Our very last day - going home.

Jindabyne was overcast and damp.  Experienced campers are not fazed by these conditions, and we had earned our stripes already to handle this.  We were up early and anticipated a slower process to pack. The fridge needed to be empty and we had to pack differently given that we were not sleeping in the van that evening.

As it turned out, the family worked like a well oiled machine and without fuss or delay was motoring north toward the Monaro Highway. It’s a not so inspiring, well-trodden path that many of my Sydney friends are familiar with.  Although we were keen to get home, Rod was equally eager to ensure we didn’t waste our last day staring down the asphalt. He also has a cousin in Canberra, so that was a good enough excuse to stop in our Nation’s Capital.

Parliament house was a construction zone, preparing for Australia Day functions and celebrations, so we detoured to the War Memorial. 

A stop to pay our respects and then over to Cousin Les’s house. Les was “baching” as his wife and daughters were in Sydney for the State Swimming Titles. Even so, he made us a first rate coffee and kept us entertained for a good 45min.

Feeling refreshed, we drove up the Federal Highway and then at the junction of the Hume highway, reminisced how we had passed this way on the very first day of our journey. Another stop at one of those horrid service centres (didn’t dare order a coffee) and change of driver , then we  settled in for the  final stretch with mixed feelings.

The landmarks became more and more familiar as we approached the Sydney environs. The Hume turned into the M7, then the M4 and we cheered when we saw the sign for the Pennant Hills Rd exit.  Before we knew it, we had turned into Chapman Avenue and our driveway.

Before we could relax, we had to park the van. It is probably one of the hardest manoeuvres Rod has  to achieve – next to getting out of the driveway. He was patient and precise to the end. I just wanted a shower and clean sheets!

Our very dear friends had left us a beautifully clean house to collapse into. Shortly afterwards, we dined off china plates and drank out of glass tumblers! I sat on a couch! I only had to walk a few metres to use the bathroom! Rod watched tennis!

The photo below was taken the morning we left...

And this was the afternoon we arrived home.... ( Andrew changed into the Ironman suit immediatly after our arrival - apparently this was the first thing an 8 year old boy needs to do when he has been away for 3 months)

Rod and I reflected briefly on our trip before sinking into a clean, comfortable, warm bed. I don’t remember falling asleep.

For those of you who like figures, let me share the following…

Kilometres travelled – 14,516.

Number of different campsites – 49 ( 50,if you include the last set back in Sydney)

Number of days travelling – 90

Number of photographs taken - 2,285

Number of blog entries (including this one) – 59

Thanks for sharing our journey.  Any thought about where we can go next ?

Podium Finishes Overall

I will give you my podium finishes for the whole trip without commentary as I have already done this for state by state podium finishes

Cities/Towns (excluding Sydney)

1. Adelaide SA
2. Ballarat Vic
3. Melbourne Vic

Honourable mentions to Victor Harbor SA and Mildura NSW

Attractions/Experiences

1. Barossa Valley SA
2. Mount Buffalo Vic
3. Murray River NSW

Honourable mentions to Blue and Valley lakes Mt Gambier, Cradle Mountain Tas and Aust. Open Tennis Melbourne

Caravan Parks/Camp Sites

1. West Beach Adelaide SA
2. Buronga NSW
3. Swan Hill Vic

Honourable mentions to Naracoorte Showgrounds SA and Princetown Recreational Reserve Vic

Other mentions of note were the stars at Coffin Bay SA, the twilight and evening spent at Naracoorte Showgrounds SA and the abundance of wildlife, landscape and solitude at Flinders National Park.

Podium Finishes NSW/ACT

Well we spent the first 2 weeks of this trip following the Murray in NSW and the last week in NSW and the ACT. So now that we have arrived home I can give you my NSW/ACT podium finishes for Cities/Towns, Attractions/Experiences and Caravan Parks/Camp Sites 

Cities/Towns

1.     1.  Sydney – the place we departed from and the place we returned to. The place we call home. 96 Chapman Ave Beecroft, a place of peacefulness, love, respect, tranquillity and happiness (have I got the right address??). A great city that we yearned to return to.

2.    2.   Albury – it was an impressive country town. It was big and alive with some major thoroughfares. Its parks and gardens were nice, right on the Murray. A bustling country town with energy.

3.    3.   Jindabyne – always has been a pretty town by the manmade lake and at the foot of the Snowy Mountains.

Honourable mentions go to Corowa and Deniliquin. Corowa was a pretty little town on the Murray. Deniliquin was a serviceable town trying hard. It had an impressive nature heritage park off the main street of town and is the ute capital of Australia which was not part of my lifestyle but there you have it.

Attractions/Experiences

1.     1.  The Murray River – without a doubt following the Murray River all the way to the SA border and beyond offered some spectacular scenery, walks and was the lifeblood to many towns we visited. Having spent so much time on the Murray, it was also nice to see the mouth of the Murray at Goolwa SA.

2.    2.   Mt Kosciuszko – having the whole family climb to the top of Australia was a fitting end to our journey. It was obviously impressive up there.

3.       3.The Murray Lock – a little controversial as to whether this is really NSW or Victoria. But after trying to explain to Georgia and Andrew what a lock/canal was and how it worked with bodies of water that are at different levels, one of the paddle steamers arrived at lock 11 at Mildura on the Murray and we saw it all unfold over 20 minutes first hand. A picture or live demonstration can tell a thousand or ten thousand words.

Honourable mention goes to the Echuca paddle steamer trip down the Murray (controversy above noted). It was a lovely journey down Australia’s biggest river and taking in the activity on both banks. Also the confluence of the two great rivers, the Murray and the Darling at the town of Wentworth had some geographical significance.

Caravan Parks/Camp Sites

1.       Buronga Caravan Park – Buronga is the less known twin city on the NSW side of the Murray across from Mildura. Very impressive and perfectly placed park to access Mildura and witness all the events on the Murray. Most caravaners stayed here rather than in Mildura. The park had all amenities you needed, well looked after and economical.

2.       Wagga Big 4 – this was the very first park we stayed in. Good clean park, very social, great camp kitchen, on the banks of the Murrumbidgee and nice grassed area for cricket.

3.       Jindabyne  Big 4 Caravan Park – despite some rowdy late night customers, it was a pretty site right on the shores of lake Jindabyne.

The journey along the Murray and all the towns it supported was the highlight of the NSW leg of our trip and climbing Kosciuszko was a nice way to finish.

Podium Finishes Victoria

Well having left Cooryong Victoria and crossed over into Khancoban NSW, we have left Victoria behind us. So now I can give you my Victorian podium finishes for Cities/Towns, Attractions/Experiences and Caravan Parks/Camp Sites 

Cities/Towns

1.       Ballarat – I thought this town was special. Interesting city centre but for me the jewel of this town was Lake Wendouree. It had a similar feel to Centennial Park in Sydney, but I thought it was more interesting and it had many beautiful spots. The landscaping and planning made use of all the aspects of the lake and the people made use of the lake as well with no shortage of activity ie young families in play areas, fisherman, joggers cyclists, walkers, restaurants etc. Lovely town

2.       Melbourne – I still enjoyed the big cities. As I mentioned early, Melbourne comes alive during the Aust. Open. There is that real festival/carnival feeling about the place. This is why I have placed it second on the podium. I think I could live here and discover the place. I placed it behind Ballarat because how could you really get to know a city of this size in 1.5 days. We were really only here to go to the tennis and only scratched the surface of the city.

3.       Mildura – we spent 4 days here and really liked the place. It is on the banks of the Murray River and made great use of the river with plenty of parklands, sporting and exercise facilities and river cruises. Nice place and well worth a visit.

Honourable mentions go to Beechworth and Bright in the Victorian high country. Both are pretty towns. Beechworth was an interesting little tourist mecca with lots of interesting shops, a natural gorge tourist drive, historical buildings and Ned Kelly attractions , perfect for a weekend away. Bright was a pretty tree lined town with a river running through the middle of it, which the tourists made plenty of use of with swimming activities. Nearby was an excellent drive to Mount Buffalo. Swan Hill and the Mornington Peninsula looked good as well.

Attractions/Experiences

1.       Mount Buffalo – What an magnificent experience. Maybe it was because it was a beautiful late afternoon on Christmas Eve and everything and everyone was bedded down. It was a very scenic drive up the mountain, a relatively short walk to what appeared an unreachable  summit, we virtually had the mountain to ourselves and the views and vista were breathtaking. I will always remember this Christmas Eve on Mt Buffalo.

2.       Australian Open Tennis – I had not been to the National Tennis Centre while the open was on. It was good to be there to experience the buzz, see familiar faces and personalities, former players I played with and against attending Melbourne Park, see matches from close up and experience a city come alive by the experience.

3.       The Grampians – reminded me of the Blue Mountains. Plenty of good walks and lookouts offering impressive viewing of the landscape. Probably the best walk was to The Pinnacle through the Grand Canyon rock formation. Pretty impressive 

Honourable mention goes to the 12 Apostles which again offered spectacular viewing. However, the Grampians pipped it because I had not been there before and did not know what to expect. The Mount Hotham drive was also pretty impressive.

Caravan Parks/Camp Sites

1.       Swan Hill Holiday Park – this park had a lovely simple feel to it. It was quiet, open, flat, well-appointed and very well grassed.

2.       Princetown Recreation Reserve – this was a council sponsored camp site handy to the 12 Apostles. It was basic but offered an open and scenic setting with mountain views, a cricket ground and hundreds of kangaroos as our neighbours.

3.       Ballarat and Bendigo  Big 4 Caravan Parks – I could not split these two Big 4 parks. Completely different feel to Princetown. They had all the amenities. It was Ballarat’s pool, spa while watching the cricket on the big screen verses Bendigo’s excellent recreation room with full lounge and tv family room.

I enjoyed Victoria. I particularly enjoyed the high country ie Beechworth, Myrtleford, Bright, Mt Buffalo, Hotham and Beauty. I would like to revisit there and spend more time looking around.

Melbourne - Snowy Mountains

Our last night in Melbourne was almost balmy. I enjoyed the urban sunset on offer and tried to settle down to an early night. My strategy was to commence the children on a schedule that might approximate what they will face once school begins.  It has proved almost impossible to get the kids asleep before 10:00pm due to both the longitude and latitude – further south and further west. In truth, it is probably more to do with just not having much routine.

After packing up, we followed the Western Ring Road out past Tullamarine. There was a collective cheer when we turned north to Sydney on the Hume Expressway. Our goal today was Albury/Wadonga. It’s a pretty uneventful drive up a pretty uneventful dual carriageway, however we did stop at a cute little place called Euroa. We had to call in and check on the family business.

We arrived mid afternoon in Wadonga – and quickly realised that it is the poorer cousin to Albury. The local bakery did have a giant rolling pin and the visitors centre was most helpful in finding a number of options for our stay.  The Wadonga racetack fit our bill perfectly.  Space, serenity, running water  - and a few locals hanging around the “Mens Shed” just behind the camping area. The stars were on display again and I revelled in my ability to sit out under them and enjoy a cuppa. I waved a few of the local shed men goodbye and started to ponder what life after our adventure would be like. I’ll miss the stars and the sunsets.

The following day was hard going. The road between Wadonga and Jindabyne is narrow and winding. Rod dropped into the police station at Tallangatta to check on road conditions. It must have a very low crime rate in Tallangatta district as the very helpful constable confirmed in a matter of minutes the suitability of the road but then took a further 45 minutes to regale Rod with his own travelling adventures.

We had a pit stop at Cooryong and paid our respects to the Man from Snowy River.

 The road is hard work but my darling husband powered through without complaint.  We also had a look at the Murray river power station No. 2. As usual, I attempted to ensure the children garnered considerable educational benefit - but they seemed more interested in the kiosk and the fact a brown snake had been spotted in the toilets. 

Team Burton rolled into Jindabyne like we owned the place, struck camp and then made our plans for an assault on our nation’s peak – Kosciuszko.

The forecast up the mountain that day was for afternoon showers and high winds. For anyone else, this may have been a deterrent. We were on the chairlift before 10:00am.  Now, before I continue, I must explain that we did cheat a bit by taking the lift from Thredbo. Rod and I have done the complete round trip from Charlottes Pass a number of years ago, but felt that Andrew may struggle a bit with that one - it's about 22k altogether.  And besides, the chairlift is fun.

When we stepped off at 1930 meters, the wind tore at our cloths and snatched our breath. Rod and I looked at each other and silently considered the possibility that we may not make it in such conditions.  Fortunately the wind seemed to come in waves and we marched forth. It took a little encouragement and coaching to keep the team on track but by Rawsons Pass we knew we had the mountain's measure.

We have tramped our way around southern Australia - Flinders Ranges, Mount Wuddina, Coffin Bay NP, Innes NP, Mt Victoria crater walk, The Grampians, Mt Arapilies, Mt Buffalo, The Nut, Cradle Mountain, Mt Wellington, Freycinet, Bay of Fires and now Kosciuszko. Georgia's shoes tell the tale..

Rod came across an old school friend with his family . We chatted happily at the summit and then walked back to the Eagles Nest café together.  After a well-deserved coffee (7/10 – quite drinkable) we descended the mountain victorious. It was a very special way to spend our last full day on the road.

That afternoon we felt we deserved a few lazy hours at camp. I enjoyed putting my weary knees up for a rest and gazing out to Lake Jindabyne.  Andrew was keen to mix it up down at the skate park, so we all wandered down to the village and then kicked on at the local pizza joint. My excuse was that we should eat out and empty the fridge for our journey home, but actually, it was pure slothfulness.  I love sloths.

Staying at van parks has its advantages such as power,  hot showers, microwaves. But on long weekends, a van park also offers “ the Yobo”. The Yobo usually drives a big4WD ute, sometimes an SUV, often with questionable stickers on the bumper. They are all “good blokes” and have wives/girlfriends with questionable dress sense. The most tell-tale feature is a big esky.

So, it’s Friday Night – you can spot the Yobos already, but one hopes they will show some courtesy. Sadly as the beer consumption rises, the courtesy drops. What I find amusing is how other campers respond. Rod and I have become quite tolerant and understand that it is just a fact of camp life. Some other campers are a little more verbose, and that’s when it really gets interesting.  I don’t know why, but it seems to be women who start yelling out to “Give it a break!”

To their credit, The Jindabyne Yobos did eventually settle down at about 2:30am.  The next morning was our last, so we felt no need to serve retribution but you could just see other campers plotting their revenge!

Last day.  It is what it is. Last time to pack up.  Last hitch. Last shower whilst wearing thongs. Mixed feelings – but still work to be done. We ain’t home yet.

Podium Finishes Tasmania

Well here we are back in Australia! Since we have now left Tasmania for the last time on this trip, I have gathered my thoughts to give you my 3 best cities/towns, attractions/experiences and caravan parks/camping sites and some honourable mentions.

What I can say about Tassie is that our luck continued to hold in regards to good weather. We visited the north, west and south coasts with no rain bar one day in Hobart. Even notoriously inhospitable places such as the west coast wilderness and Port Arthur delivered us postcard perfect weather conditions. Only in the last week did we get some rain while on the east coast , Launceston and Beaconsfield which we had to work around. But we did this.

However Tassie in January was cold. Poor old Fiona from Queensland suffered (or complained) a bit. However, I silently and considerately battled through the cold with no grumbling, in fact with aplomb as I am no stranger to hardship. Also in that last week it was very windy, something again we have experienced for the whole three months. The weather in that last week was very very changeable. Every 10 minutes you would move from rain to sunshine, wind to calm. While we packed for summer for a Nov/Dec/Jan adventure, we have been caught out by the cold which has been consistent. Fiona is correct in complaining that we have missed the entire summer. The bushfires in SA and Vic happened after we had left.

Anyway, my podium finishes

Cities/Towns

1.      1 . Hobart – I cannot go past Hobart. Perhaps I am inclined to favour the big cities coming from Sydney.  There is nothing like arriving in a city and wandering the heart of it to discover its character. The Derwent was impressive, Wrestpoint Casino, Constitution Dock, Salamanka, Battery Point were nice and Mt Wellington though crowded, offered fantastic views of the city. Hard to beat, considering the competition.

2.    2   Launceston – though Launceston did not get many wraps from our fellow travellers, I have placed it second. For me it was a decent sized city that made it interesting for me. We also visited it on a glorious day. The big pluses for me were Cataract Gorge that connected to the city. It was a lovely. Plenty of joggers, swimmers and cyclists down there. Very scenic and close to the city. Also I like the road network around the city. After travelling along single lane roads, a dual highway network was refreshing. Finally, Launceston was centrally and conveniently located for easy travel to anywhere in the state.

3.      3  Ross – this was a small historic town between Hobart and Launceston on the Midland Highway. It was beautifully tree lined, very quaint and had interesting antique shops. Also the bakery there was magical. The scallop pies were delicious and the home made wagon wheel biscuits looked to die for. This gives Ross a podium finish.

Honourable mentions go to Penguin and Wynyard on the north coast, Strahan on the west coast and St Helens was a pretty seaside town on the east coast.

Attractions/Experiences

1.      1  Cradle Mountain – Very impressive, Marions Lookout, Dove Lake and the Enchanted Walk were standouts. The weather was great for us, the mountain and lakes were in full view, there was plenty of wildlife and plant life and it was organised very efficiently. The trails were diverse and well maintained.  A must for bush walkers.

2.   2    Cataract Gorge – Very scenic, beautiful gorge, lovely landscapes, chairlifts, beautiful walks and flowers, perfect for those wanting to exercise,  spitting distance from the city and we visited on a magical afternoon.

3.    3   Port Arthur – just pipped the Stanley Nut and Mt Wellington Hobart. I was surprised. I was expecting a gloomy, spooky wilderness but instead Port Arthur settlement was set on several acres of beautifully manicured lawns. Again we had magical weather. It was very well organised, loads of information about life there for the convicts, soldiers and free settlers. There was a variety of talking and boating tours and plays. Very nice.

Honourable mentions go to the Stanley Nut and Mt Wellington Hobart which offer up fantastic view of the north west and Hobart respectively. Also the Gordon River cruise is worth a mention. The actors who tell the history of Sarah Island do an entertaining job.

Caravan Parks/Camp Sites

1.       Berridale Caravan Park on the northern suburbs of Hobart. Great location, had everything we needed, by  the water and was the only park that had ensuites to their showers.

2.       Rocky Cape – this was a camp site at the back of a pub! But it was great. It had all the basic necessities, wide open grounds for a cricket game, handy location to the Stanley Nut and nice neighbours.

3.       Cradle Mountain  Big 4 Caravan Park – great location right next to Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre, nicely sheltered sites, the camp kitchen had a couple of big fireplaces going (in January).

Final thoughts on Tassie, nice but cold and windy. Weather does not seem to be its strong suit. Some say that Tassie is like South Island New Zealand. For me, I think NZ betters Tassie pretty significantly. I also preferred Victoria and South Australia to Tassie. Though Tassie was nice and interesting, the weather in that last week and the cold in January I will remember.

Melbourne

Well we had the alarm on for 4.45am and woke to a brisk 3-4 degrees. We packed and headed for the Spirit of Tasmania, boarded and settled in for a 9am departure from Devonport. It was a beautiful day with calms seas. There was one funny moment for all those on the boat's balcony. As we waved goodbye to those on shore, people positioned themselves along the foreshore and waved back. One family made up of husband, wife and dog lazed along one of the beaches waving. What they did not know was that the onshore swell created by the passing Spirit of Tasmania was significant. The husband realised what was about to happen first and made it up to the park and safety. Unfortunately the wife and the dog realised too late and both got completely swamped by the swell. In their panic after the first drenching they tripped over on the sand and received a second total submersion. This was on a pretty chilly morning as well. I wish I was quick enough to get a photo. It was definitely a prize winning funniest home videos moment. Apart from what happened on the shores of Devonport, we arrived uneventfully in Melbourne around 6.30pm and made our way to the western suburb of Braybrook. We set up, had dinner, watched some tennis and went to bed.

Leaving Tasmania just after the unfortunate family onshore swamping

Heading out from Devenport

The next day was Australian Open tennis day. We drove and parked on the outskirts of the city and took the tram into Flinders Street Station. We spent some time in Federation Square watching some acrobatics and the tennis on the big screen. I have to say, Melbourne is buzzing when the Australian Open is on. It has got that same festival feel as the Olympics gave Sydney in 2000 and Melbourne get this injection of euphoria every January which transforms the city. Good for them.

On the tram into the city

In the city, millions of people

Watching some acrobatic shows

Getting into the festival mood of the city at Federation Square

We then made our way along the Yarra River towards Rod Laver Arena. It was a steamy day and a good crowd was in. I heard that evening that it was a record daytime crowd. I also saw a few people I knew from my tennis playing days. We headed for the outside courts and watched some matches of the less known players but from very close up, offering the best perspective of the action. There were many outside court matches and these guys all hit the ball extremely well, with pace and spin and accuracy. It was quality stuff. After being thoroughly engrossed in the action (well I was),we headed off for lunch and checked out all the gimmicks in the precinct and then headed back for more tennis action.

Andrew and I conversing with the Rocket

 Record crowd day but still plenty of seats for close up action

Fiona getting some tips for her ladies Monday morning social tennis with the school mums. Longshots cafe anyone!

Fiona checking out Bernard Tomic

I was thoroughly enjoying the action and planning to stay all day and into the evening. However, by 4pm the kids were hot and bored and wanted a swim. I tried to reason with them  and enlisted Fiona’s support that they could swim later on and on any day but this is the Australian Open here and now and we were not coming back etc …… etc…….. So we left for home at 4pm for a swim. What can I say. We eventually arrived home around 5.30pm, had a swim, dinner and a relatively early night.

Next stop Albury Wodonga and on the way home