Blogs from South Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 6

We took four days to drive home.. We headed off from Longreach on Wednesday, leaving about 8 am It was a sunny day, but crisp and we had no problems driving along. We started to listen to an audio version of Dracula which Sam had lent us. Fletcher had never read it and it was at least 25 years since I had. We only stopped to change drivers, get petrol and have some lunch at Tambo, where we found Fanny Mae's cafe and enjoyed a pie each and a large cup of good coffee. . We drove into Cunnamulla about 3-30 and easily found the Billabong Hotel Motel where we had booked for the night. It took a while, though, to find Reception and a friendly lady took me in the "back"way. After we had booked ... read more

Day 10 EXPLORING THE FLINDERS RANGES Today we explored the Flinders Ranges by first finding the Bunyeroo Valley Drive along the Geological Trail. The track is windy and very undulating with numerous sharp dip creek courses and now is in-between well graded and rough. There are many bush-style campsites. We stopped at numerous places … Yanyanna Horse Yards and hut (both now unused), Razorback Lookout, giving views over the Ikara-Flinders Ranges NP, Bunyeroo Gorge through to the Brachina Gap into the Brachina Gorge which creates a striking appearance with its crumbling walls of shale, limestone and quartzite. There are scattered lone graves and ruins of shepherds huts, a reflection of hard times endured, north through the Aroona Valley to the Aroona Homestead and hut with magnificent scenery enjoyed. I remember seeing documentaries of the great artist, ... read more

I exited the Xtrk at 6.45am on a very, very cold clear sky morning. I hadn’t walked 2m before 6 kookaburras sitting together 5m on a tree branch about 30m from me began their laugh, and laugh they did, waking anyone who was still asleep at that stage, for a full 2 minutes non-stop. It was sensational. I had heard kookaburras laugh before but not that many all at once for 2 minutes. Those brave enough to test the outside cold stumbled from their warm interiors to check out nature at its best … again. We conversed with a few fellow travellers and visited the inside of their caravans as we discussed the type of van. Jane is nearing the end with canvas! I quite fancy the eco-tourer outback type. Will do some research. We completed ... read more

DAY 4 BORDER VILLAGE-FOWLERS BAY Nature rewarded us with its magnificent ruggedness of the Great Australian Bight, sunshine and marine life, notably whales. The photos are spread over the 200kms of the mighty Bunds Cliffs which come to an end at Head of Bight. The morning was cold to begin with, however the day quickly warmed, and the cloud cleared. We stopped at all the lookouts with their solid walkways and viewing platforms. Head of Bight proved to be our highlight as whales were present. They didn’t breach but seeing their large forms as they moved gently through the water made the sight even more pleasurable. The eroding cliff face here demanded to be ‘looked at’. I love the physical geography aspect. We cut in off the Eyre Highway, taking a rough-at-times 26km track towards the ... read more

DAY 5 FOWLERS BAY We must have been pretty tired … woke at 8.30am SA time (1.5hrs ahead of WA). Admittedly, there were a couple of ‘during-the-night’ awake periods … due … Jane says … me snoring. I never snore, however I do have a little head cold that probably contributed to the roar. We have a quiet, secluded, away from everyone camp spot. The wind is up and hasn’t eased at all. Initially cold, however it has warmed considerably. We felt the cold whilst walking the jetty and atop the massive, white sand dunes. Atop the windswept dunes we had an uninterrupted 360-degree view of the surroundings. Today was a slow, relax and rest day with cuppas and fruit cake that Jane had made prior to our trip. As a matter of fact, we are ... read more