Perth to Sydney
4th - 27th September, 2001

4/9/2001 Perth

Felicity, Jake & Robbie went shopping. Jake was shorn along the way.

Zoe & I remained at home & coaxed a lot more dust from the outside & inside of the van. We were motivated by the fact that Robbie had invited everyone to go for a drive in the van to 'experience our lifestyle'. We didn't want them to get the idea what our lifestyle was really like.

5/9/2001 Perth

I collected the car after its service. When I returned, Robbie had completed teaching Felicity some of the finer points of Web site construction & the like. The kids had passed the morning playing video games.

We had another beautiful dinner at John's & Jennifer's with Joanne ( Felicity was on night shift). Zoe & Jake entertained the masses with a couple of tunes.

The weather forecast for the next week was awful - gale force SW winds & showers - so we made a big decision. Tomorrow we leave Perth & go east to the goldfields thereby missing the whole south-west. We are running out of time & money so we can't afford to wait a week in case the weather turns perfect after the rain. Karri forests, magnificent beaches & tumultuous surf must wait till next time.

We went to bed dreading tomorrow's farewells.

6/9/2001 Towards Kalgoorlie

The farewells were as wet & traumatic as we had anticipated. John, Jennifer, Joanne & Felicity have been fantastic to us. We are really sad to leave their company, love & hospitality. The kids bonded very quickly with their grandparents & aunties and are keen to see them all again (in fact they didn't want to leave at all).

The weather was foul but we had a gale-force tailwind as we headed for the hills - York to be specific.

York was beautiful... and freezing. We were chased inside by hail & heavy rain so after an hour we took the hint and set sail downwind once again. Northam was nowhere near as attractive as York but it had a little sunshine and a river chock-a-block full of swans, ducks & other types of floating chooks all begging, as they do. Needless to say we spent some time next to the river getting rid of a ton of stale bread.

We only had an hour before dark so we drove until sunset, turned left down a dirt track & stopped happily for the night between the highway, railway & goldfield's water pipes. These 3 companions are virtually inseparable for the 600kms from Perth to Kalgoorlie.

7/9/2001 Kalgoorlie

What a cold night! Some of us had a few problems sleeping through chattering teeth.

We had our first taste of the long drives to come - we did 5.5 hours todaye ending up at Kalgoorlie.

This is a very strange place. It's not like the Australia I know. Our first impression was of a well preserved, opulent old town. That changed a little as we drove past the rows of red-lit doors housing the prostitutes on shift at the time.

See what I mean about strange - its almost like we were transported to Europe. One big difference to Europe is that almost all tourist attractions are closed on weekends - pity we arrived at 4.15pm on a Friday afternoon.

8/9/2001 Kalgoorlie

Another cold night.

We tried unsuccessfully to ring Kalgoorlie Kathy ( a friend of Joanne's). In the absence of local knowledge we walked the impressive main street then tried out the museum. It was outstanding. It gave a great insight into the history of, & early lifestyles in, the town. It was good enough to enchant us all for a few hours.

In the last decade all the old (uneconomic) mines in the Golden Mile have been amalgamated into one huge open cut mine - the 'Super Pit'. After being awed by it we can attest to the suitability of its name. As we were admiring the vista, hawk-eye Zoe spied a sparkle in the bitumen of the car-park. GOLD (or something). This prompted a determined scout around the adjacent dirt by the fossickers. They turned up numerous specimens of gold, pyrites & rare gold telluride. The other tourists were bemused by our antics but not enough to start a small gold-rush.

It was interesting to find out that the Golden Mile was the richest gold deposit ever found in the world; its exploitation did much to shield Oz from the worst of the 1930's depression; this area is second in Australia only to the Victorian goldfields in terms of gold extracted; except for one incident it was a wonderful cultural melting pot. It reminded us again how much Oz owes to its mineral wealth for its current economic position.

Kalgoorlie turned out to be a really nice stop. We left mid-afternoon & went via Kambalda - of Poseidon nickel fame (remember the stock market madness of the 70's). There is not much visible from the road except for the spectacular Lake Le Froy - normally salt but with a good deal of water now thanks to the recent rains.

The countryside here at the moment surprised us. The story of the development of Kalgoorlie is entwined with its chronic lack of drinking water so we anticipated semi-desert. Instead it is set in beautiful eucalypt woodlands replete with sandalwood. This type of country we found extends from the hills of Perth almost all the way to the Nullabor; at least to Balladonia.

We ended up showering & staying at Norseman. This is a quaint town situated at the very start of the Eyre Highway which is the road across the Nullabor.

9/9/2001 The Nullabor (from Nullis Arbor meaning 'no trees'))

Big drive today so I started early while the others did excellent stunned mullet impersonations in their warm beds.

We ended up at a roadside stop just past Mundribilla with only one real stop plus a lightening stop to ring brother-in-law, Ian, to wish him happy 98th birthday. He wasn't available unfortunately - probably hasn't recovered yet from the All Blacks most recent loss to the Ozzies. I enjoyed instead a short chat with my sister, Vicki.

10/9/2001 More Nullabor

Another big drive today so I started early again with my load of stunned mullet.

First stop - the old telegraph station at Eucla - the one being eaten by the encroaching sandhills - was as interesting as we didn't expect it to be. Crossing the border into SA soon after eclipsed it in the fascination stakes.

Our second stop however, far exceeded our expectations, especially as the day was cold, windy & squally.

At the very top of the Bite is a whale watching platform where people gather to 'share' the winter migrations of the Southern Right Whale. The whales come up here to calve & generally muck-up until the Antarctic warms up a bit again in the summer. As I said we didn't expect much but got an eyeful and ended up staying for about 4 outstanding hours of entertainment.

There were at least 2 cows with calves cruising the shallows 20 metres offshore. One of the calves was particularly exuberant. He seemed to respond to our cheers & performed breeches, tail stands, tail waves & leaps for us for 20 minutes. Towards the end he was getting his eyes out of the water apparently to watch our reactions. His mum was quite huge & boring.

The other calf was more docile and appeared to be suckling much of the time. He was an albino. However he eventually left the nipple & did a little leaping about.

This was of course happening in the immediate foreground. To the left heading east forever were enormous sand dunes looking soft & fluffy in the half-light of the squalls. To the right & receding westwards were the spectacular striated, limestone Bunda cliffs. Meanwhile in the background, maybe 200 metres offshore, there were tail whacking classes by some cows for their calves. Others were doing tail waves, breaching & generally enjoying themselves. Occasionally a huge solo adult would swim inshore to give us a better look.

Our stay was 'rooly excellent' as they say in the classics. It was difficult to count but I think we were entertained by up to 12 different leviathans.

As time waits for no man we left during a pause in proceedings & put in a good stint before a roadside stop near Penong (heard of it?).

11/9/2001 To the Eyre Peninsular

12/9/2001 Baird Bay

The weather cleared overnight. Early in the morning we were amazed to hear from a neighbour of the attack on New York by terrorists. We spent a couple of hours glued to our TV watching in horror as the extent of the tragedy became clearer. It's difficult to understand how terrorists can be so stupendously callous, gullible & fanatical.

50km further south we stopped at Point Labat. This is a lookdown on the only Australian mainland sea lion colony. A couple of pups came ashore yelping for their mums & a couple of lovers frolicked in the shallow water. The other 70 residents present were not very active as the weather was still cool. The view from the clifftop was awesome.

We ended up at Baird Bay - the place where it is possible to swim with sea lions. It's site beside the bay is idyllic. The bay itself is 10 km X 300m, only a few metres deep and absolutely calm as it's narrow mouth is guarded by sea lion island.

The weather cleared up completely and we spent half the day soaking it in before staying for the night.

13/9/2001 Baird Bay

We woke excitedly to a glorious day. Sea lions & dolphins today.

We couldn't go alone as a small tour group was booked today; but we could join them. So at 11.00am our enlarged band of 15 headed (with the operators Tricia & Allan) off in the boat to Seal Island where a large swell pounded on the reef. Dolphins appeared under the bow of the boat almost immediately. We were a little late to catch the sea lions in their early swim so we lunched first leaving the dolphins till later.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got although a few more sea lions appeared briefly around the boat. Apologetically Allan steered us homewards saying there was a chance the dolphins may play but as the visibility was bad, that was unlikely. Bad viz means that neither dolphins nor the tour operator can see sharks so neither group is safe playing in the water.

This was confirmed when the dolphins rejoined us. The new-born baby was surrounded by adults in protective formation. Allan steered us hopefully to a sea grass bed where the viz is normally better. The viz was great & 2 of the adult dolphins wanted to meet us. Most of us slid into the 2 metre deep water to experience the most fantastic meeting. These dolphins are wild & they have never been fed by the locals - when they hang around they are there to meet the humans. And meet us they did.

When they finally disappeared we left the water very quickly as one reason they leave is because a big shark is in the area. Needless to say we were breathless with excitement despite the earlier disappointment. Zoe was so pumped she spent hours organising an itinerary for her tour of Oz when she leaves school. Baird Bay is included.

On the way back we trawled for Tommy Rough (herring) and got amongst them. In 15 minutes we got so many that our share was 12 fish which Allan kindly cleaned for us on the beach.

We ate them that night in the Port Kenny van park after HOT showers - that swim was pretty cool.

14/9/2001 Baird Bay

We visited a beautiful place - Venus Bay - in the morning.

That was a really beautiful part of Oz. Apparently the coast all the way south to Port Lincoln is equally as stunning.

We spent the rest of the day driving to Port Augusta. After a refuel & Woolies shop we stopped overnight at the bird hide on the edge of town we had visited last time (we saw 1 bird that time). Four guys in muslim dress arrived well after dark and parked beside us. They left early after waking us at 5am for their mandatory prayers. We assumed they were heading for the detention centre at Woomera. This was likely as demonstrations at the centre made the news 2 days later.

15/9/2001 South Flinders Range

We woke to the sight of just bird again on the lagoon - the bird hide is maybe optimistic.

Heading towards Broken Hill we drove through pretty (& very green) farmland and headed towards Orroroo which was having its annual fair.

One old farmer who has been there for 70 years told us that many of the large gums in the creek beds were dying and the water table has dropped continually to unprecedented low levels.

We drove towards Robbie's mum's birthplace - Peterborough. The town turned out to be a very well preserved early 20th century town.

We drove at sunset to Terowrie. This is a place where Robbie remembers spending time with her Nanna Gassmere. Nana's deaf husband was a railway worker here & was killed by a train whilst walking along the tracks.

We spent the night outside the cemetery intending to look for Nana Gassmere's and her husband's plot & tombstone on the morrow - after breakfast.

16/9/2001 Broken Hill

We had no luck finding the graves. Most of the graves were unmarked.

By midmorning Robbie started to get twitchie. Can you imagine her in a rush? It was a novel experience for me. She was eager to see family - her grandmother in Broken Hill. So we left, with Robbie doing most of the driving, & drove directly to BH.

Nana was almost as excited to see us as we were to see her. Robbie, Jake & Zoe don't get to see most of Robbie's rellies so they interact really intensely. The closest are 250km away followed by, 1100 kms, then 3000kms, then 10000kms. Our mob & Nana took no time to re-establish bonds last nourished in person 4 years ago.

We tortured her by forcing her to view most of this web-site in the first few hours. We had a delicious, real country stew before heading to bed.

17/9/2001 Broken Hill

Would you believe that Robbie & Zoe were up at 6.30am to see Nana. Even Jake joined the throng by 7.30. Jake & Zoe love being around their relatives.

We did some washing using a wringer - Zoe was captivated & insisted on wringing all the clothes. We visited a mineral museum in the afternoon & spent the rest of the day hanging around Nana. She is in her mid-eighties, lives alone without qualm or problem and is fun to be around.

18/9/2001 Broken Hill

We visited a another mineral museum today which was also a reconstruction of a Broken Hill mine above ground. This was much more amenable for Robbie who had multiple heart attacks when she went to a real underground mine here a few years ago - it was not high on a claustrophobe's list of attractions.

19/9/2001 Broken Hill

Robbie & Jake headed back to the mineral shop early. Four hours later they returned with enough specimens to start their own shop. They wouldn't divulge the total cost.

The afternoon was spent very close to their new toys with love in their eyes.

20/9/2001 Broken Hill

Robbie & Jake spent all day sorting their vastly increased collection. I must admit they are beautiful pieces. By jettisoning our spare water bottles & most of Jake's Boab nut collection and leaving the lesser pieces with Nana 'till later' we managed to fit the new stuff into the van.

I finally managed to contact my recent manager at AMEX and the worst was confirmed. That company is retrenching further & have no opening for me. My career may well be over. Contracts are not available at all these days & jobs are very rare & and adverts are highly specific.

We finished off the day with a visit to Papa's grave and then a quick food shop preparatory to our departure.

21/9/2001 Eastward Ho

The departure was as weepy as expected but it didn't mark the end of BH for us. Without too intuition you would have guessed correctly that a last visit to the mineral shop was in order.

Robbie & Jake whiled away another hour with its delightful proprietor until Zoe went & reminded them that half of the family was waiting in the van. We eventually left BH with Zoe & I being regaled with the description of their newest mineral acquisitions.

It was a late start and the customary headwind ensured that we stopped roadside well short of Cobar that night after a drive-through of Wilcannia.

22/9/2001 Eastward Ho again

Arriving early at Cobar the next morning we tried to cover its highlights. We tried lookouts over working 2 mines (copper & gold), an historic drive around the town, and a little fossicking on the old copper mine dumps. The consensus was that this town may be a nice place to live but is not a vibrant tourist venue.

We pressed onwards past heaps of wildlife (especially goats & emus) eventually reaching Dubbo just after office hours. We had a long & animated discussion on the desirability of the local attractions. In the end we decided to stay overnight at a van park for showers but not to linger the next day. We were lucky enough to catch on our TV the fantastic rugby league semi-final between Cronulla & Newcastle.

23/9/2001 Through the wine country

Today took us through the very pretty old gold town of Gulgong. We enjoyed an hour wander before going to Mudgee for the annual wine festival. The weather has been beautiful for the past week and we are lapping up the warmth.

Mudgee seems a relatively new area. It is compact like McLarenvale. Unfortunately, the wines seem priced at city retail prices & a bit over the top for our travelling tippling. Some of the wineries are quite cute. At least one had a band playing under the fir trees with an appreciative group of tasters gathered around in garden chairs.

The kids were really keen to get to see nanny & pop in Moonan tomorrow. We pressed on through country which was green, lush & impressive eventually reaching Scone mid-afternoon to watch part of the other rugby league semi-final replay. After the game we drove briefly until darkness stopped us beside the road near Gundy.

We gorged on Weiner Schnitzels whipped up by our resident chef before finishing the day with a little reading aloud from 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'.

24/9/2001 Moonan Flat

This quiet back-road is not quiet anymore. The moderate traffic stopped about 9.30 and and restarted at 4.00 in the morning. This is not ideal when you are stopped 3 metres from the bitumen. The road has been bitumened in the last few years & traffic has increased dramatically.

We drove through the beautiful upper-Hunter scenery. We had forgotten how beautiful this area is even in comparison to all we have seen in the last 6 months.

We arrived to a warm welcome at Moonan Flat and to find the 'homestead' radically changed. Through constant hard work Moo & Pete have transformed their place from a small draughty cottage to a large, airy beautifully decorated bungalow. It is filled with their handiworks, art & collections. They are an amazingly talented & capable pair. Couple this with their awesome energy & drive and you have a constant stream of impressive achievements.

To try to give you a picture of this place I will describe my immediate surroundings.

I am sitting in a beautiful light room they have built which opens onto part of their lush flower garden. There are almost as many plants & flowers inside the room as outside. I am seated at a restored antique desk which bears examples of their pottery (from their own kiln), folkart & carpentry. Through the door to my right is the craft room (again built by them) full of dozens of pieces - ranging from porcelain doll parts, through pottery to needlework. Outside the window of that room are vegetable gardens and enclosures containing turkeys, peacocks, chooks, cockatoos, rabbits, pigeons, a possum and a wallaroo.

To my right is an antique display case with porcelain dolls, crochet work, pottery pieces & a very high-powered microscope. Behind & to my right is a table with a partially completed humungous jigsaw puzzle.

Behind me beyond the enclosed flower garden (with fountain) is their pet dingo acquired as part of their active involvement in WIRES (wildlife protection) with a couple of other dogs, cats, a herd of milk goats (with kids), horses & sheep. Peter has built himself an observatory in the yard compete with a retractable roof and housing a very large home-made telescope.

To my left is a tall illuminated cabinet containing a breathtaking display of minerals with descriptive plaques. Further left is an electric organ adjacent to a spinning wheel (for their home shorn wool of course). Next is a lounge covered with some lovely quiltwork in the form of pillows & a cover. Through the doorway is an educational library with more handiwork & one of their computers (both have done casual lecturing in computer usage).

That description encompasses a quarter of the house and doesn't include the outbuildings containing workshops & the like.These guys have more ability in one fingernail than I've been able to demonstrate in my lifetime.

We had delicious home-made pizza & bread for lunch. Most of the day was spent sharing mineral experiences although Zoe & I headed for greener pastures, literally, and spent much time bonding with kids, cockies, dogs & the dingo.

25/9/2001 Moonan Flat

We spent another peaceful day enjoying the company of humans & animals. Highlights were walking the dingo, feeding/patting the horses & cuddling the kids (cloven-hoofed variety).

There was much more talk of rocks.

There was also some discussion of future lifestyle options now that it is clear how awful the work prospects are for Robbie and I in the Oz IT industry. The only two viable options (given our mortgage commitment) are very disruptive to the kids schooling.

We concluded our best alternative was to sell the van quickly which would give us 6 months breathing space and hope that the IT industry & share market collapses are both temporary. Unfortunately, unless the govt changes its work permit policy AND overseas outsourcing is reversed, I fear my side of the industry is gone for ever. Robbie's side is more likely to recover in a year or two. I feel so sorry for those thousands of ozzies (mainly young) who are rushing lemming-like to disappointment as they work diligently through their computing courses at school, TAFE & uni.

26/9/2001 The end of our odyssey

Sad goodbyes & a sombre mood saw us on the road for the last time. We took 5 hours - ample time to nurture our memories of the last 6 months; to build up anticipation about seeing friends & loved ones; and to start stressing about job hunting, van cleaning, van selling and moving back into our house.

Unanimously, this trip was the best we have ever done. That is quite profound given the opposition - 5 months in Europe & Egypt; 2 year long trips up the east coast of Oz on our yacht; wandering through Nth America during our 16 months in Canada; plus many others.

None of us can speak highly enough of 'gypsying' around this fantastic old land. Whether your criteria for a good time be scenery, flora, fauna, adventure, peacefulness, people, climate, beaches, cost, safety, freedom, education or even just facility; this continent is fantastic.

Be warned though. "The times they are a-changing".

1. Problems like tree die-back, salinity (and the exact opposite - receding water tables), water pollution, feral cats & water scarcity are obvious even to us amateurs.
2. Rural aborigines are being ever more marginalised and demoralised by well-meaning pollies who have no answers (just like us).
3. Drug (inc alcohol & petrol) problems are endemic in the bush (especially among aborigines) and, impossibly, getting worse.
4. All the best national parks are being returned to the 'traditional owners' (the top 5 - Uluru, Kakadu, the Bungle Bungle, Karijini, Katherine - already) which has already escalated entry costs & limited access (subtly so far).
5. The policy of each of the national parks bodies appears to be to restrict tourism as much as possible in order to protect the park.
6. The cheap Ozzie dollar is encouraging players in the tourist market to inflate charges to the hordes of foreign tourists and, of course, we locals must pay the same prices.
7. It is even getting crowded in many places. With the consequent increase in free-camping gypsies many local councils are trying to coerce all travellers to stay in van parks every night.
8. Your joints & muscles are ageing. Be warned - most of the best places demand some level of balance, agility & stamina.

DON'T DELAY - YOU MUST GO SOON!