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Published: April 3rd 2013
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Wednesday 4th.
This morning we drove back to Portland early to top up on groceries, medicines and a few bits and bobs. The list did get a little extended though. With being away from mains power, we were finding that the rechargeable batteries in the Canon cameras were being stretched. Much of the photography has some degree of zoom, fill in flash etc. None of the camera shops we visited had the batteries for the SX 40 and 50 cameras. Jacar said they had a universal charger that not only did standard nicads, but had a universal contact bar that did the job - very clever adjustable pins and a slide that locked the battery in place. Great idea, but it didn't work. They did have a low wattage inverter for about the same price. It is working a treat.
After shopping, we headed down to the terminal for Portland's Cable Tram. Seems this is one of those things we do when we travel, and certainly enjoyed the round trip. The cars are old,(1886) but now operated by diesel engine and hydraulic drive. The journey is a little faster than walking, commentary pointed out things
of interest, and shook the bones just as the original passengers will have experienced.
We stopped at the WW2 Memorial terminus. The memorial is kind of cute as it has been built inside an old water tower on the cliff tops. Tidy gardens too I might add.
Running back to town we passed a famous sculpture with a sea shell theme. The camera luck has a man's face right in the middle behind. Oh well, if he reads this blog he will probably want a share of the profits!
We left the Tram just before returning to the Depot and went for a walk through their botanical gardens. This garden is probably best known for its roses, but this late in the season, prime flowers were harder to find.
However, their dahlias were spectacular and worthy of mention and photos. Another plant caught our eye, a South African coccineus. Very spectacular - I want one.
We had lunch in the park a short distance from the cute Gardener's Cottage, now a museum.
It was just a 10 minute walk back to the
MH, and we headed for Yellow Rock. No yellow submarines, but once again a heavy rolling surf. From there we continued to Cape Nelson light station. You cannot get to the cape without paying a fee to visit the lighthouse, so, as we had spent our budget, we headed then for Dartmore.
We put the co-ordinates for the Fort O'hare campground at Dartmore, about halfway between Portland and Mount Gambier in South Australia. Unfortunately, or rather to our amusement, Tom Tom kept referring to Mount Gambler. Both families have an aversion to gambling, and are wondering what we are letting ourselves in for tomorrow.
Dartmore looks to be another rural centre in decline, but keeps a cheerful face. Not far from the camp ground are huge Atlantic Cedars, planted in 1918 as a memorial to those from the district who served in WW1.
The ANZAC remembrance refers to the soldiers where 'Age has not wearied them', but sadly these trees have wearied and some had become dangerous. The community commissioned Kevin Gilders, a chainsaw artist to make memorials from these trees. A sample is included in the blog.
Our camp tonight is beside the river, amongst trees and yet again free. As we cross the Victoria and South Australian border tomorrow, we have had to eat up all remaining fresh fruit and vegies to comply with border quarantine regulations. We have zero offending food on board.
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Mum & Dad
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Great photos
A bit late on sending comment as we cheated in that we looked at the pictures first and had to run and do some jobs. It's a busy life you know. Another good viewing session and comments