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Report No 8

After 2 nights in our underground hide-out in Coober pedy we headed for the Oodnadatta track to the east. The track was in a very good condition, so no worries about our tyres. We found some beautiful, "hidden" spots there, for example the Coward Springs where we all could have a lovely bath.

After stocking up, getting diesel and water we headed for the Gammon Range NP. We did some 4-wheel driving and bushcamping - didn't see one person, but lots of kangaroos and birds. We then went on to the Flinders Range NP. Again we saw alot of wildlife, including about 8 friendly emus who were very interested in us.

In the Clare Valley we did some wine tasting and spent plenty of money on nice wines. Back into civilisation, Adelaide! And with that bad weather, cold, windy and wet. At last we were at a beach one can swim at (that's what we thought- two weeks later there was a fatal shark attack in Adelaide!), but it was freezing. We did some Christmas shopping, went to our favourite "restaurant" from 10 years ago (Hawker's Corner), was still good and brought back nice memories of the time we spent there with Gereon.

From Adelaide we went to the Barossa Valley to do some more wine tasting. We only went to one estate (Peter Lehmann) and bought a few bottles. Our full car is getting even fuller with Xmas presents and now a case of wine!

From there we went on south to the Fleurieu peninsula and through the Coorong Nationalpark, which included some nice 4-wheel-driving on the beach. Unfortunately the weather still hadn't improved. So there was no swimming or lying on the beach.

Our next stop was in Mount Gambier where we camped close to the Blue Lake (the dark blue colour was really impessive) and where we fed the possums in the lovely gardens of the Umpherston Sinkhole (fallen in volcanic caves).

After a snorkel for Alex in the cold Ewens Ponds we went to the Discovery Bay Nationalpark, where we saw lots of kangaroos and where Luca had his first fishing experience. After a very cold night in our car ( 7.2°C inside) we went on to Warnambool. There we "pre-celebrated" our family Xmas. We rented a nice cabin with a spa for 2 nights and had a campers fondue bourignonne. Luca, not used to being indoors, loved all the cupboards and doors.

In the Grampians Nationalpark we met a nice Aussie couple who showed us the nice places in the park we never would have found ourselves.

Not getting rid of the cold weather we kept all our warm clothing within reach. In the meantime we are really keen on some hot weather again.

On our way to our Xmas destination Apollo Bay (Skenes Creek) we visited various sights along the Great Ocean Road. Over Xmas to New Year's Eve we spent 10 days in a very nice house with Natasha's brother, Oli with family and family of Irma (,who have all had us as guests at their homes on our earlier trips to Australia and South Africa). We were a group of 13 people. We enjoyed the company and the luxury of living in a house again.

On 6 January we took the ferry from Melbourne to Devonport, Tasmania together with Irma, Gita and Tiana. The 10 hour trip passed quite quickly. After exploring the area around Devonport (Gunn Plain Caves and cherry farm) we headed to the western side of the island. We eventually found a campspot in Arthur River. From there we did a day trip in the area. We visited the Arthur Pieman Park with it's rugged coastline and it's scarce vegetation.

On our way down to Strahan we followed a nice looking track. We passed a sign saying 4WD only, which didn't really bother us. After 6 rough km we saw a sign which did bother us- it said only travel in a convey of 2 or more vehicles and be equipped with recovery gear, meaning winches, etc. This and the washed out track made us turn around. After this 2 hour detour we proceeded to Strahan along a winding road through mountains. In Strahan (Macquarie Heads) we got this nice forest campsite. Pitching Irma's tent we noticed these black worms climbing up our legs. As we knew that there were leeches (blood suckers) around, we knew how to deal with them. Still. It felt quite awkward! The picking up winds made us feel less safe underneath the trees than usually, but nothing happened. After several days of bush-camping we all really needed a proper shower so we just sneaked into the closest campground and got ourselves fresh again.

In Strahan we went on to a boat round trip to Hells Gate, Sarah Island (some unspectacular ruins of early convicts) and Gordon River. The forests on the banks of the river were extremely dense- must have been really difficult for the early settlers to explore.

In the Lake St. Claire NP we had possums stealing shoes from us. What a 'funny' awakening for us in the morning to find that out of 3 pairs of shoes each one had one shoe missing. First we thought it was a bad joke! But after eventually finding two shoes in the nearby bush, we knew. Unfortunately we coudn't find Natasha's shoe anymore. So we had to buy her new Tewas in Hobart for a lot of money.

Due to the cold temperatures and often not such nice weather Luca and Alex caught a cold. Luca's teething also made him feel very uncomfortable and cranky.

In Hobart Oli joined us for a long weekend. After spending one day in Hobart we went to the Tasman Peninsula, where Alex celebrated his birthday (partly in bed). Gita, Tiana, Irma and Oli prepared a very nice breakfast table which they put up in a beautiful spot right by the sea - a nice surprise for Alex. Unbelievable that his most useful present was a woollen cap.

Before taking Oli back to the airport on Tuesday evening we (all of us except Alex who spent the afternoon in the tent :( ) went up to Mt. Wellington. We had spectacular views from the 1200 m high mountain by Hobart.

After some hassles finding an ok campsite in the Freycinet Nationalpark area (on the east coast), we were lucky to find a great bush-camping spot just outside the park (free of charge). We did a few beautiful walks in the park. Unfortunately it was a misty day with fine rain, so we didn't have all the super views. It was still nice.

After packing up before heading back to Devonport we stopped at the Friendly beaches where the girls could eventually jump into the (cold) sea and use their boogie boards. It was a beautiful beach and the sun was shining again.

We stopped for a picnic lunch in Launceston, where we also walked back the Cataract Gorge. The lovely walk led to a nice cafe. Back in Devonport we prepared things for the ferry trip back and for our big jump to Western Australia.

Tasmania was the holiday together with the Aussie-Zimmis we have been longing for. Now it's over already and we enjoyed the company a lot! Luca loved his cousins. Tasmania itself didn't offer us many new things. The weather was often cold and not really summer like. In the meantime we really miss warm temperatures.

Looking back, we discover that nearly three quarters of our time abroad has already passed. On the other hand we've still got over 3 months ahead of us;-)

24th of January 2005, Melbourne