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The Twelve Apostles
Actually, erosion had put pay to a few and you couldnt see all from the viewing area, but you get the idea No, dont panic. Despite the title, this isnt news of a tax on suncream bankrupting the Ozzie economy, nor worries that swear boxes are to be introduced into Ozzie bars and having the same effect. Just that Jo and I are about to finish our trip around the land down under. We've had about 8 weeks here now, and have decided to fly on after completing our 10,000th kilometre this week.
We left you a few weeks ago in Melbourne. We only spent a day there as we'd seen a lot of it the last time around. We took the van for a great days drive down the Great Ocean Road heading westwards. It lived up to its billing as one of the worlds great drives, winding along the coast line up and down clifftop roads (always fun in a 6 metre tank/van!). Lots of good stops though the 12 Apostles rock formations were a real highlight .
Popped into the Grampians National Park for a day. Unfortunately, a few months ago a lightning storm popped in there first and burnt it down. Not all of it, Im sure, but all the parts we visited. Still, we thought, lets
Horse Riding
No, before anyone asks, they didnt have a bigger horse they could have put me make the most of it and take a horse ride, something Id never really done and Jo hadnt done since she was a wee girl. To be honest, Id never done it through choice, having had a terrible experience with a horse when I was very young. Wont say too much about this, just got put on one in a line of horses for a 'fun' ride up and down a beach, horse in front of me wasnt too well, I was down wind....enough said. However, depsite this childhood trauma Jo asked me to come (something along the lines of that old chestnut '...but i dont really want to go on my own'). There were only the two of us taking the two hour trip, and the first thing to do was find a riding hat (OK, who laughed?). I knew it was gonna be a bad day when the instructor said something along the lines of 'Luckily we have some of these especially made'.
Then we mounted and begun to learn instructions for the horse. Now, don't get me wrong, but it shouldnt of been me he was teaching these instructions too, it should have been 'Max' and
Naracoorte fossils
Luckily, this 'little' fella doesnt roam the outback anymore 'Marbles', the two most obstinate, cantankerous and thoroughly disagreeable animals to have ever crossed my path. Every instruction was generally ignored as they meandered their way down the path they obviously trod every day at their own pace. There may be those out there who suggest the fault may lay instead with my limited equestrian skills. I however will simply say the car was invented for a reason.
It took us nearly 3 days to recover from the agony those two hours inflicted on us
We then stopped off for a day for Jo's birthday. She was obviously a little down at both having to spend a birthday so far from home (and it being her last birthday in her twenties ;-) so i obviously had to find a way to cheer her up. Thought the best thing to do was take her down a cave and look at fossils. Despite my insistence that the Naracoorte caves was a fascinating world hertiage listed site I could tell this wasnt her ideal birthday so for the afternoon we drove to the Coonawara wine region, i rented a cottage for the night, and we went around the vineyards wine tasting.
Sea Lions
Luckily, this little fella does! Those Whitburn genes came out and the afternoon was definately more in line with expectations. The cottage was great too, full of those little things we're both missing from home - like a sofa and TV, big comfy bed, and a bathroom we arent sharing with 2 hundred other campers.
Actually, something Ive got to get off my chest here. Loving the whole camping experience, but what is it with people wearing there bedroom gear to go to the bathroom? Fine in the privacy of your home, but when you have to walk a hundred yards past dozens of other people? It seems every morning and evening sat in Percy Im greeted by the site of a multitude of (mainly older) men and women wandering past us in various flowery dressing gowns, nightwear, fluffy slippers and the odd 1950s hairnet and curlers. Its like some sort of sleepover for the staff of 'Are you being served'
Anyway, great wineries/cottage and Jo thanks everyone who texted/emailed etc with birthday wishes.
So, from Coonawara to the Fleurie Peninsula and Kangaroo island. More national park again, but each one has proved different and this was no exception. The highlight here
Kangaroo Island
The so called 'Remarkable Rocks'....pretty remarkable, truth be told definately had to be the wildlife, seeing Seals and Sea-lions in the wild for the first time in our lives. It was a real up close experience too.
From there up to Adelaide. It was a nice city, but we only spent a day there taking in a few sites then watching X-men 3 at the cinema (rubbish film). We left next morning to go inland to the Flinders Range National Park. This was all about the mountain and hill scenery, and it was pretty spectacular. We decided to tackle another decent trek, this time our first one graded in the books as 'Hard'. It was an 8k round trip, though up a mountain! We're both getting pretty good at this trekking lark now, though the mistake of forgetting to make sandwiches haunted us at the summit when others were snacking away
From there we headed into the outback, on the final leg of our journey. It was over a thousand k to our final stop, and we stopped half way at a mining town called Coober Pedy. Think Catford with mines and sand (apolgies, probably unfair to the people of Catford). Not a highlight, but a neccesary
Kangaroo Island II
Loads of seals hung out here in Admirable Arch, and funnily enough, loads of sharks hung out a few meters out. For them it was a kind of takeaway restaurant stopover.
Next morning, up early for the trip to probably the most recognisable sight of Australia - Ayers Rock or Uluru as its now commonly called. Thing about this is although its really just a big rock, it is a pretty darn impressive rock. Its just kind of sat there in the middle of nothing, this big hulking slab of stone that changes colour during the day (we did the whole watch it at sunset/sunrise thing). When you add that to the deeply spiritual side of the site for the aboriginal people (that the excellent cultural center there helps you to understand) we found it becomes a really fascinating place to visit. We also visited the Olgas (Kata Tuja) which are only 30km from Uluru, these are a collection of huge red boulders which are nearly as impressive as Uluru, in fact the walk around was more interesting.
We left there yesterday and headed here to Alice Springs and we have a flight out tomorrow to Sydney after saying goodbye to our home for the last 6 weeks, Percy the Campervan.
Final thoughts about Australia? It has without a doubt been the most beautiful, diverse and fascinating
Cycling around the Barossa Valley
Spent a day at another wine region, the Barossa Valley. For some reason the bikes were harder to ride by mid-afternoon..... natural landscape of any place we have been. We also have to say the Ozzies themselves we've met are amongst the most genuinely welcoming and friendly people its been our pleasure to meet. Its felt at times to be a really long way from home, and we've found campervaning can be a little claustrophobic at times if doing it for this long, but they are small things in comparison to the rest of this leg of the trip which has been amazing.
Now to find somewhere in our next country that shows the football!
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Mum
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A new adventure begins!
It seems as though you have been in Oz for ages, or at least I feel as though I have been back at work for ages! So one country closes and another one begins, I am sure you will have an equally fantastic time in America at least the temperatuare should be better than you have been experiencing lately and in my mind you are getting closer to home! We will all be waiting for the next blog to hear what you are up to! Miss you lots mum XXX