Category: Travel

First time staying in wild bush luxury in the Flinders Ranges

Posted on by Libby Withnall

After a good nights sleep we were awake about 6am and on the road by 7am. It was so good we had been able to charge overnight since, like yesterday, the drive ended up taking longer than expected.

The drive was through lots of farming country – wheat and sheep mainly.

And then into the vineyards of the Barossa Valley and it’s cute little towns. Today it’s all about getting to our destination though so no time to stop.

We arrived into the Keith charging point around 9.30. It was at a cute little hotel. We went and used the restrooms with lavender toilets and sink (which we were invited to do, plus we could use the lounge) and walked back to the car, where we sat and enjoyed breakfast – leftovers from last night. I think my salad was even nicer today – or maybe I was just more in the mood to eat.

There were no other stops, except for toilet stops. The landscape started to change as we entered the Flinders Ranges with more red dirt, trees and hills.

At 1pm we were pulling up to Akarba. The reason for our journey out here was for Kevin to install another Starlink.

After being shown to the Coach cabin, where we are staying (there are also 4 rooms in the main house), we were shown up to main house, introduced to some of the staff and presented with an ice cold towel and iced raspberry tea (which was delicious).

We were then shown into the cabin, which is lovely, and private. The only thing I didn’t like was the roo skins on the floor – so I rolled them up and put them under the bed. The bed heads were also made of sheep skins but they did feel like Koda :-). Besides the skins (not ideal for a vegan) the room was beautifully decorated.

View from the bed

Kevin and I got the car unpacked and then he headed off to get started on his work. I sorted out some stuff in the room. I did a bit of stuff on the computer, then went and sat outside by the big house and read. Then returned back to the room for a bit before dinner.

Dinner was supposed to be 6.30pm and we aren’t sure if they were waiting for Kevin or what. There is one other couple staying here and we were joined by our Guide, Paddy ??, for dinner, which was eventually served. (Dinner was Fresh Asparagus and then veggie risotto – both delicious) Kevin turned up a short time into dinner – pretty hot and tired from being on the room. The other couple,  Greg & Alice, seem very nice. They work in the travel industry so have plenty of stories to share.

After dinner we grabbed our jackets and headed out in the safari truck to watch the sunset and have dessert.

The views were spectacular from the top of the ridge where we stopped.

  • It was a bit windy up here !!

Talk about a very decadent experience. It was a full service desert. I had a pouched pear which was pretty tasty. 

We watched as the stars started to appear – so bright and clear in this sky – and then drove back to the station. At one point Paddy stopped the truck and we all just sat and listened to the quiet of the night and looked up at ALL the stars. It was definitely a wonderful start to our stay here at Arkaba.

We were surprised to find our room had been turned down and our lights put on. Such a nice welcome back.

Travelling into South Australia

Posted on by Libby Withnall

We only had one night at the lighthouse cottage which meant it was time to pack up and leave in the morning. Thankfully we had tried not to bring in too much stuff. I cut up the 2 remaining mangoes that we had to enjoy before leaving as we were crossing into South Australia today and you can’t take in any fruit (due to the risk of fruit flies). Kevin ate the last tomato and we only had to throw out 2 sad looking bananas.

We left here later than planned and headed into Portland to charge the car. When I had been doing planning I thought we could manage without charging overnight (which I thought we wouldn’t be able to do). Kevin later informed me he could have since he has very long leads. It wasn’t too bad though as after leaving the car the Quest apartments (where there was a Tesla charging port) we just walked into town to get some breakfast.

One of the places with vegan options was The Lido Larder. It was really cute too, had lovely staff and some yummy looking food. They offered to make me a vegan panini and Kevin opted for the vegetarian one. 

There was no seating inside (I assume due to covid) so we sat outside, where it was luckily protected from the wind. We both really enjoyed our breakfast. Kevin got himself some desert and I picked up a yoyo to have later in the car.

We wandered down to the water to see if any truck lifting was going on but there wasn’t so we walked back to the car.

Along the way we heard chirping and looked up to find a nest with 2 baby birds in it and Mum & Dad fluttering around. While we watching one of the babies was practicing flying. One of the locals stopped to chat and we found out there had been 5 babies.

2 baby birds in in the nest
Mum & Dad watch over one of the babies (sitting on the pile of poo). The other baby didn’t want to leave the nest.

We also ran into Gordan (our lighthouse guide from yesterday) who owns the “whole foods” shop in Portland. It was actually another place we could have eaten in but it didn’t look particularly welcoming so we hadn’t gone in. We did chat with him for a bit and then finally made it back to the car.

Then we were on the road again.

Around 1.30pm we arrived in Horsham and found the Tesla charging station for another charge. It was right near a shopping centre so we had a quick look around (just your normal Aussie stores) and got some lunch from Subway, which we took back to the car. We watched some YouTube while we ate and waited for the charge to finish.

Back on the road and into some real farming country. I loved how so many farm gates/entrances were decorated for Christmas using hay bale, farm equipment, etc. Sadly couldn’t get any photos.

3.30pm we finally reached the Victorian/South Australian boader where we had to show our passes 4.15 We stopped in Keith for the final charge of the day. It was just a quick one here – enough to get us through to Murray Bridge. It was a long day of travel and I had a bit of a case of the munchies so was pleased to discover they had vegan Magnums here. First ice cream of the holiday and I really enjoyed it.

We saw our first silo art – which I think is just the most awesome idea. We were too tired to stop though so just took photos as we drove by.

We lined up to get a covid test (we are required to get one within 24 hours of arriving in the state) but were told there was about an hour wait and that there was another testing place further up the road, just before Murray Bridge.

We continued on our way arriving at the testing place at 5.45pm. It was quick process here and only took about 10mins all up. 

Then finally at 6.15 we drove into Murray Bridge and got checked into the Bridgewater Hotel. We didn’t think we’d be able to charge the Tesla here but Kevin spotted a power point right near where he had parked the car. Which meant we wouldn’t have to spend 30min the morning charging before we could set off.

I thought we’d be here mid afternoon to actually enjoy the hotel and room, which is really lovely and has a nice view of the Murray River.

As it was, as soon as we got our luggage (just the absolute essentials) Kevin had to dive into some work that was needing done. While he did this I worked a blog post and finishing a video. Not getting much editing time so I’m only managing to get one up every 3-4 days now we are travelling/moving on more often.

With Kevin working we didn’t get to order room service until late so it was after 8pm when we finally had dinner (but there is a time difference which meant it was actually after 8.30pm NSW/VIC time. I had the roasted cauliflower salad (which was yummy) and Kevin had a pizza.

Obviously we went to bed straight after dinner, where Kevin was on reddit and I finished the vlog and the read for a bit before going to sleep.

Staying in a Lighthouse Cottage

Posted on by Libby Withnall

This morning it was again time to pack up and say goodbye to this lovely apartment. We didn’t rush but finished packing and were on the road around 9am.

By 9.30 we arrived in the very cute town of Port Fairy – which is the end of the Great Ocean Road. I had found a place to have breakfast that was a little surprise for Kevin – a crepeiry – LeCrepe Man of Belfast.  We managed to park right outside. It was pretty cold today so we opted to eat inside. 

We were the only people eating in – I’m guessing the place is still very much hurting during this pandemic. Kevin ordered a crepe with banana and Nutella – which he enjoyed but said was very sweet. I had “the vegan” – which was savoury and very tasty – but I only managed to eat about half of it.

After our crepes we went for a bit of a drive around the town – which is really lovely – and one I’d definitely like to spend more time exploring.

We did spot a few Goldens which was exciting.

We stopped at another lookout and took some beautiful photos. It was chilly out – as you can probably gather from Kevin wearing his hood. And it was definitely much to windy to fly the drone.

It was stunning drive to and from this lookout so definitely worth the drive.

At 11.30am we arrived in Portland and drove to the Maritime Museum. It was free and small but well worth a look around. Being that it was originally a whaling town there is a bit of information about that. They had a sperm whale skeleton which was washed up a few years back And a paper machete of the large Great White killed in Australia. So sad really. It’s life wasn’t in vain though as the original carcus was bought by Valeria Taylor – a marine scientist who studied it.

We had thought to hop on the cable tram here but due to covid you could only get on and off at the depot (so they could check vaccination status).

The trip took about an hour and had commentary throughout. We really enjoyed it and learned quite a lot about the city. Portland is very much a port city.

The highlight though would have to be seeing how they emptied the wood chips trucks !!

There was a brief stop at a whale viewing (during the season) spot and then back to the depot.

While on the tram we also received the (expected) news that our covid test was negative.

Before driving out to  Cape Bridgewater we stopped at Macs Hotel in town to pick up the keys to our accommodation. 15mins later we had arrived out at the lighthouse just in time for our 2pm tour.

We met with our guide, Gordan, who gave us a very thorough history of the lighthouse and it’s workings before we walked UP inside the lighthouse to see the light and have a walk around the outside.

From the top of lighthouse you can look down on all the cottages

There was quite the view from up there. Our tour ended about 3.30pm and we just walked over to the cottage we were staying out – Sunrise Cottage No.1.

We were staying in the Sunrise Cottage (on the right)

We were a little confused as people were using the gate to our place and walking right around it. And we had a group of students camping right at our back door !! We were quite thrown by this and not that pleased. But the cottage itself was cute and so old (built around 1840).

Since it was so cold and windy and had just started raining as we finished unloading the car, Kevin was very excited to get to light another REAL wood fire.  Because of the weather and lack of privacy outside we got settled in the lounge room in front of the fire. Later one of the adults from the camping group came over an apologised and said he’d get the kids to use another gate and try to keep away from our place. To be honest once we were inside and closed some doors we did not hear them.

I had a bath – which was enjoyable. Dinner tonight was some filled pasta and pasta sauce – Prepared by Kevin (wearing my robe since none were provided). How domesticated does he look with the oven gloves on? :-).

No YouTube here as no real internet available so we headed to bed around 8.30pm, before the sun had even set ! We did the silliest thing and didn’t think to stay up to see the lighthouse working !!!

History & relaxation in Warnambool

Posted on by Libby Withnall

It was the usual sourdough with jam for breakfast this morning after a little bit of a sleep in. About 10am we headed to get a covid test – which we needed to have before we can enter South Australia. We went to the drive through testing site only to be told we didn’t have a booking and would need to go to another location. When we got there was a line out the door and it looked like it was going to be quite the wait. In the 15 mins we waited Kevin got online and registered for a booking at the drive through place. There was no option to select a time so we just went back around. Apparently we were naughty and should have gone to to the other place. But the lady hadn’t been clear enough that they were sending ALL interstate travellers there. But since the drive through place was quiet they did the tests for us there. It was my first covid test and honestly not too bad.

With the test done we drove back to Flagstaff Hill for our daytime visit. Upon arrival we got to read more about the ship wrecks that happened in the area, esp. that of the Loch Ard. It’s so hard to believe that this peacock statue survived- it must have been very well packed in it’s crate.

We got to read more about the people and relics from the Loch Ard and then look through all the village shops & buildings of this replica 1800s town.

The pub/inn rules

Kevin was very excited when the lolly shop opened and he was able to buy some lollies. The lady volunteering there was just lovely and we had a nice little chat with her.

It was so quiet today and there was just a handful of other people about. It was really like we had the whole village to ourselves. The buildings are really well created and interesting to see. Definitely well worth the visit (though if you have young kids it’s probably best to come during school holidays when they have more events on).

Kevin taking some inspiration from Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain

I was very excited to see the Mareema’s (famous for guarding penguins and the movie Oddball – but they were having their morning nap when we arrived and refused to get up so we could see them better. I had thought we’d be able to pat them but I can also understand why we couldn’t – esp. during covid times.

We did get to to pat the sheep though – he was much more cooperative.

We left here just after 12pm and went into town (about 3 mins away) to have a look at a store I’d heard about. It was certainly very impressive and we did pick up a few edible gifts. In the old days I know I would have bought a lot of things here. I did contemplate an apron I liked but reminded myself I had already decluttered down to 2 and I wouldn’t want to get rid of either of my Disney ones.

I had thought we could get lunch here but that no longer seemed to be the case so we went back to the Mexican place we had parked in front of. We ordered takeaway and sat outside while we waited for it to be cooked. The place was pretty busy which we took as a good sign.

We made a quick trip to IGA on the way home to pick up dinner for the next two nights, then it was back to our place to have lunch. I had vegan tacos and Kevin had a trio of 3 varieties. We both absolutey loved our meals. One of the best we’ve had on this trip.

There was just enough time for us to have lunch and watch a YouTube video before putting on our swimsuits and heading the Deep Blue Hot Springs.

Neither of us really knew what to expect here. We were booked in for a session time of 2.30-5pm. We put our things into a pigeon hole (there are also lockers available) and went through to the springs. We quickly realized most was outside in the sun so went back inside and bought some sunscreen.

Take two and we made it outside again. Turns out this place is a series of hot pools/waterfalls – some of different temperatures and water levels. We both LOVED it. 

Our favourite experience ended up being the shallow pool where you could like down and look up at the clouds. There were a few noisy groups which did spoil some of the tranquility of the place but we really loved our time here.

By 4pm we were feeling a bit waterlogged and very relaxed. We had a quick shower to rinse off the sulphur and got changed, then drove back to our home.

We watched some YouTube and I attending to a few jobs like ironing and starting to pack.

Tonight I had an Amy’s frozen meal for dinner – love these so much and can only usually find some gluten free ones (which this was) and Kevin had a fridge meal.

Not the greatest sunset tonight as it was pretty cloudy.