Stormy Evening Leaving Port

We got loaded onto the ferry and from the deck we could look back toward Melbourne and see the storm coming at us.

St. Kilda

Our day in Melbourne was Thanksgiving in the US (give or take a day, this time zone thing is still a bother). I just wanted you to see how we spent the time you North Americans were huddled around your turkey to stay warm.

Shopping in Melbourne

We checked into a hotel in Melbourne for the night. The next day we headed into town for a bit of light shopping before the ferry. The department store Myers does a series of seasonal windows (much like Harads in London or Marshal Field in Chicago) every year and I made a few videos of the people (especially children) enjoying these displays.

Storm Clouds near Geelong

On the Hamilton Highway, approaching Geelong, we saw some storm clouds floating about over the fields. Seems like a good time to stop for a look.

Koala Alongside the Road

After spending the night in Millicent, not too far from the South Australia/Victoria border, we crossed into Victoria on the last push before the ferry to Tasmania. As we drove along through country roads, we came upon a Koala wandering slowly across the road. By the time we got stopped and I switched to the long lens, he was starting up a pine tree.

Pink Lake

After leaving Victor Harbor, we followed the coastal roads around Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert  to Meningie. Here we find a curiosity: Pink Lake.

Victor Harbor

After our restful evening at the motel walking distance from the beach, we went down to the shore for walk about in the morning. We have now gone from the Timor Sea to the Southern Ocean. Easy drive...everyone should do it.

Hahndorf

Earlier this year, when we visited Adelaide, we drove eastward over the Adelaide hills to the German theme park called Hahndorf. Actually it is a nice little town filled with all things German. And also at least one Chinese Restaurant.

Wheat Fields in South Australia

Heading south along the Augusta Highway (A1), we passed seemingly endless fields of harvested wheat.  The shades of golden brown contrasts with the bright blue sky to make a very restful and pleasant scene.

Mambray Creek Campground

Our grand plan was to spend the night at Mambray Creek Campground located between Port Augusta and Port Pirie in the Remarkable Mountains (sounds like a place from the Hobbit, right?). We drove to the campground and, guess what, it was just as hot here as was anywhere else...no altitude break at all. This made us very reluctant to pitch our tent.

Goodby to Ms. Poppins

P.L. Travers lived as a child in Allora, QLD, not far from Toowoomba. Hence, when we bought our ute, we named here "Ms. Poppins". Today we said goodby. A very nice fellow bought it and we are one step closer to being untethered from Australia.

She's been a great companion on our travels across this vast country. We wish her well.

Flinders Ranges

We stopped at the Australian Air Lands Botanic Gardens for a bite of lunch at their cafe. We gave up on the thought of visiting the gardens since is was so bloody hot. After enjoying the cool cafe, we ventured out into the sun and drove a short distance to the Matthew Flinders Red Cliff Lookout.

Island Lagoon - Another Salt Flat

Not far down the road from Lake Hart is another salt flat located farther from the roadside. This one has a main section (seen below) and a more westerly arm that we see above.

Lake Hart

As we drove south of Coober Pedy, we came across some more salt lakes. The first one we encountered was one we could walk right out on. This is Lake Hart.

Crocodile Harry's

Once back in Coober Pedy and safely on a sealed road, we naturally opted for another short adventure. This time we headed off to Crocodile Harry's place.

Along the Road Back from William Creek

After our flight, it was well into lunch time, so we went to the roadhouse in William Creek for a bite. The choices were limited in all possible ways. We ordered some sort of meat and it was edible and neither of us had gastric issues, so it must been acceptable.

Since we no longer had a plane to catch, we took our time and enjoyed the sights along the road. Above is that ubiquitous machine, the wind-driven water pump. No doubt the source of life for the men and cattle on this station.

Lake Eyre

Our one-hour flight from William Creek to see Lake Eyre was great. the young man who piloted out plane was very nice and good at keeping his end of the conversation going.

Shortly after taking off, we could see a stretch of the Oodnadatta Tack stretching off into the distance.

Driving to William Creek

While in Coober Pedy, we booked ourselves for a flight out of William Creek to see Lake Eyre. The drive to William Creek was fraught with uncertainty. We are, of course, veterans of driving on unsealed roads by this time, but all the indications were that the road was closed because of a rain storm that can through just before we arrived. We certainly did not want to get stuck an hour out of this small town.

Serbian Orthodox Church

Out from town a few kilometers is the Serbian Orthodox Church. As you see from the view above, it is built into the side of the hill and is all underground. We visited all the underground churches in Coober Pedy and this one is, by far, the most impressive.

Boot Hill

Unsurprisingly, Coober Pedy has a Boot Hill cemetery. It also has a pretty cool sign indicating the way.

Greek Orthodox Cemetery

It is interesting to see the wide range of nationalities that have populated Coober Pedy. One way to see this is in the cemeteries. In the Greek Orthodox Cemetery we find very simple graves for people who, no doubt, worked very hard to make a living here.

Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy is filled with things that bring, how shall we say, the homemade touch into focus. This place is filled with people who were forced, or in a few case, chose, to do it themselves. The quest for opals has driven many people to work very hard for a very long time. It is not really clear to me that any of them have really made a lot of money.

On the road to Coober Pedy

Driving south into South Australia once again, we pass through a section with those darned pink clouds again. I really think it must be the red soil.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

The last stop on our coach tour was at Ellery Creek Big Hole. This is big swimming hole that is very nice. A big hole with calm, cool water and an inviting shoreline for picnicking.

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge is another spot filled with color and deep cut rocks.

Sydney

We arrived in Sydney yesterday after our short trip to Cairns and Port Douglas in far northern Queensland. This is our last house sit in Australia (on this trip). When we finish here, we are headed for Seattle!

I'm still working on the last of the photos from Tasmania and our northern excursion. According to the schedule of queued posts, these will appear in early March. So, all you followers out there, be patient, the story will unfold in the order in which it happened.

Just for our northern hemisphere friends, it is bloody hot here. Yesterday was the hottest day in Sydney in 80 years. Parts of the western suburbs hit the upper 40's C. Y'all would probably be happy to hit the lower 40's F in most of America. The fun part is the apartment we are sitting contains a great Pomeranian and no air conditioning. Today we bought a couple fans to make things a little more bearable. So far, so good.

Stay tuned as the story of our travels continues to unfold.

Mount Sonder Lookout

After lunch at the Glen Helen Resort, we headed to the Mount Sonder Lookout. Here we were able to get a grant view of the mountains.

Ochre Pit

Now that the sun is higher in the sky, we're off to a place with no water and no shade. Along the Larapinta Trail is a place of some importance to the indigenous people. The Ochre Pit is a place to gather pigments for rock art and body painting for the religious rituals.

Standley Chasm

The Jade Creek flows through the Sandley Chasm surrounded by Cycads of a sort that have been here for at least 900 million years (not shown in this photo).

Simpson Gap

The next stop on our coach tour was Simpson Gap. Here we see the Black Footed Rock Wallaby staring at me in an effort to intimidate me.

John Flynn in the MacDonnell Ranges

Continuing south from Darwin along the Stuart Highway brought us more clouds that we had seen on the way north, but it was clearer here than farther north and the humidity was noticeably lower.

The drive to Katherine was uneventful and our stay in the same hotel as when we went north was similarly pleasant. Air conditioning is a fine thing in the outback. The trip from Katherine to Tennant creek was also a long drive through beautiful country. We had another hot night at Tennant creek in our tent. We both got up around 10 pm (we go to bed early) because it was just too darned hot in the tent. It finally cooled a bit and then started to sprinkle rain. This forced me to close the flaps and then it got hot again. Miserable night.

In the morning, while E abluted, I struck camp. Afterwards, I headed to the ablution block for my shower. By the time we got out the gate to the BP station next door to buy ice for the esky, we arrived just time for a power failure. We bought the ice and hit the road just as the heavens opened. We had a seriously hard rain for the next 2-3 hours. Before we got to Alice Springs the road was dry and the sky was clear.

The next day we headed out on our coach tour of the West MacDonnell Ranges. The first stop was a John Flynn's gravesite.

Adelaide River War Cemetery

Heading south from Darwin, back down the same (only) road, we stopped in Adelaide River to check out the War Cemetery. The gate was locked but from over (and through) the fence we could see a beautifully kept space honoring those who served.

Fogg Dam

On the ride out to Kakadu, more than an hour from Darwin, we passed a turn off to Fogg Dam. We decided to drive out for look around. We indeed did get to see some of our feathered friends. Above is the Australian Darter.