The Israels Australian Adventure

Today we will be in South Australia.  We woke early and arrived in Mount Gambier by 9am just as the tourist information office opened.  We made one stop at Nelson to see the Glenelg River.  For some reason I (Karen) could not warm up this morning so it was a very quick visit. The lady in the tourist office was really helpful with information on what was best to see.  Two of the caves we wanted to see, one was out of town and best seen tomorrow as we drive to Robe and the other has been closed since COVID.  She also gave us some good information on travelling through Adelaide when we pick Nat and Maddie up from the airport on Saturday, so really useful visit. For those who don't know Mount Gambier is the second largest city in South Australia and sits exactly halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne but its unique geological features which make it so special and why we really wanted to come here. One thing I love about Victoria and South Australia is I can name a l...

 I love Queensland - it is always warm in Queensland even when it rains - not true of Victoria.  We had a lot of plans but did have to change quite a few of them due to the rain.  Looking on the bright side it allowed me time to catch up on our blog. Portland was only a 50 minute drive along the coast from Port Fairy so our plan was to stop at Yambuk and see the lakes before heading into the tourist information office at Portland to get a local map and plan our coastal visits in more detail as we knew there was a lot to see.  We had left by 8am and the sun was shining. Yambuk A very quiet little town not much more than the caravan park at the lake really.  We drove and parked and walked down onto the beach.  What a lovely place to visit with your family.  Best of both worlds, lakes and ocean. Portland The further West we drove the darker the weather got until we arrived in Portland and it was beginning to rain.  We went into the Visitors Centre, g...

With the washing all done and nearly dry, dinner eaten early, David suggested a drive out to Tower Hill as it was due to rain over the next couple of days and the evening was turning out to be lovely - unlike the afternoon.  So we went and boy were we glad we did so.  Although it was turning dusk as we didn't arrive until 7pm, no sooner had we turned to go down the hill into part of the crater than an emu came walking along the road in front of us.  It is only single track so there was no real option but to stop.   They came up to car had a light peck at the bonnet, decided it wasn't that interesting and walked off to the side, at which point David drove off while he could.  As we parked up the local cub/scout group were having their weekly meeting - such a cool place to be able to do so.  Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted over 30,000 years ago.  As you drive around some of the 11km crater rim, you can see the striated ro...

We spent 3 nights in Warrnambool, however we spent quite a bit of time recovering from the last few days.  I even played some WOW (World of Warcraft) rather than just looking at things which were WOW.   Well we sadly said goodbye to the Great Ocean Road as we reached Allansford.  We celebrated by visiting the Allansford Cheese Factory for lunch.  I didn't think you could have too much cheese in a toastie but you can!  It was scrummy though.  To drink David chose another local product - Shipwreck Coast - Raspberry soda.  Again delicious but not for sale in retailers sadly. Warrnambool is quit a large town with Australian historical significance.  I don't want to go into all the history but it is part of the Shipwreck Coast and was a huge whaling town in its day.  It also has 2 lighthouses.  It was, we found, very quiet.  They like other towns have a lot of painted walls but we only sought after one of them. Flagstaff Hill Mariti...

Port Campbell and its National Park Port Campbell (PC) was a lovely little town.  We again were staying in studios which were great.  Always good when you have actual tables for typing on!  PC is right in the middle of all these amazing coves and lookouts.  It even has its own over the town.  The harbour was great fun as the sea was really high and people were getting wet as they stood on the pier trying to get their amazing photos.  Well when we left PC another WOW day was expected as we still had loads of amazing sights to see. London Bridge The Grotto This was another of those places where it was worthwhile taking your time to go down the steps all the way to the bottom - even when its raining. Peterborough The weather had begun to perk up as we got to another "sleepy" little town.  Again it had a wonderful coastline. Bay of Islands Coastal Park Wild Dog Cove Bay of Islands Worm Bay, Halladale Point and Bay of Martyrs Again the area had loads of dif...