The Flynet does work!!!

All yea doubters take heed - if the flies get to you too much - just buy a flynet and WHOOSH!!! they disappear. Or so it seems to us since once Lei got the flynet - the flies vanished. Of course - it could also be because the weather has taken a considerable turn to cold and windy and we defy any self respecting fly to come out in this weather.

It seems that we have brought with us some of the most unusual weather that Australia has seen for some time. We had floods in the middle of a drought in Victoria, cold weather in the tropics of Queensland in the summer, and now in Western Australia, we have rain and cold in Kalgoorlie - which normally experiences dry and 30+ degrees in the summer months. Go figure!!!

But we have also had fun. We left Albany behind on Thursday morning and travelled to Esperance. A beautiful little town in the middle of nowhere which has some of the most stunning beaches we have ever encountered. You can view from the shoreline the Recherche Archipelago which is comprised of over 100 islands. They also have a 'Pink Lake' so named because of the algae which grows in it and gives it a pink tint in the summer months (although we have to admit - it didn't look pink on the day we went). We participated in the town's Christmas Pageant - parade and all.

On Friday morning - we were off again in the early morning and on to Kalgoorlie. A western town, first founded with the discovery of gold in the late 1800's. There are working gold mines there today - including what is called the 'Super Pit', a large open cast gold mine on the outskirts of town. This pit is enormous - too big to describe. All I can suggest is that you go onto 'Google Earth' and search out Kalgoorlie - you can see the pit from there.

Karen, Shirley and Lei visited a working Brothel for a tour and spoke to the current Madame about it's history (this is a legal profession in Australia). The building is over 100 years old and has too many stories to describe here. Also this is a family site, so if you want more information about that - you shall have to contact us directly...

This morning we set off back for Secret Harbour and the comforts of home. We ended up driving about 2300 km over the past 4 days, spent 28 out of the last 81 hours in the car - and saw an amazing amount of open space. It is so vast and so empty. We used to think that driving across America was open - but it is nothing compared to this. Australia has more land mass than the US - but with less than 1/10th the population. Once you go 100km inland from the shore - it just opens up and doesn't stop until you hit the other side 4 days later...

Finally, we'd like to thank all of you who have commented on the blog. We love reading them and look forward to seeing the comments stack up. At times, it feels like we are talking to ourselves (which is fine as this will be a wonderful travel record when we are back and the nights are cold and dark in Scotland) and then we receive a comment and know that you are all enjoying our travels with us. It is quite a feeling knowing you are taking so many people with you around in your adventures. So this is just a note of thanks - and to say - keep them coming.

We're off again...

Well, we have been in Secret Harbour (south of Perth situated between Rockingham and Mandurah for those keeping track on the map) for almost a week already. This holiday is going so much faster than we ever expected.

We decided to leave early on Wednesday morning (around 5am) on our next adventure. For this we have been joined by Karen's brother Steve and sister Shirley. I don't think that they have been on a holiday together in over 20 years, so this is quite the experience for them.

First off, we travelled south towards Albany on the southern coast of Australia. On our way, we stop at the Valley of the Giants and toured a Tingle Tree forest, walked on the Tree Top Walkway built above the forest, and spent time touring this magnificent forest. They are far short of the Giant Redwoods of California, but big nonetheless. From there, we went on to Denmark, spent some time on a beach there - where we fought off the flies. This time of year in Western Australia, the easterly breezes bring in the flies - in numbers you cannot imagine. How the people of this land can stand them, we will never know. In fact - Lei finally succumb and bought a fly net to protect herself.

From there, on to Albany - which is the other side of Antarctica across the Southern Ocean. When the breeze comes in from the south - it is enough to take your breath away. The Coastline is fabulous - and the amazing thing is you can match this coastline to the coastline in Antarctica as they were attached once about 35 million years ago. Now Australia is drifting about 5 cm north ever year further away from the cold of the Antarctic. Another million years or so - perhaps Albany will be tropic - but for now - we can assure you that it is not.

Settled into normal life...

Sorry for the delay in posting these past few days. We have arrived in Perth at Karen's brothers house. We are imposing on the family for the next 5 weeks, and will be using this as a base from which to explore Western Australia. We haven't posted for the past few days as we have just been relaxing, catching up on all the gossip and generally enjoying not having our home moving beneath us as we drive from spot to spot.

All told - we completed 5644 km of driving which equates to 3500 miles for those not familiar with metrics. We did it in a little over 3 weeks (not counting the 5 days we were broken down) and if you included the miles flown - we have travelled the length and breath of Australia and gone over 10,000 km. There were many highlights, more than we could mention.

From our experiences, it has made us decide to do it again - only this time, we shall take longer to do it, be better prepared in our planning of the trip so that we hit the right areas for the seasons that we are travelling, and perhaps travel less so that we can spend more time stationary and getting to know the areas better. All in all, for those who are adventurous - we can well recommend it.

So for the next week or so, we shall hang around Secret Harbour and enjoy the relaxation and play with the dogs. Next week we are off on a small adventure - going to see the South West of Australia - visiting Albany, Denmark, Esperance and Kalgoorlie. We shall keep you posted once we have started that journey.

The Sounds of Silence are deafening...

For those of you who are familiar with the desert - you probably know what we're talking about. For those of you more familiar with the mountains, forests or seaside - you are probably like us and had no idea what silence really was like. We went to the Sounds of Silence dinner out in the desert - arrived near dusk to the sounds of the didgeridoo (a traditional Aboriginal instrument from tribes to the North of Australia), and had champagne and canapes as the sun went down over the Olga's in the distant. Because of some cloud cover, we didn't really get the bright glow at Uluru - but it was still stunning.

Then on further into the desert, where we dined on traditional Australian cuisine such as Kangaroo. and crocodile. Just before dinner they asked for complete quiet from everyone present so that we could experience the sounds of the desert - interestingly it was such an unusual experience it sounded almost deafening! Complete silence, soundless - no animal noises at all. Finally, after dinner, with the sun fully down, all of the candles and lights were put out, and a local astronomer gave us a brief tour of the Southern summer sky. It was a memory that will remain with us forever. All in all it was a a magical night.

Then on Wednesday - we spent the day immersed in local culture - starting with a two hour workshop on dot painting that explains a bit of some of the history behind this art form (which is really a story telling tool for teaching the young) and gives us a better understanding for interpreting the pictures. The workshop was taught by two elder women from the local tribe for this area, the Anangu. One of the women (Elsie) is thought to be around 85 (no birth records are kept from this time) and the other is her niece Bonnie who is around 70. From there, they took us on a walk to the Rock, explaining cave paintings in the area and talking about life prior to the white man's arrival. They didn't speak English, so the afternoon was done through an interpreter named Jimmy. We finally ended up talking about local foods, and getting an understanding of what daily life is like, and how as a people, they use to follow the food sources. Then, our last morning at Uluru we were up at 4:30 and out to check out the Sunrise. Unfortunately again the cloud cover prevented any exciting colours against the rock, but as Karen's nephew Danny noted - it must have been fun watching hundreds of fools (us included) up before it was even decent to be awake, standing there watching and videoing a ROCK!!!

Then off to the airport and Perth. We have arrived here and will now start the 2nd half of the holiday. Can't wait to see what this brings. Looking forward to seeing the west coast and how it differs from the east. Stay tuned for the next chapters...

From Blue Sea to Red Sand...

The colours of Australia are amazing. From the turquoise at Whitehaven Beach, the Blue haze of the mountains, the greens of the fields and orchards and Aqua waters of the reef now on to the red sands of the desert at Ayers Rock. If nothing else we will remember the colours...

We spent a pleasant but uneventful weekend in Cairns, then off Monday morning to the airport where we caught a flight out to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Leaving the heat and humidity of the tropics in Cairns and getting off the plane in Uluru to the hot/dry heat of the desert was quite an experience. Once we were in the air for less than an hour - the scenery below changed dramatically to the wildness of the outback changing over to the red sands that Australia is so known for.

We spent the day getting acclimatised, then off this morning at 4:30am to make our rendezvous with a Camel named Jack who took us for a ride out into the desert so that we could watch the sunrise against the rock. Then back to the outpost for coffee and freshly baked beer bread - another delicacy that we highly recommend - and back at the hotel for 7:15 am and a 'nap'. Tonight we have plans for dinner in the desert to watch the sunset against the rock, and then see the night sky in all its' glory and have it explained to us by a local astronomer. We are really looking forward to that and will let you know how smart we have become in our next post.

'We're Baaack...'

Wow - 3 glorious days sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. 74 Islands off the coast of Northern Queensland - in and around the Great Barrier Reef. Can't begin to describe it other than to say that if you ever do take the plunge and tour Australia, we well recommend it.

We ended up on the ship called 'Whitsunday Magic'. It is considered the deluxe cruise ship around the Islands and we can certainly attest that the efforts made in the meals and to make us comfortable certainly took it into the 'deluxe' category.

Our cabin was small, but perfectly formed. Karen graciously took the upper bunk - and allowed Lei the comfort of the lower berth. We did a couple of bush walks, one was a 2 1/2 mile hike up to the top of the South Molle Island so that we could look around and see almost everything the world had to offer. Another was to a lookout over the amazing white sands of Whitehaven beach. This sand is so fine that you can use it to exfoliate or clean your jewelry and because it is so white, it reflects the heat and you can walk on it in the middle of the day in comfort barefoot.

We also managed some snorkelling in and around the reef. It's Jellyfish season, so you need to wear stinger suits to go into the water which we can attest to are very flattering and OHHH so much fun to put on. Imagine 100 degree heat with 95% humidity and you are trying to put on a skin tight RUBBER SUIT - Oh yes - it was fun.

The only downer for the trip was the fact that 1 day into the cruise, Lei started to experience the discomfort of an abscess tooth that just went from bad to worse. By the last night, her face was swollen the size of a basketball, and agony doesn't even begin to cover how she felt. We were lucky in that on our return to where we had parked the caravan, we noticed a large advertisement - DENTIST - and his phone number. Karen called them immediately and after some serious pleading managed to get Lei an appointment that instant. So believe it or not, we got off the boat at 1pm and by 2, we were stocked up on antibiotics and pain killers and on our way to Cairns. We needed to make the 650 Km trip and turn in the Van by 4pm on Saturday - so that meant Karen had to step up to the task and take over the driving - which she did like a trooper -

So here we are - in Cairns, minus the Van and staying at a great B&B - tucked quietly away in a small rainforest, overlooking a waterfall. We're going to take tomorrow to check out Cairns and then Monday morning we are off again - this time for the centre of Australia. We'll keep you posted...

Got our 'Sea legs' on...

Well - three days of relaxing at Cape Hillsborough leading up to 3 days of relaxing on a Tall Ship - sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. Could be worse...

We enjoyed our time at Cape Hillsborough. Definitely we can recommend the campsite to any who are travelling around Queesland. We have been here during the Australian national election where the ruling party (the Coalition) have been tossed out of power after 11 years and the Labour party has come to power. Since our TV reception is definitely limited - we have only been able to watch election reports for the past few days - so its a good things that the campsite had so much more to offer so we weren't dependant on the TV for entertainment.

Now we are at Arlie Beach, waiting on being picked up this afternoon where we will board the ship and begin the cruise. Not due to be back till Friday afternoon - so we shall not be blogging anything till then.

Hiding out in Queensland...

After two days of road weariness we have found an absolute corker of a campsite - it is part of a national park - called Cape Hillsborough. The site is occupied by wallabies, kangaroos, bird species a plenty and people in simple harmony.

We discovered this this morning when we got up to take a walk on the beach and came back to find a small family of wallaby's checking out the campsite to see if we had accidently left anything lying around (we hadn't) then over to our neighbors' spot for a similar scrounge around.

The site is lovely, pool refreshing and the Ocean so close that we have decided to stay another day and not risk driving on a Sunday with the van even though is has been perfect for over a week. We still have bad memories of being stranded on a Sunday and don't want to go through that again.

Since we won't be doing much but relaxing the next few days - we probably won't have much to add until next week unless we get some great photo's to share....

Queens of the Road...

We have put over 1000 Km behind us (that's 600 miles to the less metric friendly) over the past few days. Mainly because there isn't much to see or do over that large expanse. We left Noosa in the morning - drove to the coastal town of Bundaberg - which was well worth it - an absolutely corker of a town - picturesque wide streets and lovely little shops. Very homey feeling.

Then back on the road and off to Emu Park - a coastal village off Rockhampton. We found a great caravan park - got in so late that the owners felt sorry for us and begged some dinner for us from our fellow campers. The sausage tasted great.

This morning - a quick effort at the laundry, then back on the road to MacKay - We have booked a sailing holiday of 3 days and 3 nights around the Whitsunday Islands - so we have been trying to get here. Now that we are here - we actually don't need to be here till next Tuesday - so we are going to work out what to do over the next few days tonight. We shall keep you posted...

Why God gave us 4Wheel drives

We now know the reason 4 wheel drives were invented. It is so people in Queensland can get around their state...What a day.

It started at 6:30am when we were picked up outside our campgrounds. From there, a short drive to a ferry across the Noosa river. We then took the shortcut (since we would end up doing about 300Km today) and drove down the 40 mile beach - avoiding the surf where possible. It is quite an amazing experience to be driving around 50 m/h through the sands and surf of this amazing beach. We ended up having to leave the beach and go over some old logging roads to get to our next ferry ride over to Fraser Island.

After we got to Fraser Island, we stopped for Champagne and Orange juice on this hugh expanse of beach, then off again - finally going into the interior of the Island. This was once primarily a logging area, and is the largest sand island in the world. It is covered with a large rain forest, and although it is over 125 Km long and 80 wide, only has about 50 permanent residents on it. It is also a listed World Heritage area - and as such protected for future visitors to see.

The roads are just sand tracks and how they get these vehicles up and down is a mystery to us. After a very rough ride through the forest, we ended up stopping for a short walk through a section of the forest - then back in the Land Rovers, and on to an amazing fresh water lake with the whitest sands we have ever seen. We spent some time in the water and on the beach, had a class A lunch and then back on the road again. By the time we got out of the forest and back to the beach - the tide was only a couple of hours away from high tide - so we had to hurry along to get back to the ferry point without getting washed out to sea (just kidding - we are sure that they had a back up plan).

We ended up stopping for tea next to a river in the state forest on the mainland, and then home. An absolutely brilliant day.