The final stretch (Port Augusta to Adelaide to Robe to Port Fairy)

Hooray, she's walking!  Sure, a total dork
but she is walking!

Alas, after 140 days and 54 stops the great venture is drawing to an end.  We are in Victoria at the final stop of our journey.  Its nearly over and, while some members feel that the time we have spent camping has been enough, others want the journey go on forever and everyone agrees that its sad for this big adventure to be drawing to a close.  But its not quite over yet.

We stayed a (hot) night in Port Augusta.  Not much to report as we did not leave the caravan park.  It had a pool and we were only in Port Augusta.  (As I sit here in Port Fairy on a very cold evening, that seems a long time ago now).

After 4 1/2 months in the great outdoors,
Isaac shows off the perfect Hoyne
tan - and the equally perfect Hoyne
physique.

We then went on to Adelaide.  Somewhat bizarrely, it is harder to find things to do in the big cities than in the little towns.  Perhaps because you go little towns for a particular reason (a national park, a beach etc) whereas you go the big towns because they are big towns.  Or maybe its because Adelaide is so phenominally boring. Either way, after we went to Glenleg, did the city market, caught a tram and wondered up Rundle Street mall, there was little else we could think to do.  Having said that, the (absolutely enormous) caravan park that we stayed at in Adelaide - just north of Glenelg) was on a beautiful beach and we did spend some time there.  And we saw a very large stingray and then a pod of dolphins about 10 metres from the shore.  It may seem surprinsing to see such wildlife in Adelaide but the wildlife of Australia has become accustomed to the screams our children make and to the screaming of mum and dad and are actually attracted to it now.

Booking ahead was not really
necessary in Robe (or anywhere else
since Queensland..._

Anyway, from Adelaide we may our way to Robe.  We picked out a caravan park here that had in indoor heated pool so the kids could get some more swimming in and, given the 18 degree temperatures, that was not going to happen outside.  Pity they were so poorly behaved that we then banned them from going to it.  They were limited to the giant jumping pillow and the playground.  We are certainly tough parents.

Site of a where a Prado had been
bogged.  Serve the moron right for
driving on the soft part of the beach.

While in Robe we went to Little Dip Conservation Park which is just on the outskirts of Robe.  Dad had not quite appreciated what a serious four wheel drive expedition Little Dip would be.  Anyway, we made it on to the beach and discovered that the sand was VERY soft.  Our car tyres were alsready reduced from 38psi to 18psi and we became hopelessly bogged until about three quarters of the way up all the wheels.  That would have been had enough but, in addition, we were about 5 metres from the water and knew only that the tide was coming in - alas, we did not know how far the tide would come in.  Of course, Dad kept his cool and the tingling sensation he had all down his left arm were not anxiety related at all.  However, to demonstrate that we have learned something on this holiday Mum just pointed out that we should remove the sand from around the tyres and let more air out of the tyres (down to 10 psi).  We got out (wihtout even using the winch) and Dad had full feeling return to his arm within 12 hours.

Getting water from the caravan park at Port Augusta was
a bit harder than we were used to....

After Robe, we made our way to Port Fairy, home of the well known folk festival. Now, we have been to the folk festival many times and Anouk likes to hear that she saw and danced to her favourite singer (Kasey Chambers) here about 3 1/2 years ago. However, despite the fact that we have been here before we did not realise two things about the place.  First, that there were things here other than a folk festival (such as a big island in the mouth of the Moyne River which houses a colony of rare mutton birds - did ANYONE else know about this) and the town of Port Fairy is home to the largest colony of old women in the country.  They are everywhere.

Would you believe that this is the child who has the
 least attitude of the three?

The kids continue to develop - none more so that Yvette in the past week.  In the last week or so she has started to actually walk rather than stuble like a drunk. Might have something to do with the fact that we stopped giving her bundy to make her go to sleep but  then Mum was a bit late in regards to walking too - so Nana tells us - so its not all her fault.  Isaac really has returned to being a nice little fellow (saying, "I love Mum/Dad, You are the best Mum/Dad in the world" about ten times a day demonstrating a flair for sucking up also.  Anouk - well, perhaps, this is not the best moment to be discussing Anouk.  Here In Port Fairy, we again chose a caravan park wtih an indoor pool and again we have banned Anouk using it.

There will be a couple more posts after we return just adding some conclusions to the trip.  We will see you all soon. 

Eyre Peninsula (Ceduna to Streaky Bay to Coffin Bay)

Actually, no, we are not moving to Ceduna to buy Geoff Bett's menswear store.  Rather we may move to Streaky Bay to set up a microbrewery.  It needs one.  Its got most of the other trappings of a good tourist town.  Good caravan park with pelicans out your door, a great pub, good bakery and cafe but it needs a microbrewery.  Now, I just have to learn how to make beer.  It can't be that hard, can it?

Colton Bakery.  Although there is no-one
to serve you (and payment is based on
an honesty system) the service is still better
than the service at the Baker's Delight in
Hampton.

As you may have noticed, our thoughts are starting to turn towards home - or, rather, how to avoid going back there.  Alas, reality beckons and we will be back in Melbourne town on 15 December as Dad has to do a little bit of work before Christmas because the judge in one of his cases made a mistake and found for the other side.  Again.  Yes, judges do make lots of mistakes.

They do look like haystacks from futher
away...

Anyway, in Streaky Bay (named by Matty Flinders because there are streaks in the bay - I like his logic) we went to Point Labat to look at a large colony of sea lions - which you needed a pair of binoculars to actually see.  We also went to the "Whistling rocks" which don't so much whistle and gush and the blowholes - which are holes but they don't really blow.  At least not while we were there.  We also went to see more rocks - this time called Murphy's haystacks because they look like haystacks.

Sami the sea lion in the turquoise waters
of Memory Cove.

We left Nana and Pa behind in Streaky Bay and went on to Coffin Bay - named by Matty Flinders again after one of his mates - Sir Isaac Coffin.  Issac is pretty happy that there is a Point Isaac here.  We were less enthused by the three hour 4WD trip it took to get there so let that one go.  We did go to Point Lincoln and Lincoln National Park and Coffin Bay National Park.  Lincoln National Park was very good.  Even before we got into the park we saw emus (well spotted, Isaac!) and kangaroos and lizards.  Then we got to the park and saw very little save for one exception.  We went to a place called Memory Cove and guess what?  It had white and and turquiose waters.  So those beaches are not all in WA. However, given what we have seen in the last few months it would not have blown us away until a little sea lion turned up and had a swim up and down in the bay.  Nice touch.

Yvette showing Dad how
the washing machine works.

On one evening we treated ourselves to a night out at the Coffin Bay Sailing Club.  Fridays and Sundays they have their full menu - comprising 5 dishes (calamari, whiting, T-Bone, Rump and chicken schnitzel).  Dad, rather foolishly asked at the counter if the whiting came with chips.  The entirely dead pan response from the 60 year old volunteer (yes, they were volunteers) at the counter was, "Mate, everything comes with chips." 

Toilet training on the road can
be challenging. Here we are
going with the "Aim for the I"
method.

Although the sailing club was undoubtedly gourmet, Coffin Bay is well known for its oysters so we figured we had better try them out.  We even have an oyster knife. Alas, we had left behind the only members of the team who can actually open an oyster (Nana and Pa) and so Mum and Dad were left to their own devices to try to work it out.  Dad favoured the hammer method, Mum was more into gentle coaxing.  However, when the gentle coaxing method did not work, it became more of a stabbing approach.  Anyway, we eventually opened all oysters very successfully.  Has to be said, though, that Coffin Bay oysters are a lot more gritty than normal oysters.

Coffin Bay was also the site where we met the only family crazier than us - John and Katie who are going around Australia in a camper trailer wtih 4 young kids - Ethan (9), James (6), Max (4) and Alicia (10 months).  Lovely family but totally nuts.  As I say, compared to us, they have an extra child, are in a camper trailer (which John built himself) and have no definite plans to return.  Good luck.

Dad attempted to go to church in Coffin Bay.  The priest comes down the first Sunday of each month from Port Lincoln.  Or, rather he is supposed to. This week, it seems he forgot.  Or decided to go the sailing club instead.  We never did find out.

We are now off to Adelaide via Port Augusta.  None of the remaining members of the team have been to Adelaide before. I mean, why would you?