Trev and I were up at 0315hrs and went out with the camera to the lookout above Perkins beach hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the meteorite shower. I was also taking some night sky pics to see how they would turn out.

The pics were quite good – we saw 4 meteorites each – so probably 6 in total in the hour we were at the lookout.

Unfortunately, no meteorites captured on film – almost an impossibility as their timing and location was so unpredictable (no surprises there!). We packed up and went back to bed – the next alarm went off at 0630 as we were hoping to start leaving Camp Kennedy by about 0730 as there was some manoeuvring to do to get out…

While we were packing up it was detected that Dave’s bonnet was up – hopefully not a flat battery… but all was OK.

It seemed that Bluetoothgate was still going on with more resets require but at least things were working…Rose was on to Violet her buddy at BMPro again checking re getting the link panel replaced as it was still playing up… Graham at Perth Caravans may be able to assist but Dave also spoke to an Elliot who was also helpful – so maybe the final solution will be a replacement of the link panel at Perth by Gary/Graham/Elliot of Grahams Caravans.

Matt exited first, followed by Dave then Klaus ably guided by Trev and Beryl moved out – we were next, and everyone waited in the main carpark while the mighty Titan brought up the rear…

Everyone got out unscathed and we started out for Windy Harbour planning to stop at Elephant Rocks and Greens Pool for morning tea.

We pulled into the well-designed carpark at Greens Pool – the WA National Parks had done an amazing job with the facilities/ walks etc at this location – very accessible and attractively presented!

Gordie had dressed in his best elephant t-shirt for the occasion…

We walked down to Elephant Rocks lookout first – the rocks looked just like a herd of elephants wading in the shallows – truly incredible sight. The views along the coastline at the lookout were breathtaking.

We then walked down to the beach at Elephants Rocks and took a group shot… The water was warm and we were wishing we had our cossies on for a swim..

Walking back towards Greens Pool, Sharon, Gordie, Trev and I decided to run up to the vans and get changed so we could have a swim in Greens Pool – the day was warm and the water was very inviting…

Sharon enjoyed her first swim of the trip – the water was crystal clear, the sandy bottom was white and silky – and we all enjoyed the time in the sea.

As it was still fairly early we then looked up bakeries on the way and saw that there was what looked like a good option at Walpole where we also planned to get fuel.

As Trev went to let everyone know it was time to leave, he spoke to Rose and Dave who were preoccupied on the phone and they just gave him the nod.

Driving back to the highway Trev noticed the Pearl was not in the convoy and radioed back – no answer form Rose and Dave- Gordon was last and could not see them from behind so he waited at the turnoff… we tried to call them with no avail… everyone was concerned but finally Rose called us saying they had had a flat battery but someone in the carpark had jump started them and they were now on their way.

We all met at Walpole for fuel and morning tea which ended up as lunch as well at the Golden Wattle Arcade Bakery – as Gordie said “the BEST SAUSAGE ROLLS EVER!!” and the pies, zucchini tarts, carrot cake and vanilla slices were not too bad either…

McGyver had been thinking about the mystery of the Wells flat battery and had come to the conclusion that the new ANDERSON plug (not the Anderson plug!!) had been wired to the wrong side of the ignition switch of the cranking battery – meaning that when they are parked for a period of time with the caravan connected, their fridge is draining their cranking battery – solution = disconnect the Anderson plug when stopped.

We drove on through the tall forests that are common in the southwest of WA – the gums lining the road were huge… and then suddenly we came out of the forest and back into the coastal scrubland which prevails in the windswept seaside areas here.

Arriving at Windy Harbor Nature Reserve we located on the office map our sites and drove in to park and set up. The sites were lovely and level with grass and easy to get into unlike our last camp….

However, Gordie had a slight mishap and jackknifed the van cracking a taillight lens on the beloved Titan – he was NOT HAPPY (unusual for Gordie) so Branch held of till a more opportune moment to offer the best solution he could think of…. Unfortunately, just a band aid solution at this point…

Branch also paid a visit to inspect the Wells Anderson connection… but was no real help this time – things seem to have become quite overwhelming for the little blue guy as there has been a lot of issues to address.

The beach at Windy Harbour was wild and there was a large amount of seaweed near the boat ramp which was giving off a rank odour, so we quickly walked around the point and had a look further on.

There were quite a few kangaroos around – though not nearly as many as inhabit Merry Beach!!

Happy hour was held at the Hunter Lotus… things were looking up again… Rose was meditating on the BMPro willing it to continue to operate… and it has been so far!

The campground itself was great and the camp kitchen was right next to our sites so we utilised it to have dinner together…

Tomorrow, we hope to tackle the Coastal Survivors Walk – interesting name! Who knows what a day may bring…..

No travelling today so it was a relaxed start to the morning – everyone ate brekkie and then decided what activities they’d like to do …. Everyone fitting in around the promised (and famous) Gordie scones that were to be baked.

Rose and Dave had the jump on everyone leaving first for Albany to have a look around the shops and go to the ANZAC War Memorial.

Klaus, Beryl, Matt and Sharon opted to go into Albany for the day to visit the old Whaling Station and museum as well as the ANZAC memorial both of which we had seen last time we were in Albany.

Gordie and Kerry decided to stay in camp and enjoy a morning at the front beach (Perkins Beach)

Trev and I had planned to go to West Cape Howe National Park to visit the beaches there – first stop Shelley Beach…

We drove out through Cosy Corner and into the National Park – and hit the dirt road which was in good condition. There was quite a forest of tall gums – a real change from the scrubby coastal landscape we have spent a lot of time in over the last few days…

We arrived at Shelley Lookout on top of the bluff above Shelley Beach and the views along the coastline again were spectacular.

While looking down at the beach I noticed what I thought was a dark shape moving in the waters close to shore – sure enough it was a large shark circling a school of fish. I went back to the car and grabbed the zoom lens in the hope of capturing some pics – amazingly the shark was still there, and I got a couple of shots – it looked like a great white.

We then decided to hightail it down to the beach to see if we could put up the drone and get some shots close up.

Arriving in the carpark we met an Aboriginal Ranger who said it was OK to put up the drone… just beware of the wind (which was quite strong at this point).

I raced along the beach to the end where I had last seen the shark hoping to get some footage of it in the waves and met the second Aboriginal Ranger who I chatted with – he had seen 4 sharks in total and had been speaking to the fishos at the other end of Shelley Beach letting them know that the fish were all at the other end from where they were fishing (with the sharks) – but they did not believe him and had thought the shark was a whale… I showed the pic I took from the lookout to the ranger, and he agreed it looked like a white pointer.

Anyway, I stood on the beach and got some shots of the shark in the waves – it was unbelievably close to shore but still very difficult to see from the shore – and it swam on the bottom so its fin did not break the surface as far as I could see… incredible to think that such a big shark was so hard to see in the waves.

Trev put up the drone and followed it around for ages getting some great footage.

Shelley Beach was aptly named having myriads of small scallop shells all over the white sand.

The waves were quite big at times and the swell crashing on the rocks at the end of the beach made for some great photos. The beach itself was very picturesque…

A kite circled around the drone at one point, and I was concerned it wanted to attack the drone but it flew off after a quick look.

Trev landed the drone and we drove back to Cosy Corner Beach for a look – again a lovely beach with great picnic area and sheltered spots for swimming… although a little concerning as it was not far from Shelley Beach… and the sharks.

We drove back for lunch and met Gordie and Kerry just walking back from the beach where Gordie had been for a lengthy swim along the beach between Perkins and Cosy Corner…. Fortunately, the sharks were occupied at Shelley Beach!!

We ate some lunch and then while Gordon put on the scones, Trev and I went for a walk and had a swim down at Perkins Beach – the water was lovely and clear – and warmer than it was at Lucky Bay….

Arriving back at the campsite we could smell the tantalising odour of baking scones… Rose and Dave arrived back from their shopping trip just in time and we sat down to enjoy a cuppa and scones, jam and cream – the BEST SCONES EVER!

Rose filled us in on the latest installment in the Bluetoothgate/camera saga – they had been to Cameron’s Caravans, Jaycar, Supercheap Auto, Kmart and possibly others and still had no solution to the rear camera although Rose scored some great beach chairs (same as Klaus and Beryl) on special…. but Tina from Chapman’s as well as Elliot and others were still in contact and as always very helpful… seems the next link in the chain is Graham’s (or was that Greg??) Caravans at Perth who Violet reckons can help fix the Bluetooth fiasco (confused yet???)

The Weiss/ Bowyer contingent arrived back in camp but had missed out on the scones as they were best eaten warm and fresh – after the huge lunch they had eaten I am sure there was no room for scones!

Gordie and Trev went to collect firewood as it was a great evening for a fire – Gordie with his handsaw was not getting the job done quickly enough so Trev (who had ridden his bike out to do a broader search) grabbed his chainsaw- problem solved and great firewood obtained by them both.

Klaus and Beryl went for a walk down to the beach – and Klaus scored a beautiful paper nautilus which had washed up with its little octopus dead on the beach – in perfect condition!!

After another afternoon walk along the beach, we all had dinner then gathered round the campfire for coffee…

Trev and I set our alarms for 0300 as I was hoping to walk up to the lookout to take some night sky shots and hopefully see some of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower…

The sunrise over Bathers Paradise was vivid as Matt and Sharon prepared to head off earlier than us to get to Albany with the aim of getting their faulty earth leakage switch replaced at the Jayco outlet there.

We were all on the road after a few minor checks and headed in the direction of Ravensthorpe, our first stop of the day.

Rose had managed to get onto (?) Violet from BMPro who promised to call them at 1000hrs to step them through (again) the BMPro system in the hope of rebooting it and sorting the Bluetooth issue. The timing was impeccable as we were in Ravensthorpe for morning tea.

The view from the Ravensthorpe Roadhouse back over the valley we had driven through was impressive.

The town of Ravensthorpe is small but has a great looking pub,

a very interesting hakea sculpture outside the police station,

and some great silo art that we stopped and got a pic of on our way out.

The ongoing  “Bluetoothgate” mini-series starring Rose ( quick draw on the mobile phone) and Dave (hands on the BMPro system) played out it’s final episode on the roadside at Ravensthorpe… Dave had been stepped through the reboot and reinstallation of the app on his phone and the system was now “GO”…

Thanks to all the following cast and crew who made the series possible:

Branch (lead Gaffer and tech support)

Tina from Chapmans – Director

Gary/ Graham – assistant director

Violet from BMPro (or was that Virginia? or Vicki?) – technical advice

Dominic/ Damian/ Daryl/ Dometic or whatever his name was for conflicting advice

Staff at various caravan shops and outlets  – more advice

For those who enjoyed the short lived series we recommend movies in the same genre – “The Truman Show” and “Stranger than Fiction”…

At the next quick stop at Jerramungup however there was a hint of a sequel with Rose confiding in Kerry and I that when Dave screwed back on the “thing” the “orange light” went off – prompting a quick callback to Violet who gave some advice – the light came back on and so we wait with bated breathe to see what eventuates… could there be a sequel to the saga?

There was a great wall art mural at Jerramungup commemorating the returned Aussie soldiers…

…and some beautiful flowering hakeas!

We drove on through rural farm areas on our way to Albany passing numerous different vehicles including a very unique New Zealand couple travelling along in a motorbike/sidecar affair – slow and not that protected seeing we could see storm clouds looming on the horizon.

After some discussion over the CB we decided to stop at a rest stop close to Manypeaks to eat lunch in the vans…. Rose at this stage let us know they planned to go into Albany to get the van rear camera fixed (seems the saga may be continued as there was still some uncertainty around the “orange light” which was also going off at intervals….) so would meet up with us at Camp Kennedy – our destination for the next 2 days.

As we entered Albany we heard from Matt that they had just finished getting the Wren’s earth leakage switch replaced and were also on their way to Camp Kennedy. We filled up with fuel at a diesel depot on the outskirts of Albany….

and the last 3 vans standing (Weiss/Hunter/ Loveday) went on to Camp Kennedy and checked in. The camp hosts were very friendly and helpful…. as was the cute camp dog…

We found our sites and after a bit of manoeuvring we were all insitu just as Dave and Rose arrived….seems that Graham/Gary/Greg from Cameron’s Caravans solution for their rear camera was not the solution after all…. Next instalment TBA….

The campsite is situated on Perkins Beach and so while the guys were positioning the vans I went for a quick look – the beach was beautiful – and stretched for ages in each direction with small rocky headlands that were easy to walk around – looks like a great area to explore!

On the way back down the track I spotted a small marsupial hopping across the track – it looked like a bandicoot but it disappeared quickly into the bushes before I could get close enough for a good pic…

We watched the sunset from the small lookout and the colours and reflections on the approaching storm clouds over the sea were vibrant to say the least.

Returning from the beach we found Gordie had started the campfire so we all grabbed our drinks and nibbles for happy hour – which had to relocate under the Loveday awning when the rain started…

Everyone cooked their own dinner, and while Trev and I sat outside eating, the small marsupial appeared under Klaus and Beryl’s van drinking out of their wastewater.

It was a bandicoot, and it was not too perturbed by our presence as it let me get close to take a pic. I let Klaus know and he came out to grab some pics as well….

The bandicoot was loving the Weiss Waste Water – which has remnants of spag bol in it…. It then decided to hop over to our van and checked out Trev’s feet before moving on into the bush. It was not long before it appeared again, and then we realised there were 2 others moving around our campsite – not particularly afraid of us – it was really amazing watching them foraging for food and cleaning themselves…

After a coffee around the fire we all went into our respective vans for some shut eye… and the bandicoots could still be heard outside rummaging around….

As today was Sunday and we had been unable to locate a church to attend in Esperance we listened to the second podsast on Exodus from Simon Manchester to start the day.

After morning tea Dave was noted to be cleaning the Pearl’s interior with baby wipes – polishing the steering wheel and getting into the cracks around the gearstick – definitely taking a leaf out of Rose’s books!

Trev tried to outdo him by demonstrating the “Pink Clean” on the Serenity with his colour coordinated mitt…

We decided as the weather was unexpectedly fine that we would drive out to Lucky Bay in Cape Range National Park. The views along the way provided a snapshot of life around Esperance – farms with large homes, islands in the distance, cattle and rocky hills…. And the landscape was mostly arid with not a lot of trees – rather scrubby native bushes.

After entering the national park we drove past Frenchman’s Hat an interesting rocky hill so named as it looked somewhat like a French beret (?)

We stopped at Thistle Cove first and had a look/ listen to the singing rock – a large rectangular wave shaped rock that “sung” as the wind blew past it.

The rock platforms were smooth and gently sloped, so we walked across and down to the sea edge to take some pics – Rose very cautious NOT to do a Klaus and navigated her way around carefully – it could have been a very wet ending if she had not taken care to look down!

Thistle Cove itself was a beautiful white sand/ turquoise water beach surrounded by rocky platforms at each end – very picturesque and private.

At the carpark we bumped into Trevor Homes again… must be following us around!

After taking some pics we moved on to Lucky Bay and drove the cars down onto the beach. Matt and Sharon left the Subi in the carpark not wanting to get it’s feet wet and sandy… so jumped into the Pearl with Rose and Dave.

Lucky Bay is a truly beautiful place – gorgeous white silky sand and turquoise water with rocky islands in the distance.

We drove about halfway along the beach and stopped for some time to swim and relax. Trev and I went in for a swim – it was a bit cooler than yesterday but still lovely.

While we swam the others walked along the beach and Gordie got organised for a surf even though the waves were small for the most part.

Trev put up the drone and got some amazing footage of the surrounds and of Gordie on his board….

The water from above looked pristine and crystal clear – and no sealife in sight (probably a good thing!)…

After some time relaxing on the beach we eventually packed up – much to Dave’s surprise there seemed to be a leakage from some unidentifiable source again….

We drove back and stopped at the Lucky Bean coffee van for a coffee on the beach – a few lucky protagonists got the very comfy beach chairs!!

We noticed again the change in weather and a storm brewing – the wind had picked up and was cold so we drove back to camp and put on our roasts for the group Sunday roast planned for tonight.

Everyone gathered in the camp kitchen for a feast – roast lamb, pork and chicken with broccoli, roast veges, gravy and apple sauce – delicious.

Matt was in his carnivore element with so much meat on offer he made the most of it and went back for seconds.

Beryl’s crumble was legendary and everyone really enjoyed it as the finishing touch to a gourmet meal!

As we had a 500+km day journey ahead of us tomorrow, everyone went and did some packing up in preparation for our departure from Esperance at 0700.

The reception staff at Bathers Paradise Caravan Park had recommended a boutique bakery – Bread Local  – for breakfast so we drove out along Pink Lake Road this morning to seek it out.

We arrived at a great time and were guided to our parking spots by one of the staff.

The bakery was located on a private acreage homesite and was very well designed. The grounds were lovely and the set up worked well.

There were some beautiful native flowers starting to come out in the garden.

We queued up to order our breakfast and coffees…. There was an extensive and overwhelming amount of delicious baked goods.

Trev was in his element – and so we ordered breakfast and morning tea… homemade sausage rolls and salted caramel donuts as well as bacon and egg rolls, vanilla slices, apple turnovers…..

Their sourdough breads looked amazing but we had to draw the line somewhere…

The food tasted even better than it looked and the place was packed with customers as we ate…

After finishing our brekkie/ morning tea we continued on to do the Great Ocean Drive and check out some of Esperance’s legendary beaches…

First stop was the Rotary lookout with panoramic views over the many islands and coastline surrounding Esperance.

We went on then to West Beach, a popular surfing spot, and stopped to take some pics and admire the white sand and turquoise waters so characteristic of this part of Australia.

Further on we stopped at Fourth Beach another surfing spot.

Twilight Beach is possibly the most well-known beach in Esperance – a beautiful place for a swim or surf. We stopped at one end and could see a surf school in the centre of the beach.

Trev and Gordie chatted to a local surfer who gave them the heads up about the best spots – although the surf was pretty small today.

There was a cool wind blowing and so we decided to head to the west end of the beach which would be sheltered and hop in for a swim as the water was actually quite warm – 18 degrees – and it looked very inviting! In the car par we saw a ute with Trevor Homes on it – 1300Trevor!!

Gordie, Trev and I went in for a swim while the others relaxed on the beach and rocks…

A pod of dolphins swam past close to the beach but of course my camera was in the car at that point as I was having a swim….

After some time relaxing we noticed a storm coming and so we hightailed it back to the caravan park to rescue the washing….

That afternoon after the storm we went for a walk along the front beach area near the caravan park – looking over to the Port of Esperance where grain and ore are exported from.

After the storm had passed Matt and Sharon noticed a power issue in their Wren – power was coming to the van but no power was available in the van. Branch was right onto it with Macgyver and the problem was identified – the earth leakage switch was faulty and kept tripping even with no electrical load on it. After a bit of googling, it was discovered that this was a common problem with the Jaycos and the fix could be found in Albany where we would be passing through on Monday – so solution found!

As it was cold and wet we all ate dinner in the vans and then caught up at the Loveday Serenity after for coffee…

Sunrise over Newman’s Rocks campground was spectacular. As the sun rose, we walked along the track to Newman’s Rocks and discovered that the camp ground went a fair way further in from the road.

Newman’s Rocks was a large rock platform overlooking the valley with a river winding through it and an amazing view over the area.

A large waterhole was lying in the rocky area and an old dam wall had been constructed seemingly many years ago in an attempt to trap more water in the pool. As it had been a fairly dry for a few weeks the waterhole was not full but still looked quite clean….

We headed back to camp only to find a slight emergency – it appeared that Gordie had emptied the fire pit from last night assuming it was completely out however when casting onto the ground the leaf litter and caught alight instantly – a testimony to the dryness of the area. Gordie was madly trying to putout the smouldering leaves with a stick and the soil…. Fireman Trev came to the rescue with a kettle of water and the issue was quickly resolved much to Gordie’s relief…

Everyone was packing up when a disturbing event unfolded…. Gordie was seen sneaking into the bush with his cassette …. And a jumbo toilet roll was looking dishevelled in the foreground as if someone had been in a hurry….

Onlookers were very concerned Gordie had done a giant dump in the bush which was clearly NOT OK however it was identified by Branch that he had not dumped in the bush, rather was checking the status of his cassette as there had been a mysterious leak in the Hunter bathroom…

Macgyver went in to assess the situation but pulled back in a hurry not wanting to get in too deep…

Rose was clearly more relaxed after the multiple Wells issues seemed to be under control as she was seen undertaking one of her favourite pastimes – using her baby wipes to clean the Franklin before we left (on a dirt track?)…

We drove out – Matt hot on our tail like a blowfly on a cowpat – towards Norseman with the next stay booked for Bather’s Paradise at Esperance.

Arriving in Norseman we stopped at the Full Moon Café for coffee and cake….

Norseman clearly has links to mining as they have a dedicated area for rock drilling championships…

Driving on the landscape was everchanging from rocky outcrops to bushland and farmland…

The road was busy with road trains going in both directions…

and a storm up ahead looked ominous… but the ensuing shower was a great car/van wash…

We arrived in Esperance early, but Bather’s Paradise were happy for us to check in early…

Sharon was extremely helpful directing the traffic to our sites and ensuring we were all parked appropriately and level…. Trev spent quite some time chatting with Shaz who for some reason thought he was “OK”.

After hitting the laundry and setting up we went into town and grabbed some much-needed fresh produce (for Matt that consisted of meat, meat and MORE meat).

Rose was seen re-doing her van cleaning this time with a bucket and water…. The Franklin never looked shinier…

We ate dinner and then sat together and listened to a podcast on Exodus ch 1-2 – the first in a series of podcasts which should be really encouraging for all.

We awoke to a glorious sunrise over the Bunda Cliffs and as we had a 600+ km journey today we were aiming to leave early…

The trip back out was uneventful and we stopped briefly to look at the Wigunda Cave – one of the many caves found on the Nullabor plain.

Reaching the quarantine station and the SA/WA border we joined the queue to get inspected – and we were there over an hour due to the number of cars, trucks and vans that were lined up to go across.

There were some really big trucks hauling very large equipment – a common sight crossing the Nullabor…

We all waiting patiently as one by one we got across to WA…

and then continued on the long straight stretches of road. At one point the sea was visible as the road was close to the cliffs which were now quite small…

At Cocklebiddy where we stopped for a quick lunch, the Wells fridge issue continued with Rose trying to work out the issue, Branch making an appearance, Dave checking under the bonnet and Trev trying to assist…. but it had to wait as we needed to get on the road again… the free camp at Newman’s Rocks was still 300+ km away and time was marching on…

The landscape was changing and getting greener… the Australian coat of arms was seen an many a road sign…. and random highway runners provided some light relief as we journeyed on…

Sunset began as we pushed on trying to make camp before dark….

We finally arrived at Newman’s Rocks as the light was fading and set up camp…

The Wells’ fridge was finally running on gas although it would not turn on with power – seems a relay fault was to blame and so required another technician hopefully when we get to Esperance tomorrow…

Gordie lit the fire and we sat down to enjoy the evening.

Gordon and Trev got up planning for an early surf at Cactus before we left Penong – but when they arrived out there the tide was extremely low and the walk out then paddle out even further was prohibitive time-wise so they just watched for a while and had a prayer time on the beach.

Branch had gone along with them to inspect the boardwalk and found the culprit hole that I had fallen into…

Leaving Penong the landscape quickly changed from scrubby bushland to saltbush and little else. The roads were long and straight..

and we reached the start of the Nullarbor plain, stopping for the obligatory photo shoot.

The Nullabor was fairly busy considering and it was not uncommon to be overtaken by a road train…

We reached the Nullarbor Roadhouse and stopped for fuel and coffee… and Matt and Sharon’s Kranskys…

After a few pics of iconic Nullarbor scenes, we continued on to find our campsite for the night – Bunda Cliffs Camp 1 as per Wikicamps.

Unfortunately, Trev overshot the entry as there are no signposts and we had to all to a U-turn on the Nullarbor (very carefully) and finally located the entry. The road out was not too bad – a bit dusty and corrugated with some rocky patches. Trev was concerned for Matt and Sharon’s Subi’s clearance, but it made the journey with no issues.

We arrived at the Bunda Cliffs Campsite and after a few discussions settled on a wagon-train style campsite not too far from the cliffs edge but a little protected from the howling wind (?). With Kerry directing the traffic, we formed a perfect wagon train and got out to explore the area.

Branch noted a flurry of activity near the Wells van and cautiously went for a look… still nervous about the Bluetooth fiasco – but it was Macgyver and Dave looking at the fridge which would not go on gas – or so they thought but MacGyver got it going so all OK….

The Bunda Cliffs are an awesome site with the Southern Ocean far below crashing on the steep cliff face.

The view out our bedroom window was second to none…

The limestone in the area is eroded and rugged plants are barely clinging on to the windswept top of the cliffs. There was also a lot of very bleached shells lying in the sandy soil – had they been there since the Flood??

Dave was persuaded by Gordie to put on his skirt (caravan that is) due to the relentless wind – so we could try and sit out in relative comfort… after all if you didn’t get it out now when would you???

We sat around then went for a walk to explore the area.

Trev put the drone up and got some spectacular pics of the cliffs and our campsite…

Gordie entertained us all with the country music blaring from his van – causing some to come out and dance when “Wagon Wheels” was playing.

Sunset over the cliffs was a magnificent sight…

After dinner in the vans as the wind was still howling, Gordie lit the fire and we attempted to sit outside without catching alight as the sparks flew upward…outward and every which way with the wind.

The stars were magnificent and so Matt and I attempted some night sky photography – Matt with his GoPro star trails app… and me with the DSLR…

We awoke just before dawn to get packed up and leave as the drive today was quite lengthy – aiming to get to Penong in time so we could do the drive out to Cactus beach via Lake Macdonnell.

The mine at Iron Knob was in full swing with the huge mine trucks already going up the pile in the early morning light.

We did a quick photo stop at Kimba for the silo art and the Big Galah – the halfway point of mainland Australia.

The famous Wudinna Bakery was calling so we stopped for a coffee and some baked goods… Matt of course had a Kransky – got to get in that protein hit..

The Wells had been having an issue with their BMPro – and were unable to turn things such as their outside caravan lights off. Branch was sure he could assist being the BMpro he is (Blue Man Pro)… so he had attempted to go for a look – however when he heard it was a Blue Tooth issue he was NOT going to volunteer any of his to assist – so backed right off and watched from afar.

Rose and Dave decided to go on ahead to Ceduna to see if they could find a technician to assist. Matt found the Wudinna Butcher and stopped in to buy one of their huge sausages.

We all finished coffee and drove out of Wudinna past the famous sandstone monument of the Australian Farmer.

The landscape was dry and dusty and a small willy-willy twisted across the paddock to the right of us.

Klaus snuck behind the bush at one point when nature called…. Hope he was well hidden from the road as we could make out his van and car easily…

Just before we arrived in Ceduna we got a call from Rose letting us know they were stopped in a “small town” on the way to Ceduna speaking to the tech support from BMPro…. It appeared that no one in Ceduna  could assist them and the unit would need replacing – something to do with not using the Bluetooth on the phones and using the iPAD… anyway the solution was found – BMPro would ship out a unit to them that they could get installed in Perth – in the meantime to turn off the power to the lights etc in the van they just remove the fuses…Branch was relieved as no Blue Teeth were required at this point

As we pulled up at the foreshore near the jetty in Ceduna, Klaus’ caravan brakes were noticeably squeaky – they had been so for a while but were getting worse… so taking advantage of the fact we were in a town, he rang around for assistance. Branch had come over for a look and suddenly a little Wall-E appeared from out of the Weiss van – the heat from the brakes was too much for Branch so the assistance of Wall-E was much appreciated. Anyway after 5 phone calls and no success, the sixth tradie Klaus spoke to could look at the brakes in half an hour…..

We ate lunch on the foreshore at Ceduna – the wind was blowing a gale….

…and then while Klaus took off to get the brake issues sorted we grabbed some supplies and had a coffee at the Ceduna Bakery – with the largest “large” coffees we had seen!

We dropped Beryl back to Klaus and went to get fuel… (Trev doing the gentlemanly thing and walking Beryl down the dodgy laneway around the corner…)

…..and bumped into Rose and Dave at the Service Station – Dave was just going to buy a rear camera for the van as the connections on the one he had currently had broken… so we all agreed to go on and meet at Penong Caravan Park.

The magnet in Klaus’s brakes had dropped out when it was serviced and was not put back properly so was loose in the drum… so the mechanic replaced the whole drum brake for him… and they were also on their way.

Driving out from Ceduna we stopped on the side of the road as Gordie wanted to gather some more firewood in the hope we could have another fire tonight.

Arriving at Penong, we quickly checked in with Mick the friendly owner of the Park and parked on our sites.

Due to the hiccups along the way we were later to Penong than expected and so a surf at Cactus was out of the question for Gordon and Trev, so we just drove out there taking Matt and Sharon for a look at Lake MacDonnell and Cactus Beach.

Lake MacDonnell was not as colourful as we had seen it previously but still a spectacular site as were the huge sandhills glowing in the late afternoon sun.

We got to Cactus Beach and walked out along the boardwalk to take a look at the amazing coastline…. In my eagerness to get that great pic I did not notice that the boardwalk was in disrepair with several boards broken… and my foot went straight down into a hole, resulting in me doing a “Klaus” and falling forward trying to save the camera I had in one hand and the phone in the other!! Sharon was most concerned that I did the full face plant however I managed not to by landing on my forearms… sustaining only a small bruise to my left wrist and a big scrape on my right Ugg boot – which definitely saved my shin from being de-gloved!

The “Klaus” is the name given to the photographer who is so intent on getting that amazing shot they forget to look down, resulting in a forward fall while attempting to save the camera…

Fortunately for me the camera and phone were both OK as well..

The view at Cactus was commanding and there were a few surfers out there braving the freezing cold and dusk shark feeding time…

We drove back to Penong……

Once we had finished setting up we walked across to the Pub for the huge schnitzel feast… Rose and Dave had a quiet night in the van after the day’s ordeal…

Everyone was up and keen to get on the road – in particular Matt and Sharon who were packed and ready to go before anyone else…apart from a last-minute teeth clean!

We drove out of Mildura and into the countryside which was still very much farmland interspersed with scrub.

Arriving at the fruit disposal station, we all ditched any fresh fruit prior to the quarantine inspection at the border into South Australia…

…everyone passed through with no issues except for Matt and Sharon who had a fridge explosion issue – the door had come open during transit… or was it due to the presence of a blue troll??

We drove on through Renmark taking some quick pics of the silo art then crossed the Murray again ….

and drove past more orchards and a Big Orange…

We continued on to our morning tea stop at Morgan. The Crossroads Pantry in Morgan looked inviting, so we went in and Trev was instantly captivated by the caramel slices. Gordie scored himself a great bulk pie deal and we all enjoyed coffee before hitting the road again.

There was a slight Branch moment in the Loveday Ranger as the Blue Screen of Death appeared on the rear camera…. however it was easily rectified by MacGyver and we were on our way.

Time was of the essence as we had to get to Port Pirie (or as Trev put it “Port Puree”) by 230 to get the leaking pressure gauge on the Loveday van attended to.

The countryside was ever changing – from rolling hills to farmland, then red dirt and saltbush….

We went through Burra where there were some lovely old homesteads… and just out of Burra the famous ruin that appeared on the cover of Midnight Oil’s Diesel and Dust album – Matt and Sharon were keen to have their pic taken at the location…

Arriving in Port Pirie, the rest of the group headed to Solomontown Beach for lunch while we went to the Northern Caravan and Outdoor Centre that we had called earlier to book in for the gas repair…which went very smoothly with Branch supervising initially and then taking a step back to let the professional get on with it!

Soon we were all headed towards Port Augusta with views towards the southern end of the Flinders ranges coming into view… not to mention the windfarms, massive goods trains and salt pans….

Passing quickly through Port Augusts with just a brief fuel stop we drove back into barren but starkly beautiful countryside glowing in the late afternoon sun.

We were aiming to get to a free camp near Lincoln Gap (The Tanks) and finally arrived just on sunset setting up camp in a truck stop…. Wait … no … Trev located (on foot) a better option so we quickly moved to the caravan section which was much more salubrious…..

Unfortunately, Branch heard a shout from the Bowyer camp prior to the move… they needed assistance as the trailer had rolled back into the bumper (Ouch!) and damaged it slightly… seemed they had forgotten to chock the wheels…

Anyway, we all set up while the sun set over the sparse landscape creating beautiful colours.

As the wind was howling, we ate dinner in the vans – spag bol for the majority apart from Matt and Sharon who get the Dreampot Corned Beef protein fix!!

We then planned the next day’s journey while the 4 (who will remain nameless) Farmer wants a Wife addicts watched the latest episode. Matt and Sharon did their Monday prayer meeting group while Klaus received a lesson from Trev in Monopoly Millionaire….