JOURNAL 2003

JOURNAL YEAR

1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

January 6th 2003 (Monday)

New years eve was a bit more interesting than usual as we were invited out to a party with some of Belle's work colleges. We enjoyed the evening although I have to admit I was worn out by midnight as I just don't stay up that late any more.

Belle has been working all weekend and doesn't get a break until next weekend. Then she is working 12 days straight. I really don't think that sort of schedule is good for people either physically or mentally. The way the rosters at her work are done it is entirely possible to only have 2 days off in a period of 26 days. As she only has the option of taking pay and not time off in lieu, she has no time to rest.

If I can find something in the next week or so it will take the pressure off her a bit and she would have the option of leaving if it got too much for her.

On the 'exploration' front I have been out to have a look at Stanley Chasm west of Alice Springs. There is a $6 admission fee which is a bit high but the walk up through the gorge to the chasm was very interesting. The walk starts off easily enough but the further you go the tougher it gets. It is possible to go on past the narrow chasm but that involves a clamber up over some pretty big boulders. I managed to crank off almost an entire roll of film there so I am hoping to have some nice pictures to put on the site soon.

The drive out to Stanley Chasm is easy as all the roads are sealed. I expect some of the places we want to see while we are here may be a bit harder to get to.

January 18th 2003 (Saturday)

We moved out of our first house sitting house today and back to the bus for one night before going to the next house tomorrow for two weeks.

We were supposed to go out to dinner with Belle's friend Ingrid (from work) and some of her friends but it turned out the buffet we had been intending to go to isn't on until tomorrow so Belle and I went off to HJ's got some videos and a beer or three which ended up costing almost as much as the buffet would have.

January 19th 2003 (Sunday)

Made it to the buffet tonight and enjoyed the evening with Ingrid and some of her friends. The buffet was at Rydges Resort (Balloons Restaurant) and the food was very nice. The usual price is $28 a head but due to a promotion we got the meals for $28 for the first person and $5 for the second, a total of $33 or $16.50 a head. Very good value and the food was both plentiful (well it was a buffet after all) and top quality.

Belle was exhausted after working all weekend - she seems to work longer on Saturday and Sunday than on normal week days. She worked a normal full week, then Saturday and Sunday and now she has to go back for another full week tomorrow. As usual employers are not putting enough staff on to do the job and over working those that are unfortunate enough to get stuck there.

I am not being any help as I haven't got a job and I'm feeling pretty useless. At least If I could find something Belle would have the option to leave if it got too much for her. As her contract only has 3 months to go I am staring to apply for work elsewhere as Belle has no intention of asking for an extension.

So much for our ideas of being in Alice for 2-3 years but then our plans seem to change all the time so there's no use in worrying about it.

February 1st 2003 (Saturday)

Our final day house sitting after 7 weeks in two different houses. We enjoyed the change but are always happy to go back to the bus when it is all over. The major thing I will miss is daily internet access. Now I have to rely on the library again and only one or two hours on the net each week.

After a long hot spell it is finally cool today, just 31C. The Todd River was flowing again after some heavy rain but it only took a day for it to stop this time.

February 5th 2003 (Wednesday)

Alice Springs is beginning to test my patience at the moment. I have just made another 30+ job applications but on past performance I am not expecting to get any response. The weather is still STINKING HOT and there is nothing to do. It probably won't start cooling down for at least another six or eight weeks and my enforced imprisonment in the bus is maddening.

We received a bunch of boxes from Perth with most of our last bits and pieces from the house, actually most of it is Belle's and we will have to sell it off at the local markets as there just isn't anywhere in the bus to put most of it.

Our immediate plans are still to get hold of a campervan and sell the car but even that seems to be a long way off at the moment. I tried to start the bus over the past few days but she is refusing to go. I checked the spark and that's ok so it is probably fuel problems. We had difficulty switching from gas to petrol on the way up from Adelaide so it might be a fuel blockage or fuel pump trouble. We knew it had to be looked at before we left Alice in any case so it isn't a surprise.

I was hoping to do a programming course at TAFE but they don't have anything going so I might even have to consider doing some voluntary work just to relieve the boredom.

February 10th 2003 (Monday)

Ever since we got back to the bus I have been trying to get the engine to turn over as it hasn't been run for a couple of months. I began to suspect fuel pump trouble so I tried an experiment and emptied part of the fuel from the fuel bowl section of the pump. After taking off the gas mixer/air filter and putting some petrol directly into the top of the carbi the engine did eventually start so my original diagnosis may not be correct. I am due to call Graham tonight so I'll get his opinion.

I am certainly learning about engines; at the start of this trip I couldn't tell the difference between a condenser and a distributor and now I am pulling bits off the engine and playing about with them and even managing to get the desired results! I have learnt that if you have spark and fuel the engine should start but it is getting spark and fuel to the engine that sometimes causes the biggest headaches.

The weather in Alice continues HOT HOT HOT, 38-41C most days. Now that we have passed the half way mark here time is starting to get stretched out again with each day seeming longer than the last.

February 17th 2003 (Monday)

The last two days have been a great relief as the temperature dropped to about 35C. Today it is only 33C and so much cooler than it has been.

Over the weekend we bought our first big item since we have been in Alice; A large chest of draws which replaces the two small bedside units that we have been using since we first left Perth. It gives us some badly needed extra storage space. While I am on the subject of purchases I will write a new 'wish list' of things we would like to get in the not too distant future.

Finally got it in:

1.Campervan (Perth)

2.Satellite dish and decoder (Perth)

3.New computer & scanner (Computer – Rockingham)

4.2 deep cycle batteries (Alice Springs)

5.portable solar panel (Karratha)

6.replace the outboard motor with a short shaft 4 stroke 9hp (Karratha - 9.9hp 2 stroke)

7.service bus and fix oil leak (Alice Springs)

8.new curtains and curtain rails for the bus

9.bigger fridge (Rockingham)

10.bigger generator (5kva) (Karratha 2kva)

11.fish finder for boat (Karratha)

12.GPS (Carnarvon)

Now all we have to do is win Lotto. (It took us a while and we didn’t win Lotto but we finally got all but one of these items)

February 20th 2003 (Thursday)

Caught up with Marg and Geoff (who we haven't seen since Halls Creek) and Marg shouted us a very nice dinner at Oscars Restaurant. They have been working down at Yulara for a while and we hope to catch up with them again before leaving this area.

February 21st 2003 (Friday)

Job interview at Battery World. Not too sure if I should really take the job if offered as it involves heavy lifting and with my history of hernias and a bad back I might be better off without it. The only trouble is I am so bored I might just take it in the event that it is offered.

February 22nd 2003 (Saturday)

Went out in the evening with James and his wife, Ingrid and Sandra to the Points Club for dinner. Not a fancy place but very cheap compared to everything else in Alice Springs. Belle and I had fish in beer batter with salad and chips for $750. The fish was fresh and tasty so it was good value.

March 1st 2003 (Saturday)

The weather seems to be aware that Summer is officially over as the temperatures have fallen steadily over the past week. Today we are down to just 30C so we decided to take the opportunity of a drive out towards Glen Helen.

The first stops would have been Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm but we had already been there so our first area to explore was Big Hole/Ellery Creek. The short road in was unsealed and a bit rough but we made it ok in the Barina so everyone else won't have a problem getting in. On a warmer day this would make a good swimming hole but today it was too cold. (Strange how quickly 30C feels cool when you have been used to 40C for a couple of months.) There is a campsite here and fees are charged. It would be a good stop off for a night if we had more time.

From here we stopped in to check on a good rest area that could be used as an overnight stop. The rest area is located on the south side of the road and is up a small incline. Access is sealed and even big rigs should be ok as there is a ring road that makes it easy to get in and out. There was a shelter and tables and also a water tank. As the rest area is set up on a small hill there were some nice views of the hills stretching west and east.

The next area on the road was the Ochre Pits. They might not sound too exciting but turned out to be worth the sort walk. The short access road in was sealed but it might be a difficult spot for big rigs to get in and out of. The ochre can be seen in bands on a cliff by a stream bed. It is very crumbly and is almost like pastels.

The next area to check on was another rest area very similar to the first but located up a small sealed road. Again big rigs should get in without much hassle but if in doubt walk the first section of road that goes up the hill.

Ormiston Gorge was the next stop and the highlight of the day. It is located 8Km off the main road but again access is fully sealed so no need to worry about getting in and out. We were lucky enough to see the area soon after some decent rains so the creeks were flowing and everything was very green and alive.

There is an excellent campsite at Ormiston with showers and toilets. Fees are charged for camping but there is plenty to see if you take the walk to view Ormiston Pound. We didn't have time but have had some very good reports about this spectacle.

The final stop was Glen Helen Gorge which was a bit of a disappointment. The 'resort' spoiled the look of the area and access to the gorge was along a very rough creek bed. The flies (which had been a nuisance all day) were at their worst here and we were quickly driven back into the car by the incessant swarms.

The only spot we missed on this drive was Serpentine Gorge where we found the unsealed access was just too rough for the little Barina. It would have been better to do this drive over two or three days as we would have had more chance to explore the sights and camp out. As it was the day was quite tiring but really enjoyable.

March 6th 2003 (Thursday)

A quick visit to a couple of the local tourist attractions in town today. Firstly to the Transport Hall of Fame. This is a surprisingly good exhibit located a few Kms south of Heavitree Gap just west of Stuart Hwy. It is located next to the Ghan Preservation Society Museum (See below) and to my mind it would make more sense to combine the two attractions and charge one entry fee.

The main exhibit it located in a large shed (best visited when it isn't too hot.) There is a good selection of old commercial transport vehicles to look at and some memorabilia and a small library of magazines and books to browse through.

There are a number of vehicles awaiting restoration in another shed behind the first so taken as a whole the museum is worth the entry fee and should be one of the places on you list to see when you are in Alice Springs.

Although there is probably a little more to see at the attraction above, The Ghan Preservation Society Museum is just as interesting and has the bonus of a video viewing area and some first class documentary tapes to watch.

You can walk through the carriages that are still used on the short 22km section of line that remains and you can also get aboard the older carriages that took people across the continent in days gone by. I have to say that I was intrigued by the feelings I had when sitting in a carriage that had carried people across the desert in the days when it was still a real adventure.

The exhibits in this museum and in the one listed above are of high historic significance so visiting both museums should be done at the same time.

March 12th 2003 (Wednesday)

Having completely failed to find work in Alice Springs I am feeling inadequate and very depressed at the moment. We were lured here by the promises of the Pathology Lab Manager (Judith Mills) who told us that 'the Northern Territory Government endeavours to help spouses of employees to find work.' This turned out to be a blatant lie and one I won't be forgiving in a hurry. Anyone who is thinking about coming to Alice Springs to get work had better beware of the lies that are told in order to trick them to come out here.

With eight weeks still to go on Belle's contract I am at a complete loss as there is simply nothing for me to do. Thinking about the money we have lost on the house in Perth doesn't make it any easier. None of the plans we had when we got here have eventuated and it even looks like we may miss out on seeing many of the sights around Alice as we may not be able to afford to hire a 4x4 ($160 a day) to get out to them. The only ray of hope when you hit rock bottom is knowing there is nowhere to go but up, the trouble is how do you know how far down rock bottom is'

(As it turned out the Northern Territory Government is only out to cheat it’s employees. Belle worked 2 days less than 6 months and as a result was paid only 5 months leave – no pro-rata for the final month. Wages were deducted for a statistical anomaly that happens only once every 12 years and she has NEVER to this date – April 2004 – received any information on superannuation that was supposed to be paid out. The NT Government is about as crooked as they come.)

March 16th 2003 (Sunday)

Today was full of activity as we took a whole bunch of things that were sent over from Perth down to the Todd St. Markets in order to try and get rid of some of them before we leave (and are forced to dump them as there is no room for them in the bus). The fee for setting up a stall is $20 (which we think is too high) and after 5 hours we made only $120. Minus the $20 for the stall and we ended up with very little to show and we still have far too many things to get rid of. We will try again closer to Easter as that is apparently when most of the tourists start to turn up.

Taking our hard won gains we blew $44 on dinner and drinks at the Windmill Restaurant which is next door to the caravan park. Wednesday and Sunday are buffet nights but the food was fairly plain and choice of dishes was a bit limited. Taking into account the other prices we have seen here $15 a head for a buffet isn't too bad but the food could have been a bit more interesting. For those who like good plain cooking without much in the way of spices it is a much better proposition. It is certainly popular with others who live in Alice.

March 20th 2003 (Thursday)

Time to bite the bullet and start working on the bus engine. I have collected a new ballast resistor, coil and air filter so today I decided to pull off the engine cover and put the new pats in. The ballast resistor and coil turned out to be very simple to replace but the air filter (a straight forward job on most vehicles, involved pulling off the gas mixer (2 bolts and one clamp) then taking a bottom plate off the mixer (6 bolts) replacing the filter and putting it al back together.

Much to my great surprise when I started the engine she fired up straight away. I still have an oil leak in the top of the engine somewhere but as the engine needs a full service and tune I will get a mechanic to look at fixing that before we leave Alice.

The diff oil leak seems to be pretty slow as there is still plenty of oil in there so no need to worry about that just yet. The biggest job we need to get done (sometime) are the brake pads which all need replacing. This will certainly be the most expensive job as well.

March 22nd 2003 (Saturday)

A little more exploration today with a trip out towards Ross River. The only areas we could explore with the Barina were Corroboree Rock and Trephina Gorge. The road out as far as Corroboree Rock is good dual lane bitumen but between the rock turn off and Arltunga turn off it is single lane bitumen which means dropping off into the dirt each time you meet oncoming traffic. Other than that the road is very good.

Trephina Gorge is reached by a turn off north from the main road. The first 4Km section in is sealed but the next 4Km is pretty rough gravel road. We still made it to the gorge but the turn off to John Hayes Rock Hole is 4x4 only so we gave that a miss. Trephina Gorge was bone dry so wasn't as impressive as it could have been but it comes a close second to Ormiston Gorge as one of the best gorges around Alice Springs.

There are two campsites at the gorge, the first (Bluff Camp) is only for tents. The second up next to the gorge is for anyone who can fit in but big rigs could have problems here - especially if it is crowded.

There are no designated rest areas along this road but stop offs are possible at Emily and Jessie Gaps close to Alice and there are one or two places that could be used by the side of the road.

For what ever reason Ross River Homestead and campground was closed and we have no idea if there is any intention to re-open it. Although we were unable to get to Arltunga (33Km of gravel road from the turn off) we did see a sign that said the campground is open from March to November (although there was another sign stating that the pub IS CLOSED - CURSES!)

March 25th 2003 (Tuesday)

It really comes to something when you apply to work on a volunteer basis and you are STILL ignored. I have been so bored I had decided to look for a volunteer job, at least for the next 5-6 weeks to help time pass a bit quicker. I was told that the Alice Springs Desert Park looks for volunteers on a regular basis so I contacted them and was sent a letter detailing what the conditions were and the numbers to contact. I rang last Friday and left a message offering my services for the next few weeks and got no reply. Belle rang again twice and still we have not received a reply.

The obvious question is, if I can't even get a volunteer job, what hope have I got of getting paid work? It really seems odd that a business is so well catered for that it isn't even interested in free assistance.

Even though we still have at least seven weeks here I have started slowly packing things away. It is a good feeling to know that soon I will be shaking the dust of Alice spring from my feet for the last time and heading off down the road.

Alice Springs is nice enough, very modern compared to what I expected and very well catered for in the way of shops and services, but it certainly isn't a place I would want to get stuck in for a long time. 'Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there' I think the saying goes. To live here for years takes a certain type of mentality (a STRANGE ONE) and it just isn't for me. Much too far from the sea. Perhaps if I had found work here my opinion of the place would have been less harsh but after seeing all I can (but not all there is to see) I am more than happy to move on and have no intention of looking back.

The area surrounding Alice is very much like parts of the Kimberleys and having already seen that I suppose the effect on me was less than it might have been. To those flying in and seeing this kind of terrain for the first time the impact of the stark and ruggedly beautiful ranges must be quite memorable.

In the end Alice Springs is just too far away from everywhere else. It would be better if there were a sealed road from the west to the east coast passing through here, but as it is it is too isolated.

We still have two main areas to explore, Hermannsburg and Uluru/Kings Canyon. Hermannsburg we will try to do in early April but Uluru will have to wait until Belle finishes her contract in May. It is disappointing that we will miss some of the 4x4 areas, especially Palm Valley, Arltunga and Chambers Pillar but them's the breaks.

March 26th 2003 (Wednesday)

Bought 2 new deep cycle batteries today plus a couple of heavy duty cables. All up it cost $467.98. Hopefully over time the 'house' system will pay for itself as we get free energy from the sun and have to use the generator less. Now we have a total of 368 amp hours of power. Now if I could only work out how much we use I might be able to find out if it is enough.

April 6th 2003 (Sunday)

After a week of spending more money on bits and pieces for the bus I am almost out of things to do. The weather turned hot again for a few days and we copped 35-38C weather that we hoped had gone away. As a result we cancelled a planned trip out to Hermannsburg yesterday. We are due to try the markets again this coming weekend and then the following weekend is Easter and the plan is to go down to Ayres Rock for a couple of days.

I have been testing the new upgraded solar energy system and it looks like it will be able to handle the demands of the fridge quite well. At the moment we are under trees and the solar panel doesn't put much back in to the batteries but once we are out in the open we should get enough energy to keep the fridge running without having to resort to the generator unless it gets cloudy.

Five weeks to go! I can't wait!

April 11th 2003 (Friday)

For ages we have had the problem of adjusting the outdoor TV ariel every time we stop in a new place. I have finally managed to fix the problem by purchasing a small lockable access door and cutting a hole in the rear perspex window of the bus. This will finally allow me to adjust the ariel as I am looking at the TV. No more signalling to each other by banging on the roof and finding the signal is still awful when I climb back down and come inside.

The caravan park has started filling up over the past few days and finally the lights are being put on again at night so we can stop tripping over things inn the dark on the way to the shower or toilet. Despite the fact that the park must be more than half full now, the second amenities block remains closed - the people who run this park don't like spending money on having it cleaned I suppose. If they are cheap enough to turn all the lights out for 5 months then I shouldn't be too surprised.

The weather is managing to stay hot, we are expecting 36C today. Hopefully it will drop a bit over the weekend as we have to set up a stall at the markets on Sunday.

April 16th 2003 (Wednesday)

After getting some shopping for our upcoming trip out to Ayres Rock I stopped in at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre just south of Billy Goat Hill.

For overseas tourists flying in to Alice Springs this is probably worth while. There are quite a few snakes and lizards to look at and if you visit during the guided tours you will get the chance to get 'up close and personal' with some of the exhibits.

Surprisingly there is even a saltwater croc called Terry on display, but my favourite was a large male Perentie called Bob that managed to bite 'The Croc Hunter' Steve Erwin when he visited and mishandled the reptile. I hope the gave Bob a big reward for that!

For Australians who are already familiar with snakes and lizards there isn't much new to see here but if you are looking for a way to pass an hour or so I guess $8 isn't all that much to spend these days. Just over the road is the RFDS base where another tour awaits.

As a purely tourist based attraction this is going to leave a number of people quite disappointed. After a very short video (the whole 45 minute video isn't shown but should be) you get a five minute talk which only skims the surface of the real role of the RFDS. You then get look through a small museum which is moderately interesting but could be

a lot better.

Having said this and given the RFDS 'tour' only 2/5 I still have to encourage people to go. The RFDS isn't about tourism, it is about saving lives and the organisation survives on grants and fund raising. By visiting you are helping to provide some much needed funds. So even though the 'tour' isn't that good, go along anyway and think of it

as a worthwhile donation.

After I picked Belle up from work and we were on our way back to the bus, a Toyota 4x4 pulled out in front of us at a round-a-bout and I had to brake hard to avoid smashing right into the side. The 4x4 then proceeded to plough into the back of a car turning right not far down the road and then took off at high speed. Thankfully we got the license plate number and reported it to the police so the maniac responsible should get caught. It is one thing to have an accident but quite another to run from the scene without even finding out if someone has been hurt. There are some real turds in this world.

April 17th 2003 (Thursday)

Final preparations for the trip to Ayres Rock and Kings Canyon today. I have been waiting for a very long time to get out and have a look at The Rock, I just hope it lives up to all the hype I've heard about it over the years.

April 18th 2003 (Friday)

A 360Km drive got us to Curtin Springs which provides free unpowered campsites. Curtin Springs is about 80Km east of Ayres Rock and we chose it as our base for the weekend for several reasons. Firstly, and most importantly it is FREE (powered sites cost just $11 a night) while un-powered sites at Yulara are a ludicrous $26 a night. Secondly it is part way between Yulara and the Kings Canyon turn off and lastly we didn't want to pull the tent down every night and set up again somewhere else the next night.

Although we ended up doing a fair bit of driving, staying at Curtin Springs turned out to be an excellent choice. The toilets and showers provided aren't the cleanest you will find but they are functional and the showers ($1) have nice hot water.

The campground itself is just red dirt but there is some shade and a reasonable amount of room. Curtin Springs has fuel supplies, a pub and a restaurant so it caters for the needs of most travellers.

As our only aim for the day was to get to Curtin Springs, once we had the tent set up we settled down to just relax for the rest of the day.

Kilometres travelled for the day: 360

April 19th 2003 (Saturday)

I wanted to get some shots of Ayres Rock as the sun came up so this meant waking at 4.30am and heading off in the dark (driving very slowly in case of animals on the road) and arriving at Yulara just before 7am when the sun put in its appearance for the day. As we were meeting friends (Marg & Geoff) later that day and Geoff who works for National Parks was going to take us into the park free we didn't want to pay the $16.25 a head just to get in and take some sunrise shots. As it turned out we could have slept in because the entry station where you pay to get in is situated so far from the rock you can't get close enough to get any good shots. (The fee to get in to Ayres Rock is due to go up to $25 a head next year.)

We were treated to a cooked brekky at Marg and Geoff's and then spent the rest of the day being chauffeured around the National park in Geoff's 4x4. Although Ayes Rock is quite a sight I have to admit that it didn't quite live up to all the hype. Perhaps after seeing Mount Conner (near Curtin Springs) which covers 3 times the area of Ayres Rock, the rock looked a little less impressive.

If the rock was less than I had expected then the Olgas 40Km away were far more. The Olgas are the real show here even though Ayres Rock gets all the publicity. The massive sculpted red domes were glowing in the bright sunlight and as a pure spectacle were much more impressive than Uluru (Ayres Rock).

It turned out to be a loooong day as we went back to Marg & Geoff's for dinner and only arrived back in Curtin Springs about 9pm. The mattress we were using in the tent had seemed a little uncomfortable the night before but this night it had unexpectedly become as soft a duck down - or was it just that fact that we were worn out? In any case we got a good night's sleep until a large pack of dingos began howling nearby about 5am.

Kilometres travelled for the day: 282

April 20th 2003 (Sunday)

Our time was limited so instead of a rest day - which would have been nice - we took off at 8am and went back 52Km east to the Kings Canyon turn off. From here it is another 167Km to the canyon where less than sufficient parking was available.

There are two walks at the canyon, the rim-top walk for the ultra fit (or crazy) people takes about 3.5 hours, and is done in full sun (take plenty of water if you do this walk). The canyon walk for the lazy and un-fit (Ie. us) takes only an hour and goes through a lovely tree lined canyon with lots of shade. Not having done the rim walk we can't really comment on what you see but the canyon walk was good enough for us.

We had heard tourists referring to Kings Canyon as Australia's answer to the Grand Canyon in the USA. This is only true in the imagination of some myopic tourist brochure writer. The canyon is nice and reasonably spectacular but it doesn't even compare to the canyons in the Hamersley Ranges in W.A. let alone the Grand Canyon.

The good news is there is (at least at present) no entry fee charged. The bad news is there isn't any free camping nearby so unless like us, you are prepared for a long drive in and out again the same day, you will have to stay at the nearby resort or at Kings Creek Station.

After the long haul back to Curtin Springs we rested for a couple of hours before going on a sunset camel ride to view Mount Conner. At just $30 a head this was 'cheap as chips' and the ride took 90 minutes. Mark, our guide has been working with his camels at Curtin Springs for 10 years and gives a very informative and interesting talk on camels, their use in Australia and just about anything else you care to mention.

Camels have obviously had a bad rap over the years as we found our mounts (Ned Kelly and Lazy Daisy) were very placid gentle animals who didn't bite, spit or even smell. Mark assured us that this was a result of the excellent way they were treated.

If you have never ridden a camel and are out in the centre then these are the ones to ride. Prices of camel rides at Yulara are around $80 a head and at Kings Canyon $50 for one hour. In any case the camels at Curtin Springs are the best looking ones - so Mark says anyway.

After sitting and chatting round the campfire with some CMCA members we met at the site, we eventually collapsed exhausted and drifted off into blissful slumber dreaming of riding camels through the desert as the sun slowly set over a massive flat top mesa - or was that what had really happened? Surely not, it all seemed to be too good to be true.

Kilometres travelled for the day: 438

April 21st 2003 (Monday)

After slowly packing up the camping gear and saying goodbye to our CMCA friends we made our way back to Alice Springs with a brief stop off at the Finke River rest area to have a quick look at the deep pool which was still evident by the bridge.

We were back in Alice just after lunch time, completely tired out but more than satisfied with our latest adventure.

The roads on this trip were all sealed and all in very good condition. The best spots to stop off would be Finke River about 130Km south of Alice on the Stuart Highway, a big rest area 5Km east of the Mount Conner Lookout on Lasseter Highway and the pick of them all, Curtin Springs.

Kilometres travelled for the day: 360 Total trip from Alice Springs return 1440 Km.

April 25th 2003 (Friday)

Our last weekend opportunity for exploration took us 130Km west of Alice to the historic mission at Hermannsburg.

Having seen adverts for this place on TV I expected to see just the historic precinct and not the small town that surrounds it. The 'modern' town site is populated mostly by Aborigines and does detract somewhat from the historic area but once inside the small cluster of buildings that make up the old settlement, you can happily ignore the dilapidated houses of the newer section of town.

The entrance fee is reasonable and you can spend an hour or more looking through the buildings constructed by the German missionaries who founded Hermannsburg in the 1860s. Hermannsburg is about 130Km west of Alice and is an easy day trip. There is more to see on the Glen Helen road but you should come and see Hermannsburg as well.

Of course those with 4wd vehicles will get much more out of the trip as you can go on to Kings Canyon (with a permit) from here.

The drive out to Hermannsburg is easy, but as with the eastern MacDonnell Ranges the road becomes single lane bitumen for about 30 kilometres (75-45Km east of Hermannsburg.)

Near Hermannsburg is Palm Springs but as we only have a 2wd vehicle we were unable to go out to have a look. We went down as far as the second Finke River crossing but decided to turn back rather than attempt to cross unsealed river bed.

We thought about visiting Wallace Rockhole on the way back but that road was also unsealed and 20Km long. We started down it but as it was quite rough we gave up and went back to Larapinta Drv.

There is only one rest area on this section of road and that is 55Km east of Hermannsburg. A second parking area exists at a monument 4Km east of Hermannsburg but considering the high barbed wire fence around the nearby campground I think I would rule it out as a possible overnighter.

April 30th 2003 (Wednesday)

As I have been having trouble with my computer's CD ROM for a while I decided to replace it today and managed to pick up a CD-Burner for just $99. Finally I can back up some large files easily and move a whole load of things off the hard drive to free up some much needed space.

May 3rd 2003 (Saturday) The final week in Alice begins.

Yesterday was the start of heritage week and the telegraph station hosted some free activities including horse shoeing, shearing, slide shows, arts and craft demonstrations etc. It was a good opportunity to have a look round the inside of the station without paying so we went along and amused ourselves for a couple of hours.

We still have a few things to see this weekend including the old gaol, old courthouse, old school, RSL museum and a look around inside Adelaide House and The Residency. As today is ear marked as 'the big shopping day' we will leave Sunday open to see the few things we haven't seen yet.

Monday is a public holiday and from 11am is the Bangtail Muster parade through Alice so we should have enough left to keep us from getting bored this weekend.

May 9th 2003 (Friday)

The final full day in Alice Springs - HOORAY!

Hopefully I have managed to remember everything and all the work that needs doing has been done. I had to buy a new starter battery for the bus on Wednesday ($130) so now we have 3 new batteries which should make life a little easier.

Now all I have to do is wait a few more hours and we are off again. (tick, tick, t i c k, t i c k, t i c k…….)

THE CENTRE - FINAL COMMENTS

The 'dead heart' is not dead at all but is full of life and many differing landscapes. Better named the Red Heart its over-riding impression is of red rocks, red sand and blue, blue sky.

Alice is more modern than I had imagined but it is an excellent base to explore the myriad of interesting attractions that surround it. If we had a 4wd then we would have been able to see far more, but even with the limitations of the little Barina we were still quite satisfied.

True, Alice is a b#%!!&r of a long way from anywhere else, but I am very glad we had the chance to come to the area and see what it has to offer. Territorians are a bit rougher than other people we have met on our travels, but they are generally a friendly bunch.

The places I enjoyed visiting most would have to include Ayres Rock and the Olgas, Ormiston Gorge and Hermannsburg. The hardest thing to deal with is seeing the state of the local Aborigines and the general hopelessness and degradation of their lives. In some respects it is difficult to feel sorry for them as they bring much of their troubles on themselves, but then again it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for people who are in the state they are. What ever your own ideas on the subject, it is impossible to come here and not be shocked to some extent by the way many Aborigines live.

We know now why most people avoid coming to Alice in the Summer - IT IS B&**#Y HOT! We are leaving just at the time when the weather is perfect for exploring the area but then again we have seen just about all we can, given our limited mode of travel, and once you have seen all there is, it is certainly time to be moving on. At least we saw the country side turn green for a while and we saw the Todd River flowing.

I certainly didn't enjoy sitting here for 6 months without work but that is something I just have to deal with. The centre is certainly different and although I have enjoyed exploring it, it isn't my intention to pass this way again.

We don't have much money, hopefully about 5K by the time we leave, so we are hoping for a trouble free trip.

May 10th 2003 (Saturday)

We were away about 8.15am and as soon as I put my foot on the bus brakes I knew we had a problem - no brakes. The only way to try and fix it was to pull out 4 batteries and all the associated wiring and put some brake fluid in one of the most inaccessible brake fluid reservoirs I have ever seen. As we only had three sets of lights to get through before getting on to the open road I just crawled through town and got on with getting away.

Just north of Alice Springs is one of the most hilly sections of the trip to Tennant Creek, but the hills aren't all that big so no one needs to worry about them. The road is rough in places but driving conditions are generally quite good. We passed Colyer Creek rest area (too close to town to be of any use to most people) and then the Capricorn rest area that we had visited once before when it was boiling hot.

From here on it was just a long slog, it turned out to be 7 hours drive (409Kms) which is slow even for us but I had to keep the brakes in mind.

Gas prices ranged from 76c at Alice to 84c at Wycliffe Well - another Penola where you have to turn the pump off before it drains your life savings by charging for gas it isn't putting into the tank.

Some time after 3pm we pulled in to the Devils Marbles. The formations here are very impressive and there is lots to see and places to walk around. The campsite is via an unsealed road and sits behind most of the formations. There are 2 pit toilets, fire pits, an information station and plenty of room.

It was a LONG drive and not in distance but time-wise and after not driving the bus for 6 months I am knackered! My shoulders are discovering many new muscles and they all ache. Thankfully the Devils marbles ($3.30 is the camping fee for adults) more than made up for any aches and pains, it is a lovely campsite.

May 11th 2003 (Sunday)

Having not had brakes all day yesterday I had to do something about it so all the batteries and wiring had to come out first thing in the morning. The brake fluid reservoir isn't just buried under the bus floor, and under the place I have put a bank of 5 batteries, it is also next to a bunch of old angle iron that used to be the old battery bay so it is a total pain in the bum to get at. It took about an hour to get everything done but at least it was worth it as the brakes started to work again.

We have been surprised at the heat this far north of Alice as it was getting quite cool before we left. Last night we found it difficult to sleep and today the bus has been running a bit hotter than usual - and that makes her hard to start.

The road has started going over a series of long low ridges and small hills but driving is still relatively easy. The only problem we have is that each ridge we go up causes the engine to work harder and the temperature gradually goes up a notch each time. By the time we stopped for lunch at Renner Springs the bus became quite uncooperative and it took several goes to get her going again.

Although we had planned to get to Newcastle Waters today we stopped 25Km short at Elliott as we enjoyed the caravan park here last time and wanted a shower. (If the truth is known the real reason we stopped is that X-Men is on TV tonight and Belle wanted to see it).

So far my main comment about the drive is that there are too few good rest areas and too many of them are situated too close together to be useful. There are plenty of places alongside the road that you can stop in an emergency but getting back away from the road is another thing entirely.

We did reach a milestone on our travels today when we passed the Three Ways turn off and so completed our main circuit around Australia. Of some concern now - on an unrelated topic - are our rear springs which have to carry all the junk (sorry - make up, perfumes, art supplies and other assorted essentials) that Belle has loaded the bus up with. The right hand rear spring is starting to sag alarmingly, I just hope it doesn't get much worse until we reach at least Karratha.

May 12th 2003 (Monday)

As the bus gets too hot in the afternoon we were off before sunrise today and arrived at Mataranka not long after lunch time. The road north of Elliott is pretty rough and an attempt has been made to widen it. The result is a section of road like a gutter which traps the wheels and drags heavy vehicles off to the side. Even though this was only a 300Km day it was a very tiring drive. The enormity of the distance we are travelling on this trip is starting to dawn on me, 1092 Km down and about 1600 to go before we even get to Broome and the coast.

May 13th 2003 (Tuesday)

I can't believe that I said that NT roads are good when I first came up this way. The roads we have been over in the past few days are awful and they are getting steadily worse.

We passed through Katherine without stopping (mainly due to the fact that the 3 service stations we saw were all too small to accommodate the bus easily so we pushed on to Victoria River who got the award for RIP OFF MERCHANT OF THE YEAR for charging 93.9 cpl for auto gas (although this award was to be quickly outdone the next day by Timber Creek who were charging 98.9 cpl - what the hell is the Government letting these crooks get away with this for? There is simply no excuse for prices like this, I don't care how far out they are. We are rapidly reaching a point where people won't be able to afford to travel round Australia so what will the crooked little b*%#$#ds who own these roadhouses do when they price themselves out of business?

Having driven for 7 hours we were looking for one of two rest areas that we had seen near Victoria River when we first came this way. Both rest areas were no longer available thanks to the NT Government's policy of removing ALL rest areas within 50Km of roadhouses. We were then forced to keep going even though I was exhausted and the bus was an accident looking for a place to happen. Eventually we found Kuwang Lookout with its NO CAMPING sign. As I had no choice other than to get off the road and rest we stopped the night. Just as well no rest area Nazi (Ranger) came along and tried to get us to move or they would have been given the ear bashing of a lifetime.

NOTE FOR NT GOVERNMENT: Your policy of removing rest areas from public access IS CRIMINALLY STUPID! Recent research shows clearly that fatigue is the BIGGEST killer on our roads and you are taking away the one thing that the driving public needs in order to reduce fatigue. Going into roadhouses IS NOT the answer. It is not always possible or even convenient to stop, even if people can afford it.

Until this policy is overturned and more rest areas are put in place we have no choice but to recommend that people planning to travel Australia give the Northern Territory a miss. Your lives will be put at risk if you travel on NT roads because of the irresponsible behaviour of the NT Government.

May 14th 2003 (Wednesday)

Safely back in W.A. we reached Kununurra around 11am - 11am promptly became 9.30am as we turned our clocks back an hour and a half. As our favourite caravan park in Australia is in this town we booked in to Kimberley Land for two nights (which later became a week) and hopped into their lovely pool.

Although we don't have a great deal of money, there are some things we didn't do here last time and as we really don't plan on coming up this way again we have decided to try and do some of them now. Our first choice is the Triple J Tours cruise along the Ord River. At $100 a head it isn't cheap but a number of people we have spoken to have given it glowing reviews so we have bitten the bullet and booked a tour for tomorrow.

A little later when we went shopping in town we joined a check out line at Coles only to find we were standing behind Sister Sarah whose house we had looked after in Halls Creek four years ago. She invited us over for dinner and it really felt like we had come home.

May 15th 2003 (Thursday)

The cruise was excellent. It runs from Lake Kununurra along the Ord River to the base of the Ord River Dam at Lake Argyle. Pickup is around 10:30am and the tour finishes after sunset (around 5:30pm.)

The boats average about 50kph and have a top speed of 80kph. They are fully covered although it isn't possible to be in full shade all the time so hats and sun screen are a good idea. The tour covers about 110 kilometres and includes a light lunch (basically cold meats, salad, cheese and crackers and cool drinks.) and afternoon tea (coffee, tea, scones and cake.)

It is very hard to find fault with the tour but it is quite expensive. There is plenty to see along the way including gorges, birds, fish, turtles, fresh water crocs, wallabys, some bush tucker and of course the Ord itself.

Our tour guide (Jeff) was a founding member of the business and has taken tours along the river for many years. His knowledge of the area and wildlife is encyclopaedic and he is very keen to share his knowledge with anyone who is interested.

We had been told by a number of people that this was the boat trip to do in Kununurra and having done the trip we have to recommend it to anyone coming up this way.

May 19th 2003 (Monday)

As the bus has been a bit unhappy about the heat and the engine was running on a bit when turned off I changed and reset the spark plug gaps today in an effort to forestall any problems in the next part of the journey. We will be off again on Wednesday and I can't say I'll be sorry to go. We like Kununurra and the view we have across the lake is beautiful but it is still quite hot up here (35C) and it is very sticky compared to Alice Springs.

Since we saw most of the sights around here last time we came through there isn't much else to do and I am looking forward to getting back on the road.

It's funny how perceptions of a place change depending on where you were last. The first time we came to Kununurra it was from HORRIBLE Halls Creek. Kununurra seemed like a vast improvement (which it really was) but this time we have come from several months in modern Alice Springs and the rather small Kununurra seems to have lost the sense of civilisation it held for us the first time around. Not that our opinion has changed, we still like the town and the area around it, but this time it seems smaller and less impressive.

May 21st 2003 (Wednesday)

Our first stop out of Kununurra was at Spring Creek. Ordinarily this would be a good stop off point as it has plenty of shade and a good turning circle. This time, however, the turning circle was full of caravans. It turns out that Spring Creek is used as a good place to leave your caravan while you take your 4x4 off into the Bungles and have a look around.

The road from the Wyndham turn off to Warmun leaves a bit to be desired. A long section passes through hills and is still (four years after we first saw it) still unmarked. (Ie. no centre lines etc.) The road surface is a bit on the rough side. From Warmun to Halls Creek the hills continue and the road is a bit narrow for big rigs but at least the surface improves.

May 22nd 2003 (Thursday)

This meant leaving much later than usual as we had to wait for several vans to leave before there was room for the bus to turn around. We passed through Halls Creek very quickly stopping only for fuel. Having worked there for 7.5 months four years ago, we had no great desire to hang around.

By mid-afternoon we reached Mary Pool (118Km SW of Halls Creek) and this turned out to be the best rest area on the trip to date. The camping area is huge and located over a causeway across the Margaret River. There was still plenty of water although it had stopped flowing. The bird life around the large pool in the river was prolific and we spent the afternoon watching the antics of hawks, corellas and assorted other avians.

May 23rd 2003 (Friday)

After passing Halls Creek the road improves greatly being flat, wide and for the most part smooth. 20Km East of Fitzroy Crossing it becomes rough again but gets better about 50Km west. All the way from the Wyndham turn off almost to Broome there are a series of one lane bridges where you have to watch for oncoming traffic and stop to let big rigs and those closer to the bridge cross.

The number of rest areas and laybys located in the Halls Creek shire is amazing. I don't think we have ever driven another stretch of road in Australia that caters so well for the travelling public.

After leaving Mary Pool we had planned to stop at one of two rest areas listed between Fitzroy Crossing and Willare Bridge. We now entered Derby Shire's jurisdiction and the change was immediately evident. We had expected to see the laybys we had become used to in Halls Creek shire continue, but we were sadly disappointed. When we reached the first designated rest area we found it was closed for maintenance and so had to press on to the next one listed about 70Km away. Imagine our disgust after driving the extra distance only to find that the second rest area was also closed for maintenance. This time I had no choice, the bus was getting hot and I was exhausted and to top it off I had to stop and put more petrol in from the jerry cans we carry.

After removing the 'road closed' sign and pulling in I could not resist adding a note on the sign to the idiots who had closed off the only two rest areas on a 215Km stretch of road at the same time. I doubt the nutter responsible for closing these rest areas will ever get to read this but if they do here is a personal message just for you - you are a DICKHEAD!

I know I get carried away about rest area availability but it isn't until you have to drive a heavy slow vehicle that hates the heat that you start to realise just how vital it is to have good stopping places every 25-50 kilometres. Driving a car 215 Kms is a doddle, driving our bus is not.

After stopping at Willare to shower and re-fuel we only had another kilometre to go to reach a small rest area near the river (full of crocodiles). The only area we could fit was near the road but small campervans could get further along the tracks to an excellent picnic spot right close to the water. Although the picnic area is listed as day use only it is only suggested that you consider camping at Willare roadhouse so we considered it and then decided against it.

We spent a rather sticky night before pulling out before sunrise and making the last dash 170Km to Broome and the coast.

May 24th 2003 (Saturday)

HOORAY! HOORAY! the sea at last! Beautiful Broome! Now I know why so many people rave on about Broome. After driving all that way with no sight of the sea, this wonderful azure sea by the red rocks is just Heaven on Earth. Last time we came to Broome (1995) we came along the coast and the impact was not nearly as great. This time after no catching a glimpse of the ocean for over 7 months the effect was breathtaking.

Broome has certainly changed since we last came here. Now there are big modern shopping centres, Action, Coles, Target and so on. Lots and lots of development but still the magnificent coastline.

Getting our priorities straight we headed for the shops to stock up on bait and fishing gear. Fishing will have to wait until later in the day as at the moment it is VERY HOT.

May 29th 2003 (Thursday)

Our holiday and our time in Broome is drawing to a close as we will be back on the road on Saturday. Today we took the opportunity to visit Malcolm Douglas' Crocodile Park out near Cable Beach. Being a long time fan of Malcolm's I had hoped we might find him lurking in the shrubbery somewhere around the park but sadly he isn't at the park all that often.

We arrived at the park before the 3pm feeding tour was due to take place and so did about a hundred other people. The one thing that will leave some people disappointed about the 3pm tour is that too many people take the tour and some will see nothing but the backs of others when the feeding takes place. There is probably a good reason for only doing one tour a day but I have to admit that more tours would thin the numbers down a bit.

The park is interesting and you can watch some of Malcolm's documentaries in an outdoor viewing area before you go for a wander around. (Remember to take some insect repellent as the croc park has lots of pools where hungry mosquitos tend to breed.)

Having been to a croc park in Innisfail we had (to be honest) been hoping to see Malcolm rather than the crocs but as there were several species of crocodile on display (as well as a few kangaroos) there was more to see than we had expected. South American Camen, New Guinea Crocs, American Alligators, Freshwater and Estuarine crocs make up the collection and it is worth coming to see what each species looks like.

We were almost finished looking around when Belle spotted a couple of ladies emerging from an area at the rear of the park and asked if they were related to Malcolm. They turned out to be Malcolm's wife and his daughter Mandy. We spent a few minutes chatting and found that Malcolm was suffering from a nasty bout of the flu, but we did get to meet Boondi who accompanies him on his travels through the Kimberley. We even got to take some photos of Boondi atop a model of a croc that will appear soon in the slide show section of this site. It was very interesting meeting the people behind 'the legend' as Malcolm's family haven't appeared in any of his films as far as I can remember.

Boondi of course was 'the star' of the meeting and seemed to relish having her picture taken while standing on top of a big fibreglass croc. She certainly knows what a camera is for. Not long ago we read a book written by a cameraman who worked with Malcolm on one expedition. The cameraman did a real 'hatchet job' which resulted in a court case that I am happy to say Malcolm won. We wish Malcolm a speedy recovery and hope he is planning to make more films soon. A special thank you to Malcolm's wife and daughter for stopping to talk with us and for being so charming, as I am sure tourists and travellers like us can become a bit of a chore at times.

May 31st 2003 (Saturday)

On our way south west again. We passed Roebuck Plains (stopping to top up the autogas which was 85.5c as opposed to 76.5c in Broome only 34Km away) and turned right and on to the final stage of the journey before what we hope will be an extended stay in the Karratha area.

The first major rest area we passed (Goldwire) was closed for maintenance and we were expecting more of the stupidity we encountered in Derby shire where the only two rest areas were closed. As it turned out East Pilbara Shire is not as crazy as Derby and the Stanley rest area 56Km further south west was open. We stopped for the night and were soon joined by a number of other travellers including Tony & Roz who we had spoken to via Email a few times. They invited us over for dinner and after a chat about the road and various other topics we all joined a group that had gathered around a campfire. I can't remember all the names of people who were there but I do remember Brenton and Kay and their big 36' Leyland National (Oscar) that Brenton had fitted out (very nicely) himself. Another face in the crowd was Carl who really wanted us to take a picture of his motorhome and put it on the web site so I am hoping the shot I took in the early morning light comes out so we can put it up for him.

A very enjoyable evening reminded us of what life on the road was all about. travel, interesting experiences and good company around a campfire.

June 1st 2003 (Sunday)

Back on the road in the early morning and heading for Cape Keraudren (I have been spelling this name incorrectly until now) we got as far as the Sandfire roadhouse only to find the autogas pump was out of action. I feel sure if the diesel pumps or unleaded pumps were out of action the roadhouse would not be standing very long. One thing that is guaranteed to make me see red are broken gas pumps or out of autogas signs. As we had stocked up on petrol in Broome I refilled the tank and we kept on going to Pardoo who thankfully did have a working pump.

The road down to Keraudren is about 13Km and unsealed. Parts of it are pretty rough but it is straight until you reach the Ranger's station so you can put your foot down and reduce the effects of the corrugations somewhat. There is currently an entry fee of $10 per vehicle and a camping fee of $5 a night. If you stay a week this works out to $40 so that is what we decided to do.

We have heard (as yet unconfirmed) rumours that Cleaverville has been closed again so we wanted to stop and do some fishing here. We will put off having anything to do with Centrelink until we are ready to start looking for work again.

Keraudren has 4 campsites. The first is off to the right (Cootenbrand Creek) as you drive in. It is more suited to 4x4s and campers and the track in can be a bit soft. The next area is near Sandy Beach (a bit misnamed as it could equally be called Rocky Beach) and is the one best suited for buses. This is where we chose to stay. The other two sites (Mosquito Creek and the Boat Ramp) are good for caravans and are generally the most crowded as they are closest to the boat ramp. They also have lovely views over a big blue bay (well it is blue when the tide is in).

Keraudren has pit toilets and bins but no other facilities. Water and other supplies are available from Pardoo Roadhouse.

June 2nd 2003 (Monday)

Our first chance to do some fishing. The horrible little Mercury engine which has for so long caused us nothing but trouble has finally given up the ghost so I had to row out and fish from about 200 yards off the boat ramp. Fishing was pretty poor and we saw nothing but garfish. As these are excellent bait for bigger fish we caught a few and put one out. Not long afterwards the line took off and I brought up a small shark. It got off as it came up under the boat but at least I got to see what it was. Some time later the same line took off again and I expected to see another shark but this time I landed a broad barred Spanish mackerel which made my day.

Dinner was marinated mackerel (Soy sauce, tomato sauce and lime juice) and chips, yum!

June 3rd 2003 (Tuesday)

Fishing again but no luck today. We managed to hole the boat yesterday and the trip out today was only saved by a piece of chewing gum which acted as a temporary seal for the small hole. (Anyone who goes out fishing in small boats should always carry a packet of chewing gum in the fishing box as it is very good as a temporary patch for small holes.)

June 4th 2003 (Wednesday)

A rest day today to get the hole in the boat properly sealed. Time to clean some of the red dust out of the bus and perform some long overdue chores. Tried fishing from the beach in the afternoon and caught a saw fish and a shovel nose ray - both released.

June 5th 2003 (Thursday)

The dreaded easterly winds are back today and stopped us going out fishing in the boat. Too windy to fish off the beach as well so another unplanned rest day.

June 6th 2003 (Friday)

Wind still around today but took the boat out into the bay. No fish at all today!

June 7th 2003 (Saturday)

Since the fishing here is lousy at the moment we are packing up today and preparing to move on tomorrow. The good news is that Cleaverville hasn't been closed down so that will be our next major stop. Once there we can start looking for work in Karratha.

June 8th 2003 (Sunday)

Stopped in at Yule River rest area. Nice spot by the river and the chance of a swim in the river. Locals say crocs have been seen in the area from time to time and sharks are sometimes in the river but as a horde of local kids had been swimming al day and none had vanished we figured it was safe enough to risk a somewhat chilly dip.

Yule River suffers from one thing above all others - DUST - there is clouds of it. Every time a new vehicle pulled in a huge cloud of fine dust covered everything in the area. That combined with two big rigs disgorging a bunch of noisy children made us think better of staying the night so we packed up and spent the night at a layby only a few kilometres south.

June 9th 2003 (Monday)

HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY! we are finally back at Cleaverville. It took us most of the day to set up camp but were pleased to find many of the people we made friends with 5 years ago are still coming up here. The road in is pretty rough and badly needs grading but at least we got here. Despite some misinformation about prices I can now state that they are; $5 a night, $30 a week or $100 a month.

Everything here is just as we remember it and we have been told that the fish and crabs are running pretty strongly so we are expecting to do well.

June 12th 2003 (Thursday)

After catching only one legal sized bream (which we let go again) at the creek and not finding anywhere near the number of octopus on the reefs at low tide we are a little worried about the conditions here but we won't really find out what things are like until we get our new engine for the boat either tomorrow of Monday.

We have opted for a Yamaha 9.9hp 2 stroke which at a changer over price of $2300 is more than I wanted to pay but we do really need a good reliable engine. The Mercury 5hp we had was as reliable as a 2 bob watch and we have heard nothing but complaints about Mercury engines from other people who have them. The Yamaha should give us plenty of extra power to get out to fishing grounds more quickly.

The next thing to spend money on will be a new generator as the old Honda em1000f is now burning lots of oil - a sure indication that the rings are worn. We would like to get a generator big enough to run the air conditioner if we need to but it will all depend on price.

As we have enough money to keep us going for a few weeks we have decided 'b#%!!&r Centrelink' and 'b#%!!&r looking for work' we can do that when we go further south. We are just going to do some fishing and enjoy ourselves. Centrelink are such a huge pain in the arse anyway it isn't worth getting the piddling little sum of $150 a week they pay for unemployment benefits anyway.

The easterly winds came back today with a vengeance so no fishing from the shore or at the creek.

June 17th 2003 (Tuesday)

The easterly winds are still blowing so no chance to get the boat wet yet. We went down to 40 Mile campsite yesterday and found the access road to be in much better shape than the one to Cleaverville. 40 Mile turn off is about 55Km west of Karratha and then a further 12Km over unsealed (good) road to the campsite by the beach. It is more exposed than Cleaverville but is equally large and has plenty of room for anyone who wants to get in there. Facilities and charges are the same as Cleaverville.

As our power system hasn't been performing to expectations we bought 2 new solar panels yesterday which gives us a total of 200w or just over 12 amps. The new panels were 40w each and cost $900. We have also purchased a 20 amp battery charger ($217) and are expecting delivery of a 2kva Honda Eu2000I ($2170) on Thursday. Hopefully this will solve our lack of power for good.

June 20th 2003 (Friday)

The good news: the new generator arrived today and we can use several appliances in the bus at the same time without the lights going off. The bad news: the wind IS STILL blowing and now a thunder storm has been forecast for the weekend so fishing gets put off yet again. Never mind we are still enjoying life in the campsite and getting to know everyone here quite well.

I have finally managed to get to the local library and update the web site but it cost $8! Alice Springs gave free internet access but here is costs $4 per half hour. It really would be nice to make enough money out of the site to at least cover my costs. (ADVERT: Don't forget you can buy the entire contents of this site with some extras on CD-ROM for JUST $40… beg, plead, grovel).

Oh well, I was never meant to be rich.

June 24th 2003 (Tuesday)

The weather is finally coming good after a long spell of strong winds. We had a thunder storm on Sunday night which dumped quite a lot of rain. Thankfully we are parked in a sandy area and the stream running past the front of the bus was quickly absorbed. Never letting a chance for fresh water pass us by we had all the buckets out and collected over a hundred litres in about 20 minutes.

Yesterday was the first chance we had to get out in the boat and Belle was sea sick. There was a bit of a swell and it didn't take too long before there was some extra berley in the water. We caught a few fish but none were 'keepers' so we came back empty handed.

Today was much better and we brought back 3 NW Snapper and 2 Spanish flag. When it came to eating the snapper we were very disappointed as they had a very strong chemical taste. We think there may be a problem with some sort of pollution in this area as the fish tasted awful. Having caught this species here before we know what to expect so there is something very wrong with the water in the bay.

We were only out fishing for about 3 hours but saw a pod of dolphins, a shark, a couple of turtles and a sea snake which came up to investigate the boat. I also caught a large remora (sucker fish) which was put back as they aren't much in the way of an eating fish.

Soon after we got back to shore a thick fog rolled in and stayed around until almost 5pm. This could have been a real problem for anyone a long way offshore who didn't have an electronic navigation aid but thankfully everyone here looks out for each other and people were sounding car horns and flashing lights to get everyone back to shore safely.

If the weather holds we will go out again tomorrow and this time we will go around the back of the island and hope we catch fish that aren't affected by whatever is making the snapper in the bay taste so bad.

The new generator is doing a wonderful job and makes me wish we had opted for a bigger generator in the first place. Now we can switch on the fridge and the TV and not have the lights go out. The battery charger is also working much better and is putting 20A into the deep cycles for 4-5 hours a day. Finally we have a system that seems to be self sustaining even though this means using 2-3 litres of petrol a day.

June 25th 2003 (Wednesday)

Fishing again this morning yielded two good size snapper and three Spanish flag. We also dropped some crab nets out on the sand but had no luck there. We caught far more fish than we kept but we keep a bucket full of water and let smaller fish go as we catch larger ones. This means replacing the water in the bucket several times but at least it gives the smaller fish a chance to get bigger. We are hoping that these larger snapper don't taste like the ones we had yesterday. They don't seem to have the same pungent odour so we will just wait and see. (Later - the big fish were ok.)

The weather is very humid at the moment so nights are uncomfortable and sticky. Even paper in the bus is damp and limp.

June 26th 2003 (Thursday)

This morning we went crabbing but after several hours only managed to pick up 4 crabs. Belle was happy as this is enough for her to make her Singapore chilli crab dish and since I don't bother much with crabs it is enough to keep her going for several days.

We went in to Wickham to do some shopping in the afternoon and were very happy to discover that the road has now been graded so we weren't shaken to bits in reaching the main road.

As we were leaving the shops Belle suggested we check the local notice board and we found an advert for a collapsible boat trailer. We had been thinking about buying one but didn't like the prices much as new ones are around the $1700 mark. We went to have a look at the trailer (a Bulldog) and ended up buying it for $900. Once folded up it fits neatly into the back of the car. I hope this is going to alleviate the back pains I get when launching the boat from the beach.

July 2nd 2003 (Wednesday)

The last few times we have been out fishing haven't produced any good results. The water has been very cloudy and it has been difficult to find the reefs. As a result we decided to buy a cheap (cheap?) echo sounder which has now been installed on the dinghy. It is a Navman 4100 (made in New Zealand - $350) and seems to work quite well. At lest we will be able to find out what the structure of the bottom is like now and with a bit of luck we will get a few more fish. We have also added a pump up front wheel to the boat trailer that cost us $95. I hope we don't have many more things to buy as we have spent too much money lately.

The wind has come up again over the past two days so we are waiting for it to stop so we can get out end enjoy ourselves again. Days stuck in camp pass quickly enough as there always seems to be something to keep me busy. I used to wonder what we did here that made the time pass so quickly but I now remember that it was all the small jobs I had to do to keep things organised.

Example: Today.

Woke early and had brekky.

Fix cable in boat that had come loose.

Re-rig fishing rod.

Re-stock boat fishing box from main fishing box.

Fill shower tank with water.

Fill drinking tank with water.

Fill generator with fuel.

Check oil in generator.

Clean camp gas cooker.

Clean and set up charcoal grill.

Sort out and organise stuff in boxes under the bus.

Empty and clean porta potty - yuk!

Make new batch of porta potty chemicals *

Clean rubbish out of car.

Sharpen fillet knives.

Re-charge power pack.

Write up generator and outboard usage figures on computer.

Take rubbish up to the bins.

All this and it is only 2pm. No wonder we never seem to have much time to get bored here and this is a non-fishing day. If we went fishing I would add: Make berley, clean engine and boat.

July 4th 2003 (Friday)

Managed to get out fishing near the creek today despite the wind. We started off catching nothing but catfish but Belle managed to hook 3 nice mangrove jack which were served up as tonight's dinner so all was not lost.

Our power system seems to be holding up well and the batteries are even close to full charge now. This system is still a hybrid solar/generator system but for anyone interested the details are as follows:

1 x 120w 7.1a panel fixed to the roof

2 x 40w 2.5a panels which can be moved about

1 x 20a regulator (Dick Smith cheapie)

2 x 109ah deep cycle batteries

2 x 75ah deep cycle batteries

1 x 1500w inverter (modified sine wave)

1 x Honda eu20i generator

1 x 20a battery charger

This all adds up to a 'pretty penny' but it now seems to be self sustaining if we run the generator 3-4 hours each night. The cost of running this system is about $4 a day maximum - not cheap but at least bearable. I will be working out more exact figures over the next few weeks and I am hoping that this initial estimate will drop a bit.

The appliances we run with this system are mainly the 4 x 13w fluoro lights, the fridge (a standard 240v house fridge), the TV, videos, stereo and the computer. The biggest draw on the batteries is the fridge which pulls up to 20a. As a result we set the fridge thermostat on the coldest setting and run it for 2 hours in the morning, 1.5 hours at lunch time and then whenever the generator is turned on at night. Everything inside stays cold overnight as it isn't being opened. We can easily make ice in the freezer with the fridge is working to it full capacity for just 7-8 hours a day. The fridge is controlled by a timer so it turns itself on and off for the two cycles on the inverter automatically.

Around us all the people with only solar power are having nightmares as there has been plenty of cloud and their batteries are all running out. I think we will be happy to stay with our hybrid system as it covers the days when the sun refuses to come out.

We were given a twin tub washing machine today but our neighbour (Thanks Alan) and that is yet to be factored in to the power use but as it is just a once a week job it will probably get done using the generator so there will be a minimal impact.

July 7th 2003 (Monday)

During the last three days fishing things have got steadily better. The first of the three was a bit of a disaster as we launched off the beach using the trailer just after a 4x4 had got bogged and dug the beach to bits. We didn't have much luck fishing but got on to a good school of big fat gardies just before the wind came up very strongly from the south west. We came back in to shore as it looked like the wind was in to stay but the minute we had the boat back up on the trailer again the wind dropped to nothing.

Sunday was better as we went to the creek and picked up some cod, Trevally and a grunter. We kept the cod and gave the other fish to Alan as his motor has been in the repair shop and he hasn't had a chance to get out fishing yet.

Today we did even better at the creek bringing back 3 yellowfin bream, one big black bream, three cod and a good sized mangrove jack.

Tomorrow will be a rest day but we need to go into town and do some shopping and various other tasks including getting the boat re-licensed as it lapsed some time ago.

July 15th 2003 (Monday)

Yesterday we were fishing in the creek again and managed to catch 5 bream. I did catch a large cod as well but have decided that I won't be taking any more of them. Two main reasons for this, first is they are very hard to kill quickly and I don't like them to suffer any more than necessary and secondly, even big cod seem to yield very little meat compared to their overall size.

Today we went back into town for supplies. Our inverter is playing up and I have ordered a new one but that won't be here until later in the week. We have to start watching our money now as we haven't had an income for 2 months and we need to have enough money left to get us at least as far as Geraldton.

Alan (our next door neighbour) has just purchased a wind generator and everyone in camp is waiting expectantly to find out how well it works once it is set up. Power generation is a frequent topic at 'happy hour' and any new means of getting energy into the batteries generates (pardon the pun) lots of interest.

July 19th 2003 (Saturday)

The last few days have been both eventful and stressful. On the 16th we went fishing again in the creek but we weren't far from shore when Belle asked about all the water in the back of the boat. I looked around to find that we were RAPIDLY sinking. As I had no idea where the water was coming from and it was already about 6 inches deep all I could do was run the boat up on to a mud bank and begin bailing like crazy.

I finally reduced the water to the point where I could see the leak - it was a patch I had put on using Sikaflex and the whole thing had come off. If we had been any further out we would have been in real trouble. After getting most of the water out and holding the plug of Sikaflex down firmly with one hand, I started the engine with the other hand (no easy thing to do) and motored as fast as I could back to the launching area.

We took the boat straight into town to get welded but it couldn't be done until the 18th. The 18th was also our 22nd wedding anniversary so I had intended a trip into town in any case. The thing that really cheesed me off was that the 16th to the 18th was almost perfect fishing weather and we had no boat.

On the 18th I went into town to pick up the boat ($85) and also to pick up a present for Belle. In the evening we were invited over for dinner with friends (Les & Dawn) and were treated to one of the best meals we have ever had. Crayfish, prawns, crabs and different types of fish were just some of the things on the menu and we had a great evening.

Today we took off to the creek with the boat again expecting everything to be Ok. As soon as the boat was in the water we found we had problems again. This time the side seams of the boat had split (mostly due to the pounding it gets from corrugations every time we go to the creek) and yet another days fishing was lost.

My temper can boil over at times and it did today as I managed to break an oar over the boat in pure frustration. We have now decided that launching here is just too hard unless you have a 4wd so we are packing up and heading off to 40 Mile sometime next week. 40 Mile at least has a proper boat ramp and you don't have to drive over 5km of rough road to get to it. I have patched the seams using Sikaflex (tempting fate?) and am hoping that the next time we launch the boat will stay dry on the inside at least.

We don't know much about 40 Mile so it will be a new experience to stay there for a few weeks.

July 25th 2003 (Friday)

Well haven't gone to 40 mile (yet) as the weather is continuing to blow a gale and 40 Mile is even more exposed than Cleaverville. The weather is supposed to improve over the next couple of days so we will give this area one more go before we pull up stakes and move. We are half packed up at the moment so we can be on the move within a day or two if we feel we want to get going.

July 26th 2003 (Saturday)

The wind finally gave up today so we took the boat down to the creek expecting more problems but we managed to get out and actually do some fishing. The catch for the day was 3 black bream, the biggest 33cm. We caught a couple of undersized yellowfin bream but let them go. Belle didn't have much of a day as she caught nothing but butterfish - which despite the name are not good eating even if they are big enough.

July 28th 2003 (Monday)

Fishing yesterday and launching from a new location brought little reward but we did catch a couple of Spanish flag (one at 35cm was good size) which was enough for dinner. Today we went back to the creek again as the wind is back up and despite watching assorted fish swimming around under the boat the only catch was a yellowfin bream which we let go.

The wind is supposed to be up again tomorrow so we may give fishing a miss and get down to cleaning up the bus which is long overdue.

July 29th 2003 (Tuesday)

The wind wasn't as bad as expected to start with this morning but Belle was fed up with going out and not catching anything so asked our neighbour Alan if he would like to go out. Alan has a small inflatable boat but hasn't managed to get out since he got here. We tried the creek to the east today and were lucky enough to come back with 4 big mud crabs, 3 big bream, a cod and a catfish. As Alan hasn't had much fish and we still have some in the freezer, he had the fish and Belle cooked up some chilli crab which we all enjoyed for dinner.

This is probably the best day out since we got here and Belle missed it. The trip back in from the creek was very lumpy as the wind had picked up to about 20 knots. Even so it was well worth the effort.

6th August 2003 (Wednesday)

Finally today was a perfect fishing day. We went out early (7am) and because of the tide we were out until about 1pm. The winds were light and the fish were hungry. We came back with a very good feed of Spanish Flag, or to give them their correct name, striped sea perch.

7th August 2003 (Thursday)

Another full day fishing today as the tide kept us from getting back in until about 2.30pm. Things started very slowly as we moved around to different spots on different reefs. We caught a couple of Spanish Flag and I brought in a small shark which we let go. The highlight of the morning was watching a large school of very big mackerel (about 30 or so) swimming lazily along the edge of an outer reef. I didn't have a float line out at the time so there wasn't any chance of catching one but it was good to see the big fish coming back into the area.

After catching a good sized snapper close in to shore we went along the coast to Cleaverville creek and fished a small gully as the tide began to rise. The fist fish I caught was a small catfish which I unhooked and was putting back in when it wriggled and fell down onto my left leg. Catfish have 3 long sharp spines with serrated edges and I found myself wearing a wriggling fish as one of the pectoral spines punched into my leg down to the muscle. There was no option but to grasp the fish and rip the spine out quickly (the spines are also coated in some sort of poison) which left me feeling very queasy. Anyone who has been spiked by a catfish will sympathise with the pain I was in for the next hour or so while the poison slowly dissipated. The side of my leg was swollen for the rest of the day and even a day later there was considerable pain around the sight of the wound. All I can say is thank goodness it was only a small fish.

I have always been taught that the best fishing is 2 hours before and two hours after the high tide, but I am beginning to have second thoughts. The best fishing we are having up here seems to be around low tide and today was no exception. The bream were very much 'on the bite' and we caught 3 legal sized ones plus a finger mark bream. There were a number of other catches including trevally and smaller bream which we put back.

It was a very long day (8-9 hours) and even though we only came back with 7 fish, a bit of a sunburn and in my case a very sore leg, it was still another good day out.

9th August 2003 (Saturday)

Alan and I took the boat out this morning with the hopes of catching a feed of crabs. As it turned out the wind was well and truly up and we couldn't get out of the creek mouth so we made the best of it and dropped the nets up in the creek itself. As this area is pretty well fished (and crabbed) out we only caught one mud crab and a couple of fish (bream and whiting) but at least we didn't come home empty handed.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be the same sort of day - lots of wind. I'm sure it wasn't as bad when we were up here last time but then you can't rely on the weather.

14th August 2003 (Thursday)

We are finally getting ready to move on from Cleaverville. The wind this year has made getting out to fish very difficult and it doesn't look like getting better in the next few days so it is time to move on. We have decided to give Onslow a miss again as most people we have spoken to reckon it isn't worth the 160Km detour.

We plan at this stage to stop off at Quobba for a couple of weeks before heading for Geraldton where we hope to stop and explore the area for a couple of months at least. We have always given Geraldton no more than a cursory glance as we passed through so it is about time to see what the area has to offer since it is only about 400Km north of Perth.

16th August 2003 (Saturday)

We are now at Quobba and have initially booked in for a week. The journey down from Cleaverville was uneventful except for auto gas not being available at the Karratha truck stop (broken pump) and then at Fortescue who have removed their auto gas tanks. Kleenheat have a lot to answer for when it comes to making sure the travelling public can get gas when they need it.

Last night we stopped at Barradale which we were told was a better stop than Lyndon River. Having now seen both I would have stopped at Lyndon River if I had the choice.

I grudgingly filled my tanks at Minilya (they have been responsible for the ban on overnighting at the nearby rest area) as I had no choice, but others who can make a choice may want to think about how profits are being put before safety by this business.

Today we spent time just settling in and finally having a nice shower. Tomorrow we will see about fishing.

Quobba is VERY much more crowded than it was when we were here in August 1997 and fees are currently $5 a night. Last time we were here it was practically deserted and now there are camps everywhere making it impossible to get anywhere near the beach.

18th August 2003 (Monday)

The campsite has emptied out here a bit since the weekend and we have managed to move into a site with a sea view. The weather isn't that great and like Cleaverville we are being harassed by strong winds. The urge to go fishing just isn't there when the wind is up so I spent yesterday cleaning up the bus which was getting into a real mess.

Quobba is a long way off the highway (58km sealed road) and not being able to do much in the way of fishing makes it a bit boring. There are nice walks along the coast but I think a week here will be enough before we head down to Bush bay some 30Km south of Carnarvon.

We are planning a trip into town (82Kms) on Wednesday to stock up before we move on.

21st August 2003 (Thursday)

Alan (from Cleaverville) drove in this afternoon and decided not to stay as the weather reports are for rain tonight and access to Bush Bay may get difficult. As we were going to Bush Bay tomorrow anyway we hastily packed up and headed south. We arrived at Bush Bay not long before the rain and were buffeted by strong winds all night.

25th August 2003 (Monday)

We have had virtually no respite from the wind which howls in from across Shark Bay. We did manage to go out fishing for a very brief period but caught nothing useful. The water here is VERY shallow for a LONG way out. The average depth in the first couple of miles out would probably be little more than two feet. There are some channels around and one we found dropped from three feet to twenty feet in a matter of a few yards so once the cursed wind gives up we may actually have the chance of catching some fish.

29th August 2003 (Friday)

The wind continues to howl and there is no chance to get out and fish. Alan isn't catching much in his set net but he is at least getting some fish. We keep hoping for a calm day so we can at least get out for a couple of hours. We are stuck in Carnarvon until Belle manages to get some blood tests done and the further south we go the colder it will get anyway so we are just sitting it out and waiting for the weather to get better.

31st August 2003 (Sunday)

We have managed to get out fishing over the past two days but aren't having much luck locating any good fish. Yesterday we went along the coast to a small creek which took over an hour as we had to motor along with the engine on maximum tilt to avoid all the sandy shallows.

Apart from seeing a big sting ray and a turtle we didn't catch anything and moved back off shore to try and find some fish in the channel that runs away from the coast. The wind came up before we had a chance to do much so we went back out again today.

Following the channel out we found a deep 20' hole and fished there as the fish alarm on the echo sounder was having a fit. I did bring in a snapper but it was undersized. Apart from hooking a shark which quickly bit through my line, we caught nothing but trumpeter (rubbish fist) but it was a bit of fun after being out of the water for so long.

Last time we were in Carnarvon I bought Garmin GPS12 ($470) and have been working out how to use it. Now with the echo sounder and GPS, if we ever find a good fishing spot we will be able to get back there and fish it again. The trouble is finding a good spot in the first place.

Alan and Joe picked up a dozen or so mullet in their nets today so there isn't any shortage of fish to eat. Earl has seen plenty of squid along the beach but they haven't been that interested in attacking the jigs. At least it gives us some confidence that when the weather finally does come good this should be a good place to be.

The wind continues to give us problems but we don't have anywhere else to go until the weather warms up a bit.

8th September 2003 (Monday)

The wind finally stopped today and we managed to go out fishing for the first time in a week. After catching nothing but trumpeter fish we were about to give up and were pulling the lines in when I suddenly felt a very heavy weight on the hand line I was pulling up. At first thought it was a shark and it took quite some time to see some colour in the water but when I finally did I couldn't believe my eyes. I wasn't sure what sort of fish it was but it was certainly the biggest one I have ever hooked.

The fish was pulling the boat round from side to side as it swam underneath and I was worried about the line being cut on the sharp edges on the bottom of the boat. It seemed to take for ever to get the fish up to the side of the boat but when I did the line parted company with the trace and I was left holding the end of a line with no fish attached.

Belle had brought along our dab net (which we usually don't take out) and she quickly placed the end of the net over the fish's head before it had time to realise that it was free to swim away. I grabbed the tail and together we hauled the huge fish over the side of the dinghy.

The fish was a mulloway (also known as a black jewfish in W.A.) and at 110cm long it weighed in at around 25kgs. This isn't that big for mulloway, which grow to 61kgs and over 2 metres long but it was the biggest fish I have ever landed and it certainly made our day.

The fish had taken a very small hook with only a small piece of octopus as bait. We found out later that the fish's stomach contained a whole large trumpeter so snacking on a tiny bit of octopus turned out to be a fatal bit of greed.

9th September 2003 (Tuesday)

As the weather was still good for fishing today we went out again, even though we don't need any more fish yet, and motored out to the same place we were yesterday. Even though the echo sounder indicated some big fish in the area they weren't biting but the sea was calm and the sun was out so we didn't mind at all that we came back with nothing today.

While fishing we have seen dugong, turtles and plenty of siting rays. There are also some big sharks in the area (well this is called Shark Bay after all) and people coming here would be well advised NOT to go wading in the shallows after sunset.

11th September 2003 (Thursday)

Today we went for a trip into Carnarvon to pick up water and supplies. As the unsealed road to Uendoo Creek was finally open we went that way to check on what the creek was like but weren't very impressed with what we saw. We will go back later on to check the area out in more detail. On the way back from Carnarvon Belle was driving and I remember thinking that perhaps I should warn her to check behind for following vehicles as the turn off to Bush Bay isn't all that clearly marked and someone following behind might not be fully paying attention and may not expect us to stop and turn right on what looks like an ordinary straight stretch of road. I dismissed the notion as pretty unlikely and thought no more of it.

We approached the turn off as usual, Belle slowing the car and signalling. As we started to make the turn to the right I saw a large vehicle flash across in front of us and there was a loud BANG as it swiped across the front right side of our car. Much to my surprise, what I had thought about no more than 20 minutes earlier had actually happened. Thankfully no one was hurt but our poor little Barina has now got a very squashed front right fender and no front right-hand lights. The bumper is hanging off but at least there doesn't seem to be any major structural damage and we can still use the car to get around.

We had in fact been hit by a Toyota Troop Carrier Camper driven but a couple of tourists from Germany. As there isn't any doubt about who was responsible for the accident I expect their trip 'down under' is going to cost them somewhat more than they expected. Their Kea camper is insured with Lumley who are also the insurers for our bus. We have dealt with Lumley in the past and they have always been very good so we are hoping the fact that our car is uninsured isn't going to complicate things at all.

The other couple were very good as they stopped and followed us back to the police station in Carnarvon to make an accident report. It will be a big enough pain for us to get our car fixed but having an accident like that while you are in a foreign country is another kind of nightmare.

The frightening thing is that if we had started to turn a fraction of a second earlier the Toyota would have impacted flush on the side of our little car and I wouldn't be sitting here writing this now. Incidents like this tend to bring life into a much sharper focus and make you appreciate all the good things you have. I had in fact been a bit miffed as tomorrow is my 43rd birthday and Belle hadn't got me a birthday present. After the accident I told her that I DID have a present after all, that she wasn't hurt in the accident and that was all the present I would ever need.

The wind is up again and we can't go fishing but after today we are just happy to be able to still hear the wind.

A note for overseas visitors:

Although Australia has plenty of long flat straight roads, it is absolutely essential that you don't let the wide open spaces lull you into a false sense of security. Animals can wander across the road at almost any time and people will turn off the main road in a myriad of unexpected places. It is vital that everyone pay attention to what is in front of them at all times. The lady driving behind us made a mistake, but is was a mistake that could so easily have cost lives. If a vehicle slows down dramatically in front of you then it is likely that the vehicle is going to turn off the main road. (In our case the fact that our brake lights and indicators were on should have helped.) Don't let impatience get the better of you, slow down and wait to see what happens, you are much more likely to get safely to your destination that way. In a country where daily drives are measured in hours a few seconds delay will cost you nothing.

September 18th 2003 (Thursday)

The wind has finally won and after 4 weeks at Bush Bay we are packing up and moving on to Geraldton. Out of the 28 days we have been here the wind has been howling across Shark Bay for 26. It has finally worn us down and despite the one excellent fish we caught here we can't hold out any longer.

Hopefully we will be back on the road on Saturday and in Geraldton by Sunday.

September 19th 2003 (Friday)

We had hoped to get away early but packing up is getting more difficult as we collect more bits and pieces. The Little Bulldog boat trailer proved to be a bit of a headache for a while but we finally managed to chain it on the back of the car trailer under the back of the car.

Our target for today was Galena Bridge which is a trip of around 350Km. The drive down through this area can sometimes be a bit tedious but at this time of the year it is an absolute joy. Although this year isn't the best as far as wildflowers are concerned it is still one of the best natural spectacles that I have seen anywhere. The sheer variety of colours and flower species is astounding.

To cap it off today was one of those days when everything is just right and it really feels good to be alive.

September 20th 2003 (Saturday)

Back to civilisation - well almost. Although we are only 10Km from the centre of Geraldton there is NO mobile phone reception at Greenough River mouth. Having my first hot shower in literally months (I hasten to mention I have had plenty of showers, it's just they were all cold to luke warm at best) was nice but I really don't like being back in a caravan park after so long in bush camp surroundings.

I did originally intend to stay in the Geraldton area until after Christmas but I am having second thoughts. We need to get the car repaired but that could just as easily be done in Perth as here. There is plenty to explore around this area so any decision on what we do next needs to be made once we have had a good look round.

September 21st 2003 (Sunday)

Despite the foul weather we did some exploring today. The first stop was Coronation Beach about 33Km north of Geraldton. We have passed the turn off to this site many times but have never gone down to see what it was like. The road in was in reasonable condition with the first 5 of 8 kilometres being sealed. There is quite a steep descent to the campsite which is located quite close to the beach. There aren't that many campsites and big rigs could have problems here if the area is crowded during peak season. Charges here are currently $5 a night.

From there we went north to Northampton and Horrocks Beach. The drive through this area was similar in many ways to the lovely countryside around Adelaide and despite the intermittent rain and strong winds it was a nice drive.

We then took the turn off to Nabawa (almost too small to be called a town) and then went south west through the Chapman Valley. This area is really beautiful at this time of year with fields of yellow and blue flowers stretching for miles around. Just north of the Chapman River bridge on Chapman Valley Road is a good rest area with seats and tables with some spectacular views surrounding it.

Back in Geraldton we had a look at the new museum which is a good place to spend a couple of hours browsing and looking at films in the theatre. The good news is that admission is free.

The weather here really sucks at the moment with sudden fierce squalls coming in from the sea. From what we have seen so far I think our original estimate of a few moths here was wildly optimistic, I think perhaps a few days will see us on the road south again. There are probably two more day trips to make before we exhaust what the area has to offer.

September 22nd 2003 (Monday)

After a morning running around town sorting out various bits and pieces we went for a drive to Ellendale Pool in the afternoon. This campsite can be reached by taking the turn off the highway just south of Greenough Hamlet and then following the signs from Walkaway. Access is sealed for all but the last 7km and there is a steep descent just before the road becomes unsealed.

The pool sits at the base of a large cliff face and is quite picturesque. Swimming in the pool on a hot day would be nice but we are at least a couple of months too early for that. The campsite isn't huge but big rigs could get in if there aren't too many others here. There is a time limit of 3 nights at this site.

September 23rd 2003 (Tuesday)

A full day out today exploring the coast south of Geraldton. We found a nice spot on the beach at Seven Mile (north of Dongara) and then went further south to the coastal tourist drive which follows the coast towards Leeman.

There are only a few sites along this road which would be any good for camping (actually there are several good sites but most of these have no camping sings plastered all over them.) and the only one we found that would be big enough for our bus was at Cliff Head North. There is another site a little further south at Little Freshwater but it isn't big enough for us.

After stopping at Leeman to have a quick look around we took the road to Eneabba and had a look at Lake Indoon. Currently there is a $5 per person charge here but the camping area isn't all that big and is further restricted for big rigs by overhanging branches on big gum trees. There are toilets and HOT showers here as well as a boat ramp. It would make a nice stop off for a few nights but we have more or less decided to head back to Perth this weekend.

We passed Greenough Hamlet on the way back to the bus and anyone who hasn't yet made the effort to stop in and have a look round, should do so as it is very interesting. There is a small fee but that goes towards the upkeep so is money well spent. If you do stop here remember to follow the sealed road on the other side of the highway and have a look at Grays store and the small church next door.

There are a large number of heritage buildings in this area, it is just a shame that they are so widely scattered. If they were built closer together it would be a much bigger tourist draw card that it is.

September 25th 2003 (Thursday)

A busy day today saw the morning taken up with a ride in the boat up the Greenough River followed by an abortive attempt to catch fish. As the weather was getting better as the day wore on we decided to go for a drive out to Coalseam National Park. This is accessible from Mingenew, Mullewa and Walkaway. We took the road from Walkaway (a round trip of nearly 200Km) up across the hills.

Coalseam is a gem of a place to go and see at this time of year as the wildflowers are in huge abundance through the park. Entering from the northern end we first came across the campsite on top of a large hill called The Breakaways. This area is large but has no facilities for campers. There is a better and more popular campsite down the hill at a place called Miners Picnic Site. Strangely there are no toilets at either camp ground but there are toilets at the S Bend picnic site.

There is also a lookout and another picnic site (Fossil) in the park but camping is only allowed at the sites already mentioned. Coalseam is where coal (duh!) was discovered but the quality and quantity were not enough to keep a mine operational. After rains the Irwin River runs through the park but most of the year it is just a dry river bed.

If you are planning to come out this way then DO IT IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. You just have to see this place when the wildflowers are out; there is little else to compare with it anywhere else in Australia.

Unusually for a National Park the roads were very good and (at least when this was written) no fees are charged for entry or for camping.

September 26th 2003 (Friday)

Despite being booked in at the caravan park tonight we decided to up stakes and move on early. Mostly because we were told about a big group coming in who would not arrive until about 10:30pm and would be noisy. Being the grumpy old fart that I am, I hate noise, so we took off mid morning and went about 40Km south to Seven Mile Beach 10Km north of Dongara.

Having tried wetting a line and coming up empty we just relaxed for the afternoon enjoying the fine weather that has turned up over the past couple of days. The forecast is for rain developing on Sunday so we are hoping to be off the road early and starting to settle in to a long term stay.

It's funny how quickly a trip comes to an end, one day you are travelling and exploring and the next everything is over. If all goes well, two days from now we will be back in Perth and learning how to settle down again - at least for a while.

May 26th 2002 (16 months ago), the start of this latest trip, seems an age ago now. Things have certainly changed since then. The house and contents have gone - to be honest this was a blessing in disguise - our little Barina is bent, battered and worn out, the bus it getting old and very tired and so are we. Time now to rest up a bit before planning what to do and where to go next, for we hope there will always be just one more trip to do.

September 27th 2003 (Saturday)

Impatience got the better of us and after arriving at the Moore River rest area around mid-day we couldn't wait any longer and decided to make the last push down into Perth. So ends our second big trip, Like our first trip, now we are back in familiar surrounds it almost seems as though it never even happened.

The highlights of this trip were the months we stayed in the Barossa Valley and our exploration of the centre. We were very lucky and had few problems with the bus. The worst was the coil failing between Pimba and Glendambo and the problems with the fuel systems at Esperance. We managed to see most (but not all) of the areas we wanted to see and have generally had a great time.

We are looking forward to finding a campervan and starting to plan our next adventure.

September 29th 2003 (Monday)

I have often wondered how long it actually took us to drive around Australia, Ie. the number of days we spent travelling from one place to another, so today I sat down and worked out the figures. In the two trips we have done so far we travelled a total of 33,627 kilometres over a period of 121 actual days spent driving. This works out to an average of 278 kilometres a day. Our longest distance covered in one day was 620 kilometres and the shortest was only 20 kilometres.

We spent a total of $10,166 on fuel which is an average of $84 a day. Obviously travelling such a huge country is not cheap (even though most vehicles are a bit more fuel efficient than our old bus) so anyone thinking about going round in a few months needs to have quite deep pockets.

October 1st 2003 (Wednesday)

Finally we had a chance to get out and do a bit of fishing as the wind and rain have gone. Although we only caught three KG whiting we also brought back some mussels which we will have for dinner. The only sour note was that the Navman echo sounder packed up and it had to be taken back to a dealer and sent off for repairs. As it is only 2 months old I can't say that we are all that impressed.

The last couple of days were spent arranging quotes to repair the car and sorting out other bits and pieces like a post office box so we will have a permanent address.

October 2nd 2003 (Thursday)

We took a trip to Perth today to look for a campervan. We have settled on a 1990 Mazda from Dove which is going to cost $16,100. This is $1,100 more than we had hoped but the choice of campers here is quite limited and I didn't want to get anything older than 1990. We need to sell our tandem car carrier in order to come up with enough money to buy the camper so hopefully that will happen soon.

Going in to Perth was VERY tiring. We just aren't used to the traffic and stress any more. I am glad we are staying away from all the hustle and bustle.

October 12th 2003 (Sunday)

We picked up the campervan on Thursday and have already found that the fridge doesn't work. We will contact Dove tomorrow and see if they will do anything about it. The fact that dealers are no longer required to provide warranties on older vehicles means that there isn't much we can do (except let people know) if no action gets taken to fix it. There are some other minor problems with the van but so far we haven't found any serious mechanical defects.

Today we took the van for its first country run down to Mandurah and then on to Heron Point. The van ran well but the weather was lousy. After a week or more of fine weather the rain came back with a vengeance today.

So far I haven't done much to the van except install a couple of deep cycle batteries. Although it came with a dual battery system, the second battery was only a heavy duty, not deep cycle. I have taken the two newest deep cycles from the bus and put them in the van. The 12v lights in the van are wired up to the starter battery for some strange reason, so we will have to be careful how much they get used.

After spending $16k on the van we had to go out and buy a new fridge for the bus yesterday as the LG finally gave up the ghost. This time we have gone for the biggest fridge we can fit into the bus and we can finally say goodbye to the pile of junk we have been stuck with since Darwin.

The biggest problem with a campervan is space, or should I say the complete lack of it. I have been spoiled by the bus as there is always somewhere to put everything, but I am struggling to even find a position for the inverter in the camper. We plan to get an enclosed trailer so that will enable us to take the boat and camping gear when we go away, but space inside the van is always going to be at a premium.

October 14th 2003 (Tuesday)

I am looking forward to the first time we are able to go away in the campervan. It is certainly going to be a very different experience from the bus. We have to be VERY selective in what we take and it will probably take one or two short trips to work out what we need and what we don't before we start to plan anything longer.

I have been busy getting the van ready, installing a proper power system with a big inverter and two of the solar panels we were using for the bus. I need to get a voltage gauge to keep an eye on how well the system operates.

We contacted Dove yesterday and they have asked us to drop in when we are in town so they can have a look at the fridge and try to work out what is wrong. I suspect gas as there is plenty of gurgling going on which indicates that the heating element is working.

I have also installed flyscreens on the siding and rear doors. To do this I have put long strips of velcro around the door frames and sections of velcro on two large pieces of flyscreen. The hope is that this will enable us to have the big doors open to let the breeze in, without swarms of flies and mozzies as well.

We have been amazed by how time operates differently in different places. When we were free/bush camping we didn't have all the distractions of nearby shops but somehow time passed much quicker. Even on the long windy days at Bush Bay, the day seemed to slip by so quickly that evening was upon us almost before we were aware of it. Back in the 'big smoke' time is going much more slowly despite the fact that we still have plenty to do; strange.

October 16th 2003 (Thursday)

We found a trailer today that is both within our price range ($600) and has been set up with several different compartments so that it can be packed easily with all the bits and pieces we want to cart around with us.

A campervan on its own is far too small to use for extended trips, so a trailer is a must for the longer trips we want to do.

Although we are getting closer to planning our first trip in the camper there are still quite a few things that need to be done (or bought).

1.New ariel.

2.Small CD/Cassette player.

3.In line water pump.

4.Fix (or replace) 3 way fridge.

5.Install 12v light inside trailer.

6.Paint trailer.

7.New front tyre for camper.

8.New sleeping bag.

9.Gas hose extension.

October 19th 2003 (Sunday)

The trailer has been re-painted now with 2 cans of fish oil and five cans of white spray paint. The only problem is that as I painted it white, all the dents now show up all too clearly.

The camper now has a DVD and shelf stereo in place of the microwave but we are still at least a couple of days away from the first short test trip, which thanks to the fridge will have to be done with an esky and some ice.

The weather has been a bit hit and miss and fishing has been lousy so I will grab any chance I get to take the camper out for a test trip in the next week or so.

October 22nd 2003 (Wednesday)

We are finally away on the first test run with the campervan. This is only a short trip to Heron Point (where else?) but already we are finding that there are lots of things we need to do and get to make using the camper more comfortable.

The first - and MOST important - is to get a good mattress. The cushions that come with the camper are far too soft and I was unable to sleep until about 2am when I resorted to taking a couple of sleeping pills.

Next we need to put some sort of shade on the side of the van. Having somewhere outside to sit it going to be essential when we go away for longer trips.

We also found that the original water tank leaks and the way the pipes have been put together, the second tank will half empty out as the water runs down to (and out of) the original.)

Lastly we need a 12v water pump. Having to jiggle a handle up and down for five minutes to get water is a real pain. The bus has always had a water pump so we are used to a more civilised method of getting water up from the tanks.

Apart from these four major changes there are all sorts of little things that we forgot to bring. Things like a strainer, wooden spoon, set of mixing bowls, alfoil, cling wrap and a host of other bits and pieces that we are going to need for long term trips. We did plan to come away for two nights but with the sleeping arrangements as they are there was no way I was going to stay out a second night and be so uncomfortable.

October 23rd 2003 (Thursday)

On the way home we took time to check out a couple of places we haven't been to before. The first was a rest area south east of North Dandalup off Del Park and Wittackers Rd. Wittackers Road is unsealed and the ascent to the rest area is VERY steep. This is no place for big rigs or even caravans. Others may find the drive up worth while as there is a good turning circle at the rest area (which is situated right on a bend in the road) and excellent views. It may be a good spot for smaller vehicles to overnight and there is a short (steep) walk trail that leads up to an old gold mine.

The next place we went to was Dandalup Dam which involved going back down the hill to Del Park road and then up the hill to Scarp Road (unsealed part way to the dam). There is a very pretty day use area at the foot of the dam wall but again I would advise only those with smaller rigs and campervans to use this area. There are plenty of shelters and free BBQs as well as toilets next to a small lake. This would be a top spot to a barbie and maybe even a swim in the warmer weather.

After arriving back home at the bus we shot off to order a new foam mattress ($149) and then found a canvas works to order a slide on side shade (6 feet x 8 feet) which will cost $200. I already have some sail track and have attached that to the van.

The water tank problem has been solved by re-plumbing the van and removing the old tank from the system entirely. I may do something about it later on but with the new water tank we have about 45 litres and can carry more in the trailer if we have to. We now have (thanks to Alan) a 200 litre drum that can be put in the trailer when we go north again but we shouldn't need it around the south west.

The campervan is certainly a very different proposition to the bus. Lack of space to put things and no room to move are two of the biggest hassles. I expect it will take us quite a few test trips before we sort everything out.

October 26th 2003 (Sunday)

Sadly I had to make the decision today to start charging for Camping Australia again. We have made the guide available free for almost a year and in that time have contacted hundreds of businesses to find out if they would be interested in placing paid advertisements. Sadly, despite over 5000 copies already being downloaded from our website, not one single business has been bright enough to see the potential that the guide offers.

This is very depressing as putting all the information together has taken literally hundreds of hours and uncounted dollars. The only way we can continue to afford to keep the web site going is to start charging for the guide once more.

November 7th 2003 (Friday)

Last week I finally bit the bullet and bought a new computer. It had to be a laptop as there is no room in the camper for anything else. My budget won’t stretch to an up-to-date system but I have 10x more storage than I have with the old system and a much faster machine.

Caught up with Dave this week, he was only in town for a couple of days so we only saw him for a few hours but it was good to catch up again after so long. Last time we saw him was when we passed through Balladonia on the way to Adelaide.

Graham ordered a bunch of things for us and picked them up today. We now have a new 12v fridge for the camper and I installed it this afternoon. We also got a fluoro light for the trailer, a coupling lock for the trailer (will have to get

another for the boat trailer) and a pump for the water tank in the camper.

I am exhausted after spending time this afternoon getting it all installed.

We are getting close to having everything ready so we will be able to get away from Perth again. The wish list still has a few items on it but most will have to wait until we can save up for them. These items include:

1.Digital video camera that will take stills and can down load to a computer using a USB port.

2.Small solar recharger for the battery in the trailer.

3.Seat covers for the van.

4.Switch for the water pump.

5.New front tyre for the camper.

6.Gas hose extension.

November 10th 2003 (Monday)

We have been house sitting again for the past week and will be here until this Saturday. This time we are looking after two delightful little dogs (Alfred and Amy), a cat (Susie), a guinea pig, two birds and two goldfish. We always like to find a house to look after that has pets as living the way we do we won’t have any of our own for the foreseeable future.

November 18th 2003 (Tuesday)

We had planned to go to Wittacker’s Mill today and then on to Heron Point but the weather has turned foul so we have abandoned the idea for the time being.

The camper is very close to being ready for a test trip and the only thing stopping us now is all the wind and rain.

November 25th 2003 (Tuesday)

The weather is beginning to fine up again so we are off to Wittacker’s Mill (east of North Dandalup). Access is from Del Park, Scarp and then Wittacker’s Rds. There is about 5Km of good dirt road once you turn off Del Park Rd.

There are several areas to the campsite with the best for big rigs being up the hill after the ‘water’ sign. It is a beautiful, peaceful site with plenty of shade (not always a good thing when you have solar panels) There are toilets but the water referred to on the sign is a pool which is of questionable quality.

From here we went south to Dwellingup and located another campsite at Marrinup townsite. Marrinup is a large cleared area in the forest only about 5Km NW of Dwellingup. Again there are toilets here and lots of room for big rigs. Access is either from the Williams Rd. or from Del Park Rd. at the golf course sign.

November 26th 2003 (Wednesday)

We moved on to Heron Pt. again to see if there were any crabs about yet. Sadly this looks like another poor year in this area as we saw none around.

We have set the tent up to give us a bit more space. Living in the camper is very cramped but hopefully we will get used to it in time. At least getting around is easy enough, as well as cheaper and faster than the bus.

November 28th 2003 (Friday)

Back from our three night outing with yet more work to do before we consider anything more adventurous. We have decided that the freezer in the fridge will be too small for any extended trips so we will need a small 12v portable fridge (40 litres or so) to use as a freezer. That means setting up a power system in the trailer.

New 12v plugs have gone in so that the solar panels can be easily moved from the van to the trailer, and an adaptor made up to allow recharging from the generator.

While we were away we set the tent up to see how much easier that would make things and found it was very useful. It gives us that extra room we need that isn't available just in the campervan. We have come to the conclusion that the van on its own would be ok for a weekend away but we will need all the other gear if we are out any longer.

We are still to go away with a 'full load' which will include the boat and all its associated junk. The van is quite a challenge but we are confident that eventually we will get a system sorted out that works well. We certainly appreciate the bus more when we get home now.

December 15th 2003 (Monday)

We are almost ready for the first extended trip away. We have managed to get a small automatic washing machine and a 12v freezer which will help us to stay away from towns for a bit longer. The van has been serviced (by me) and tuned (by Graham) and with a bit of luck we will be off sometime tomorrow.

The plan is to head south along the coast to the Margaret River area and explore that before going inland and across to Pemberton. After that we will head for Walpole and then make our way back on an inland route west of the Albany Highway. We want to be away over the whole holiday period which means coming back sometime after new year.

December 16th 2003 (Tuesday)

After a brief stop off at Mandurah to finish our Christmas shopping we went on to have lunch at Belvidere Campsite at the end of Buffalo Road. (Off the Mandurah-Bunbury Road). The campsite is good and includes toilets, BBQs, seats and tables and unusually there is also firewood provided. It is too expensive at $5 per person per night and the road in is very corrugated. Dogs aren’t allowed at this site as it is a conservation park and big rigs would have real problems with overhanging branches on the campsite ring road.

After lunch we continued south to just north of Margaret River where we turned off into Osmington Road, the on to Canebrake Road and finally arrived at Canebrake Pool. Fees here are also $5 per person per night and for an unpowered site this is just too expensive. The pool is beautiful and an excellent place to swim. There are also LOTS of marron in it but marroning isn’t permitted. Generators can’t be used at this site and the camping bays are too small for big rigs. Again facilities include toilets, tables, chairs, BBQs and firewood is provided.

December 17th 2003 (Wednesday)

Today we refuelled at Margaret River (LPG was 55c as opposed to 34c in Perth) and refilled the water tank – a water hose had touched the muffler and melted so we lost all our water yesterday – then we headed back up the Bussel Highway towards Yallingup. Our first stop was at the cheese factory where we picked up some brie, camembert and a delicious port flavoured cheddar cheese.

We continued to Yallingup which is a favourite haunt of surfing types and had a quick look around before having an early lunch at Canal Rocks. From here it was south again to Prevaly and on the way we stopped in at a winery or three for a couple of taste tests. We don’t actually buy wine in this area anymore as it is priced far too high. Ports which are only half decent cost $27-$50 a bottle. Anything we used to really enjoy like Sandalera is now only available to those with more money than sense ($95 for 500ml is way out of our league.)

On the way back to refuel at Margaret River again we found a farm shop selling venison products. Thinking that they would also be way over priced we stopped in anyway and found that the smallgoods and meats were quite reasonable and you could even sample before making a purchase. So in WAs premier wine growing area we ended up with cheese and smallgoods but no wine.

Our campsite for today is Chapman Pool which has been renamed Warner Glen Recreation area. We had visited this site once before to see if the bus would fit in but on finding it wouldn’t we didn’t look around and never came back. Facilities and fees are the same as for Canebrake Pool. The river here is also a good place for a cool dip, or in our case an easy way to clean up even if it is without soap.

At present most of the campsites are empty but after this weekend we expect to see more and more people filling up the South West as school holidays start. We are hoping to find somewhere remote and quiet to get away from the crowds that are due to descend on the area.

December 18th 2003 (Thursday)

We were away quite early and went exploring in the Nannup area to see some of the campsites we have heard about. The first place we tried is called Cambray but the track in is VERY rough and narrow. We almost got bogged and decided that enough was enough so as soon as we could we turned round and got back to the main road.

Turning back towards Nannup we took Morven Road and the Barrabup Pool Road and found an excellent day use area at Barrabup Pool. This is a no camping area but about 1km further back along the track is Workers Pool where camping is allowed. The facilities and fees are the same as for all sites we have listed already.

There are only 5 campsites here but it is such a nice area we decided to stop exploring for the day and stay for the night.

December 19th 2003 (Friday)

Our journey today took us into tall timber country which starts about 30Km north of Pemberton. The first stop was Beedelup Falls which were less than awe inspiring and the $9 entry fee is far too much.

We stopped off in Pemberton to pick up water and also to get an all parks pass ($51) from the local visitor’s centre. This allows entry into all national parks and will save us a lot of money over the course of the next year.

After consulting our maps we decided to camp in the Warren national park a few kilometres south west of Pemberton. Turning off Northcliffe Rd. into Old Vasse Rd. we travelled on good gravel to the turn off into Heartbreak Trail. The road is well named as it would have been a heart breaker for those constructing it. Big rigs and caravans are banned on this track due to steep descents and slippery surface.

The campsite we have stopped at is quite large and has one of the most lavishly appointed camp kitchens we have ever seen. Stainless steel bench tops, BBQ plates and pot burners scattered around under a huge roof make it look more like the kitchen of a 5 star hotel. With all the vandals about I wonder how long it will stay in the nice condition it is at the moment. It really is a bit overdone for a camp kitchen and probably goes some way to explaining why CALM is charging $10 a night for unpowered sites.

As this area is fairly remote and is going to be one of the lesser known (and accessible) places on our journey we have decided to set up a full camp and stay for a few days. This means putting up the tent, shower and van awning.

December 20th 2003 (Saturday)

Woke this morning to rain (typical weather around Pemberton) so we are very glad to have all the facilities of a tent and the camper. The shower water is VERY COLD but I can’t go a day without showering so there isn’t much choice.

We were visited by some friendly possums last night as we sat around the camp fire. Files and bities aren’t too bad here but we do keep the mozzie coils burning all the time to discourage those that are around.

December 21st 2003 (Sunday)

As we had settled in for what we thought was going to be a few days in one place we decided to celebrate Christmas today and just relax around the campsite. Alas it wasn’t to be as soon after opening our presents I found that the new ‘freezer’ was doing anything but freezing. Most things inside had started to defrost and there was no sign that the compressor was coming on.

It took around 90 minutes to pack everything up and take off, heading for Northcliffe to get some ice. We did briefly think about heading home but we are so far south now we couldn’t face turning around and heading back to Perth.

After looking at the other (Warren) campground and finding it only had about 4 sites, we were happy to have stayed at Drafty’s Camp which has all the facilities and plenty of room. Further along the track was a good lookout which really shows off the beauty of the Warren River. A quick back-track to the bi-centennial tree to have a look at this 75 metre climbable fire lookout tree and then we took off for Northcliffe.

A brief stop at Northcliffe to pick up ice and we were heading south again towards Windy Harbour. Never has a place been so well named. Windy Harbour is very WINDY and only just has shelter enough to call itself a harbour. A bunch of beach shacks and a camp ground with no caretaker in sight so we moved on to Salmon Beach for lunch. Due to the ‘freezer’ situation we had chicken fillet, bacon and onion sandwiches for lunch. (Every cloud has a silver lining, or so they say.)

The road in to Salmon Beach was a bit bumpy but it was worth the effort but the best spot was the lookout above the cliffs. Then it was back to Northcliffe where we refuelled. Aaargh! $45 for 43 litres of petrol. That hurts when you are used to filling up with LPG for about $12. (No auto gas in Northcliffe.)

Our selected campsite for the night was Shannon, just off the South West Highway. After reaching our destination and plugging the solar panels into the trailer, surprise surprise ! The freezer started working again. Is this just good luck, a coincidence or does the freezer need more than 12v to start the compressor? Only time and experimentation will tell.

Shannon is a large campsite and only one of a very few in this area that has sites large enough for buses. It is EXPENSIVE at $12.50 a night for unpowered sites but has the single saving grace of having HOT SHOWERS. Really this doesn’t make up for the rip off price but then anyone travelling WA will soon learn how greedy CALM is.

December 22nd 2003 (Monday)

Called in at Fernhook falls (Turn off 30Km SE of Shannon) to find sites are quite small and all on a sloping hillside. Facilities are the same as for all other CALM sites we have visited and fees here are $10 per night for 2 people (still too much). Access to this site is via 6km of good gravel road but at this time of year the falls are a bit lack lustre.

From here we went on to what we had planned to be our campsite for the night at Broke Inlet. This is located SW of the SW Highway along 8km of reasonable gravel road. The area at the end is mainly taken up by shacks and there isn’t much room to camp or turn around. We settled down but were soon driven out by hordes of bush flies which made life intolerable.

Back on the highway we went south east again to Crystal Springs. Nice name, same about the crappy campsite which was also crawling with flies. After some difficulty finding the correct campsite and having to take the trailer off to turn around when we took the wrong road we took one look at the camp and headed off again.

We finally ended up at one of the most scenic caravan parks in WA at Rest Point. The $22 fee hurt but we were fed up, tired and dirty so this was our only real option.

December 23rd 2003 (Tuesday)

From Walpole we went 12km east to the Valley of the Giants turn off. From here it was a short 6km ride to the Tree Top Walk ($6 per head) which is worth the money and something that should be on your ‘to do’ list if you are down this way. The spans reach 40 metres (only about half the height of the tallest fire tree you can climb in this area) but the view from the top is interesting.

There is also the Ancient Empires walk which although along the ground I found MORE interesting than the tree top walk. From here we continued through what is left of the forest (much of it was turned into farmland many years ago) back to the highway and then down to Peaceful Bay. Nice area but we didn’t linger as we had quite a few kilometres to cover.

Next stop was Parrys Beach ($5 for tents $10 for everyone else) which again was just a whistle stop. Then on to the main scenic attraction of the day; William Bay. This is a National Park and so is restricted to those without pets but it is a REALLY beautiful place. I remember swimming here many years ago as a child and it hasn’t changed at all.

After a quick lunch and refuel at Denmark it was a long drive up the Denmark-Mount Barker Road, west through Rocky Gully and on to our final destination for the day; Muir’s Bridge on the Frankland River.

Although this is really just a rest area by the river, if you have a small vehicle like a camper you can follow a track down to a campsite right next to the river and this is where we decided to stay for the night. After a week on the road we had some dirty clothes to clean so it was a good chance to test out the little washing machine. With the generator and our 12v shower pump we (I actually) were able to do 3 loads of washing which really helped in the ‘I need something to wear’ department.

December 24th 2003 (Wednesday)

Another Christmas is here, and thank goodness this one won’t be spent melting away in Alice Springs.

Since we have had the bus, our Christmases have been spent in Perth, Halls Creek, Townsville, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs and now somewhere between Manjimup and Pemberton – although this year we are in the camper not the bus. We are camped up at Big Brook Arboretum which is a small site in the forest not far north of Pemberton. Nearby is Big Brook Dam which is a wonderful swimming spot so we have decided to put up the tent and stay a couple of nights. With the new rotisserie Belle wanted for Christmas (which we tested out for the first time at Walpole) we will even be having (if all goes well) a traditional Christmas roast lunch. The rotisserie was only about $40 from Big W and has a 3 year warranty so we are looking forward to many roast dinners that we would otherwise have had to miss out on.

The only stop-off of note today was Muirs Lake where a new bird observatory has been constructed. For those without powerful visual aids (this is not some sort of disease), the birds will be a bit hard to spot but it is a useful site for travellers as there are toilets, seats and tables near a large parking area.

Toilets are becoming quite a focal point now we aren’t travelling in the bus. We still have the same porta potty but it is travelling in the trailer (after a VERY unfortunate accident when it turned UPSIDE DOWN IN THE VAN!) and getting to it and finding secluded places to put it is turning out to be too much of a hassle.

December 25th 2003 (Thursday)

Christmas lunch worked out very well. As the small oven isn’t exactly built to do full roast dinners we had to cook the potatoes first and then did the pork which was delicious. The day was spent lazing around camp and having an afternoon siesta after too much to eat for lunch. A pretty typical Christmas day – except that we are out in the bush.

December 26th 2003 (Friday)

The weather is hotting up a bit today so we are thinking about cutting this trip short and heading home tomorrow. We still had more campsites to check out around Balingup and Collie but that can wait until next year when things start to cool off again.

December 27th 2003 (Saturday)

The weather has turned VERY HOT today so wee are off back the Perth. High winds, hills and the weight of the trailer caused the van to work very hard and after a fuel stop at Harvey she refused to start for about 20 minutes. (Another vehicle that hates the heat.)

The trip has been quite successful in both a research sense for Camping Australia and as an evaluation sense for the campervan. There are still some things to sort out as the power system isn’t set up to charge the batteries in the trailer when we are driving. That caused real hassles when the frozen food all defrosted but it is something we should be able to sort out. I have decided to take the 120w panel off the bus and mount it on the trailer but how exactly I will do that has to be worked out before we go north again.

This trip lasted 11 days and took us 1651 kilometres. The van (pulling the trailer) used did an average of 4.79 kilometres to the litre at a cost of $0.13 to the litre. This is a substantial saving over the bus but as the bus weighs more than 4 times as much as the van it isn’t surprising.

The overall cost of fuel for the van has been $0.11 per kilometre and mileage figures of 4.72 kilometres to the litre.