We arrived in Blanchetown on Saturday 30th July and were planning to stay 6 nights. However it is a beautiful location and we decided to extend our stay to 12 nights.  Blanchetown is home to No 1 lock on the Murray River of which there are approximately 15 locks all up. The Mighty Murray runs from Goolwa in South Australia, across Victoria and into New South Wales. It’s history and usage plus the amazing wildlife found in and around is truly amazing. Too much to write about here but we would encourage you to click on our links or google the information and read up on it for yourself.  At some point we are going to travel the entire length of it and explore as many of the associated towns as possible.

During our time here we have explored the local area and seen pelicans, sulphur crested cockatoos, kangaroos, birds of prey and some interesting spiders!! Ray has fished from the pontoon a few times and managed to catch a silver perch. Although quite a good size he put it back as he was looking forward to the sausages we had in the fridge!!

We have visited a few of the other towns – Mannum, Morgan, Waikerie, Barmera, Loxton, Berri and Renmark. Each one had something unique and interesting – the big orange, a lovely old pub, car ferry, paddle steamer, heritage buildings and best of all…..catching up with Kathy’s mum and sister in Mannum!

Yesterday two hot air balloons flew right over the top of us at the caravan park.

In a couple of days we will leave Blanchetown and make our way to Port Melbourne.  On Saturday 13th August we catch the overnight ferry to Tasmania.

A loud screeching, squawking, overhead, what a to do!
Parrot, galah, and cockatoo.

Colours of pink and grey blend with white and yellow. Green too can be seen. What a variety of feather there is on view.

Suddenly it is silent. Have they disappeared into thin air?
Oh wow…no…look up there at that stunning pair.

Soaring, gliding, majestic, prehistoric.
They are pelicans….
Floating across the water top. They land smoothly, lightly…gently sliding to a stop.

On Thursday 28th July we all went to Goolwa for a Coorong Discovery Cruise and the weather was perfect for such a day out.  Goolwa is a town where Jude and Annette’s Aunt and Uncle and cousins used to live and many holidays were spent there in our younger days. It is also where the movie Stormboy was filmed and where Jude’s love of pelicans was born. We cruised through the barrage lock and into the Coorong National Park and then down to the mouth of the Murray river.  We got off the boat and were taken for a walk over the sand dunes to the shores of the Southern Ocean which was spectacular. We then cruised back down the river and into Goolwa.

That evening we joined Jen, Elizabeth, John and Ellen for dinner at a local hotel. The food was delicious and we enjoyed much conversation and laughter. Ben even tried an oyster which he quite enjoyed!On Friday morning we sadly said our farewells to Annette and Jock as it was time for them to fly back to Perth.  We had such a lot of fun together and we would miss having them around.  It was also Ben’s final day but his flight didn’t leave until approx 10pm.  We decided to visit another of Australia’s big icons – the big rocking horse in Gumeracha. This was situated at a wooden toy making factory which also had a small wildlife park attached to it.  So much to see and do and perfect weather as well. Ben and Ray climbed to the top of the large rocking horse and earned themselves a certificate!  After lunch we drove a few miles down the road to Birdville and the National Car Museum – another fascinating place.

Finally the time came where we had to drive to the airport and say our final farewells to Ben.  We had such an awesome road trip together and laughed and laughed all the way. We were / are going to miss him sooooooooo much!

We arrived in Adelaide the afternoon of Friday 22nd July. Annette and Jock, Jude’s sister and brother-in-law, had flown in from Perth that morning and were waiting at the caravan park. They were sharing a cabin with Ben for the week whilst we had our usual powered site. It was a really stormy afternoon so we quickly set up the rig and then  joined everyone in the cabin for a fish and chip dinner. A bottle of Prosecco went down very well.

On Saturday we drove to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills – this town was founded in 1839 by Prussian Lutheran families who arrived in the ship Zebra. There is a very strong German influence seen in the town even today. The weather had improved and we wandered up and down the main street before having lunch at the German Arms Hotel which was also established in 1839. The food was plentiful and delicious and we sat out on the balcony watching the world go by.

On the outskirts of the town is where the acclaimed Australian landscape artist Hans Heysen lived and worked.  We had a tour of the gardens and his studio which was just amazing and we are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to visit here. We weren’t allowed to take photo’s inside the studio so the pics below show his studio from the outside and a view from it which he painted. The person in the photo is his daughter Nora who was also a painter.

We also called into the Beerenberg Farm which has also been around since 1839 and has been run by the same family for seven generations. We had a taste of some of the jams and pickles and just had to buy a small selection.

On Sunday 24th July we had a family lunch at Mount Lofty, which at 710 metres above sea level, is the highest peak in South Australia.  Unfortunately the weather turned bad again and initially the whole place was covered in mist and you could hardly see the person next to you let alone the panoramic views across Adelaide skyline to the coast. We were joined by Jude and Annette’s cousins – Jill, Brian, Mandy, Diana and Max. Jen and Garry were unable to join us as sadly Garry had taken ill the night before and was admitted to Adelaide hospital. (He is now home and doing very well) We all had a great time catching up on each other’s lives and enjoyed some delicious food. By the end of lunch the conditions had improved and we managed a couple of pics outside.

We had the great pleasure of going on the Pichi Richi Railway from Quorn to Woolshed Flat and back. We travelled on a restored historic stream train which was sensational.  The timber carriages were up to a hundred years old. The sound of the horn and the sight/smell of the steam transported you to a bygone era. The journey took you thru beautiful countryside and we had a stop of 45 minutes at Woolshed Flat where we had refreshments at a restored building dating from 1878.

Back in Quorn we spent some time exploring this quaint old town established in 1878 and named after Quorndon in Leicestershire in the UK. A number of major films have had scenes shot in Quorn –  The Shiralee, Sunday Too Far Away, Gallipoli, Wolf Creek and The Lighthorsemen.

We had lunch at the Quandong Cafe – quandongs are a type of native peach and are used in a variety of dishes. Jude had a quandong milkshake which was yummy but the best dish of all was cousin Jen’s quandong crumble – wow o wow, it was absolutely delicious!

We had a great time in Quorn but the best part of all was catching up with family and spending precious time together.  

On Tues 19th July we left Streaky Bay for Quorn. Along the way we stopped at Kimba – this is exactly half way across Australia! It is also known for another big icon, the big galah.

About 4pm we arrived in Quorn, an old town in the Flinders Ranges. Jude’s cousins Jen, Garry and Elizabeth live here.  After settling into the caravan park we went over to visit with the family. We ended up staying for dinner and chattered the evening away.

Wednesday morning saw us back early so Garry could take us on a day trip thru the Flinders Ranges.

The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about 200 km north of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over 430 km from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. Words cannot describe the majesty and beauty of this area.  It is awe inspiring and leaves you feeling motivated to write soul stirring poetry!! We saw kangaroos, euro’s (a smaller type of roo), emu’s, the rare yellow footed rock wallaby and lots of sheep. The bird life was abundant and beautiful. We can’t thank Garry enough for all his driving and amazing knowledge and passion for the area.

That evening we joined Garry, Jen, Elizabeth and Courtney for dinner at the local pub. The food was delicious and the company was superb with lots of raucous laughter.

We were up early again, had breakfast at the roadhouse and set off. We were warned by another guest that they had seen a large amount of kangaroos, both dead and alive, along the route we were taking. We drove a little slower just in case we came across a big boomer who may cause considerable damage to our rig. We saw heaps of roadkill but no live roos. In fact the closest we came to a big boomer was at Border Village when we crossed over into South Australia.

We motored along as quickly as it was safe to do so to the Nullarbor Roadhouse where we were staying overnight. This was 20km away from the Head of The Bight where we would see the whales. We arrived and had set up by 4pm. We then headed off to the viewing area and got there with half an hour to spare. The attendant was adamant we must be back by 5pm. Well what a sight. The pictures explain all……..

We went back to the roadhouse and had dinner. An early night, a great sleep and we arose to the most amazing sunrise……..

We decided to stop a couple of nights in Streaky Bay rather than Elliston as it was at least an hour less driving. We ended our time on the Nullarbor in Ceduna where we had to go through a quarantine checkpoint. They checked out the engel and the caravan fridge for any fresh fruit and vegetables but we had none.  We stopped for lunch and then drove the last hour and a half to Streaky Bay. Wow, what a place.  Again the pics will speak for themselves! We will be here 2 days and then on Tuesday we head to Quorn in the Flinders Rangers for 3 nights.

We left Kalgoorlie at 7.30am on Friday 15th and headed towards Norseman, the beginning of the Nullarbor. We stopped there for a yummy breakfast.

A quick drive thru Norseman town enabled us to get pics of the camel sculptures.

We then started the long journey across the Nullarbor.  A very long road that would take a couple of days to get across. We stopped along the way at Balladonia Roadhouse where we had a picnic and then checked out their onsite small museum. It was fascinating and gave a great history of the area. It also included the story and artifacts from the NASA Skylab crash in 1979. Well worth stopping here.

We set off again and before we knew it, another photo opportunity………the 90 mile straight which is the longest stretch of road in Australia.

We ended the day at Cocklebiddy.

So yesterday in Merredin, we awoke to a beautiful bright, blue sky day. We had a leisurely breakfast, packed up and departed the park around 10am. We were very impressed with all the facilities and staff at Merredin Tourist Park and would highly recommend staying there if in the area.

We headed off towards Kalgoorlie but it wasn’t long before we got stuck behind a couple of slow moving wide loads. Coincidentally they turned out to be the same vehicles as the ones we saw in Meckering the day before. They pulled over to let everyone pass. Sadly, just near Moorine Rocks, we came across the two trucks that had crashed head on in the early hours. Police were still on scene and traffic was filtered through via a contra flow. A stark reminder to drive carefully.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a roadside rest area in Boorabbin National Park. While there we looked at the memorial to the three truck drivers killed in a bushfire in 2007.

Finally at approx 4pm we arrived in Kalgoorlie and checked into the Discovery Holiday Park in Burt Street. Ben had a room to himself and we had a powered site. After unhitching we made our way into town and ended up having dinner at the Albion Hotel. Yummy food at great prices and fantastic staff. Another establishment we would thoroughly recommend.  After dinner we drove up to the viewing platform overlooking Kalgoorlie’s Super Pit, one of the largest open-cut mines on earth and the biggest gold mine in Australia.

Today, Thursday, we went back to the viewing platform to see the pit in daylight and witness one of the blasts take place. An incredible sight! We then went to Hannans North Tourist Mine, one of the first registered mines in Kalgoorlie. Look at the pics to see what we got up to.

Tomorrow we have an early start as we head to our first stop across the Nullarbor – Cocklebiddy!