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We’ve sold everything and are hitting the road for an extended length of time travelling Australia. Some of you might remember that we had the name “Wandering Oz” from when we had our first caravan, 20 odd years ago. After all, our name is Osborne. Read more Burnett Heads, Australia
  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 56

    Streaky Bay

    January 29, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Further north along the stunning Eyre Peninsular west coast. On the way we passed Murphy's Haystacks which are basically some rocks in a paddock 🤷‍♂️. And they wanted $2 to walk through a gate to see them. A photo from the road sufficed. A bit further north we stopped at Streaky Bay RV Park. Another basic facilities park that is run by the local community. As a coincidenvce we watched an episode of Back Roads that visited Streaky Bay and heard about the very active community that runs the hotel and the local GP surgery. When the tuna fishing boats dissapeared the town was almost destroyed but have reinvented themselves as a holiday destination. We explored the area by walking along the foreshore and through the town in spite of the ever present wind.Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 54

    Venus Bay

    January 27, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We limped in to Venus Bay Caravan Park to assess the damage a bit more. At least it didn't look any worse than what we saw yesterday. The van park was pretty basic but at least offered power and water. Well, water flow was so slow we had to fill our tanks and then use the pump. Oh, and the power went off for our second day so we were back on gas and battery. 🤷‍♂️
    Found a lovely headland walk though around South Head that passed a couple of hours.
    Next day we headed off to explore the Talia Caves that were a few kms south. The Woolshed Cave was spectacular but the path in was too sloping for our liking so no photo looking out from inside. A little further along the coast was some extraordinary rock pools.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 53

    Kiana Park

    January 26, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Heading north along the west coast of the Eyre Peninsular we stopped at a couple of clifftop camps with spectacular views at Point Drummond but somehow thought maybe they were just a little too exposed. So we came inland a little to a farmstay at Kiana Park. Really nice grounds with lots of green grass. As the day wore on the sky got darker and heavier in the west and we could feel and hear a storm brewing. The BOM radar wasn't much help as it showed some storms passing near us. We pulled our awning in and packed all our gear and chairs away anyway.
    Sitting in the van at 5:30 the storm hit. The wind was blowing the rain sideways and shaking the van on it's legs. I was glad it was still attached to the car. I guess we were a little lucky in that where we had parked was next to a row of medium sized bushes that gave us some protection. About 5 minutes after the rain the hail started. At first it was smallish and pattering on the roof of the van so we weren't overly concerned.
    Then it got bigger, and bigger until it was jagged golf ball size. The noise inside the van was horrendous as we just hoped it didn't punch a hole through anything. We started to get water in through the 4 Seasons hatch but not too much.
    After about 10 minutes (felt like 2 hours) the hail started to ease off and was all but gone soon after. We ventured out to survey the damage.
    The van suffered some roof and rear wall damage but really not too bad. I'd say the roof skin will need to be replaced. The hatches are shattered at the rear. The aircon unit is also battered at the rear. The TV antenna connections are battered and I can't figure a way to repair them. Feeling fairly lucky at this stage.
    Checking the car showed hail damage on the rear, roof, bonnet and at least one side. One of the extended towing mirros was trashed. A couple of broken tail light covers rounded out the damage. All in all not too bad and both car and van are still usable and not dangerous.
    Another couple at the park were not so lucky. They were in an aluminium sided van that was parked side on to the storm. The van was a real mess with massive damage along the storm side and roof. The poor things were two weeks into their long planned lap of Australia. They planned on heading home to try to get the damage repaired.
    A very eventful day and not one I am in a hurry to repeat.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 50

    Coffin Bay National Park

    January 23, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    A couple of nights at Coffin Bay National Park. Campsite was large with a lovely view out over the water. Some nice walks starting at the campground as well as stunning views over beaches around the park. We didn't get too adventurous with any of the 4WD tracks as I had heard the sand was very soft and we were travelling alone.
    The main attraction in town is the oyster tasting tour where you sit in the water.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 47

    Fishery Bay

    January 20, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Escaping the hustle and bustle of Port Lincoln we headed south to Fishery Bay, about as far south as you can go on the Eyre Peninsular. The campground was basically a bit of a carpark with a short walk access to the very popular beach. No internet access or phone coverage at the site. The council has recently introduced a camping fee for the area but I don't think anyone other than us actually paid. Got some heavy rain on our second night here but nothing like what areas just north of us received where roads were flooded or washed away.
    Met some very helpful council officers there who were planning out improvements to the camping area. One in particular took great delight in showing us some of the bush tucker that was growing right at our camp. Native cherries and currants are delicious snacks.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
    Day 44

    Port Lincoln - Bayview Park

    January 17, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Port Lincoln is the largest town on the Lower Eyre Peninsular so we had planned ahead to get some essential work done. The caravan hadn't been serviced since we left home so it was well and truly due. It had developed a rather noticable squeal in the disc brakes on the rear wheels which I thought was just dust and grit we had picked up. A thorough service of the brakes and replacement of the bearings fixed the problem. We had also been plagued with problems in one of the airbags on the car. It had not ever been right since install despite the original installers having three goes at it. Booked it in to the local Airbag Man dealer to try to rectify and they found a tiny hole in the top of the bag at the brass fitting. I believe it was always there but as it was out of warranty we coughed up to have it fixed.
    Bayview Park was a pretty nondescript private park just outside town. Served it's purpose.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
    Day 42

    Red Cliff Campground - Tumby Bay

    January 15, 2022, Indian Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Back to the coast near Tumby Bay we headed south to Red Cliff campground for a couple of days. This is a beautiful spot with sweeping views of the Spencer Gulf. Pristine beaches spread north and south from the camp with lots of spots where snorkelling would be great. The water was just warm enough to try for the first time on the trip.Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 40

    Cummins

    January 13, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    From the coast we headed inland for a couple of days to catch up with household chores. On the way we passed one of the most recognisable pieces of silo art in South Australia. It really is very clever how the image must be viewed from a certain spot to be able to see the detail.
    Cummins is s mall town in the centre of the Eyre Peninsular and a hub for much of the storage and distribution of the grain that is grown in the area. A small community run caravan park was our base for the stay.
    It seems the original van park owners abandoned the spot and the community could see the advantage of still having the park in town. The admin is done at the local Deli and volunteers look after the grounds, which were in terrific condition. The bonus for this park is that they offer free use of the laundry facilities (washer and dryer) and even provide detergent. Faye said she has never seen a 14kg washer before. We managed to wash and dry all the mats, sheets, blankets, doona cover and clothes during our two day stay. We even enjoyed some apricots that the volunteer caretaker was giving away.
    The town itself is not overly burdened with things to do or see so we made sure we were stocked up and clean (on the inside anyway) before moving on.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 38

    Port Neill - Carrow Wells

    January 11, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Travelling down the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsular through Arno Bay and Port Neill. Both lovely little seaside towns that boast clean sand beaches and clear water. The winds are still too cold for us to venture in for a swim but the weather is improving.
    After filling up with water at Port Neill we took the dirt road down to Carrow Wells. Right on the beach the remnants of the original wells are still there, although safely fenced off now. No facilities here apart from a long-drop toilet and the camp area itself was extremely rocky and uneven but the beach walks were lovely. We stayed for two nights.    Read more

  • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 3
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    Day 36

    Port Gibbon

    January 9, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    From Kimba we headed back to the coast as the weather improved. Through the picturesque Cowell on Franklin Harbour the road headed south along the Spencer Gulf coastline. Several beachside camps are provided by the local council with no facilities but lovely locations.
    For once the weather was kind as the sun shone and the wind dropped. Fine enough for a walk on the beach and some highly unsuccessful fishing. We enjoyed a lovely sunset and sunrise the next day.    Read more

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