On the 4th November we ventured out for the day and headed into Port Adelaide to the Maritime Museum. What a great day. I have temporarily upped my Meniere’s medication to cope with the spins and frequent Panadol to keep the temperature at bay. I did manage to find where our MENZ ancestors alighted from their sailing vessel to travel up the harbour to the port in 1854 – at a place called ‘The Lightship’ which was placed outside the main harbour. This was located in a reference book at the Maritime Museum and is something that I have been searching for, for about 12 years. Finally to have an idea where this ‘Lightship’ was positioned was a great find.
5th November. We are all leaving Kapunda today and heading out through Angaston to Sedan and sown the hills that have got dry-stone walls to divide boundaries and paddocks, and on to Mannum. We stopped at Mannum on the river for lunch and watched the dual ferries ply across the river.
We then waited our turn to be taken across the river and then we travelled down through Murray Bridge to Ki Ki. We stopped here at a nice little rest area for the night and were kept awake by 5 goods trains that went along the nearby track from 8.30pm until 5.30am. It wasn’t DREADFUL but they certainly let you know they were going past :D.
6th November. We travelled down to Mount Gambier via Penola and arrived at the showgrounds at about 3.30pm. A cheaper alternative in town and easy access to the Blue Lake. On arrival here the drivers side bracket for the weight distribution hitch BROKE free of the car and the hitch itself. Darryl went into town on the Friday morning and managed to get a new bracket and new bar as the other one was bent too badly. An expense that we didn’t need but for safety sake – better to have it, than not.
We are camped here for 4 nights so that we have got time to see the town. It is one of those ‘bucket list’ trips and we want to see it. So we did the trip up to ‘The Blue Lake’ in the extinct volcano and a blue that is so difficult to try to describe, we also did a drive up to another lookout and looked down on what used to be the ‘Leg of Mutton’ lake that had one of the first plantations of Radiata Pines but is now a nursery with only a small amount of water where the lake was. We also went to the Cave Gardens in town, which WERE a cave until the top collapsed and then the resulting sink hole was converted into a garden. There are roses of most varieties grown around the top of the hole and then there are other plants down in the cave. Unfortunately – like at most tourist venues – people cannot resist the impulse to throw rubbish and other items down into the pit. Such a disappointment in many ways.
We ventured out to Umpherston Sink Hole and down into the gardens there. Up until 1911 there was a LAKE in the bottom of the hole and the locals used to go for a row on the water. Now the hole reminds me of the hanging gardens of Babylon. It was so nice down in the sinkhole – this again was a cave where the top fell in and gardens grew – and it is cared for beautifully by the city now.
We then went back to the park and as there was an Outdoor Expo on in the showgrounds – the four of us went for a looksee. We wandered around for about an hour in the 37 degree heat and then decided that we had had enough and went back to the van for a rest.
On Saturday we went for a drive up to Beachport and back to Port MacConnell before returning to Mount Gambier. On Sunday we had a free day where I managed to get all our washing done and most of it dry before the cool set in again. I also did some sewing and made our friend Doreen a tablecloth for her van and completed some handtowels that I had started. I have also commenced some chicken-scratch embroidery on my picnic tablecloth.
10th November. We have left Mount Gambier and making our way to Victoria, On the way we stopped off and checked out Picanninie Ponds, and then into Nelson (lost half an hour when we crossed the border) and on to Portland and the Fitzroy River. We made camp out near the mouth of the river for the night and once settled the cold wind sprang up again and after trying to keep Marie warm for about 4 hours we all decided we would be better in our own vans. There were another 12 campers there with us overnight but some we were talking to have sad that they will be there for about a fortnight to enjoy the fishing up the river.
11th November. We have headed across through Warrnambool and off to Peterborough (Darryl has read about a van park here that has been voted best park in 2013 and 2014) and really wants to stay there. So we arrived in mid-afternoon to a gale blowing and finding it difficult to get warm. Darryl and I went for a walk around the park and whilst he took photos, I tried to find shelter behind the shrubbery :D.
12th November. Today we headed across to the East to Cape Otway and the Lightstation. We spent three and a half hours here and really could have stayed longer if we had had the time. Being able to wander the grounds at our own pace and leisure and to climb the lighthouse and talk with the guide at the top was a great experience. We also visited the Indigenous display about county and culture and the gentleman there was very interesting and informative.
On the road in we saw three Koala’s up in the Manna Gum trees ( and two of them actually had little ones with them). The road in was very twisty and with low hanging branches so the decision by Darryl and Marie to do the trip without the vans was the best. On our way back to Peterborough we called into all the places of interest – Gibsons Steps, 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, London Bridge and The Grotto before arriving at Peterborough at 7.45pm. We all decided that we would get fish and chips for dinner and only JUST made it to the take-away before they closed the doors at 8pm. The other interesting fact is that the coast of Victoria saw 638 KNOWN shipwrecks over the past 100 years. Not only is this the GREAT OCEAN ROAD but it is the SHIPWRECK COAST.
