Flinders Ranges & Adelaide

As we headed north from Port Lincoln, we decided that, rather than go straight to Adelaide, we would keep on driving and have a few days in the Flinders Ranges. We had missed the outback flavour of the beginning of our trip and felt we needed one last taste before heading home.

Approaching storm.

We stayed for 2 nights at Wilpena Pound, breathtakingly scenic, and quite unlike any of the countryside we had experienced thus far. The majority of the vegetation was native pine trees, which made it feel like we had landed in the middle of grizzly bear country. The campground was in the middle of a pine and red-gum forest, and the kids occupied themselves for hours making bases and cubbies in the trees (ie the trunks, they were so old ).

Our first day was spent on a 4WD adventure - Skytrek - a 6 hour drive through a huge working sheep station, up and along the ridges of the ranges. We questioned whether the kids would last the distance, considering how much time they had spent in the car lately, but it was brilliant. We started off by having a tour of the workings of the farm including watching the sheep shearing. We were then given a map telling us how many km to each point of interest, things to look out for, gates to open and close, flora and fauna to spot, which made it feel like an adventure car rally and kept everyone entertained and interested. The track was also rather exciting - as it was very steep in parts, with sheer drops, so there was great excitement around if and when we were going to plummet to our deaths! (In no way exacerbated by the fact I was driving) The best part of the journey were the spectacular panoramic views from the top. Just gorgeous.



Willow Springs Station, Flinders Ranges

Skytreks 4WD track

It seems to have become a tradition!

A wedge tailed eagle we spotted

Trish and Chris very kindly minded the kids for us the next day so we could experience hiking at adult (not 4 year old) pace. Even though it started pouring on our way back and we got drenched, we so enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the chance to have some very rare time to ourselves.

Explorer John

Wilpena Pound adventure playground

Abandoned 1800s homestead

I've always had a thing for dead trees! Very sculptural.

Inspired by our friends the Wheatleys, our next stop before Adelaide was a night in the Clare Valley, one of the many wine growing areas of South Australia. We spent the day exploring the Riesling Trail - a 34km cycleway that follows an old railway line, past verdant countryside and, not surprisingly, vineyards. James and Tom did so well - their stamina far surpassing ours. But then what's new! 

Clare Valley - Riesling Trail

It was then on to Adelaide, a gorgeous city with beautiful old stone buildings (not all of them churches!), expansive squares and lovely parks. We only had a couple of days there, but enjoyed boating on the river, a trip to the zoo and a tram ride to the seaside at Glenelg for an afternoon with the Brewers, where the kids had a ball on the water slides and at the beach (whilst we had a fabulous dinner reliving trip highlights and watching the sunset).

Georgie, always ready with a pose!

The Eyre Peninsula

Our first stop in South Australia, after crossing the Nullarbor, was the sleepy fishing village of Fowler's Bay. We arrived late in the afternoon, with the steely grey water and blustery winds making the place feel rather bleak - we wondered if we should have pushed on. That was until we discovered a sight that makes every child's eyes light up with joy and wonder....sand dunes! The biggest we had ever seen. We trudged up and had a go with Tom's skim board, but the action was rather tame. We were then joined by a friendly local grandpa, who seeing our frustrated efforts, drove up the dunes to meet us bringing with him a home made toboggan and the secret to record breaking (and possibly bone-breaking) speed - cooking oil spray. Fowler's Bay had redeemed itself, and we had a fabulously exhausting evening running up and flying down the dunes.

Fowlers Bay

Friendly grandpa's friendly dog.

Our next stop was Streaky Bay, where we enjoyed a fabulous spot right on the beach. The only downside was the minor birds, who made a home (or rather, large township) in the tree above us, using our van as their "dump point". Poor John had to take the car and van off the next day and spend 2 hours at the car wash trying to get the poo off, which had covered them both like a thick blanket of snow and set like tar in the baking sun.

Once cleaned and repositioned, we were able to better appreciate the charms of Streaky Bay. The weather was lovely and we enjoyed a few days down time after a tiring week of constant driving. We were camped near our trusty travel companions, the Brewers, and the kids had fun for a whole day making puppets out of socks and wooden spoons, and rehearsing in the puppet theatre/annexe.

The waters off SA enjoy a rather infamous reputation as home to large numbers of great white sharks, a fact that was never far from our mind. Shark phobias are NOT helped by a visit to the local service station, where they have displayed a model of  a 5+ metre, 1.5 tonne shark, that was caught in 1990 with rod and reel by a local 19 yr old. We all had turns posing for the obligatory head in mouth shot.

Thomas also had the unfortunate fate of being bitten by a local pelican, the ungrateful bird's response to his feeding it a fish head. He was shaken, but not stirred, and hopes his scar will last until he gets back to school.





Mum always on hand for the action shots.



The main highlight of our time at Streaky Bay was an opportunity to swim with the local sea-lions and dolphins in their natural habitat. We caught a small boat out of nearby Baird Bay, out to an offshore island, home to a large colony of sea-lions. As soon as we arrived in the protected waters of the reef (safe from those pesky sharks) four or five of them came up to meet us. We quickly jumped in the freezing water (two wetsuits and we were still cold!) and spent  nearly an hour with these gorgeous creatures. They were just like puppies, swimming amongst us in a whirling display of inquisitive playfulness. If it wasn't for loss of feeling in our extremities, we would like to have stayed all day. Even Georgie had a go, until she got too cold and enjoyed the rest of the time on the boat having hot chocolates.

After that, we went out in to open water, where we came across a pod of local bottlenose dolphins. We were very careful to stay close to our guide who was wearing a shark shield around his ankle (supposedly providing a 10m safety zone) - giving John a huge shock when it brushed him on the back of the head - said it felt like he'd been whacked with a cricket bat. The dolphins were extra-ordinary, swimming under and around us, only centimetres away. An unforgettable day - a bucket list item checked!

How cute is he!

Not to mention him (or her).



Enjoying a reviving hot chocolate post swim



Our next stop was to Port Lincoln, on the tip of the Eyre Peninsula. Again, in our ignorance of our own country, we didn't know what to expect. We were not expecting a thriving, bustling town, with a Gold Coast style marina development, set on what is apparently the second largest harbour in the world (Rio's the biggest if you were wondering). Apparently Port Lincoln has the highest number of millionaires per head of population in the country, thanks to the booming tuna industry. With 95% of product being sent to Japan for between one to five thousand PER FISH - the flash houses and Ferrari's start to make sense. One operator we met worked for a company who turned over $70 million in tuna sales a year! It was refreshing to see a thriving Australian town whose fortunes were not based on the back of the mining industry, although we did question it's sustainability. Hopefully the tuna barons are at least planning for the continued profits of future heirs, if not the survival of the species.

After so enjoying our Baird Bay experience, and wanting to learn more about this fishy business up close and personal, we signed up for the "swim with the tuna" tour. We caught a boat out to one of the many tuna farms out in the bay, where the tuna, once "herded" via a complicated system of baiting and netting, are kept in a large circular net enclosure to "fatten up". Or more correctly, "marble up". Apparently the Japanese like their tuna the same way they do their beef - the wild ones (ie. caught on the traditional rod and reel), are worth a fraction of the farmed ones, as they are not as flavourful.

Once there we donned wetsuits and jumped in with them - it was amazing! The larger ones weighed up to 60kgs, and they were, as you might expect, extremely fast. Thank God for the gloves and boots we wore - especially when a bucket of pilchards was thrown in with us, creating a rather disconcerting "tuna spa" (ie. feeding frenzy). Georgie had a cold, so decided to sit this one out, having a lovely time instead with Ivy and Grace Brewer, playing with starfish, hermit crabs and seahorses in the touch pool.



Getting ready to swim with tuna





Hard to get an idea of scale - this one's about 150cm



Perusing the countless fishing boats in Port Lincoln marina.
Port Lincoln has the largest fishing fleet in the world.

  Inspired by tales of millionaire fisherman, we decided to have another go at fishing ourselves, off the jetty at the caravan park. Thomas at last broke the drought, and was so excited to haul in his first fish.

Success! (the fish was too small to see keep)





WA to SA

After languidly weaving our way in and around Margaret River, we thought we should sit down with our long neglected schedule and see how we were travelling. Oops. Seems we only had 4 weeks left to get from the far left corner to the far right corner. We were going to have to pick up the pace.

We were not looking forward to turning the corner and heading east, as it felt like we were going home. Like the rest of the trip would be like a month long Sunday night. We hadn't anticipated however, what an extra ordinary part of the world exists in the coastline between Albany and Esperance. 

Our first treat was Greens Pool, which we stopped in for a quick peek on the way to Albany, and stayed for hours. We have seen alot of pretty beaches on this trip but this had to be up there with the best of them. The only negative was the water, which was FREEZING!!!!. Luckily we were there on a warm, sunny day, so we braved hypothermia and jumped in. John, who is known not to commit unless the water is above 30 degrees, was even heard to say - "it's not too bad, definitely don't need a wetsuit". Seems it's not only the children who have built resilience!

 

Greens Pool, WA

Taking the plunge, Greens Pool



We didn't know what to expect from Albany, other than the remnants of a once thriving whale industry. We had no idea how charming the town was, set against a backdrop of spectacular rocky mountains, snow white beaches, aqua blue water, and an archipelago of offshore islands decorating the horizon. We could have spent a week there, but our new whistle-stop schedule had us only overnight. Whilst there we made time for a tour of "Whale World", which deceptively sounds like a whale themed adventure playground. It is in fact a former whaling station that now operates as a  rather macabre tourist attraction. It was fascinating and nauseating to learn of how the whales (up to 30 sperm and humpbacks per DAY) were caught and killed, and their parts sold and used throughout the world. It is extraordinary to imagine that the practice has been so ordinary, for so much of Australia's history.  Thank goodness that financial pressures saw the station close in 1978, allowing whale populations to finally recover and return to the waters around Albany.

Whale World, Albany.  Don't look too closely.

Esperance was our next port of call (again for one night) followed by a two day camp at Lucky Bay in the Cape Le Grand National Park. Again - one of Australia's best kept secrets. Beaches so outrageously beautiful they defy description. So I won't try. (I'm sure your tired of my hackneyed phrases boasting of white sand, turquoise water blah blah blah....)  Judge for yourself.

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand, WA



Thistle Bay, Cape Le Grand

Lucky Bay

Lucky Bay



Cape Le Grand

  

Lucky Bay

  

I had one shoe off whilst taking this picture.

Astounding, no? But before you jump on a plane, I do have to let you in on a couple of minor negatives. Firstly, the water is so cold it is physically painful, and you fear your heart may stop from the shock of it.  Secondly, should you come here in early summer, you may be physically carried off by the flies. I have whinged about flies before, but we have NEVER seen them on this scale. They got in your eyes, up your nose, in your mouth (if you dared open it). We only had three of the veils we bought at Rottnest with us, and took turns to wear them, and those that didn't had to fashion beach towel burqas.

Trish Brewer, our resident bush poet, was inspired to write another of her famous ditties (We're predicting lucrative writing career on the horizon....)

WARNING - poem contains language not suitable for young bloggers, or people who appreciate flies.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _   BASTARD FLIES!

"This is dedicated to John Rapp, a mild-mannered lawyer from country NSW who, during a recent trip to Cape le Grand N.P., became somewhat maniacal (along with the rest of his party) thanks to a plague of flies."

I'M SURE THAT SOMEWHERE NEAR ME
THERE ARE RADIANT BLUE SKIES
THERE'S PROBABLY AN OCEAN
OR A SUN THAT'S ON THE RISE
PERHAPS AROUND THAT POINT
THERE'S SOME SPECTACULAR SURPRISE
BUT I CERTAINLY CAN'T SEE IT
THROUGH THESE _ _ _ _ _ _ _  BASTARD FLIES!

I'M TANGLED IN A FLYNET
WITH A TOWEL AROUND MY BOD
AND I'M THINKING THAT THESE FLIES MUST BE A PLAGUE THAT'S SENT BY GOD
I WOULD WANDER ON THE SOFT WHITE SAND
LISTENING TO THE SEAGULL'S CRIES
BUT THE ONLY THING THAT STOPS ME IS...
THESE _ _ _ _ _ _ _  BASTARD FLIES!

I DARE NOT TAKE A BREATH
OR SAY A WORD OR EVEN LAUGH
FOR I'M SURE TO SWALLOW FIVE OF THEM
PROBABLY CHOKE OR EVEN BARF
SO IN MY BURQA-LIKE ENSEMBLE
ONE SMALL OPENING FOR MY EYES
I STUMBLE BLINDLY, CURSING WILDLY
OH! THESE _ _ _ _ _ _ _  BASTARD FLIES!

I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW
WHAT THE HELL THESE _ _ _ _ ERS DO
APART FROM VOMIT ON MY FACE
AFTER EATING SOMEONE'S POO
THEY DON'T POLLINATE THE FLOWERS
NOR KEEP OTHER BUGS AT BAY
THEY DON'T WEAVE AMAZING WEBS
OR BUILD TERMITE MOUNDS ALL DAY
IN FACT THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH COULD SAY
THAT CAN JUSTIFY THESE BASTARDS
RUINING MY HOLIDAY.

ALL I WANT IS TO ENJOY THE VIEW
TO BE STILL, ENJOY THE SILENCE
WITHOUT THE CONSTANT BUZZING
AND THE SWATTING, FLAILING VIOLENCE
I HAVE HAD IT WITH THESE BUZZY
LITTLE BASTARDS...THAT IS IT!
I'M QUITE CERTAIN THAT THIS "NATIONAL PARK"
IS REALLY ONE BIG PILE OF _ _ _ _.

SO GOODBYE TO FLY-INFESTED
WEST AUSTRALIAN COASTAL BEACHES
BON VOYAGE TO YOU MANURE-LOVING
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  BASTARD CREATURES.



Unfortunately, the flies chased us out of Cape Le Grand a day earlier than planned, so we soon were ready to hit the road for our three day trek across the Nullarbor. Various people had told us that the Nullarbor (latin for Nulla = no, arbor = trees), though often perceived as a 1200 km stretch of nothingness connecting east to west, is actually rather interesting. Errr....not so much. Pretty much nothing to see for days, except the back of the Brewer's van (number plate NVR 45G). We did entertain ourselves for part of the first day with quizzes over the UHF radio (along the lines of "how many litres of waste does the porta-potty hold") but by the third, we were pretty Nullarbored. That said, a wee stop at one of the coastal lookouts, was a dramatic highlight, as we gazed along the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight. The kids handled the endless hours in the car valiantly, thanks in part to an endless supply of snacks and electronic devices. In fact, they have become so accustomed to long drives, when we reached  the end of the road at Ceduna S.A., were heard to enquire "are we there already?"

The Great Australian Bight



The Eyre Hwy - 146km of dead straight road.



Close encounters with native fauna. Somewhere.