Tuesday 30th October to... 2012. Coming home!

Managing to get out of Sydney again without too much stress though the traffic was busier this time, we headed down the Hume to Goulburn for lunch. Spotted the Big Ram on the way out...yep, its big! Then just down the road to a cute little town called Gunning, where you can camp by the river for free for 2 nights and enjoy the swimming pool amenities (with hot showers!) while here. The views are gorgeous.

We had a funny thing happen in the afternoon when 2 small dogs adopted our children in the playground and came back to the van with them. They stayed for dinner and afterwards and we started to wonder then if they had a home to go back to as there were no collars or ID. By this stage the kids had named them and were making plans for them in the car and van, and we decided to see if they were still around in the morning and take them into town to ask about them. They slept outside the van all night (which made the kids very happy!) but we still were not sure if they had owners. A local contacted the Ranger for us and when he came out, he found they were not microchipped, but took them in case someone came looking for them. The kids were devastated as they had become so attached already! To be honest, we all had as they were gorgeous little dogs.

Later, we walked into town to get milkshakes and while at the Visitor Centre we mentioned the dogs to which the lady said a man in the pub earlier was looking for 2 small dogs of the same description! She contacted him to let him know they were with the ranger. A happy ending for us as we thought they would just end up at the RSPCA. So glad the kids could hear that they had an owner! I don't know what it is with stray dogs and adopting us...but no more please!

We stayed one more night at Gunning as it was such a lovely and relaxing spot after Sydney and then headed for Victoria on Thursday morning. A stop at Gundagai to check out the dog on the tuckerbox for lunch and then over the Victorian Border!!!! Very excited! We stopped just north of Seymour to sleep and ready ourselves to drive through the city traffic the next day (not that much sleep happened beside the highway and sharing the stop with the truckies)!

Today, Friday, we made that final leg through the city and over to Mornington Peninsula, Rosebud Foreshore camping to settle for our first week or so. It is a nice spot, but we expect it to get busy over this weekend, being a long weekend for Cup Day on Tuesday. As we pulled in we were alerted to another flat van tyre, so have spent the afternoon sorting that out so we don't have to sleep on a lean tonight!

It is a very strange feeling being here...like we have stopped but not really, still living in Captain Slow and in a van park. But realistically, this is the end of Leslies Aussie Adventures 2012, and we will take a little while to get our heads around that I think. On one hand, we are so excited to be back and to see all our dear friends again soon, but on the other hand, we feel a bit lost and disorientated.

I know there will be many more adventures to come for us, as we still have many more places we want to explore as a family, but for now my friends, we sign off on this blog and maybe catch you later on another one! We hope through our blog that we have encouraged families to get out there and explore together and realise that you can do it on a budget, in an old van, before you are grey and any way you really want to...Australia is your Oyster!

Monday 29th October 2012. A little bit of Sydney...

We arrived at Lane Cove River National Park near Ryde in Sydneys north with not too much bother in Sunday morning traffic and very thankful to one of Grandads friends for the recommendation. It is a beautiful van park within the National Park complete with scrub turkeys and ducks and lots of trees on the hills surrounding us. It is hard to believe we are only 12km away from Circular Quay!

On Monday we set off early to the city, an easy 5 minute walk to the train station to get on the double decker train (the double decker part a first for us!) which took us into the city. We took a walk down through 'The Rocks' area, the historical part of Sydney and onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge to look out over the harbour from there and of course, get some pics of the Opera House. Then we walked down to Circular Quay where we relaxed in the park (while Brie climbed a tree!) until we got on the Ferry to Manly. The half hour ferry ride was great, with the sun shining, great views of the Opera House and Bridge, and a bonus treat of sighting a whale mother and calf playing only metres from the side of the ferry! Manly is bustling and beachy, and we enjoyed a yummy lunch outdoors at The Wharf Hotel with views of the Manly Harbour. Afterwards we walked across to Manly Beach and Shelley Beach to check out the views of the headland (or maybe more honestly, the surf and sun bods of Manly)!

After our return ferry trip, we were heading back to the train station when a gorgeous silver statue lady started waving at the kids. The kids were putting coins in her hat when she beckoned each one over individually, gave them a lollipop and then started dressing them to be statues with her! They loved it and it finished our day in Sydney off beautifully. We returned home with very weary legs after lots of walking, but very satisfied to have had such a full and fun day. I must say, we were so impressed with Sydneys public transport...I don't know why anyone would drive!

Sat 20th to 27th October 2012. The big detour to Grandads.

There is not a lot I can say about the drive from Broken Hill to Dubbo. It is a pretty long, boring stretch of dry bush of nearly 1000km with a few small towns and roadhouses along the way. You literally are 'out the back of Bourke' here, and there isn't much out the back to see apart from lots of wild goats, emus and lizards who keep us company along the roadsides and in the freecamps.

Getting closer to Dubbo, the landscape becomes greener and the roads less straight. We stop in Dubbo for three nights about 9km out of the town on the riverbank. Its free, but very popular, in a reserve with gorgeous birdlife and trees along the river, so you need to get in early! Unfortunately, we wake the following morning with revolting hayfever, finding out the hard way we must all be allergic to Dubbo! We stumble along in the morning (not functioning very well), and decide to visit the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo while here as have heard such good things about it. The great thing about Dubbo Zoo is your entry fee is valid for 2 days, and you will need both those to see it all! We had a great two days exploring the 6km circuit (which you can cycle, golf buggy or drive your own car) and learning a lot from the keeper talks. The weather was beautiful and once medicated, we did much better hayfever-wise the following day. It was a great family outing for us towards the end of our trip.

We spent Wednesday on the road again travelling the Golden Highway to get closer to Nelson Bay. The hills definately prove to be a challenge for Captain Slow, who does live up to his name at times! Why Nelson Bay? We hear you all asking...that is where Grandad lives and we promised him a visit while on our trip, which because of my Grandmothers illness early in our trip, didn't happen when we had originally planned. He and we are very excited about finally getting there, and hence 'the big detour'! And besides, what is another 1200km these days in the grand scheme of things? And we get to see more of this giant country along the way.

We stop in Denman for lunch and meet up with a lovely mum in the playground who wants to pick our brains as she is planning a similar trip for next year with her husband and two children. She also shares with us about how many coal miners, as her husband is one of them, are being laid off each day and end up devastated at the thought of being able to survive on a lesser income than the mines after building up such a huge debt for themselves and their families. This is the same story we have heard a lot as we have travelled, and it really is frightening the way people are now setting themselves up to have to live on such high earnings, otherwise they don't know how to survive...and how mining companies are just encouraging the same! (Sorry about the rant, but sometimes these things become very apparent as you talk to those in the thick of it). I pray that more and more families will see through the false sense of security in high incomes, and really see what is important in this life.

We stay overnight in Maitland, stopping in the funniest little van park we found on google with one solitary site for non-permanant vans! A bit of a weird place that freaked me out a little with shared ablution blocks...so you never quite knew who was going to walk in! Unfortunately, we didn't really know any of this until we were parked inside, but we survived the night! We have had some crazy van park experiences over the last 12 months, but they make for great memories!

On Thursday morning, we drove the short distance to Nelson Bay to see Grandad. Captain Slow is parked at the back of the apartments (hope he doesn't roll down the hill!) because we are sleeping in a house for 2 nights! A trip to Toboggan Hill Park in the afternoon is pretty fun and gives Grandad a break as he is feeling unwell unfortunately, and not really his energetic self. Then a swim in the apartment pool to finish the day.

Today, after the morning helping Grandad with a second opinion at the doctors and getting tests done, as he didn't seem to be improving, we decided to have a go at Ice Skating. Not a bad effort for a first go! None of us came back with too many bruises but the kids did discover that it is not as easy as it looks!

On Saturday, Grandad was much chirpier, and after an easy morning, we headed out to Anna Bay to check out the amazing sand dunes. These dunes spread along the coastline for kilometres...the largest sand dune area in Australia. They are a spectacular sight! A 4wd tour bus takes you across the dunes and drops you off at a suitable spot for sandboarding. The 4wd ride is fun enough, the sandboarding is even more so! The climb up each time with you board is challenging though, but when you get to the top, it is all worthwhile because going down is awesome! Another dip in the pool when we got back was a great way to relax again.

Grandad sent us off on Sunday morning with a big cooked breaky and lots of extra little goodies he kept giving away over the stay, so Captain Slows cupboards are a little bit fuller than when we arrived (as well as our bellies)! We have had a great time being adventurous in Nelson Bay and spending some more time with family we don't get to see much of. We feel very blessed (and the kids very happy) for all the 'treating' from Grandad over the last 3 days to make the last little bit of our trip very fun! Thank you Grandad!