From Cowell

Hi Everyone,
We are meandering our way through S.A.
We spent a couple of days in Wallaroo where Rex learnt how to catch crabs and cook them from some helpful fisherman on the pier. We also visited a historic copper mine in Moonta where I collected a pocketful of copper rocks.
While travelling on to Mt Remarkable National Park we stopped at Telowie Gorge and walked it with a lot of other people; it seemed busier than Bourke St and then on to Port Germein which boasts the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere. We walked it. The whole mile of it, and back. There is something about piers that makes people want to walk to the end. Finally we arrived at the campsite at Mt Remarkable and set up camp. This is a luxury national park with hot showers. The following day we decided to walk part of the Aligator Gorge walk in search of the rare and endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. We walked to Hidden Camp about 7 kms in with only a few emus making their presence known where we had lunch before the return trek. The high red rocky cliffs were magnificent. On the return trip when we had given up all hope I glanced up and there watching us was the sought after wallaby. See photo. We felt very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
Today we travelled on to Cowell. A small town on the Eyre Peninsula which is famous for Australian Jade. I broke the budget and bought myself some. Tomorrow we head for Port Lincoln.
Catch up with you all soon
Rex and Rob

From Wild and Wooley Wallaroo

Hello to Family and Friends.
From Mt Gambier we had a short trip to Beachport: a nice little town with a row of shops, a servo, and a long pier with all the unloading gear for the cray fishing fleet. We camped at the Conservation Park about 6 kms out of town in a nice area of green seaside scrub, opposite a big salt lake called George - a playground for sand drivers. We visited the local Natural Trust Museum which held some interesting collections including guns, fossils, machinery, butterflies and a weaving loom. Had pie and coffee on the grass and fished off the pier - no fish. We did all the local walks seeing wild beaches, eroded cliffs and watched surf that crashed great sprays over the rocks. Night excitment was we had a critter in bed with us during the night; don't know how it got in, searched and couldn't find it in the morning so it must have got out the same way. We opened the bottle of champagne supplied by my brother Kim and toasted his birthday the next night and slept soundly.
We arrived in Robe and settled into a caravan park with great views of the sea. It was called Sea Vue - funny about that. This is where Rex got a balance problem; like being drunk without having the good time. The local doctor gave him some tablets that helped. While waiting at the doctors we noticed some knitting for the needy to be done by anyone waiting. What a great idea. Makes waiting time go much quicker. We fed the fish off the jetty bought fish and chips for tea, walked around the area seeing old gaols, blowholes in eroding cliffs, historic buildings and the Marina with cool boats. We got some wild weather while here, thunder, lightning and heavy rain. Glad to stay an extra day.
The Coroong was sadly closed due to vermin control so we travelled on to Mannum on the Murray. This place was recommended by the magazine 'On the Road' and it is free. We got a nice spot on the river, put in the shrimp net and got heaps of bait but you guessed it - no fish. The flies were terrible, so was the loud music which continued well into the night. We stayed only one night. Next morning we caught the ferry over the river and onto Innes National Park.
This place was known for its Gypsum; big industry in its day. The park has various campsites; we stayed at Shell Beach. We walked to lighthouses with trails too close to 15o -200 feet drops, walked down stairs set in the cliff to ship wrecks buried in the sand, watched dolphins in Dolphin Bay, saw squid being caught off the pier. The incident of this beautiful park was an
emu standing right in the middle of the road like a London Bobby saying holt and only moving off when we stopped. Left in rain to the safe harbour of Wallaroo where we are now still in stormy
weather.
Catch up again soon Rob and Rex

From Mt Gambier

G'Day Rex Here.

We hope that all that read our blog are fit healthy and happy.

We travelled on from Heywood to Glenelg National Park. We passed through Portland visiting the Seal Colony where it was good to see half a dozen seals playing. Then visited the Petrified Forest; trees turned to stone. Blowholes in the rocky shoreline with a background of giant wind turbines with their giant propellers - needless to say it was windy. Down the road and in the same area a place called Tarragal Caves created by wind and erosion from the nearby surf. Further on Bridewater Lakes. We travelled on and camped at Pritchards on the Glenelg River. I was surprised at it's size. I thought it was as big as the Murray. A well laid out camp ground with jettys to fish from and everyone was catching fish. Surprise! Surprise! From the grandkids to the grandparents. Mostly undersize but plenty of them. At our evening barby we had the wildlife that had been hand feed visiting us around the fire.

From here we travelled on to Mt Gambier City. This city matches any in being updated, modern and bustling with lots of tourist attractions. We settled into a caravan park between the crater lakes and from this base we have been visiting: The lady nelson Discovery Centre, Umpherston sinkhole - larger than your kitchen sinkhole - it is 200 metres across and a 100 metres deep and has been turned into a garden with hanging vines. You can descend to the base which has been turned into lovely gardens and walking around the lakes in the area including Blue lake. Tonight we are going up to Centary Tower to overlook the lights of the city. Tomorrow on to Beachport.

Thats all for now . Catch up with you soon.

Rex and Rob

From Heywood Victoria

We started our trip at Melville Caves. Good campsite with campfire dining. Walks were good with us getting navigationally disorientated a few times. Lucky we had the sun and the stars
if they had been required as well as a map. 4 km route march we found the camper - best sight.
Granite boulders amazing as was Melvilles Cave. Worth a visit. Magical moment - Rex whistling
in a Wedge Tail Eagle. It came down so close it looked us in the eye.
From here we went to St Arnaud National Park. No fishing, no boating, Teddington Reservoir empty apart from run off from recent rain. Memorable moments. Rex walking into a Golden Orbweaver spider; the web was spun of golden silk; the largest stumpy tail lizard I have ever seen and exploring the gold diggings. Found a water channel dug by miners similiar to that at Sheepyard Flat.
Onto the Grampians. Camped at Buandik Campsite. Here the rain really made its presence felt.
Bucketed down. We managed to climb up to the waterfalls twice with it growing more spectacular each time because of the rain. Bilimina Shelter andManjaShelter - aboriginal gathering places - took me back to imagine what it must have been like a couple of thousand years ago. The rocks with multi level caves reminded me of an ancient apartment block. We left in the rain travelling to Heywood and the refuge of a caravan park. Showers and washing attended to and later having power to catch up with our friends.
Tomorrow Lower Glenelg National Park.
Love to all Rex and Rob