Journey's End

We have now arrived home after an absence of two months and are taking time to reflect on the many wonderful experiences that we have had during our time away. We are most grateful to God for His goodness and protection as we have travelled more than 13,000 kilometres by road in a variety of circumstances. We have spent the past week with our daughter, Natalie, and her three children-Ben, Alicia and Daniel-to provide much needed support during husband, Scott's absence in the U.K. where he went at short notice to see his grandparents who are declining in health. We have also had the pleasure of sharing in our grandchildren's school, church and other activities. We are profoundly impressed by the reliability of the diesel engine in our 1988 Toyota Hi-Ace Campervan and Tilly's overall performance in all sorts of road and weather conditions. After unpacking we have been catching up on letters, emails etc.and are almost ready to face reality!Thank you for sharing the journey with his via our blog.

NSW Beckons

Our journey in both directions -east to west and west to east-across this vast land of Australia is gradually coming to an end after travelling approximately 13,000 kilometres in "Tilly" (our 1988 Toyota Hi Ace Campervan) since we left Sydney over 50 days ago. Before leaving Victoria we have been able to traverse the Murray Valley Highway and had the pleasure of visiting Australia's largest landscaped Cacti Garden at Strathmerton. The spectacular flowe

Journeying Through Victoria

Over the last few days we have been exploring places we last visited over 30 years ago and other parts of Victoria that were new to us. A particular pleasure was to visit "Tickletank" at Mount Barker where we met resident artist, Irene Pearce, and viewed the unique house and garden she has created out of a concrete water tank. We have also been to other historic towns such as Strathalbyn and St Arnaud, the latter providing us with an opportunity to visit the Bible Museum-the only one in Australia. Yesterday we worshipped at Horsham Church Of Christ and then spent a wonderful afternoon in The Grampians. Before travelling back into NSW we are making a nostalgic return visit to Echuca on the mighty Murray.

Leaving South Australia

The past week in South Australia has been a special treat as we have experienced "Little Cornwall" including having some Cornish Pasties, seen many historic buildings and many villages that were once major shipping ports and are taking on a new lease of life with new housing and tourism. We have walked on many jetties and relished the stunning vistas along the coast as well as many inland places as we drove past wheat fields, olive groves and vineyards. We have also crossed the lower Murray River by ferry and travelled down the side of Lake Alexandrina to Lake Albert before heading inland towards Victoria. It was good to see the Murray flowing strongly once again. After crossing into Victoria today, we are now enjoying some respite in the city of Horsham.

From Eyre Peninsula to Yorke Peninsula

After travelling across the top of the Eyre Peninsula through  Wudinna and Kyancutta we turned southwards to Lock and then across to Cowell where we stayed the night. We had hoped to cross the Spencer Gulf by Car & Passenger Ferry from Lucky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula to Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula but our scheduled trip had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Consequently we drove the distance staying en route at  Whyalla, and then the next day journeyed via Port Augusta and Port Lincoln, enjoying lunch at Port Germein and spending the first night on the Yorke Peninsula at Wallaroo. The past couple of days we've been exploring the Copper Coast absorbing the wonderful heritage of this region. This has included the Cornish history of the Moonta Mines, riding the tourist train around the former copper mines, visiting the museum and Uniting Church built in 1865 that is still holding regular worship services in its  building of national significance. We have continued to have difficulty with internet coverage but hope this will be rectified in the next 48 hours.Tomorrow we will make our way south and then head northwards up the other side of the Yorke Peninsula as we continue to enjoy seeing more towns and coastal scenery we have never seen on previous visits to South Australia.

"Tilly" Does It Again

During the past three days we have again crossed the Nullabor, this time from west to east, in our reliable old Toyota Hi Ace Campervan. The greatest challenge in driving across Australia is coping with the many road trains and other oversize vehicles.. On this occasion we also encountered an electrical storm and heavy rain en route to Eucla as well as after our arrival there but the next day it was clear and sunny. The kangaroos came out of the bush to drink the rain that collected on the roadway and so it was important to be ever vigilant.It was good to arrive safely in Ceduna in South Australia and stay in a delightful Caravan Park at Shelly Beach where we could go for a walk on the sand and watch a beautiful sunset..

Time In W.A. Coming To An End

Yesterday we arrived at Esperance with its Bay Of Isles. A cruise ship was in the harbour and a seal was resting on the beach near the old jetty. We went on a great ocean drive to view Pink Lake and some magnificent coastal scenery with white sand beaches and brilliant turquoise-coloured water. We also paid a visit two Wind Farms consisting of a total of 15 Turbines that supply 23% of Esperance's electricity. The first Wind Farm in Australia was established here.Today we went to the spectacular Cape Le Grand National Park and marvelled at the grandeur of the scenery and the diversity of flora. After spending our second night in Esperance we'll proceed north to Norseman tomorrow and then east to stay at Fraser Park for our final night in W.A. before heading across the Nullabor once again. We expect to be "out of range" for three or four days. Here's a selection of yesterday's and today's photos.