Well from Kangaroo island we started to make our way slowly along the coast towards Melbourne.  With the school holidays over we were expecting that the crowds would be a lot less and getting around in the free camp areas should be less crowded.

Our first destination was a free camp area at Narrung.  This was a great little grassed area right next to the Lake Alexandrina and would put most caravan parks to shame with the quality of the grassed area.  We spent two nights here and really enjoyed the stay.  It was amazing just how big this lake is as all you can see is water to the horizon.

 

 

From Narrung it was off to Parnka Point for some more free camping for a couple of nights.  Parnka Point is on the inland part of the Coorong and while a great little camp site it was very windy while we were there.  With only six camp sites, there were never more than two of us there at one time so it was nice and quiet.  We did a couple of walks along the beach but with the wind the way it was they weren’t very enjoyable.

Next stop was Robe for a few days.  We were staying in a caravan park to do some washing etc after a few days of free camping.  Robe had a choice of a few parks and the one we chose was excellent. I would think it was the best one we have stayed in so far on our trip.   Robe was a very picturesque little town with a lot of historical buildings and houses that have all been excellently maintained.  There was also quite a bit to see around the area with some nice coastal drives in the National Parks.

 

 

 

 

 

From Robe we decided to head inland and look at some caves nearby.  Our first stop was at Naracoorte where we stayed at the show grounds.  If you are ever coming through Naracoorte then we can recommend staying at these grounds, great value, bucket loads of room with green grass and very clean toilets.  We drove out to the Naracoorte Caves and viewed the Wonambi Fossil Centre, Victoria Fossil Cave and Wet Cave.  There were a few others to look at but they really didn’t change all that much and we felt we had seen enough.  Still worth the drive out to look though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Naracoorte we travelled the short distance to Tantanoola for a nights free camping in town and to look at the Tantanoola Cave.  Tantanoola is a very small town and they have set up a small area just off the main street for caravaners.  It was a nice grassed area with toilets and well worth the stop over.  We had planned to go across the road for a pub meal that night but it is closed on Monday nights so that was a disappointment.  The cave a Tantanoola I thought was excellent and well worth a look at.  It is not very big but when you walk through the door (yes it has a door for an entrance), the first look is pretty spectacular.  We would recommend this small stopover to all if your ever in the area.

 

 

 

 

After our little detour inland it was back to the coast and heading towards Port MacDonnell.  Port MacDonnell is a small fishing town that reminded us a lot of Dongara.  It names itself as the southern rock lobster capital of South Australia.  Its a very nice little town with quite a bit to see around the area.  Mt Gambier is only about a 30 kilometre drive away and with other smaller coastal villages around it is a very nice place to stay.  It even has the constant wind the same as Dongara as well as the seaweed on the beaches.  One place that really blew us away was Feast’s Classic Car Collection.  This place was a little gem and old Don was a great guide.  We were the only ones there on the day we went and we were lucky enough to get the full guided tour from Don, he is a real character and never stops talking.  Besides all the car stories we also knew the full history of his three heart attacks and all the problems he had with his piles.  Port MacDonnell is also the most southern part of South Australia for any trivia buffs out there.  There was also a great little walk up Mt Schank.  This is the remains of an extinct volcano that you can easily walk around the top and also walk down into the middle.  With it being relatively small you get an excellent feel for the crater when you are at the top and also in the middle.  There was also Adam Lindsay Gordon’s cottage of Dingley Dell that may be of interest to anyone who is familiar with past Australian poets.  The area around Port MacDonnell through to Mt Gambier also has a lot of sinkholes that are worth driving around.  Some have water in them and are very popular with cave diving enthusiasts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we are off again and heading just down the coast a bit for a little bit of free camping again.  The water here at Port MacDonnell would be the best we have tasted in South Australia so we will take this opportunity to fill the water tanks again.  They also have a nice rain water tank at the caravan park so we fill all the water bottles as well while we can.  It’s always good when you know you are heading off again so until next update………

After a short trip from McLaren Vale on our way to Kangaroo Island,  we left the caravan at Cape Jervis before catching the ferry over to the island.  We decided that we would use the roof top tent again while on Kangaroo Island so we left the van at the caravan park at Cape Jervis.  The drive down to Cape Jervis started off well but as we got closer the rain set in and we had our wettest day since leaving WA 7 months ago.  We were lucky enough to catch the rain coming south from Cyclone Stan that passed through northern WA and made its way into SA.  We did the quickest van set up yet in pouring rain before heading to the ferry departure and waiting in soaking rain.

The trip over to Kangaroo Island was wet wet wet, but not very rough which was good.  The ferry trip only takes 45 minutes so you don’t get long to sit and relax before your driving off and on your way.  The trip would be nice in dry weather but you cant have it all your own way all the time.

After leaving the ferry we headed for the western end of Kangaroo Island and drove to Vennachar Point to stay at the West Bay camp ground.  Things were not looking good during the drive there as it was rain all the way.  We were beginning to wonder if we had made the right decision in only bringing the car to sleep in.  As the day progressed the rain did start easing up more and more and by around 4PM it was only intermittent drizzle so we started to set up camp.  By a stroke of good luck the rain stopped about 6PM so we were able to have “sundowners” which meant the day wasn’t a complete loss.  The only downside of the day was we really didn’t see as much on the first day as we thought we would.

 

 

 

After a cold first night it was up early to try and make up for a wet and windy first day.  After princess had her cup of tea in bed it was off on the road to Cape du Couedic to look at the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch.  On our way there we did a short detour and did the Sandy Creek hike to Cape Bedout for some early morning exercise.  The sea was really rough and pounding when we got to the beach area.

The Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch are probably the most popular tourist stops at Kangaroo Island and this is where we saw most people during our time on the island.   They are worth the trip and at Admirals Arch there were a lot of New Zealand fur seals to look at which was pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks we headed off inland to look at a few wineries and other tourist hot spots.  First stop was a honey place to taste some wares then it was off to a eucalyptus oil were you see them boiling the leaves in the boiler to extract the oil and how they separate it from the water.  Pretty interesting how simple the whole process was.

 

After all this touring it was time to look for a camp ground for the night as it was starting to get close to “sundowner” time and we had a camp to set up as well.  We found a great little camp right near the beach near Wreckers Beach.  There were only two camp sites so we thought the chances of getting any neighbors would be pretty slim and luckily that’s the way it turned out.

It was another early start to the day and another cup of tea in bed for someone special.  From Wreckers Beach we drove to American River. We spoilt ourselves for lunch today as well with a seafood smorgasbord at the Oyster Farm Shop.   Then we climbed Prospect Hill on the way to Cape Willoughby after lunch to try and lose some of the excess calories from lunch, feeling guilty can be very painful on the body..  You get a good view of the island from the top and it is also the narrow neck of the island and you can see the ocean on both sides when you get to the top.

 

 

 

 

 Then travelled onto the very eastern end of the island to Cape Willoughby.  It is really very easy to see the mainland from here.  One thing that did surprise us was how close the island is to the mainland.  I always thought of it as being quite a distance from the mainland.  We got a very clear view of the mainland from here, on a good day you could almost swim over??  From Cape Willoughby it was a short drive to Penneshaw were the ferry leaves from heading back to mainland.

 

After three pretty full days on Kangaroo Island we felt we had seen a fair bit and if we come back again another three days will pretty much see it all done.  We were very surprised how big the island was and also how dense some of the bush was.  It was an island with a lot of surprises and we really enjoyed our short time looking around.  We would definitely come back again and at this time of the year, just make sure that there have been no cyclones in WA.

From here it will be back along the coast towards Melbourne to catch up with a few friends.  We are hoping that now all the kids are back at school it wont be to crowded along the way, only us happy unemployed……..

We have had a great couple of weeks in and around Adelaide with the Tour Downunder filling in most of our first week and then it was a day at the T20 to watch Australia play India at the Adelaide Oval.

First up the Tour Downunder and what a great event that was.  The organisation and the way they have the races planned was excellent.  On some of the days the bikes go past you 5 times which gives you a great view of the race and you get to see quite a bit of the race as well.  After nearly 20 years of the race in South Australia they really do put on a great show and we would certainly come back again to watch if we are ever back this way around the same time it is on.

We saw Stages 2, 3, 4 & 5 of the race as they were easy for us to travel from while staying at McLaren Vale.  Stage 5 of the race started in the main street of McLaren Vale so we rode our bikes into town to watch the start then rode about 7 kilometres to Wilunga and watched them come through the town several times before they finished with a hill climb out of town.  Stage 3 we saw the sprint in McLaren Flat which was a little bit of an anti climax as it was over very quickly then the race was gone.  We did prefer the other areas where we watched the bikes come past several times.

I didn’t realise what a parade of cars and promotions would be at the start of each stage or throughout each stage.  What you don’t see on the television screen is very very different to what is taking place while the race is going on.  They have about 30 police on bikes in front of the race clearing the road as well as several patrol cars, a paddy wagon and also police on bikes.  They always seemed to get the biggest cheers from the crowds.

What was also surprising was the amount of people riding on the course while the race was on.  With the police bikes clearing the roads in front of the racers, they let people ride on the course until it is time to get off and let the bikes past.  After the all clear they get back on the road until they have to get off again.  There were also a large contingent of MAMIL’s, (middle aged men in lycra), on the roads each day and boy did they come in all shapes and sizes.  It is really obvious that what some people see in a mirror when they are dressed is very different to reality and what everyone else sees.  But they were all happy and at least they were out riding which cant be a bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After enjoying the bikes it was then planning for the rest of our stay near Adelaide.  we decided to go to the cricket to watch Australia play India in the T20.  We managed to get some excellent seats online so the day was planned.  We caught the new train from Seaforth into the city and then had a quick look at Rundle Mall before going to the oval.  What a great stadium the Adelaide Oval is.  Perth cannot get its new stadium quick enough.  The facilities for people are 1st class and it only takes about 1 minute to get a drink.  With such a great facility it was just a pity that Australia played so poorly on the day but anyway the beer was nice and cold.

 

 

 

 

 

We were also staying very close to Onkaparinga National Park so this was a good excuse to go and do some walking along the gorge and see some nice spots.   I think Kaye must be secretly getting a bit sick of me as on our second walk I think see was trying to see if I would survive walking up the side of a mountain instead of taking the path that everyone else takes.  Besides all the snakes we saw on the walk I really do think we were the first humans to have walked where we went as there did not seem to be any signs of past disturbance human encounter.  Anyway I survived but strangely Kaye was very quiet that night at home and was busy on the computer looking up other walks that I’m sure don’t exist on any maps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we are off to Kangaroo Island for as few days and really looking forward to this little trip.  We are going to leave the caravan at a storage place and just go over with the car and use the roof top tent again.  Just hope it doesn’t rain as it is forecast while we are due to be there so fingers crossed.  We will do another update after KI so until then keep well……….