Safely Home with a PTL

We really enjoyed riding our bikes around Shellharbour and up to the Coal Loading Wharf (where our progress was halted by the "No Dogs Past This Point" sign).  This scene is looking back towards the township & caravan park.  We saw a pod of around 15 dolphins (or porpoises) playing just beyond the surf.

A last sit & think before heading for home. 

Wow! Grass sure grows heaps in 6 weeks.  Here is Toby "helping" Spen mow the grass (by dropping his ball in the path of the mower and expecting it to be kicked for him) . . . v. helpful indeed!









And now for the PTL (Praise The Lord).  On the way home, we enjoyed a great morning coffee beside the boat ramp at Merimbula and muggins here took his iPhone out of his pocket and put it on the table (as you do!).  When we arrived at the Bega Cheese centre (around 30k away), the phone was not in it's usual place in the car.  Couldn't find it anywhere & concluded that it was still in Merimbula, guarding the table.  A quick drive back and, PTL, it was still there.  Our "Please" prayers changed to "Thank you".  Am thinking that a chain to my belt (like a 10 year old's wallet chain) would be a good idea at the moment!!

Phillip Island to Narooma

Canine focus . . . . . . "Can't you guess that I want you to throw this stick????"  at Bacchus Marsh Vic.

We drove onto this ferry for the trip from Queenscliff to Sorrento Vic.  We discovered a caravan special for the 8am departure and so made a special effort & saved heaps of $$ for the 7k ride.  Big boat and Spencer enjoyed checking out the technology (closing front door, dropping deck ramp, etc., etc.).

Rocky Phillip Island foreshore.  Heaps of seagulls breeding here!

Rhonda liked this place!  We were even able to see penguins here (see next pic) so there was no need for us to have done the penguin tour the day . . .

All made from chocolate.  Impressive!  These little diggers were quite lifelike.  We saw many hundreds of little (read "fairy") penguins at the Penguin Parade.  They are noisy!

Picturesque Phillip Island race track even has cows to watch the bikes, cars & karts race by.  A hot lap was very tempting with only its high price helping Spencer resist.

Tree-lined main street in Cowes on Phillip Island.

We had fun 4WD'ing up this steep track near Boyd Town (Eden NSW) and then discovered a much more gentle way down.  Wouldn't have missed the way up though!

Ben Boyd built this lighthouse 1846-1848 but did not ever receive approval to light it.  We suspect that part of the reason for this refusal included the fact that Boyd wanted to operate it for his ships only - amazing that he missed this!  He ended up using the tower to spot whales and so gain a head start on his whaling competition.  You will see that Boyd also managed to put his name on the top of the tower.

Wild coastline near Boyd Tower, Eden.

Rhonda found these three friends near the old Davidson Whaling Station at Eden.

We stayed in this beautiful free camp site near Narooma . . . . . well, it started off this way and we even managed a 3k bushwalk to a lovely lake . . . . and then the rain started and kept on and kept on and it rained all night.  However, we stayed nice and dry inside and a hot shower in the morning sure helped start the day well.

This is what Rhonda saw out her window at the Narooma Free Camp.  Amazing!

Great fun riding our bikes along this boardwalk through the swamp at Nhill Vic and then around the lake edge.  Bikes are a great way to explore - especially flat country!

 
Peaceful view from a lunch stop at Canadian Gully Bushland Reserve sear Stawell Vic.

The Boat House in Daylesford Vic just called out for a photo (or 20) as we rode around this lake.  They served excellent coffee there and they also knew how to charge for a slice of cake . . .

Very hard to prise Rhonda from the Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa in Daylesford Vic.  We spent over two & a half hours here soaking up the mineral spring water goodness.

Check out these amazing flowers in the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Ballarat.  They are Schizanthus (or Poor Mans Orchid), originally from the Chilean mountains.  Schizanthus are actually related to petunias not orchids although their flower formation does have a very orchidy (new word) look!








Check out the difference 4 years makes - Lake Wendouree was almost dry when we came through Ballarat in 2006 and now . . .  it is just 500mm from overflowing.  These pics are of the same view:

2006 - you could walk across the lake

2010 - no walking across the lake this year so we rode the 6.8k circuit around Lake Wendouree.  It's time for boating again!











We're off towards Phillip Island tomorrow morning . . . . . so stay tuned and blessings to all who read this.

Rain, some ports, Adelaide & the Barossa

Just squint your eyes, peer into the distance and you'll see the longest timber (careful wording here) jetty in Australia at Port Germain SA.  Sadly, it just rained and rained here and did a pretty good job of keeping us in the van!  Oh, and South Australia seems to be the headwind capital of Australia - doesn't matter which way we've been heading there have been strong headwinds.  This is shaping up to be our "Headwind Holiday"

Beautiful buildings in the Barossa.  There is also a most amazing display and gift shop behind these front doors!

Rhonda and Maggi Beer's daughter in that Kitchen!  Rhonda really enjoyed the cooking demo and catching up afterwards.

Another magnificent building - Chateau Yaldara (McGuigans).

This is a huge boat entering the Loch at Glenelg SA - very tight fit and a very competent driver. 

Inner door opening - the boat must have been very close to the max size this thing could accommodate!  The driver even used a B&D Garage Door type remote control to operate the loch gates!  The whole process kept Spen fascinated.

We cycled for ages around Glenelg - up the beachfront and around these boats in the inner lake at Glenelg.  The bikes have had a real workout this trip and Toby loves to run along beside Spen's bike.

Back in coverage, got time so here's a catch up from Swan Hill to Arkaroola

Heaps of water in the Murray River & it's flowing quickly too!

Roadside flowers were everywhere around Murrayville SA

First time on a ferry for the van - height of the Murray River kept approach angles OK.

Great cycleway on an old train route around Clare SA called the Reisling Trail.  Toby turned into a "Tow-Dog" whenever Rhonda was in front - excellent when I felt like a rest!

The Reisling Trail led us past some lovely wineries and interesting places. 

The Prairie Hotel in Parachilna SA made a great lunch stop.  Rhonda thought her Kangaroo burger was delicious (Spencer stuck with the more traditional Angus - also delish!).

This driver sold his car 15 years ago & uses this 2 Camel-power wagon to get around.  We had a good chat - a very interesting personality to be sure!

Leigh Creek Coal Mine - almost daily, the mine fills a 2.8km long train with nearly 10,000 tonnes of brown coal bound for Port Augusta power station.  SA generates about 40% of its electricity from Leigh Creek coal.

Spen had fun playing in this old coal bucket dragline machine.  Great that big boys could get into it and check it all out!  Sadly, there was no key in the ignition.

Wild hops were introduced by Afghan cameliers who used them for fodder, bedding and much in between.  We understand that this plant has been declared an introduced species rather than a pest  because there's so much of it growing throughout the Flinders Ranges already!

Rainwater is pretty powerful in the Flinders (when it happens!)

Flinders road scene heading towards Arkaroola - beautiful!

Rhonda enjoying her coffee in the creek bed on the way to Arkaroola.

The turn-around point for the Ridge Top Tour - an awesome 4.5 hours of fantastic scenery and exciting 4WD-ing.  We can thoroughly recommend this adventure!









How's this for a Flinders Ranges scene?








Bollabollana Spring in Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary made a delightful morning tea stop!

We have been privileded to see so many different wildflowers growing in the Flinders after recent rains - we were told that the rains broke an 11 year drought here!

We saw heaps of Sturts Desert Pea growing by the many 4WD tracks we travelled today. 











Wow! That brings us up to date and congratulations if you have stuck witth the blog so far!  Best wishes nad blessings to all and we'll update again soon.

ECHUCA

A trip on the Canberra is just the way to see the Murray River (note the finessing fingertip control of the left hand!).  We were told by a (semi) reliable source that the Canberra was the last steam paddlewheeler built and is fast enough to have pulled 3 water skiiers in a demo run - impressive

Notice the sook (which one do I hear you say??). Toby the wonder dog was not keen at all on the tooting of paddlewheeler whistles!