Look out South Australia, here we come

I know it has been awhile since I last sent an update, so I will warn you that with pics, this will be lengthy. So grab a chunk of time and a nice bevie and come  along for a ride.


At 5:40 AM, Jan 29th, we headed off on our much anticipated road holiday. Ruby the super Avan was packed. And I mean packed, Deb was worried about the weight factor.But come on, 3 women going on a 4 to 5 week holiday? What can you expect? (A broken axle, says Deb!)


Deb took us safely thru the Melbourne traffic, over the West Gate Bridge and beyond. After holding her breath all thru the city, Deb needed a rest stop. We pulled over at a handy dandy road side McDonald's to fill up on coffee and carbs. 


Then it was off again to our first stop which was Ararat, Victoria. We were raising our eyebrows as we pulled into the caravan park. This area is very dry and our site was mostly dirt with a bit of scrubby grass. After watching Wendy and Deb set up(I am the photographer, and wait till the tricky work is done, then I bring from the car what we will need inside). We went for a drive around the town, and took a look at an old house Deb used to own. Was back to the Avan for a much needed snooze, we all woke up dripping because of the heat.

While here we had a midnight visitor, lucky for us he was polite and did not invade our space too much. Just the same, I was not impressed. You will see him in the top of this photo. And he was long gone when we got back home. And no, we have not found him yet!

The next day(Jan 30th) we went for a drive to the Grampians Mt Range. These Mt's are nothing like ours in Canada. They are smooth and much shorter and way, way older than ours. The Rockies still have their jagged peaks and are so big. So much time and erosion have molded these to remarkable smoothness. We stopped in a town called Hall's Gap, where I took some impressive pics of kangaroos feeding in the middle of town. We also went to the Brambuck Aboriginal Center. What an amazing history lesson that was. The aboriginals of Australian pre date the Egyptian and Roman civilizations. They go back 1800 generations!! The rest of the Australians are two to 3 generations.


This area of the Grampians had a huge bush fire go thru about 3 years ago. It is amazing to see how well the vegetation is growing back. They are still repairing the roads in areas, and we were unable to go to some of the look outs I remember from a past visit.


After our history lesson, we drove on to Baroka Lookout, high up in the Mt's. I have been here before and was delighted to be back. After posing for the requested  tourist shots and ogling the views, we headed back to Ararat for our last night.

After packing up in the morn we were off to Boardertown over the boarder of Victoria into state of South Australia(from now on it will be referred to as SA). Our main mission in Boardertown was to find Deb's ancestors. We were thrilled to find her Grannie Carson's grave. And we hit pay dirt at the local library. Grannie Carson had 13 kids, was widowed, and moved to the town to set up a private clinic to birth babies. After bringing 1153 babies into the ares, she retired at 73 and died at 75. Deb was thrilled when a gentleman, after finding out what she was researching, gave her a book of the history of the area and the families who lived there.


I also took tons of pics of the white Kangaroos that live here. They are not albino, but are born to the great grey kangaroos. A grey mom can have white babies and a white can have grey ones. The white do not have the pink eyes that albinos have. And they were so cute. Being a hot afternoon the whole kanga gang was sleepy and not at all concerned with the Canadian with the clicking camera.

Boardertown was beautiful and I took heaps of photos of the ancient gum trees and river gums in the area. Of course when the very good looking owner of the caravan park told us he loves Canadians, well, that in itself made it a nice place to visit!

We were sad to leave the Boardertown area, but much looking forward to our next stop which was Mannum. On the beautiful Murray River sits the town of Mannum. We were delighted with our caravan site when we got to the park. For $28.00(divided by 3) a night, we had a million dollar view. The Murray River is at it's highest in over 10 years. The camp grounds have lost it's tent camping sites to the high water. We were just across a small track to a small stretch of grass and the mighty Murray. What a treat, the trees and grasses are all green and healthy. The bird life was amazing. We also got to enjoy watching the ferry go from one side of the river to the other. This ferry goes 24/7 and takes big trucks, cars, passengers etc. The ferries run on a cable pulley system and was fascinating to watch. Lucky for us, it was not too noisy.

Mannum. But, we decided we were glad to leave when the weekend crew arrived. This entailed motor boats, screaming kids and loud music from the tenting gang. When we were awoken by hundreds of yelling Galahs( a small parrot type that is grey with a beautiful pink chest) at 5AM, we decided maybe Mannum was trying to tell us something.






And the road was calling us, so off we drove, pulling comfie Ruby behind us.


The tours next stop was Burra, SA. What can I say? Burra is an incredibly historic town with a very interesting past. Plus, we arrived in Burra Sat afternoon around 1:30PM. Guess what? Small towns in SA close shop at noon on Sat!! No open grocery store! Oh, well, it was out to supper that night at the town pub. And actually. the food was very good. We also spent time, until the wee hours talking and laughing with other campers at the caravan site. Was so fun to get to know and hear other's travelling stories. As well we got some useful tips on where to go and what to see in the places we will be travelling to.

Pictured above are the 5 day old chicks that greeted us as we set up camp. Sad to say but when we left there were only 5 left from the original brood of 8. They kept us amused as we ate outside and were our entertainment.


Getting up Sun morn was not hard. We had things to see and do. Deb remembered visiting the area on school trips as a girl, so we had certain places to visit. The number one being the old copper mines. We did the tour and found great interest in the relics and stories attached. The whole town is very beautiful with stunning old buildings. The town of Burra is a heritage site. The buildings have mostly been restored and the government is working on the rest. Here in SA, the buildings are built of stone, mostly Mt Gamber stone, or brick or cement. Not many wooden buildings, even the telephone and power poles are metal and cement. Too many termites. We have also come across an incredible amount of ants. All shapes and colors.


We also encountered an incredible dust storm while viewing the old mine. Had a great laugh, with dust in our eyes and teeth.

Deb also told us about how the miners lived in dug out holes in the river bank. This was the late 1800s.  Had to see that, and it was heart breaking. Out of 400 kids, only a 150 lived past the raw sewage and floods that plagued them. Of course the government has had to make these dwellings safer for the public and Deb remembers them as being much more sad when she saw them as a school kid.

Well, that takes us to the 6th of Feb when we set out for Port Pirie and Deb's reunion with her father. I will leave that until the next post, other wise this may never be sent!


So, until next time. Happy trails to you. We certainly are having them!


Cheers   Bon

Fun in Melbourne

Welcome back.
I spent a great week in Melbourne from Jan 16th to the 20th.
Caught a ride into the big city with Marg. She picked me up at 5AM and dropped me off at Southern Cross Station.  From there I took the 7AM train to Reservoir Station to meet up with Alison and Wally.
The train trip was a great way to see a part of the city I would normally not see. Some graffiti  artists have incredible talent. And on the train trip I saw lots of "art".

Alison and Wally picked me up at the station and we walked back to her place. Had a rest and chat, then drove to Costco. What fun, lots of different things for sale than in Canada. Bought myself a 1.25 liter bottle of Bundaberg Rum, for a low price of $34.00. Very cheap. Then back to Al's to drop off our purchases. Had a bite to eat and took Wally with us for a drive to Hurstberg, outside the city. This area had some bush fires last year. We stopped at St Andrews pub and carried Wally thru to the outside area to have a drink and enjoy the nice breeze blowing thru. The picture above is of a King Parrot that watched us enjoy our drink.

Wally enjoyed our stop, he always gets lots of attention. Such a cute guy.
Tuesday morn saw us sleeping in, so nice. Alison and I took the tram to Sugardough to have brunch and catch the tram to Flinders St Station downtown. We walked over Princess Bridge to South Bank. There we went up Eureka Tower, to the Skydeck on the 88th floor. This is the highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere. It was incredible windy and the top of the tower can flex up to 600mm.

We had a great time up there and the views were incredible.

Alison being blown around in the wired in viewing area.
After the tower we jumped back on the tram and went to Prahran Market. This market has the best olives, and I bought my faves, yum. We then had some award winning gelato and caught the tram to Glenferrie road to go to Sweetas, a great chocolate shop. We then took the tram back to Pony Fish Island for a glass of champers.

This is a photo of Pony Fish Island, it is a cool little bar under the pedestrian bridge from South Bank to downtown.

After our champers, we caught the tram home. Took Wally for a walk and went over to Al's friend Jenny's and went to Saleem Indian for supper. Was wonderful food, I have eaten there before and it was exactly the same.
Wed was a day of rest for me. Al left for work around 7AM, I took Wally for a walk around Edwardes Lake near Al's place. I then walked up to the shops and back to read and sleep the day away. Jen came over for supper.
Thurs I got up when Al did and took the tram to downtown and went to Queen Victoria Market.

I then shopped around downtown and took the train back to Al's. Took Wally for a walk and had a snooze and rest my feet.  We had a nice quiet evening.
Fri I took Wally for a walk around the lake again and then took the train downtown. Went back to Queen Vic Market to pick up a few things. I then met Wendy at the old Post Office where we met up with Karen our friend from Hobart. Wendy, Karen and I met in Europe in 1978. And we have kept our friendships alive for all those years. Had a great time catching up with each other. Karen comes to Melbourne every Jan to watch tennis and see some plays.

 W and I took the train back to Al's and Deb picked her up there. When Al got home from work we picked up Jen and went to Mai Thai for supper. Yum again.
Sat morn Wendy and Deb picked me up and we drove out to Geelong where we were going to a 50th birthday party That night. Geelong is a beautiful port city. It has changed a bit since I was last time.

The party was lots of fun and on Sun we headed back to Melbourne to have lunch with a friend of Wendy and Deb. Then home to the Island and to my bed, and walking Daisy on the beach.
We are now preparing the Avan for our big trip away. I will keep you all updated with photos of our trip to South Australia. Tomorrow is Australia Day, we are not sure what we are going to do. Guess we will lift a glass of champers, maybe even a few times! Take care and stay happy like me!!   Bon

Great Ozzie start to 2012

How was your New Years Eve?

We had a great time, ended up not going to the beach. Early fireworks freaked out Daisy, so we stayed at the house and enjoyed our NYE here. We, of course, had the required champers and enjoyed the fireworks displays from Melbourne and Sydney(on the telly).


On New Years Day, we went to visit friends who live in Ventnor(a 5 min drive from here and further down and around the corner from Red Rocks beach), and had a great walk on their beach. After the walk we all enjoyed appies and champers in their backyard. Of course this was after I had called my mom and talked to her, my bro Steven, sis-in-law Linda, nephew Kyle and his wife Chelsey. Was great to catch up and wish them all the best for 2012. They are having a unusually warm winter, but not as warm as me!!(But then, I am in summer here)


We did have a few days in the high 30s. Did not do much on those days except hide in the house and try to stay cool. Daisy and I took one early morn walk, but even at 7:30AM it was 27C. So we started our walks after supper, usually when a nice sea breeze had popped up. Of course the beach has been very crowded and it is amazing all the broken glass that is left behind. Wendy and I have been picking it up when we see it. Don't want any cut paws or feet.

Wendy and I took Daisy down to Cowes and took a lovely walk along the beach front and along the pier. Daisy had a great time sniffing and exploring. Not too many other dogs so she only got to bark a few times. We watched the kids jumping off the pier and the adults fishing before heading to the shops to do some food shopping before heading home.

Started the painting on the picket fence, slow going, especially when the weather changed and we were getting small showers thru the days. Had some wild wind storms and 1 day of pounding rain. We also had 2 days of 18 and 19C, I was so cold, I had to wear a fleece jacket as well as long jeans. Now we are back into the mid 20s and to hit the mid 30s next week.

I am off to Melbourne to stay with Alison for a week. Will be lots of fun as she has all sorts of adventures planned. Al  gave me a bus/train/tram pass for Christmas, hope I don't get too lost in Melbourne. She has taken 2 days off work and I will have the other days to do my own exploring. I will also get to shmuzze with Al's dog Walley. I feel lots of walks and brushes with him coming on!


Deb, Wendy and I are planning our trip away. Will be taking the A-van taking off for 4 weeks of travel. So exciting, new and old places to visit. Yes, I will keep you updated as we go.

My beautiful gum tree out front is finally bursting with flowers. The Wattle birds absolutely love it and fight with each other to feed on the nectar. I can see lots and lots more blooms to come, can't wait to see it covered.


I am enjoying my down time and getting good books read, eating good food and having great laughs with my dear friends.


The photos are a bit willy-nilly, they are, from the top:  me on Ventnor beach New Years Day
Cowes pier
sea bird
painting fence
Daisy at Red Rocks beach
Red Rocks  at Red Rocks beach x 2
blooms on "my" gum tree


That's all for now. Hope all is well with you back at home. Take care and the best for 2012.


Cheers and love   Bon

Much to catch you up on

Welcome to my version of Australia.
Hope you all had a great Chrissy, lots of food, laughs and pressies.
As most of you know, I arrived in Oz Dec 6th. Was wonderful to be met by my friends and take my coat off  when I left the airport. It really felt like coming home.

And of course my first stop was Queen Victoria Market. Followed by a nice lunch in a outdoor cafe, a few more errands and back to Phillip Island. Home for now. So good to be back at Red Rocks. My dear friends have arranged my bedroom beautifully. I have a table in front of the sliding glass doors for my computer and I can lay in bed and watch my fave gum trees gently blowing in the wind.

I have been watching the biggest gum as it is almost in bloom and when it does burst out, it will be breath taking. It will be covered in red blooms. My camera is at the ready. Not that my camera has not been doing it's job, but I have been more sedate in taking pics this time round, so far any way. I am sure that will change when we head out on our great holiday adventure, more of that later.

My first week was spent just relaxing and getting the inner clock turned around. As well as acclimatizing to the weather. I am loving the heat. So we took short trips into Wonthaggi and Cranburne(or Cranny as they call it). These were trips to look thru some stores and grab little things for Chrissy.

Wendy and Deb(my friends I am staying with) have an A-van. This reminds me of the tent trailers from when I was a kid. Only this one is hard sided so when up, feels roomy and safe, when down is pulled behind the car like the old tent ones. We took off on the13th of Dec and went to the Tarra Bulgar National Forest to stay at The Best Friends Holiday Park. It was about a 4 hrs drive from here, thru some amazing hills and wonderful forests.    

Best Friends is a park designed for people and their dogs. They have cabins and sites for tents and caravans. Each site has electric hook ups and are fully fenced. Ours also had an incredible old gum tree. So beautiful. And free of charge we were entertained by a dozen or more Kookaburras. And believe me when I say they can become annoying with their loud "laugh". We also had Black and White cockies, Crimson Rosellas, King Parrots, Eagles and countless other smaller birds.

Also in residence was a female and male Koala, with a baby. We saw and heard the male, but did not see mom and babe. The males are always very noisy, and it seemed to like the dark of night for making his grunt/huff/heavy breathing sounds.

Had a great time exploring the National Park. As well as some of the smaller towns around. Had a great time setting up the A-van and attaching the annex(awning). Deb had figured out that bins would be perfect for our clothes, and we stored these under our beds(my bed was the kitchen table). We set up another table outside and enjoyed our meals in the sun or shade, depending on when we were eating.

We headed home Dec 16th, and just as we were reaching the Island, we received a call from the hair dresser. It was arranges that Kim would meet us here and we all got our hair cut. Just in time too. My hair was getting to the flippy stage. Kim was great, but I miss you Amy!

Was good to be back to the Island, I have taken on the chores of doing the laundry and dishes. Can't say I am brilliant at it, but I am trying to help out.

Wendy and I went into Melbourne on the 20th of Dec to visit Auntie Marj, was so good to catch up with her after so long. Age has caught up with Auntie Marj, as well as arthritis, making it painful for her to move around. But she is not a complainer and we had a great time. After a bit of shopping, Wendy and I headed home. But not before we got stocked up with champers, on sale no less!!

Then it was full on Christmas, they decorated, we went to a friends for a Champers and appie party on Dec 22. Deb took a chocolate fountain and it was a massive hit. Deb is a bargain shopper and got an incredible deal on the chocolate fountain. We had tried it a few nights before the party. After we began to feel sick from eating so much melted choc on strawberries, pound cake, bananas and marshmallows, we knew it would be loved by all. And it was, it has also already been lent out.

Reg arrived on the 22nd, he got to stay in the A-van. Alison(Wendy's sister) arrived on the 23rd. The 24th was Reg's bday so Deb decorated for that and we started our celebrations that night. Christmas day was fun with a start of raisin toast, then the pressies. I was very blessed and no one seemed to mind the meager gifts from me. Chrissy lunch was seafood for them and salads etc for me. There was also cold roast pork and ham, all cold as the temps were in the low 30s. Melbourne then had a massive hail storm, with windows broken, cars dented and flooding. The hail stones were lemon size, and they have big lemons here! Like I said, we were lucky. It rained a bit, but with the heat, the moisture did not last.

I have taken on (with much joy) the duty of walking Daisy on Red Rocks Beach in the morn. From Dec 1 to April 15 dogs are not allowed on the beach from 9AM to 5PM. It is an awesome way to start my day.

Will begin cleaning and painting the picket fence around the deck out front. This will help improve my view!! We also plan to do some painting inside as well. I do look forward to these jobs as it will be my way to give back.

It is Dec 31st at 10:15 AM. Deb is going to help me put some pics on this before I send it. Wishing you all the best for 2012. Enjoy any parties and stay safe. Watch for my updates.  Much love Bon

Brain full

Feel ready to go on my trip now that Glen has tweaked my laptop and my brain.
Hoping I will remember all