There was lots to see on the road between Barkly Homestead and Mt Isa.
Mt Isa is the last time I’ll be driving across Queensland. After this, I’ll be heading down towards the border of NSW and Q’ld, though I won’t be crossing into Victoria until I’m on my way home 2 weeks from now.
Then again, sometimes there was nothing much. Please excuse my thumb in the corner. It was a quick snapshot.)
And then you see something again…
I love the yellow with the blue.
Then, almost before I knew it, I was in the 4th state of the trip.
Well technically, the Northern Territory isn’t really a state, but you get my drift.
Things haven’t changed that much over the border.
I stopped to fuel up here and still couldn’t understand why my phone was still in SOS mode while everyone else’s had internet.
“Are you with Telstra?” was the question everyone kept asking me.
Yes I am. It was really annoying. I was wanting to download another album. Rumours is great, but I was getting a bit sick of it. Still, surely in Mt Isa I’d get reception. Surely?
It was hard to stay annoyed when things like this were constantly whizzing past me.
It looks like someone has tried to ringbark this tree, but it’s just said, “Stuff you!” and continued growing at a different angle.
I love this sign. It’s so … unambiguous.
More green was appearing as I drove along. The hawks were still flying overhead and the aircon was working in the car. All was right with the world, except for no internet.
If Lindsey Buckingham was to tell me to go my own way one more time, I’d deck him.
There were still heart-breakingly long stretches where the views looked like this.
Then, just as Mt Isa came into sight, the bars came back on my phone!
Incidentally, Mt Isa didn’t give me a great first impression. All I could see were big chimneys belching smoke into the air. After the pristine countryside I’d been through, it was a bit jarring.
Still, I found my motel, found wifi and decided to have a cheap and cheerful dinner in my room.
Hmm. It appears the egg shortage isn’t just in Melbourne.
I just had to take a photo of this, to remind myself to watch myself when I’m here.
Any town that’d have this guy as their Federal MP must be a wild and strange place… this guy is certifiable…
After a cup of coffee and a Sad Brecky, I packed the car and was on my way. It was a late start, as this was only a short hop of 307 km to Barkly Homestead. I would have driven longer, but Eve, my ex-truckie fried from the September trip, kept mentioning it like it was a “must-do”, so I booked the smallest cabin they had.
My little friends the termite mounds were back along the sides of the road.
There was also ample evidence of the bushfires they had up here. Sometimes it was only on one side of the highway, but other times it was clear it had jumped it. Not that jumping it would be a huge feat – this major highway right up the middle of Australia only has one lane each way.
It was mid-morning. I looked at the heat gauge on my dash and it was already 37C.
Here’s the view. No wonder people get the urge to put Grandpa’s old shirt to good use on a termite mound! There’s nothing much to see for miles.
I had to stop the car and show you these colours. No filters, no fakery. This is the Outback.
As I was taking that last photo, I looked up and sure enough, there was a hawk floating lazily in the sky. I grew to look for them and I’d lean forward when the car was passing underneath them, so that I could see the patches of white underneath their wings.
The hawks (and sometimes eagles) have learned that if they hang around the highway, a car or truck will hit an animal and they’ll have an easy feed. As we learned in the Bird Show at Healesville Sanctuary, these birds can spot a mouse moving from 2 km away. A dead kangaroo in the middle of the road ?
Too easy.
There have been MANY dead kangaroos by the side of the roads, all in various states of decomposition. In a little car such as my trusty Golf, I’m making sure that I leave a town well after sunrise and I’m safely ensconced in my room when the sun goes down. Twilight, dawn and night are when the wild animals roam. The massive road trains that are here have no cares – they’re big enough to mow anything down and keep right on truckin’.
Made it! This is the last town before I turn right and start edging my way across Queensland for a while.
I tell you what – it’s bloody hot. I’m so glad the aircon in the car broke before I went so I could get it fixed in time. The trip would be absolutely brutal if I didn’t have the respite from the heat.
I had so much time to kill that I decided to find a café and grab a coffee and something to eat while I read my book for a while. I passed by one café but it looked a bit dodgy, so I kept on going. The second one looked like a busy, bustling place.
How could I pass up a slice of purple yam cake? It was delicious.
The main drag of Tennant Creek on a Friday morning. No one was out unless they absolutely had to be. The heat was not mucking around.
I got in the car and kept driving, then a few minutes out of town I saw a sign to Mary Ann Dam. It was less than 2 km and the road was sealed, so you know the rule.
I swung the wheel.
What a fabulous spot. The wind was blowing over the water towards me so there was a cool breeze. There were cockies and other birds squawking and singing in the trees.
I decided that I’d spend an hour here and read my book and just chill.
About 20 minutes before I left, a car load of young guys arrived and they went further down the dam. After a little while, I heard their music start up.
I now have Shaggy and Rayvon’s ‘Angel’ on Mum’s Boppin’ Bangers. It sounded so good as I was reading there.
After a while, I packed up and hit the highway again. And here it is – Threeways.
So called because it’s a T intersection with only 3 ways to go.
I swung a right and then I was heading across Australia towards the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland.
The heat haze of the road was constantly there.
I still had a couple of hundred kilometres to go. A mixture of murders on ‘Casefile’ and belting out bangers from Rumours got me through.
It’s a bit hard to miss Barkly Homestead with these two out the front!
Barkly Homestead was a strange mix of good and bad. When I arrived there was an hour before check-in, so I wandered around the gift shop.
This was a fantastic place! It was full of high quality stuff – not like the normal junk you see at the greasy roadhouses. I bought up big here. I needed a new “going out” bag that could fit my new phone, I bought Christmas presents for the girls, I bought presents for Liga2’s sons and …
I bought Scout a VERY expensive toy that she’ll probably destroy in 5 minutes. But I couldn’t resist the squeaker. I know she’ll be the same.
So yes. If you’re going past, definitely drop in and have a look at the gift shop.
I was finally able to do my laundry! It’s the little things that make all the difference.
I was down to my last outfit, so I was very glad to change a fiver for some coins and get this job done. I sat in the shade and read my book, listening to all of the birdsong around me.
Barkly Station waters its grass, so the birds are drawn here.
It wasn’t just the white and the pink and grey cockies that loved this place. So did the Guinea Fowl. I couldn’t get over the noises they were making.
So what was bad?
The food. I ordered a steak sandwich and I had to leave half of it.
2. NO WIFI. This was the second day that I had no internet. I don’t like being cut off from the hive.
3. Green poo. Apparently drinking the bore water does inexpressible things to your bowels. It’s fluorescent, too. Quite a thing to start your day with!
4. The bugs in the room.
When I checked into the room, I saw that there was a can of Mortein provided. I should have paid more attention.
As soon as night fell, I was invaded by these black flying bugs. They were coming in from the ensuite window, which some idiot had helpfully left open, disregarding all the holes in the flyscreen.
Once I’d balanced on the shower base to shut the window as far as I could, I blasted the room with Mortein and left them to it.
In the morning as I was enthroned on the loo, I counted the bodies. Nearly 70 bugs lay there.
Yuck.
Still no internet. Hopefully things get better in Mt Isa!
I was supposed to go with the Ligas when they went to see Uluru at sunrise, but I couldn’t get properly to sleep. My brain was obviously concerned that I had a 9-hour drive the next day, and getting up at 4:30 to see something I’ve already seen 2 months ago was probably pretty silly.
When the alarm went off, I told them where the car keys were and I wished them good luck. “I hope the Rock glows orange for you!” I said from under the covers as they snuck out the door.
It was the right decision. My Apple watch showed that as soon as they left, I fell into a deep sleep for 2 hours. No wonder I felt as fresh as a daisy for the whole day!
Liga sent me these shots of what they saw, so I’d say they had a worthwhile experience! Then it was time to say goodbye.
Liga hugged me and said, “We’re friends for life!”
It’s true. The three of us have travelled for over a week in my little trusty Golf and we’re still friends. The Golf even made it into the photo!
Then I headed off on my own.
I can’t lie. I call myself an “extroverted introvert” and the introvert inside me LOVES solo road trips.
I wasn’t hungry when I left Yulara, so I drove happily for a couple of hundred kilometres before I stopped for Frogdancer’s sad breaky.
I was all alone here. There was a fairly strong wind that made the trees make strange noises. It was a little bit creepy at first, but then I leaned into it and it was fine.
The (sad) breakfast of champions!
Then, around 30 minutes of driving later, I had a decision to make.
Do I turn right to go straight back home the way we came… or do I turn left?
Well, we all know the answer to that! I haven’t renamed this part of the trip as “Frogdancer’s Crazy Road Trip” for nothing. Yes, I turned left and headed towards Alice Springs. I thought I’d probably get there at lunchtime, and there was a fabric shop I particularly wanted to visit.
The colours of this place are beautiful.
I want to make sure that I capture them all in my Central Australia quilt I’ll make (one day.) I remembered seeing an Indigenous quilt shop in the heart of Alice Springs, so once I got there, I filled up the tank and then cruised around until I found it.
I think I bought far more than I need… especially considering that I bought fabric when I was here in September. Oh well! It’ll all get used eventually.
I had a lovely lunch of rice paper rolls, then called Mum and Dad when I was walking back to the car. I headed off again, but I have a new rule this time.
If there’s a turn-off or a historical marker that looks interesting, GO AND LOOK AT IT.
So that’s how I learned I was on the Tropic of Capricorn.
The colours and the sheer expanse of the land are immense, but the sky adds so much. As I drive, the clouds hang, seemingly so low above me, adding sculptural shape to the vista I’m seeing. It changes all the time and I’m loving it.
Evan28 has a new podcast out called ‘Long Play’, which has a guest each time talking about their favourite album. He and the guest go through the tracks together, talking about the music/lyrics/whatever.
The first one I listened to while driving was Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours.’ I remember when this came out. My friend Simone’s older sister bought it and we listened to it in their rumpus room and we LOVED it. But being so young, I had very little idea of all the insane marriages, divorces and affairs that were going on when the album was being made. The boys soon brought me up to speed while I was listening to the pod and it was fascinating.
I haven’t listened to this album in years. Once I finished the pod, I downloaded Rumours from Spotify while I still had internet. This was a fabulous decision. Little did I know, but I was soon going to have two days with no internet, but this meant I still had banging music to sing along to when I was driving.
I texted Evan28 about me downloading it and he replied, “Yay! That’s the aim of the podcast!”
I arrived at the Devil’s Marbles Hotel at around 4 PM. I could’ve gone further to Tennant Creek but I wanted to see the Devil’s Marbles at sunset. I was so glad I did, though I doubted myself when I saw a sign in the hotel: We have no wifi. Don’t even ask. Just talk to your neighbour.”
I haven’t heard much about the Marbles. I assumed that they’d be in a neat pile, just a few of them.
Um… no. There were lots of them and they were scattered over quite a large area. Who knew?
Unlike Uluru, there was hardly anyone else here! Just two other couples, and we were walking around this huge space, so I only ever stumbled across them once. (You’ll see the photo later.)
The sun was heading towards the horizon, but there was still plenty of time to wander around and take photos as the marbles glowed more orange.
I could hear the sounds of animals moving through the undergrowth, but although I stopped and looked, I couldn’t see anything. I obviously needed a Liga with me to make something appear.
The Devil’s Marbles are granite and are formed from erosion. They were all once buried under soil, but over thousands of years the soil has been blown away and the shapes are revealed.
Erosion wears away at these marbles too, as bits of them fall to be ground down into sand. They sit on a huge sheet of granite underneath the ground, so I’d say that this erosion thing is set to continue for thousands more years until the granite is all finally exposed.
The sun sank lower towards the horizon.
Then the magic began to happen.
Moon and sun.
Even rocks get pimples, it seems.
Looking out, with the Marbles behind me and birdsong in the air as night begins to fall. How beautiful is this?
I found one of the French tourists as I walked back to my car.
I stopped the car a couple of times to capture the absolute wonder of what I was seeing.
It was worth the drive, I think!
Only a short hop tomorrow of around 400 Km or so. I need to do some laundry… urgently!
I’ve mentioned before that I have a chronic cough and it’s been pretty good during the trip, thanks to lots of peppermint oil in my water, cough lozenges, chewing gum and medication from the throat specialist. However, when I woke up at 5:30 with a cough, I knew that it wasn’t going to stop happening. There’s a lot of dust involved with sleeping in a cave.
Luckily, I’d gathered my things together the night before, so I grabbed everything – including a book and my reading glasses, naturally – and headed quietly outside.
It was pitch black, but after I’d enjoyed using the amenities block, the sunrise had started. I was too late for spectacular photos, but I got these. In the top shot, I was rapt to see a ‘planetary’ friend.
My alarm was supposed to go off at 7, so for the rest of the time, I sat in the kitchen area and read my book. I have to say, for anyone paying attention to the ‘Camping’ word in this property’s title, Riba’s Underground Camping is a pretty good site. Everything is clean, the kitchen has everything you’d want and the amenities block also has washing machines as well as the usual, and it’s only a short drive from town.
At 7, I went and woke them up. Because there was no ensuite, there’d be no coffee – or so I assumed. But Liga had planned ahead. I don’t remember if I told you that she’d asked me to buy a mini gas bottle for her camping oven? We had our coffee after all.
My morning coffee next to my Antarctica Pee Bottle.
Liga and I sat and chatted and she told me some stories about her army life in Latvia. She was selected to be part of really tough training for what we’d call Army Reserves. She was the only woman out of 20 participants. She’s keeping up with them too, though they’ve learned that it’s wise to wake her with a cup of coffee in the mornings!
Water is such a precious commodity here. The water for the town is brought in from a bore 28 KMs away.
After that, we were on the road again on our last full day together.
Just as we turned onto the Stuart Highway, you wouldn’t credit it. A herd of brumbies was munching grass right up near the road. They couldn’t have gotten any closer unless they were sitting in the car with us! I couldn’t believe it. When I was here in September, all the brumbies we saw were way off the road and hidden amongst trees.
I don’t know what special magic Latvians bring with them, but I’ve never seen so much wildlife in all my days. Fortunate Frogdancer has nothing on these two!
We stopped for a break at an isolated stop and Liga decided she was going to do a bush wee. As soon as she started to disappear among the trees, of course an RV drove in. I’m pretty sure that it wouldn’t have bothered Liga though.
But then she REALLY got her wish, when we stopped for lunch at a very greasy roadhouse.
Like, seriously? Who thinks this is great decor?
“There are many spiders’ webs up there,” said Liga. Some of the bras and hats had dates written on them that went back YEARS.
While I was eating my small bowl of chips – I figured that was a safe thing to buy here – the girls went into the back snooker room to look at the pinball machine. Suddenly, I heard shrieks of fear and they came rushing back in.
“There was a big bug… a cockeroach!” said Liga2, her eyes as big as dinner plates.
“I felt something on my foot and it was on it, trying to eat me,” said Liga, who was unfortunately wearing sandals.
When I finished my chips, I went to investigate. When Liga flipped it off her foot, it landed on its back so it was stuck. Now, I have a small foot, but even so, this thing was LARGE.
We left it there for the staff to find and went back to the car.
I don’t know why this roadhouse has a thing for discarded garments, but here we are.
On we went towards Uluru. Liga took over the driving again and I sat back and relaxed.
As we were coming up to the turnoff towards Yulara (which is the resort beside Uluru) I saw the sign for the roadhouse. Erlunga.
Hang on, wasn’t that the roadhouse we stopped at that had the exact centre of Australia on it? It turns out that yes, yes it does.
I was so pleased that I’d done the trip in September, because otherwise I would never have known about it.
We also looked at the emus and heard their strange low, hollow calls to each other.
“They are very ugly birds,” said Liga. She wasn’t wrong. These ones looked desiccated and strange.
The turn-off to reach Uluru is still nearly 300kms long. On the way is the lookout for Mt Conner, the ‘Fake” Uluru.
“It is such a shame,” said Liga. “This is beautiful rock in its own right – very spectacular – yet no one cares about it.”
And here we are.
Liga2 and I drove out to the Rock on our own after Liga wanted to stay in the room and wash her hair. She was cross because in her booking, she’d asked for 3 beds and the email arrived confirming that… and then once we were here, we were given 2 Queen beds.
Liga2 and I took the 16 km drive to see Uluru and she was delighted.
So was I, though I wasn’t nearly as Instagram-worthy about it!
We drove around for a while, so Liga2 could get her bearings for the next day when they’d be driving on their own, then we went back, found Liga, and the girls swept me off for a delicious dinner as a thank-you for the trip.
Even though I’d cuddled that gorgeous little joey the day before, I still ordered Wallaby Ragu. I regret nothing.
The weather forecast for the next few days was for cloudy skies, with tomorrow morning being the clearest. The plan is to wake up at 4:30 AM to go and see sunrise at the Rock.
You know how up until now the Australian animals have been practically throwing themselves at the Ligas?
It didn’t stop.
I’ve never seen anything like it. But before all of this happened, as we left our room, I handed the car keys to Liga and said, “You want to drive?”
She replied with a smile, “Yes! But are you scared to let me?”
“I was,” I said. “But you’re not jet-lagged and you’ve been on the left hand side of the road long enough to get used to it. Enjoy!”
None of us have a photo of this, but it happened. It’s the stuff you hear about but never expect to see.
A couple of hours later, we were driving along and Liga said, “There’s something in the middle of the road that isn’t moving….” And then a wedge-tailed eagle flew up from the middle the road as we approached, then flew back AND GRABBED A GOANNA IN ITS CLAWS and flew off to the left with it.
All three of us yelled “WHOA!!!!!!”
We were so excited.
It was iconic. An eagle dangling a lizard below it as it flew away.
Omg.
We also experienced the first real roadhouse of the trip. Liga has been dying to see “ a real greasy roadhouse” and this came close.
As sandyg predicted in the comments on one of the blogs, we saw the first of many salt lakes on the drive to Coober Pedy, this one being Lake Hart. We got out of the car and walked around, looking at the lake and the information boards.
A bit later, Liga and I both said “LIZARDS!” At the same time. Three little brown lizards were sunning themselves in the middle of the road. We got around them ok, but over the next hill a road train was coming.
Liga and I looked at each other and I know we were thinking the same thing…
Around lunch time we drove up the main drag of Coober Pedy. And then guess what happened?
A willy-willy whipped itself up o the right hand side of the street, moved across to the left across the road directly in front of us and then died away. It was as if the spirits of Coober Pedy were welcoming us.
The things these girls are seeing are incredible.
After lunch, we went to a couple of opal shops, but the only person who bought something was Liga2, and she only bought a little gift pack of rough opals. Liga fell in love with a black opal that a guy showed her, but she refused to pay the 6K price tag. Liga is a bit of an all or nothing person, so she chose to walk away with nothing.
I looked, but I’ve never been drawn to opals and I was happy not to buy just anything as a souvenir. I’m getting better at this!
After the abortive opal shopping, we went on a self-guided tour of an opal mine.
We were underground, stumbling around clutching maps of the place and trying to work out where we were. It turns out that I’m not the only one who is challenged by maps.
” In the army, they say that if you want to lose Liga, just take her out to the forest and give her a map!” Liga said.
The museum had some interesting bits. I learned that the Coober Pedy opal fields were discovered by a 19 year old boy, who tragically drowned the following year.
The Ligas were mesmerised by a row of jars containing pickled poisonous insects and reptiles. I think they were working out what to avoid!
I finished the tour a little before they did, so I went outside and called a kangaroo sanctuary I noticed on the drive in for the mine tour.
The owner of the sanctuary told me that she’d be open for us at 4:45 and assured me we could cuddle a joey. I knew that this would blow the Ligas’ socks off, so I kept it a secret.
To fill in time, we went to drop our things off at the campsite. I’d booked an underground room. After all, it’s Coober Pedy! You HAVE to sleep underground.
When we got here, the awful reality hit us. There was no ensuite – the amenities were a walk away ( in the black night if you’re like Liga2 and usually go to the loo in the middle of the night.)
I felt awful. I was looking at the romance of sleeping underground and didn’t really notice the “camp” part of the name “Riba’s Underground Camp Site.”
Oops.
CooberPedy is a funny place. There’s nothing here but dirt and all of the piles of dirt outside each opal mine. Pipes sticking up from the ground indicate that there is a dugout house under the hill. It’s also hot. Heat the beats down on you as you’re walking along the road.
Liga was keen to stay and rest for a bit at our new “home”, while Liga2 was stressing that the only place that has wifi is The TV room. (I’m not going to lie… I was quietly thinking the same thing.)
”Come on!” I said. “ We’ve got 10 minutes to get to the surprise I’ve planned for you!”
Two suspicious faces looked at me.
”What surprise?” asked Liga2.
”You’re going to LOVE it!” I said, crossing my fingers in hope. We jumped in the car and I drove to the sanctuary. And yes. They loved it.
This Kangaroo is 14 years old, and when she was young her jaw was injured.
Liga is feeding a younger one.
I’ll be posting a video on the other blog, where you can hear Josephine talking about these kangaroos.
Then she brought out a 6 month old joey. oh! My heart!
Here are some better photos:
His Mum was run over by a car and he was found standing beside her. He was lucky that caring people came before the eagles and crows.
She had another, younger joey that we didn’t see. When we asked Josephine what happened to that mother, she replied simply, “Dinner.”
The name of the place is something like Josephine’s Kangaroo Rescue and Sanctuary. It’s worth a visit as it’s clearly a labour of love. She opened up the place to us and only charged me $10 each for what I hope will be a cherished memory for us all.
She also has a shop attached to the place, and the Ligas each bought a boomerang. If I hadn’t already bought my Central Australian art from my Ghan trip 2 months ago, I would have bought art at hers. There were some beautiful pieces on display.
We had dinner at a pizza place, then on the way home Liga said, “I want to walk back to where we’re staying. “
I looked at her. The sun was going down. Soon it would be black. I know I wouldn’t want to walk 4 kms over stony, uneven ground in the dark. But this wasn’t about me.
Liga looked at Liga2.
“Are you coming with me?”
“Um…. Ok. Yes, I’ll walk with you,” said Liga2.
They got out of the car, and Liga grabbed her boomerang.
“I’ll learn how to throw it,” she said. I probably made a mistake by telling her that she’d need to be taught how to throw it by someone who knew. Liga loves a challenge.
Anyway, they’re free independent women, so if they want to walk home in the pitch black, that’s their choice. It obviously wouldn’t be mine, but I’m very lazy.
I got back and took these pictures as I was getting ready for bed. I walked out of the toilet block, turned in a half circle and caught all of this:
Like I said… I’m lazy.
They arrived back safe and sound, of course, though they saw a snake. Liga2 saw it first and she was petrified when it started to move away from her but straight towards Liga!
Liga learned very quickly how to throw the boomerang so that it curved back towards her and she only stopped throwing it when she saw that she was chipping the paint. They had a lovely time, though I think Liga enjoyed it more than Liga2.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying the room under the ground. Look at this hallway!
Tomorrow is the last full day the three of us will be together.
We woke up to rain the next morning. How lucky – imagine if we were trying to bushwalk in the rain? It would have been miserable. As it was, we packed our bags, Liga and I had some Latvian hazelnut chocolate as a snack – Liga2 had had the forethought to save a slice or two from her pizza last night – and we set off.
When I was in England last year, Deana gave me a pair of her pink socks that she was going to donate to the op shop. Since then, these socks have been to Ireland, Kangaroo Island, Canada, Alaska, the Red Centre, Kakadu and they’ve even jumped out of a plane. Now, they’re on the road again!
Today we were heading to Adelaide. This day was the first day with sustained driving, where we’d be sitting in the car for hours on end. Europeans aren’t often used to this type of travel, so I tried my best to limit long driving days as much as possible in the itinerary. However, given the time and the distances I had to work with, some boring days in the car were inevitable.
We drove until nearly midday, when we hit Dimboola and stopped for lunch. We found a retro café and I had a BLT that somehow disappeared without a trace in a very short time.
Dimboola looks to be a pretty little town.
Our next stop was just 7 minutes away – The Pink Lake.
I’ve already been here, of course, when I was coming back from Kangaroo Island in February. My friend Helen had told me about how you can harvest pink salt here, but all I had back then was a coffee mug. This time, I came prepared.
The Pink Lake looks its pinkest when it’s cloudy. The day was a little cloudy and the Ligas got to see the full effext of the colour. Once the car stopped,we raced down to the lake, where I instantly started scooping up salt. Liga was kind enough to sneak a photo of my sumptuous arse in all its glory…
We stayed here for a little while, then we jumped in the car again and headed off. Liga wanted to listen to the news, so we learned that there were bushfires to the north and south of us. My trusty little Golf kept heading in between them along our way.
We stopped each time we saw some silo art.
The Ligas were very quiet by the time we reached our hotel just before 6 that evening. They were desperate to escape ‘Mum’s Boppin’ Bangers’ and the confines of the car, so they headed off along the foreshore to stretch their legs and get dinner, while I set off to see Evan28 for dinner.
Yes, how lucky was this? Evan28 and Jenna were in Adelaide for Jenna’s sister’s 21st.
We had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and then we met the Ligas for drinks. Unfortunately wthe wind was fierce on the foreshore, so we retreated to an inside bar for an hour or so and talked.
After the Ligas left to capture the last of the sunset on the pier – they got some amazing photos – Evan28 and I stayed until the bar decided to close. I love when I have one-on-one with my kids.
I asked Jenna and her Mum about what we could do in Adelaide in the morning before we head up to Port Augusta. There doesn’t seem to be a lot to do in the city, but we did get the helpful warning to keep our car doors locked in Port Augusta!
Screenshot
Our Port Augusta day is also Latvian Independence Day. This is a Big Deal to Latvians. In 1918 they kicked the Russians out and enjoyed the golden age of independence before the Russians came back and took over the place during WWII. In 1991 they kicked them out again after 50 years of being occupied by Russia. Understandably, Latvians are keen to celebrate their independence.
After we got to Adelaide, I said to Liga that she should create a playlist of Latvian songs on Spotify that we could play as we drove to Port Augusta. We spent all day listening to what sounded to me like mostly jolly songs. I couldn’t understand a word, so I just listened to the melodies as I drove along.
Liga was determined to try kangaroo and googled a place that had excellent reviews for their char-grilled kangaroo steaks. It was a pub in Port Adelaide. We had the morning to kill before lunch, so Liga2 decided that she wanted to go to Rundle Mall to do some shopping. Liga wanted to stay at Henley Beach a while longer and enjoy the sand. I drove Liga2 to the mall and then found a shady bench under a tree and read a book for a couple of hours. We met at the British Hotel in Port Adelaide for lunch.
It was lovely. The girls had brought little Latvian flags to celebrate the day.
Happy and free Latvians!
Now that was a good effort! I must have been hungry.
We drove straight to Port Augusta after this and I’m sitting on my bed typing this as we’re getting ready for bed. Tomorrow will be an early start, because I want to spend as much time in Coober Pedy as we can, because I’ve never been there.
It’ll be a slightly larger driving day tomorrow, before the big one to get to Uluru on Wednesday.
Here is Liga going for an early morning swim at Warrnambool.
Yes, this is the same Liga who has been complaining about being cold every day since she got here! She didn’t stay in for long, though she admitted that the water temperature wasn’t too bad.
As soon as we set foot outside, I knew that today was going to be hot. Liga had better be careful what she wishes for!
But she did it. She swam in an Australian sea. She was very upset to learn that she can’t swim in the sea when she gets to Cairns, because of the crocodiles.
Before we left, I had my usual tight-arse breakfast of Vita-Weets and Vegemite. Naturally, they had to try Vegemite.
I think it’s safe to say that this will be the first and last time they eat it. We went to a café so they could have breaky. There were some fire engines there as well, with heaps of firies.
“It sounds like you’re almost saying ‘fairies’,” said Liga2.
“Nah, these aren’t fairies! They’re FIRE – IES!” I said.
I can’t help myself. I liked this mural on a shop at Halls Gap.
By the time we got to Halls Gap, a little town surrounded by the hills of The Grampians, it was around midday and it was 30C. The power was out and all of the fire warning signs had their arrows pointed to extreme danger of fire. The wind was whooshing along the tops of the trees. If someone was stupid enough to drop a lit cigarette on the ground, it wouldn’t be good.
People from Melbourne absolutely love The Grampians. They’re only a 4 or 5 hour drive from the city and the bushland is pristine. If there’s a long weekend, you can get two full days of camping in the bush before you have to go home. Evry time i said I was bringing the Ligas here, people’s eyes would light up.
We went to the Information centre for a map of the walks around town. Liga decided that she would do the longest and most difficult walk ( of course), so after making sure she had water, sunscreen and some nut bars to eat, we drove off to a car park and left her there, agreeing to come back at 5:30 to pick her up.
Liga2 and I aren’t insane. We decided to see McKenzie Falls, The Broken Falls and the Balconies. Why push ourselves?
You wouldn’t believe it.
We were walking towards the McKenzie Falls lookout when Liga2 heard a noise. There were 2 fat Blue Tounge lizards. These ones were a bit more shy than the ones from yesterday, so they were easing themselves away as other tourists approached.
McKenzie Falls. We decided not to go down, as the stairs looked very steep and Liga2 was worried about how the heat might affect her.
So we pushed on and saw Broken Falls, which weren’t worth a photo (sorry!).
Our next stop was The Balconies walk. It’s around 15 minutes to get there.
I took a photo at the initial lookout, just to prove that I was actually here.
I’ve had this hat for around 20 years. It doesn’t have a chin strap, so I was hanging onto it to make sure it didn’t blow away. I love this hat.
Even before you get to The Balconies, the views are amazing.
The trails are really well-maintained here, though having said that, while Liga2 and I were walking merrily along, chatting about all sorts of things, Liga was clinging to cliff faces and inching her way along in places.
She was also having a lovely, if at times slightly daunting, time.
This is the view along the way.
And here we are! I was a bit sad that the tourism authority, in all its wisdom, has fenced off the rocky outcrops that hang out and over the cliffs. I remember sitting on them and gazing out at the view when I brought the kids here, probably 20 years ago. Part of the fun was knowing that you’d die if you lost your footing.
Happy tourist!
We decided after this that we’d “done” the Australian bush, so we headed back into town to find our room and unpack the car.
On the drive down the mountain, Liga2 spotted some echidna in a ditch by the side of the road. Incredible.
Just before it was time to go and get Liga, I asked Liga2 if she’d like to go to a spot where we had a good chance of seeing wild kangaroos.
It was at the local recreation park. And it absolutely delivered. There were around 5 kangaroos with little joeys in their pouches, while another joey was there beside its mother, munching on grass.
We swung back here after we picked up Liga, so she could see them too.
Most of the kangaroos were carrying joeys, but this one was like having your 50-year-old son living in the basement.
So now we have wild kangaroos to add to the list the Ligas have seen.
Let’s see – they saw a whale in Sydney. We won’t count all of the rosellas, lorikeets, cockatoos and other birds they’ve seen.
Koalas. Blue-tongue lizards X 2. Echidnas X 2. A snake at Mt Martha.
Honestly, it seems like the Australian wildlife are practically flinging themselves out of the Bush at them! I’ve never seen anything like it.
And to end, here is a short video, where you can hear the sound of the cicadas. Not 10 seconds after I stopped recording, a kookaburra started to laugh.
Honestly, it can’t get much more Australian than that!
Halls Gap had no electricity for most of the day, so the few businesses that either had a generator or had minimal prep work to do were absolutely swamped for dinner. We walked around town and eventually ordered pizzas – which had a ONE-HOUR WAIT.
The girls elected to sit and wait to pick up the pizzas, while I left them to it and went back to our room, where I poured a wine and read my book. They need some time to themselves to speak Latvian, without constantly having to translate everything they want to say into English. I don’t know how they do this – it must be exhausting.
Tomorrow, we head out of Victoria and into South Australia. The Crazy Road Trip continues!
We were up bright and early to catch the 9 AM ferry from Sorento to Queenscliff. Today was the Great Ocean Road! I took myself along here a couple of years ago on a Little Adventure.
This day turned out to be a soft start to the Crazy Toad Trip because both Ligas slept in. Jet lag is not an easy thing to shake when you’re coming from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere.
Before they got up, I’d showered, dressed, packed the car with my things and had a first breakfast of a couple of delicious slices of a dark rye bread that they brought me from Latvia. Yum! There was also some chocolate and a divine hand-woven wooden wrap that I’ll cherish forever.
Finally, they emerged and Liga announced, “I’ll make pancakes for breakfast!” It turns out that her pancakes were more like crêpes. She made a stack of them and we all devoured them. Second breakfast!
You can see Liga in the kitchen, behind the stuffed kangaroo she bought for her daughter, while Liga2 was setting the table.
After breakfast we loaded the car, said our goodbyes (poor Scout) and we set off. The plan was to do something before lunch at a winery, then do a couple more things before heading over to my sister Kate’s place to stay the night at her AirBnB at Mt Martha.
There’s method to my madness. The next day, I’ll be taking the girls along the Great Ocean Road. Staying at my sister’s place will save us getting up an hour earlier to get to the ferry at 9 AM. I decided that it was better to take the ferry to Queenscliff, rather than drive through the city at peak hour.
After a walk through the gardens at the Diggers Club property in Dromana, we drove to Trofeo Winery, just outside of Dromana.
This winery makes its wines in terracotta amphorae, like in Roman times, so I was curious to see what their wines were like.
Delicious, as it turns out!
The venue itself was beautiful, as you can see. All exposed brick walls, with huge windows and fairy lights strung up. The meal was beautiful, the wine was great and Liga was kind enough to pick up the bill for the three of us. It made me so glad that I cheaped out on taking them to the Point Leo winery, where the set menu for 3 courses was $100/head.
Trofeo winery was $69/head, so I felt good.
Afterwards, we went to the wine cellar and I bought a couple of bottles of wine to bring to Kate and Francis as a thank-you for hosting us. I liked the wine cork stools. So what’s there to do in Dromana?
First off, we went to Arthur’s Seat. It’s the tallest spot on the Peninsula and has a chairlift going to the top. I’ve never been there, so off we went.
Honestly… don’t bother. The view is great, but most shots are spoiled by chairlift wires. There are children’s activities and some hikes, but we didn’t have time for them. On the way down, we stopped at a lookout on the side of the road and got much better photos.
The next stop was the Dromana pier. Liga loved it because it reminded her of one of her favourite movies – “Requiem for a Dream.’ We walked along it. The sun was out and the wind was blowing and these girls were FREEZING. I couldn’t understand it. Surely they’re used to the cold in Latvia? It’s up near the Arctic Circle! Anyway, freezing they were.
Not like the tough Aussie they were with.
Liga wanted to have the sea water touch her toes, so she waded in the warm waters of Port Phillip Bay.
“It’s warm!” she said.
She found a jellyfish.
Dromana Beach has a fine selection of bathing boxes. These are just wooden huts with no water or electricity attached, where people can come and use them when they’re at the beach. But ONLY if you own one.
The current price whenever one hits the market – which is extremely rare – is around $300,000 upward.
Then we went to my sister’s place. She and her husband have turned the first floor of their house into an Airbnb apartment and they’ve done a spectacular job. Two things my sister knows how to do well are interior design and customer service. This place is going gangbusters and it deserves to. (It’s called ‘The Manor’ in Mt Martha if you want to have a peek.)
We had a lovely evening. We sat on the lawn and polished off the wine we brought, then we went for a walk on the boardwalk over the creek.
THIS IS WHERE I SAW A LIVE SNAKE IN THE WILD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE! I was walking along, chatting to Kate while the Ligas were behind, when I glanced off to the side and saw a pile of coiled scales in the sun.
No photo, I’m sorry. We were all so excited and the poor thing couldn’t cope with the emotion, so it slid away under the boardwalk. The photo above shows the other wildlife in the bush – my sister’s dog Huxley. This was just before he decided to go and jump in the creek so he could smell of creek water for the rest of the night.
I was so pleased and surprised that I saw that snake. So was Kate. She knows how unobservant I am.
“I can’t believe YOU saw it!” she said.
“This is Holiday Frogdancer,” I said. “She’s different from Everyday Frogdancer!”
Francis had a great idea that he’d prepared for the girls. He bought 6 Aussie snacks, and he had us all eat them. The girls rated them out of 10. There were Timtams, Wagon Wheels, Chokito bars, Clinkers, and Cheezels (my nemesis…).
When I was 7 I ate 3/4 of a box of Cheezels and then threw up. I have never been able to look a Cheezel in the eye again. Here they all are, traumatising me.
It was so much fun! Here is Liga playing the Clinkers game, were everyone guesses which colour the clinker is, then you bite into it to reveal the answer.
The consensus from the girls was that Clinkers and the Cheezels were the best.
Tomorrow was when the road trip swung into high gear. We have a lot of ground to cover to get to Uluru by Wednesday!
Quick code for telling them apart when I’m writing. Liga is my Liga from Antarctica. The other Liga will be ‘Liga2’ because she’s called Liga too.
I picked them up from the airport, and we went home to a lovely dinner cooked by Georgia: pizza straight from our pizza oven. Too easy! (At least for me.)
The agenda for the first day of the trip was to take them to Healesville Sanctuary to see all of the Australian animals, birds and reptiles. Liga was feeling almost personally attacked by the weather. She was freezing cold in Sydney and it was showering today in Healesville.
“Who ever heard of it being cold in Australia?” she protested. But apart from the weather, I don’t think we could have had a better day at Healesville. The animals and birds really turned it on, and I think that it was probably a good thing that the skies were grey. We practically had the whole place to ourselves.
We saw everything they wanted to see. It was funny to see the animals through others’ eyes. We were in the kangaroo enclosure and Liga said, “It’s incredible to think of how a kangaroo is put together. Front legs like a bunny, ass like a deer…” I’d never thought of kangaroos like that. To me, they’re just everyday, normal animals.
We were walking towards the platypus building and Liga said, “We have similar animal in Latvia called Beaver.” I thought to myself, ‘She has no idea how small a platypus is!’ I kept quiet and yes – she was surprised. She also thought the Tasmanian Devils would be “small, like rat.” Wrong again!
Spoonbills. I wonder how they got their name???
The animals really came to the party. Here is a male koala calling the girls.
Liga has a thing for koalas and we saw plenty, including a mother cuddling her joey. The only thing that would have made it perfect for them is if they were allowed to hold, or even pat the koalas, but the Sanctuary doesn’t allow that as it stresses the koalas out.
The Tasmanian Devils were something I was looking forward to seeing. I saw them here when I was a child and I’ve never forgotten it. When I came here on my Little Adventure a couple of years ago, they were sug in their burrows and refused to show themselves. This time though – we were there at feeding time!
Cranky little buggers. They were fed a mix of wallaby, possum and fish. All the bones, fur and scales were left on, as Tassie Devils are scavengers.
The Ligas were very excited to see them. Liga2 said, “The Tasmanian Devils aren’t in any zoos in Europe as far as I know. We don’t get to see them.” She bought a Tassie Devil soft toy for her kids as a souvenir.
We went to the open-air bird show and it was lovely to see the look of delight they shared with each other as an eagle flew over their heads. So many little things were just perfect – except for the showers and my internal freak out when my phone died and I had enormous trouble finding a charger. Fortunate Frogdancer finally found a girl in the café who had one, so the day was saved. (I needed Google Maps to get back to the Maroondah Highway… Phew!)
If I was unlucky enough to be reincarnated as a bird, I bet this would be me…
The next morning we loaded up the car and set off for a day on the Mornington Peninsula – the first leg of our Crazy Road Trip.
