sharing stories… sharing lessons… shoring up the future
The day we visit the Olgas, James’ daughter-in-law in London introduces Freddie James Henry to the world. We celebrate; and Guy gives James an Ayers Rock fridge magnet for him. Fridge magnet or steak and champagne? I think we come off better! The next morning I climb to the viewing point to see Uluru at…
The next morning there’s no pool of oil under the wheel I ‘fixed’. A good sign. But it hasn’t turned yet. We’ll know a bit later… Then highway driving. The four of us are settling into two distinct crews, mirroring the characters of my parents. My mother, Joy, could laugh so hard at things we…
The day at Maree starts with a bit of technical fiddling. We lower tyre pressures to ease the jolt of corrugations and help preserve both cars and bodies. Out of Maree we pass the warning sign. ‘Remote Area Ahead’. Later shreds of tyres remind us that this is serious. Kangaroos, startled from their breakfast grazing,…
Marree is the start of the Oodnadatta track. We set off at our usual 0830 with 612 kilometers of dirt road ahead. But before we, go it’s worth capturing its heritage pub and Maree at dawn. A picture paints at thousand words? Well, here’s six thousand and seventy-odd. I need to add this text so…
It’s said a picture paints a thousand words. My blogs so far average about 700, so you could say I generally paint 0.7 of a picture. Getting to even 0.1 on the road from Quorn will be difficult as there nothing much along it. But here goes. We fill up in leafy Quorn and head…
Our time in Barossa has been fantastic – a visit to remember. As older age sets in and minds fail though, we just wonder if it will eclipse the memory of Barossa, Sandhurst. The next day it’s the road to Quorn for preparation before the Oodnatta track. Our route takes us through the Cockatoo Valley.…
Coonalpyn, South Australia (population: 193) is the perfect setting for our ANZAC Day celebrations. It’s one of those occasional towns in the plains that sweep up to Adelaide. We eat lunch in the shade of an enormous grain silo, its mural depicting a couple’s farming life. Its camp ground and caravan park is next to…
Koalas growl and bellow grunts in the night, some quite close. It turns the hair of the England-based contingent. ‘There’s no way that an animal that makes that noise isn’t a threat to life! Those cuddly, dopey furballs must turn into werewolves or worse in the dark I’m not staying here.’ We’re not. Day two…
The Great Ocean Road was where this idea all started. A thought tossed across a pub bench in an English country garden; about doing it on motorbikes, in sunshine, with John, the former leader of the Royal Signals White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team. In reality, it’s been a cold, damp, overcast day, with intermittent showers,…
After our adventures in the Victorian high country and a great drive down the winding Tambo Valley road, our next interesting stop is the Mornington Peninsula. We’ve split the drive, camping overnight in a non-descript and forgettable campsite amid rain showers. The only high point was our muted celebration of an addition to the extended…