Day 2 - Cooma to Dubbo

Woke up at 06:00 this morning to the sound of gentle drizzle on the caravan roof. After a quick breakfast it was time to get an early start. Fortunately we had a drive through site which means we were still hitched to the car. All we had to do was disconnect the water and power and we were off. For most of the morning we experienced light rain. Stopped for fuel in the outskirts of Canberra and then on to Yass where we spotted an interesting looking coffee shop. Found somewhere to park the car and van (not always easy) and had one of the best coffees ever. Then we were back on the road with the aim of reaching Dubbo as we want to visit the famous Western Plains Zoo there. We reached our destination around 3 pm and checked into a very nice Big4 park there. By then the rain had stopped and in fact the skies were clear. Found a great steak restaurant this evening The Lions Pride and enjoyed an excellent meal accompanied by a very nice glass of the local Red Earth Shiraz. Tomorrow the zoo.

Day 1 - Traralgon to Cooma

Our first day on the road. Got away this morning at 8:15. Stopped at Stratford for coffee, and to give the van a good check over. Everything was shipshape so we continued on our way with lunch and a fuel stop in Cann River. Lunch at Shorty's Little Pie Shop which we had visited before - great homemade fare. By the time we headed up the Cann Valley Highway the day had turned truly majestic. A brilliant blue sky and a bright green landscape - what a day! We reached Cooma just before 3 pm and checked into the Snowtels Caravan Park. Our kids might remember this park where we stayed around 1982 or so - I remember the apricot trees and the donkey and pony rides.

16 March - We're Home!

Left Ballarat this morning just before 9 am for our final drive home. We arrived just after 1 pm. We really enjoyed our holiday - some great sights, some good movies and some fantastic meals along the way. It was interesting to see how many international visitors are touring our country in various types of campers. Also, still plenty of 'grey nomads' who seem to be on the road on a semi-permanent basis.
Another great trip and it's good to be home too.

14 March - On the way home

Left Adelaide at 7:45 to start the trip towards home. Unfortunately this meant that we spent the first hour in peak hour traffic to get out of the city. Had a bit of trouble with the thermostat in the car during the long trek up the Adelaide Hills. The temperature started to rise and I had to pull over. A quick check under the bonnet indicated sufficient coolant and no obvious problems. By the time I got back in the car the temperature had returned to normal. Most likely cause is a sticky thermostat - watched the temperature closely for a while but all was OK. Had lunch at one of our favourite places - Henry and Rose Cafe in Keith SA. We were able to park the rig right outside the front door which is handy and unusual. In the afternoon we continued on to Ballarat  which we reached just before 6pm. We're booked in at the Goldfields Big4 Caravan Park for a couple of nights which means that we will be arriving in Traralgon on Friday. The weather is finally changing but after the long stretch of great weather we experienced we can't complain.

13 March - Tour of the Adelaide Hills

Today was our last day in Adelaide and we decided to tour the Adelaide Hills and visit some of the historic towns and villages. Although it is very dry here the scenery is still interesting and many of the towns in the hills have maintained their old historic buildings. There are also great cafés everywhere and our first stop was one in Mt Barker for coffee and the best apple crumble I've ever tasted. From here we continued on through Lobethal and Birdwood and lots of little towns in between. We also visited a working chocolate factory called Melba's. The above picture is of the Birdwood Mill which is now part of the complex which houses the National Car Museum. I've visited it on previous occasions so this time we drove on to Adelaide and a bit of shopping before returning to the caravan. After dinner (one of Rosa's fantastic curries) we packed up the awning and all the outside stuff as we are departing Adelaide in the morning and heading back towards Victoria along the Western Highway.

12 March - Adelaide

Had a relatively quiet day today. We continued our movie binge with a 1:30 screening of "The Descendants". Seeing our Hawaii holiday was screwed up this was the next best thing. Really enjoyed this movie - I notice a lot of write-ups describe it as a warm family comedy. It definitely is not but very enjoyable just the same. After our usual afternoon of relaxing and reading we looked up the location of a good Indian restaurant in the neighbourhood and found one called Dehli Spice. This was definitely a find - the food was outstanding (as was the Kingfisher beer) and the average cost of a main course only $10.00 - a great meal.

11 March - Adelaide and Glenelg

Caught a 10:30 screening of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" this morning while Rosa caught up on a bit of shopping. I enjoyed it a lot but I think it helps a lot if you've read the book. After that we drove to Glenelg  which is Adelaide's equivalent to St Kilda in Melbourne. It has a great atmosphere, the beach, boats, interesting shops and lots of great places to eat. Spent the afternoon sitting in the sun and reading - very relaxing. After tonight we have two more nights here before we start heading in the direction of home.