Well after our short getaway to Malaysia it was back in Perth and hoping that the van would be ready to go.  We had left it with the dealer to get a few warranty items completed while we were away.  Unfortunately they weren’t completed and we were left waiting an extra month in Perth.  Very frustrating when you just want to pack up and go.  Eventually we told the dealer that we couldn’t wait any longer and asked if they could have the rest of the work on the van completed at their Melbourne factory, which they did to their credit.  It wasn’t much work, they supplied us with the wrong leather finish on our seats and we wanted it replaced with what we had ordered.

After sorting out the arrangements for the work on the van it was finally on the road and off towards Canberra for Christmas.  We were going over to have it with Jade and the boys.  We had allowed ourselves twelve days to get there.  At the rate that we normally travel each day this was going to be a very rushed trip.

We decided to travel from Perth towards Hyden and then the gravel road from there to Norseman.  We did this trip many years ago but I had forgotten what it was like.  Our first night was spent at a place called The Breakaways about 460 kilometres from Perth.  This was a pretty good camp ground a short distance from the main road.  A good stop over point for the night.

 

 

Day 2 was a short stop in Norseman for fuel then the start of the Nullarbor crossing.  This was a long 717 kilometre drive today and we just drove until we had enough and camped in a clearing a few hundred metres off the highway for the night.  The area was Moondi Bluff and it wasn’t anything very special.  Next day was an early rise and another long day with some tourist stops along the way at the Great Australian Bight.  There are some impressive stop over areas and lookouts after you cross the border into South Australia and we wanted to have a look at a few of them.

 

 

 

 

 

We really did scoot through South Australia with a series of one night stops until we got to Broken Hill where we decided to catch our breath and have a two night break.  We stayed at the Broken Hill Regional Events Centre which was actually the race course.  They have a nice grassed area for you to camp on and you have access to the toilets and showers.  Broken Hill reminded me a lot of Kalgoorlie when we drove around.  There were a few things to see and we did enjoy our short stay there.  Just out of town they have the Sculptures and Living Desert which we both thought was very interesting. They have twelve sandstone pieces on display around a short walk on the top of a hill, very spectacular with the landscape in the background.  We also visited the Pro Hart Gallery which was very good.  They have a very rich art history at Broken Hill and they try hard to take advantage of this.  The Flying Doctor Visitor Centre is also well worth a visit when in Broken Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Broken Hill we only did a short 110 kilometre drive and stayed out at the Burke and Wills Campsite near Lake Pamamaroo.  This is just near the small town of Menindee and in the Kinchega National Park.  There are quite a few large lakes in the area as well as lots of camping sites that were being well used considering the time of year that we were there.  The lake has plenty of camping areas around it so you aren’t close to anyone which is good.  The lake had nice white sand around it and plenty of birdlife.

 

 

 

 

From Lake Pamamaroo we did the 300 kilometre gravel road to Hillston.  The road started off in very good condition then started to get very rocky.  There was a side track along side the road that we ended up taking as it was well used and a lot smoother.  It seems that this is what everyone does that travels this road as we passed a few doing the same thing.  The roads was also very very dusty so it gave the new van a really good dust test which we are happy to say it passed very well.  Just a couple of small spots that we will sort out.  The good thing when we arrived at Hillston Caravan Park was that they let you wash your van which was a real bonus as it was quite dirty.

From Hillston it was a night at the Harden-Murrumburrah Showgrounds for one night.  Not a bad stopover and we were the only ones there.  Harden also had some cheap fuel compared to other towns in the area so that was nice for a change.  From Harden it was a short drive to Yass where we were putting the van in storage for 4 weeks while we stayed in Canberra for Christmas and New Year.  Jade also had a big list of things that she wanted done around the house so Kaye and myself were going to be busy.

Canberra seems to be one of our most visited places so far and as a result we didn’t do very much at all while there.  We did manage to catch up with our friend Steve Candotti who we hadn’t seen for quite a few years.  It was good to catch up and spend the night reminiscing and telling a few good yarns.  We also got to do a hot air balloon flight over Canberra.  This was a real highlight and with great weather it was worth the very early get up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with all good things they do come to an end and so our visit to Canberra was over.  Jade’s never ending list will have to wait until another time for completion.  It was time to get back to the caravan and restart our Aussie Adventure Part 2.  Thanks Jade for putting up with us for so long and I am sure we will be back again.