Blogging regularly is becoming quite hard now, between each city there are days of tiny villages and that usually means no internet cafes. Anyway, we've left Adelaide now and had a fantastic time, will definately be going back there, maybe even to work for a few months. There was just so much variety there, after we'd had a good explore of the city we went up to the Adelaide Hills which are like 2o minutes drive from the centre. They were so pretty and lots of picturesque towns which sold local produce and crafts. We had a good day just driving through and stopping to buy the odd thing or two.
Another day trip from Adelaide is the Barossa Valley, another wine region which was no hard thing to tackle! We visited Jacob's Creek and Wolf Blass vineyards among others and got pretty tipsy as well as very wet - it has now rained for the last 3 days:( Sunday we treated ourselves to one of the gourmet platters at one of the vineyards which was delicious and really filled us up.
Well James is fishing at the moment, we're in a tiny town called Robe and about to enter the Great Ocean Road and then Melbourne. So I've been on the internet for my limited time (someone is waiting to come on) so I have to be off. Speak soon guys!
Monday, 28 April 2008
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Arrived in Adelaide!
We're back to civilisation, well, a city anyway with supermarkets and regular petrol stations and lots of people!
We've driven quite a few kilometres now since we left Mandurah and are definately enjoying staying still for a few days!
So where did I get to in the last blog... The desert drive!
This really wasn't as bad as everyone had told us it would be so I think we were quite prepared. After we left Esperance there wasn't really a proper town until we got to Ceduna, 400km after the South Australian border which made for about 2 and a half days of driving and seeing, well not much! Highlights of the drive I'd say were; the Great Australian Bight which is basically miles upon miles of raw cliff faces where that is all you can see either side of you, pretty amazing, and quite scary when you look over the edge, the clear and starry skies at night as there was no artificial light anywhere and doing crazy dancing to the CD's we had in the car because that's all there is to do!!!
An experience to say the least and one that we would do again!
Just realised I forgot to mention Flinders Ranges. We were there Saturday and Sunday exploring hilltops, caves and getting one on one with nature... in a 4 x 4 (nothings perfect hey!). A lot of walking resulted in sore legs but I was happy to burn off some calories! Definately one of the national parks worth visiting.
Anyway, so we're in Adelaide and having a really good time. We managed to find a decent caravan park in the city centre so can walk in and out as we please which is definately a bonus in Australia (people drive absolutely EVERYWHERE). Today we checked out the covered markets here and bought lots of deli food to take to the park for a picnic. We feasted on stuffed olives, dips, bread, smoked salmon and fruit (not really the typical travellers fare) and generally chilled out on the grass. We also strolled through the Japanese Himeji Gardens which were stunning, it was like walking into a secret garden and really peaceful. I must say, we hadn't heard a good word about Adelaide by the time we got here but we've both really clicked with the place, there's a lot of different cultures and I love just walking up and down the streets looking at all the funky boutiques and cafes. Yesterday we checked out Gouger Street which is renowned for tasty, cheap International cuisine and that it was. We had a pretty tasty chinese meal with drinks for like 15 pounds, enough food for about 4 people though, definately satisfied!
So, so far, so good in Adelaide! Tonight we're having a BBQ as the budget has taken a bit of a beating as is expected I suppose! Not much else to say for now so tah tah:)
We've driven quite a few kilometres now since we left Mandurah and are definately enjoying staying still for a few days!
So where did I get to in the last blog... The desert drive!
This really wasn't as bad as everyone had told us it would be so I think we were quite prepared. After we left Esperance there wasn't really a proper town until we got to Ceduna, 400km after the South Australian border which made for about 2 and a half days of driving and seeing, well not much! Highlights of the drive I'd say were; the Great Australian Bight which is basically miles upon miles of raw cliff faces where that is all you can see either side of you, pretty amazing, and quite scary when you look over the edge, the clear and starry skies at night as there was no artificial light anywhere and doing crazy dancing to the CD's we had in the car because that's all there is to do!!!
An experience to say the least and one that we would do again!
Just realised I forgot to mention Flinders Ranges. We were there Saturday and Sunday exploring hilltops, caves and getting one on one with nature... in a 4 x 4 (nothings perfect hey!). A lot of walking resulted in sore legs but I was happy to burn off some calories! Definately one of the national parks worth visiting.
Anyway, so we're in Adelaide and having a really good time. We managed to find a decent caravan park in the city centre so can walk in and out as we please which is definately a bonus in Australia (people drive absolutely EVERYWHERE). Today we checked out the covered markets here and bought lots of deli food to take to the park for a picnic. We feasted on stuffed olives, dips, bread, smoked salmon and fruit (not really the typical travellers fare) and generally chilled out on the grass. We also strolled through the Japanese Himeji Gardens which were stunning, it was like walking into a secret garden and really peaceful. I must say, we hadn't heard a good word about Adelaide by the time we got here but we've both really clicked with the place, there's a lot of different cultures and I love just walking up and down the streets looking at all the funky boutiques and cafes. Yesterday we checked out Gouger Street which is renowned for tasty, cheap International cuisine and that it was. We had a pretty tasty chinese meal with drinks for like 15 pounds, enough food for about 4 people though, definately satisfied!
So, so far, so good in Adelaide! Tonight we're having a BBQ as the budget has taken a bit of a beating as is expected I suppose! Not much else to say for now so tah tah:)
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Finally somewhere with internet!
Well I have managed to find a place to use the internet, haven't got too long though as the money is running out and it's pretty expensive!
So we've been up to quite a lot since you last heard from me and are now in a town called Streaky Bay which is in South Australia and about 500km West of Adelaide. James is out on the jetty fishing at the moment so I'm hoping he'll make a catch for lunch!
Well, where do I start...
As you know, we left Mandurah last Monday (7th April) and drove down to Margaret River and it chucked it down all day - this was not a good start to our trip and I really didn't enjoy sorting the car out to sleep in with all the rain and attempting not to get our beds wet or dirty (every night we have to move everything from the back to the front so we can get to our bed) so all in all, that was a pretty uneventful day! Tuesday was so much more fun as the sunshine woke us up! We headed down to the surf competition and watched the surfers for a few hours, pretty impressive stuff but after a while they all just become coloured dots in the waves so we went and had a round of Supa Golf, I obviously hadn't got any better since the last time we played and actually scored worse! I must have had beginners luck before! As we were in the area, we couldn't resist a little look in at the chocolate factory AGAIN to sample some of the yummy chocolate drops! We met up with one of James' friends that evening in Dunsborough and went for a few drinks, they reminisced (don't think that is spelt right!?) about the good old days in the tree surgeon world (they worked together in England) while I tried to keep up with names and things I'd never heard of! We crashed at his house that night which was really cool and him and his girlfriend had the cutest dog ever which I just fell in love with!
So, Wednesday we had a drive to Cape Naturaliste to check out a seal colony and some nice beaches then grabbed lunch at Goana Cafe, really yummy! We popped into another winery afterwards where we got the biggest tasters ever, I swear I'd nearly had a whole glass by the time we left (doesn't happen usually). From there we headed further South and found a lovely camp spot in the forest.
Thursday we visited the Jewel Cave which although was a bit pricey, was really impressive, massive chambers and some beautiful stalagmites and stalagtites. From there we drove to a little town called Pemberton which is inland and houses the Bicentennial Tree. This is a 75m tall tree which has metal spikes coming off it enabling crazy people to climb to the top of it, well that was James - I obviously had to stay at the bottom to take the photos otherwise I would have been up there in a flash... Not! He was just a small dot once at the top and I must say I was quite impressed when he was there but slightly more anxious on his way down! Anyway, he made it down safely and I rewarded him with a trip to Jarrah Jacks brewery where he sampled 6 different beers, it's a hard life!
On Friday we spent most of the day driving and parked for the night at a random camp bay off the main road ready to hit Esperance the next day. Esperance was stunning, probably the prettiest place so far. We did the Ocean Road drive and came across some stunning white sand beaches with torquise waters and couldn't help but stop every time. James managed to catch his first wave on his new surf board so he was a happy chappy. Just after Esperance town was Cape Le Grand National Park where we camped for the night.
Sunday morning we explored the park and climbed to the top of Frenchmans Peak, a 1.5 km steep climb not for the faint hearted! I was gasping by the time we got to the top but that was all forgotten when we saw the view, I tried to take a good photo but those kind of things can only be appreciated when you're there I think. We went for a dip afterwards in Hellfire Bay which was a beautiful beach cove, a good reward for our climbing efforts.
That night we hit the boredom. Australia's longest straightest road at 146km and we parked up halfway across that before entering the Nullarbor (Aboriginal for 'no trees') desert the next day. This was a loooong drive across some very boring vegetation but I'll have to tell you all about that next time I'm online as my time is running out (it's on 1 minute!). Be good and hopefully I'll be on here very soon!:)
So we've been up to quite a lot since you last heard from me and are now in a town called Streaky Bay which is in South Australia and about 500km West of Adelaide. James is out on the jetty fishing at the moment so I'm hoping he'll make a catch for lunch!
Well, where do I start...
As you know, we left Mandurah last Monday (7th April) and drove down to Margaret River and it chucked it down all day - this was not a good start to our trip and I really didn't enjoy sorting the car out to sleep in with all the rain and attempting not to get our beds wet or dirty (every night we have to move everything from the back to the front so we can get to our bed) so all in all, that was a pretty uneventful day! Tuesday was so much more fun as the sunshine woke us up! We headed down to the surf competition and watched the surfers for a few hours, pretty impressive stuff but after a while they all just become coloured dots in the waves so we went and had a round of Supa Golf, I obviously hadn't got any better since the last time we played and actually scored worse! I must have had beginners luck before! As we were in the area, we couldn't resist a little look in at the chocolate factory AGAIN to sample some of the yummy chocolate drops! We met up with one of James' friends that evening in Dunsborough and went for a few drinks, they reminisced (don't think that is spelt right!?) about the good old days in the tree surgeon world (they worked together in England) while I tried to keep up with names and things I'd never heard of! We crashed at his house that night which was really cool and him and his girlfriend had the cutest dog ever which I just fell in love with!
So, Wednesday we had a drive to Cape Naturaliste to check out a seal colony and some nice beaches then grabbed lunch at Goana Cafe, really yummy! We popped into another winery afterwards where we got the biggest tasters ever, I swear I'd nearly had a whole glass by the time we left (doesn't happen usually). From there we headed further South and found a lovely camp spot in the forest.
Thursday we visited the Jewel Cave which although was a bit pricey, was really impressive, massive chambers and some beautiful stalagmites and stalagtites. From there we drove to a little town called Pemberton which is inland and houses the Bicentennial Tree. This is a 75m tall tree which has metal spikes coming off it enabling crazy people to climb to the top of it, well that was James - I obviously had to stay at the bottom to take the photos otherwise I would have been up there in a flash... Not! He was just a small dot once at the top and I must say I was quite impressed when he was there but slightly more anxious on his way down! Anyway, he made it down safely and I rewarded him with a trip to Jarrah Jacks brewery where he sampled 6 different beers, it's a hard life!
On Friday we spent most of the day driving and parked for the night at a random camp bay off the main road ready to hit Esperance the next day. Esperance was stunning, probably the prettiest place so far. We did the Ocean Road drive and came across some stunning white sand beaches with torquise waters and couldn't help but stop every time. James managed to catch his first wave on his new surf board so he was a happy chappy. Just after Esperance town was Cape Le Grand National Park where we camped for the night.
Sunday morning we explored the park and climbed to the top of Frenchmans Peak, a 1.5 km steep climb not for the faint hearted! I was gasping by the time we got to the top but that was all forgotten when we saw the view, I tried to take a good photo but those kind of things can only be appreciated when you're there I think. We went for a dip afterwards in Hellfire Bay which was a beautiful beach cove, a good reward for our climbing efforts.
That night we hit the boredom. Australia's longest straightest road at 146km and we parked up halfway across that before entering the Nullarbor (Aboriginal for 'no trees') desert the next day. This was a loooong drive across some very boring vegetation but I'll have to tell you all about that next time I'm online as my time is running out (it's on 1 minute!). Be good and hopefully I'll be on here very soon!:)
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Heading off today on the big drive!
Well today's the day we leave Mandurah! I've said my goodbyes to everyone and although it was really sad, we'll be back this side in 3 months. I'm just so excited to see everything along the South and East!
Anyway, haven't been on too many great adventures this week. We spent Wednesday and Thursday on Rottnest Island just a ferry ride from Perth and had a real fun time. Its basically a small island where people escape to occasionally where you usually dust off your bikes! We did what everyone else was doing and that was, to cycle round the island, 22km all in all. It was ok while we were cycling although I did have the occasional tantrum when the hills were too steep and I had to walk my bike while James just rode off ahead! It was the next day that was a killer, my legs were so stiff! As we were staying in a hostel dorm room I had bagged top bunk unaware how painful it would be to climb down the ladder after 22km of cycling! To top that off, getting back on the bike that morning was even more painful! I'm not an unfit person as such, I just can't ride a bike very well!!! So apart from the cycling we spent the rest of the time at the beach and managed to see some dolphins quite close and a huge stingray. The island is also famed for the 'Quokkas' which are kangaroos crossed with rats, they're pretty cute actually, google them if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about.
Thursday evening me and Sophie had a girly night up in Subiaco which is a classy suburb of Perth. We had greek dips and pitta bread in a little Mediteranean restaurant and then moved onto another place for our main course before finishing with a hot chocolate in another cafe - our way of seeing the place in one evening! The next day we went shopping in Perth and although I didn't buy much, I had fun spending Sophie's money for her new house!!!
The weekend was quite nice and chilled out as it was Sophie's birthday yesterday. Saturday night we celebrated in style and hit Northbridge in Perth for a Mediteranean dinner and a boogie in a club called Paramount. Lots of drinking, dancing and tequila slammers involved, no one hurt in the process though;) Funny story there really, as it was Sophie's birthday, we decided that all the girls would get ready together and meet the guys at the train station... Come 6:45pm, we got to the train station and James couldn't stand or look me in the eye after drinking a whole bottle of Whisky in the space of about 40 minutes! Not only should you not drink that much in one sitting, but it wasn't even 7pm on a Saturday night and the boy was already dazed and very confused! After that I went to the vending machine and made him eat chocolate and banned alcohol in the restaurant for him - carbs and water for James!!! We swapped his drunkness by the end of the night with him being one of the most sober ones on the train home!
Yesterday we spent the day lazing on the couch, watching DVD's and eating lots of nice food. We went out for dinner at this cosy Italian restaurant and even though we waited quite a while for our meals, they were all really yummy and I think we all came home quite satisfied that Sophie had had a good birthday!
Well, it's about time I get packing to leave. We're driving down to Margaret River today to catch a few days of the surfing competition they have every year. No promises on when I'll next be online but I will be in touch soon, hopefully before we hit the boring desert otherwise you'll all be waiting a while for my update! Be good everyone:)
Anyway, haven't been on too many great adventures this week. We spent Wednesday and Thursday on Rottnest Island just a ferry ride from Perth and had a real fun time. Its basically a small island where people escape to occasionally where you usually dust off your bikes! We did what everyone else was doing and that was, to cycle round the island, 22km all in all. It was ok while we were cycling although I did have the occasional tantrum when the hills were too steep and I had to walk my bike while James just rode off ahead! It was the next day that was a killer, my legs were so stiff! As we were staying in a hostel dorm room I had bagged top bunk unaware how painful it would be to climb down the ladder after 22km of cycling! To top that off, getting back on the bike that morning was even more painful! I'm not an unfit person as such, I just can't ride a bike very well!!! So apart from the cycling we spent the rest of the time at the beach and managed to see some dolphins quite close and a huge stingray. The island is also famed for the 'Quokkas' which are kangaroos crossed with rats, they're pretty cute actually, google them if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about.
Thursday evening me and Sophie had a girly night up in Subiaco which is a classy suburb of Perth. We had greek dips and pitta bread in a little Mediteranean restaurant and then moved onto another place for our main course before finishing with a hot chocolate in another cafe - our way of seeing the place in one evening! The next day we went shopping in Perth and although I didn't buy much, I had fun spending Sophie's money for her new house!!!
The weekend was quite nice and chilled out as it was Sophie's birthday yesterday. Saturday night we celebrated in style and hit Northbridge in Perth for a Mediteranean dinner and a boogie in a club called Paramount. Lots of drinking, dancing and tequila slammers involved, no one hurt in the process though;) Funny story there really, as it was Sophie's birthday, we decided that all the girls would get ready together and meet the guys at the train station... Come 6:45pm, we got to the train station and James couldn't stand or look me in the eye after drinking a whole bottle of Whisky in the space of about 40 minutes! Not only should you not drink that much in one sitting, but it wasn't even 7pm on a Saturday night and the boy was already dazed and very confused! After that I went to the vending machine and made him eat chocolate and banned alcohol in the restaurant for him - carbs and water for James!!! We swapped his drunkness by the end of the night with him being one of the most sober ones on the train home!
Yesterday we spent the day lazing on the couch, watching DVD's and eating lots of nice food. We went out for dinner at this cosy Italian restaurant and even though we waited quite a while for our meals, they were all really yummy and I think we all came home quite satisfied that Sophie had had a good birthday!
Well, it's about time I get packing to leave. We're driving down to Margaret River today to catch a few days of the surfing competition they have every year. No promises on when I'll next be online but I will be in touch soon, hopefully before we hit the boring desert otherwise you'll all be waiting a while for my update! Be good everyone:)
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