January 2017

1- 11 January 2017

Having enjoyed the Mandurah fireworks down by the river last night, the first week of the new year was taken up with doing some odd jobs and modifying various items to our liking on the 5er, buying storage boxes for the back of the ute, and general running around town. We also investigated a satellite tv dish for the roof of the 5er, which we will have installed next week.

Ute Boxes

Ute Boxes 2

The boxes mean we can have more of our 4wd and camp set up gear out of the house boxes and easier to get to.

Being booked into the caravan repair centre on the 16th for the stove top to be replaced under warranty, and a general service of the unit to make sure we are complying with the warranty, we headed off with Kim and Carolyn for a weeks travel around the South West.

Our first day was a tour of the small town of Yarloop which was devastated by fire 12 months ago. The empty house blocks where the fire raised houses to the ground were poignant enough but when we saw the remains of the historic railway sheds and the old steam train sitting there totally gutted, it brought home the impact that the fire had. Leaving Yarloop we made our way to Grimwade, where a small community once existed, and where now there are some good camping spots to be had, and when the season is on, blackberries in abundance.

Leaving Grimwade we made our way to the quaint little town of Nannup, the main street with its Jacaranda trees quite the picture before stopping at the bush camp of Alexander Bridge on the Blackwood River.

We managed to get a nice camp in the shade which was very pleasant, as was the breeze blowing through the place and the walk along the river to where the old bridge used to be, the remnants on the other side and some old pylons being the only reminders of what used to be.

Alexander Bridge

The remains of the old road bridge

Back out onto the road we made our way down to Molloy Island where we hoped to take the ferry across for a look at the small community that lives there. On arrival we found that there is no public access to the island, and if we wanted to view some of the real estate for sale we had to be accompanied by the vendors agent. Talking to the island manager (who also doubles as the ferry driver) it seems that the island is a closed community and fairly exclusive.

A few kilometres on and we were enjoying morning tea at one of the beaches at Augusta, some of the locals even enjoying a swim.

Heading out of Augusta we took some country roads to Nannup, Bridgetown and then onto Greenbushes where we snagged a nice campsite in the shade at the local sports oval.

Leaving Greenbushes this morning we made our way to the small farming community of Boyup Brook before heading out of town to Eulin Crossing, a camp spot on the Blackwood River that we found back in December 2011. We would have camped here back in 2011 but it was full of farmers enjoying their Christmas break on the river.

Eulin Crossing Campsite

Our campsite on the Blackwood River.

Earlier in the day when the sun was out and the temperature forced us to take a swim.

Later in the day a local farmer and family came down to enjoy the water, the old bloke towing the kids around behind his little boat and enjoying it as much as the kids did.

12 January 2017

Our riverside camp and swimming hole was a great one, and one we will no doubt return to. The bugs moved in as nightfall came and the portable 12v bug catchers were entertaining as the bugs fried themselves, often sending out sparks and smoke as they did so.

Drifting off to sleep with door and all the windows open to allow the breeze through the house Joanne awoke during the night to close them up again as the cooler weather arrived. Waking this morning to a very cool day compared to yesterday's heat was somewhat refreshing.

Leaving our little spot of paradise we headed off towards Gnowangerup and then down to the Stirling Ranges where we inspected a property I had seen for sale that had taken my fancy. Backing directly onto the National park with views of the ranges in abundance the location was great but, while the property and location suits what I had in mind, it would have been no good to crop or even lease out to crop as the only things there, apart from the views, were rocks that would have made cropping impossible.

Leaving the block and heading to the small town of Borden we enjoyed the magnificent panorama of the Stirling Ranges as we went. Passing the Amelup Roadhouse we laughed after remembering how we had left a puddle of water under our chairs after seeking refuge from the rain, and having plastic bags over our feet to keep them warm when we cycled through there back in 2001.

Arriving in Borden we made our way to the sports oval and over lunch decided to stay the night along the oval boundary line in the free camp area.

13 January 2017

Our camp at Borden was a very quiet one and sleep was aided with a cool wind blowing to keep the temperature down. Heading up the hill we inspected Loui's lookout where we have camped before. Heading off to Katanning where fuel and alcohol were on the shopping list followed by the dump point and a fresh water top up.

With Katanning in the mirrors we made our way out to what turned out to be a very large salt lake at the base of some hills. Lake Queerarup was dry, the salt crunching under our feet as we tested exactly how dry the lake bed was. Despite the nice cool breeze blowing and the fact that we were the only people there, in the end we decided to hot foot it back to the coast to see if we could get a spot at Heron Point.

Arriving a few hours later we managed to get the last two spots (according to the caretaker) with the estuary just the other side of the bushes. Lots of people out crabbing, enjoying the sun, sea and spoils.

14 January 2017

Waking from a good sleep to a beautiful sunny day, we enjoyed breakfast under the awning and sat around relaxing with Kim and Carolyn before, going for a walk through the shallow waters of the estuary looking for, finding and being attacked by crabs.

Later on we had visitors. Our daughter Rosemary came for a drive to see us and then Alan and Kay came over, so we all sat under the awning and chatted over lunch. The afternoon was then taken up with more of the same.

15 January 2017

As we settled in last night there were a couple of hundred people out in the water catching crabs, their headlights bobbing around the place like alien spaceships over the water. Even with a limit of 10 crabs per person it is hard to fathom how their population can sustain itself when there is an onslaught like that. Crab season is open for 10 months a year and so it wouldn't take long for the numbers to dwindle if they are hunted down to often like that.

Waking around 3am there was still a huge amount of noise up at the carpark and in the water as people were still hunting crab, and then this morning they were all leaving and replaced by another lot.

And we had visitors again, this time it was Robert and Julie, fresh off the plane from Bali last night. They came down for breakfast and which we enjoyed under the awning. In the meantime, the campground, while filled to capacity yesterday, began to empty out and by lunchtime there was plenty of space available, even the tents opposite that ran their generator all day yesterday packed up and left.

16 January 2017

Leaving the camp this morning we made our way to Mandurah where we had the 5er booked in for its yearly service and for the warranty repair on the stove. We then spent some time checking a few things out and visiting Kim and Carolyn for a few hours.

Back at the Caravan Repair Centre we were told that the stove was worse than thought and an inspection of it showed various bits broken inside that caused the top to break. So, in the meantime Les, who is handling our case installed an almost new (never used but taken out of someone's new van when they opted for something else) for us to use while he deals with Dometic and our warranty claim. So the deal is that if Dometic agree to send a new one to replace the old we will go back and have that installed, if they don't, we are welcome to keep the temporary one for free. And, they washed and cleaned the 5er as part of the service (now I just have to wash the car). You cannot beat that service and commitment! Thank You Les and Mandurah Caravan Repair Centre.

House back in tow we left Mandurah and made our way to our son Michael's house where we will be for the rest of the week.

24 January 2017

Leaving town today we headed off towards Perth to check the location of our Sat Dish Installer and to check a few other places as well. Using the inbuilt sat nav was a great idea and we found the places very easily. Stopping in for a look at Gotyacovered seat covers (as seen on the 4wd show) we managed to get a great deal ($80 cheaper) on a set of rip stop denim covers for the front seats in the ute.

Using the sat nav again we made our way out of the city to a rest area on the old Toodyay Road at Gidgegannup, but not finding it to our liking we relented and came back into Perth, eventually stopping at the Perth Big4/Discovery Caravan Park. With all of the caravan parks over priced ($35-45 per night) we just put it down to convenience. On arrival we were asked if we wanted a discount and after joining as Discovery Park Members for free our tariff went from $43 down to $38.70, still over priced, but a small saving anyway.

Hooked up to every service we had, running the air con and having a number of showers we made sure we got our moneys worth before settling in for the night to the sound of aircraft movements at the nearby Perth Airport.

25 January 2016

Waking nice and early we packed up camp and headed off to Tony's Auto Electrical Factory in some 9km away in Bayswater. Reversing into the yard and starting on the sat dish install before the sun came up over the buildings.

We have chosen a Maxview Wind up Satellite dish which will replace our old dish that needed to be set up on a tripod outside. One of the reasons we chose this type and make was the cost, which at around half the cost of the cheapest automatic version suited our budget. Sure, it means we have to take some time to find the signal (just like on the old tripod version) but we think the savings are worth it, and we don't mind if the picture is not there straight away.

The Maxview is made in the UK and distributed by Sat Plus here in Australia. You can watch a video on its operation here.

Helping Tony was good as it meant we got exactly what we wanted, where we wanted, and knew exactly how the unit was installed. The install went very well. With about six measures and cutting only once and a few hours we had a wok on the roof, even leaving room for future solar panel expansion should we decide to do so.

Sat Dish Stowed

Stowed for travel. Placed on a slight angle it allows us to keep the Wineguard TV and additional phone aerial in place.

Sat Dish Up

Placed just in front of the hatch means that we can still get up on the roof, we can easily turn the LNB to suit our location around Australia, and and the hatch helps deflect the wind past it as we drive. It also means the control mechanism is located inside in a good position.

Sat Dish Winder 1 Sat Dish Winder 2

The position of the winding mechanism means it is easy to get to and is near the TV and VAST Box.

Left: In the stowed position, Right: Winder down for use, and small window showing the dish elevation angle.

Being stuck down the small lane at the complex meant we had to wait for the workers in the adjacent panel shops to put their work away and to leave, but once that was done we moved out into the carpark proper and set up the TV. We also plugged into the power and stayed the night in the yard to allow the sikaflex and other waterproofing to dry overnight.

26 January 2017

Waking to a warm morning and another hot day we packed up, unlocked the gate and left Tony's yard. Navigating our way through town we made our way to Bindoon where we took up a spot in the small camp site the town has provided. We figured that $20 for power, water, grey water drain, dump point and nearby toilets and shower was a good deal though the large plumes of smoke from a nearby bush fire over the hill were a bit of a worry.

We set up camp near one of the fire hoses with an evacuation plan in mind just in case, settling in to enjoy the air conditioning rather than the heat outside. Typically, where the camp is located there is a row of trees and beyond that a large hill so that meant we couldn't use the wok for tv, and the normal aerial didn't work either! We did consider moving to see if we could get a signal but figured we were not going to miss anything and couldn't be bothered mucking around, so started on a few odd jobs to pass the time.

So the plan at this stage is a short trip North while we wait for the new stove to arrive sometime next week and then, once it is installed we will head off towards Queensland, either through the middle (if the rain ever stops) or via the Nullarbor again and the East Coast. Of course all of that could change if we pick up some work along the way, but it is a plan and a plan is only the basis for change.

27 January 2017

Being the only campers in last night meant that we had a very quiet night, and we didn't even get any smoke from the nearby fire. Packing up this morning we headed off towards Toodyay, passing the fire crews as they held their morning briefing in the bush alongside the road.

A short while later we were in Toodyay where Joanne enjoyed a walk around the main street, something she has been wanting to do here for sometime. Walk over we topped up with fuel, left town and headed North.

With the sun beating down and the temperature rising we were grateful for the climate control in the car. Stopping in Bolgart we checked out the cheap campsite in town, but it was a bit tight and small so continued on, eventually arriving in Yerecoin where we found the Wayside Rest Area Camping spot at the sports and recreation centre.

The camping area is fairly large with two power mushrooms on opposite sides of the toilet/shower block (no permanent water connections but there is a tap nearby that could be used to top up the tanks). Being the only ones here we selected the best spot where the shade would come over us in the afternoon, plugged in and set up.

Yerecoin

Our set up near the tennis courts, playground, rotunda and toilet/shower block.

Setting up also meant trying the sat dish again, which we are happy to report was very easy and quick thanks to no trees in the way (unlike last night). So as the temperature rose to around 40 degrees we sat inside in the aircon, researched a few other campsites, taking note of the changes to the camps along the coast, watched some TV and generally did nothing. We were going to put the new seat covers on in the ute but it was way too hot outside, so maybe that is a job for early tomorrow morning.

28 January 2017

Yesterdays heat was a stinker and today was going to be a repeat. We decided to leave and to head off to Dandaragan to try the small camp spot there.

We enjoyed the air conditioning and the drive as the day began to heat up. The drive was nothing too special to write about and before long we arrived in the small town of Dandaragan. Pulling into the recreation reserve we found only one other rig in and the choice of five other camp spots, complete with concrete slab. Selecting the spot at the top and nearest the toilet block we settled in, enjoying the air conditioning and watching tv.

At $20 a night or $100 for the week, the Dandaragan camp is a pretty good one. The toilet and shower block is however, shared with passing traffic and so can be a little messy, but the showers are hot and plentiful and the whole place is a short walk to town.

Later in the day the weather changed and the rain came in, cooling the place down and giving the rig a shower. The rain then stayed for the next few days.

31 January 2017

Having had enough of the rain we decided to move North to find some sunshine. Heading into town we paid the bill and then headed off North and straight into a large rain squall.

Taking the Badgingarra Road we passed through Badgingarra and with some more pleasant back roads eventually arrived in Jurien as the skies darkened off the coast in dramatic fashion. Stopping for fuel ($1.439 c/l) we topped up, visited the bakery and then headed off North again to Cliff Head. The further North we went the better the weather, the sun and blue sky peaking out from the clouds more and more.

Driving along the Indian Ocean Drive we made our way through Lehman (where fuel was $129.9 c/l) and Green Head, all the while were passing close to the ocean and the various areas fisherman's shacks that dot the coastline. Numerous sandy tracks leave the road and head off through the bush to favourite fishing spots, but all of them have No Camping signs at the start of them.

Pulling into Cliff Head South we took the short limestone drive down past the shacks to the camping area which has recently had an upgrade including new toilet blocks and a nice undercover seating area. With nobody in we had the place to ourselves so had the pick of the sites, most of which are set back away from the beach.

Leaving Cliff Head South we made our way to Cliff Head North where we have camped before, missing Cliff Head itself along the way courtesy of going back to the main road. On arrival we were again pleasantly surprised at only one other camper in sight.

Joanne went for a walk while I let some air out of the tyres ready for the sandy track. Joanne arrived and said there was a great spot along the track past the other campers and so after selecting 4wd we made our way along the track, maintaining enough momentum to get through the soft patches until we arrived at the site she had selected.

Setting up camp and disconnecting the ute was hot sweaty work in the muggy conditions but atleast there was sunshine, albeit through the cloud left over from the rain.

Cliff Head Camp

40 steps to the water from our mat is not a bad spot to have.

Later in the day as the cooling Southerly wind did it's job we fitted our new seat covers into the car, before settling in again to enjoy the view and with the hope of a good sunset photo.

Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.