On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 26

31/8/2010  

We have left Fremantle and are staying 2 nights at the Big Valley Campground (33,58’957s  115’09’174e) 12kl east of Margaret River, our neighbours are sheep with lambs.  On the drive through it reminded me of the drive between Kangarilla and McLaren Vale.  The town of Margaret River has a resemblance that of a Hahndorf with the tree lined street, however, not so the shopping and heritage.

Kylie, our host, has given us a number of place to visit while we are here, a must see for your visit to Margaret River is the “Swallows Welcome Winery & Art Studio”.  A lovely couple, John & Patricia, each have their passion, John an ex wheat farmer now happily growing grapes, making & sipping wine after making several thousand mud bricks to build his house, art studio, winery and yes his Chapel . Patricia busies herself painting nature, birds and Western Australian wild flowers these are on sale as originals, copies and published books.  Each in what they do have managed to embed themselves, their pets and their passion in their specific crafts.

Expecting really bad weather today we have been pleasantly surprised, although a little rain, mainly fine with broken cloud.

On the Thomas front, a better night last night, please keep praying for this little family.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 25

30/8/2010  

Last day in FREO;

Today was taken up mainly in preparation to leave Fremantle tomorrow, although it is hard to leave our little family.  It does appear Thomas has colic; this is daunting to new parents particularly knowing they have 9 days before leaving for Christmas Island with limited assistance there, our prayers and thoughts are with them.  We did have tea with them and some special time, yet, when it was time to say goodbye it was hard.

Fremantle is a great place to visit, Gino’s coffee tantalizing great coffee, the chocolate shop next door, yumalicious, (just ask Taylor), the parking meters are hungry you are forever feeding them gold coins as parking is at a premium, Kailis Fish Café we have voted to be the best we have tried, the weather has been fantastic, however, we are moving tomorrow and the forecast is RAIN yuk! The people of Fremantle particularly and Perth on a whole have been really nice and helpful.  Freo a great place to visit.

On the road again, heading to set up a base camp at Big Valley Campground outside Margaret River for several days.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Daddy & Nanna taking Thomas for a walk in Fremantle

Day 24

29/8/2010  

Things are looking better on the Thomas front, so far so good, at this time of night Thomas has been crying uncontrollably, Nanna’s touch sees him settling, our prayers are that he will sleep between feeds and allow Mary some rest/sleep, Oh yes, Brett to, please also pray for this little family.

A slow day for us today, initially preparing to leave on Tuesday, this will be the date unless some catastrophe pops up, followed up by being with our little family.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 23

28/8/2010  

Again our plans have been changed; just as well we are flexible.  Thomas has a problem at night settling, none of them are getting much sleep therefore there are difficulties, we will stay here as long as required, in saying that, we probably must leave Tuesday.

I had a ride on an electric push bike, ummmmm, very interesting, we are looking further into this when we get home, 30 -40 kph, although you are peddling there is no effort  in the knees or hips, appears to be a good method of exercise and  transport.

Kailis Fish Restaurant for lunch, mmm, interesting, we appear to be continually going back, Sheryle did ring Wendy telling her where we were, 1 table over from where we all were last week, beautiful blue skies, warm day with many boats in the harbour along with a lovely fish platter, Wendy made some very unpleasant comments to Sheryle, she was cut to the core.(just jocking)

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 22

27/8/2010  

What a great day this has been, we caught the bus and train into Perth for a look around and found out surprisingly that it has the same shops as Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra,  Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Hobart, WOW, how about that; now we can say we have been to every capital city in this great land of ours, “Australia”.

On our return journey to Fremantle we travelled by Captain Cook Tours via the Swan River, an hour long trip one way that was simply fantastic.  Having had the pleasure of doing the Brisbane River previously this trip was up there with it, truly great, when you are next in Perth do yourself a favour and take a trip on the Swan.   It was pointed out on the trip a ramshackled shack that last year sold for a measly $59million, the asking price was $67million.

On the baby front; home today and settling in.

Weather update; today 21 degrees tomorrow 23 bugger!

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 21

26/8/2010

BREAKING NEWS     BREAKING NEWS    BREAKING NEWS

Last Saturday night we were informed our eldest son Craig and his lovely wife Wendy on the 7^th of March 2011 will be having their third child, a brother or sister to Taylor and Kaitlin.

In the blog on the 20^th I did state that this couple most probably had completed their production line of child rearing, again my children are out to prove me wrong, I must admit they do go to extremes to make me eat humble pie, however, Sheryle and I are proud to be wrong as we know that we have the capacity to love this child as we do all others.

Tonight we were visiting Thomas and his parents, now this may sound like a doting Poppa, but he is beautiful, he held my finger and I was a big blob on the floor as I melted in his hand, just like all my grandchildren.  Thomas comes home tomorrow and into the big wide world, what a shock he’s got coming.

A decision was made today, Sunday we leave Fremantle for our homeward journey, travelling the south west corner of Western Australia and most probably leaving the nice weather of Fremantle behind, I understand the weather home is not encouraging.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 20 o Adelaide

25/8/2010

Up early today to have the family to the airport for their 10:40 flight to Adelaide, this was achieved with a minimum of fuss and it’s been great spending time with the family.  Our plans changed several times during the day and achieved nothing that was planned, however, we did spend lunch with Brett in his apartment then a lazy day sitting and waiting for a washing machine.

Tonight special time at the hospital with our new family, gee, Thomas is beautiful.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 19

24/8/2010

A busy day for us today, spending time with the family with the grandchildren playing in the park at the Fremantle Marina then travelling to the Kings Pk Botanical Gardens in Perth for more time walking,   talking and playing with many photo opportunities, just a great day, Oh how we love holidays.

After our evening meal it was off to see Thomas, Oh yes, and the parents.  Thomas is now 4 days old and has a string of adults running to his ever beck and call, that’s MY LITTLEST MAN.

Must be up early tomorrow to take the family to the airport for their 10:40am flight to Adelaide.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 18

23/8/2010

Another beautiful day in Fremantle, very comfortable 19 degrees, a day spent at the Maritime Museum with the family.  No visitation with Tomas due to too many appointments with various specialized specialist at the hospital.

As Mary & Brett will be virtually by themselves when they return to the island it is imperative they get this help and knowledge now.

I had death by chocolate with a special young lady tonight, my granddaughter Taylor, definitely no dinner tonight.    

Went to Kalias fish market again with the family this time for a second opinion, it was agreed it is very good, still on the hunt for “The Best Fish & Chips in WA”.  Looking after 2 Angels tonight while mum & dad have gone out to dinner.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 17

22/8/2010

Today was a great day in soooo many ways, memorable to say the least, spending it with the two out of five of our most precious Angels, Taylor and Kaitlin, oh yes and their parents, truly a great day.  As a group we wandered through the EShed Market here in Fremantle, a very interesting place with some bargains to be had.  From there it was time to head off to the hospital to catch up with Thomas Eric and his parents.

Today I was able to get some better photos due to the light in the café, once downloaded onto the computer all we can see is Brett, sorry Mary.  At the hospital all the necessities in life for Thomas and Mary are progressing.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 16

21/8/2010

It felt like being back at work this morning with the alarm going off at 7-30am, up and in readiness to be at the Perth Airport to meet our eldest son and his family as they will be here in Fremantle for 4 days.

On the baby front all progressing well, Thomas is slowly getting the idea of food, however, he is functioning exactly the way he should and mum and dad doing well.

It was great to see Taylor and Kaitlin today and spend time with our angels.  On the hunt to find “The Best Fish & Chips in WA” we went to the Karris fish café market, now we were impressed, no dripping fat with the fish falling to pieces, it was quite good, we are not stopping at this point and will continue the search, probably tomorrow.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 15

20/8/2010

IT’S A BOY

THOMAS ERIC FORD

WEIGHED IN AT 6LB 7OZ

AT 12:19 20^TH AUGUST 2010

LENGTH 49CM

Just a normal day in our lives, into Fremantle for eye checkups and a bit of shopping when we received that ever wanting news.  Now, Brett, Mary & Sheryle new the baby was a boy, I elected not to know as I prefer the surprise, as our eldest son will most probably not have any more children it is up to Brett to produce a boy to carry on the Ford name.  I did mention to Mary maybe once or twice if the baby was not a boy it would have to go back into the oven for extra cooking, well, you do not have to be Einstein to work out the response.

With comments given and picking up vibes I had accepted it was a girl, so much so if I were a betting man I would have bet my shirt and thankfully lost, now for some serious retail therapy.  Now being in Fremantle there is limited facilities to buy the most important stuff like Cows jersey, Crows booties, Crows scarf, Crows jumpsuit you know the good stuff, however, we will be back in Adelaide and you know where I’ll be.

Look I am not a doting grandfather, but, I would put my grandchildren up against any others to be the best looking, most cutest, most delightful, best behaved, most well mannered and just great fun to be around, now these are only a few of their attributes, obviously come from great stock.  Yea, can hear what you are saying and all I can say is facts are facts!

The photos taken today were without a flash are a bit grainy therefore I will wait for better shots before publishing them.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 14

19/8/2010

Weather in Fremantle today is beautiful, clear blue skies, slight off shore breeze and a really nice day about 18 degrees.

We have been out and about a little today, after retrieving my sunglasses from Brett we went to the marina for a taste of the reputed “Best Fish & Chips in WA”, obviously we were at the wrong restaurant, we still have 4 hours later a greasy taste in our mouth, tomorrow will again try for the “Best Fish & Chips in WA”.

I have always said Sheryle has the ears of an eagle, this time she picked up a noise in the gearbox of the car, at idle it sounded as if 4 wheel drive had been partially engaged.  We found a diesel mechanic locally who had a good look and listen, “well” he said, “some good news and some bad news” uh oh what now, how much and how long.  Obviously he heard the gears going in both Sheryle and my heads and the look of total fear, “well mainly all good news” he said, “in my 30 years experience I strongly believe the noise to be gear rattle”, he then went on to explain at about the 190 to 200 thousand kilometers this noise may start, by adjusting the of the motor idle the noise disappears, he felt the idling was a little slow and bumped it from 500rpm to 750rpm immediately the noise ceased.  He said quietly to Sheryle “can you hear the noise now” no was the reply “then if you hear it again, this is the volume knob on the radio, just turn it up and the noise will go away”.

He the mechanic, pointed out very clearly, now this is his words not mine, please remember HIS words, a    

 Toyota will have this gear rattle start at about 120 to 150 thousand ks, the gear box in a Nissan Patrol is

 the strongest on the market, what a great guy he is!

Tonight was the last night Mary will have as a free woman as she will be at the hospital at 7am for the baby to be induced, to celebrate, Brett and Mary took both sets of parents out to dinner at a local Thai restaurant, if chili does not get this baby on the move, well, I don’t know what will.

After dinner Sheryle and I went to a local café for coffee and see if we could get onto a Wi Fi for Sheryle with her iPad, no luck, at least she did get coverage unfortunately they were locked, it is all a learning curve with this new techno.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 13

18/8/2010

Yea!! Sheryle’s Birthday;

Spent the afternoon with Brett & Mary, Sheryle’s received an I-Pad for her birthday and her son spent the afternoon learning, loading and teaching his mother how to use it.  Currently she is sitting in the van reading her new book, one happy lady.

I am continuing the stupid episode in my life, went to fill the car with diesel and as I was putting the additive in using a small 250ml bottle when it slipped from my fingers into the neck of the tank, luckily we were close to an Ultra Tune where the mechanic speared it and retrieved it on the second attempt.

We went for a drive around the marina, drove down this road to the end where there is room to turn and sat there looking at boats valued from two bob to multi millions, while sitting Sheryle pointed to one small boat that had smoke coming from the stern (that’s the back in nautical terms), on closer observation there were 3 large sections on the side missing as if been “burnt” and the smoke coming out of the rear section.  When driving in I noticed a department of transport office so called in there to tell them of our find, initially not too interested until I said it was next to a big white boat, this bought immediate action and someone was on their way to investigate, such drama in our life.

The weather: small amount of rain this morning lasting maybe 10 minutes, the rest of the day slight breeze, sunny and fine, walking around with sunny’s and shirt sleeves.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 12

17/8/2010

Today a quiet day, a quick trip into Fremantle to pick up Sheryle's  60^th birthday present for tomorrow that I had sent over a few weeks ago as I could not hide it in the van.  While I was away Sheryle cleaned the van & on my return I washed the car and started to prepare cleaning some trim on the car that had became loose and needs gluing back in place, this was fine until I needed acetone, then we had  a quick trip to Woolworths. 

Back at the van it is too wet to work (damm shame)  therefore I am starting the blog before getting ready to go out to Frasers Restaurant for tea, we must leave here about 5pm Brett’s instructions.

On the baby front; Things are on the move, Mary had a rough time last night, by 2am contractions every nine minutes, Brett rang the hospital, and yes sounds like 1^st stage labour, hospital visit confirmed at 1pm but the contractions had stopped.  As this is baby number one it could be quick or it could be slow, all Mary wants is it OUT NOW.

Tonight Sheryle & I went out to Frasers Restaurant in West Perth as a gift from Brett & Mary, on being seated there were an arrangement of a dozen roses wishing Mum a happy birthday.  It was one of those meals where they serve 8 entre size serves, for Sheryle, the grilled snapper on a bed of leak & parsnip mash, for me, smoked trout & steamed Scallop were our favorites, the buffalo cheese with pear & lime was also really nice.  Finally out came the desert, a bowl of fresh fruit sitting atop of crushed ice with a candle and sparkler for Shreryle's birthday, a very pleasant and much thought of by Sheryle.

The restaurant is in the Botanical Gardens overlooking Perth and the Swan River, a beautiful sight particularly arriving in the daylight and watching  gradually the lights of the city come on, I did some photo’s on my phone.

Coming home was different, trusting wholly and solely on two, yes two electronic GPS navigators; why you may ask; simply because we can, so there! Most of the time they were giving the same directions, several times they argued but a quick clip and threatening to turn one off, they behaved.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 11

16/8/2010

Well today got off to a disaster then progressively worse, we had a small water leak under the sink, yesterday we went to “Bunning’s” (it was so little) and bought the bits required, today simple job of bypassing the old water filter, not hard at all, done in a few minutes, the occasional drip from the sink pipe fixed.  Then an occasional drip from the 12v pump turned into a disastrous flood, water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Dumbo here, not thinking, did not remove the fuse from the pump prior removing the pipe, Sheryle was at the laundry, as these pumps work on back pressure, once the water can flow the pump kicks in and water comes out, just as it was designed to do at 20lts per minute.  I had water going everywhere in the cupboard, I was trying  to get the pipe back on then race outside to the battery box and remove the fuse, once the fuse out pump stops and water ceases flowing.  Repair 3 minutes, cleanup, all day and into at least tomorrow for the carpet drying, I might add, Sheryle did not see the humorous side, (what humorous side), the extra washing at $4-00 a load and the dryer at $1-00 per 15 minutes saw $20-00 go quickly.

Let me tell you a little of where we are staying;  The Woodman Point Holiday Village is situated at 132 Cockburn Rd Munster  south of Fremantle and a 10 minute drive to Brett & Mary (32’07’772s         115’45’950e).  It is a mixture of permanent and holiday tourists with a number of cabins being taken by some form of construction workers, boy am I glad they don’t work for me with the amount of beer consumed before work.  We are in a section of the park that is a small cul de sac, with place for 3 vans & 5 cabins.  The park is clean and in the main very well kept, although there are a few issues I have addressed with them, some rectified others not.  Most of the caravan sites in the grassed area are drive through at this time of year; during peak time I would suggest there would be no way.  All up it is really OK especially when compared with the other 2 parks within a couple of kl’s.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 10

15/8/2010

It was a glorious sunny day in Fremantle today; we drove into Fremantle parked at the marina and walked through the city.  Fremantle is very a cosmopolitan environment, café’s and  restaurants on each corner, hotels in between, markets selling everything from ice cream, fruit and veg to things that are questionably legal.

There are so many boats in the marina that there is not enough room on the water to moor all of them, boats are stored in yards 3 decks high and 5 to 10 boats long.  Berthed at the main wharf adjacent the main street was the cruise a ship Princess Sun, I had seen this ship previously at Outer Harbour earlier in the year, it is huge.

Before returning to the van we went to for a drive to find the hospital where Mary will have the baby, it’s not too far away and will take only a few minutes to get there.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 9

14^th August 2010

Today was full of go slow and take easy to start with,  Brett & Mary bought tickets for us to go to the football at Subiaco Oval for the game between Fremantle & Sydney in the afternoon.  After picking us up at 11:24 & taking us to the train station at Fremantle, we walked straight onto the train within 1 minute we were on our way arriving at the oval a being seated 35 minutes before the game started.  Not having allegiance to either team & being visitors ourselves we chose to support Sydney who by the way did win by 9 points.  After the game we walked about 500 metres to the train straight on again without waiting, boy, is this how I like my public transport.  We were very impressed with t he train, very clean, quiet, and you could even see out the windows unlike those at home. 

There is a nice Italian coffee shop just around the corner from Brett & Mary’s, just across the road is a decadent chocolate shop where we bought Mary a hot chocolate and coffee for the rest of us.  Tonight just a walk after tea as it was not raining and a quiet night.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

Early Western Australia pioneers must have had a warped sense of humour when naming places; these are only a few names.

Nebulling, ungurabell, bunningbungullaw, yalcatchem, quadarong, warragiden, parawilla, quairad, dingkoo, jebba

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 8

13^th August 2010

Well our first day out and about in Fremantle,  we were in need to have a slow leaking tyre repaired and a new headlight globe replaced, what a great time to do it, sun shining mildly overcast and just a nice day.  I had asked at the caravan park receptionist  if they could recommend anyone in these areas, the lady pulled out a book opened it the  respective  pages and said here you are, when asking in what directions they would  be she said I don’t know over there somewhere pointing in an easterly direction.  I thanked her for her assistance, came back to the van and checked on Google maps, turns out the tyre place (Renown Tyres 56 South Tce Fremantle) yes this is an unpaid advertisement.  Is one block from where Brett & Mary are staying.

I told David the proprietor that he had been highly recommended by the caravan park, he said with a look of total amazement, I have! Which one? I said the Woodman Point Caravan Pk, OH! Was his reply.  David said he could not get to repair the tyre for at least an hour, Oh that’s OK says I, as parking in Fremantle is at a premium particularly for vehicles our size, I explained that we are on holiday from the great SA so take your time, he then gave me a mud map of Fremantle and showed us where to go.  On returning several hours later after shopping, coffee with Brett & Mary and more shopping David said that we could park here anytime we came into Fremantle, unfortunately this would be during business hours only as they must put chains up after hours, he also put us onto an auto electrician to check out the headlight, thankfully only a globe.   After paying the account $15-00, three of them men tried to give me directions to a Woolworth’s supermarket, even to the point of printing off 3 Google maps for directions.  What really nice people here in Fremantle, well some anyhow.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

Nebulling, ungurabell, bunningbungullaw, yalcatchem, quadarong, warragiden, parawilla, quairad, dingkoo, jebba

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 7

12^th August 2010

Rain, Rain confounded rain, we did not leave the caravan park today mainly due to the weather, pretty much constant all day, although making use of the time in washing clothes, cleaning the van and sleeping. We did go for a walk to the beach (Mr. Rann you want to get your sorry backside over here & see how it is done), we have now seen all the oceans/seas around Australia well the salty type water anyway, feels good.

Last night we went to bed in Perth time and woke up in Adelaide time, hence the sleep this afternoon.  We are staying at the Woodlands Caravan Park in the Woodlands reserve about 1kl south of Coogie Beach, the park is very clean and tidy and we have ample room around the our site that is in a c amongst cabins, quite well done.

A special cul de sac  message to all our Big & Little Angels and My Man Nanna & poppa love & miss YOU big kisses to all.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

 Nebulling,mungurabell,bunningbungullaw,yalcatchem,quadarong,warragiden,parawilla,quairad,dingkoo, jebba

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 6

11^th August 2010

Well, here we at Fremantle, by tricking our bodies by staying on SA time we gained an hour and a half, again 5 minutes late leaving we were already refueling at Southern Cross before we were out of bed on Perth time.  It was not long before we were out of the bush and into cereal crops, OH, we do prefer the bush. 

Stopping for lunch at Cunberdin right opposite the Ettamogah Pub, didn’t know one existed here in the west, yes the original at Albury NSW and in Queensland, well now one here, they all look the same from the outside.  We decided to eat our lunch in a nice park but it was so cold we high tailed it back into the van very quickly.

I was surprised the road from Northam to Perth was a single lane for most of the run; I was expecting a duel carriageway, with trucks travelling at differing speeds and small towns to slow down for I did not feel comfortable at all.  Once entering the outskirts of Perth we were solely reliant on our GPS navigator, it once led us down blocked off road, then some residential streets, we lost faith in the machine and retrieved the Perth 2002 street directory, worked out our route then let the navigator tell us where to go, it almost took us on the route chosen on the map, we arrived at 1:45 Perth time.

Had tea with Brett, Mary & unborn grandchild and had a great time catching up.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

nebullingmungurabellbunningbungullawyalcatchemquadarongwarragidenparawillaquairaddingkoojebba

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 5

Tuesday 10^th August 2010     

                           

Departing 5minutes late, (are we getting good)  Last night was so very cold, at Balladonia it was 1degree, it is the only place in Australia I know where ice comes out of the tap when washing your hands.  Hooray, we completed the Nularbor; I must admit I am looking forward to the return journey much slower.   A very good run through to Norsman where I was able to post the last couple of days blogs while Sheryle popped into the supermarket to get fresh fruit.  Again the scenery was changing the further west we traveled the eucalyptus trees and in particular the Salmon Gums were fantastic, ranging from single saplings to mature 8-10 metre high trees.

I remember when we crossed the Simpson, just crossed the border into Queensland while still in the desert and there it was a breath test station, today, 2 minutes earlier we had changed driver and Sheryle turned into the main street of Coolgardie and there was a breath test and license check station, all being filmed by TV cameras, I was able to get her off with a warning, as I know people in high places, I told her not to drink from the bottle in front of the policeman.  

Our camp tonight Boorabbin Rest Area (31’16’08s             120’01’000e), thanks Jeff & Annette you did good recommending this camp.  Today we were not the first here there were two others however we have a great spot surrounded by bush, tomorrow Fremantle and family this will be sooo very good.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 4

Things were looking up at the start of the day, only 20 minutes late leaving, a short drive of 10kl to “Checkpoint Q” , as we are travelling quicker than planned we lost 6 apples and 1 orange at the quarantine station, must admit we were sure we would.  All OK,  then off to Eucla to refuel and send off e-mails and The Blog, turned on the computer and the hard drive could not open, this happened several times, not a happy camper at that point.  Being a staunch advocate of “I’ll look at it later” back in the bag it went.  As the day drew on I began to worry that the hard drive was dead in our new computer!  At the end of the day and after much prayer, out of the bag and whammo it worked first time, @$%&*($@#! thing.

I do not profess to being a horticulturist and I do not know botanical names for plants, however, the views of the saltbush running into the sea was just a joy to behold.  They say it does not rain on the Nularbor, well they are wrong, there was plenty last night and for most of the day today.  We have travelled most of the longest, straightest road in the world, 144.6kl without a bend.  Had it not been for the ever changing flora from very low saltbush to areas we thought resembled the Murrumbigie along the Hay Plain it would be easy to lose concentration, yes tiring but great.

We have decided to stay on SA time at this stage as there are 2 time changes in this area, one at Border Village, the other at Balodonia, by staying on SA time we can be first into the rest areas and get the best spot before the herders come in.  Tonight we are at Woorlba Homestead Rest Area (32’26’12s 124’06’17e), this is a truly great bush camp.

After doing some reconciliation with mileage against Cape York last year, running cost and mileage about the same.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 3

Sunday 8^th August 2010

Received a call from our son in Perth stating the new baby is wanting to be born earlier than planned, this has necessitated a change in our travel plans as we do want to be there for the birth, we can catch up on the return journey.

Cereal crop farming took on a new vista, a single paddock so big you cannot follow the fence line, one paddock larger than a lot of farms closer to Adelaide and they were so green.  Once leaving Penong the cropping slowly let way to bush vegetation.  The Mulga bush varied in size from 1 metre to 3-4 metres in height with very rocky limestone soil, the continual change was impressive, then we turned a bend in the road and there was the Great Australian Bite, we felt so privileged to be in a position to witness such beauty in person.

Tonight’s stop is the 10k Peg Rest Area, (31’39’35s           129’07’52e) 10kl east of Border Village, this is a large area allowing probably 50-60 campers, some sites are very open, we picked a good sheltered area, absolutely fabulous.  We went for a walk to the cliff overlooking the Great Australian Bite, a nice 15 minute walk each way and the view was majestic, the stark rawness and ruggedness  against a backdrop of the open sea to  the south and the low saltbush east and west.

The lack of fauna was notable, one stumpy lizard waiting to cross the road and road kill scored 2 roo's and 1 wombat, that was all apart from crows.

The dearest fuel to date, Nularbor $1.729, the wind is still knocking our consumption around, dam it.

Catch you tomorrow

John & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 2

Saturday 7^th August 2010

After a hearty weber lamb roast   & great evening  with our hosts Jeff & Annett  our first night in the van was good, the work Sheryle put into the block out curtains worked well in keeping the really, really cold night out.

 Again late departing, only this time by 40 minutes,  however arriving on time at our destination Puntabie Rest Area (32’12’36s            134’07’52e) about 45kl east of Ceduna.  Driving into a head wind all the way saw the fuel guage moving continually the wrong way, oh well, it’s only money and think of the people we are keeping employed.  The weather was getting warmer the further west we travelled, so we had to turn the a/c  on, it was great.

We actually traversed roads we have not been on before, it again was great.  We stopped at Kimba, Sheryle to a photo of, as she says, the two galahs, the big concrete one and me, I thought she was very rude.   The scenery was great until the bush ran out and the cereal crops took over, the continually changing flora was interesting.

We were the only travelers out our bush camp when we arrived, within an hour there were  six others, it is a nice spot well off the road amongst low trees, well protected although it is cool, however, it is not freezing cold.

Catch you tomorrow

Johnn & Sheryle

On the Road Again Perth Odessey 2010

Day 1
Friday 6th August 2010
After leaving home an hour and a half after our scheduled departure time for various reasons, the main being we are on holiday we had a gentle pleasant trip to Pt Augusta.  Staying the night with Jeff & Annette, great company and great Weber lamb roast.

Our van is warm and comfortable and looking forward to a good nights sleep.

First Post

Well here is my first post, let see how it goes.  Look forward to telling you how great it is to be travelling again