Uncategorized – Page 2 – Mick & Sue's Aussie Adventure

June 26, 2023August 20, 2023

The Gibb Day 2 – Tunnel Creek and Silent Grove

My heart was racing as I stepped into the dark murky water of the underground pool. My head torch making little light in the pitch dark.

Bats the size of magpies darted about in the cavern and I knew freshwater crocodiles lurked in the water.

Wearing only bathers, wet shoes, and a weak head torch I eased into the water and swam blindly across the 20 metres to the dark sandy bank on the other side.

The only thing that gave me confidence to go were the returning trekkers seen only by their torch lights flicking.

We were at Tunnel Creek and this cave system follows a small rocky creek that gathers in large pools inside the cathedral sized caverns. Stalactites hang from the ceiling like chandeliers that the bats careened around.

The walk/wade/swim through the cave is about 400 metres with one opening about halfway along, then finally a tunnel of light opening to a large pool on the other side of this rocky ridge.

After a short break we headed back into the gloom having to swim across the deep pool again.

It was busy with a lot of people having this unique experience, so we felt safe. I didn’t see any crocodiles but one lady told me she had seen their red eyes in her torch light.

I don’t have any photos of this experience because we didn’t take our phones due to the swim.

Day 2 was to be a big one for us. The side trip to Tunnel Creek was 110 kilometres return on a rough dirt road.

We were keen to leave the bitumen and begin the Gibb River Road experience but before that, just after leaving Birdwood Downs Station, we were halted and delayed by a film crew making a movie. So we waited and chatted to the lady holding the stop sign. She said this was the crew that made Mystery Road.

We opted to unhitch and leave our camper trailer at the turnoff to Tunnel Creek; something I felt very uneasy about. We were the first vehicle at the roadside area when we set off for Tunnel Creek. When we returned three hours later we were relieved to see our Dingo still there and parked beside ten or so other parked caravans and trailers.

This was the start of the dirt road and it wasn’t too bad at first travelling at about 70 km/hr.

Fuel stops are one of the main considerations and we thought we might run on empty at the next available fuel stop. You really need to know your vehicle fuel efficiency and monitor your usage. Mick is great at doing all these calculations in his head, but I log everything in the Fuel Australia app.

On the road to Silent Grove (Dulundi) there were three creek crossings and we saw one brown snake on the road.

Silent Grove is in the King Leopold Ranges and we set up amongst the other campers.

A tribe of rowdy kids ran around the camp like a herd of elephants playing spotlight hide-and-seek in the dark while their parents sat around a campfire drinking. Why don’t kids go to school anymore? This “home-schooling” is a lark! As a kid I too ran around campgrounds in the dark with other kids, but my parents always told us not to run around other campsites. And it was only ever during school holidays.

Rain fell overnight, fortunately not enough to turn the red dirt into slush.

We travelled 342 kilometres with the anticipated fuel stop the next day.

June 26, 2023July 8, 2023

The Gibb Day 1 – Birdwood Downs Station

A smooth surface of firm bitumen seduced us at the western end of The Gibb River Road near Derby in Western Australia. We had stopped a few times along the route from Broome with major road reconstruction work after the floods earlier this year.

Birdwood Downs Station is situated on this sealed section of the road and they greet travellers warmly, providing plenty of space and good amenities.

The communal campfire invites travellers to gather and compare notes.

We learned that traffic was delayed on the highway south of Derby due to a small plane crashing and blocking the road. This happened a couple of hours after we went through.

We also heard that the reason the Windjana National Park is closed is because a big saltwater crocodile is there after the wet season. The aboriginal people there didn’t want to have the croc relocated like they do in the Northern Territory. Instead they chose to close the road for the season.

The night at Birdwood Downs Station was very quiet, a sky full of bright stars, and being woken by the farm chickens and peacocks in the morning.

We travelled 247 kilometres and set off early the next day.

June 8, 2023August 20, 2023

This is what we came for …

After kilometres of endless desert, flat plains, red dirt, brown scrub, and feral goats, we arrive at Yardie Homestead near Exmouth.

Yardie Homestead, Western Australia on Exmouth Peninsula

The Ningaloo Reef runs parallel to the Cape Range National Park of the Exmouth peninsula.

At Turquoise Bay I put on fins, snorkel, and mask, put my face in the water and stare into the face of a silver fish.

I push off into the current and glide out to the reef just ten metres or so from the white sand beach. There are fish everywhere of every shape and colour. The small iridescent purple fish are my favourite. There are large rainbow coloured Wrass and long slender pale green trumpeter fish. With each sideways glance a new variety is spotted. I drift with the strong current then hop out, walk back along the sand, then repeat. It is beautiful and the water temperature is perfect.

It’s busy with tourists everywhere. Every type of travel mode can be seen; from the supersized truck utes with supersized caravans, to intrepid cyclists with lightweight tent. Swags are popular, but I prefer to be up off the ground. Our camper trailer is fine for our needs so far.

The day before we drove out to Monkey Mia, paid the fee to park, missed the feeding time event (thankfully), walked out the jetty and saw a pod of dolphins up close as they swam by. It is a popular tourist hotspot now, ruined by overuse and commerciality.

We stopped at Shell Beach of Shark Bay on the way back to the main highway. The beach there is white from all the tiny white shells.

The bad weather has gone, now the sky is blue. At night the stars and planets are in high definition; it’s nice to be away from the light pollution.

June 5, 2023August 20, 2023

Crossing the continent

We crossed the Australian continent in six days leaving our home beside Port Phillip Bay in south east Victoria and arriving at the Indian Ocean at Jurien Bay in Western Australia, 3,896 kilometres later.

Indian Ocean at Jurien Bay Western Australia

Only once did we stay in a caravan park and it was awful. Whilst every other night was spent in roadside free camps.

Mick set up the camp toilet and shower, while I battled with trying to cook on gas outside.

Roadside camp on the Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Despite wild wet weather we are snug and dry under the canvas tent top, and so far the tent fly has hung on.

The road trains are constant, long, and travel fast. At night they roar past the sleeping travellers along the route.

The Nullarbor plain begins at Ceduna in South Australia and ends 1,200 kilometres later at Norseman in Western Australia.

We stopped to gaze in awe at the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight.

The Great Australian Bight, South Australia

Finally at Norseman we turn right at the first intersection only to be immediately stopped by police at a roadside random breath test.

We saw no wildlife; no kangaroos, no emus, no camels. Not even any interesting birds, apart from one eagle.

The costliest fuel was at the Nullarbor Roadhouse at $2.66 per litre. At Eucla it was $2.38 per litre. Mostly it’s been about $1.89. So we spent $930 on fuel for the continent crossing. And we averaged 633 kilometres per day.

Fuel stop at Nullarbor Roadhouse, South Australia

Today we passed the point in our travels back in March of 2020 (the turnoff to Cue), where we had to turn around due to the border closures.

The weather so far has been awful, constant grey skies, gusty winds, and rain. We hope for warmer weather and blue sky as we head north.

October 7, 2020October 7, 2020

Cooktown QLD

Captain James Cook was a courageous man who “left nothing unattempted”. His barque, the HMS Endeavour beached at the then-to-be-named Cooktown on the 18th of June 1770.

The museum in town exhibits this history in a wonderfully curated display of stories and objects, including a big anchor and cannon from the ship, recovered by divers in 1970. The book of “Cook’s Journals” is also there in a glass case with selections printed prominently on display walls.

The aboriginal story is shared alongside this story about Captain Cook and his time in this area, offering balance and respect for all of those people in Australia’s past.

The museum building has a unique history of its own as it was originally built in 1889 as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy. Perched on the hill, the views from this heritage-listed building are magnificent across the Endeavour River. A visit to the museum is a must when in Cooktown.

The population here increased during the gold rush of the 1870’s attracting many Chinese and this early influence is still evident in the local culture; the smells wafting at the Saturday morning market attract people to wonderful locally made Asian foods.

We arrived at Cooktown relieved to be back on smooth roads, and keen to clean our vehicles and restore order to our home on wheels.

The caravan park we chose is beautiful with gorgeous tropical trees, plants and birds. We decide to stay until the end of the school holidays. Bush Stone-Curlews dash around hiding behind trees and shrubs. All sorts of cheerful birds call out from the treetops. A pair of Tawny Frogmouths live in the tree next to our caravan, returning to sleep through the day. There are no dogs here and so the birds (and non-dog lovers) can live stress free.

Bush Stone-Curlew (Screaming Woman Bird)

The old town is situated beside the Endeavour River and has great public facilities such as fishing platforms, a free water park, exercise equipment, paved walkways, parks, bbqs, and seats.

We walk up to the summit of Mount Cook stopping at the lookouts to catch our breath and take in the panoramic views. On a clear day the Great Barrier Reef is visible. We stroll around the beautiful Botanic Gardens, something every town should have I think.

We drive out to Finch Bay, the Annan River, Quarantine Bay, and up along the Endeavour River. It is a pretty area with epic mountain ranges all about. Mick goes fishing at the wharf and other places. He catches a few too small to keep and one far too big to land.

Then the wind arrives! Gale force waves like trains thundering past rock our caravan all day and night. We’ve not experienced wind like this since our camping days at Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria. And then a bushfire breaks out to the west of the town. We had heard fire sirens in the afternoon but couldn’t see or smell smoke. Our son in Victoria asks how we are and tells us of the fire. When we look it up online we see it is serious and people have been asked to evacuate. We think that the owners of the caravan park would advise us if necessary. That night I see a red glow in the sky to the west. The wind direction has been from the east and we are not in the path of the fire for now. The next day a fellow camper tells me that she has seen on the app that it is under control. We have no Internet connection for half the day.

As well as the older grey nomads who wander this land filling caravan parks and free parks, there is a growing number of families doing the same thing. These are young parents with their children. The children are probably “home”-schooled. Inspired by the Trip In A Van family, who have been doing this for about five years with three children, and now making the cost-of-living ends meet, they all proudly advertise their Social Media handle on their rigs and covet a life of sponsorship so that they can sustain this lifestyle choice.

It was funny to return to our campsite in Cooktown one day to find the Trip In A Van family setting up beside us. We said hello, compliment them on their YouTube videos, and wish Justin well with his fishing escapades.

The next day we start the slow journey south. We hope the state borders will be open for Christmas.

September 20, 2020September 20, 2020

Daintree River and Cape Tribulation QLD

I stood where the forest meets the sea and realised another wish from my life dream list. From the lookout I gazed northwards along the beach to the mountains that dip directly into the tropical sea of Cape Tribulation.

These scenes are illustrated in beautiful collages in Jeannie Baker’s children’s book Where The Forest Meets The Sea. It had enchanted me for years.

After driving to the end of the bitumen, we had a quick lunch at the Turtle Rock Cafe, then drove south stopping at interesting spots along the way: Maardja Boardwalk, Thornton Beach, Cow Bay, and Alexandra Range Lookout. We gaze in awe at some amazing rainforest trees feeling like we have stepped into Jurassic Park.

The narrow road winds along the beaches, through rainforest, and up and over mountainsides. We keep our eyes open for cassowary birds and tree kangaroos, but don’t see any. We do see one big dead black snake on the road, and one small striped live goanna at Cow Bay.

The ferry ride across the Daintree River is easy and we don’t see any crocodiles.

Lots of the usual tourist places are closed due to reduced tourism numbers because of COVID and this is disappointing but there is still plenty to see and experience. It is a beautiful way to spend a lazy day in paradise.

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020

Minding Archie

While the bushfires raged across the country, we travelled south back to Rosebud leaving the caravan at Horsham. We had offered to mind Archie the dog while our son and his family went on holiday to Queensland.

This little interlude was always in our plans, but it does feel a lot like ‘Groundhog Day’. We are keen to get moving with this trip but with many major highways closed we wouldn’t get very far anyway.

It has been a good opportunity to attend to the problems with the car and caravan; so timely as it turns out. The mechanics could not find a problem with the Triton. It is under warranty and we will continue to monitor it.

The smoke haze has choked many areas including here on the busy Mornington Peninsula. We could not see the nearby ridge of Main Ridge for a whole day. It hasn’t deterred the hordes of summer tourists.

We have had a nice relaxing time sleeping in a comfortable bed, walking Archie, and catching up with friends. Mick has played golf and joined in with the Saturday Park Run. We have watched some great Australian content on TV: The Gloaming set in Hobart; The Commons set in Sydney. And I did Yoga with Adriene.

Living_Room_1_Jan_2020

One of my past blog posts, ‘The Aussie Fire Beast’, was picked up by Libraries Interact Daily. It is not the first time one of my posts has been picked up and included in their newsletter. This gives me confidence to continue this writing endeavor.

Hopefully when we leave Rosebud this weekend we won’t be back until next Christmas.

January 2, 2020January 23, 2020

Staying with Family in Horsham

Approaching Horsham from the north along the Henty Highway, the Grampians outcrop looks mysterious, ghosted in the smoke haze.

We were returning to Horsham after spending a day exploring the Silo Art nearby. In all we looked at six silos with artworks:

Rupanyup – Two local young sportspeople – Ebony Baker and Jordon Weidermann – by artist Julia Volchkova.
Sheep Hills – Colourful portraits of four local aboriginal people – two elders: Uncle Ron Marks and Aunty Regina Hood – two children: Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald – by artist Adnate.
Brim – Four local farmers depicted – by artist Guido van Helten.
Rosebery – Local farmers depicted at work – by artist Kaff-eine.
Lascelles – Local farming couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman – by artist Rone.
Patchewollock – Local farmer Nick ‘Noodle’ Hulland – by artist Fintan Magee.

My favourites were the first one at Rupanyup and the last one at Patchewollock.

These small towns are connected by bumpy sealed roads amidst farmland. It was an empty landscape of pale-yellow harvested crops under a hazy hot blue/grey sky. Other tourists were travelling this route to look at the silo art. We had lunch at a very clean new general store in Brim where we also bought an insect house for our family’s garden in Horsham. We bought ice-creams and fuel. The silo art had taken us into towns we would not normally visit and allowed us to contribute in a small way. It is a great idea.

Mick’s brother’s house in Horsham sits on ten acres of flat dry paddocks. They have animals, a nice garden, and an inground pool with a sunshade. The house and land were in a poor state when they bought it last year and they have worked hard to get it to a lovely condition. The old house has high ceilings of pressed metal patterns, chandeliers, timber floors, and large rooms. The back verandah and pergola serve them well on hot days. The pool is a perfect place to dip into on the 42⁰C days.

We drove out to Mount Arapiles and walked up to the summit that overlooks Mitre Rock and beyond. A band of dust and smoke approached ominously from the west with the fast-moving winds. In the shade at Melville Caves a group of rock climbers were scaling the cliff with ropes. We drove on through the Little Desert National Park to Nhill and Dimboola before returning to Horsham.

The day got dirty with fierce hot winds, roasting sun, and a thunderstorm in the evening that started some spot-fires in the district.

We saw in the New Year with food, drinks, and chatting with family and friends beside the pool. Then Mick and I watched the Sydney concert and fireworks on TV in the caravan.

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020

Leaving Rosebud

Freedom from Rosebud eventuated after Mick wriggled the caravan back and forwards with the car, trying to drive out of the foreshore campsite. With such a poorly arranged campsite and campers using every square inch of their site for tents, caravans, marquees and other temporary structures, we were hemmed into an almost impossible predicament. Mick could not simply drive forward as several large trees and neighbouring caravans on three sides blocked the exit route.

It was not a happy escape though because we broke the awning arm in our first attempt to roll it back up. This meant we had to take off the awning and put it inside the caravan for transporting. Until this is fixed, we won’t be able to continue.

The drive through Melbourne’s motorways was easy despite major roadworks underway to the Westgate Bridge arterial.

It was a warm morning with 29⁰C heat and the car overheated pulling the caravan up the Pentland Hills. It was also losing power. We stopped at Gordon to let the engine cool. This is a new Triton that should be able to pull this caravan. Mick had done all the research about the weights, loads and towing capacity. We managed to limp along and arrived at our destination in Horsham.

The Anderson plug was also not working properly and so the refrigerator did not function while we were towing.

Staying at Mick’s brothers house in Horsham allows us a little bit of time to address the problems which are:

Car overheating.
Awning arm replaced and remounted.
Anderson plug rewired.

December 27, 2019December 27, 2019

First Month in the Caravan

Our first month in the caravan has been great. We have settled in well, finding out where all the essentials go, and establishing a routine that seems to suit us both. We have both read more books than usual getting them from the library or buying them from the local op-shops.

We discovered that the TV in the caravan was broken and so had to buy a new one with a suitable mount bracket. This was eventually delivered on Christmas Eve just in time to watch the Christmas Carols held in Melbourne and televised.

Christmas Day was lovely and drama-free. We had breakfast with our adult children and their partners and our granddaughters. Champagne, fresh berries, croissants, and coffee as is our Christmas custom. Then later Mick and I enjoyed a quiet lunch of fresh oysters and prawns. Despite the strings of coloured lights decorating the tents, the camp was not festive at all with many of the campsites still empty and the groups of people who were here do not celebrate Christmas.

The Bentley’s at Rosebud Foreshore Christmas Day 2019

It was a weird day on the beach with smoke haze that reduced the visibility substantially but created a white glare. We could not see Arthurs Seat, Mount Martha, Sorrento and beyond. Very few boats and jet-skis were out on the bay, and only a few families on the beach, despite being a warm afternoon. The noise was almost silent, and it felt like we were inside a life-size summer snow globe.

I did not really like this campsite at all. It is poorly plotted causing confusion and arguments for campers. There are not enough water taps to service the sites. Our power pole was not working, and it took four days before it was fixed. The toilets are old and despite begin cleaned twice daily the filth and rubbish left by some groups of campers is disgusting. With all of this considered the fees are far too high for the level of service and amenity. I would not come back here.

Tomorrow we move on finally. We are well and truly ready to go. We plan to stay with family at Horsham for a little bit. I hope we can test the off-grid functions of the caravan while we are there.