Graham’s wanderings

This is me, your itinerant unreliable blogger, having missed three days I am back again doing this before my morning walk and orange juice as a punishment. Tuesday I left moodini rest area after my usual walk, shower, breakfast and chores. There was nothing much to see there on my walk but it is always pleasest walking along bush tracks. Then the days drive again nice but nothing special and parked for the night just 16kms west of Penong. While walking around the site exploring just before dinner I came across a couple that I met in December at Greenbushes. So we had a drink and a nice chat. Wednesday morning started in the usual way except that I decided to leave my shower until after the days driving. On the way out, I was the second last to leave as most people seem to be in a hurry to go, another chat with my friends then off east. A stop in Ceduna was called for and water, shopping and fuel were added to the van in that order. I was able to replace my broken coffee plunger, th...

Okay I have been out of phone/internet range for a couple of days so this will be a long blog. Starting with yesterday I left Balladonia at about 9 after the usual walk, shower and chores and after a major disaster. I dropped my coffee plunger which shattered into thousands of pieces and took ages to clean up the van, but the big problem is that I am now limited to jar coffee unil I can get to a shopping centre. The good thing was that the fridge started working on 12v (it only does that when the motor is running and should keep doing it while the motor is running) although it turned out to be a bit erratic. But the fridge is still nice and cold and so far is not gobbling up the gas. As usual I stopped for lunch at what was a nice stopping area, but no one else was there so I pushed on. A nice stopping area is defined as having some flat places to park Dan the Van and is improved by nice bush, or nice scenery. Facilities are unimportant but I prefer to have company from a security po...

Okay here we go again, this is last nights post that did not happen, but is happening now. Yesterday started with a morning walk in Coolgardie. This is a small but interesting town with a number of very nice buildings and houses that look like the tin cottages of yesteryear. Include is the Caps school, which is the Christian Aboriginal Parent Directed School. It has a relatively modern and reasonably sized campas complete with all the trappings of a modern private school here in this small town. There is also nun’s quarters a very old two story building in fairly poor, but not completely run down condition, from memory the is also a large crypt for nuns at the cemetery, so in its heyday this was obviously a motor outpost for the Catholic Church. I should add that there is also a large and impressive Catholic Church here. There are also a number of equally impressive buildings on the Main Street reflecting the gold rush era and accompanied by an outdoor museum in average condition. Yo...

Well I nearly went to bed without doing my blog, anyway here I am. Today started with a walk up Merredin Peak a fairly strenuous walk of 2.5km climbing two rocks to a height of 60mtrs. So I really earned my breakfast. After walk, cold shower and breakfast I left the camp at about 9.30am which was a timing established with Elaine, we were sometimes even later than that. I had a small bit of shopping to do and bought fuel here to justify the free camp. I try to spend some money in towns that provide low cost facilities, even if it is only fuel. I stopped for morning tea, at 11.30am outside Southern Cross then continued to Coolgardie which is where my maternal grandparent first entered WA. Again they have a useable free spot, not as nice as Merredin, this is just a gravel parking area, but nice and useful anyway. I have one neighbour with a camper trailer, but he is sleeping on the ground in his swag. Now I can go to bed.

We are on our way, we are myself, Dan the Van and Elaine in spirit. After trying to make sure that the house was clean and tidy and leaving, hopefully, no loose ends for Jan to attend to I went out to the van. In the van I went through the checklist to make sure that I had everything that I needed. Then at about 8am off we went. I have since discovered that I do not have a little notebook! There was a fair bit of traffic on the road, including at one stage a number of caravans, I guess returning from school holidays. I was tempted to keep going but yawning is a warning and I stayed with plan A. We are now camped in the RV stopover camp next to Merredin Peak. Merredin Peak is a huge rock complete with drainage system and culverts that feed water into a small dam that once provided water for the steam trains that passed throug( this area. It is a very pleasant spot where we have stayed on previous trips and on this occasion I have just one neoghbour. Admittedly that neighbour is much...

Nearly ready for the big trip! I will be leaving next Thursday and heading east. The plan is look at the Murray River then to Sydney for uncle Norman’s 98th birthday party. Then a loop around NSW and back to Sydney to fly home for Aunty Rae’s 100th birthday leaving the van in Sydney. Next I return pick up the van and go south to Melbourne for my grand nephew’s barmitzvah on May 4th. Following which I shall return to the van and continue the trip. The caravan park is booked, the flights nearly booked. The only thing that I have to worry about is my feelings travelling solo for that period of time and I am quietly confident that I shall enjoy myself. The van is almost ready, just a couple of bits of minor stuff to be attended to, then we can turn the key and figure out which way is east.