CACTUS AND ONWARD ACROSS THE NULLABOR

AND ONWARD WE VENTURE ALONG THE SOUTH OZ COAST LINE. HERE WE ARE FOR A FUEL STOP AT STREAKY BAY. HERE THEY HAVE A REPLICA OF THE LARGEST EVER SHARK CAUGHT WITH A ROD AND REEL. PUTS A BIT OF AN EDGE ON SURFING HERE...

MOVE OVER JAWS..

THE LOCALS NOT SO FRIENDLY HERE AT CACTUS....AND UNFORTUNATELY THE SURF WAS REALLY CACTUS.

THE VIEW HOWEVER...WAS NOT...SO WE HUNG OUT FOR A FEW DAYS TO TAKE IT ALL IN.

AFTER 6 MONTHS ON THE ROAD THE GOOD OLD THONGS FINALLY HAD A BLOW OUT AND WERE IN DESPERATE NEED OF REPAIRS.

HOORAY....REPAIRS SUCCESSFUL....FOR NOW ATLEAST.

AND WHY WOULDNT WE HANG AROUND FOR A FEW DAYS....OMG....WHITEST SANDS MADE BLUEST OCEAN ALL ALONG THE SOUTH OZ COST AND NULLABOR COAST LINE.

HERE AT CACTUS...THE ROAD IN WAS AMAZING...ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE SALT LAKE WAS BRIGHT PINK...AND ON THE OTHER SIDE...BRIGHT BLUE. TOTALLY GOB SMACKING ...MUST BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH MINERAL DEPOSITS OR SOMETHING FUNKY LIKE THAT...WILL HAVE TO DO SOME RESEARCH...ANYWAY..THE FOLLOWING PICS WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE TASTE OF JUST HOW BEAUTIFUL MOTHER NATURE CAN BE.

WOW.........

WOW.........

AND MORE WOW......THE WHITE ALONG THE SHORE IS PURE SALT.TASTEEE

AND MORE WOW.....

HA.....HOW IS THIS.....THE SNAILS HERE CLEARLY ENJOY ONE ANOTHERS COMPANY.

ESCARGO ANYONE??????

THE NULLABOR COAST LINE

RAINBOW RINGS AROUND THE SUN AGAIN...TOO COOL.

HOORAY....THANXS SOUTH OZ FOR SO MANY INCREDIBLE ,AMAZING,SIDE SPLITTING AND HEART WARMING ADVENTURES AND EXPERIENCES....WESTERN AUSTRALIA PUT YOUR SEAT BELTS ON...CAUSE THE BULLOCKS ARE IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!

REPAIRS COULD ONLY LAST FOR SO LONG AND FINALLY GAVE OUT ON THE NULLABOR....HOWEVER....WITH EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING...AS IT WAS FOR THIS NEW BLACK ADOPTED THONG WE FOUND ONLY ONE TOILET STOP AWAY FROM WHERE WE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO DAMIANS RIGHT THONG. THE UNIVERSE IS ALWAYS PROVIDING...HAHAHA...PEACE, LOVE AND SECOND HAND THONGS...LIVIN THE DREAM

SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS AND SEALS

1. HERE WE ARE IN BAIRD BAY...SOUTH OZ. BESIDES THE SNOW...THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR ABSOLUTELY FAVOURITE THINGS SO FAR. ALAN AND TRISH PAYNE HAVE BEEN SWIMMING WITH THIS COLONY OF SEA LIONS FOR ABOUT 15 YRS NOW AND AS A RESULT HAVE EARNT THEIR TRUST.THE SEA LIONS COME TO THEM AND THE ONLY TIME THEY GO ONTO THE COLONIES ISLAND IS TO TAKE THE SCIENTISTS ON TO COUNT AND KEEP RECORD OF NUMBERS ONCE A YEAR  ...IT WAS QUITE AN INTIMATE EXPERIENCE AND BESIDES US THERE WERE ONLY 4 OTHER PEOPLE. ON OUR WAY OUT TO THE COLONY WE WERE MET BY A POD OF DOLPHINS....SO...IN WE WENT AND OMG. I HAD PURCHASED A DISPOSABLE UNDERWATER CAMERA ESPECIALLY FOR THE OCCASION. THE KIDZ TOOK TURNS ON DAMIANS BACK SWIMMING UNDERWATER WITH THE POD AT DIFFERENT TIMES...WHAT A PRELUDE TO OUR SEAL SWIM.

MOTHER AND BABY

HI THERE!!!! TOO CUTE!!!!

ZIGGY,STARZ AND DAMIAN. THE SEALS WERE FIGHTING OVER WHO WOULD TOW THE KIDZ AROUND ON THE FLOATS AS THERE WERE LARGE SINKERS TIED TO THEM SO THEY  WOULDNT FLOAT OFF ONTO THE REEF .STILL NOT SURE WHO WAS HAVING THE BEST FUN..US OR THE SEALS!!!

OF COURSE THIS IS SAMMY

HEAD HONCHO...CLEARLY..

LOOK AT ME....LOOK AT ME.

ATLEAST 15-20 SEA LIONS CAME TO SWIM WITH US IN ALL AND WE DID SO FOR ABOUT 2HRS.. WE ONLY GOT OUT OF THE WATER AND COULD SWIM NO LONGER DUE TO BODY PARTS GOING NUMB...NOTHING A HOT CHOCOLATE COULDNT SORT OUT.

THE LOCALS...JUST HANGIN OUT...

TWO MATES

YES...I AM A BIT GORGEOUS ARENT I????

.EVERY BODY....OHHH..TOO CUTE...A MOTHER FEEDING HER PUP. THANX FOR SUCH A GOBSMACKING EXPERIENCE ALAN AND TRISH...PEACE, LOVE AND ALL THINGS AQUATIC..TOTALLY LIVIN THE DREAMXXX

GOODBYE COOBER PEDY...HELLO THE OCEAN

WE'RE BACK AT COOBER PEDY AND PACKING UP TO HEAD SOUTH. ALL DAMIANS TOOLS ETC HAVE BEEN UNDERGROUND IN THE SHED PART OF THE DUG OUT......AS WE PACK UP WE STUMBLE ACROSS THE CREATURES OF THE BLACK AND DARK....A BLACK GRASSHOPPER....CLEARLY NO GRASS HERE SO MAYBE A CAVE HOPPER?????

A BLACK MOTH.....

AND WE ALSO FOUND A BLACK PRAYING MANTIS...I KID YOU NOT....HOWEVER...AS I WAS TAKING A PHOTO OF THE BLACK MANTIS.....I BECAME AWARE OF MY LITTLE OLD MATE HERE RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD....SO UNFORTUNATELY NO PHOTOS OF THE BLACK MANTIS....

ONE LAST SMASH IT AT THE COOBER PEDY SKATE PARK....WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU TOO COOBER PEDY!!!

BYE BYE FOR NOW THE DUST AND DIRT...HERE WE COME THE OCEAN AFTER 8 WKS...HOORAY

AND AS FAR AS BEACHES GO....WELL....THE FIRST ONE WE HAVE SEEN OR BEEN TO FOR 8WKS .....AND WHAT A BEACH!!!

CAMP OMG

FROLLICKING IN THE SAND HILLS

LIKE A TIGER

WAY TOO GORGEOUS

OH YEAH...3 DOZEN UNSHUCKED OYSTERS STRAIGHT OFF THE BOAT FOR JUST 6 BUCKS A DOZEN.....LIVIN THE DREAM..SO WE HAD TO SHUCK EM OURSELVES AND PARTICIPATE IN OYSTERS EVERY WHICH WAY.DID I MENTION WE'RE IN COFFIN BAY??

MERMAIDS ARE US...

THIS IS HELGA.....THE CHRISTMAS MERMAID.

YET ANOTHER DISGUSTING MEAL I HAD TO PUT UP WITH...FRESH TUNA STEAK SHAPED LIKE A  LOVE HEART...READY TO THROW UP YET???

PORT LINCOLN JETTY AT THE CARAVAN PARK WE STAYED AT. MEET SAUN AND JAYDON....SEAN TAUGHT BULLO MANY A SQID CATCHING SECRET WHILE HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE CHERYL TAUGHT ME A THING OR TWO ABOUT COOKING EM..THANX SO MUCH THE TUNSTALLS FOR AN AWESOME FEW DAYS IN PORT LINCOLN...CANT WAIT TO CATCH UP WITH YOU ALL AGAIN SOON.

HERE THEY ARE...THE TUNSTALLS..WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT...TWO CARPENTERS TRAVELLING OZ WITH THEIR KIDS AND EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL WIVES PULL UP RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER....NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE...THANX AGAIN THE TUNSTALLS FOR SHARING STORIES AND GIVING US LOTS OF MUCH APPRECIATED TRAVELLING TIPS. YOU GUYS ROCKXXXX LIVIN THE DREAM...PEACE,LOVE AND NEW FRIENDS..

KINGS OF KINGS CANYON...

HOWS THE VIEW????WELCOME TO KINGS CANYON....

SO BEGINS THE 6.5 KM WALK UP AND INTO THE CANYON.

THE FIRST OF MANY LOCALS WE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY.

FEELING INSIGNIFICANT YET??????

OMG.....THIS WAS OUR MORNING TEA VIEW.

STILL MORNING TEA....

AND HOW DO WE GET OVER THERE?????

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

WHAT THE......

THE ESCALATORS ARE WHERE?????

LOOKING DOWN INTO THE GARDEN OF EDEN...ONE OF THE OLDEST SURVING RAINFORESTS HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT. OASIS CENTRAL.

WELCOME TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN...KINGS CANYON.

WE WERE UNAWARE THAT WE WOULD NEED OUR COZIES.....SO WE ALL SWAM IN OUR KNICKERS. WELL....I SWAM IN SHORTS AND SHIRT, BUT AFTER THE SWIM REALIZED I MIGHT AS WELL BE SWIMMING TOPLESS. WHITE WET TSHIRT PROVED VERY POPULAR WITH THE OTHER TOURISTS THAT SWAM WITH US....HAHAHAHA.

BEST SWIM EVER......JUST WALKED ABOUT 3.5KMS IN ABOUT 2HRS.....CAUSE MUM TAKES SO MANY BLOODY PHOTOS.....AND NOT TO MENTION ITS ABOUT 35 IN THE SHADE. OH YEAH....THERE IS NO SHADE WALKING THE CANYON.SO FRESH AND FREEZING AND WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!

NOW FOR YET ANOTHER PICNIC...

BACK ON TRACK AND EVERY MOMENT IS GOB SMACKING.

COOLING DOWN OUR HEADS.

OMMMM...COOLING DOWN THE MIND

AND AS ALWAYS......THE LOVE IS ALWAYS...

THE LOCALS PROVED TO LOVE A GOOD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AND WERE QUITE THE POSERS...

GOING DOWN....DAD,ARE WE THERE YET???

FLORA..FLORA...

AND MORE FLORA.....4 HRS LATER AND YES....WERE THERE!!! BACK TO THE CAR.....WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!THE KIDZ ABSOLUTELY RULED IT. BACK TO COOBER PEDY IN A COUPLE OF DAYS TO PACK UP AND HEAD SOUTH....THE BEACH AND THE YORKE PENNINSULA HERE WE COME...PEACE,LOVE AND HOT,SWEATY 6.5 KM WALKS...LIVIN THE DREAM..