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Travelling east
  • The Gypsies
  • The Gypsies

Travelling east

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  • Inizio del viaggio
    4 maggio 2018
    The GypsiesTravelling eastThe Gypsies
    Our first camp fire. Gorge Rock
    Davo settling in with a winePulled into this salt lake for lunchCamped at the BreakawaysThe BreakawaysThe Breakaways

    On the Road to Kalgoorlie

    5 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Finally we are on the road again. We had some mechanical issues with our truck and they took much longer to sort out than we expected. Iveco eventually fixed the problems after much discussion and time wasted.
    However we had a lovely time catching up with both our families and were sad to say goodbye. BUT ARE SOOOO GLAD to be moving on and doing what we planned. Well actually, there is not much of a plan but heading East is a good start.    Leggi altro

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    A clever play on words for a clothing boutique
    Sculpture in the visitors centre2Outside the famous Hay St Brothel.

    Kalgoorlie

    7 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We are in Kalgoorlie. Will be here for a few days while waiting for some stuff to arrive at the post office.

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    The hotel was built in 1900-1901
    There's gold in that there hole! 😂More of the pit250 tons of the right rock might produce a golf ball sized piece of gold.The Pink House. The girls open the pink doors and stand in the doorway.An inside bedroom where the action takes placeThe Dominatrix room, for those who like a little bit of pain!Madam Carmel, she's nearly 80.

    The Superpit and the Brothel

    9 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today we had a look at the two most famous places in Kalgoorlie.

    The Goldmine.
    Each dump truck (worth $4.4 million each) carries 250 tons of rubble out of the pit. Only one out of every 7 trucks carries the high grade rock, which after crushing and processing will yield about a golf ball sized lump of pure gold. The mine owns and runs 40 trucks and various other mammoth machines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The tour was well worth it. The size and scale of the everything was huge.

    The Brothel
    Questa Casa or The Pink House. Back in its heydey it had ten working rooms and as many girls who were kept very busy and apparently they made pots of money. It’s still a working brothel and the girls start at 7pm.

    Now, the Questa Casa has just three rooms in use and there is only demand for two sex workers at a time. Prices are $150 for a half-hour and $280 for a full hour. (I thought you might like to know that vital piece of information).

    To keep the brothel afloat, Carmel and her daughter (the madams) run daily tours for travellers. There was 18 in our group and at $25 a head that’s pretty good money for an hour or so.    Leggi altro

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    Laverton: Parked up outside the visitors centreJust arrived at the Giles Breakaway campsite1View to the valley below our camp2Not relevent, but a recent photo of my georgeous little grandy, Reegan. 😜

    Laverton - Great Central Rd

    15 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We left Laverton after lunch today and took the GCR to our overnight spot, free camping at the Giles Breakaway. No facilities of course, just a nice view down into the valley and a quiet place to ourselves. There is one other couple here tonight, but after some chit chat they drove off down a track to find their own private spot. They said they’ve done this journey 4 times before.

    We had coffee at the Laverton Visitors Centre, where we had to get permits to travel across to Uluru, one for the WA side of the border and the other for the NT side. They are permits that allow us to travel on Native Title Land. A sign of respect I think as they do not cost anything, but you are expected to have them.

    The tour we paid for in the Visitors Centre was excellent. It was a good interpretative story of the history of Laverton and surrounding regions, going right back to the early exploration of the area by Sir John Forrest.

    Dave had to let Phoebe out at midnight last night and he said the night sky was phenomenal. He wanted to wake me up to have a look but thought better of it. I wonder why  😂

    Right now we are cooking a chicken casserole on the BBQ. It’s smelling pretty darn nice.    Leggi altro

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    A rare early start! Sunrise over the valley below our camp.
    One of our campsites. Tyre rim fireplace worked perfectly.Looking down a Gnamma HoleTheres water down thereLooking towards the rocky outcrop where the Gnamma Holes are. We stopped for lunch.The view from the ridgeCamel TracksYet another campsite and found another tyre rim for fire place 😄

    Gnamma Holes

    18 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    We will cross the border into Northern Territory today sometime. The nights have been spent in charming little bush spots that we find on the WikiCamps app. There is a lot of car wrecks off to the side of this Rd, and tyre rims seem grow out of nowhere. 😉. We’ve made use of them for fire places, and they worked brilliantly.

    The Gnamma Holes in the Photos are natural cavities in rocky outcrops that hold water after rain. A major source of water for nomadic aboriginals.

    We were waved down by three local men, who asked if we had a pump for their car tyre. They had plugged it with a tyre plug and just needed to air it up so they could get on their way towards Warburton. Dave obliged by getting the compressor and air hose going. Their car was a red commodore that had seen better days. The only window that wasn’t smashed was the front windscreen, and all the panels were crumpled up to some degree. 😂😂

    We’ve seen hundreds of camel tracks on the Rd in front of us at different times but not a camel in sight, now that’s something we do want to see.    Leggi altro

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    At the border
    Approaching the Peterman Range. Sory about the windLassiters Cave🐪🐪🐪🐪🐪🐪🐪😊

    Camels

    19 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We finally saw some camels.🐪🐪🐪🐪🐪. A large herd of about 20 appeared as we rounded a bend on the rd.

    We also looked at Lassiters Cave. He was famous for having found gold somewhere around this area, but then died trying to refind it years later. I think his diary was found in this cave.

    And we have passenger along for the ride, eek! It’s a mouse🐁! I noticed the telltale signs on a packet of cracker biscuits, and then saw the droppings in a bottom drawer. Then while Dave was sitting on the toilet it came running towards him and he screamed like a girl😜😂🤣. He said it was a very fat little thing, so we thinks it might be going to have babies. All the food is coming out of that drawer until we get some baits and commit murder.    Leggi altro

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    Uluru - a photo simply cannot do it justiceHe's about to start his epic climbAfter drive throught flat scrubby land these suddenly appeared and made us go WOW! Its windy!

    The Olgas and Uluru

    19 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Wow wow and wow!!!! Much more impressive than we thought they would be. We came across the Olgas first and they are a stunning range of rocks that seem to come out of nowhere. Huge and beautiful to see. We were driving through a fairly flat scrubby landscape, then these great big, gigantic, massive red rocks appear that make you sit up and look. We were quite awed by the sight of them. I doubt our photos can do them justice.

    We did a short walk into the gorge at the Olgas and then decided to go and have a look at Uluru (Eyers Rock) 40m Kilometres away. It was getting a little late in the day, so our intention was to just have a look and see what is what, then return the next day. We had heard that the climb up the rock was closed due to winds. However when we arrived about 3pm, it was open and Dave has always wanted to climb the rock. So off he went. It was too daunting for me. I thought I could probably get to the top but didn’t like the thought of coming down as my knees are not what they used to be.

    When Dave set off it was about 3pm and he finally returned about 5 pm so it took about 2 hours to do the round trip. He said it was much, much more difficult than he ever expected. He also said that it is very dangerous and can not believe that is is even allowed considering today’s health and safety rules and regs.

    I sat down and waited for him to return. There was a lot of people coming and going, some to climb, and some to just look. I haven’t seen this many people since we left Perth! This place definitely attracts tourists!!!!!.

    They are closing the climb in October 2019 because the Aboriginal people believe it is a sacred place, and to climb it, is disrespectful to their cultural beliefs. Cultural beliefs aside, Dave now believes it should be closed and felt it was one of the most dangerous things he’s ever done. There are dozens of plaques embedded in the rock wall dedicated to people who have died while climbing.

    He took lots of photos while he was up there with my camera, but I haven’t worked out how to get them from the camera onto my iPad. I can put them onto a USB stick but I don’t have one that will go into an iPad. This travel blog is done through an app on my iPad so the photos need to be accessible from the photos app on this iPad. Sorry if that confuses you, its not really relevant so just ignore🤪.    Leggi altro

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    Kings Canyon

    22 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Kings Canyon is in the Watarrka National Park. We packed some lunch and did the 6k Rim Walk. The views down into the chasm, 270 metre below, are lovely and the beehive like rock structures are similar to the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley, but much smaller. We ate lunch at the Garden of Eden, a beautiful water hole about half way through our walk.Leggi altro

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    National Road Transport Hall of Fame

    28 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After a couple of days at a Caravan Park catching up on washing and general cleaning, we caught up with Tristan’s parents, Frank and Phil Hali, who kindly had us over for lunch. We went to the Transport Hall with Frank, where there are all sorts of restored cars and trucks. The Truckies Hall of Fame is a tribute to the men, women and machines of the road transport industry.

    The centre is also the home of the “Kenworth” Museum and houses dozens of big trucks, many are brand new and are just here on display.    Leggi altro

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    21

    Desert Park Alice Springs

    29 maggio 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Phil gave us a free pass, issued to her by her employer, to see the Desert Park, saving us the $64 entry fee. We were really pleased with that, being the tight arses that we are. 😜. As you walk through the park you pass through three diverse desert habitats including sand country, desert rivers and woodland. All the birds, animals and reptiles of the desert can be seen in large enclosures and in the nocturnal house.
    The highlight of the visit was the bird show. The birds are not caged and fly in from the range upon the cue of the trainer.    Leggi altro

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    Pretty much the only thing of interest on the Plenty Hightway - a massive ant hill.
    An unspectacular welcome to Qld.Hundreds of them! And so noisy.😱From the Cawthorne Lookout. Not bad after a thousand K of dead flat land.From the Cawthorne Lookout QldFrom Cawthorne LookoutFrom Cawthorne LookoutCamped on the banks of the Diamontina River at Old Cork.

    Boulia and beyond

    3 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We crossed the border from NT to QLD 2 days ago and eventually arrived in a little outback town called Boulia. We came across on the Plenty Highway and it is the flatest, dustiest, barren country I’ve ever seen. Boulia is a very tiny town but is famous for being the home of the “Min Min” lights. They are green coloured lights that appear out of no where and scare the bejesus out of people. Scientists have never been able to work out why they appear. We went to a show in the Visitors Centre where they tried to recreate what it might be like to encounter them. It was quite good but no photos allowed. This area was once an inland sea and has a fossil museum that was worthy of a visit. We saw bones of creatures that would have been massive and could have weighed up to 250 tons.

    The first video below was taken in the main st of Boulia at a house where they must feed the birds. The noise was incredible from the white cockatoos, enough to drive you crazy.
    The second video was taken from Cawthorne Lookout, the only bit of undulating land we’ve seen for days. Listen to the flies, they are in absolute plaque proportions. Fly nets are a must, 😫    Leggi altro

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    Doing the washingThe fishing spot on an upside down river, very muddy.🙄A Butcher bird eating Putts bone, right outside our door.Our first ever attempt at Damper. Sun dried tomatoes, olives and Parmesan cheese.Mmmm I’m not sure. 🤔3My hero changing the tyre.Filling up with water at the camp near Mitchell

    We are in "Mitchell" Qld

    10 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After leaving “Old Cork” we came through Longreach a few days ago, a lovely, lively, neat and clean town, very stockman, cowboy orientated. Then onto Charleville, which was a bigger but a much quieter and tired looking town than Longreach.
    We spent two days out on the Ward River, catching up on some washing and Dave tried his hand at fishing, but nothing jumped on his line.
    We got to try out the “Jackstrap”, a small winch for lifting the tyres when the tyre monitor started beeping, telling us we had a flat. It worked a treat and made the job much easier and safer.
    So here we are in “Mitchell” at the Neil Turner Weir, a free camp 4K out of town. Its a brilliant free camp, although we are amongst about 100 others also camping here, but it is a huge area, so we don’t feel overcrowded. We will head into town sometime today for a look at the town named in honour of Dave. 😜😹    Leggi altro

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    The deserted main St of Mitchell
    This pub was closed, maybe the sign says it all.The letter box out side of the cloed pub. No one has collected this mail for weeks. Sad!The pub with no beerAnother hotel - see the blue for sale sign.This one has seen better days

    Mitchell

    10 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We walked the 4k into Mitchell from the campsite and found the little town pretty much deserted. Well it is Sunday after all 😆. The atmosphere of the town is pretty much no atmosphere. 4 or 5 pubs were operating here once upon time. But only two are open now and they both have for sale signs on them. After a wander around the main st of town we had a beer at one of the pubs before walking back to camp. But after chatting to people near us we heard that the they send a shuttle bus out to this camp most days to take people into town so they can shop and enjoy the hot mineral spa that is located in the aquatic center. Its drawn from the artesian basin 1 kilometer below us.Leggi altro

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    Lisa and Guy's

    15 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Arrived at cousin Lisa's place yesterday. 7 acres on the Albert River, Alberton. Qld. It's lovely here. There is access to the river from the very back of the property. If you're keen, you can catch mud crabs, fish and prawns. Here is a few photos of this property, and some taken of the surrounding area during a walk.Leggi altro

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    Our first campfire for ages, in Nanango
    At the show.A little fellow on a big horse.More prizeworthy produce.1Taking time out to smell the roses.Checking out the best bunch of bananasViews! Lovely!

    Nanangan Qld

    22 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Where??? I hear you say😄 it’s just a tiny little country town in the South Burnett region of Qld. We saw this on WikiCamps as we were making our way towards Kingaroy. An area that Dave is keen on seeing, peanut growing country and Joe Bjelke Petersons old stamping ground.
    Our original plan was to spend the day at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, but when we arrived there this morning we were told no dogs allowed anywhere within the car parks of the zoo, wether kept inside a vehicle or chained up outside. Of course our darling little dog let fly with a few barks when the car park attendant approached Dave’s window so no hiding her. Very disappointed, as we know we can leave phoebe quite happily for a few hours as long as she has water and it’s not too hot. Oh well another time perhaps.
    So we went into Beerwah, the closest town, and used the local laundromat to catch up on washing. Now here we are in Nanangan with our knickers and stuff hanging out to dry between the trees. 😂😂😂
    As we drove, we saw advertisements for the Woodford Annual Show, starting today, so we stopped in there for a look and stroll around a typical country show. Loved it. Very country and a reminder of what a country show really is, as in Prizes for the best jams, sponges , fruit etc.

    We’ve spent a couple of days driving through some high country and it is so beautiful, mountainous, and green undulating farmland. Dave says some parts are like the farming areas in NZ.    Leggi altro

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    First night with the "blowins" 😉
    Stop for lunch and a coffee.Dave and Kevin at the Tree of KnowledgeHands up! In an old classroom.Old Stu - gave us a wonderful tour of old Blackall1Chops for dinner - cooking over coals.

    Travelling with the Kiwi's

    28 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Right now we are in Longreach. We met Kevin, Rae, Richard and Trina in Mitchell on Monday. Since then we have travelled through a lot of small outback towns and stayed 1 night in Blackall, and two nights here in a caravan park. We’ve had a couple of fun night sitting around campfires with a glass of ale or two telling lies, and tall stories. 🤣
    Dave went with the others to see the Stockmans Hall of Fame, which he said was fantastic and well worth the time and money. I went for a haircut and apparently missed a good show.
    Yesterday as we came through Balcaldine we stopped at the Tree of Knowledge Memorial. Interesting that is was the site of an unsuccessful shearer’s strike in 1891, that eventually led to the formation of the Australian Labour Party.    Leggi altro

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    Dave being munched. 😉
    Dinosaur bonesMore bonesAnd more bones😂95 million yrs ago Dinosaur country below usKevin and RaeStopped for lunch and climbed the lookout on the way to Mt Isa

    Winton - Dinoasaur museum

    30 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We called in to see the Dinosaur museum which houses the worlds largest collection of Australian Dinosaurs fossils. The museum is situated on a high jump up with wonderful views over the surrounding country.

    It all began with the discovery of a giant femur. In 1999 while mustering sheep on his property Belmont near Winton, David Elliott discovered the fossilised bone of what was, at the time, Australia’s largest dinosaur. This bone was later identified as part of a giant femur from a Cretaceous sauropod that roamed the Winton area 95 million years ago.    Leggi altro

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    The photo says it all
    A coldie on the verandahInside the pub😄😂🤣Richard and Dave telling each other tales.Pity about the lady in the red shirt.

    Crocodile Dundee's Walkabout Creek Hotel

    30 giugno 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We decided to stay in the little town of McKinlay on our way to Mt Isa. McKinlay’s only claim to fame is that it is the site of the pub used in the Crocodile Dundee movie. The pub also serves as the towns only caravan park.
    What a brilliant night we had! We were entertained by a group of musicians who happened to be performing at the pub for just one night. A few of the tourists passing through the little town also did impromptu performances. We had a lot of laughs, did a lot of dancing and had one or two drinks until midnight. It was a memorable night.🍺🍸🍷🎸    Leggi altro

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    Mt Isa.

    2 luglio 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    The Hard Times Mine Tour was an excellent way to spend the morning. We had to put on disposable orange overalls, gum boots and hard hats before being allowed to enter the replica mine. The tour was an overview of the very difficult and dangerous job underground mining was back in the day before the modern era of safer machinery, computers and occupational health and safety.

    We spent some of the afternoon out of town at the man made Lake Moondarra. Beautiful spot.    Leggi altro

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    A water crossing on our way in
    Dave and the dog taking a break while I make lunch.A beautiful swimming holeAnother swimming spot with pontoon - very popularYours truly having a swimThe grove campgroundThe grove campgroundOur campsite upper level.

    Adels Grove.

    4 luglio 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We are at Adele’s Grove camp ground. We were supposed to meet the kiwis here, sadly they didn’t make it. They traveled a long way towards here but had to turn round after their first 20 kilometres of rough gravel rd. They said the vehicle felt like it was about to implode. Just about everyone in here is in 4x4’s. We are meeting them again in Karumba in a couple of days.
    There are two levels for camping, the top and the bottom. We are at the top because we have a dog. It’s a fine for us, just not as shady or close to the creek and swimming hole as the lower level. The lower level, known as “The Grove” is in deep shade, under the canopy of a many large trees and very close to the water.    Leggi altro

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    1Lunch time2A baby freshwater croc.An action shot - a delicate manouvere getting into the kayak

    Lawn Hill National Park (Boodjamulla).

    6 luglio 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We spent much of yesterday at the national park, 10 kilometres from Adels Grove. The campground is very is cheap at $6.35 pp per night, but cold showers, no campfires and no dogs allowed. However it is the best place for kayaking, 6 kilometres return and absolutely stunning!Leggi altro

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