Walkabout with Simon

Day 3 off the edge

2010-06-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

Today we are aboard the Poseidon for an adventure off the edge of
Australia. We venture through the Great Barrier Reef to the edge of
the Continental Shelf. Minki (sp.) whales have been seen in the area
and we hope to be able to swim with them. The captain of the Poseidon
is highly-recommending the taking of sea sick tablets. Must be rough
out there.

Are we there yet?

2010-06-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Yes we are. 11 hours door to door.

One more wait

2010-06-23T21:09:00.001-07:00

This should be the last wait... Shuttle but to the hire car place.
Nice to be able to stand for a while and give the kids a run around
before we put them in a car for a couple more hours.

Sunny, hot and wonderful

2010-06-23T21:05:00.001-07:00

We've landed! Coming out of the plane we bump into Andrew. We always
seem to see each other hundreds of miles away from where we live. He's
headed back to the cold and wet whereas we are headed for a relaxing
holiday. Now where do we pick up the bags again...

Foggy at the airport

2010-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

After an efficient transfer to the airport we are faced with a
mounting list of delayed flights. Including ours! News of the day:
brent's basketball team are through to the finals after a nail-biting
game last night (36-33). Julia Gillard is challenging Kevin07 for The
Lodge, and the Socceroos won this morning (2-1). Gotta love life.

Ready, set, GO!

2010-06-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Early start and we're waiting for the shuttle bus. We're getting very
good at this.

Feeding Time

2010-01-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

Mogo Family

2010-01-07T00:39:00.000-08:00

Pack of Feral Kids

2010-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Feral Kid

2010-01-07T00:37:00.000-08:00

Iguana

2010-01-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

Tim the white Lion

2010-01-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

Meet Tim at Mogo Zoo.

Mogo Zoo

2010-01-07T00:33:00.000-08:00

We spent much of today at the Mogo Zoo. A lovely variety of animals
you would not see in Sydney or Melbourne.

Here is the amazing white lions.

Ulladulla

2010-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

For our last night we have found ourselves in Ulladulla.

Windy

2010-01-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

The only thing to do on Moruya Beach today is fly kites! Brrrr.

Moruya Beach (Sth)

2010-01-05T22:33:00.000-08:00

Looking south on Moruya Beach

Moruya

2010-01-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

We have stopped in Moruya for the night. Our site has lovely views of
the mountains in the background and fields with cows close by. There
is a river on the other side of our camp site though not very good for
swimming.

Shady Tree Parking

2010-01-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

Cows and Bulls

2010-01-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Milkshake anyone?

2010-01-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

The milk and cheese is yummy.

Every Dairy Farmer's Dream

2010-01-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Three udders per cow. Imagine how much milk and cheese you could get
out of this cow!

Say Cheese!

2010-01-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

To make good cheese you need a cow! Here is the cow at the entrance to
the Bega cheese factory. Moooooo.

Merimbula from up high

2010-01-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

A better view of Merimbula.

Merimbula

2010-01-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

Main street Merimbula.

Pambula

2010-01-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Parking was a little tricky. We managed to get a spot in front of the
surf club.

Swim at Pambula Beach

2010-01-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

An earlier than usual start fir the day allowed us to have a swim at
Pambula Beach. Crystal clear water and beautiful white sand was a very
inviting sight. The water was still a bit cool for some of the campers
but it was a great way to freshen up!

Eden Beach

2010-01-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a stroll along the beach after dinner.

Been Fishin'

2010-01-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

We have stopped in Eden for the night and have found a powered site
at....The Garden of Eden Caravan Park. Wasn't hard to pick that name
was it! When you're in a fishing town you have to have fish for
dinner so we found the fish & chip shop and have ordered up big.

Cann River - Lunch break

2010-01-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

We have pushed on from Lakes Entrance and are heading for Eden is the
little ones can hold out. We have stopped in Cann River Victoria for a
bit of lunch at 2pm. We found a lively piece of shade under a tree in
front of the local Police Station.

Great Spot

2010-01-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

Lakes Entrance is a lovely place. Looks like you need a boat to take
full advantage of what the area has to offer though.

Pelicans at Lakes Entrance

2010-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely stay in Lakes Entrance and went to check out the
Pelicans and let the kids go to the skate park. We had to make some
running repairs to Natasha's scooter. The local auto parts shop had
what we needed.

iPhone art by Dean

2010-01-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Ensuite!

2010-01-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

That's us tucked in on the left hand side. Pretty cool out today. Nice
blue water and the boys spotted a skate park on the way into town.
Guess what they're asking us to do next! We need to catch up on the
washing first. Sausages on the BBQ tonight.

Lakes Entrance

2010-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

1825 kms into the trip we find ourselves at Lakes Entrance. We have
the deluxe suite with ensuite swimming pool, ensuite playground and
ensuite kamp kitchen. Everything at our fingertips really. A steal at
$40 a nite. Yes they stole $40 from us!

Traralgon

2010-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

When the van is moving they want to get out. When the van is stopped
they don't want to get out. Hmmm something wrong here.

Traralgon

2010-01-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

We left Phillip Island at about 10:30am and we are headed for Lakes
Entrance for the night. Here we are having a quick ploughman's lunch.
Bread and a variety of fillings such as chocolate spread (Brent found
that) peanut butter, strawberry jam, vegemite and some real
strawberries all washed down with a fine red (cordial of course).

Penguins!

2010-01-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

Well you can't see any penguins here. They came in at 9:15pm. Cute
little things. 30cm tall and they come up the beach in groups ranging
from 4 to 14 (at least this is what we saw).

Waiting...

2010-01-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

I sneaked this one on. Heaps of people coming out tonight. The gate
opens at 7pm and the Penguins are expected at 9pm.

Our Penguins

2010-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

As you are not allowed to take photos of the real penguins we took a
photo of our 4 penguins with a penguin we found outside the penguin
centre.

Penguin Parade

2010-01-03T04:19:00.000-08:00

We are heading out to see the Fairy Penguins later. We have two of our
own to add to the parade.

Weary Traveler

2010-01-03T04:18:00.000-08:00

It was a long day for this little man.

Phillip Island

2010-01-03T04:16:00.001-08:00

Today we travelled from Woodend to Phillip Island. It took longer than
we expected. We managed to find a powered site for the night. Geez
it's packed here.

New Year's Rain

2010-01-01T02:27:00.000-08:00

Thunder, lightning, hail, heavy rain & some sunshine has been the
order for New Year's day weather. Great for the bushfire threat, the
animals and the crops.

Dean has a new interest

2009-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

Dean and Molly have forged a new friendship. From the moment they met
they have been best buddies. I think Dean will be looking for his own
cat when we get home.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very happy New Year. What's your New Year resolution?

Lake Daylesford

2009-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

A lovely lake which was cold at best had a lovely cafe that was
closed. We came for the water and there was plenty of it. We found
some other families bathing and joined them for a dip. Just what we
all needed on yet another hot Victorian summer day.

Little boy needs a wash

2009-12-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

We went to Daylesford which has been advertised on TV quite a bit and
came across the Hepburn Spa. At $15 a head we decided that Lake
Daylesford was more our style.

Hanging Rock

2009-12-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

We've read the story now we've been to the place where it all happened.

Skate Park!

2009-12-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

After the swim yesterday Brent spotted a Skate Park. He wanted to jump
on his new scooter and bust some moves. So today we have dropped by
the skate park for a release of testosterone . We hope to get to
Hanging Rock and Daylesford today too.

Woodend

2009-12-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

We've arrived! We went to Amelia's house and met Bernard who was
mowing the grass. We then went to Mary's house where we met Mary,
Jane, Amelia, Michael, Kiyoko, Oscar and the 4 cats.

We day and listened to stories of time passed. Maxine arrived and we
chatted some more. We went to the local swimming pool for a swim and
back to Mary's place for a lovely meal for 14 people.

More wonderful conversation before bed.

Good night!

Check the Food Supplies!

2009-12-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Occasionally we have to stock up on the essentials. Bread, milk, lunch
fillings and the children want ice creams!

Water In - Water Out

2009-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

Time for a quick stop at Kilmore to balance the water intake ratio.
The Kilmore Road House did the trick.

Day #3

2009-12-29T17:40:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Wednesday. Well we seem to all be sleeping in to 8am which
is nice but then it takes us until 10:30 to get on the road. Cereal,
eggs, toast, OJ and coffee. Shower and we're on our way. Bye Wangaratta.

Nite Nite Day #2

2009-12-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

After a swim and some dinner it is showers and bed. It is already
8:46pm. We hope to be asleep before 11pm like last night. Bye...

Hot! Damn Hot!

2009-12-28T21:20:00.001-08:00

We've crossed the border into Victoria and just had to stop for an ice
cream and water. It is reeeaaallllly hot! Then it is off to Wangaratta.

Babies are born here

2009-12-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

We just had to take a look at the site of the current hospital. Guess
who was born here? (the renovations look great!)

Holbrook

2009-12-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

It was then off to Holbrook to ride the submarine and have some lunch.

Snake!

2009-12-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

We were told there were snakes and there are... This Red Belly Black
Snake didn't make it across the road. He was flat-out trying though.

Halford Homestead

2009-12-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the homestead and the fountain at the front.

Who's there?

2009-12-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

We had a nice chat with Robert too. We heard about Donald and the
farm. Paul & Robert are two very nice people. We hope to get to know
them even more into the future.

Knock Knock

2009-12-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Guess who? Paul was home and we has a lovely chat for about 2 hours.

5 Mile driveway

2009-12-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

The drive from the front gate takes us past sheep, cattle, grasses and
homesteads.

Yarra Yarra

2009-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

After a short drive in the campervan we arrive at the gates of Yarra
Yarra.

The Crew #2 & #4

2009-12-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

Dean and Kyle. A source of entertainment for all of us.

The Crew #1 & #3

2009-12-28T18:56:00.001-08:00

Brent and Natasha buckled in for the trip to Yarra Yarra.

The lady of the house

2009-12-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the lady of the house. She keeps us fed, clothed and
entertained. What a wonderful mum.

Wakey Wakey

2009-12-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

After a short sleep everyone was up and into breakfast. After showers
and the teeth cleaning ritual was performed we hit the road. This
photo was taken where we camped for the night.

Night Night

2009-12-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

As we say good night on Day 1 of this adventure we were entertained by
the giggles and laughs of bedtime jokes. We finally got to sleep at
11pm. The children are usually in bed by 8:30 at home so I hope they
sleep in a bit in the morning.

Gundagai

2009-12-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

As the song goes... On the road to Gundagai...

We've gone way past Gundagai and Yass for that matter. We ended up in
Wagga Wagga for our first night. ....and... Yes... We are here now!

Nobody here either

2009-12-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Can't find anyone. Oh well. Off to find some bread to have lunch. Is
there a Woolies in Burradoo?

Nobody home

2009-12-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

There are 2 cars in the driveway and noone to be seen. Even the mobile
phone rings out.

Knock Knock

2009-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

...anybody home?

Pit Stop

2009-12-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Every long trip starts with a short trip. Campbelltown is our first
pit stop. The fire brigade has sent 2 trucks screaming down the road
to the hotel across the street. Brent has found a skate park and has
broken out the scooter and has started pleading for a ride at the
park. The action has started.

The Weather

2009-12-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well the weather is not going to make it easy to get started. We woke up this morning with torrential downpours. The weather radar shows that it is raining all the way to Bowral (first stop). Great time to head out of Sydney. It looks like warm dry weather ahead.

That new smell...

2009-12-26T19:17:00.001-08:00

This brand spanking new camper has that "brand new smell". Great to know we'll be the ones to break her in but have to get over the new fibreglass smell first. Lots of new features. Not so great on storage space but we're working on it.

The Next Adventure

2009-12-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

The next adventure has begun. We picked up the brand spanking new Kea
campervan today. Stay tuned. More to follow.

Here are the stats!

2009-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

The first part of the trip was in a 7 seater van which was for 3 days around Darwin and Litchfield National Park. I don't have any stats for that trip however I do for the Campervan.

In the campervan we travelled 3,326 kilometres from Darwin to Uluru and back to Alice Springs. We consumed 579.18 litres of Diesel fuel at an average of 149 cents per litre (that is AUD$864.31). Overall the fuel economy averaged out at 17.41 litres per 100 Km.

A 2009 Ford Territory gets 12.8 Litres per 100 Km city driving so we were not too bad for a heavy vehicle!

The highest price we saw was 205 cents per litre in Aileron (I didn't need fuel at this point!!).

Sleeping in the Campervan

2009-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

One of the more peaceful moments...can you find Brent, Dean, Natasha &
Kyle

Memo Club

2009-07-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Memorial club

2009-07-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

It was the Alice Springs Memorial Club for dinner as we had run out of
food and didn't feel like cooking. We were all very tired. Kyle was
putting on a show for us.

Caravan Park

2009-07-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Our spot at the Mac Donnell Range Caravan Park.

Alice Springs

2009-07-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

After another long drive we arrive in Alice Springs.

Emus at Erldunda

2009-07-19T15:09:00.001-07:00

The girls at Erldunda

2009-07-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Erldunda

2009-07-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Stopping for the essentials at Erldunda - fuel and ice creams.

Curtin Springs Cattle Station

2009-07-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

We stopped for lunch at Curtin Springs Cattle Station which is over a
million acres in size. They have a wonderful bird aviary as well as a
pet emu that gave Dean a shower. After a chat with some fellow
trsvellers it was time to get back behind the wheel and follow the
broken white line to our next fuel stop at Erldunda.

Good bye Yulara

2009-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Time has come to leave Yulara, Uluru and Kata Tjura. It has been a
quick visit and we'll be back soon to see the many other wonders of
the area.

3 wise men

2009-07-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

More like 3 pirates! Here we are at the end of the Gorge. This place
is truly amazing.

Walls Gorge - Kata Tjuta

2009-07-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Off to Kata Tjuta for a walk through Walpa Gorge.

Climbing Uluru

2009-07-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

A view from the climb to the chain you need to hang on to as you
ascend. Very steep and dangerous for the suburban walker. Great view
and awesome feeling all the same.

Uluru - Mala walk

2009-07-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

One of the many caves on the Mala walk.

Climbing Uluru

2009-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Kyle was always ahead of the pack exploring every nook and cranny.

"Territory Dirt"

2009-07-19T01:33:00.000-07:00

Nothing quite like the rich red earth of "The Territory". Gets into
everything. Kyle gets into it like water in a pool on a hot day.

Uluru 45 mind before sunset

2009-07-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

Awesome. Lost for words.

Here she is

2009-07-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

This is what we have come to see. Uluru in all her glory. With an hour
before sunset the car park for sunset viewing is full, the chairs and
tables are out and the wine and bikkies are helping savoyr the moment.
Wow!

Still heading South

2009-07-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Taking on fuel at Wycliffe Well

2009-07-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Well known for spotting aliens we stopped here for fuel. Not every
roadhouse and town has fuel so we discovered so planning your trip
based on where you can get fuel is essential.

Lunch in Tennant Creek

2009-07-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

We went to explore the Battery Hill mine and visit the Aboriginal
Cultural Centre. All very interesting. Just stopping in the street
next to the Council Chambers for a lunch break. After lunch we are
headed towards Alice Springs. Not sure if we'll get there by night fall.

On the road again...

2009-07-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Reminds me of a song...

Heading for Tenant Creek

2009-07-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

More sign posts out here than a wealthy Sydney council.