• Cathy Pendergrast
  • Graham Pendergrast
  • Cathy Pendergrast
  • Graham Pendergrast

2024 The Lap

A 245-day adventure by Cathy & Graham Read more
  • Trip start
    April 14, 2024
  • Paringa for cf 2022

    April 15, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Our first stop on our way out of SA was to check out the river levels at Paringa so that we could compare with our photos from back in December 2022 when the river level were almost at their peak.

  • Mungo NP - Redtop Lookout

    Apr 15–17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After saying that we wouldn't be driving into the evening, we ended this day once again dodging wildlife, arriving at Main Campground just after 7 pm. Luckily we had already cooked dinner earlier in the day allowing us to drive in to a spot and relax.

    The next morning started slowly..... we spent time enquiring about Walls of China sunset tours but there were not any taking place over the next couple of evenings. We booked into a Lunette Tour for the next morning, allowing us to get close to the amazing natural structures, then drove to check out the Redtop Lookout.

    We decided to come back to the Lookout in the evening to have dinner and watch the sunset.
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  • Lake Tyrrell

    Apr 17–18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We really like visiting salt lakes. They are magical during the soft light. We were lucky to find Lake Tyrrell with a shallow layer of water that created some stunning reflections, particularly during the spectacular sunset.Read more

  • Astronomical Day

    Apr 20–21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    While driving through this part of Australia, we couldn't miss stopping in at The Dish. Graham had driven past previously, but this time, we stopped at the visitor's centre, watched their presentation and were lucky enough to see the radio telescope move a couple of times.Read more

  • Dubbo Observatory

    April 21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We spent this evening at the Dubbo Observatory, presented by astronomer Peter Starr, seeing an array of stars, star clusters, constellations, and nebulae through his 9 telescopes.

  • Platypus Flat Campground

    Apr 24–25, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Wow, what a find! We drove down a narrow, winding dirt track through tall trees and waterways (two bridges and one shallow ford). A Queensland carpet python thought the track was a good place to sunbake. Part of the Nymboi-Binderay National Park, this campsite is located on the banks of the Nymboida River. The sites overlook 2 small sections of rapids, bookmarking a placid, wider section of the river. Our site backed onto the rapids, which provided a constant background throughout our stay. In the morning, we were able to enjoy a paddle and were lucky enough to spot a turtle sunbaking on one of the granite rocks.Read more

  • Tree of Life

    Apr 26–27, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We spent the night surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes parked next to Lake Cakora. After an early start, Graham sent the drone up and was able to capture 'The Tree of Life', a dendretic drainage pattern. Small streams gradually join to form larger tributaries, and ultimately drain into a single main river or body of water. This pattern is most common in areas with relatively uniform geology, where there are no major faults, folds, or variations in rock hardness to dictate the flow directionRead more

  • Yamba

    April 26, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today was a housekeeping day - washing, cleaning, shopping and filling tanks.... and a lovely lunch at the Wobbly Chook Brewery. I got to enjoy a Chilli Infused Ginger Beer whilst Graham sampled the East Coast Lager.Read more

  • Brisbane

    April 29, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Brownseas Water Activities Centre was our base for our Brisbane stay. We had a lovely spot parked, looking over the marina and mangroves.

    Our first full day was Kari's 12-month service at Explorer Motorhomes. Graham spent the day photo editing while I met with a colleague in the city centre. In the evening, we were treated to an amazing moonrise.

    The next morning, we went for a paddle amongst the mangroves before driving around investigating Brisbane. The end of our day was spent walking along the Sandgate waterfront as the sun set. The last bit of sun that we would see for a while.
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  • Booloumba Creek Camping

    May 2–3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We decided on Booloumba Creek as our next stop after heading to Maroochydore, only to find the rain had set in.

    It is a beautiful spot but alas, whilst it was not raining, the water (and air temperature) was still a little chilly for swimming.Read more

  • Maroochydore Lunch Stop

    May 3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In another attempt to see some beach we headed to the Sunshine Coast. Unfortunately it didn't live up to it's name but we did come across some acrobatic jet skiers!

  • Boolboonda Tunnel

    May 5, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Drilled in 1883 and 192m long, it is the longest unsupported tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.