Turnbull's Gap Year: February 2012

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

8th week 13th of February to the 19th of February

13^th of February = Awoke to a flinders ranges sunrise and with the temps set to hit 35degrees. We decided as nice as the flinders and the Aroona campsite is even with its fresh spring water fed water taps everywhere and clean toilets decided the Flinders is not the best place for pregnant wife and kids. The main activity of the flinders is bush walking and are mostly of hard grade and very steep. So the only other option is driving with the best place for 4wdriving cost $75 and needing to pre-book and being a 6hr plus lap of someone’s property decided the wife wouldn’t be too good for this. We drove out a different way to what we came in so we could see more of the flinders as we were exiting we took another road that was dirt and followed a lot of dry creek beds. We made a b-line for Port Augusta and were thinking of staying there the night I rang up the local big 4 and asked for a price which there replies of $56, so I decided one lap of Port Augusta and off we were down to Whyalla for a more reasonable $25 a night.

14^th of February = Having a rest day today after 2 big days of driving. We went for a walk down the road with the girls both riding there bike to a big park we saw yesterday. While the girls were at the park I decided to walk down to the boat ramp as a local told me yesterday that the dolphins follow in the fishing boats and the girls just wanting to play as they had just got there didn’t follow. Well as soon as I got there I could see the dolphins swimming around the entrance to the marina and then a boat came in and all of a sudden I had up to 8 dolphins swimming around the jetty so I went back over to the park and got the girls to come over. The girls loved it and I could even pat the dolphins. In the afternoon we met up with another couple around our age with similar aged kids also doing a lap of Oz.

15^th of February = Caught up on clothes washing, filled gas bottles, fuelled up the truck and food shopping. The caravan park had a free sausage sizzle on Wednesday for lunch and we spent the afternoon going for a walk with our new friends to see if we can see the dolphins while not as close as yesterday we could see them swimming in the ocean.

16^th of February = We left Whyalla with our new friends following as they wanted to try free camping with their caravan we stopped and had a look at one of the campsites in the camps6 book as it had showers and toilets well it was packed full of grey nomads even though you couldn’t see any nice view from where you camped and it backed on to a sewer treatment plant we were out of there. Drove 25mins further down the road and stopped at a place called Redbanks no toilets or showers but a view to pay millions for and not one other person there. The girls and I spent the afternoon in the clear surf waters having some fun followed by some beer at happy hour.

17^th of February = We left camp as the wind was up a bit in the morning stopping of at a couple of little towns on the way until we found our next camp spot Carrow Wells we set up camp with more swimming and relaxing at the beach with the girls.

18^th of February = We drive into Port Lincoln ready for a decent hot shower followed by some relaxing. We went to maccas where we had 40cent ice creams and the girls played on the play equipment while I read my 4^th paper in 8 weeks not bad considering I haven’t watched the news for 8 weeks also.

19^th of February = Kate and I left our friends at the caravan park as we headed out to Port Lincoln National park as we had a national park past and were looking forward to a couple of more free nights. We camped at September beach which was awesome and water so clear and was so still the girls loved it we even built our first sandcastle. Kate made homemade rissoles with gravy it was delicious followed by a butterscotch pudding where all the sauce somehow makes it to the underside it was awesome.

leaving the flinders

On the way out

out the gate

Whyalla Lookout

Whyalla camp ground not the best spot but the camp ground was very nice and so were the staff

Dolphins

free camp site at Redbanks

New friends and ours

This is at Carrow wells the beach was just a little bit behind us you can see over my bonnet

The view from Port Lincoln caravan park our site

This is our campsite at port lincoln national park

This is a picture taken at redbank free camp at beer o'clock and our new friends made some fresh scones

The Girls and I having fun

Job well done haven't done better since I was 12 lol

Cost for 7th week we tried hard this week on the budget and it shows

Fuel = $97.35

Food = $247.46

Camping= $141

Tourist stuff and others = $44.95

Monday, 13 February 2012

7th week on the road 6th-12th of February

6^th of February = Today we decided to do a drive around the Adelaide Hills. First Stop Hahndorf which is an old town settled by Germans and a very nice town with some very nice buildings and shops. We headed just north out of town as Jessica wanted to go to a strawberry farm since Melbourne (I don’t even know how she got the idea). At the Beerenberg Strawberry farm you are allowed to go in to the paddock and pick your own strawberries and the girls loved it. From the strawberry farm we headed to mum and Megan’s favourite the Melba’s chocolate Factory where the girls got to see people making, processing and wrapping chocolate and sweets. While at the chocolate factory we popped into the cheese factory but wasn’t the same so back into the truck to go to the big rocking horse and have a look at a wood making toy factory. Then it was my turn so up to Birdwood to the national car museum while mum and girls played in the park. Well at this stage we were all getting a bit tired but I had been told by a mate about the whispering wall, what an awesome thing for kids and adults it is 180m wide dam wall and a person on one side can whisper near the wall and for some reason the sound travels perfect to the other side where you can hear as if they were half a metre away the kids loved it. Well back to the caravan Kids have fallen a sleep in the truck and I called into Mount lofty as I was told it was the best spot to view Adelaide. Kate sat in the car while I had a look and vis-versa. That was it for a very long day did nearly 300km and saw a lot of stuff.

7^th of February = After the big day yesterday we let the kids have a rest playing with the toys in the annexe in the morning followed by a check-up for Kate at the doctors. I had to pop over to a gps shop as organised early in the day after some heated emails with the manufacturer of my gps as it had no maps of South Australia on it. They wanted me to fill out a warranty claim form wait a few days until they replied then me send the gps back at my expense to them wait 7 days for them to send back. I told them how about I walk into a dealer for their gps show them the problem is real and then just swap the little sd card and it will all be fixed. Well after a week of waiting for them to finally agree it took 2mins and now it works (vms you idiots don’t buy their product until they fix their policies). The afternoon was finished off with the kids riding their bikes down the road to the local park and some laundry washing.

8^th of February = We decided to get in the truck and drive into town to have a look around well after 20mins driving around and not being able to find a parking spot with more than 15mins time limit, we were heading out the other side where we drove past the zoo so at the last minute decided the zoo it is. Adelaide zoo is not the biggest but has been finished to a high standard. My favourite was the monkeys as it was feeding time on one side of the natural looking monkey cage but a fake river prevents the monkeys on the other side coming over and they went ape even the one that was carrying a baby, they move up and down swinging like maniacs. We all loved the panda’s and are a very cute animal.

9^th and 10^th of February = Walking around the beach side towns, shops and general relaxing. Kids did get to see some very skilful squid catching which amused them for a while.

11^th 0f February = Leaving Adelaide today decided since the weather was still on the cooler side of what it would normally be so we decided to head up to the Flinders ranges we drove though some nice country side and spent the night a hawker caravan park big 4 with the other one traveller it is very quiet out here this time of year. We spent the afternoon in the pool relaxing and letting the girls have some fun after the 400km travelled today.

12^th of February = Headed out the flinders today we drove into Wilpena pound had a look at the info centre got some maps of the area and decided to head up to Aroona camp ground via a very scenic dirt road which went up over hills with nice vistas and down through dry creek beds getting to our nice national park camp spot for the nite, with once again a place with 40 plus sites and only one other couple at the other end. This couple had an old moto guzzi motor bike with a full rollbar with a canvas roof and panniers everywhere I can’t even see how you could drive it. The girls and I walked up to look at old ruins of the former homestead while mum rested.

Cost for 7th week

Fuel = $234.38

Food = $223.07

Camping= $21.40

Tourist stuff and others = $445.45

Thursday, 9 February 2012

6th week on the road 30th of Jan to 5th of Feb 2012

30^th of February = Today we planned on heading further into south Australia with plans to free camp on the way up just before the Murray river. But the wind was strong and we didn’t feel like stopping to set up in the bush and sit in a van while the wind beat down. I let Kate drive the rig for the first time and she ended up driving through to Meningie where we had lunch and tried working out where we were going. After no luck picking a spot I was over sitting in the passenger seat and took over the driving, this leg of the trip was the first time I had experienced driving into a head wind so hard that it felt like I was going uphill. Just over a month on the road from where we first camped at the start of the Murray river we were about to cross it again this time we used the ferry and started heading down towards Cape Jervis looking for a nice spot to camp we ended up at Goolwa in a caravan park with the prices dropping now holidays were over ended up at just a bit over $21 night if I stayed 3 nights.

31^st of February = We spent the day with a quick drive to look at the Murray Mouth and looking around Goolwa which is a very nice seaside town. Kate wanted to go see the doll Museum and was more excited than the kids inside. We grab some food and clothes for the girls on the way through the main street. Then visited the local library which was very nice, with plenty of mags for me to read.

1^st of February = We decided to do the oldest government train line in Australia from Goolwa down to Victor Harbor. The train line was used to fill in the gap between produce coming down the Murray on boats from farms and to get it to Victor Harbor where it could be loaded onto ships. The train, lines and station were all restored, managed and maned by volunteers. At Victor Harbor we walked around had a look at the whale museum which seemed to contain more about sharks then whales. The 2 most interesting points I found were that the population of sperm whales eat more seafood from the ocean then mankind (makes me think is saving whales good, not good when I am in a whale museum lol)

Then sharks main importance in the ocean is when a shark is around they are top of the food chain with no sharks they say that seals and other marine life takes over and breed out of control which then eat more fish out of the ocean and upsets the balance. We finished up at victor harbor at the pub with a $10 awesome chicken schnitzel. Finishing the day with a lazy train ride back.

2^nd of February = We are heading off today as we are packing up the couple beside us tell me they are going down the road near Cape Jervis and camping at Deep creek national park. I decided I might check it out as I have a national park pass so will be a free place to camp for a night or 2. I am driving down the road and haven’t been on the road for even an hour when I turn off onto a dirt track, Kate is puzzled “this isn’t where we are staying tonight” I reply “If it looks alright I am, got to make up for the last few days of hard spending”. Upon arrival at the camp site it looked like it was something out of a story tale and it stated it has showers SOLD. I am thinking cold showers, Kate comes back from the toilet block and says not only is there 4 flushing toilets a camp kitchen but there is 4 hotwater included showers ”AWESOME”.

3^rd of February = 8.30 in the morning just got out of bed having breakfast outside when a retired couple comes over to thank me for telling them about the national park past yesterday as it costs $30 a night to stay here and they just got there past from the rangers office for $50 for unlimited camping for 2 months anywhere in SA. I say are you off for a walk? “Or no we just got back from a starter walk 2.6km” I reply or yeah….. I am about to do that one. This couple yesterday told me they spent 3 months rowing the Murray from the Victorian Border down to the Murray mouth and also rode their bikes from Sydney to Adelaide. They also have been on the road for nearly 5 years and were annoyed that they needed to return to their house to live in it so they can avoid capital gains tax lol.

Anyway got the wife and kids going and we went and did the walk around the forest which was a nice way to spend the morning Jess loved it.

4^th of February = We headed off today only because we had run out of food and our fuel was getting down. So we headed out having a look at Cape Jervis from the look out at the top of the hill as I couldn’t be bothered driving back up the hill as it looked long and very steep back up. From the lookout you can see Kangaroo Island and the ferry crossing. We decided not to do Kangaroo island as to take my car over for a day with the family would cost me nearly $500 and if I took the van with me the cost would exceed $700. The drive up the coast to Adelaide was nice with a drive over a dam wall and a road up beside the ocean as good as the road from San Fan to L.A. We based our selves at Brighton caravan park 15km south of Adelaide and spent the afternoon swimming at the beach and watching the sailors.

5^th of February = Today we spent the morning relaxing, spring cleaning got some fuel followed by a drive into Adelaide for a quick look around then a big food shop.

Cost for 5th week

Fuel = $323.15

Food = $451.38

Camping= $356

Tourist stuff and others = $190.48

Camping cost include the paid up stay for next week

on the road heading north from Kingston s.e With Kate Driving