooking.
Yesterday morning we decided to get up early and go for a run - we thought that at 5.30 we wouldn't find too many people about. We were half right. The streets were relatively bare of the ever present motorbikes but when we got to the lake we found a great stream of locals out for their constitutional walk, exercise class, fan dance, badminton match etc. We had to run along the road!! Needless after two laps of the lake which took about 20 minutes we had had it - the humidity is stiffling and more than we could cope with!
I am having trouble coping with the local currency. Yesterday I was a millionaire as I withdrew 1 000 000 dong from our account. 10 000 dong corresponds to $1 Australian - actually it is probably closer to 12 000 but for ease of calculation we are using 10 000. So every time you make a purchase you need to knock off four noughts to get an idea of what you are paying. The problem is that they also deal in American dollars so some prices are in dong and others in $US. So you cash some $US for dong and think you have plenty of money and next thing you are paying in the thousands of dongs for something and before you know it you have nothing left. You pay 36 000 dong for a meal and think you are paying a fortune but it is only $3.60. Confused?? Well so am I! Yesterday we went into a flash restaurant and looked at the menu. We thought it looked very reasonable in price until we realised they were in $US - tails between our legs we snuck out!! But overall it is a very cheap place to visit - the food is great no matter where you buy it.
Today it is bucketting down with rain so we are resting this morning and hoping it will ease later. Kate has had her touch of the "runs" but has not felt ill, Julia the same. I am usually the first to succumb to this affliction but so far so good!
We have booked a couple of trips out of the city but more of that later.
2
Thought I would email you sooner than this but after typing for 35 minutes at our hotel in Hanoi I lost the lot! Frustrating!! So I will try and remember what I typed and see if this computer in Sapa is any better.
Since our last email we have all had the "runs", Kate's persisting longer than Julia and me. I don't think we are completely out of the woods yet as every now and then we all get a tummy rumble which threatens to turn into something worse. Kate was quite sick and we had to curtail our activities for a couple of days.
Despite this we have been enjoying the sights and sounds of Hanoi. In addition we have had a three day trip to Halong Bay. According to Lonely Planet this bay is the number natural wonder in Vietnam and has world heritage listing. The bay is dotted with over 3000 steeply sided limestone islands some of which have caves of considerable size.
On our first day we left the traffic of Hanoi behind and travelled along a freeway - well at least that is how it would look from the air. The reality is that it is a very bumpy concrete road - don't think they used much reinforcing in it or did much of a job of compacting the area before bridges. The traffic is still fairly dense with motorbikes occupying the right hand lane (left in Australia) whilst trucks, buses and cars the left. You are in no doubt of when a following bus or truck wants to pass as there is a blast of sound from behind which rises to a continuous noise if you don't move over. Moving over is not always easy as the motorbikes are not moving as quickly so the driver has to find a hole in the traffic to move over. The public buses are the worst as they travel fast. We were told they are paid on contract and are responsible for many of the over 12000 deaths on the roads every year.
On reaching Halong Bay we were escorted to our vessel - one of 50 or so highly polished wooden vessels which owe some design characteristics to junks. They have a couple of coloured decorative sails which are raised for effect at the first stop after a sumptous lunch. This was at one of the islands which have a cave system open to the public. If you have been to Buchan or Jenolan caves you have probably seen it all. It seems to be a compulsory stop for all the tours so there were hundreds of people crowded into a fairly confined hot, humid cave system so it was a relief to get back to our boat.
I didn't mention that our multicultural party consisted of a French couple, a French Canadian woman, a Malaysian, an Australian couple from Fitzroy in Melbourne, two recently graduated law students from New York, ourselves and an English speaking Vietnamese guide. The vessel had a crew of five Vietnamese who provided us with fantastic meals and really looked after us.
After travelling for ten minutes after the caves we stopped for the night and it was over the side for a refreshing swim. The water temperature is only just refreshing however as it is very warm and easy to get in.
Next day we cruised further through a fantastic maze of islands and past the locals who lived on floating islands and fished in basket boats. These are interesting craft made from woven cane sealed with a bitumenous substance. They are powered by oars or a noisy whipper snipper-like arrangement poking out the back. An additional source of income is provided by servicing the needs of the on board tourists - a bit like having a roadside stall on the water. They are amazingly able seapersons! Their villages are like floating docks made from wood and plastic drums for buoyancy. They can be 20x20 metres or so in size.
Mid morning we arrived at "base camp" which consisted of cane huts equipped with, light, fan, mosquito net and the thinnest mattress you could imagine. After dropping our bags we were immediately into preparing for our kayaking trip. After basic instructions we were off in double sea kayaks paddling to who knows where behind our instructor. The scenery was fantastic and this is definitely the way to explore this bay - not that we saw a great deal of it as it is so huge! Unfortunately we had a windy day so some of our party struggled with the conditions. By lunchtime they had all had enough. Our lunch stop was on a boat and after a lovely swim in slightly cooler water (thank goodness) we lounged around eating a very nice Vietnamese meal.
Kate had been suffering on the boat in the morning and had had to be pursuaded to come on the kayaking trip. She used this excuse to avoid any serious work with the paddle so the captain had to descend to the engine room and provide the motive power. By lunchtime she was beginning to feel better but was cautious with the food. She seemed to feel better in the water so after lunch she and Julia decided to explore an enclosed lake which was accessed through a shallow cave. Unfortunately it was about 500 metres from the boat so I had to follow. We surprised ourselves in how we swam - didn't expect to enjoy it after being out of serious training in the pool for over 18 months. Julia managed to get there but had to sponge a lift back with the guide who followed us in one of the kayaks. She had swum well however.
Back on the boat the vote was to ride the boat back to base camp and not kayak. Shame really but everyone was buggered after the paddle against the wind before lunch. The rest of the day was whiled away talking and swimming. At dark they started the generator and we could use the light and fan in the huts. After a pleasant meal and a few beers it was off to bed early for a rather uncomfortable night.
Next day it was back onto the big boat and back to Halong Bay town after a swim. We were treated to a fantastic lunch in a flash restaurant accompanied by live Vietnamese music. We could probably do without the music but it was interesting to see the traditional instruments being played. Three and a half hours later we were back in Hanoi. An interesting sidelight - have you ever seen a fully grown pig strapped upside down across the pillion seat of a Honda stepthrough? I have the photo to prove it - don't think the RSPCA would approve!!
After a day in the frantic Hanoi we took the overnight train to north western Vietnam and a bus trip finds us here at Sapa. Will write later about this as I am worried about loosing this again!
3
We are back in Hanoi at 0600 hrs after travelling on the overnight train from Lao Cai. We had to wake the porter up at our hotel and we cannot get into our room till later this morning. Fortunately they have free internet and this morning it seems to be working well - I have got used to the page only half loading and the links having errors!
Lao Cai is only significant in that it is where you get off the train to go to Sapa, from where I wrote the last email. Obviously we had travelled to Lao Cai on the train from Hanoi a few days earlier, overnight again. We got stitched at the train station when leaving Hanoi by a bloke who immediately grabbed our bags as we got out of the taxi and proceeded to lead us through the crowds of people in the direction of the train. He took us along the platform and across the tracks to our train and got us to our cabin then extracted $4 from us which is what the taxi cost to get us from the hotel. Whilst we were angry at being "stitched" again we were grateful to get on the train as the signs are all in Vietnamese and we would have been very concerned that we would be late. We need't have worried - the train didn't leave for another 45 minutes and on time to the second.
We got a four berth cabin and paid for the extra berth to ensure our privacy, money well spent we think! It was very pleasant to get into the nice air conditioned cabin but we didn't get a very restful sleep as the tracks are very rough and so is the ride. At Lao Cai we unloaded at 0700 hrs and amongst the crowds of people we saw a welcome sign reading Kate Crowe. The hotel at Sapa were providing us with transfer from the train to Sapa so we dutifully followed our man to an ancient "people carrier" for the one hour journey to Sapa.
I should say that Sapa is in the north west of northern Vietnam and is not far from the Chinese border. In fact Lao Cai is only two kms from the border. We thought we should step over the border just to say we had been there but we neither had the time nor appropriate visa.
When we departed the station our ancient vehicle had 13 people and a fair bit of cargo aboard. We didn't think this was a great problem until we started the 35 km climb to Sapa. This would be a great road for a stage of the Tour de France. In quite a number of sections there are signs saying the road rose at 10%. Mostly it climbed steadily and unrelentingly at something less but still soul destroying for a cyclist. Our ancient vehicle apparently thought the same as it gave up the ghost after making some rather nasty noises about half way to Sapa. After several minutes of looking enquiringly under the front seats the driver unloaded the freight hoping his ancient vehicle might recognise its burden was relieved. Apparently not so as it refused to start.
With the usual casual efficiency a passing more modern vehicle was waved down and we were all loaded aboard to continue, thankfully without further incident.
The reason for going to Sapa was to visit the colourfully dressed hill tribe villages and we were not disappointed. There were many members walking on the roadside in their black tunics and leggings which are colourfully embroidered. As soon as we alighted we were besieged by women and children who tried to sell us all sorts of clothing and jewelry.
Cat Cat hotel sprawls up the side of a steep hill and we were of course on the top floor. The view was stunning but we were a bit puffed to enjoy it at first!
Once again Kate engaged with the locals as soon as we left the hotel for a walk around town and soon had five or six followers much to Julia and my disgust. They are very persistent once you have started a conversation. Two women must have followed us for a couple of kilometres in the afternoon when we decided to visit Cat Cat village. It was a 2-3 kilometre walk down to the village - it seemed a lot longer coming back in the humidity. Fortunately there was a very pleasant restaurant in the hotel with modest charges so we had a very pleasant meal there at night including a 1996 Bourdeau red for about $10. I don't think Kate could believe the price but then again we were sure it wasn't one of the best from that region! Wine is generally very expensive in Vietnam and the cellaring in this warm climate is probably questionable.
Next day (yesterday) we went on a mountain bike ride whose degree of difficulty was supposedly intermediate. The bikes were probably originally quite reasonable quality but lacked proper maintenance - the main problem was stiff brakes. Seeing we were descending for over 30 km this became quite important. The first part was down a smooth bitumen road and all went well. Then we turned onto a wet dirt track with numerous rocks to add a further challenge. We stumbled our way down hoping that when we got to the valley floor things would imporve. Alas we were disappointed!
The trip was to take us through three different tribes areas and villages. The first was the poorest and was a bit depressing. They mainly depend on growing rice, corn and increasingly, the tourist trade. Apart from this they live a traditional life and have as yet spurned modern medicine and schooling. Despite this some of the children were able to speak excellent English apparently by interacting with tourists. The second village was one where the women wore elaborate, colourful headresses. They placed emphasis on education and the benefits were obvious as the standard of living was much higher.
We next had to climb out of the valley floor back to the main road and this is where we had to work! Julia has benefited greatly from her riding to work as she challenged Kate for the King of the Mountain title at the top!! Unfortunately for her a cunning sprint from her mother relegated her to second place, not by much though! After lunch we again descended into a much deeper valley - I think it took us nearly 40 minutes to get down. The track was wet and rough in places and the recent rains had caused major landslides across the track. At the bottom the village inhabitants were of Thai origin and the housing was of a yet higher standard. We were to swim in a nearby lake but after seeing how the river was used upstream we declined the offer.
To get out, our bikes were strapped to the back of motorbikes and taken to the top. We followed on the back of motor bikes to a spot where an old Landcruiser awaited us. The driver had managed to get over the massive landslide which surprised us. There was no way we were going to go over it so we got out at the appropriate time and watched him manoeuvre the vehicle over. After a couple of attempts he made it but we were glad we were not aboard!!
The rest of the trip was reasonably uneventful and as we descended down the road to Lao Cai in the gathering dusk we marvelled at the amazing terracing of the hills which enabled rice growing in metre-wide strips down fairly steep slopes. Erosion from landslides is obviously a major problem and restoration of trees planted appropriately may help prevent some of this. To me it looks unsustainable in the long term.
So it is a day in Hanoi then off again - more next time.
4
Today we leave for home after nearly three weeks. Over the past week we have been mostly at Hoi An which is near Dar Nang, about an hour's flight south of here (Hanoi). The reason for going there was that it is on the seaside and, more importantly, the home of the Vietnamese tailor (at least that is how it seems to me!).
Kate and Julia have been having a ball buying clothes, actually having them tailor-made. Julia has had two very smart suits made and other pants and tops. Kate has been hard at it as well and I have lost count of how many items she has had made - I need to say they were not all for herself!! So we have been backwards and forwards to the tailors measuring, getting fitted and finally purchasing. They have both been having a ball!
My dream of having a dozen cycling shirts made for about $10 each has been dashed unfortunately. Whilst they are more than happy to tailor them the material appears to be unavailable in either Hoi An or in Hanoi. I guess material that hugs you is hardly appropriate in this climate!
We did take a trip to some old Cham ruins near Hoi An called My Son. This is the site of a very old civilisation and although not as well preserved or restored as many other similar historical sites it does show great cultural depth in the Cham society which still exists today. Unfortunately it was suspected of being a Viet Cong stronghold in the Vietnamese war and was bombed by the US - the craters are still visible near a number of the remaining buildings. Apparently prior to the bombing there were many more buildings in good condition.
We also journeyed to the beach by bicycle but were disappointed. The ocean was heavily polluted and, whilst we could have put up with that, it was very warm. So warm that it was hardly refreshing at all. The water in the hotel pool was also tepid and barely refreshing - we did lash out a bit here with a four star hotel including breakfast!!
We said goodbye to Julia on Sunday and she should be in London by now, hopefully catching up with Ben in the next day or so. It was very sad to see her leave as she is a great companion on holidays and we won't see her for four months as she has work in London. Kate in particular has lost a great shopping partner, a role I am afraid I fall well short of!!
In general everything is very cheap here depending on where you go. It is possible to spend a huge amount on accommodation if you wish to stay in the lavish hotels found in every capital city in the world - $200-300 a night. But if you are prepared to drop the standard and stay in cheaper accommodation, as we have, then you can get clean, air conditioned rooms for about $20 a night. Food is also very cheap with a good meal obtainable for both of us for less than $20, often $15. But despite this I still can't get used to forking out 200 000 dong (about $16) for anything - I just seems like a lot of money!!
We will be glad to leave Hanoi despite enjoying it immensely. It is very close living and it is very hard to find a peaceful spot - hence the need to return to our air conditioned room. Possibly we have come at the wrong time of the year as we have found the combination of heat and humidity quite trying. Despite all these woes we have loved the people. You can always get a smile and they are invariably good humoured and extremely tolerant of others. I still can't believe the way the traffic works here! No sign of aggression and amazing forebearance of, what seems to me, others stupidity. Australian drivers could learn a lot!
So it is off to the airport at 3 pm laden with bags. Fortunately we have found our baggage limit is 32 kg so we should be okay!! See you all on our return.
To the West, Bali and the Ningaloo Reef
15 Aug – 29 Sep 02
15 Aug Thursday
Set off at about 1 pm – six weeks off, fantastic. Arrived in Hay after dark at 7pm. Chicken curry cooked the night before for tea and the sounds of Adelaide – Sydney trucks negotiating the nearby roundabout all night. Nice van park with no permanent residents.
16 Aug Friday
Uneventful trip to Adelaide arriving by 4pm in beautiful weather. Geraldine (my sister) and Dick’s house very impressive with a wonderful private courtyard and sunny backyard complete with pool. Very handy to find at the bottom of the Adelaide Hills coming in from Murray Bridge. Lovely meal of chicken, apricots and almonds from the Middle Eastern Cookbook – well done Dick!
17 Aug Saturday
Kate awoke with a sore throat which was to continue for a few days. It didn’t stop the exercise and we went for a light run on Saturday morning through the nearby arboretum at Waite Institute – idillic surroundings! Cumpulsory cappucinos were followed, in the afternoon, by a wander around Glenelg the highlights of which were a large dolphin swimming under us at the marina and a yacht going through the nearby lock. It doesn’t take much to amuse us! Lamb shanks for tea that night – we were being spoilt with the standard of food! Prior to the meal we went to a nearby lovely old pub where Geraldine proceeded to clean out the poker machines and was smart enough to pocket a fair bit of the winnings. Kate made her usual donation.
18 Aug Sunday
Ran to the old quarry with interesting views of Adelaide (50 minutes). On the way back looked over the manor house at Urbreae. We had a pleasant lunch at a pub in the hills which had great food followed by a visit to a bookshop and gallery – the last two by Geraldine and Kate. Dick and I discussed ‘men’s things’! That evening Dick and Geraldine hosted drinks for their friends which was fun. It was a great weekend and nice to catch up with Geraldine, Dick and Andrew. Kate tried valiantly to get Andrew to catch up with Ben in Sydney.
19 Aug Monday
After an early start and one wrong turn we made our way out of Adelaide and headed north to Port Augusta to buy some supplies for the Nullabor. We had lunch further up the road and really felt we were on our way as we passed the scrubby country west of Port Augusta and saw our first emus adjacent to the road. We made Ceduna that night and checked into the caravan park. We had a pleasant walk on the pier where we got into conversation with a retired chap who it turns out has a caravan in the Twofold Bay Caravan Park where we have spent many a Christmas holiday. He told us the park had changed ownership. Marks on the pier proved there were plenty of squid for the catching. The camping ground was like a concentration camp with high fences and digital locks on the gates!
20 Aug Tuesday
A big day of driving all the way to Norseman, about 1200 km. One of the highlights was Kate overtaking a road train – I think we only passed about three on the whole trip. One of the caravan tyres began loosing pressure – we pumped it up once but it continued to deflate till we eventually decided to replace it with the spare. The last hour or so into Norseman was a little anxious as the kangaroos decided to give us a guard of honour. Fortunately the excellent driving lights came into their own as we were at least able to see them and slow down in time. The Norseman caravan park was quite full with lots of retirees heading back to Melbourne on the last lap of their trip around Australia.
21 Aug Wednesday
Kate’s birthday and another day of driving. The road into Perth is not as pleasant as the rest of the trip. After the long straights of the Nullabor it seemed we were driving around corners all the time. Eventually we hit the outskirts of Perth and we turned right to Gingin. The traffic was relatively heavy but once out of the suburbs we had a clear run. Rachel was having a riding lesson on the vast lawn area in front of their house on a beautiful evening when we arrived. Peter (my brother) and Leanne looked well and we had an enjoyable night with Stewart (our nephew who has been working on the farm on his way around Australia) as well.
22 Aug Thursday
It was an eye-opener to see the changes on the property since last we were there. The new vineyard is enormous and the work to establish it impressive. Final planting was underway with a gang of a dozen people productively employed. As well as Stewart, Peter had other casual workers working for him and we met Stumpy and Ben Treasure (a member of the family who own the farm). Did a bit of moving sheep and cattle as well as a bit of tractor work spraying weeds in the vineyard.
23 Aug Friday
More farmwork. Chasing sheep and cattle. Chinese with Geoff and Francis Overheu in Peter and Leane’s kitchen – great night, very noisy, great fun.
24 Aug Saturday
Stewart gave us a lift to Perth airport for the trip to Bali. The flight was very pleasant and I think it only took 3.5 hours. Picked up by the tour company and we were given the hard sell about possible tours before we even cleared the airport carpark. The humidity was a bit overpowering at first. Our hotel was down a back alley and looked quite pleasant once we were inside the walled garden. Nice pool. The room however was a little disappointing – the shower flooded the bathroom as the drain was blocked up. Airconditioning was pretty ordinary as well. Had tea in a pleasant nearby Mexican restaurant – Café Loco - recommended by the Lonely Planet book
25 Aug Sunday
Went for a run on the beach early in the morning – lots of people walking and enjoying the cool of the morning before the heat of the sun. Changed rooms – the shower didn’t flood but the airconditioning wasn’t any better – basically didn’t work. Pool was very pleasant however. Walked down to Kuta. Lunch in local Balinese restaurant and we had our usual Nasi Goreng. Evening meal at another restaurant out of the Lonely Planet – great food and cheap.
26 Aug Monday
Lazy day, shopping, lazing around the pool and eating. I couldn’t stray too far from the toilet as the Bali belly had struck.
27 Aug Tuesday
Went for a run to Kuta and back. We didn’t get up early enough so the sun was pretty fierce on the way back and the humidity didn’t help. Took a taxi to Dempasar to a department store on Leeann’s recommendation – bliss, we didn’t have to bargain. Shopping, shopping, shopping….!
28 Aug Wednesday
Drove to Ubud. Although we were getting used to the traffic it payed to look out the windows to the side and not in front if you wanted to enjoy the trip. Tahaman Rahasia (the Secret Garden) was a little hard to find. We were to find out that noone else knew where it was as every tour pick-up was preceded by a phone call for directions. Tahman Rahasia was something else. We were greeted by Beth, an expat American, were given a smoothie and met all the friendly young staff. Seemed to be lots of staff and we were the only guests. Walked into town through the padi. Saw the women’s workforce – carrying sand to less accessible places in baskets on their heads. Very heavy work. Beautiful dinner at Taman Rahasia.
29 Aug Thursday
Mountain biking. A bit of a joke really. We were picked up from the hotel after the compulsory phone call to find out where Taman Rahasia was. Through beautiful padi and villages up one of the main roads to the company’s assembly point for the mountain bikes and white water canoeing. Met up with some Kiwis who were going to the elephant park after the ride. Another half hour’s drive and we were at the start of the ride. The six of us had three guides – one at the front, one in the middle and another as tail end Charlie. The bikes were good but you could nearly have done it without a chain as we were mostly going downhill. The guides were very good pointing out features of the local agricultural enterprises which were mostly rice based. We were fortunate to be delayed by a cremation procession – not fortunate for the dead person however. The procession consisted of a five metre square platform made of bamboo poles on which was a Brahman bull complete with penis and testicles! The platform was carried by about 30 young men who proceeded to spin it around and dip and sway with it – all part of the ritual. We were told they had been partaking of the local beer on their arduous trip up the hill from their home village. All the women in the village where we stopped were dressed in black for the occasion. After the bull passed the body was carried by on an altar on a similar platform carried by about 20 men. It is not kosher to watch the burning of the body so we continued our trip, eventually arriving back at the company’s assembly point. The Kiwis departed and we had lunch chatting to the Australian operations manager of the company. He has over 500 local staff running white water rafting, mountain biking, elephant park, bird park tours and whatever else. Kate managed to get free trips out of him on the following days, to the elephant and bird parks, before we finished lunch.
30 Aug Friday
White water rafting. Picked up in a mini bus and transported, along with another Aussie through the rice fields to the assembly point. Down hundreds of steps to the river and into a raft. The trip was probably fairly gentle by white water rafting standards but the scenery was great (Stewart had recommended it). Beautiful lunch afterwards at the company’s restaurant. We were then transported in a mini bus for 40 minutes through various villages which specialised in various crafts e.g. one was full of turned wood artifacts, to the elephant park. It seemed very well done with the elephants taking people around the park and through the nearby village. We didn’t ride them but were given a tour culminating in Kate sitting on the elephant for a photo. Interesting day!
31 Aug Saturday
Hired bikes and rode in the traffic which was a little daunting at first. Fortunately, although chaotic and close to you, we rarely felt threatened. There is very little aggression on the roads which is a refreshing change from Canberra. We rode to visit a site where ancient carvings had been made on a rock face. We were conned by a very persistent guide who wanted to show us the world. Eventually we got back to the bikes and unfortunately I had lost my key to the lock. Much searching followed and finally the guide found the key on the pathway to the carvings. We wondered whether we had been pick pocketed but we gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave him a $2 Australian coin which he was going to melt down for a ring (after telling us he was a poor student who was having trouble surviving).
1 Sep Sunday
Trip to the Bird park for zippo. Interesting but it was a bit sad to see such small cages. The driver took us to a silver workshop on the way home – different standard of living there. Unfortunately no bargains but we did manage to pick up two sets of earrings.
2 Sep Monday
Picked up early to catch the ferry to Lembogin Island. We were booked into the Hai Tide Huts. We snorkelled, then booked in and later did a bike ride around part of the island. We saw seaweed harvesting, bought gifts and watched a huge kite being launched. A characteristic of Bali is the number of kites which are flown particularly in the late afternoon when the consistent wind comes in. jTea on the beach – fantastic setting.
3 Sep Tuesday
Lazed around most of the morning after a breakfast of banana pancakes. Caught the ferry back and encountered huge seas. A barge was being towed through them and seemed to be in trouble but we got by it even if one wave caught us on the port beam and wallowed the boat in a very uncomfortable way. Off the ferry and to the airport, dropped bags then in to Kuta for a meal before returning to the airport to wait for the plane which departed at 2 am. Pretty uncomfortable at the airport waiting but Kate managed to find a few more bargains to get rid of the "loose change" – about $10. Lovely airport staff refused Aussie money and gave Kate her rattan tissue box.
4 Sep Wednesday
Into Perth airport at 6 am after a total of about 2 hours broken sleep. Peter picked us up and back to the farm where Kate disappeared into the caravan for a kip. I went out to work on the farm and quite enjoyed the day fixing the pivot irrigator. Also repaired the roof of the caravan as it had leaked whilst we were away. A bit more sealant did the trick. By 8 pm that night I was falling asleep at the table in the kitchen.
5 Sep Thursday
More farmwork – sheep and cattle – relieved on the tractor spraying in the vineyard over lunch. Kate went for a run (10km).
6 Sep Friday
Perth/Freemantle. We set off for Perth for the day visiting the Ellross caravan factory. Spent a couple of hours at the factory speaking to the owner about off road caravans and inspecting several vans owned by Dutch people. We also saw his large goose neck caravan – very impressive. On Friday night we met up with Geoff and Francis Overheu at their flat in North Perth and had tea with them in a seafood restaurant at Northbridge. Then drove back to Gingin – grateful for the good driving lights.
7 Sep Saturday
Horse of the year contest for Rachel in Perth. Lots of expensive horses, horse floats and cars. Became instant experts on judging horses. We could tell which horses had make-up (all of them) and which had false tails (most of them). I made the comment to Rachel that it was nice to be around quiet horses compared to the race horses that frequented the streets around Mentone when I was growing up. Those race horses were all extremely skittish. Rachel’s comment was "not quiet just drugged to the eyeballs"! Rachel looked like a real horsewoman – which of course she is!
8 Sep Sunday
Drove to Wongan Hills for the grand final of the Aussie Rules that Stewart was playing in. Certainly very impressive facilities for a country town – the football oval’s turf would have done credit to the MCG. Shows that at times wheat belt towns in good areas have had some rich ratepayers or benefactors. Gingin won the reserves in which Stewart was playing and subsequently the firsts. Celebrations would continue in Gingin for a week! We decided to take a look around town whilst the firsts were playing. We toured the local museum which was very interesting. We could see from photos how the local lake had deteriorated. In the industrial area we counted 12 brand new monster headers for wheat harvesting – must have been worth hundreds of thousands each.
9 Sep MondayAfter Peter put a tube in our deflating tyre we set off northwards up the Brand highway. Geraldton was the first town – seemed a long way from anywhere but a thriving feeling. Bought a rod and reel at Cash Converters. Decided, after we had gone past the first turnoff, that we would go to Kalbarri. On the road in we blew a caravan tyre and completely destroyed it. Fortunately we found a tyre place open and were able to buy a new one. I guess after blowing two tyres on the caravan I now know the importance of correct inflation. I started at 35psi when we first got the van, increased to 40psi after blowing the first tyre last year and am now running them at 45psi. I guess it is a lot of weight on two tyres – makes me enthusiastic to get tandem wheels on the next van. We watched the sun go down from Red Bluff – first time this trip over the Indian Ocean. Rissotto for tea.
10 Sep Tuesday
We went for a run first up and found another caravan park looking straight out at the estuary. Later we rode south along the bike path – lots of lizards sunning themselves. Found another pleasant caravan park and had coffee there. We didn’t go to the wildflower centre (this is for Kate’s benefit!). We did however go snorkelling and saw some very large taylor. On the way back we checked out the sports store and bought some fishing gear and a new mask for Kate. Later we managed to lose what we had bought in trying to catch the aforementioned taylor. Needless to say we caught no fish. We got talking to English neighbours in the caravan park who had an 18 foot Bushtracker (Michael and Elizabeth). We got a guided tour and were very impressed. They had everything – the Rolls Royce job. They had travelled across the top and done the Gibb River Road. The inside (and outside) showed no sign of the tough roads it had travelled on. Very impressive and beautiful inside). Kalbarri is a beautiful place and we could easily have spent a week there.
11 Sep Wednesday
Next morning we continued north and although low on petrol I assumed we would find a fuel station shortly after we got back on the highway. By the time we got back on the highway the low fuel light was on and I discovered we had about 120 km to the next roadhouse. Sadly 50 km short of the Billabong Roadhouse we ran out of fuel. I hitched a ride to Billabong with some Perth people headed for Exmouth. Kate made preparations in case the outback murderer stopped. I hitched a ride back with some retired people heading back to Perth. The round trip took 1.5 hours. We were worried about how to get the motor going again but Kate had read the detailed procedures in the manual and within a couple of minutes we were on our way. After a good day’s drive we decided to stop at a rest area along with three other caravans. Later a couple of other vans joined us. The sunset was great – we saw about 15 brolgas heading up the nearby creek. In the morning we saw the same birds returning and landing across the other side of the creek. The sunset was great and the sunrise even better and the camp had cost nothing.
12 Sep Thursday
Drove the final 80 km into Coral Bay (Ningaloo Reef) and managed to get a prime spot in the caravan park. Beautiful spot and it wasn’t long before we were in snorkelling over the coral about 30 metres out from the shore. Arranged a snorkelling trip for the next day. Rode the bikes around the town which didn’t take long and later managed to bog the Landrover in soft sand. Let the tyres down and got going again easily. Great to be able to pump up the tyres with our new ARB pump.
13 Sep Friday
Unfortunately the captain of the boat was crook so we eventually went out on another boat to snorkel on the outer reef. The weather had been blowing a gale and it wasn’t all that pleasant however the fish were great and we even managed to swim with a turtle. The second stop wasn’t quite as good and the wind was very strong. But it was a very enjoyable trip and well worth the money.
14 Sep Saturday
Left Coral Bay early heading south and the weather was deteriorating rapidly. We eventually were driving through heavy rain. Kate was determined to use a free roadside camping area. We looked at one but it was a little exposed and continued on. Following directions from the free camping book which Kate had bought in Gingin we found a very quiet beachside location – noone else was camping as the weather was appalling (location – a bit south of Dongara). We were very cosy in our van and slept very well.
15 Sep Sunday
Travelled along the coastal route stopping at Cervantes. Made it back to Peter and Leane’s in the afternoon to find the previous day’s storms had caused many blackouts in Perth and that the power was still off at Gingin. Seeing the farm was highly dependent on power it wasn’t very pleasant. Water pressure is provided by electric pumps – toilets, washing etc. We used woks over gas burners to cook on the veranda.
16 Sep Monday
Moved to Geoff and Francis’ place in the afternoon after moving sheep in the morning. Their house is like one out of House and Garden with sweeping views across bushland with no sign of human existence.
17 Sep Tuesday
Ran down to the farm (10 km) – fencing with Stewart. Later Peter gave us the full farm tour whilst determing whether it was time to water the vines. Dinner at Geoff and Francis’s place – Kate cooked fish salad and sticky date pudding! Open fire – great night!
18 Sep Wednesday
Rode down to the farm while Kate ran down later – after driving to the front gate to avoid the five horses which tended to race towards humans expecting carrots. We rode back to the farm on the motorbike later which was fun. Drove down to the coast block Peter leases from the Shire and repaired the fence to prevent the cattle crossing the river – great fun!
19 Sep Thursday
The first day of shearing had begun and we had a bit of time to watch the action before leaving. Two shearers were going to do 400-500 odd sheep in two days. One shearer had a kelpie cross that could practically talk when it came to sheep. Boy a good dog can save a lot of hard work when it comes to moving sheep! Finally set off at about 1100 hrs across country to Bindoon through wheat belt country and onwards to hit the highway at Merredin. It is impressive how much tree planting is going on in some parts but depressing to see how much salination is occuring. We then travelled on to Southern Cross for a night in a campground – friendly folk at the campground even had a camp fire for the grey nomads to have a chat around. We forwent the pleasure. We were at the back of the campground but could still hear the trucks passing all night.
20 Sep Friday
Left early and visited Kalgoorlie - it would be good to spend a little more time there. We went to the mining museum but didn’t have time to do the tour. Travelled on and stopped for lunch at Norseman. After lunch continued on and eventually stopped at a roadside resting place about 100 km along the 145 km stretch of dead straight road. There were two other vehicles camped there when we arrived and about five by nightfall. Collected firewood and found an old well – must have been some sort of habitation there in the old days. After tea sat by the fire – very pleasant.
21 Sep Saturday
Next morning a look around with the binoculars showed why there was so many roadkill kangaroos – there were a number of large mobs around. We left early and continued along the road listening to talking books. The highlight of the day was stopping at the head of the bight at the Aboriginal park. We were able to see six whales from the platforms erected on the cliffs. One mother and calf were swimming slowly just below the cliffs. It was a little harder to find other travellers stopped for the night beside the road as the traffic had thinned and we were now in the wheatbelt. Eventually we found a roadside stop near Bookabie where two other caravans had set up. We joined them and set up the obligatory fire.
22 Sep Sunday
We travelled to Streaky Bay next morning, set up camp then headed south to Point Labet about 50 km south of the town. On a platform from the cliff we were able to look down on a colony of sea lions – the only mainland colony. We thought it was like a wildlife documentary and watched them for an hour or so. Gradually made our way back to camp looking at all the bays and inlets on the way. Tea in the pub.
23 Sep Monday
Next day Streaky Bay to Murray Bridge – busy through Adelaide. We camped next to the Murray River and inspected all the house boats in the Marina.
24 Sep Tuesday
Travelled on to Bordertown (birthplace of Bob Hawke) for morning tea. Saw white kangaroos in an enclosure adjoining the show grounds on the side of the highway. Interesting place. Further on at Horsham we had a late lunch and decided to continue to the Melbourne instead of a day in the Grampians. Dropped in on Molly at Ballarat and spent a couple of hours with her. Finally arriving in Melbourne at about 8.30 pm.
25 Sep Wednesday
Car washing, inspection of Tricia’s house. Kate shopping with Margaret and Trish.
26 Sep Thursday
Checked the Landrover in for a service at Port Melbourne (2000 km overdue). I rode back along the Yarra to North Balwyn before returning to pick it up at lunchtime. If you plan your route you can get around on low trafficked routes and on some of the main roads in cycle lanes.
27 Sep Friday
Checked out Trakmaster caravans at Bayswater. Impressive set up and very helpful people. We spent about an hour talking to them and they gave us a video to take home. On to Mum’s place and checked out her new Honda. After lunch with Leonie and Anne we had a look at some caravans near Seaford followed by a visit to East Malvern to inspect Anne’s new house. She has some work ahead of her when she moves in October! We hope to help over Christmas and subsequently when we have our freedom! We had an evening meal at Doyle’s overlooking Mordialloc Creek catching up with Steve, Daniel (back from two years in London), Leonie and Anne. Justin also dropped by to see us.
28 Sep Saturday
Grand final of the AFL. Ran early then shopping. Miserable day – watched the Grand Final. Noodles for tea at Trish’s.
29 Sep Sunday
Easy run back to Canberra. Left with a full tank and the low fuel light came on just before Yass. Arrived home at 3 pm and work tomorrow – only 19 work weeks to go!
Vehicle statistics
Total fuel 1781 litresDistance 12 628 kmEconomy 14.1 litres/100kmTotal cost of fuel $1762
15 Aug Thursday
Set off at about 1 pm – six weeks off, fantastic. Arrived in Hay after dark at 7pm. Chicken curry cooked the night before for tea and the sounds of Adelaide – Sydney trucks negotiating the nearby roundabout all night. Nice van park with no permanent residents.
16 Aug Friday
Uneventful trip to Adelaide arriving by 4pm in beautiful weather. Geraldine (my sister) and Dick’s house very impressive with a wonderful private courtyard and sunny backyard complete with pool. Very handy to find at the bottom of the Adelaide Hills coming in from Murray Bridge. Lovely meal of chicken, apricots and almonds from the Middle Eastern Cookbook – well done Dick!
17 Aug Saturday
Kate awoke with a sore throat which was to continue for a few days. It didn’t stop the exercise and we went for a light run on Saturday morning through the nearby arboretum at Waite Institute – idillic surroundings! Cumpulsory cappucinos were followed, in the afternoon, by a wander around Glenelg the highlights of which were a large dolphin swimming under us at the marina and a yacht going through the nearby lock. It doesn’t take much to amuse us! Lamb shanks for tea that night – we were being spoilt with the standard of food! Prior to the meal we went to a nearby lovely old pub where Geraldine proceeded to clean out the poker machines and was smart enough to pocket a fair bit of the winnings. Kate made her usual donation.
18 Aug Sunday
Ran to the old quarry with interesting views of Adelaide (50 minutes). On the way back looked over the manor house at Urbreae. We had a pleasant lunch at a pub in the hills which had great food followed by a visit to a bookshop and gallery – the last two by Geraldine and Kate. Dick and I discussed ‘men’s things’! That evening Dick and Geraldine hosted drinks for their friends which was fun. It was a great weekend and nice to catch up with Geraldine, Dick and Andrew. Kate tried valiantly to get Andrew to catch up with Ben in Sydney.
19 Aug Monday
After an early start and one wrong turn we made our way out of Adelaide and headed north to Port Augusta to buy some supplies for the Nullabor. We had lunch further up the road and really felt we were on our way as we passed the scrubby country west of Port Augusta and saw our first emus adjacent to the road. We made Ceduna that night and checked into the caravan park. We had a pleasant walk on the pier where we got into conversation with a retired chap who it turns out has a caravan in the Twofold Bay Caravan Park where we have spent many a Christmas holiday. He told us the park had changed ownership. Marks on the pier proved there were plenty of squid for the catching. The camping ground was like a concentration camp with high fences and digital locks on the gates!
20 Aug Tuesday
A big day of driving all the way to Norseman, about 1200 km. One of the highlights was Kate overtaking a road train – I think we only passed about three on the whole trip. One of the caravan tyres began loosing pressure – we pumped it up once but it continued to deflate till we eventually decided to replace it with the spare. The last hour or so into Norseman was a little anxious as the kangaroos decided to give us a guard of honour. Fortunately the excellent driving lights came into their own as we were at least able to see them and slow down in time. The Norseman caravan park was quite full with lots of retirees heading back to Melbourne on the last lap of their trip around Australia.
21 Aug Wednesday
Kate’s birthday and another day of driving. The road into Perth is not as pleasant as the rest of the trip. After the long straights of the Nullabor it seemed we were driving around corners all the time. Eventually we hit the outskirts of Perth and we turned right to Gingin. The traffic was relatively heavy but once out of the suburbs we had a clear run. Rachel was having a riding lesson on the vast lawn area in front of their house on a beautiful evening when we arrived. Peter (my brother) and Leanne looked well and we had an enjoyable night with Stewart (our nephew who has been working on the farm on his way around Australia) as well.
22 Aug Thursday
It was an eye-opener to see the changes on the property since last we were there. The new vineyard is enormous and the work to establish it impressive. Final planting was underway with a gang of a dozen people productively employed. As well as Stewart, Peter had other casual workers working for him and we met Stumpy and Ben Treasure (a member of the family who own the farm). Did a bit of moving sheep and cattle as well as a bit of tractor work spraying weeds in the vineyard.
23 Aug Friday
More farmwork. Chasing sheep and cattle. Chinese with Geoff and Francis Overheu in Peter and Leane’s kitchen – great night, very noisy, great fun.
24 Aug Saturday
Stewart gave us a lift to Perth airport for the trip to Bali. The flight was very pleasant and I think it only took 3.5 hours. Picked up by the tour company and we were given the hard sell about possible tours before we even cleared the airport carpark. The humidity was a bit overpowering at first. Our hotel was down a back alley and looked quite pleasant once we were inside the walled garden. Nice pool. The room however was a little disappointing – the shower flooded the bathroom as the drain was blocked up. Airconditioning was pretty ordinary as well. Had tea in a pleasant nearby Mexican restaurant – Café Loco - recommended by the Lonely Planet book
25 Aug Sunday
Went for a run on the beach early in the morning – lots of people walking and enjoying the cool of the morning before the heat of the sun. Changed rooms – the shower didn’t flood but the airconditioning wasn’t any better – basically didn’t work. Pool was very pleasant however. Walked down to Kuta. Lunch in local Balinese restaurant and we had our usual Nasi Goreng. Evening meal at another restaurant out of the Lonely Planet – great food and cheap.
26 Aug Monday
Lazy day, shopping, lazing around the pool and eating. I couldn’t stray too far from the toilet as the Bali belly had struck.
27 Aug Tuesday
Went for a run to Kuta and back. We didn’t get up early enough so the sun was pretty fierce on the way back and the humidity didn’t help. Took a taxi to Dempasar to a department store on Leeann’s recommendation – bliss, we didn’t have to bargain. Shopping, shopping, shopping….!
28 Aug Wednesday
Drove to Ubud. Although we were getting used to the traffic it payed to look out the windows to the side and not in front if you wanted to enjoy the trip. Tahaman Rahasia (the Secret Garden) was a little hard to find. We were to find out that noone else knew where it was as every tour pick-up was preceded by a phone call for directions. Tahman Rahasia was something else. We were greeted by Beth, an expat American, were given a smoothie and met all the friendly young staff. Seemed to be lots of staff and we were the only guests. Walked into town through the padi. Saw the women’s workforce – carrying sand to less accessible places in baskets on their heads. Very heavy work. Beautiful dinner at Taman Rahasia.
29 Aug Thursday
Mountain biking. A bit of a joke really. We were picked up from the hotel after the compulsory phone call to find out where Taman Rahasia was. Through beautiful padi and villages up one of the main roads to the company’s assembly point for the mountain bikes and white water canoeing. Met up with some Kiwis who were going to the elephant park after the ride. Another half hour’s drive and we were at the start of the ride. The six of us had three guides – one at the front, one in the middle and another as tail end Charlie. The bikes were good but you could nearly have done it without a chain as we were mostly going downhill. The guides were very good pointing out features of the local agricultural enterprises which were mostly rice based. We were fortunate to be delayed by a cremation procession – not fortunate for the dead person however. The procession consisted of a five metre square platform made of bamboo poles on which was a Brahman bull complete with penis and testicles! The platform was carried by about 30 young men who proceeded to spin it around and dip and sway with it – all part of the ritual. We were told they had been partaking of the local beer on their arduous trip up the hill from their home village. All the women in the village where we stopped were dressed in black for the occasion. After the bull passed the body was carried by on an altar on a similar platform carried by about 20 men. It is not kosher to watch the burning of the body so we continued our trip, eventually arriving back at the company’s assembly point. The Kiwis departed and we had lunch chatting to the Australian operations manager of the company. He has over 500 local staff running white water rafting, mountain biking, elephant park, bird park tours and whatever else. Kate managed to get free trips out of him on the following days, to the elephant and bird parks, before we finished lunch.
30 Aug Friday
White water rafting. Picked up in a mini bus and transported, along with another Aussie through the rice fields to the assembly point. Down hundreds of steps to the river and into a raft. The trip was probably fairly gentle by white water rafting standards but the scenery was great (Stewart had recommended it). Beautiful lunch afterwards at the company’s restaurant. We were then transported in a mini bus for 40 minutes through various villages which specialised in various crafts e.g. one was full of turned wood artifacts, to the elephant park. It seemed very well done with the elephants taking people around the park and through the nearby village. We didn’t ride them but were given a tour culminating in Kate sitting on the elephant for a photo. Interesting day!
31 Aug Saturday
Hired bikes and rode in the traffic which was a little daunting at first. Fortunately, although chaotic and close to you, we rarely felt threatened. There is very little aggression on the roads which is a refreshing change from Canberra. We rode to visit a site where ancient carvings had been made on a rock face. We were conned by a very persistent guide who wanted to show us the world. Eventually we got back to the bikes and unfortunately I had lost my key to the lock. Much searching followed and finally the guide found the key on the pathway to the carvings. We wondered whether we had been pick pocketed but we gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave him a $2 Australian coin which he was going to melt down for a ring (after telling us he was a poor student who was having trouble surviving).
1 Sep Sunday
Trip to the Bird park for zippo. Interesting but it was a bit sad to see such small cages. The driver took us to a silver workshop on the way home – different standard of living there. Unfortunately no bargains but we did manage to pick up two sets of earrings.
2 Sep Monday
Picked up early to catch the ferry to Lembogin Island. We were booked into the Hai Tide Huts. We snorkelled, then booked in and later did a bike ride around part of the island. We saw seaweed harvesting, bought gifts and watched a huge kite being launched. A characteristic of Bali is the number of kites which are flown particularly in the late afternoon when the consistent wind comes in. jTea on the beach – fantastic setting.
3 Sep Tuesday
Lazed around most of the morning after a breakfast of banana pancakes. Caught the ferry back and encountered huge seas. A barge was being towed through them and seemed to be in trouble but we got by it even if one wave caught us on the port beam and wallowed the boat in a very uncomfortable way. Off the ferry and to the airport, dropped bags then in to Kuta for a meal before returning to the airport to wait for the plane which departed at 2 am. Pretty uncomfortable at the airport waiting but Kate managed to find a few more bargains to get rid of the "loose change" – about $10. Lovely airport staff refused Aussie money and gave Kate her rattan tissue box.
4 Sep Wednesday
Into Perth airport at 6 am after a total of about 2 hours broken sleep. Peter picked us up and back to the farm where Kate disappeared into the caravan for a kip. I went out to work on the farm and quite enjoyed the day fixing the pivot irrigator. Also repaired the roof of the caravan as it had leaked whilst we were away. A bit more sealant did the trick. By 8 pm that night I was falling asleep at the table in the kitchen.
5 Sep Thursday
More farmwork – sheep and cattle – relieved on the tractor spraying in the vineyard over lunch. Kate went for a run (10km).
6 Sep Friday
Perth/Freemantle. We set off for Perth for the day visiting the Ellross caravan factory. Spent a couple of hours at the factory speaking to the owner about off road caravans and inspecting several vans owned by Dutch people. We also saw his large goose neck caravan – very impressive. On Friday night we met up with Geoff and Francis Overheu at their flat in North Perth and had tea with them in a seafood restaurant at Northbridge. Then drove back to Gingin – grateful for the good driving lights.
7 Sep Saturday
Horse of the year contest for Rachel in Perth. Lots of expensive horses, horse floats and cars. Became instant experts on judging horses. We could tell which horses had make-up (all of them) and which had false tails (most of them). I made the comment to Rachel that it was nice to be around quiet horses compared to the race horses that frequented the streets around Mentone when I was growing up. Those race horses were all extremely skittish. Rachel’s comment was "not quiet just drugged to the eyeballs"! Rachel looked like a real horsewoman – which of course she is!
8 Sep Sunday
Drove to Wongan Hills for the grand final of the Aussie Rules that Stewart was playing in. Certainly very impressive facilities for a country town – the football oval’s turf would have done credit to the MCG. Shows that at times wheat belt towns in good areas have had some rich ratepayers or benefactors. Gingin won the reserves in which Stewart was playing and subsequently the firsts. Celebrations would continue in Gingin for a week! We decided to take a look around town whilst the firsts were playing. We toured the local museum which was very interesting. We could see from photos how the local lake had deteriorated. In the industrial area we counted 12 brand new monster headers for wheat harvesting – must have been worth hundreds of thousands each.
9 Sep MondayAfter Peter put a tube in our deflating tyre we set off northwards up the Brand highway. Geraldton was the first town – seemed a long way from anywhere but a thriving feeling. Bought a rod and reel at Cash Converters. Decided, after we had gone past the first turnoff, that we would go to Kalbarri. On the road in we blew a caravan tyre and completely destroyed it. Fortunately we found a tyre place open and were able to buy a new one. I guess after blowing two tyres on the caravan I now know the importance of correct inflation. I started at 35psi when we first got the van, increased to 40psi after blowing the first tyre last year and am now running them at 45psi. I guess it is a lot of weight on two tyres – makes me enthusiastic to get tandem wheels on the next van. We watched the sun go down from Red Bluff – first time this trip over the Indian Ocean. Rissotto for tea.
10 Sep Tuesday
We went for a run first up and found another caravan park looking straight out at the estuary. Later we rode south along the bike path – lots of lizards sunning themselves. Found another pleasant caravan park and had coffee there. We didn’t go to the wildflower centre (this is for Kate’s benefit!). We did however go snorkelling and saw some very large taylor. On the way back we checked out the sports store and bought some fishing gear and a new mask for Kate. Later we managed to lose what we had bought in trying to catch the aforementioned taylor. Needless to say we caught no fish. We got talking to English neighbours in the caravan park who had an 18 foot Bushtracker (Michael and Elizabeth). We got a guided tour and were very impressed. They had everything – the Rolls Royce job. They had travelled across the top and done the Gibb River Road. The inside (and outside) showed no sign of the tough roads it had travelled on. Very impressive and beautiful inside). Kalbarri is a beautiful place and we could easily have spent a week there.
11 Sep Wednesday
Next morning we continued north and although low on petrol I assumed we would find a fuel station shortly after we got back on the highway. By the time we got back on the highway the low fuel light was on and I discovered we had about 120 km to the next roadhouse. Sadly 50 km short of the Billabong Roadhouse we ran out of fuel. I hitched a ride to Billabong with some Perth people headed for Exmouth. Kate made preparations in case the outback murderer stopped. I hitched a ride back with some retired people heading back to Perth. The round trip took 1.5 hours. We were worried about how to get the motor going again but Kate had read the detailed procedures in the manual and within a couple of minutes we were on our way. After a good day’s drive we decided to stop at a rest area along with three other caravans. Later a couple of other vans joined us. The sunset was great – we saw about 15 brolgas heading up the nearby creek. In the morning we saw the same birds returning and landing across the other side of the creek. The sunset was great and the sunrise even better and the camp had cost nothing.
12 Sep Thursday
Drove the final 80 km into Coral Bay (Ningaloo Reef) and managed to get a prime spot in the caravan park. Beautiful spot and it wasn’t long before we were in snorkelling over the coral about 30 metres out from the shore. Arranged a snorkelling trip for the next day. Rode the bikes around the town which didn’t take long and later managed to bog the Landrover in soft sand. Let the tyres down and got going again easily. Great to be able to pump up the tyres with our new ARB pump.
13 Sep Friday
Unfortunately the captain of the boat was crook so we eventually went out on another boat to snorkel on the outer reef. The weather had been blowing a gale and it wasn’t all that pleasant however the fish were great and we even managed to swim with a turtle. The second stop wasn’t quite as good and the wind was very strong. But it was a very enjoyable trip and well worth the money.
14 Sep Saturday
Left Coral Bay early heading south and the weather was deteriorating rapidly. We eventually were driving through heavy rain. Kate was determined to use a free roadside camping area. We looked at one but it was a little exposed and continued on. Following directions from the free camping book which Kate had bought in Gingin we found a very quiet beachside location – noone else was camping as the weather was appalling (location – a bit south of Dongara). We were very cosy in our van and slept very well.
15 Sep Sunday
Travelled along the coastal route stopping at Cervantes. Made it back to Peter and Leane’s in the afternoon to find the previous day’s storms had caused many blackouts in Perth and that the power was still off at Gingin. Seeing the farm was highly dependent on power it wasn’t very pleasant. Water pressure is provided by electric pumps – toilets, washing etc. We used woks over gas burners to cook on the veranda.
16 Sep Monday
Moved to Geoff and Francis’ place in the afternoon after moving sheep in the morning. Their house is like one out of House and Garden with sweeping views across bushland with no sign of human existence.
17 Sep Tuesday
Ran down to the farm (10 km) – fencing with Stewart. Later Peter gave us the full farm tour whilst determing whether it was time to water the vines. Dinner at Geoff and Francis’s place – Kate cooked fish salad and sticky date pudding! Open fire – great night!
18 Sep Wednesday
Rode down to the farm while Kate ran down later – after driving to the front gate to avoid the five horses which tended to race towards humans expecting carrots. We rode back to the farm on the motorbike later which was fun. Drove down to the coast block Peter leases from the Shire and repaired the fence to prevent the cattle crossing the river – great fun!
19 Sep Thursday
The first day of shearing had begun and we had a bit of time to watch the action before leaving. Two shearers were going to do 400-500 odd sheep in two days. One shearer had a kelpie cross that could practically talk when it came to sheep. Boy a good dog can save a lot of hard work when it comes to moving sheep! Finally set off at about 1100 hrs across country to Bindoon through wheat belt country and onwards to hit the highway at Merredin. It is impressive how much tree planting is going on in some parts but depressing to see how much salination is occuring. We then travelled on to Southern Cross for a night in a campground – friendly folk at the campground even had a camp fire for the grey nomads to have a chat around. We forwent the pleasure. We were at the back of the campground but could still hear the trucks passing all night.
20 Sep Friday
Left early and visited Kalgoorlie - it would be good to spend a little more time there. We went to the mining museum but didn’t have time to do the tour. Travelled on and stopped for lunch at Norseman. After lunch continued on and eventually stopped at a roadside resting place about 100 km along the 145 km stretch of dead straight road. There were two other vehicles camped there when we arrived and about five by nightfall. Collected firewood and found an old well – must have been some sort of habitation there in the old days. After tea sat by the fire – very pleasant.
21 Sep Saturday
Next morning a look around with the binoculars showed why there was so many roadkill kangaroos – there were a number of large mobs around. We left early and continued along the road listening to talking books. The highlight of the day was stopping at the head of the bight at the Aboriginal park. We were able to see six whales from the platforms erected on the cliffs. One mother and calf were swimming slowly just below the cliffs. It was a little harder to find other travellers stopped for the night beside the road as the traffic had thinned and we were now in the wheatbelt. Eventually we found a roadside stop near Bookabie where two other caravans had set up. We joined them and set up the obligatory fire.
22 Sep Sunday
We travelled to Streaky Bay next morning, set up camp then headed south to Point Labet about 50 km south of the town. On a platform from the cliff we were able to look down on a colony of sea lions – the only mainland colony. We thought it was like a wildlife documentary and watched them for an hour or so. Gradually made our way back to camp looking at all the bays and inlets on the way. Tea in the pub.
23 Sep Monday
Next day Streaky Bay to Murray Bridge – busy through Adelaide. We camped next to the Murray River and inspected all the house boats in the Marina.
24 Sep Tuesday
Travelled on to Bordertown (birthplace of Bob Hawke) for morning tea. Saw white kangaroos in an enclosure adjoining the show grounds on the side of the highway. Interesting place. Further on at Horsham we had a late lunch and decided to continue to the Melbourne instead of a day in the Grampians. Dropped in on Molly at Ballarat and spent a couple of hours with her. Finally arriving in Melbourne at about 8.30 pm.
25 Sep Wednesday
Car washing, inspection of Tricia’s house. Kate shopping with Margaret and Trish.
26 Sep Thursday
Checked the Landrover in for a service at Port Melbourne (2000 km overdue). I rode back along the Yarra to North Balwyn before returning to pick it up at lunchtime. If you plan your route you can get around on low trafficked routes and on some of the main roads in cycle lanes.
27 Sep Friday
Checked out Trakmaster caravans at Bayswater. Impressive set up and very helpful people. We spent about an hour talking to them and they gave us a video to take home. On to Mum’s place and checked out her new Honda. After lunch with Leonie and Anne we had a look at some caravans near Seaford followed by a visit to East Malvern to inspect Anne’s new house. She has some work ahead of her when she moves in October! We hope to help over Christmas and subsequently when we have our freedom! We had an evening meal at Doyle’s overlooking Mordialloc Creek catching up with Steve, Daniel (back from two years in London), Leonie and Anne. Justin also dropped by to see us.
28 Sep Saturday
Grand final of the AFL. Ran early then shopping. Miserable day – watched the Grand Final. Noodles for tea at Trish’s.
29 Sep Sunday
Easy run back to Canberra. Left with a full tank and the low fuel light came on just before Yass. Arrived home at 3 pm and work tomorrow – only 19 work weeks to go!
Vehicle statistics
Total fuel 1781 litresDistance 12 628 kmEconomy 14.1 litres/100kmTotal cost of fuel $1762
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
On the Road Again - Trip to Centre
26 Apr - 24 Jun 2005
1.
We are back on the road again and will send the odd email but not as regularly as last time. This trip is to the centre and we are currently in Alice Springs.
We left after the Anzac weekend in April after a lovely weekend with Ben and Jenny, and Julia. Ben and Jenny left yesterday to fly to the UK so that Jenny could do her Masters in literature at Glascow University. Lovely weekend but very sad!
We hightailed it up the coast stopping a couple of days at Tuncurry then at Iluca before arriving at Therese's place on the Gold Coast. We spent the next few days helping Therese with a few home improvements. Then it was on to Nambour to get our TV fixed and a few days at Tewantin. We caught up with work colleagues Rob and Pamela Lockwood and heard all the gossip from my work. One thing to say - I am very glad I left when I did as things have gone from bad to worse!!
Then on to Gympie for a delightful couple of days with Paul, Liz and Conor Ryan. We watched Conor star as the goal keeper in his football (soccer) team on Saturday morning before heading for Toowoomba to meet Fred and Heather Allsop for the start of the Allsop Central Australian Tour!!
We then began our run into new territory for us - central and western Queensland on Sunday 8 May travelling to Augathala. The busy east coast was gradually left behind although the amount of traffic on the road surprised us. After about 600 km we were glad to set up camp on the only bit of green grass for the past 300 km. Meeting us there were Jim and Gail Cruden who had sprinted up the middle to join us. Jim had recently had surgery and had not expected to recover so quickly so it was a surprise to have them join us.
Next day we left a little earlier than the others as we were towing so could not travel as fast. We met at lunchtime at Longreach and spent the afternoon looking over the Stockmans' Hall of Fame. I guess we are a little spoilt in Canberra as we felt that a bit of the impact of this worthy museum's thunder has been stolen by the National Museum in Canberra. It is still a great place to visit particularly if you have an interest in the famous names in both exploration and agriculture.
After overnighting just outside Longreach at a roadside camp we headed on to Boulia. We were now travelling in more remote country and were treated to a magnificent desert storm. The skies at times were black with heavy cloud and we eventually were driving through very heavy rain. The creeks and dry river beds gradually filled up and we had to drive through water on a number of causeways. Visibility was less than 50 metres at times. Eventually we came out the other side and the only problem then was to pass other vehicles as dropping a wheel off the one-lane bitumen strip meant sinking into a muddy verge. Further on it hadn't rained and we had a dry night beside the road near the end of the bitumen on the road to the NT border.
Next day we travelled to Tobamorey Station along typical beef roads with lots of corrugations and red dust. The road wasn't too bad but it was nice to pull into the camping area at the cattle station and set up on some green grass. By a happy coincidence they were doing their annual muster and at dusk the mustering helicopter swept low over the trees and landed right next to the camping area.
Next morning we watched cattle being drafted and loaded onto three trailer roadtrains. This is all done from one loading point with the top deck loaded via an internal lowered deck on the first trailer. Cattle are then driven the length of the three trailers via joining ramps between the three trailers. When the top is loaded the front half of the first trailer is raised and cattle are loaded onto the lower deck. It wasn't long before the three roadtrains were loaded and 450-500 cattle were on the road to the station's feedlot somewhere in Queensland. One of the neighbour's cattle which was not loaded on the trucks was a huge bull which stood head and shoulders over the rest of the cattle - it must have been over 1.8 m at the shoulder. We couldn't believe the size of it!
The road deteriorated after the cattle station and we were at times down to 30 kph driving through deep patches of bulldust. I think we travelled about 250 km before camping at a fantastic area off the road. Fred and Heather found it by following a track off the road running into a family group of aborigines who were roasting two kangaroos over a fire. They saw no problem in us camping nearby and we set up about a kilometre off the road with a backdrop of spectacular hills of broken rocks. After the previous night when the station generator disturbed all of our sleep the contrast was amazing. Not a light to be seen or a sound to be heard other than the wind all night! We had a lovely meal using the open fire to cook over with the camp ovens - in our case fish and roasted vegetables!
As we breakfasted next morning we were treated to a couple of large wedge tailed eagles landing on the rocks above us and some kangaroos/wallabies grazing there as well. But the highlight was a large dingo which was chasing a kangaroo over the rocks until he spied us. He then spent the next hour watching us from his rocky perch before eventually tiring and disappearing over the the hill. A fantastic spot!
After some more rough road we eventually met the graders who were working on the road. And bliss after the smooth graded road we found the bitumen and 150 km later Alice Springs. After washing, resupplying and recovering yesterday we went to the Desert Park today. This is a fantastic place for anyone interested in the deserts and particularly to bird watchers. They have a number of avairies which blend into the background bush and allow you to see close up birds that are difficult to get close to in the bush. In addition they have a large nocturnal house in which are many animals which are not generally seen by the public. Many are endangered due to predation by cats and competition from rabbits.
Well that is it so far. Tomorrow we head up the Tanami Track for a couple of hundred kilometres to the bird sanctuary at Newhaven then back to the West Macdonnell Ranges before returning to Alice. More then!
2.
Last time I think we were about to leave Alice Springs and now we are back and about to leave for Hermannsberg, Palm Valley, Finke Gorge, Uluru and the Olgas.
Last time I think we were about to leave Alice Springs and now we are back and about to leave for Hermannsberg, Palm Valley, Finke Gorge, Uluru and the Olgas.
After Alice last time we headed North West on the Tannami Track and just beyond the end of the bitumen overnighted at Tilmouth Well. This was the last bit of grass our campers were going to see for a while. Fortunately the ever present sound of the generator so common in the outback was a fairly distant humm. So the evening around the campfire was very pleasant with a glorious star filled night sky above.
Next day we turned west 20 odd km from Tilmouth onto a lesser used road which, after about 150 km brought us to Newhaven. The road was rough and sandy in parts and the highlight was the close sighing of three large camels. They were used to cars as they waited as each car stopped took the obligatory photo and moved on.
Newhaven is owned by Birds Australia and was bought with public subscriptions and help from the Natural Heritage Trust. It measures 80 by 20 km and was relatively undergrazed because of the underdevepopment of bores for watering cattle. We were told cattle will only move 5-8 km if not in good condition so this dictates how close the bores must be. The property has been destocked of cattle but still carries a large population of camels.
So after being welcomed by the voluntary rangers we set up our dusty camp and settled in. The bird life we observed over the next couple of days was interesting but not as prolific as one would expect on such a reserve. This was probably due to the low rainfall over the past six months.
We followed a number of the suggested routes over the tracks on the property and on the first day climbed to the top of a classic mesa. We found our way up there by climbing up a 15 metre gully in what was otherwise a continuous cliff. When we got to the top we both felt a little uneasy as the rocks at the edge looked rather precarious - the view however was fantastic. Some of the area we passed through on this day was recently burnt in a very hot fire (lightning strikes are not uncommon) and reminded us of the aftermath of the Canberra fires.
Having passed through hundreds of kilometres of grazed desert or dry savannah it was interesting to see how such country looked without cattle. The vegetation seemed far more diverse and healthy despite the low rainfall. In a lot of areas, particularly around the bores, cattle graze everything other than spinifex to the ground. Some places have much higher stocking rates than others.
Next day we came upon a herd? of 13 camels who quietly observed us until approached closer than their area of comfort. They then began to walk off and as we drove closer broke into a gallop. They are an amazing sight and seem to fit into the desert - the truth is they are a curse and are increasing at more than 10% per year. The camels we saw looked in excellent condition and seemed massive in size - much larger than the ones we have previously seen in captivity. Perhaps this was an illusion but they look magnificent in the wild.
Another interesting feature of camels that you are dying to know about is their dung! I know you can't wait to find out!! We first came across it at Tilmouth Well and it looks like slightly oversized kangaroo droppings - we had no idea what it was then despite me being the proud owner of "Scats and Tracks", a book I got for my birthday. Obviously camels are great at conserving water and this minute droppings (compared to the size of the animal) are quite dry. They seem to be able to extract every drop of water out of them.
Next day after listening to howling dingos in the early morning we headed back to Tilmouth Well, overnighting there then heading for the west Macdonnell Ranges next morning. The road was fairly horrendous. Most of the local aborigines travel this country this area in two wheel drive cars and when they break down are left at the roadside, usually turned upside down like dead insects. We counted about fifteen during this day. The highlight of the day was passing by Haasts Bluff which rises out of the flat country spectacularly. It is on Aboriginal land so we were unable to do any walks near it but it is part of what was becoming very interesting landscape.
We drove further along to see more hills and mountains which looked familiar to us - most Australians who have seen Namajira paintings would probably feel likewise as this was his land. His paintings have definitely not overdramatised the landscape - it is stunning!!
We stopped for lunch at Tylers Pass which overlooks Goose Bluff. This is a large rocky outcrop sticking up from the nearby plain like Ayers Rock and is part of a disturbance caused by an ancient meteorite. Truly spectacular!
We spent the next two nights at Ormiston Gorge. We managed to do the Pound Walk which took about three hours and spent the later hour of the day watching the small rock wallabies coming down to the rock pools for water. Magnificent!
Next day we continued to Alice Springs through the fantastic Macdonnells visiting the ancient Ochre Pit used by generations of Aborigines, Serpenting Gorge and Standley Chasm. It has never occurred to me that these mountains can hold their own with the Great Dividing Range in terms of height with the largest over 5000 feet.
Back in Alice we have been resupplying in readiness for 7-8 days in the bush and not having to use the facilities at Uluru which are expected to be very expensive. We have managed to do the Desert Park just outside the town and a few of the sights in the town. Even managed to go out to an Italian restaurant last night - very civilised! Back on the road tomorrow.
3.
Not much time to type emails out in the outback and this might be a quick one! We are at the Pink Roadhouse at Oonadatta and the others are having a shower after several days on the road.
Not much time to type emails out in the outback and this might be a quick one! We are at the Pink Roadhouse at Oonadatta and the others are having a shower after several days on the road.
Last time I wrote we were in Alice from whence we travelled to Palm Valley. We weren't sure whether we could get the van in to the camping ground but it turned out to be a breeze. We first stopped at Hermansberg and did a tour around the historic mission station. Kate had to have some apple strudle after reading Lonely Planet and it was very pleasant!
After setting up camp we travelled the last 4 km into the valley. This turned out to be low gear 4wd work barely creeping over rocky creekbeds. Fred walked back and wasn't far behind us! The valley itself is very beautiful with a species of palm dominating the vegetation. They have only survived in this desert environment because of the geology as water seeps from the rocks here providing year around water.
Next day it was off on the Merenie Loop where we were treated to some of the worst roads we had experienced to date. Fortunately we survived and pulled into Kings Canyon late in the day. Next morning we did the loop walk around the canyon which was spectacular. We looked across at one stage from the northern side and could see people near the edge of a sheer cliff. We thought they were not aware of how they were on top of an overhang. A bit later at the same spot we realised we had been in the same situation on the northern side. Spectacular gorge and well worth the travel (it is quite isolated and there is not much else to see nearby).
Unfortunately on the way back to camp from the gorge I detected a major oil leak under the car. Some bad words were said and I did not want to think what Kate was thinking! We discussed new cars! We found out how the NRMA might help us - $920 for a tow to Ayers Rock. We found a mechanic at the resort who thought it might be okay but wasn't exactly sure! Great help!
The background was that I had detected a small leak in the transfer case in Alice and had replaced the oil which had leaked out. Eventually Fred and I worked out that the oil was leaking from a breather in the transfer case, a further step was we found a second filler plug for the transfer case. Lo and behold I had overfilled the transfer case by using the wrong plug! Should have realised at the time as it took nearly the stated capacity of the case to fill it - as small but vital bit of information which didn't register at the time! Ah my reputation as a mechanic is at an all time low but I don't care - we were both just hugely relieved. (Many apologies made to our faithful Landrover!)
After three days at Kings Canyon over this drama we followed the blacktop to Uluru. We met up with Kate's brother Michael, his wife Sam and children Jack and Ruby, who had flown to Alice from Melbourne for a few days. We had a great couple of days walking around the rock and other walks at Kata Juta (the Olgas). It is not hard to see why the area attracts so many tourists! Michael, Sam and Kate went on a 'Sounds of Silence' dinner under the stars which they all loved! Watching sunset on the Rock with champagne, followed by sumptous dinner and talk by an astronomer! Meanwhile I was being tested for baby sitting duties by very smart six and three year olds - I failed! They ran rings around me!
A highlight of our walk at Kata Juta with the Carrolls was watching a falcon whilst we were having morning tea. We saw the falcon make a couple of swoops before diving vertically from a couple of hundred feet up and hitting a honeyeater or miner ten feet above the ground. Unfortunately for the falcon it did not make a clean hit and whilst knocking the bird out of the sky was unable to grab it before it hit the ground. Immediately a butcherbird dived on it and after some time trying unsuccessfully to finish it off, managed to fly off with it.
So back on the road we headed back to the Stuart Highway turning south to Kuldara. After a pleasant camp in a creek bed about 20 km out of town we revised plans as the track into Finke was unsuitable for us (too sandy for the caravan). So it was south and onto the Oonnadatta Track. Last night we camped about 100km short of Oonadatta beside a dry creek.
That is it so far - not sure of our exact route from here but will let you know in the next email.
4
I think I last wrote at Oonadatta and that was some time ago - at least quite a long distance has been travelled since then! We continued down the Oonadatta track and stayed at Coward Springs for the night and did some bird watching in the afternoon. Coward Springs was memorable for two things - the huge flock of correllas which were roosting nearby and the most boring run - Kate and I ran along the Oonadatta track for about four kilometres - out in a dead straight, flat line and back!!
I think I last wrote at Oonadatta and that was some time ago - at least quite a long distance has been travelled since then! We continued down the Oonadatta track and stayed at Coward Springs for the night and did some bird watching in the afternoon. Coward Springs was memorable for two things - the huge flock of correllas which were roosting nearby and the most boring run - Kate and I ran along the Oonadatta track for about four kilometres - out in a dead straight, flat line and back!!
Coward Springs is part of Anna Station which is part of the Kidman empire and is memorable because it is one of the largest cattle stations in the world being half the size of Victoria.
We continued on next day to Marree. Marree is at the bottom of the Birdsville track and we found out that the Great Australian Cattle Drive was about to finish there on the following Friday. So next day we drove up the Birdsville for about 40 km till we came to a turnoff to the participants camp.
In order to participate in the cattle drive you have to hand over about 2500 of the readies for four or five days in the saddle. As you would imagine for that price you don't sleep in a swag!! We followed a track into the camp and what a camp it was - no hardship here!! I think there were 36 flash looking tents equipped with stretchers and dooners. There were two or three semitrailers with toilet and shower blocks, numerous staff tents and a whole infrastructure for delivering water and disposing of waste. Looked pretty swish to me! I think the participants get driven out each morning to the cattle and driven back at night. Apparently the camp was moved each week.
After a bit of nosing around we found Jody Kruse (granddaughter of the famous Birdsville Track mailman Tom Kruse) who was coordinating the drive. She filled us in on all the details and told us where the cattle and followers were. A few kilometres up the track we found the cattle drive at a halt for lunch. We didn't go too close but suffice to say the tent and surrounding tables gave us the idea that the paying customers were not feasting on cheese sandwiches!
The 400 cattle were neatly arranged in a nice square arrangement mostly taking a rest sitting on the ground. They looked so tame that I think you could have droved them on foot. We waited for half an hour or so but it looked like a long lunch so we moved on. I don't think the paying customers did too much droving as there were plenty of paid staff in attendance.
Next day it was down to Lyndhurst and onto the bitumen to Leigh Creek for reprovisioning! A real supermarket!! The weather was cold and there was a bit of rain about so Jim and Gail decided to call it a day and head for home. The rest of us, Fred, Heather, Kate and me headed back to Lyndhurst and turned right onto the Strezlecki Track heading for Innaminka. We camped that night on the banks of the Frome River - a cold night around the campfire! The highlight was the huge moths (6-8 cm long) which were attracted to the light. Practically had to make a landing strip for them! Some committed suicide into the stir fry I was making in a wok over the fire - fortunately I managed to fish them out. We did wonder how they would taste but noone was game!!
The next night we stayed at Monte Collina bore where there was some good birdlife and continued on passing through cattle country and progressively into dryer areas and the Moomba gas and oil fields. Santos could do a bit on its PR because, apart from one sign overlooking the gas plant there was very little information available. We did find out that there are gas pipelines to Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra, an oil and ethalene (I think!) pipeline to Port Augusta.
Onwards to Innaminka with the weather giving a foretaste of what was to come with strong winds hitting us head on. After inspecting the camps in town we decided to stay a little out of town along the Cooper Creek at Callyamuwa Waterhole which is permanent water. A beautiful spot which was topped off by 15 horses trotting past our camp and going down to the river to drink and graze. We werent's sure whether they were brumbies as they were fine looking horses - suspect they were station horses let loose to graze. Just on dusk a couple of brolgas alighted on the opposite bank to drink - magnificent birds.
That night it bucketted down and it was a fairly soggy camp next morning (22 mm of rain fell). We decided to stay put and go for a walk when an elderly couple towing an off-road caravan came past and asked about the track out. We couldn't help them so they continued on. An hour later the woman came for our help as they were bogged. After a bit of crawling in the mud we managed to drag them out with Fred's trusty Landcruiser. We think they were a bit shaken by the event and they subsequently stayed on and followed us out. They were extremely grateful giving us a prawn trap for catching bait - this of course set off Kate's compulsive fishing behaviour. She ended up catching two fish (I have to put this in!) and Fred and I got none!
A day later we decided to brave the road as more rain was forecast and managed the track out despite some boggy patches (the old couple followed us - the wouldn't have had a chance on the day they started). It quickly became apparent how fast the dirt roads become impassable with any rain - there are few culverts here and all the creeks and drainage lines flow across the roads creating little or in some cases large mini gullys.
Unfortunately we were not able to find out too much about our proposed route to Tibooburra as it was the Monday public holiday and everyone connected with the roads was on holidays. So we decided to head out - we reasoned that we needed to get to the bitumen as soon as possible otherwise we could be trapped for some time. For the first 70-80 km we were fine as the roads were all weather gravel roads built to service the Moomba gas fields. Then we turned onto the dirt/sandy roads and the fun began. To cut a long story short we found ourselves getting further and further onto wet and slippery roads but there was no turning back as the weather looked worse where we had come from. We did diversions, straddled water and climbed along the edges of the road. We finally met someone who was coming through from the other direction who indicated that we could get through as long as we followed their path (which wasn't hard to do).
We decided to take a short cut on one occasion (a bit overconfident it turns out) and Fred went ahead and got through. We charged in but the mud was about 20 cm deep and eventually we ground to a halt. One of the disadvantages of towing a three tonne caravan is that it is wider than the car and we were pushing two lots of wheel tracks through. Out came the tow rope and the statch strap and in a short time we were on the way again with Fred's help.
Later we passed two road trains, each with three trailers stuck in the middle of the road. We wondered about the hundreds of sheep on board but found out later that they were able to get going again and passed through Tibooburra that night. It was a long day!
Next day we were stuck in Tibooburra until 1.30 pm when they opened the road south to Broken Hill. Once again the road was slippery but we were now veterans and there was no further drama.
So the rain has put a stop to our outback travels - all the dirt roads were closed so visiting National Parks was impossible. After a couple of days looking around Broken Hill and subsequently Mildura we headed for Melbourne and Fred and Heather home to Canberra.
This means we will have to go back to try and visit the places we missed - hopefully we will do this before the next drought as we don't want to be drought breakers again. We are intending to stay in Melbourne for a week or so before returning home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)