Nitmiluk National Park and Bitter Springs near Mataranka

All of us were deep in thought as we hit the road again.  Our past few days had been an incredible rollercoaster and we needed time to stop and process it all.  We therefore decided to push past the famous Litchfield National Park and go somewhere a little quieter.  Now don't get me wrong, Litchfield is beautiful, but Jo and I had been before, and it is close and accessible to Darwin.  Sometimes you just have to make the call to stop and let the dust settle.

The perfect place for a couple of nights to clear the head was Edith Falls.  The falls are in the Nitmiluk National Park, just north of Katherine.  A massive plunge pool with clear water was just the ticket to wash off the dust of the road.  It also doubled as swimming lessons for the school diary.

Swimming Lessons - Edith Falls

Our rest day at Edith Falls started slowly with a good old fashioned sleep in.  In fact it was the first time we had slept properly in days.  We caught up on some school work, and I tinkered with a couple of little odd jobs that had been neglected for a while.  It was lovely.

The unforgettable Kings Canyon Rim Walk

We made good time out of Yalara and soon pulled off the road at a free camp, just south of Kings Creek Station, nestled at the foot of the George Gills Range.  It was a fantastic spot to set up for the night, sheltered, well off the road, and plenty of firewood to keep the chill out of the night air.

Ripper free camp

It didn't take long for the boomerangs to come out and practice to commence.  It didn't take much longer to figure out why the Aboriginals didn't use returning boomerangs in areas with lots of trees - as ours were soon stuck and almost lost in the branches of the Mulga.

Boomerang Practice

East MacDonnell Ranges, Camel Races and Trucks...

Alice Springs lies nestled in the MacDonnell Ranges, which provide a rugged backdrop to the town.  We had needed a break from the gorges of the Kimberley (yes, we had gorged ourselves), so the week poking about town was as good for us as it was for Rocky and Matilda.  We opted to spend a day checking out the East MacDonnell Ranges, and found we could have spent much more time exploring its delights. 

Emily Gap, with the story of the caterpillars painted on the rock walls behind us

Our first stop was Emily Gap.  This gap was named by the surveyor William Mills after his assistant's wife (not sure what was going on there), but it had a much stronger meaning for the local Arrernte people.  It was here that Intwailuka, an ancestral hero is said to have stopped and eaten caterpillars on his dream time journey.  The artwork on the gap walls reflects the story of the caterpillars.  It was beautiful, but really cold and The Little Fisherman regretted his choice of wearing shorts against all advice.

Tanami - Or when we nearly lost it all

Our trip down the Tanami Desert started near Halls Creek.  Before we set off on one of the worlds longest shortcuts,we checked out some of the sights near Old Halls Creek, the site of the first gold rush in Western Australia.  Our first stop was China Wall, a vertical intrusion of quartz that has since resisted weathering more than the surrounding sandstone and now stands in places up to six metres tall.  We had seen many examples of this on our drive down from Purnululu, but the example just on the edge of town was the most impressive.  

China Wall

It was only when we got close up to the wall of rock that we really appreciated how large it is.

A little monkey on China Wall

The magical South West - Denmark and Walpole reveal many wonderful things to see and do

With the Little Fisherman nursing his sore knee, we found ourselves suddenly far more restrained in our choice of activities - a salient reminder to us how important our health is.  Unfortunately touring wineries and other gourmet delights doesn't interest the little people, or else it could have been a real blessing in disguise.  Mum did take the opportunity to indulge a little, so we all were hauled to the Mount Romance Sandalwood Factory, and the Bushfoods Cafe near Denmark.  Just quietly we all enjoyed ourselves - especially the delicious cakes at the Bushfoods Cafe!

We made camp at Parry's Beach, between Albany and Walpole.  A delightful bush camp with good amenities and reasonable prices, we settled in and decided to base camp here for a few nights whilst taking the chance to explore the area.

Valley of the Giants 

Our first activity was to check out the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk.  This easy walk takes you 40 metres above the forest floor into the canopy of the giant Tingle Trees.  These trees are found no where else on earth, and are a prehistoric tree from Gondwanan times.  Their simple root structure is susceptible to damage from compaction, hence the development of this novel way to see the trees.  The whole 600 metre walk only takes up about 4 square metres of space on the forest floor and is an engineering and architectural marvel.  This walk recently celebrated its 3 millionth visitor since opening in 1998.

On the Tree Top Walk among the ancient Tingle and Karri Trees

The Tingle Tree is one of the most iconic in Western Australia as it grows to massive sizes.  Its shallow roots and structure mean that bush-fires often hollow out the internal heartwood of the tree, creating large openings that are big enough to fit a car in.  Many families used to holiday in this area and take photos of their car inside the trees - which unfortunately led to the early death of some of the trees.  Thankfully the practice has stopped, but you can still get a photo with a special car inside a special tree!

Give us a wave! Wave Rock and Mulka's Cave

From Kalgoorlie-Boulder, we decided to take a somewhat scenic route to Esperance, via a small town called Hyden - better known as the home of Wave Rock.

As with all good journeys, we enjoyed getting there as much as the rock itself, touring on small backroads that cross some of the largest remaining woodlands on earth.  A woodland is more open than a forest, as the tree canopies do not touch - and these woodlands are unique for their size and diversity of species.

We stopped and explored McDermid Rock, learning about the precious waterholes or 'gnammas' that these rocks hold.  Of great importance to the Aboriginal people, they are also havens for wildlife, and support some incredibly hardy vegetation.  

On McDermid Rock

This area lies on the largest granite belt in the world, giving rise to many of these rocks and their precious water storage.  It also means that as granite erodes into sand, the surrounding soil is very sandy.  It is also very low in nutrients, which is why it has never been cleared for agriculture and why it is such a unique woodland.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder - Our all too brief visit

We pulled into Kalgoorlie after a mammoth 1026km day - and a rest day was very much in order.  There was a 24 hour limit on our free camp in town, so we packed up, and treated ourselves to breakfast a the historic Dome cafe in town.  Suitably refreshed, we wandered down to the Visitor Information Centre.  Armed with all the latest information, we booked in for two nights at a local caravan park. We quickly set up camp, put three huge loads of washing on, and had a nice shower (oh bliss).  It was then time to head back into town and checked out the sights.

They even make roofs of gold here!  The old Post Office / Court House clock tower sports a gold leaf roof!

Everything in Western Australia is big.  Big distances between towns, big farms ploughed and harvested by big machinery, all costing big dollars - but sometimes you see something that is absolutely massive.  Yes, we went to the Super-Pit.  A vision of Allan Bond, the SuperPit brought the amalgamation of several mining leases, in order to extract the gold ore using open cut mining techniques.  Whilst Allan Bond never achieved his objective - he went bust before pulling it off, he is credited with the idea that created the largest open cut gold mine in the world.

The buckets used to load the trucks are huge - holding about 35 tonnes of ore.

Looking into the huge cut - massive 793C ore trucks look like matchbox cars

Nullarbor - and the path less travelled

The Eyre Highway and its crossing of the Nullarbor Plain would have to be one of Australia’s most famous roads.  And with good reason.  It is such an iconic road, that these days can be covered in about two days in the comfort of your air conditioned car.

It wasn't that long ago that things were very different – and we caught a glimpse back in time as we took a slightly offbeat crossing of the continent.

Whilst the Yalata Roadhouse might have closed down, it is still the first place you will find the mighty three hazards of this drive– Camels, Kangaroos and Wombats.  When you cross the border Wombats are replaced by Emu – but you get the idea.  This is a road best driven in daylight hours only.

Next 96km... The first of the big three hazards!

Not long out of Yalata, the vegetation shrinks in size, and you enter the true Nullarbor Plain.  Nullarbor is not an Aboriginal name, but rather comes from the Latin – Null (nil) Arbor (trees).  Due to a limestone layer just beneath the surface, trees are unable to grow in this area – and it was worth a stop here too – and this is one part of the world that the camera will never capture the enormity of the sky as you stand surrounded by a whole heap of, well, nothing.

Don’t let that fool you.  This place is fascinating.  We drove to Head of the Bight, and looked over the magnificent Bunda Clifs, that stretch for hundreds of kiliometres.  It is believed that these are the longest line of cliffs anywhere in the world.  It is also a nursery for Southern Wright Whales – during the winter months.

Head of the Bight

We refuelled at Nullarbor Roadhouse – because our next diversion was off the main road not much further west.  As I was paying, I explained that we were thinking of heading up to Cook, for a look.  I was glad I asked, because not only was the attendant (owner) happy to give me advice on the roads, but he also suggested we stop at Koonalda Homestead for a look.  And what a great afternoon we had.

Out of Nullarbor we followed the original Eyre Highway for about 30 kilometres.  This was the original track carved during the Second World War (there was no road other than station tracks before then). When the highway was sealed, it was also remade further south – and the old highway hasn’t been graded since!

Highway One - on the Nullarbor

Arkaroola in the Northern Flinders Ranges

We had heard good things about Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, in the northern Flinders Ranges, but weren't sure what to expect when we pulled into Arkaroola village and found the place all but deserted.  Yes, we had come out of peak season, and we almost had the camp ground to ourselves.  We toyed with the idea of bush camping however with no one else around, it made sense to camp near the amenities block and settle in.

Our beaut camp at Arkaroola

For those who have never heard of Arkaroola, it is a unique geological part of Australia, purchased by the Sprigg family in the 1940s.  Reg Sprigg was one of Australia's best regarded geologists and in these hills found fossils of some of the earliest forms of life found anywhere in the world.  A real pioneer in many fields, he also was the first person to drive (with his family on-board) across the Simpson Desert.  Gresilda Sprigg (his wife) recalled the crossing and many other anecdotes of an extraordinary life in "Dune is a Four Letter Word".

Arkaroola is now run by Doug and his sister Marg, and their property is as much a botanical and wildlife refuge as it is a geological marvel.  After clearing nearly 100 000 feral goats from the place, native plants such as native orange, pines and myrtles are recovering.  Relics from much wetter times, their tenuous existence is incredible to witness in these rugged hills.

All set and ready for our adventure

We were extremely fortunate to have Doug Sprigg take us on the flagship tour of Arkaroola, The Ridge Top Tour.  The tour follows some extremely steep rocky tracks put in by companies seeking to exploit some of the mineral wealth of the area.  Thankfully the mining wasn't profitable enough to go ahead, but the legacy is some unbelievable scenery accessible in the 'comfort' of a 4WD.

Oodnadatta Track and the old Ghan Railway

We departed Coober Pedy early in the morning, hoping to get to Oodnadatta and The Painted Desert.  Unfortunately roads through the Painted Desert were still closed as was the track south from Oodnadatta itself.  Tony at the Desert View offered us a very discounted rate if we wanted to stay another night, but we decided to set off to Oodnadatta via the Kempe Road.  As it turned out, we should have taken Tony up on his kind offer.

Just a bit of water on the road

The road to Oodnadatta was open to 4WD only, and at the first major creek of the track we found out why.  Water was still over the road, and in places the floodways were still very boggy.  More telling was the fuel consumption as we drove on a soft road - getting close to 18L / 100km on the 200km to Oodnadatta.

Oodnadatta Station - the former rail head of the Ghan Line

Damn camera shake - at the iconic Pink Roadhouse - Oodnadatta

Coober Pedy - a magic place to visit

Coober Pedy - what can I say.  Everyone has heard of it, and these days it is as much a tourist town as it is an Opal town.  That said, we loved every minute.

After visiting White Cliffs mid last year, we had decided that Coober Pedy was a must stop town on our adventure this year.  We had been watching the daily maximum temperatures with trepidation leading up to our visit.  Mid 40s was the norm, and frankly we were contemplating bypassing Coober Pedy this time around and coming down to it from Alice Springs later in the year.  The big rainfall that had drenched us in Adelaide also brought the temperatures down inland - so we made tracks to Coober Pedy.

No prizes for guessing where we are

We decided to stay at the Desert View Underground Apartments - and booked into a two bedroom fully self contained apartment.  Our host, Tony, couldn't have done more to make us feel welcome as we made ourselves at home.  The kids were thrilled at sleeping in their own beds for a change.  Ah, joys of space.

Kangaroo Island or should that be Adventure Island

We made our revenge on the party goers of the previous evening and broke camp from Rapid Bay in quick time.  We were back on the main road by 7am, heading down towards Cape Jervis, with Kangaroo Island looming across Backstairs Passage.

Descending down the hill to Cape Jervis with Kangaroo Island in the background

We had breakfast overlooking the ferry terminal and Cape Jervis light, before heading down and taking our seats on the Sealink service to Kangaroo Island.  The crossing took about 45 minutes.  I was the first one to drive on the ferry as I was the only trailer, they put me on first so I could turn around and drive straight off.  Most considerate of them.

It was a glorious day, with a fresh south westerly blowing

As soon as we were off the ferry, we called at the visitor information centre and decided that Vivonne Bay would be our best campsite for the next three or four nights.  centrally located on the south coast, it seemed like the ideal place to base ourselves - and it was.

All set up at Vivonne Bay

Mount Gambier to Cape Jervis via the Coorong

We left our camp at Dry Creek in record time, and headed directly for Mount Gambier.  The objective was to walk around Blue Lake before it became too hot, and we caught some great vistas on our 3.7km jaunt.

Blue Lake

Blue Lake is an old volcanic crater, and is fed by ground water from the Mount Gambia basin in the limestone bedrock.  

Mount Gamber is one of the few towns in Australia that feeds its storm water not into rivers or creeks, but rather into sinkholes or drainage bores.  

It also draws its watersupply from the Blue Lake - its level determined by the ground water.  The third largest freshwater storage in South Australia, a little part of me wonders how long it took them to realise what went down the drains eventually filtered into their water supply!  

Craters, Cones, Lakes and a Peacock

We left the Great Ocean Road at Port Campbell and headed inland looking for a quiet camp, and found a sheltered spot on the edge of Lake Elingamite.   There was a playground for the kids, nice shady trees to protect us from the wind, and not too many other people around.  It slowly dawned on us though that we were sitting in what very much felt like a crater, and indeed it was.  More correctly termed a Maar Crater, meaning it was formed when upwelling lava met groundwater and caused an explosion of steam and rock. It doesn't have the classic cone shape that you would expect a volcano to have.  Needless to say, we were surprised, having grown up thinking Australia was a geologically very stable country, and here we were in a recent (of sorts) volcanic landscape.

Our camp at Lake Elingamite

We explored further and visited Mount Leura near Camperdown.  A classic cone and maar system, it also had fantastic views across the surrounding plains.  Some of the lakes were simply beautiful, however most are on private property and you cannot access them.

Great Ocean Road Victoria

With temperatures set to soar again in Victoria, we decided to head for somewhere where the air was cooler - and of course this meant a run to the coast.  So with the Air Conditioner working overtime, we pointed our bonnet southerly and headed for Queenscliff.

I know we missed seeing a heap of stuff at Ballarat - and heaps of stuff at Geelong too, but we live less than a days drive from here - and we will be back - one school holidays - to explore this area further.

Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale stand at the western side of the notorious entrance to Port Phillip.  And having seen the lights - indeed used them for safe navigation previously, it was great to visit the lights up close.

One of the leading lights at Queenscliff

These lights watch over the entrance and the notorious and aptly named 'Rip' that swirls the tidal waters like a washing machine.  To have felt the power of those currents from a ship - it was much more pleasant to watch them from the safety of the beach.

Point Lonsdale Light and former signal station

We continued along the coast, and enjoyed a camp at Ocean Grove near the heads of the Barwon River.  It was a wonderful evening for a stroll after dinner - and we tried a new form of selfie!

On the road again to Ballarat and Gold at Sovereign Hill

The first thing we noticed getting back on the mainland was how hot it was.  Yes, Melbourne turned on a fine day for our arrival.  We caught up with the Queensland grandparents for breakfast - down especially for our arrival - oh and to catch a spot of tennis.  Apparently the Australian Open was on.

After brekky, we hit the road - to the shops.  I had come to the conclusion that the problem with the fridge in Matilda was nothing to do with the fridge at all, but that the five year old deep cycle batteries in Matilda had started to fail.  A few phone calls didn't instill me with much confidence - until I struck Battery World Lillydale.  Not only could they supply me with two new batteries - but they could also fit them for me... Sold. The team there helped me out - much more than some of their similarly branded brethren closer to the city seemed interested in doing - and thankfully the new batteries seemed to have fixed all my other problems electrically.

After resupplying we then headed east, to our friend's wonderful property near Cann River.  We spent four nights on their delightful block, doing a little bit of bushwalking, little bit of fishing, and for the boys a complete novelty - a little bit of Wii and Movie time!  It was wonderful to catch up with our friends, and for the boys to catch up with their friends.  

We bade farewell after the Australia Day long weekend started to draw to a close, and headed west, towards a little place called Blue Water Holes, near Briagolong.  The natural rock pool was so refreshing after a hot day travelling - and we even snuck down after dinner for another swim... and another after brekky the following morning.

The Blue Waterholes - a lovely place for a dip

And the camp at Blue Waterholes wasn't bad either

We then had a big day in the car - catching up with friends in Melbourne for a cuppa before heading back on the freeway to Ballarat.  The car's thermometer indicated an outside air temperature of 43 degrees as we headed west, and we took it a little more gently than usual - but Rocky handled it all with aplomb.

Freycinet Peninsula and the Bay of Fires

After picking up our delicious bread from the Ross Bakery, we made good time to the coast, and before we knew it we had set up camp at Coles Bay.  The first thing was to claim a washing machine and start working through a mountain of clothes. The second was to head down to the beach!

Coles Bay is the stepping off point for the Freycinet Peninsular. Camping in the National Park is extremely popular between Christmas and New Year, however there were plenty of spots available at the time of our visit, and if we were to come here again, we would definitely stay in the National Park.  As it was, the caravan park, with its playground, was a hit with the kids, and we were burning dollar coins in the laundr

Mole creek and Ross

We enjoyed a slower start the following morning at our beautiful camp. The boys loved exploring the camp area on their bikes, whilst mum and I enjoyed a refreshing dip :)

Tasman Peninsula - Port Arthur and the cute Tassie Devils

We left Bruny Island well rested and relaxed after our lazy rest day - with Port Arthur in our sights.  We meandered north, through Hobart, and decided to head to Battery Bluff on the eastern shore to capture a different view of Hobart.  Little did we know that Bellerive markets were on - so we dropped in and picked up a few fresh vegies and a delicious fish and chips lunch.

We made our way to Battery Bluff and admired the defences that would have made Hobart a fortress city if they were constructed when they were conceived.  Not for the first time in our history, our isolation proved our best defence, and the fort and battery were really only completed in the late 1800s, just in time for their technology to be superseded.

Battery Bluff, near Bellerive

That lump in the background is Mount Wellington - often covered by cloud!

As is the way in Tassie, it seemed in no time at all we were crossing the canal at Dunalley and entering the Forestier Peninsula.  Then we did what nearly everyone else does in these parts. We followed the brown tourist signs, and all tried to get better photos than the brochures, or our fellow tourists of the amazing natural features of the coastline.

Bruny Island and the beautiful Cloudy Bay

From Cockle Creek, we had no choice but to retrace our steps north - however we did divert and visit the Hastings Cave.  

The Hastings (Newdegate) Cave is unique in that it has been formed in Dolerite, not limestone like similar karst caves in Australia.  The dolerite is a Calcium / Magnesium Carbonate - which predates most limestone - hence this is a very old cave.  The chemical process for the formation of the cave is very similar to limestone caves, however the Magnesium remains in solution and is washed away

The mighty iPhone camera let me down in the cave itself, which was a bit disappointing, but we did see many of the classic cave formations, and some Tasmanian Cave Spiders when we left!

Newdgate Cave

We continued north, and resupplied before catching the ferry from Kettering.  It wasn't long before we were driving off into Bruny Island, and after picking up some fresh oysters, we stopped at Truganini Lookout.

Truganini was one of Australia's most famous Aboriginal women, although her story is far from one we can be proud of.  She hailed from Bruny Island, however when she was just 17 years old she witnessed the stabbing of her mother by Whalers.  Sealers subsequently kidnapped her two sisters, before Timber-getters murdered her husband to be.  Her father died a broken man.