By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 3 2021 14.22 pm
This is a retrospective Blog, we were away between 22nd January and 23rd April 2013. 92 glorious days on what we affectionately termed our "3rd holiday of a lifetime" well in print at least.
Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish
Another big trip featuring hired motorhomes but this time including the fabulous wedding of our son Doug and his beautiful bride Phoenix plus in Australia we stayed with our niece Hannah and her hubby in Sydney as well as visiting lifelong friend Chris's daughter Laura who likewise lived in Sydney and rather coincidentally already knew Hannah and David from travels. We went back in 2017 with our dear pals Chris & Allyson (see Blog 168)
If you want to see the full reworked site click on HOLIDAY 2013, thanks, you will also be able to listen to the Audio book of Annie's diary there as well should you so choose to do.
We joined the BIG 4 campsites whilst in Australia which certainly saved us money on our overnight camping. We also signed up with Top Tourists Parks (by 2022 they have been renamed G'Day Parks) Just a couple of tips for fellow motor homers.
In New Zealand we joined the equivalent site clubs which were called Top 10 and Kiwi Holiday Parks campsites.
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1. Summary
5. Diary
SUMMARY
Read the Diaries, Look at the Slideshows, See the You Tube Videos, Use the Drop down to Explore, 3 Days at a Time (mostly) Have Fun
OVERVIEW 2013
We have been lucky enough to spend 3 months away again recently, firstly in Malaysia where our youngest son "Mr Douglas" got married on the lovely island of Langkawi. Our time in Malaysia included Kuala Lumpur (KL to its friends), Langkawi , Georgetown (Penang) and latterly Melaka (Malacca - the Unesco World Heritage site) via Johor Bahru (JB to its friends). We then hired a Motorhome for a month to travel around the top half of North Island New Zealand (NZ). We had already spent 4 months seeing North & South island of this lovely country back in 2007/8 and wanted to see the places we missed out on last time, namely Cape Reinga, 90 mile beach, Hot water beach and the forgotten world highway. After NZ we returned to Australia both of us for the 4th time. Starting in Sydney with family & friends we had a great time. Then Tasmania again with family we flew into Adelaide to pick up our motorhome to travel the Nullarbor plain from east to west but this time with a built in external gas BBQ, bliss! Including our previous trips to OZ we have now travelled around the outside from Cooktown (QLD) to Geraldton (WA) plus Broome, Kunnarra, Darwin (NT) and thru the middle on the Ghan including Alice & Uluru. We have been to all States and can thoroughly recommend Oz to anyone wanting an adventure. We HEART Oz & Nz big style. We finished our trip with 2 weeks in lovely Singapore with Doug and his new wife "Mrs Phoenix". If we tot up the miles / kilometres we drove on this trip we can say we drove the equivalent of the distance from London to Tashkent (Uzbekistan).It is nice being back in the UK now to our own little Motorhome with a whole host of new & exciting trips to look forward to . This blog shows some of our best pictures and Anne's diary as a memory of a truly wonderful time. Love K&A . We drove 7253 miles in total whilst away in both hire cars and motorhomes.
Summary of total miles driven 7253
In Motorhomes 6369 (2559 in NZ, 3810 in Australia of which 742 were crossing the Nullarbor Plain), In Cars 884 (Sydney 187, Langkawi 342, Johor 2 Melaka 355)
I suggest you read each section visited in conjunction with the appropriate days dairy, thanks for looking
As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2013 site which contained our BIG TRIP in 2013 (sometimes we called it the third holiday of a lifetime 😉) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog uk site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site if I chose to.
This is what the old HOLIDAY2013 home page looked like
More Intro images from our 2013 wonderful trip
CALENDAR
NULLARBOR CERTIFICATE
ROUTE, FLAGS & MONEY
This is our Round the World Ticket (RTW) summary to show where and what
Flags from the places we visited and when we visited them, it shows the duration of stay in each country
Currency converters we used, obviously current way back in 2013
Here are the currencies we used on our third holiday of a lifetime (actually Annie & my 4th visit), both notes and coins
DIARY
Complete DIARY written by Annie, for ALL 91 DAYS of our THIRD HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME, thanks for looking, love Keef & Annie x The reality of course if you include our time living down under as kids this is our 4th holiday of the lifetime.
Each page on the Diary video slideshow is set for 20 seconds which hopefully is long enough to read each page, clearly if it is not either rewind the page back and/or halt it playing to complete your read or if the reverse is true I suggest doing a "fast forward"
MALAYSIA
Including amongst others Langkawi,Penang, Malacca, Georgetown , 1st visit 23rd January to 5th February , then the second visit 12th April to 14 April, 17 days in total
We were in Malaysia twice during our 3 months away. Initially for Doug & Phoenix's wedding on the lovely island of Langkawi and then again when we visited them at their home in Singapore where we slipped back over the border via Woodlands crossing into Johor (JB) before driving up to the Unesco World Heritage site @ Malacca (Melaka in Malay). Our 1st stay in Malaysia was initially centred around Kuala Lumpar (KL) using the Hop On Hop Off bus (HOHO) to look at various things then onto Langkawi then for 3 days at the end in Georgetown Penang another Unesco World Heritage site at Cheong Fatt Tze's Blue Mansion. Annie kept a diary and you can read that here on the website day by day as well as see the pictures we took as memories on each day. If you prefer to speed that viewing up you can view the slideshows for this country on each of those days.
Malaysian HIGHLIGHTS:-
Doug & Phoenix's wedding Unesco Blue Mansion Georgetown Exotic Fruits Chinatown & Little India, Georgetown Evening tour of Malacca Food @ Concorde Inn KL Mr Li's tea house Melaka Monkeys on Bunting Island & Basah Bahai Pregnant Maiden Lake Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt from Malacca & Batu Ferrighe Penang Nasi Goreng
Malaysian LOWLIGHTS:-
Bumps on island boat hop Langkawi Rats in roads & smells on Melaka River
Now the Malaysian slideshows
and the Malaysian talkies
MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur, 22-24 Jan 2013
Arriving from the UK and Snow to 30c & Jet Lag & Discovery, Malaysia 22-24 Jan 2013, Kuala Lumpur , plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others concorde inn , leaving uk in snow, istana negara / national palace, menara tower, st marys cathedral, petronus twin towers, batu auch, batu linting, year of the snake, china town, burial poles, malay traditional housing, national museum, dataran merdeka square, cricket, colonialism, poverty, endless motorcycles , lovely hibiscus flowers, hop on hop off bus tour , no of images = 121 in selective slideshows
KL slideshows, read in conjunction with diaries #justsayin
MALAYSIA, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island, 25-27 Jan 2013
Arriving from KL and meeting up with family at the De Baron Hotel, Malaysia 25-27 Jan 2013, Kuah Town, Capital of Langkawi Island, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others leaving the Concorde inn KL and flying to Langkawi island, De Baron Hotel, hire car, lovely swimming pools, sunset views and strolls, no durian in lifts, Taylor Swift's red, straits of Malacca, jacaranda trees and pods, family arriving for wedding, 1st meal of tricky curried prawns at sunset, air con, such fun! The no of images in the selective slideshow is 51
Our selective slideshows with music and / or speech will show some of the scenes we saw and record our memories, here are the Kuah Town slideshows
MALAYSIA, Islands Boat Trip Plus Pantai Chenang, Langkawi Island, 28-29 Jan 2013
Beras Besah & Dayang Bunting Islands, Parascending and Waterworld, Malaysia 28-29 Jan 2013, Islands & Pantai Chenang, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others palau (or islands), salat began nyior, dayang bunting, beras basah island, palau tuba, kentut basah island, underwater world, pantai chenang, family fun, lunch at yellow beach café, smelly drains, taxi, hire car, sunsets, parascending, birds, fishes, reptiles, rain forest gardens, sun burn, ice creams. No of images in selective slideshow = 126
Plus Brian's video of fun in Langkawi pre Wedding
MALAYSIA, Tangjung Rhu Resort, Langkawi Island, 30 Jan 2013
Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, Tangjung Rhu Resort with family and friends, karaoke, food, ceremony on the beach, wedding breakfast and chinese tea ceremony , beach skittles and the band, a lovely day ,the number of images in the selective slideshows is 93, so so happy for them both
The top Wedding Pictures, many many more obviously on the slideshow
and now all those lovely wedding slideshows, enjoy, we certainly did
That's all Folks
MALAYSIA, Berjaya to Penang 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013
Leaving family after the Wedding, Oriental Village, Elephant rides & Lebanese meals then goodbyes and onto Penang, Malaysia 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013, Skycab, Oriental Village, Berjaya resort, Plus Reading Annie's Diary, covering amongst others airport, berjaya hotel resort, eagle quay, shops, batik, pantai chenang, pantai kok, seawed crisps, penang, bayview hotel, Georgetown, drove 225 miles on langkawi, hire car, taxi, permata kedah, Langkawi jewel of kedah, skycab, cable cars, oriental village, mount machinchang, family, parascending, Lebanese meal, farewell to Brian & Gina, Craig & Leanne, Doug & Phoenix, 51 images in the selective slideshow. The 31st January was Chinese New Year that Year
and now the slideshows
MALAYSIA, Georgetown Penang 3-5 Feb 2013
Stayed Bay View Hotel, Saw UNESCO World Heritage Mansion, plus a lot of this historic Town, Malaysia 3-5 Feb 2013, Georgetown Penang , 2 selective slideshows includes reading diary, covering amongst other the blue mansion, UNESCO world heritage, lonely planets top 10 visits, cheong fatt tze’s mansion, Penang bridge, Georgetown, bay view hotel, batu ferringhe, town hall, wedding poses, china town, little India, temples, incense, the esplanade, industry, shop houses, hard rock café, hard rock hotel, lazy river, the Beatles memorabilia, Penang, airports, Air Asia flights. There were 133 images.
MALAYSIA, Malacca "The Historic State" 13-14 Apr 2013
Stayed at Mr & Mrs Li Wee's traditional Tea House with Doug & Phoenix, Malaysia 13-14 April 2013, Malacca “The Historic State” plus reading diary, Melaka or Malacca, city of bridges, mr and mrs li wee, tea house stay, unesco world heritage site, melaka river, cruises, jambalan tan bin seng, chan koon cheng, old bus station bridge, kompung morten, wateredge walks, shop houses, bastion Victoria, jonkers walk, night market, mr li’s taxi trip, famous chicken and rice, fortress st john, chetti village, museums, Maritime museum, jonkers gallery, many churches, early Christianity, mosque by coast, sila tanggalhan, street kebabs and portugese shell fish restaurant by the harbour, orang utan shop, great to spend so much time with doug & phoenix, west ham drinks glasses, 112 images in the selective slideshows
and now the Melaka slideshows
OLD SKOOL MALAYSIA
an example of what the old website looked like, i.e. the very first version in 2013 what Moonfruit called its V6 release, height of technology way back when
2 files 1st detailed day of Doug's wedding page, 2nd Malaysia overall, 3rd MF responsive page for Malaysia
NEW ZEALAND
North Island only , including amongst others Papamoa beach, Russell, Whangamomona and Cape Reinga, 1 visit 6th February to 5th March, 28 days in total
We returned to New Zealand which we both love and found we loved it even more. We just (careful Keef, others have to work) had one month here this time as opposed to our 4 months last time and that was all spent in the top half of North Island going back to see the things we didn't have time to see last time. This meant much more time in Northlands, The Bay of Islands, MataMata & Hobbiton plus Whangamomona (the Republic's capital) - where the current president is a sheep and the previous one was a dog hee hee oh and lovely delightful days of R&R on NZ's superb beaches. Like 5 years ago this was the best summer they had ever had . A kiwi @ Orewa said you poms have history we have beaches. So true! Our Mercedes Sprinter 313 motorhome was good but not as good as the equivalent one in OZ. We picked it up in Auckland and returned it there. We definitely miss the land of the long white cloud. We drove 2559 miles in NZ.
Kiwi HIGHLIGHTS:- 35th Wedding Anniversary Cape Reinga, Russell, Keri Keri & Whatuwhiwhi Forgotten world highway Art Deco Napier Lake Taupo & Kinloch The Coromandel Peninsular Hot Water Beach Hobbiton at Matamata The wonderful Papamoa beach, Ocean drive Lamb curry @ Kiwi Airport Motel And completing the NZ census Orewa beach & revisiting Waves Motel All the fab Campsites we stayed at during our 2559 miles of North Island exploration The friendliness of all the Kiwi nation, Big Tick
LOWLIGHTS:- None
UPDATE: this is so well known as a road sign in New zealand that it appeared on Griff Rhys Jones travel programme about NZ in 2021 #fact
Campsites we stayed in in New Zealand
Kiwi slideshows
NEW ZEALAND, 6-8 Feb 2013 Orewa
Northlands including Auckland, Orewa, Bream Bay Area & Whangarei
New Zealand, Northlands 6-8 feb 2013 auckland, orewa, bream bay area, whangarei, covering amongst others 63 selective slideshow images,auckland airport, kiwi airport motel, orewa, auckland, norfolk pines, pohutakawa trees, red fronzes,surf club, waves hotel revisit, top 10 sites at orewa and whangerei, aratoa way, bream bay, helicopters, mangawhai, mangawhai heads, info boards, maori fables, ruakaka beach, waipu cove, spolit soil contaminated by cows, sunshine, relaxation, deep joy in northlands. We were previously in Orewa & Whangarei in 2007 and then again in 2017. See blogs 162 and 168 respectively.
and now the slideshow
New Zealand, Tutakaka Coast 9-11 Feb 2013
Northlands including Whangarei, Tutukaka Coast & Russell ,New Zealand, Northlands 9-11 feb 2013 whangarei, tutukaka coast, russell, covering amongst others 133 selective slideshow images, whangarei, tutukaka coast,russell, hatea river, pouihi carvings, clapham clocks, boardwalks, top 10 sites, raeburn house, town basin, kauri factory, whangarei falls, otuihau,sandy bay, ngungunu, tutukaka marina, whangaumu bay, whale bay, church bay, beach baches, designer houses, wooley bay, posh yachts, poor knights islands,air roots on trees,pohutukawa trees, matapouri rocks, oakura campsite, whangaruru, flowers, BBQ's, the strand, museums, pompallier mission, weak, kowharewa bay.
and now the slideshows
New Zealand, KeriKeri 12-14 Feb 2013
Northlands including KeriKeri, Cape Reinga, Whatuwhiwhi & Mangonui , New Zealand, Northlands 12-14 feb 2013 keri keri, cape reinga, mangonui, apihara, whatuwhiwhi, covering amongst others 174 selective slideshow images, kerikeri, whatuwhiwhi, ahipura, cape reinga,okiato, opua, haruru, haruru falls (revisit scenes of our camping with the boys on our gap year 2007-8 see Blog 162, thanks), waitangi, waitangi river, rainbow falls, Christ church, waipekakoura river, keri keri, millionaires view, kumara, whangaroa, woodland walk, stone store, st james church 1868,kerikeri basin & woodland walks, mission house, cavalli islands,matauri bay, st pauls rock, marlin hotel, blue marlin, mangonui, doubtless bay, mill bay suites where we stayed 2007,karikari peninsular, parakerake beach and bay, waipapakauri, mitimiti stream, te kao, state highway 1, sheep, ahipara, kiwi parks and top 10 sites,awanui, kaitaia, brancott estate, BBQ's, karikari coastline
and now the northlands slideshows
NEW ZEALAND, Coromandel 15-17 Feb 2013
Northlands including Matakohe,Coromandel Peninsular & Hot Water Beach
New Zealand, Northlands 15-17 feb 2013 matakohe, coromandel , hot water beach, covering amongst others 113 selective slideshow images, matakohe, coromandel peninsular, hot water beach, apihara, bamboo, 90 mile beach, dargaville river, arapohue, matakohe, banana bread,our new step, arapaoa river, citrus fruits, twin bridge gorge, dargaville revisit, the kauri museum , post offices, pioneer church, log haulers, helensville, art work, brynderwyn, kawau parau inlet, murawai, black sand, coromandel town, tricky roads, views to die for, matarangi, whitianga, sunsets, bruises from steps. We just so love the Coromandel, Wayne & Greg from the Greenlane Motor Inn in Remuera Auckland (from our Gap year in 2007-8 see Blog 162) ran a holiday business there before moving to Auckland, the last time I spoke to wayne they had moved back again.
Coromandel slideshows coming up #withlove
NEW ZEALAND, Bay of Plenty, 18-20 Feb 2013
Bay of Plenty including probably the best campsite in the world - Papamoa beach holiday resort Kiwi Camping & Holiday Parks site , #hintsandtips #campsites see the site map on Blog 168 our revisit in 2017 (tip use the menu to go to North Island), this site ranks alongside the BIG4 Lake Darlington beach in NSW Australia that we stayed at a couple of time on our gap year, see Blog 162 (tip use the menu to go to New South Wales Australia), Hobbiton, Rotorua and Gisborne , New Zealand, Bay of Plenty 18-20 feb 2013 papamoa beach, rotorua and gisborne, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, papamoa beach, rotorua, gisborne, matamata, hobbiton, hobbit holes, sam wise gangee,lord of the rings, peter Jackson, hahei beach, frodo, bilbo baggins, waiha beach, james cook, farthing woods,te karaka, papamoa beach, ocean drive, fave campsite in all the world, precious, dragon inn, gandalf, party tree, mount manganui, waioeka, opotiki, top 10 campsites, kiwi campsites, whakatane, white island (smoking again in 2017 sadly a death trap dec 2019), whangamata, beaches, young nick, otahu river, ocean beach, hauturu island, maukaha rocks, karangahake gorge, paeroa, waikino, railway café, bay of plenty,i-site, maori poles.
Bay of Plenty slideshows
NEW ZEALAND, Hawkes Bay, 21-23 Feb 2013
New Zealand, Hawkes Bay 21-23 feb 2013, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, covering amongst others 103 selective slideshow images , rotorua, mount doom, lake rotorua, boysenberry icecream, hoki poki, ruepehi, sunken gardens, art deco, black swans, fejioa, bungee jumping, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, huka river, criterion hotel, 1930s, kinloch,lake tuito, marine parade, museums, artwork, hawkes bay, whaiapunga falls, pohutakawa trees in bloom, top 10 site taupo, bay view, gisborne, wairoa river, waikiki lagoon, picnics, mohaka river, viaduct, berry farm and berry ice cream, kiwi parks, fruit ice creams, yummy, kaweka forest park.
Hawkes Bay slideshows
NEW ZEALAND, Tongariro Area, 24-26 Feb 2013
Including Tongariro area, 35th Wedding Anniversary & the Forgotten World Highway ending at the Republic of Whangamomona, want to see an aerial view of the Republic's national celebration day, yes then click HERE New Zealand, Tongariro area 24-26 feb 2013, whangamomona, national park, ruepehi, 35th Wedding Anniversary, covering amongst others 203 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, national park, tongariro, mount doom, ruapehu, 35th wedding anniversary, day & meal, volcanoes, active and otherwise, the shaky isles, aotearoa, maori influence, chateau tongariro, black swans, lake rotiari, station restaurant, kumara, forgotten world highway i.e state highway 43, gravel roads,tranz alpine railway, tawai falls, gollums pool, makatote viaduct, waikato river, totara, pohutakawa, republic of whanga, turangi, tracks, tongariro national park, targarakau gorge ,tapu island, whakapapa village, desert well maybe, huka falls, moki tunnel, hobbit hole, ohakune, raetihi branch bridge, mangateitei stream, waimarino old name for national park railway station, tongariro river, motuopuhi, otunui riverboat landing, taumarunui, herlihy’s bluff, stratford, taranaki, whanga, tahora, republic, passport stamped, heritage trails.
and now the slideshows for the alpine area in summer plus of course the peoples republic where we got our passports stamped for Nz$1 dollar #tick #fact #humour
and now a special our 35th wedding anniversary, another great meal at National Parks Railway restaurant café, we went their first in 2007-8 (see Blog 162) with Craig, Doug & Phoenix.... indeed we spent our 30th wedding anniversary on South Island travelling on the Tranz Alpine #railway from Christchurch to Greymouth, use the Menu to look under south island on that blog, and our 40th wedding anniversary was our cruise covered by Blog 125
NEW ZEALAND, Taranaki, 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2013
Including Taranaki area, Whanga, New Plymouth, Waitomo, Hamilton amongst others, New Zealand, Taranaki area 27 feb – 1 mar 2013, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, te rewa rewa bridge, douglas, forgotten world highway, tupare gardens, hallard gardens, kiwis, BBQs, cape light house, doves, east end beach, fruit wines, plum, boysenberry, whakatane, flowers, stratford, all things Shakespeare, the bard, otorohanga, strathmore, mount taranaki, cape egmont, opunake, egmont national park, visitors centers, rugby, hamilton gardens , taumarunai, whanga, wanganui national park, fitzroy beach, waiwhakaiho river, tupare house, orangery, ferns,sir ed hillary, top 10 sites, waikato river, kiwi house, bought kiwi as replacement for phoenix (lost original found in dressing gown 2019 stored in our garage ), greenslade house, hayes paddock, turtle lake, hamilton gardens, rogers rose garden, paradise gardens, Chinese scholars garden, Japanese garden of contemplation, Indian char bagh garden, Italian renaissance garden, English flower and American modernist gardens, te parapara Maori gardens.
We returned to the Kiwi House in Otorohanga principally to buy Phoenix another kiwi soft toy as she had lost it, Annie found it in a dressing gown pocket in the garage much later so Phoenix now has 2 #lovely
The Taranaki area is also the place on our gap year where we visited the guy who was an obsessive Elvis collector #weird #nerd to revisit these gems see Blog 162
We also camped and got soaked in New Plymouth on our Gap year when the kids joined us for a trip around part of North Island. I do remember the Came gates at the campsite there and Len Lye's wand in the wind
and now the Taranaki slideshows
NEW ZEALAND, Back to Auckland, 2 - 5 Mar 2013
Back to Auckland via Papamoa Beach, Karangahake Gorge & More, New Zealand, Back to Auckland 2-5 mar 2013, a lovely return visit to the wonderful papamoa beach 2nd time, karangahake, manukau city, kiwi hotel, covering amongst others 47 selective slideshow images, , papamoa beach, manukau city, kiwi hotel, Auckland, ocean drive, beach road, sunsets, chillin, 2nd visit this time to our fave campsite, kite surfing, wake boarding, mount manganui, beach strolls, ice creams, reading, tea breaks, karangahake river and its fantastic gorge, bridges, info boards, goldmining, suspended walkways, talisman mill.
the truly wonderful Papamoa beach, 2nd visit on our return to Auckland, and slideshow of all the photos to go with it
For New Zealand 2013 that's all folks #GIF
AUSTRALIA
Australia Overall, All States & Terroritories except Queensland, Northern & Australian Capital one visit 6th March to 6 April, 32 days in total
We returned to the wonderful world that is Oz both for the 4th time, once in our youth when we lived there, Sydney & Melbourne respectively and then 3 times together as a full family in 1995 with Craig & Doug then on our own after retirement in 2008 and now in 2013. Australia is such an awe-inspiring place of extremes and vastness. We wanted to experience and see things (mostly) that we haven't done before this time. But we loved spending time with family and friends in Sydney & Tassie as well. Much love to you all , you know who you are and thanks for looking after us so well. We HEART Bondi, well maybe *smile*.
On my bucket list was travelling across the Nullarbor, this was a true epic journey similar to travelling on the Ghan #railway from Darwin to Alice in 2008. NOTE as this was updated in 2020 we have also been again in 2017. Anyhow take a look at our treasured memories via Anne's dairy and our pictures.
AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS:- Sydney, Tasmania - friends & rellies Coastal walk - Vaucluse to Watson's Bay Bruny Island Adelaide shores Outback Australia & Coober Pedy Opals Cromer stay and North Shore beaches, plus coastal salt water pools Port Lincoln & Coffin Bay Nat Park Crossing the Nullarbor, Ceduna to Norseman (1194 kms / 742 miles in total on the crossing - 3 days) Esperance and the fab Great Ocean Drive Peel Zoo, Pinjarra Indian Ocean Drive Geraldton & Picnic on Port Denison shores Driving in our hired Britz van 3810 miles & seeing "loads"
LOWLIGHTS:- Slow puncture via cracked wheel rim crossing Nullarbor Having to pay my $120Nz fine picked up near Apihara, Northlands, NZ
Australian slideshows by Keef & Annie 2013
Campsites we stayed in in Australia
and now the aussie talkies video, enjoy
AUSTRALIA, Vaucluse, New South Wales, 6-8 Mar 2013
Arriving in Sydney, Staying with Family, Vaucluse area exploration, Australia, Arriving Sydney from New Zealand 6-8 mar 2013, from Auckland, Sydney, Family, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, from Auckland, Sydney, family, watson’s bay, doyles, fish and chips, posh restaurant, kookaburra, riley, hannah and david-such hospitality, vaucluse, gap bluff & Jacobs ladder lookout, banksias, bottlebrush, cat ferry, darling harbour, diamond bay, south shore road, signal hill reserve, dog walking, lorikeets, Sydney opera house, jorn utzon, shark beach, parsley bay, sydney harbour bridge, Vaucluse house, nielsen’s reserve NSW national park, ice cream, boardwalks, clarke reserve, south head signal station, fisherman's wharf, manly crossing, Robertson's park, circular quay, garden island, cruise liner, queen mary 2, water taxi, ferries, campbell parade, Bondi beach, water dragons, shark beach.
AUSTRALIA, Sydney Area, NSW, 9-11 Mar 2013
Around Sydney area, Budderoo NP, Kangaroo Valley then on to Cromer , Australia, Sydney area 9-11 mar 2013 Around Sydney with Family then on to Cromer, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, around Sydney with family, the rocks, masks, Sydney centre, darling harbour, rose bay, double bay, ferries, jet cats, spray can artist, kangaroo valley, sea cliff bridge, Bondi junction, Bondi bay, beach, sunsets, bald hill, oxford lookout, military road reserve, street musicians, camp cove, friends, family, kangaroo valley, our spray can art work bought, cromer cottage hire, minnimurra falls, southern highlands, camp cove, woolongong, lyre birds, aussie humour, opera house, lyne park rose bay, bay street double bay, coal cliff, grand pacific drive, fishing, budderoo national park, cromer, goldie the labrador, 155 willandra rd stay, private pool.
We had some fun times with niece Hannah and her family and Chris's daughter Laura, especially a big feed up at Doyle's in Watsons Bay... as the Danes would say, possibly the best fish restaurant in the world 😉 🌠 ✅
SYDNEY GALLERY
and now the slideshows from the Sydney area
AUSTRALIA, North Shores, NSW, 12-14 Mar 20
North Shores Sydney, Cromer, North Bridge, Heads, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park (NP) Australia, Sydney North Shore 12-14 mar 2013 cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, covering amongst others 170 selective slideshow images, north shore with family & friends, cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, west head lighthouse, palm beach, ocean swimming pool, jelly fish, aboriginal rock carvings, fish, ku-ring-gai chase national park, lion island, apple tree bay, barrenjoey lighthouse, pittwater, bayview, bobbin head, church point, freshwater beach, reserves, west head lookout, commodore heights, manly beach, manly town, illawong point, whale beach, Scotland island-so love it, red gum , scribble bark, gum trees of all sorts, surfing, north heads, waratah, new south wales (NSW), northbridge, boating, battery powered eco boats, meal at lauras, hordern park, cabbage tree boat harbour, broken bay, port jackson, willungra track, black cockatoo, basin aboriginal engraving site, guringai land, hawksbury sandstone, empire marina, bobbin head inn, kalkari, birrawanna track
and now the slideshows from sydney north shores
going on a water picnic on Steve's eco boat, battery powered, middle harbour
blissful north heads and barren joey lighthouse
very burnt out by bush fires
AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, 15-17 Mar 2013
North Shores Beaches & Flight Down to Family in Tasmania, Australia, North beaches & Tasmania 15-17 mar 2013 collaroy, curl curl, hobart, covering amongst others 70 selective slideshow images, collaroy, curl curl, Hobart, dee why, beaches galore, salt water pools, narabeen beach and lakes, family, cromer goodbye, flight to tasmania, hobart, family, apple juice, sorrel, ss carnival in port, huon valley, roses, stanley and florence twight reserve, long reef, aquatic reserve, ranelagh, maple tree cottage, north huon road, chicken coop, river derwent, mount nelson, lookout, howrah, hobart harbour, signal hill, truganini reserve, bicentennial park, mount stuart lookout, tasman bridge, sandy bay, wrest point, sleeping maiden range, we revisited John & Diana in 2017 as well as our earlier visit in 2007-8, these are covered by blog 168 & 162 respectively.
Finish of North shore and tassie slideshow
AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA & SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 18-20 Mar 2013
Visited the fabulous Bruny Island once more, we so love this place
Bruny Island, Family in Tassie then Off to South Australia via Melbourne, Australia, Bruny Island to Adelaide shores 18-20 mar 2013 , bruny island, cygnet, family, hobart, covering amongst others 51 selective slideshow images, bruny island, cygnet, family, Hobart, berry ices, coal bay, lookout, skink, alonnah hotel, coal point,the neck, adventure bay, home hill winery & restaurant, eating wallaby, huon river,kettering, car ferry,cygnet, the red velvet lounge, b66 road thru bruny island, revisit from 2008, lunawanna, great bay, simpsons bay, lennon road, fish and chips, captain cook 1776, the endeavour, penguin rookery, views to die for, halloumi cheese and sweet chill dip for the first time, a lifelong favourite now, left tassie for adelaide via melbourne (rang mum), picked up britz campervan, adelaide shores campsite, south australia
now the slideshow, featuring adventure bay, cygnet, bruny island, hobart, mount wellington, signal hill lookout and a whole lot more
AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 21-23 Mar 2013
Glenelg, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy & Opals via Stuart Highway , South Australia, Glenelg & Coober Pedy 21-23 mar 2013, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy,covering amongst others 215 selective slideshow images, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy, roadhouses, pimba road house, joeys, milk fed, glendambo road house, port augusta, big 4 campsites, woomera, eerie, sunsets, drive in cinemas, outback, opal, mining, lake patawalonga, adelaide shores, west beach, flies, glenelg, beaches, trams, port wakefield, museums, underground houses, Serbian underground orthodox church, miners and boot hill graves, port pirie, salt water lake, winch hill, rockets, swimming pools, outback flower gardens, holdfast bay, tarniwarra park, crystal brook, john eyre, charles napier sturt, john mcdougall stuart, eyre highway, sturt highway, stuart highway, dingo, emu, eagles, roxby downs, andamooka, road trains, woodys outback resort glendambo, rfds royal flying doctors landing strip outback, stuart range campsite,big4, opal inn hostelry, blowers, murals, oasis tourist park, jospehine’s gallery bought annie opal here, coober pedy historical society and heritage trail, saint elijah’s church, minnie berrington, old timers mine museum,marree, oodnadatta track, kangaroos, in the bush saw 1 roo, 13 emus, 2 dingos, 1 fox & 10 eagles.
OUTBACK TRAVELS GALLERY, on the way to Coober Pedy, Mining community
the campsite at coober pedy, indoor pool was the ONLY way to cool off #hot
baby roos cared for at the gem store
what an interesting place #fact
map
AUSTRALIA, Coffin Bay National Park, SA, 24-26 Mar 2013
Coober Pedy, Port Augusta, Coffin Bay Nat. Park, Dolphins & Elliston, South Australia, Port Augusta to Elliston 24-26 mar 2013, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, elliston, covering amongst others 134 selective slideshow images, coober pedy, port augusta, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, Elliston, almonta bay, yangie bay, arno bay, avoid bay, port Lincoln, birdlife, dolphins, marinas, reefs, franklin harbour, golden island, cowell, gums, road trains, left coober at sunrise, long journey, 6 hours back to port augusta, lake eyre, salt lakes, lake gardiner, stuart explorer highway, arid lands botanic gardens, aussie humour re shark fin, 144 stuart hwy, port augusta , botanic garden, tracks, spencer gulf, whyalla, port bonython, franklin heritage hotel, mount dutton, cowell, slow puncture, turned out to be cracked rim, great australian bight, dolphin pod 40 strong magical, boston bay, south shields.
the old ghan #railway was wonderful and the museum, narrow gauge stuff
slideshows coming up
including whyalla steel town
it was probably just after port augusta that we started to get a slow flat in the front passenger tyre which we didn't really notice, longer term it became a big problem across the nullarbor eventually having to take it into Britz in Perth, note when we tried calling from the SA / WA border campsite it was Easter weekend, once fixed they told us the rim was cracked and should never have been hired out to us #scary
The Nullarbor Plain, South to Western Australia, 27-29 Mar 2013
The Wonderful Nullarbor Plain from Ceduna to Caiguna Roadhouse, Australia, Crossing the Nullarbor Desert 27-29 mar 2013, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert, covering amongst others 180 selective slideshow images, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert,Nullabor plain, eucla telegraph station, head of bight, nullarbor lookout, border crossing, quaratine station, western Australia, southern Australia, border village campsite, caiguna roadhouse, ceduna foreshore, yalata, dingos, roe plain, trees, eagles, eagles nest, weird golf course, elliston bay,emus, coastal path, eucla, great Australian bight, pelicans, venus bay, hampton tablelands,longest golf course in the world, murphys haystacks,smoky bay, start and end of the nullabor, marked with smart signs, madura roadhouse,mundrabilla, roadkill, rfds-royal flying doctors, big 4, head of bight visitors centre, madura pass, aboriginal land, murphys haystacks, inselbergs, streaky bay, piers, diggers hats, blue tongue skink, southern right whales, flies, kondole, anangu peoples, marine park, bunda cliffs, nullarbor national park, , leeuwin way, whales, sand dunes, delisser sand hills, east-west telegraph service & station at eucla, munrabilla station, 200km from gate to farm house, cocklebiddy, highway 1 the eyre highway, moodini bluff, 90 miles straight at caiguna, nuytsland nature reserve, eucla national park
1st Nullarbor crossing gallery
sadly by now the deflating tyre was a real issue and it was easter
AUSTRALIA, WA, 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2013, Caiguna to Norseman, Great Ocean Drive Esperance & Albany , Completing 1,194 kms/ 742 miles of Nullarbor Crossing
2nd Nullarbor crossing gallery
Australia, Caiguna to Albany,30 mar-1 apr 2013, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, covering amongst others 155 selective slideshow images, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, the 90 miles straight stretch of the nullarbor, balladonia roadhouse, hotel, museum,twilight bay, blue seas, old cars, fourth beach, the nullarbor plain, limestone head, seal island, great ocean drive,mistaken island, mount clarence lookout, camels, memorial gardens, founding fathers, maps, animal droppings, outback, golf course, rigs, road trains, beaches, rocks, sea swells, west beach, crossing certificates, west beach, winnebegos, redex rally, the pink lake, reflections & chemicals, great white sharks, ngadju people, quandong, shameful native citizens act, eyre highway, historical crossing, the nullarbor highway, skylab crashing over, balladonia, blue haven beach, sunshine & blue seas, observatory island, dempster head, chapman point, twilight beach road on the great ocean drive, ned kelly garden gnomes, salmon beach, twilight beach, nine mile beach, castleton beach, ravensthorpe,welstead community, board shorts, bibblemun track, clarence downhill, frenchmans bay, middleton beach, top tourist campsites, stayed multiple times
That's all here continued on part 2 of Blog 167, last 3 parts of Australia and all of Singapore