27/12/11 HOBART

 

Said goodbye to the friendly folk of Mayfield Bay campground. On our way to Hobart, we passed by a church built in the 1800’s with a stained glass window which was shipped over from England. Driving though Orford we had rocky mountains right to the edge of the road on the left & on the right a metre high rock wall hugged the road adjacent to the rocky river which was really pretty. We are staying at the Hobart showgrounds, which is $20 a night powered.  It is only for self contained vans. It is full of old people which is good because it is nice & quiet.

28/12/11.  This morning we went up to Mt Wellington Lookout which is 1270 mts high.  We slowly weaved our way up this monster, again I could not look over the edge as it was a straight drop down, but at the summit it was an awesome view over the city, all the way down to Port Arthur to the north & all the islands to the south. The ground was realitively flat with boulders & scrub like bushes. A must see!

In the afternoon we hoped on a bus & went into town to watch the finallist come in for the Sydney to Hobart. We had a great viewing point.  About 7.30pm we watched in awe as this massive sail came around the point.  The mast looked as high as the mountains behind it.  Investec Loyal looked humongous beside the spectator boats. A minute later another massive yacht pops around the bend, Wild Oats 11.  It was so exciting to see these 2 boats racing to the finishing line.  Luckily Investec Loyal won!  We were able to get up close to this boat & saw the crew.  The boat was amazing to see up close.  By this time it was 9, so we had a quick look in the food fest and will come in again on Friday.  Hobart is like a country town. Slow & quiet.

X-mas Day 2011

We crossed fingers & headed off in search of a nice camp.  Being X-mas Eve we were very lucky to find a spot on the beach at Mayfield Bay just south of Swansea.  The people here are very friendly & have been coming here for years, so they all know each other(we felt like we were intruding). There are 2 bridges here that were built by the convicts in 1845 that are still standing.

Girls woke early to open presents & eat chocolate.  It was a beautiful day so we went for a walk along the beach.  We could see swirls in the water & fished for some calamari.  The sun is scorching & we have all gone a shade darker.  Caught 7 calamari! I was amazed that we were the only people on the beach all morning. It was our own deserted island!  Kirsty & Jade learnt how to clean a calamari. We pan fried some & also crumbed rings. Yummo!

By the afternoon it was raining again & Mike being so clever, has set up a funnel to catch the water to fill our tanks.  It works a treat. Boxing Day was very relaxing.  All we did was sit & read our books.  The camp has been invaded with more relatives so we have decided to head to Hobart tomorrow.

That’s Mike up to his waist.  Water is crystal clear.

This is calamari. Range from 30 to 40cm long. Hundreds of them in the bay at the moment.

23/12/2011 FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK

 

Up at six, packed a picnic lunch, locked Digs in the caravan and headed to the Freycinet Nat Park.  We decided to walk the Wineglass Bay & Hazard Beach Track (11klms – 5hrs) round trip.  Set off at 9, and half an hour later the girls had cracked it! It was quite a steep rocky climb nothing the girls had ever done before. It took a lot of encouraging to keep them going! Lots of smooth looking big boulders & rocks. I thought the park was quiet dry.  Reached Wineglass Bay Lookout & it is an amazing view. Our photos don’t do it justice.  We headed back down the mountain to Wineglass beach.  The girls hunted around the rocks finding starfish of all colours & sizes. After more encouragement we went on passing little wallabies & blue tongue lizards. We reached the car park in only 4 hours!  It was a great achievement for all. Spectacular scenery from Cape Tourville Lookout as well.

This is Diamond Is at Bicheno.  You can walk out on low tide. Penguins live all around here.  But we didn't see any.

21/12/2011 NOT A GOOD SLEEP

Left Bay of Fires & headed south to Scamander.  Again the shoreline is white sandy beach with aqua blue water.  Because it was windy, we headed inland to a free camp in the forest on the Scamander River.  Navman was taking us up some treacherous roads, where we reverse back & get on the right track.  Skinny dirt roads are not my thing!  Passed one car & found the rest area. No one here.  We inspected the area & found lots of broken glass.  It felt very eerie.  I didn't want to stay. To the left of us there was somebodies camping gear.  Jade wanted to stay & all I could think about was axe murderer.  I actually said it out loud & I turned around to see the worried look on Kirsty & Jade’s faces.  “What's an Axe Murderer Mummy” they asked?  I made an excuse.  An hour went by & 2 families arrived, thank god.  Mike caught 2 bream & fished into the night as we went to bed. 

I did not sleep very well & heard footsteps thinking it was the other campers.  Sometime after that we were awoken with a man yelling “Anyone there?  Sorry to wake you.” Mike jumped up “What Huh Yeh!” he yelled as he was in a deep sleep. I could tell the man was close to the door & he kept coughing & clearing his throat.  We kept silent, as we were in the middle of a forest!  What was he doing in the middle of the night, with no torch! “Can you give me a jump start?”. Mike said “No mate.  In the morning”. The man said “ OK, I’ll try a push it.” and off he went.  We had no idea where his car was.  Then Mike tells me there are no other campers here.  We could hear heaps of possums rummaging around in the bins(I thought it was the man).  Later a car came along to assist the man and they both drove off. Thank God!  No Axe Murderer!!!

Mike caught 3 Bream.  We packed up next morning & were out of there!  Headed along the skinny highway down through Elephant Pass, not without stopping at the famous Pancakes Place.  They were certainly delicious.  With our full bellies we headed onwards & reached the beautiful Bicheno. Awesome scenery once again! Went to bed early!

 

When owners look like their pets.

 

Bay of Fires – Tas

 

We decided to move on partly because it was windy but Mike could see no fish life what so ever!  Not even little bait fish.  So off we went south to St Helens.  The roads are so narrow its hard to believe we are on the highway. We stopped at Pyengana cheese factory for a taste.  We would have only passed 20 cars.  It is very quiet for a highway.

Bought more supplies, filled up with water and found a great spot, protected from the wind and very close to the beach.  Dora Point just near Binalong Bay.  Because it has been blowing northerly there are hundreds of blue bottles & seaweed.  We walked up the river mouth & around into a little bay where the was poddy mullet (which Mike was excited about), netted some & tried to catch a fish.  There is no fish here, probably because of the weed & wind.  We woke up Monday morning with pouring rain & cyclonic winds, so we stayed in bed, hooked up a DVD & drank coffee all morning. Thank God we are in a Caravan.  By 2pm the rain had past, the sun was out & it was hot!  So we went for a swim!

Up early on Tuesday to explore the Bay of Fires.  The white shelly sand & beautiful colour of the water is amazing. The smooth grey boulders with a splash of orange across them are pretty awesome to.

 

View from our campground.

TASMANIA

 

16/12/11 – Weaved our way into Melbourne quite easily, parked along Beach Road near the Port.  Walked down Bay Street & the place was buzzing.  If I was a SWF with some money I think I could live here. It was the hottest day yet for us. 

Boarded the boat & settled in with a nice cold beer.  Jade said it was the nicest hotel she had ever seen!  The ride over wasn't to rough, it was just the sound of the boat moaning underneath that kept us awake most of the night.  Jade was sick a little.

Very excited to arrive at Devonport. Stopped up the road to have some brekkie at a lovely little park and decided to head down to Launceston, back up to Scottsdale, Bridport then right to a free camp on Waterhouse Point.  We passed acres of  pretty white poppy fields grown for drugs(guarded by security). Saw some very old buildings reminding us of the UK.  Driving down the last 2 klms of dirt road to where we were staying, was the worst we have travelled on yet, but we found a good spot & the scenery is beautiful. It is warm, but the wind, as usual is a bit chilly. No amenities here.  Girls have made a friend & Digs is sleeping, as I don’t think he got much sleep either last night!

The car trips are getting a bit noisy but once we are out of the car everything is great!  The weird music Ree gave us has made the car trip interesting too!  Mike just grabbed a beer out of his fridge & it was empty! It has rubbed & made a hole.   Mike not happy!

Walhalla wonderland

 

Last night we free camped in a rest area near Rosedale and walked into town along the tourist route outlined with information.  We ate out for the first time since we left home. 

Since we are close to Melbourne, we decided to take the inland scenic route up to Walhalla.  So glad we did!  Slowly driving up the range, the road gets quite narrow and we are silently hoping we don't meet another vehicle coming the other way.  Driving into Walhalla, it was like a scene from movieworld.  Only it is a real town with real people.  We were amazed at this beautiful old restored gold mining town.  Colourful roses are at full bloom. 

We headed closer to the city and were not happy with the free camp we were going to stay at, so we looked in our Camp 6 book again & found another close spot, so we keep driving.  Kurt Kila Regional Park was a bush rest area.  We were happy to camp here.  10 minutes later an elderly man rocked up in his kombi.  It was close to 5pm, so I started dinner.  We all got together and met Laurie (I could tell he had lost his wife in the last 12 months but didn't asked questions.)  After dinner, he pulled out his piano accordion.  The girls had not seen this instrument before and were amazed!  They were very inquisitive, asking questions, even I was impressed & I have to put that down to Good Shepherd.  He played a few(well a lot) of songs that I recognised from when I was little.

In the morning, Kirsty & Jade spotted a Koala in the tree above us which also had a baby on her back.  Then they heard a noise & looked over to another tree & here was another one.  Chubby Bears I have to say!  Suddenly the mummy bear came down the tree and ran over to another tree.  Girls loved it!

This is why we travel! 

 

Hello Victoria

 

Left NSW and crossed into Vic.  Can see how fires get out of control, heavily treed and thick undergrowth both sides of the highway.  Stoped at the Bemm River Nature Reserve and walked through the rainforest, which had a couple of suspension bridges along the way.  Arrived at Orbost.  Snowy River country.  Camped beside the river.  Shopped for more food and drove to another free camp on Lake Tyers.  There is no toilet or running water.  Lucky we have our own!  Saw our first 2 emu’s. We have the place to ourselves!  So quiet.  We are opposite Lakes Entrance.  It is wetlands for birds.  Mike has been catching good size Flathead,  but other than fishing there is nothing to do except sit around the fire. Kirsty & Jade have been busy writing stories and producing their very own little skits.

We have been on the road for 2 weeks now.

Still have not plugged in the TV!!

13/11/11  Victoria, sunny one minute, rainy the next.  Good day to stay in bed! Have spent zero dollars for 2 days!

Best roast chicken ever!

8/12/11

 

Headed south through Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula(which is booming, has all major stores) to Eden.  Towfold Bay is beautiful.  The water so clean, clear & blue.  The Whale Museum is fantastic.  It houses the skeleton of Old Tom the killer whale.  Old Tom would round up the baleen & humpback whales for the whalers to kill them.  There was even evidence on Old Toms teeth & jaws, where he used to pull the ropes of the whalers boat to get them out to the whales faster.  For Toms payment, the whalers would give him the tongue & lips. Amazing!

I mistakenly said out loud, that there was a caravan park with a jumping pillow close by, so that started a few arguments.  Finally Daddy said yes!  It is the nicest park I have seen.  Only $36 a night.  The chiming of the bellbirds echo's through the valley.  So peaceful. Hoping to stay another night!

Note:  Throw the Navman out the window, the women is always right! 

9/12/11

“Yay!  We can stay!”, the girls yell.  The jumping pillow is great fun. Mike has gone off by himself today for some boy time, in search of waves in the Ben Boyd Nat Park.  Us girls didn't want to get in the car, so we chilled out in this gorgeous place.  I let the girls hire a go-cart & they are having a ball.  Listening to the bellbirds makes me want to become a bird watcher.

Some photos of Ben Boyd Nat Park.

 

The Davidson Cottage still preserved as it was in the 18 hundreds.  All furniture etc still inside.

7/12/11 Mystery Bay

 

This was a fantastic view of the beach but I preferred the last campground we stayed at.  Mike went fishing off the rocks or rather cliffs, bringing home a nice size salmon, which we crumbed our special way.  We visited the tiny town of Tilba Tilba which we thought was average.

If it wasn’t for the wind we would probably stay another night, but we decided to pack up and move on.

 

The Town of Mogo.

 

Today we went to the historic town of Mogo, where the main street is lined with crafty, knick knack  shops and cafes.  It is half the size of Eumundi’s main street.  We visited the Gold Rush Colony where we go back in time and experience the history and living conditions of the 1850’s gold rush days.  It was well worth the $50 entry and we were allowed to pan for gold too.

Mike went fishing in the howling wind,  caught some bait & is hoping to catch a big one tonight!

Yummy pork roast tonight!  The days are getting longer,  doesn’t get dark until 8.30.

 

 

FREEZING FREEZING FREEZING!!!!!

 

The wind is so cold, I don’t think I packed enough warm clothes for everyone!  Packed up & headed off on our very scenic drive through Gerringong which has a great surfing beach called Werri Beach & around the point up on the headland was another awesome view.  There is a cemetery on the south side.  Beautiful spot to be buried!  Berry is another quaint little town.  Batemans Bay is a big place.  We drove a little further south a found a great campsite on the beach near Moruya!  It’s blowing a gale on the beach.  We cooked up yummy roast vegies with steak & béarnaise sauce!   

 

3/12/11 Nelson Bay to Kiama.

 

What a spectacular drive through the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park into Sydney.  Some rock faces were 30mts tall.  We then realised we were driving straight through the centre of Sydney.  I nearly peed my pants!  We stopped at Botany Bay for lunch.  White sandy beach with picnic areas all the way along.  We then drove  through the Royal National Park.   We stopped at Otford lookout  which overlooked the rocky cliffs and the houses built around them.  Gorgeous little towns with funky little shops and cafes.   We arrived at Kiama and we did not want to leave.  We walked around the Kiama Blow hole which can blow up to 60mts high.  So glad we stuck to the dot dot roads!  We are free camping tonight.  On one side we have rolling green pastures with cows grazing & on the other side is the highway,  its nice and peaceful.

Funny things the girls have said =  Jade = Writing in her diary –“ We stopped at Botany Bay where Captain Cook made his movies!”