Dazz & Leanne

Night Photography

2011-11-28T15:55:00.003+10:00

Cotton Tree

2011-11-21T09:52:00.014+10:00

We've had great weather, and had lots of fun kayaking, boogie boarding, collecting shells and taking photos with our weekend visitors...

Vietnam

2011-11-17T15:30:00.006+10:00

If we haven't posted for a while it's usually a sign of being busy with work, and not doing anything interesting... in the last few weeks this has only been half true. Dazz has been EXTREMELY busy with work, but also doing very interesting things. I, on the other hand, have not been terribly busy, or doing anything particularly exciting.

There had been talk of Dazz doing a teaching intensive with the Masters program in Vietnam earlier in the year, but we weren't sure that it was actually going to happen. All of a sudden it was on, and he was rushing to get visas and travel organised. After much discussion we decided that I wouldn't go. He ended up working 10hour+ days for the two weeks, with the middle weekend to catch up on sleep, class preparation and do a few hours of sight-seeing. Although it was exhausting it was a great teaching experience.

We spent a lot of hours on skype, often while he was eating at restaurants. Seafood figured prominently. He tried a couple of different tropical fruits, including the famously stinky durian. Although he had told the other teacher they would definitely not be hiring motorbikes, he ended up on the back of the bike of one of his students when they took him sight seeing and shopping! And where do they park all their scooters - in the scooter park, of course...

Now we're up at Cotton Tree having a 'holiday'... oh, and doing some marking, and beginning to prepare for on-campus teaching that begins in December. Of course, doing all that is hardly a chore when the air conditioning is going in the heat of the day and there are views of the beach. Being able to kayak, walk and swim in the early morning and late afternoon is when we are really on holidays.

What!?!?!?

2011-10-26T18:53:00.002+10:00

We had a quick trip over to the coast to get a few things done to the van at the factory. Since we had to be there early (7am) we thought we'd put up with a noisy night at the Landsborough turnoff. What we didn't bank on was a seeming 'park and ride' that started about 4am. By the time we decided we'd leave at 5am we were almost parked in...

A special weekend with Ellie

2011-10-26T17:28:00.009+10:00

Since her brother came to the gem fields for the July school holidays, we had promised Ellie a special three-day weekend away. A pupil free day provided the perfect opportunity. Our first stop was the rest area at Ravensbourne. This giant worm was found in a bit of an explore after breakfast.

The main destination for the weekend was Somerset Dam. It turned out to be great weather for kayaking, and after being a passenger for a while Ellie decided it was her turn to paddle. We called her Captain Zig Zag, but she did a great job!

We saw a pheasant coucal, invented a new dessert - The Taj Special, had perfect morning tea marshmallows and spent Sunday afternoon at the mountain cousins where we learnt about bee keeping.

Reserved

2011-10-09T15:27:00.003+10:00

The perfect campsite is hard to find, and everyone wishes they could reserve their spot for next time... so we did. Our favourite Brisbane bush block, with power, water and meals (including morning & afternoon tea!!) is officially reserved.

Lake Coolmunda

2011-09-15T07:44:00.006+10:00

We stayed in Toowoomba long enough to get new tyres, go shopping (it had been a month since the IGA in Coober Pedy!) and do some marking and then we were off again. We took the kids with us and they were super excited (they were picked up the next day, but we're here for a week). Last time we were at Coolmunda there was so little water that we were kayaking in the old creek on the eastern side of the dam. Now it's almost full and absolutely beautiful. Great waterfront views, kayaking, clean lake water, yellow-belly courtesy of our neighbours (thanks Bob & Toni), great weather (once the wind stopped on Monday), internet, TV... this just about has to be the perfect camp spot.

An uneventful trip home

2011-09-15T07:35:00.002+10:00

From Lake Bindegolly we did a lot of driving to get home. The only photo worth putting on the blog was the sunset through the trees at Westmar.

Lake Bindegolly

2011-09-02T08:25:00.005+10:00

The Camps book only showed a day-use area at Lake Bindegolly, east of Thargomindah, so we decided we'd stop there for lunch on our way to Yowah (opal fossicking!). When we picked up a brochure at the Visitor Information, however, it mentioned bush camping on the southern side of the road. We didn't get our hopes up, thinking it might have been a parking area on the side of the road... but it wasn't! Our one night stay has turned into four. The kayaking is great and we've seen some interesting water birds (Great Crested Grebes, Pink-eared Ducks, Baillon's Crake & Black-fronted Dotterel photos are below) and other wild-life.

Cooper Creek

2011-08-30T15:56:00.010+10:00

We had crossed the Cooper Creek at Windorah, and flew over it running into Lake Eyre, but at Innamincka we finally put our kayaks in it.

Not long after leaving Innamincka we did our first tyre of the trip. We had stopped to look at something and Dazz noticed the front tyre had started going down while we were there. When he took it off there was a fairly pointy rock underneath, so we may just have stopped in slightly the wrong spot...

How mad is a cut snake? Not very if it has its front end run over enough so it can't see with its eyes or feel with its tongue. We couldn't quite stop fast enough to miss this one. Dazz did put it out of its misery once he realised it wasn't long for this world anyway.

We did a detour to the Dig Tree of Burke & Wills fame. This time Dad went kayaking with Dazz.

The Stzelecki Track

2011-08-30T15:41:00.013+10:00

The Strzelecki doesn't actually start until Lyndhurst, but we started the day in Leigh Creek. Dad got a bit of a 'move along' at the Leigh Creek Coal Mine Lookout.

We had to keep stopping for lizards. Their camouflage is amazing once they leave the road.

Montecollina Bore - an oasis in the middle of nowhere

Another great meal, another great camp fire, another great day in the outback.

Moomba

The gibber plains gave way to small sand hills for a while.

It was back to gibber plains just outside Innamincka.

Gammon Ranges

2011-08-30T14:18:00.012+10:00

Dad was sick for their first few days at Wilpena Pound, so Mum & Dad wanted an extra night or two before we left for Innamincka. We were happy to oblige, as that gave us the chance to go out to the Gammon Ranges for two nights and do a day walk. The wild flowers were beautiful and Dazz even captured a mistletoe bird eating mistletoe!

Parachilna

2011-08-30T13:54:00.007+10:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but we've done a lot of driving through a lot of country that's a long way from internet coverage. So, to catch up, we spent a few days at Leigh Creek marking, giving Mum & Dad the chance to go down and see the Flinders Ranges. In between marking we went down to Parachilna Gorge for a couple of nights to get our own fix of the Flinders. We had a great camp fire cooking day, walked up the mountain behind our camp and enjoyed a drive to Blinman and back through Glass Gorge.

Lyndhurst

2011-08-16T15:41:00.002+10:00

This time we managed not to miss the turnoff to the Ochre Cliffs. The colours were amazing.

The rest of the Oodnadatta Track - to Marree

2011-08-16T15:21:00.013+10:00

We saw this snake just in time to pull up before we ran over it. It stayed on the road for ages, just looking around, before sliding off into the saltbush.

Lake Eyre South

2011-08-16T14:19:00.004+10:00

More sunset and sunrise photo opportunities for Dazz & Dad.

The Oodnadatta Track

2011-08-16T13:51:00.006+10:00

Flight over Lake Eyre

2011-08-16T12:09:00.006+10:00

We had decided to do a flight over Lake Eyre this year, and it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon for it.

A spectacular sunrise...

2011-08-16T11:10:00.003+10:00

a quick service of the brakes,

a final check to see which way the road goes...

and we're off to William Creek.

Coober Pedy

2011-08-16T10:24:00.004+10:00

A forecast of rain in a few days meant we left Coober Pedy a day earlier than planned so we wouldn't get stuck on the Oodnadatta Track. We did have a look underground and saw examples of opal in the ground. Our short time 'noodling' didn't produce spectacular results - I think we'll stick to sapphires and zircons.

The Breakaways

2011-08-16T09:33:00.002+10:00

The Painted Desert

2011-08-16T09:26:00.003+10:00

Kata Tjuta

2011-08-11T18:27:00.007+10:00

Uluru

2011-08-11T18:11:00.008+10:00

Kings Canyon

2011-08-04T16:42:00.011+10:00

Going further west

2011-08-04T16:28:00.004+10:00

Since we were going further west on a loop around to Kings Canyon and Uluru, we left Ormiston Gorge and Redbank Gorge for the day we headed that direction. We would have loved to climb Mount Sonder, but didn't have enough time, so only went as far as the saddle lookout.

We enjoyed a magnificent sunset and then sunrise at Glen Helen Gorge.

The East MacDonnell Ranges

2011-08-04T16:05:00.008+10:00

After quick stops at Emily and Jessie Gaps to see the rock art, it was off to Trephina Gorge for some more walking.

We kept driving east to Artlunga Historical Reserve - an old gold mining settlement. We decided that it would probably have been preferable digging underground than living above ground. It would have been a hard life in this dry, isolated place.

Alice Springs Desert Park

2011-08-04T15:27:00.020+10:00

We took a day between 'hiking days' to check out attractions in Alice Springs. We only made it as far as the Alice Springs Desert Park, and spent the whole day there. They had areas for different types of desert habitat with labelled plants and great aviaries, including some that were walk-in. We had a great time finding all the different birds, and of course taking photos of them! Here is a selection of the best ones.

The West MacDonnell Ranges

2011-08-04T14:57:00.009+10:00

We've had a great week and a half hiking in Central Australia, but not much time or internet connection to put any photos on the blog. Our first foray was to the West MacDonnell Ranges - Simpson's Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Serpentine Gorge and the Ochre Pits.

Gem Tree

2011-08-04T14:47:00.001+10:00

Years ago we met a guy who had been digging for garnets at Harts Range, so we put a detour in our schedule out to Gem Tree. After a quick discussion we decided we'd rather speck for zircons just down the road, rather than drive all the way out to Harts Range for the day. It turned out to be a great decision. Either people don't know what they are doing or they are only looking for massive zircons. A day and a half of specking old piles of wash yielded far more than a season at Sapphire would!

Heading south on the Stuart Highway

2011-07-25T22:27:00.011+10:00

Devil's Marbles at sunset and then again at sunrise

2011-07-24T22:01:00.013+10:00

Heading for the Territory

2011-07-24T21:27:00.007+10:00

From Boulia we headed north to Mt Isa and the scenery changed from sand hills to rocks.

We crossed the border west of Camooweal and we were in the Northern Territory.

We were graced with flocks of budgerigars at our campsite on the Barkley Tableland, along with lots of kites and eagles.

The Boulia camel races that weren't

2011-07-16T21:01:00.004+10:00

As we drove toward Boulia the radio assured us the races were going ahead, but there was a lot more rain overnight than they expected and the track and camping area were rather soggy. Mum had even brought out her best hat for the occasion, but the races were still cancelled. They did manage to find a dry corner of the arena for the camel tagging though. Competitors have to put a piece of tape on a camel, run back to the fence, then retrieve the tape. Sounds easy - fastest one wins... oh, camels can apparently kick in any direction, and it certainly seemed that way to us.

Outback travel - after rain

2011-07-16T20:45:00.005+10:00

Just as we arrived in Birdsville it started to sprinkle with rain. Everyone said there wasn't much in it and that it probably wouldn't affect the roads. We were going to leave Big Red until the following day, but the sky was looking a bit lighter out to the west, so we decided to go that afternoon. On the way out the rain stopped, and on the way back it started drizzling again. Turns out it was good we went that day as the road out there was closed the next day. The road north was also closed in the morning, so we had a leisurely few hours to sort out a slow draining fuel filter, wander around the town and sample the pies at the bakery. Once on the road we were treated to some blue sky and classic outback scenery.

Although the road was open it was 4WD only and there were some slippery patches of sandy mud where there had been water over the road. At one point we stopped to talk to a vehicle coming the other direction to check on the road ahead and he noticed Dad's van had a flat tyre. A great opportunity for Dazz to use his new 6 tonne jack!

Birdsville

2011-07-16T10:08:00.012+10:00

We went out to Big Red in Dad's car. It was our first time driving in sand, and even though it was damp we decided against driving up the dune itself. Some of the smaller ones getting in were enough of a challenge, and we didn't want the Simpson Desert recovery vehicle to have to come and get us. The climb to the top wasn't too long, and we were able to see why the normal road was closed!

Setting off on our big Central Australia Adventure

2011-07-16T08:11:00.013+10:00

We were on our way home from the Gem Fields - a mere two hours from home - when there was an odd noise. Something like a rock hitting under the chassis, but there were no rocks on the road. We stopped shortly after at the rest area in Warra and Dazz had a look under and around - we have a problem. Quite a large problem, actually. Snapped bolts on the tow bar.

Now, we've been there, done that. Which is why we have a new car. A new tough car. Surely not. But yes, we snapped bolts.

A few phone calls later and Dad was on his way out to pick up the van and me. Dazz raced back into town to try to get the towbar looked at that afternoon. Of course, we were planning on a quick turn around and leaving on our central Australia trip with Mum & Dad the next day. To make a long story short the Hayman Reese guys was completely mystified and the only thing that anyone could come up with was a low speed bottoming out on the tow hitch (months before) had weakened something. We hadn't been happy with how low the tow hitch hung (because of the weight distribution bar arrangement), so after a bit of research and measuring with the old hitch on (no distribution bars) we decided to give it a go. About 1800kms on and we're happy with the handling, and extremely happy with the extra clearance we now have under the hitch. So, only 24 hours behind schedule, we left on our big Central Australia Adventure.

Our first stop was Dulacca, and it was cooold. Well below zero and ice on the window frame above our bed.

The next few days involve a lot of driving as we headed west, trying to catch up on our lost day. We were hoping to get to Cooper's Creek, just east of Windorah in time to put the kayaks in one afternoon, but our lunch stop on Kyabra Creek was too good to resist - warm midday sun and a stack of birds.

We did get to Cooper's Creek that afternoon and set up camp on the river bank.

Our next overnight stop was about halfway between Windorah and Birdsville, on the side of the road. As we went further west the sand dunes began, all covered in foliage.

Our annual family holiday to the Field of Gems

2011-07-04T10:31:00.005+10:00

After a few weeks of long hours marking assignments we were ready for the annual holiday with Dazz's brother and family. Their neighbours came again this year, after missing last year's trip. We brought my nephew too. Once again there has been some great campfire cooking (three camp ovens going at once on a few occasions) including olive bread and cakes, roast chickens and of sweet potatoes in the coals.

The kids started off the week as the most successful fossickers, but Uncle Dazza trumped them all with another big one. We can only see through part of it, though, so we're not sure how good it really is. Off to the gem cutter tomorrow to find out...

The great thing about the gem fields is that you never know what wildlife you might come across (and I'm not just talking about the people at the markets, either).

Long drives and short walks

2011-06-27T14:46:00.016+10:00

After a few days visiting people in Melbourne we were heading north again. Destination: Moree hot pools, before our next lot of marking was due. We mostly drove, but did take a few short strolls to stretch the legs in some of the places we passed through.

Bendigo

Echuca

The Hay Plains

Lake Cargelligo

Condobolin

The hot pools in Moree lived up to all our expectations!

Dazz and a mate have been tossing around how to take chooks on the road... we might just have found the solution...

Wilsons Promontory

2011-05-31T19:10:00.009+10:00

Ninety Mile Beach, on the way to the Prom.

We hadn't done a hike for ages, and had picked out a lookout walk in the north of the park (the southern part of the park is closed due to flood damage). It was showering while we ate lunch, so we dressed up in wet weather gear. Of course, as we set off the rain stopped and the sun began to come out - it seemed as if we were over-dressed. Not long later, though, the clouds descended and turned into a steady sprinkle. The attire was definitely justified.

Just as we reached the top the clouds lifted and we caught some glimpses of the promised 'panoramic views'.

We did a second shorter walk to some inland sand dunes. Unfortunately it was a bit late (and we were a bit tired) to walk down into the dunes for a close up look.

An afternoon drive to the high country

2011-05-25T12:01:00.011+10:00

We left the van in Bruthen and did a loop through Omeo, Mt Hotham and Dargo. It was a bit too far for an afternoon, but the weather was forecast to get worse over the next few days, so we made the most of what we had.

The top of Hotham was covered in cloud, and it was dark soon after we went through Dargo, but there were still beautiful views between the mist and rain, and moisture makes the snow gums look spectacular.

East Gippsland

2011-05-25T11:52:00.013+10:00

Lunch in the kayaks in the river at Gipsy Point (north west of Mallacoota)

Marlo – where the Snowy River meets the sea

The Snowy River

Lakes Entrance

The south coast of NSW

2011-05-25T11:15:00.010+10:00

Hyams Beach – supposedly some of the whitest sand in the world.

Stalking the monster within…

Within the van, that is. He came out without too much fuss.

Batemans Bay

Bermagui

Bega – the obligatory visit to the cheese factory

Merimbula – the surf was small but there was some sort of comp, so everyone was out to impress

Was this the culprit?

2011-05-17T09:13:00.004+10:00

The scene - Bendeela Campground, Kangaroo Valley. Dinner time. A group of uni students from Wollongong camped not far from us.

The van begins to shake. "That's someone shaking the van!" Dazz bounded out the door, expecting to find one of our neighbours had already had too much too drink and thought it would be funny to harass us.

Nothing. Noone. He went around the van a few times (it was dark) and there was no sign of anyone scurrying away. No sniggers in the camp next door. Maybe a small earthquake? They have been known to occur in this part of the country. Then he noticed a large lump on the ground. A wombat... could it have been?

He pushed on the wheel in the manner he imagined a wombat would if he was scratching himself. "Was that how the rocking felt?" "Yep, that's it... it'll probably go on all night."

And it surely did. Every few hours we were woken to the gentle rocking of wombat scratching on a wheel. When he found the step at 3am, though, I think he woke the whole campground as it banged and clattered up and down.

Fortunately the little critter didn't wreck our plans for a long stay in that beautiful spot, as we were just out of internet range and needed it for marking... but now we've learnt what happens when you share a campground with wombats. Does anyone have any wombat repellent?

Sea Cliff Bridge - Coalcliff

2011-05-16T22:37:00.009+10:00

The Taj Mahal meets the Sydney Opera House

2011-05-16T21:56:00.011+10:00

Since we were on the north shore and were heading for the south coast the best way was through the city. We chose to travel at night so there'd be less traffic, but we were going to make the most of it by going across the bridge... yes, The Sydney Harbour Bridge. I set the camera on video and off we went (so the quality isn't great, but it's the best I could do from a moving vehicle at night... oh, and I was supposed to be navigating too).

The view from the bridge isn't that great, but I did get a glimpse of the Opera House.

The Taj on the bridge

and in the city

Scattering pedestrians and avoiding buses

Through a few tunnels, and it was all over.

Catching up

2011-05-16T20:59:00.003+10:00

We're on top of marking again, so it's time to catch up on the few photos we have taken in the last few weeks. Here are a few more from the forest in Nundle.

More forest photos

2011-04-25T16:29:00.006+10:00

While one of us has been hard at work the other has been out exploring with his camera. My brain is dead from marking, so it's time for me to put a few more of his best ones here for your viewing pleasure.

Nundle State Forest

2011-04-21T10:41:00.009+10:00

Our first choice of camping spot for the week was Sheba Dams, up the hill from Nundle (south east of Tamworth). It was a lovely spot, but a bit too shaded for the solar panels, and just out of internet range. We went for a drive around the area the following afternoon, looking for a more suitable spot and found a seldom used side track off a forestry road with great views out to the north west and stand of eucalypt to the east. We moved up here the next morning and have been rewarded with two lovely sunsets the past two evenings. With plenty of photographic opportunities literally outside our door, this is prooving to be an ideal camp spot.

Tamworth

2011-04-19T14:37:00.010+10:00

The results of a leisurely stroll in the park while our car was serviced, then a walk in a different park later in the afternoon.

Glenriddle Reserve

2011-04-14T08:22:00.003+10:00

A quiet camp on the little river running into Split Rock Dam, north of Tamworth. Dazz worked hard marking for a few days and I caught up on washing, cleaning and cooking... of course there was time for a few photos too. A black shouldered kite and plum headed finches.

A day trip to The Glacial Area with friends from Narrabri for photography and a BBQ lunch

2011-04-12T15:49:00.001+10:00

The fun of the fair at Moree

2011-04-12T14:45:00.006+10:00

Our visit to friends in Moree coincided with the Moree Show & Rodeo, and since it was THE event in town we went along with our friends… both Friday and Saturday nights!

Between the two nights at the show we squeezed in a picnic at Cranky Rock.

The Severn River - just outside Ashford

2011-04-07T09:24:00.015+10:00

The neighbours came knocking on the side of our van last night to see if we wanted a picture of this baby possum. He'd been wandering around their camp so they gave him some apple and then put him back in a nearby tree.

A perfect sunrise with mist on the river.

Goomburra - the start of the next big trip

2011-04-07T08:37:00.024+10:00

The full time work is finished (although the calendar tells us we have an assignment due every week in April, two in May and then a truckload in June!), but at least we are back on the road... which means we are back in the land of blog. Our first weekend away was at Goomburra with assorted friends and family. In spite of the rain and leeches everyone had a good time.

Dazz bought a new lens for his camera, which really excited our 10 year old nephew because he got a 'new' (i.e. Dazz's old) lens to use. And use it he did. Here are a couple of his shots from the weekend.

The Floods

2011-01-11T12:33:00.002+10:00

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that we're okay, and so is the Taj. We do have friends who have water through their houses and know a couple of people in the Lockyer Valley who have lost houses. Mum and Dad have had a bit of water in their garage downstairs, but nothing too serious.

Is it 2011 already?

2011-01-03T15:10:00.006+10:00

Work really cramps our photography, travel and blogging! We've just had two weeks with no classes, but still managed to fill it with other work, marking, Christmas and two overnight trips to Brisbane and the Gold Coast to see family and friends. We have driven past both Somerset and Wivenhoe Dams in our travels and after years of drought they both were having water released! Wivenhoe was particularly spectacular.

We haven't had any flooding here in Toowoomba, and we are very, very pleased we now live in the Taj and not a leaky, mildew infested caravan!

Mary Cairncross Park

2010-11-19T16:45:00.011+10:00

For years we've driven past Mary Cairncross Park, but haven't had the time to stop. With our marking finished and nothing else pressing on the agenda, we packed a picnic lunch and set off to explore. We started off with just the camera, but went back for the tripod. After a few hundred metres and we decided there really were a lot of birds (like the lady at the information desk had said) and went back for binoculars and bird book. It took over two hours to walk less than 2kms through this lovely patch of rainforest. Our patient looking was rewarded as we saw a Wompoo Fruit Dove, Catbird, Noisy Pitta (the first time we've seen one of these) and a Black Faced Monarch feeding her baby... oh, and a stiff neck from looking up at the canopy!

The Taj

2010-11-16T10:36:00.021+10:00

We've finally done it! There is now no need to be embarrassed if you hear we're coming to park our van outside your house. Property prices will no long plummet with our arrival. We have upgraded. While we were in Turkey we'd been looking online and the best one we'd found was at the Sunshine Coast (where we just happened to be going). The day after we arrived back in Australia the fridge in the old van let out all its gas (thankfully we were out at the time - we could barely breathe when we opened the door and it took hours to air out), so the hunt was on in earnest. When we went to see the Bushtracker it lived up to, and even exceeded, our expectations from what we'd seen online. It was a done deal. We were the talk of the caravan park when we moved our old van off to the side and arrived back with the new one. And then the rest of that day was spent ferrying goods and chattels from old to new, arranging and rearranging cupboards and finding the best spot for everything. Of course, this was all a major distraction from the marking that needed to be taking place... but we did eventually get to that (which is why it's taken two weeks to blog this momentous occasion). Every van worth its salt needs a name, and this one seemed to name itself - the Taj (as in Mahal). We have almost doubled our internal area and now have a bathroom (rather than a porta-loo in the kitchen) - it certainly feels luxurious. There are lots of big windows (which just happen to be looking out at the beach at our current location) so it's bright and open. Even though it feels massive inside, it's still smaller than a lot of the other vans in the park at the moment. We've had a revolving door of visitors to the Taj, and even a number of skype tours. Apart from one nephew who has many great memories of camping in the old van, we've had thumbs up from everyone - especially the Queen of the Taj. Now where is my tiara...

The cultural experience that is The Istanbul Marathon

2010-10-18T18:47:00.014+10:00

Once a year the Bosphorus bridge is closed to traffic and open to people, so of course we had to enter the Eurasia Marathon - the only one that runs from one continent to another (Asia to Europe). Of course a full marathon is a little beyond our current level of training and fitness, so we entered the 'fun run'. Now we observed plenty of 'fun', but not so much 'run'.

We joined about 100,000 other people in order to experience the rare opportunity of walking across the bridge. Crossing the bridge didn't seem to enter the mind of some, though, as they sat down to eat breakfast, play chess, play cards or do a Turkish dance (I'm not sure how to make the video small enough to link to, so you'll have to imagine that one).

An event like this brings out all types, and there were certainly some types. If you look carefully you'll see the lady is carrying all the essentials for an 8km fun run - water, flags, hat and a bread ring. Now, you may not have realised that bread rings are necessary for an 8km run/walk, but they are. In fact by the time we crossed the bridge we were feeling a little peckish ourselves and a bread ring really did hit the spot.

It was a great opportunity for photos from the bridge, and there were good views of Dolmabahce Palace and the Ortakoy Mosque. Unfortunately the usual Istanbul haze prevented a good view down to Kiz Kulesi or the Sultanahmet area.

At the finish line we surrendered our bibs for a bag with a medal, a t-shirt and a certificate! Now, where can I sit down for a quiet smoke to warm down...

What is it about poking crocodiles that seems so attractive?

2010-10-18T18:46:00.001+10:00

Konak, Izmir from the ferry

2010-10-18T18:40:00.001+10:00

Istanbul

2010-09-27T18:57:00.006+10:00

We don't often go to tourist places, so a trip to the Grand Bazaar with friends the other day was a great opportunity for photos.

An unexpected surprise the day after we arrived in Istanbul...

2010-09-08T03:01:00.003+10:00

And no, the rumours aren't true - he didn't just find it on the ground.

Another day kayaking, another reptile encounter

2010-08-30T17:16:00.002+10:00

On our way home we stopped at Bedford Weir for a few days (north of Blackwater). It's a great free spot to camp, and the kayaking is usually very relaxing. We put the boats in the water mid-afternoon and went for a leisurely float among the dead trees up a side branch. We'd watched the spoon bills fly away as we approached, and then return to high branches as we sat quietly. The ducks didn't let us get very close at all, but we did scare a number of large fish (probably catfish, according to the fisher folk) and caused some great jumps and splashes (the fish, not us).

All of a sudden Dazz noticed something swimming in the water ahead of us and quickly realised it was a snake. Of course we chased it. It went up a tree - what a perfect photo opportunity. Focusing on a snake, rather than on all the branches around it, was quite an effort (especially since it was the older camera with only a 50mm lens - the one that gets taken out on the water). He got a good photo of the snake, but we didn't quite get the 'crocodile effect' we were hoping for.

Karumba

2010-08-14T09:13:00.011+10:00

After we left Karumba we spent a night on the river at Gregory Downs. We arrived nice and early in the day and had time for some campfire cooking (no fires at Lawn Hill NP, and it was too hot to even want a fire for most of the time we were there). The cheese and olive bread was voted the best yet!

Karumba was all about seafood - fresh Gulf prawns for lunch every day, a nice seafood meal out at the local restaurant and fish and chips on the beach watching the sun set over the Gulf. Dazz and Dad went out fishing on a charter boat for an afternoon and came home with 13 really good sized bream between them.

As we were planning on which way to head home we had a phone call from some friends who are travelling in their van (of ‘Darren’s bad for kids’ fame). They were keen to meet us on the Gemfields, and we love the Gemfields, so our direction and time-frame was set.

We stopped in Normanton for a photo with a replica of the largest salt-water croc ever shot, and had a quick look around some of the mining relics in Croydon. Next day was a big day, but we fitted in one photo stop at a lagoon and chimney ruin just outside Georgetown. Now we’re back at Sapphire for four days and Dazz is teaching another crop of children (and their parents) how to speck.

Lawn Hill

2010-08-07T13:20:00.010+10:00

We had a fantastic week at Lawn Hill, with a few nice walks, a drive down to Riversleigh Fossil Field and lots of kayaking on the crystal clear creek through the gorge.

We saw some new birds, including the rare purple crowned fairy wren. There were plenty of lizards/skinks, along with turtles and fish.

Undoubtedly the highlight was croc spotting. They were only freshwater ones, but now we're at Karumba in salty territory the kayaks are staying strapped to the roof!

Mount Isa to Lawn Hill

2010-08-03T09:54:00.004+10:00

We had a couple of nights in a caravan park in Mount Isa - just enough time to catch up on washing, shopping at a real supermarket and for Dazz & Dad to do an underground mine tour. Of course there were also a few trips up to the lookout at various times of the day and night for photos of the town and mine.

We're expanding our knowledge of birds as we travel west and north. Some of the photos aren't great though - it's so hard to get the birds to sit still in the sun, but with the sun behind the camera, and close enough so they don't have to be cropped too severely! Here are some from our overnight camp north of Cloncurry. There will be lots more from Lawn Hill when I catch up on those photos.

Out here dots on maps don't always mean towns, but there is usually fuel every 200-300 kms. The Burke & Wills Roadhouse is halfway between Cloncurry and Normanton, and the junction where we turned west to go out to Gregory Downs and Lawn Hill.

The scenic route to Mt Isa - via Boulia

2010-07-24T15:53:00.008+10:00

We discovered that travel takes a lot longer when there's another van. There are twice the delays when getting going in the morning as one van usually discovers a problem just as the other is ready, and by the time that's sorted the other van has found something else to fix. When the second van also contains a photographer there seem to be more photo stops, and of longer duration. Oh well, not a bad place to be hanging around waiting.

There weren't too many 'roos out and about, but we did see a couple of camels.

Means of transport and haulage, now and then.

Our favourite section of the road. Amazing colours and formations.

A classic outback sunset to finish of a great day of travel.

Longreach to Winton

2010-07-24T15:42:00.005+10:00

We did a few of the tourist things in Longreach. The 747 had bits cut away here and there so we could see into cargo bays, behind wall and floor panels, and in the cockpit. We also enjoyed a stock-whip making demonstration at the Stockmans Hall of Fame.

Just outside Winton, on top of a jump up (mesa), is a great view and the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. It's a fairly new museum with most of their fossils still encased in rock. The tour took us through the work area where staff and volunteers painstakingly remove rock to reveal the fossils within.

You think he would have learnt his lesson...

2010-07-24T15:05:00.017+10:00

No, not about the wheel. He did check the tyres and wheels and decided the tyre had rubbed unevenly (similarly to one that was replaced on the other side in Victoria earlier in the year). Since we had quite a bit of dirt road in front of us over the coming weeks we decided a new tyre would be a good call.

No, not the springs. They are cracked, but they're not ours! A cousin has a livestock trucking business in Muttaburra, and he'd cracked a few leaves on one of the trailers.

Yes, something as innocent as these kittens caused the trouble. We'd been standing outside our vans chatting with the family when the kittens from across the road started poking about. The door to mum & dad's van was open and they were about to hop up for a look when they were chased away. When we went to bed it was suggested that the kittens might get up in the car (since the back door was open to ventilate the fridge while the man of the house worked on his computer). A short discussion ensued where I was assured that there was not enough room. Of course, I thought, there was plenty of room, but there was no point pursuing the matter further...

Next morning as we were getting ready to sight-see around the district I was asked to come and smell the back of the car. The cats had been in there. Turns out that when he went to open the car in the morning he was being stared down by two kittens who had spent the night keeping warm next to the fridge compressor. They had been locked in when the back door was closed after the computer work was finished!

It was rather reminiscent of the mouse episode as we sniffed here and there, discovered a message, could still smell something and found the second message. A good clean and a spray with disinfectant and it was back to normal. Maybe now he's learnt...

Outback Queensland is dinosaur fossil territory and Muttaburra is the home of the Muttaburrasaurus. The bloke who found the fossil in 1963 was actually the guy who gave us a tour of the local hospital museum, which has been set up as it would have been back in its day.

Corellas were almost in plage proportions in the town, covering trees and power lines and creating a general nuisance of themselves.

Just before we left town we had a run in the road train out to a property to pick up a load of cattle destined to market. It was amazing how quiet they were and how quickly they were loaded.

The King of Specking

2010-07-15T11:20:00.003+10:00

After a very slow week and a half, finding nothing much in the diggings and only one decent cutter (pictured in the last blog), Dazz finished off with quite a bang. The day after the family left he went out specking in the morning and came home with nothing, reminding himself that perseverence was necessary. After lunch he said he was going for a walk - not serious specking.

'Leanne. Come out here.'

'Hhmmm. He's found one, and has put it on the ground for me to 'find' (since I hadn't found anything this time)' I thought to myself as I went out the door.

'Hold out your hand.'

'I thought you'd put it on the ground for me to find.'

'You wouldn't miss this one!'

As I held out my hand he place a big black rock on my palm. Wow! I held it up to the light and twisted it around. It wasn't clear like the first one, and there seemed to be a crack, but as I turned it this way and that, colour was coming right through. It didn't seem like a bomb.

It was about 3:30 on Friday afternoon. 'We have to go in to town and show the cutter. She might not be there tomorrow.' So vegies were left half cut and we raced in to town. The cutter called us a name that, roughly translates as 'lucky pigs'. It was almost 50 carats. One end definitely has some cracking but the other end looked okay, with some imperfections that may cook out. We won't know until it's cut how big it will turn out, but of course the imagination has been running wild!

On Sunday afternoon he had time for one last speck. Once again my name was called from outside the van, and this time I was pointed in the direction of the road. I had a look around, walked past it and then turned around to see a very obvious sapphire just behind me. This one was the smallest of the three, but will still probably cut a very nice stone. We decided not to take this one in to be cut just yet, but show it off to a few people first.

Now we're at the weir just south of Barcaldine (the photo is what's become of the dead 'Tree of Knowledge'), waiting for Mum & Dad to arrive. Apparently you don't have to be a Dickson to have things go wrong with your van - travelling with them, or just intending to travel with them seems sufficient! While packing the van on the planned departure day the door lock broke and they had to wait for a part, putting them a day behind. Hopefully all the breakages are behind us now!

Through the eyes of children

2010-07-09T12:44:00.010+10:00

Dazz likes to teach people about photography, and has recently taken to letting the kids in our life use his old camera, giving them pointers along the way. His nephew took to it with a passion (maybe this is genetic too!), and even put on a couple of slide shows for us. Here are a selection of his favourite photos:

Not to be outdone, his older sister also had a go and produced a great slide show. Here are some of her photos:

Oh, that's right, we were here to fossick. This year there seemed to be more time spent around the camp fire sampling the delights of the camp ovens than digging, but Dazz did speck a very nice sapphire.

A lot of things are genetic

2010-07-02T11:04:00.011+10:00

We're well aware of a number of the traits that characterise Dickson males, but the more time we spend with the family the more they become apparent. This year, not wanting to arrive at the Gemfields to choose a camp and dig spot an hour before sunset, we planned an extra stop along the way. The first night Haydo, Meg & the kids made it comfortably to Chinchilla Weir, and so we decided that we would aim to catch up with them (after leaving a most lovely family wedding in Brisbane mid-afternoon). It was a late night for us, but the family awoke to find that the rude people who parked so close to them in the middle of the night were us.

The other van is only on its third trip out, so there's even more to and fro, back and forth, in and out, forgot to do this before that can happen, etc. than happens when we pack up. In the process of all of the packup one of the clips fell closed under the fly bag and as the van was wound up just enough to get the door closed it was noticed that the mechanism wasn't working properly. No one was too concerned - it could be fixed that night.

We meandered our way through country towns taking a little longer at every stop than planned, and so decided to make camp at Rolleston rather than Springsure, since there was the minor repair job to be done. What is it about Rolleston? Readers of our blog with good memories may recall that last year Rolleston was the site of an 'inside oil change' and a towbar that almost fell off...

Plan A was to wind up the top and support it with pieces of wood so access could be gained to the inside to work out what needed to be done. The top was a LOT heavier than expected and as a certain someone wound the handle it didn't seem to be going up. 'A bit more' was yelled, followed by the distinct snap of a metal cable. Hmmm. That didn't sound good.

An inital look inside the cupboards (lying on the floor of the un-popped van) didn't reveal any access into the workings of the machinery. It was a race against the sun and attempts were made to pull off panels from the outside - unsuccessfully. It was quickly decided that our travelling companions would be staying in a cabin, not the unpopped van that night. As light faded and torches were produced it was discovered that there was access through the floor of the cupboards, and the inital problem (caused by the latch that fell closed) was discovered. Fortunately it seemed like it would be easily fixed. The old mate at the caravan park had brought over a roll of wire when he heard the cable had snapped, so a plan was hatched for the morning.

A few hours of daylight and numerous trips to the back of our truck for bits and pieces resulted in a successful fixing of the cable and winder. When the clicking of the ratchet resulted in the lifting of the roof there was much jubilation.

We were back on the road and heading for a sunset arrival again! It didn't take much discussion to decide on a one-night camp in a spot we knew, then the next day we would fill all the water containers and head off looking for the perfect spot to camp and dig for the rest of the time.

This year the chainsaw wasn't left at home, and the cooking fires have been great. Stay tuned for more adventures which will no doubt occur with all the Dickson genes congretated around here.

We're back!

2010-07-01T14:15:00.011+10:00

After a couple of long, hard weeks of marking we're back in the land of the blog. So, to catch up on the photos that have been sitting on the hard disk since they were taken...

After leaving Lake Eyre we had rain, with more rain and strong westerly winds forecast so we decided to make the most of a tail wind and head across to Menindee. The afternoon we arrived there were some dark storm clouds around, but they didn't bring rain to us - only some great photos.

Over the next few days the wind abated and the sun came out and we were able to enjoy camping right on the lake (Pamamaroo - just north of Lake Menindee).

The dirt road to Wilcannia was still closed from the floods (it opened the day after we left) so it was back to Broken Hill for a quick look around before heading east. We've left the real sight-seeing in the Broken Hill area for another time when we're not so rushed. We had a reservation at the hot pools in Morree with Dazz's aunty & uncle, so we were in a hurry!

Although the Darling River was back within its banks there was still plenty of water lying around. There were also plenty of birds around, but most didn't get close enough and still enough for a decent photo.

We saw the lizard on the road and screeched to a halt, surprised to find him in no rush to escape into the grass. He looked interesting from the outside, but when he opened his mouth he really put on a show!

Dazz almost stood on this little snake when he went to take a photo of the plowed field to the horizon. When he decided he was ready to move he was gone in a flash. Good thing he didn't go at the photographer...

A few more photos

2010-06-01T14:20:00.009+10:00

Here are some panoramas from the Lake Eyre trip, and some photos of the rain on the way back south. Streams of water in the desert.

Heading to Lake Eyre

2010-05-30T10:05:00.014+10:00

True to the weather forecasts, the rain started again on our last night at Wilpena. It was forecast to continue for a couple of days, with a window of two mostly sunny days before the next lot of rain. Obviously it would be no fun driving up the Oodnadatta Track to Lake Eyre South and camping in the tent overnight in the rain, so we were watching the weather websites closely as we took a few days to travel the couple of hundred kilometres to Lyndhurst, where we would leave the caravan. The upside of a few days of rain was to get us caught up on photos and the blog (that’s when I did the last blog) and some interesting sunsets through breaks in the clouds.

As we left Lyndhurst on Wednesday morning it was still cloudy, but seemed to be clearing. The further north we went the better the weather became. We knew we were in the outback as we camped at the beginning of the Strzelecki Track in Lyndhurst, passed the beginning of the Birdsville track in Marree and travelled the first 100kms of the Oodnadatta Track.

Most of our trip followed the old Ghan railway line, with with relics of days gone by at intervals along the way. One local has created a number of sculptures on his property which added further interest to the trip.

Much of the landscape is flat, but the effects of water can be clearly seen in dips and hollows that obviously become raging torrents when the rains come.

We had lunch at the Lake Eyre South lookout, and went for a walk down to the lake. When we had first glimpsed the lake it seemed like the water was not too far from the track, but further on at the lookout the water was a long, long way away. After visiting the Pink Lakes in NSW a few months ago we were expecting to be able to walk out on a salt crust, but the recent rain had left the crust soggy.

Even though the lake is usually dry when it has water in it there are fish! Lake Eyre South only has water from local rain over the last few months, not from flows coming from further north, making this even more amazing. As the water evaporates, though, it’s hard for them to survive.

We decided to go back to where the water was closer to the road to find a camp spot for the night, following 4WD tracks off the road and towards a knoll. Not only did this give us a better view, but also some protection from the wind. It was a great camp spot, on the edge of Lake Eyre, with a full moon and a lingering sunset.

The next morning we woke before sunrise to a perfectly calm and clear day. As we enjoyed porridge by the camp fire the cloud once again started to accumulate, but the wind didn’t come up. We had a great couple of hours enjoying the reflections and playing mind games with the invisible horizon.

The wheel tracks weren’t ours – we’re not that stupid – but loved the way they seem to disappear into the clouds.

Are the seagulls on the horizon, or standing on the water’s edge?

And my personal favourite, ‘island in the sky’.

The Flinders Ranges

2010-05-24T09:55:00.007+10:00

Once again the weather seemed like it was going to dampen our hiking aspirations. Mostly cloudy, mostly sunny, showers developing. We wanted to climb St Marys Peak, the highest point in the Flinders Ranges, so decided that would be done on the ‘mostly sunny’ day. A drive and a lesser walk to Red Hill Lookout would have to suffice for the mostly cloudy day. As the day progressed, though, the cloud lessened, and it turned into a great day for looking out over the Heysen Range.

The afternoon sun brought out some amazing colours on the way home.

The mostly sunny day was sunny. Very sunny. We did a loop walk with a long slow up and a very, very steep down. The views were amazing and we’re still sore!

Showers developing turned into mostly sunny, but we were in no state for any serious walking after our climb the previous day, so we went for a drive back to a couple of lookouts, and wandered along a creek bed for a couple of kilometres.

A sneak peak at the top of the Eyre Peninsula

2010-05-23T16:26:00.005+10:00

After the few days of walking our focus shifted to marking – five and half 10 hour days for Leanne and a couple of days for Dazz (guess who was on all domestic duties?). We stopped long enough in Port Augusta for a photo and then it was on to Point Lowly, just north of Whyalla, the designated camp spot for marking. It was a pretty spot, but we only saw what there was to see from the caravan! Fortunately that included a nice view of the water, and an amazing sunrise.

The last afternoon we managed a quick trip in to Whyalla to do some shopping and take a few photos from the lookout.

Mt Remarkable NP

2010-05-23T16:07:00.012+10:00

We both had marking to do last week, but there was nowhere convenient (i.e. free, where we could run the generator) to stop until after passing Mt Remarkable NP. With walks beckoning we put off the marking for a few days, knowing we would be extra busy squeezing it in before we were booked at Wilpena Pound.

The first day the weather was overcast and showery (again – seems like we’ve had a lot of that) so we chose a drive to the northern end of the park with a short walk through a gorge. After descending a few hundred metres down a staircase into the gorge we walked along to the first point of interest. There was a fine misty rain, so we sat in under a ledge in order to take some photos. It was only then that the photographer remembered that the camera battery was on the charger in the car. By the time we got back to the staircase to continue on the loop walk the rain had stopped and there were some glimpses of blue sky, so up he went to get the battery. The sun disappeared again, so the photos from the rest of the walk weren’t stunning, but at least we have photos.

We would have liked to have been up Hancock’s Lookout on a clear day, with views over the top of the Spencer Gulf, but we had even grander plans for the following day which was forecast to be sunny.

Mt Remarkable is characterised by scree slopes, according to the brochures, and this is indeed true. The walk was a steady climb of 6kms, looping back and forth across scree. Unfortunately the view from the top (and east toward the Spencer Gulf) is now obscured by trees but at least the views out to the east were magnificent all the way up and down. We also spied an echidna and a great lizard on our way down.

Another beautiful day, another crack in the chassis

2010-05-23T15:55:00.007+10:00

After leaving Innes NP we decided to take a scenic route, criss-crossing the Yorke Peninsula. It was a lovely sunny day so we had to keep stopping to take photos of ruins. The lunch stop was near Port Giles, with stunning views back across the Gulf St Vincent to the Adelaide Hills. A routine check of the chassis (yes, that’s a new thing that’s been added to our long list of routine checks) revealed a small crack on the side that had been repaired sometime before we bought the van.

As we stood there eating our lunch, wondering which town would be best to head towards, a policeman pulled over to check if everything was okay. We must have just had that kind of look about us. He was a camper himself, and immediately crawled under to have a look. He pulled on this and shook that and emerged with the verdict that it would get to any of the towns on the Peninsula no worries. He gave us a run-down of who could fix it in each of the towns, and even offered to weld it himself if we got stuck!

So once again, with much prayer and stress we poked our way along until we reached our planned destination of Maitland. First thing next morning it was off to the welding works and another plate. The verdict was that the old repair had probably been a home-made job a lot of years ago, and wasn’t up to the extra strain placed on it when the other side was badly cracked. The guy who fixed it said he repaired about one chassis a week… I guess it’s no big deal to crack a chassis.

Innes National Park (The Yorke Peninsula)

2010-05-07T16:06:00.008+10:00

As we’ve travelled around the southern edges of Australia we’ve discovered how quickly the weather can change. This morning we awoke to a beautiful clear sky, even though the forecast hadn’t looked very good. Sure enough, by the time we were ready to go out the clouds had come over and the blue sky had disappeared. On the other hand, when we set out yesterday it was overcast with a couple of very light showers in the morning, but we still managed to get some great blue-sky photos!

The town of Inneston was built around gypsum mining in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They obviously did a good job of preparing a hard pitch, but the outfield looks a little slow.

Going up in the world

2010-05-05T17:09:00.015+10:00

Before we get to our literal move up in the world, we need to back-track to see how we ended up in an engineering workshop…

There is a paucity of free camp spots around the Barossa and Clare Valley regions, so we had chosen to spend a night at the Auburn Caravan Park – a somewhat grand name for a few power poles under trees at the recreation ground. As we were leaving on Sunday morning, on our way to church, one of the other campers mentioned Mintaro as a lovely historical town in which even new buildings need to be built so they look old. It sounded interesting, so we plotted our course for Clare, via Mintaro, and then across towards the Yorke Peninsula.

As we slowly turned back towards the main road, after stopping up a side street in Mintaro, there was a clacking sound coming from the van. The suspension often squeaks, but a clack was new. The navigator jumped out and went to listen for where the sound was coming from. It didn’t seem to be the wheels, or the springs. Driver and navigator swapped positions and after a few more metres of driving the wheels and springs were ruled out.

‘Oh no!’ (Long time readers of our blog may recognise this expression as being associated with broken gear boxes, diffs, wheel bearings and other such episodes.) ‘What?’ ‘A cracked chassis.’ ‘Oh no.’

Now, we had been discussing and debating the idea of a new caravan over the past few months, and only the day before had come to the conclusion that we didn’t want something bigger and wider than the GT (the Grand Tourer – yes it is grand, even if it is only 13½ feet long). So now what? Were we being forced into a new van?

We had just been talking to a local and he had mentioned about an area behind the local park that was council land, which wasn’t officially designated for camping, but was occasionally used by travellers. Could we make it around the corner without splitting the van in half? Gingerly we crept metre by metre, praying all the way until we were safely off the road, and then it was straight online to look for options.

With nothing else to be done, the photographer decided to take a walk around the town. The neighbour to our paddock was out in his yard. Since we had the generator running, and it wasn’t really a camp spot, a conversation was struck up in order to explain our situation so as not to cause unnecessary angst regarding the gypsies camping behind the tennis courts. It turns out that the friendly neighbour used to be a caravan engineer, that he knew exactly what the problem was, and that there was an engineering company 14kms down the road that would be able to fix it.

When the photographer returned (with no photos, due to this fortuitous news getting him sidetracked - hence the lack of photos of Mintaro for the blog) he was greeted with relief. There were no second hand caravans in the whole of South Australia that appealed, and only one place advertising chassis repairs had been found, and that was in Adelaide.

Next morning it was off to the engineering company to see if they could come back and weld our little abode back together. After coming to look at it and hopefully brace it for the trip back to the workshop, the boss decided it couldn’t be braced and would have to be driven as it was. We unloaded as much weight as we could, some of it into our car, some into his ute, and emptied the water tank. The 14kms to Farrell Flat was the longest, most prayer-filled 14kms of our lives! (Actually it was reminiscent of the trip up the steep mountain road from Mann River with the car on the tow truck and the caravan being pulled behind.) The van was straight into the workshop and the guy was under it in a flash.

As we were talking to the boss we asked about the idea of putting the leaf springs on top of the axles, instead of below, to gain extra clearance. He said that wouldn’t take them long. We clarified that we were only asking ‘in principle’ about the idea and the effect it might have on handling and stability. Again, he said it would be no problem – they were manufacturing and fixing all kinds of farm equipment, some leaf-over and some leaf-under. We decided to go for it, as the clearance has caused problems for us a few times in the past.

That left us with half a day to explore the Clare Valley, so we set off to amuse ourselves driving a circuit around some small towns. We had a most pleasant afternoon and wandered back to the shed around 4pm.

The wheels were off the van still as the guy was just changing one of the bearings as he’d noticed it was quite loose. As we stood chatting he developed a perplexed look. The new bearing was tight as it slid into the housing, but once it reached the bottom it was loose. He asked if we’d ever had a collapsed bearing – which we’d had in Tasmania. Apparently the collapsed bearing had worn a small race in the drum, which probably should have been replaced back then.

Being late in the day we knew there was no chance of getting the part up from Adelaide until the next day, so we busied ourselves calling RACQ to arrange free accommodation and packing our pyjamas while the boss organised the part. We were treated to the most beautiful sunset as we drove back over to Clare to the motel. Staying in a motel should have been a nice treat, and having an inside shower was certainly appreciated, but we missed our own bed!

So now we have gone up in the world. Four inches to be precise. Our view is that little bit better, and going up and down gullies into that perfect camp spot has become that little bit easier. Oh, and we had the chassis repaired, so hopefully the GT will survive for a few more adventures yet.

Here are a few photos of the Valleys - the Barossa, Eden and Clare.

Adelaide

2010-05-05T16:44:00.009+10:00

Once again the weather put a damper on our great walking plans for the Adelaide area. The afternoon we arrived was quite nice so we went out to the Port area where there is a kayak trail around a boat graveyard. It looked interesting, and even though it was windy we would start against the wind and tide, which always makes coming back easier. As we reached the end of the island we could see a pod of dolphins a few hundred metres away. By the time we rounded the island to where the wrecks began the wind was howling and it was hard work to get up and around the first of the rusting skeletons (again, no photos - maybe we should get a waterproof camera). Drifting back was certainly a lot more relaxing. Just as we got back the sun disappeared behind a cloud, and that was the last we saw of the sun until after we left Adelaide.

The next day we drove up into the hills and wandered around Hahndorf. The rain held off long enough for us to enjoy the autumn colours as we walked up and down the main street.

In the afternoon we were going to go for a walk around the city and Lake Torrens, but had to be content to drive up and down a few streets. Even when it wasn't raining the overcast sky and the threat of imminent rain took the appeal out of walking and taking photos. We'll just have to come back...

The cloud lifted high enough on our last day in Adelaide to do a walk to Morialta Falls. It was nice to finally give the hiking boots a bit of a work out. The views and photography would have been better with blue sky, but the cliffs were still spectacular.

The Fleurieu Peninsula

2010-05-05T15:48:00.019+10:00

A conflagration of driving, not being able to run the generator in one camp spot (which limited the time we spent on the computer to the essentials), feeling the need to be out and about the whole time we were in Adelaide to make paying for a caravan park near the city worthwhile, and a few other adventures have put the blogging a little behind.

When we left the Coorong we thought we'd continue up to the end of the little peninsula to have a look at Lake Alexandrina. We found there was a free ferry (there are lots of free ferries across the Murray in SA) which saved us going back around through Meningie. It also meant we could walk around the only inland lighthouse in Australia, which marks the narrows between Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert.

After going through Murray Bridge (the sight of the first bridge over the River Murray), we camped on the river at Mannum. We went for a kayak up past where the house boats were moored. An egret sat majestically on a jetty as we floated past - it would have been the perfect photo, but we don't have a waterproof camera so the images we see when we're kayaking don't make it to the blog.

The next day it was down to Deep Creek National Park. On the way we detoured out to Hindmarsh Island to see the mouth of the Murray. It was a lovely day and we wished we had more time to go kayaking (as well as somewhere to wash the salt off the boats before we put them back on the roof - an important consideration now we have a new car!).

Most of the time we were at Deep Creek the weather was windy and showery. We couldn't use the generator so had to drive each day to keep the batteries charged. One benefit was that we saw a lot of the peninsula, and did a few short walks between showers. The rocky outcrops at second bay were beautiful and Dazz found this lizard on a piece of wood at the mouth of a litte cave.

The car easily did the steep track down to Blowhole Beach, we caught a glimpse of Kangaroo Island between rain bands and the remains of the Talisker silver mine were interesting.

There is a horse drawn tram along the 600m causeway from Victor Harbour to Granite Island but we enjoyed the walk while the weather was nice.

We were really struck by the lack of trees on most of the Peninsula (apart from the forestry plantations), and the widespread clearing that had obviously occurred for agriculture.

Southend to The Coorong

2010-04-21T10:42:00.006+10:00

Here are a few photos from Canunda NP, Beachport Conservation Park, sunsets in The Coorong NP, and a postmodern lighthouse for good measure!

Adventures with wildlife on the way to Mt Gambier

2010-04-18T17:26:00.012+10:00

It’s been quite an eventful week. As we set off through Coonawarra and Penola, towards Mt Gambier, there were signs of some wildlife pecking about at the tissues and the rubbish bag in the car. Presumably the birds had had a skerrick around while the doors had been left open. Nothing more sinister came to mind until later in the day when, at snack time, the container of nuts was found to have been chewed through. A mouse.

A plan was needed for a trap (it was Sunday and we were not in hardware store territory), so the now useless container was drilled through to become a spinning wheel on which to balance some cheese. The rest of the nuts, along with some apple cores, were placed in the bottom of a big bucket, which was squeezed onto the front floor of the car. What mouse could resist?

Later in the evening the trap was checked and the cheese had fallen into the bottom of the bucket. Could the mouse have been that smart, or did the trap move when a door had been slammed shut?

Next morning everything was just as it had been left. The mouse had obviously vacated the car. That was the supposition until fresh droppings were found in a place where there had definitely been none the night before…

The whole car was emptied – not a small task for a car as jam packed with gear as ours. The mystery of the tissue bits was solved when a lovely little tissue nest was discovered in between where the back seats were folded down. Some wiping down and a bit of disinfectant spray and all traces were gone. There was just the one minor problem of the mouse, which was obviously hiding up under the dash with absolutely no chance of being spotted.

A proper trap was going to be necessary, and today. There was no way the mouse was going to be left to its own devices for another night in the car. Fortunately we were headed to Mt Gambier, so one of our first stops was the hardware store. After much discussion and testing of the wooden traps in the store, it was decided they were not sensitive enough for a mouse as cunning as ours. A more expensive ‘sticky trap’ was decided upon.

And the outcome? Suffice it to say that it was barely dusk when the trap was retrieved with the rodent helplessly stuck in the middle. The other half of the sticky trap is mounted behind the gear stick with a nut nicely placed in the middle. Apparently there is a bit of a mouse plague around, so we aren’t taking any chances.

The weather was less than perfect for seeing the Blue Lake in Mt Gambier, with a grey sky and a few showers while we were in town. We still enjoyed the gardens in the sinkholes and the area around

the lakes though. We also climbed to the rim of Mt Schank on our way down to Port MacDonnell (and saw a skink eating skink!). One benefit of the weather was a beautiful rainbow over the sea.

Bound for South Australia...

2010-04-09T12:43:00.013+10:00

After almost a week of uneventful marking, odd jobs and a general lack of photographic opportunities we’ve certainly made up for it in the past few days. The usually dull and boring trip across the Hay Plains was incredibly pleasant. Not only was it green, but there was water lying around.

Our destination was the Pink Lakes in Murray Sunset National Park. The park books and website made it sound interesting but we really didn’t know what we’d find. There was a forecast for rain the day after we arrived, so as soon as we got there we went for a walk and found the lake was a salt pan. The pink hue comes from carotene in the algae that lives in the water underneath the salt crust (according to the book). We were treated to lots of spectacular views later in the afternoon and the next day as the rain came through. The rain formed a lovely thin layer of water on the salt crust and produced some great reflections.

Now we were so close to the South Australian border the itch to get moving couldn’t be kept at bay. Our first stop has been Naracoorte Caves National Park, and we weren’t disappointed. We did a tour of the cave where they have found fossils of the extinct mega fauna. The tour was very interesting, with explanations of how the animals fell down pit fall traps, as well as the types of clues they use to try to figure out more about the extinct animals’ diets and foraging/hunting habits. There was the usual array of cave decorations, and some pretty native gardens above ground too.

A few more days of marking await us, and then it’s further south to Mt Gambier.

The return of the gypsies

2010-03-31T16:07:00.004+10:00

We were allowed a brief passing visit to a family that Darren was banned from last time (I guess it's my good reputation that gave him permission to sneak in). According to their blog (http://oldmillie.blogspot.com/) the verdict is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/moklh#p/a/u/0/FAaCMvS7tq4

(Sorry couldn't work out how to embed the You Tube thing.)

Melbourne from a car window

2010-03-25T15:32:00.007+10:00

We were in Melbourne for four days and spent a few hours of each of those days in the car (between the caravan park and the wedding venue, to and from the airport to pick up/drop off a friend, and visiting other friends). We really like our new car, and it is now much more pleasurable driving in traffic knowing we can accelerate at the same pace as the cars around us! We are also a lot more confident getting around Melbourne, with only a few minor incidents with missing turns and exits.

We had a great time catching up with friends and family in Melbourne, Geelong and Castlemaine, and are now in Bendigo. One of the great things about travelling is being able to visit people and take time for relationships, rather than being caught up in the busyness of work.

A quick update on the way to Melbourne

2010-03-18T08:26:00.005+10:00

After a couple of long days of driving we were able to reward ourselves with a day in the high country in Victoria. We spent yesterday in Mt Buffalo National Park. We did a few short walks (including to the Dicksons' Falls!!) and then stopped in to have a look at a lake. An older couple were putting their kayak in, so we thought 'why not?'. A few minutes later we were paddling around the beautiful calm lake enjoying the birds and the reflections. Magical.

Decked out and almost ready to go

2010-03-10T07:34:00.004+10:00

The car is ready, the van's getting some spring work done tomorrow, I have a day of presentations and portfolios to mark and then we'll be ready to leave on Saturday morning! We're getting excited and are looking forward to hitting the road again.

Too many titles

2010-02-20T08:35:00.006+10:00

I know it's been a while - too long, in fact - but we're back. Over the last few months we've had a few 'gotta blog that' moments, but teaching and marking have taken precedence.

Title 1 - Semi-retiring, again

We only have three weeks of teaching left before we hit the road again. It will be almost two years to the day since last time we 'semi retired'. We decided that semi-retiring is such a great feeling that we'll keep doing it! We have a wedding in Melbourne on 20 March, and so we'll make the most of being down in Victoria and spend a few months poking around the high country and the east of the state. Knowing we were about to embark on another long trip meant we had to work out what we were going to do about a car, because we weren't confident that the old 'faithful' Jackaroo would be so faithful....

Title 2 - Once in a lifetime!

This is probably an accurate description of how often we will own a brand new vehicle! After much discussion and debate, toing and froing, umming and ahhing, adding up repair bills for various ages of 4WDs, researching different models and going around in circles, we decided that the best option for our motoring needs would be to buy a new 76 Series Landcruiser and plan to keep it for 25 years. We're really happy with our purchase - it's a very similar size and shape to the Jackaroo, so we'll be able to fit all our travelling necessities. The old roofrack bolted straight on, and many of our accessories have been (or are in the process of being) transferred over. The man of the house keeps saying how much he is enjoying driving it. No more clunks, rattles, shakes and shudders, and the power.... it even accelerates up a hill!!

Title 3 - Just in the nick of time...

The day we brought home the new car we were putting some of our stuff out of the Jackaroo into it. Dazz was looking under the bonnet of the Jacka, and now that we had something to compare it too, we decided it was really looking very sad. As he closed the bonnet he heard a rattle and a bump and looked down to discover the indicator assembly had fallen out. A sure sign that it was time for it to be put out to pasture! It's now been taped back into position so we can keep using the car to get us around the days that the Cruiser is in the shop getting accessorised.

So the next three weeks will be filled with teaching (for Leanne), marking and working on a few other uni projects (Dazz), and getting through a long list of things jobs so we are ready to go on 13 March. Well, I'd better get to it!

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-23T15:12:00.005+10:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-5, 14).

May the Light that shines in the darkness shine on you this Christmas.

Apparently Dazza is good for kids after all

2009-12-16T13:30:00.001+10:00

Finally a ‘good news’ story about Dazz’s influence on children: We had an email this week from friends in Turkey. They were having tacos and little Mr Grade 1, who does not normally eat lettuce, asked for lettuce on his taco. When questioned by his surprised mother he replied that he had lettuce on his taco with Uncle Dazza and it gave it a good crunch! This may not make up for all of the bad influences that have occurred over many years, but at least there’s one family in the world that doesn’t think Dazza’s bad for kids!

A distant memory...

2009-12-08T09:03:00.002+10:00

We've been back teaching at uni for two weeks now, and our time at the beach is fast becoming a distant memory. We're enjoying the students, and the air conditioning, but it's hard to beat life on the road. Here's a few more pics from our time at the beach to keep the memory alive.

Gypsies!!

2009-11-17T09:52:00.002+10:00

Note the slight difference in the title from the last gypsy post (apparently there is now no question about it). We just received the following email from friends with four kids that we visited in May...

"And also, they say Gypsies leave trouble behind wherever they go

THAT FITS!

Still quelling the mutiny here…"

I'm free to visit them any time, but not 'that guy I hang out with'. Apparently he's just no good for kids...

Gotta love a beach holiday in Qld!

2009-11-07T09:05:00.003+10:00

Well, it hasn't been completely 'holiday'. We have been marking, but it doesn't get much better than this for work... Walks along the surf beach, kayaking in the river, watching the world go by, swimming, taking advantage of Mum & Dad's water-front site views. When it's too windy to kayak the kite surfers come out and put on quite a display.

Gypsies??

2009-10-27T12:01:00.000+10:00

Last week the six year old son of friends we stayed with a few times in Turkey was doing his English home school and was learning about the different kinds of homes people live in, including gypsies living in caravans. He turned to his mother very seriously, and asked, "Are Uncle Dazza and Aunty Leanne gypsies?" She kept herself from laughing (just barely) and told him no, that not everyone who lives in a caravan is a gypsy.

A few hours after I read the email from my friend Dazz came into the van and said ‘gypsies, hey…’. I asked if he’d seen the email too. He had no idea what I was talking about. He’d been working on the car in the shed with my uncle and as they walked out of the shed my uncle commented on the gypsies camped behind the shed. So maybe we really are gypsies…

Sunset

2009-10-20T20:19:00.003+10:00

As the sun began to set metaphorically on our time in Turkey Dazz decided to take some literal sunset photos.