After a 2hr flight delay leaving Hobart we finally got back to our little home from home around 1am. We drove out of the city and ended up with all the saddos sleeping at a plane viewing spot and trying to sleep when they go over is crazy. So 06.30 we are up and heading for a McDonald's for a wee and tidy up, oh and off course a latte.
On our way to the Great Ocean Road in rush hour traffic but we made it and in a site in Torquay which is the starting point of the road. Two loads of washing done and a walk into town for something to eat, the beaches are beautiful here and a surfers paradise. Brought some Aussie sausages and potatoes for dinner, the sausages were really nice and all meat not like the UK ones.
So the Great Ocean Road here we come, the biggest challenge is finding the history bronze plaques that are scattered along the route. So this 255km road which was built by the returning solders of WW1 starts at Torquay and finishes at Warrnambool, our first day we got as far as Kennett River. The road doesn't really track the ocean until you get to Anglesea where the road runs along side the ocean. Each town on route has something to offer but all have stunning beaches. At Lorne we stopped and headed inland to hike to the Erskine Falls in the Great Otway National Park. Spectacular falls which can be viewed from the top and from below, where we dipped our hot feet in and it was freezing but refreshing.
After the falls we stopped at the beach in Lorne for some late lunch, I debated if I should go in for a swim as lots of people were swimming so I guessed it was safe to do so but it was late afternoon and couldn't be bothered. Back on the road we headed for a site at Kennett River as they state that wild koalas live in the area and easily spotted. Great site just set back from the ocean and besides a river and yes after a short walk we spotted 2 koalas asleep in a tree. Hundreds of cockatoos were in the trees also but they are everywhere in Australia.
Continuing on the Ocean Road we want to reach the 12 Apostles by the end of the day so we can view them at sunset and then during the day. On route we continued to photograph the bronze plaques, which has turned into a treasure hurt to find some of them. On route we did a couple more walks into ancient woods where it's difficult to see the top of some of these hundred year old trees. The last few days I've been struggling and not feeling at all well, no strength left. I'm not sleeping too good and I'm either sweating or freezing cold. Finally we get to a camp site around 5ish, the site is very basic but the field next to us has hundreds of wild kangaroos, our first ones.
After a brief walk we drove to the Apostles to watch the sunset, they are truly a magical site. Although there isn't 12 anymore due to sea erosion and they just collapse into the sea. After some dinner I headed for bed hoping to feel better by morning, again not much sleep and it was the coldest night we have had here.
Woke to beautiful warm sunshine and I'm feeling much better today so after breakfast we head off to Apostles again. They are stunning with the morning sun beating down on them and the waves crushing into them them. That whole coast line is a marvel, it's rugged but beautiful at the same time. We stopped at all the little coves and view points until we reached Port Campbell where we had some lunch on the beach. So tonight we are in a city and the Great Ocean Road is finished but what a great 3 days of driving.
Once the road trip is finished the first big town you come too is Warrnambool where we found a site straight away and it had a pool. As the temperature was well above 30 we got changed and jumped in a freezing pool but after awhile it was lovely and refreshing.
It's raining for all of 5 minutes when we wake but we're hardened campers now so nothing worries us. Long drive today down a dead straight road as we have booked our ferry to Kangaroo Island for Thursday 7am so 2 days to do 450km which don't seem along way but over here that takes 2 days. Speeds are varied from 40 to 110km per hour and you don't drive at night due to the suicidal
wild life of Australia. Today we saw our first dead Koala on the road side, very sad. After a couple of hours we reach Mt Gambier which has a sink hole in the town center and one just outside of town. Parked in town for a coffee break we soon found the sink hole, which they have made into a garden area. They also have the Blue Lake which at certain times of the year the color of the water is electric blue but not now but you can see around the edges the color it would of been. The towns water supply comes from this lake so you are not allowed down to the surface but there is a walk that goes around the top which we did. The views were amazing of the lake as you walk the 5km around. Back in the car for another couple of miles as we want to reach Kingston before it gets dark,16.00 we roll into town and find a site. It turns out this is the worst site we have stayed in, nothing worked in the camp kitchen but showers were nice.
Now that we are in the state of South Australia we entered a new time zone -30 minutes, which is weird.
Up bright and early and driving by 9am again a long straight road where you begin to think you are the only ones around for miles. At Wellington we have to get the free ferry across the river, it's a bit like a pull across flat bed barge. Decide it's time for a coffee break and to shock up on food ready for KI. We stop at a little place called Strathalbyn and had a hot chocolate and meat pie, there is also a Woolworths so we do our shopping, steak and sausages are on the menu for the next 3 days. As we were doing well for time we decided to change our ferry to later that day 4pm, once we had filled the car up again we head to the port about an hour away. We have been told that everything is expensive on KI so that's why we have stocked up with everything.
Petrol is so varied in price over here, the cheapest we have paid is $1.18 but in KI is $1.48 but compared to the UK it's very cheap as getting $2.10 to the £
We are back on the main land and heading north for Alice Springs, not sure how far we will get today. I've developed a bad back which is making movement very hard but I do manage my share of the driving. Our original plan was to stop in Adelaide for awhile to see some friends but sadly they have had to return to the UK so hopefully we will visit on our return from Alice Springs.
We are hoping to get to Port Augusta which is 270 miles and it's very hot and my back is getting worse. Well we made it to Port Augusta which is known as the crossroads of Australia, it's where north, south, west and east all meet. We decided on a Big5 site as we are staying a couple of days as we are both tired of driving and I need to rest my back.
It's a great place to meet other travelers all heading in different directions across Australia, lots of cyclist that left Perth and heading for Sydney, amazing achievement.
Well I had a good sleep but my back still painful so taking it easy but we still need to get the car ready for our long road trip. Tyre pressure checked, oil and water levels checked. Been shopping and brought 40lts of water and stocked the fridge up which should keep us going for a few days.
Monday 26 October 2015
Kangaroo Island
Arriving in Penneshaw after a 35 minute ferry journey, the place looks deserted and bloody cold. We head straight for the camp site at Browns Beach which is in the national parks along side the beach and are council run. They cost $17 and are well equipped with bbq's, toilets and a cold shower but the lovely beach makes up for that. After cooking some steak and potatoes on the bbq's we had a lovely long walk along the beach. When we got back to the van some other campers came over and we chatted for a couple of hours, then a local guy had speared a "snook" fish a bit like an eel and was offering it to us to cook. He was a real "crocodile Dundee" kind of guy.
Up and about at 07.30 for a cuppa and some breakfast then it was time to start exploring this island. Straight away we saw kangaroos in the field as we headed off down the road, we pulled into Prospect Hill and climbed the stairs to see the amazing view across the island. From there we headed onto Kingscote to get some info, glad we did cos in the dock area were some New Zealand fur seals and a sea lion just lazing in the sunshine. Lots of Pelicans and Black Swans were in the water along with a penguin colony at the beach. We paid the honey shop a visit as Sally likes honey and the free samples that are on offer. We wanted to get to the birds of prey display at Raptor Domain center for 2.30 and what a great show, well worth the effort to get there.
Our camp site tonight is at Vivonne Bay, again by the beach and surrounded by the outback. When we arrived at the small but well equipped site there sitting in a tree is a Koala, made our day. After some photos we head for a walk along the beach, it's a bit windy but the sun is out but still cold.
Sausages on the bbq tonight with some rice, I do love cooking outside. Apart from the Koala in the tree the second best thing about this site is that the shower is hot and for $2.00 you get 5 minutes of heaven.
Up and dressed by 7.30 and our friendly Koala is still fast asleep so we said goodbye and headed on our way. 12km down the road is the Kelly Hill Caves but they didn't open until 10.30 so we had some time so went for a walk around their center. While walking we encountered a huge Echidna rummaging through the undergrowth, strange thing is people we talk to have never seen any, I suppose they just aren't taking the time to look.
Kelly's Hill Caves are a dry cave not very deep but very special with the different colors shining through the rocks due to the mineral make up. The cave is only small and has been well looked after.
From there we headed to Flinders Chase National Park where for an entry fee you can spend the whole day. From the visitors center we went to the far head land to see the Remarkable Rocks and they are remarkable. A huge bounder erupted from the seabed millions of years ago and formed a kind of circular headland. Amazing to walk over but I think in a few years people will be stopped from going on the rock.
A bit further down the coast is Admirals Arch, again a huge archway created by the force of the sea battering the headland. Along that edge where fur seals lazing on the the rocks, some pups where playing in a rock pool. A quick look at Cape du Couedic lighthouse and then of for a little walk to Weirs Cove. This is where the stores were brought ashore and stored for the lighthouse workers.
Time to sort out a site for tonight and we opted to pay tonight in a proper site with all mod cons. Once parked up they, had a lagoon walk around the site with the promise of Koalas and Kangaroos. Well we could hear the Koalas but couldn't see them but we did spot a family of Kangaroos and mum had a Joey in her pouch.
After leaving the site we headed back into the Flinders Park to do a hike, we opted for the Black Swamp Hike which is a 9km hike across the ancient swamps where lots of million year old bones have been found. The hike takes you around the platypus waterhole but we were not lucky enough to see any. The hike took us 2.30hrs to do but it became mega hot and a well earned ice cream was in order. What we did see were lots of Goanna's, these are quite big lizards that dig holes looking for worms. We must of seen a dozen of them on the path and they were not bothered about us being there. After some lunch it was time to head back across the island and to Brown Beach camp site where we are spending our last night on KI. We had the most beautiful sunset ever that night and it was so hot, the flys drove us insane that we had to get into the van and sweat it out. While cooking at the bbq I got attacked by mosquitos so not only was it very hot that night I was scratching also. After a very restless night the alarm went off at 6am so we can head to the ferry port to get the 8.30 ferry and head back to the main land.
Up and about at 07.30 for a cuppa and some breakfast then it was time to start exploring this island. Straight away we saw kangaroos in the field as we headed off down the road, we pulled into Prospect Hill and climbed the stairs to see the amazing view across the island. From there we headed onto Kingscote to get some info, glad we did cos in the dock area were some New Zealand fur seals and a sea lion just lazing in the sunshine. Lots of Pelicans and Black Swans were in the water along with a penguin colony at the beach. We paid the honey shop a visit as Sally likes honey and the free samples that are on offer. We wanted to get to the birds of prey display at Raptor Domain center for 2.30 and what a great show, well worth the effort to get there.
Our camp site tonight is at Vivonne Bay, again by the beach and surrounded by the outback. When we arrived at the small but well equipped site there sitting in a tree is a Koala, made our day. After some photos we head for a walk along the beach, it's a bit windy but the sun is out but still cold.
Sausages on the bbq tonight with some rice, I do love cooking outside. Apart from the Koala in the tree the second best thing about this site is that the shower is hot and for $2.00 you get 5 minutes of heaven.
Up and dressed by 7.30 and our friendly Koala is still fast asleep so we said goodbye and headed on our way. 12km down the road is the Kelly Hill Caves but they didn't open until 10.30 so we had some time so went for a walk around their center. While walking we encountered a huge Echidna rummaging through the undergrowth, strange thing is people we talk to have never seen any, I suppose they just aren't taking the time to look.
Kelly's Hill Caves are a dry cave not very deep but very special with the different colors shining through the rocks due to the mineral make up. The cave is only small and has been well looked after.
From there we headed to Flinders Chase National Park where for an entry fee you can spend the whole day. From the visitors center we went to the far head land to see the Remarkable Rocks and they are remarkable. A huge bounder erupted from the seabed millions of years ago and formed a kind of circular headland. Amazing to walk over but I think in a few years people will be stopped from going on the rock.
A bit further down the coast is Admirals Arch, again a huge archway created by the force of the sea battering the headland. Along that edge where fur seals lazing on the the rocks, some pups where playing in a rock pool. A quick look at Cape du Couedic lighthouse and then of for a little walk to Weirs Cove. This is where the stores were brought ashore and stored for the lighthouse workers.
Time to sort out a site for tonight and we opted to pay tonight in a proper site with all mod cons. Once parked up they, had a lagoon walk around the site with the promise of Koalas and Kangaroos. Well we could hear the Koalas but couldn't see them but we did spot a family of Kangaroos and mum had a Joey in her pouch.
After leaving the site we headed back into the Flinders Park to do a hike, we opted for the Black Swamp Hike which is a 9km hike across the ancient swamps where lots of million year old bones have been found. The hike takes you around the platypus waterhole but we were not lucky enough to see any. The hike took us 2.30hrs to do but it became mega hot and a well earned ice cream was in order. What we did see were lots of Goanna's, these are quite big lizards that dig holes looking for worms. We must of seen a dozen of them on the path and they were not bothered about us being there. After some lunch it was time to head back across the island and to Brown Beach camp site where we are spending our last night on KI. We had the most beautiful sunset ever that night and it was so hot, the flys drove us insane that we had to get into the van and sweat it out. While cooking at the bbq I got attacked by mosquitos so not only was it very hot that night I was scratching also. After a very restless night the alarm went off at 6am so we can head to the ferry port to get the 8.30 ferry and head back to the main land.
Sunday 11 October 2015
Our Road Trip to Melbourne
After leaving the Blue Mountains we headed for Canberra which is 183 miles and the route is all single winding lanes with slow speeds. The first 100 miles we saw nothing but dead kangaroos and possums every mile, not sure Australia has any live ones left. So finally came to a small town called Taralga where we stopped for a coffee at the only cafe. The owner told us the next town was bigger and only down the road. We reached Goulburn at 5.30 and found a lovely camp/caravan site where we checked in for the night. All the sites so far are really nice and for $25 (£12) a night is fantastic value, just not enough wifi. Up quite early for breakfast of porridge and toast as a long drive today.
The drive to the capital Canberra was an easy one with not a lot of traffic but again a lot of road kills and we keep joking that we will never see a live kangaroo. It was good, that the day we were in Canberra was a bank holiday so we could park right in the city center for free and not many people about. We called into the information center for some maps and of course free wifi. Our first stop is the Australian War Memorial, OMG what a place, it's huge and you could spend all day there. It traces the history of Australia and the wars it has been involved in. Once a year Canberra hosts Floridia, which is the local park laid out in every kind of flowers from around the world. The smell in the park was amazing with all flowers in full bloom, the temperature this day was well over 30 and I must admit I'm struggling with the heat. We walked around the shops to find a place to get a cold drink but a lot were shut due to the holiday but good old McDonalds was open. Now chilled we headed back to the car so we could drive to the lake and then up the government building. The government building is very impressive but it's so huge it's best to view from down the road. Canberra is an impressive capital, very clean but too cultural for me.
We decided to move on and find a camp site for the night, we drove to Cooma which took a couple of hours. Cooma is where the skiing is done on the snowy mountains which seems strange as its been so hot and as you drive down the street it's full of ski hire shops, bizarre.
It was dark by the time we got to the camp so we just parked up and starting cooking some dinner from the back of the van as the camp kitchen was a bit naff. There was some people sitting around a fire pit so we took our dinner and joined them around the fire. They were 2 brothers, Tony and Brian who had just cycled 2000kms and were chilling with Brian's wife Kathy. We spent the next 3 hours chatting about their trip, our travel plans, the royal family, you name it we talked about it. The next morning after we had all packed up we exchanged our address as they had invited us to stay with them on our way around Australia. Tony in Queensland and Bryan in Auburn.
Very very hot day and I'm still struggling with the heat and after driving most of the day we got to The Lakes Beach Retreat camp site about 3pm as we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day without driving. The site is on the coast and the beach is a 5 minute walk away, it's called the 90 mile beach and it's gorgeous with only us on it. One slight problem, you can't go into the sea due to the strong currents and sharks. An hour long walk along the beach was great with the crushing waves and strong winds. On coming back to the camp we did some washing and made use of the swimming pool here. After a nice shower and some dinner we had domestic chores to do like get the washing sorted and a tidy up. There is a storm brewing tonight and the temperature has dropped so could be a restless night. Well the night wasn't at all restless and I'm starting to sleep well, the morning brought more sunshine. After leaving the site we headed for some viewpoints just after the Lakes and they were amazing, being able to view the whole area from above.
Now on our way to Phillip Island which resembles the Isle of Wright with the same names such as Cowes and Vendor. Called in at the information center and brought some tickets to the local tourist attractions and asked about camp site. We ended up at the Anchorage camp site which was pretty poor but it was close to the stuff we wanted to see and do. That night we went to the Penguin Parade, it was bloody freezing but well worth the wait to see these little birds come out of the sea and waddle up the beach looking for their nests. Couldn't get warm after that even with a hot drink and I froze most of the night. In the morning it was lovely sunshine again but grumpy as I hadn't sleep well. After breakfast we drove to the tip of the island Nobbies where the sea is very rough and thousands of sea birds are nesting. From there we visited the Koalas at the conservation center and from there we went over to Churchill Island to see the heritage farm.
Finally on route to Melbourne along the coastal road which has breath taking views of the coast line and an amazing sunset. We have opted to sleep in a car park overlooking the sea for the night as its free and a nice place. It's great being outside and cooking a meal out the back of the camper.
The station is across the road and if you travel by train you can park in their car park for free, so we brought a Myki card which cost $6.00 then you top it up and you use it for all transport in Melbourne. Melbourne again is a city with high rise office blocks and thousands of people milling around. The city has a tram system which travels all over the city and very regular, we jumped on one to the state library. This library, like Sydney is amazing and used for everything, this building is circular with a huge dome. You can walk the 6 floors which are full of books and the history of Melbourne. While there we needed the wifi so we could sort out our trip to Tasmania, finally after 2 hours we have booked flights, hotel, car hire and car parking at the airport for our Tarago.
Melbourne has a couple of streets of graffiti art, which to be honest was just a mess on the walls but they call it art here.
Melbourne has a very moving Shine of Remembrance, the design is pyramid like with a crypt and a history of the Australians at war, again a good few hours could be spend here. If you climb the steps to the top of the shine you can get some great city views.
Across from the shine is the Royal Botanical Gardens where we had a rest in the shade before the walk around the gardens. From the gardens we walked back to the city via the river where the rowing clubs were practicing. The buildings in the center are a mixed of modern and really old nothing in between, even the council building is a mini parliament with a clock like Big Ben. China town is like china town everywhere just full of restaurants and cafés.
Got back to Brighton Beach about 6.30 and decided to eat out so we headed for the local chippy.
Fish and chips dinner and the fish was shark (mainly the gummy shark) which I might say was nice, they don't call it shark but flake. Back to the car park we now call home for another night and tomorrow we are staying here so we can enjoy the beach and sort stuff out ready for Tasmania.
Up early and kettle on so we can have a wash and tidy up. I washed my hair with the beach shower, a bit messy but did the job. Scrambled eggs for breakfast cooked on the beach, how good is that? It's a bit overcast today so a nice long walk along the beach where we found a dog beach, great watching all these dogs playing in the sea. We walked for about 2hrs so when we got back a sandwich and a cuppa was called for and a chill for the rest of the day I think.
The drive to the capital Canberra was an easy one with not a lot of traffic but again a lot of road kills and we keep joking that we will never see a live kangaroo. It was good, that the day we were in Canberra was a bank holiday so we could park right in the city center for free and not many people about. We called into the information center for some maps and of course free wifi. Our first stop is the Australian War Memorial, OMG what a place, it's huge and you could spend all day there. It traces the history of Australia and the wars it has been involved in. Once a year Canberra hosts Floridia, which is the local park laid out in every kind of flowers from around the world. The smell in the park was amazing with all flowers in full bloom, the temperature this day was well over 30 and I must admit I'm struggling with the heat. We walked around the shops to find a place to get a cold drink but a lot were shut due to the holiday but good old McDonalds was open. Now chilled we headed back to the car so we could drive to the lake and then up the government building. The government building is very impressive but it's so huge it's best to view from down the road. Canberra is an impressive capital, very clean but too cultural for me.
We decided to move on and find a camp site for the night, we drove to Cooma which took a couple of hours. Cooma is where the skiing is done on the snowy mountains which seems strange as its been so hot and as you drive down the street it's full of ski hire shops, bizarre.
It was dark by the time we got to the camp so we just parked up and starting cooking some dinner from the back of the van as the camp kitchen was a bit naff. There was some people sitting around a fire pit so we took our dinner and joined them around the fire. They were 2 brothers, Tony and Brian who had just cycled 2000kms and were chilling with Brian's wife Kathy. We spent the next 3 hours chatting about their trip, our travel plans, the royal family, you name it we talked about it. The next morning after we had all packed up we exchanged our address as they had invited us to stay with them on our way around Australia. Tony in Queensland and Bryan in Auburn.
Very very hot day and I'm still struggling with the heat and after driving most of the day we got to The Lakes Beach Retreat camp site about 3pm as we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day without driving. The site is on the coast and the beach is a 5 minute walk away, it's called the 90 mile beach and it's gorgeous with only us on it. One slight problem, you can't go into the sea due to the strong currents and sharks. An hour long walk along the beach was great with the crushing waves and strong winds. On coming back to the camp we did some washing and made use of the swimming pool here. After a nice shower and some dinner we had domestic chores to do like get the washing sorted and a tidy up. There is a storm brewing tonight and the temperature has dropped so could be a restless night. Well the night wasn't at all restless and I'm starting to sleep well, the morning brought more sunshine. After leaving the site we headed for some viewpoints just after the Lakes and they were amazing, being able to view the whole area from above.
Now on our way to Phillip Island which resembles the Isle of Wright with the same names such as Cowes and Vendor. Called in at the information center and brought some tickets to the local tourist attractions and asked about camp site. We ended up at the Anchorage camp site which was pretty poor but it was close to the stuff we wanted to see and do. That night we went to the Penguin Parade, it was bloody freezing but well worth the wait to see these little birds come out of the sea and waddle up the beach looking for their nests. Couldn't get warm after that even with a hot drink and I froze most of the night. In the morning it was lovely sunshine again but grumpy as I hadn't sleep well. After breakfast we drove to the tip of the island Nobbies where the sea is very rough and thousands of sea birds are nesting. From there we visited the Koalas at the conservation center and from there we went over to Churchill Island to see the heritage farm.
Finally on route to Melbourne along the coastal road which has breath taking views of the coast line and an amazing sunset. We have opted to sleep in a car park overlooking the sea for the night as its free and a nice place. It's great being outside and cooking a meal out the back of the camper.
The station is across the road and if you travel by train you can park in their car park for free, so we brought a Myki card which cost $6.00 then you top it up and you use it for all transport in Melbourne. Melbourne again is a city with high rise office blocks and thousands of people milling around. The city has a tram system which travels all over the city and very regular, we jumped on one to the state library. This library, like Sydney is amazing and used for everything, this building is circular with a huge dome. You can walk the 6 floors which are full of books and the history of Melbourne. While there we needed the wifi so we could sort out our trip to Tasmania, finally after 2 hours we have booked flights, hotel, car hire and car parking at the airport for our Tarago.
Melbourne has a couple of streets of graffiti art, which to be honest was just a mess on the walls but they call it art here.
Melbourne has a very moving Shine of Remembrance, the design is pyramid like with a crypt and a history of the Australians at war, again a good few hours could be spend here. If you climb the steps to the top of the shine you can get some great city views.
Across from the shine is the Royal Botanical Gardens where we had a rest in the shade before the walk around the gardens. From the gardens we walked back to the city via the river where the rowing clubs were practicing. The buildings in the center are a mixed of modern and really old nothing in between, even the council building is a mini parliament with a clock like Big Ben. China town is like china town everywhere just full of restaurants and cafés.
Got back to Brighton Beach about 6.30 and decided to eat out so we headed for the local chippy.
Fish and chips dinner and the fish was shark (mainly the gummy shark) which I might say was nice, they don't call it shark but flake. Back to the car park we now call home for another night and tomorrow we are staying here so we can enjoy the beach and sort stuff out ready for Tasmania.
Up early and kettle on so we can have a wash and tidy up. I washed my hair with the beach shower, a bit messy but did the job. Scrambled eggs for breakfast cooked on the beach, how good is that? It's a bit overcast today so a nice long walk along the beach where we found a dog beach, great watching all these dogs playing in the sea. We walked for about 2hrs so when we got back a sandwich and a cuppa was called for and a chill for the rest of the day I think.
Tasmania
So another night in the beach car park and at 03.30 my alarm goes off, so so tired but we just threw some clothes on and headed for the airport. Found the car park where we are leaving the Tarago easily and by 05.00 we are at Melbourne airport waiting for our 06.00 flight to Hobart, Tasmania. Hats off to the pilot of our Jet Star plane as he announced that there is thick fog over the airport and was going to attempt to land if not we were going to another airport. First attempt wheels went down and we had nearly landed but we then shot up like a rocket and most passengers made some strange noises. The pilot then announced that we couldn't land cos he couldn't see a thing, very reassuring. Anyway around we go again and try again and this time he done it and I have never been on a plane when everyone applauded the pilot.
Headed to pick hire car up from Budget and we have a brand new Kia Rio, not a bad little car. We headed for our hotel to see if we could check in as we needed a shower after sleeping in the beach car park for 3 nights, but they said no, after 2pm.
Off we head for Hobart city center for some breakfast and a look around, as it was early on Sunday we could only find McDonalds. We walked around the dock area, Salamander Square and the few shops that were open but not much else we could do.
Mt Wellington is just outside Hobart and as it was warming up a bit that's where we headed. At the summit it was bitter cold but the sun was out, the clouds were amazing up there as they were moving very fast around the summit. Never seen anything like it before. We spent about an hour walking around the rocky plateau, in some areas there was snow and in the winter it's completely covered. Feeling very tired now and headed back to hotel to check in and a scrub up, hotel is more like motel but it has a bed and shower, luxuries for us. Lasagne was for dinner but we hit a hitch when the microwave blew and everything in the room did as well. Think we should go to bed now.
Up nice and early as we are driving over to Port Arthur and Unzoo. We pulled up outside Unzoo and it didn't look up too much and at $34 each thought it was over priced but by the end it was money well spent. We got to stroke and feed kangaroos, a lot of them had babies in their pouches as well. This was really good and you could spend as much time in the field with them as you liked. The zoo's main purpose is the conservation of the Tasmanian Devils, due to the drop in numbers due to the tumors they develop in the wild. These tumors are cancerous and they die within months of getting this cancer, but in the center they are breeding them but can't release them back into the wild until this disease is cured. They also have Eastern Quolls there which are of the same family as the devil, the bird display is very good too. We spent about 2 hours here and didn't regret the visit.
From here we headed to Port Arthur the world heritage site that was used as a prison from 1833 to 1877. This was also an expensive place to visit at $37 each and by the end we were happy to spend that amount. The site consists of the old prison, church, officers quarters and asylum with separate prison. We also got a walking tour for 30 minutes which just outlines the history of the place. Just off the coast there is two little islands which one was used as a crematory and the other was used for the young convict boys. A ferry takes you around the bay and tells you the history of the bay and the small islands. We left Port Arthur at 5.30 as the drive back takes 1.30hr even though it's only about 60 miles away. We found a Pizza Hut at the end of our junction so that's where we headed for our dinner, pizza and garlic bread take away, really nice.
Had a lie in and didn't hit the road until 9.30 where we headed for Tasmania's oldest and most popular national park, Mount Field. You have to pay $24 per car but that's for 24hrs and can be used in any parks. We wanted to see Russell Falls which were just a 10 minute walk and really nice waterfall, from there we walked to the Horseshoe Falls again a good place. This park is fall of massive swamp gum trees, the tallest in the world and you get to walk through them. From there it's a 2hr walk to Lady Barron Falls which are the best of all the falls and worth the walk. Back at the center we had some lunch and jumped back into car for a 16km off road drive up the mountain to Lake Dobson and then a 2hr walk up to Lake Seal lookout on the Tarn Shelf of Field Mountain. We were 1233m up and it was great with the view of the lake below and the snow around the peaks, during winter this is a ski resort. The walk down was a lot quicker and by the time I got back to the car I was shattered from walking up mountains all day.
Sally promised me some flat walking today, said we would go to Wineglass Bay, one of the best beaches here. So after a 2hr drive to the Freycinet National Park we discovered you have to climb up a mountain to the view point which was amazing and the walk down to the bay. The bay was lovely just a bit windy but we still managed to have our picnic there. Once my strength was back we had to walk back up to the view point to then walk down to the car park, it was very hot too so my energy levels had got pretty low. All along the track we did encounter wild wallabies with their joeys, so funny seeing them poking their heads out of mummies pouch.
The sun had dropped by the time we were driving back so we drove quite slow so to avoid any wildlife that was around. We had a wallaby hopping along side the road at one point but even worse was coming around a bend and one just sitting in the road. We slowed down and waited for it to move, you can see now how so many of them get killed on the roads.
Our last day in Tasmania and where else to go but the Cadburys factory and then to the Mona Museum. Cadburys was good, it was just a presentation and not a factory tour but we did get given a goodie bag and off course we had to buy some chocolate.
Onto the Mona Museum, well they call it the museum of new and old art, I call it crude and crap and a waste of money. The guy who created the museum made his fortune with online gambling and built this, the worlds largest privately owed museum. Think he could of spent his cash on some better works of art.
Our trip to Tasmania is over and driving about 1,000km we never got to see everything but I think we covered the best of Tasmania in the short time we were here.
Blue Mountains
We arrived in Katoomba at the caravan park about 8ish so the lady had left us details of where our pitch was in an envelope on the office door. Very tired and cold so we made some hot soup and a bread roll and of course a Becks, the first of the holiday. Managed to make the bed and found the wash rooms then it was time for bed and a bit of tv, no we don't have a tv but some programs I downloaded.
Boy it was bloody cold and I couldn't sleep due to being so cold but managed to put off going for a wee.
Waking at 8.30 to beautiful sunshine and realizing how lovely this site is and at $41.00 (£20) a night is excellent value. So we showered and headed to the kitchen for some tea and toast for breakfast, you can't beat having your morning cuppa in the sunshine. So off to the office to pay our bill and get some info for our days trekking. As it turns out we are just across the road for the start of the treks into and around this area of the mountains.
We started with the Prince Henry Cliff Walk which took in most of the view points and gave some amazing views.
Echo Park
Katoomba Falls
The Cascades
Furber Steps
The Three Sisters
Honeymoon Bridge
Giant Stairway
After reaching the Three Sisters we decided to walk down to the canopy floor and along the Federal Pass which hopefully will take us back but we still have to climb back up. The climb down was very steep and consisted of steel stairways and rough treks, you are surrounded by the mountain on one side and dense rain forest on the other. We finally reached the train and the canopy walkway which takes you around all the mines and tells you a bit about the history of the mines and mountains.
The walk was really nice as not busy like the view points are, due to the coaches arriving and everyone rushes for the photo before having to get back onboard. The canopy walk was more busy as its part of the tourist route between train and cable car. By the time we had finished I was knacked and did think of getting the train back up but it cost $16 (£8) or a 45 minute walk, the walk won.
Back at camp my ankles are shot after walking over rough tracks for 5hrs, a cuppa and a short rest and everything back working but I think I may hurt in the morning.
We organized the van as it was a mess, it's still a bit messy but now we know where everything is. For dinner I cooked burgers on the bbq's the site supply's and a beer to wash it all down.
Saturday 3rd we woke to yet again a gorgeous morning, after a shower and some breakfast we planned our day. So heading back to the Echo Point view point we parked up and started on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk heading towards Leura Cascades. This walk took in some amazing view points but it got very hot and I was still tired from yesterday's hike so on reaching the car park at Leura we decided to turn back to get the car. Driving the couple of miles to Leura took minutes and we were quickly parked up in the shade and had some lunch. We headed back down the cascades but decided it would be too much to go to the bottom in the heat, so we headed back up and carried on to the cliff walk to the Bridal Veil lookout.
While walking we met a couple of ladies who told us about some other nice places like The Grand Canyon walk and Evans lookout near Blackheath. Evans lookout had some amazing views again looking out across the Blue Mountains. It was now after 3 and the Grand Canyon was was 3-4hrs so as we didn't have enough time we decided to wild bush camp at Blackheath Glen Reserve. We arrived after down to the valley for 6miles before we reached the bottom, not sure the car will get us back up tomorrow. There are toilets here but eco ones and that's it, no signal just SOS, no power and pitch dark. Very busy place off course as its free. Dinner cooked by head torch, couscous and burgers left over and the left over cheese cake. Yes we are roughing it as there is no shower in the morning.
So no shower but we did find a rest area with proper toilets and running water so we could brush our teeth and have a bit of a wash. Such a nice place we decided to have breakfast there also, so a bowl of cereal and a chat with some other campers. Helpful info from them is that you don't have to pay for the gas bbq's in the rest areas, just turn up and switch on. They also told us about a great app call "wikicamps" costs £4.49 but they said worth every penny. Also they informed us that the clocks had gone forward by an hour, so where we thought we had got up early we hadn't.
So off to the Grand Canyon walk which they estimate as taking 3-4 hours, it was a cooler day so the walk should be more enjoyable. If you only do one walk in the Blue Mountains this should be the one, it's like walking through a jungle with water falls, pools and huge steep sides surrounding you. The walk takes you to the bottom of the canyon which kills your knees as its so steep, it's a mental game also as you know at the other end you have to climb back up. I had a quick shower in one fall to cool down, another good thing about this walk is that it's not crowded like the main walks. We completed the walk in 2hrs 10mins so pleased with that, my knees and ankles are now killing me so pleased to be hitting the road to Canberra.
Boy it was bloody cold and I couldn't sleep due to being so cold but managed to put off going for a wee.
Waking at 8.30 to beautiful sunshine and realizing how lovely this site is and at $41.00 (£20) a night is excellent value. So we showered and headed to the kitchen for some tea and toast for breakfast, you can't beat having your morning cuppa in the sunshine. So off to the office to pay our bill and get some info for our days trekking. As it turns out we are just across the road for the start of the treks into and around this area of the mountains.
We started with the Prince Henry Cliff Walk which took in most of the view points and gave some amazing views.
Echo Park
Katoomba Falls
The Cascades
Furber Steps
The Three Sisters
Honeymoon Bridge
Giant Stairway
After reaching the Three Sisters we decided to walk down to the canopy floor and along the Federal Pass which hopefully will take us back but we still have to climb back up. The climb down was very steep and consisted of steel stairways and rough treks, you are surrounded by the mountain on one side and dense rain forest on the other. We finally reached the train and the canopy walkway which takes you around all the mines and tells you a bit about the history of the mines and mountains.
The walk was really nice as not busy like the view points are, due to the coaches arriving and everyone rushes for the photo before having to get back onboard. The canopy walk was more busy as its part of the tourist route between train and cable car. By the time we had finished I was knacked and did think of getting the train back up but it cost $16 (£8) or a 45 minute walk, the walk won.
Back at camp my ankles are shot after walking over rough tracks for 5hrs, a cuppa and a short rest and everything back working but I think I may hurt in the morning.
We organized the van as it was a mess, it's still a bit messy but now we know where everything is. For dinner I cooked burgers on the bbq's the site supply's and a beer to wash it all down.
Saturday 3rd we woke to yet again a gorgeous morning, after a shower and some breakfast we planned our day. So heading back to the Echo Point view point we parked up and started on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk heading towards Leura Cascades. This walk took in some amazing view points but it got very hot and I was still tired from yesterday's hike so on reaching the car park at Leura we decided to turn back to get the car. Driving the couple of miles to Leura took minutes and we were quickly parked up in the shade and had some lunch. We headed back down the cascades but decided it would be too much to go to the bottom in the heat, so we headed back up and carried on to the cliff walk to the Bridal Veil lookout.
While walking we met a couple of ladies who told us about some other nice places like The Grand Canyon walk and Evans lookout near Blackheath. Evans lookout had some amazing views again looking out across the Blue Mountains. It was now after 3 and the Grand Canyon was was 3-4hrs so as we didn't have enough time we decided to wild bush camp at Blackheath Glen Reserve. We arrived after down to the valley for 6miles before we reached the bottom, not sure the car will get us back up tomorrow. There are toilets here but eco ones and that's it, no signal just SOS, no power and pitch dark. Very busy place off course as its free. Dinner cooked by head torch, couscous and burgers left over and the left over cheese cake. Yes we are roughing it as there is no shower in the morning.
So no shower but we did find a rest area with proper toilets and running water so we could brush our teeth and have a bit of a wash. Such a nice place we decided to have breakfast there also, so a bowl of cereal and a chat with some other campers. Helpful info from them is that you don't have to pay for the gas bbq's in the rest areas, just turn up and switch on. They also told us about a great app call "wikicamps" costs £4.49 but they said worth every penny. Also they informed us that the clocks had gone forward by an hour, so where we thought we had got up early we hadn't.
So off to the Grand Canyon walk which they estimate as taking 3-4 hours, it was a cooler day so the walk should be more enjoyable. If you only do one walk in the Blue Mountains this should be the one, it's like walking through a jungle with water falls, pools and huge steep sides surrounding you. The walk takes you to the bottom of the canyon which kills your knees as its so steep, it's a mental game also as you know at the other end you have to climb back up. I had a quick shower in one fall to cool down, another good thing about this walk is that it's not crowded like the main walks. We completed the walk in 2hrs 10mins so pleased with that, my knees and ankles are now killing me so pleased to be hitting the road to Canberra.
Sydney
So our hostel is not up to much even through it had good reviews. Tokyo Village in the Surrey Hills has a few good points i.e. we have a tv and sink in our room and the showers are good with lots of hot water. It's not too busy but the kitchen area is too small for the amount of people staying here. It's about 10 minute walk into the city which we did everyday even though the first 3 days it didn't stop raining and was so cold.
Our sleeping pattern is all over the place for the first 3 days but we still managed to get out and amount doing the tourist stuff. On Friday we had already booked to walk around the outside of the Sydney Tower Eye which was disappointing mainly due to it raining and visibility was really bad.
After this we walked to Darling Harbour to visit Wild Life Sydney and Madame Tussaud's, both were ok. Normally I wouldn't be interested in these type of attractions but we had a combo ticket and it was raining so a few hours were killed. Feeling tired now it was ready to return to hostel for some well earned sleep. 2pm we woke on Saturday, not sure how I sleep so long without needing a wee but I did. So glad for the porridge I brought over as I was so hungry, was worried about bringing food over but had no trouble in customs. We mainly brought packet food such as porridge, pasta, couscous, soup and tea bags.
Late on Saturday we headed back to Darling Harbour to visit Sydney Aquarium which again is great for families but not for me. Saturday night they have a huge firework display in the harbour but again it rained but was still good all the same.
On Sunday we took advantage of the cheap travel and took the ferry to Manly, the ferry took 30 minutes and you pick it up from circular quay. The ferry is good for great bridge and Opera House views. The trip was nice and calm until it reaches the outlet and then it gets really rough. We visited the Manly Sea Life Park but once again it's really just an attraction for families but killed an hour. Manly is really worth a visit and Manly beach is great better than Bondi I think. There is a nice walk along the coast to Shelley Beach where if you want to climb a little the views are amazing.
Monday we had our bridge climb booked so we're up early for our bowl of porridge. The bridge climb was really good but I think the groups are too big and the headsets kept breaking. The weather was the best with not a cloud in the sky. We spent 3 hours doing the preparation and climb and off course the obligatory photos you have to view. The ticket also gave us entry into one of the pylons where again the views of Sydney were great.
The night before I had made a few inquiries about some vehicles and a guy called Tim called me back and so we made arrangements to meet him that afternoon over at Kings Cross. He worked for a company called www.travelwheels.com.au they mainly hire vehicles but do also sell some. He had a really nice Toyota Tarago camper van for $11,200 (£5,300) with 6 months rego and I got him to throw in a full tank of petrol. The car he showed us wasn't the one we could buy so we had to go to another depot to view another car the same. At Botany Bay the car we viewed again was really nice and decided to buy it even though it was over budget by a couple of thousand. Once all the paperwork was completed and we paid a deposit we then had to find some good wifi to arrange the money transfer.
Back at circular quay we walked to the Opera House where a seal was resting on the rocks, looked quite lonely and lost. From the Opera House there is a nice walk around to Mrs. Macquaries point and chair. This walk takes you through the Royal Botanic Gardens which are beautiful gardens which ponds, a train, plenty of seating and a cafe. Today is a very hot day, the hottest so far and as we needed to cool down so we headed for the Sydney Library. This is a library, a real library like you see in the movies with students sitting at rows of desks and floor to ceiling of books. The main thing is you can always get wifi in a library so we were able to do the money transfer to pay for car as we want to collect on Thursday and head out of Sydney for the Blue Mountains.
China Town is well worth a visit especially if you like Chinese food, I'm surprised it's not bigger as I think the biggest population of Sydney is oriental. Also there is a lot of street beggars in Sydney, they sit everywhere in the road, on crossings and pavements. Also in the city parks is like a tent city which is a shame as it kinda puts you off from walking through them.
There is two free walking tours, one during the day and the other which we did was around The Rocks is an evening one. It lasts 90 minutes and was really interesting with lots of facts about the early settlers of Sydney.
Our last full day in Sydney we went to Bondi Beach, it wasn't a great day but at least it wasn't raining. To me Bondi is just a beach, nothing special but there is a lovely coastal walk which covers two other beaches and the walk ends at Bronte beach. Bondi has a big shopping area set back from the beach so time for a sit down and a coffee.
Thursday before we left the hostel we did some washing and left it hanging on their line while we went into the city, returning later to collect our bags and washing. After collecting our clothes I only had 2 tee shirts and I know in a week I worn more than 2 tee shirts, so someone had nicked my tee shirts, hopefully that was all the took. So we are of to pick car up so hopefully the funds have reached the dealers account. Yes funds have cleared so we can collect the our new home for the next 6 months and hit the road to start our great road trip.
TIP: if you intend to buy a vehicle here open up an account with HIFX, it's a foreign exchange company but it all be done online free of charge and funds arrive within 48hrs.
After leaving the Botany Bay we hit rush hour traffic so to travel the 50 miles to the Blue Mountains took us 3hrs and that's stopping for food and a crate of beer.
Our sleeping pattern is all over the place for the first 3 days but we still managed to get out and amount doing the tourist stuff. On Friday we had already booked to walk around the outside of the Sydney Tower Eye which was disappointing mainly due to it raining and visibility was really bad.
After this we walked to Darling Harbour to visit Wild Life Sydney and Madame Tussaud's, both were ok. Normally I wouldn't be interested in these type of attractions but we had a combo ticket and it was raining so a few hours were killed. Feeling tired now it was ready to return to hostel for some well earned sleep. 2pm we woke on Saturday, not sure how I sleep so long without needing a wee but I did. So glad for the porridge I brought over as I was so hungry, was worried about bringing food over but had no trouble in customs. We mainly brought packet food such as porridge, pasta, couscous, soup and tea bags.
Late on Saturday we headed back to Darling Harbour to visit Sydney Aquarium which again is great for families but not for me. Saturday night they have a huge firework display in the harbour but again it rained but was still good all the same.
On Sunday we took advantage of the cheap travel and took the ferry to Manly, the ferry took 30 minutes and you pick it up from circular quay. The ferry is good for great bridge and Opera House views. The trip was nice and calm until it reaches the outlet and then it gets really rough. We visited the Manly Sea Life Park but once again it's really just an attraction for families but killed an hour. Manly is really worth a visit and Manly beach is great better than Bondi I think. There is a nice walk along the coast to Shelley Beach where if you want to climb a little the views are amazing.
Monday we had our bridge climb booked so we're up early for our bowl of porridge. The bridge climb was really good but I think the groups are too big and the headsets kept breaking. The weather was the best with not a cloud in the sky. We spent 3 hours doing the preparation and climb and off course the obligatory photos you have to view. The ticket also gave us entry into one of the pylons where again the views of Sydney were great.
The night before I had made a few inquiries about some vehicles and a guy called Tim called me back and so we made arrangements to meet him that afternoon over at Kings Cross. He worked for a company called www.travelwheels.com.au they mainly hire vehicles but do also sell some. He had a really nice Toyota Tarago camper van for $11,200 (£5,300) with 6 months rego and I got him to throw in a full tank of petrol. The car he showed us wasn't the one we could buy so we had to go to another depot to view another car the same. At Botany Bay the car we viewed again was really nice and decided to buy it even though it was over budget by a couple of thousand. Once all the paperwork was completed and we paid a deposit we then had to find some good wifi to arrange the money transfer.
Back at circular quay we walked to the Opera House where a seal was resting on the rocks, looked quite lonely and lost. From the Opera House there is a nice walk around to Mrs. Macquaries point and chair. This walk takes you through the Royal Botanic Gardens which are beautiful gardens which ponds, a train, plenty of seating and a cafe. Today is a very hot day, the hottest so far and as we needed to cool down so we headed for the Sydney Library. This is a library, a real library like you see in the movies with students sitting at rows of desks and floor to ceiling of books. The main thing is you can always get wifi in a library so we were able to do the money transfer to pay for car as we want to collect on Thursday and head out of Sydney for the Blue Mountains.
China Town is well worth a visit especially if you like Chinese food, I'm surprised it's not bigger as I think the biggest population of Sydney is oriental. Also there is a lot of street beggars in Sydney, they sit everywhere in the road, on crossings and pavements. Also in the city parks is like a tent city which is a shame as it kinda puts you off from walking through them.
There is two free walking tours, one during the day and the other which we did was around The Rocks is an evening one. It lasts 90 minutes and was really interesting with lots of facts about the early settlers of Sydney.
Our last full day in Sydney we went to Bondi Beach, it wasn't a great day but at least it wasn't raining. To me Bondi is just a beach, nothing special but there is a lovely coastal walk which covers two other beaches and the walk ends at Bronte beach. Bondi has a big shopping area set back from the beach so time for a sit down and a coffee.
Thursday before we left the hostel we did some washing and left it hanging on their line while we went into the city, returning later to collect our bags and washing. After collecting our clothes I only had 2 tee shirts and I know in a week I worn more than 2 tee shirts, so someone had nicked my tee shirts, hopefully that was all the took. So we are of to pick car up so hopefully the funds have reached the dealers account. Yes funds have cleared so we can collect the our new home for the next 6 months and hit the road to start our great road trip.
TIP: if you intend to buy a vehicle here open up an account with HIFX, it's a foreign exchange company but it all be done online free of charge and funds arrive within 48hrs.
After leaving the Botany Bay we hit rush hour traffic so to travel the 50 miles to the Blue Mountains took us 3hrs and that's stopping for food and a crate of beer.
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