Overnight stops (in date order): Melbourne (x5); Queenscliff (x2); Melbourne; Lorne (x2); Killarney; Nelson; Coorong National Park; Adelaide (x2); Yacka; Point Lowly (near Whyalla); Lincoln National Park; 20km south of Elliston; Ceduna (x2); off the Eyre Highway – between Ceduna and Norseman (x3); Esperance (x2); Stokes National Park; Stirling Range National Park (x2); Torbay Inlet – west of Albany; north of Bridgetown; Fremantle (x12).
Off the ferry from Tasmania, we spent five days in Melbourne, and then drove around Port Phillip Bay (at the base of which sits Melbourne) to take the ferry from Sorrento
across the narrow mouth of the Bay to spend a weekend in Queenscliff. The town is now a quiet, genteel resort with a beach with views of the narrow shipping lane in and out of Melbourne
but in the nineteenth century it was heavily fortified to protect the wealth of Victoria (mainly gold at that time) against potential attack from Russian and American ships. The Australians claim that the first shot of the first world war was fired from the fort; at a German cargo ship leaving the bay on the day after war was declared.
The first leg of our journey west was along the ‘Great Ocean Road’ which follows the coast of Victoria from Torquay to Warrnambool. The scenery is attractive but does not quite live up to its billing as ‘one of the world’s great Coastal drives’.
We paused for a day in Lorne so that I could my exceed own expectations of my plumbing abilities by successfully (so far!) changing the hot water cylinder for a new one sent out from the UK.
At Nelson, we took a gentle boat ride up the Glenelg River to visit the Princess Margaret Rose Cave.
After crossing the border into South Australia, we stopped for two days in Adelaide which was founded in 1836
and named after the German wife of William IV.
The city, which was the abode of Australia’s only home-grown saint,
has a very good art gallery
and a gentler, less cosmopolitan ambience than Sydney and Melbourne.
From Adelaide, we took the more scenic route through the vineyards of South Australia; including the Barossa Valley – Australia’s most famous wine-producing area –
which was settled by a mix of German and British émigrés, who were obviously a god-fearing lot with little sense of aboriginal land-rights!
The grape harvest was under way and we felt obliged to taste the Shiraz and then buy a few bottles.
We kept to the coast around the Eyre Peninsula; stopped over at the Lincoln National Park (where I enjoyed the walking tracks….
but forgot to extinguish our barbecue),
passed through Elliston to eat oysters at the Sunday fishermen and farmers market
and spent a couple of days in Ceduna, the last town for 1250 km, preparing the vehicle for the long haul across the Nullarbor Plain.
During the past month, we have encountered a fair amount of Australian wildlife in its natural element (that is not in a zoo)…
and have started to appreciate the subtle beauty of Australia’s flora.
The Eyre Highway leading west from Ceduna to Norseman is now good quality tarmac all the way. Because the truck cruises comfortably at a paltry 70 kph (something less than 45 mph) we took four days to make the journey – camping three nights on the way. Navigation is not the problem it was for Edward Eyre, the first White man to walk east to west across Australia, with the sat-nav helpfully telling us to turn left after 1213 Km!
The only hazards are animals on the roads (although we saw none – apart from the four mice that I caught in our cupboard and rehomed),
the enormous road trains (can you spot Danielle?),
that travel much faster than we do,
and the danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
The southern part of the Nullarbor is not as featureless, or even as treeless, as its name suggests. For long sections the road runs close to the sea cliffs that border the Great Australian Bight (that part of the Southern Ocean on the huge shallow bay that is much of the southern Australia coast).
The places we camped had their charm
and sun-rises and sun-sets were beautiful.
Being eco-travellers, and in an attempt to blend in with the environment, we adhered strictly to a diet that was in keeping with our surroundings.
And now it’s quiz time! can you name these animals that the Australian authorities ask you not to run over when driving on their roads?
(just to catch you out I have included a couple of hoax photos – can you spot them?)
The last sign contains a subtle clue as to the identity of the animal depicted.
The Eyre Highway ends at Norseman, an old gold-mining town that has definitely seen better days.
From here we turned south to the coast at Esperance which doubles as a low-key resort
and port for the export of metal ore to the world’s new booming economies.
Its other claim to fame is its museum which houses parts of the NASA Sky-lab which fell to earth in the nearby desert.
The coastline west of Esperance is beautiful
and large sections are protected by a string of national parks.
We spent a couple of days inland at Stirling Range National Park whose hills rise out of the flat plains
and visited the Walpole-Nornalup National Park; a region of giant eucalypts, some species of which grow only in this small part of south-west Australia.
By chance we arrived in Albany on Anzac Day (25th April); the national holiday that commemorates the first landing of Australian and New Zealand troops in Gallipoli in 1915. Albany was the port from which the first two convoys of troops sailed for Turkey.
It is also the site of Australia’s last whaling station; which closed in the late 1970s.
Our leisurely exploration of the south-west corner was cut short when my attempt to renew our Australian tourist visas on-line failed; requiring us to make a long and frantic drive to Perth to reach the immigration office on a Friday afternoon with just a few hours to spare before we became illegal over-stayers!
We spent 12 days at Fremantle, the port town south of Perth, preparing for the next leg of the journey. After 20,000 km of antipodean roads the truck was due some TLC in the form of a major service. Also, before heading north into the tropics, we wanted to install a cooling system in the cab. It proved impossible to fit a conventional system used in commercial trucks or motorhomes into an old army truck, so we had to go for the home-made, and inexpensive solution of strapping a second-hand, portable, domestic air conditioner into the space behind the passenger seat; powered from the engine via our inverter (will it work?).
Perth fits the mould for Australian cities with its water-side setting,
its signature, iconic building,
its mix of old and new,
its green spaces,
its statues to the Georgian Englishmen who were its founders
and quirky street art.
We preferred Fremantle, where we spent most of our time, which had a lively Market,
bustling street cafés,
and a busy fishing harbour and marina.
Responses
Paul Faithfull says: Changing a hot water cylinder? That’s the first time in 35 years that anything you’ve said or done has impressed me…Don’t fall asleep driving across the Nullarbor. I’m very envious. Love to Danielle xx
Simon McIlroy says: Heading west towards Orpington! Into Beau Geste mode for a 1000 miles+. Good job you stocked up on wine. Safe journey. Can you re-washer our taps when you get back?
Paul Faithfull says: Great photographs with interesting and entertaining comments. Is there a book in all this…? I’m increasingly envious. Keep it up!
Best wishes, Paul
Sian Goddard says: You’re obviously having a ball. So glad. Hope the AC works ok.
Love Sian et al xx
Andrée says: Allo Danielle and Paul, To practice your french: merci d’avoir pris des photos d’animaux sauvages. Le koala, les kangourous. le tasmanian etc. Les photos nous font vivre votr voyage. Andrée et Paul xx
Susie McIlroy says: I see you are adding to your already extensive portfolio: Paul machine-gunner, water-engineer and budding Brunel- speciality aircons; Danielle sommelier and keep-fit icon. Really enjoy the historical information but not sure I scored well on the quiz.. Love the pictures, particularly the flowers. Thank you both so much, love Susie