Blogs from Oceania

We are just about ready to leave Exmouth and head back to Perth for a couple of nights before starting the final leg of this trip to Cervantes. Spent the last couple of days doing a walk up Mandu-Mandu canyon and tried snorkeling at turquoise bay - had a strong current which we new about but I (Bronwyn) really didn't enjoy it so was a very short snorkel followed by last minute working on the tan before we head south. (Would have ben even better at the beach if someone had remembered to include the towels) Went to one of the bird watching hides and saw some egret saw a smaller couple of types and was wondering if it was the greater egret and then we saw a greater egret and there was no question - ... read more

14thJuly The South Coast Highwaytakes us away from Esperance through a mixture of farmland and scrubby bush. Our thoughts were to go to Hopetoun on the coast but given it is a 100km detour, returning on the same road, we decide against that destination for our overnight stop. We head inland instead for a couple of days to take in the Western Australia’s SiloArtTrail. There are 6 or 7 locations to view some recent artworks. Ravensthorpe, 184km west of Esperance and on the South Coast Highway, is the first location. From there we turn off the highway towardLakeKing and Newdegate, the second town on the Trail. We have pulled in to the Newdegate Recreation Reserve – it is not a listed free camping area but there are no signs to the contrary, so we will try ... read more

We had three great days in Canberra with Melissa, James and the boys. On the Monday Fletcher and I spent the whole day in the house. We had been travelling for so many days that we were a little burnt out so we enjoyed chatting to Seb and Jude, listening to Zac's cello practising and playing on our computers. That night, James and Seb cooked some red curry chicken which was delicious. Then Seb proposed that he and us took on the other four in a game of Codewords. This is a lot of fun and makes you think. In the end we were victorious after several turns and more wins than losses. Good fun. On Tuesday, Seb and Zac accompanied us as we drove over the lake to Manuka to visit our favourite book shop ... read more

If you are travelling along the Surf Highway or doing the round the mountain trip, take a short trip to see the Cape Egmont Lighthouse. This part of the coast has had many shipwrecks occur along it and you will quickly see why a lighthouse was needed there. Naturally I arrived on a wet and blustery Taranaki day which meant I wasn't wasting any time outside the car. But it is worth the quick side-trip just to grab some photos. Just keep an eye open for the road you need to turn down as I have managed to drive right past it every time. If this sounds stupid, you need to realise there is often no cellphone coverage along this part of the coast so your maps on your phone are not going to be of ... read more

Ormondville: a small settlement which has plenty to offer keen photographers, railway enthusiasts and genealogists who have links to this area as I do. It is just over 20km from Dannevirke and is a place I believe is worth making the drive from the main highway to see. Don't expect to find bakeries, public toilets or a petrol station. But do expect to see some unusual sights. https://ormondvillerail.weebly.com/ Ormondville is most famous for its railway station and the effort that has gone into preserving it. There are some great bits and pieces there to photograph. https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/88311570/flashback-the-ormondville-murders-of-1884 It is definitely worth stopping at the nearby cemetery and having a stroll amongst the graves. The link will tell you the story of one of the headstones. I found this headstone and didn't know anything about the murders unti ... read more