Adelaide markets

Dough is an amazing bakery shop at the market and now have cheeses

Not long now

I am sitting in the van overlooking the ocean at Robe.  It is a beautiful little town and I'm looking forward to exploring the place tomorrow.  I am sampling the pickled prawns I bought at Harry's somewhere between Pt Augusta and Adelaide and they are yummy and I think I better have a beer to go with it (thanks to Joe and Tim who gave me their left over beer from CDR - I have finished the left over rum thanks Paul).    It was an interesting drive down through the (or past the) Coorong  (I am not sure what the Coorong is - the land or the water??) .  After I left Tailem Bend you go a way and then there is Lake Alexanda and then Lake Albert on the right and the The Coorong.  Tomorrow I will head for Mt Gambier.  Today I bumped into some lovely people when I stopped to take a photo who were moving from Perth to Queensland.  It is wonderful travelling and meeting people along the way.  They make the trip. 

I had a great time with A & J in Adelaide.  J had her volunteer day at the zoo yesterday and then I went with A to the Adelaide Markets (I just love the markets - all the food and the displays make food so exciting!).  Then A (who likes to have a bit of a bet on the geegees some time) said there was a horse called Barbara Joy racing at Seymour so we had to put a bet on that at the pub and have a cider (a pint - it was huge and I couldn't finish it!).  What happened to the horse you may ask - she came last!    Then we went to the zoo to see the pandas (they are soo cute) and met with J and then off to dinner at their daughter's (Jody)  to see her new place and see her girls (J & A's grandchildren).

I packed up Myrtle this morning after a walk around the neighbour and headed south east. 

The more I travel and see,  makes me realise how much more there is to see!   I am mentally making a list of places already - Kangaroo Island, Flinders Ranges...........  a 4WD would be good too!
 Though at this stage I am a bit tired of driving and Myrtle has done an amazing job of just keeping going.   

Well it has definitely  been an amazing journey and home isn't far away and it will be lovely to be home and again and see my friends and spend time in my garden.  Also it will be exciting to go through all my photos and do something with them. 

along the way

wheat wheat and more wheat

My last Carnarvon banana!   They are smaller, sweeter and they don't spray them. I will so miss the little bananas

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Coolgardie - what a really wide street - the main highway - I was standing in the middle of it!

Back to Adelaide

Left the Nullabor Roadhouse about 7.30 am Sunday.  Now on Adelaide time (and daylight saving).  My whole time clock is out.  I like the drive east even though it did feel a bit boring at times.  Petrol went down from $1.99 per litre to $1.60 per litre at the next roadhouse along.   Got to Ceduna about midday.  The sun was shining and the water looked beautiful and I parked near the bay.  I had been there 3 years ago in the winter and it was dismall but today Ceduna looked good.  I bought some fish and chips for lunch (King George Whiting) and headed along the road to Port Augusta.  I hadn't been on that stretch before because 3 years before I did the Eyre Peninsula.   It was such a long boring drive through wheat fields and around bends and undulating road for hours and hours.  I listened to an audio book I had downloaded which made the trip more interesting - The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (we had it in book club but I didn't read it then).   I ended up stopping at Wudinna Caravan Park as I was so tired at 5.30 pm.  When I pulled up I heard my name and there were people there who I had met the previous night at the Nullabor Roadhouse so we all drove the same distance that day.    It was a warm day however cooled down in the evening.   After a beer and a chat with the other campers off to bed.  In the morning I bought petrol and went for a drive through the town.  I stopped at an attractive looking cafe which was Alicia's Cakes and Coffee.  The woman was lovely and assisted by her young daughter and she made me a freshly baked bread roll filled with turkey, cranberry and Camembert.    It was the best coffee I had for a long time.  My next stop was Kimba where there is a big galah and a map saying halfway across Australia.    After that there the landscape changed and then I got to Iron Knob which I remembered learning about in primary school so called into look at the old mining town.  Then on to Port Augusta and arrived there about lunch time and had a look around the shops and then drove onto Adelaide.  The road was quite busy and I saw heaps of police cars.   After driving through the countrside I found the traffic in Adelaide really busy and stressful but thanks to Navman I arrived safely  at Joy and Andrew's at about 6.30 pm.  I called in to see them 4 months ago on my way north so it was great to see them again.

A long straight road

After leaving Coolgardie it was about 2 1/2 hours to Norseman.  I had a walk around there and then headed east on the long road.  I stopped at Balladonia Roadhouse for a coffee and then headed back on the road east.    I got to a free camp spot about 5.00 pm and tucked in for the night.  There were about 6 other vans pulled up.   I awoke with the light this morning and  after a cup of tea and toast I headed along the road again and looked at the clock and it was 5.30 am.  There is a long stretch of road that is straight for  146 ks.  The longest straight stretch in Australia.  I stopped at Eucla for lunch and to stretch the legs.   The time zones are hard to keep track of.  Now on Adelaide time.   It seems like such a long way when on your own and doing all the driving.  It is windy and hard work keeping Myrtle on the road.  Tonight I am at the Nullabor Roadhouse - $27 for a powered site and $1 for a 5 min hot shower.  I have had a beer and feta and biscuits so it think that will be dinner. I was going to open a can of baked beans but it is so windy outside and it would blow out my butane burner and don't feel like lighting the gas inside.   Early start tomorrow and hope to get to Port Augusta. 

Many ks

Tonight I have ended up at Coolgardie (a very ordinary caravan park).  I would have preferred a free camp spot on the side of the road but busy tourist season is over and there was nobody camped in any of them and I don't like staying at those places on my own so drove to Coolgardie and too tired to drive another 40 ks or so.  I am the closest spot to the road but all other sites occupied by mining/construction workers' vans so will just put up with the constant truck noise.  I am so tired I think I would sleep through anything.

It has been an interesting day.  The spot last night was also full of the same van's marked "John Holland" so I will google to see what they do.    (just looked construction/engineering)

I drove through the wheat belt - so many fields of wheat for hours and hours.  A flock of budgies flew into my windscreen.  I am afraid some would not have survied even though my windscreen did.  One was stuck behind my windscreen wiper.   Some were just starting to harvest.  I stopped at Dowerin just because it looked clean and tidy.    Some of the towns look like they have closed up shop.  I suppose many years ago people didn't drive so far and relied on their local vendors but now with internet and more comfortable cars a lot of the little wheat belt towns are empty.  Dowerin looked like it was cared for.  A young man approached me when I parked on the side of the road.  He came out of a shop and explained it was closed for the day due to his brother's wife having a baby but he invited me to look in the shop as he had recently rented it and was going to do it up.  I am not sure if it was going to be a second hand shop or cafe or both.  He explained he had Cystic Fibrosis and was living his dreams and was now living a healthy life and was now an "ideas man" after many previously being depressed and now making the most of things.  He had lots of energy even though he was obviously unwell.  His name was Shane and gave me a CF newsletter with an article in it on him.  It is amazing the people you meet!!!!

I then drove to Merredin.  A big wheat belt town and stopped for a break.  I bought petrol and this lovely woman Pam served me (yes that is right - she puts petrol in the car and cleans your windscreen - it has been over 20 years I think since someone has done that!!!).  She enquired about my van as her son is going to look for one for her.  She was such a gem!  A delight to talk to.

I went through Southern Cross and then to Coolgardie and tomorrow..........

On the road

Today I said goodbye to White Wells and Luke. Fiona, Tanami and Banjo (thank you - it was a wonderful experience seeing your new home in WA - the reserve is the best backyard!)
I so enjoyed cooking the cooking experience.

I was driving through funny places today and strange narrow road.  (Pithara has grain storage but everythingelse has closed down - so sad when a town disappears).    Wubin probably has a population of say 20 but has two roadhouses and a truck exchange roadside area which I think is one of the busiest in Australia with hundreds of trucks there.  I don't think the trucks can travel further south with 3 trailers or something.   I stopped off at Dalwallinuw for some supplies (bakery has good coffee and cakes look good but do not taste good!)   

amazing reflection of the sunset in the beautiful clouds

So many trucks and wideloads on the road - mining related transport.  When I turned off to one road it was that narrow that you had to go off the road when car came the other way or get right off when a truck came because he wanted to narrow road to himself.

I only travelled as far as Wongan Hills as I didn't leave till lunch time and stopped to take photos on the way.  It will be an early start in the morning.