We leave Bribie and travel to
Tenterfield (367 kms from Bribie), the first stop of a five week
adventure. En route we stopped at Warwick and had lunch in a park.
We then went into the Stanthorpe Information Centre to get a program
of events for the weekend Apple and Grape Festival staging this
weekend. Accommodation in Stanthorpe all booked out because of the
festival. So home for three days is Tenterfield.
We drove to Girraween National Park
which is situated half way between Stanthorpe and Tenterfield and we
hiked to the Sphinx. The track to The Sphinx and Turtle Rock is
accessed from the Castle Rock track. It is a pleasant and moderately
easy walk. The track follows a ridge-top southwards and from the
crest of the ridge you can see Mt Norman. Along the way heathlands.
The first major rock feature is The Sphinx. This is a granite
pinnacle bearing a large balancing rock – an impressive sight. You
would think a strong wind would send it a toppling but it has stood
there intact for many many years. A very peaceful walk with giant
boulders along the way and only one or two other humans. On return
we had lunch in the park near the info centre, just us and some
kangaroos to keep us company.
We drove into Stanthorpe today to have
a look at festivities at the apple and grape festival. Tasted some
of the wines on offer in the park where many wineries had set up in
tents where you could taste and buy the local produce. Good venue
with them all in one spot. There were also a lot of bands playing in
the park so we whiled away some time watching them. There was a very
good Elvis impersonator that got the crowd singing and dancing. We
watched the street parade, very long, lots of floats and piped bands,
good atmosphere, lots and lots of people.
We leave Tenterfield today. Before
leaving we found the famed Tenterfield Saddler building which is not open at the moment because of illness. This is an icon for
fans of the late Tenterfield born entertainer, Peter Allen, whose
song was written about his grandfather George Woolnough who was the
Tenterfield Saddler for 52 years. The old ceilings wear 130 years of
tobacco stains, wooden floors are patched in places with scraps of
leather and our peep through the window revealed the working
conditions of 100 years ago first hand. Outside the building sits a
stone plaque with an engraving of the words of Allen's famous
song.. Here is the chorus:
 |
| One of the many Churches here |
 |
| A Visit here included on the tour |
11th - 14th March
Coonabarabran
We eventually arrived at Coonabarabran,
we called into the information centre to find out about staying at
the national park here. We were directed on to the visitor centre in
the national park, a 34 k drive and a very scenic one at that
viewing the Warranbungles via our windscreen. We booked in and
made camp at Blackman Camp in the national park, a powered site. New
South Wales have powered sites in their national parks, unlike
Queensland, we set up at a very nice quiet site in the bush,
surrounded by the Warranbungles – very picturesque.
 |
| Camp Blackman |
 |
| Our Spot |
This
area
was devastated by bush fires in January 2013 and the dead trees and
sparse mountainside is still very apparent. Where once the mountains
were covered with the green of a solid mass of trees, now there is
just a showing of the regrowth of sparse feather like trees in the
distance. The fires had a catastrophic impact on Warrumbungle
National Park. The
fire burned for a week and ripped through an estimated 43,000 ha of
the national park and its surrounds, destroying the visitor centre
and 33 homes and damaging infrastructure at the Siding Springs
Observatory. It was estimated that 80-90 per cent of the national
park was destroyed. Although a lot of regrowth of eucalypt has taken
place, the pine doesn't regenerate and so there are many thousands of
black pine skeletons and stumps. We
had a relaxed rest of the day, reading, bit of TV, enjoying the quiet
atmosphere. Bed beckoned early tonight.
We
visited Siding Springs Observatory. It is the largest optical
telescope in Australia. The huge telescope is equipped with a
robotic spectograph and can simultaneously observe hundreds of
galaxies and stars and plays an important role in the search for
planets around other stars. We watched a short DVD about the
workings of the Observatory. Very good display and information about
the planets and stars and all things out there in space. We then
walked up to the site of the telescope and took the lift to the top
where there is a viewing platform of the telescope and various
displays around the viewing area. The telescope is huge. An
interesting couple hours or so spent here. We had lunch at
Coonabarabran in a very pretty little park in the town. Then it was
back home to our camping spot where we had a bludge out for the rest
of the day.
 |
| Part of the huge telescope taken from viewing platform |
 |
| Siding Springs Observatory |
We
visited the Baradine Information Centre where there was a fantastic
interactive display of the area, bush sounds and bird song in the
background. Lots of information about the area, wild life, bush
fires, etc. We spent time there looking around. We then drove quite
a lot of k's on dirt roads to a salt mine which wasn't really worth
the effort as there was little to see there apart from a very tall
steel fire tower that we climbed. It looked out over the Pillaga
scrub. The
Pilliga is the largest native inland forest west of the Great
Dividing Range comprising over 500,000 hectares. We
had our picnic lunch here (there was an area of undercover picnic
tables) but we were visited by a few hundred thousand flies so it was
a very quick lunch. Challenge was to open mouth, take a bite,
without getting a black moving thing in mouth. Fly nets are on the
shopping list.
 |
| Taken from Atop the Fire Tower |
 |
| Pillaga Scrub taken from the Fire Tower |
Then it was on to the sandstone caves which are a series of cathedral type caves and overhangs displaying an array of interesting colours and shapes. They were formed over many thousands of years. We did the 2 km circular walk around the base of the caves some of which contain Aboriginal rock engravings.
 |
| At the |
 |
| Sandstone |
 |
| Caves |
We decided to stay an extra night here
as we wanted to do a hike in the area before moving on. The fact that
the forest has been devastated by fire meant that not much shade was
around and so it was quite a hot hike coupled with the millions of
flies trying to get a free ride on some part of our body. So it wasn't as
nice as it could have been. Fly mesh face nets are number one on our
shopping list. We came home, had lunch back at camp today. I did
another local walk this afternoon with an improvised fly net – it's
actually a food cover but it worked.
 |
| An example of the burnt forest |
 |
| A Hot Hike |
 |
| Richard wants this boulder in the garden |
 |
| Cake Cover Works Well |
15th March
Parkes
Today
we drive to Parkes. The major attraction here is the radio
telescope. In July 1969, the
Parkes Observatory claimed a place in history when they received
television transmissions of man's first steps on the moon. At 12.56
pm on Monday 21 July 1969 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST),
one giant leap for mankind was taken. CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope
received television signals that allowed six hundred million people,
one fifth of humanity at the time, to watch Neil Armstrong's first
steps on the Moon. Another
interesting activity are the whispering dishes that let you talk to
one another over a distance of about 100 metres. The other claim to
fame at Parkes is the Elvis Museum which is housed in the information
centre. We walked through just before closing time.
Greg Page's (the Yellow Wiggle) collection of items was previously
owned by, or directly associated with, Elvis Presley – the King of
Rock'n'Roll. It is a magnificent display of all things Elvis. This
collection is estimated to be worth nearly $4 million. It is well
done with an audio visual tour – we even picked up a phone and hear
Elvis talking to us. Aaa ha ha,, aaa, ha, ha, oh yeah etc.. We stayed for an
overnighter only here so didn't unhook which means an easy get away
in the morning.
 |
| The Dish |
 |
| Hamish jams with The King |
16th
March
Forbes/Hay
Big
drive day today. 390 k's to Hay on the Mid Western Highway. En
route we went through the town of Forbes, a town that is rich
in gold-mining history and the site of the biggest gold robbery in
Australia's history. Forbes is renowned for its connections with
notorious bushrangers Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner. We visited the
information centre here and watched a DVD on the life and death of
Ben Hall. Bushranger Ben Hall and his gang started to work the area
around Forbes in the early 1860s, and tales of his exploits have
passed into folklore. Hall's reign was short-lived, he was brought
down in a shower of bullets in 1865. Today, Forbes is an agricultural
centre for wheat, sheep, dairy and fruit.
We
stayed at Sandy Point, Hay, (free camp) o'night. Sited next to a
lake so quite okay for a short stop. I walked around the lake before
dinner.
17-19th March
Mildura/Wentworth
Our drive today takes us to Mildura.
Just over the border into Victoria. Decided to have a three night
stay here. Nice van park, Top Tourist, our membership of this
organisation has repaid us over and over. The Desert City Caravan
Park is not in the desert, in fact, it is sited in a very central
spot in town. It has an indoor swim pool which I took advantage of
several times. It's also opposite a major shopping centre. Mildura
is a regional city in northwestern Victoria. It is located in the
Sunraysia region and sits on the banks of the Murray River. We
visited the information centre and got brochures of attractions of
the area, also watched a DVD on Mildura which encompassed the story
of the Chaffey brothers who were instrumental in Mildura's
development.
We
visited Wentworth, the neighbouring town to Mildura where we actually
passed back into New South Wales again – we did this several times
during our stay at Mildura. We visited the botanical gardens on the
way, walked around a few areas, the rose garden was beautiful. We
were pleased that we had purchased fly nets and were able to walk
around relatively undisturbed by these pests, Wentworth is a small
border town in the far south west of the state of New South Wales.
It lies at the confluence of Australia's two most important rivers,
the Darling and the Murray. We had lunch at the river parkland and
then visited the old paddle steamer, The
Ruby,
watched a DVD which told the story of the old girl's life –
interesting - and walked through the various decks and a peep inside
the cabins. She was built in 1907.
 |
| How to drink fly free wine |
 |
| By the Murray |
 |
| In the wheelhouse of The Ruby |
Mildura
is home to many wineries, we passed acres and acres of vines growing.
We visited Trentham Estate, a very pretty location, had several
tastings of their produce and then sat outside taking in the peaceful
surroundings opposite the Murray River. Very pleasant.
 |
| Trentham Estates Winery |
20th March
Murray Bridge, South Australia
We leave Mildura today. Our destination
is Murray Bridge, we travelled via the Malee Highway. En route we
passed the quarantine inspection point where various fruit and
vegetables had to be dumped. We were prepared and had given away the
banned produce to caravan neighbours in Mildura (as somebody else had
given theirs away to us a couple of days prior). An inspector
requests van to be opened up and they inspect the fridge to make sure
nothing is smuggled in. But they didn't look in my wardrobe!!! So it's quite a stringent process. This
quarantine law guards against taking fruit fly into South Australia. It seems that we are to be 'bugged' by flies for all sorts of reasons! It's a long drive to Muray Bridge 338 k, booked into a nice van
park, Top Tourist once again, on the banks of the Murray River. Got there late afternoon. A
very pleasant area, I walked along the river bank before dinner, nice
cool breeze blowing which made the temperature more pleasant. It was
37 degrees when we drove into Murray Bridge in the afternoon and 15
when we left next morning. A big difference, sleeveless tops one
day and long sleeves and a jacket the next. We didn't bother
unhooking as this is just an overnighter before driving into Port
Elliott tomorrow.
21-23 March
Port Elliott
Leave Murray Bridge and head for Port
Elliot which is a seaside village situated on the Florieu Peninsular,
it has cafes, antique and gift shops along The Strand and the
renowned bakery which sells very yummy bread and cakes. The
picturesque Horseshoe Bay has a large beach and safe swimming. A
walking track winds along the foreshore. We booked
into a very pleasant park right at the beach and set up. Walked
along the foreshore before dinner
We visited Victor Harbour (a short drive from Port Elliot) and Saturday
morning markets, general walk and look around the area. Ian, Gulcay
and the children visited in the afternoon, Ella and Aiden enjoyed the
park playground where we are staying. It's a Big 4 which always
cater well for children.. We went for a walk along the beach track, Ella enjoyed dipping her toes in the water. And then it was dinner at a restaurant in Victor Harbour before they left. A nice
afternoon/evening.
 |
| Ella on the Jumping Pillow |
 |
Nanny and Ella at the playground
Ian and Aiden in background |
We drove into Goolwa for a look around.
Historic Goolwa stands on the mouth of the Murray River. We drove
over to Hinchinbrook Island area where the ocean meets the river.
Back to Port Elliot for lunch where we feasted on bread and cake
from the Pt Elliot bakery. Another walk along the foreshore before
dinner which we didn't really need after our huge lunch. We packed
everything up and prepared the van for departure this afternoon so as
to be ready for an early morning getaway to Cape Jervis to catch the
early ferry to Kangaroo Island.
 |
| The Murray Mouth at Goolwa |
 |
| Nosing around Port Elliot |
 |
| Dancing on the Rocks at Pt Elliot |
24th/ 27th March
Kangaroo Island
Leave Pt Elliot at 7.30 a.m. and drive 70 k's to Cape
Jervis where we took ourselves, van and car onto the Sea Link ferry
for the 45 minute trip over to Kangaroo Island. On arrival at
Penneshaw we drove on to Kingscote where we have a prebooked site at
caravan park there.. We set up, had lunch and went exploring. We
visited the Spirit House – one of
Australia's only boutique distilleries, Kangaroo Island Spirits
produces award winning gin and a number of liqueurs which utilise
local and native ingredients. The cellar door offers free tastings in
a rustic setting. We spent a little while learning about the history of the Spirit House.
We
visited the Beehive and watched the busy bees
working in the hive to produce all that honey for us.
We visited Bay of Shoals Winery,
indulged in a few tastings and bought some very nice wine glasses and
a bottle of wine to christen the glasses. A very picturesque area
with Shoal Bay at the bottom of the road.
 |
| Shoal Bay |
Seal Bay
One of our highlights of Kangaroo
Island was a guided tour of Seal Bay. At
Seal Bay Conservation Park, we joined the tour to witness the
endangered Australian sea lions in their natural environment of
coastal vegetation, dunes and beach. It's a walk along the board
walk which meanders through the limestone cliffs and dunes to viewing
platforms where you can observe the sea-lions surfing the waves or
huddling on the beach while enjoying the stunning coastal scenery.
The day was overcast and showery, we saw a lot of seals up in the
dunes sheltering from the weather, some protecting their babies from
the elements. A very special experience.
 |
| Lunch? Where? Fish Shop? OK. |
 |
| Hurry Up. Gotta date. I'm late |
Perry
Caves
Perry
Caves was another interesting area, we had an informative guided tour
here. We discovered that beneath
the vast expanse of native bushland of Kelly Hill Conservation Park
lies a maze of surprising caves. We saw stalagmites, stalactites,
helictites and straws, an impressive array of treasures which
sometimes had an eerie feeling in the darkness with just small rays
of light emanating from the small bulbs highlighting various
formations that had taken thousands of years to form.
 |
| Entrance to Perry Hill Caves |
 |
| Inside the Caves |
 |
| And More |
We
dropped in to Hanson Bay en route to Flinders Chase National Park, a
very pretty bay with ocean, sand and rocks.
 |
| Hanson Bay |
Admirals
Arch
Is
located at Cape du Couedic in Flinders Chase National Park. We walked
along a viewing platform and boardwalk around the cliff face where we
observed this spectacular natural rock arch known as Admiral's Arch,
sculpted by weathering and erosion from the sea over thousands of
years.
We
were lucky enough to see a colony of fur seals on the rock platforms
around Admirals Arch from the viewing platforms and boardwalk. These
dark brown seals feed at sea but return to land to rest and breed.
 |
| The Arch |
 |
Richard looking like he has lots of hair
'The Windswept Look' |
Remarkable
Rocks
Perched
above the sea in Flinders Chase National Park, the impressive
Remarkable Rocks form what appear to be a cluster of precariously
balanced granite boulders.
This stunning work of nature has
been shaped by the erosive forces of wind, sea spray and rain over
some 500 million years. The golden orange lichen covering some of the
rocks offers visitors wonderful photo opportunities at different
times of the day.
 |
| Richard will rest anywhere |
 |
| Superwoman |
 |
| Superwoman Sits |
Cape
Borda Lighthouse
When
we visited Seal Bay we were told about the tour guide, Mick, at Cape
Borda Lighthouse who is a true character and loved to tell the
history and stories of Cape Borda Lighthouse. We were not
disappointed when we met him. He welcomed us and on the tour was very
informative, obviously knowing the history of the area and expressed
it with great humour and was very proud of the fact that this was in
his words 'the only true lighthouse' on Kangaroo Island. As we were
there for the 12.30 p.m. tour we were lucky enough to experience the
firing of the cannon at 1 p.m. which is related to ancient navigation
and is well explained by Mick.
 |
| Cape Borda Lighthouse |
 |
| The firing of the cannon |
Stokes
Bay
Another
highlight of this area is a visit to Stokes Bay en route to the
lighthouse, an absolutely magic area with a very unusual passageway
through to the beach in between huge rocks. Once exiting the rocky
passage you are rewarded with a beautiful vista of ocean and sandy
beach.
 |
| Walking through the rocky passageway |
 |
| Stokes Bay |
 |
| Squeezing through the rocks |
Penneshaw
We
booked out of the van park at Kingscote on our last day and drove to
Penneshaw where we are to get the Sea Link ferry at 5 p.m. So we had
most of the day for more explorations. We visited Dudleys Winery,
tasted a few and spent some time on the deck taking in the
fantastic coastal views. Magic.
 |
| On the deck at Dudleys Winery |
The
Penneshaw Hotel (The Penny)
We
had lunch here on the outdoor deck which sits on the cliff and offers
spectacular views over the passage. Lunch was pretty good too, a
very nice plate of fish and chips and a game of scrabble whiled away
a couple of hours. After lunch we had a walk along the foreshore
track and had a poke around a couple of craft shops. And then I
boarded the ferry while Richard looked after the car and van loading.
We landed at Cape Jervis 45 minutes after leaving K. Island. After
Richard drove the vehicles off the ferry we drove to Marino, a very
pretty drive mostly in daylight before we reached our destination
just in time for dinner! Kangaroo Island was one of the highlights
of this trip, a truly magic place. We would love to return one day
and do it all again at a more leisurely pace.
 |
| 'The Penny' |
 |
| The Deck where we had lunch |
 |
| The Sea Link Ferry |
Marino
28th to
31st March
Grampians.
1st/4th April
We
then drove to Boroka Lookout via Mt Difficulty Road (aptly named with
hairpin bends) the scenery is so beautiful and quiet, it does the
soul good to just stop, listen and observe. Mother Nature has done a
grand job.
 |
| Boroka Lookout |
We
stopped for lunch and then drove into Halls Gap and booked into yet
another Top Tourist Park about 4 kms past the little township. This
is a beautiful park, it's set amongst lots of trees, shrubs and open
grassland. Our neighbours are dozens of kangaroos, birds galore
(parrots, kookaburras, magpies), ducks a waddling, emus and deer. It
was nice to wander over to the grassy areas and sit and watch the
families of roos nibbling and perhaps an emu or two rush by. There
was a very large rec room where a log fire was lit in the evening and
a lot of guests gathered for a sit by the fire and maybe a look at
the TV. No TV reception via van aerials here – but who wants TV in
this lovely environment.
 |
| One of the Neighbours |
 |
| Polly Parrot joins Richard for breakfast |
Brambuk
Cultural Centre
Brambuk
- The National Park & Cultural Centre is a special place.
Situated in Halls Gap within the natural oasis that is Grampians
Gariwerd National Park, it is the perfect place to experience
Australia's native flora and fauna and Aboriginal culture.
The
site incorporates the National Park information and Brambuk
Aboriginal Cultural centres. Brambuk is 100 per cent owned and
operated by Aboriginal people and is the longest running Aboriginal
Cultural Centre in Australia.
Its multi award winning architecture
interprets the traditional stories and culture of the local
Aboriginal people through multimedia shows, art exhibitions, artefact
displays, cultural talks and lots of great activities such as
didgeridoo music, traditional dance, basket weaving, boomerang
throwing and painting at various times.
We watched a very interesting DVD about the
opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and how many Aboriginal
tribes participated in this event. The rehearsals, costumes, dance
were a truly amazing feat when it is considered that many hundreds of
Aboriginal people participated from around Australia and they managed
to get it all together for part of an awe inspiring opening ceremony.
 |
| Brambuk Cutural Centre, Halls Gap |
After
the visit we walked the Fyans Creek Loop, just a short 2.5 km
circuit. We saw kangaroos, wallabies and emus.
The
Pinnacles (via Wonderland Loop)
We
started this walk from the Wonderland Car Park. It's a steady ascent
that winds through rocky woodland, past Bridal Veil Falls, through
Silent Street (where there is just about enough room to pass through
the rocky formations via a staircase), the name is apt – you can
actually 'hear' the silence. This is a steady climb past magnificent
rock formations that brings you to the Pinnacle Lookout. We spent
some time atop taking in the wonderful views. Quite windy at the top
– and then it was the descent. We found this quite a challenging
hike, although only about 6 km you are constantly climbing and
looking for stable footholds. The descent was easier. Our old bones
knew we had done some serious exercise the next day – but it was
well worth it.
 |
| Thank Goodness for Walking Poles |
 |
| A Breather on the Way |
 |
| En Route to the Pinnacles |
 |
Silent Street
Apart from Huffs and Puffs |
 |
| Finding a Foothold |
 |
| We didn't need a cool off! |
 |
| We made it! |
 |
| To the Top |
We
could easily have spent seven days or so here, it was difficult to
leave this lovely area.
Myrtleford
5-6
April
We
overnighted at Seymour en route to Myrtleford. We passed through
Glen Rowan (our lunch spot) and had a look around. This is Ned Kelly
country and there is a huge statue of him in the town. We had a look
through a few souvenir shops but all pretty rubbishy.
 |
| A very tall Ned Kelly |
Next stop was
Beachworth, we went to the info centre and decided to drop in on our
way back from Myrtleford, our destination for a two day stop. Very
pretty countryside here with the trees turning red and autumn leaf
fall in evidence.
Bright
We
visited Sally and Martin in Bright. A shorter trip than planned as
Richard wasn’t too well. Sally and Martin gave us a lovely tour of
the area (after afternoon tea and cake). I can very well appreciate
how they fell love with this area. The countryside is stunning. Once again we would have like to
spend more time here exploring the different townships and hiking
areas. We shall return one day.
 |
| Sally, Martin and Us at Lookout at Bright |
Cowra/Bathurst/Moree/Toowoomba
Were
our stops until we hit home. We came home quicker than intended as
Richard not feeling the best. We enjoyed the hot springs at Moree,
they were beautifully relaxing. We stayed at a park that had four
hot pools of varying temperatures and a lap pool. The only thing it
had going for it, otherwise the park was very ordinary.
We
arrived home to Bribie on 11th
April, a five week trip that encompassed 7,000 km, a lot of driving.
We decided that if we do a trip of that distance again we will do it
over a longer period of time. We enjoyed it although, the
highlights were Kangaroo Island, Port Elliot, Adelaide and seeing small and large
people, Coonabarabran, The Grampians.
