NULLABOR TO OVERLAND CORNER, MILDURA AND HOME

Well, this is the last blog for this trip and I am writing it from home. I suppose it has taken me this long to write this blog because I really don't want to be here ... I would much prefer to be out there in the great outdoors!!!

Anyway, here goes.

After crossing the Nullabor and driving over the WA/SA border..

...it was time to stop for the night. It wasn't long before we came across a freecamp with another van already there. It's always good to have company. The following morning we were back on the road ...

and making good time for an early stop at our next freecamp. It was a place called Kimba, the home of the Big Galah.

Kimba freecamp is right in town with picnic areas and a public toilet. We were the only ones staying the night but the toilets had frequent visitors. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

After leaving Kimba we passed through Spalding, a part of the Clare Valley. This area was so lush and green - they must have had some serious rain over the Winter months.

One of the most eyecatching sights is this derelict house. I wonder what stories it could tell.

Running alongside the property is this roadway - my thoughts wander as to where this road might lead and the people who might have used it over the years!

We finally got to Overland Corner and were able to set up before dark. We always stay alongside the Murray River and use Norma & Ray's electricity from the pumphouse.

It was great to spend some time with Norma and Ray again. Time went too fast and it was time for us to leave. We had decided to go to Mildura for a couple of days. It only took a few hours to get there. After setting up we hit the shops LOL. Well I did anyway!

After leaving Mildura we drove home via Swan Hill and Kangaroo Lake. We stopped to visit Doreen, a neighbour two doors down from the house we had at Kangaroo Lake. It was decided to stop there overnight. It was so good to catch up.

Doreen's House

The house we had at Kangaroo Lake. I remember it looking a little better than that but it has been 10 years.

After saying our goodbyes in the morning it was homeward bound. Would you believe that of all the kilometres we travelled, the only time we say rain was just before Geelong.

As much as I could have turned around and driven right back again, it was good to see the kids and grandkids and the rest of the family and friends.

Aidan & Tori .... so grown up

SO .... IF I SAID WE HAD ALREADY PLANNED OUR NEXT TRIP, WOULD YOU BELIEVE ME. WELL, STAY TUNED ... COS IT WON'T BE LONG BEFORE WE ARE OFF AGAIN.

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG. I HAVE ENJOYED SHARING OUR TRIP WITH YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE HAD A SENSE OF BEING THERE WITH US.

CHEERS AND BYE FOR NOW.

LAKE BALLARD TO KALGOOLIE AND THE NULLABOR

We left Lake Ballard and Menzies and headed for Kalgoolie. As we had been there on our last trip we didn't need to visit the same areas of town again. We did go to the Super Pit to see how deep it was since our last visit. They just keep blasting away and loading the rubble (with gold in it of course) onto trucks. The windy road inside the pit is like a busy highway with huge trucks going both ways. We just stood in awe at the HUGE hole in the ground which just keeps getting bigger and deeper.

There was this huge bucket which has been put to one side of the carpark so we took a photo of each other standing in it.

The Super Pit is actually in Boulder so we took a walk down the main street. As you can see there's not much action.

We then drove down the main street of Kalgoolie - I took a photo of the oldest pub which sits on a corner. It is quite magnificent.

We left Kalgoolie and stopped in Norseman to post some cards. The centre of the roundabout has been dedicated to the camel without which the interior of Oz could not have been serviced.

After leaving Norseman we started across the bottom of Australia. We had heard on the radio about a semi tipping over along this stretch of road. It wasn't long before we came across it. The driver was airlifted to hospital in Perth although his injuries weren't life threatening.

And so the long trek across the Nullabor begins.

We saw whales and heard, very loudly, the noise as they exhale!!

Stopped at freecamps.

And in the morning found the most special sight of a cobweb covered in droplets of dew.

Then it was on the road again and getting closer to home.

So until next time, adios amigos!!

SANDSTONE TO LAKE BALLARD

On the way out of Sandstone we stopped in the main street and took a couple of photos of the two main buildings.

After about half an hours driving we stopped to take some photos of wildflowers called Everlastings. It is so strange to see barren ground and then an area with all these white flowers growing. Truly beautiful!

We were going to stop at Menzies that night and drive to Lake Ballard the following morning. When we got to Menzies the caravan park was a paddock with a wire fence around it so we decided to drive on. Lake Ballard is 51 klms from Menzies on a dirt road. The road was surprisingly good so we made it to LB just on dusk.

There were a few vans and campers there so we found a good spot, with our door opening on to the lake.

The following morning .....

...we decided to go for a small walk on the lake and leave the main walk and photographs for later in the day.

The reason we came to Lake Ballard is to see the "Inside Australia" Exhibition by Antony Gormley. This incredible display of 51 sculptures are all derived from laser scans of the inhabitants of Menzies. The sculptures are cast in an alloy containing molybdenum, vanadium and titanium, materials that are found in the Archean rock of Western Australia. "The insider (as the sculptures are called) reveals an attitude in a taut abstract shape formed by the passage of the person's life. Out on the salt lake they become antennae in space in relationship with each other but also with the land and the limit of our perception: the horizon." says Antony Gormley.

Can you see Arnold on top of this very large hill?

I tried to climb up but only got to this tree before I got vertigo and couldn't go any further.

You can see the car and van and the huge expanse from up here.

We went back to the van. By this time is was quite warm so had to change into something cooler.

I decided to make donuts. We had so many we didn't need lunch.

About 4.00pm we put warmer clothes on as it was getting quite cold and we would be out till sunset taking photos. The area is so huge we walked and walked - we must have been out for about 2 hours. It was .... awesome!

Doesn't this next shot look funny - Arnold standing behind a sculpture.

We couldn't resist a hug!!!

The sun has gone down now. What a great sunset!

How amazing is this place! We will definately come back here on our next trip.

The next morning we drove back to Menzies, stopped to take some more photos, and then made our way to Kalgoolie.

We just happened to stop for morning tea about the same time as these trucks carrying huge trucks. Awe ... some!

So the next entry will be Kalgoolie and beyond. Bye Bye.