Clare (Day 29)

What a lovely place Clare is!  Well, what's not to like, with all the wineries around?!  However, like Margaret River, we are fairly restricted in the amount of wineries we could visit and the amount of time spent at each one because of the kids.  We chose one - McGuigan winery - because it had a cafe and a large grass area that the kids could run around on.

throwing coins in the wishing well

playing quoits

exploring the grecian statues throughout the garden

We enjoyed lunch here (super yummy) and a glass of wine.  Very relaxed and welcomed after being in the car for a while over the past few days.

Tonight, we spent the night at friends of ours, Scott and Fleur Harlock.  Scott and Fleur have recently left their dairy farm near Warrnambool for a grazing enterprise near Naracoorte in SA.  The house they live in (Shepherd's Way) is huge and the kids couldn't help but tear around all the space that was suddenly around them (sorry Fleur!).  It was great to have a catch up and I definitely think that a scrappy retreat is in order later in the year!

Total kms today: 449
Total kms travelled so far: 8,487

Headed for Clare (day 28)

Well, the holiday is fast running out and we are definitely leaving the barren plains behind us and heading into populated areas.  Today we left Port Lincoln and headed for McLaren Vale.  We never actually reached there though - only making it as far as Clare - but we passed through some interesting landscapes.

Large iron ore mine at Whyalla

Definitely within reach of home

Mt Remarkable, SA

We also completed our big loop, going past the turnoff to Iron Knob which was were we were about 26 days ago headed for the Nullarbor Plain.  It really hit us that we were really headed home at this point.

Today was a long day spent mostly in the car.

Total kms today: 557
Total kms travelled so far: 8,038

Port Lincoln (Day 27)

Yesterday was a day of bumming around, doing some washing, sitting in the sun, watching the kids play and doing not a lot.  Was good for the soul.  We did nick out to Coffin Bay though and grabbed some oysters.  I bought 2 dozen for $16 and got a lesson in shucking oysters thrown in. I have never shucked an oyster before, so it was a big deal when we got back to the caravan, because these babies were part of our dinner.  I am pleased to say that I succeeded and I only stuffed up (by that I mean mutilated!), three of them.  The rest were pretty much perfect.  I will not, however, make a living from shucking oysters.  It took me about 1/2hr to do 12.  But I did come away unscathed so I didn't put the shucking knife through my hands or anything silly like that!

Not a great one of Bella!

Today, we did the 'Swim with the Tuna' and what an experience.  These babies are BIG and FAST.  All of us except baby H got in the water with the tuna and the other fish.  I was really proud of the kids because even though they are all quite decent swimmers (well, Bella needs help), this was something WELL out of their comfort zones.  To not really see the bottom and to have these whopping fish darting around, and to wear a snorkle and mask and to try and breath under water....it was all a huge learning experience for them.

A couple of dolphins that came out to the pontoon with us

The two older kids stood out at the front of the boat for almost the entire trip 

Tying up Bella's feet!

You are provided with wetsuits, booties, gloves and snorkles.  You have to wear booties and gloves because the tuna can't tell the difference between pilchards which you hand feed to them and your digits.  They didn't have boots small enough for Bella, so there was a big operation to tie off the ends of her legs on her wetsuit with rubber bands so her toes didn't poke out!

Shelly with baby H

The staff were such great sports.  Because we were all in the water (and you only get about 1.5 hours and it really flies), baby H was all by himself in the pram for the whole session.  But Shelly - one of the crew - took it on board to look after him and she took him out of the pram and walked around with him.  She even gave him a 'swim with the tuna hat'.  So many people were besotted with him.  I reckon if I had of turned my back for too long, someone would have stolen him!!

the tank of smaller fish

The tank of tuna

Feeding frenzy of tuna

Tom feeding the fish...with fish!

And Biddy!

The guys helping us in the water were great too.  At one point, I couldn't work out why the tuna were going nuts around me and darting really close.  I thought they were trying to freak me out or something.  Turns out, the guy up on deck was throwing the pilchards really close to me and the tuna were eating them.  They all thought it was a great joke.  They must have heard me squealing because they made me get back int he water and hand feed them, but singled me out by calling me the 'Screamer"!!  LOL.  But these big fish can weigh up to 270kg, although I doubt any of these were quite that big.  But I would day that there were a lot over the 150kg mark.  Easy.

Me feeding the smaller fish

Mark having a great time

The other tank that you got into was chocka block full of smaller fish and Port Jackson sharks and other  types of fish that I never found out the names of.  This was a funny experience, because there were just so many fish in here, you could not help but touch them all the time.  They banged into you and swam all over you.

All too soon it was over, but on the way home, the captain took us past the Port and explained all the boats and their capacities.  It was very interesting.

The kids found some other kids had arrived at the caravan park whilst we were away and they had bubbles, os they all had a ball chasing these around for an hour or so.

Later in the arvo, I caught up with a friend of mine, fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator Alisa Tilsner.  We had a great catch up while our kids screamed around the playground.   I will be able to see Alisa again at the end of May when we attend the Stampin' Up! convention in Brisbane.

Too tired to cook dinner, we took the kids out to a pub for dinner.  It happened to be one on the wharf where we caught the boat earlier in the day.  An obliging waitress snapped us on the deck.

Total kms travelled yesterday and today: 126
Total kms travelled for trip so far: 7,481

to Port Lincoln (day 25)

Today was a funny driving day.  It was only a few hours from Venus Bay to Port Lincoln, but it seemed to taker FOREVER.  Granted, we did stop to check out some sea caves, but we still didn't pull into PL until quite a lot later than we had planned.  Still...all good.  We're on holidays aren't we?!

The kids were intrigued by the pelicans (maybe their size?) at the caravan park.  The fishermen cleaning their catches, feed them, so they frequent the park.

They really are big buggers

A turnoff to Talia Caves had us intrigued, so we took the road.  I have no idea where Talia Caves were, but we did come across Woolshed cave which we stopped and had a gander at.  What a sight.  Truly spectacular.  Mother Nature at some of her best.

the inside of Woolshed Cave

the channel of water that has eroded the limestone to form the cave.  I can tell you, the speed of the water in this baby was FAST flowing.  And DEEP.

There were steps down the cliff face, but once on the rocks at the bottom, you were at the mercy of God not to fall off and into the swell.  Have I mentioned that we are calling Biddy "Tanglefoot" of late?  She can fall over a crack in the pavement.  So to have her near the edge here had my palms sweating and  stomach churning.....much like the sea that was below her.  However, you can't install fear into kids when they don't have it, so whilst we told her to be careful, we didn't overly restrict her either.  I think her own sense of preservation kicked in.  She was careful.

Monument

Spectacular scenery

A little roadside stop further up the road was Colton's Bakery.  The loaves of bread were placed in a window and you helped yourself and used the honesty system to pay for them.  Yummo.

Total kms travelled today: geez...will have to get back

Total kms tavelled all up: and have to get back on this as well.

to Venus Bay (Day 24)

We were headed for Port Lincoln tonight, but we didn't make it.  Then we were going to stop at Streaky Bay (again) but the caravan park was full.  So we pushed onto Venus Bay and I'm so glad we did.  It was just lovely.  The caravan park was well situated, the fish seemed to be aplenty (judging by how many were being cleaned), the showers were fantastic, and the owners were just LOVELY.  So far, this caravan park is rating as THE BEST one we have visited and I can highly recommend it as a beach retreat.  There is nothing in the town though (and I mean, nothing), so if you can't make your own entertainment, this is not the place for you.  But pics of VB to follow in the next post.

But first, let me backtrack to the Nullarbor.

The sunrise this morning was simply beautiful.  I am sure it is pretty spectacular elsewhere too, but I am not usually up to see if.  And if I am, I am usually tending to a child, or when the season occurs, feeding calves.

First rays

Mark having breaky outside our van

Our neighbour for the night!  Yep, our site was right next to the airstrip!! 

We missed this sign on the way over - actually, I'm not sure that there is a sign saying Eastern End of Nullarbor..., so we nicked up the road a 100m or so and snapped this sign.

Head of the Bight

This is the Head fo the Bight...not far from Nullarbor Roadhouse.  I have to admit that there re more spectacular view of the Bight further along (and free....this one cost $5/adult), but what this one has going for it, is when the whlaes are migrating and calving, they do it here.  And at Warrnambool, which is just up the road from where we live, so this place isn' all that special to us!!  But the views were still stunning

At the Bight

As we neared to Venus Bay, we saw a turnoff to Murphy's Haystacks.  these are great whopping boulders that are in someone's paddock.  That farmer has allowed public access to them (god bless).  In fact, the boulders have not popped out of the ground, but rather, they are made of granite (pink nonetheless) and the surrounding earth has eroded away from them.  So the ground use to be a hellova lot higher than today!

Apparently, they got their name because people thought that the rocks were haystacks in the paddock.  Dunno how true that is, but it makes a good story.

This was between 2 boulders and it was like a wind tunnel