Larry The Lobster

After five wonderful days at Robe, it was once again time for our little family to hit the road.  We fondly farewelled our many new friends while the boys flipped their last flips on the jumping pillow.  Next stop  Kingston for a visit with Larry the Lobster.

It wasn't a long drive, and Larry wasn't hard to find.  Built in 1979 for added stopping power for the local seafood restaurant, Larry became an instant sensation.  Flaming red and standing 17 metres high and 15 metres wide, he was soon regarded as one of the most impressive of Australia's Big Things.

He's 36 now, and sadly the years haven't been kind to this Kingston icon.  His paint is faded, he's full of holes and he has one giant, broken feeler waving in the wind.  He is in desperate need of a makeover.  Unfortunately for him, however, his legs are bolted into private land, limiting potential funding opportunities.  Even a recent social media campaign failed to raise anywhere near the $30 000 required for his makeover.  To help fund Larry you can go to www.gofundme.com

 Next stop Tailem Bend on the mighty Murray River.  We pulled in here for lunch and so the kids could play at the playground and mow the lawn.

 Jack, Jarrah & Fletcher mowing the lawn

The weather here was hot and stormy.  Hard to believe that the maximum temperature at Robe today was forecast to be 22 degrees.  We'd travelled a mere two hundred kms along the Princes Highway and the temperature gauge was now reading 36 degrees!  Woohoo, summer is finally coming!!

Soon enough we were back on the road (with the air conditioning on) and aboard the car ferry for the Murray River crossing.

??

  Brooms?  Cobweb brushes?

This is what happens when I give Bruce the camera!

 

For the rest of the trip to the Port Elliot showgrounds we were all thoroughly and completely immersed in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.  We have reached the final few chapters of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and we're all hanging off every word expertly brought to life by master story teller Stephen Fry.

Unfortunately, the warm weather was short lived.  By the time we arrived at Port Elliot there were gale forced winds blowing straight off the Southern Ocean.  It was miserably unpleasant outside so we put the heater on in the van and smashed the boys in a game of Monopoly.

Santa visits Robe

Our last two days at Robe have been wonderfully relaxing.  I was the first one to raise my head off the pillow Saturday morning.  It was 9 o'clock and the sun was shining bright in the sky.  The park was quiet and peaceful.  I guess that's the benefit of camping in a caravan park full of retired folk.  

Soon enough, though, the boys were up and had gone to find their new found friends Charles, Vinnie and Harvey.  Surprisingly, though, it wasn't straight to the jumping pillow, but back into the camp kitchen for some more baking!

At one stage I went to check on them and there was nine boys in the kitchen all involved in making this delicious custard cake.  Once cooked it was cut while still warm and generously distributed to any lucky nearby campers.

We took a drive to the Old Gaol Ruins in the afternoon.  Constructed in 1860/61 at a cost of  £1959, the gaol remained open until 1870 when it was closed for a short period.  It reopened in 1872 and remained open until 1881 when it was finally closed.

For the boys it was just a bunch of old walls that were fun to jump from.

We wandered through town, enjoying the atmosphere and the many historic buildings and sites. We visited the Robe Ice Cream & Lolly Shop for some sour straps, and purchased a great mini Christmas Tree in a quirky little gift shop.

Back at the van, we were in the middle of dinner when the big guy arrived.

The boys were thrilled!  Dinner was left, half eaten, where it lay as we all followed Santa and Mrs Claus to the clearing where he sat to listen to Christmas wishes and hand out lolly bags.

Jarrah, with dinner still all over his face!

Yes, I am wearing a tinsel scarf.

 

The Limestone Coasters Caravan Club, who organised the little Christmas party, suggested we wear something festive.  I had to improvise!  We enjoyed the company and the generous hospitality of the Caravan Club members until it was time to put the boys to bed once more.

Sunday passed in a whirlwind of Uno, Fish, Monopoly, Jenga, cricket, hacky sack and games on the jumping pillow.

Oh, and more baking of course.  I think the final tally was Grandma's custard cake x 3 and Mark's Mixed Slice x 2.

Ben the Superdog in the process of signing a Jenga Block.

Bruce, Don & Des having an afternoon jam session.

 

They were soon recruited to perform for the group of Limestone Coasters gathering in the clearing.

Fish & chips for dinner

We have all loved our time at Robe.  Robe Holiday Park was simply the perfect spot to stop and recharge our batteries.  Jack, Jarrah and Fletcher had great fun playing with Charles, Vinnie, Harvey and Madison.  Thanks to Keryn & Anthony for a great stay!

The Limestone Coasters Caravan Club were warm and welcoming, and not at all put out that we were parked right in the middle of their meet.  They spoilt the boys who in turn were thrilled to have so many newly adopted Grandparents!

What On Earth is an Obelisk?

 

"What on Earth is an Obelisk?" Andrea asked.
The only response I could come up with was...  "A rock".
The picture in my mind's eye was that of the cartoon character 'Obelix' of the French series "Asterix the Gaul", which some of you might remember from the 70's.
Obelix was the best friend of Asterix and he carried a large rock called an obelisk on his back.  So I went with that.  A rock.

What we discovered the local Tourist Information Center guide in Mount Gambier
was talking about was actually a very cool but a somewhat freaky-looking seaside shipping marker. 

The Obelisk had a very unusual, out of place look about it for some reason.  But it was equally beautiful to see.  It was constructed in 1855 as a guide to ships traversing the rugged coastline, which has a dark history of shipwrecks.  The Obelisk can be seen from twenty miles so nowadays if you crash your ship onto the rocks you have some serious basic sailing and navigation issues to deal with I would suggest.  The Obelisk has no lighting - for that they have a lighthouse just 'round the corner.

We wandered along the cliff top trail, peeking tentatively over the edge of the sheer cliffs to watch the angry Southern Ocean pounding the white water into the rocks far below.  The whole cliff top walk was probably no longer than 2 kms, a stroll in the park really, in comparison to some treks we've done.  Even so, we were feeling a little bit of resistance from the boys. 

 

Jarrah had to have a little lay down to re-energise.

I believe that the lethargy was caused not by the long run of late nights, but by the amount of energy expended on the jumping pillow earlier in the day.  As  expected Jack, Jarrah and Fletcher have been having non stop fun since we arrived. 

 Jarrah can do a full forward somersault! 

 

 Jack is just getting there.

There is an ambulance station in town.

Fletcher just likes to play in the sand that surrounds the bouncy pillow
and sit like a Mexican in the sun.

    

Charles, Vinnie, Harvey, Jack, Jarrah

 

When we got back to the caravan park it was time to light the campfire and enjoy a nice cold beer.  The boys made the most of the camp kitchen and taught their new friends how to bake Mark's Mixed Fruit Slice.  

 

The day finished off with the boys watching Puss In Boots in the TV room while we got to know some of the members of the caravanning club that had descended on the park for the weekend.  A lovely bunch of South Aussie folks who enjoy a drink and a chat around the campfire and were most welcoming of our little family into their midst.

 

All in all it was a wonderful day - sometimes I don't know how we shovel it all in!  But a good rest tonight and we'll be back into it again tomorrow.

Relaxing @ Robe

We've spent the last couple of days relaxing at the charming little fishing port of Robe, situated on Guichen Bay on the Limestone Coast.  Robe is one of the oldest towns in South Australia, founded by the colonial government as a seaport, administrative centre and village only ten years after British settlers formally established the Province of South Australia.

Robe has an interesting history.  During the Victorian gold rushes of the 1850s, over 16 000 Chinese landed at Robe to travel overland to the goldfields, in order to avoid the £10 per person (more than the cost of their voyage) landing tax imposed by the Victorian government.  These crazy immigrants then walked the 320 kms to get to the goldfields at Ballarat and Bendigo!

There was dissention in the ranks about whether we should actually leave Mt Gambier at all yesterday.  Some of us just didn't want to do the pack-up again.  Considering we've done the pack/unpack scenario 77 times since leaving Perth, the general lack of enthusiasm came as no real surprise!  Majority rules, however, so we all pitched in, packed up our little wagon once more and hit the road. 

Any grumblings about packing up were soon forgotten 50 kms up the road as we passed through the small town of Millicent.  Jack let out a woop when he spotted the local playground and the car exploded with screams of joy as Bruce did a U turn and pulled in alongside Millicent Mega Playground.

 

There was heaps of play equipment AND a skate park.  Plenty to keep the boys occupied while Bruce and I made lunch in the van.  With no real agenda, we stayed awhile.  When the boys had worn themselves out we hit the road once more. 

We hadn't planned on staying at Robe, which was only another 80 kms up the road, but we couldn't pass up the appeal of the local caravan park.  Robe Holiday Park is a family friendly park with a jumping pillow, camp kitchen and great TV/games room.  A power and shower stop where kids stay free.  Gold!

We settled in to our lovely grassy site barely a stone's throw from the jumping pillow.  The weather hasn't been great, but it hasn't bothered us in the slightest!  The boys have jumped to their heart's content, and the Uno and Monopoly sets have taken a pounding!

We experienced a wild storm over night.  It seems crazy that as we are enduring the driving rain and the icy winds in Robe, there's a catastrophic bushfire burning further  north in the State.  Sadly there has been loss of lives, properties and many  hectares of bush land. 

Jack has developed a taste for grilled mushrooms!

 

The storm passed, as did a few more games of Uno and another 10am breakfast.  We saw a break in the weather and risked taking the bikes out for a ride along the coastal track into town.  This involved an hour long ride along the rugged and pristine coastline of Guichen Bay, enjoying the beautiful turquoise waters of Fox's Beach, Hooper's Beach and Town Beach before arriving at the Robe Marina. 

 

Of course we made the obligatory playground stop but the icy wind coming off the Southern Ocean soon drove us away.  Drove us right into a great local café, actually, for a hot coffee, or in the boys' case a caramel milkshake.  Perfect to warm the cockles of their hearts.

 

Back at the ranch, the boys made friends with the kids whose parents own the caravan park, and Jack made use of the camp kitchen by single handedly baking a perfect custard cake!

 

Grandma would be so proud!

Not to be outdone, I treated the family to some fine dining this evening. 

We've had such a lovely couple of days here, that we've decided to stay a little longer.  The park is booked solid over the weekend but the lovely owners have managed to squeeze us in, and thrown in a free night's accommodation as well.  Woohoo!

Land of Lakes & Craters

The locals advised we should head into town and check out the free movie Volcano at Main Corner.  Volcano is a big screen cinematic experience which tells the incredible story of the eight major eruptions that created Mount Gambier.  A good place to start our exploration of the local area?.  Yup, it would have been, had today not been the one day of the year that the movie wasn't showing.  Bummer.  Oh, and the Art Gallery is only closed on Tuesdays, just to rub salt into the wound.  Not our day.

So instead we headed to the Lady Nelson Discovery & Visitor Centre, which involved a lovely walk through Mt Gambier's Heritage Precinct with its old world charm, and the re-developed modern City Hall. 

Spring has sprung!

On the way Fletch picked some flowers and I picked up some Happy Pants that Bruce said would look good on MC Hammer.  There's definitely a pattern forming with my latest clothes purchases - the sizes are getting bigger and the styles are getting baggier.  I think this extended holiday of continuous binge eating and drinking is having an effect...

Unfortunately the Lady Nelson Discovery & Visitor Centre also proved to be a disappointment when the kids worked out that they could only look at the Lady Nelson, not climb on her.

 

The Lady Nelson was a 60 ton survey brig, named after Lord Horatio Nelson's wife.  Lieutenant James Grant sighted and named Mt Schank and Mt Gambier from the deck of the brig in 1800.

As astute travellers we have developed a keen eye for what is (i) good value (ii) educational and (iii) fun, and this Visitor Centre with a stiff admission charge for a self guided tour just didn't cut the mustard.  So we split and went to McDonalds.  50c ice creams.  Good coffee.  Playground.  Free Wifi.   Gold.

Back in the car to find some tourist stuff that is not closed or ridiculously expensive! 

The Blue Lake.  Bingo.

 

The Blue Lake is awesome.  As the boys described in their diaries later in the day, "it's bluer than Daddy's eyes!"  Nestled on a gorgeous volcanic landscape, the Blue Lake inhabits one of the three extinct volcanic craters of Mount Gambier.

There are lots of blue lakes in the world, but no other lake changes colour so dramatically every year.  Each year in November the lake starts its colour change from winter steel grey to brilliant turquoise blue.  There are a number of theories behind the mysterious colour change of the water, but it is generally accepted that the change in colour has something to do with the water temperature of the lake.

The lake is 500 metres across and 70 metres deep.  It contains 36 000 million litres of water, supplying the town with approximately 3 500 million litres of drinking water per year.  Wow!

While we were gazing out at the lake, Jarrah, the picker in the family, was scavenging around in the long grass under the lookout.  He re-appeared with a great pair of sunnies that he donated to me as a replacement for the pair I lost in the surf at Lorne.

It was just a short drive to the Valley Crater Lake which boasts a wildlife park, adventure playground, picnic grounds and outdoor BBQs.  We ,made the most of the BBQs and the playground, enjoying a mid afternoon sausage sizzle and some fun on the swings.

We found some cricket nets and played a game of limited overs with Fletch winning with +24 runs and Bruce losing with -4 runs.

It must have been close to 5pm before I could drag the boys away from the cricket game to join me on a walk on the Mountain Trail.  There was a fair bit of grumbling to begin with.  Fletcher's moaning was minimised by putting him straight into the 'pak pak' but Jack and Jarrah just had to come to terms with the prickles in their socks, their tired legs and their grumpy attitudes!

Once we got going they all seemed to cheer up.  Mostly when they realised that Bruce had packed three packets of Tiny Teddies & Moos in the 'pak pak'.  Food of course being the ultimate incentive for the Johnston boys.

The first part of the track was quite adventurous, walking on a narrow track in a stiff wind with views down steep cliffs to the bottom of the crater.  We continued along the trail between the Valley and Leg of Mutton Lake Crater, where we could view both craters from The Saddle, and see fantastic views of the Valley Lake and the City.

Valley Lake with Centenary Tower on the far hill

We then continued along the exposed ridge called the Sugarloaf overlooking the city, passing many great vantage points to view the Crater Lakes far below.

Potters Point Lookout

At the fork in the trail, there was a unanimous decision to take the tougher Mountain Trail up to Centenary Tower, rather than the easier Blue Gum Trail, which bypassed the 370 stairs to the top!

Here we are about 80 steps up, only 290 to go!

 

We made it to Centenary Tower, which sits 190m above sea level, 170 above the Blue Lake, 85m above the car park and 150m above the town's main street.

 

Tiny Teddys & Moos well earned!

 

The walk back down to the car park, Lions Lookout and Devil's Punch Bowl (one of several blowholes in the area) was a cinch.  It was all down hill, of course.  It was past 6.30pm when we headed back to the showgrounds, well and truly ready for a hearty hot dinner!

 

About 8pm, just when we probably should have been putting the kids to bed, we headed out once more.  This time to watch the local sound and light show a the Cave Garden.  There were lots of changing coloured lights emanating from the cave, and the surrounding buildings had photos projected on them depicting the local history. 

 

The kids were more interested in feeding popcorn to the possums.

 

The boys were mesmerised, however, when the Aboriginal Dreaming of the Cave Garden began.  There were shadowlike images of ancient  Aboriginal Dreatime figures projected onto and moving across the rock face accompanied by a ghostly and mystical soundscape. 

 

All under a beautiful full moon!

Blowholes & Sinkholes

We almost had a new travelling companion when we left Yambuk this morning.  If it hadn't been for Roly Poly Rob distracting us with his farewell, we would surely have been nursing an injured Major Mitchell cockatoo in the caravan for the remainder of the trip.  But alas, as we chatted with Big Rob while he signed a Jenga block, the little cockatoo limped away into the bush.  Probably for the best really.

We took the scenic route to Mt Gambier today.  With homework well underway in the back seat, we enjoyed a leisurely drive around the Cape Nelson Peninsula.  We stopped at the Cape Nelson Lighthouse to check out the view.

This area is at the western end of what is known as the Shipwreck Coast.  It's not difficult to understand why so many ships have been wrecked here.  It's beautiful and forbidding.  Atop a sheer drop we watched the sea smashing angrily against the foot of the cliff 40 metres below.  The sea seemed almost as angry as Jarrah who was having issues with completing his homework!

The lighthouse itself was built in 1872.  It would have been tough being a lighthouse keeper back then.  Tough in 2015 also.  Apparently earlier this year, some ice-crazed nutter went on a frenzied rampage, smashing up the lighthouse, lighting a fire in the cafe and trying to force his way into the light keeper's cottage with a block splitter.  He was caught some time later, rambling about "stopping the Germans invading" and was charged with this and about 50 other offences in the area.  A very scary modern day horror story!

Next it was on to the beautiful and secluded Cape Bridgewater, which was once a volcanic island.  On the western side of Cape Bridgewater we checked out the Blowholes, which gave us another great feel for the ferocious power (and the icy winds) of the Southern Ocean.

The Petrified Forest is short walk from the Blowholes.  Although one might think that the Petrified Forest was created when the advancing sand engulfed an ancient coastal forest, petrifying them for all time, that's just not true.  They're actually caused by a collection of hollow tubes of limestone eroded by millions of years of rainfall.

They look pretty cool though.  The ancient rock formations with the Cape Bridgewater wind farm as a back drop.  Both majestic in their own way.  The wind farm is the second stage of Pacific Hydro's four-stage Portland Wind Energy Project (PWEP) in southwest Victoria, its 29 wind generators producing enough energy to meet the annual needs of 35 000 households.

After a picnic lunch it was straight across the border into South Australia, and before we could say "expelliarmus" we had arrived at our destination - the Mt Gambier showgrounds.

Unpacking, cricket, hacky sack, getting to know the locals and an early dinner ensued.  Later in the evening we headed off to check out Umpherston Sinkhole. 

Mt Gambier has many such sink holes, but this one, which was first established as garden in 1884 by James Umpherston, is particularly beautiful.  A sink hole is created from a cave that has been formed when parts of the Mt Gambier limestone dissolve.  When the top of the cave collapses, the pit that remains is called the sink hole. 

Umpherston wanted to create for the people of Mount Gambier “a pleasant resort in the heat of summer”.  So he set to work clearing the existing vegetation off his property and from within the sinkhole. He carved a path in the side of the rock and erected a set of wooden steps so people could comfortably enter his sunken garden, which he planted with all sorts of ferns, shrubs and flowers.

The garden was an immediate success and became quite famous. People from Mount Gambier and surrounding districts would frequently come and visit. The sinkhole originally had a lake within, and a boat was used to enable visitors to enjoy the view from additional vantage points.

James Umpherston died in 1900, and his garden fell into disrepair in the following years. In 1949, the South Australian Woods and Forests Department purchased the property and sadly, Umpherston's magnificent nineteenth century residence was demolished to make way for the Mt Gambier State Sawmill.

Umpherston's gardens with the stinky sawmill in the background.

 

By 1976, the garden was nothing more than a ruin and a rubbish dump.  However, with many thousands of hours of volunteer labour and much planting of many species of native and exotic plants, the garden has now been restored to its former glory.  Umpherston's original vision of the sinkhole as an attractive and popular recreational area is once again a reality.

To me the sinkhole had shadows of Paronella Park and Hanging Rock.  Majesty and mystery.  Romance and ruin.  As the sun went down we spent some time enjoying the lush gardens while the boys wrestled on the lawn.

Eventually the cold drove us away.  Home to a nice warm communal campfire and some toasted marshmallows.  Yum.

Author's Note:   Apparently at some point today we crossed the border into South Australia.  You may have noted the absence of a photo of us standing proudly under the "Welcome to South Australia" sign.  That's because there wasn't one!  Alas, just a couple of quarantine signs and fruit disposal bins to mark this final johnstonstouraus milestone!

Sweets & Slides

In order to keep up the cracking pace of this marathon road trip, an occasional day of renewal and refreshment is in order.  Besides, even on holidays you've got to have lazy Sundays.  And today was perfect for it.   We are staying in the grounds behind the beautiful Yambuk Historic Inn, and we have the place to ourselves.  With nobody around to wake us up we all slept until after 9am. 

Smashed Avocado Brunch

With not a care in the world, we spent the rest of the morning drinking lazy coffees and watching cartoons.  The rain and wind once again buffeted our little van overnight, but the sun dutifully poked through about 11am, as we were enjoying a hearty brunch.

In the afternoon we took the 15 minute drive into the charming fishing village of Port Fairy.  We didn't find any fairies but we did find one of the busiest fishing ports in Victoria, wide streets lined with nineteenth century cottages, great Norfolk pines and old stone churches.

Here is Fletch the fashionista, in the main street of Port Fairy, with his tub of "cool stuff" which must be carried absolutely everywhere!

We perused the diverse array of boutiques, antique stores, and art and craft shops scattered throughout the town, dutifully stopping at Port Fairy Confectionery, where this week's pocket money was quickly and happily dispensed with.

By mid afternoon the tummies were rumbling so we stopped by the caravan to pick up some snacks on the way to Lake Yambuk.  The "lake" is part of an extensive wetland system formed from the meeting of the Shaw and Eumeralla Rivers and is formed when the barrier estuary system is periodically closed to the sea by a sand bar.

Here the kids found their utopia with simply the best slide in the whole of Australia.  A beach slide built into the sand dunes, it provided the whole family with several hours of old fashioned fun, and also gave some spectacular views from the top.

 



Well, ok it wasn't all beer and skittles.

Jarrah was the first to take a face plant straight off the end of the slide.

Luckily, he didn't land here!

 

We took a break from the slide to join the pelicans by the lake and enjoy some afternoon munchies.  Then soon enough it was time to head home for dinner and an early night after our exhausting day of relaxation.