BREAKING NEWS

Luke just finished reading a book!!!!!!

Yes, my friends, a book.

But there's more unbelievable news.

He actually enjoyed it. Shock! Horror!

I knew this trip would be life changing but I had no idea...

Yours astonished,
Odette

PS The book in question is the international bestseller Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. For those who haven't read it or seen the new movie version directed by Sean Penn or know the tragic story of Chris McCandless, you really should get your hands on a copy and read about the true story of a well-to-do young man who hitchhiked into the Alaskan wilderness and never returned. Hell, it must have been good if Luke finished it.

City Sights

After experiencing a little car trouble after crossing the border into South Australia, Luke and I ended up staying two nights in the second largest city in S.A, Mount Gambier. Now first up, discovering that Mount Gambier was, in fact, the second largest city after Adelaide in S.A was a tad disturbing for us Tonkin's, who called Sydney home for four years. This place has a McDonalds and KFC yes, but there be no shopping mall bigger than a regular sized Woolworths in this town, or a cinema that plays current new release films either for that matter.

But Mount Gambier has a few special features of it's own that more than make up for it's lack of Gloria Jeans and Sportsgirl stores. First up there's this crazy blue lake.

Yep, it's as blue as blue and really is beautiful to see. But make sure you plan your visit between November and March because the blue lake turns a mysterious grey, apparently overnight as Autumn rolls around.

And there's this very pretty Cave Garden.

It's right next to the main street, so there's no way you'll miss it. Apparently it used to be half filled with water but has since dried up. It's a cool place to go and eat your lunch though, if you're looking for a break from your computer at work. Sure beats the windowless lunchroom.

Oh, and you really must see the Umpherston Sinkhole.

This thing is remarkable. A family discovered it back in the 1800's and turned it into their own private oasis from the summer heat of Mount Gambier. They planted an English garden in the crevasse, they built a little hut in the hole (which is now no longer) and they even had a row boat that they sailed on the now dried mini lake which also existed in the sink hole. Random. But also totally cool.

Mount Gambier. Who knew?

Yours in the great outdoors,
Odette

Running Rough

See this picture of my uncle's dog Ziggy?




He's a good boy but unfortunately he is exactly how our kombi Jefro is running at present - like a dog. Suffice to say, we're lucky we're not stranded in a little town outside of Mount Gambier right now, after spending two nights there trying to fix the blasted van. He's been coughing and back firing and basically just behaving badly and stoping poor ol' Luke from having a good night sleep from worry.

Anyway, we've solidered on after Luke did some running repairs and after meeting a few Tom, Dick and Harry's along the way who all put in their two cents worth as well (Water in the fuel? Bad petrol? The points may need adjusting? Maybe replace the condenser? How about a new engine????). But we're not trading him in for a Britz van just yet. He's booked in for a once over at a VW mechanic in Adelaide with a very good reputation - so good in fact, he has a minimum two week waiting period. And we're taking it super slow until then.

Yours now scaried to tackle the Nullabor in a car from the 70's,
Odette

Bush Wacked

We've visited quite a few National Parks in the past few months. Each and every one of them impressive in their own way. So when it came to tossing up whether to take a 100km detour from our coastal trip down the Great Ocean Road to see Victoria's Grampian National Park, we thought nothing of it. It was easily the best decision we've made since deciding to buy our own 2 ply toilet paper because caravan parks are more interested in saving money than customer comfort...

Anyway, after a bit over an hour in the van, we saw the giant peaks of the Grampians jutting up out of the earth. Amazing. It's hard to believe that almost one million visitors come to the Grampians every year (most coming from Victoria - I guess it's only a couple of hours out of Melbourne and a good alternative if you've already travelled the Great Ocean Road). And with a massive bushfire wiping out most of the 170,000 hectares in 2006, seeing this rugged and rocky landscape rejuvenate is pretty magical.

Like most NP's, there's plenty of bushwalks to keep even the most urban dwellers among us inspired but for true inspiration, head to the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Information centres are always worth a bit of a visit to make sure you cover what's cool in the area that you're visiting but the Brambuk Centre is really something else. Ownership of Brambuk is shared between five Aboriginal communities, all with deep historic links to the Gariwerd-Grampians ranges and the surrounding plains. Inside this architecturally beautiful building, you can paint your own boomerang, watch a memorable multimedia presentation in the purpose built Dreaming Theatre or most importantly, learn about the rich Aboriginal culture that's imbedded into the Grampian National Park.

After spending over an hour at the centre, I came away feeling educated about the significance of the indigenous people to the land we were visiting, inspired by the way they lived and managed their land all those years ago, but also pretty fired up and impassioned at how this land, and so many other important sites had been taken away from its original owners. It moved me to tears actually (just ask Luke - he thought I was losing my mind!) and made me look at the area in a completely new way. But as this beautiful center explains, since their dispossession, Aboriginal people have moved through two phases - resistance and persistence - and have now entered a third phase, renewal. And this is what the centre represents. It really is a place everyone should visit if they're planning a trip to the Grampians.

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette

What A Milestone!

Just a quick post because we are super exhausted after a day of bushwalking in 35 degree heat in The Grampions National Park (more on this tomorrow), but we wanted to let you know we have reached a semi-important kombi trip milestone...

Tonight will be our 50th night sleeping in good ol' Jefro the Kombi! (Applause! Cheers! Whoo Hoo!) Who would have thought we would have made it this far and yet it seems we haven't even seen a quarter of Australia as yet! We have three more States and one Territory to still explore before we're done. Jeepas!



Yours having a few quiet beers to celebrate,

Odette

The 12, I Mean 8 Apostles

The most famous draw card along the Victorian Great Ocean Road is definitely the 12 Apostles and the other amazing rock formations that scatter the coast just near by. This collection of natural limestone stacks are really worth a visit and if the way the waves have helped crumbled four of the Apostles already, reducing the formations to just eight, you better get in your car and take a drive along the Victorian coast pretty soon, before the others end up in the drink as well.

And it's really not very much of a drive from Melbourne. Luke and I have been taking our time and meandering down the coast in no great hurry (okay, truth is, we have flights booked back to Sydney from Adelaide for a wedding on the 13th of February and that gave us around 3 and a half weeks to drive from one capital city to the next, when you can do the trip in a day if you're keen!), so we've had plenty of time to stop at all the lookouts and beaches. But if time's not on your side, perhaps the best way to see the 12 Apostles is by air, in one of the many helicopter tours that operate just near the National Park info office. Or join the crowds and walk down the well sign-posted track to see these giant beauties.

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette

PS The town of Port Campbell is your closest base to these natural wonders and the best spot to set up camp while you explore the area. But be warned- there's not a whole lot there other than a caravan park, a fish and chip shop and a general store with prices as high as a cinema snack bar. Oh and we paid $1.68 for petrol. Ouch.

Bush Tucker Man

While staying at Apollo Bay, Luke decided to go for a wander around the camping ground while I attempted to sort out all the maps, books, magazines and other reading material that seems to be building up around my feet in our car. I wonder if you can buy a kombi with a built in book case? Hmm....

Anyway, Luke returned from his wander about 20minutes later with a Tupperware container full to the brim with freshly picked wild blackberries! Heaven!

Bursting with vitamin C and a super sweet flavour, a handful of these little babies will be perfect on our muesli for breaky tomorrow morning. Luke also mentioned he tried to pick a few home grown apples that looked pretty ripe as well, but when the people who owned the tree that Luke was attempting to climb drove up the drive way, he decided his bush tucker antics didn't really extend to backyard theft and left those little apples right where they were.

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette