Hi all! Yeah I'm back from the test run and my facing is aching from smiling so much. What a fantastic drive. Reminded me of state highway 1 back home!! There you have to DRIVE! Magic place. The Twelve Apostles (still free) and staying at Red Johanna camp. Fortunately we weren't told until the next night that it was a haven for Tiger snakes!! (I was going to go to Dandos but The Sister wanted cell ph coverage due to family) It was a pleasant night anyway. The next day we did sightseeing and then stopped for lunch at Port Campbell. Very pretty. Headed up the Lake Colac for the next stop. What a bloody shame! We parked up and got the drift of something dead. After looking, found all the fish carcasses in the now nearly dry lake. We were told that a couple of months ago the council had to move in and bury all the fish because the smell was putrid. It still is, but bearable. Made some new friends, but there was a bitter chilly wind cutting across so everyone packed in early. The next morning we drove past the salt lake at Beeac, and it is completely dry! Only a whilte salt surface over the whole thing. I couldn't believe it. It seems the whole town was for sale. Was a sad sight ...... Drove back into Melbourne this avo...... and am so greatful that it is now only days before the big takeoff! The Winnie? purred like a kitten all the way! I am so proud of her! Thank you everyone on this website. Today my gratitude is to you, for your encouragement, jokes and laughter, advice and reassurance that has helped me to continue on this journey! I hope I have the opportunatey to meet and thank each of you personnally one day! Cheers, Dianne
dave06 said
01:47 PM Jan 9, 2009
well Dianne how proud and pleased we are for you, you have just proven to all and sundry (I thought sundry would never be convinced, he can be a bit hard headed at times) and most importantly yourself that to which we have been stating so long, the fear is in the thinking not in the doing
the state of the southern water system is not good but the more you head north and east the better it seems to be, take a run up the east coast to cairns and have a look at some fantasmagorical scenery, then when you get sick of green, green, and more green turn west and nose around uluru, plenty of open space,
watch out for the memories, they abound in all these areas, once you hit a couple then you cant ever get rid of the buggers, they are everywhere, god our heads are full of them, nothing gets them off the bumper
Gary and Kerry said
04:40 PM Jan 9, 2009
Hey Dianne, Glad to hear all went well. The first step is always the biggest, youve taken it now go for it. I am a little envious, no bugger it, Im heaps envious.
Anyway, safe travels and hope to catch you out there one day.
Basil Faulty said
08:18 PM Jan 9, 2009
Hey Diane it's a good thing you have done. You will gain confidence as time goes by leading to further adventures..... Geeeeeee I wish I could drag myself away and head off....
VK3FEMT said
10:51 AM Jan 10, 2009
Bubs wrote:The Twelve Apostles... Headed up the Lake Colac for the next stop. What a bloody shame! We parked up and got the drift of something dead. After looking, found all the fish carcasses in the now nearly dry lake.
Gidday Dianne;
Twelve Apostles - How many are left now, last look I think there was only about 7 or 8 of them still standing.
Speaking of such, I actually have a photo of the Beaumont Kids; Jane, Arna and Grant, at the Twelve Apostles. (The kids that went missing in '66 from Glenelg Beach, Adelaide).
I used to live down that way, so pretty familar with that neck of the woods, nice area, but dangerous, especially along the cliffs.
Lake Colac - Most likely the Chinook Salmon, they have had an ongoing problem with dead fishys for years and years now. Incidently, I am pretty sure Lake Colac is the biggest manmade lake in the Southern Hemisphere, or at least in Australia.
The lake at Camperdown (Bullen Merri) also has the same issue with dead fish to, although you would be pushing to see it go dry (having said that it probably is!) as I think its spring fed and has underground caves. The reason the fish keel over is to do with the levels of blue-green algae, at least thats the case with Bullen-Merri, you with often see big airators (I know I spelt that wrong) in the lake.
Bubs said
06:49 PM Jan 10, 2009
Thanks guys! There are still 12 apparently, but you can only see them all by air. Some are hidden by the forward cliff faces. I didn't mind the road, and sheer cliff faces as I am used to that from back home! I had an MX5 in NZ and I would have loved to have been able to drive TGOR in that!! LOL!
VK3FEMT said
10:44 PM Jan 10, 2009
Bubs wrote:
Thanks guys! There are still 12 apparently, but you can only see them all by air.
What by air, cause the base of them can faintly be seen 20 foot below the surface of the water!
The poor ol apostles are suffering the same fate as London Bridge, which ironically desite its name is no longer a bridge.
I shouldn't laugh, but the day London Bridge (the bridge part of it) crashed to the sea with great majesty and a sploshing thud. Just cranky that I didn't have my camera in my hand at the time, imagine the front pics (and money) I coulda scored from that.
Yeah I'm back from the test run and my facing is aching from smiling so much. What a fantastic drive. Reminded me of state highway 1 back home!! There you have to DRIVE! Magic place. The Twelve Apostles (still free) and staying at Red Johanna camp. Fortunately we weren't told until the next night that it was a haven for Tiger snakes!! (I was going to go to Dandos but The Sister wanted cell ph coverage due to family) It was a pleasant night anyway. The next day we did sightseeing and then stopped for lunch at Port Campbell. Very pretty. Headed up the Lake Colac for the next stop. What a bloody shame! We parked up and got the drift of something dead. After looking, found all the fish carcasses in the now nearly dry lake. We were told that a couple of months ago the council had to move in and bury all the fish because the smell was putrid. It still is, but bearable. Made some new friends, but there was a bitter chilly wind cutting across so everyone packed in early. The next morning we drove past the salt lake at Beeac, and it is completely dry! Only a whilte salt surface over the whole thing. I couldn't believe it. It seems the whole town was for sale. Was a sad sight ......
Drove back into Melbourne this avo...... and am so greatful that it is now only days before the big takeoff! The Winnie? purred like a kitten all the way! I am so proud of her!
Thank you everyone on this website. Today my gratitude is to you, for your encouragement, jokes and laughter, advice and reassurance that has helped me to continue on this journey! I hope I have the opportunatey to meet and thank each of you personnally one day!
Cheers,
Dianne
Glad to hear all went well.
The first step is always the biggest, youve taken it now go for it.
I am a little envious, no bugger it, Im heaps envious.
Anyway, safe travels and hope to catch you out there one day.
Twelve Apostles - How many are left now, last look I think there was only about 7 or 8 of them still standing.
Speaking of such, I actually have a photo of the Beaumont Kids; Jane, Arna and Grant, at the Twelve Apostles. (The kids that went missing in '66 from Glenelg Beach, Adelaide).
I used to live down that way, so pretty familar with that neck of the woods, nice area, but dangerous, especially along the cliffs.
Lake Colac - Most likely the Chinook Salmon, they have had an ongoing problem with dead fishys for years and years now. Incidently, I am pretty sure Lake Colac is the biggest manmade lake in the Southern Hemisphere, or at least in Australia.
The lake at Camperdown (Bullen Merri) also has the same issue with dead fish to, although you would be pushing to see it go dry (having said that it probably is!) as I think its spring fed and has underground caves. The reason the fish keel over is to do with the levels of blue-green algae, at least thats the case with Bullen-Merri, you with often see big airators (I know I spelt that wrong) in the lake.
Thanks guys!
There are still 12 apparently, but you can only see them all by air. Some are hidden by the forward cliff faces. I didn't mind the road, and sheer cliff faces as I am used to that from back home! I had an MX5 in NZ and I would have loved to have been able to drive TGOR in that!! LOL!
The poor ol apostles are suffering the same fate as London Bridge, which ironically desite its name is no longer a bridge.
I shouldn't laugh, but the day London Bridge (the bridge part of it) crashed to the sea with great majesty and a sploshing thud. Just cranky that I didn't have my camera in my hand at the time, imagine the front pics (and money) I coulda scored from that.