South Australia and Victoria

After crossing the Nullabor we drove on through South Australia.

Beautiful silo art in South Australia

Whoops.  The reindeer lost Santa down the chimney

Granite sculpture 'The Australian Farmer' at Wudinna, South Australia, and a beautiful sculpture of a roo, made from bark, at the same place.

From SA we made our way to friends near Swan Hill in Victoria.  They treated us to a roast dinner, cooked over the camp fire on the banks of the Murray River

Sunset on the Murray River

River Red Gums on the river bank

Murray River steam boat

And onward to Bendigo

The Bendigo Art Gallery had an exhibition of theatrical costumes designed by Edith Head.  She was the woman behind many of the outfits worn in Hollywood movies.

"A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady."

Edith Head

succulents on the cafe's outdoor wall. 
The poster reads " Today is my lucky washing day"

Bendigo alleyway cafe

Bendigo city centre park

Bendigo tram

Bendigo street art

And onward to Melbourne

Melbourne street theatre

The final frame reads "BE FREE"

Melbourne art on the riverbank

And off on the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania.  The crossing takes 10 hours, and I was VERY grateful for smooth sailing the whole way

Across the Nullabor Plain

On 4th December I set off from Perth with my good friend Kerry, to drive across the Nullabor Plain and onward to Tasmania.  Wasn't sure what to expect with the distances and number of hours we would have to drive each day.  It was much easier than we expected, and we only had to drive for an average of 5 hours daily.  I was happy to do all the driving, to test myself for the drive back which I will be doing on my own.  I am much more confident about the return trip now.

We didn't get out of WA until day 3.

Silo art near Southern Cross

We got as far as Southern Cross for our first night's stop.

Driving through Coolgardie, where the roads were built wide enough to turn a camel train.

Night 2 at Fraser Range Station, which is a 500,000 acre sheep farm with some camping available.

Sunset at Fraser Range Station      

Getting blown away on the Nullabor

Happy to see the Great Southern Ocean from the caravan site at Eucla                                     

The Old Telegraph Station at Eucla

On Boxing Day in 1971 shooters on the Nullabor Plain saw a half naked white woman living in the wild with a mob of kangaroos.  

News of this sensational story grabbed headlines internationally.  For some time it captured the imagination of many.  

It was later revealed that the story was invented by a group of blokes sitting in the bar at Eucla having a few beers.  It became one of the greatest known hoaxes in Australian history.

Road signs on the Nullabor

Watch out for camels, wombats and kangaroos

The Head of the Bight.  A great place to watch whales giving birth close to shore.  I hope to come back some day at the right time of year to see that.

 Ravens huddled on an old cart, trying to escape the wind

The tiny town of Penong.  Their claim to fame is having Australia's largest windmill (and examples of many others)

The long and not-so-winding road.  The Flinders Ranges of South Australia are finally in sight.  Almost at the eastern end of the Nullabor adventure.

Back in the land down under

I got back to Perth early October, thinking I was coming back for a rest.  How wrong could I be.  It was great to catch up with friends and to start sharing some dances with our Rosalie Circle Dance group.   We had a dance weekend away in the bush soon after I got back.  

I visited the people who bought my property at the end of last year and was delighted to see how well they are doing and how happy they are with their new lifestyle.   

I had a short house-sit too and have also been staying with friends. 

It was good to have a walk along a beautiful Aussie beach again.

I picked up my new van and started kitting it out ready for travelling.   There are solar panels on the roof, so I can camp off-grid and still have fridge and lights.  The circle dance logo on the side of the van is a little difficult to make out.  But the Happy Wanderer logo on the front has come out really well, thanks to good friends who worked on the design for me.

 

I had 10 days south of Perth in November, camping out in the van and also attending a small folk festival.  It was a great test run, learning how everything works and ironing out any minor teething troubles.  So now I am ready for my big road trip to Tasmania.  I'm heading over there for December and January.

Scarecrow Aussie style.  Once a jolly swagman....

Dancing with emus

Back in the Aussie bush

Reflections.  Dwellingup. Western Australia.

May Gibbs wattle babies.  A great artist and author of childrens' books, born in 1877.

 Wellington Dam, Collie.  Beautiful spot for camping.

View from the Sika Walk Trail near Wellington Dam.  9.5km circular track.  t took about 3.5 hours to walk.

Wildflowers in W.A.  

My last hurrah dancing The Mass For Peace

My last dance event in England was with Brenda Kelly.  We went up to Mirfield Monastery in Yorkshire to dance her suite of dances "Mass for Peace" - music by Karl Jenkins.  I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it, as the music is very strong and powerful, depicting war and moving through to peace.  But it was a wonderful experience and I absolutely loved it.  Brenda hasn't danced it for a number of years, but has many requests to do it again next year.  So we are already considering venues.

The monastery had two churches and we danced in the smaller of the two.  It was a lovely square space, just the right size for our group of 40 dancers.  There was state of the art lighting and sound system.  (and underfloor heating)

Having been in the UK for the Spring, I was pleased to see some autumn colour before I leave.                    The colours are just starting to change and the leaves beginning to fall. 

But there is just enough warmth and sunshine left for the butterflies.  The monastery had a great orchard with laden apple trees.  I wish I could have had a few spare days to bottle them all.  Many were just fallen on the ground.  Some were SO red, the wicked witch could have tempted anyone to take a bite.

The upper church had a beautiful window, with panes of clear and green glass, with the colours from the trees shining through.

The gang of five.  Brenda, me and three of her Hassocks dancers, Cath, Beverly and Ruth.  We all travelled up from Sussex to Yorkshire together on the train.  Had lots of laughs.  And we were a good back-up crew to help Brenda with some of the many things that needed organising over the course of the dance weekend.

Beautiful fuchsia bushes in the Monastery gardens.

Sussex and house sitting

I drove back to Sussex from Cornwall.  After spending a few days with Brenda and dancing with her groups, I headed off to a nearby house sit in a converted barn.

 All I had to look after was an aviary of canaries and the tomatoes in the greenhouse, so nothing too stressful.

The lounge room was rather special

The barn where I house sat was right next door to Knepp re-wilding area, a 3,500 acres estate.  Since 2001, the land – once intensively farmed - has been devoted to a pioneering rewilding project, as a way of returning to a state of natural productivity.  Grazing animals such as pigs, deer, ponies and cattle imitate the range of animals that would have grazed this land thousands of years ago.   They help maintain the land, to stop it becoming too overgrown.  Animals are culled as necessary, providing slow-grown meat to the local market.  No extra feeding is necessary, except in heavy snow. These look like very happy, healthy little piggies, that I met while                                                                                            walking in the area.

The animals need no extra feeding and they can live outside all year round, with woodland and thickets to provide shelter.

The regeneration of the land, and re-establishment of natural water courses, now supports many rare species of birds, bats,  butterflies and other wildlife.

I walked through the wilding area to the local pub, very quaint, in a little village called 'Dial Post'  Had a lovely lunch here.  

The Vintage Car Club was having their monthly get-together at the pub, so there were lots of lovely old cars parked outside. 

I rather liked the ladybird mini.

I've been impressed by how many solar farms there are in England.