Year off around Australia

We arrive in Port Lincoln and drive straight to here - this is the caravan park that Otto and Sandra, couple we met yesterday on a tour, are staying at and recommended. As the weather is so much cooler, we know we'll manage on an unpowered site - keeps the price reasonable - cost $27 per night. We have 3 areas in the park that are allocated for unpowered camping that we are welcome to make our own camp selection from. So we drive about the park - almost immediately see Otto and Sandra, they have a prime (powered) camping spot, we say a quick hello and continue with our camp site finding. We decide on the unpowered area (smallest) that is in the middle of the park closest to the amenities. Roger does a great job of parking our van with best wind protection for our awning and getting water views from our outside sitting area under the awning. We settle in - mat and awning with wall put to use - next with ute unhitched, we go for a drive to do some van and ute maintenance shopping, have lunch, look about Port Lincoln a bit and go to Woolworths to do a restock grocery shopping.
We return about 2pm. Unpack our groceries and time to relax about camp. We get a whatsapp call from Tegan - her and Lev are trying to repair their rocking chair again - lovely to have a chat. Roger and I continue to relax about our camp, Roger gets food prepped for the lamb leg roast he's cooking today. We are listening to a podcast cast 'Bronwyn' - it is incredible listening, just seems so obvious what has happened....but what a tangled mess it's become! When I've had enough of the podcast for today, I go for a stroll - Roger staying at camp watching his roast cooking - to see if Otto and Sandra are at their camp to have a catch up with. They are - and they are so welcoming and friendly I have a lovely 'visit' with them. They're giving me wine to try (a beaut cask sauv blanc) and Otto gives me a demo of the oyster shucking method we were shown yesterday - he's got it perfected! I hope I've got Otto's demo on video. Roger has to come to get me for tea - though truthfully I was just about to get back. The roast tea is fantastic - very nicely cooked lamb with roast and boiled vegetables and mushroom gravy. We follow this with banana and yoghurt fior dessert. Roger has his shower, I do the dishes - now relaxing until bedtime.
16/02/25 Sunday We're woken by Roger's phone alarm at 6.15am. We get up as we need to be at the wharf around 7.30am for our tour today. We get dressed into our bathers that are suitable to be worn under wetsuits, and put warm comfy clothing over the top. We have our breakfasts and pack what we are required to take and leave here just after 7.30am.
We get back from our Swim with Sealions tour at around 1pm. We both go and have showers to freshen up after our swim. Then I get 2 loads of washing happening - it will dry well with the way the day has turned out - sunny with some breeze. We still feel like a bit of lunch - even though we were fed nicely on the tour - so we have a cheese and vegemite sandwich each. Once we've got the washing hung out to dry we relax at camp for a while, before going for a walk.
On return from our walk, I call by Otto's camp to check how his day has been - all good he tells me, relaxing and packing up ready to leave in the morning. His wife Sandra is out on an all day tour (got up 5.30am) - Shark diving in a cage - he doesn't expect her back before 8pm.
Roger and I relax at camp - continuing listening to the 'Bronwyn' podcast. We get a phone call from Robert - nice catch up and he fills us in on what mail we have been getting.
Tea tonight is left over roast meat, Roger serves it with roast and boiled vegetables, and mushroom gravy. We follow this with golden syrup dumplings cooked in our Baby Q. Roger does the dishes while I get our budget books up to date. We receive a call via Barb to chat with Megan and Robbie and other beaut crew - they're celebrating another successful Lake Charlegrark MM weekend, so fun to hear from them. We miss this weekend because of these lovely people - all going to plan we'll be back next year. After this call, we resume listening to more of the pod cast. Roger's had enough of the podcast so his bedtime, I'm writing this up, then I'll follow suit.
17/02/25 Monday We have a nice sleep in, I get up at 7.45am wanting to go for a run. Roger lays in abit longer - unfortunately his neck and back are 'playing up'. I head off for my run just after 8am - and return 9.20am and meet up for a wander with Roger as he's walking out on the Jetty here at the park. Return to the caravan for my breakfast. No plans for the day so just relax and catch up on odds and sods. Find out that Levi and Dova's wedding is postponed until next year - same date and month so it's changed to 15/05/2026. Roger also let's me know that Robert has messaged that he'll be going out working for himself after he returns from Canada. Time for a change for him. Lunch today is meat and salad sandwich for Roger, I finish off the cold roast lamb and then have a couple of open toasties with avocado, salami, tomato and cheese.
Roger has made an appointment for a massage this afternoon so we go for a drive about Port Lincoln to check out caravan parts and servicing places looking for parts Roger wants to replace. We find one place that may have a air vent cover - so we come back to the caravan to get our one that needs replacing to compare. I decide to stay at the caravan for a rest and read - while Roger drives off to resume his parts search and go for his massage. When Roger gets back - he's unsure whether the massage has made a difference - hoping the next few days it will help it improve. He decides to go for a swim in the parks pool - I'm tempted to go too, but remain at the van, sorting bookings I'd made for the wedding - change them to the new date. When Roger comes back from his swim (best pool so far he tells me), we rest and listen to more of the Bronwyn pod cast - finish series 1.
Tea tonight Roger cooks up marinated chook fillets we have with panfried and boiled vegetables. Yoghurt and bananas for dessert. Roger showers, and I get a lovely phonecall from Barb with Adrian - they're camping in their new caravan in Naracoorte. Looks a great set up from videos and photos Barb sent me earlier today. Next time to for me to do the dishes, and now writing this up before going to bed.
18/02/25 Tuesday My alarm goes off at 5.30am and I quickly get out of bed (before I change my mind lol) and Roger follows as well. We discussed if we got up early enough this morning - we could drive to Lincoln NP (40 Min drive) and do a scenic walk (approx 5.6km) and still get back here in time to leave by 10am. We have a quick breakfast - muesli and prunes for me, Rog's usual and get ready to go for a hike - we leave just after 6am. We get back to our caravan 9.10am. Time for me to go and have a shower and for Roger to move our van to get water for our storage tanks. We leave this park just before 10am. This was a beaut park to stay at - great amenities and so lovely right beside the water.Read more