A busy October

It hasn't taken long to settle back into our urban lifestyle. We have been living in the Huddart's house where there is always something happening. Lots of noise, movement and laughter.The three kids are in bed with us at 7.00am every day - we have a roster for who is 'in the middle' on a particular day. The car and van have been serviced (we did over 21,000km) and we are ready to go again, at least Bruce is, Merilyn needs a bit more 'at home time'. Our days are taken up with gardening (mainly removing an amazing mass of weeds from the Huddarts block), shopping, walking, reading, visiting the house - only 10 mins walk away, visiting Grandpa and Lorna, catching up with family and friends and Doctor's visits. We have celebrated Leisel's 6th birthday, been to a lecture by Anita Heiss, an aboriginal author who was part of a group that won a racial vilification case against Andrew Bolt, and been to several different church services - we still haven't found where to 'sink our roots' yet.  Overall life is busy and interesting. The house has really progressed over the month. Cladding is almost complete, insulation is in and the plastering has started - it's really starting to look like a house, we should be in early next year, we hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home, but no House - yet!

Yes, after 21 weeks away, travelling over 21,000km and staying in 74 different places we are back in Drysdale. Our trip has been everything we hoped it would be. We know a lot more about our wonderful country and the people who live and work in it. We have particularly enjoyed the National Parks (we stayed in 13) and the 8 Stations we stayed on. We are certainly quite fit, slimmer, sun tanned, relaxed and ready to face the next chapter in our lives. Merilyn feels that after this trip our marriage will probably last!

Our trip home was quick - 600km one day and nearly 800km the next. The country was very familiar, a gale force wind was behind us, and the prediction of very cold and wet weather over the next few days made the thought of a bed in a warm house with no walk to the toilet very appealing and we just kept going. As the Huddarts have another week away we will have their house to ourselves for the week which will give us time to clean the very dirty car, the absolutely filthy van, our clothes and ourselves.

The car performed particuarly well for the whole trip - not one problem, but the van has a few small jobs to be done, the biggest problem was the amount of dust which got in on the dirt roads. After a service and some work we should be ready to go again in another week!

Because the Bellarine Peninsula has had it's wettest winter in 100 years the house is almost 3 months behind. At least the frame is now up and lock up shouldn't be too far away. We have been very pleased to walk through the rooms and look forward to completion and moving day with great anticipation.

 

Thanks to all those who have made nice comments about the blog. This is not the end of the Gap Year or the blog. Who knows what next week will bring!

Friends, Family, Familiar Territory

The past two weeks have been very busy and lots of fun. At Streaky Bay we met up with our friends Carole and Ross McGregor  who had travelled across from Great Western and surprised us because they were in a new (to them) A-Van. Our dirty, damaged van looked a bit second rate next to their shiny one, but they didn't seem to mind travelling with us. We had a lovely week exploring the West and East coasts of the Eyre Peninsula - we have been there before and enjoyed sharing the many delights with similar minded friends. We walked, talked, rode bikes, rambled on beaches, laughed a lot, played cards, delighted in the bird and plant life, and generally had a good time.

 

 

 

 

Streaky Bay

 

Murphy's Haystacks

 

 

We parted company with the McGregors at Cowell and had a night at Spear Creek Station, a sheep station at the foot of the Flinders Ranges, not far from Port Augusta. It was a lovely place and we look forward to staying there again. From there it was into the much loved Flinders Ranges, staying at Rawnsley Park Station. The Huddart family arrived the next day, closely followed by Geoff and Tricia. It was so lovely catching up with everyone again. Our grand children are just delightful and bring us much joy. We hiked, climbed, rode bikes, played games, cooked marshmallows on the campfire, read books - all good fun. Geoff and Tricia returned to Adelaide after three days and the rest of us moved on to Trezona Campground, off Brachina Gorge Road for the children's first experience of bush camping. For two days  they revelled in the freedom and the wide open spaces, although some concerns were expressed about the drop(pit) toilets. We have decided that after nearly five months away it is time to head home. What a trip it has been!

 

Rawnsley Bluff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Across the Nullabor

The further South we went the colder it got. Our drive to Kalgoorlie was accompanied by gale force winds and at times driving rain. Fortunately for us the wind was behind us most of the time. After setting up and a late lunch in Kalgoorle Merilyn went to bed to rest because her cold had got worse and I visited the Super Pit Gold mine and shopped. The Super Pit is another amazing hole in the ground with 4 million dollar trucks being loaded with 3 massive scoops of gold bearing dirt from 10 million dollar digging machines, and then  trundling up long drives to a plant where the gold is eventually extracted so that we can all wear gold rings and have gold caps on our teeth. Amazing!

While I was at the viewing area a squall came through with hail - it's so good to  be back in Winter !!


From Kalgoorlie it was South to Norseman for lunch and then on to the Eyre Highway and heading East, but not too far. We stopped for two nights on a sheep station called Fraser Range Station which had a lovely, well set up camping area and good facilities. A day of reading and sleeping gave Merilyn a chance to get over her cold and Bruce the opportunity to start one. Although the weather was cold and sometimes wet we enjoyed the open spaces of the station with emus wandering through. a campfire at night and the lovely silence of the bush. We would like to have done some of the bushwalks on the property and will definitely call in for a few days if we are over this way again.

 

Two days travelling East, Merilyn doing the majority of the driving, saw us at Eucla late on the first day and just getting in, and Ceduna late the next day in one of the nicest parks we had ever stayed in. Everything a Caravan Park should be and only $28 p/n. The distances travelled are long with not a lot too see, diesel is expensive ( over $2 per litre at Nullabor Roadhouse ), and the weather was only fair, but it is still a trip worth doing. We enjoyed the cliffs of the Bight, the Baxter Range which which parallels the road for over 100 km, the changes in vegetation, the Royal Flying Doctor landing strips on the highway and he vaste open spaces. We did not enjoy the huge number of dead animals - roos, wombats, wedge-tail eagles, and the amount of litter left by some of the travelling public. 

 

 

 

Sunny Sunday morning in Ceduna. Packed up, quick shop, Merilyn went to church whilst Bruce sat in the warm car and went through half a box of tissues - how can one nose run so much? Lunch and walk at Smoky Bay where we met a lovely couple who were also travelling and then on to Streaky Bay where Carole and Ross McGregor, friends from Great Western, warmly welcomed us. They surprised us. Instead of their camper trailer they had an Avan they had purchased just before they left on their trip. We are next to each other and their van is a lot cleaner than ours. The park is right on the Bay, we have lovely views, can easily ride to town and the pier on a bike track and for 2 days the weather has been perfect. Two coastal drives, a good bike ride alongside the bay, some walks to spectacular cliffs, rambles along beaches, coffee and Magnums, board and card games, lots of chatting and laughter - it's not a bad life. We will be travelling together down the Eyre Peninsula for the next few days.

 

Streaky Bay

Sea Lion colony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildflower & Wheat Country Wandering

At Kalbarri we surprised ourselves with a 7.30am start which meant we were in Geraldton at 9.30am. Merilyn shopped whilst I went for a guided tour of the Memorial to the men lost on HMAS Sydney in WW2. I found the Memorial very moving. It was designed and built before the wreck of the ship was discovered. The dome, held up by 7 pillars (one for each State and Territory), consists of 644 metal seagulls, one for each sailor, spiralling towards heaven. The inspiration came to the artist during the playing of the Last Post when the land was being dedicated and a flock of seagulls spiralled around the bugle player. Another moving feature is the bronze statue of a woman (mother, wife, sister, girlfriend, daughter) gazing out to sea waiting the return of her loved one. When the ship was found it was discovered that the statue was gazing directly towards the wreck site.

 

Catching up with mail and some things which needed to be followed up meant that we did not have lunch until 3.00pm whilst on the way to Mullewa.

During our three days in Mullewa we visited the wildflower show, walked two wildflower trails, a town heritage trail and a trail commemorating the life and work of Monseignor Hawes - a remarkable Priest, Architect and Horseman who had lived in Mullewa for many years. Most of the Catholic churches in the district, including the Cathedral in Geraldton, were designed by him. Merilyn was particularly taken with the Priests House which was next to the Millewa Church.

 

 

Although the surrounding country looked quite lovely, a mosaic of green wheat and yellow canola, the crops are actually suffering through lack of water. The low rainfall also meant the wildflowers are not as spectacular as usual although we still found many and saw some lovely displays of everlastings.

 

  

On the way to Dalwallinu to catch up with Anne and Roger, we detoured to find the much sought after wreath leschenaulti. This is a 'must find' for many wildflower enthusiasts, some folk in the Mullewa  caravan park were very excited because they had found one after much searching. Roger had told us by phone where  to look and after travelling a fair distance we were thrilled to find the site right next to the road where there were dozens of wreaths of various sizes, and many other interesting plants as well.

 

 

It was great catching up with Anne and Roger again. Over a few days with them we wandered through the hills discovering some lovely wheatbelt towns, walked several wildflower trails finding 7 different orchids, did a guided tour of the monastic town New Norcia which was quite fascinating and will require a re-visit some time, attended an Anglican Church in  Wongan Hills where we met some lovely people and generally had a relaxing, chatting, sharing time. We have now parted company again, they are slowly heading towards Perth and we have turned east towards home. Unfortunately Merilyn has a nasty cold, the weather is freezing with gale force winds and rain - there was snow on Mt Stirling today which is a bit further south, but we are looking forward to catching up with family and friends.

 

Unfortunately the Internet connection is very shaky and will not download any more photos. You will just have to try and picture the orchids,  the large red flowers of the eucalyptus macrocarpa, and the blue leschenaulti yourselves. Sorry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Colourful Kalbarri

The trip from Denham to Kalbarri was an easy run with many beautiful wildflowers along the way.

Just before turning off the highway we encountered some fields of wheat - our first in almost 4 months. Farms instead of Stations, ordered fenced paddocks, tree lined drives which led to houses you could actually see - we had reached the settled lands and already were missing the wilderness and wide open spaces - perhaps not so much the dust and corrugations.

 We have been to Kalbarri before, when the kids were very little and we were tenting, and in some ways it feels as if we have completed our journey and it is time to head for home - if only we had a home. At least the house is up to floor level - the poor weather has caused many delays.

Kalbarri - beautiful expansive gorges, wonderful wildflowers, a wild coast with massive waves crashing on the reefs, sculptured cliffs, pelicans gliding on the estuary - quite a magic place. We walked, rode, explored, and relaxed.