Saturday, 25 May 2013

Ceduna

Last night the clouds covered the night sky and we woke up to a warm morning. The conditions were perfect for a run, because temperature was nice and the wind was no where. We decided to run the entire 4km Encounter Coastal Track from the Sailing Club in Ceduna to Pinky Point in Thevenard and return…making it 8 kilometers.

The Encounter Trail was dedicated to three worlds coming together (Aboriginal, British and French). The signs along the trail discuss the history of these worlds and their influences, native plants, and Aboriginal culture and relationship with the land.

Departing camp at 9:45 am, we stopped for coffee at the Ceduna Bakery. At the visitor center across the street, we found out the Wombat Rescue Homestead (which I really wanted to visit) was closed permanently to the public. Apparently the woman running the center dislikes people to the point she won't even take donations (at least that is what the visitor center employee claimed). I don't really believe him. By the way, the man working at this center was not friendly or helpful. Why in the world would you work at a information center if you aren't going to be friendly? Maybe he was having a bad day…oh well…off we went to Penong, home of 100 windmills.

Penong windmills

Golfing the Nullabor Links

Our friends, Chris and Kirsty, from Sydney told us about an 18-hole, 72 par golf course along the Eyre Highway (across the Nullarbor Plain). It is 1,365 kilometers from hole 1 to hole 18 (Ceduna to Kalgoorie)…making it the world's longest course. Hectie and I decided to play our first hole in Penong. Picking up the balls and sticks at the local Caltex, we headed to the “Windmill” tee, a 4 par 250 meter hole. Not being skilled as Tiger Woods or even a half way decent golfer, it took us a few more swings than just 4.

After several ball drives into the three trees existing on the pitch, Hectie's finally knocked it in in 9. For me, it was looking good until I accidentally ate a fly and fell off my game with 3 shots over the green..7 hits for me finally got my ball in the hole.

Oh and by the way, this course is supposedly made of little grass, lots of rock, dirt, and saltbush. Nature provides the obstacles. Apparently we need to watch out for the ball stealing crows on this course too…but my biggest concern is the gross tasting flies.

Fowlers Bay

Wanting to do some side trips today, we took a detour from the main road to Fowlers Bay. The only people there were the fishermen on the great jetty.

After our stroll of the jetty to have a better view of the pearly white dunes, we stopped at the shop and had lunch. It was so peaceful we felt like staying, but with still several hundred kilometers to go for the day, we got back on the road.

Next stop was Nundroo to play the Wombat hole, par 5 520 meters. All I can say about this one is holy rocky hill! Hectie took me on this one with the shot of the day! I fell behind with several bad shots. Hectie had 10 hits and I had 13…dropping me 1 behind overall. Tomorrow will be a new day! Can't wait, so fun!

This fun highway sign is located near Yalata.

We reached the border after dark and went through a thorough a quarantine search of our vehicle. Our plan was to stay in Eucla, but the only room available was a budget room with no bathroom. We decided if we couldn't find a room with at least a toilet back in Border Village we would just find somewhere to camp. That idea wasn't too appealing since the area is a thoroughway for travelers and road trains. Luck was kind of on our side, because we were able to get one of the two last rooms with bath. It was pricey ($160 AUD) for what it was and had three too many beds! There were four beds in this room and no floor space, but it had running water and a toilet. Yeay!

We skipped dinner and made miso with the water I boiled in Ceduna and went to bed at 9:30.

Drove 547 kilometers.

Ran 8 kilometers.

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Friday, 24 May 2013

Port Augusta

There was no run this morning. Instead, we drove down the street to JBs Radiator and Windscreen Repair to have our big windshield chip looked at and possibly fixed. Mr. Collins, the owner, said it did not look like it would crack further and his recommendation was no repair. Eventually, we will replace the screen, but for now we will not worry about it.

We departed Port Augusta without visiting the Arid Botanic Gardens. I love the gardens in Australia and am surprised I haven't tried to convince Hectie to visit all of them along the way.

Ceduna

On way to Ceduna, we were stopped near Kimba for a drug and alcohol test. Hector breathed into the little tube and passed with a zero reading. This police action is quite normal in Australia and is not Hector's first time to tube it.

After passing and being sent on our way, we drove 500 meters and saw a giant bird, the Big Galah! So we stopped and discovered we are halfway across Australia. Yippee!

The Big Galah.

Arriving in Ceduna at 4 pm, we found a wonderful caravan park, Ceduna Foreshore Caravan Park, and got a nice little cabin with views of the Murat Bay from the park.

http://www.cedunaforeshorecaravanpark.com.au/11274/Home/

Cabin at the caravan park.

Since Ceduna is the self claimed Oyster Capital of Australia, we grabbed the Tabasco and headed out to find oysters. Three stops and NO oysters, huh? How can the oyster capital have no oysters? We settled for takeaway from Bill's Chicken and Seafood, which, I might add, had no chicken! How can a restuarant have chicken in its title and have no chicken? We ended up with a grilled local fish, chips, and salad in a box, and took it back to the cabin to enjoy.

Tomorrow we will have a nice morning run along the Encounter Coastal Trail. This trail is close to 4 kilometers long and runs from the local sailing club to Pinky Point in Thevenard. Our plan is to run the entire length and back.

Drove 479 kilometers.

Ran 0 kilometers.

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Thursday, 23 May 2013

Coober Pedy

I have to laugh about my sleeping experience last night. I knew the room would be pitch black at lights out, and I was okay with it. But something else took me by surprise…the surprise came in the middle of the night when I woke up to a feeling of being buried alive! The combination of no air movement, pitch darkness and too warm p.j.s freaked me out. On the edge of an anxiety attack, I scrambled out of bed to flip on the bathroom light. Then, I located the rotating fan and flipped that on. Then, I removed my p.j.s and went back to bed in my tank top and undies. The breeze from the fan calmed me enough to finish the night with a restful sleep. 🙂

Upon waking, Hectie and I put on our running gear and headed outside. I was very happy to get out in the open space and full of air! This morning had a slight chill in the air, but that was not going to stop our run. We left our dugout at 6:15 am and headed out a dirt road leading to the underground Serbian Orthodox church.

Serbian Orthodox Church

Hectie ran to the top of the church outside, while I wound myself down the long hallway into the church. It was so quiet and lonely that I only stayed for a minute before unwinding and stepping back outside.

Inside the church.

Hector and I spotted each other and continued running together. The sun began to rise as we crested the hilltop and headed down the path past a bunch of old tires in a wash. Gorgeous run through the lunar landscape.

Our total run was 5 kilometers.

The Breakaways Reserve

Taking the advice of the B&B owners, Ken and Ana Males, we decided to take a detour to the Breakaways Reserve. And…it was well worth the 30 minute drive through the striking desert scenery.

Our path was flat, but bumps of colorful mesas peaked out from the ground. This area formed millions of years ago and is absolutely stunning…but today it was incredibly windy.

Tom's Working Mine

Shortly after leaving the dirt road from the Breakaways, we turned onto Stuart Highway and stopped at Tom's Working Mine.

At the mine, we opted to go on a self-guided walk and were all by ourselves. We decided to try out some of the tools…not really. We did take some photos of us pretending.

Port Augusta

The drive back was too eventful for one day, but I am happy to have the bad luck out of the way now. We hope to be in the clear for the rest of the trip. The first of the bad drive was due to all the dead cow laying on the side of the highway. Once I started counting, I counted 6 cow. Luckily, we were not the ones hitting these cow.

We did find out the main reason for the speed limit was to maintain a safe speed necessary to stop in time before hitting a cow. We learned this from the police officer who wrote Hector's $730 speeding ticket. Thank God it wasn't due to actually hitting one. By the way, I told him to slow down…now maybe he will listen. Be safe Hectie!

Shortly after the ticket, we stopped in Glendambo to switch drivers. There is not much to this town, but there is a roadhouse. Once on the road, a rock that felt like a boulder hit the windshield. After a shriek, I looked at Hector and said, “this drive is not so good.” Now I couldn't wait to get to Port Augusta. I just wanted off the road!

So as Hector fell asleep, I decided to not stop at Woomera. Woomera was established in 1947 as a launching site for British rockets. Between 1960 and 1972, NASA operated a deep space tracking station. It might have been an interesting stop, but I was not taking any chances. We rolled into Port Augusta, found a room at the Standpipe Motor Inn and had the best Indian food ever!

Drove 612 kilometers.

Ran 5 kilometers.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Coober Pedy

Entrance sign to Coober Pedy.

We were able to leave Port Augusta before 10 am. I was so excited to be driving to and visiting Coober Pedy today! It is an underground town built in the dugouts from the opal mines. According to the 2013 Coober Pedy visitor guide, WWI soldiers shared the idea of dugout living here upon returning from the trenches. Apparently, the advantages of living in the ground are the constant 23 to 25 degree celsius temperature. The guide also reports that fifty percent of the population in Coober Pedy live underground.

For me, the real attraction are the OPALS! And soon we would become noodle-ers!

But before we could get to Coober Pedy, we would need to pass Jeepers Creeper AGAIN! We spent all of the previous day unintentionally traveling with this strange vehicle, and it looked like today would be very similar.

We arrived on the moon, oops I meant Coober Pedy, around 3:30 pm. Jeepers Creeper was not far behind! We checked in to the Underground B&B http://www.undergroundbandb.com.au/ after talking with owner, Ana. She had an impressive collection of opals which her and her husband, Ken, mined…so colorful and brilliant.

The front of the Undergroud B&B.

By the time we got settled into our stunning dugout darkness had arrived, so the run for the day was exchanged for a pizza at John's Pizza. Great pizza!

Drove 566 kilometers.

Ran 0. 😦

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Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Mildura

There was no run today. Why? Because I stayed up until 2:30 am planning next stops and uploading photos. I was having a hard time starting my day. Instead of a run, I took a short walk while Blondie colored his hair way too dark. Hahaha…he looked like Wayne Newton back in the day! No photos were allowed.

After putting on a hat to cover the hair, we headed to Stefano's Bakery. Yes, again! It is just so good.

Afterwards we hit the road to Port Augusta. From Mildura we followed the Murray River north west and made a quick stop in the cute town of Morgan for coffee and a sarsaparilla. Then, we continued to Burra, where cooper was discovered in the mid-1800s.

Port Augusta

Heading towards Port Augusta, we drove along rolling hills and past several wind turbines…and a million Merino.

After 574 kilometers of driving, we arrived in Port Augusta at dusk. It was rainy and dark, so it was difficult to be impressed. We did notice several major roads crossed in this town, roads from Sydney to Perth and Adelaide to Darwin. The road train presence was very noticeable!

Since it was too dark and rainy to run when we arrived in Port Augusta, we hoped for a nice run around the opal mines in Cooper Pedy the next day.

Drove 574 kilometers, 6 hours.

Ran 0 kilometers.

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Monday, 20 May 2013

Mildura

View of the Murray River taken during our run.

Mildura is in the state of Victoria, but just barely. New South Wales border is right around the corner from this little paradise. The Murray River, the largest river in Australia, runs through the area and orchards are plentiful. The town was established in the 1880s and is now home to 30,000 people.

The path through the old Mildura homestead.

This morning we started with a run along the stunning river. The trail is made of crushed gravel which is comfortable underfoot and you can go for a very very long distance. Our run began from our hotel near the center of town and followed along the meandering water. I turned around 5 kilometers later at the Apex Caravan Park and Hectie ran a shorter version turning just past the old Mildura homestead. For me, it was one of those days you can run forever…perfect trail and perfect weather. Total distance equalled 10 kilometers.

Dinner spot from previous night.

Mungo National Park

To get there, we drove a long unpaved roads (over 100 kilometers). And even though we didn't arrive until 2 pm, we decided to take the additional 70 kilometer drive through the park.

The first stop was the Walls of China.

Second stop was the big dune, which I have yet to find out what it is named. We decided to run up the dune and take some pictures.

Hectie with his golden locks on top of the dune with no name.

As darkness approached the park was full of life…not human. Hundreds of kangaroo and emu appeared before us, so we attempted to take photos of these creatures darting across the dirt road. We felt like we were on our own private safari. It was a beautiful end to a fantastic day in a very remote part of Oz.

Drove 289 kilometers.

Ran 10 kilometers.

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Sunday, 19 May 2013

Me being dumb!

Day Dream

Having read about the Daydream Mine near Silverton, we thought a subterranean tour would be fun. After driving 20 minutes along a scenic dirt road (accessed from Silverton road), we arrived at the mine. The mine lessee greeted us and told us he would not be having more tours today, even though the sign said there were tours every hour and it was only noon! Grumpy, the miner, also told us that we were not allowed to look around…so we got outta dodge.

Note: The Day Dream Mine (originally Meech's Blow) is about 16 kilometers north of Silverton. Before the prospectors explored the region, shepherds from the Mundi Mundi Run travelled the area. The Barrier Ranges Mining Association later purchased a large portion of the mine. The Association acquired eight-tenths of the claim in August 1884, the two other tenths being held by Messers Bagot and Co. of Adelaide. In 1884, 500 people lived there (info taken from several info sites and brochures…sorry I can't remember which ones…just know I read several things on it). My guess is that now only grumpy lives there…not sure though.

One interesting feature on the drive to and from the mine is the old smelter clawing out of a rocky hill top. Apparently, the smelter is part of the Hen and Chicken mining claim. Of course, there are danger and warning signs all over the place and rightfully so…we certainly would not like to disappear down a shaft trying to get to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo.

Not having any knowledge of Silverton, other than it was relatively close to the mine, Hector and I decided to visit. And…

Silverton

Mad Max II Museum

It was fun. Silverton (established in 1880) was once a busy mining community, but once Broken Hill's silver mining industry grew the town dwindled away and is now considered as a ghost town. It features a roadhouse, cafe (with homemade vegetable soup and fresh baked damper, which was delicious), art gallery, a gaol, churches, a souvenir shop, and the Mad Max II Museum. Whoa…who knew!

Arriving after dark, we quickly checked into the 7th Street Motel (nice and clean) and went for dinner. Deciding on the Mildura Brewery, we quickly found out our choice could not be better. We were spoiled with an amazing meal cooked by celebrity chef Stefano de Pieri. He even shared a complimentary dish made with artichokes for us. Delicious!

Drove 369 kms.

Ran 5 kms (hilly, Broken Hill).

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Dubbo

Today (Saturday 18 May 2013) is an unlikely day for a double run due to the long drive from Dubbo to Broken Hill. So…I am very happy to have a run done!

After our run along the beautiful Macquarie River, we were off to a late start leaving town at 10:30. On the way out of town we stopped for supplies…fruit, water, and hair coloring. And yes, Hector decided he wants to go blonde. Nutcase!

Broken Hill

A few hours outside of Dubbo along the Barrier Highway, we entered the “outback”. In my opinion, the outback is not too different than parts of the western U.S. This drive in particular reminded me of driving through New Mexico.

As evening came so did the wildlife. We passed many emu as we neared Broken Hill. Reaching the town around 6:30 pm, we went straight to the Lodge Outback Motel where we were greeted by Kristine. She was very friendly and helpful, which was a nice welcome to Broken Hill.

Broken Hill is a mining town founded in 1883. Many people consider this area as the outback center of New South Wales, and the region is best known for its zinc, lead, and silver mines.

After chatting with Kristine, we headed to Al Frescos for dinner. The food was so so and we quickly realized dinner at the Palace Hotel (a filming location for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) or the Music Club would have been better choices.

Before bed, Hector decided it was time to change his hair. After his experiment, we fell asleep.

Drove 784 kilometers, 8 hours.

Ran 8 kilometers (in Dubbo).

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