Sunday 24 February 2013

Just had to stop for a photo shoot at One Steel Lookout. There are great views.  It is just before you enter Ardrossan.  It is a BHP Lookout.  At the back is remnants of an old open cut mine. It is chicken feed to the Kalgoorlie one. At the front huge grain silos can be seen which is this picture. Also Ardrossan township too.  Passed Tiddy Widdy Beach, ,Price, Port Clinton took a trip in to see it and Port Arthur.  Most of these port places are the same. We're heading on to Port Wakefield and Balaclava where we've booked a van site for the night. Caretaker looks after it so when we arrived there was no key for toilet and showers until we saw the caretaker but the washing machine door was open. There was a statue made of iron of a roo and an emu at the Rest Area. Crossed Wakefield River.  Drove in to Port Wakefield.  It would have sandflies at the van park being so close to mangroves growing in the river.  It has BP, United and Shell fuel stations, a Tucker Time Shop, a Budget Motel, a Hotel, and the Rising Sun Hotel, Chicken and Seafood Shop, a Bakery, Matthews Fish and a school.  You would encounter mangroves at the boat ramp and may be sandflies.  It has a Men's Shed and Holiday Cottages.  Our last stop for the day was to a van park at Balaclava for the night.  It is RV Friendly.
This is at Stansbury. It shows the jetty and the cliffs on the beach. "Camping Prohibited along the Esplanade". A campervan was there. Our wheels rolled along to Port Vincent.  Here we saw wheat and barley grown.  More old ruins in paddocks on farms.  It has a school,  plenty of van storage for caravans.  Owners probably ring up and ask for the van to be put on their site when they come to stay.  Fishing is done a lot here. Came across a playground for children, an IGA, Newsagent, shops, Hot Food and a Takeaway.  Didn't see a jetty.Took photos at She Oak Flat.  Port Julia has red cliffs, jetty, van park and bush camping reserve. Black Point drove in to have a look around and what do you think I should find- Why a little lighthouse sitting in the front yard of a house. There was an old church and tennis courts. Billy Goat Flat and Pine Point have houses by the sea.  Mudowurite Point has nuclear waste.  Passed Rogues Point and James' Well.
This is at Wool Bay.  It is Wool Bay's Lime Kiln.  They used to burn limestone and it would go to Adelaide to be used in the building industry.  Blairegowri Park was on the left.
This is the wind farm which generates electricity at Edithburgh which is at the heel of the Yorke Peninsula.We started off from Point Turton and headed to Warooka, Yorketown, Edithburgh, Coobowie. Passed Flaherty's corner, Flaherty's Beach, and Flaherty's cottages.  On the way across more old dilapidated buildings were there and a school  .Warooka has a Butcher, Fruit and Vegetables and a Thrifty Link .  Light lunches and devonshire teas are served in an old manor house. Warooka has a Post office, IGA, Hotel/Motel, a new building(things looking up),Pharmacy, Hair Persuasions.  Even saw a chook scratching in the front garden of a house.  On the verandah of one old house I spotted a rocking chair. Sheep graze around here. It looks like salt lake country. Peesey Park is on the left. Fashion jewellery. Pine trees are by the road. Another salt lake surfaces. Edithburgh is a nice place by the sea. They still have old homes. It has a Bowling Green, Tennis Courts and a school.  Even an old church and a van park.  Also modern houses.They have a little jetty. Saw a Pelican on the water.  Tall pine trees on the Esplanade by the sea. Came across another jetty and Location Cafe. They have a swimming pool and grain silos  .Coowbie is a lovely place by the sea.We went to Giles Point and Port Giles. They have grain and once again have a conveyor belt to load grain on to ships. Reckon there is 100 plus silos. It is very dry.
This is a sunrise photo taken at Point Turton down the bottom of the foot of the Yorke Peninsula.  I was up early for this and would you believe it came up and then the sun and then the clouds covered it over. I consider myself  very very lucky to have this one. It is taken from the van park we were in which is we were at the top of the hill overlooking the sea. A beautiful spot.
Driving around the Yorke Peninsula we came across this old building with a post office box and telephone out the front.
This horse was at the Chatt Centre at Maitland.  We called in to it as it was an information centre only to find it unmaned.  There was a tree by the roadside which was out in bloom showing red flowers. A nice sight. This was on the way to Port Victoria.

Saturday 23 February 2013

You have to go to the Airport to procure a flight to see Wilpena Pound which I have pictured on the left.  We camped behind the southern end of Wilpena Pound.  This is in the Flinders Ranges.  The place called"Wilpena" can have gas fires only.  It has an airstrip.  An emu went flying off the road.  There was a Solar Panels Station Lookout.  Wilpena Camp Ground and Resort had powered sites.  It was an expensive Resort with cabins in the middle of the bush.
Here at Wallaroo are huge grain silos.  It is also stored above the ground back just a short distance from the silos with plastic covers over them.  The grain is put on conveyor belts and sent out to the ships to load.  Electricity here is underground.  Copper Cove Marina is a large Housing Estate.  West End has a Hotel.
A rose in a garden is a splendid sight as most gardens are os stones, cactus, cement and bitumen.
There are smelter works here.  Saw a really big chimney.
Left Kadina to head for Wallaroo.  Here was a Museum with three Bollards(wooden men painted).  On the way came across a Motorcross Group and a Showgrounds. Saw some very very small sheep.  Alpacas sat in the shade of trees by the roadside.  It looked like a salt lake ahead.  At Wallaroo we stayed in a Top TouristPark located at North Beach. Straight out the front of it was the sea.  I happened to catch the setting of the sun on the water. A spectacular sight! If you could only see how they are building homes on this awful saltbush scrubby land you would be surprised. They even have made canals where boats are moored.  Surprisingly there is one high rise building.  This particular photo shows a large boat in at the port of Wallaroo.
This is the old Pier Hotel at Port Germaine.  We spent a night here in the caravan park by the sea. You should have seen the sea weed on the beach.  It was so thick and went for quite a distance along the front of the beach. Enjoyed this spot. Even had tea in the only operating Hotel there.  The publican even sang out "Goodbye Visitors" as we walked out of the Hotel.  This old Pier Hotel is now privately owned. They have signs up in the windows not to peer in and when you do they shout out. It has a very long jetty. There is a large tin shed with the words "Welcome to Port Germaine". Backpackers spent the night here in the shed.  We headed to Port Pirie where we refueled.  Then it was on to Port Broughton.  Along the way saw round hay bales, wheat growing and white, black, and dark brown alpacas  Passed another wind farm which produces electricity.  Saw more ruins but they had no roof.  Spotted a small tractor on a mail box.  A house on the right had five chimneys.  Sheep graze here.  Port Broughton as a butcher shop, newsagent, hotel and Takeaway shops.  It looks like Victor Harbour with its tall Pine Trees and has a jetty too!  It has a fair size van park and beach front cottages.An IGA supermarket and RSL, Thrifty Link, Chemist, Bakery, Dock of the Bay Restaurant and a boat ramp.  Next place we came across was Kadina.  Here wheat grows by the sea.  It looks like a salt pan.  In the paddocks we see round hay bales.  Passed Kamula Stud for Horses.  It has old houses that have been restored.  Cooked a hot lunch by the shade of a tree near the road. Here was Wombat Hotel, Kadina Hotel, The Taste of Italy, an old Catholic Church, The Country Times Newspaper, An Apex Club, Royal Exchange Dining Room, a Fair Dinkum Cafe, Bridgestone Tyres and even a coin operated "Dog Wash".  To receive good television reception most of the local houses have very high antennaes.
This was in the Flinders Ranges.  It is of the Appealinna Ruins. Wills owned a property and brought out to Australia 500 head of cattle and grew cabbages near the home.  When the miners heard how he had water they wanted it for the mines.  Saw an old shell of a building. Flat rocks were stacked one on top of the other.  Roos were in abundance in spinafex country. Saw the one odd magpie and three green/yellow/blue parrots. One day it's so hot and the next day the winds are blowing you away. Oraparinna has a phone and shearing shed.  Dingley Dell Camp Ground has two small tanks ad one large one.  The tap on the small one won't close hence it's dripping.  It is a hard, hard country! Passed the "Great Wall of China" which is a mountain which has a rocky ledge high on top of the mountain. Alpana Station is RV Friendly.  It has two houses and sheds. Butlers Creek has old homes. Came across an old truck advertising the Lime Cafe. Blinman has a Sports Club  and Golf.  Rose Cottage there is made of tin walls and has air-conditioning.  Outside Blinman someone is living in a van and tent in the middle of nowhere.  There are crests, dips, and curves for 12k's in the road. It is very dry. There is a high hill and river gums on the way to Parachilna Gorge.  Angorichina Gorge has a Tourist Village.  Brachina Gorge is here too!
This was the highlight of our day. Sorry I let Col take the view from here. Mine were of the signs. This one is about bush tucker. When we arrived backpackers were drying their towels which were flapping in the strong winds. It was a beautiful view  of the mountains. This was in the Flinders Ranges.

Friday 22 February 2013

This specimen of a dog I call it "Rock Dog". It's been painted and is in a camp ground and rest area.Passed by Gammon Ranges National Park.  You can do bush walking in Arkaroola wilderness. The bark peels off the Red River Gums.  Saw a wood duck dam with wood ducks. Even saw a baby lamb by the road.
Down the road a little further on is Arkaroo Rock. They are a lovely sight to see.
This is Rawnsley Bluff taken after leaving Rawnsley Park Station, a Top Tourist Park where we camped for the night.  Sheep crossed the road as we came into the camp. It was really really hot when we arrived after travelling all day.  This was our camp at the Flinders Ranges.  That night we had lightning and rain.  Next day it was a little cooler.  We departed early and did a loop around Flinders Ranges and to Blinman to see a gorge and took a road back to Hawker and Quorn. I took photos in the ranges as lightning was happening.
Driving around saw many old buildings, churches sheds, etc. from early settlement days. This was taken before Craddock.
This is a Giant Gum Tree 10.4metres (34ft) in circumference.
6 metres (20ft) before a fork in the trunk. Saw plenty of small shrubby trees and plenty of old buildings. Drove over boring uninteresting country. Yakara Creek was dry. Saw salt bush and no trees.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Photo of the old house and outhouse out the back along the road to Morgan.
Photo of an old boat we found along the way before Morgan.
Passed by this Black Stump at Paringa.
The highlight of the day was we had to cross the Murray Rver by Cadel Ferry and have a free ride across to the other side. What an experience! EvenCrickey dog sat up and watched! Col took photo up the Murray River while we crossed it.
Here is a view of the houseboats at Berri. A lovely place to be beside the River.
The fountain at  Renmark. Found it cool in Renmark not 33-38oC as we had been experiencing. The green grass in centre of island n the road was dotted with green trees-What a beautiful sight!
Did a trip in the country to Lockington.  It's a dairy area.  Visited an old historic shop which is open from 1-4p.m. on Sundays. Here we found old fuel pups, old tractors, one of the first pop-up caravans, old phones, old cots, etc.  Very dry here.  There are sheep and round hay bales.  In the paddocks there are round cement tanks dotted throughout the paddock holding water for sheep and cattle.  Our highlight of the day was when we visited the "Loch Ness Monster".  He was a giant yabby made of heavy iron. I pulled it up out of the water and Col took the photo

Saturday 16 February 2013

What a surprise we found.  A chap has "the biggest woodcarving display in Australia" is how he describes it.The articles displayed come from the Philippines.  They range from large rocking horses, Indians, Elephants, Lions, a Kangaroo, Eagles and much more. It was wonderful to see. This is at a place called Howlong.
This is the historic town of Chiltern.  Here we had lunch.  It has old buildings, old houses, second hand shop, pharmacy shop, Blackdog Hotel where we had lunch, an old post office which has lock up door over the post office boxes and a Bowling Green.  What intrigued me most was out over the gutter in front of a house was a cement bridge which had a curved handrail. Different! Here saw a very old telephone box. One building had a red brick side wall and we've never seen one leaning on an angle as this one was.
Ned Kelly at Glenrowan.  It's called "Ned Kelly's Last Stand".  We encountered a narrow bitumen road to arrive there.  A chap there has a display of things relating to Ned elly.  He has an animated show to watch for a price which will scare or frighten you.  He doesn't advertise as he has school children come and have a look at it periodically.  There is a Pub, Cafe, Scout Hall, Tea Room and Primary School there. Our fifth night was spent at Bindaree Van Park by a billabong and here we saw more rabbits.
Found Ned Kelly Statue in a cafe at Beechworth.  Beechworth is high in the mountains.  Took a trip to see Woolshed Falls. Beechworth has awesome big trees.  They are Sierra Redwood and Atlas Cedar.The Woolshed has air-conditioned cabins. Here we did the Honey Experience and watched a video on collecting honey from the hives.  We camped at Lake Sambell at Beechworth and saw plenty of large rabbits.
Our third night was spent at Wagga Wagga. The photo is taken at Lake Hume.  Here we saw a monument dedicated to Hume and Hovell.  They have a high country rail trail. Notice how low the water is in the lake they have had know rain since this time last year.
Our 2nd night was spent at Gilgandra.  Young is noted for cherries.  They have cherry juice, cherry pies and cherry wine, etc.  It's known as Cherry City.  Here we saw old telephone poles which were out of Queensland for twenty five years.  They are still outside Cootamundra by two rail lines.
We spent our first night at Tara.  This photo shows sheep in the paddock at Tara.
This photo shows flooding in the Boyne River.
This is the start of our tip to Victoria. Passed through Gayndah and took this flood photo from the bridge upstream.