Day 26: Monday 29/9/2014   Adelaide, SA (Visited Barossa Valley)

We booked a tour of the Barossa with a tour operator called Taste the Barossa. The tour guide was Dallas Coull, who also happens to own the company. I would vote him as one of the best tour commentators I have been on. Very articulate, knowledgeable, and a great sense of humour.

Our first stop was at a dam called the "whispering wall". Dallas, said that if you had one person at each end and if they faced the wall and whispered to hit, you could hear them on the other side. I had to put this to the test. Well you could not believe how clear you could hear. It felt like they were standing next to you. The secret is in its curvature. The wall is 140 meters long and was build 112 years ago. You have to experience it to believe it.

I have been to the Barossa before, but this tour really gave me a much better feel for the history and development of the region.  The tour started with a drive up through the Adelaide hills, that was really lovely, picturesque countryside.  Once in the Barossa, we went to 4 different wineries for tasting, also enjoying lunch at the second winery, Peter Lehmann’s – which we also thought was the best of the four we went to.

Among the interesting stories we heard was about the Seppelt Family’s winery.   As the story goes, along with the vine cuttings that Joseph Seppelt brought to Australia, he had also picked up two date palm seedlings which had grown two large date palms on the family grounds.   Later, during the Depression of the 1920’s when most of the wineries closed down and many people were out of work, the Seppelts had managed to keep things going and provided basic housing and food for their workers and their families, even though no wine was being sold.   In appreciation, the workers took seeds from the date palms to the Botanical Gardens in Adelaide, and managed to propagate many more palms, and planted them along the roads leading to the vineyards.   Now, these corridors of palms look really majestic and are a very distinguishing feature of the Seppelt estate.

We also had a stop in Tanunda, a nice village where we had time for a short stroll to pick up a coffee or have a peak in the shops.  There was also a stop at a scenic outlook, where we could see the whole Barossa Valley before us.  It was really a great day, and would highly recommend this tour to anyone coming to Adelaide. 

 The incredible whispering wall.

 Enjoying a drink or 3

 There vines were planted over 140 years ago.

 In memory of those that created an industry

Incredible view of the palms. I got the tip on how to best photograph them.

Day 25: Sunday 28/9/2014   Ceduna, SA  to Adelaide, SA    Distance travelled: 770km

First, for those using the tracker to see where we are, please be assured that there was no magic wand, to get us from Port Augusta to Adelaide.  I wish it were possible, but the battery just ran out  on the tracker, and I did not notice. All good now.

Another long day at the wheel, but fortunately, that was our last ( I hope) long day driving. It took us about  9 hrs on the road with a long stopover in Port Augusta.

Again, I can’t say it enough that without 2 drivers, the driving would be very tiresome. Pat and I have a good system going and we change driving duties frequently.

On the road we didn’t see brilliant landscapes like we did on the Nullarbor, we did see The Australian Farmer (also known as the Big Farmer) it is a statue located in Wudinna, South Australia. Regarded as one of Australia's Big Things, the granite sculpture stands at 8 metres (26 ft) in height, and weighs in the vicinity of 70 tonnes. It took 17 years to produce from initial proposal to the final unveiling in 2009.

Of course you can’t go past seeing the Big Galah in Kimba and the pink lake (Lake Bumbunga)  in Lochiel, SA. This is a salt water lake that has been mined for salt since 1912. The lake covers 3,530 acres and changes colour from blue in fine weather to a vivid pink, which indicates a change is on the way. There is a local myth that the lake is home to the Loch Ness Monster’s cousin ‘Loch Eel’ Today is was bright pink.

Lake Bumbunga, was on the money about the weather. From about 200km before Port August to Adelaide (about 500km in all) it was heavy wind and you could see the dust storms. Adelaide had a severe weather warning saying it would have winds of up to 100km. Luckily it had died down by the time we got here. It was so windy that at one stage we saw 4  bikes on the road just trying to stay up. They were riding at a tilt of at least 15 degrees just to go straight. Lucky we had a big heavy car.

We are staying at a hotel in Adelaide called Adelaide Meridien Hotel, a very nice hotel.

Tomorrow we booked a tour of the Barossa Valley vineyards. That should be nice. Tuesday is a rest day, sightseeing Adelaide. We start our journey home on Wednesday.

 The Australian Farmer ,Wudinna, South Australia

 The Big Galah in Kimba

Lake Bumbunga,  in Lochiel, SA. The picture does not do justice to how pink the lake was. My excuse is that it was very windy and I was tired.

Day 24: 27/9/2014   Eucla, WA to Ceduna, SA  (still Crossing the Nullarbor)    Distance travelled:  530km

Today’s drive wasn’t too long – compared to recent drives, just 5 ½ hours.  We crossed into South Australia 12 km East of Eucla, but the road and terrain remained much the same for a while after that… long straight stretches of road and desert scrub all around.  But, a bit further into SA, the highway comes closer to the coast and there a number of designated scenic outlook points – easily identified with a sign of a camera.  They are not exaggerating – the views are amazing.  It is a dramatic landscape, where the desert comes up to the coast, ending in tall sandstone cliffs down to the water.   

We finished crossing the Nullarbor, and also found that it came from the latin ‘nullus-arbor’’ referring to the vast treeless plain.  The Nullarbor live up to its name. I also must say that the shrubs were plentiful and very green. I made a comment to Pat that it looked like a green shag carpet. The weather has continued to be quite hot – mid-30s C – but also very windy.

When we were in Norseman, we met some travellers coming in the opposite direction and they had given us a few tips about where to stop – including the ‘Oyster Bar’ just as you come into Ceduna from the west (just after the quarantine inspection point).   It was a great tip. We have learned that Ceduna is the Oyster capital of Australia.  We got some oysters, cooked, for lunch, and also picked up a dozen fresh ones that we can enjoy this evening.

We are staying at the Ceduna Motor Inn, a basic but nice motel.  Although I am a dedicated NRL fan, and normally don’t want to even hear about AFL, today is the grand final, and Sydney is playing, so I decided to watch the game, which was starting just as we checked into the motel.  Unfortunately there was a problem with the TV satellite hoo-kup and the station kept cutting out.   The staff were very helpful, trying to fix the problem and when they couldn’t do it quickly, they moved us to a room in another wing of the motel so that we didn’t miss much of the game.  Unfortunately, after all that – the Swans have not been able to match the Hawks.  Oh well, that’s my AFL fix for another year. i also watched the NRL Penrith vs Canterbury semi final. Canterbury won. So the grand final next Sunday is South Sydney vs Canterbury. I really hope South Sydney win.   

I also did manage to get my car washed as I must have collected all the insect population along the drive.

 As we entered SA from Eucla

 One of the spectacular views along the Nullabor

Pat enjoying the views

Beaches just past Eucla

Yep another brilliant view 

Day 23: 26/9/2014   Norseman, WA   to Eucla, WA (Crossing the Nullarbor)    Distance travelled:  750km

This was going to be another long day at the wheel.  The drive itself was not hard, but was taxing in that you had to really concentrate as the roads were straight and boring. Pat and I got to a stage that when a bend appeared we cheered. There was a section that was sign posted as the longest straight road in Australia of around 146.6km. We had frequent stops and managed to arrive in Eucla, WA after 9:30hrs on the road.

One of the interesting things we saw of the road was the number of designated RFDS landing strips on the highway itself. During the tour of RFDS they explained what the process for this was.

In Eucla, WA which in itself is a glorified roadhouse with accommodation we freshened up and then went exploring. We drove about 4km along a dirt track to see a Telegraph Station which was in operations between 1877 and 1927. From there we had to walk about 3km (round trip) to see the sand dunes and beach. 

The walk itself was not long, but what made it difficult was the soft sand and the hundreds of flies wanting to get into your mouth, nose, eyes, etc.. We got back to our Motel and I hit the showers to cool down. Oh yeah, the temp was around 34C.

We got something to eat at the restaurant/pub here and took it to our room. I was getting ready to watch the Rugby League (Rabbits vs Roosters), only to find out that they can’t pick up GEM here. Oh well, just have to listen online.

Tomorrow we are off to Ceduna, SA. There will be another time zone change.

 Typical road sign. We did see an Emu with her 8 chicks walking near the road. Other than that nothing.

 Long straight road.

 We stopped for lunch here. Cockklebiddy is a roadhouse/town?

 We are getting closer to Sydney, only 2522km to go. A little more for us as we are making another detour to Adelaide.

 The start of the sand dunes near Eucla Telegraph Station

 This is whats left of the Telegraph Station

The beaches. Very fine white sand. brilliant blue water.

Day 22: 25/9/2014  Perth, WA to Norseman, WA       Distance traveled:  830km

Today we got a reasonably early start, leaving Perth at 7:30 AM. Pat was sorry to leave the City Stay Hotel, as she claims it had the most comfortable bed on the whole trip.  Luckily, as we were heading out of the city, we were going against peak hour traffic and it didn't take too long to get out of Perth.  We made good progress until we got past a small town called Southern Cross, then I got a friendly reminder from the WA Police to stick to the speed limit. Luckily, the nice officer did just give me a warning.

We were planning to make it to Kalgoorlie by 2PM, so that we could do a tour of the Royal Flying Doctors Service station there, but we ran into a lot of road work along the way, and weren't sure that we would make it in time. Stopping in Kalgoorlie meant about a 100 km detour off the shortest route, and we almost passed it up, but made a last minute choice to go anyway. Luckily, we did make it just in time for the tour, and it was well worth the time! I would highly recommend taking the tour at any of their stations - it was really interesting and inspiring.

After the tour, it was a quick lunch, then back on the road again for the last 185 km run to Norseman. Like Kalgoorlie, Norseman was settled and grew due to the gold rush era. This is where gold was first discovered in the region. The story goes that in 1894 a prospector, Lawrence Sinclair, was looking for gold... when  his horse wandered off. When he managed to find him he noticed that the horse had scraped up some rocks that looked distinctive. Yep, it was gold! The horse's name - Hardy Norseman. Today, Norseman has a population of approximately 860, but at one time was the biggest gold mining centre in Western Australia. Tomorrow is the start of the Gold Fever Festival, but sadly we need to get on the road early to start across the Nullarbor.

Next stop border town Eucla, WA 

 RFDS in Kalgoorlie, WA  They cover nearly as large as the UK. There are a total of 17 RFDS centres around Australia. RFDS is the 4th largest airline in Australia and the largest Medical services provider in the world.

 Inside the RFDS  PC-12 Pilatus. Very versatile plane, that can land on a 500 meter strip on very rough ground.

Cockpit of a PC-12 Pilatus. RFDS only use 1 pilot per plane.

The only Camels I saw in Norseman.

Day 21: 24/9/2014  Perth, WA    Rest and sightseeing day

We had a bright and early start to the day. We took the car in for service at RAC service centre (like NRMA in NSW). I told them what special oils I wanted for the car, to change the oil filter and clean the air filter, plus other normal checks like, brakes and tyres. I asked for special attention to the tyres as I knew that the rear tyres may need replacing. I also asked that they reset the “Service Due” light. This I told them can only be done with a computer and not by just pushing a few buttons. "No problems," they said,"we have the computer." I gave them my number and asked them to call me ASAP if any additional thing was required because we were leaving the next day. I got the "all OK, no problems."

We then went to Murray st. Mall for breakfast and Pat for some retail therapy. After a few hours we went back to the hotel, well at least I did, and Pat went to another mall, just across the street from our hotel. Pat does not buy much, but does like to window shop.

Around noon, the RAC service centre called and said the car was ready. The guy (Peter) said that everything was done, but the rear tyres needed to be changed now. I said why didn't you call me so I could arrange it? Sorry was his statement. I got in the car and saw the “Service Due” light go on. I asked Peter to reset it. Sorry we forgot. My confidence in RAC was now at an all-time low.

I managed to locate a Bob Jane T Mart and asked if they could help me? After some research he said yes but they would need to locate were they could find these special tyres and replace them sometime tomorrow. I said, we would be leaving Perth early in the morning. He was very nice and traced a place to get the tyres and then sent someone to get them. They did a great job and the car was ready by 4pm. I might add at a very high premium. Each tyre cost over $750. At least now we have a fully serviced car with good tyres.

I needed to get the day into a positive mode again. Pat and I went to Kings Park to watch sunset over Perth. Very nice. For dinner we went to Burswood Crown Casino (no gambling). We had a good time. The day did end in a positive note.

Tomorrow we are off to Norseman, WA

 Veterans Memorial at Kings Park

 Pat and Perth skyline

Burswood Crown Casino is in this complex.  Nice Casino, probably best in Australia.

Day 20: 23/9/2014  Geraldton, WA to Perth, WA       Distance traveled:  463km

Today’s was one of our shorter drives. We left the lovely beach-side area around Geraldton and quickly found ourselves in really picturesque farmland.   It was a very pleasant drive; through it was quite a shock coming back into city traffic as we got closer to Perth.  We haven’t really had that since we left Sydney. 

We got to Perth early this afternoon – we are staying at the ‘City Stay Apartment Hotel’ which is conveniently located and has everything we need.  After setting into our unit, we went to nearby Northbridge, both to confirm where/when we need to take the car tomorrow morning for its service, and also to grab some lunch.  We have both been to Perth a number of times before, but are hoping to see a few favourite sites again while we are here.