Day 17: Broken Hill - Orange

Homeward stretch!!!
Unfortunately my ipod decided to freeze on song shuffle so we had a thoroughly eclectic 10 1/2 hours of driving music! There was 1 song that we decided we MUST hear before finishing the road trip. Naturally, it ended up being song number 523 out of 561...

Highlight of day: Driving through Cockburn (teehee!)

Day 16: Marree - Broken Hill

Today we drove through from Marree to Broken Hill. Nothing terribly exciting happened (except perhaps, for our first road kill - r.i.p. little birdie).
Still loving the train signs though... :-)

Day 15: Marree (LAKE EYRE!!!!)

THE MOST EPIC DAY OF THE JOURNEY.
This page will invovle quite a few photos. Carefully selected from about 300 I might add!

We drove up from the Flinders into the desert region of SA. It was absolutely SCARCE!!! but amazing being out in such a vast expanse of nothingness.
On our way up to Marree we stopped infamous pub 'The Prairie'. In the town (I use that term lightly) of Parachilna, The Prairie has been an institution for the last half a century. Primarily as a travellers stop, and secondly as a foodie extravaganza.
What we ate:
1) Feral Food Antipasto.
This involved smoked kangaroo, camel salami, emu pate, fresh goats cheese and other antipasto delights.
2) The Feral Mixed Grill.
This included emu fillet mignon wrapped in bacon, kangaroo schnitzel and camel sausage.
Everything was actually insanely delicious!!

On our way to Marree on the edge of Lake Eyre we had to drive for about 80kms of dirt road (sorry mum). On this journey we had to cross the 'flooding' which was luckily only a few cm's deep!

The second part of the day centred on our flight over Lake Eyre. We were flown in a light prop plane by a guy named Andrew. The only other person to come with us was a German guy who was doing some professional filming, so we luckily managed to have the plane door open for pretty much all of our 2 1/2 hour flight. Andrew also did numerous ducks and dives to make sure we were flying with flocks of pelicans or could see certain aspects of the landscape. All at only 500ft!

Firstly, Lake Eyre is HUGE!!!!!!!
It is the second largest Salt Lake in the world and is 8 times saltier than the ocean and twice as dense as the Red Sea!
The most striking thing about the Lake and the surrounding floodlands was all the different colours of the water.
Some areas were pink due to an algae that grows in salt water lakes. Some was deep red due to sand that has blown down from the simpson desert. Some was white from the salt pans. And some was blue like a Carribean sea.
In contrast to all of this water there were parts of the earth with deep cracks and rivets from the years of drought that this area has gotten used to.

Flood plains

Red sand from the Simpson Desert in Lake Eyre

Salt pans on the edge of lake Eyre - when the lake is empty the salt is as hard as concrete!

Cracked drought-y earth

Desert sunset

After flying over the lake , Bel and I watched a spectacular desert sunset and then cuddled up in our little cabin and watched Summer Heights High. The population of about 40 in Marree didn't seem to have much of a Wednesday night nightlife going on...

Word of the day: Fettle (to remove sand from) - "A fettling gang removing sand from the train tracks".
 

Day 14 Flinders Ranges - Wilpena Pound

Today we woke up early and put on our walking shoes for a day 'out bush', trekking up to the top of Wilpena pound. In Aboriginal dreamtime stories, two serpents slithered through this region and formed the gradient and ridges in the pound. (Much more exciting than the scientific explanation). We were told the hike up would take 5 hours so we put on our super-cool day packs stuffed with everything from water bottles to bandages for snake bites - still haven't seen a snake though!)
After reaching the top of the pound we had a spectacular view over the whole region and spent most of the afternoon walking around the ridges on the outside of the crater-shaped formation. To top off the day we went for a swim then finished off some wine we bought in the Barossa whilst watching sunset - we're too cute :-p

The sunset that we drank our wine to

Word of the day: Cairn (A heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc.)

Day 13 Flinders Ranges (Rawnsley Park Station)

We set off from Adelaide and headed up towards the Flinders Ranges in northern South Australia (with a stop for coffee and scones along the way!)
On our way up to the Rawnsley Park Station, which is a working sheep station that we stayed at for 3 nights), we managed to get inundated with locusts. Splattery, gooey gross-ness! Once we arrived in the Flinders Bel and I had to set to work with a spatula and soup spoon to get them out of the radiator and engine - gross!
We spent the evening taking in the breathtaking scenery.

Word of the day: Exsiccate: to dry up.
(Can't think of the song - again...)

Day 12: Barossa Valley

New. Love. - Hentley Farm 2008 Clos Otto Shiraz. Yum yum yum yum yum!

We sadly *sniff* said farewell to one of our three troopers today, Kath, who left us to prepare for her ski trip to the States. Her absence was so acute I think we've already spoken 3 times since she left!

To brighten our mood, Bel and I decided to doll-up 50s style and head to the Barossa Valley for a spot of wine tasting. This is where the love affair began....

First, lunch at Maggie Beer's Pheasants Farm. And yes, we had the pheasant terrine with pastry made from sour cream, delish!

The balcony at the Farm Shop

Second, Hentley Farm wines. Bel and I were recommended to visit this winery by a friend (thanks Chris!) and it was fabulous. The two of us managed to nab the lovely wine maker Dru to take us through the tastings, and we proceeded to spend a good hour sampling some fantastic wines, most of which, (unfortunately) Bel and I can't afford. It seems our zealous appreciation of these delectable grapes afforded us celebrity status as we were allowed to try the members only, "limited" wines. This is where the second love affair began.

Love affair 3: oysters. After a wonderful day in the Barossa, we returned to the house of the friends we were staying with, and what did they have waiting for me, a dozen Coffin Bay oysters for a starter, and a fresh fish dinner with pavlova for desert. I came, I ate, I conquered!

All finished!

Day 11: Adelaide

The majority of the day was spent driving up to Adelaide, with various scenic stops made along the way.

Once in Adelaide we went to check out the town centre before having a delicious dinner out at Singapore House with some old friends, Kally and Byron.

A big thanks to Gary and Linda for having us to stay at their lovely home!

Day 10: Port Fairy and Mt. Gambier

We set off on the drive to Mt. Gambier via the gorgeous riverside town of Port Fairy.
In Port Fairy we discovered Rebecca's cafe, a food lovers mecca. We simply had to stop for a coffee, and apple, blueberry and almond cake, & organe and blueberry muffin, mmmm....!

When we arrived in Mt. Gambier we headed up to the Blue Lake. For a few months over summer each year, the lake turns a striking blue colour due to the limestone deposits that seep into the lake.

After touring the lakes of the region, we went and checked into our hostel for the night, the Old Jail. Up until 1995 this hostel was still functioning as a jail. The first thing we were told when we checked in was that 3 inmates had been hung and buried in the jail... a 'unique' night was had. Our dorm rooms were old jail cells, and the lounge room was the old chapel!

Morning exercise in the jail yard

Word of the day: Glasual. (Glamour casual. Oh Okay, so this isn't a real word, but we found it perfectly suited our eclectic dress sense once we did a mammoth load of laundry and realised we had nothing left to keep us warm. Let's just say long summer dresses over long-sleeved t-shirts and topped off with trainers, probably won't make an appearance on fashion week runways anytime soon!)

Day 9: Port Campbell

Due to the beauty of this area we decided to stay here another day to take it all in.
In order to absorb our surroundings (and clear our slightly foggy heads from the night before) we decided to tackle a section of the Great Ocean Walk by going on a 4 hour hike.
To top off the glorious day we had an early 'Christmas Dinner' where we gourged on seafood platters. I systematically managed to extract every little last piece of meat from the crab. Some (Bel and Kath) would call my methodological crab-extraction "explosive" or "dangerous" (yes, crab would randomly fly across the room), but boy it was worth it!

Word of the day: Voraciously (Exceedingly eager or avid - Chaanah had a voracious appetite for crab :-p)

Another beautiful sunset from our hostel window!

Day 8: Port Campbell (12 Apostles)

After doing an early morning session of rooftop yoga (Bel, the crazy cat, went swimming in the sea), we headed off towards the 12 apostles - STUNNING!
We managed to see these amazing rock formations in a number of different lights, first with huge storm clouds rolling over the horizon, then with sunset turning the rocks a striking orangey/red - one of the most amazing things I've seen.
We also managed to have a sneaky cheese tasting at the Apollo Whey Cheesemakers then a quick nibble at GORGE chocolates - delectable.
To top it off, we had a fantastic night out (and by out, I mean venture to the corner pub) with a bunch of rowdy Brits, Germans, Austrians and the odd Italian.

Song: Bittersweet Symphony
Word: Epicene (Belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes)

Day 7: Apollo Bay

Rain. That is what we awoke to this morning. And by MORNING I mean EARLY morning. 6.30 specifically.
We did not let this rain deter us and we set off to welcome the day at Lake Elizabeth. Lake Elizabeth holds a large colony of wild platypus so we went to test our luck at seeing these shy little creatures. Alas, none were sighted, but the trek and lake were worth the early wake-up call.

Later in the day we went to see the Cape Ottway lighthouse, where we were told we had arrived at the perfect time for a lighthouse experience, pelting rain and 50km/h winds! The highlight of this little escapade was definitely the flag that symbolised "I need a tug". Naughty, we know!
The best part about driving down to Cape Ottway was the family of koalas living in the trees the whole drive down. We must have come across about 30 koalas including a GORGEOUS baby that was running along the tree branches eating leaves. We were hoping it would fall so we could bundle it up and take it home!
The rest of the afternoon was spent meeting the local mechanic (repairing for a rear tail light for "a couple of bucks love" and lounging round the hostel drinking tea and playing board games. Bliss!

Word of the day: Platypod (having a broad foot, as certain gastropod mollusks).
CD of the day: Michael Buble.

Day 6: Melbourne - Apollo Bay

GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Having spent a fantastic weekend in Melbourne we decided to once again hit the road, more specifically, the Great Ocean Road.

We left Melbourne in lovely sunshine but the gods turned against us and started the GOR in a thick misty fog. However, this eeriness has actually created an etheral sort of feel to the place, and the hostel we're staying in has a gorgeous log fire with comfy sofas for us to snuggle up on, making it perfect!

We decided we should still get out and about so walked through the rainforest to the gorgeous Marriners Falls just north of Apollo Bay. I became sort of obsessed with taking pictures of fungus... 



Word of the day: Gaucherie. (Lack of social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkwardness; crudeness; tactlessness)

Song of the day: Red Hot Chilli Peppers 'By the Way'.

Melbourne!

Melbourne - the city of Parma-and-pots. Whilst no parma was eaten and no pots consumed, we had a fabulous weekend of frivolity. With 3 main activities:

EAT



SHOP



DRINK

DRINK AGAIN...

AND AGAIN...

AND PERHAPS AGAIN...

The highlights:
Bars: New Guernica, Sista Bella and Republica.
The food: Picnic on Toorak road and Liar Liar off Glenferrie road in Hawthorn. Both fantastic for brunch. Also, a delicious little Indonesian restaurant called Block M on Little Bourke Street.
Chocolate: Ganache on Toorak Road off Chapel street. Most AMAZING cinnamon pyramid truffles EVER!
The people: Too many to mention, but lovely to see you all and thanks for looking after us.

Day 3: Phillip Island - Melbourne

Honorary road tripper: Shell.
Shell flew down from Sydney to join us for the weekend in Melbourne.

Special thanks to Ash for having us to stay.

Before setting off from Phillip Island we slathered ourselves in sunscreen and hiked out to Woolamai Peninsula to see the red granite pinnacles. We had been warned about the abundance of snakes, and they weren't kidding. There were slippery snake tracks across the path every 10 steps or so!
This was the view:

We then headed up to Melbourne where we had a fantastic night out in New Guernica and Tuscan Bar.

Song of the day: Club Can't Handle Me
Word of the day: We didn't come across one despite using 'do you have a word of the day?' as a pick-up line in bars. Fail.
Moment of the day: When the waiter at the Japanese restaurant stuck his finger in his ears and said 'please lower. Too much soprano' about my high pitched voice!!!

Day 2: Lakes Entrance - Phillip Island

We set off bright and early and made our way to Phillip Island, just South of Melbourne.
We spent the afternoon getting up close and personal with our favourite furry Aussie friends, Koalas. Specifically a BABY koala! We then went and watched the penguin parade, where nearly 2,000 penguins come home to nest for the night.

Moment of the day: Being invited to a Parma-and-Pot at the local pub. (Apparently a Victorian tradition where you have a chicken parmegiana and pot of beer).
CD of the day: Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops and Hooligans
Word of the day: asthenic

Day 1 Syd.-Lakes Entrance

We managed to bring the rain with us for most of the journey down to Victoria. However, this made for perfect road tripping weather, with some old school CD classics being bumped full volume. So Fresh Spring 2000, that's what I'm talking about! I'm not going to lie, the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys got a good run as well.

CD of the day: So Fresh Spring 2000
Word of the day: Lascivious

Farewell Dinner

As a farewell for the next few weeks we had a girly night at Sopra by Fratelli Fresh, where we gorged on a feast of foods from afar.

We ate delectable(s) such as Gorgonzola stuffed zucchini flowers, chorizo, pea and mascarpone linguine and banoffi pie!
Not surprisingly, we also finished off a few carafes of vino rouge. Yum yum yum!

What a perfect way to farewell my penchant for foreign foods and prepare me for some hardy bush tucker. Bring. It.