Day 104 - Clermont to Home!

Last day on the road. Bit sad really but also happy to be getting home. Would you believe a cattle truck threw up a stone and put a big chip right in the middle of the windscreen? Luckily it didn't crack because we were a long way from anywhere at the time. High fived at Charters Towers as we finished the lap of the country. Found out that there was a very low tide and wouldn't be able to get a barge till the last run. Did some shopping, had an ice cream at Gelitissimo and later fish and chips at the barge terminal. As the sun set we travelled back to our little island - home at last after going 18,500km at 90km per hour.

Day 103 - Theresa Creek Dam to Clermont.

Left Theresa Creek Dam and took the short trip to Clermont where we met up with Ian and Glenda again so Glenda could have some WikiCamps tuition. No phone coverage at the dam. They had been wondering what the Japanese characters were on they door.

So I SMSed Brinnen and he found out from a friend that they said Automatic Door but they were back the front! Obviously meant to be read from the inside of the motorhome. They were happy to know what it said. Drove up to the Caravan Park and spent a rollicking afternoon with Donna and Steve - our house sitters for the entire time we were away (except for the last 2 days). Early night because it will be a very early start to get to Townsville in the morning.

Day 102 - Victoria Dam to Theresa Creek Dam.

Up very early and headed off at sunrise. Rounded a bend on the track and were greeted with this.

As Jeff opened the gate I snapped this as the sun rose into view.

Long but not terrible drive to Emerald. A lot of caravans on the road again - people are starting to go home to the South. Lunch and a bit of shopping and off the Theresa Creek Dam near Clermont. It is the water supply for them. Met up with Glenda and Ian on their honeymoon - they were married in April and have been on the road for most of the time since then.  This was our view from the motorhome.

Lovely sunset again.

Our motorhomes parked next to each other. Notice how close to the water we were. Lovely evening with them.

Day 101 - Hervey Bay to Victoria Dam.

Left Bernie's fairly early and travelled up through Childers, roadworks are becoming painful. Turned off at Calliope towards Biloela. Ha ha escaped the roadworks - not! They are rebuilding the road and laying the gas pipeline beside the road. yuck. Eventually got to Biloela, topped up with fuel and headed  off to the free camp at Victoria Dam. Hoped we would get there before dark. Over a smooth, unmade road that had literally just been graded - the grader was still there. In through a gate and down a track and voila, Victoria Dam at sunset. Beautiful.

We turned around and the moon was rising over Glen.

A very early, quiet night. Just beautiful.

Day 100 - Tin Can Bay to Hervey Bay.

Hung around on the houseboat till late in the afternoon on the top deck with the new cover over it. Forgot to take a photo of it. Drove to Hervey Bay to visit cousin Bernie and stayed the night in his backyard. He also gave me the research he had done in Italy on the Merlo family tree. We added 2 generations and more sisters to the third and fourth. Fantastic.

Shadow the watch dog was very thorough in keeping watch all night.

Day 99 - Brisbane to Tin Can Bay.

It was very quiet going through Brisbane on a Sunday morning - a warm, pleasant Sunday morning. Motored up the Bruce Highway to Currimundi where our friends Denise and John live. Had morning tea with them and continued onto Mooloolaba for lunch. Drove down the Spit. Big mistake - this warm, pleasant Sunday had attracted the entire population of South East Queensland to the Spit. Travelling in a motorhome down the narrow road filled to the brim with cars and people was not one of my best navigating decisions. We eventually got out unscathed and found a parking spot right outside a Discount Chemist which we needed to go to. Right next door was the most awarded fish and chip shop on the Sunshine Coast. Couldn't resist trying it out - beautiful. Called in to see Rosie and Mo who loves the motorhome and had to show everyone he could find.

Travelled along the Bruce and suddenly the highway became a 2 lane secondary road but with the same amount of traffic. Yuck. Turned off at Gympie and decided as it was getting lat and Pam doesn't like boating out to pick up visitors near dark that we would stay at a rest stop free camp just outside Tin Can Bay.

Days 97-98 - Brisbane.

Got the washing done and dried early, ahhhh warmth in the weather again, wonderful. Lunched with Bekky at the pub over the road. Later watched Collingwood get beaten. Found out we had just missed 2 lots of friends who were both near Moree - timing is everything. Jeff found a lovely Jacaranda tree in the park.

Just next to us is a little herb and fruit garden for the campers to use. Lovely idea.

Left on Sunday morning.

Day 96 - Moree to Brisbane.

So many roadworks! We lost at least an hour with the roadworks between Goondiwindi and Toowoomba. Had a lovely pie at the bakery at Westbrook (From the pie app.) Scary going down the road from Toowoomba. Very steep and huge roadworks with huge trucks whizzing down. Made it to The Newmarket Gardens Caravan Park in one piece though - thanks Ethel (our iPhone map person). The ecca is on and there are a lot of show people here - the children's school van is opposite us. Reasonably good night.

Day 95 - Bogan Weir to Moree.

Left early again - this is what happens when you go to bed early. Had breakfast at Dubbo, did a little catchup shopping and headed off. Lunched near Coonabarrabran but were now going to go straight to Brisbane as the Inverell family are not well. Arrived in Moree and decided to spend the night in the Caravan Park.

Day 94 - Numerkah to Bogan Weir.

Left Numerkah very early and stopped just out of Jerilderie for breakfast. As we motored up the Newell waving at all the motorhomes (as you do) I am almost certain I waved at my cousin Helen but as I didn't have her mobile number I am not sure where she is. Arrived a the beautiful Bogan Weir, alone again except for the pelicans. Had a quiet night.

Day 93 - Melbourne to Numerkah

Left late because Jeff had to get a tetanus shot after is run in with a rusty fence nail while helping Greg pull down a fence on Saturday. With that sorted and shopping done in the midst of a thunderstorm we headed off up the Hume and stopped at Shepparton for my SPC fix. Jeff said we had  the weight of a whole person in cordial and other bits and pieces.

As it was getting late we decided that the border was out of the question and we decided to stay at the show grounds at Numerkah for the night. Lovely free camp all to ourselves.

Days 75 to 92 - Melbourne

We hired a little Yaris for 12 days and got around to see a lot of family and friends. Sorry if we missed you but we will be back in December. Highlight was Georgie's 30th birthday. Thank you Melbourne for a great but cold and wet break. Funny story of the stay was when I decided to go into the State Library by train - now have my own Myki card. I had to search to microfiche and got motion sickness as I scrolled through. Great librarian I am! Luckily didn't throw up all over the State Library floor.

Day 75 - Apollo Bay to Melbourne

Uneventful trip up the back road to Geelong in overcast conditions. Got on the Geelong Freeway, stopped at one service centre for cherries & strawberries, another for fuel and another to empty the toilet cassette. (The only public dump point in Melbourne). Spending the next few weeks in Eltham. Will continue the blog on the 12th of August when we are planning to leave.

Days 73 & 74 - Apollo Bay.

Ahh, sleeping in. Been a while since we didn't have to get up and get going or do something. Margaret has gone to work and Brian is walking Rosie. Finally got up and wandered down to the shop Margaret is minding a few days a week. Jeff is doing the washing. Bought some pies from the bakery and brought them back. Yummy. Jeff decided to go down to the beach to check out the erosion. Not a good look.

Brian made dinner - Moroccan Chicken and then fried strawberries. Yummo. Had a reasonably early night.

Well, thought we slept in yesterday? Nearly lunchtime when we got up today. Brian has gone back to his place and Margaret is at work again. Jeff is washing Glen in the driveway. I think half of the WA desert is in Marg's garden!

Day 72 - Port Campbell to Apollo Bay

Woke to an overcast but fine day. This a shot of the amenities block at the Port Campbell Caravan Park. Pretty flashy. The upstairs is a camp kitchen, video games room and TV room.

This is Glen in the van park.

We drove around town and then went to Loch Ard Gorge.

Then we went to the 12 Apostles but they have santitised it all with a big visitor's centre and you have to walk so far to get to see them that we decided not to go. (We have seen them before.)

Next was Cape Otway Lighthouse. On the way there were lots of trees with no foliage. 

The reason soon became apparent - koalas. They were everywhere.

These ones were hanging out over the road.

This one was beside the road.

Again they have sanitised the lighthouse - you can't even see it unless you pay an entry fee. Since we have already seen it and it was raining we gave it a miss too. Arrived at Apollo Bay and pulled into Margaret's driveway for a few days break. Brian arrived a bit later and we had a lovely dinner at the pub. Fish and chips with real flake, yummy. Then we walked back to the house to watch 'The Help' DVD.

Day 71 - Portland to Port Campbell.

Woke to clear weather. Hooray. Motored to Warrnambool, passing another wind farm. Took a picture of the jonquils in the carpark instead.

Had lunch at Lady Bay. 

Very interesting place with a big breakwater and the waves crashing into it.

Visited Hopkins Falls known as Little Niagara.

When Jeff was about six he remembers going there with his dad to see the eels migrating up the river and jumping up the waterfall. That happens in October so we missed out.
Beside the road between Warrnambool and Port Fairy there is an extinct volcano called Tower Hill.

We started travelling down the Great Ocean Road just out of Warrnambool and the series of geologic attractions along its length. 

First was the Bay of Islands,

Then the Bay of Martyrs.

Then the Grotto, but we decided that we were grottoed out.

Then London Bridge.

And finally for today, the Arch.

Decided to stay at Port Campbell Caravan Park for the night. Walked to the beach to have a look.

Day 70 - Mt Gambier to Portland.

Weather has cleared a bit, so we went to Blue Lake to see what colour it was.

Even on a grey day it was blue.

Then we went to see the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Turbines everywhere. About 130 of them. Impossible to get them all into one picture even with panorama. Funny how the weather cleared for a few minutes and then got overcast again.

Just after we left Mt Gambier, Jeff remembered that he had forgotten to get more fuel so I looked up the mileage and found that it was about 100 kms. We both laughed, we were only going to do 100 kms, we would be there by lunchtime with plenty of fuel. Just so used to driving huge distances that even though it looked a long way on the map the scale had changed and it was 4 times bigger than before for the same distance! Again so many pine plantations along the road. Before we knew it we were crossing the border and passing through Nelson. More and more pine plantations.

Arrived in Portland and drove around to look at the port.

Some lovely buildings in Portland.

Settled into a seaside van park and hoped it wouldn't get too cold. Ten weeks on the road!

Day 69 - Kingston SE to Mt Gamber

Rough old night but we kept ourselves in one piece. Lots of wind and rain but nothing too terrible. They have a lovely old lighthouse at Kingston SE. 

Left Kingston heading for Mt Gambier. Not a lot to see. It kept raining most of the way. Really hard driving conditions. The road surface is very poor probably from all the log trucks from the hundreds of pine plantations along the road. Arrived at Mt Gambier and settled in at a caravan park for the night.

Day 68 - Langhorne Creek to Kingston SE

The weather broke down overnight to wind and rain. We drove around the edge of Lake Alexandrina and crossed the Murray River on the Wellington Ferry.

We drove down the coast beside the Coorong.

Saw some black swans.

Finally we arrived at Kingston, home of the giant lobster.

Staying at the Kingston Caravan Park, hoping the weather doesn't get too nasty.

Day 67 - Gawler to Langhorne Creek.

After we left the caravan park we visited my old Ryan chum Juanita and her little girl Valentina just down the road. She is doing well and enjoying her time in South Australia. Took off from there through Williamstown to the Whispering Wall at the Barossa Dam. Amazing. You can talk really quietly and the people over 100 m away can hear you quite loudly.

Then we went to the giant rocking horse at Gumeracha.

Next was the place Jeff had been waiting for for the whole trip - the Melba Chocolate Factory where they make inch liquorice blocks. Jeff's favourites. Bought far too many sweets - 20 liquorice blocks for a start! Then to the cordial factory for a cordial topup. Not my normal brand but the oldest cordial manufacturers in Australia. We'll see how they compare. Bought pies for lunch and ate them there.

We drove through Harndorf - up and down the Main Street but it was far too crowded to even try to find a parking spot so we headed off to Victor Harbour - the Rosebud of SA. People everywhere, fairgrounds, horse driven trams, fairy floss, the lot.

Next we went to Middleton to see cousins Hughie and Liz's new house they are building after pulling down their holiday shack. This is where they are planning to retire to.

And the beach just down the street.

We decided to go to a free camp at Langhorne Creek. Settled in for a quiet night.