31 January 2012 - Meningie

Time to leave Victor Harbor and start heading further east. We packed up and did a quick trip to a local mechanic to get a cracked weld on the bike hitch sorted. Nothing major, just a small crack that need to be touched up. 25 mins and $25 later we were on the road for Meningie. We crossed the Murray River at Wellington on the car ferry. The ferry speeds across the few hundred metres of river at a rapid pace. Much faster than the ferry that crosses the Hawkesbury River at Wisemans Ferry just north of Sydney. All of the Murray River ferries are named after birds and we travelled on the 'Quail'. We arrived at the campsite by Lake Albert around lunchtime and had the obligatory cheese and tomato sandwiches. The crowds have certainly dropped off since the end of the school holidays and it is getting very quiet. We walked into town, although there was not much to see, and headed back to set up camp. No annex on the trailer tonight, to speed up the packing and unpacking process.  Lake Albert is the smaller of the two lakes at the end of the Murray River, Lake Alexandrina is the larger lake. It would have been good to have small boat to do a bit more exploring but perhaps we will leave that for another trip. It was a cool evening so we did not hang around outside the tent for too long and got to bed pretty early.

Interestingly Meningie is only 40km from Raukken, the birthplace of David Unaipon who is featured on the Aus $50 note. He was an aboriginal preacher, inventor and writer. The small church pictured next to his portrait on the note is still there and can be visited although we only found this out a bit late for us to get there.

30 January 2012 - Wind and Granite Island

A low pressure system came through overnight bringing with it wind and much lower temperatures but no rain. We have had to search through the bags for the fleeces which have not been needed until now. I went for a haircut this morning while Clarenand kiddies did some grocery shopping. My 'number 4' from 6 weeks ago was starting to get a bit long so I have gone with a 'number 2' this time. Lachie managed to fall over in the supermarket and chip one of his front teeth. Nothing life threatening but we may need to get it looked at in Melbourne. Due to his age, the closest child dentist is in Adelaide and it does not seem to warrant a trip back there. Not much else planned for toady. Clare decided to go off and explore Granite Island in a bit more detail. It was a good day for it as the wind had really whipped up the sea and it was fantastic to watch the waves pounding the rocks. After she returned, I went for a wander around the island myself.

29 January 2011 - Trains, Goolwa and the Coorong

Having completed our whirlwind tour of Victor Harbor yesterday, it was onward to explore the surrounding towns and sights today. Nick kicked off with an early bike ride - which I thought was going to be a round trip to Goolwa 30km away but ended up only being a few km down the road to Port Eliot. (It wouldn't surprise me if he just went to a coffee shop for a little peace) Even Hannah, Em's newest campsite friend commented on what a quick ride it was on his return. Ha! Anyway, the excuse was we had lots to do.

We kicked off with a coffee at the Anchor Cafe on the waterfront. Coffee was pretty good, but $2 for a babycino!!! Wow, this place is more expensive than Sydney - though thank crap it came with 2 marshmallows. Lachie ate the marshmallows, knocked his babycino on the floor and went bananas while I went back to beg for a refill without forking out another $2 for a few spoons of froth. Much to Em's horror and Lachies delight we could see the Steam train the 'Duke of Edinburgh' pull up at the station outside the window. Em again bawled at the whistle.

Em and myself bid Nick and Lachie farewell as they took the steam train to Goolwa while we drove as Em refused to have anything to do with the train. We stopped along the coast road to take a few happy snaps of it passing and again there were tears.

The markets from Victor Harbor yesterday had relocated to Goolwa today, but we gave them a miss and headed for a picnic by the Goolwa Barrage before heading off across sand dunes to Goolwa beach, cockle/pipi heaven.

The beach was absolutely stunning, pity we walked there before realising where we were and preparing ourselves with sunscreen, water, swimmers etc. Needless to say, Lachie had fallen in the sea within 5 mins of arrival, and spent the next hour proudly running nudie through the waves. (This must be a Foster trait) The surf was amazing, and the beach pretty much abandoned bar the 4WDs that cruised past from time to time. Em and Lachie waved as they passed, thrilled to have a highway on the beach.

After Nick teaching the kids the "cockling dance" and catching and releasing a few pipis, it was onward to Hindmarsh Island to finally see the mouth of the Murray in the Coorong National Park. It is a fascinating spot where the fresh water meets salt water and considerable investment is made in clearing the sandbars from the mouth of the river into the ocean. Unfortunately you need a serious 4WD to get across to the sand dunes, so we were left on the Island to take in the views from here.

Finally the fishing rods made their maiden voyage on Sugars Beach where Nick and Em had a go at catching anything that might bite with some pipi. No success unfortunately, and then even Lachie gave it a go as he dug the rod into the sand. And, whilst we left empty handed I was relieved we escaped without a fishing hook lodged in one of the kids.

Back for fun at the bouncing castle, more balance bikes and new camping friends. It was great to see all the school holiday families ship out today to leave the "hard core" grey nomads and ourselves in the campsite. We finally had beach views having had about 3 row of caravans and tents move out from between us and the beach - yay! And it was interesting to finally meet a family from Sydney on a similar trip to ourselves with 2 young kids - although they are travelling for 12 months and on the final leg now. It makes one question should we really head back to Sydney after 6 months..........Hmm........

28 January 2012 - Exploring Victor Harbor

The Ramindjerri clan of the Ngarindjerri people are the traditional inhabitants of the lower lakes area of the Murray River where Victor Harbor is situated. Apparently the Ramindjerri people were not nomadic like many of their cousins further inland. Who can blame them, fresh water for drinking from the Hindmarsh and Murray Rivers, fishing in both fresh and sea water, relatively mild climate, they would not want to live anywhere else. Pity about all those British and French explorers who kept bothering them. With this being the area where the Murray meets the sea, it was a great place for exploration as the Euros were able to navigate vast distances up the river rather than having to trudge overland.

For those who may have picked up the incorrect (or American) spelling of 'Harbor' rather than 'Harbour' blame the early surveyor general of Sth Australia rather than me. Apparently he made this error in a few places such as 'Outer Harbor' - Port Adelaide. Interestingly the railway station is spelt 'Victor Harbour' - thank goodness for wikipedia.

Victor Harbor is now the largest town on the Fleurieu Peninsula and there are loads of things to see and do. We started the day by visiting the local fresh produce markets where I managed to get the best coffee in have had so far during our time in SA. While we were at the markets, we heard the whistle for the local steam train that runs between Victor Harbor and Goolwa, the town closest the mouth of the Murray River. We ran to the station to see the train pulling in. Lachie was delighted whilst Emily was absolutely terrified of the train whistle. We hung around to watch the engine shunt from one end of the platform to the other for the return trip to Goolwa. We watched the train depart and manage to placate Lachie by promising we would go on the train tomorrow.

After the excitement of the train, we wandered around Victor Harbor, visited the tourist office to find out the best things to do and had some lunch in the park while waiting for the tram to Granite Island. There is a 600m pier linking Victor Harbor to Granite Island, just off the coast, and the option of taking the restored horse drawn tram rather than walking across. The tram is pulled by a single Clydesdale horse, no doubt one of the three we saw yesterday. We piled onto the tram along with a bunch of other tourists and it was a pleasant 20 minute trip across.

On Granite Island we saw some of the local fairy penguins being fed, although this was not as exciting as the icy pole that we allowed the kiddies to have, given that the day was so warm.

On returning to Victor Harbor we decided to take a drive up to Port Elliot, about 10 mins from Victor Harbour and go for a swim at Horseshoe Bay. Lachie fell asleep in the car on the way there, so Clare waited with him in the car while I went for a swim with Em. Horseshoe Bay is usually very tranquil but the swell was up a bit, so Emily decided she would rather stay onshore and look for shells. The water was very pleasant and most refreshing and I managed to catch a couple of waves.

Clare also managed to get a swim in and we then headed back to our campsite after a long day. Em and Lachie befriended our neighbors kiddies, Hannah and Miles. They had a great time on their balance bikes, on the bouncy pillow with mummy and running around while dinner was cooking. A late night for them and we did not managed to get them into bed until well after 9pm. Steam trains and Goolwa are on the agenda for tomorrow.

27 January 2012 - Victor Harbor

We managed to extract ourselves from Judith's at about 9.30am. Not too much in the way of kiddie collateral damage to Judith's lovely house. It was great not to have to pack the camper trailer up before getting on the road. Staying in a house for a few days was very re-energising but it will be great to get back to camping now.

The drive to Victor Harbor was roughly 3.5hrs and a nice uneventful drive. We had to travel back through Adelaide. A car had rolled off the freeway on the outskirts of town so seeing more nee naws was the highlight for Em and Lachie. This was closely followed by seeing some real life monster trucks parked just off the road in the northern suburbs.

We arrived at our camp site in Victor Harbor, right on the beach with the obligatory bouncing pillow. After some lunch, the tent did not take too long to set up, we are certainly getting much better at it. Clare took Em and Lachie for a shot on the pillow enabling me to the tent finished. After setup, we headed to the local supermarket to stock up. On the way we were fortunate enough to see the Victor Harbor Clydesdales begin walked to their overnight stables. Victor Harbor has a horse drawn tram that operates in the summer to take tourists out on the pier to Granite Island, a small island just off the coast.

Exploring Victor Harbor is on the schedule for tomorrow.

26 January 2012 - Australia Day in Moonta

Australia Day today and Indian Independence day, quite interesting given that Australia are currently playing India in the fourth test in Adelaide. I note India never retained the Union Jack on their flag, perhaps I will get more excited about Australia Day when we remove it from ours!

First stop this morning was to the beach at Moonta Bay for a fund raising event put on by the Moonta Community Private Hospital. Judith, our current host, is the CEO and Director of Nursing at the hospital. We contributed to fund raising by purchasing and scoffing a bacon and egg roll, yum yum. There were a sand shaping activities down at the beach and the kiddies were asked to make a sea creature in sand. This held Emily's attention for about 10 seconds and Lachie's for less, so Clare and Judith were left to build a starfish. Apparently starfish are now known as sea stars as they are not technically fish but this fact, pointed out by the lady running the activity, was lost on the kids.

After collecting some shells and the obligatory play in the park, we headed off to the old Moonta mines for a tour. Moonta was founded on copper mining back in the 1860's - 70's. During it's hey day it was the second largest town in Sth Aus behind Adelaide. The mining heritage has been retained where possible and volunteers have constructed about 2km of train track around the site for tourists. Clare, Judith, Emily, Lachie and myself jumped on the train and we were fortunate enough to be the only people for the early (11.30am) train and had our pick of carriages.

Our tour guide and train driver, Ron, was filling in for the day as the usual guide had other commitments. Ron was extremely enthusiastic but a little forgetful about dates so things were a bit jumbled but we got the gist of it. The mines were worked mainly by Cornish miners who came out from the UK to live and work in the Moonta mines. Conditions were very tough, not only was the work hard and dangerous but there is a significant lack of water in the area so the only water available had to be collected by rainfall. Some of the deepest shafts were up to 300m deep so the area is not somewhere to go wandering around at night.

The 1870's were the 'big years' for Moonta with over 12,000 people living in the area at that time. Mining dropped off a little in the late 1800's but picked up again in the early 1900's when they figured out how to extract more copper from the 'tailings' the waste from the earlier mining operations.

I could have spent much longer as I found it very interesting but having to work to kiddie time meant it was time to go when the train got back after an hour long tour of the mine site.

When we got back to Judith's, Lachie crashed for nearly 3 hours and I managed to get some time to vacuum the car. This was certainly long overdue. Emily decided that herself and Clare needed some 'Mummy/Emily time' so Clare was forced to take Emily to the park in the sweltering 35 degree heat. Fortunately the park was under shade cloth so there was some minor escape from the sun.

Clare and I watched a DVD before going to bed. Back on the road tomorrow, heading to Victor Harbour. Moonta was as far west as we will get on this trip, time to head east again.

25th January 2012 - Chilling out at Port Hughes

Oh bliss for a very lazy morning. Em slept in until nearly 9am – an all time record – and woke up a little happier than she has been for a while. The kids got to watch some ABC for Kids for the first time in weeks, and while a novelty, they were more than thrilled to hit the beach for a little fun later in the morning.

The local beach is about 5mins walk from Judith’s and absolute paradise. We had the whole beach to ourselves, and Nick and myself enjoyed some snorkeling while the kids did the sandcastle thing and then collected periwinkles.

The water was too warm for even Em to complain, and it was so shallow, it was just perfect to let them roam and have a little independence. We looked for crabs, but only found a few claws and a body, but Em was thrilled nonetheless.

Today we had the first effort as “Em and Mom” time. Nick and myself have decided the kids are spending too much time together and Lachie – the serial pest – is driving Em mad. So in the searing heat Em and myself headed to the park, and then back to the beach for more crab hunting. She was thrilled and can’t wait to do it all again, and I am wishing we had not suggested this until the weather cools significantly.

We concluded the day by drinking far too much Clare Valley white, and I can absolutely conclude it is fabulous. Pikes, Sevenhill - fabulous.

25th January 2012 - Chilling out at Port Hughes

Oh bliss for a very lazy morning. Em slept in until nearly 9am – an all time record – and woke up a little happier than she has been for a while. The kids got to watch some ABC for Kids for the first time in weeks, and while a novelty, they were more than thrilled to hit the beach for a little fun later in the morning.

The local beach is about 5mins walk from Judith’s and absolute paradise. We had the whole beach to ourselves, and Nick and myself enjoyed some snorkeling while the kids did the sandcastle thing and then collected periwinkles.

The water was too warm for even Em to complain, and it was so shallow, it was just perfect to let them roam and have a little independence. We looked for crabs, but only found a few claws and a body, but Em was thrilled nonetheless.

Today we had the first effort as “Em and Mom” time. Nick and myself have decided the kids are spending too much time together and Lachie – the serial pest – is driving Em mad. So in the searing heat Em and myself headed to the park, and then back to the beach for more crab hunting. She was thrilled and can’t wait to do it all again, and I am wishing we had not suggested this until the weather cools significantly.

We concluded the day by drinking far too much Clare Valley white, and I can absolutely conclude it is fabulous. Pikes, Sevenhill - fabulous.

24th January 2012 - Clare Valley to Yorke Pennisula - a day in the car

Our week in Adelaide has come to an end and today was pack up day. We managed the feat in approx. 2.5 hours, and this included breakfast, and crazy kids, so looks like we are getting the swing of this camping lark. Nick was chuffed to “beat” the family next door in packing as we drove out of the campsite.

So farewell for now Adelaide, and another crap coffee to finish on a bit of a low. But not to worry, Clare Valley here we come…..

Unfortunately by the time we hit the Clare Valley, Em and Lachie had driven us sufficiently mad to put us off our wine tasting. Why is wine tasting alone so crap? Anyway, we decided since we were here we would try a few vineyards, so off we went to Sevenhill. Nick did the first tasting and left me in the car with the crazies with sweltering heat. And an hour – no joke, a full hour later, he returns content with the fabulous time he was shown. This extended to a tour of their vineyard, hand dug by the Jesuits in 1851. This was the first vineyard in the valley, so Nick felt it only right to treat it with respect. Hmm….

My turn to try a few wines and we headed to Pikes. I have had their wines before, so was more than happy to get stuck into a few of their whites. Yum! And boy did it help numb the noise from the kids.

Onward to the Yorke Penninsula, but not before sidetracking very slightly to “visit” Snowtown. Not very tasteful I guess, but having seen the movie, I was intrigued as to what this place would be like. Nice quiet little town, not too many people about, and a few “for sale” signs. Hmm….moving swiftly on.

We hit the town of Moonta and headed straight to the coast to check out the beach and home of Nick’s friend Judith who was kindly putting us up for a few days. What absolute bliss, a room for each of the kids, air con and the most perfect house, minutes from the beach. The only downside being everything is new and brand spanking clean and therefore likely to be destroyed by Em and Lachie in the few days before we leave.

We even got to see TV tonight, the first night since leaving Sydney, and interestingly enough it is still pretty much as crap as it was 3 weeks ago, only the regional SA ads are probably worse.

Here’s to a few days and night of R&R and wishing for a sleep in tomorrow.