Back to the Start

---

We completed the golf course and now proudly own certificates with our names and scores on them (Margaret: 176, Barry: 144) The last two holes actually had some grass on the fairways!
We drove down the Eyre Peninsula, keeping close to the sea, stopping at Streaky Bay for lunch. Originally we had intended to stay here but we needed to push on as we had wasted a bit of time golfing. Just south, at Point Labatt, along a very rough gravel road, we stopped to view the sea lion colony from the top of the cliff. These Australian Sea lions are quite rare and this is the largest colony on mainland Australia.
We drove along a scenic cliff top road, complete with strange and varied sculptures and stopped at a lovely little site, right by the sea at Elliston. We sat and watched our final ‘over the sea’ sunset.
We awoke to find that the rumbling we had first heard in Esperance had turned into another seized wheel bearing! Don’t believe it - the same wheel too! The garage opposite the campsite didn’t have the spares so sent us down to Port Lincoln at the bottom of the Eyre Peninsula - 300km out of our way.
By the time we got there, what could have been just a new seal had turned into a complete new wheel bearing assembly and new brake shoes - and a big fat bill. We had to wait until the next day to have it done so spent the afternoon at Port Lincoln just chilling out and fishing for squid - which were delicious!
So now our 4-5 days chill on the Eyre Peninsula has been reduced to a 2 day scramble to get to our friends in Oakbank by Friday night.
Stopped at Port Pirie and the campsite was right by the river. In the morning we were awoken by the sound of singing - It was someone swimming in the river, singing at the top of their voice. This serenading went on for well over an hour, the bloke must have been very fit.
Chilled out at Greg and Trish’s for a couple of days, eating, drinking and generally having a great time.
Spent Monday at the Adelaide Oval watching day 4 of the 2nd test match between Australia and the West Indies. Great ground, great match. (though it ended in a draw on Tuesday!)
Left Oakbank and headed for Melbourne via the Grampian Mountains. It was COLD up there - this is supposed to be summer!
And before we knew it we were back in Monbulk and it was all over.

We had the most wonderful time and drove a total of 17171 km. We saw whales and dolphins and turtles and sharks and stingrays and sea lions, and emus and kangaroos and wallabies, and koalas and snakes and lizards and bats and fresh water crocodiles and huge salties, and eagles and parrots and budgies and pelicans. We snorkelled a coral reef, climbed gorges, sailed rivers and canyons, climbed through caves and tunnels, watched an Australia v West indies Test Match
- and we saw $250,000 worth of gold being poured - arrhhh.

We didn’t see any echidnas or wild camels or wombats and we were bitten to death by mosquitoes and continually bothered by flies.

IT WAS GREAT!

---