Having achieved what we’d hoped and loosely planned to do for this trip, we’ve decided to start slowly making our way home.
Wednesday 3rd June. Saying goodbye to Max, Scott and the family, inclusive of John at present, we left the mountain heading west again. The weather was shite so we took extra time and care coming down the mountain, the Mount Dandenong Ranges. Skirting around the Melbourne CBD and back up and over the Westgate Bridge, then onto the Western Freeway through Ararat to our destination for the day, the Plantation Campground in the North Grampians National Park.
Fun fact. The tallest peak in the Grampians reaches 1167m above sea level and the mountainous ranges are comprised of huge sheets of compressed sediment, up to 7km thick, that hardened into rock about 420million years ago. Then, about 390million years ago, large tectonic plate movements, cracked and pushed up huge slabs of the now rock hard sediment, with some of the sheets pushed up and angled into the air, with other sheets now standing near vertically. Millennia of rain and wind have slowly softened the stone and stained the external face of the rock into the beautiful shapes, shades and textures that you see in the Grampians today.
The drizzly rain had continued all day, so we braved the showers to get the van setup before retiring to the van for the evening, escaping the rain and cold. The wind was strong and gusty all night, but for the most part we were sheltered under the range, however, about once an hour, a particular wind direction gusted along the range and the wind sounded like a train approaching, before smashing against and around the van on it’s way further south. This was particularly evident at 12:45am when we were suddenly woken by a huge gust of wind smashing the van. Goldy stood brave and true throughout the onslaught, but we heard a couple of campers redoing or banging in extra pegs soon afterwards so we’re not sure how they fared.
A slow start to Thursday, starting with tomato on toast and coffee, before we dropped into Halls Gap for a look around. We also dropped into the Halls Gap Visitors Centre to get some local advice and tips on what to see in the area. As the weather was still shit, we decided to drive out to Stawell for a look-see and Alex at the Visitors Centre highly recommended a cafe there for lunch.
30mins or so later, we pulled into Stawell, grabbed the brollies as it was still raining and headed to Pachamama Cafe. Giovanna cooks everything on-site and the Peruvian influenced food is fantastic. Both Jules and I had the Peruvian Tasting Platters and a coffee for lunch, and we also bought a takeaway Vanilla Slice for arvo’s later on. It was all very delicious.
We then decided to pop out to Horsham for a quick drive through and look, before taking the back, dirt roads down past Mt Zero to our campsite where, once again, we jumped into the van to avoid the rain. The weather forecast is looking better over the coming days, however, so we’re hoping to get out for some hikes tomorrow. But till then, we’re settled back with the diesel heater on and a couple of Old Fashioned cocktails to wet our whistles.
Friday 5th of June – let the Victorian Kings Birthday Long Weekend begin… Halls Gap village was noticeably busier today and when we arrived back at camp, after our day exploring, the Plantation Campground we’re currently calling home, was reasonably full.
As the weather this morning dawned fine and sunny we decided to do the Pinnacles Lookout Hike, starting from the Wonderland Carpark. As you start this hike, you’re presented with two route options, the slightly longer path via what they call the Grand Canyon. Wow, were we glad we took the Grand Canyon option. Whilst nothing like the amazing geological feature the actual Grand Canyon is like, this route nonetheless took us up and through a narrow ravine which has a small creek flowing through it. Steep ravine sides, somewhat reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle and/or Karijini, lead up and eventually to the top of the ravine, where you rejoin the main hike up to the Pinnacle Lookout. Once out of the Grand Canyon it’s mostly climbing up over the rocks until you hit the second, and equally cool ravine named Silent Street. Silent Street is a very narrow and deep ravine that carries you through to the plateau and Pinnacle Lookout. All in all, a great 2km’ish hike which traverses some the ravines, some lovely bushland and rocky sections.
By the time we’d completed the Pinnacles Lookout the clouds and drizzle had started to move in so we decided to drive up to the Sundial Pinic Area for lunch, before stopping in at the Boroka Lookout. The drizzle and a patch of cold had absolutely dropped by the time we were at the Boroka Lookout, so it was a quick look out, over the views, before returning quickly to the car to escape the cold. Then it was back to the van for some Martini’s, topped with Dennis’ Olives and, of course, the heater.
Things are definitely getting slower and lazier on our holidays. After a 8:30am rise, followed by a slow brekky, we left the van at around 10am, this time headed to do the drive up and over the Grampians, then around the back/west side to Gar Falls and then Beehive Falls.
Sunday 7th June, Halls Gap Market Day! We spent the first part of the morning wandering around the market, buying a local wine, loaf of sourdough bread and a knob of salami. We then bought and waited ages, as they were very busy, for a coffee which we enjoyed, sitting outside in the Halls Gap village, people watching as they went about their day. This included watching one very cheeky Sulphur-crested Cockatoo creep closer and closer to a couple eating their ice creams. It must have got to within 30cm after all it’s creeping along the table, very funny to watch.
We then decided to do a loop drive south and east of Halls Gap, stopping at the Grampians Valley Lookout, where I managed to get the drone up for some photos before a bird, I assume an eagle, started harassing my drone, forcing me to land. Then it was off, through the farmland to Willaura, then Moyston which is reputably the birthplace of Australian Rules Football (the AFL). We then grabbed some lunch at Lake Buninjon, before heading out to James McMurtrie Glass Studio. It was then off home for a glass of vino and relax, but all in all a lovely day driving and exploring the region.
I write this next few words, literally from my death bed. In fact, I’m not sure how I managed to function enough to make sensical prose.
I have the man flu.
What started out as a scratchy throat, deteriorated into a runny nose and now I’m barely functioning as a human. To make matters worse, the silly chemist girl sold me the non-pseudoephedrine version of the cold and flu tablets which are crap. If I survive tonight, I might crawl into Halls Gap to get the real stuff. If you don’t hear from me again, then you can assume that I’ve succumbed to lack of lung. If so, please tell my dog Harriet I love her..
But before I die, today we took it easy as neither had gotten much sleep due to my pox ridden snuffling all night, and the packed campground all trying to make the most of their Sunday night off, due to it being the Kings Birthday Long Weekend. In fact, a bunch of sites were still up and making some noise until the wee hours of 2am.
So, after a late brekky we drove back into Stawell to do some laundry and grab a bakery Vanilla Slice and coffee, before taking the gravel road back to camp where we chilled for the arvo.
So I survived the night and things are looking up for me. Jules wouldn’t let me buy a small bell so I could ring it whenever I needed some attention and care. But on the upside, she did let me stay in the van with her.
Today we’re moving on, heading west again. First stop is to visit the rare Tumuli, also known as Lava Blisters, in Byaduk. It’s a 100km out of our way, but my bro in law Scott mentioned them, and after doing some googling it was something I had to see. Heading south through the Grampians Valley, you pass into flatter farmland before entering the Western Victoria Volcanic Plains, which Dr Google advises are the 3rd largest volcanic plains in the world. As you drive through this region there’s evidence of very old volcanos throughout the area. Our destination however was Byaduk, just south of Hamilton and as you drive down this little country road, you suddenly come across a series of large mounds of rocks in the paddocks. These are the Tumuli, or Lava Blisters, and they’re formed in slow-moving basaltic lava flows. As the top surface of the lava cools into a hardened crust, the molten lava continues to flow underneath. If the liquid core becomes restricted or hits an obstacle, pressure builds beneath the crust. This forces the surface to buckle, crack, and swell, causing molten blobs to ooze through the cracks and build distinct, steep-sided mounds (sometimes 5 to 10 meters high). Again, Dr Google advises that Tumuli are very rare, and are only found in three other locations across the world, not including the ones in Byaduk – so this made them pretty cool to visit and view.
As the Tumuli were in fenced farmland we didn’t venture into the paddock to get a close-up look but I did take a photo from the roadside and then chucked the drone up for a few shots.
After visiting the Tumuli, we pushed through the small country back roads and lovely green farmland to our overnight stop at Willalooka. A tiny country town where you can park up on the old, now disused, tennis courts.
Wednesday, 10th June and moving on from Willalooka. First heading up through Keith for some cheap(ish) diesel, we then took the very long way around to Burra, essentially following the SA/Vic border north through to Loxton. We then followed the magnificent Murray River for a bit, before continuing North West, through the flat salt plains, eventually popping out at the Bald Range and into Burra. Our camp for the next couple of nights is the Bon Accord Hotel, in Burra. Built in 1874, this pub was originally built to support the train terminus to service miners, travellers and livestock traders back in the day. Now restored, the pub offers free (if you buy a meal or a few drinks) camping out the back of the pub. On the way into Burra I stopped to take some drone shots of the beautiful rolling hills and valleys in the Bald Range, before pulling into the pub to setup. It was then off to the pub for a couple (two) beers, to pay our dues (aka camping fees). The beers we bought were from a local brewery called Pikes Brewing and it was a lovely barrel aged porter called Wee Heavy. At 10.3% it only took two beers to make us relax, and we enjoyed a couple hours sitting on our beers, chatting to fellow SA travellers and the publican.
First stop this morning was a coffee shop in Clare to meet with Dale, my mate who’d very kindly allowed us to stay at his shack in Tassie on the Great Lake. We had a lovely chat with him, ooh’ing and aah’ing at his little puppy Zarli for an hour or so. After goodbyes, Jules and I visited the Sevenhills Winery, supposedly the oldest winery in the region, started back in the 1840’s by Jesuit priests. Their wines were good, so we obviously had to purchase a couple of bottles for the trip home. It was then off to Auburn which, to be honest, was a little underwhelming, before taking the back roads once again, through to Mintaro, Farrells Flat and back to Burra, stopping along the way to shoot the farmlands.
Back in Burra, we checked in at the Visitors Centre to rent the “key” which gives you access to a bunch of historic sights around Burra which you can then visit at your own pace. We then spent the afternoon checking out the Unicorn Brewey Cellars which are historically famous, but also famous for being the main set for the movie Wolf Creek 2 and The Water Diviner. In fact, as you descend into the underground cellars, a voice pops out from nowhere (we almost crapped our pants), and then a TV fires up with a short video on the history of the cellars and Wolf Creek movies, narrated by none other than John Jarratt. We then checked out the Market Square Museum before shooting out to Redruth Gaol which was cool and also famous for being a set in the film Breaker Morant. We’ll finish the rest of the “key” sights tomorrow, but as it was getting late in the arvo, we headed back to the van, before walking back up to the pub for a beer, a lovely dinner and chat with more fellow travellers, including Simon who’s a long-term SA Parks & Wildlife Ranger. Simon had some interesting stories to tell.
For our final day in Burra, we finished the “key” sites, visiting the Copper Mine Engine House and Powder Room, Police Station and Stables, Hampton Village Ruins, Smelting Yards and Miners Dug Outs. The Burra “key” cost us $70 ($35/person), but we enjoyed the sites and appreciated being able to visit them at our leisure, by ourselves, so we’d recommend paying for and doing the “key” to others.
After finishing the “key” we grabbed a coffee in Burra and then bought a hot chook from the IGA for our lunch out at the Worlds End (Burra) Gorge Campsite. After lunch we walked up the gorge for about 1km or so, but the track we were on kinda ended abruptly and we weren’t willing to wade the creek to get to the other track. Following this, we shot out to the Redbanks Conservation Park which was ok, but didn’t have any signage to talk about the geography or history, as this is a one of Australia’s richest megafauna fossil sites. The most exciting thing we saw were a couple of feral goats.
As it was still mid afternoon, on our way back into Burra we did an 80km round trip detour out to Caroona Creek Conservation Park. The road in was great as they were grading it as we drove through, but “wow”, we kicked up some dust. As the clouds were coming in, we didn’t want to risk getting caught out there in any rain as that road would have turned to sticky mud in seconds, so despite driving out to the Tourilie Gorge car park, we opted not to do the 2km’ish walk in and out just in case.
That wraps up our few days in Burra which we’ve really enjoyed and we’d visit the area again. Tomorrow we’re heading west again, hoping to camp overnight at Kimba.
Leaving Burra we drove through the rolling, lush green farmland, through some lovely country towns we’d not visited before, but intend to in the future, before popping out just south of Port Augusta. Back on the highway, we pushed through Port Augusta as quickly as possible, only stopping for some cheap fuel, as this place is shite. Then it was back into the bush, passing the mining town of Iron Knob, before arriving at our great free/donation camp destination in Kimba.
A quick night there and it was back on the road to the old Cohen School Site, just west of Penong, our next destination, as we push our way west.
As we’re driving most of the day, towing the van, the photos are slowing down as it’s generally too difficult or unsafe to pull over for a quick photo with the van on.
Luckily for us, we had plenty of Internet coverage at our Cohen School Site free camp as we settled in for an evening of non-stop sport entertainment! We first watched a replay of the Aussies beating Turkiye in our opening World Cup Soccer match! Next, was a replay of the Catalunya F1 Qualifications, then it was off to SevenPlus to watch the Kookaburras play the Poms in the FIH Hockey Pro League, before finishing our night watching the Catalunya F1 race through until midnight.
Steady rain overnight made for a damp and later start to the day, but despite this, we were still on the road by 10am, heading for our first stop, the Nullarbor Roadhouse, for a toilet stop, coffee and lunchtime burger. Then it was back on the road again, pushing into the increasingly dark and wet skies, which were frequently lit up as violent streaks of lightning smashed to the ground.
We got very lucky however, as, as we approached the first and major lookout on the Bunda Cliffs, we hit a little gap between rain showers, allowing us to take some photos and put the drone up quickly.
Then it was back to the car for the final 100-odd kms, to Eucla, our destination for the next couple of nights.
Why stop at Eucla? I hear you ask. Well, we’ve always just passed straight through Eucla, never stopping to take in the sights of the (very) small town that sits on our southern border with SA. Luckily, the rain let up overnight and as we were having breakfast, we enjoyed witnessing the mass exodus of overnight campers, all heading off on their respective routes.
Following brekkie, we headed out to the old Telegraph Station, now ruins in the sand. However, I was extremely disappointed to find the historic ruins covered in ugly graffiti, both spray paint and etched into the sandstone. Why people do this astounds and saddens me. As I wandered through the old building, slowly being lost to the sand dunes, I noted some of the graffiti dated back to the mid-sixties so it has obviously been going on for a while but still, I don’t think there’s any excuse to adding to it.
We then got chatting to a lovely Tassie couple who are heading west and we agreed to let our tyres down and support each other on the sandy 4wd track out to the beach so we could view the old Eucla Jetty. We ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere and only managed to get to within 100m of the beach, having to walk the last section. Finding old mates, the Tassie couple, sitting in their camping chairs enjoying the view. They’d obviously taken the right track and made it all the way down to the beach. There’s not much left of the jetty now, which was used back in the 1880’s to land stores from Albany and Esperance, and take exported Sandalwood out.
After navigating our way back out of the sand dunes again, needing a couple of attempts, we refilled the tyres and headed back to the van for Tassie Riesling, Cheese, Crackers and Salami.
Leaving Eucla on Wednesday the 17th June, we skipped breakfast in the van for a truckers brekky at the Mundrabilla Roadhouse, about an hour West of Eucla. We’ve always enjoyed the hearty food here and again, we weren’t disappointed.
We then pushed through to Widgiemooltha, about an hour North of Norseman, camping for the night at the place we spent the first night of this trip.
Awake with the sound of birds, and the occasional rumble of the roadtrains passing in the distance, we packed up and drove through to our final camp for the trip, this time on the shore of Lake Koorkoordine, about 9km North of Southern Cross, and only 375km from home. We could have pushed straight through to home today, but we wanted to get home on Friday so both the girls would be home and able to greet us with the dog doing her celebrations.
As we’d arrived midday at the lake, we had plenty of time to get cleaned up, do a little walk and I chucked the drone up for some pics.
Well that about finishes this blog post and our 2026 Tassie adventure, the “Opportunity” trip. Tomorrow we’ll be up early and barring any issues, we’ll push through to home to settle back into suburban life again. But that’s a future us problem.
We loved our trip, as we do most trips, and we look forward to planning our next one.
From us to us, and to everyone else who reads our blog, sayonara for now.
