Chapter 11 - Finale and Wrap Up

From 25 August 2011 

To    28 August 2011

Ceduna

We are now home in Eltham. I could not finish the Kelly monologues without a couple of photos of views from our camp site in Ceduna, one with the setting sun hidden behind the tree. It was a very pleasant spot to spend a couple of days.

 

Whyalla 

Why you say?  Because we had a date with our niece - Kelly - who is engineer at a mining company in Whyalla.  We drove the 430 or so km from Ceduna to Whyalla through pretty boring country across the top of the Eyre peninsula.

We checked into the caravan park and took the adjacent photo from the back of the caravan.  Apparently if you wade out about 100 metres you can catch whiting.  If you wade out 200 metres sharks can catch you.

Kelly offered to cook for us so we trundled the one km or so from our caravan park to her place.  She lives about 900 metres off to the right of the photo, plus a short walk from the beach to her door. Kelly demonstrated that she has been well trained by her mother by cooking a lovely meal that was washed down by one of her excellent $50 reds.  Just to prove that it was not a fluke she opened a second bottle.  I am sad to say that we did not get through the second bottle as we had a big day ahead tomorrow.  Kelly then sent us home with a third bottle of the same shiraz.  NO, we did not sit down in the mangroves and drink it.

Big Day

We hit the road about 7:45, drove north about 75 km then topped up the tank with diesel at Port Augusta, then headed south.  For once there was no wind, so driving was a real pleasure.  We travelled though some excellent country for crops and stock and scenery.  Sadly the car would not turn left at the Clare turnoff so we headed onto Adelaide, without replenishing the cellar. 
Adelaide was its normal busy self—20 cars, one truck and two dogs.  So we passed straight thought the city of churches and continued onto the Melbourne road.  The Murray at Murray Bridge was at the top of the banks—such that you could only see flat grasslands at the edge of the water.

We called it a day after 606 km which just happened to be at Keith (still in SA).  It was pure luck that the lovely little caravan park happened to be about 300 metres from the local hotel/motel—which served lovely meals.  So in the interest of supporting rural communities we ate there. 

Ballarat

We drove the 400 km to Ballarat without fuss and set up camp.  Along the way we passed a park with white kangaroos (see photo).  

I love driving through Horsham as I always remember a little ditty from many years ago about a small boy who had a washing idiosyncrasy.

We had a lovely coffee with coffee scroll in Nhill, blissfully unaware of the recent aeroplane tragedy there.  It is another lovely country town.

Anyway, about two hours after setting up camp in Ballarat Jack and Harry (grandsons) and their parents arrived.   Needless to say there was lots of chaos, etc etc for the next 42 hours (or so) before we departed on the last leg of the trip.  The enjoyment was supplemented by a breakfast of pancakes that were cooked by the park owner.

We arrived home around lunch time on Sunday, having spent 87 nights away.
Stats

Those who know me would be surprised if I did not include some statistics—so here they are (more available on request):

• We travelled 15012 km, 

  • 11719 km with the caravan, 

  • 3923 km running around without the caravan.

• That works out at 136 km and 38 km per day respectively.

• However if you restrict the figures to the trip from Katherine to Kalbarri (the key part of the trip—for us) the figures are 78 km and 54 km per day respectively

• We set up camp in 39 camp grounds.  The cheapest was $20 per night the dearest was $45.

• The longest stay was Broome—13 nights. 

• There were 15 stops of only one night.

• The dearest diesel was $1.97 at Barkly Homestead (200 km east of Tennant Creek).  

• The average for the entire trip was $1.57—lower than expected (thanks to large diesel tanks)

• I took 2694 photos, which I need to cull to 400. I still have a long way to go.  Slips, make that 2721 as I forgot the 27 underwater photos that I took with my $20 disposable camera.

Highlights

It is hard to single out highlights, but I have tried.  The following list will change as we sit down and start to “remember that  time/place/person/sunset/sunrise….”. 

The following are the result of a quick brain dump (no rude comments please):

• Coral Bay
• Snorkelling at Exmouth & Coral Bay
• Broome, plus cable Beach, its brewery, its weather
• The sea shells 80 Mile Beach
• Bush poets in caravan parks in NSW & QLD
• The percentage of grey nomads on many roads
• The financial reliance on grey nomads in some smaller towns & caravan parks
• Point Samson
• Bungle Bungles
• Ord river & Argyle Dam
• Horizontal waterfalls
• Quality of fresh seafood along the coral coast & south coast
• The high quality of main roads along the route we have travelled (except for Victoria from the border to Ballarat).
• The (poor and openly stated) opinion that northern residents have of the federal government
• Sunsets & sunrises
• Daly Waters pub
• Variety & number of birds
• The amount of development across the top end
• The oysters in Ceduna
• The high quality and frequency of free-camp site along the main roads, particularly in WA.

Final Wrap

We have just concluded a wonderful trip, much of it with four treasured friends.  My apologies go to Kay for forcing Darryl to be my beer and red wine drinking mate. 

Our next big trip is just a matter of where—not when.  In 2011 we are to endure just six full days of Melbourne’s winter.  Next year we would like to reduce that number, and start a pattern for years to come.

I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings, and that some of you have worked out the blog.

We have a wonderful country with many and varied sights and experiences to be had.  On our trip we witnessed a miniscule fraction of what there is to be experienced.  We have lots more to see and do.

The final image below is the overall route—from Eltham to Eltham - anti-clockwise.  Who knows what is in store for us in 2012.

Happy travelling.

Chris & Shirley
30 August 2011

 

Ps. If you ask me something like “how was the trip”, you
had better pull up two chairs and a couple of drinks.