Mr & Mrs Finch

Day 13 - The return

2009-04-27T19:29:00.004+10:00

Nothing much to report on today as it was a pretty non-eventful drive back through the back country. I guess the only thing that happened was the exhaust began to fall off the campervan so we sounded like a big truck over the final kilometres home.
Aunty Jan, who lent us the van, will be very happy to have it back now!
Meanwhile, I have mapped our complete route on google maps but divided into the trip out and trip back. (You can zoom and move around to see exactly our route)
Click here to view our route down to Port Campbell
Click here to view our route back to Ourimbah
We will continue with this blog as we go through the motions of settling into our lives here in Oz so do pop back regularly or visit my personal Ironman site here.
Laters,
Simon and Kate

Day 12 - Bright to Albury

2009-04-27T10:25:00.005+10:00

Severe weather warnings. 20cm of snow. Dangerous winds. Australia can have its bad weather and it seems to have come straight over us last night and today.
Woke to tremedous downpours and quite cold conditions. After breakfast we headed out, as planned, up to Falls Creek with the best intentions of taking advantage of this mtb paradise but as we got further and further up the mountain, the temperatures got colder and colder until it eventually started snowing!
We had bought along only a few items of winter clothing and no winter cycling clobber, so we thought it a bit pointless going any further as Falls Creek was already apparently under a couple of cms of snow. So mtb was off for the day and just as we were deciding which wine estate to go to instead, a noticed a little ping noise from the back. The entire rear window had just shattered!
We still don't quite understand what happened but fortunately the glass was still intact as it was held together by the tinting film. It was a bit stressful driving in the biggest storm the region had seen for a while with a shattered rear window but I reinforce it with a bit of duck tape (never leave on a camping trip without it) and it held out fine.
We made a few phone calls and we could only look at getting it fixed tomorrow as this was Sunday so we decided to continue on with the day's sightseeing and see where we were tomorrow. Our next stop was the All Saints wine estate in Wahgunyah which is in the famous Rutherglen wine region. We sampled a bit of their wares although to be honest although the wine was good (we bought a few bottles), we both thought a little less of their cheeses.
We decided to spend the night at a motel in Albury (we are here) as the weather was still on and off and we had both had enough of camping in the pouring rain.
Tomorrow we head back to the central coast tomorrow where our little adventure will come full circle.
Laters,
Simon and Kate

Day 11 - Great Alpine Road

2009-04-25T22:12:00.006+10:00

A big driving day today and in wet and windy conditions as we made our way from Maldon to Bright which is situated on the Great Alpine Road between Wangaratta and Bairnsdale on the coast.
We had an excellent night in a fantastic little cottage (pictured top right) equipped with spa bath and all. This helped get the long hours in the car out of the legs and after a great night's sleep we were ready to hit the road again.
On our way out of Maldon we stopped off to check out the Union Hill Gold mine, which orginally opened in the late 1800's and is still a working mine today (pictured).
The weather was pretty bad most of the day unfortunately so there was not many opportunities for any photos so hence the lack of them today. In fact there was a severe weather warning out for the region (here).
Thunderstorms are busy rumbling through the campsite at the moment making everything rather wet but again our tent installation efforts have stood up to the challenge and nothing has blown away. Yet!
Hopefully things will be better tomorrow though as this is Alpine territory and it is autumn, so the scenery and photo opportunity will be fantastic. This is also a renowned region for good mtb trails (especially at Falls Creek which is just up the road), so we hope to take advantage of some of them tomorrow. It is also a great wine region (Alpine valley's region); so maybe a drop or two of red after the ride!
Laters,
Simon and Kate
PS. We are here.

Day 10 - The Golden Trail

2009-04-24T23:19:00.006+10:00

A wet day today but luckily not at the time when we had to do the packing thing in the morning. The night was very windy and wet but our camping skills must have improved now as everything stayed attached and everything that was supposed to stay dry did!
Our aim today was to travel through the 'Golden Trail', the heart of Australia's old gold mining country. We passed through some very dry, almost moon-like country but the rain soon arrived and that got us thinking. This rain seems to follow us around. We could sell our travels to ozzie farmers that are a bit short of rain.
The first town on the list was Ballarat which is one of the biggest inland cities in Australia and one of the towns where the earlist gold discoveries were made. Speaking with some of the locals it apparently gets really hot in summer and just this last summer it was into the 40's on numerous occassions.
Next stop was Clunes which is also an historical gold mining town and has been used as a filming location for films such as Ned Kelly and Mad Max. Clunes had the most amazing old fashioned chocolate and sweet shop there and we just had to try one of their hot chocolates and cakes.
A final destination for the day was the town of Maldon which again is an old mining town, renowned for it's well-preserved 19th century buildings with it's broad footpaths shaded by corrugated iron verandahs, buildings and cottages made from local stone, old-fashioned shop fronts and deep stone gutters.It also has a great working rail station which runs daily steam train trips to Castlemaine.
We did venture to the local campsite, but when we got there it really wasn't much to write home about and we thought with the rain around we would treat ourselves to a b&b.
Kate found this fantastic little place with spa bath and, more importantly, queen-sized bed! Aahh, I can finally stretch out and get a good nights rest.
Sleep well everyone.
Simon and Kate
PS. We are here

Day 9 - Great Ocean Road

2009-04-23T22:51:00.005+10:00

After spending the most money on our accomodation since leaving on this trip, we woke after the worst night's sleep.
A convention of Chinese businessmen kept us up till the early hours; in and out of rooms and having loud conversations in our hallway and Kate spent the early part of the evening on the toilet suffering from a bit of food poisoning. Needless to say we were not all that sad to say goodbye to Melbourne!
I did pick up on a great idea of attracting sponsorship for my Ironman career (pictured right). I am sure I could get a bit of cash if I did an Ironman with one of those on the back of my P3!
We headed straight for the Great Ocean Road that we had heard so much about and it was well worth the trip! For those who know Cape Town, it is a lot like Chapman's Peak, only a lot longer with some wonderful little touristic villages along the way. We drove for a couple of hours admiring the sites but by 2pm, my stomach had had enough of all the siteseeing and needed something more serious so we stopped off at Apollo Bay for a great fish and chips take-away on the beachfront.
We then picked up the pace (which is not really saying that much in our campervan) in an effort to get to the 12 apostles before it got too dark. Although it was a little dull and grey with the cloud cover, the site was breath-taking.
After a lot of snaps later, we carried on up the road to Port Campbell and checked into the local campsite (click here to see where) and settled down for the night.
Tomorrow we leave the coast as we head more as the crow flies back to Sydney across the Alpine country and wine vinyard areas.
Laters,
Simon and Kate

Day 8 - Yanakie to Melbourne

2009-04-22T22:55:00.004+10:00

Woke early today to take a few pics of the sunrise over the bay from our campsite but when after taking a couple of snaps, the camera battery went flat so I cannot share too many pics with you unfortunately.
We got our things packed after that and decided to drive on all the way through to Melbourne, only stopping for a quick coffee in Fish Creek.
After a few hours drive we eventually arrived in Melbourne. Kate had already found and booked a hotel for us on the internet during the ride in, so we were all set for a camping-free night on the town. We headed first to well-known St Kilda beach for lunch and then quickly checked into our hotel and headed straight for the city.
The best way to describe Melbourne is probably Brighton with a CBD. There were quite a few odd looking characters around which made people watching quite entertaining. It was a little odd being surrounded by so many people in a city after days spent in remote areas.
We spent the afternoon walking around the shops and went up the Melbourne high-rise 360 Observation deck where you, funnily enough, we had a 360 view of the city.
The night was drawing in, so we decided to head on over to the Waterfront City and NewQuay for dinner thinking that great seafood would be easily had there. Melbourne is supposidly renowned for it's great wining and dining but I must admit our experience was not the best we have had in Australia, perhaps we have just been spoilt but it was a little bit of a let down which, I guess, sums up our visit to Melbourne as a whole really. I do appreciate that it was a very brief visit but compared with other cities we have seen here, especially Sydney, there is just no comparison.
Tomorrow we plan to head out early and get out onto the Great Ocean Road, our furtherest point in our adventure.
Laters,
Simon and Kate
PS. We are here

Day 7 - Mtb day at Yanakie

2009-04-21T20:38:00.002+10:00

A glorious but windy day greeted us this morning in Yanakie. And we decided right there and then to book another night at the campsite and spend the day on the mtb exploring the Wilsons Promontory national park.
We were told that the park entrance was a mere 3-4 km away and then it was a further 20km or so to the furtherest point south. We got to the gate in 6km, so that was a little more than expected but still ok. Then cycling further within the park we past a sign indicating 29km to Tidal River. WTF? Tidal River is only where the tarmac road ends and from there it is still quite a trek on dirt path/roads to the actual southern most point of mainland Australia.
Change of plan required! (especially for an already quite exhausted bubas) We thought instead we might duck off one of the side trails along the way but we found they had all been closed as the Febuary bush fires had swept through this side of the park and the areas was a no-go zone to enable regeneration.
We eventually got to Darby river and the trail down to Darby beach was open. We decided to head down there and have lunch on the beach. It was yet another fantastic, isolated, beautiful beach. We did a little ride along the coast taking some pics along the way before tucking into our sandwiches and gatorade for lunch.
There was, however still quite a breeze blowing which definately put a little chill in the air but it was near perfect temperatures and after a quick 40winks to recharge some people's flattened batteries, it was time to head back home.
All I can say is that I have quite sore arms pushing!
Tomorrow we hit the road again. Next stop Melbourne.
Laters,
Simon and Kate
PS. If you have not already done so do check our Flikr feed for all the photos from the trip. Just click on slideshow in right had column. We will be updating these daily too.

Day 6 - Eagle Point to Yanakie

2009-04-20T23:16:00.010+10:00

We both had a good night's rest last night in Eagle Point with no rain soaking the bed this time, however the campsite where we stayed was almost completely deserted and it felt a bit spooky walking through the site at night but we had a nice little meal in the kitchen facilities all to ourselves and caught up with some of the news on the tele.
This morning I went out for a short but sweet run along the lake front and took a couple of snaps along the way. After a quick breakfast we packed up (we now have this down to a fine art now and everyday we break the previous record!) and continued on our journey south. Our first port of call was Bairnsdale for coffee and we got our cuppa at none other than "Hendo's Cafe" which we just had to get a pic of.
On our way out of Bairnsdale we thought instead of heading straight for Melbourne it might be better going down to the Southern most point of Australia in the Wilsons Promontory national park. On the way we stopped off at Woodside beach for lunch and got some fantastic shots of 90mile beach. What a place to have lunch!
We arrived at the Yanakie Caravan Park (click here to see where we are).

A lovely little campsite right on the lake front. It has been quite windy since we arrived here but hopefully that will keep the rain away as we plan a day of mtb in the national park tomorrow.
Laters,
Simon and Kate

Day 5 - Lake Wonboyn to Eagle Point

2009-04-19T21:45:00.004+10:00

We had our first BBQ - Ozzie style last night and it was delicious. Especially with a couple of Cascades to wash it down!
The night was rather a short one in terms of sleep however, as we were woken in the early hours by the sound of dripping water. A storm had blown in during the night and it was pouring with rain which is always a good test of any camping equipment. Ours did not really stand up to the task!

I had already woken earlier in the night to rescue our outside 'simple and easy' tent as the attachments had come loose and it was blown into the next campsite. Now with the rain the outside awning was filling up like an olympic swimming pool and we could feel the weight almost tilting the van on its side! I had to quickly go push out the water which drenched everything in its path including half the bed! After a few Saffa/English/French superlatives later, the awning was at a pool-eradicated angle and I was back on the other side of the bed trying to get a couple more winks.

Needless to say we decided the day was best spent driving on although a super route had been planned for the mtbs, it would have meant hours of cleaning muddy bikes, clothing and people; a task neither of us fancied.

We also remembered we had put up almost a week's worth of washing on the line to dry overnight - so we left the campsite with bags full of wet washing! As we were packing the van; a rather wet 'Joey' came up to keep an eye on proceedings.

It was going to be a good day!

We did make good progress on the road although at one point the petrol was running out and no town was in site. That would have been the icing but a Caltex oasis opened up before us just in time.

So after a day's driving in rain we are now in Eagle Point which is south of Bairnsdale on Lake Victoria in rather nippy conditions it has to be said.

Tomorrow we should reach Melbourne.

Laters,

Simon and Kate

PS. We are here

Day 4 - South Durras to Lake Wonboyn

2009-04-19T21:19:00.006+10:00

NOTE: Sorry for the delay in posting this but we were really in the middle of the australian bush last night with no phone or internet reception available:

It was an early start today as we decided to watch the sunrise on the beach. It was pretty amazing sitting on the beach in our sleeping bags with the fresh sea breeze blowing on our faces and it certainly makes a bit of difference that rushing in the morning to catch the train to London.
There was a little bit of cloud cover and the sun rose behind a headland (as can be seen by the pictures) therefore the sunrise was great but not as spectacular as it could have been we therefore decided to head back to our campervan for a few extra winks before a hearty breakfast and then pack up only to hit the road once again.
We continued our way down south, taking some of the touristic routes on the way and went through some amazingly beautiful sites (as can be seen from the pics).
Whilst on one of the back roads, we caught up with this pictured campervan. Ozzie humour or is that a good ozzie pick-up line?
Around 3pm, we started to look up on the internet possible sites where we could pass the night and Kate found 'Wonboyn cabins and caravan park'. A quick call and we were booked in.
The campsite is situated in Wonboyn village on the southern shore of the lake. The lake 'nestles quietly among heavily timbered hills at the southern end of the Sapphire Coast of NSW', according to the visitor's brochure. And it certainly feels like you are in the middle of nowhere or as the ozzies like to say 'the arse end of nowhere'.
Upon our arrival we caught up with the owners Bucky and Robin Rowlands. Bucky is originally from Zimbabwe or rather Rhodesia when he left it while Robin was brought up in Swaziland. They have been out here for some 30years however and gave up farming to lead a more peaceful life running the campsite.
We hope to hit some of the trails that abound through the Nadgee Wilderness that surrounds the campsite tomorrow on our Mtb's. we will definatly make a ride on down to the beach at Disaster bay (must remember to pack all the necessities when visiting a place with such a name ;)
Laters,
Simon and Kate
PS. We are here

Day 3 - Mtb day

2009-04-17T20:19:00.004+10:00

As we had decided to stay in South Durras for two nights, today was exploring day and after all the relaxing and eating over the past week or so since Ironman, we decided to get on the bikes.
We headed out after a leisurely breakfast on our way to North Head on some of the dirt trails through the Murramarang National Park. We went off the trail a few times to explore some of the secluded beaches and headlands along the way with some spectacular sites.
We had not packed any lunch with us but I had brought along some handy power bars and block shots which certainly came in handy getting Bubas through the day.
We spent about an hour resting (for some) at North Head beach. Simon took a refreshing dip in the surf and went exploring at the rock pools whilst Kate took a quick nap in an effort to restore some energy for the trip home.
We took a different route back as we thought we would treat ourselves to some alcoholic refreshments in the evening. Kate got a puncture but nothing to fear as Simon showed off his slick bike mechanical skills to save the day.
A refreshing 'paddle pop' ice cream at the bottle-o and we were almost home.
After a light snack we popped back into the local village to pick up some fish and chips and sat on the beach watching the sun go down with a couple of well deserved beers.
Yet another glorious day here in Oz.
Tomorrow we continue our journey down the south coast and will be heading into the region known as the saphire coast.
Laters,
Simon and Kate

Day 2 - Jervis Bay to South Durras

2009-04-16T18:50:00.005+10:00

Again a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky.

Had a good sleep although we did get a bit of a fright when we went to brush our teeth and stumbled across two fighting kangaroos! (I had to go to the loo before brushing my teeth after that little episode).

We started the day with a lovely sea swim at Callala beach in Jervis bay. Although it was a little nippy at first, it was really refreshing and what a way to start the day.

We then slowly made a way down the coast towards Bateman's bay causing a few traffic backups along the way as our campervan is not the most sporty of drives out there!

We stopped off in a lovely little village, renowned for it's surf, called Mollymook for lunch before pushing through to our campsite in South Durras which is situated just before Bateman's.

A great campsite only 50m from the beach, and surrounded by the Murramarang National Park. We had another fight with the 'simple and easy' van tent before deciding it was time to cool off and refresh in the surf.

Kate managed to take some great pics (as you can see) on the beach whilst I was frollicking in the sea.

Tomorrow we hit the mountain bikes as we have read up on a couple of good trails that we can do in the area.

Laters,

Simon and Kate
PS. We are here

Day 1 - On da road

2009-04-15T20:22:00.005+10:00

We left Ourimbah this morning at around 11am after yet another session of packing (We are now a certified international packers!).
We have slowly made our way down south through Sydney. We stopped in the lovely cosmopolitan town of Parramatta.
I also managed to pick up some last minute bicycle supplies after I snapped the bolt of my seat post clamp whilst rebuilding my MTB last night. Also got some space inner tubes.
We then made our way down the coastal, through Wollongong and on to Jervis Bay where we are tonight in a campsite on Callala beach.
I am not the most experienced camper around and I have to admit that the extension tent that is supposed to be 'simple and easy' to erect and attach to our campervan was not! Especially when strong winds are blowing.
We eventually got installed and I managed to go for a short run down to the water's edge but it was dark by this time and there was a not a lot to be seen.
It is great having the internet with you on your travels like this and we will be posting more news and photos as we continue on our travels. Let's see what tomorrow has in store.
Laters,
Simon and Kate
PS. We are here