10th October to 31 October 2014

10^th October.  We pulled out of the camp at about 9.30am and arrived in Naracoorte at 9am!!!!!  Oooops we had forgotten to adjust our clocks and watches after crossing the border yesterday.
We managed to find Woolworths in Naracoorte and did our grocery shopping and stocked up for the next 10 days.  Once this was put away we headed the 40kms west towards Lucindale.  Arriving at the ‘Yakka Park Field Day’ area was difficult as the signage was VERY difficult to see BUT we got there safe and sound and then were directed to our spot for the next while.  We have been connected up to ‘treated’ bore water, so will see how we go J
There were quite a few people here when we pulled in but by the end of the day there were about 150 units set up and starting to mingle.  By lunch time our dear friends Doreen and Ken Scott had arrived and they are parked right behind us – so we can mingle as often as we like :D.
11^th October to 19^th October.  These 10 days were FULL on.  We had tours around the local area, trips to Penola and Coonawarra, trips to the local Livestock exchange, trips to local museums and out to Kingston SE where the fishing fleet used to come in.  Here we got some lovely fresh fish but for those who wanted crayfish, had to head to Robe or Port MacConnell.  We decided we could go without as at $98kg it was way out of our budget.
We had charity days where the donation for morning tea went to Beyond Blue.  We had craft mornings and info-sessions about caravanning and insurance etc.  We had games of Bocce (Boules), Finska (Klop) and Ladder golf.  All of these gave lots of enjoyment and entertainment.
Darryl and I got knocked out of Finska in the semi- finals so were very pleased with our progress.  On the Sunday we had a session with Fred Wright from Caravan and Motorhome magazine and at the end of it four couples were asked to speak to Fred about their FArmSTay  (FAST) experiences.  This is an opportunity open to all financial members of the ACC to stay on properties owned by other ACC members – and Darryl and I were asked to be one of these couples.  In the end though it was myself that was interviewed by Fred for a DVD that will be out early next year – we believe.  We will wait and see if and when it comes out.
20^th October. We have been round and said sad farewells to quite a few of our friends and we are now headed to Kingston SE with five other members of the Morton Bay Drifters Branch of the ACC.  We are staying here for two nights to try and was some of the sediment out of the water tanks and the hot water service after our time at Lucindale.  Quite a few people came down with gastro-bugs which could have been as a result of drinking the bore water that so many are not used to (the alkaline taste took a bit of getting used to).
21^st October.  Marie and Wayne Adams (from Gilston on the Gold Coast) and Darryl and I went on a sight-seeing drive down the coast and to Robe for the Day.  What an interesting part of the country and some beautiful old buildings and history about Matthew Flinders and Captain Baudin.
Marie and Wayne have decided to travel with us for a bit, so tomorrow we are heading off toward Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills.
22^nd October.  We had an interesting drive up to The Granites camp ground not far out of Kingston SE and then up to Chinaman’s Waterholes – an interesting history lesson about the Chinese immigrants and the gold rush, and then up to Meningie.  From here we travelled up and crossed the Murray River on the ferry at Wellington and called into the caravan park there.  We were able to leave the vans hitched as we were pulling out again in the morning.  An old park and no drinkable water from the taps as it comes directly from the river.  They do however have plenty of tank water available for you to use. 
23^rd October.  We left Wellington early and drove up through Strathalbyn to Mount Barker.  We have pulled into the caravan park here for 4 nights as we want to do a trip into Adelaide and up into the hills.  A nice tidy park which also incorporates camping on the disused oval.  I walked up to the town this afternoon to post some items to Beckie and then back to the park.  We have decided that we will catch the train into Adelaide tomorrow for a day trip – only to learn that the train does not run anymore but there is a bus service – so we will catch it just after 8 in the morning and be in the city about 9.15am.
24^th October.  Up early and a short walk to the bus station and a pleasant trip into Adelaide.  We alighted at the Wakefield stop so that I could go and take some photos of the ORIGINAL MENZ BISCUIT FACTORY on Wakefield street.  At the moment the interior of the building is being converted into one big open space to be used by the Adelaide University but the façade of the building is still intact.  We then walked up the street and met up with Marie and Wayne and went into the Rundle Mall.  A comfort stop and morning tea and then we ambled up and down the different arcades that lead off the mall.  We then found the main railway station and Marie and Wayne caught the tram out to Glenelg whilst Darryl and I investigated the city a bit more.  Met up with Marie and Wayne again at about 3.30pm and we caught the bus back to Mount Barker, arriving at about 5.30pm.  Due to traffic and the number of passengers, the trip took longer than usual.
Over the next couple of days we did trips up to Gumeracha and the Toy factory and the home of the BIGGEST ROCKING HORSE, Lobethal, The whispering Wall and out to Strathalbyn to visit with our friends Dot and George.  We had full days and two of them had lots of rain and super strong winds – up to 75kmph.  So instead of heading to Nuriootpa on the Monday we stayed put in Mount Barker.
29^th October. Today we travelled up through the hills to the Barossa Valley and camped at the van park in Nuriootpa.  A bit busier than when we were here three years ago (they are having a ‘Day on the Green’ at the Peter Lehman Winery on Saturday – so lots more people booked in).
The weather here has been VERY changeable….. one day it is boiling hot, next freezing cold with winds that go straight through you, then it is warm and sunny but with cold winds.  My Meniere’s is not enjoying the climatic changes at all and so it is impacting in what I can and can’t do.  Unfortunately, the day can start out great and very quickly it changes to where I just need to sit and rest and the others feel guilty because they want to do stuff, then I feel more guilty as I am holding them up. L :C
Marie is finding the cold weather really unbearable and is rugged up more often than not. You have to be prepared for all types of weather as it can change very quickly.   Whilst here we have been out to Maggie Beer’s farm shop and ran into Margaret  (Editor at Large) and Rob McAlister from Caravan and Motorhome Magazine and she put up a photo of Marie and Wayne, Darryl and I and herself on the Caravan and Motorhome facebook page.  Was lovely having a chat with Margaret and Rob and then enjoying a lunch with Marie and Wayne.  We did a short trip out to Angaston and Tanunda and Chateau Dorrien (Darryl go another bottle of Mead) and just a drive around the hills to Luhrs Cottage from the early 1850’s.
We were going to get some dried fruit from Angas Park at Angaston BUT it has moved total operations to Mildura in VIC :( Very disappointed.

Mallacoota #3

Darryl's back is getting much better and the TENS machine seems to be really helping him .
We have had some interesting weather here at Mallacoota.
Thursday we had a bush fire that blocked the road out to the highway - all had to sit tight and wait for it to end, Friday we had a windy and sunny day and then the COLD winds came and we froze, and today we have had rain, sun, wind, more rain and froze. :) :)
Thursday Darryl and I were in the semi-finals of KLOP and won - so went into the FINALS on Friday night and WON that too :).  We will have the awards ceremony on Saturday night.

Details are a little sketchy, but it is thought that noise was an important feature of Klop’s early days. Woodsmen from Carelia, near the Finnish-Russian border, would carve the blocks from the birch forests and fling them around erratically, breaking the enduring silence.
Apart from being tremendous fun, legend has it that the sharp sound the wooden blocks made as they hit each other, klop, caused enough ruckus to keep the hungry bears at bay. So out of much fun and wood flinging the game we now know as Klop was invented.
The secret of Klop is that anyone can play it. All you need is a knack for some block rocking feats – an ability to fling the chuck and send the pegs flying. Let's Klop!

a person playing Klop

Set the klop pins up in a tight circle bunched together with the numbers 10, 11, 12 in the middle.

Place the box 5 medium steps (3-4 metres) away from the klop pins. This is where each player throws from.

One underarm throw per turn using the klop pin (longer & unnumbered pin) at the numbered pins.

If one pin falls, the player receives the number of points on that pin, if two or more pins fall, the player receives one point per pin that falls.

Klop pins must be knocked over fully and not leaning on another pin to receive points.

The pins that have fallen are placed upright where they lie after each turn. (As the game progresses the pins move further from each other)

If a klop player does not knock over any pins for 3 turns in a row, the player is out of the game.

Each klop player has one throw per turn until a player of the game reaches exactly 50 points.

If a player's score goes over 50 points, the players score drops to 25 and continues the next turn around.

 

We went today for the Muster and Community Markets and met Monte Dwyer - we remembered him from when we lived in Katherine and he was the Weatherman on Imparja Television before he moved to 'Sunrise' on Channel 7.

 

Monte's bus