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.

Another Hospital Visit

Prior to attending Mount Barker Baptist Church on Sunday morning Philip tripped on a concrete barrier in the car park and fell face downwwards hitting his head and the bridge of his nose on the ground. He sustained an "egg" on his forehead, a heavy nose bleed and lacerations to one knee but thankfully had no broken bones. He was transported to the local hospital by ambulance (along with Pam) and after appropriate examination and treatment was discharged thus enabling us to be there for the balance of the service and then continue on our way to visit Albany and district with Gail and Bevan as planned. Yesterday after saying au revoir to Gail and Bevan who returned to Perth, we proceeded through the beautiful Stirling Ranges and then south to Ravensthorpe where we spent the night. Today we journeyed on from there to Esperance on the South Coast where we are enjoying the magnificent scenery. We plan to stay here for two nights and take in the grandeur of this part of W.A.

Down On The Farm

After enjoying our visit to Walpole and the fantastic Tree Top Walk and viewing of the giant Tingle trees, we went on to the delightful town of Denmark before heading north again to stay over the weekend with Gail & Bevan Short on their farm near Mount Barker. There we have been taken by them on a tour of their two properties and the surrounding district and had a picnic lunch at a local lake and went on a bush walk . On Sunday morning we attended Mount Barker Baptist Church and in the afternoon toured Albany and environs. Albany has a beautiful Harbour which is larger than Sydney Harbour. On Monday we say farewell to Gail & Bevan and set off on our own again to travel to Ravensthorpe and Esperance which has special memories for us.

After The Forests Now The Sea

It's been a joy to return to areas we last visited many years ago. Moving on from Margaret River we travelled today through forests to Pemberton where we were able to walk to a waterfal

Meandering Around South West Of W.A.

Over the past couple of days we have been taking in the delights of God's creation as we have roamed around various scenic attractions south of Perth including the Blackwood Rover Valley and Forest and on to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin, the extreme south west point of Australia where we viewed the lighthouse which is over 100 years old and is heritage listed and guards one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world.where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. We also viewed the historic Water Wheel. Last night we diverted north to Margaret River in order to meet up with our friends, Cec & Helen Woodhouse who had come across from NSW on the Indian Pacific and hired a car to do some sightseeing. We enjoyed a lovely Thai meal with them. Today we move on to Pemberton and the Karri Forests.

Departure From Perth

Today we left Perth and began our journey around the south west of W.A. We stopped at Pinjarra for lunch and then travelled through a number of other small towns like Harvey and Waroona before reaching Donnybrook where we are staying overnight at a Transit Park. We enjoy travelling in "Tilly" which is doing a sterling job and has caused us no problems during our trip while we have been able to maintain an economical average speed of 85-90 kilometres per hour. At present Diesel Fuel is cheaper than Petrol in the West! We are having our first rain tonight for some time but we have an excellent camp kitchen and will be able to enjoy our evening meal under cover and then enjoy a dry sleep in "Tilly".

Leaving Perth Soon

Yesterday we visited Lake Monger to see the bird life and also travelled up the West Coast Highway to take our final look at Perth's beaches with white sand. Today we attended an inspirational service at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (the largest Baptist Church in the West) with 600-700 persons in attendance After three weeks in the capital of Western Australia we are now ready to head for the south west before heading towards home back across the Nullabor. It will be a good time to revisit the many scenic towns, meander through the forests and view the large Karri trees, as well as enjoy the wildflowers which should be in their abundance, especially in the Stirling Ranges. We leave tomorrow and later in the week will join Gail and Bevan at their farm outside Mount Barker. They left earlier this week and we have had their home to ourselves. It has been a wonderful provision for us and we are feeling relaxed and rested. Attached are a few other photos we've taken during our stay in Perth.