JOURNAL 2001

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January 7th 2001 (Sunday)

Whole day written off after I over did it with a bottle of single malt scotch last night. Very very sick all day. Apart from throwing up into the porta potty I only got out of bed after 3pm. Haven't done this to myself in a long time - what a dill.

January 14th 2001 (Sunday)

Weather very hot over the past two days, yesterday 43C and today round 40C, lots of money going on air-conditioning. Haven't been this hot since we were in Halls Creek.

January 25th 2001 (Thursday)

Time has been passing without much to comment on, but today we finally got some rain after a record breaking stretch of hot weather. It has cooled off just in time as we are heading off into Victoria tomorrow and making our way down to see the area along the Great Ocean Road.

January 26th 2001 (Friday)

Finally a chance to get away for a few days. We started out of Adelaide early, early enough in fact to experience thick fog right across the top of the Adelaide Hills as we drove down the Princess Highway. Once out of the hills the fog vanished and we drove south east to Murray Bridge and Talem Bend before turning towards the coast and The Coorong.

There aren't many major settlements along the coast but the first you reach is Meningie. This town appears to be set next to the sea but it is in fact Lake Albert - an offshoot of the much larger Lake Alexander, where the Murray River finally reaches the sea.

The next main settlement is Kingston S.E. (S.E. stands for south east and is used to differentiate this town from Knigston on Murray.) The only attraction I could see in this town was the giant crayfish which is a rather lifelike model. The rest of the town is a bit scruffy and the coastline is very exposed to the south westerly winds.

Only another 45km on down the coast is the much prettier town of Robe. Another 40 minute drive south is Beachport and both these towns look like very popular tourist destinations. From here we went inland to Millicent and then to Mt. Gambier where there are some extinct volcanos which have filled with water, one of which turns a bight cobalt blue during the summer months.

The last leg of this days journey was across the Victorian border to Portland where we booked in at the William Dutton Motor Inn. This is a very nicely done out motel but a little on the expensive side at $70 a night.

Portland is another attractive coastal town that boasts about the good fishing in the area. We had a very limited time table so couldn't put these claims to the test.

January 27th 2001 (Saturday)

From Portland we continued west to Port Fairy and then Warrnambool, which was less attractive but still had some nice areas along the coast. From here it was only a short drive down the coast to the start of the Great Ocean Road. As we drove south a huge bank of clouds began to move in from the sea and it was a race against time to get to some of the attractions and take some pictures before the clouds moved over. We made it to the first of the scenic pull-ins just minutes ahead of the clouds, but sadly the light had deteriorated badly by the time we finally reached the Twelve Apostles - which is probably the best of all the areas along the coast.

There are about ten main areas to see on this section of the road including Martyrs Bay, London Bridge (which has been broken for some time), Port Campbell, The Arch, Loch Ard Gorge and The Bay of Isles. I was impressed when I first saw the cliffs at Kalbarri but they are nothing compared to this section of coastline. This is one of the places I most wanted to see on this trip and I am very glad we made the effort to get out and see it.

As we were still on a time table we had to find somewhere to spend the night and we didn't want to go back to Adelaide the same way we came out. After checking the maps we decided to go back west past Warrnambool and then turn north and make for Hamilton. We arrived in the late afternoon and booked in to the. We found some motel style accommodation at The Gordon (check this) Hotel which at $61 a night with breakfast thrown in was good value.

I am hard pressed to understand why people live in places like Hamilton. It is a pleasant enough place but I can never see how anyone could stay there long term without going round the twist with boredom.

January 28th 2001 (Sunday)

Today we kept heading north, a route which took us through the mountain country of the Grampians. I had heard of this area but knew little about it. As you head north east from Hamilton towards Dunkeld, a huge line of hills suddenly emerge from the haze on the horizon and soon you go from flat arid plains to thick green bushland.

What a change it made to be driving not only through hilly terrain but also through beautiful bushland. Huge knobs of granite jut out from the tree line and high lookouts give you a chance to gaze down over blue lakes and what looks like impenetrable bush.

The small settlement of Halls Gap provides accommodation, supplies and fuel, which is just as well since the car battery failed after one of our frequent map check stops and we had to flag down a passing motorist to get a jump start.

Despite this minor hiccup, the day was very pleasant and the cool temperatures in the Grampians were most welcome to my (now) sunburned arms.

Our stop over point for this night was Bordertown where $66 got us a deluxe room at the Bordertown Budget Motel. As we were now back in South Australia we could stop adding half an hour to the time on our watches.

Bordertown isn't much to comment on, but then on this stretch of road it is far from being alone. We had dinner at the Bordertown Hotel but the steak was almost completely devoid of flavour, perhaps it was meant to go with the scenery.

January 29th 2001 (Monday)

The final day saw us pass more flat farmland and more bland uninteresting towns before we finally got to Hahndorf and decided to finish the trip on a high note by having lunch at the Old Mill Restaurant.

At about 1.30pm we pulled up at the bus and flaked out for the afternoon to catch up on some much needed rest.

Summary:

This was a very enjoyable trip. It goes without saying that the highlights were the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians but overall the drive was very easy and for the most part free of traffic. The weather was perfect with cloud cover the first day, then sunshine most of the time but very cool conditions for driving.

The only section of road to be wary of is the southern entrance to the Grampians along the Victoria Valley. Here it is single lane bitumen, but it really didn't last all that long and all other roads on this trip were very good.

As we were in the car, not the bus, we weren't looking for free campsites, but there are several good spots along the Coorong and some very good rest areas on Princess Highway. The southern route has fewer good overnight stop overs but with a bit of effort I am sure there are plenty of little hide-aways that can be found along the coast.

Robe, Beachport, Mt. Gambier, Portland, Port Fairy and Port Campbell would all make excellent holiday destinations and Halls Gap in the Grampians is the best place to explore the national park from. If we ever manage to get down this way with the bus I will certainly take more time to explore the coast. Unless I had a VERY good reason, I would tend to avoid the northern route, which is quite barren.

February 10th 2001 (Saturday)

We are starting to run out of new places to see close to the city but today we went in to have a look at the Adelaide Zoo. At $13 a head entry it's not cheap but then again they have a lot of animals to feed so it isn't all that bad either.

The Zoo is situated right next door to the botanic gardens and despite the fact that space is limited it is very nicely laid out. It is similar in some respects to Perth Zoo with natural looking surroundings instead of the awful old concrete enclosures that I remember seeing as a child.

The weather has been very hot but has started to cool off this weekend. Belle's birthday is coming up on Monday so tomorrow we are going in to the city for a seafood buffet at LeMirage.

February 11th 2001 (Sunday)

LeMirage is a fancy name for what basically is nothing but a Chinese Buffet restaurant. We were a little apprehensive when we saw what was on offer but after trying the food we found that appearances can be deceptive. The quality of the food and the different favours made it a very nice meal. A bottomless glass of cool drink for $2.20 and the fact that desert was included and desert included Gelati - my absolute favourite - made the $15.80 price tag seem not too bad.

Otherwise life continues much as normal. Work goes on and weekends come and go. Three more weeks will mark the halfway point of may contract and then I can start to count down to the time we are back on the road. I wonder if I will ever be able to settle in one place again?

February 23rd 2001 (Friday)

We are gradually trying to replace some of our old camping gear which is either rusting away or full of holes like our old tent. To that end we have purchased a new gas cooker (Horribly expensive at about $80 for a three burner model) and a new tent, which was reasonably cheap ($128) for a 4 man tent which we can stand up in.

As a practise run we (mostly I) put the tent up after work today and boy what an exercise that was. There are something like 13 guy lines and at least another 12 tent pegs holding the thing down. The instructions didn't have any diagrams but despite that we managed to put it all together over a period of about half an hour. Our old tent was bigger and it only took about 10 minutes to sort it all out.

No doubt we will get better with practise but it is never going to be easy or quick.

February 24th 2001 (Saturday)

Today turned out to be a day for spending money. A trip to Snowy's Outdoor Centre to look at buying a second table for camping turned into about $400 worth of purchases.

The camping table I was thinking about buying was one with a wash basin set in to it and was only $70, but when we had time to think about it there still wouldn't be enough room for the camping stove so eventually we settled for a Coleman table with an extension for the cooker. At $149 it is expensive but I am sure we will make good use of it. The other items were a self inflating queen size mattress (very expensive at $210) and a new picnic set with enamel plates, cups and stainless steel cutlery, the bargain of the day at only $27.

Even though we aren't planning a camping trip until Easter we were busy sorting everything out and packing everything up most of the afternoon.

March 1st 2001 (Thursday)

With summer officially over we are looking forward to some cooler weather. I have been feeling particularly run down over the past few weeks and have resorted to taking sleeping pills to get a good night's sleep.

Belle is chasing work at Gribbles Laboratories and is going in today to have a look around. The work will be in the evenings so we won't see as much of each other but at least we won't have any problems with only having one car and it will only be for three months anyway. The extra money will come in handy as we start to plan the trip to Phuket.

In the afternoon we went to have a look at the Adelaide Caravan, Camping and Off Road show. The entry fee of $10 was a bit on the steep side but to add insult to injury they tried to charge us another $4 just to park the car. We drove out again and parked across the street.

The show was mostly concerned with caravans, campers and motorhomes but there was a very good tourism information section and we even got to meet Mal Leyland, one of the original 'travel around Austtralia' buffs who we view with some esteem.

I managed to pick up two back issues of the magazine Leyland's Australia. This quarterly magazine is excellent. I don't think I have ever seen better photography and each issue seems to include articles on every state. Anyone who loves this country and doesn't subscribe to this magazine is missing a real treat.

When I originally saw the price of the magazine in the newsagents ($9.80) I was put off, but once I picked it up and had a look inside I couldn't resist buying it. These are beautifully presented magazines with interesting articles and superb photos of this country.

If this magazine isn't available at your local newsagent then you can order direct by writing to:

Leyland & Leyland, PO Box 51, Tully, Qld. 4854.

and no, I don't get anything for advertising this magazine, I believe it is so good that I freely recommend it to anyone who loves Australia.

I also managed to find a flat water hose for the bus so we can finally get rid of the ordinary garden hose we have been using for the last three years. (Word is that garden hose plastic MAY be carcinogenic.) The flat hose comes from New Zealand and cost $55, sounds expensive until you realise that the normal blue drinking hose that most caravans have costs about $80 for the same length and you have to buy attachments on top of that. The flat hose also rolls up on its own winding device and can easily be stored when it is time to move on. The blue hose is just like ordinary garden hose and is a real pain to roll up and store.

March 3rd 2001 (Saturday)

For some time now we've been waiting for the weather and the tides to be right in order to go crabbing. Today we finally got our chance. In W.A. when we go crabbing without a boat we just take a scoop net and a bucket, drive down to Mandurah and wade out a few yards and pick the ones we want. In 20 minutes we can fill a bucket. Things are a little different here in S.A.

1)Drive 80km up the coast to a remote beach.

2)Walk 3 kilometres out to where the sea was last seen

3)Wade through sticky mud and weed up to your knees

4)Look around hopefully for any sign of crabs

5)Get cooked by the sun

6)Walk 3 kilometres back to land without being encumbered by any crabs.

This isn't crabbing, this is some kind of sado-masochistic torture.

March 9th 2001 (Friday)

After 14 weeks working I have managed to amass the huge sum of $1100 in the bank! Hardly seems worth it! At $40 an hour I am in the top tax bracket and paying $435 a week in tax. More tax a week than we used to get on the dole but we still aren't getting ahead. Something is sadly wrong when you make nearly $1400 a week and the bank balance still won't come up.

Some of it is our fault, we spent $400+ on camping gear, but our old stuff was all worn out and it was a one off purchase but it is the house at home that is really draining our money away. Mortgage, rates, pest control and general maintenance is running to over $10,000 a year and that makes life VERY difficult. Add $9,000 in tax for the six months I am working plus caravan park fees, insurance and living expenses and there is precious little left over.

After Belle got so ill last year I wanted to take her to Phuket as a treat, sadly that is looking more and more remote, especially since the dollar has plummeted and the trip would cost $3000 plus - we just won't have the money.

The weather is still hot (36C today) and time is starting to drag out. I have 12 weeks left to run on my contract then we have to work out what we can afford to do. Most of the things I want to have done to the bus haven't been done for lack of funds so to say we are starting to feel is bit low is putting it mildly. We need something to give us a lift in the next few weeks.

March 15th 2001 (Thursday)

The first part of the contract work is now complete so I'm having a couple of days off to relax before the second and final part of the work begins. The weather is still looking good so instead of wasting time and hanging around the bus all week end we are packing up the camping gear and heading down to Rapid Bay to do some fishing from the jetty.

March 16th 2001 (Friday)

After getting to Rapid Bay and having some problems getting the tent up - due mostly to hard ground and soft tent pegs we wandered out to the jetty and did some squidding. We only caught two but they were a reasonable size but when we cooked them they weren't all that tasty. By evening dark clouds began to roll in (why does this happen when we go away?) and by nightfall it looked as if we were in for a rough night.

Around 4am the wind really picked up and the tent which had been upright until then suddenly fell over on top of us. In the howling gale that had come up I had to go outside and put more guy lines on and re-stand the tent.

By first light the wind and rain had continued to get worse so by mid-morning I had had enough and in pelting rain we (well really I) packed up and headed back to Adelaide. (Belle ran off and sat in the car watching me get soaked.)

March 18th 2001 (Sunday)

Today seems to be market day all over Adelaide and we went off the Gepps Cross to stock up on fresh produce. As there is another market just north of Gepps Cross (Adelaide Produce Market) we went on there as well.

March 27th 2001 (Tuesday)

Time is starting to drag out too much now. With only 9 and a half weeks of my contract left to run everything seems to be going by SO SLOWLY. The weather has turned pretty lousy with lots of rain and cold mornings. At least the stupid daylight savings time has gone now so we are getting up an hour later in the morning.

We still have quite a few things to do and see before we head off. I want to go round the York Peninsular, visit the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills and have a look round the wineries at McLaren Vale. We went up to the Barossa again on the weekend but only to take pictures. The wines up there are so over priced we came back to the city and bought a couple of bottles at the local hotel.

Our plans for June now involve going back to Perth via Port Lincoln, Esperance and Kalgoorlie and then a quick stop off at home before heading north to find a good fishing spot on the coast to wait out winter. Then it will probably be back to Perth to work for a while and save up some money for doing a partial refit to the bus. After that, well we'll just wait and see.

March 31st 2001 (Saturday)

Another drive up into the Adelaide hills today took us out to Birdwood and the National Motor Museum.

Although located quite a long way from the city, this museum is one of the best we have seen on our travels. Surrounded by gardens and including the Old Mill Museum it is very good value.

There are so many different types of vehicles here that I can't even begin to list them but probably some of the most famous are Peter Brock's racing cars (4 in all) and a reconstructed truck originally used in the Adelaide to Birdsville postal run and driven by Tom Cruise - no not the Hollywood actor, but never-the-less a film star in his own right appearing as himself in an early Australian movie and more recently being part of the documentary made for the ABC about the mail run, the film and the reconstruction of this wonderful old truck.

On the way back to Adelaide we stopped off at Woodside and Melba's Chocolate Factory. This is not just a tourist attraction but a working factory where you can see all the confectionery being created.

Unlike the rip-off joints we went to in Queensland (where they are only interested in Japanese tourists anyway) this place had very reasonable prices and as a result we ended up with a couple of kilos of goodies to take home. Located in the same complex is a good arts and crafts shop, a cheese factory where you get to sample the cheeses (Thursday-Sunday) and a dried fruit shop. All in all a good spot to visit up in the Adelaide Hills. You can easily combine the National Motor Museum and Melba's in a day's drive.

April 5th 2001 (Thursday)

Work ran out of steam again today so I was home by about 10.30am. As my trusty old Pentax 105r camera finally packed up last weekend I went out shopping for a new camera and came home with a Pentax MZ50 SLR with a 28-80 lens. At $499 it was a bit more than I had wanted to pay but it does now give me the advantage of being able to fit bigger zoom lenses than the old 105r. The old camera can still see some use as it is working at zoom rates of 90-105 but below that it loses focus.

With a trip the Yorke Peninsular looming next week (Easter) I definitely had to have a stills camera so there goes most of the money I managed to put in the bank last month.

April 13th 2001 (Friday)

Easter was our last chance to do a bit of extended exploring in South Australia before starting the long haul back to Perth in just over seven weeks time. We decided on the going down the Yorke Peninsular and staying at the Innes national Park right on the tip.

To be honest most of the peninsula is bleak windswept farmland with nothing special going for it but the area encompassed by the National Park is most spectacular.

Camping costs $6 per vehicle per night and there are seven campsites through out the park. The main campsite at Pondalowie is the largest and cost more than the others ($15 a night per vehicle) but for the extra money you get hot showers (well if the solar system keeps up with demand) and flushing toilets - but don't count n lights at night. There are 75 sites here and they are all quite large. I would think even big rigs would have no problems finding a suitable spot here. The sealed road ends at Pondalowie and heads on to bush campsites at Surfers, Shell Beach and Browns Beach.

Surfers is a small crowded site without much room to move, as is Browns' Beach but we were told that Shell beach was the best small campsite and was very quiet, so that was the one we opted for. It only took one group of noisy pigs with car stereos to dispel the 'Quiet campsite' myth. The first night when the noise continued past midnight I finally got fed up and told them to shut up, which eventually they did. I cannot understand why people have to make so much noise in lovely quiet locations and ruin things for everyone else. There are a total of 8 campsites at Shell Beach and 5 were happy to sit back and enjoy the peace of the bust, one group of 3 couples who occupied the other three campsites made it their business to ruin the peace and quiet for everyone else.

We spent out first morning exploring the park and found some very pretty coastline and some historic ruins at Inneston which once produced chalk. The settlement was set next to a small lake and is a great place to photograph and look for wildlife. There are even a couple of buildings you can hire and stay in but I have no idea of rates. There are a number of buildings around the park that can be hired out but the pick of them all is at Dolphin Beach.

After complaining about the late night noise at Shell Beach to the Ranger our second night was still heading the way of the first so we gave up on trying to get any sleep at the campsite and took our sleeping bags up in to the sand dunes near the beach and had an uninterrupted nights sleep. We even had an unexpected bonus as the air temperature at the beach was 4-5 degrees warmer than the freezing air at the campsite.

April 14th 2001 (Saturday)

We decided that life at Shell Beach wasn't going to get any quieter and packed up the tent. Before leaving the park we left a written complaint at the office and are now awaiting the return of our camping fees. Why National Parks can't provide some small camp grounds with a curfew at 10.30pm and a complete ban on radios is a mystery. Surely we have just as much right to have a nice peaceful spot at the yobbos seem to have to make as much noise as they want.

Leaving early was a pity as the park is one of the most enjoyable scenic attractions on the peninsula. For anyone wishing to visit the park my advice would be to do so out of holiday season and you will love the place. There is a small fishing village which operates from September to May at Pondalowie Bay and a walk down the centre of 'town' at night is a treat for anyone who wants to see a small settlement as close to a pioneering town as you will see today.

Other areas to visit include the ruins at Inneston, Cable Bay, The Gap, Ethel Beach (very little sign remains of the wreck of the Ethel), Dolphin Beach and Shell Beach. There are a number of walks in the park and information on them can be obtained from the Ranger's Station as you enter the park at Stenhouse Bay.

As we still had some time left we turned north when we got back to Highway One and headed for Pirie. There was the chance that Belle may have been able to catch up with her brother Mike again (which as things turned out didn't happen) and we knew of a campsite at Telowie 13km north of Pirie. The campsite isn't much but it is situated on the beach and we spent the rest of our time relaxing here before packing up and heading back to Adelaide.

May 5th 2001 (Saturday)

Only 4 weeks to go before my contract finishes and we can get on with the trip across the Nullabor. We hope to stop in Pirie briefly and take the car up to Wilpena Pound then come back and head down to Prot Lincoln to catch up with Blue and Skeeta. With a little luck we will then head up to the Nullabor and across to Balladonia and catch up with my good friend Dave (who happens to be known as Max out there). Then its on to Norseman and south to Esperance for a quick look round before going back north to Kalgoorlie. All this will probably take a couple of weeks and then is will be back to Perth for a brief stop before running north along the coast to hide up in the warm north west until Perth's cold winter gives way to spring.

Work is really dragging out at the moment and it doesn't help that I am getting research jobs instead of proper programming work, but we need the money so I just have to stick at it for these last few weeks.

We are looking for final places to visit round Adelaide before we go and today we discovered a real beauty at Morialta Conservation Park. The park is north east of the city and there are some lovely walking trails and several water falls. We made our way along the easy track to First Falls and stopped off to look at Giant's Cave. The canyon near the falls reminded me of some of the gorges we have seen up north but the falls weren't all that big.

May 13th 2001 (Sunday)

Time drags on as we near the end of our stay in Adelaide. With little left to do now but prepare the bus even the weekends seem to be passing with un-natural slowness. A quick test of the generator yesterday confirmed that even after six months of inactivity it is still working well. I'll replace the spark plug anyway but hopefully it will keep up with our power needs as we head west.

May 20th 2001 (Sunday)

Another week closer to getting back on the road and now we are starting preparations in earnest. The bus is booked in for servicing on the 4th of June and with luck we should be away the same day. We scouted the area where the workshop is yesterday and found a spot to sit over Sunday night which is only just round the corner. The reason we do this is to avoid fighting our way through rush hour traffic on Monday morning.

Hopefully we will have most things packed away this weekend and have next weekend to finish getting spare parts and do any final checks around the bus.

May 27th 2001 (Sunday)

Our last full Sunday in the caravan park and we have already made one small move. We are now down in the tourist area as our 'charming' neighbours in the long term section have started playing up again and kept us awake last night until 12:45. We have complained about their selfish behaviour before with no results so to avoid any further conflict (which was rapidly approaching as my patience had almost run out) we have moved the bus to another site.

We were hoping that the TV reception might be better at the new site but if anything it is worse. Considering that this is supposed to be a 4 star park, the owners have done nothing to make sure that people can watch TV. We are lucky to get one channel clearly.

That combined with the lack of effort by the park owners to deal with our ex-neighbours and make sure we weren't constantly kept awake late at night has really down graded my opinion of Brownhill Creek Caravan Park. The park itself is really lovely but if management isn't prepared to step in and resolve problems then I can't advise other travellers to stay here. (Management has since changed in this park)

I am not looking forward to the last week at work as I feel I have pretty much been 'hung out to dry' and sidelined from the main focus that I was employed to work on. The tasks I am being given are boring, thankless dead-ends and very demoralising. Still there are only 5 days left and the money I get paid is still the same so I'll just have to put up with it.

After lots of running around each weekend we are getting close to having everything ready but there are still some outstanding items to buy and orders to pick up next Saturday. With luck we will have everything in place in time to move out on Sunday morning.

June 2nd 2001 (Saturday)

Well we are almost at the end of our time in Adelaide and are now just waiting for Monday so the bus can be serviced and we can be on our way.

I spent yesterday putting new lights on the back of the bus and doing some re-wiring but I still have some electrical problems that still plague the bus. They won't stop us from moving on but they are a big nuisance. The last week has also been busy catching up with the friends we have made here and saying our final goodbyes. Its amazing how few friends we had in Perth after living there all that time and how many good friends we have made while travelling.

Adelaide has been a great place to stay and even if we never come back this way it will remain one our favourite memories of this trip. It still retains some of the old world dignity and courtesy that has long been lost in the other Australian cities. In general the drivers on the roads are the best we have come across in Australia, most showing lots of patience and courtesy. The only minor faults are the tendency of some to 'go to sleep' at traffic lights and not notice green filters when they come on and an inability to turn left without almost stopping first. Compared to places like Perth and Brisbane these are eminently forgivable faults.

I will miss our weekend drives up in to the Adelaide hills and our Sundays at one or other of the terrific markets around the city. I will miss the lack of traffic on the roads compared with other cities and I will miss Adelaide's beautifully kept historic buildings. Long may the city stay as it is and I urge South Australians not to follow the path of modernisation which has led to the destruction of almost every heritage building in Perth.

June 3rd 2001 (Sunday)

We moved out of Brownhill Creek about mid-morning and made our way through the surprisingly heavy traffic to a fuel station on South Road that was large enough to handle the bus. After filling both main fuel tanks and all the Jerry cans (at a cost of $164.08 we moved on to a large parking lot we had scouted out earlier which was close to the workshop we were booked in to on Monday morning.

June 4th 2001 (Monday)

Due to very heavy traffic we were awake quite early but still had to wait until nearly 9am to take the bus down to the gas service workshop. The gas service only cost $35 (what a relief) but there are still a couple of other jobs that need doing including the flange gasket and carbi float level. These will get done when we get to Port Pirie.

After what seemed like a very long drive we arrived in Pirie about 3.15pm and just managed to get the bus into Mike and Helen's back yard after taking the car and trailer off. Belle cooked dinner for the three of us. Wayne and Bev turned up in the evening and had a squiz at the bus before I collapsed into an exhausted heap around 10pm. After not driving the bus for the last 6 months it is taking some getting used to again.

June 5th 2001 (Tuesday)

We have found a local repairer (Kent's Bus Service) who can fix the remaining problems with the bus and with luck we will be back on the road sometime tomorrow. We enjoyed the day relaxing at Mike and Helen's and stayed up late again watching movies - although we were outdone yet again as Wayne, Bev and Helen stayed up until about 2am while Belle and I collapsed just after 11pm.

June 6th 2001 (Wednesday)

The bus went in around 9am and wasn't ready until mid afternoon. The repairs cost $252.10 and involved replacing the jet in the carbi which had collapsed. Hopefully the fuel economy will improve a bit from now on. As there wasn't much time left for driving we only made it a few kilometres past Port Germain before pulling off the main highway and driving in to the Baroota Rodeo grounds where camping is available all year for the very reasonable sum of $5 per vehicle.

The grounds are on private property set back away from the noise of the highway and have toilets, cold showers and shelters available. At this time of year it is best to check on the condition of the ground as you go in but even with our heavy rig there wasn't a problem. In the warmer weather this would be a top spot to spend a night or two.

Big rigs should detach the bush gate next to he main gate if they think they will have trouble getting in as the main gate may be a little narrow.

June 7th 2001 (Thursday)

The weather has really closed in now and we have been driving all day in high wind and rain. With no reason to stop in Port Augusta now we moved on to Whyalla to have a look at the Corvette which was dragged from the sea and now sits by the side of the main road in to town. The entrance fee of $6.60 wasn't too high and apart from a tour of the ship (which in itself is probably worth the entrance fee) there is also a maritime museum to wander through.

There were no good refuelling stops in Whyalla so we pushed on to Cowell and then just kept on rolling until about 4pm when we stopped for the night at a big rest area 25km north of Tumby Bay.

June 8th 2001 (Friday)

After a brief stop at the very pretty little town of Tumby Bay we pressed on to Lincoln. There are a number of good rest areas right on the coast between North Shields and Lincoln but I can't comment on the attitude of local authorities to anyone wishing to use them for overnight stops.

We drove on through town to the caravan park at Kirton Point. Although the view may be wonderful you will be VERY hard pressed to find a level site at this park. Other than that and the fact that they use commercial size taps instead of domestic ones it is a pleasant place and the sites are all drive through.

Blue and Skeeta came down to say 'Hi' and invited us to their home for dinner. We spent the better part of the day with them and enjoyed a terrific meal. There aren't many people who I think can cook as well as Belle can but Skeeta s certainly among those who can.

June 12th 2001 (Tuesday)

Yesterday despite the wet weather we went across the peninsula to Coffin Bay. If we ever manage to come back this way I would like to spend some time fishing around there as it looked very promising. We also went back up the east side to Louth Bay to have a quick look at the free campsite located there. (For details see the camping guide).

Today we have to arrange to have the replacement water pump put in to the bus but I don't expect to get it done until later in the week.

June 13th 2001 (Wednesday)

The bus went in to the workshop before 8am and was there until 1.30pm. All that time wasn't worth while as when I checked the coolant level when we stopped for the night we had lost over 6 litres. Lincoln Auto Service charged us $136.40 for the work and the problem with loss of coolant is now far worse than it was before they got their hands on it. Needless to say I won't be recommending them to anyone else.

The stop over for today was at a roadside rest area 93km south of Elliston. It is a nice little spot with some trees and table and set back a little way from the road. We had a very quiet night with little if any traffic passing.

June 14th 2001 (Thursday)

Starting the bus this morning was a bit of a problem as the starter didn't want to turn the engine over properly. After a few attempts it did get going but it is yet another worry as we face the haul across the Nullarbor.

After a short run up the coast past Elliston we stopped overnight at a terrific little campsite on the beach at Walkers Rocks. It is 3km off the main highway but the road in was in very good condition. At $5 a night it is good value as there is water, a shower and toilets. When the fish are running this would be one of the best campsites on the coast.

June 15th 2001 (Friday)

The bus didn't want to start AGAIN today but finally did after a couple of attempts. We had a quick look at Venus Bay which would be another top fishing spot in season but then went on the Streaky Bay where we will spend the next couple of nights. We caught up with David Robinson and his better half Heather (his bus Bedford Motel is on the web site in our MY BUS section) and were very impressed with the interior design of his 1968 bus. It is the same size as ours but the design includes a shower/toilet/laundry area at the rear and plenty of sitting room in the living area.

Out trailer is showing signs of damage on the draw bar welds so we have dropped it off at a local repairer to have some extra plates welded across the cracks that have started to appear.

Streaky bay has an odd assortment of television stations with the ABC broadcast coming from Adelaide, Channel 7 coming from Queensland and Imparja (Channel 9) coming from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

The caravan park here is one of the most expensive we have been in at $20 a night and the tap water here is to be avoided at all costs. We found out (too late) that it has an unpleasant salty taste so it is best to fill your drinking water tanks from the rain water tank near the toilet block.

June 16th 2001 (Saturday)

Today was spent mostly touring the area around Streaky Bay including Hallys Beach and Back Beach which are a few kilometres away by reasonable dirt road. We also went north along the coast to Perlubie Beach (a reasonable campsite with toilets and shower) about 20km along the coast and then to Haslam another 20km north.

Haslam is one of the best campsites on the coast with flush toilets, shelter, seats and power all for only $5 per night. (Maximum stay 14 nights). There was also a jetty which we tried squidding from without any success. Had we known about Haslam prior to reaching Streaky Bay I think we would have stayed there 3 nights instead of the expensive caravan park we ended up in.

June 17th 2001 (Sunday)

After picking up the trailer (the welding only cost $25) we hooked up and headed for Haslam with the bus. There were no visitors here yesterday but today there are two caravans and another bus. Finally we had a chance to catch up with some other travellers and quiz them about conditions and campsites on our intended route.

After only a short time we had acquainted ourselves with the other travellers and discovered two new campsites at Cactus Beach and Fowlers Bay. Both are a bit off the main highway via dirt roads but apparently Cactus Beach is easy to get to.

June 18th 2001 (Monday)

After leaving Haslam quite early we went on through Ceduna and then foolishly made the decision to turn off from Penong and have a look at Cactus Beach. The road in had been described to us as very good with no potholes, but at least half the 21kms was rough going. Cactus Beach is on private property and the charge for camping is $6.60 per person per night. This is just profiteering so after a quick cast off the beach hoping for a passing salmon we turned round (not easy in this campsite) and headed back down the 21km dirt track back to the highway.

There are NO facilities at Cactus Beach and the lack of signage makes it hard to find as there are lots of different tracks in the area. Having seen the place I would now not advise big rigs to go down to the beach.

We found a good rest stop not too far along the highway where we spent the night.

June 19th 2001 (Tuesday)

After Yalata Roadhouse (no autogas) the highway really flattens out and a few kilometres on there is a turn off the Head of the Bight. Entry fee is $8 per head but we couldn't miss the opportunity to have a look at the whales since we were passing at the right time of the year.

We weren't disappointed with several southern right whales frolicking in the waters of the blue bay. We sat for some time filming and watching for most of the afternoon before finally heading back to the highway. We continued on towards the Nullarbor Roadhouse and stopped at a large truck stop within sight of the roadhouse's lights for the night.

June 20th 2001 (Wednesday)

Today was all about driving so we set to it early and just kept on going. We gained and hour and a half as we crossed the border into W.A. and settled down for the night at a large shady rest area 104km east of Madura.

We are taking longer than expected on this leg of the journey but with the bus dropping coolant and us having to stop every 50km or so it isn't all that surprising. We hope to get somewhere near Caiguna tomorrow and then hopefully catch up with my fiend Dave at Balladonia the next day.

June 21st 2001 (Thursday)

On, and on, and on we go. The drive today took us up the Madura pass, which in itself wouldn't have been too bad if they had had the sense to locate the petrol station at either the top or the bottom of the hill, but NO! they put it part way up so you lose all momentum and have to go back down to the station and then start the steepest part of the climb with no speed at all. I don't know what dill put the roadhouse where it is but they obviously didn't drive a heavy underpowered vehicle.

As it turned out we reached the top ok without resorting to the crawler gear and then went on past Cocklebiddy and Caiguna and are now resting at a big rest area about 145km from Balladonia.

I am hoping to find that Dave is at Balladonia tomorrow but if he isn't then we will press on to Norseman.

June 22nd 2001 (Friday)

We arrived in Balladonia on schedule and managed to catch up with Dave who we hadn't seen for nearly 4 years. As he still had to work we decided not to stay overnight and pushed on to a good rest area about 30km up the road. We have been struggling to get through the long evenings so tonight we built a good campfire and sat out until well after dark enjoying the warmth.

June 23rd 2001 (Saturday)

Despite some worse than usual problems with the cooling system in the bus I have managed to rig up a big tank (my old beer fermenter actually) which joins up to the overflow pipe of the radiator. This forces water down into the radiator when the air isn't bubbling out and thankfully we managed to keep going much longer than usual. We are now in a large rest area 2km south of the Kambalda turn off and only 80km from Kalgoorlie.

Finally we have managed to catch up with some other travellers as Jack and Margaret pulled in with their caravan after noticing our bus parked in the rest area. We have just spent a most enjoyable evening chatting about all sorts of things. They are on their way back to Melbourne after spending some time up in Broome - Half their luck.

We have more or less decided not to press on to Cleaverville this year but to take an overseas trip instead. There are all sorts of reasons for this change of plans but the main one is the bus cooling system problems that have plagued us since Port Lincoln.

June 24th 2001 (Sunday)

We arrived in Kalgoorlie in the early morning and have booked in to Prospector Caravan park for 2 nights ($20 per night.) and almost immediately rushed off to have a look around. Being back in W.A. means almost nothing open on a Sunday so we did the good tourist bit and went off to see Hannans North Tourist Mine. At $16.50 it is quite expensive but it includes an underground tour, gold panning and gold pouring as well as having some interesting mining exhibits to wander around. It took a couple of hours to have a good look around and then we went off to the Super Pit Lookout. The size of the pit can't really be put into words, it is probably fair to say that it is a man made imitation of the Grand Canyon - although admittedly not anywhere near as long.

We will have a good look round Kalgoorlie today and even have a meal at one of the local pubs at dinner time then I hope to get out and explore some of the old ghost towns north of here tomorrow.

June 25th 2001 (Monday)

Our itinerary today included a visit to the Boulder War Museum (entry by donation) which although small was very interesting and included a small collection of vehicles. The we went over the Kalgoorlie to see the Goldfields Museum (entry again by a suggested donation of $2) which was bigger than the War Museum and included a good lookout from the huge head frame which dominates the northern end of Hannan Street.

In the afternoon we decided to go and have a look at the 'ghost town' of Kanowna. Why the inverted commas? There is no ghost town. After a 20km drive out of town all you see is a series of signs which tell you where the building once stood. No foundations, no bricks, no corrugated iron, nothing, nada, zip remains of the actual town itself. To think they charge tourists to take organised tours to this travesty of an attraction. We were quite speechless and very glad the only money we spent was on the petrol getting out there. Calling it a ghost town is the single biggest con I have ever come across.

June 26th 2001 (Tuesday)

We were all packed up and ready for the final leg of our journey when, during the regular check I do each time we set off I found the radiator had completely emptied of coolant. As this was the first time this had happened we took the bus in to a radiator specialist who confirmed that the head gasket had gone and that coolant was leaking out. For whatever reason the coolant and oil were not mixing and the leak was external so in an attempt to fix the problem we put in some leak fixing solution. The cost of all this was $80.

We left the radiator and headed out of town and almost immediately had more problems. While running on gas the bus would loose power and then start up again so whenever I put the accelerator down it would start to jerk along the road. We pulled over and had a look at the engine and it was then I heard the sound of escaping gas. By now all we wanted to do was get home and were not prepared to sit another night in a workshop. The bus was still running on petrol but we couldn't take the chance of breaking down miles from anywhere so arranged for a transporter to take the bus back to Perth. This cost $660 for 570 kilometres which considering some of the other tows we have had in the past was quite cheap.

We hooked the trailer up to the car and took off mid afternoon trying to get as far as we could. We reached Kellerberrin before stopping the night in a motel where we had dinner $101 all up.

June 27th 2001 (Wednesday)

We left Kellerberrin early and reached Welshpool at about 10.30am and after parting with our money we picked up the bus and took it on the final few kilometres home.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking and looking at the damage done to our house by my niece and her boyfriend. We also found that all our storage boxes had opened and the contents removed. Items we had paced up together have been moved around so that it is difficult to locate anything. There are a lot of items missing and we are now in the process of compiling a list to give to the police.

It was heartbreaking to come home to find things like this.

June 28th 2001 (Thursday)

It is finally beginning to sink in that the trip is finally over. We have enough left in the bank to enable us to take our time before looking for work but I have already been contacted about a 3 month contract so my be working again sooner than I anticipated.

Hopefully we will be able to fix the bus up over winter and have her available again for a few short trips once the rainy weather starts to clear. We are a bit disappointed about not making it to Cleaverville but then there is always next year.

CONCLUSION

As a way of trying to assist others make up their minds about how to travel I have decided to ask myself a series of questions that I think others contemplating a trip round Australia may need answers to.

Q. What was the single hardest thing to do in preparing for the trip?

A. Basically the hardest thing to do was to make up our minds to do it. Once we had managed to get over the fear of giving up our jobs and taking on an uncertain future, everything else was just a matter of planning and hard work.

Q. Why did you decide on a bus instead of say a caravan?

A. We wanted something that was going to be big enough to live in on a long term basis without having to tow a huge van. Most caravans aren't really big enough to live in for years at a time and those that are require a big vehicle to tow and are quite unstable. The bus gave us plenty of stability, heaps of room and the ability to tow a small second vehicle behind.

Q. What were the disadvantages of having a bus?

A. Firstly a bus is very BIG and big vehicles are hard to move when they break down. On a trip like this you have to expect to have mechanical problems at some stage and you just have to prepare as best you can to deal with it when it happens. The other thing about having such a large vehicle is that it won't go everywhere you want it to and not all caravan parks will take buses.

Q. What about the second vehicle, is it really necessary?

A. In our case yes it was essential as once the bus was set up in one location with the annexe out we could not move it. The car allowed us to find work more easily as well as to get around to areas the bus wouldn't go. A small 4wd would have been better but our little Barina did manage to get us into all sorts of interesting places. I think it would be very difficult to get along without having a second vehicle of some kind. Many people do manage and some other bus people will buy a second vehicle and then sell it before moving to the next area to save towing. We didn't mind towing as it gave us the extra security of being able to drive somewhere for help if the bus had problems in a remote area.

Q. How about the choice of engine when buying a bus?

A. Having had a dual fuel bus (gas/petrol) I would now say that a diesel engine would be my choice if I had to do it all over again. The Bedford 300 6cyl engine in our bus was far too underpowered and a diesel would have given us much better performance climbing hills. We usually travel at 60-80kph but the speed can drop to as low as 50 if we have strong headwinds or long sloping hills to climb. It would be nice to have a vehicle that could at least sit on 80kph all the time.

Q. What sort of fridge is best?

A. I can only comment of 240v or Gas fridges as we didn't have a 12v compressor type, but we found that a normal house fridge (Ie. 240v only) was easier to cope with and produced far less heat than a gas fridge. The main thing is to get the biggest fridge you can afford or fit in. The smaller the fridge the more susceptible it is to outside temperature changes. We met many people with small gas fridges that would not cope with the high temperatures in the north but the gas fridge we had at that stage was large and coped very well with the temperature - although it made the bus far too hot.

Q. What about a power source?

A. As we started out with a gas fridge and a 500w generator we were quite self sufficient but the 500w generator proved to be too small and eventually we gave up on the gas fridge because it kept on breaking down. We finished up with one 120w 7.1 amp solar panel, two 75 amp hour deep cycle batteries, a 20 amp regulator and a 1500w inverter. We also now have a 1kva (read 800w) generator. With this we can remain self sufficient for an indefinite period. If we didn't want to rely on the generator at all then we would need two more deep cycle batteries and another solar panel. Of course this set up will not run very high energy items like air conditioners or heaters but it is quite enough for us to get by on. It basically runs our 240v fridge, 4 fluoro lights, video, TV and stereo system. I also have a 240v trickle charger which charges the batteries whenever the generator is running.

Q. Should I take a boat?

A. Although we have hardly used the 11 foot dinghy we have in most places we have been, it has given us the opportunity to get out to where the fish are when we have been in a good fishing spot. As we both love fishing it has been worth while even though we haven't used it as much as we would have liked. If you like fishing then a small dinghy is worthwhile, if not then don't bother.

Q. If you had the chance to do the trip again would you?

A. Well this question could be taken two ways and I would give two different answers. If the question means would I do the trip from scratch for the first time the answer would be a definite yes. If the question means would I go round again after going the first time then the answer is probably no. We have enjoyed the last three and a half years immensely and despite the problems that we have had from time to time it has all been very worth while, but I would not want to do the entire trip again. Perth is just SO FAR AWAY from everything else I don't see myself doing all that driving although having said that I still want to get to Uluru and Alice Springs one day.

Q. If you could start again knowing what you know now what would you change?

A. Well the first thing would be to try and have much more money available when we started. We had about $10,000 in the bank and despite finding work we almost ran out of money twice. We have done it the hard way because we still have our house in Perth and that has been a big drain on our finances. Without that we would have had an extra $7-10,000 per year to enjoy ourselves with. Having said that, the house was also our safety net so if everything went wrong we always had something to come back to.

Other things I would like to change would be:

1)A bigger generator, 3-5kva.

2)A swivel seat in place of the bolted down passenger seat in the bus.

3)A more powerful engine in the bus.

4)A small 4wd as a second vehicle would have been nice.

5)If I had the money I would have liked to have a digital video camera instead of the analogue one(s) I ended up with.

Q. What is the best thing about coming home?

A. Without a doubt the best thing is an inside toilet and shower. Although I got used to using caravan park facilities it was never something I was comfortable with.

Q. What is the worst thing about coming home?

A. So far the wost thing was finding our home vandalised by people we trusted and then finding lots of things missing. If that had not happened then the worst part for me would be the feeling that the last three years and seven months were a dream and if it wasn't for the bus in the driveway (now dripping oil) and the photos, it would almost seem as though it never happened at all.

Q. Will you travel again?

A. Yes. Once the bus is repaired we will take trips around W.A. to places we haven't been for a long time like Esperance and Broome and of course Cleaverville and Exmouth to catch a few decent sized fish. We are both far from finished with our travels and are already thinking about where we will go on our first (next) trip.

EPILOGUE July 31st 2001

Well we finally got the house straightened out and have started fixing some of the damage done by Kate M** and Jamie H******. There are a lot of things missing and we are still wondering what to do about it but we have other things (like finding work) to press on with so we have to put most of our efforts into that now.

We had only been back two weeks before heading off to Phuket to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. After 14 nights enjoying the tropical paradise and pigging out on lovely Thai food we are finally back home and settling in to suburban life again.

While we were away some kind soul decided to let down two of our trailer tyres and remove the top from the brake fluid container and remove the petrol cap from the bus. I suspect that after the recent heavy rains the petrol tank is going to be full of water. We certainly know we are back in Maddington - home of Australia's most useless people. As a result of this we have taken to sleeping in the bus again in order to protect it from the human garbage that live in this suburb.

With regard to the house and the damage we found when we got back my advice to anyone thinking of leaving your home in the hands of someone else is to consider the following list that we have compiled. These things were done by relatives who were staying in our house rent free so it is essential to be very careful about letting anyone, family or strangers into your home to 'look after it.'

Lounge

1)Odd coloured paint used on wall - we have attempted to rectify this ourselves but it is far from satisfactory.

2)Cracked window in lounge.

3)Standard lamp damaged and shade destroyed.

4)Flyscreen missing from one window.

Kitchen

1)Cabinet from kitchen left out in the rain - completely destroyed.

2)Dish washer no longer working. It was working when we left.

3)Kitchen draw damaged front pulled off - since repaired.

4)Cooker left coated in dirt and oil - since cleaned. Grill top missing.

5)Kitchen bin missing

6)Electric frypan controller and skillet missing.

7)Food processor (which was stored in the locked room) used and left filthy.

8)Freezer temperature knob broken (this fridge was brand new when we left).

Dining Room

1)Damage to curtains in dining area - ripped by dog - curtains since replaced by another party.

2)Damage to dining room table - left out in a garden shed and was water damaged.

3)Odd coloured paint used on wall.

Main bedroom

1)Damage to wardrobes in main bedroom - door still broken

2)Carpet in main bedroom left in a filthy condition - requires steam cleaning.

3)Bed headboard left out in the rain - destroyed.

4)Main bedroom walls have been covered with some sort of white wash and will have to be re-painted. No permission was sought or given to re-paint this room. The room will require re-painting.

5)Main bedroom door damaged..

6)Pink Light shade missing.

7)An attempt has been made to remove the air conditioner from the window.

Bedroom 2

1)Damage to fly screen on front bedroom window

2)Rabbits had been kept in the second bedroom. Carpet left in a filthy state. Has now been shampooed.

3)Light shade missing

Bedroom 3

1)The locked storage room where we keep our own possessions has been broken in to, the hasp latch has been cut. Items are missing from this room.

2)Rear bedroom door partially pulled off hinge.

3)Light shade missing.

4)Items stored in this room in boxes were all removed from the boxes and put back in a different order. Many items are still missing

Hall

1)Hallway door damaged - holes poorly patched. Looks like holes caused by punching the door with fists.

Toilet

1)Severe damage to paint work in the toilet.

2)Blue toilet brush and stand missing.

Laundry

1)Damage to walls in laundry.

2)Clothes Drier not working. (was working when we left).

Bathroom

1)Tile broken in shower.

2)Bathroom door damaged.

Outdoors

1)Damage to seat in front courtyard - chewed by dog - now repaired at our expense.

2)Huge pile of rubbish left in garden and down the side of the house.

3)Pool left untreated with pump not operating - this has since been rectified by another party.

4)Patio roof damaged sheets bent and holed.

5)Meter box door broken off.

6)Coach light in front area has top missing.

Apart from this there is a list of missing items with a value that now exceeds $2000.

It took us at least six months to get over the anger and heartache of all this, but finally we started making plans to get on with our lives again.

A New Beginning?

September 18th 2001 (Tuesday)

Yesterday we had new floor covering put in the bus. It was expensive and considering the fact that we are both still out of work the $550 we spent on having it done my seem a little excessive. After nearly 3 months back in Perth we are very unhappy. The neighbourhood has deteriorated (if such a thing is possible) since we were last here and this sort of life is not appealing at all.

Today the bus went in to CVM Trucks in Canning Vale to have the head gasket fixed and a few other jobs done. Thankfully our new friend Andy runs the workshop so we have no worries about the work being done properly. Andy and Pam are flat out preparing their own bus for the big trip next year so they know all about buses and the problems that can arise.

October 13th 2001 (Saturday)

We got a call from Andy today to say the bus is ready so we immediately shot off down to the work shop to pick it up. Belle still had a job application to complete so when we got home she went on preparing that while I rushed around all day loading up the bus for a trip down to Heron Point. Knowing our usual luck I expect that work won't be far away now we have the bus back and can start enjoying it again, so we are going down tomorrow before something comes along to stop us.

October 14th 2001 (Sunday)

We left in the early morning to avoid any traffic and I was amazed at how much power the bus now has. I know the work we had done was expensive (over $2000- I haven't got the final account from CVM yet) but they obviously know what they are doing as we did the whole trip at about 80km an hour - even up the hills. On the flat I can hold the accelerator half way up instead of having my foot flat to the floor. I estimated the trip would take two hours but we were there in under an hour and a half.

Heron Point was just the same as we remembered it - but it is still too early for the crabs so we just sat back and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

October 17th 2001 (Wednesday)

As I predicted - as soon as we are able to go off and have a good time work turns up. Well we do have to go back and we have had four nights away so I can't complain too much. Belle has an interview at RPH on Friday so we will be off home again tomorrow. We have really enjoyed the few quiet days here just relaxing and talking to some of the other travellers who are on their way through.

October 26th 2001 (Friday)

Nothing came of the job Belle was asked to interview for and there's nothing around for me still. We are going back down to Heron Point this weekend to see if the crabs have turned up yet since there isn't anything much else to do.

October 28th 2001 (Sunday)

Not many crabs around yet but we did manage to get two legal sized ones. We caught several others but all were undersized so they had to go back. I have been trying out the new 'hot water' system in the bus this weekend and it has worked reasonably well. I will have to set something up so the water tank can be positioned on either side of the bus so it makes the most of the sun, but otherwise it seems to work as intended and holds enough water for about six showers.

The 'hot water' system consists of a large storm water pipe with capped ends. In one end is a tap and on top are two screw off caps. This allows water to be poured in easily and the whole thing has been painted black to attract the heat. It is hung off one side of the bus roof rack (although it swings back in when we are travelling) and provides quite good gravity fed pressure. Since our submersible pump broke down last time we were here the gravity feed is very handy.

The bus has had quite a bit of work done on her recently as I have been fixing up cupboard catches and doing some repainting, but there is still plenty to do.

November 5th 2001 (Monday)

The bill from CVM arrived today - oh the pain - I had expected around $2200 but it has ended up being $2487.39 - Argh! I'm not sure how they end up charging $96 for coolant - I could buy a hundred litres of the stuff from Kmart for that amount and I know the radiator doesn't take 100 litres! If we stick it all on the credit card on the 10th we can at least hang on to the cash for another month. There are still several items that need fixing on the bus including a re-set of the rear springs, front and rear brakes, Tailshaft centre bearing, Diff pinion seal and new king pins. Added to this the engine needs re-tourquing at 1000km. As if that wasn't enough I got a speeding fine for $100 today - talk about kick you when you are down. The fine originates from the DAY WE PICKED THE BUS UP from CVM - sigh… sometimes you just can't get a break.

November 12th 2001 (Monday)

Having nothing to do but wait for replies from potential employers we decided to go to Heron Point again to see if the crabs had turned up. When we arrived there was no space for the bus but the caretaker told us that a big bus and two coasters would be leaving soon and we could park up and go crabbing while we waited.

We went out only to find the crabs still hadn't come in and when we got back to the bus it didn't look as though the group occupying the only space for large vehicles had any intention on moving - despite being told by the caretaker that we were waiting to get in.

We waited and waited, 8 o'clock came and went, then 9 o'clock and by 10 we were getting a bit fed up. We had another word with the caretaker who said the other vehicles would be pulling out in a few minutes. We went back to wait in the bus some more only to find that the whole group had taken chairs and were sitting under a tree with no sign at all that they were going to move out. When 11 o'clock came and went we gave up, got our money back and left the site.

The vehicles concerned were all parked the wrong way and were taking up all the available space for big rigs. Fair enough for the big bus which may not have been able to park east-west but the coasters had no business being where they were - taking up the only room for other big rigs - when they had plenty of other places to go. The ignorance of some people knows no bounds. Despite the fact that these people knew we were waiting to get in and the coasters could easily have moved 20 yards to another spot, they sat there for hours and deliberately stopped us from moving in. If the people responsible ever read this I would like you to know you are the biggest pricks I have ever met on the road and I wish you all the bad luck possible.

We went down to Preston Beach to have a look at the facilities there but the caravan park is miles away from the beach so we went inland again intending to head for Lake Navarino. We turned the wrong way at Waroona and ended up going to the caravan park at Logue Brook Dam. This is up a pretty steep incline but was worth the drive. The caravan park is much bigger than we had thought with huge unpowered bush camping areas. The setting under the trees on the lake is very nice but a little expensive at $18 a night for powered sites.

Hoffman's Mill is another 11km up an unsealed road from the caravan park turn off but we decided that being a hot day we would prefer to have the Air-conditioner on. Considering the number of March Flies around (horse flies) we would not have enjoyed sitting around outside in any case.

November 13th 2001 (Tuesday)

We left the caravan park mid-morning intending to fuel up at Coolup and then (perhaps) have another go at Heron Point. As we pulled in to the Coolup Roadhouse we found radiator spewing out of the top of the radiator somewhere. Is it just me or do we have rotten luck? $2487 to have the engine fixed and now after less than 700km we have problems again! I just can't believe it!

We limped up to Pinjarra but no one was interested in helping so we had to carefully make our way back to Perth. The bus will have to go back to CVM to see what has happened. NOT HAPPY JAN!

November 15th 2001 (Thursday)

It turns out that now the bus has a leak in the top of the radiator but we don't have the money to do anything about it. It is very depressing that after spending nearly $2500 on repairs we still can't get full use out of the bus.

November 20th 2001 (Tuesday)

We got fed up with suburbia again today and packed the camping gear in to the car and took off to the Gooralong campsite near Jarrahdale. This is a great spot under a group of pine trees, there is a stream at the bottom of the hill and there are toilets, cold showers, BBQs and tables. The disappointing thing is the amount of damage being done to the facilities by stupid ignorant thugs. There are very few tables that haven't had some parts removed to burn in fires, the toilet sinks have been vandalised and many trees have had bark removed.

I don't understand WHY people have to do these b&**#y stupid things, a bullet in the back of the head would be far too good for them. Luckily we had the place almost to ourselves and spent three nights out in the tent just veging out and enjoying nature.

December 10th 2001

Only a couple of weeks to Christmas and nothing much has changed. We are both still out of work and there doesn't appear to be much on the horizon. We now have to start planning 'worst case scenarios' and may have to put the house up for sale early in the new year. What a mess! We came back to look after Mum only to find we would have been much better off staying in S.A. at least I would have had work there.

Of course if we lose the house Mum will have to look for somewhere else to live as well so this isn't going to be a very happy Christmas for any of us.

December 26th 2001 (Wednesday)

Christmas is over (thankfully) for another year and we have come down to Heron Point to look for crabs again. There isn't much around still but we remain ever hopeful.

December 27th 2001 (Thursday)

Finally we have managed to get a few crabs. There aren't too many here yet but al least we caught 10 today so Belle is blissfully happy. We also have Zoe (Mum's Staffordshire bullterrier with us as Mum is off to Albany for 10 days). Zoe loves being in the bus and is enjoying Heron point immensely.

December 30th 2001 (Sunday)

We have moved up to Gooralong Park at Jarrahdale today, not that we really wanted to but time at Heron Point is restricted these days. The bus took the hills well but we still have the leak in the top of the radiator so I have to keep my eye on that.