South Australia - End of the Odyssey

Having crossed the border, this time pre-empting the confiscation of fruit and veg for quarantine purposes and feeling very self righteous for having had the foresight to pre-cook all remaining carrots, kale, tomatoes & onions, we continued on our journey across the Great Australian Bight

The view from the top of the cliffs afforded a spectacular panorama, which brought to mind the song “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”.  The cliffs appear to go on and on into the distance, and once again the water was crystal clear and as blue as blue.  The gale was still blowing though, evidenced by the dishevelled hairdo in photos, so not really appropriate for a picnic.

Unfortunately the road to the actual “Head of the Bight” was inaccessible, in that the caretakers close the gate at 4.30pm, so being a few minutes later than that, we passed by without visiting.  However there was a sign saying 0 Whales Today.  We feel very blessed that when we visited the spot a few years ago we saw some 150 odd whales and their babies.

Continued on to Streaky Bay, where we spent a couple of days with some old friends, feasting on snapper, squid & oysters, fresh from the Bay.

Seafood heaven !!

So now we are back in Aldinga, close to Trev’s Mum, and having spent time in Mannum & Keith on the way, where we caught up with cousins, we really are on the last leg so to speak.  The next few weeks will be taken up with spending time with rellies and friends, as well as cleaning up the van & getting the car serviced in readiness for their storage for the next however many months?  There is still a bit of red dust to extricate from little nooks & crannies, especially in the car.

We have had a wonderful time, enjoyed every second, and thank our God for safety on the road & continued excellent health.  It has been a trip of a lifetime and we wouldn’t change a moment.  Thank you all for following our journey, your encouragement and many prayers.  We are blessed indeed !!!

So until next time the STOCKS-ARE-ON-THE-ROAD,    Bye xxxxxxx

Esperance - Nullarbor

Well here we are again after a slight hiccup in the blogging process, I am here to finish the story.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Esperance, as apart from the magnificent beaches we found it to be a friendly and relaxed town with more of a holiday atmosphere than Albany, which we always considered to be the southern WA holiday spot.  Certainly a lot of people from our old farming area used to go there for their annual holidays.

The journey across the Nullarbor bore no resemblance at all to the original trek from Adelaide to our new home on the farm in Beverley some 45 years ago.  Then, we travelled in a convoy consisting of a truck loaded with our furniture & other farm gear, a car and trailer & car and caravan.  It was late January and stinking hot, and to make matters worse most of the road was unsealed & corrugated.

This time the weather was very pleasant, and although the scenery wasn’t exactly riveting, it was interesting to travel the road again.  Our first camp spot was off the road, tucked in amongst the trees and soon there were another two vehicles joining us.  An older couple & a young family with 3 delightful boys.

After we’d all set up, we gathered firewood and soon had a couple of small fires going on which we cooked our meal, and later when the kids were bedded down the six of us gathered around our fire.  The older guy produced a piano accordion and was soon entertaining us with songs & poems from times long past.  It was THE most enjoyable night we’ve had at a camp spot yet.

I would love to give you a detailed description of the scenery along the way, but to be honest there wasn’t any !! Mile upon mile of flat nothing land.  I was going to drive the “longest straight road in Australia” (from Balladonia to Caiguna – 146.6kms) but there was such a strong SE wind blowing there was no way I was going to take the wheel – not with 24’ of caravan hanging on the back!! No way !!

As you can see, there isn’t really a lot to see, and there weren’t too many bends in the road even to break the monotony, but at least you could make a cup of tea and know that you weren’t going to tip it all over yourself  !!









So my dear husband has driven all 22,000+ kms and has encountered more than his fair share of head winds.  We thought at least driving from west to east we may get a bit of a tail wind, but no – it didn’t happen.

It was quite a momentous occasion when we crossed the border into South Australia, because in effect it was marking the end of our “holiday”, and meant we seriously were at the tail end of our trip.  A bitter sweet feeling really.

However, we still have a few enjoyable weeks with friends and family in SA,  so it’s just a new chapter.

More soon  xx

Esperance

Hello again

We have been in Esperance for a few days and have a great spot overlooking the water on the Esplanade.  We have had a variety of weather and temperatures since we have been here, but are thoroughly enjoying it.

The first trip we did was on Saturday when we drove east to the Le Grand national park, taking in some gorgeous sandy bays and more granite rocks.  It reminds us a little of the Pink Granite Coast  or should I say Cote Granit Rose, Brittany, France where we spent a couple of weeks with our extended British family a few years ago.

The contrast of the granite rocks where they meet the blue water & the pure white sand is quite spectacular, and makes for a photographers photofest.....so hard to decide on the keepers later on when sorting the days photos.  We thought the water and sands of Coral Bay were magnificent, but the turquoise of the water here especially as it rolls over this brilliant white silica sand is nothing short of dazzling.  The sand itself is literally "squeaky" clean, even squeaking loudly when driven on.

On one of the beaches we were treated to the sight of a lone kangaroo standing on the sand nonchalantly observing the people going about their leisure activities, before he ambled into the undergrowth to graze a little, still oblivious to me with the camera. Such an unexpected little treat - don't expect to see roos on the beach !

Not particularly sunny in this spot, but lovely nevertheless

Yesterday we went to the local Baptist church - a small congregation of lovely friendly people, but this time unlike other occasions, we were the ONLY visitors, so of course we were noticed and therefore had to stay and have a cuppa.  The local market was still going strong when we left the church, so we wandered around the stalls in the sunshine.  Later drove in the other direction (west) to the town beaches & were wowed again by more pristine beaches with brilliant coloured sand and sea.

We have also been treated to some wonderful wildflowers in this area too.  We thought we had certainly missed the season, short as it was according to locals.  But here in Esperance the hills surrounding the beaches are covered in pinky-mauve coloured bushes, which bear a slight resemblance to the heather adorned banks & braes of Bonny Scotland.

Have to say we are really loving Esperance, it has more of a holiday feel than Albany, which surprised us considering so many West Aussies name Albany as their preferred holiday spot. However, it seems that a large number of Kalgoorlie people have holiday homes here, as it's only a 4hr trip, whereas Albany is 8hrs.  Likewise people from the eastern side of the wheat belt would more easily travel to Esperance.

Anyway we'll probably stay here for most of this week before taking on the Nullabor.  We have water views, wifi & a lovely coffee shop just down the road - what more could we want ??

Cheers

Albany

Hey there

We've had a lovely few days in Albany. Managed to catch up on the washing & ironing while Trev vacuumed the car. Nice to get some jobs done & feel a bit less like "bush-bashers" especially now the van is shiny white instead of red !!

Monday was pretty wet & cold, but we did stock up the grocery cupboard, and have the all important coffee in town.  But yesterday, Tuesday, was a lovely sunny, albeit blustery day, so we did the lookouts over Albany and then went out to Frenchmans Bay to the old whaling station.  This was in fact only operational for about 22 years, beginning in 1958, so it was a bit bizarre to walk around knowing that it wasn't all that long ago that the place was buzzing with its macabre activity.

The tour guide (a lovely old geezer) was extremely knowledgable and very interesting as he talked us through the various processes from sighting of whales to the kill & ultimately the processing.  Apparently the stench was so bad that a worker entering a shop or a pub could clear a space around him in seconds !!  The effect of the closure of the plant had drastic consequences for the whole town &  naturally the economy was devastated as many many people were without work.  The factory employed hundreds of townsfolk in some way or another and so many Albany families had a really tough time.

The cafe at the whaling station served great coffee & delicious seafood too, so we spoilt ourselves with lunch as well as morning tea there, whilst enjoying the view over the waterfront.

We visited the blow-holes, the Gap & Natural Bridge on the way back to town, which are all amazing configurations of the local granite, which permeates every lookout, and hill side within sight.  So we got our exercise yesterday whilst exploring these natural wonders.

Today we have set off from Albany, heading East although first detouring north to drive through the Stirling Ranges, which offered a number of rocky granite climbs to places unimaginably high & particularly unachievable for yours truly. So we admired them from a distance & drove on through some of the best wildflowers we have seen.  I think there has been a fair bit of rain in this area, so the flowers are looking fresh & pretty.  Not the carpets of ground cover wildflowers that one would expect from photos, but certainly many colourful bushes & shrubs.  Unfortunately we weren't able to photograph them as the sun was just not shining enough to do them justice.

We are parked up for the night just out of Ravensthorpe and will head to Esperance tomorrow, where we plan to spend a few days, maybe?

More soon xx




  

Perth - Albany

Had a lovely day in Perth with Tom & Carol, visiting Kings Park overlooking Perth City, and down to Fremantle for a yummy fish meal on the wharf.  However, we are now into the cooler climes & the heat of the northern coast seems a distant memory now.

So, left Perth for places south - called to visit more old friends from Beverley, the Morells in Mandurah,  who fed us handsomely, and then drove on to stay at Busselton en route to the Margaret River area.  The weather took a turn for the worse and being wet and cold, we weren't able to do much other than meander through the winery district and appreciate the scenery from the warmth of our vehicle.

We made it through to Pemberton, diverting to Augusta & Cape Leeuwin, the most south westerly point of WA.  Leaving the Cape we are now officially heading East, being very satisfied that we have done all we wanted to do in WA.

Unfortunately the rain and cold persisted and on leaving Pemberton we were only able to call in to the site of the tree-top-walk of the Valley of the Giants (massive karri trees).  Some hardy Japanese tourists bedecked in plastic ponchos and huge umbrellas were taking on this awesome attraction, but having become a bit soft in the months of sun & surf, we opted for a couple of photo's then back in the warm car !!

The drive through to Albany was the most difficult and intense for the whole trip so far, with extremely high winds and at times torrential rain.  However, we made it without any hassles and were pleased to check into the Albany caravan park and indulge in a loverly hot shower after getting a bit damp doing the usual and necessary setting up stuff.

Church this morning, and a lovely coffee at Middleton Beach before lunch, and this afternoon relaxing and catching up with a few domestic things.  We plan to stay here for a few days as there are some interesting and historic spots to visit, before continuing east to Esperance.

Woohoo - sun has just come out, so tomorrow we might get some good pics of Albany.
More later xx

Memory Lane = York, Beverley, Brookton

This has been a nostalgic and very enjoyable few days of revisiting places that we knew so well 45 years ago, as well as renewing old friendships with significant people in our early married life.

We arrived in Beverley in January 1969 after travelling in a convoy of truck loaded with furniture, car & trailer, and Mum & Dad Stock's car & caravan.  It was a gruelling, hot journey over the then unsealed and very corrugated Nullabor Plain road, but it paved the way for our 4 years of farming in the WA wheat belt town of Beverley.  Our property was in an area out of town called Mt Kokeby, which consisted then of a shop/post office/telephone exchange & a railway siding.

Now in 2013 we approached the town from the east, through Meckering which was all but flattened by a strong earthquake in 1968, and on to York where Stuart was born in 1969 - we took the obligatory photo outside the hospital where it all happened.  That memorable night we had been sent on to York from our local Beverley Hospital because my doctor was away in Perth at the races.  En route to the hospital we sat at the railway crossing for ages where a train was parked for the night.  After sitting in the car for a while I encouraged Trevor that perhaps we should find another route across the line.  That done we finally arrived to the relief of the hospital staff who were waiting at the door for us having been notified by Beverley that we were on the way.  Trevor was sent home to Mr Kokeby (in those days the father was unwelcome in the delivery suite) & wasn't aware of the birth of his son until after the Kokeby exchange opened at 7.30am the next morning, some 2hrs after Stuart was born.

So back to the present, from York we drove on to Beverley & Brookton, where over the next few days we caught up with old friends, and had a really good luck around the area, especially enjoying the country in all its springtime greenery.  Another must do was to have a photo taken outside the Beverley Hospital where Sarah-Jane was born in 1970.  Fortunately the doctor was there, but Trevor (who was allowed in this time) almost missed it as he had ducked into town to buy a pie for lunch !!  He only just got to finish it before our daughter arrived.

A visit to the old farm which hasn't been lived in for some time was a bizarre & poignant feeling.  Sadly the little old farm house is derelict and has been unoccupied and definitely unloved for a long time.  As we pulled up outside there were rabbits running around all over the place, and darting under the house.
The sheds, yards & outbuildings strangely empty and overgrown and the whole atmosphere was completely lifeless.  There is a crop but no livestock, so it is worked somewhat, but there wasn't much evidence of the busyness, the dogs, ducks, cows & kids that once enjoyed the undulating paddocks & the quaint little house & garden.  So having reminisced about another lifetime, we drove out the tree-lined drive (which trees we lovingly planted & watered) now metres high, closing for good that chapter of our lives.

Our friends at Brookton (Carol & David Bond) looked after us so well and we left them with our fridge stocked up with wonderful garden fresh vegies, herbs & fruit.  It was a wonderful few days and served to remind us again that true friendships always survive the passage of time, and are taken up as though no time has passed between meetings.

Likewise, leaving Brookton, we drove on to Perth, staying at the lovely property of other old friends from the Beverley days, Carol and Tom Knell.  We all belonged to a young marrieds group through the Methodist Church in the area, and although we've all gone our separate ways we have kept in touch all these years.  Our farms were all some miles apart, but we gathered regularly at each others homes, putting children to bed in cars while we did a Bible study or just fellowshipped together.  Some of us also played night basketball, and there again, watched each others kids sleeping in the cars, while teams were playing.  They were good days & lovely to share memories together.

More coming ......

Geraldton to Gold Fields & Kalgoorlie

Hello again - we are still here, but time flies when you're having fun & suddenly it's been a week or so  since I last wrote in Geraldton.

From Geraldton we headed east through some old gold mining towns, which was an interesting trip & delayed the need to face the cooler temps if the southern part of WA.  Once again the old mining places we visited just served to reinforce our awareness of the hardships that the miners of old endured for the sake of the chance & hope of finding gold.

We had hoped to see some wildflowers as well, but although the rains came & the flowers sprouted earlier, the recent lack of rain has meant that most of those flowers have long since died off.  So unfortunately the carpet of purples & pinks that they usually experience out there just haven't happened this year.

In Mount Magnet & Sandstone we saw relics of times past and the hunt for gold, and although the countryside we drove through was hardly scenic, it still has a fascination as you ponder how and why these men happened to be way out there, and it amazes me how they knew where to stake their claims.
And the numbers of mines still in operation all through that country is quite astounding.

We arrived in Leinster (a mine town) about 4.00pm and were intending to stay there for the night, but it was 41 degrees and blowing a gale, so we did a quick drive through and kept going towards Leonora, which was about 10 degrees cooler and less windy.

In the morning we left Leonora to visit the nearby historic town of Gwalia. This State heritage listed site includes the remnants of the old Gwalia townsite where about twenty small iron and hessian miners' cottages are open to visitors. They appear as though their owners have just walked out and left them - everything rusty & dusty but virtually undisturbed and amazingly not vandalised or graffitied. You can peer through the windows at Mazza's Store on the main street, and also imagine the life of itinerant workers at Patroni's Guest House next door.  There are also a number of mine management buildings on Staff Hill, and the largest timber incline headframe in Australia. This headframe has been moved there from the original mine site, which is now hugely extended of course, but we were told that when they moved it, they found enough gold around the headsite which had obviously been spilt over time, to pay the cost of moving it - about $350k's worth I think.  

In 1896, the Sons of Gwalia Lease was registered by Thomas Tobias, a storekeeper in Coolgardie. The name Gwalia, the ancient poetic name for the country of Wales, was chosen because of Tobias' Welsh heritage. By the early 1900s and throughout the life of Sons of Gwalia Mine up to the mid-1960s, a large proportion of the miners were Italian or Yugoslavian. There was considerable competition between Gwalia and Leonora. Leonora was gazetted an official townsite in 1897 and developed rapidly but the government refused to officially gazette a townsite at Gwalia, because they said replication of services in towns only two miles apart was unnecessary.

The historical mine management precinct on the hill above the township affords a great view over the mine, (which has been closed and re-opened several times in its life) as well as sporting a very elegant "managers house", which is now open as a B&B and for functions.  The mine is no longer the Sons of Gwalia but is now St Barbara & fully operational.

After spending a very interesting morning at Gwalia we set off for Kalgoorlie, the temperature dropping considerably with each turn of the wheels.  Consequently we arrived in mid-afternoon to pouring rain and 12 degrees.  Dressed in the typical short shorts and singlet tops you can imagine our shock at having to get the caravan parked and organised in the rain & as soon as it was done we both hightailed it for the ablution block where we stood under the hot showers until we'd thawed out!!

The next day was warmer and dry I'm happy to say, and we enjoyed checking out the various places of interest in Kalgoorlie, as well as the obligatory grocery stock up.  Finally we managed to get a ticket for Trevor to do a mine tour, so on the next morning he went to see the Super-Pit (which produces up to 850,000 ounces of gold every year and its operation far outweighs any other mining centre in Australia. The Super Pit is the biggest gold open pit mine in the country.  

I, on the other hand, indulged myself with a pedicure instead of a mine tour, succumbing to the pampering of my poor dry, cracked & dust abused feet.  By the time I met up with Trevor again, he was happy to have satisfied his desire to see a large operational mine, & I certainly was happy to have soft, clean feet again.  A very successful day for us both !!

Leaving Kalgoorlie, heading west again, bound for a few days of revisiting old haunts, renewing old friendships and cruising down memory lane.  

Watch this space :-)