30th December 2007: - Well we woke up this morning with rather sore heads. Thank you to Catherine & Terry for such a fab evening. Thai food in Sydney is just like the real thing & is made even better with the fact that you can take your own wine with you. Our first visit to an Australian pub went down well & was made even better when the band started playing the proclaimers, bought back so many memories, all good of course. Today as you may have guessed we got up a bit late so we headed back to the botanical gardens to have a more in-depth look. It is a really nice place to have a picnic & just watch the boats cruise by. We also scouted out a spot for new years eve @ Mrs Macquarie’s chair. Now we just have to beat the rest of the crowds to that spot in the morning! Our next site to see was recommended to us by Catherine “Harry’s café de wheels” a really good pie & mash trailer just a short distance from the gardens. The pies are not that bad, ask for a Tiger when you get there Sue & Jim it includes a Pie, Mash, Mushy peas & gravy & then sit by the wharf.
31st December 2007: - Today was an early start @ 6.00am & we arrive @ the point @ 7.30am & begin to queue, people have been here since 4.00am & I thought that we were nutters getting here this early. There are about 200 people in front of us & we all wait until security open the gates @ 10.00am. Once through the gate we were triumphant & managed to stake out our spot with the basher & blankets. The breeze coming in from the harbour made the sun bearable & once the shade came over from the tree it was a welcome relief. Our view was fantastic, our neighbour Michael explained that we would be able to see the bridge & the barges dotted along the harbour. Time flew with us eating & drinking, Michael even kept us entertained with his guitar. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, we both thought that the waiting around was both relaxing & interesting. @ 13.00 the first set of fireworks were set off & then every hour after that planes flew past creating smoke messages above us.
@ 21.00 the family fireworks were ignited & it was difficult to decide where to look & that was even without the harbour bridge included. They were fantastic & the finale was overwhelming. The few hours in between went so quickly, midnight came & we were so excited, we wished each other happy new year for the first time as husband & wife & it felt very special celebrating it here in Sydney. Fireworks were stunning, something that both of us will remember forever & I did not think we will ever see that many fireworks again! The night sky was filled with explosions & looking down @ the harbour bridge finale you can see why so many people come here. Such an amazing experience, a fantastic way to start the beginning of 2008, Happy New Year to you all.
1st January 2008: - Once up & about we thought that we should head out to Bondi Beach along with everyone else! Bondi was packed everyone had had the same idea as us. So basically we got ourselves lunch & found some very sort after shade & sat down for a couple of hours. Our afternoon was spent trying to plan our route that we will take with the camper van.
2nd January 2008: - Starting KM 293829
Washing is up to date & we are ready to go camping! Once @ wicked campers we receive our first camper & it is called “Kill Uma”. Basically the camper painting is designed around the film Kill Bill & to tell you the truth is ok, compared to a lot of wicked camper designs. It does have a bit of a rude saying on the back, so for many people who will get stuck behind a slow moving wicked camper with the slogan “All I want is peace in the middle east” we are very sorry. I will not type the rest of the slogan as it is a bit rude.
We head out of Sydney @ the start of the princes highway, which will be the road we will be on for the next few days. As our camper is old the road turns out to be a quite bumpy, but @ the moment it is still an adventure so we take no notice. Drew drives the whole way to Killalea National Park, where we will be spending our first night camping. Our campsite is a short walk away from the beach, so we refresh ourselves by taking a stroll. However we never actually got there, as I saw a very large brown snake making a very quick exit from the path. As you may have guessed I was not very rational about this & headed straight back to the comfort of our camper van & many glasses of wine.
3rd January 2008: - Killalea NP – Narooma, Bournel NP, Mystery Bay campsite.
We get into the van to drive off @ 9.00 only to find that the van has a flat battery. So with the help of our neighbours we roll the van & Drew starts it on the move, hilar! Today we take it in turns to drive & personally I find it very comfy to drive & the plus is Australians drive on the same side of the road. Along the side of the road there are numerous fruit stalls, so we though it rude not to try some. We stop off & buy ½ kg of cherries & ½ kg of peaches. They are so sweet & tasty that the cherries do not even make it to the next campsite! Along our route today the weather has been getting a bit grim, so by the time we reach mystery bay it is raining & cold. But this does not stop us exploring. The campsite is situated in bay so we decide to take a stroll; I let Drew go first just in case we spot a snake. Wind is up so the surf is mesmerising as it crashes into the big rocks dotted along the shoreline. As I sit writing this, all we can hear in the camper is the sound of crashing waves outside, almost rocking you to sleep, goodnight.
4th January 2008: - Narooma, Bournel NP, Mystery Bay campsite – Merimbula, Eurobodalla NP, Hobart beach campsite.
When we get up the sun was shinning & the campsite took on a whole new appearance. The dappled sun shone through the trees, along with a strong smell of eucalyptus, both waking up your senses. Our camper started first time this morning so we were on our way pretty early. Stopping along the way @ some fantastic bays we reach Hobart beach @ 13.30, just in time for lunch. Camping area is great & you only have to walk a short distance before you are @ the lake or beach. We head to the sea to try & have a swim, but once there we discover the under currents are far too strong for us.
Before we know it, it is time for dinner, whilst prepping we had some bouncy friends watching over us. Yes today we saw our first kangaroos, they bounced passed the van & then started grazing about 5 metres away, totally oblivious to us. It was amazing to see these creatures out in the wild.
5th January 2008: - Merimbula, Eurobodalla NP, Hobart beach campsite – Buchan Cave Reserve.
We head out of Hobart beach, leaving behind a cool breeze coming from the coastal waters. We will later realise how precious this is as we head about 50km inland. You see we decided to take a bit of a detour from our route as we wanted to take a look @ Buchan caves. This made a welcoming change from the beaches along the coast. We make it in time to have a tour around the Royal cave. Our guide was nothing much to write home about, but the stalagmites & stalactites were mesmerising, with different shapes, colours & glittering stones. Today we even saw our 1st mob of Kangaroos with little joeys peering out of their mother pouches, not always head first!
6th January 2008: - Buchan Cave Reserve – Wilson’s Promontory NP, Tidal river campsite.
Today we decide to go for it & drive over 300km to get to Wilson’s prom; it is a big drive for a little camper only doing 80km per hour. As we drive we stock up on essentials & keep on the road until about 16.00. Tidal river campsite keeps about half a dozen sites kept to one side for international travellers each day & we are lucky to get to stay for 2 nights. This site has everything, including an open air cinema of which we attended in the evening & watched Hairspray (a bit cheesy but ok). Wombats also enjoy the movie too by eating all of the food dropped on the floor by cinema goers. These animals are so cute & very inquisitive & they looked at home just wondering up & down the aisles.
7th January 2008: - Wilson’s Promontory NP, Tidal river campsite.
Woke this morning a bit later than usual & decided to go for a walk near to the camp so that neither of us has to drive today. The walk is called Lilly Pully Gully & was only suppose to be 2km long, but we decide to add a bit extra on to make it up to 5km. You basically walk up a hill that gives you fantastic views of Tidal river inland area. If you walk a bit further you eventually get to Piller point which gives you a dramatic drop to the swirling sea below. Either side of the point you see Norman Bay & Squeaky Bay. Squeaky bay is named so because the sand squeaks beneath you feet, this is due to the high levels of quartz in the sand.
Spoke to a ranger today about the chance of seeing a Koala, he suggested that the best way to see these lovable creatures I to go to a zoo.
8th January 2008: - Wilson’s Promontory NP, Tidal river campsite – Balnarring campsite.
Today we headed to the Mornington Peninsular, where we stayed @ balnarring. For what we paid for this site, it was rubbish. It was very dirty & the surrounding shrubs needed cutting back & tidying. However it was a very short walk to the beach, so we decided to take our books for a little reading session. We were told that this caravan park had koalas in their trees, but alas we did not see any of the.
9th January 2008: - Arrived @ Leonard & Elaine’s a little after 11.00. A warm welcome & friendly faces were good to see. We sat chatting for a long time & for once we did not have to worry about a campsite, food & shower facilities. After our dinner of Salmon & potatoes (went down a treat) members of my family turned up to have a drink. It was lovely to see family that I have not seen for many years & it was also good to meet some new faces. Tonight we did not even have to worry about putting the bed up in the van. We had an extremely comfy double bed & had a really good night sleep.
10th January 2008: - Today we moved on from one gozy bed to another. Thanks to Leonard & Elaine, we had a fantastic time; sorry we did not stay longer.
Pulled up to Roma’s today & it was lovely to see you again Roma after such a long time. We felt extremely welcomed & comfortable, talking about so many things & it was nice to here a little bit more about the Hayward family. I would also like to say a special thank-you to you Roma for giving me some family photos going back to 1895, I will treasure them. Tonight we also had a fab BBQ, prepared by David & Cathy, Australian shaped burgers left us in no doubt that we were in Australia. Thank-you Sam for making us laugh & calling us the Pomes!
11th January 2008: - Roma drove us to the train station today where we caught the train into the heart of Melbourne. Melbourne seems very chilled & has a very relaxing atmosphere compared to Sydney. Just off of Flinders Street is the Immigration Museum & that is where we start our visit to the city. Two floors show the history & diversity of culture within Melbourne. There are some very interesting stories told via various multimedia displays. Not as moving as Ellis Island, NY but the museum does explain in detail different journeys people have gone through to get into Australia.
Our second stop of the day is the Old Melbourne Goal. This prison allows you to see what conditions inmates lived in. It also holds the 135 head casts of the prisoners who were hanged on the premises; I must say it is a bit eerie, feels like they are watching you! We also got to see the very famous armour of Ned Kelly, most people seem to have forgotten that he was a thief & a murderer & is held up as a local hero.
Last but not least David Picked us up from the city centre & took us to
Pin Oak Court, better known to us Brits as
Ramsey Street.
I was v excited & I would like to put one thing right I did not rugby tackle or push anyone aside to get hold of the Ramsey Street sign to have my pics taken, It is just an horrible rumour!
12th January 2008: - Congratulations to two very special friends, Kate & Doug on their wedding day.
Today we left Roma’s & headed for the
Great Ocean Road& eventually to a campsite @ Port Campbell.
Thank-you to Roma & family for making us feel so welcome, we really enjoyed ourselves.
Our first stop today was at a factory outlet (Thank-you David for the heads up); however we were very good & did not buy anything. After our short stop we headed for Lorne where we thought that we could find a site, but alas we had to travel all the way along the coast to Port Campbell. Cathy we did have time to have lunch @ Erskane falls. A lovely picturesque waterfall, that calmed us down for the drive ahead. Once @ Port Campbell we decided to check in @ the campsite & then head out to view the 12 Apostles @ sunset. Sadly not all of them still stand & coach loads of people descended for this magical time of day. We took a few pictures of the Apostles as the light changed & shadows became stronger. But then we made our way up to Loch Ard Gorge, known as the most notorious section of the shipwrecked coast. There we enjoyed the sunset relatively peacefully.
13th January 2008: - Port Campbell Campsite – Port Fairy Garden Caravan Park.
Today we had a short but sweet drive that aloud us to stop off @ places along our planned route. Our first stop a local Sunday market being held in Port Campbell, where we bought some scrumptious chocolate for our journey. Now we visited plenty of places so I will keep this brief: - The Grotto – where waves crash against cliffs but do not make it through to the other side where you are able to view the waves from the grotto.
Bay of Islands – to us this seemed more dramatic than the 12 Apostles, maybe because of the blustery day & the rage & power of the waves crashing below us.
Tower Hill – A suggestion from Roma, this was fascinating with the winding roads & different colours beaming form the rocks surrounding you. We even got to see our first Emus, mother & chicks, crossing the road.
Griffiths Island @ Port Fairy – Where there is a protected colony of Mutton birds, they are small birds that have a lot of character & nest in the ground on this small Island.
14th January 2008: - Port Fairy Gardens Caravan Park – Mount Gambia, Blue Lake Caravan Park.
Our drive to Blue Lake Park was not too bad & we arrived in Mt Gambia in time for lunch. The park here has everything you could wish for, even a toaster, for our peanut butter tom morning. Just wondered do I talk about food too much?
After our lunch we walked to one of the must see sights in Mt Gambia, the blue lake & yes it is as blue as a topaz gemstone, it is simply stunning. However the blue lake is not blue all year round, it turns to a grey colour between the months of March – Nov & over a few days on Nov it turns into a beholding blue. At the moment there is no scientific data to explain why this happens.
15th January 2008: - Mount Gambia, Blue Lake Caravan Park – Adelaide, Levi Park Caravan Park.
Arrived in Adelaide @ about 18.00 & we are absolutely shattered from the drive. Kill Uma did not behave in the 40 degree heat, as you may have gathered we were glowing considerably (ok sweating like pigs) & the AC was a welcomed extra. However Kill Uma is very old & had troubles keeping its own cool. So if you could have seen us today, we were going v slow with the windows down & no AC to stop the B***** van from over heating. Something to laugh about later on! The highlight of the day was driving through vast expanses of salt plains. They looked out of place on the side of the road & as soon as we hopped out of the van you could taste the salt in the air.
16th January 2008: - Finishing KM 296600
Well today we left Adelaide, Levi Park Caravan Park with Kill Uma to take her to the Depot in the centre of town. After two weeks of travelling around in our van, it is sad to know that for the next two weeks we will not have our own space to chill out in. I personally can not wait until we pick up our new one in Cairns. Slightly disappointed though excited we head onto the next part of our trip.
Tonight we are staying @ the YHA Adelaide & it is fantastic although a bit on the pricey side even with our discount card. Today we catch up with our washing again, use the internet & generally look ahead to the possibility of going to South America!
17th January 2008: - After our short but sweet stay in Adelaide we woke & got the cab to the airport for 8.00. Our flight to Alice Springs is @ 9.45 & will take 2hrs. Once there we receive our free transfer (eventually) to Melankas Backpackers. Our room is ok but the shared bathrooms are a bit grim.
In the afternoon we decide to have a little walk around Alice. What we see looks nice, but unfortunately the 40 degree heat takes its toll & we head back to the comfort of AC room & that is where we stayed for the rest of the day. Watching movies & generally chilling.
18th January 2008: - Another Early morning start, this time it is due to the start of our Uluru tour. We get picked up @ 6.15 & on the road by 7.00. The bus is comfy & has very welcoming AC for the hot day ahead. There are 21 of us plus Dylan our very interesting guide. Our first stop of the day was to Kings Canyon, a magnificent range of red rock. Fact for you, the rock is red due to the high level of iron contents. We start walking in the heat of the midday sun, which for us is a little unnerving as it is just short of 40 degrees in the shade. Heart attack hill is the first obstacle we have to face & as the name suggests it sends your heart rate racing. Once @ the top we take a few minutes to take in the stunning landscape of red rock, limestone & limited greenery. We carry on our extremely exhausting walk, sipping on our water supply @ regular intervals. At last we arrive @ a waterhole & even though the water looks v murky we enjoy this rewarding dip.
Our camp for the night is under the stars in the middle of no where. We each get a swag bag for this ultimate experience; however all I can think about are the snakes, spiders etc. I will let you know tom how much sleep I get!
19th January 2008: - Well I was correct I did not get that much sleep last night, especially when I kept on hearing little noises around my head, including Drew snoring. After we check into our campsite @ Uluru National park we head off to Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta is made from a conglomerate rock, meaning it is gravel consisting of pebbles, cobbles & boulders cemented by sand & mud. Unlike Ulura Kata Tjuta looks like it is many small mounds collected together. 10.30 & we start a 2 hr walk in the scorching heat of 41 degrees. There is a sign saying that the walk is closed due to the heat, but we carry on regardless, filling our water bottles as often as possible. Scenery around is fantastic, on either sides rock towers above you & it feels like you are going to be entombed. Shade as you can imagine is very sparse with few trees around. The walk is very difficult & I struggle towards the end, I think we were all happy to get back on the bus. Lunch is served back @ the campsite & then we have a chance to do what we want for a couple of hours. So Drew & I head to the showers & stay there for a while.
15.00 & we are off to the cultural centre, where we learn about Anangu (local Aborigines) life. Displays are very informative but felt that we could have spent a more time here just so that you could view the displays for a little bit longer.
Last but not least we head to the sunset viewing area arriving @ about 18.00. Here we find shade & sit down with a beer whilst we wait for the changing colours of Uluru. You don’t realise @ first the change, but you start taking photos & soon look back at them to see the evidence of the ever changing colour of Ulurus surface. So many shades of red & the setting sun leave’s a mysterious blue/purple haze around the edge.
20th January 2008: - 4.30 wake up call so that we can witness the sunrise @ Uluru. We head to the sunset area again to view the sun come up behind Uluru. Instead of the ever changing colour of Uluru this time it is the turn of the sky & eventually you see the sun pop up from behind like a halo. Not a bad place to have breakfast!
Uluru is arkoses rock; a course grained sandstone rich in the mineral feldspar & eroded from a large mountain mainly composed of granite. 8.00 & we start our Uluru base walk, there’s a nice breeze in the air @ the beginning but yet again get extremely hot @ about 10.00 when we get back to the bus. Our walk is really interesting & you see all of the different shapes the rock takes on around the edges. There are also plaques that tell you some original Anangu stories. You will also spot paintings in the areas sheltered by the sun. These are painted by children & they use paint produced by adding water to crushed rock. Different rock creates different colours, from Bright red & yellow to jet black. Back on the bus & now we are heading back to Alice via a camel farm. No-one in our group takes up the opportunity, which means we will get back to Melankas Backpackers sooner so that we are able to have a long awaited shower. Although just before we leave a couple of people bring out 2 baby Kangaroos, cradling them in their arms. They are orphans & look v cute, their skins look too big for them & their eyes are large & inquisitive.
If you would like to see pictures of our tour go to www.therocktour.com.au & look for tour 18-21st January with Dylan.
21st January 2008: - On our way to breakfast this morning we stumble upon a local shop that sells didgeridoos. Drew had a mini lesson from the shop owner, who was very patient in her teaching. It’s not as easy as it looks to play a didgeridoos. Of course we purchased one & it is winging its way back to the UK as we speak. Just want to apologise to Tony & Heather in advance for the noise you will hear once we get back into our house.
Our flight to Cairns is just over two hours & we get off the plane to some very hot & humid weather, lovely! Arriving @ Castaway Backpackers just before 8 & our 1st impressions is that it seems ok.
22nd January 2008: - Castaway is ok, shared bathroom is good & AC in the room is very welcomed even though it is 1 dollar per 2 hrs. Weather here is extremely humid; my hair is as frizzy as Monica’s in that episode of friends. Today we basically booked a few tours & headed out to the shops to buy breakfast & lunch for the next few days.
Tonight we had a free cheese & wine night here @ the Hostel & it was fab. Ok the wine was a bit bad, but it was drinkable & the food filled us right up. We like all this free stuff!
Just to let you guys know we have just changed the schedule; we will be in a campervan from 26th January 2008.
23rd January 2008: - Visiting Kuranda today via the skyrail & Scenic Railway. On the skyrail we are lucky to get a cab on our own as it is low season. The skyrail is 4.7 miles long & takes you over vast expanses of lush green rainforest. Red peak station is where you can first disembark. Here we have a very informative guided tour with one of the ragers. He explains about different trees & animals that live here. 2nd stop is Barron falls station, where you are able to go to lookouts & watch the falls flowing. However even though it is rainy season the flow is not that spectacular, but the rock around the falls look like they have been painted into the scenery. Some even look like solid gold.
Kuranda is a nice little town full of arts & crafts; we also find a nice picnic area where we can eat our packed lunch. 14.00 & we head back to Cairns on the scenic railway. Here you have a second chance to see Barron falls whilst the train stops for 10mins. Tracks wind in & out of the hills & it is an amazing feet of engineering. Sights along the way are stunning & the train slows down for you to take as many pictures as you want.
24th January 2008: - As you may have guessed today has been taken up with writing this blog. So sorry that it has taken us so long to update you on our journey, we hope that it won’t be as long next time. We hope that you enjoy our latest update & the additional pictures.
