Down Under Adventure: February 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Nullabor Plain

On Saturday Jan 22nd, we embarked on the longest driving part of our journey...The Nullabor Plain. As we drove from Sydney to South Australia, we met many Australians who shared various thoughts on our journey across the Nullabor. Some folks thought that we were absolutely crazy to drive across the Nullabor Plain, others thought it was a fantastic idea to drive the treeless landscape of Western Australia that most Aussies had never travelled.

We had planned to spend three days driving the 2,132 km (1,324 miles) distance from Wudinna, South Australia to Perth, Western Australia. But...we soon discovered that the Britz (and us) were capable of pushing the limits so we drove the plain in two days.

We loved the journey. Yes, it was very flat, straight, dry, and HOT! But we had the opportunity to see the Great Australian Bight and drive right to the southwestern edge of the continent and view the Bunda Cliffs! We drove the longest straight road in Australia (90 miles without a single turn or bend). And of course we passed heaps of 'road trains'. The Australian 'road trains' are the longest trucks in the world. They have 3 or more trailers and are 53 meters long (174 feet) hauling 115 metric tons (253,531 pounds). They moved fast and really rocked the Britz in their path.

We didn't see any wild kangaroos, camels, or wombats. Which really was good in the end because we didn't want to have any unfortunate accidents with our Britz van. We stopped (after 8 plus driving hours each day) at the Madura Pass for night one and then in Merredin for night two. We met a lovely Dutch couple that were traveling around the world over the course of the year. Not a bad way to spend a year. Of course we asked what they did for work. She said she was unemployed and the other didn't really answer...interesting.

Enjoy the photos!

The Britz is ready to take on the Nullabor

It's not everyday that you see this sign

Lucky for us and the Britz we never came across any of these animals along the road

Classic photo

Treeless tracts of the Nullabor

Walkway to the Bunda Cliffs

Bunda Cliffs

Kevin is closer to the edge than it appears

Amazing view

Not too close to the edge

The Great Australian Bight

Enjoyed a bottle (or two) of wine in our campervan spot at the Madura Pass caravan park

Madura Pass site in the daylight

Madura Pass Caravan park

Cool, confident, fearless and a bit tired

Norseman tourist stop...town along the drive

Watch out for the roos!

A bit of a swell coming our way

Our small companion...R2D2

Camping spot in Merredin caravan Park

Portland to South Australia

So after our very cool adventure along the Great Ocean Road, we traveled north west towards Adelaide. We departed from a very sleepy fishing town called Portland. We drove a lot further than we had expected...about 650 kms to the wine region of Clare Valley. We loved this area so much due to it's laid back personality that we stayed for three days. We had a personal tour of Taylor Vineyards from the winemaker thanks to a close contact of Kevin's. It's unfortunate that Taylor doesn't export their wines to America. They are lovely. We also visited Knappstein, Seven Hill Winery (the oldest vineyard in the valley), Skillogalee (absolutely delicious lunch) and Paulett. We also enjoyed some scrumptious dinners at the Seven Hill Hotel. We just loved this area. We ended this part of the road trip in Wudinna, South Australia just outside of the Nullabor.

Our caravan park in Portland - right on the water!

Another sunny morning...ok get driving

Here was our spot in the caravan site.

Dinner at Sevenhill Hotel

Britz is looking good next to the vineyard.

Lunch at Skillogalee...delicious!

Barrel room at Taylor Vineyards

View of Taylor Vineyards

Sevenhill Hotel

What are you lookin' at?

One of a few wine stops in Clare Valley

Wine cellar at Sevenhill Winery

The oldest wine cellar in Clare Valley

Our caravan park in Wudinna, South Australia (just outside of the Nullabor)

Taking in the daily news...in the middle of nowhere. Is that a tire place marker?

Thank god we stopped at four wineries this week!

Picture speaks for itself.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Great Ocean Road

As we traveled along the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Port Campbell, we stopped and visited lush rainforest walks, waterfalls, lighthouses, and even took a trip in helicopter to see the famous 12 Apostles rock formation. The Great Ocean Road is a very windy road alongside cliff tops with breathtaking views of the ocean. Plus we had our first kangaroo crossing at Cape Otway lighthouse. It jumped right out in front of the car.

Soon we will post our video of the area but in the meantime here are some of our pictures.