Chris & Merelyn's Travels

May 6th

While staying at Cooper Pedy we did a couple of big day drives, there is a lot of open space and not much to see until you reach the point of interest. Our first day was out past Mt Barry and a stop at Patsies car.

We all had a bit of fun, but couldn’t get it started, so settled for some photos, which broke the monotony of the drive.

Obviously there is cattle out here, as we came across cattle yards, but not a beast in sight.

Further on, the hills at Arckaringa were a welcome sight, we got out and had a look from a viewing point, and took some photos

Now for what we had come out to see, the Painted Desert.

Quite spectacular on such a perfect day, but I guess it would be nice to see at sunset also.

A truly beautiful area to see. Then we were on our way to Oodnadatta.

The main attraction was the Pink Roadhouse ,where we had a lunch of huge hamburgers and chips. No need for dinner that night,.

We walked around the town, taking some photos and going through the old railway station museum.

The Transcontinental Hotel seemed to be closed. As was most other old buildings.

The Museum, was interesting enough, but I didn’t stay inside long, I prefered to go out into the park area and watch the little finches flitting around.

After that we were back on that famous Oodnadatta Track. In general what we did of it, the conditions were not too bad.

Next was Antakirinja Breakawaysi in the conservation Park not far from Cooper Pedy. We spent a couple of hours out there talking to other travellers and taking photos as the sun went down.

There were lots of emus out there, all bailed up by the dog fence. They are such stupid birds, they run beside the cars as you go past and crash into the fence, continually

The next morning we went to the underground church in town

Thank God the roof didn’t fall in,! I let Chris open the door and go in first.

Next we went and looked through some opal jewellery shops, hmmm, very nice but…

So much mining out here, we went into one area and dug around, but it was hot going, so drove back into town and settled for a waffle and ice cream at the waffle and Gem shop.

That evening I walked up the hill behind the caravan park as the sun was setting. A nice all round view to complete our stay in Cooper Pedy

There’s a nice restaurant on the hill with great views.

The next morning we drove further North to a lovely area at a waterhole, at the western end of the Oodnadatta track. Just out of Marla. Still in South Australia but not far from the Northern Territory border now.

It was a lovely evening sitting around the camp fire and watching the sun go down on another good day in the Centre.

Yesterday we went into Marla and stayed at the caravan park so we could do washing . Not a bad little spot, but nothing else to look at. The clothes are clean but I don’t think we will ever get rid of the red dust in the car and van.

Today Chris and I have come back out to the water hole camp, so a day of rest for us, while Guy and Annie have gone on to another camp and going in to be at the geographical centre of Australia. I’m happy to catch up with the blog today and wait for another sunset. Chris is sitting in the sun reading. Ahh the serenity… keep well everyone.

May 3rd

From Roxby Downs we headed up to Lake Eyre for a day drive…

Driving around here, the roads can be a bit challenging, but it’s all part of the adventure.

A couple of stops along the way, to stretch the legs

Parts of the Oodnadatta track, were a bit corrugated, but not as bad as we expected.

Our next stop was Lake Eyre South. Happy to say we’ve seen it, but nothing spectacular.

It’s exciting when you see a waterhole on these dry dusty roads, so we pulled up for a pic.

Our next break was to have a look around the remains of an old railway siding and take some happy snaps.

Further along the dusty track we called into Coward Springs. And no, I didn’t go for a dip

We paid our money but didn’t use the dunny, haha !

Had a quick look through the little museum,

A couple of aerial photos, complements of Guys drone.,of the old Ghan railway line and bridge, which access to is now shut.

Then we came across Mound Springs. Water all the way from Queensland, bubbling up in the middle of the desert.

The bubbler spring, further down the road was even more impressive. As the water bubbled up it made lovely patterns on the pond. Nice.

Back on the dry dusty track again we came across more salt lakes.

A short stop for a look around Mutonia Peace Park. Lots of objects made out of pieces of junk, no doubt collected off the roadside.

No sure what sort of mushroom type things these are, they were also in the park. Bit different eh!

We got back to our camp outside Roxby after one very big day out.

Moving on, we headed for Cooper Peedy, A stop for a look at Lake Heart, proved to be more interesting than our Lake Eyre viewing.

It had been another long day, so only a couple more break before we did the last leg of the trip into Coober Pedy.

A stop for a cuppa and fuel at Glendambo roadhouse.

A couple of fun pics as we entered town, then down to the free camp to get our sites for the next few days.

The camping area is behind the Old Timers Mine, it’s very rustic and in a cutting on the side of a hill.

That’s it for now xx

April 30th

I love the beauty of Port Augusta.

The white salt from the lakes, the blue hue from the surrounding mountains and wide open spaces.

The only thing that is ruining the views is the wind turbines.

Again we are having great weather, and the drive out the long straights to Woomera was nice.

We got to the space station in time to go through the museum and walk around the area

A great display of all things spacewise, lots of rockets, models and planes.

Not to be forgotten are the disasters, bits and pieces of mangled metal and wiring. All interesting to look and read about, especially for the boys.

An old medicine chest, caught my eye, complete with old bottles of remedies.

Back outside more rockets, weather stations and Data collectors. Could do with this one back in Casino, maybe we would get a better internet reception 😀.

Bit scary to think that this stuff is hovering around above us, some landings are good, others not too good.

That afternoon we pulled into a RV ground next to Spuds roadhouse. Many others there too.

It wasn’t the best sunset, but the sunrise the next morning, as a freight train rattled through close by, had the promise of a nice day ahead.

Next stop was Roxby Downs and a bit of a wander around the mining town.

It’s obvious that the mining company puts a lot into its town and community. A very clean town with well kept streets and parks.

We had our own little camping area not far from Roxby, which was handy to leave the vans and drive out to the opal fields around Andamooka.

One of the most interesting places to visit and walk around.

Little Dugouts built into the hillsides. Most of the ones we saw were old and falling to bits, however there are still people living in homes built back into the hills.

It seems like the miners just dug into the hills wherever, as there didn’t seem to be any plan to the town.

Driving around out here is quite spectacular.

Before we left town we had a visit to Cal, the Tiger Man. He lives up in the hills and spends his days and years, creating sculptures out of rocks. Very clever bloke.

The Tiger he has completed is ready to go on Display. Incredible that each piece of coloured rock is cut and placed in position to build such an amazing piece.

His next piece, being worked on in the shed, is a 6ft 8″ , Woman .

We were invited back into his home for photos in the bar.

A great place to visit, and no doubt there is some interesting characters living there.

We drove back to our camping spot, and sat chatting till the sun went down.

April 25th

Our stay at Wirraburra, was a nice one, and on ANZAC day we attended the Service in town.

A nice tiled mural in the park as well as a quirky kangaroo, made from chicken wire.

The towns folk. gathered for the service at the cenatarf, as did we.

That afternoon we sat around and planned the days ahead.

On Friday Chris and I did the trip to Port Augusta and picked up our new bank cards, after 4 weeks of drama, thanks to bank stuff ups .

The next day we all went for a day drive to the small towns of James town, Laura and Gladstone. Lots of murals and old buildings to see.

love this mural of galahs, but the shadow from awning, stuffed my pic up.

The tunnel is having murals painted in it and the kangaroo one has just been completed

Then a look through the museum, hmmm some interesting things in there

To finish off the day Chris and I went for a drive up to the lookout, nice view.

We will leave Wirrabara and start going on our adventure up the Centre tomorrow.

April 25th

Lest We Forget

This morning we attended a lovely ANZAC service in Wirrabara .

I also found some art while walking around town.

After the service we made our way to the Bakery and tried out their vanilla slices. Yes they passed the taste test.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with washing and odd jobs around the van. Then there was the trip planning and booking for the next couple of weeks. A bit of serious stuff going on here.

That’s it for tonight, time to watch footy. X

April 23rd

Another roadside stop last night at Apsley Vic.

We were up and on the road early this morning, and gained an extra half hour as we crossed the border into South Australia..

The Bakery at Bordertown was our breakfast stop. The park there is one of the best we’ve been to.

As for the Bakery it is brilliant, a great big modern building, built over and around the heritage police station and goal. As well as being a Bakery it’s new building is full of old memorabilia, all beautifully displayed around the dining area, that has polished timber furniture. What a great idea.

The Toilets outside were the old lock up, painted black and white, with original lock up doors, including bars across the top, and the old systern toilet with pull chain. Well done to whoever had the inspiration to create this site, the old and the new under one roof. Only negative was the attitude of the lady behind the counter, maybe she had been locked up all night.

OK, moving on, I had a walk around town to get a couple more pics.

Driving on to Coonalpyn, the silo art is nice, but not very clear for photos.

The mosaic murals as we drove into Murray Bridge are colourful. The wind has become quite strong and it’s 25 degrees . So we pulled up for night.

We unhooked the van and went for a drive around.

Bridges across the mighty Murray, the first bridge to cross the river completed in 1879.

Today was a beautiful drive, we drove through lots of small towns in the valleys, as we headed for Adelaide, the Barossa and Clare valleys are very dry at the moment, but still beautiful with their autumn leaves

Most of my photos were taken while travelling , as we are meeting up with friends, tonight, who we have planned to travel onward up the Centre with, so only one stop for lunch, in a park at Kapunda.

We definitely need to come back and spend more time around this area, at some stage.

We arrived in Wirrabara caravan Park this afternoon and met up with Guy and Annie . And wow, sat down to the best baked dinner. prepared by Annie, and talked over the adventure ahead.

Spending Anzac day tomorrow in this little town, so a day of rest , and “Lest We Forget “, Those that gave their time and lives for this great country, that we have the privilege to be travelling around and live in.

April 22nd

Back in Victoria

We were a bit late getting into Geelong on Saturday night, Drove for about half an hour, before we pulled into a roadside stop, and got some sleep, after another calm crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania. Morning tea the next morning was at the bridge in Winchelsea.

We are trying to go on different roads to what we have been before, next stop was a lookout at Alvie. Not a bad view of the surrounding layout of the land.

A nice day and drive through the lakes area, before stopping at a camping spot in Cressy

Another one of those back roads. Hopefully we are not much over 5 t.

We called into the Devils Kitchen, near Linton, we have been there before, Chris went for a walk and I did some bird watching.

Next stop was brunch at Lake Bolac.

We have also been to see this little church before, but so worth having another look to share.

It’s in the little town of Glenthompson , and the walls are covered in beautiful murals.

Quick stop in Balmoral, then on to Harrow, an old town ,with a quirky sense of humour .

Lots of interesting things, that we haven’t seen before, and a nice way to finish the day.

Chris’s idea of fun, and not wanting to miss out on a bargain. Glad it wouldn’t fit in the van,!! Been a quick trip across Victoria. SA next.

April 20th

Goodbye Tasmania

We stayed in a lovely RV camp in Evandale, while we did a final day drive up to Port Sorell. Evandale is an old heritage town with lots of beautiful buildings and gardens.

The time is near. What a lovely time we have had over the last 10 weeks. However, we could have done with a few more weeks and slowed down a bit. Been very busy to say the least.!

Chris went into Launceston and got new tyres on the Triton while I did a wander around Evandale. Some lovely speciality shops ,hmmm.

I guess I had just better stick to taking photos on my walk.

As for Port Sorell, nothing happening around there. So just a couple of pics.

Well that’s just about it, a quick stop at the big cricket stumps in Westbury, then back to the van, which is near Devonport. We were both awake early this morning, and it didn’t take long to pack up and go down to board the Spirit of Tasmania for Geelong in Victoria.

A beautiful calm, sunny day to farewell Tasmania.

Just coming into Geelong, Many roads travelled, many towns visited and 7,000klm, clocked up. Been there done that. Hope you all have enjoyed the blog. Keep safe and well everyone. Regards Merelyn and Chris xx

April 17th

An early morning walk in Saint Helens

A few murals and a lovely clean park, to greet another sunny day.

From Saint Helens to The Gardens in the Bay of fires, more colourful rocks to wander around and take happy snaps.

Next stop was to view some of the beaches and headland around Sloop Reef, Swimcart Beach and Cosy Corner.

It really is a beautiful area of the State. Binalong Bay is also pretty.

A bit further to the North is Eddystone Point and one of the Nicest lighthouses we’ve come across. Built in the 1800S.

And that my friends is one very yellow boat….

We hadn’t given much thought as to where we would stay that night., and we were travelling on pretty rough gravel backroads, so as the sun went down we made our own free camp on the edge of the road.

The next morning we arrived in Scottsdale and parked the van in an unused railway yard ,right in the middle of town. from there we could do more forestry drives.

We are seeing so many wood carvings around the small towns up North. Very clever to be able to make them with a chainsaw.

Next was a drive out to St Columbia Falls…the road was so overgrown , narrow and little more than a walking track.

It wasn’t until we got to the falls carpark, that we realised we had been on a no through road. Had a laugh and started on the walking track to the falls.

No different to the road in, really!!

Again, the forest walk was lovely, lots of tree ferns, and another interesting sign.

The falls were flowing well, especially as there has been very little rain.

So green and fresh

After the falls, we drove out the way we should have come in. The next stop was lunch at the Pub In The Paddock .The best hamburger and chips.

The paddock is a lovely setting,very picturesque, and plenty of seating options from inside , the veranda or outdoors.

The next morning, we went for a walk along a disused railway track and came to a tunnel. We didn’t walk through it but the entrance was more evidence of the great construction work done in the 1800S.

We drove on to George Town and then up to Low Head, seeing more timber carvings along the way.

We were lucky enough to arrive at the museum as a caretaker was just leaving, so he allowed us to go in and have a look at the display . Quite an array of former sealife.

This old castle caught my eye as we were driving back from Low Head . Also a lot more timber carvings here.

How about the detail on this Eagle.

One of a few channel markers around George Town.

The art on the water tower and views from the lookout over George Town and surrounding areas

The Batman Bridge across the Tamar River is quite a sight, and the surrounding park is well kept

We only have a couple of days left in Tassy, so yesterday we spent the day in Launceston.

The day started off a bit cloudy, but that didn’t distract from the beauty of the landscape.

We decided to go into Cataract Gorge for a look. Seemed like the only touristy thing left to do .We took the chairlift over the river, taking in the sights from above the park.

When we got to the other side, it was starting to sprinkle with rain. However, we did the walk along the river almost to the Kings Bridge . What a great park to see on our last venture.

We had a chat and a coffee in the Cafe as the rain had become a bit heavier.

Instead of taking the chairlift back out, we waited till the rain stopped and walked across the swinging bridge.

That was a great way to spend our day, we’re staying at Evandale, and so last night we drove back into Launceston, about half an hour drive, to have dinner out.

We had Mexican at the Prickly Cactus, which had flowering Cactus on a wall outside. A nice way to finish the day.

I updated my blog app today and have had a hard time using it tonight. Not sure how this post will show. Xx

April 12th

Liffey State Forest, in the Central Plateau….

Still using Liffey School as a base, we headed out to do the walk to Liffey Falls. What a beautiful Forrest, big tree ferns, big trees and magnificent water falls.

There are 3 areas on the way down that you can look out from

The walk in was easygoing, with plenty of interesting things to pause and look at, like this hole in a tree stump, and I didn’t stick my hand in to see if the occupant was home.!

Looking up you can see how thick the forest is, and what a perfect day to be doing the walk.

once we reached the bottom of the falls it was brilliant. Without getting our feet wet we were able to get up close to the water. I like the pic of the sun peeking through the trees.

Before we left the forest we did a short walk in to see this big tree. I’ve seen bigger in WA, but this is a big one.

Next we drove around the lakes, and did the conservation board walk. Again another beautiful place, but the wind was freezing so we didn’t hang around long.

To finish off our day out we drove up to the power station lookout, nice views from up there. Then back to the van and put on our Diesel heater. Best investment before coming to Tassy.

We moved camp and are now back in the R V park at Campbell Town. We had a nice dinner at the Ross pub and planned a day out in the Ben Lomond National Park

OK, let’s go and do Jacobs Ladder, a good day for the climb, no rain or snow. And we’re told it’s a must do.!

We stopped in to the Ski base Cafe for a coffee before doing the climb

Up… Up..

The rocky cliffs were amazing and the gravel road was very steep and narrow and winding.

Surprisingly at the top there was nothing open, and not all that cold..I was able to get some photos of the bush flowers that are there.

There’s only about half a dozen chalets at the top .

I liked this little water garden on the edge of the road.

Then it was time to go down to the base again.

A pretty good day out, and we didn’t have to exert ourselves. The next day we visited Bicheno a pretty little coastal town.

From there we went up into the ranges and did the rock climb up to the Sisters lookouts . The steepest climb I’ve ever done. Not only hard on the legs but on my arms as well as I had to pull myself up with the rails.

Higher and harder, till we reached the top. but the 360deg views were worth it.

Some of the rock formation was pretty good as well

On the way down I stopped to take some photos of some of those fungus plants I like.

Last night we camped at Lagoon Beach camp grounds. I was looking forward to some beach walking after all the hard yards we’ve been doing.

It was beautiful on the beach this morning. The weather is glorious.

After our beach walk we hooked up the van and started heading further North..We had brunch at a little jetty on a river. Think someone got their high tide levels wrong as the jetty was under water .?