Back in Vic - enjoying the Murray and stretching out the last few days of the trip.

Murray River near the town of Nyah, VIC

Monday 6th October

After a big day of driving we pulled into a lovely camping area along the Murray River near Nyah. We spent the afternoon swimming (although we had to be careful as the current was so strong), enjoying the beautiful surroundings and relaxing after a huge day. The kids took advantage of all the river mud and painted their bodies, without realising how stinky the mud was! It was a beautiful evening to sit around the campfire, however as soon as the sun went down we were attacked by killer mosquitoes. They were so big that Daniel commented to Emilia it was like having a 747 land on you. She then relayed this comment to me except she said, 'Be careful of the mosquitoes Mum, Dad said he's had a few 750s land on him!', which amused us so much. We ended up having to go into the van as the mosquitoes were even biting us through our clothes. Thankfully they weren't out in such force in the morning so we were able to go for a walk along the river and enjoy our breakfast before getting back in the car again, headed first to Swan Hill for some supplies.

Trying to wash off all the stinky mud!

Lovely view from our van.

The Big Cod at Swan Hill.

The Victorian side of the Murray River, just near Tocumwal.

Tuesday 7th - Saturday 11th November

We decided a few days of R&R at one of our favourite camping spots along the Murray River was just what we needed to revive ourselves after many long days in the car, and to prepare ourselves for the craziness that we were going back to (home renovations, going back to work and school, preparing for Xmas, getting a new pool and moving back into our house). 

We spent 4 wonderful days koala spotting, floating down the river on lilos we got from the local op shop, going on long walks, enjoying the serenity of our camp spot, catching carp (Daniel and Jackson) and star gazing whilst sitting around the campfire. It was so lovely.

Daniel and Jackson had a funny experience one day. While Emilia and I were floating down the river they went off to move a tree that had fallen over the track. They moved it but when they were trying to get back to camp they ended up bogged in the mud. They had to use the Maxx tracks to get themselves out and by the time they made it back to camp the car, the Maxx tracks, and their legs, were covered in mud. Thankfully we had a whole river for them to wash everything in!

We were lucky enough to have a koala in the tree right in front of our camp. He stayed there for 3 days and we got to listen to his insistent mating calls. On the third day he got tired of waiting so he climbed down and crawled off into the bush. We watched him sniffing the base of several trees before deciding on one to climb. When we went to find him the next morning he was still in that tree and there was another koala in a tree nearby. We suspect it was a female so hopefully his mating calls were finally answered!!

On the last night friends that we'd met in the West MacDonnell Ranges and spent time with in Uluru joined us for a fun afternoon swimming before we sat around the campfire watching the kids gorge themselves on toasted marshmallows. It was the perfect final night of our epic trip.

Our furry friend- he was so close he actually pooped on our bbq plate and fishing tackle box!

On the afternoon we arrived the clouds rolled in and, before we knew it, it was pouring rain and freezing - welcome back to Victoria!

The current was perfect for floating down the river. The op shop gave us 4 old school lilos- they were great!

One of the many carp Jackson and Daniel cleared from the river. Jackson used the spear he found at Kakadu - after sharpening the prongs it worked perfectly.

An early morning swim on the morning we were leaving.....

....then our last coffee of the trip. We were all feeling a bit sad.

A few days...a few cute little SA towns

Port Germein, Melrose and World's End Gorge, SA

Friday 10th - Monday 6th October

On our way back to Victoria we squeezed in visits to a few places in SA that we hadn't been before, but had heard about from fellow travelers. First up was the coastal village of Port Germein - famous for its 1.6km long wooden jetty, the second longest in Australia (Busselton holds first place). We spent 2 nights at the small community run caravan park right across the road from the water. Whilst at Port Germein:

• We walked along the jetty as far as you can currently go (the last 300 metres is closed as there is damage from a storm that hasn't been repaired yet).
• The boys tried their luck fishing off the jetty but only got a few bites.
• Emilia and I explored the town, walking as far as we could go each way along the beach.
• We took the scenic drive through Port Germein gorge, gazing at the stunning landscape, to Melrose, a small town at the base of Mt Remarkable. We visited the local brewery, Jacka Brothers. They have restored the historic 1877 brewery to it's former glory and it was a wonderful afternoon sitting next to the beautiful old building, looking out onto the mountains of the Southern Flinders Ranges, whilst devouring delicious wood fired pizzas and sipping on their signature ales.
• We did the Melrose Nature Hike afterwards to try to counteract our overindulgence!
• We watched the sunset over the ocean both evenings (even though it was blowing a gale and we were freezing!).
• The kids had a great time on the playground and using Jackson's scooter on the bike track.

After Port Germein we headed to World's End Gorge, where there was a free camp right on Burra Creek. We spent the afternoon exploring the creek, looking at all the ancient river red gums. The kids caught shrimp in the creek (just for fun, they let them go) and we had a swim in the icy water. It was a hot day so we certainly didn't expect it to drop to 9 deg that night - we all woke up freezing the next morning! 

An original tide marker- the incoming or outgoing tide, combined with a series of pulleys, moved the marker to show ships the tide position. Ingenious!

Walking the jetty on the afternoon we arrived - the wind was so strong.

This sign was at the start of the jetty - love it!


We walked back on the sand as the tide was so far out and Daniel got this great photo.


Sunset on the first night - you can see how much ribbon seaweed was washed up on the beach. Jackson had heaps of fun jumping on it and running through it. 

Still smiling, even though they were freezing after their unsuccessful morning fishing.

Jacka Brothers Brewery in Melrose

Our incredible pizzas.

The dessert pizza- Biscoff spread on the base, topped with marshmallows and chocolate! The kids were in heaven.

One of the many beautiful old trees in Melrose - the road went around the edges of this majestic one.

The restored swing bridge over the creek (that was currently dry).

One of the sculptures on the foreshore at Port Germein.

Jackson's sunset shot from under the jetty - pretty good!

The dried up seaweed was like confetti- so much fun.

These three photos are from Worlds End Gorge - such a lovely area with so many gnarled old trees.

Opal Fever- noodling at Coober Pedy

Alice Springs and Coober Pedy

Monday 30^th October – Friday 3^rd November

After leaving Uluru on Monday morning we were keen to check out some meteorite craters on the way back in to Alice Springs, however when we got closer to the turnoff it was 39 degrees outside, way too hot to be walking around rocky craters, so we just headed straight in to Alice Springs and spent the afternoon in the pool. The next was just spent alternating between ‘jobs’ and the pool- we all had a blast on the waterslide again. That night we drove up a 4wd track to a lookout and watched the sun set over Alice Springs while the kids and Daniel devoured pizza.

We left early the next morning and after more than 7 hours in the car we arrived at Coober Pedy mid afternoon. It is certainly a unique town, with more than 70% of the town’s residents living in underground or semi-underground homes. It was very quiet, as the tourist season was over, but also as the town’s population is declining. A local tour guide told us that in its heyday, there were over 1000 miners tending their claims in the area, though now there are only about 100.

We enjoyed our time at Coober Pedy and managed to see most of the sights in the town and nearby areas, as well as spending plenty of time ‘noodling’ for opals in the piles of dirt deposited around town.

Highlights of our time in Coober Pedy include:

• Doing the tour at Umoona Opal Mine, where we learnt about the history of opal mining at Coober Pedy, as well seeing what an old miners dwelling would have looked like and what new underground homes are like.
• ‘Noodling’ at the Jewellery Shop (the name of an area in the middle of town that was one of the first places mined. It is now the public noodling area), and at the dirt piles in front of the Old Timers Mine. We all found lots of opal chips, as well as a few bigger pieces with lines of opal in them.
• Wandering through the Catholic and Serbian underground churches
• Meeting friends for a drink at the Big Winch café, looking out over the town.
• Taking a drive to the Kanku- Breakaways Conservation Park- where there are colourful sandstone hills in the middle of flat, sparse land. The hills are said to have ‘broken away’ from the nearby Sturt Ranges – hence their name, The Breakaways. On our way there for sunset we stopped at Moon Plains – where there is literally nothing except rock, so it looks like the surface of the moon, then we drove along next to the Dog Fence- over 5000kms of fencing to keep the dingos off farming country.
• Camping at Tom Cat Hill where we had stunning, uninterrupted views. The best part though was the baby kestrels that were nesting in a hole in the rock wall right next to our caravan. We all enjoyed watching the mother feed her 4 babies, and listening to them squawk at her to try to be the first to get the food.
• Using a blacklight torch (loaned to us by Des, the owner of caravan park we stayed at) to go noodling after dark. Opals and potch glow under the blacklight making them easier to find.

Feeding the resident emus at Erldunda Roadhouse on our way from Uluru to Alice Springs

We all had a blast on the waterslide at the caravan park in Alice Springs- me included!

Sunset from the top of a ridge near Alice Springs - it was extremely smoky so it was a very hazy sunset.

A bearded dragon we encountered on our first afternoon at Coober Pedy

One of the 'blower' trucks synonymous with Australian outback mining towns - they suck the debris from inside the mine to allow it to be sifted and sorted above ground.

The Serbian Orthodox underground church, built into the side of a hill- outside (above) and inside (below)

The inside of the underground Catholic church

A replica of an old mining home that was dug by hand (circa early-mid 1900s)

An example of a more modern underground home, this one was dug by machine and has electricity and running water.

On the top of all the underground houses are these air shafts- and as you can see in the distance the town is made up of lots of small hills with houses built into them, surrounded by mounds of dirt

On our drive out to Kanku- Breakaways Conservation Park we passed 'Moon Plains'- a very sparse and rocky section of land that has been likened to the surface of the moon.

A small section of the 5000km+ of the 'Dog Fence' that runs from SA to QLD.

'Two Dogs', a sacred site in the Breakaways- the colours of the sandstone hills were so vibrant

More stunning views at the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park

Enjoying the sunset on a lookout at the Breakaways

Once the sun went down the kids put on a performance with Emilia's poi balls.

Noodling after dark

Three of the four baby kestrels that were nesting in a hole in the rocky wall next to where we were camping- they were so cute.