Melbourne – Yes Home!

We can’t believe 4 months has passed and we are now finally home. After a 700km drive from Murray Bridge we arrived home safely this afternoon. The red fire truck (Prado) has got us around trouble free (with only some minor hiccups to the car) and I am so glad we had the diff repaired before the last leg of our trip.

On the ‘Woody’s Great Aussie Trek’ we stayed at 34 different locations and covered approximately 20,000km up to Darwin, across to Broome, down to Perth and across the Nullarbor.

Without a doubt it was a trip of a lifetime and one we will never forget. Sure it was not without a few challenges along the way, not forgetting 3 children in a small space for so long. The memories and life experiences certainly out way any problems we had. If anyone is dreaming about such a trip, make sure you do it as life is too short. We have a fantastic country and if you have not seen much of it, you would be missing so much. See it while you can!

Well this is my final blog entry before I get it compiled into a small book. Thanks to everyone for your support with reading the blog, signing up as followers and adding comments. I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I have enjoyed sharing our experiences with you.
A special thanks to the following:

- Nan & Pa for looking after our house and paying our bills
- Anthony for collecting our mail and mowing our front lawn
- Gavin for loaning us your house whilst in Perth
- And to all those people we met along the way and helping us to make our trip an enjoyable one (the list is long - you know who you are)

We are sorry Nan & Pop could not make it to Perth and so glad to hear Pop is recovering after his fall from the ladder.

Live your dream!

Time to unpack - only part of the mess from our caravan

And a bit more spread through the house - how did we get
it all in the caravan? You should see the garage!

Crossing the Nullarbor

We left Perth and commenced our long trek across the Nullarbor (2,711 km from Perth to Adelaide). It was not long until we hit the fog & the rain. For a while we travelled parallel with above ground water mains as we made our way to our first overnight spot just north of Norseman. The free camp was called Mt Thirsty and there were many other travellers set up when we arrived. The rain through the night made it a challenge packing up in the wet and the mud.

As we continued to drive there was not much to view, apart from road kills, other drivers waving & the odd small town (which were mostly truck stops). What we did find interesting was the world’s longest golf course across the Nullarbor. The holes are spread across the various stops (unfortunately no golf for me without clubs). We also came across the straightest length of road in Australia which stretches 90 miles. That night we pulled into another free camp 80km east of Eucla (border town) known as Jila Rockhole. It was a perfect opportunity for a fire and some stories.

Michelle scaring the kids with her stories

Day 3 crossing the Nullarbor was certainly a highlight. We started to travel closer to the coast with amazing views of the Southern Ocean. The kids received their certificates to say they had crossed the Nullarbor (at the town of Nullarbor). We also took the odd Whale statute photo.

About to cross the WA/SA border at Eucla

Amazing view of the cliffs and the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean

Nullarbor Road Stop

It was then on to the mouth of the ‘Great Australian Bite’ where we were fortunate to view many Southern Right Whales. This was absolutely spectacular with so many whales (mother & child) swimming so close to shore. They take up residence here for 5 months of the year (between June & October) to give birth to their calves.

The sheer cliffs of the coastline were also amazing. The photos don’t do the whales & the shoreline justice! They don't even need a caption.

After day 4 of driving across the Nullarbor we finally arrived at Murray Bridge (near Adelaide) ready for our final trip home to sunny (we hope) Melbourne.

Perth – Yanchep National Park

A one hour drive north of Perth was where we discovered a parkland known as Yanchep National Park. It is situated on the Swan coastal plain and offers a combination of superb native bush and wetlands. It was established in 1969 and features several walking trails, a group of limestone caves to explore and plenty of kangaroos and koalas. We had a guided tour through Crystal Cave.

The caves were formed by underground streams, which flow westwards from the Gnangara Mound. The caves in the park are quite small in dimension and close to the surface, because the ground water is only about 10 metres below the surface. There are over 600 known caves in the park with only about 5 open for exploring or even functions such as weddings.

We also visited Gavin's family in Two Rocks (coastal town) and were treated to a nice fish & chip lunch and wonderful hospitality. 

The cave had some amazing formations

The kids used their imaginations to create different things from each formation

The stalagmite was this big!

Gavin & the Woodys

Perth – More Beaches & Scitech

We headed for Perth’s local beaches to see how they compare with the rest of the coast. Cottesloe is a trendy & upmarket beach-side suburb near the port of Fremantle. It is famous for its beaches, cafes and relaxed lifestyle. Recently there was a shark attack, but that has not deterred plenty of surfers. We also caught up with Kuka (mate from work) who was over here for a short holiday. We had a few craft beers watching another sunset.

Cottesloe Beach - location of shark attack

Another park in a prime location

Cottesloe sunset

The kids had been looking forward to visiting Scitech and were not disappointed. It had an amazing dinosaur show with robotics. Matt thought they were real, so we had to reassure him before we could get a photo of him with a dinosaur. There were plenty of interactive science displays and an amazing space show in their Planetarium. Not just fun for the kids!

The Prado has been fixed at the quoted price of $770. The diff is now quiet as a mice, so much relieved when we cross the Nullarbor.

Infrared of me taking a photo

Matt had to be held - not quite sure yet

Time to hide

Ok, I know it's not real now

Even the big kids had loads of fun

Lifting up your own weight - although Matt had help

Perth City

We are very fortunate that Perth has turned the weather on for us. It is 21 degrees and sunny for the whole week ahead. Only a couple of weeks ago Perth experienced horrific storms damaging a lot of buildings and outing power for some time.

Perth is a very pretty city and the traffic is nowhere near as busy as Melbourne’s. From where we are staying it only takes 30min to town.

First up was a visit to the Bell Tower, which has become an icon for Perth. This historic ring of bells was given to the people of Western Australia as part of the national Bicentennial celebrations in 1988. Among its many attributes the Bell Tower includes the twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields, which are recorded as being in existence from before the 14th century and recast in the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I.

Climbing on a sun dial (next to the Bell Tower)

The Bell Tower

The Bell Tower from the Supreme Court

We walked into the city centre where they have a similar ‘no cars’ street to the Bourke Street mall. The kids did some souvenir shopping. There were some amazing buildings including an old English Mall and the Supreme Court Gardens.

Supreme Court - built in 1903

Before leaving the city I had to visit the famous WACA (cricket ground). Not quite as spectacular as the MCG, but it certainly holds a lot of cricketing history. The WACA Ground was officially opened in 1893 with the first match played on the turf wickets in February 1894. The ground has a seating capacity of 20,000 (can be increased to 24,500 on higher capacity matches).

The WACA

Over the road from the WACA is Gloucester Park (harness racing) which was once a mosquito ridden swamp between 1917 and 1920. The site was used as the Perth City Council's rubbish tip. The first race meeting at the track was held on 26th December 1929 and a crowd of some 17,000 people saw Alween, with F Mackander at the reins, win the opening event at the track named Brennan Park, in honour of the man to whom Western Australian trotting owed its existence. Across the Swan River you could see the old Perth Casino.

Inside Gloucester Park (WACA lights in the background)

The old Perth Casino

Perth is so lucky to have Kings Park and Botanic Gardens. It has the best view of the city, Swan River and the Darling Range. It has immaculate lawns, gardens, picnic areas, playgrounds and walking/riding trails everywhere. It is one of the largest inner city parks in the world (over 400 hectares) and annually visited by 5 million people. Our kids loved Rio Tinto Naturescape which has tunnels, cubby building, tree climbing and rope courses (not just your average park). Perth’s War Memorial is also located in Kings Park right at the point.

What a view from Kings Park!

Our amazing lunch spot

The War Memorial (kids would not pose for a photo)

In recognition of the soldiers from WW1

West Perh (Perth Zoo is located here)

Cubby house building

This would be great in any park

A croc from the dinosaur times

Perth – Whiteman Park & the Perth Zoo

Before we commenced sightseeing around Perth, it was first off to several Diff Specialists to get advice and quotes to fix my whining diff (not my whining wife – lol). Since we left Alice Springs almost 3 months ago, we noticed an unusual noise from the car. When the car was serviced in Darwin, we were advised that the noise is the diff and not to worry. Now 10,000 km later it’s getting louder and the last thing we want to do is break down crossing the Nullarbor. It’s booked in for repairs and the quotes ranged from $770 to $1800. Stay tuned for the final result before leaving Perth.

Whilst in Perth we are fortunate enough to stay at a mates house (Gavin – alias ‘Max’) which has given us a nice break from the confines of a caravan. We are still sleeping in the caravan in his backyard. However, the kids have now become addicted to Foxtel (deprived after many months with no TV). No, they can’t have Foxtel when we get home.

Whiteman Park (at the Swan Valley) is a unique recreation reserve which covers 4,000 hectares of natural bushland and leisure facilities. It’s a kid’s paradise with a wildlife park, children’s forest, a transport heritage museum, a motor museum, a tractor museum, train & tram rides, playgrounds and a village with shops (ie lolly, pottery etc). You could quite easily lose your kids here!

Sitting at the Children's Forest

I wanted this photo (which is rare for me)!

Next up was Perth’s Zoo. Located south of the city we enjoyed a day discovering the amazing native and exotic animals of the Zoo, with highlights been the African Savannah (lions & cheetahs on the move) and the Asian Rainforest (tigers, elephants & Orang-utan’s playing).

Jabiru - head of the food chain

A Numbat - never heard of it (hard to find too)

Milly was on a mission to get down from her tree and see the keeper
(must have thought it was dinner time)

He was determined to break this log into pieces

This little girl was a really playful & annoyed her Mum a lot
(sounds all too familiar)

Cheetah - fastest land animal on earth (120km/h)

Ok, whose family photo snuck in?

Just south of Perth is a great place to get a view of the city with some pretty impressive houses looking over the Swan River. I could just imagine the price tag in this area.