Homeward Bound

Today dawned misty and cold. The dismal day reflected our feelings as we packed up for the final time on our holiday . While we were both looking extremely forward to seeing Tim and Ally it was still sad to be finishing our adventure.
We had learnt so many things about this country we live in , first hand through our experiences. I could never appreciate before, that such a harsh environment as the outback could in fact be so beautiful, I never truly understood the vast distance between places either until we spent hour after hour after hour driving place to place. I saw canola growing, wheat farms, cattle and sheep and grapes grown for both table and wine. I saw dry red dusty soil whipped up into willy willies and then, previously arid creek beds filled to road level after heavy rain. Of course I saw Australian fauna , which never cease to amaze me when they are wandering wild. Kangaroos hopping , emus raising chicks taking them for a wander, large goannas crossing roads, snakes slithering , echidnas rolling up in balls to hide, cockatoos , crows, magpies and rosellas eating by the roadside ( taking risks flying across the roads) and even sea lions filled our travels.
We shared the roads with other cars, some pulling vans, motor bikes, pushbikes, trams, winnebagos and double train trucks. It. took us 14 days of crossing railway tracks to actually have a train cross our path. It took 1 minute to pass us !
We explored man made things like zoos, houses, museums and natural landscapes of flat, arid places, hilly terrains, volcanic craters , large rocks and sea eroded cliffs.
What a truly magnificent country we live in !!!

Today was a long driving day with a 632 kms ahead of us. We left Narrandera and had a short stop at the Junee chocolate and licorice factory. After that it was more of our tarred friend the road under our wheels as Brian drove us home. We saw a sign to the birthplace of Donald Bradman at Cootamundra. We were travelling on a tight agenda so I parted quickly with the $3 entry to the house ( it was a hospital in those days) took some fast photos then jumped back in the car and headed in the direction of Young. Isn't amazing we don't give towns the name 'OLD' lol. At Young Brian continued his Rivers tour and bought some *ahem* ugly sandals . I picked up some ok looking sandals myself :)). Then we hunted down a bakery that sold cherry pies. Wish we had a bakery on the Central Coast like these country ones. So if anyone is looking for a business venture thats what I think you should consider !!! We then headed for Cowra for a quick lunch stop.
Passing through Bathurst the roads were busy with cars headed to the big Bathurst race on Sunday. We saw campsites everywhere. Eventually , just as a thunderstorm was starting we arrived at Brian's sister's home. We ate pizza and Brian set up Sharon's tv...which took a little furniture moving , little fiddling and the changing of a cable position ( ha ha ha) then it was all up and working . As we left we drove into a heavy storm. Lightning flashes cracked and crackled across the sky. They lit up the freeway with an eerie, angry glow. Luckily the rain was only heavy in spots.
It was a really great feeling to drive into our street. Not only was it good to see our house , it was good to see lights on as we had driven through a darkened Erina. Really didn't want to have to unpack into darkness. Tim , Ally and Mitch listened to our shortened stories ( they looked a little tired so we let them off with just a few tales lol) and then we settled in as if we'd never been away, with Dibbles our cat sitting with us on the lounge as Brian watched some tv and I wrote this.

I have enjoyed writing about our trip and sharing it with anyone who wanted to read it. To the readers thank you for reading my work . I hope you have enjoyed it and who knows it might make you too want to explore more of the country or just let you see it through my eyes.

Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I love staying in hotels but there's something special about the comforts of home :))

Love Kerry-Anne and BRIAN. xxx
PS We have about 15 CDs we NEVER want to hear again haha....next time we will take lots more music :)

PPS. We clocked up just over 5000 kms!!!!!! Don't even want to think of the petrol cost hahaha

All the rivers run

We awoke to another cloudy day. Breakfast was included at this motel. Ate copious amounts of rice bubbles and toast with an array of varied jams and peanut butter. Brian was excited cause it was the first cereal he had had since we left on our trip ( he didnt have rice bubbles like me tho lol) Hit the road bound for Echuca. There was a road detour to Echuca because the road had been damaged due to the flooding. As we drove, all the creeks were flowing at road level. The sun shone out through the cloud cover when we arrived. Looked around the Port Echuca awaiting the 1 15pm cruise on the Pevensey. It was used in the tv series All the Rivers Run. The paddle steamer was 100 years old this year. So, no one informed me when we bought the tickets that we would have to walk down about 50 steps to the dock ....remember 50 steps down means 50 steps UP after the cruise! Other paddle steamers left from ground level with no steps. I was so stressed at the thought of all the steps. The cruise went for 1 hour. We did a river cruise back in 2006 but the water level was much lower then. It was interesting to see the visible water levels over the years and the tree trunks exposed as the water has dropped and removed soil. The water was brown and flowing fast.at the end of the cruise I had to struggle up those steps whinging as those who know me can imagine :)) what's with all these tourist spots that they can't flatten ground ha ha!!
Bought LOTS of fudge and some Echuca Cream ( like Baileys) then drove on our way to our stop for the night at Narrandera. We crossed the Murray River and were back in NSW. On this trip we saw some heavy rains and I got some photos of truck brake lights and all the water they spit up.
We used the long drive to reminisce about the things we had seen, done and learnt. Had a lot of laughs as we recalled things like our first experience of the outback at Emmdale where the petrol bowsers were locked , the meal at White Cliffs, so many 'firsts'.
Arrived at our motel for the night and (you probably viewed this would happen) our room was on the first floor...another 17 steps - yes I counted them hahaha !!!
Had Chinese food for dinner, kind of fitting since we had that on our first night of the trip at Dubbo. Tried to go to Coles for nibble foods at 8 15 pm only to find it closed at 8 pm. Drove around and found a BP Shell Service Station and got some chips. Back in our room now. Not looking forward to tomorrow as it signals the end of our adventure. It has been a lot of fun, educational and good to have the chance for us to have time together. I've enjoyed writing the blog. It will be a good memory of our trip for us to look back on. For anyone else reading it I hope you have enjoyed the trip through my eyes even if they are through rose ( or dark hahaha) tinted glasses.

One more chapter left tomorrow ,
Love Kerry-Anne and BRIAN. xxx

PS How ironic. In the few seconds when my Optus phone had coverage I received a text from Optus. I was then unable to read it for about 4 hours until I got reception again. The irony you ask??? Well the text was about the improvements to coverage in the Optus network . I laughed so much :)). Thank goodness for Telstra- mobile phone AND broadband all the way. I will definitely be transferring when my plan with optus expires.

Go the pies!!!

And I'm referring to the meat encased in pastry kind :)
Packed up from our motel to travel to Swan Hill. It was to be a long 7 hour drive. Rolled into downtown Naracoorte to seek out food . Found a bakery cafe. Chose pies for breakfast as the option was toasted sandwiches and those pies smelled really inviting. I a potato pie and Brian a steak pie. Then we selected cakes to take with us for the evening. We were booked on a Sight and Sounds Tour at Pioneer Settlement at Swan Hill at 8 pm so the cakes would be a great supper.
Drove to Mount Gambier to see the Blue Lake. As we began our drive we traveled through a place called Penola. Its claim to fame was that it was here Mary Mackillop worked with Father Woods attempting to ensure all children could receive an education regardless of wealth. Together they began the Sisters of St Joseph school. There is a series of sculptures in honour of Father Woods who often prepared his sermons under the red river gums. They are made of red river gums.

Mount Gambier is built on the slopes of an (lucky for us and the local inhabitants) extinct volcano. The Blue Lake has crystal clear water that has been filtered through under ground limestone. I could try to explain it fully but it's well done on this website
http://www.mountgambiertourism.com.au/documents/splash/Mount_Gambier_Visitor%20_Guide2011.pdf
....If you are interested
Did a quick Griswald style race around to several lookouts, took some quick photos and then hit the road again for the long drive to Swan Hill.
We crossed the border into Victoria on the northern fringe of Myora Forest Reserve around 2 pm South Australian time ( and it wasn't til about 3 pm. EDST that we remembered we needed to change our watches back. There had been a sign to change the time when we entered South Australia from NSW but Victoria forgot to tell us to change them back haha)

Deviated from the Highway for a food stop at Horsham. They actually charge here to park in the street even though there was hardly any demand for the spots. Closest place to where we parked (which funnily was in McLachlan Street lol) was another bakery so again we ate pies ( hence today's title lol) . This time I had a mushroom pie and Brian a pepper pie. There wasn't that much choice left actually cause it was after 4 pm.
Drove off again for the last 3 hours of the journey to Swan Hill . By the time we finally The sprinkles of rain had turned to downpour. Changed into warm clothes for our tour , so excited. Just as we were leaving the hotel my mobile phone rang. It was the lady from the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement tour. She had bad news :(((. Due to the rain they couldn't run the tour as the cart would get bogged. She said it was a large group so the weight of the cart train would definitely bog. I wanted to suggest she just rid of everyone else and just take Brian and me haha.
Went into town and got KFC for dinner. Now we are eating our cakes so it's a yummy supper.
We head to Echuca tomorrow, hopefully the paddle steamers run regardless of the weather :)) From there we are aiming to get as far as about Narrandera . Then on Friday it will be the journey to Terrigal. This has all gone far to fast :(( Oh well it's only 10 weeks 'til our next adventure .
Love Kerry-Anne and BRIAN. xxx
PS I have found the best ever hair product on this trip available in all the country towns we have stayed in...the secret product is WATER!!! It makes your hair amazingly soft and it straightens so easily after drying (the hair that is , not the water haha).

Coopers brewery tour

The weather was back to grey clouds dropping little splatters of raindrops. Today we depart Adelaide so had a sleep in before packing up and checking out of the hotel. Headed on the tram to Glenelg to have breakfast.
Glenelg looked so much more picturesque without the heavy grey clouds, angry foaming huge waves and gale force winds. The grey clouds were much more wispy and the rain just a few drops with no need to race for cover. Had breakfast at a cafe on the main street. Disappointed there were no cafes open on the esplanade. Breakfast was good. Brian had waffles with berries and cream and I had bacon and eggs with a side order of mushrooms. This brings me to a dilemma ... I asked for tomato sauce with the order. When the meal arrived it had tomatoes added not sauce. I mentioned I had asked for sauce not tomatoes. All was good and the waitress asked if they were ok to be on the plate and I replied ' no problem' . Apparently I had been charged for tomatoes as a side $3 ( like I'd paid for mushrooms) . I found this out when she returned with the sauce and $3 refund. I said not to worry but she said it was fine. So, the dilemma ... I hadn't ordered tomatoes and they had refunded them despite me saying no worries and Brian had of course quickly collected the hold coins from the table haha! But, should I eat the tomatoes as I do like them but just hadn't bothered to order them...or should I technically leave them on the plate???? What would you do? I ended up eating one piece but leaving two pieces behind.
We travel back on the tram to our hotel picked up the car and went to Coopers Brewery for Brian's tour at 1 pm. I didn't go on the tour cause the mere thought of the smell makes me ill. Instead I sat in reception writing this blog and reading. I love my iPad!!! While I sat the receptionist asked if she could get me tea or coffee but I asked for just water which she served me in a Coopers glass. Impressive service haha. At the end of the tour Brian and his new made tour friends tasted beers and listened to stories about beer. I sat with them typing this blog. I learnt some interesting facts about how bottle shape affects taste , which made me think perhaps the correct beer bottle shape just hasn't been perfected as beer tastes so bad hahaha. Oh and on the tour Brian and all the tour friends wore orange vests with COOPERS. Written fancy on the back. Noice!! I think I will be driving now lol. I was offered free beer even though I'm not on the tour but I said no...such a sacrifice. Then I was offered lemonade...it came on a pretty coopers glass. The tour includes a free glass . Took some photos of me and my glass :)))
Had Mcdonalds then drove the long road to Naracootre. The road was full of the double trailer trucks so I was closing my eyes a lot lol. It was a 3 3/4 hours drive. Saw lots of vineyards covering the fields as we got closer to Narcootre. Google to find out this is an important table grapes growing area as well as a few wine vineyards. Got to the hotel finally around 8 pm and had a local pizza shop home delivered pizza...delicious !
We have another long days drive to Swan Hill so it's bedtime for us now.
Love Kerry-Anne and BRIAN. xxx

Too many steps or Kangaroo Island

6 am... the alarm on my phone screeched it's unwanted sound. We had 30 minutes to get ready to leave. All my clothes we out at the ready. Amazingly at 6:35 am we were actually in the car and the ignition was started. We headed off into the dawn, the trusty iPad GPS once again assisting us. The journey was an easy one with hardly any traffic. We stopped at a petrol stop and got petrol and some breakfast to eat on the ferry. I got a cheesymite scroll and Brian a blueberry muffin. The sun began to say hello over the hills as we headed out of Adelaide city and the day dawned with brilliant sunshine.The drive to Cape Jervis where we were to board the ferry was a beautiful one . The landforms were such a contrast to the spectacular countryside we saw in the outback. Here were rolling green hills, sloping down to a seaside which was an amazing hue of blue not a hint of red ochre soil. Australia really has a diversity of beauty in it's landscapes.
Checked in on time for our ferry bound for Kangaroo Island. This island is the third largest island in Australia! Allowed Brian the privilege of driving the car onto the ferry since he had done all the driving so far...that and the fact there was a two storey staircase up to the top of the ferry from the car base lol. Rode over on the top deck . The weather was warm and the breeze not strong . There wasn't much swell so it was a kind trip to Brian.

Our first stop on the island was a very steep hill called Prospect Hill. It had 512 steps to the top. I wanted to walk it cause the view was supposedly fantastic but Brian was keen to see the seals and he suggested we could return at the end of the day as it was on our route back to the ferry home. I agreed and we headed to the seals.
There we read through the choices of seal watching. Brian opted for the "steep climb , steps and sand walking to get close to the seals with a guide $30', I chose the "1:12 gradient boardwalk 730 metres round trip , walk at your leisure $15 ". The seals were up close to the boardwalk but there were significantly more where Brian was taken. Then we went to a lookout over the colony . The coastline was amazing.
Next stop was Vivonne Bay because we were both very, very hungry. Ate a ' famous whiting burger' which was a tasty long bread roll with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, tartare sauce and of course whiting!! So, the question was who exactly declared this burger to be famous , and , more importantly what is it's claim to fame?? Ate lunch at the jetty area. The sand on the island is so white that the water has that turquoise blue colour like the Whitsundays area.
Finished lunch and drove to the west coast area, The distance between places is quite long, this leg of the journey took about an hour. Here we bought passes into the Flinders Chase and drove off in search of the ' Remarkable Rocks '. These rocks are formed from magma escaping to the surface... I read all the signs :)). I don't think we should glorify these rocks just cause they are so big and ' in your face' . What about the small rocks that are remarkable too in there own way? Well while Brian walked the long boardwalk to the big ones I took photos of some other rocks trying so hard to be remarkable. If they had done a university test they would receive the ' participation award' but we'd still applaud them so I gave them their moment of glory:))
After the Remarkable Rocks it was off to the Admiral's Archway. How poorly is this place organised ?? If they can build a boardwalk why not go the full hog and build a road with a circular drive through past the site?? I must write a letter to someone haha.
We now had roughly a two hour journey ahead of us to return in time for our ferry. We chose a route we hadn't travelled so we ended up circle lapping the whole island. We saw the sign to Prospect Hill approaching! I had to hide my disappointment when I realised time wouldn't allow me to climb those 512 steps :(( Oh well we all have to face disappointments lol.
This time the territory had to backed onto the ferry. Lucky it was Brian not me driving or the ferry would have been waiting a LONG time before it could take off lol.
I chose to ride inside downstairs on the home trip cause I didn't fancy the cold I guessed would be happening. Had the pleasure two New Yorkers (and their Aussie living NY friend running down Australia ...it's men are too metro and wear too skinny legged pants - who would date one??? Was i too forward to say I had?LOL Well I did say it , with my friendliest face of course haha. hahaha. Woman don't take enough care with their clothes, Eye glasses are too costly. University is not as intelligent. Airports are not organised well. Planes don't have enough luggage allowance. Qantas is bad!!! V Australia was appalling! They travelled in a holding pattern causing ear damage.Canberra is too cold ( well I guess that's not far wrong hahaha).OMG,!!! There was more but I can' t remember it all. Places are different and surely that's the reason we travel , to experience it. If you want what you have at home why leave home ?
Arrived back on the mainland around 8:15 pm and began the almost two hour drive home. It was a long day , more so for Brian who drove hundreds of kms and walked kms too. Grabbed Hungry Jack's for dinner at about 10 pm. Have finished dinner now and must look for some accommodation for tomorrow night as we leave Adelaide tomorrow to begin our journey home. The time has run so fast and has been a really good trip. We've had a lot of laughs and seen so many things. Still have 4 days left. Pity work days don't disappear this quick haha!
Love Kerry- Anne and BRIAN xxx

Scones are not breakfast!!

Guess where we started our day... Rivers, Croydon. Brian needed a few things lol. I was starving as we hadn't had breakfast by 11 am. After Rivers we drove to Mt Lofty. It's 15km from Adelaide and is 710 metres above sea level. There is a cafe at the lookout but by the time we arrived around 1140 am breakfast was off the menu so I had to settle for scones with jam and cream. As nice as they were it wasn't really breakfast :(( Brian had a muffin. Then we took a walk around the lookout . The view was spectacular and looking over Adelaide you realised how small the CBD is. Took some photo memories then headed to our next stop of Hahndorf.
Hahndorf is about a further 10 mins drive from Mt Lofty. It's an old German settlement which has retained the German culture in it's cafes and entertainment. Had a photshoot with a musician lol. As we strolled along we found a lolly shop with lots of the old style lollies from childhood like umbrellas, rosy apples and choo choo bars. We bought a few things then continued walking along the street. Found a German bakery cafe and we felt compelled (ha ha ) to have some delights. Experienced the German fare, Brian had a meatloaf dish and I had a kransky in pastry served with salad including red cabbage. Convinced Brian to give it a try but he wasn't so impressed and washed it down with his DB beer. ( some German beer that tasted as bad as all other beers...well that's my opinion haha).
Our next destination was Victor Harbor and yes!!! 'harbor' has no 'u' in it. Apparently , according to the local information "It can be surmised from the above spelling of all South Australian Harbour's without the 'u' that it originated probably from a spelling error made by an early Surveyor General of South Australia." thank goodness for modern spell check I think hahaha!! There is a long 630 metre causeway from the harbour to a small island called Granite Island. The island has a walk of about 1&1/2 km around the island. I allowed Brian the experience of this. It had lots of steps and hills neither of which excite me. Walked the causeway and back though , which was an amazing feat for me lol. Had to walk because unlucky for me, the horse and cart ride that you can catch has been stopped for a little while due to foreshore works. I have walked further on this holiday than I have in the rest of my life haha. On the walk back from the island we saw a seal swimming....Well more like it was snoozing, cause it was bobbing in mostly one spot and every now and then used its flipper to move and would lift it's head to breath occasionally.
Finished our day there around 6 pm. On the drive back we did a quick stop to get up close and personal with an echidna that had crossed our path - literally :) Took a few photos and added it to the long list of Australian animals and birds we have encountered on this trip , excluding the ones at the zoo of course haha! Heard the footy ( funnily that word is auto spelled to 'GOOFY' with my iPad - something in that for all of us haha) results from Tim. I was hoping Warriors would win so enough said:))
Had Thai food for dinner but it was no match for Thai Thyme at Erina. We plan on an early night tonight cause tomorrow we are off for a day on Kangaroo Island . We need to leave the hotel by 6 30 am so that should be interesting I'm sure lol.
Love Kerry-Anne and BRIAN xxx

2 percenters ...or the Nanna B rule

Surprise ! Surprise! It was raining when we awoke. Least we were taking the car today so that meant we would get less wet than usual :))
Love my iPad GPS , although it doesn't always choose the way I would travel according to the map, it has helped us negotiate our way around and out of this city. Maybe it knows more than I... surely not! haha. Stopped for breakfast at a place called Mad Moo Cow cafe at a place called ... Gumeracha.. Guess that's why the cow went mad trying to spell and pronounce it LOL . It was a cheap breakfast ( we are used to the city overpricing ) but huge and delicious. Holidays are always about the food to me:))
Drove through the Barossa Valley using the tourist route . The hills were really green and babbling brooks meandered their way through the valleys. Very picturesque ! Saw a giant rocking horse along the way, one of the famous Australian ' big' things to add to my list.
Followed a dirt road to a lookout over the valley at Eden Valley. The brochure at the lookout told us that in 1843 at a misty altitude of 500 meters Joseph Gilbert planted the first vineyard. Trust me if he were still alive he would certainly recognise the place ... Still misty and windy with a gust that chills to the bone. Amazing view though , once I was able to hold my hair from my face long enough to look- I'm getting good at that now haha. Walked around the lookout.it had a huge cross to commemorate the Christian beliefs. This place really is the city of churches!
Found a brewery for Brian. Unable to eat inside because the place was crowded with AFL fans there to watch the game on the ' big ' screen (that I think was actually smaller than our tv but they were fanatics. I had to walk past them to get to the bar and they all moved their heads around so as not to have their view blocked for even a second - bit like I'm used to when I walk across the tv line of viewing in my house :))
Sipped and ate while Brian consumed a taste paddle of six beers . One was coffee based so he wasn't too excited by that one. Tried it and it lived up to my expectations of beer...YUCKY!!!
Drove off to see another brewery and on arrival it was closed... You guessed it, the owner was out watching AFL!! Settled for a cheese shop instead ( Brian settled , I was pleased cause that was my stop choice hee hee ).
We drove back to Adelaide via Port Adelaide. Exciting!! Some where around there is Kochie's home town. Googled exactly which suburb when I got home, found out we'd driven in the area... I need to hone my stalking skills to have not checked that out BEFORE I had driven thru... LOL Oh well it's not THAT far away hee hee.

Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Had made a booking and lucky we thought we were , cause the place was really busy. We were escorted to our table and asked what drinks we wanted ( then the waitress realised we had no drinks menu ha ha) . All was good and a waiter took our order for meals. We ordered a four dip dish for a shared entree and main each. About 25 minutes later and people around us receiving their meals I made eye contact with the waiter as he hurried past us. A few more minutes later a waitress arrives at our table to tell us our waiter has no idea where he put our order and was very embarrassed. He was embarrassed but I was starving and that's worse lol. Luckily as I have two kids in retail I am now a much more humbler customer. I smiled as we gave our order again and thanked them nicely when they brought a free drinks round ( everyone makes mistakes) . Dips arrived and were really delicious. Then another waitress comes over, asks how our meal is, then goes to pick up the still half finished dips... I grabbed them back quick...still smiling;)) finished the dips and let the waitress take the dishes now. 30 minutes later no mains... I did the eye contact thing again and soon ( or ten minutes later they arrived ), again a delicious meal. Not wanting to risk any further application of 'the rule' we got the bill ( it came FAST!!) and they had taken all the drinks off the bill... Nice touch. Got home to the hotel and Brian walked around to the Fasta Pasta restaurant and brought us home some desserts. He had strawberry and vanilla gelatos and I had tiramasu.

Planning a day to Hahndorf and Victor Harbour area for tomorrow. My feet aren't so sore today and I must add they felt so good in stilettos when we went to dinner tonight.
Love Kerry- Anne and BRIAN. xxx