Blogs from Oceania

On Saturday we arrived at our mooring outside Port Douglas. We weren't able to go ashore until after 10am. We went down for the morning quiz, (which we won again) and snaking through the Ocean Bar was a long queue waiting for tender tickets. I waited until it was near the end and then joined. We were still able to go in Group 4. After the quiz we watched as they launched the tenders and then noticed two large ferries coming from the mainland. Then we went into the bar to wait for our group to be called. It was not until about 11am that we got on board one of the larger boats and then it was a short ride to the wharf.It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh ... read more

Naracoorte was formed from the merger of two towns, Kincraig, founded in 1845 by Scottish explorer William Macintosh, and Narracoorte, established as a government settlement in 1847. The name has gone through a number of spellings, and is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal words for place of running water or large waterhole. Naracoorte has historically been a service centre for the sheep, cattle and wheat farming industries in the surrounding area. In recent decades, tourism has become a major industry due to the town's proximity to several wine regions and internationally recognised natural features. The World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves and the Ramsar listed Bool Lagoon are located near the town. Our first destination to explore was Naracoorte Caves, where we joined a guided tour of the Victoria Cave, which has and continues to ... read more

25thMay route Port Denison, Green Head, Juried Bay, Cervantes RAC Cervantes Holiday Park $43 per night Rating by us 5/10 Big grass sites, old facilities but clean, walking to beach a bonus 25th May to 27th May Cervantes Mileage Port Denison/Dongarra 8603, Cervantes 8762 travelled 159 kms Thursday 25th May Heading back towards Perth the weather is fast becoming cooler. We had some rain last night and packed up with tracksuits on against the cold this morning. Once we had packed up we headed to the coffee shop planning on having a last “world go buy” half hour on the foreshore before heading off, but the wind was bitterly cold so we hit the car and drank our coffee on the way. We have planned a short trip today in order to enjoy the last few ... read more

Monday 22nd May 2023 We said farewell to Moonta and headed north to Port Broughton as our first stop. Rags remembered this place from our previous trip; a one street town leading to a long jetty which faced a beautiful old hotel flanked with pine trees. And so it was. We walked most of the town, had a coffee at the bakery with a bambury, a pastry shaped like a pasty, filled with currants and citrus etc. Very tasty. Then on to Melrose via Crystal Brook (where the Jeep dropped its big-end) through the pretty town of Laura, (adjective put in for our Laura). Stone Hut, about 20kms further was our next stop, the group we travelled with a few years ago raved about the pies they had there. They hadn't lied, Judy had a Thai ... read more

Tuesday 23rd May Having decided to head home at the week end we attempted to extend our stay here till then, but they are fully booked, so moving on to Cervantes for our last stop on Thursday, returning home on Sunday. Enjoying the last few days of doing nothing today. Had a short ride around the place it has changed hugely since I last visited but that was over thirty years ago. They now have a new marina created by a huge number of rocks been dropped into the ocean to create a safe harbour. Walked to the coffee shop and sat on the sea front watching the world go by until mister Tippy had had enough and we walked on. We walked so far that Tippy refused to go on and then promptly fell asleep ... read more