Our poor planning had finally caught up with us and left us in a bit of a pickle finding somewhere to camp. We would have loved to get down into Wilson Promontory National Park but being peak season and spots allocated via a ballot system months in advance it was just a little unlucky timing.
Looking out over One Tree Hill farm to Wilsons Prom at Sunset
Not having any joy finding anything on the ever reliable wiki camps Ken came across another site called Youcamps and bingo! What a little beauty. Atop a hill looking across Wilsons Prom, on a dairy farm, surrounded by the most picturesque rolling, lush green hills, dotted with little black and white ladies of the bovine variety. Think a Devondale Milk advert and your there.
Out temporary view out to the Prom – Ken had setup in the wrong place!
The first days the weather was a little off with showers and Lulu had also come down with a bit of a vomiting bug, closely followed by Georgia the next day. Now that’s a new experience I hope to not repeat again – two vomiting children with the five of us cramped in the van, with weather too wild and wet to put the awning up or be outside. Still it could have been worse, fortunately the rest of us were spared.
Weather with character! The mist was blowing over the hills.
It got really windy, so I got Ken’s help to wash and dry the bed sheets!
It did seem we were going to miss even a visit to Wilsons Prom but after two days cooped up in the van with sick kids and them both doing a little better, I packed a picnic and we made a break for it.
It was a bit ambitious, as Georgia doesn’t travel well at the best of times and we didn’t make it to any of the must see’s in the National Park but we enjoyed the fresh air, a picnic between showers and a run on the beach.
Ken managed to get a couple of early morning rides in to Agnes Falls as training for his riding tour when we get to Adelaide and the ‘Tour Down Under’. We all managed to head down and see them one afternoon.
Agnes Falls – a lovely wee spot.
For us just a wee taster of this much adored part of Victoria but on to Melbourne for time with family, health checks and tests of Georgia and to see the New Year In.
Tis the season to be jolly fa la la la la and so on. There has been much discussion about what Christmas away from home is going to be like. By far the hardest bit is going to be being away from family and friends, but we are determined to make it a really enjoyable day.
Who doesn’t love a swim at Christmas!
Not only are we going to be away from all our familiar Christmas rituals, all the usual Christmas gastronomic delights will be absent too. This Christmas is going to be gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. Being unable to fall back on my usual repertoire of Christmas classics and with those dietary restriction it’s a little daunting and there is no way to take any shortcuts. Ugh! 🙁 That said we had a wonderful Christmas Day. Nothing a few very long days cooking couldn’t solve.
Blinging up the van for Christmas
By Christmas Eves end, Christmas decoratation and lights adorned the van and awning. Ginger bread baking and decorating done both gluten free and non gluten free (to keep everyone happy).
The Girls and their Gluten Free Gingerbread Man factory!
Reindeer food was prepared. Christmas carols had playing almost non-stop. Christmas cooking and prep completed, and at the 11th hour I finally finished sewing the Christmas stockings. We were ready and everyone was excited!
All set in the van on Christmas Eve
Christmas morning was a magical as usual. Breakfast delicious! Fresh fruit and nuts, homemade egg nog both almond and cows milk, festive pumpkin bread and cinnamon butter. A very happy and relaxed morning the kids played and enjoyed the new toys, we spoke with family and eventually pulled together Christmas lunch.
Opening and playing with presents
Lunch really was delicious. Chicken Devine terrine with homemade gravy, local crayfish and seafood sauce, mango salsa, roasted vegetables and spinach, avo and pomegranate salad. A very festive and colourful plate of food and our great little foodie daughters loved it all. Making all the effort worthwhile.
Crayfish for lunch – yes please!
Desert follow not long after with Kens keto trifle which the girls couldn’t eat (due to dairy) so I tried to make a sugar free pavlova that failed miserably. Making a pav in the crapy oven in the van was always going to be a long shot and then when the gas bottle ran out at some point during the cooking the game was up. It did however crumble up to make a beautiful Eaton Mess. Phew!
Has to be a Trifle (or two) at ChristmasAccidental Eaton Mess – Yum!
The remainder of the day passed and relative peace and playfulness. Allowing for a chance to reflect on the many meanings Christmas time can hold and how fortunate and blessed we are.
Boxing Day was spent the way it should be. Doing as little as possible, eating left overs and watching cricket. Since having children the first and last of those have been challenging. But for some reason this year it all come together. The temperature was perfect – warm but not too hot and the kids were content playing with new toys. In the evening Ken took the girls down to the local fair and I even had a moment of peace in the van to myself. Arhhh the serenity.
Relaxing watching the Boxing Day Test – Sublime!Classic Fun at the Christmas Fair
Unfortunately we were unable to stay any longer in Lakes Entrance as the caravan park was filling up with all the holiday makers that had booked well in advanced, unlike us last minute / fly by the seat of our pants kind of people. Between Christmas preparation and just enjoying Christmas around the van, we saw very little of the sights or delights of Lakes Entrance. It will however be fondly remembered for a fabulous Christmas on the road.
On our way to Mt Kosciuszko – Australia’s highest peak
So bummed we have only got 2 days here. With Christmas less than a week away we need to get to Lakes Entrance, Victoria, so we can settle down for a few days, deck the van with bails of tinsel and get into full swing of festive frivolities. While it was short we definitely enjoyed every little minute.
Our drive delivered a beautiful little discovery that we’d be driving through Cooma and right past the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre. Perfect timing for lunch and an education on a real jewel of Australian engineering.
The Snowy Hydro Scheme began in 1949 and took 25 year to complete. It is a hydroelectric and irrigation system consisting of 16 major dams, 7 power stations and 1 pumping station, 225 kilometers (140 miles) or tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts. It is about to undergo a massive expansion with Snowy Hydro 2 scheme in the not too distant future.
They just don’t make graphics like they used to.Snowy 2.0 – The proposed capacity upgrade to this extensive system
Living in the van and loving free camping the girls have had to become very aware of; what requires power, how we get it and how we use it depending on whether we are plugged in to 240 v in a caravan park or replying purely on solar from our panels and solar blanket. So this just added to the discussions we have been having as we travel around and past these sources of renewable energies, (solar farms, a solar collector, wind farms and now a hydroelectricity).
Georgia knocking out 700W on the cycling machine!
If your passing through Cooma the discovery centre is a must see. The construction and scale of the scheme is certainly impressive but my favorite little knowledge pick up was Cloud seeding. I never thought you could grow clouds but then, why not?
An unfortunate result of our warming planet, is less snow fall in the Australian Alps. A cloud seeding program began trial in 2004 and started in 2011. It enhances the snowfall in the catchment areas, increasing the runoff and ultimately the volume of water to generate, clean, renewable energy. As an added bonus the NSW ski resorts have reliable snowfall, and there is an increase run off for the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers, (for irrigation).
Looking onto Lake Jindabyne from our camp spot.
It was a beautiful drive and we jagged a fabulous camp site on Lake Jindabinyne. One of our most scenic camps. On one hand so grateful to be here and on the other a full on forehead slap, agh only 2 nights. There was a nice little bike path along the foreshore of the lake so after dinner we went for a lovely evening ride.
Great bike riding round the lake
The next day I was feeling very excited, Mt Kosciusko! Australia’s highest peak on the mainland at 2,228 meters (7310 feet). A little know fact Mawson Peak in the Australian Antarctic Territory, is arguably the highest Australian peak at 2,745 meters (9006 feet).
We would have loved to do the full track but time, weather and with Lulu refusing to go the the sling, walking long distances is a really struggle. But I was determined we’d make it one way or another. So armed with snacks and chocolate and the discovery you could get a chairlift from Thredbo most of the way (with the pram), we set off. It seemed do-able. From there it’s either a 4 km walk to the Kosciusko lookout or 6 km to the summit.
Getting some help on our way upto Mt Kosciusko
The weather wasn’t looking kind with storms, thunder and lightening forecast. But with an early start we hoped to beat the bad weather. It was cold and overcast, but the sun did break through in patches making it just exquisite! So so so beautiful. One of my absolutely favorite spots.
The scenery on the walk was beautiful and the impending storm made it that more dramatic
200 species of alpine flowering plants have been recorded and home to the endangered southern corroboree frog. We didn’t see one but I was excitedly on the look out as they are truely spectacular and it was breeding season.
Corroboree Frog
We did however get to see snow still on the ground from winter and the girls were thrilled!
‘Dreaming of a white Christmas’!
We had really enjoyed our walk but decided we’d only go as far as the lookout. Was a bit gutted to not make the summit and be so close but I’ll look forward to coming back to do it another time.
We made it to the lookout – Mt Kosciuszko is the peak above Leonie’s right shoulder.
We timed things perfectly getting back to the chairlift with enough time to grab a quick drink at Austrlia’s highest restaurant before taking the slightly freaky but stunning ride down the mountain. About 10 mins after we got down the heavens opened and the forecasted storm unleashed.
On Top of the World!
Although it was brief we left the Snowy Mountains content but keen to return.
The nations capital. My first visit here and I’m feeling excited. After a week in Sydney we’ve got some schooling to catch up on but then we are surrounded by such great educational places to visit I think we just need to pack in as much as we can and the work books aren’t going anywhere.
The caravan park is pretty close to all the sights and a mixture of caravan park and cabins. It had a lovely pool and new amenities, parrots and birds galore and a few mountain bike tracks around it for Ken.
Great tracks on the ‘Bruce Ridge Nature Reserve’ right behind the CPHear! Hear!
Totally spoilt for choice of great things to see and we’re not going to be able to see it all. Parliment House was the most obvious one not to be missed, so we headed there first. What a fabulous afternoon, fabulous tour and fabulous building. The artistry and pride that went into all the little details of construction and finishing touches is magnificent. It would be hard to not feel a swell of national pride.
It was great learning about all the design features of the building and how it mirrors features of our democracy.
It was of course a great experience visiting the House of Representatives, The Senate and learning how our government functions, however it was the building and symbolism of every detail that just blew my mind. 2018 was the 30th anniversary year of the building and to celebrate a LEGO model of parliment house was commissioned. It was more than just a model of the building but included many noteworthy moments of history and characters from over the years.
LEGO, Parliament – why not!
It was awesome, the kids loved it and I learnt something new. You can build LEGO as a profession, this can be a career path is you wish, and your job title, Master Model Builder.
Australia’s first female Prime Minister – a great role model for our girls.
Next was Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre. What a fabulous day. So pleased the girls got to come here. So much learning, so much fun. The staff were all mad crazy scientists and their passion was infectious.
Charlotte had a ball constructing this rat-trap!
The National Library was another great visit with many national treasures to behold. We joined a couple of tours. Having been following the voyages and discoveries of Captain James Cook and seeing that the library had an exhibition we couldn’t not go along. The other tour was in the Treasures Gallery. A fastinating collection of documents, artifact, painting, tales and treasures from Australias young history.
Cook’s Journal on Endeavour
This was all the world knew of ‘Australia’ before Cook discovered our East Coast
With a drive by of the Australian War Memorial we drove up Mount Ainslie to a lookout to take in the views of the nations capital and reflect on the what a lucky country we are.
The view from Mount Ainslie
Our last day in Canberra we visited old Parliament House – the Museum of Australian Democracy. Our timing was brilliant with the instillation of a new exhibit of political cartoons tilted, Curiouser & Curiouser with a Alice in Wonderland, down the rabbit whole theme going on. While the girls were not particularly taken with the cartoons (Ken and I enjoyed them) but they were thrilled with the dress ups.
Loved the political cartoons.
We did another tour of all the important rooms and it was indeed an old building and easy to see why the new Parliament House was required.
Easy to imagine Bob Hawke sitting here with his feet up on the table!The girls with a replica of the mace given to Australia’s by the UK in the old parliament
Still fastinating and well preserved. Following the tour we explored the next level of the building on our own and easily filled the rest of the day in various play spaces, rooms dedicated to creating your own Zine (mini magazine on any topic) and more dresses ups. This time accompanied with the inspirational story of the famous figures the dress ups depicted. Top day!
Canberra was ace! Makin me proud of our nation …… well for a moment anyway, till I think of the appalling behaviour and shenanigans some of our politicians engaged in. Ahh, the dark n’ light n’ various shades of grey of the human condition.
The Christmas spirit making it’s way into Parliament
Hi everyone I’m back and just been to Sydney, let me tell you all about it…
Day 1
Today we packed our bags, jumped in the car and headed off to Sydney. When we got to the hotel we unpacked and went to check out the afternoon tea 😋. After we got back it was all most dinner time so we hoped into a taxi and went to the Queen Victoria Building for dinner. And to see the beautiful 24 meter Christmas tree 🎄 with 100,000 crystal decorations .
Day 2
Today was our first full day in Sydney starting off with a terrific buffet breakfast. After that we headed down to the Opera House which was just a short walk from the hotel.
From there we headed to the Sydney museum.They had lots of things to see and learn about the city’s history. Also it was built on the same site as the first building in Sydney and Australia!!!!!!!!
First Fleet
After that we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a rest. That evening we decided to go to the abc kids Christmas concert which was actually really fun. We had a nice picnic diner and then went back to the hotel ready for our next day in Sydney.
DAY 3
Today we got ready and headed down to the Manly ferry ⛴ . On our way we found a great Christmas market in the Rocks, were we spent our morning. After that we hoped on the ferry which gave us great views of the Harbour. Once we arrived we decided to find somewhere for lunch, which in my opinion, was far too healthy. Then we had a walk around town and along the beach before heading back to the hotel having room service for dinner.
DAY 4
Today we went to Taronga Zoo, it was loads of fun. My favorite animal was the Komodo Dragon Sadly we had to go early because mum had a massage. In the evening we walked to Sydney Observatory where we had a private tour with a lovely Guide called Kat. We launched rockets (made out of plastic bottles ) and had a tour of the night sky 🌌. After the tour we went back to the hotel and had dinner.
DAY 5-
Today mum had to do some shopping 🛍 so dad took us to the power house museum .It was so fun. There was loads of experimenting to do which I love. Also there was a starwars section which dad made us go through. Lulu cried. I had to give Georgia directions because she had her hands over her eyes; it was really cool. Someone like Riley would have the time of their lives but that’s not me, so I just got it over and done with. Dad managed to get one photo out of me. Then we got a taxi back and had lunch at the hotel so we could be ready to see Cinderella the ballet that evening.
Sydney was fab. I loved every moment, definitely coming back soon…
The drive in was sunny but as we arrived in the mountains the weather closed in and it wasn’t long before we were shrouded in cloud and it was pretty damp. Katoomba was our first choice of places to stay but they were full and suggested Blackheath.
The park was perfect for us, it was pretty quiet with a great playground just across the road that the kids loved. Being so close to Sydney now we plan to have a few days exploring in the mountains before leaving the van here in Blackheath and driving into Sydney for a little city break. We’ve found the best way to see a big city is to stay in it. Often there are no caravan parks close to a CBD and the parks on the outskirts of big city’s often have more perminate residence and have a totally different feel.
The Girls loved this Rocket Ship near the Park, put in by the local Lions Club.
The first day we awoke in thick cloud and it stayed for the day. We took the opportunity to catch up on some school but it wasn’t long till we were all getting in each other’s way. So the kids and I went back to the park but it was all to slippery and damp so walked into town for some lunch. Ken joined us and in the afternoon we visited the Blue Mountain Heritage Centre.
Some of the information centers are just super and this one was great. Helpful staff, a great display of the history of the area, acknowledgement to the indigenous people and a virtual reality system to explore a nearby but difficult to access gorge. It was a fun experience and helped us pass a bit of time when the weather and visibility was so poor outside. Reports were coming in of good visibility on the other side of the ranges so we jumped back in the car and went for a drive.
Ken found a place with views to fly the drone and the roadside had plenty of wild flowers for me to enjoy. With the soft afternoon light bring to life the scenery it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon.
The weather improved the next day and after schooling we popped through to Katoomba for lunch and to see the 3 sisters of the blue mountains. What a crowd they draw, by the bus load. Still it is a breath takingly beautiful view and so iconic of Australia.
Three sisters – in front of the ‘Three Sisters’.
It has been such a long time since we have seen any cats for Georgia to write about. I was willing one to appear so we could report to you about the Cat of Katoomba but it wasn’t to be. We did however see a fabulous parrot of brilliant red and green and right beside the path to yet another viewing spot of the Blue mountains and Katoomba Falls.
The ‘Australian King Parrot’ or the Christmas Parrot as we liked to call it.
He put on a fabulous display of how to strip a Geralton Wax bush of it’s seemingly delisious flowers. Being all awash with the christmas spirit, the girls nicknamed him the christmas parrot and painted him when we got home.
The remainder of the day was filled with excitement packing bags and preparing for a week in Sydney. Charlotte in particular loves a big city, food, fashion, luxury and convenience get her in a total spin. On the other hand, eating out these days is frought with dietary requirements so we will see how we fair not being able to cater for ourselves.
We snagged a cracker of a day for the Blue Mountains to show off.
The Parkes radio telescope – “The Dish” which in 1969 played a significant role with NASA in televising the moon landings.
Two things have bought us to Parkes. The Dish and the one the kids are all excited about, The Parkes Christmas Parade and Markets, with wait for it …….. Christmas ponies!
Parkes Christmas Parade was ace – we’ll take any festive spirit we can find!
What a way to kick off the festive season. It’s certainly going to be a different Christmas away from the family so were keen to immerse ourselves in whatever Christmas cheers we can find.
We arrive early afternoon and got set up in the Spicer Park Caravan Park. What a gem. It was quiet and we got a wonderful site next to the playground backing on to the town sporting field. But the best bit was they supply bath mats! Now that might not seem like that big a deal but believe you me it is. I never appreciated the shear luxury of a bath mat. So far this has been the only park we have stay at to do this and what a point of difference.
The Christmas Market and Parade was excellent. Starting late in the afternoon it was just cooling down. Set in a Park in the middle of town there were food vendors, stalls, a few rides and games, an outdoor christmas movie after dark and of course the parade.
The town decorations for the Christmas festival were awesome
The town had gone tinseltastic. All the school children had dressed up, local businesses decorated floats and cars, the emergency services tinseled up their vehicles and the local dragon boat club and pony club didn’t disappoint. The whole afternoon evening was wonderful. Top show Parkes.
The Christmas Ponies RockedCheck out those glittery shoes!The Girls had a ball.
The next day we awoke with a couple of additional van guest. Two Christmas Elves appeared without a single note as to what, why or where they had come from. The girls were very excited to have a couple of christmas elves about the van and they were swiftly named, SugarPlum and Cookie.
SugarPlum and Cookie up to no good.
We then spent the day catching up on washing and putting tinsel up and about the Van. It certainly was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. All the while treated to a great display of country cricket. With front row seat from our Van it would have been rude to note sit down and enjoy our first cricket for the summer.
Parkes is named after Sir Henry Parkes (1815 – 1896), an immigrant from England, of lowly education and standing, that went on to become “the most commanding figure in Australian politics” . He was the longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of NSW and became known as the “Father of Federation” due to his early promotion for federation of the six colonies of Australia. You’ll find his image on our $5 note.
Sir Henry Parkes (1815 – 1896)
I knew nothing of Sir Henry Parkes before coming to Parkes and it’s been a great education for us all. We have continued to come across references to him and his achievements particularly while visiting Sydney and Canberra. This is one of the things I love about our travels is, the connection to place and people. It has bought Australia history alive to me and reinforces what a great classroom we have.
The main reason for visiting Parkes was ‘The Dish’ at the Parkes Observatory. Parkes and the Radio Telescopes located here played a pivotal role in receiving and transmitting the images of the moon landing. The story was bought to our screen in the 2000 movies, ‘The Dish’, and was mostly accurate.
The setting of the Dish is most unexpected. There really are sheep in the next field.
The visitors centre was fantastic! We spent half a day there and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. They had a great booklet to keep the kids engaged and watching the, massive, operational, radio telescope dish being moved about by NASA (or whichever scientific body had there aloted time of use), was pretty cool. And you’ve gotta love that little touch of Australian juxtaposition.
This immensely piece of technology listening deep into space, the cutting edge of human scientific endevour, and the sheep in the paddock next door just grazing away, none the wiser.
The Dish moved while we were here to search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence for the SETI program.
We loved our stay here and so glad we made the detour away from the coast. We are all the richer and wiser, from the black stump, to the glittered hooves of the christmas ponies and the investigation of space, our galaxy and beyond, its been a blast.
Well…… actually cats of Greece 🇬🇷. I really liked Greece it was the perrrfect place for a cat lover to visit. THERE WERE KITTY CATS EVERYWHERE!
We visited the nearby town and met lots of lovely cats. The towns people had even built little houses for them.
We had two cats that lived in the resort, there was a little tortoiseshell cat that came every time we had breakfast, and there was another Ginger cat that was just cruising around the resort.
It was so much fun to see cats everywhere and I enjoyed going to Greece. CATS OF AUSTRALIA (GREECE) OUT🐱🐈😺😸☺️😁😄
“They’re burning off at the Rampadells, The tawny flames uprise” – ‘Burning Off’ by Dorothea Mackellar
Following the dramatic recovery of Droney the 3rd, it was a late start to the days travel. It seemed it was going to be a resonable days travel with just 409 km’s to cover. However what that time didn’t account for was the fact we would be, again, traversing that old foe, The Great Dividing Range. Ugh! It’s always pretty country but inevitably it’s a slow and windy crossing. And for those in the back seat, always accompanied by a sickly queezy feeling.
A brief distraction from a crow tormenting a goanna crossing the road offered a little light relief.
You don’t see this everyday.
Finally we crossed the ranges and popped out at Tammworth – Australia’s country music capital. In honour or this fact we had been listening to Aussie icon Slim Dusty. Ken and I enjoyed the pace of tunes, although the kids were mumbling something about bleeding ears.
It’s a classic – Slim Dusty and G’day G’day
Turns out Tammworth isn’t just a great place for country music but also home to the best playground we have come across in OZ.
Now, we have seen some awesome playgrounds and unique play equipment and this just had it all. Different levels of play ranging from toddlers to young adults. Large spaces all creatively linked with, tunnels, meandering paths and waterplay creek beds. On the excitement-a-meter it rated extremely awesome coolest playground ever!!!
Playground excitement-a-meterAghhhh!
It was now very late in the day so we had a picnic dinner at above mentioned playground and pushed on for Gunnadah for just the one night. It meant we would arrive in the dark but traveling through this beautiful farming land on dusk gave a gorgeous pinky golden glow to the country side.
Late afternoon drives always have the best colours.
We keep hearing about how hard the farmers are doing it at the moment and on the drive to Gunnadah we saw signs out the front of one property requesting help to feed their livestock and horses, desperate times for some of our farmers. Delivering the reality of the harsh beauty of our land. Which is what has brought us on this particular drive and part of the country.
Gunnadah is the place where Dorothea MacKellar lived, loved and inspired the great Australian poem “My Country”. I love the poem and wanted the girls to cover it as part of our schooling. It was amazing to be in the place and share the same landscapes that bought this poem to page. For those unfamiliar with it enjoy.
“I love a sunburnt country” – Dorothea Mackellar
We finally arrived in Gunnadah after dark and spent just the one night. In the morning we walked up and visited the memorial to MacKellar which displayed some of her poetry but the visitor centre was closed.
Today’s travel was only to be a few hours, delivering us to Parkes, NSW. We took a little short cut, traveling along ‘Black Stump Way’. Could resist the name and I’ve heard and used the phrase ‘beyond the black stump’ through-out my life and here was a chance to see it. If you find yourself wondering what I’m talking about, it is a colloquial saying meaning ‘beyond the limits of civilization’.
Turns out there are about 5 places in Australia that claim bragging rights to the original legendary Black Stump, and it’s anyone guess which one is actually it.
Turned out however the black stump had be blacken on too many times and turned to ashes in a fire that engulfed the Black Stump Wine Saloon, said to the be original location of this dark and mysterious stump. So, today, roadside at a rest stop a replica stump stands to mark it’s historic location.
‘The’ Black Stump – or is it?
I can’t claim this knowledge has enriched my life much, yet it did provided a point of interest on the journey and I am indeed wiser with regards to black stumps in Australia. Love ya Strays.
A big leap of 613 km south today saw us leaving Queensland and back into New South Wales. Looking ahead, we are going to be in Adelaide for the Tour Down Under cycling event in early January and we still have a fair distance to travel. So with that in mind, there will be a few big travel days ahead. With a deadline to travel to, and a few clear ideas of places we want to visit, it has made it easy to plan head, mapping out most of our camps along the way.
Lovely lunch at Tweeds Head
Today we broke the travel up with a stop at Tweed Heads just over the border for a roadside lunch. We love these little lunches in the van. Usually we find a nice little picturesque place to pull up and it feels like we get to visit another wee town.
What a sunset, but we needed to setup – doh!
We finally arrived at Trail Bay just on sunset, which was a cracker! However our camp site wasn’t the easiest to get onto, and after much to and fro-inv we opted to just pull up on another site for the night and face it all in the morning. It was now dark, the kids were all crazy and hungry from being cooped up all day and it wasn’t far of bed time. Not that they were tired after sitting in the car the entire day. Ahh the traveling life has it’s moments.
The next day was a lot brighter and less windy, but there were storms about and the sky was ominous looking at time. Despite warnings from other campers about the brewing weather and the slope of the site, Ken and I both felt confident that the Zone RV van could manage both without much bother, and it did.
How’s that for a spot!
We’ve had our issues with the van, but when it comes down to it she is well built and well engineered and we have great confidence in the product. Besides the view was too delicious to miss out on, we’re suckers for an ocean view.
Amongst the stormy weather we jagged an amazing day, 28 degrees, sunny and just a breath of wind. So we ditched school and made the most of the stunning location. We got the SUP (stand up paddle-board) out and the Packraft and played and paddled the morning away.
Making the most of the awesome weather
It was a super little camp, great facilities and kangaroos all around including on the beach. The girls enjoyed riding their bikes around until Charlotte got taken out by one of the roo’s. Just as she was riding past the back of our van a roo jump out of the bushes right into the side of her. Enough to stun them both but neither injured.
Skip’s everywhereFancy a dip Skip?Skip even joined the sunset dance session
The historic goal on the site was constructed to house the convicts who were going to build a breakwater to create a safe harbour for ships traveling up the coast. Between 1863 and 1866, 90 ships and 243 lives were lost, so something had to be done. After years of construction, delays and difficulties with funding, hard stone and storms the breakwater and goal were abandoned in 1903. During WW1 it was brought back into service as a German internment camp, but now stands as a historic ruin and muesum.
Trail Bay – what an intro to NSW.
The near by town or South West Rocks was windy but pleasant. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Malt & Honey and a little retail therapy in the Rawspice boutique. What a little gem, mostly I don’t enjoy clothes shopping but loved this shop and with my new fashion adviser – Lotte – I left feeling throughly zhoozhed up.
We took a drive to nearby Hat Head. I’d seen stunning pictures of this area but that afternoon the moody, stormy, weather and clouds returned. It was still beautiful just dramatic, wild and cold. Still Ken wanted to fly Droney the 3rd. But with high winds and low battery, alas, Droney the 3rd was not to return. This news was met with a collective forehead slap and a roll of the eyes from us all, not again.
Moody day at Hat Head!
Ken immediately mounted an ill prepared for the condition rescue mission. At least with the GPS co-ordinates he knew where to go but soon realized the terrain was too tough and cold for shorts, t-shirts and thongs. With rapidly fading light, Droney the 3rd was abandoned. Although the tale doesn’t end here.
With that, by now all too familiar, empty feeling of in the pit of his stomach, Ken had not given up on recovering and reuniting with his little drone. Dispite the next morning being a travel day, Ken rose early and with all the necessities to aid a successful recovery mission he set off with great optimism and determination.
Doney 3 all on it’s lonesome for 14 hours.
The new day had bought new luck and Ken found a track that led him close to Droney the 3rd with just a bit of bashing through the rough bush. This was very welcome news indeed and it wasn’t long before the mission was declared a complete success. After its night spent alone, lost in the bush, following a crash landing, Droney the 3rd was a little battered but seemed like he would live to fly again another day.
