June 2022 – Chris & Merelyn's Travels

June 28th

Day two on Kangaroo Island, the weather is beautiful. Didn’t expect that. We headed out to the Cygnet River, where there is a nice free camp ,not that we have the van with us, but was worth checking it out, and the old farm that used to have a eucalyptus distillery down on the river bank.

So it was a good place to have an early morning walk . and take some more old world photos. Hope your not getting bored with the pics of old stuff.

We thought this was an old well, but Chris does all the reading, and said it was the old toilet, anyway there was a very deep hole inside the rails !?

Down the road a bit further is Wisanger, Another stop to look at the old school.

Out the back in the playground was the old loo, no I haven’t got a fascination with toilets, but this one still had the old double wooden seat in it. Imagine that in this day and age.!!

Also in the same area is Georges Castle, the 3rd generation to live on the property, he has spent the last 20 years, transforming the farm into a wonderland, complete with 60,000 fairy lights. Just some of the photos I took as there was way to many displays, to show them all.

From there it we went on to the coast and stopped into Stokes bay, We enjoyed the walk through the rocks, dodging the waves as we came onto the beach, a lovely sheltered little beach

I love the way plants attach themselves to the rocks, a real natures garden. Next stop was King George Beach,

Then Snellings Beach.

From there it was all down hill into the beautiful Western River Cove.

If your wondering about lunches or coffee breaks, there’s none. Whether it be covid or the bush fires, or just that it is off season. there is nothing open. And very few stores anyway. Lucky Chris set up the Pie warmer he had in a truck, in the Triton, so each day we take lunches with us. Our last stop for the day was Cape Borda Lighthouse, at the far end of the Island. They wernt sure if they wanted it to be round or square, so it’s a combination of both.

The grader was out there, doing the road, and it really needs it. Bit rough going on all the coastal roads. there is only 2 major sealed roads from one end to the other, the rest is gravel, some ok and some not so good.

June 27th

On Monday morning we went down to the Sealink dock at Cape Jervis, and were loaded onboard by 5.45am. Before we knew it we were docking at Kangaroo Island.

It wasn’t quite daylight when we came off the ferry, so we drove around lost for a few minutes. there wasn’t anybody around and nowhere to get a cuppa. Ok next best thing to do was start site seeing through Wiki camps . First stop was Baudin Beach, just as the sun was rising.

Then it was Prospect Hill, and 390 steps up. I thought about not doing the climb, but then what the heck…, so with a few stops I reached the top.

Coming down was easy, and the views had been worth the effort.

From there we went looking for a cafe, still nothing open, and we pulled into American River Jetty, surely there will be a shop there ! No.., then I saw the seals lolling around at the wharf edge.

Apparently its tiring, being a seal, as this one was yawning quite often.

While we were there we met up with a gentleman that is one of the volunteers building a replicate of the American Schooner, Independence. 1803. He was very interesting to talk to, and to see the project. We also bought two pieces of origan timber, that will have our name on one, and Jodie’s Inspiration on the other. When the building is completed the purchased timber strips will line the walls inside. They hope to have it completed within 3years.

I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to the seals . This fellow was such a poser.

He decided I needed some close up photos, and started climbing up the rocks towards me. Do they bite ??.

One more close up and it was time to go.

We couldn’t get into our accomodation till 12pm, so had a bit of a look around the township of Kingscote, where we are staying. There is a rock swimming pool, nice views across the bay and newly painted silos.

Our accommodation is a bit dated but comfortable .

After finally unpacking we had something to eat, then went for a drive out to Emu Bay and Bay of Shoals. It is so quiet over here at the moment, we feel like there isn’t another soul around.

We had a nice wander along the beach to finish off the day, so here’s cheers to day one on Kangaroo island…

June 26th

We met up with friends again yesterday morning. Climbing the Bluff in Victor Harbour was 1st on the agender.

The track up goes around the cliff edges, it was a beautiful day and the views were spectacular. A rather steep incline, and at times looking down was a bit scary.

Goolwa is a nice area and not far from Victor Harbour.

Our exercise done we drove across the Peninsular to the western side to some of the beach areas. this is Aldinga beach below.

Again nice views, no matter which way you looked from the lookouts. Then there was Willunga .We parked in the car park and took the walk down the cliff face to the waters edge.

The path down was good, then some stairs led to the waters edge, where some remains of the old jetty are still in the water.

From there it was just a quick hop step and jump, while the waves were out, to get onto the rocks and walk along below the cliff, to see caves that had been dug out of the cliff face.

Apparently the caves had been dug out to put boats in, back in the 1800s

We headed back through Yankalilla as the rain was starting to come across, and it had turned cold, again. It was a nice day out and we arrived back at the park, in time to get the washing off the line, and watch the footy on TV. We left Victor Harbour this morning in the rain.

The rain eased, and we followed rainbows as we headed down the coast.

As we got closer to Cape Jarvis, we could see Kangaroo Island across the water, that’s where we are off to for 4 days. We unhooked the van at the Tavern and went to have a look around the area.

Just near the town of Silverton is the old Talisker mining site, again from the early 1800s. We did the walk through the bush looking at all the old building remains and mine shafts. You can also see where they dug the material out to make the bricks for the buildings.

The only thing that spoils the natural beauty of Morgans Beach is those ugly wind turbines. South Australia has them everywhere.

From there it was back to have dinner at the Tavern and get a good nights sleep in the van, before we board the ferry at 5.30am for Kangaroo Island. Day one of KI tomorrow night hopefully, night night.

June 23rd

We are very happy with our new awning. After a couple of wet days in Adelaide, we started to travel down the Fleurier peninsular . First stop was for morning tea and a walk out on the jetty at Glenelg.

Ok, that’s enough of city dwellings and the traffic that goes with it. As there isn’t many free camps down this way and we don’t like Caravan parks, we phoned the Forestry Dept and booked into a bush camp for 2 nights. I think we were given a top spot. Yes, that is sun shining, good for the solar, and a table setting and fire pit as well.

It was nice to be able to go for a walk through the bush, without getting wet, and I cooked baked pork and vegetables outside in the Weber for lunch. A relaxing day.

After two quiet nights in the forest, we travelled across the hilly countryside to Goolwa , where there is a big bridge that goes across to Hindmarsh Island, which is where the mouth of the mighty Murray River is.

We have often stayed along the Murray over the years, as it flows through so many areas, but I had never given any thought to where it actually entered the sea. Interesting !!

We met up with a couple of friends there, and arranged to catch up after we booked into a Victor Harbour caravan park. That done we went back into town, had a cuppa and then took the horse and tram over to Granite Island which is just across the Harbour, via a walking bridge, and tram line.

Once on the island we spent the next couple of hours walking around the complete island.

Up the stairs to start with, then around the cliff face, well worth the views , and some fun in the big Granite rocks at the top.

This wind blown tree at the top was worth a pic I thought. then it was down the other side to where our trusty horse was being hitched to the other end of the carriage, for the journey back to Victor Harbour.

No cooking for the girls that night , We decided fish and chips at the Flying Fish restaurant on the waterfront at Port Elliot was the go. A beautiful evening to be out.

Well that was yesterday. We are still in Victor Harbour tonight and we’ve had a big day today so that’s it for tonight .

June 20th

It became very windy and cold at Narrung, so we took the van for its 1st ferry ride across the lakes and then up to Wellington.

The weather being horrible, we just took a couple of pics and kept going.

From there it was to Tailem Bend, another quick look around.

Milang seems an interesting little place on the shaws of Lake Alexandrina, would like to of had more of a look around, on a nice day though. lots of brightly coloured fishing huts on the foreshore. And one very old out house.

Having enough of the cold, we booked into a caravan park at Strathalbyn, before going for a rather brisk walk through the main area of town. then it was back to the airconditioned van for the night.

After a warm night, the next day we spent the day in Adelaide, in pouring rain. Well most of the day was indoors at the Port Adelaide Maritime Museum.

We quite enjoyed the time there, I found this hand woven version of a carp, amazing.

Still a kid at heart, and not all on display was to do with the sea.

I loved how this photo frame is crafted out of small pieces of timber ,cut and fitted together without any nails or glue.

And my pic for the day goes to this vessel made from matchsticks. Incredible. When we finished at the Maritime ,we had enough time left to go through the railway museum, and it was still raining.

Well that’s enough of the city, for now. So back to St Kilda for the night. Chris had some fun in the Kids playground. We are staying overnight in the foreshore car park across from the park, as its handy to where we have to go to get a new awning fitted to the van.

I didn’t go aboard the pirate ship, as there was some nutter threatening to cut my head off

Thats it for now, we head back down south to Victor Harbour tomorrow.

June 19th

Every day our Jodie inspires us to Live Life Large. here we are in Kingston SA. What a pretty town ,so much to see.

It is very RV friendly, with a park full of murals ,there is overnight parking in the middle of town. all done by card.

How about this little book swap , cute eh!

This 5 ton, sand sculpture, which was created in February ,I think, was also in the park. Amazing its still standing, with the wild weather down here and apparently no vandals.

There is also plenty of old buildings, and these two old houses also caught my eye. the second one was my pic for the day, just loved it.

Lobster for dinner that night would of been nice, but this fellow wouldn’t fit in the van.

So that was our visit to Kingston. That afternoon we travelled further along the coast and pulled up in the carpark to view the granite rocks. It was lovely to walk along a beach for a change.

That evening the sun set with a pink glow, so we decided to stay another day. The next morning the tide was out enough that I could get to the rock, but couldn’t climb on it as there was no foot holds, and I could see myself slipping and getting a wet A, bum. And yes a warm sunny day.

A nice long walk, beach combing, just checking out what the overnight, high tide had left.

The next day we drove out into the Coorong National Park, its mainly wet lands, with lots of bird life

After being escorted out of there by these three, we made camp at the ferry wharf, at Narrung.

The lighthouse is on the other side of the lake. We took a ferry ride the next day and had a look around it, and the old homestead,

As I was sorting out in the van I looked out the window ,,, the sights you see when you haven’t got a gun,,, then again is that a gun…. should we be camping here ??

All good, nobody told me it was open season on ducks.!! Hopefully we’re not sitting ducks. That evening I was able to sit out on the wharf and take photos of the ferry crossing back and forth and the sun setting .

The view from the van across the park was also lovely.

We took the ferry the following day, and then walked up to the lighthouse. It was cold and blowing a gale, so we didn’t hang around too long.

Some of the remains from the original homestead still stand.

Before we left Narrung, we went for alook around the Aboriginal settlement, lots of homes all kept tidy and plenty of activities in the park to occupy the kids. A nice mural is on one of the buildings.

Thats it for tonight. Going into Adelaide tomorrow to have a new awning fitted to the van.

June 18th

Our camp site at Lakeside C/P was a nice one, a grassed area right on the lake and had its own BBQ and outdoor setting

The next day we woke to a brilliant sunny morning, for a change, just what we needed to go explore Robe.

Our first stop was out at the point where an Obelisk sits on the cliff edge, doubt it will sit there much longer, the way the cliff is crumbling away

We did a cliff top walk, Robe is suck a nice place to see on a sunny day.

There is also the remains of a goal from the 1800s

So much of the old stone work around South Australia is being restored and used. This is a lookout below,

From Robe we drove out to Point Jaffa, and on some not so good roads.

One of our walks took us through dense scrub for a couple of klms, till we came across more goal relics. Must of been a lot of bad buggers back in 1800s

Some of the tracks we took, we maybe shouldn’t have, but so far Chris has managed to get us out without any damage.

This turn around took more goes than usual. But it was worth it. Then we made our way through the bush to the beach.

And look what we found,!!! Made for interesting conversation ,when we finally got back to the car park and met the owner and his rescue party. They were also impressed with Chris’s turning ability with the van on.

Also on the way back to the car, Chris came across a wombat, but I didn’t get a good photo. First time we have seen one in the wild, alive, usually they are dead on the side of the road.

Thats it for tonight, Kingston is next……

June 17th

The last 2 days we have been so busy sightseeing the coastal areas that I have got behind with the blog, Again !!

Lets see, where was I up to .We ended up staying overnight at a roadside stop, it was more sheltered than the coast and lake areas of the last 2 nights. The drive along the coast to Beachport was lovely.

They call this a blowhole, but nothing like the Kiama blowhole. Anyway it was nice for a photo, with the rainbow and stormy clouds over the sea.

It didn’t matter which way you looked, we were in for some rain. So it was a good time to head into Robe, and book into a caravan park for the night. Lakeside park was nice and we had a good spot,with our own BBQ and seating, no we didn’t use it ! It poured rain, and we spent most of the next few hours, in the laundry. We certainty make use of our park stops, and the air condition run most of the night. Thats it for tonight catch up on our stay in Robe next.

June 14th

Mt Gambier area has many lakes, we enjoyed viewing the Blue Lakes and driving through the streets with so many beautiful old buildings and homes.

This cactus garden took my eye, but the photo doesn’t do it justice

Still in Mt Gambier, we stopped for a photo of the Valley Lake. It was very cold and starting to rain.

Next stop was at Pines Cave. We happened to stop at the right time as there were a couple diving in the Crystal clear water in the cave. First time we have seen this, and defiantly not for the faint hearted.

After a good day and seeing something new, we made camp on the banks of Lake Leake. We stayed there for two nights, until we were sick of staying in bed all day, as it was too floggin cold and wet to go out. A nice spot, even had wood for a fire, but too cold and windy to sit out.

This morning we headed toward Millicent, going through the pine forests.

We stopped in at the Tantanoola caves, but they were closed, however we were still able to do the rocky walk over the top and have a nice view of the surrounding forests.

Not far from Millicent, we stopped for lunch at Lake McIntyre, so much bird life here. It appears to have been a quarry at some stage, and now has been returned to nature with walks and picnic areas provided for the public.

There is also a number of bird watching huts provided. I could of spent hours here.

From there we went out to the coast and Southend. A nice area, overlooking the rugged coastline

Normally I would walk out to the end of a wharf, but half way was enough in this cold wind

A quick stop for a couple of photos at Cape Buffon, then to find a sheltered spot to camp the night.

June 12th

When we were driving into Wannon, I had noticed a trestle bridge over in the bush, so the next morning we went looking for it. The closest we could get was about 500mtrs away, through a barb wire fence and scrub. So off I went, and this is what I found.

From there we called into Casterton and being long weekend, the Kelpie Muster was on. We were convinced at the tourist centre, that it would be worth staying . Covid has hit this town hard with most shops closed.

Well we never expected so many to arrive for a dog show !! Over 10,000. The street parade was so much fun . The main street was lined with onlookers, all a buzz, and so many Kelpies.

After the parade, the serious events got underway. The 50mtr dash was fun to watch. There was over 130 dogs that participated.

These three Red dogs, did very well in all events.

These working dogs are so loyal to their owners, and will try anything they are asked to do, to watch them scale a 2.5 mtr wall, to get to their owner was amazing.

The rest of the day we fill in watching the dogs working the sheep with the master on horseback. I have always enjoyed these events at the shows, but this was extra special as we were up close and I was able to take plenty of photos.

This is Scout, my pic for the day, he sat beside me, and watched the muster for at least an hour, that his owner was there. He never took his eyes off the events . At times it got too much for him to sit down so he would stand up at the fence like a kid. Just loved watching how interested he was.

Thankfully the rain held off all day, we watched some of the Hillclimb event, but by then, the evening was down to a chilly 8deg, however a nice sunset at Ess Lake where we were staying for 2 nights.