western australia: perth

We raced up to Perth from Walpole, stopped in Bridgeton for lunch. Sadly we didn't have the time to stop at Donnybrook Apple Park but if you've got kids in the car you'd either better make sure you do have time to stop or they are asleep. One word. Epic!

We were in Singleton overnight in a cousin's front yard a stones throw from the beach. It was so good to catch up. P and I enjoyed our morning walk. 

And what a week in Perth. 

Initially, when we were discussing the West Coast, we'd considered bypassing Perth though we had a few mates we wanted to catch up with. 

It was great to see our friends, have dinner with them and have the kids play together. Our friends also put us up in their place in Subiaco so we spread out for the week with a house to ourselves. Funnily enough, though, we all slept within 21 foot of each other!

If you've been reading the blog you'll know that Cyril, my great great uncle, was being recognised in a sunset ceremony on the eve of ANZAC Day. It's hard to put in to words exactly what this meant for me. As I delivered a wreath to the memorial, with my cousins, I thought of Cyril's father and mother (and so many more like them) who lost sons, of his sister, my grandmothers mum, who wouldn't have remembered her older brother. I thought of Cyril's brother, Norman, who was later exempt from the war due to the loss of his brother. And I thought of my grandmother. Cyril's family would have been proud of him but they were heartbroken. 

Before the service my cousin who is dedicated to our genealogy mentioned that there is one line of the family that she's not yet been able to track down. Well out from the crowd came a couple, the descendants of Cyril's sister, whom my cousin had spoken of. And what a wonderful surprise!

We were able to meet with them later in the week AND his aunt, who, at 90, spent time with and knew many relatives. This meeting only emphasised the far reaching impact of Cyril's life and death. 

Curtin University have enlarged and enhanced the photograph taken of the 11th Battalion (after they emerged from a church service) in Cheops, Egypt and it takes up a huge wall of the gallery. It's impossible restive and worth making a trip to. The exhibition is on until late 2015 and the soldiers are almost life sized. 

Our Cyril is #587. 

Many of my West Australian relatives are buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth so we took the time to pay our respects. 

This is the grave of Cyril's sister (my grandmothers mum) and their parents. 

Our time in Perth, being with family, was especially significant. It was important for me to touch base with them and listen to their stories. 

western australia: albany to walpole

I'm so pleased we saw the SW of WA but the brief visit has only whetted our appetites so it's going on the ever-growing list of places to get back to. There was so much we didn't have time to see! 

We drove from our free camp on the Pallinup River to just outside of Walpole.

Albany, the largest town we'd seen in a while turned out to be a good spot to refill the water tanks (thank you servo!) and we really enjoyed our visit to the National ANZAC Centre. 

The National ANZAC Centre has been built on a site with views to where the ships left in 1914 on their way to Egypt. The premise of the centre is to bring alive the personal stories of war. Our daughter followed the life of Olive, a nurse in the war, and she read about how Olive treated soldiers and moved around during the war. It's a fabulous place to visit if you can. 

From Albany we drove to a brewery where we met with friends from Tassie! We had brekky with this American family, Mum, Dad and twin boys, in the Bay of Fires and we've kept in contact. These guys are on the road semi-indefinitely. (Does that make sense?) 

We thought we might get further west than we did that day but we stopped for quite a while in Albany and it was good to slow down somewhat after the run across the Nullabor. 

Just east of Walpole you'll find Ayr Salean - a farm stay set on hectares. It's absolutely beautiful and well equipped with laundry, toilets, showers and camp kitchen. A few permanents live and work onsite and it was one of our most enjoyable stays down in the bush overlooking the dams surrounded by grass trees.

The Valley of the Giants is a must-see when down that way. It's a 15 minute drive from Ayr Salean and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists a year.  

Do you remember seeing the image of the car driving through the huge Tingle tree years ago? 

Sadly that Tingle tree has died. The root system of these trees is close to the surface and the numbers of visitors killed the tree. 

An incredible air walk has been constructed 40m up in the canopy so now visitors to the area can see these majestic trees knowing they aren't causing damage to the roots. 

We happened to arrive when Hans, the guide, had set up to take a school group abseiling and he offered for our kids to have a turn. Without hesitation the kids threw on the harnesses and helmets and abseiled off the air walk. It was impressive. 

40m up. My legs were a little shaky!

Another giant Tingle tree. 

A few weeks ago this part of the country was alight so parks were conducting controlled burns across the south west. I love this awkward family photo with the fires in Nornalup. 

western australia: pallinup river

Just as we hit the Nullabor that we received an email to say that my great, great uncle, Cyril, was being recognised in a sunset ceremony in Kings Park in Perth on the eve of ANZAC Day. 

Having the deadline meant we'd have to either miss the south west of Western Australia or do the whirlwind tour. We opted for the latter and after Northam we headed south to Esperance. 

There's a great free camp ($5/n) at an olive grove a few minutes out of Esperance. We stayed the night before making our way to one of the most beautiful free camps we've come across in the four months we've been on the road. The riverside free camp at Pallinup, where we nestled the van in a site on the southern side of the road was a magic place in the afternoon and a magic spot to wake up. 

western australia : baxter rest stop to fraser range station

A quick game of cricket before hitting the road at Baxter rest stop (has a toilet and a dump point). 

It won't surprise you that the longest straight stretch of road in Australia - 146km - is on the Nullabor. At night you can see the lights of a road train approaching from kilometres away! There's plenty to look out for during the day - camels, cattle, kangaroos and huge wedge-tailed eagles. We were hopeful but didn't see a camel! 

south australia: the Easter bunny, adelaide

I was lucky enough to get a leave pass in Adelaide which gave me the opportunity to food-storm (a brainstorm over food) with a fellow foodie and family friend Sue. What better place to meet than the Adelaide Central Market. Being the Saturday before Easter the market was buzzing and good food was in abundance. I rode my bike in, which was a great ride through Adelaide parklands and streets. 

 

Sue and I met at the famous Lucia's and there was a loooong queue that inched towards the counter. It was over breakfast that we food-stormed just what we could do with the Coorong bunny from Shane. 

Sue has the same approach to fresh good food and being able to partner ingredients and flavours. If you've ever cooked rabbit before you'll know it is lean and needs to be cooked slowly over a long time. Sue suggested I buy some speck for fat (and Lucias was the perfect spot to grab some) and serve it with polenta. 

I rode in to town which limited what I could bring home but it didn't stop be stocking up on goodies - think really hippy low-go muesli, salami, Stephanie Alexander's curry paste, spray-free Aussie grapes, the list goes on. Needless to say my backpack was full. 

Sue and I decided that the bunny had to be cooked with the usual - garlic, onions, carrots, capsicum, water, a tin of tomatoes and a generous splash of wine. 

I'd add speck, pepper, salt, sage, native pepperberry (from Diemen Pepper in Tassie), two cinnamon sticks and yummy, yummy quinces from our host's tree right at the end. 

This bunny was cooked on 120°c over six hours. I threw in the quinces in the last forty minutes and cooked creamy polenta in the Thermomix (but you can do it over the stove). 

western australia: fraser range station

Our stay at Fraser Range Station was beaut. We had two nights in total and it was a good chance to unwind after the long driving days across the desert. 

We have been driving (somewhat) in convoy with a family we met at Pandurra Station way back near Ceduna and although we haven't stayed in all the same places it's been really great to meet up when we have. 

The two nights there also gave us the opportunity to 'eat out' at the station. For $30/adult it was a huge spread, delicious food and such a relief to not have to cook or wash up! 

We love staying on stations. Theres always plenty to see and the accomodation is usually pretty good. 

There's a great number of walks around Fraser Range and another round of Nullabor golf! 

south australia: the nullabor, WA border,

How's this for a view? We lucked out with the weather too! 

This free camp is called Peg Stop 13km as it is 13km east of the South Australian and Western Australian border. 

Please if you are travelling and intend to use free camps, remove your rubbish and ensure you are self-contained. The saddening part of so many stops on this pretty stretch of road is the damage people have inflicted on the scenery. 

western australia : cocklebiddy, the nullabor

Before we hit the Nullabor I had two dominating thoughts:

1. there's not much to see, and 

2. the kids will struggle with long days in the car. 

There is so much to see out here. It might not be obvious but it's beautiful and it's subtle and I don't mean anything manmade. 

The vegetation is so varied in colour. I've never seen so many greens and greys of grasses and shrubs. The plains expansive (obviously) and you can see a vehicle approaching from a few kilometres ahead. 

Unfortunately there's so much litter along the Nullabor. The motels and caravan parks are rundown and if you can I'd be freecamping as much as possible. Be aware of the locations of dump points too. And take a shovel to dig a hole if you need to. 

The kids have done so well. In the past I'd have been anxious about doing a four hour drive with the three kids but we've got the routine sorted for these long stints. We do 2-3 hours in the morning then only up to 2 after lunch. We have two substantial stops and a few wee breaks but we also play it all by ear!

Cocklebiddy Caves is about 5km off the highway down dirt. It's probably the most recognised cave diving site on the Nullabor and possibly the most accessible. I wonder what it would have been like discovering the entrance and then diving it for the first time. 

The entrance was far bigger than I'd expected and it only sparked J's enthusiasm to, maybe, one day, get down there and dive. I couldn't think of anything more claustrophobic! 

The cave is closed to the public and permission is essential before entering the cave. So far about 6km of cave has been explored. That blows my mind!

A game of cricket at Cocklebiddy. 

south australia: nuttbush retreat, iron knob, kimba

You can stay in Ceduna on the SA end of the Nullabor but we opted for the sheep station of Pandyrra also known as Nuttbush Retreat. I love staying on stations. There's a welcoming sense of staying at someone's place. We were lucky to meet a really lovely family - Mum, Dad and 3 year old Tully - at Nuttbush and we've kept in touch and stayed with them a number of times across the Nullabor. It's really special meeting like minded travellers on the road and we kept a look out for each other as we drove that long stretch. 

We'll be seeing Tully's family along the WA west coast too. I'm looking forward to more campfire laughs! 

Seeing our first Sturt Desert Pea was pretty special. 

The Big Galah in Kimba. We love big things. 

south australia: napperby

For as long as I can remember my family 

spoke of my grandmother's uncle, Cyril, who enlisted at the outbreak of World War One and was killed on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli at the age of 22. My grandmother's mother, his sister, was only one and a half years old when he died. 

This photograph of Cyril atop a camel in Egypt was displayed in my grandmother's home. (It turns out that copies were sent home and distributed to each of Cyril's siblings from Cyril himself in Christmas 1914).  

Leading up to the centenary of the Gallipoli landings a group of West Australians made it their mission to identify each of the West Australian soldiers who died at Gallipoli. They have also identified many of the men of the 11th Battalion who were photographed at the pyramid in Cheops. Cyril is #587. 

Articles have been published in the newspapers and, as a result, more family has come out of the woodwork. Who would have thought that, one hundred years on my great, great uncle's death could bring the family's branches all together? It's been particularly overwhelming for my cousin, who now lives in Switzerland, as she has recorded  so much of our family history & genealogy. 

This photo surfaced in an old album and the people have been identified as the grandparents of Cyril at the Napperby Store. My cousin flicked this photo to me so that I might be able to visit the town. As it happened Napperby was a short detour for us - not far inland from Port Pirie. 

It only took a few minutes to drive through the streets of small town of Napperby. We found a playground and set about getting lunch together when a local, Bob, pulled up asking if we needed help. 

I showed Bob the photo and, intrigued as he was, he stayed a while and we discussed the history of Napperby and its townsfolk. Obviously we didn't expect the Napperby Store to exist nowadays but Bob suggested some of the older folk in town might recognise others in the photographs - and may well have photos of my family too. 

Bob is now on a mission! And it's pretty exciting for us!! 

south australia: fleurieu

Every day is a new adventure when you're on the road. You can plan ahead (we don't really) but you just don't know where the day will take you. 

Remember we mentioned staying at Old Mac's Farm in Launceston? It was there that we met a lovely couple who were travelling with a group of friends. They mentioned that their son loved with his family on the Fleurieu peninsula in South Australia and to drop in when we were in the neighbourhood. 

Well we got in touch with Andrew and he put us up for the night - in his olive grove! Andrew runs a small business - Seaview Grove Olive Oil - and runs a few cows on his property. When he and his wife bought the farm from the previous owner they'd initially thought they'd take out the hundreds of olive trees because they hadn't been a successful crop. 

We obviously talked about the amazing produce available in the Fleurieu and it was pleasing to hear so many small producers were getting their goods out there allowing people to buy fresh and local. It's a exciting time in the area. 

Andrew has done his research and has packaged his olive oil in casks. These casks ensures that the unused olive oil doesn't not come in to contact with air keeping it fresher anymore nutritious for longer. 

Not only that but Andrew can boast that he's selling a tasty all-rounder oil - beautiful for cooking and great for with bread and dukkah. It's also grown organically and is really reasonably priced $15 for a litre cask and is available online. Postage is free for orders over $40.  

http://www.seaviewgrove.com.au

Those gnarly old branches of the olive are beautiful. And the colour of their leaves. They aren't a showy plant for one that has so much to offer. 

It was a pretty amazing camp for the night and waking up with views to the ocean was special. Thanks again for having us!

adelaide for easter

We've just had the most relaxing few days with friends Christina and Will who we met Elizabeth Bay in Sydney when our oldest children were only a few months old. 

We used to swap babysitting and now we have 5 children between us. It was still enjoyable to just hang out and chat, play cricket, cook and read, while the kids played and played and played. 

We saw little of Adelaide really but sometimes you just have to stop racing around. Considering we've done a lot of sightseeing we appreciated the chance to relax. 

And what's an Easter weekend without a hunt? 

Christina raced down to her local fish monger in preparation for fishy Friday only to discover that people had put in orders and there was little to choose from. She settled on some pippies from Goolwa on the Fleurieu. We weren't sure what they'd be like but Will cooked them on the barbie before dousing them in a garlic, herb (all from the garden) butter and they were so, so tasty! 

This is a shocking photo. I dislike dinner pics as they're always dark and it doesn't do the meal justice.