Xmas

Well we came home for Xmas and what a day it turned out to be!!!!.   It all started well, breakfast at my son's mother-in-laws.  We had a beaut breakfast shared with a family friend Wade, who was  flying out to Africa with two mates to bicycle around Africa.  Presents were given and warmly received.  Then Rick headed out to pick up my mum & her hubby and I started on lunch.   After a big lunch we were lashed with hail stones and wind and rain.  It came out of nowhere.   When it had reasonably settled we headed off to take the oldies home.  Then the nightmare hit us.   We drove into a massive hailstorm.   Stuck on the freeway with little shelter, my car was smashed by hail the size of golf balls.   Dents in the roof, sides and bonnet plus a cracked windscreen.  It was THE most frightening thing any of us had been thru.   The sound of the hail smashing into the car was scary.   The four of us were almost shell shocked by the enormity of the storm.   After we dropped the oldies home, we set off again, the very same freeway was now bone-dry and you could never imagine what had happened just 45 mins. earlier.  There were still quite a few cars abandoned on the sides of the road though.     As we werent sure if the giant hailstones had been thru Melton we were anxious to get home and pray the bus, which was in the drive, hadnt been damaged.   As we arrived home, the storm front hit us again, the rain lashed us as we tried to get into the house and then the hail came with such force.  We managed to get the bus under cover, then headed to our sons house to rescue his wife's new car which was out in the storm.  Fortunately for us all, no damage was done to the bus or Kristels car.   Rick and I got back to the house like a couple of drowned rats.   Soaked to the skin, belted by hail stones.  All we could do was laugh.   What a day.     We got a "white Xmas". Apparently Melton was hit by a mini tornando and today, Boxing Day, we saw some of the damage to some of our neighbours trees which have been split in half or torn out of the ground.   Our younger son Justin & his wife Rachel didnt make it to our home for Xmas Dinner until almost 9pm as they were caught by not only the rain but also flash flooding that closed the major roads they were travelling on.    Today, the 26th is fine and warm.

My mum and Jim, both in their late 80's, they enjoyed their day out, which was great, as who knows, if they will be here for many more Xmas Days.

Grandpa Rick helping Cooper check out his presents

Bella checking out her gifts

This is Uncle Wade, with Bella and Cooper.  They love him to bits.  He is flying out in the early hours with some mates for 4 months overseas.  They are taking their bikes with them and planning to cycle about 120km per day, thru Africa.  Brave, adventurous and possibly crazy!!!!!!!!!!!

just some beer signs

Have we ever been away??????????????????

We knew we were home in Victoria, before we saw the signs, even blindfolded, we would have known.  The Highway turned to shit!!!!.   The roads/highways in NT, WA and SA are all excellent, but ours are without doubt the worst.    We are back home, already, a week has passed, and it feels as though we were never away.  Its back to normal, although Rick and I are both finding it extremely difficult to get motivated.   Housework is being ignored, dont really care for it at the moment.  Strange.   Just catching up with friends, family, a bit of work, and going thru all the mail.   Thats about it.   Christmas is coming and I cant even be stuffed getting out the tree.   Perhaps we need another holiday to get over coming back home. HA HA.

I have just started to work out our spending.   I can tell you that we travelled 27,000kms on our trip.   20,000 of them in the bus with the car in tow, and 7000 in the car on trips.   Our fuel costs were $7,297 for the bus.    The cheapest fuel was $1.38/L in Albany  WA and the highest in Erldunda  NT, $1.89/L.    Fuel costs for the car were $1119.  The cheapest fuel in Bunbury WA $1.22/L and the highest $2.00/L at Glen Helen in NT,   any other figures are to come.  

2 sleeps to go

We had a really nice relaxing time catching up with Col & Liz and "Killer" Cody.   We had seen them at the rally but hadnt spent any real time with them there.  Possibly we will see each other in 2012.  Then we set off for home.  Camped at a lovely lake near Ararat in Vic. for our last night.   It was a lovely spot, the lake was calm and there were a few ski boats out so we sat, drank and watched them have fun.

Such a pretty and peaceful spot, even with the ski boats. 

.

Arriving Home and parked up in the backyard.   The place looks amazing.   Everything has grown so much since we hit the road, the trees enormous.  It wasnt too out of control and we should be able to get it back to "normal" within a few days or so.  Not bothering too much yet.   Too much else to do.

When we got inside, we were rapt.   No musty smells, no dead flies/spiders,/cobwebs our anything else creepy.    Our beautiful family had been over, the house vacuumed, swept and dusted.   Perfumed room fresheners thru the house.  Flowers, fruit, chocolate, bread and milk awaited.  We are truly blessed. I will follow up in the next week with some more blog.

The Eyre Peninsula

We have been pulling into the small towns and bays etc along the Eyre Peninsula.  Whilst the weather is nice and sunny, the wind is still blowing a gale and we arent even bothering to spend time looking around or taking photos.    The other problem for us is that we arent all that impressed.   We have seen so much that its hard to get enthused.      Its time to head for home and we are now making our way towards Adelaide.   We will catch up with Liz & Col from Murray Bridge and then spend a few days making our way home.  It will be nice to ge thome and see everyone and of course, smother Bella and Cooper with love.

Ceduna

The town of Ceduna is all about fishing and grain.   The grain terminal here is massive.   We watched one of the ships being loaded with grain for who knows where.    Everywhere we travelled we have seen fields of gold being harvested.    All thru the wheatbelts of WA and now SA.   Cant imagine how much grain is being grown and sold, in just these two states but its huge.      The town itself was Ok, probably a little nicer than I thought it would be, but quite small.   Not a lot of tourist stuff to do here, except buy and or eat seafood.   Lots of outlets for just that purpose.    We did a couple of "nice" drives, but they werent all that much. We have also filled the freezer with freshly caught fish, straight off the boats.    A feed of very fresh King George Whiting last night was to die for.     We actually celebrated my birthday here, and had a great dinner at the pub.   Seafood!!!!!,  of course. I was so hanging for a chocolate dessert but sadly there wasnt any on the menu.   Had to settle for home made baked coffee cheesecake.  Pretty good substitute.  Must admit, we both need to lose quite a few kgs. once home, so perhaps one more chocolate feast whenhome and then diet time!!!!!!!!.

We were tossing up which way to head from here and have decided to visit the Eyre Peninsula.   The trouble for us is that it is still blowing a gale and its not that enjoyable.   We have also picked up a hitch-hiker.   A little mouse has joined us, possibly on the Nullabor.   Has had a feast on Ricks muesli bars and now the trap is set.   Hopefully he is a loner and hasnt got a family on board.

The mouse has now been caught.  Fat little sucker.    Havent caught another, but will leave a trap set just in case.

The Nullabor

We have crossed the Nullabor now and are in South Australia.   It has been blowing an absolute gale since we left Norseman.   A big headwind for us all the way.   Each time we pulled up to take a photo of something or just to camp up for the night, we were sandblasted.   Couldnt sit outside or socialise.   Everyone was pretty much shut up in their vans.  Sometimes, the wind would force us backward or sideways as we stepped out to a lookout etc.  My camera was actually pushed sideways as I tried to take photos.  Of course this didnt make us that happy and our fuel gauge was moving downwards pretty quickly.   We had already determined where the cheapest fuel was for us as we crossed and we hang on for grim death, with the gauge on empty, hoping we would make it.   Of course we did, just nail bitingly close to running out.   We had seen fuel for $2.10 and we paid $1.88.   When we got to Ceduna it was only $1.54.

Rick was on a mission to get across as quick as he could.  It was foot to the peddle as we made our way.  Yes it was pretty boring, but the landscape did change quite a bit as we travelled thru it and we could do some side trips to the  Nullabor Bunda cliffs and The Great Australian Bite Marine Park to alleviate the boredom of vegetation.

Its nice and green for a good part of the way with lots of new growth alongside the roadway..





The treeless plain, now that was boring.   At least if there were any wild life you could spot them, but we saw nothing!!!!!!!!!!

The cliffs and the Great Aust Bite coastline.   Once upon a time, or up until recently, you could drive right out on to the cliff edges to view the ocean and the cliffs and to even camp up.  Nowadays they are all fenced off, and you must view them from lookouts or pathways.    Cuts out a lot of the view in some cases which is sad.  But on the other hand, it was so windy when we visited that we were getting knocked around and you could easily imagine the wind pushing you over the cliffs.   It was beautiful to see such a contrast so close to the highway.

This photo is of the old Nullabor Highway.  It now runs alongside the bitumen highway from Eucla to Ceduna.    Very overgrown in places but still recognisable as the old Highway.  We were keen to "revisit" it.  This is the road that we travelled on in 1970-71.   Firstly in a Ford Fairlane, then a FX Ute and on one return trip, a motorbike.  Sadly for us the bike died on the bitumen part of the old Highway and we had to hitchhike in a truck the rest of the way home to Melbourne.   Of course we were young and naive.   We have seen a few cyclists on the Nullabor and think they are nuts.

Just a couple of garden ornaments in a town we passed thru.   Much to Ricks heartbreak.!!!!!!!!!!!!!