0034 Time at home, and a trip to Tasmania

0034 Time at home, and a trip to Tasmania

12th October 2021 

3 months of Covid Restrictions !

More orchids in garden

Orchids in garden

It has been almost 3 months since we got back from Perth, crossing Australia's central deserts, and our plans to later head north to explore Cape York got a bit
way laid.   We were expecting to make a quick trip down to Tasmania for the opening of Benn and Sarah's new Moonah Pub and Cellars, but repeated delays due to renovating problems meant that we ended up not getting down there till the end of September.  This meant that the hot and wet weather of the Tropical North has now well and truly set in, and a visit to Cape York is not a "good idea" !  But that's OK - There has been plenty more to keep us busy !  And our orchids in the garden have all                                          come out !

0033 Perth to Gold Coast - Week 2

 0033 Perth to the Gold Coast - Week 2

12th July 2021

Gorges, sand dunes, and lots of nothing !

Sunrise ar Hargrave Lookout

 Day 27 / 8.  Sunday 27^th June.   We were up at dawn at Hargrave Lookout, with a spectacular sunrise
over the valley below us – But very cold fingers while packing up !  After breakfast we drove down from the Neil Hargrave Lookout and on to Serpentine Gorge where we were one of the first there for a walk. After the short but scenic walk up to the lake (ie non-flowing river) at the end of the gorge, we then climbed the stairs up the side of the gorge to the lookout (They weren’t quite so extreme as those in Kings Canyon a couple of days ago) which allowed us to gaze down into the gorge below.  An excellent hike, and it was then back to the

Serpentine Gorge

car and an hour or so further up the road to Standley Chasm, which is only some 45 kms outside of Alice Springs and therefore gets a lot of day tourists who have flown in to The Alice.  We got there early enough to avoid a lot of the crowds, and had a delicious BLT sandwich….with egg, and a coffee.  Just what we needed after our cold and early start.  We then paid our fee (this gorge is more commercial and part of the local Aboriginal lands) and set off up through the

Standley Chasm

gorge – A very pleasant walk.  When we reached the narrow chasm it was 10 minutes to noon, and Jamie had mentioned earlier that the sun would be directly overhead (and thus lighting up the chasm) at precisely noon  - Yet again the Tourist Guide had nailed it !  There was only one other family in the chasm at that time, and together we waited for the sun to be overhead so we could take our photos – All very pleasant.  And as we left the chasm, it seemed that 15 coach loads arrived, and we exited gratefully and quickly.  An excellent morning.  By the time we got back to the car park there was hardly room to move, so we quickly pulled out and drove into Alice Springs – Ah, a blissful smooth tarmac road with no saucepans rattling in the back of the car !

0032 Perth to Gold Coast - Week 1

0032 Perth to the Gold Coast - Week 1

11th July 2021

We drive across the biggest desert in Australia ! 

 I am only writing this blog from home AFTER the entire trip, because I knew I would have limited time and minimal wifi while on the road.  Which is why I chose to do a short summary of the journey on Facebook (which I have never really used before), and log it in more detail once I got home.  And if anyone is new to my blog and thinks it is longwinded, I am not concerned – I actually write my blog for me as a diary before I forget where I have been and what I have done, so either skip the bits you don’t like, or…………get a cup of coffee and enjoy it !!  I would also add that only a few of my photos are visible here - If you want to see more, click on the link at the bottom of the page.  They are all captioned so you know where they are !!

0031 Perth to the Gold Coast - Across the desert

 0031 Perth to the Gold Coast

20th March - 10th July 2021

Driving across the Red Centre !

Troopie set up at camp

So today is the 19th March, and my buddy Jamie is on the plane from

VHF aerial mounted on bull bar

the Gold Coast to Perth right now - Due into Perth in an hour or so.  I will pick him up tomorrow morning, and we will set off on a great adventure - We are driving from Perth to the Gold Coast - But not on the roads.  We are following the Great Central (dirt)  Road from Leonora to Uluru / Ayers Rock.   I have always wanted to do this trip following the original Gun Barrel Highway, but the Gun Barrel is getting pretty

Light bar on Troopie

tough now (need to convoy, be prepared to winch out of dunes etc) which is a bit much for me.  Hopefully the Great Central Road will allow us to see all the great sights, without the extremes of the Gun Barrel !!   This blog will probably not get finished until I get back to the Gold Coast, so if you want to follow us, come on to my Facebook page and we will try to put a few pics up there as we go.    In the past week while I have been in Perth with son Damien and his family, he has fitted a VHF radio as well as a big light bar (so we can see the kangaroo's before we hit them ?? !).  I have also fitted some new tyres, and had a big stone chip in the windscreen mended, so I think we are ready to go !!  

More later ........Bookmark this spot !

0030 Gold Coast to Perth June 2021

 0030 Gold Coast to Perth                                                              

1st - 13th June  2021                                                                                                                            

Being chased by Corona Virus !!!

We have been planning this trip for some months, and with shut downs for Corona having been minimal recently, we thought we would be good to go.  We both had our first Astra Zenica jab a few weeks ago, with minimal side effects, and more recently had our annual flu shots.  Our second AZ covid shot was booked for while we were in Perth.  So our plan was to have a leisurely trip to Perth, taking about 10 days and travelling via Sydney, Yackandandah, the High Country and down to Melbourne, before driving the Great Ocean Road west, up through Adelaide, then across the Nullarbor (only one road !), and on to Perth.  

0029 Spending time at home

 0029 Spending time at home

Feb - May 2021

Filling in time !

Sophie, Hayley & Emily

The girls in Hobart markets

The 4 months after we returned from Christmas in Tasmania (with
Sarah, Benn, and their girls Olivia and Evelyn) were a mixture of various activities - A bit like life in general, I suppose ?  Anyway, some things were more exciting than others, but all were important in keeping us busy while the Virus continued to rage both around Australia as well as around the world, so limiting our ability to do any travelling.  Of course our primary wish is to get to the Netherlands as soon as we can so we can meet Nick and Tanja's twins (who are already 1 1/2 years old !) and see Hayley and of course Nick and Tanja.  Keeping families apart is one of the several sad aspects of the virus.

0028 Christmas in Tasmania

 0028 Christmas in Tasmania

Street front of Fox Friday

Benn & Sarah's new Fox Friday Tap Room was scheduled to open on 26th October 2020, and this would be a very busy time for both of them - Benn brewing beer to keep up with demand, and Sarah organising and running the Tap Room.  With the girls still at school, the help of Grand Parents was once again requested, and Janet flew down prior to the opening in order to help out.  Covid restrictions for Queenslanders entering Tasmania were lifted on the day that she flew down, so she was one of the first tourists to arrive in Tasmania without having to quarantine for 14 days ! I stayed at home for another month so as to not only reduce overcrowding in their house in Hobart, but also to complete a series of jobs that needed to be done around the house.  I then flew down at the beginning of December, while a couple of friends babysat our house while we were away.