The trip this week: Esperance - Albany (Torbay Inlet) - Walpole/Tingledale - Busselton - Inglewood (Perth) - Freemantle
Following some hectic miles on the road, we found ourselves up tucked away next to a small inlet close to Albany called Torbay Inlet. The weather took a turn for the worse so we took the opportunity to pitch the big tent and stay put for a few days.
Albany was close to our campsite so we got loads of swimming (and showers) in. Kelly is like a fish in the water (especially given that she thinks she is more like a beached whale on dry land) so it is awesome to get some exercise in, especially in the warm pool waters while the wind and rain blow in from the Southern Ocean.
Old bridge at Torbay Inlet
The coastline around Albany is pretty rugged. There are fantastic walking and 4WD trails which we made the most of while were there. Driving amongst the wind farms and down to the remote capes was spectacular and loads of fun.
Albany wind farms supply almost all of the city's power needs
Albany coast line
We then moved along the coast on our way up to Perth via Walpoleand Busselton. The vast deserts of WA give way to huge forests of Tindle Eucalyptus aptly named 'Giants'. Being too tight for exorbitant tourist-trap fees (e.g. paying $15 each for the treetop walk) we enjoyed the views from the bottom.
Not a bad sized tree near Walpole (Vally of the Giants)
Busselton was our last stop before hitting the big smoke where we will
be laying low for a few weeks. The jetty into Geographe Bay at
Busselton is pretty damn long (1.8 km to be precise) and not a bad
fishing spot by the looks of it. We saw a local pull in a salmon the size of
his leg when we went for a walk at dusk.
Busselton Jetty Geographe Bay
There is loads more to see in the South West of WA (such as Margaret River etc) so we have planned to do a few weekenders down here over the coming months while we are based in Perth.
The week so far:Port
Lincoln – Frenchmans Beach (Coffin Bay) – Davenport Creek – Balladonia (WA) –
Israelite Bay – Esperance – Cape Le Grand.
Venus Bay Heads, SA
Well there has been a lot of time in the car this week.WA and western SA offer stunning beauty but
everything is a bloody long way to everywhere else.
We have also learnt that some roads are better than others
in terms of covering miles.We spent a
couple of days in the car getting places, both long ten-hour days.The first, we travelled across the Nullarbor
a total of 1,000kms.The next, a backbreaking
180kms (yes, in 10 hours) over some pretty gnarly roads (I use this term
loosely) down through Cape Arid National Park.
Venus Bay, SA
The little Navara has served us well despite the very rough
treatment.WA and SA have offered some
great 4WDing.The little trooper has
not skipped a beat despite the corrugation being pretty severe. Having said that, these roads might provide us
with a useful strategy down the track if we need to induce Kelly.
The travels this week have also taken a toll on the budget
(going over our fuel allowance by a factor of four).Unlike my leftie mates who just seem
to incessantly complain (and even attend protests) about Australia’s current budget
situation, we have taken matters into our own hands and simply become more
efficient.
Our latest innovation to get the most out of our meagre
budget (as unemployed people who are not accepting welfare), is found in aquatics
and leisure centres.These wonderful
places not only provide us with exercise, and some time for Kelly to get the
weight off her back, we also get to shower all for $5 each!So long overpriced caravan parks!
Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand
We are now off to Albany (pronounced ‘AL-bany’ not ALL-bany for those in the Eastern states) for a few
days chilling around this beautiful coast line.
Adelaide - Melrose - Flinders Ranges (Wilpena Pound) - Whyalla - Port Lincoln - Whalers Way
The stats:
Number of flat tyres: 1
Number of times we've worn a tea towel on our heads: 3
Number of sharks seen this week: 5!!!
Number times Kelly spewed: 3
Number of times Matt spewed: 0!
I know we've kept stringing you along with our promises of great white sharks, but this week I swear we will not disappoint. Yee haa! I know.
After two weeks of luxurious hot showers and beer in Adelaide, it was time to hit the road once again. We headed north for the magnificent Flinders Ranges and I can't recommend it enough (despite the wretched flies that necessitate the sexy headwear). You'll no doubt notice that I only included a picture of Matt with a tea towel on his head for the purposes of this blog. He complained of course. There are plenty of rippers of me too but hey, artistic license and all that. After two nights of trespassing near Arkaba Station and the Hysen Ranges and a flat tyre later, we headed down to Port Lincoln for the adventure of a lifetime.
Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges SA
We spent two days and a night in the spectacular Port Lincoln National Park where we went on a 4WD trip along the Sleaford Dunes at sunset. What a sight. Absolutely stunning and well worth the trip for anyone near enough to make the journey. We then decided to blow the budget and set out to dive with great whites off the Neptune Islands. This is something we have both wanted to do for such a long time and it was truly fantastic. These creatures really are something else, and HUGE! There were about five sharks hanging around the boat and we were so pumped about getting the chance to get in there with them... from the safety of a large, reinforced cage. Naturally. We were actually in the last group so we had to wait about 4 hours for our turn to go in and whilst we were worried they would have all gone on their merry way, we needn't' have worried. There was a bunch of kids on the trip who managed to force their way into the first group and to honest, I had to hold Burnsey back so he didn't snot the obnoxious little brats. Jokes! Well, kind of...
Whalers Way (South of Pt Lincoln) SA
Scuba diving Neptune Islands SA
I must take my hat off to Burnsey who managed to hold his stomach in spite of the rough seas. The sailing boys would have been proud. I wish I could say the same for me.
I'll let the video do the rest and see you all next week!
Thanks again to all of our friends and family and Adelaide for your hospitality, it was so nice to catch up.
We have been enjoying some well earned rest and civilisation in and around SA this past week. It has been great showering every day, sometime twice! Regular trips to the pool for some (weightless) exercise has been essential to offset the much quieter lifestyle we have taken up this week.
A notable highlight for me was a short trip to Goose Island. For those of you who are not familiar with Goose (as it's known), this is a truly magnificent gem located on the western side of the York Peninsula. Scotch College (my old school and workplace) has been running camps and looking after this tiny spec in Spencer Gulf which also serves as a National Park and marine reserve.
At first glance, Goose is not much to look at but it holds a special place in my heart as I am sure it does for many of those who have been lucky enough to visit its shores. Located approximately 8 miles offshore from Port Victoria and adjacent to the the larger island of Wardang, Goose offers a myriad of marine life with fantastic scenery.
Next week we are heading north, hopefully making it up to Arkaroola and the Northern Flinders Ranges. Will keep you posted.
The trip this week: Naracoorte - Waitpinga - Adelaide
What happens when you take one posh British game and combine it with a combative native North American sport? You get the awesome combination that is polocrosse! We attended the tournament in Naracoorte to watch our nieces show us their skills.
The game starts with the ball being thrown in (not unlike super rugby). This is Emily (aged 13) at the back in position 3.
The grades are based on ability, not gender or age. This is Annabel (aged 11) against her direct #2 opponent (some bloke who is 40 something?)
Polocrosse has teams of three riders on the field, position 1 is offence with their direct opponent position 3 in defence. Position 2 riders stay in the midfield
After the polocrosse, we were lucky to head down to Waitpinga for some work with the cattle. It took me about three days to recover.
Cattle on Waitpilla Downs, Waitpinga SA
It was a bit sad to say good bye to our beloved kayaks. We were
fortunate to sell them both to a punter in Adelaide. I suppose we will
have to find another way to get our fish on the West Coast. Looking forward to the next week up in the the Flinders Ranges for some 4WD adventuring. See you next week.
This week brought us back to civilisation thanks to Jon Jon and Em's wedding in the gorgeous area of Whouraly between Wang and Victoria's Alpine National Park. Feeling slightly worse for wear following a cracking night on a beautifully converted tobacco farm, we headed back into the Alpine region for some beautiful views:
The views near the summit of Mt Hotham
We can thoroughly recommend driving and camping along the Omeo highway between Omeo and Mitta Mitta. There are so many awesome campsites along the upper Mitta Mitta River and for those less adventurous (but equally romantic), you might choose to stay at the Blue Duck Inn at Anglers Rest which is about half way along the road.
Anglers Rest, Victoria's Alpine National Park
The second half of our week was filled with wonderful family and frequent showers! Easter brought the crowds to the river land so we made a quick stop on the Murray before heading down to My sister's place in Western Victoria for some polocrosse.
Laura Michelmore aged 7 (my niece) on Debbie warming up for their polocrosse tournament
Next week we will have some more polocrosse excitement and then off to Adelaide! See you then.
Lake King William - Queenstown - Strahan - Kelly Heads - Rosebery - Lake Macintosh - Sheffield - Legana - Paper Beach - Greens Beach - Devonport - StKilda
It was very sad to say goodbye to Tasmania this week. We completed our adventures on the West coast and were once again blown away by the countryside. This week however, we encountered a part of the Tasmanian culture is not often included in the tourist brochures.
The small mining towns dotted through the central and western regions conjured up thoughts of Deliverance as we were stared at shamelessly by packs of mouth breathing local teenagers. The jury is still out on whether they were ogling at Kelly fashioning her stylish fluorescent pink running shorts (and pregnant belly) or me with my stylish 70's mustache.
Next stop will be at the Victorian Alps via Whouroly for Jon Jon and Em's wedding... Woo hoo!
See you next week!
Kelly Heads/Hells Gates (Macquarie Harbour)
4WD trip along the beach outside of Macquarie Harbour
Lymington - Dover - Southport - Cockle Creek - South Cape - Lake King William
An overview:
The Big Catch
Burnsey's naturist dream
A surfer's paradise
So we are at the end of week 7 and we now consider ourselves to be accomplished fisherman. I do however get the feeling that catching fish in Tasmania is about as easy as getting a suntan in Queensland and we may be as likely to catch fish upon our return to Victoria as we are to get a suntan there.
That aside, this week marked a momentous occasion as Burnsey laid down his life for the big one.... The Great White. Whilst paddling off the shores of cockle beach on the southern most cape of Tasmania trawling for our tea, Burnsey got a snag. Or so he thought. In a moment he realised he was hooked and that this was no ordinary fish. Oh no. As he tried to reel it in, his boat rocked and swayed threatening to tip him out and right into the jaws of the monster. 'I've got something huge here' he wailed. 'This is crazy, it must be a shark!'. The beast thrashed in the water whilst Burnsey used everything he had to stay afloat and keep the catch, his biceps bulging under the strain of it all.
As he got it nearer the surface and braced himself in order to launch it into boat, he caught sight of his vicious foe.... The Great White.... Squid! Now don't be so quick to judge. This thing was massive. Biggest squid ever, I'd say. That blighter fed us for three meals! Bloody beauty.
The rest is really quite short and sweet. Whilst doing yoga (yes you heard it correctly) on our own private little beach in Catamaran Bay, Burnsey made a somewhat disturbing remark (strange enough I know that we are both doing yoga like a couple of hippies). Given the glorious weather, Burnsey had decided to partly derobe and complete his chakras shirtless. Halfway through he suddenly asked 'do you think we could do this completely nude?'... I didn't know what to say. 'I'm sure you could' I offered cautiously... 'Why?'.... 'Eh' was his returned. 'Just wondering'. And now it is me that is left wondering. Oh Burnsey.
The last on the list was the spectacular South Cape. What a place. The surf was awesome and there were a number of surfers out there enjoying the breaks. We walked past a couple on the 15.5km round trip in and they were just carrying their boards in... barefoot. Awesome. We thought of you Hammo. Well worth the trip if you're ever down this way.
Well that's it for this week! Only a few more days here in Tassie and then it's back to the mainland. See you next week and enjoy the video.
The trip this week: Swansea - Dunalley - Cape Surville - Eaglehawk Neck (Tasman Peninsula) - Port Arthur - Lime Bay - Fortescue Bay - Hobart (and MONA) - Snug - Lymington
Another stunning week of beauty this week with most of our time concentrated on the Tasman Peninsula. We continue to be blown away with how amazing Tassie is. The fishing proved to be quite fruitful and as a result we are being spoiled with fresh seafood every other day. The fish tastes almost sweet and it just melts in your mouth. It is like nothing else we have tasted before (this could be due to the 'ikea effect' but hey).
While the scenery is outstanding, the locals talk a lot about the absence of work and the tough economy in Tassie. There are dozens of houses for sale everywhere we go and people are not typically optimistic about the immediate future.
We have seen really interesting industries such as salmon farming in the Huon River, and there are loads of oyster racks and fishing trawlers about the place. Forestry is nowhere what it used to be but you still see the odd truck loaded to the hilt with tall timber rumbling by and there is no shortage of grey nomads on the road spending the kids' inheritance.
I suppose the absence of built up industry is good for the wilderness. We are constantly surrounded by wildlife which more often than not is scoping out our lunch or leftovers. They are game little buggers, you can't leave anything out or it will be gone in two seconds flat. The forest grows right to the coastal waters and is so thick that you would be hard pressed to walk through it without a track to follow.
We are starting to get a bit of cooler weather now but the majority of the time it is still shorts and t-shirts. Perfect time to be in Tassie during Autumn. I strongly recommend it!
Animal encounters: Australian fur seal, bandicoots (very cute and not afraid of humans, see below), wallabies, bloody possums, a snake, parrots, currajongs, and a mackerel and a few flathead (which became supper of course).
Thanks for reading everyone. Speak with you next week!
"I can't believe that we used to find the time to fit work in!"
Our days are are filled with so much activity, it is hard to remember when we found the time to even watch the news.
I sit here on the Tasman Peninsula watching the sun slowly set over Norfolk Bay with Hobart somewhere in the distance. Kelly is scoring and seasoning a freshly caught squid from the calm waters we are camped beside, getting ready to throw the tasty morsel on the BBQ. The ipod boots out Mark Ronsan through our tiny camp speakers as we settle in for another chilly Tassie evening.
Week five has offered us another week of abundance and stunning beauty a we move down the East Coast of Tasmania. You HAVE to come and visit this place. It is simply amazing.
Can you imagine what it is like to paddle along a secluded bay lined with Australia's finest oysters covering the rocks free for the taking. The sea life is abundant, wherever we turn there are creatures of the deep. The turquoise waters with their accompanying pure white sandy beaches never disappoint. Tasmania has knocked our socks off and we haven't even made it half way round!
The trip this week: Waterhouse Point - St Helens (St Georges Bay)- Humbug Point - Binalong Bay - Bay of Fires - Moulting Lagoon (Freycinet Peninsula) - Cape Surville
Bentleigh East - Devonport - Lake Rowallan - Launceston - Waterhouse Point
The weekly lowdown....
Number of showers since leaving Melbourne - nil
Number of 'baths' had out of a tupperware container - 1
Our patience with regard to technical malfunctioning of any sort - nil
Number of times Kelly has done a half eskimo roll in her kayak - 1
Number of fish caught - 5!!!
That's right people. The moment you have all been waiting for... ok, the moment Burnsey and I have been desperately hoping for...
Yesterday we caught two squid and a flathead out of our kayaks! Thank you Tassie. About bloody time too. It was baked fish and calamari salad for supper last night. Oh but it doesn't end there, no no. Today we caught two leatherjackets (not of the motorcycle variety, though that would have better for the budget with the likes of ebay), a whiting and two crabs! This place just keeps getting better and better. So it's fish curry for dinner tonight (courtesy of Ryan and Lizzie) with a cold Coopers (thank you Warnses' and for putting us up!). What a smashing end to the week.
We are off to the local caravan park in St Helens for a shower tomorrow, but in lieu of such luxuries I would like to say a huge thanks to the gang at CNS for the massive can of dry shampoo. Fantastic. If only it could magically cure my tragic fashion sense.
See you next week!
P.s. And yes, a half eskimo roll means I was unceremoniously tipped out into the sea...
The end of week three and we are getting regular hot showers and cold milk thanks to our wonderful friends in Melbourne.
The trip this week:
Foster - Port Franklin - Wilsons Promontory - Bear Gully - Eltham
The stats:
Days fishing: 6
Fish caught: nil
Number of kilos of fish we could have eaten for the money spent on fishing gear so far: 12
This week has been absolutely fantastic. After our failed attempts at fishing the various ports of southern Victoria we headed down to the Prom for a 55km, 3-day hike which was easily the most stunning walk we have done. We learned two valuable lessons on the walk...
1. Take enough metho. This way you won't have to make a decision between a cold supper and drinking untreated creek water.
2. Put your scroggin in an airtight container... not a zip lock bag. Having questioned Burnsey's sanity when he packed only a few handfuls of sweets/nuts for our walk, I came around to his 'scarcity principle' realising it would increase the value in times of need. He further redeemed himself by wrestling it out of the mouth of a determined possum in the middle of the night after it climbed into my backpack (under the clips and drawstring and all). Unfortunately all of his brownie points were lost the following morning when he left the zip of his backpack slightly askew as we headed up the hill to the lighthouse... when we returned we were scroggin-less thanks to a black cockatoo who was clearly smarter than we are. Devastating.
A massive thanks to Chris and Anna, Sammy and Jonno, Jodi and Berkhard for their wonderful hospitality
Here is a little compilation for the week. See you soon!
P.s. Sorry! The second video should play on phones and ipads...
Well here we are at the end of week two, and boy what a week it was. First of all the journey:
Tom Groggin (Kosciuszko National Park) - Alpine National Park - Metung - Lakes Entrance - Golden Beach (90 Mile Beach) - McLoughlins Beach - Port Welshpool
And some stats:
Number of inter-marital fights = nil
Average daily food spend = $12/day
Number of days spent fishing = 4
Number of fish caught = nil
Number of showers this week = nil
Number of times Kelly has said the 'F' word = 2
The reason for such seemingly unnecessary profanity? Adventure. This week we have had two of them. Great ones. I will give a brief description of both, but it was the second that elicited such vulgar language.
The Nissan Mountain Goat
Having decided to make our way into Victoria by means other than the national highway, Burnsey and I picked up a wee leaflet on the Davies Track running through Alpine National Park. On the back of said leaflet were a number of warnings advising the difficulty of the 4WD trail we were about to traverse. 'Very Difficult', it read. 'Only for experienced drivers', it proffered. 'Always travel in groups of four vehicles or more and with appropriate equipment', it warned. We postulated and decided that this was clearly a case of overkill and backside covering for the purposes of health and safety and off we went; two of us in one vehicle with no equipment and even less experience.
The track was most certainly 'very difficult'. Hair-raising in fact. By the time we reached the summit of the lofty Mt Gibbo we were both so pumped with adrenalin we ate bowls of pasta the size of our heads followed by a couple of Nerea's wonderful Italian biscuits and a cup or two of tea. The way down was no less difficult, but exhilarating nonetheless, and both we and the nifty Nissan Navara survived unscathed. Hoorah for blind optimism! The Black Bog
Today marked day three of our fish-less fishing endeavours. Not to be deterred by such minor details we set off even more determined than before. We decided to head up to the end of the spit at the inlet opposite McLoughlins Beach where we were bound to catch more fish than we could carry home. The walk there was splendid. Golden sandy beaches that stretched into the horizon and not a soul to be seen. We walked triumphantly, knowing this... was... it! The moment we had been waiting for....
We fished. We tried different bait. We fished. I lost a lure or two on a snag or two. We fished some more. Nothing.
As the sun began to set we admitted (temporary) defeat and decided to head home for a warm supper. Rather than walk back along the way we had come (it was further), we decided to try the other way around the spit for a swift trip home before dark.
The beach rapidly turned to mud flats. We headed inland for some respite but it was marshy, boggy and covered in salt bush. We trudged on. We encountered what can only be described as 'Jab Jab Grass'. We went back to the marsh. The dark was descending and with no torches or any other light to speak of I was getting desperate . 'Let's try the beach again' I suggested. We crossed back across the swamp to the muddy flats and decided that barefoot, we could probably make it. Burnsey went first. Not ten metres in and he sunk up to his groin. Now Burnsey is not a panicky kind of man but I sensed panic (insert first profanity here). We made a swift retreat, realising the only way out was to walk some 2km through the Jab Jab Grass. At this point, in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat, Burnsey made a joke about the fact that he was now 'half black' on account of the mud covering his lower half and could no doubt use his new found tracker skills to help us out of our pickle.... We reluctantly went back in. Burnsey in his best bush walking thongs and me in my bright white trainers....(insert profanity #2)
The best part about walking through knee high grass that pricks you like a thousand needles is that it takes your mind off whether or not there could be snakes looming. As we neared the end of our epic walk home in the now pitch black, the Jab Jab grass suddenly went from 40cm tall to 1.5m... oh how we yearned for the waist height mud flats!
Needless to say (and to cut a very long story short), nearly five hours later we arrived back to our trusty camp site. Two weary adventurers half black with thick black mud and not a shower to be seen.
So, a week of adventure centered around terrible fishing skills and limited bathing.... don't worry too much, we have bathed in the rivers and the ocean every day and I'm sure my one huge dreadlock will brush out eventually.
I have loaded a few pics below. Some more can be found here if you are interested:
