Back from 8 weeks across Australia

 Hi everyone, I am just back from 8 weeks travelling across Australia from Western Australia, where I live, across South Australia, with a few stops, and then our main destination touring around Victoria in the south east of Australia. See maps!

For those not familiar with Australia - Map 1 is a map of Australia with a black outline roughly the area we travelled through. 

 Map 2 - is a download of our trip recorded by our SPOT tracker. It is a great device that allows our family to track us while we are away, and at the end of each day we send a message to say we are ok. 

Map 3 - is a blow up of the South Australia and Victoria part of our trip.

I must confess that with the incredible rise in fuel prices before we left and the trouble in the Middle East, at one stage we actually considered not going. But we are glad we did go. You can't put a price on making memories with those you love.  Yes fuel was expensive, but we just put it in, I wrote it in the book, and then closed the book.

We were away exactly 8 weeks. We travelled 11,559.5km, fuel cost $4,918.57, most expensive fuel Corryong Victoria @ $3.31/Litre, cheapest fuel Waterloo WA @ $2.15.9/Litre. We stopped in 9 free camps and 19 caravan parks. 

We had so many enjoyable experiences and places new to us, caught up with two sets of friends in South Australia, we met new people, followed up on my family heritage from the 1800s in Victoria, saw koalas in the wild, ticked off some movie locations for our son, experienced the Man From Snowy River 4 day festival in Corryong Victoria, and saw Craig's Hut (from the Man From Snowy River movie) in the fog on Mt Stirling in the Victorian high country. 

It was our first trip to regional Victoria, so there was so much for us to explore.  

My husband drove us all that way and back home safely. Thank you! Home sweet home. Clean ups done, but still sorting all those photos!

 Over the coming weeks I will bring you some stories and photos, but for now just a taster. I am still going through my photos and trying to catch up on real life. 

As we live in a town on the south west coast of Western Australia it is a long way just to get to what I call the actual start of our trip at Kimba in South Australia - 2,384 kilometers and 4 free camps in fact, including travelling across the Nullarbor - a vast, semi arid expanse between Norseman in Western Australia and Ceduna in South Australia. They had had a lot of rain in the previous weeks and it was greener than we had ever seen it before. It is a long way, but you can break it up by stopping at the various points of interest on the way. But for us this time, we just wanted to get across. Watch out for camels, wombats and kangaroos!

Here is a link on my blog about the Nullarbor from a previous trip - https://lifeimagesbyjill.blogspot.com/2013/10/crossing-australia-eyre-highway-and.html

I have lots to share with you, but for now a few highlights - 

The amazing Stick Shed in Murtoa. Find out more soon! 

Fantastic silo and water tank art - is it a thing in your country? It certainly is in Australia

Stunning coastline vistas and lighthouses

Visiting Craig's Hut from the Man From Snowy River movie - in the Victorian high country - very atmospheric in the fog. (and a few other movie locations - more later!) 

The Man From Snowy River annual 4 day festival in Corryong, Victoria - horse events of every kind. Actually the original reason for us going to Victoria. 

Visiting historic Echuca on the Murray River and taking a cruise on the Paddle Steamer Pevensy - used as the Philadelphia in the Australian 1983 TV series All The Rivers Run. The state border between New South Wales and Victoria actually runs along the middle of the 2,508 km Murray River. 

Heritage buildings, museums, eating out at some interesting locations, and exploring family history. My family on my mother's side arrived in Port Fairy on the south coast of Victoria from England in 1853. 

Driving and walking through forests, along coastal paths, and finding koalas in the wild! 

 I hope you will join me over the coming weeks to read these stories and more about our recent travels through South Australia and Victoria. See you then! 

 

 Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Sorry I have been missing from yours over the last 8 weeks. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best! Sadly some linkups that I have been following for a number of years have closed over the last few months. 

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Peabea's Pictorial Tuesday

Weekly Wonders 

Travel Tuesday

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Thankful Thursday 

H2O Thursday
Nature Thursday

Sky Watch Friday

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Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile.