This is a video compilation of the highlights of the trip. Note that it is a long video (5.5 minutes). Watch only if you have good bandwidth and enough spare download limits.
Mon 5 Apr 2010 Back to Melbourne
8:15 am Mini Golf! The 3 kids started the morning with Mini Golf.
9:30 am Naracoorte Caves. Went on the Alexandra Cave tour and saw the signature perfect reflection of a stalactite formation. The guide also turned off the lights to show us how dark it was.
10:15 am Next tour was at Victoria Fossil Cave. There were 8 holes in the ground over the caves that fauna had fallen into over hundreds of thousands of years and their remains were fossilised in the cave.
1:30 pm Started the long drive to Melbourne.
4:30 pm Stopped at the Big Koala for some photos.
6:30 pm Dinner at Fawkner McDonalds.
8:30 pm Are we there yet? Yes, we are, home sweet home.
9:30 am Naracoorte Caves. Went on the Alexandra Cave tour and saw the signature perfect reflection of a stalactite formation. The guide also turned off the lights to show us how dark it was.
10:15 am Next tour was at Victoria Fossil Cave. There were 8 holes in the ground over the caves that fauna had fallen into over hundreds of thousands of years and their remains were fossilised in the cave.
1:30 pm Started the long drive to Melbourne.
4:30 pm Stopped at the Big Koala for some photos.
6:30 pm Dinner at Fawkner McDonalds.
8:30 pm Are we there yet? Yes, we are, home sweet home.
Sun 4 Apr 2010 - Easter Sunday at Hahndorf
9:30 am Packed up and left.
10:15 am Saw Adelaide from Mt Lofty. It was a great view and the kids spent their time sliding down the base of a tower column.
11:00 am Hahndorf. Went for a walk. Of course we had to stop at Humbugs - the lolly shop. The kids had a really really hard time choosing a lolly. There were so many to choose from. Also got some fudge - kahlua one was very nice. Had German lunch of bratwurst sausages and German meatloaf.
2:30 pm Shopping at Woolworths at Mt Barker.
3:30 pm Left for Naracoorte. There were some strange swarming of insects over tree tops. Not sure what they were.
6:30 pm Got to Naracoorte. Had dinner and got ready for last night in a caravan for this trip.
10:15 am Saw Adelaide from Mt Lofty. It was a great view and the kids spent their time sliding down the base of a tower column.
11:00 am Hahndorf. Went for a walk. Of course we had to stop at Humbugs - the lolly shop. The kids had a really really hard time choosing a lolly. There were so many to choose from. Also got some fudge - kahlua one was very nice. Had German lunch of bratwurst sausages and German meatloaf.
2:30 pm Shopping at Woolworths at Mt Barker.
3:30 pm Left for Naracoorte. There were some strange swarming of insects over tree tops. Not sure what they were.
6:30 pm Got to Naracoorte. Had dinner and got ready for last night in a caravan for this trip.
Sat 3 Apr 2010 Adelaide
10:30 am Packed up the caravan again. Reckon with the kids helping, we're down to all packed up and connected in less than 30 minutes now. Left Corny Point and stopped by Minlaton. Saw some emus at a park.
12:30 pm Had lunch in Port Wakefield.
1:30 pm Along the road to Adelaide, we saw these huge sculptures of a bug, fly, flying saucer, Ned Kelly, etc.
3.15 pm Arrived at the caravan park - tiny narrow space, harrowing experience trying to get the caravan into the correct spot.
4:30 pm Saw lots of toys at Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha. They even had a peacock wandering around on the grounds. Then drove around Adelaide and saw some old buildings.
7:00 pm Dinner at Adelaide. Had Peking Duck! Yummy!
12:30 pm Had lunch in Port Wakefield.
1:30 pm Along the road to Adelaide, we saw these huge sculptures of a bug, fly, flying saucer, Ned Kelly, etc.
3.15 pm Arrived at the caravan park - tiny narrow space, harrowing experience trying to get the caravan into the correct spot.
4:30 pm Saw lots of toys at Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha. They even had a peacock wandering around on the grounds. Then drove around Adelaide and saw some old buildings.
7:00 pm Dinner at Adelaide. Had Peking Duck! Yummy!
Fri 2 Apr 2010 Innes National Park
10:30 am Drove along unsealed roads to Daly Heads to have a look at the famous beach. It was a marvellous beach. Wide sandy beach stretched for kilometres with waves rolling in.
12:00 pm Innes National Park. While walking to Cape Spencer lighthouse, we saw crystal-like stones embedded in the path. Obviously, the kids collected some. As we were driving to the next stop, we saw some emus. Had to pull off the road to take some pictures.
2:30 pm Had a look at fishing village that was secluded from the open ocean through narrow heads. It was quite interesting to see really rough open seas on one side and much calmer water on the other side.
3:00 pm Walked down to the Ethel ship wreck. Looked like whale bones. The sea was really rough. Large swells, loud crashing waves, foaming on the beach and rushing back out to sea through great surging rips. Someone told us not to let the kids in the water. But the kids did have lots of fun playing with the sand. Ming Han had so much fun and laughed so much that his head fell off and he had to pick it up to put it back on.
12:00 pm Innes National Park. While walking to Cape Spencer lighthouse, we saw crystal-like stones embedded in the path. Obviously, the kids collected some. As we were driving to the next stop, we saw some emus. Had to pull off the road to take some pictures.
2:30 pm Had a look at fishing village that was secluded from the open ocean through narrow heads. It was quite interesting to see really rough open seas on one side and much calmer water on the other side.
3:00 pm Walked down to the Ethel ship wreck. Looked like whale bones. The sea was really rough. Large swells, loud crashing waves, foaming on the beach and rushing back out to sea through great surging rips. Someone told us not to let the kids in the water. But the kids did have lots of fun playing with the sand. Ming Han had so much fun and laughed so much that his head fell off and he had to pick it up to put it back on.
6:00 pm Cooked dinner with the fish we caught the day before. It was really yummy fresh fish.
From Ming Kim's journal:
In the super early of the morning I woke up twice to find that my pillow had fallen into Ming-Han's bed. At 7:30 I heard kids and grown ups talking. This trip my mum had said don't be to loud some people wake up at 12:00 pm. They are not showing any respect to some people! At about 9:00 I went to clean the fish with my mum.
At 11:00 we left to go to the National park. At 12:58 we arrived at Cape Spencer lighthouse which is in the National park. When we started walking I tripped and fell. It really hurt. After that we saw 4 emus. It was really awesome. At the top of a beach we had lunch and I had 1 and a half sandwiches. We went down the long steps and played for about 2 minutes. Then we did a few short walks. Minutes later I was digging a big hole and it was up to my waist! We could almost see Ming-Han's tummy but not quite. It was soooo cool. The waves were also HUMUGUS. We arrived back at the caravan park at 6:16.
Thu 1 Apr 2010 Beach Activities at Corny
8:30 am Started with playing pool with the kids.
10:30 am Went to Berry Bay South. As we went down the steps, we say dolphins in the water! Fantastic! We built great sand castles, literally. Castles with walls and turrets and moats and windows and parapets, etc. We also did some boogie boarding.
2:30 pm Pack up and move to next beach.
3:00 pm Fishing at Stirling St beach. MH (with MK's assistance) caught the first one. Then the other kids started catching fish. Mummy said we couldn't leave until she caught one. Eventually, she caught one and we left with lots of fish.
From Ming Kim's journal:
"Wah Wah" cried Ming Han. That was what I woke up to. My dad had bumped the light on top of him and it swung across to where Ming-Han had started walking to. By now everybody was awake. When Ming-Han had settled down we tried to go to sleep. By the way it was 6:45. After about a minute I tried to get a book. I got it after about a minute. I also got Ming-Jin's book that he was reading. When we could see, Ming-Jin and I started reading. We were sleeping together if you wanted to know.
We went to the beach at 11:00 and stayed till 2:30. This is what I did in that time. I dug a hole and in the afternoon had a barrier because the tide was coming in.
At 2:30 we borrowed some fishing rods because we were going fishing. I caught 3 fish but Ming-Jin caught 4. He only caught more than me because I didn't fish for as long as him.
5 minutes after we got back from the caravan park we had a shower. Then we went to a restaurant and I ordered Margherita pizza and chips. When we went to the caravan park we saw that it was nearly full because it was nearly easter.
10:30 am Went to Berry Bay South. As we went down the steps, we say dolphins in the water! Fantastic! We built great sand castles, literally. Castles with walls and turrets and moats and windows and parapets, etc. We also did some boogie boarding.
2:30 pm Pack up and move to next beach.
3:00 pm Fishing at Stirling St beach. MH (with MK's assistance) caught the first one. Then the other kids started catching fish. Mummy said we couldn't leave until she caught one. Eventually, she caught one and we left with lots of fish.
6:00 pm We went for dinner at Tavern on Turton. They had a Port Jackson Shark in a tank. Also had kids gaming machines. Guess what the kids did?
From Ming Kim's journal:
"Wah Wah" cried Ming Han. That was what I woke up to. My dad had bumped the light on top of him and it swung across to where Ming-Han had started walking to. By now everybody was awake. When Ming-Han had settled down we tried to go to sleep. By the way it was 6:45. After about a minute I tried to get a book. I got it after about a minute. I also got Ming-Jin's book that he was reading. When we could see, Ming-Jin and I started reading. We were sleeping together if you wanted to know.
We went to the beach at 11:00 and stayed till 2:30. This is what I did in that time. I dug a hole and in the afternoon had a barrier because the tide was coming in.
At 2:30 we borrowed some fishing rods because we were going fishing. I caught 3 fish but Ming-Jin caught 4. He only caught more than me because I didn't fish for as long as him.
5 minutes after we got back from the caravan park we had a shower. Then we went to a restaurant and I ordered Margherita pizza and chips. When we went to the caravan park we saw that it was nearly full because it was nearly easter.
Wed 31 Mar 2010 Going to Corny Point
10:30 am Left Victor Harbor.
12:00 pm Adelaide! Found this very interesting Expressway. Traffic goes onto it going into the city in the morning and it appears it changes directions in the evening and takes traffic away. We worked it out after seeing signs going the opposite direction! It was really slow going once we got to Adelaide - 60 kmh, lots of traffic lights, lots of traffic, etc.
1:00 pm Found a place called St Kilda. It had a really awesome adventure playground. There was also a school trip there at the same time.
2:15 pm Left St Kilda and headed for Corny Point.
5:00 pm Arrived at Corny Point. Had dinner and played table soccer. Had bad reception, so I hope this saves.
12:00 pm Adelaide! Found this very interesting Expressway. Traffic goes onto it going into the city in the morning and it appears it changes directions in the evening and takes traffic away. We worked it out after seeing signs going the opposite direction! It was really slow going once we got to Adelaide - 60 kmh, lots of traffic lights, lots of traffic, etc.
1:00 pm Found a place called St Kilda. It had a really awesome adventure playground. There was also a school trip there at the same time.
2:15 pm Left St Kilda and headed for Corny Point.
5:00 pm Arrived at Corny Point. Had dinner and played table soccer. Had bad reception, so I hope this saves.
Tue 30 Mar 2010 Victor Harbor - Goolwa
10:30 am Went to have a look at the Victor Harbor visitor center. Shopped for lunch - roast chicken - yum!
12:00 pm We went on the infamous Hindmarsh Island bridge. Why infamous? Not really sure. Google it. The highlight was the stomach churning roller coaster ride on the long, straight, up and down road. Also got a bit lost around the marina with new housing estate, not sure which island we ended up in. Also, what is a barrage?
1:00 pm After lunch, spent time "cockling" on Goolwa Beach. Before your mind strays as to what we were doing, we do have 3 kids with us. What it means is that we were collecting cockles/pipi/siput/clam/etc. Met a lady who showed us what to do. It was great! Just got to follow the water out and grabbed them from the sand before they dig themselves in!
12:00 pm We went on the infamous Hindmarsh Island bridge. Why infamous? Not really sure. Google it. The highlight was the stomach churning roller coaster ride on the long, straight, up and down road. Also got a bit lost around the marina with new housing estate, not sure which island we ended up in. Also, what is a barrage?
1:00 pm After lunch, spent time "cockling" on Goolwa Beach. Before your mind strays as to what we were doing, we do have 3 kids with us. What it means is that we were collecting cockles/pipi/siput/clam/etc. Met a lady who showed us what to do. It was great! Just got to follow the water out and grabbed them from the sand before they dig themselves in!
5:00 pm Went back to the holiday park and went to the local beach. It was nothing compared to the Goolwa Beach.
6:30 pm Had BBQ and cockles for dinner.
Mon 29 Mar 2010 Robe
7:30 am Rise and shine and pack up caravan.
10:00 am Eventually, we managed to pack everything and close down the caravan. It only took us 45 minutes to close down the caravan. Let's see if we can break our record. We left Mt Gambier.
11:30 am We got to Robe. Nice little town, and we went looking for a fish and chips shop. Hmmm ... fish and chips. We had a drive around town. Had a look at the Obelisk. Quite a sight. It used to guide ships into the bay and life savers used it as a rocket launching pad to fire life saving devices to save people out in sea. Could be dangerous. Furthermore, the rocks that it was sitting on was being eroded by the sea. Apparently, it is now so dangerous that no one is allowed onto it and it could collapse into the sea at any time. Next we drove to the beach. No, we drove on the beach! Good thing we didn't bog the caravan.
1:00 pm Kingston. Looked for another fish and chips shop. Supposedly won back to back the Best Fish and Chips in 2000 and 2001. Not as good as Robe, but still quite good. Then we saw the Big Lobster.
3:00 pm Near Coorong. As in the book "Are we there yet", there is mention of pelicans at Coorong. We didn't see any, and we weren't at our destination for the night yet, so we kept going.
4:30 pm We went on a ferry/punt at Wellington. We went across the Murray River. Quite a quick trip across.
6:00 pm We got to Beachfront Holiday Park and set up the caravan and then went out for dinner. Not fish and chips.
Sun 28 Mar 2010 This is Mt Gambier
9:30 am From the Blue Lake Holiday Park, we went to the Lady Nelson Visitor and Discovery Centre. Picked up a few brochures.
10:00 am We went for the Aquifer tour at the Blue Lake.
Why is the Blue Lake blue in summer? It is due to the warming of the water causing the calcium carbonate to percipitate out of the solution. The micro-crystallites of calcium carbonate scatter of the blue wavelengths of sunlight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lake_(South_Australia)
11:30 am Had lunch at the bottom of Mt Schank. It is the crater of a volcano and had a nice uphill walk to the crater rim. Then we walked all the way round the rim. Great views!
1:30 pm It was raining so we went back to the caravan park to do some paper work and play table tennis.
4:00 pm We went for a drive to have a look at the crater lakes. We stopped at a playground in the Valley Lake.
Sat 27 Mar 2010 We are on the way!
We practiced setting up the caravan. Amazing! We got it up. The neighbours drove by and stopped to have a look and a chat. After loading it, it was time to pack it up. Not too bad, quite easy.
1:00 pm Left home and ate Mummy's yummy sausage rolls.
3:00 pm Arrived at Ballarat. Ducked into McDonalds quickly, not for the food but for the toilets. Filled up, swapped drivers.
3:30 pm Left Ballarat and headed for Hamilton.
5:30 pm Got to Hamilton and had a quick look at the Big Wool Bales. And Ming Han said, "Are we there yet?". No, not yet.
7:00 pm Mt Gambier! Yes, we are here. Had Hungry Jacks for dinner and set up the caravan. The kids help wind up the caravan. We are on a slope. Hmmm ...
9:45 pm Went to Umpherston Sinkhole and saw a big hole and a few possums. People obviously go there to see possums. Also had a look at the Cave Gardens Sinkhole, but no possums. So we went back to sleep.
And from Ming Kim's journal (unedited):
We left the house at 12:56 pm but left the street at 1:01, because we forgot something. We listended to Just Crazy then we had our first stop at 3:06. We swaped drivers twice. We stopped to swap drivers at 3:25 and when I was asleep. After we all woke up my mum read to us. We played a game that you have to guess what colour the next car is. My mum always won or no one won. We arrived at Mt Gambier at 7:01 and arrived at the caravan park at 7:41. We finally opened the caravan at 8:32. We went to 2 sink holes. I'm scared of heights so I was VERY scared. Plus it was dark.
And from Ming Jin's journal (edits in parentheses):
We left our house after chinese school. We didn't go so we ate lunch while the car wasn't moving. We drove to Mount Gambier and took us about 7 hours. We bought dinner from KFC (ed. Hungry Jacks) and ate at caravan park. We set up the tent (ed. caravan) and I slept wtih my little bro.
Almost about to start!
Picked up the caravan from Sunbury. Spent an hour learning about the caravan - what is in there, where are the cabinets, how to bring it down, how to set it up, etc. Lots to know. We got it home, in one piece.
Now, packing. Lots to pack.
Now, packing. Lots to pack.
Bookings
At last, we got the caravan organised. Paid for deposit. Now we just have to wait to pick it up.
HM worked hard on the accommodation, being Easter and all. But she did it. All booked.
Now we wait ... are we going yet?
HM worked hard on the accommodation, being Easter and all. But she did it. All booked.
Now we wait ... are we going yet?
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