Rain doesn’t seem to dampen their Ardour

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DAY 134

Throughout the night the Koala’s were calling into the darkness with their soulful bellow, trying to entice a mate.

This morning we were up early and the Koala’s were still bellowing so we put on our boots and walked off down the track to see where this noise was coming from. It was only 8.00am and we were on a full yomp in the bright morning sunshine. Every time we heard them bellow it sounded like we were getting closer. Strangely enough Koala’s are solitary creatures but the sound suggested they were a large group. It may have been a swingers club for Koala’s.

On and on we walked, bellow after bellow we walked, until we came to part of the forest that was dense vegetation, and so different in colour, obviously newer shoots, only to find these tubby fellows we would have to walk further in, and I just thought it was too dodgy, this is where one of us was going to get bitten by a snake. However, disappointed we walked back, and looking at our watch had been out for nearly 2 hours, we hadn’t even had our morning tea, or brushed our teeth.

Back at camp we headed for the sanctuary of the camp kitchen, the day was well in to the 30’s and we needed some shelter let alone our morning brew. It was Saturday morning and we were struggling to get motivated, travelling is so full on, some days we just need to relax and besides we had already had a 2-hour adventure looking for Koala’s.

We decided that we must do something or else the blog would be empty and the complaints committee would be busy, so we went out to Port MacDonnell.

On the way into Port MacDonnell, we pass a large Seismic survey team; we wonder what they are actually studying here and wondered if it was anything to do with the tremor that occurred in Melbourne in the last week.

It is a funny little beachside town that has a couple of fish and chip shops and that’s it (Liz you were right about this one!), so we drove the length of the street and out the other side and parked up where the old lighthouse used to be. It had to be resited due to rock erosion, you can see looking at the cliff edges how thin the overhangs are as if they are waiting to go any minute.

The view form the lookout was stunning, we watched a surfer doing his thing, we thought some huge breakers would catch him out but he rode them like a true pro, and must have spent many years surfing. While watching him, we saw a few others turn up, they all seem to know each other and once on with their wetsuits headed straight into the surf with their boards.

The have some signs pointing to Camel Rock, Frog Rock and Rhino Rock, if you look hard you can see the formations in the rocks, we have taken some photos of these.

The information signs directs you to another point along the rocks where a colony of Fairy Penguins frequent, but we only saw 2 of them, snuggled down on the rocks, where the sea was crashing against them.

A woman walks up to us and asks us the time, we tell her and she asks if that is Victorian or South Australian, it is worth noting that South Australia is actually half hour behind Victoria, just to make life confusing eh! We kept our watches on Victorian time as we were camping on the Victorian side of the Border. We will have to change that though when we move into South Australia tomorrow.

Another point here to mention that there are quarantine restrictions coming into South Australia, you are not allowed to carry fruit, vegetables, plants or flowers across the border or into the fruit fly excursion zone. You will be penalised if you do!

We leave and drive to Mt Shank, an old Volcano that’s prominent on the skyline. You can walk up its slopes, but we just can’t be bothered today (actually lets hope it is an old volcano and still lies very dormant). Apparently the walk up is relatively easy, there are some steps, so we have been told, however you can walk down into the inside of it there is not particularly a track but a trail has been formed over time but it is very steep.

On the way back we drive in to the forest to collect some wood, they have been logging in this forest, but it is still difficult to find some decent timber that are not rotten and good for burning. We find a few rounds and some other bits and pieces. We were hoping to see a snake from the security of our truck but no luck again.

We got back we tried to sit at our table to do the blog but it kept raining intermittently, so Caroline went and had a shower and I started to get the wood ready for our evening fire.

We had a new neighbour, they pull in with their Landcruiser Pulling a T-Van, and in no time at all their set up was done. As they walked past us they asked us if this was the way to the camp toilets and commented on the pile of wood that we had amassed. We said that if they would like to they would be more than welcome to come and warm their toes on the fire (Weather Permitting) later.

Dinner tea time arrives, neither of us are particularly hungry, we just fancy a sandwich, nothing more, we take all the stuff up to the camp Kitchen and set up our tea, whilst there Dennis the camp caretaker passes on his quad, and as there are a couple of pretty German Girls cooking their evening meal he has to stop for a letch.

I ask him if he has a chain saw, (he does!) brilliant “would you come around to our pile of logs and run the saw through them”? “No worries I will be around in 20 Minutes”. Five minutes later we hear his quad rumbling up the track, so I head off to intercept him at our fire site. 10 Minutes later, all our wood is cut in to suitable sizes for burning, we are quite surprised about being allowed to have fires, especially in Victoria where we still are, but they OK’d it as long as it remains within the confines of the concrete ring.

Forecasters had predicted rain and they weren’t wrong, only intermittent showers, nothing heavy. I go back and finish my sandwich, then head up to make our fire.

Within an hour it is burning nicely, the big logs are providing a good level of heat, the light is fading, I am sitting there warming my feet, the evening is pleasant, not cold and the sky is clear, with the odd shower thrown in.

Our new neighbours wander over with their chairs, and take a pew, Sharon, Tim and their son Wade are on a 6 week holiday from Canberra and are heading to Perth for a bit of an adventure. We get talking about their T-Van and they said they looked around for a couple of years at different things before they finally settled on this camper trailer and they love it.

It is pitch black except for the glow of the fire, the Koala’s are still grumbling, the star canopy is amazing and we with ease we pick out the Southern Cross, the large and small Magellan clouds and the Milky Way with ease on such a clear night.

Sharon tells us that they too are keeping a blog, of their travels and we tell them we are doing the same. Although we have met many people, we have not met many doing a blog.

The trees are rustling in the darkness, you never know if it’s a Kangaroo sneaking up behind you with a baseball bat, or what? Again tonight it’s the Ring Tailed Possum’s, they are such pretty creatures, in the torchlight they are Caramel and white, with large eyes, little pink noses and pink feet. As yesterday the one has wrapped his tail around a branch and is dangling upside down feeding, (Clever little thing, Look no hands).

Although Thunder and lightning are going on in the distance we enjoy a good couple of hours chat and relax by the fire, however it will only be a matter of time before it is above us, typical when we have to pack the tent away tomorrow it will be wet again.

11.00pm and it has started to rain with a bit more effort than before, we all grab our chairs and head off to our beds, shouting that we will speak again in the morning.

Throughout the night the Koala’s keep up their bellowing, the rain doesn’t seem to dampen their ardour.

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Comments

[Liz aitchison]

What an adventure.
We think your blog is marvellous especially since we had a mention or two. Safe travelling. Liz back at Point Lonsdale