Day 8 - Wednesday 19 August

Went to Ceduna Health Centre today and saw a very nice nurse, Elise, who dressed and packed the wound on my neck.  On the way back to the caravan park we decided to fill up at the Caltex service station.  When I tried to fill it just came out in fits and spurts.  Didn't think that was too good so stopped at less than a litre and went to the Shell station across the road.  It was cheaper there too.

The road is very undulating and reasonably straight.  There is a bit of a side wind and it is putting a little pressure on the cars.  I am spending most of my time in 5th gear (I have 6 gears). I thought that I may have been putting a bit of strain on the car but after talking to Bernie he has spent most of his time in 4th gear (he has 5 gears), looks like we just have to make allowances for the wind.

We had our morning tea in a little town called Penong where we planned our trip for the rest of the day. On our last trip across this way we visited a little settlement on the coast called Fowlers Bay so we decided to visit it again to have lunch. It is about 25 km off the main highway and is dirt for about 50% of the way.  The way back to the highway is about 30 km, this time all dirt.  Needless to say the 'van got a bit dirty because there was quite a bit of mud around after rain.

View of Fowlers Bay - South Australia

It was beautiful at Fowlers Bay, just a slight breeze and about 24 degrees.  It has changed a little bit since our last visit 4 years ago, however it is still in the middle of nowhere. Road transport has taken away its reason for being which was shipping for the surrounding areas.

We headed for Head of Bight after lunch.  There are a couple of free camps nearby, one is actually at the gates of the reserve.  We went down to the visitors centre and they told us where the free camps actually were as there was a little confusion on the camps listed in Wiki Camps. 

Camping at Head of Bight

Caravans Side by Side

We were the first to arrive but within about an hour we had about 8 neighbours. We have the caravans parked side by side with the Donchi's awning over the gap between the vans.  Very cosy. Dinner that night was fritters made from the left over pork roast from last night, peas and corn, followed by baked apple and custard.  The apple was cooked in Jan's vacuum cooker.  Simmer whatever you want on the stove for 15 minutes and then put it in an insulated container.  It keeps cooking for the rest of the day.

Whale watching tomorrow.

Day 9 - Thursday 20 August

As mentioned previously we camped at the entrance to Head of Bight ready for the off this morning. Big problem, it rained all night and is still raining.  Low visibility so have decided not to visit the whales this time round.  It would be very uncomfortable and I didn't want to get my camera wet.

We stopped at Nullarbor Roadhouse for a cuppa and fuel.  The roadhouse is a motel, bar, cafe, shop and fuel station all rolled into one.  There is a roadhouse about every 200 km's across the Nullarbor so there is no excuse to run out of fuel.  From here we proceeded to Border Village on the border of South Australia and Western Australia. We fuelled up and had another cuppa.  We decided to have one at the roadhouse because there is a lot of mud around after the rain and we didn't want to traipse mud into the carpet in the Donchi's caravan.

  

Great Australian Bight - Southern Ocean

We had made plans over drinks and nibbles last night regarding the places to stop for the next couple of nights.  Jan has a free camping book and we decided on site number 6 in WA tonight which is about 180 km away from Border Village and then site number 15 tomorrow, Friday night.

The Edge of Australia

These plans came unstuck as we crossed the border.  We had no trouble with quarantine, but as we left the quarantine area we were met by police and transport inspectors who were checking all vehicles and caravans.  They had a good look at us, checked Deb's licence and the registration of the car.  On the Donchi's van they checked the breakaway system which failed.  A defect notice was placed on the van which had to be rectified by the 23rd which was Sunday.  The defect notice was placed on Thursday about 1.00 pm and had to be rectified by Sunday.  The caravan could not be repaired until Norseman which was nearly 700 km away, it then had to be inspected and the closest inspection station was either Coolgardie or Esperance.

We headed for Norseman and went to site 15 for the night which will gain us some time. There is about 332 kilometres to go from our overnight stop to Norseman. Jan has been in touch with an auto electrician in Norseman and will have a look when we get there.

Have got word from Port Augusta about the infection in my neck. It looks like it is Golden Staph.  Have to be careful when the wound is dressed.

Day 10 - Friday 21 August

Our race to Norseman began to at 7.30 am as we left our overnight campsite.  The trip to Norseman has been quite different to the last couple of days, no wind.  The car is purring along in top gear at 1750 RPM.  Climbed most of the hills without changing down.

Got to Norseman at about 11.00 am and went to the auto electrician who suggested we have some lunch and come back in the afternoon.  Nice fish and chips at the local cafe and not a bad price.  While waiting for the food I called Raymond for his birthday.  He was in Dalby for a festival of some kind.  I told him about Bernie's problem so he has checked his van which is OK.

 Corrugated Iron Sculptures of Camels - Noseman

Spent most of the afternoon parked outside the auto electricians waiting for the repairs to take place.  It appears that the battery for the breakaway is not being charged.  There appears to be a problem with the auxiliary connection on the 12 pin plug between the car and caravan.  We are now on our way to Esperance to go to an authorised inspection station.

  

Camel Sculptures - Norseman

Jan went to the police station to see what could be done if it wasn't inspected on time and the Constable there was very surprised because defects normally get 10 days grace, she wondered why Bernie was only given 3, including a weekend.

We are at another free camp tonight about 42 km south of Norseman.  Large area and we had our 'vans pulled up so that the doors were opposite. Fried rice for tea tonight.

It has started to rain again.  Doesn't bother us too much, however there are a group of women who have started to set up tents and is is raining rather heavily.  They are on their way to the Birdsville races and have about 10 days to go.  I would be staying in a motel tomorrow night just to get a few things dry.

Will complete our journey to Esperance tomorrow and see if we can get the caravan inspected there.

Day 6 – Monday 17 August

We’re headed for Port Augusta today.  We have to find either a doctor or hospital.  The wound on my neck opened up a little.  It looked good before the stitches came out on Friday, however there seemed to be a build-up of fluid and it had to come out somewhere.

We went to the hospital in Port Augusta.  The staff there were great, the only problem being that there was that there was no doctor there.  It is similar to Gunnedah where the doctors are called when they are needed for an emergency.  I thought that Port Augusta was a similar size to Tamworth so would have a full Accident and Emergency service.  In fact it is not much larger than Gunnedah.  They dressed the wound and made an appointment at the medical centre.

The doctor had a look, wrote a prescription for antibiotics, took a swab and had it dressed with a packing.

The travelling is great.  The country changes all the time.  Today we travelled through some very arid areas and other areas where the wheat was so green and thriving.  We take turns in leading the way, Bernie led from Hawker to Port Augusta and I took the lead to Kimba which is half way across Australia and home of the Big Galah.

Good Bakery.  Last time we passed through I had a berry turnover and cream.  Just bought a loaf of bread this time.

The Big Galah (A bit misty in Kimba this morning)

We are staying at a free camp in Kimba.  It is next to their sports ground and has been set up by the townspeople for the traveller.  There is a shower that is coin operated, $1 for three minutes and good clean toilets.  They ask for a gold coin donation each day you stay there.  Excellent facilities.

The tongue in the towbar has been making some knocking noises.  Not when we have been pulling along the highway but when going slowly over bumps.  There is a bolt to tighten it up, however when I went to tighten it up I managed to break it off.  It was only held on originally by two small tack welds about 4mm long, one of which had been broken for a while.  Will have to get something done before we leave tomorrow.  Deb has found a number of engineering businesses here in Kimba.  One that says no job too big or small.  We will see if this is so and will give them a ring in the morning. 

Day 7 – Tuesday 18 August

As mentioned in the previous day’s blog I had to get the tow bar repaired.  Deb rang Lienert Engineering first thing and spoke to a nice young man called Matt who said to come down and he would see what could be done.  He sent me around to the back of the workshop where they put in a new nut, bolt and locking nut.  Took about 15 minutes.  Cost $20 and we were on our way to Ceduna.

Had a stop for morning tea in a small town named Wudinna.  Turned off the road to find a park and a toilet and found something that you don’t normally find in a public park.  A jumping pillow!  There was a pump running and it was fully inflated ready to go.  Thought we might give it a go but we had to take our shoes off and it was a bit chilly for that.

Our lunch stop was at a little town where Jan and Bernie had free camped on a previous crossing.  The town was called Wirrulla.  Its claim to fame is the town jetty.  There is no lake, river or any water to speak of there, just a jetty.  The end of the jetty is the tee for the 5^th hole of their golf course.  They also have a boat of sorts, it’s a frame made out of water pipe in the shape of a boat.

No water here

Note the greenery at the end of the jetty.  5^th Tee

The Boat Crew

We are now in Ceduna at the Big 4 Caravan Park.  Deb rang earlier and booked two sites next to each other which has worked out quite nicely.  We had both Webber Baby Q’s working, pork shoulder in one and baked vegies in the other.  Good meal, as good as we would get at home, with homemade apple sauce and gravy.

Tomorrow still heading west.

Day 4 – Saturday 15 August

We left Thackaringa Rest Area to continue our caravan odyssey.  The last time Deb and I travelled this way there were quarantine checkpoints where our vehicle was checked for fruit etc. before we were allowed through.  It seems that the checks are a thing of the past with honesty bins placed at the checkpoints and a sign saying that there would be spot checks throughout the State of South Australia.

An emu just having a wander

Today we have done a little geocaching.  We found five today, they were all different and some were harder than others to find.  Some people used their imagination when placing the caches.  One we found was inside a pipe that was made to look like a support for a strainer post.

After our conversation with Paul on Thursday we have decided to head for the Flinders Ranges.  It seems that a good place to start our exploration is a town called Hawker so we have booked ourselves in for two nights at the Big 4 Caravan Park there.  It will give us an opportunity to do some washing and have a good clean up ourselves.

The road to Hawker goes through a town called Peterborough, originally Petersburgh but changed in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment.  This was a railway town and has a steam museum.  I have noted this and will return to visit it.  We had lunch in Queen Victoria Park which was really nice.

It is good travelling with Jan and Bernie.  Good conversation and because they are more experienced than us we are able to pick their brains.

Day 5 – Sunday 16 August

Today we went through the Flinders Ranges.  We did a fairly circuitous route covering nearly 300 km for the day.  We went in the Donchi’s car which is a Series 90 Landcruiser. A large portion of the trip was dirt and a bit rough in places.  The scenery was spectacular.  The whole place would be a geologist’s delight.

The road approaching Bunyeroo Gorge

Had morning tea at Wilpena Pound Visitors area.  This is part of the Flinders Ranges National Park.  We then went through the Bunyeroo Gorge.  There was some spectacular scenery leading up to the gorge and then through the gorge.  Once through the gorge we headed for a little town called Parachilina to have lunch at the pub that has had a licence since 1876.

For lunch we had feral burgers.  Deb and Jan had kangaroo, Bernie had camel and I had goat.  There was emu on offer as well.  We all enjoyed our lunch and after a suitable interval we headed back east through Parachilina Gorge and then to the Great Wall of China, another spectacular rock formation.

Great Wall of China

Off to Port Augusta tomorrow.

 Day 1 – Wednesday 12 August 2015

We were all packed and sorted out and on our way at about 9.15 am today, headed for Dubbo where we are going to visit Dianne and John Herron who are friends of Jan and Bernie’s from their time in North Epping.  Deb and I also know Dianne and John from our visits to North Epping before Jan and Bernie left for the sunnier climes of Telegraph Point.

Our route took us through Mullaley, Tambar Springs, Coolah, Dunnedoo and then to Dubbo.  Our first stop was the “Genuine” Black Stump rest area which is about 10 km north of Coolah.  We tried our hand at geocaching.  Jan and Bernie are old hands at this and it is quite good fun.  We found the cache and left out user name in the log then logged our find online.  As it was our first we were congratulated and urged to try and find more.

Not quite the original Black Stump

Ready to head off from the Black Stump

Dunnedoo was our next stop for lunch.  A nice large stopping area parallel to the main street/highway through the town.  As there was a geocache registered in Dunnedoo and we had some time to spare we decided to have a look.  Although our search instruments (mobile phones) indicated that we were close we could not find it .  After checking the website it seems that there have been a number of people searching in the last couple of months who also were not able to find the cache so we concluded that someone must have made off with it.  We recorded the fact online and proceeded on our way to Dubbo.

At both locations where we stopped it was quite cool, in fact in Dunnedoo the wind seemed to penetrate through the polar fleece I was wearing.  It can only get warmer as we head west.

After leaving Dunnedoo we experienced some rain and quite a bit of wind which caused the cars to work a little bit harder in places.  The rain continued on to Dubbo and is still raining in spits and spurts now and it is 10.30 pm.

Jan and Bernie have set up camp outside Di and John’s house and Deb and I are on the footpath outside their daughter Robyn’s house which is about 400 metres away.  We are quite snug and as it is our first taste of free camping I suppose outside a house with all the mod cons is the way to go.

We had an excellent meal at Dianne and John’s and are now ready to curl up for a nice night.

Tomorrow we continue our odyssey westward.

Day 2 – Thursday 13 August

Started the day after an excellent free camp outside Robbie Herron’s house.  Went to Di and John’s place for breakfast and then headed off to Cobar.  Deb and I remembered that there was an excellent bakery there so thought it would be good to get some nice fresh bread rolls there for our lunch.

We have decided that where we can we will get some fresh bread rolls or bread for lunch.  Where we can’t we will have Cruskits and Vita Wheats with Vegemite or cheese or if we feel decadent we might have both on our biscuits.  The biscuits are a good substitute for bread and keep well.

The road is pretty good.  Most places it is a good two lanes wide with a good shoulder.  The shoulder width does vary and could be a problem if we drop a caravan wheel off it.

No geocaching today.  Will have to have a look towards Wilcannia and Broken Hill to do some more.

Found the bakery in Cobar and had some nice breadrolls at the side of the road.  Jan and Bernie’s caravan is great for this because the top doesn’t have to be put up like ours.  We can just pull up anywhere and make a cuppa and lunch and then head on our way.

Deb has been doing the research and we had a choice of two places to stay this evening.  Unfortunately the first wasn’t well signposted so went past before realising so we headed for the next which was Lillydale.  This is a new rest area and is on both sides of the road.  We had a look and instead of staying on the south side we moved to the north side and set up.  The place is really nice with solar powered lighting and reasonably clean facilities.  Unfortunately we set up in the only shelter that the light didn’t work.

Lillyvale Rest Area

Jan and Bernie have brought a portable fire with them it works very well.  A truckie pulled in just after dark and as we were just about to pack up he came over to have a talk and sit around the fire.  He just happened to be a friend of Jan and Bernie from the navy.  It wasn’t planned.  He didn’t realise who we were until he got to us.  He was heading east and was supposed to pull up at the rest area before this one but couldn’t get phone reception and we had changed sides of the road because there was more room.  What would be the odds of that happening.  Small world.

Jan and Bernie admiring the fire with their Lions Mugs.

Day 3 – Friday 14 August

Got away a little earlier today.  The last couple of days we started a little late because we didn’t have far to go on Day 1 and on Day 2 we stayed later because we were staying with friends.

We came across some trees that were decorated along the side of the road.  Individual trees were decorated with the same item.  The items decorating the trees were, handkerchiefs, shoes, stuffed toys, bras, and measuring cups.  One tree even had televisions with the screens painted with the logos of the major networks.

We have been taking every opportunity to fill up with fuel.  Don’t want to get below half a tank if we possibly can.  We filled at the Liberty Petrol Station in Wilcannia and while we were doing this Bernie wanted to check his tyres.  He had to get the gauge etc. from the office where he was told that he had to buy something if he wanted to check his tyres.  Jan bought 2 cans of drink and it was handed over.  Bernie has a large sub-tank so he can pass lots of fuel stations.

Had a good look around Broken Hill.  Nice walk through the main street.  Some of the old buildings are absolutely fantastic.  The Trades Hall was built in 1898.  Broken Hill even had the first Labor Mayor in the world.

We are staying tonight at Thackaringa Rest Area.  This site is about 36 km west of Broken Hill but is not as fancy as last night but adequate.. Met some people that came from port Macquarie. Small world.  Cooked and ate dinner in our van.  Couldn’t eat outside because of the flies.  They disappeared as soon as the sun went down.

Sun Setting at Thackaringa