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The TASMANIA slideshow page of our holiday 2017 website gives an introduction to where we went in Tasmania via our diaries, photo slideshows & audible videos. Diaries run from 4th to the 8th April when we stayed with John & Diana. The slideshows after each diary segment help to pictorially show what is happening in the coreesponding words. Hope it helps, KHWD KeefH Web Designs TASMANIA Slideshows & Diary Tuesday 4 April At Launceston we collected our hire car (white Toyota Yashi 4 door hatchback) & set off at 9.45am via Evendale & Campbell Town & then took the scenic route to the east coast (as recommended by Diana). Diana is Keef’s 2nd cousin & we had visited her & John twice before in 2008 & 2013 when they lived in Huonville, Tasmania. This time they had had a house built on some land near Swansea which we had not seen before. We drove to Campbell Town, an old town with a history of convicts & settlers. It had an 1836 red brick bridge built by convicts over the Elizabeth River. We visited the Tourist Info centre & had a pie & coffee in the local bakery as we’d been up for hours. At Evandale a lot of English trees had autumn tints & the air was cooler & fresher than Sydney. It felt a bit like England but the fields were bone dry & the grass was yellow due to drought. Some local Aussies said it was just coming into winter now. We saw a few Tasmanian Devils dead at the side of the road (killed at night by traffic). The roads were empty & scenery was lovely – lots of mountain ridges but few rivers & streams. We stopped at Bicheno on the coast to buy flowers & chocs for John & Diana. They are both 79 & had bought a 5 acre plot of grassland & had a house built from scratch, with the same floor plan as their previous house in the Huon valley except this time the kitchen was open-plan. Their house was very nice with white & pink roses round the verandah. Diana had given us directions to their house which was a few minutes inland from Swansea, their nearest town on the coast. We arrived at John & Diana’s at 4.30pm – a long journey travelling from 4.30am (although we had stopped for about 1+ ¾ hrs for breaks, including breakfast in Campbell Town). It was nice to see them again & we all had some tea, cake & a catch-up (we had last done a Skype with them before we left England. We stored our big bags in their garage which had recently been built. They had been busy planting trees & John had done all the internal & external painting of the house himself. Diana cooked Flathead fish fillets (Aussie fish) in breadcrumbs with salad & homemade plum pie for dessert. We went to bed at 10pm as very tired – been awake for 18¼ hours since early this morning. 4 Apr 2017 Wednesday 5 April Tasmania Diana cooked us a full English breakfast. We all went in the hire car to 9 Mile Beach, Spikey Bridge (built by convicts), Spikey Beach & Rocky Hill Lookout over the bay towards Freycinet National Park. Warm weather today 24c with a gentle breeze. The beaches we visited were empty, with pristine sand & no parking fees (unlike Sydney). This eastern coast of Tasmania has so many quiet, sandy beaches & small sleepy settlements with hardly any shops, cafes or restaurants. John told us that there were 8 areas on the island where the water was unsafe to drink so people had to boil water or buy bottled water – not very 21st century. Tasmania does not seem to cater much for tourists compared to mainland Australia & we think it’s behind the times (40 years behind!). I expect a lot of Tasmanians like it this way – sleepy with not much going on. Certainly compared to having just left Sydney where people rushing around the massive city & suburbs must raise stress levels We noticed no wind farms at all on our car journeys & no solar panels on people’s roofs. Even petrol stations are few & far between & public transport was not visible. Wi-fi is not available in some small settlements & our sat-nav kept saying ‘GPS signal lost’ when we were in the country. There is only one road down the east coast by the Tasman Sea– the Tasman Highway- and there’s not much work available with mainly retired people living here. Keef & I like Tassie as it’s so different from the mainland & this is our 3rd visit. Most Aussies we’ve talked to in various States have never been to Tassie. It takes John & Diana 2 hours by car to reach Hobart or Launceston where they do their main shopping. Swansea does have a school, small library, 2 small IGA supermarkets, petrol station, fish & chip shop, a small museum & tourist info in the old schoolhouse, plus a motel & backpackers hostel. The seafood restaurant & hairdressers had closed down. There were a lot of houses & land for sale. John & Diana live about ½ mile from the main coastal road & near them there some new homes being built on large plots of land. Lots of fields nearby with long tinder dry grass & bush further away. Keef & I took lots of photos & we all returned back to John & Diana’s for tea & homemade walnut cake (Mary Berry had better watch out!) For dinner John cooked two delicious curries – chicken korma & beef rojan josh, with lentil dahl, poppadoms & naan bread. Watched TV for the rest of the evening. Thursday 6 April Tasmania Warm weather again. Diana cooked pancakes & maple syrup for breakfast. I seem to have picked up germs from the plane – have a cold, runny nose & stye on my inner eyelid. This is the second cold I’ve had on this big trip. We went out for the day to Freycinet National park, north of Swansea. We parked at the Visitors Centre & as J & D had an annual parks pass, we checked with the park staff that we could use it on the hire car – normal cost would be $24 per vehicle. This was twice the price of a day pass in other National Parks on the mainland. Took a photo of a stuffed wombat in the visitors centre – will email it to Charlie & Edie. We did a walk through the trees down to the bay and beach. Beautiful views – boats moored in crystal clear waters & the very large rocky isthmus called The Hazards. The walk to the famous Wineglass Bay takes 2 hours each way & is very arduous as it cuts across the isthmus, so we decided against this. We drove along a winding mountain road with ravines & bush on one side to Tourville Lighthouse where there was a circular boardwalk from the car park. There were spectacular views of the other side of The Hazards, a bit of Wineglass Bay & looking across the Tasman Sea. Didn’t see any whales or dolphins. We drove to Coles bay, a small settlement with few shops. From Coles Bay it’s 1,000kms to South Island, New Zealand. Had coffee & cake in a café. Lots of wasps around here. There were several holiday homes & a boat launch. Keef drove back to Swansea pier & jetty where we took some photos. John cooked prawn lasse, a Singapore dish, with soup, noodles, beans & prawns which we’d not had before – will have to do this recipe when we get home. Diana produced a homemade apricot pie with icecream. Waistbands were straining – slumped in front of the TV. Such nice food and how kind they are to us! Friday 7 April Tasmania Drove along the coast in a southerly direction towards Orford. We stopped at Triabunna Marina to look at the boats – fishing & leisure. Crayfish & prawns are fished from here. There’s a ferry to Maria island $50 per person which was a bit expensive. The Parks department are trying to introduce & breed Tasmanian Devils & wombats on the island. There used to be a penal colony there. A 4 hr boat trip with lunch cost $195 per person (or £121 pp)- all far too expensive. Before we left the UK Keef & I had seen a TV series on Australian islands with Martin Clunes as the presenter & Maria Island was one of the episodes. Whilst walking round the marina we noticed the smell of burning in the air & a smoke haze. Apparently the grass in the Hobart area was being burnt off to prevent bushfires but the wind was spreading the smoke halfway up the island. Apparently the fire brigade do the burning off. Unfortunately the smoke haze ruined the views of Freycinet & the inland mountains today. Just as well we saw Freycinet yesterday. We drove to Orford along the Tasman Highway & went into a café for coffee & cake. Apart from the café there’s a restaurant, a bridge over a river, a petrol station & some houses. We returned back along the highway a short distance & parked at Raspins Spit beach. This was named after a settler family called Raspins. We walked along the beautiful beach (hardly anyone around) which was full of shells & empty crab shells. We returned to Swansea & went into the small museum there which was housed in the old school & schoolhouse attached. Interesting history of settlers & convicts in the area. Went back to J & D’s for tea & cake. Diana cooked chicken breasts with mushroom sauce, vegs & potatoes dauphinoise & we ate the last of the apricot pie with homemade vanilla icecream. Went to bed at 10pm as getting up early tomorrow. Saturday 8 April Tasmania to Sydney Got up at 4.45am & still dark. Had showers & muesli for breakfast. John & Diana got up too. We said our farewells & thanked them for looking after us so well (the seat belts on the plane might be a little tight going back to Sydney). Yesterday John had kindly given us a painting of Wineglass Bay which he had done & it was carefully wrapped up at the bottom of one of the big bags. It was just beginning to get light outside & a lovely sunrise. We set off through Swansea north & took the Lake Leake road through the countryside which goes through Campbell Town. The direct journey took 2 hours to the airport. Saw lots of grey wallabies eating grass at the side of the road + a few dead ones too. Stopped on route very briefly at Campbell Town bakery again & bought 2 bacon & egg flans to eat at the airport. Once we hit the Midland Highway at Campbell Town the road was easier to drive as it was straighter. Keef got stopped by the Police doing 80kms in a 40kms temporary speed limit area where people were just setting up traffic cones in preparation for the Tasmanian speed car race today at Symonds Flat. Two policemen stopped us & one of them had a radar gun. K gave them his driving licence & they saw we were British tourists. Luckily Keef got a warning letter & a telling off (the policeman said he needed a “kick up the bum” & he had “avoided a hefty fine”. They probably let him off because the reduced speed limit signs were not much in evidence apart from one by the main entrance to the racetrack & there was no warning further back the state highway of changed speed restrictions for the day. Relieved we did not get a massive fine. After that bit of excitement we checked in the hire car at Launceston airport (we had driven 680kms total in Tasmania). We ate our bacon & egg flans & got our flight to Sydney at 9.30am which took 1½ hrs. 5-8 Apr 2017 Trailer

Sadly just 3 days on route to the southern hemisphere 1st time then a much longer stay on the 2nd return visit at the end of our almost 5 months away this time around 2 glorious weeks with family. National Gallery Biennele kids exhibition, Liao Fan Michelin Hawker centre, Singapore Zoo, Wet Wet Wet (Wild) park and much more, see the videos and slideshows to get the full picture SINGAPORE - Marine Parade & About in the City 2 Visits, Start of Holiday 31 Jan-3 Feb the End of Hols 30 May - 12 Jun "Family Time with Doug, Phoenix & Charlie" INTRODUCTION - 2 visits at start and end of the holiday Stay 1 - Sadly just 3 days on route to the southern hemisphere to break the journey but it was a chance to catch up with family and see our lovely grand daughter again. Plus some good eats esp. Quentin's Eurasian with family and C&A. The Escher exhibition at Art/ Science was a particular favourite of mine. MRT coming 2023 to a station near you at Marine Parade. Love East Coast Park, helped somewhat in the jet lag stakes. Stay2 - A much longer stay this time around. 2 glorious weeks with family. National Gallery Biennale kids exhibition, Liao Fan Michelin Hawker centre, Singapore Zoo, Wet Wet Wet (Wild) park, Mustafa's, Chinatown, East Coast Park BBQ and walks, Parkway Parade, The supercool Library and a fab long weekend in Malaysia at Lotus Desaru Beach Hotel Intro Map Diary 1st part only 31st Jan to 3rd Feb , 2nd via videos and slideshows 30th May- 14th June, no time to write a diary too busy having family fun! 😉 but you can look at the slideshows and photos to get an idea of what we did, including our posh weekend away in Malaysia. Tuesday 31 January 2017 Left Keef’s mum at around 5am – still dark. Took hire car (Easi Rent) to Sheraton Skyline Hotel & dumped it off. Caught free hopper bus to Heathrow (one bus drove straight past the hotel without picking us up so had to get the next one). Met Chris & Allyson at Heathrow for our flight with Emirates to Singapore via Dubai. 9.10am departure. Very exciting & looking forward to our great adventure in the southern hemisphere. Had to change planes in Dubai. Wednesday 1 February Singapore We were met at Singapore airport by Doug at 8.30am which we were not expecting, so it was a nice surprise. Chris & Allyson took a hotel hopper bus to their hotel Grand Mercure Roxy, Marine Parade Road. We got a taxi with Doug back to their flat in Marine Terrace. Met up with Phoenix in their lovely spacious flat on the 18th floor which they had moved into last August. We went to collect Charlie from her local playgroup. So nice to see Doug & family again, although it had only been a few weeks since they were with us at Christmas/ New Year. We went out for lunch at Babalicious, East Coast Park & had Singapore chicken & rice. Then we went for a paddle in the sea nearby with Charlie and we all sat on the beach. Joined by Chris & Allyson who walked along East Coast Park from their hotel. They came back with us to the flat for a drink, although Charlie & Phoenix had returned earlier for an afternoon nap. Later in the evening we all met up with C & A at Din Tai Fung, a famous & popular Chinese dumpling/noodle restaurant chain in Parkway Parade shopping mall, opposite C & A’s hotel. Very tired – jet lag kicking in as did not get much sleep on the planes. Thursday 2 February Singapore Took Charlie to playgroup. After lunch in a food court near Marina Bay Sands Hotel that we all went to the Science/Arts Museum. Saw brilliant Future World art/light/techno installations which Charlie loved. Keef went to see the Escher art exhibition and Doug saw the Nasa exhibition. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Future World installations which was very hands-on and magical & we were in there for hours. C & A visited Gardens on the Bay which they really enjoyed. In the evening we all met up at the Eurasian Community restaurant which Doug & Phoenix had recommended. Had various curries which were very good. Charlie had not had her normal afternoon nap so very tired. We got a bus back to the flat & C & A returned to their hotel. Friday 3 February Singapore to Perth Doug had to go back to work today. He & family had just returned from a short trip to Vietnam with P’s parents on Monday 30 Jan. After Charlie’s playgroup (9.45-11.45am) we walked with Phoenix & Charlie to their local library, then had lunch in the indoor food court at Parkway Parade. Keef & I got the bus back to the flat whist Phoenix walked back so Charlie could fall asleep in the pushchair. Had afternoon nap for 1 hour as still jet-lagged. Big rainstorm. Then we took a bus & walked to meet up with C & A & Doug at the outdoor food hawker centre in east Coast Park. Doug had his cycle gear on & his 21 gear bike. Very nice BBQ chicken wings/thighs & duck satay sticks etc. Doug cycled back from the park to the flat & the rest of us got taxis. Re-packed bags & Doug ordered taxi for us to Changi airport. D & P looked after us so well & sad to say our goodbyes but at least we will visit them again for 2 weeks at the end of the trip in June. Charlie is so adorable- we love her so much (soppy grandparents!) Met with C & A at airport – our flight to Perth was at 11.40 pm Diary Photos, Slideshows and Videos (The Talkies) Slideshows gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/18 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/1 Talkies All images Slideshow Galleries Audio Diary Trailer

This is the South Island, New Zealand main page of our Big Trip holiday 2017 website and it gives an introduction to where we went in South Island via an overall summary, photo slideshows & audible videos as well as image galleries. Some of the highlights were St Arnaud, Lake Rotoroa, Waiwhakeheke bay, Whataroa river, Buller river, Murchison, White creek peninsular circular walk, Wagtails, Wekas, Araki waterfalls, Lewis pass, Waiau river, Kaikoura range, Haasy-Jackson Bay road, Oturu, + fun SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND Slideshows & Diary Intro Very pleased with this picture Learn about green mussels see below Arrived in Picton from Wellington on the Interislander ferry, Early morning start, Very wet day (haha welcome to south island), Shakespeare bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, Queen Charlotte drive, Ngakuta bay,Havelock, Green Mussels (yummy), Read all about mussels opposite (please) its very informative, Lady from Auckland, Freshness, straight from the sea, Long windy wet drive to Nelson, Town centre camp site over a bridge with a stream, nice calming stream noises, WOW museum and classic cars, so many clever costumes (see the slideshows),Lippydeema, Lord Maharajah and the Star bride, Goodbye Versaille starring Mrs Du Barry's monkey, Ishmaelian wingflapper to name but a few... go on look, you wont be disappointed.... What's the line "WOW makes Lady Gaga look like a librarian", Amazing Bras, Cars were Minis , Locomobiles, Vauxhall Vivas, Shaguar and many more, Tahunanui beach reserve , Board walks, Lunch, Winery areas, Pears, Apples, Kaiteriteri, Beach front history, sunsets, Wilsons ferries, Beached Whale pub, Fire, Singing barman, Rugby - Christchurch Vs Wellington, Abel Tasman National Park, The man who emptied his loo in the water area and covered it with leaves (Yuk! Sick!), Abel tasman boat trip, Totaroa, Awaroa, Medlands, Tonga Quarry, Torrent Bay, Bark Bay, Picnic, Coffee, Wind & Sun, New Zealand fur seal, Adele island and many other islands, kayaking, Solar panels, Tides , Motueka river, Kahurangi National park, Low cloud, Hinetai hops, Tapawera,Railways, Old police stations, Wooden Cow, Eels, Lake Rotoiti, Mr Angry and his boat, St Arnaud, Lake Rotoroa, Wet feet, nature walk, Red toadstools, Trees, colourful leaves, Buller river, Murchison, Heritage area, Fuel fillup, Buller Gorge Swing bridge, Waterfalls, Earthquakes, Floods, 2010,1929,White creek peninsular circular walk, Wagtails, Wekas, Bushline walk, Araki waterfalls, Logging on the buller,Springs junction for a pie lunch, Lewis pass, Waiau river, Kaikoura range, Road to Kaikoura Highway 70 via Rotherham and Waiau as SH1 closed due to Kaikoura earthquake 2016, Kaikoura camp site, Fish & Chips in town at No2, the best one (Tiki Takeaways) was sadly closed, Fyffe Quay, Old House chimney remains, Mountains, Snow covering, Boardwalk, The Point, Seal colony, No fishing, Smells, Views, Seals asleep on boardwalk and rocks, Road back, Many roadslips, Woodchester, Monet autumn views, man with coffee, Rejoin empty SH2 via Waiau, Christchurch, Britz office, Extra bedding, C&As van fixed - brakes/ headlamp bulb, Ours for internal light only, School party and rain at Christchurch Top10 site, Blue route bus into Bus station, Ballantynes department store, Devestation, Sad, Cathedral, Customs House, Chalice sculpture, Vintage trams, New Regent Street, Murals, Container City, Quake museum, Kiwi humour in the face of adversity, Columbo street, Mexican restuarant, Workman everywhere, often playing, Rain, Loosing each other on ring road around the airport, Sheffield pies,West coast road, Lake Lyndon, Castle Hill, snow, mountains, roads, State Highway 73, Kumara Junction, Great alpine way, Grasmere, Lake Pearson, great farming flats, Cass laggon track, Otira gorge and viaduct, Jackson tavern, Arthurs pass, Arthurs pass national park, Waimakariri river, Railways,Tranz alpine, Bridal veil falls and lookout, Visitors centre, Cobb & co stagecoach, Devils punchbowl bridge,Kumara gold town, Theatre, Hokitika, Tasman sea, Old town, Signs and chairs, Glow worms, Rainbows (lots of them), Ross Gold mining town, gaol, Heritage walk, Gold panning, Chinese influence, Jones flats, Museum, De Bakker cottage, Philip Ross May (local hero & Historian),Autumn colours, Mine shaft, Catholic church, Mining Memorabilia, New ross gold mine, Hari Hari, Guy Menzies, 1st solo flight Oz to Nz, Southern cross junior, Lunch, Whataroa river, Glacier flights, Rain, Glacier highway, Franz Josef wet walk, receding glacier, pain in knees , Lake Ianthe, Fox Glacier, Blue lake, Moraine, Haast valley, Bruce Bay, Stones for messages, Lake Matheson walks and views, Cafe, Coffee, Snow cover peaks, Knights point lookout, Whale watching, Mother and calf, Fox Glacier ski village, Pollax point peaks, Haast village, Haast campsite, Sunset, Eeerie colours on the peaks, Having to move pitches as the power didn't work at Haast Top10, Haasy-Jackson Bay road, Oturu, Harbour, Fan tails, Oturu river, Whitebait, Lobsters, Bridges (many), Neils Beach, Shearwaters, Hannahs crossing, Jackson Bay, Wharf (dodgy), Visitors centre, Whalers chimney remains, Whale (sighted by Annie), Pioneers, Fishing community, Return to Haast, Fuel station out, haast pass, Cameron Flat, Lunch, Mt Brewster and others, more snow, Mount Aspiring, Lake Wanaka, The Neck, Lake Hawea, Boundary Creek, Makarora Jack, Albert Town, Hawea, Wanaka, Snow predicted -2 it didnt arrive (hooray), Cold at night, Wanaka shore line, Luggate, Old motor cars, Town hall, Luggate - Cromwell Road, Tannersley estate vineyard, Lake Dunstan, 45th parallel, Lowburn, Mountain reflections, Cool seed pods, The Remarkables,Cromwell town - both new and old, Printing presses, Horses, Cartwheels, Paua art,Fruit town, sunshine, Goldfields, Kawarau gorge, Roaring Meg, Hydro power, A J Hackett bungy jumping, Warm outdoor fires, kawarau bridge, Shotover gorge, Queenstown campsite, Lake Wakatipu, Rainbows, Snow, Lumsden junction, Kingston, Old railway bridge, Garston, Mossburn, Stock crossing, Te Anau, lake Te Anau, Picture drome, Library, Coffee, Float planes, Kelpler track, Layby with Kea, Naughty alpine parrots - Kea, Car stripping trims, Homer Tunnel, waterfalls, Road slips, Rain, Milford sound lodge and camping ground, Milford village, Cruise terminal, Milford Mariner (our nature cruise boat), Nature cruise, NZ fur seals, Heron, Milford Sound is one of the true modern wonders of the world, Sigh loved it and nice to do it with pals, Low clouds, Mitre peak, The footstool, Sindbad gully, Many cruise liners, Massive crowds, Fur seals, Coffee, Warmth, Winds and cold,Tutoko Historic Suspension Bridge , Valley and river, Hollyford river and lookout, The Chasm walk and Kea (again) , Homer tunnel return, Mirroe lakes, such reflections, Ta Anau again, pitch where we camped in a tent in 2008, still there by the roses, Mossburn deer capital of NZ, red tussock grass, Lumsden, Gore, Clock tower and art gallery, Balclutha for a fab fish & chip lunch, Southern scenic highway, Dunedin, Otago peninsular (right hand coast), Taiaroa head scenic reserve, Royal Albatross centre, Prince Charles, Pilots beach, Blue Penguins (see video part 4), Portobello, Company bay, Broad bay, Wycliffe bay, Hooper inlet, Sandfly bay, Cape Saunders, Pilot beach viewing platform, Waiwhakeheke bay, Lighthouse, Dick Road, Allan beach, Sheep branding, Flotsam & jetsam, Lovely beach flowers, Highcliff road (scary and roadslips but great views), Dunedin city, Signal Hill lookot and memorial, University Oval cricket ground Dunedin, Baldwin street (the steepest in the world and I have the t-shirt somewhere to prove it!), Dunedin station lit up, travelling back to Portobello around the peninsular at night spectacular lights, Dunedin Vogel street murals, Blueskin Road, 19 Fathoms Foul memorial, Robert Falcon Scott memorial, Blueskin bay, Quarentine and Rakiriri islands, Waikouaiti and river, Karitane, Seacliff lookout, Pies in Waikouati village, Bushy beach reserve, Hide, Yellow eyed penguins, Oamaru victorian precinct, Jetty, Friendly Bay,Farmers market, Grain stores, Brewery, Distillery, Station, Picture frame, Steam punk (lots of it - class),Fat controller and the steam railway,Rakaia - salmon capital and goal, Banks Peninsular, Hilltop views, Akaroa, French very french, Jetty, Cinema, Passport office, Monet, Bedroom with a view, Churches, Roses, cats, Barrys bay, Little river, Silo stays, Over the hills in the rain, Gebbies pass, Dyers pass,Sugar loaf scenic reserve, Riccarton, Apollo motel (room11), Lone star last supper, Early rise, nice family, Airport off to Singapore (us), Hong Kong (C&A), tears, coffee in Sydney airport airside, Great times SEE THE FULL SOUTH ISLAND EXPERIENCE, 1 hr 57mins Summary To see the Dunedin Albatross live webcam, click here Albatross Cam To see Milford Sounds top 6 waterfalls click here Milford Sound Lodge and Camping was where we stayed Top 6 Waterfalls Cromwell Historic Precinct , Central Otago Slideshows Campsites Links The Talkies Gallery gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/48 Map Audio Book Trailer

This is the Distances responsive page from our holiday travel website which is used to show both kilometer and mileage information including that which we drove ourselves plus slideshows and photos and links to all our holiday you tube playlists DISTANCES To recap we travelled in our hired motorhomes in both Australia and New Zealand on our 2017 Big Trip 9337 Miles or 15026 Kilometres, WOW! Distances travelled by Keef & Annie. NOTE Here are the distances we drove ourselves whilst on THE BIG TRIP, HOLIDAY 2017 which by implication as Chris & Allyson didn't go to Tasmania and did far more walking than us and drove the west coast of North island, New Zealand whilst we did the east coast means their total distance is likely to be some what less , but in reality probably not by that much. gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/5 Slideshow Gallery Trailer

Capture the spirit of exploration with HOLIDAY2017 (KHWD), a visual journey through landscapes, travel photography and stories from a year of unforgettable travel THE BIG TRIP HOLIDAY 2017 A TRAVEL BLOG WITH FRIENDS With our pals Chris & Allyson "If it moves snap it, if it doesn't.. snap it" 😉 Replicated by BLOG 168 If you enjoy my photography or website design & development , and wish to support it. You can now do so at buymeacoffee.com/khwd , thanks for supporting small local businesses Audiobook The Big Trip - 31st January - 14th June Audiobook voice overs for the site Should you prefer to listen rather than read The Big Trip: In 2017 we explored Singapore, Australia , the Cook Isles & New Zealand with our dear friends Chris & Allyson. At the end of the trip Annie & I spent time in Singapore / Malaysia with our family and Chris & Allyson visited Hong Kong. A lot of planning and pre booking went into this adventure to ensure we had a great time. We flew to Singapore for a stop over of 2 days to break the journey down under. We visited East Coast Park and the wonderful Quentin's restuarant. We arrived in Perth a bit jet lagged but excited and cruised the Swan river to Freo and had a fab day in the Botanic gardens in Kings Park. After a few nights we picked up our Britz motorhomes and after a quick swim off the Indian Ocean Drive we initially explored Monkey Mia (sadly no dolphins due to inclement weather) then onto the tropics of Western Australia Geraldton, Northampton (gallahs and Allyson fear of the clientele 😉 and a spin in Apollo 11 at Carnarvon before doing the loop thru the Wheatbelt and Wave Rock back to Perth via Albany. Esperance and Kalgoolie at this time were off limits due to some massive rains which washed out essential roads. We then took the luxurious Indian Pacific Railway to Adelaide across the Nullabor Plain. After that its was a quick flight to Alice Springs where we visited the fab Desert Park , ate Roo (Camel was off 😉 ) at the Red Ochre Cafe , avoided the cockroaches and pondered the insoluble Aboriginal problem. Then it was back to Adelaide to pick up another motorhome to explore some of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) before ending in Sydney for time with families. K&A flew down to Launceston in Tassie to visit rellies before returning to Sydney. From here we touched down in Auckland briefly before spending a fab but somewhat wet and humid week of chillin' in the Cook Isles in the Pacific ocean on the main island of Rarotonga, snorkelling, BBQ-ing or whatever took our fancy, lager at the Rarotonga brewery. Mis planned lugagge allowances to Rarotonga meant a somewhat fraught early morning experience trying to retrieve K&As 3rd bag, but all OK in the end 😉. Then its was back to Auckland to pick up another pair of motorhomes to explore both North & South island of New Zealand, crossing between the two via the Interislander ferry. After much Boysenberry ice cream we returned to the UK via 2 weeks with family in Singapore and C&A 3 days in Hong Kong. Saw so much and had such a fun time shared with our pals. What an amazing journey - travel definately broadens the mind. NOTE: For the Big Trip All photos, videos and slideshow content on this site were taken by one of the 4 of us! A much more in depth appreciation of what we did and when can be gleaned from the diaries. I encourage you to use the dropdown menus to fully immerse yourselves in the Big Trip, we also have galleries by person as well as headlines by place visited whether country, island or state. NOTE ALSO: For the BIg Trip tablet viewing best in landscape , also on mobiles use the dropdown in the top right hand side signified by 3 lines within a square, justsaying 😉 Thanks for looking Intro HEADLINES < > 1/12 Headlines The Big Trip Overall GALLERY This Big Trip gallery covers Singapore, Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territories,Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania), The Cook Isles (Rarotonga), New Zealand (North & South Islands) & Malaysia (Desaru long weekend break with family) #TICK #TheBIGTRIP gallery of images for the Big Trip downunder 2017 created by KeefH Web Designs gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/41 Galleries The Big Trip GALLERIES by Person Annie more images in a gallery created and uploaded by created by KeefH Web Designs gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/36 Annie Keef images featuring Keef uploaded and created by KeefH Web Designs gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/31 Keef Chris images of Chris uploaded and created by KeefH Web Designs gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/21 Chris Allyson images of Allyson uploaded and created by KeefH Web Designs gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/22 Allyson Visitors to the Big Trip Visitors KeefHWebDesigns@outlook.com +44 (0) 7843962729 site created by KeefH Web Designs , Sandiacre, Derbyshire, UK please help me out by taking my KHWD survey , less that 1 min to complete, thanks Mail Contact KHWD Calendars Singapore Campsites Australia Distances Cook Isles Wildlife New Zealand Full Slideshow Malaysia SEO Links Blog - Hints & Tips - Travelling with Pals in a Motorhome Are you ready for the ultimate adventure with your friends? Picture this - cruising through the stunning landscapes of Australia and New Zealand, with your best buddies by your side, all packed in a comfortable motorhome. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it doesn't have to stay as a dream - it can become a reality! Gather your pals and get ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime, exploring the incredible wonders of these two beautiful countries. The first step to planning this epic adventure is finding the perfect motorhome to accommodate your group. Thankfully, with the convenience of modern technology, your search has been made remarkably easy. Head over to https://www.holiday2017.co.uk/ and discover the motorhomes we hired, they may suit your needs and preferences. With different sizes and models available, you can select the ideal one that provides both comfort and space for everyone. Try folk like Transport Holdings Ltd, they run Apollo, Britz, Maui etc. Once you have secured your stylish motorhome, it's time to hit the road and enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of Australia. From the iconic Great Barrier Reef to the spectacular Uluru, this vast continent offers countless natural wonders to explore. Imagine waking up in the morning to the sound of waves crashing on the golden beaches of the Sunshine Coast or enjoying a sunset picnic overlooking the scenic Great Ocean Road. With a motorhome, you have the freedom to go wherever your heart desires, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the beauty of Australia. After you have thoroughly enjoyed the wonders of Australia, it's time to hop across the Tasman Sea and experience the awe-inspiring landscapes of New Zealand. From stunning mountains and fjords to picturesque lakes and vibrant cities, New Zealand has it all. Start your journey in the charming city of Auckland and make your way down to the adventure capital, Queenstown. Along the way, you'll encounter breathtaking sights such as the geothermal wonders of Rotorua, the majestic Milford Sound, and the stunning Franz Josef Glacier. With a motorhome, you can take your time, soak in the stunning views, and create memories to last a lifetime. One of the greatest joys of travelling with pals in a motorhome is the sense of camaraderie and freedom it offers. You get to bond over long drives, share laughter at roadside picnics, and experience the thrill of discovering hidden gems together. Plus, with the convenience of having your accommodation on wheels, there's no need to worry about booking hotels or constantly unpacking and repacking your belongings. You'll have everything you need right there with you, making every day of your journey stress-free and enjoyable. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your friends, visit https://www.holiday2017.co.uk/, and start planning your unforgettable adventure across Australia and New Zealand. Get ready to create memories, witness stunning sights, and experience the joy of travelling with your closest pals. This journey will undoubtedly be the highlight of your friendship, so don't miss out on this incredible opportunity. Start your engines and let the adventure begin! For more information contact us anytime at KeefH Web Designs , you may even want a travel blog like this to record those adventures, you take the picture and videos and we will do the rest for you, how's that? Blog Trailer Travel Photography

The NEW SOUTH WALES page of our BIG TRIP holiday 2017 website gives an introduction to where we went in NSW via diaries, photo slideshows & audible videos. Some highlights were Eden, Twofold bay, Pambula beach, Merimbula, Tura beach, Tathra wharf and beach, Bermagui, Dalmeny, Central Tilba Historic Village (went there in 2007-8 but had forgotten its name), Borrell, Meeting up with Steve & Laura, Forsters Bay, Wagonga inlet, Narooma, Wagonga princess, Sexist jokes (not good!),Eurobodalla NP NEW SOUTH WALES Slideshows & Diary A Potted History Entering New South Wales (NSW) from Mallacoota (Victoria), Eden, harbour & whale museum, Old Tom, Ben Boyd , Whale lookout, Twofold bay, Pambula beach, fishing, roos, birds, Rosellas, Brewery (closed), Farm stores, Horse food, Merimbula, Tura beach, Tathra wharf and beach, Catching flatheads, plaice and salmon (well almost), Bermagui, Dalmeny, Central Tilba Historic Village (went there in 2007-8 but had forgotten its name), Borrell, Meeting up with Steve & Laura, Forsters Bay, Wagonga inlet, Narooma, Wagonga princess, Sexist jokes (not good!),Eurobodalla NP, Mill Bay boardwalk, Rays, Rain (lots), Overpriced fish & chips by campsite, Mogo, Batemans Bay, Kings Highway (B52), Great Dividing Range - no pics too scary driving,Braidswood, Bungedore,Bywong,Goulburn, Marulan, Mittagong, Rural NSW, Balmoral, Buxton, Thirlmere, NSW Railway museum, Cockatoos, Horses, Silverdale, Warragamba dam, visitors centre, Haviland Park, Narabeen Lakes, Class driving campaigns, Handing van back at Britz in a new area of Mascot by airport , Public transport (bus/train/bus) back to Beacon hill apartment, Chilling, Views, Pool, BBQ, Movies, Food, Wine, Beer, Friends, Family, Bus to Manly, Manly Ferry, Harbour & Manly views, Voyager of the Seas cruise liner (D&P&C were on it 2 months later), Botanic gardens, Picnic, Mrs Macquaries chair, Sunsets, Opera, Carmen, Voyager of the Seas, last ferry back, Possum in the park in the dark, Sunny pool days around the Bali hut, No 169 bus route & timetable i.e the Manly bus from our pad in Beacon Hill, if you are NERDY enough click HERE to see that full bus timetable, anorak's at the ready, Opal cards, Seeing LION at Warringah Mall on a rainy day , C&As time in Sydney with Laura & Steve visiting Blue Mountains & Parkes observatory , Jervis bay, Snakes, Walking, Rain, Hannah and Connor visited and we had a play in the pool, Balgowlah, Lamb dinner (yummy), Lovely seeing David & Hannah again, heavy rain for a day, bright sunshine, day out in sydney centre, manly ferry, circular quay, barangaroo wharf, cockle bay wharf, darling harbour, harbourside, Hard Rock Cafe, Circular ferry trip, Pyrmont bridge, History, Milsoms point, MacMahons point, Balmain East, Luna Park, Emerald Princess, Maritime museum, Endeavour, Sunsets, Rained all day so watched goldstone (poor), noctural animals (good) and oz gogglebox, Train trip to Broadmeadow, Newcastle to visit Annies cousin Susan, Gosford, Wygong, Hawkesbury river, back from Tassie, Ibis budget airport, Doughnuts (never again), fire alarm, Flight to NZ SEE THE FULL NEW SOUTH WALES EXPERIENCE, 47 mins Summary Slideshows Campsites The Talkies Australian Ad Campaigns - so much better than ours 2008 2017 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/30 169. Manly – City a Sydney bus via Narraweena & Seaforth Our stop Highlighted - full anarak 209541. Belgrave St near Raglan St, 209542. Pittwater Rd near Steinton St, 209543. Pittwater Rd near Pine St,209544. Pittwater Rd near Collingwood St 209545. Pittwater Rd near Balgowlah Rd,209546. Pittwater Rd near Eurobin Av,210030. Pittwater Rd near Queencliff Rd, 210032. IPittwater Rd near Oliver St 210033. Pittwater Rd near Riverview Pde,210034. Pittwater Rd near Western Av,210035. Pittwater Rd near Wakefield St ,210036. Pittwater Rd near Kentwell Rd 210037. Pittwater Rd near Sterland Av,2100111. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Mall,210015. Pittwater Rd near Roger St 210016. Pittwater Rd near Winbourne Rd 210017. Pittwater Rd near Pine Av,210018. Pittwater Rd near Federal Pde,210019. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Rd,209911. Pittwater Rd near May Rd 209912. Pittwater Rd near Pacific Pde,209913. Pittwater St Davids Av ,209996. Fisher Rd near Lewis St,209997. McIntosh Rd near Vale Av,209998. McIntosh Rd near Victor Rd 209999. McIntosh Rd near Beverley Job Park,2099100. McIntosh Rd near Mundara PI,209917. Alfred St near Oceania St,209918. Alfred St near Warringah Rd, 209992. Warringah Rd near Consul Rd,209993. Warringah Rd near Northcliffe Av,210067. Warringah Rd opp McKillop Rd,210068. Warringah Rd near Beacon Hill Rd (see 24-30 March) 210069. Warringah Rd near Willandra Rd,2100141. Warringah Rd near Earl St,210070. Warringah Rd near O'Connors Rd,210071. Warringah Rd near Goverment Rd, 210072. Warringah Rd near Jones St,208642. French Forest Rd near Patanga Rd,208643. Frenchs Forest Rd near Hurdis Av (Annie's old residence), 208644. Frenchs Forest Rd near Skyline PI,208637. Wakehurst Pwy near Frenchs Forest Rd,208674. Warrringah Rd near Bantry Bay Rd 208638. Wakehurst Pwy near Warringah Rd 208655. Wakehurst Pwy,208712. Wakehurst Pwy near Manly Dam Res,208713. Wakehurst Pwy near Kirkwood St,209254. Wakehurst Pwy near Judith St 209246. Wakehurst pwy near Burnt St,209247. Wakehurst Pwy near Armstrong St,209231. Wakehurst Pwy near Lister Av,209232. Wakehurst Pwy near Castle Cct 209233. Clontarf St near Montauban Av,209234. Frenchs Forest Rd near Montauban Av,209235. Frenchs Forest Rd near Baringa Av,209257. Frenchs Forest Rd near Macmillan St 209252. Sydney Rd near Hope St,209335. Manly Rd near Heaton Av,209212. Manly Rd near Avona Cr,208812. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,2088186. Spit Rd near Medusa St 2088187. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,2088188. Spit Rd near Stanton Rd,2088189. Spit Rd near Awaba St,2088243. Spit Rd at Clifford St,2088190. Spit road near Military Rd 2088192. Military Rd near Wudgong St,2088193. Military Rd near Lang St,2088194. Military Rd near Belmont Rd,209059. Military Rd near Cabramatta Rd 209019. Military Rd near Hampden Av,208944. Military Rd near Rangers Rd,208913. Military Rd near Wycombe Rd,208959. Military Rd at Bydown Lane,208960. Military Rd at Watson St 208912. Military Rd near Watson St,2000133. York St at Lang Park,200035. Wynyard Station, York St - Stand N,208657. Cemtery Front Gate Hakea Av,208671. Forest Way near Warringah Rd 208697. Naree Rd near Rabbett St,208649. Rabbett St near Holland Av,208664. Warrringah Rd near Bantry Bay Rd,200025. Wynyard Station, Carrington St - Stand E,200021. Wynyard Station, Carrington St - Stand A 208947. Military Rd near Watson St,208948. Military Rd near Wycombe Rd,209021. Military Rd near Hampden Av,209058. Military Rd near Cabramatta Rd,2088176. Military Rd near Prince St 2088177. Military Rd near Lang St,2088178. Military Rd near Bond St,2088179, Military Rd near Cowles Rd,2088180. Spit Junction, Spit Rd,2088181. Spit Rd near Awaba St 2088182. Spit Rd near Bickell Rd,2088183. Spit Rd near Quakers Rd, 2088184. Spit Rd near Medusa St,2088185. Spit Rd near Pearl Bay Av,208811. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,209213. Battle Bvde near Manly Rd 209214. Battle Bvd near Seaforth Cr,209215. Palmerston PI near Alan Av,209216. Ponsonby Pde near Palmerston PI,209222. Ponsonby Pde near Panorama Pde,209223. Ponsonby Pde near Sydney Rd 209224. Frenchs Forest Rd near Ellery Pde,209225. Frenchs Forest Rd near Macmillan St,209236. Frenchs Forest Rd near Baringa Av 209237. Frenchs Forest near Redman St 209238.Clontarf St near Montauban Av 209239. Wakehurst Pwy near Castle Cct,209240. Wakehurst Pwy near Lister Av, 209241. Wakehurst Pwy near Armstrong St,209242. Wakehurst Pwy near Burnt St 209243. Wakehurst Pwy near Judith St,209253. Wakehurst Pwy near Kirkwood St,208711. Wakehurst Pwy near Manly Dam Res,208630. Wakehurst Pwy,208631, Wakehurst pwy near Warringah Rd 208639. Frenchs Forest Rd near Skyline PI 208640. Frenchs Forest Rd near Romford Rd,208641. Frenchs Forest Rd near Inverness Av,208617. Frenchs Forest Rd near Patanga Rd 2100142. Warringah Rd near Jones St 2100143. Warringah Rd near Ellis Rd 2100144. Warringah Rd near Oxford Falls Rd,2100113. Warringah Rd near Cornish Av,2100114. Warringah Rd near Willandra Rd 2100139. Warringah Rd opp Beacon Hill Rd , us again on the return journey, 2100140. Warringah Rd near McKillop Rd,2099106. Warringah Rd near Princess Mary St 2099107. Warringah Rd near Waratah Pde,2099108. Warringah Rd near Alfred St,2099119. Alfred St near Warringah Rd,2099120. Alfred St near Amaral St,2099122. Alfred St near McIntosh Rd 2099115. McIntosh Rd near Mundara PI 2099116. McIntosh Rd near Victor Rd 2099117. McIntosh Rd near Vale Av 2099118. Fisher Rd near St David Av,209922. Pittwater Rd near Howard Av 209923. Pittwater Rd near Pacific Pde,210021. Pittwater Rd near Harbord Rd,210022. Pittwater Rd near Carter Rd ,210023. Pittwater Rd near Mitchell Av,210025. Pittwater Rd near Chard Rd 210026. Pittwater Rd near Orchard Rd,2100131. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Mall Stand A,210041.Pittwater Rd near Sterland Av 210042. Pittwater Rd near Corrie Rd 210043. Pittwater Rd near Wakefield St,210044. Pittwater Rd near Western Av,210045. Pittwater near Riverview Pde ,210046. Pittwater Rd near Oliver St 210047.Pittwater Rd near Aitken Av 209547. Pittwater Rd near Eurobin Av,209548. Pittwater Rd near Balgowlah Rd 209549. Pittwater Rd near Collingwood St 209550. Pittwater Rd near Pine St 209551. Pittwater Rd near Carlton St,209552. Pittwater Rd near IRagIan St,209553. Belgrave St near Sydney Rd 209554. West Esplanade Stand B - MANLY Our Bus Route Gallery Hard Hitting Ads Map Audio Diary Trailer

The South Australia slideshow page of our holiday 2017 website gives an introduction to where we went in South Oz via our diaries, photo slideshows & pictures, running from 28 Feb after we got off the Indian Pacific Railway in Adelaide until 9 March 2017, what fun SOUTH AUSTRALIA Slideshows & Diary 28 Feb 2017 Tuesday 28 February Adelaide At 5.30am (pitch black outside) we were woken by a man on the intercom saying we were arriving in Adelaide at 7.25am & a snack breakfast of drinks & Danish pastries was being served in the restaurant. Had showers & then breakfast as dawn broke. After the train arrived in Adelaide we collected our luggage & thanked our train crew who had been excellent – they had been so friendly & had really looked after us. It was quite an experience on this famous rail journey. We waited until 8.30am for a taxi & took all the bags to the Adelaide Shores Big 4 campsite. Chris & Allyson took their rucksacks with them as they wanted to see the city to look around. Keef & I had already spent 4 days in Adelaide on a previous trip so decided to go straight to the campsite. We arrived at 8.50am & luckily our deluxe chalet was ready for us to stay. It had 2 bedrooms, bathroom, open plan kitchen, dining & lounge plus an outside table & benches. The large fridge had milk provided together with tea & coffee. The campsite reception had kindly provided a golf buggy to help transport all the heavy bags to the chalet. K & I went for a paddle in the sea as it was a boiling hot day. Adelaide Shores has a beautiful white sandy beach & large sand dunes. Hardly anyone on the beach. We spent the rest of the time in & around the large camp swimming pool. K & I had lunch in the campsite café, then icecreams & iced coffees. Felt very tired after getting up at 5.30am so we had our showers & had a nap. Chris & Allyson arrived at the chalet having done a lot of sightseeing in the city and had got a bus to Glenelg. They brought back a bag of fresh figs from a market in Adelaide which we decided to have at breakfast. C & A had showers & later we all went to the campsite café for dinner. Barramundi/ chicken burger/ fish & chips. Wednesday 1 March Adelaide to Alice Springs Had the fresh figs for breakfast which were delicious. Another hot sunny day. The campsite staff drove the golf buggy with all our bags to reception and from there we got a taxi to Adelaide airport. Keef & I didn’t recognise it (we had flown from Alice to Adelaide 10 years ago) so it had obviously had a bit of an architectural make-over. Our flight to Alice Springs left at 10.40am & we had to change our watches as Northern territory daylight saving time was one hour behind Adelaide time. Friday 3 March Alice Springs to Adelaide We ate breakfast in the motel again then caught the shuttle transport back to the airport via various hotels & backpacker hostels to pick up other tourists. The Qantas flight went over the desert & some massive salt lakes – no habitation visible at all from the plane apart from dirt road tracks. When we got to Adelaide we collected our large bags from the left luggage lockers & got a taxi to our motel – The Atlantic Towers in Glenelg, a suburb of Adelaide by the coast with very fine white sandy beaches. This motel was a tall round tower & even our rooms had curved walls. The rooms were very modern & spacious with an excellent bathroom. We all went for an evening stroll & had some drinks at an oyster bar. As it was Friday evening the restaurants & bars in Glenelg were packed. Walked past the marina & more restaurants. There were some very large expensive boats in the marina & designer apartments with sea views. Saw the Glenelg pier, tram & clock tower & then walked back. We decided to have dinner at an Aussie Outback bar/restaurant where we managed to get a free table. I could barely manage my meal (chicken salad) and had to rush to the loo with severe diarrhoea. Walked back to the motel & I took some tummy tablets which sorted me out. Had no idea what caused the bug as no one else was ill. Saturday 4 March Adelaide to Tanunda, Barossa Valley Got taxi from our motel to Britz Motorhomes in Adelaide to pick up our two vans. We were there 1½ hours waiting for our van to be serviced as the previous hirer had brought the van back a day later than scheduled. Eventually we got it sorted & then we all went to Coles to do some food shopping. We then headed north towards the Barossa Valley (famous wine growing area). We went through some flat uninspiring marshes after the Adelaide suburbs & joined a highway north east of Adelaide. Eventually we came to rolling hills with vineyards, although no grapes were visible. The Aussies call the vineyards “wineries”. After 73kms we reached Tanunda, a town in the heart of the Barossa. We went into the tourist info centre to pick up some wine maps & decided to visit a few tomorrow. At 4pm we went to a campsite on the edge of the town called Discovery Parks Tanunda. It was packed out with families staying for the weekend, but luckily we got two pitches next to each other. Allyson & I did some laundry. Keef was feeling unwell (probably the same virus that I had) & it took a while for the aircon in the van to work properly. It was 36c inside the van & we sweated trying to unpack our bags & get everything sorted. Chris & Allyson walked back into town (K & I had walked round Tanundra 10 yrs ago). Keef felt ill so we made up the bed at 4.30 & he went to sleep. He woke briefly & then he changed into his PJs & went back to bed at 7.45pm & slept through the night. .Keef had no lunch or dinner today. Rather worrying - there were notices on the toilet blocks & laundry that snakes had been spotted in the campsite area – yet there were little children running around & on bikes. I ate with Chris & Allyson who did some salad with the roast chicken we’d bought at Coles. I went to bed at 9.30pm. Quite cold in the early hours, so was glad of the duvet provided with the van. Sunday 5 March Tanunda & Barossa to Hahndorf Sunny warm day. Brought in washing from lines whilst nervously scanning the ground for snakes. Keef is feeling much better today. After breakfast we did part of the Barossa wine trail and then visited the Wolf Blass winery in Stockwell, just north of Tanunda. Mr W Blass is aged 82 (originally from Germany) & is the most celebrated winemaker in Australia, winning hundreds of awards, both in Australia & internationally. His career started in 1966 when he first set up his own vineyard & prior to that he had assisted other wineries by passing on his wine knowledge. We had several tastings including the gold & platinum labels. I liked the Gold Label wine the best. The lady who served us for the tastings was a Kiwi from Wellington & was very chatty & knowledgable about wines. She had worked there for a long time & said that Mr Blass lived in Adelaide but made about 4 trips a year to his winery for promotional purposes. All his awards, glass & silver platters, cups, trophies, medals & certificates were displayed in glass cases – certainly a prestigious career & his wine is superb. We then drove to Angaston, a small town in the Barossa with heritage buildings & lots of roses in bloom. Bought some bread & pies from the local bakery. Had the pies for lunch. We drove along the scenic route to Mengel Hill Lookout which gave a panoramic view of the Barossa Valley below us. There was a sculpture park there as well which Keef & Allyson went to see. I overheard a local man telling some Japanese tourists that a bushfire had raged through some of the wheat/corn fields but luckily the wind had changed & Angaston & the vineyards were saved. Growing vines is a high risk business & decades of work on the vines could wipe them out & bankrupt the owners. Then we headed down Mengel Hill & through Bethany to Rowland Flat where Jacob’s Creek is situated. This is the oldest vineyard in the Barossa – established in 1847 & wine was produced commercially. The visitor centre at Jacob’s Creek told the story of the German family who had emigrated to start a new life & information about the early days of its history. The creek was dried up. Keef & I had visited Wolf Blass & Jacob’s Creek 10 years ago & the creek was dried up then. Chris, Allyson & Keef had small tastings of the wines & Keef was obviously feeling much better after yesterday. I didn’t want to try any – felt too sleepy in the hot afternoon. We drove to Hahndorf through the countryside – very rural farming community. Before we reached the town we were held up by a road accident. A ute had crashed into some trees & was being put on a tow-truck. We arrived in the Big 4 campsite at the edge of town at 5.45pm. This campsite was brand new & was built on the side of a steep hill, with staggered levels & roads. Allyson & Chris used the camp kitchen to cook fish, rice & veggies for dinner. Chatted to some friendly German tourists. A nice campsite. Monday 6 March Hahndorf to Milang (on Fleurieu Peninsula) Very overcast today & some drizzle overnight. The hills look covered in mist. Chilly so I wore a cardigan for the first time on this trip. After breakfast we drove into Hahndorf, a German village established c 1843. Some of the buildings were original & very small. Now all the houses have shops inside selling touristy rubbish. However, you could look beyond this to see what the place looked like in the past with German immigrants trying to make a life for themselves. Some of the buildings had original photos displayed outside including the people who ran businesses such as blacksmith, pub, grocery store etc. People love to flock here at weekends to sample the wineries, shop in the village & eat in the numerous cafes & restaurants down the main street. Leaving Hahndorf, we headed to McLaren Vale to visit Hardy winery. It had a very interesting visitor centre telling the story of Thomad hardy, a grocer aged 20 from Devon, who emigrated & paid his own fare to South Australia. He made his way to the goldfields in Victoria & instead of prospecting he shrewdly decided to make his money by butchering meat & selling it to the miners. With the proceeds, he then bought some land in McLaren Vale & decided to plant grapevines. Now Hardys has a 6th generation running the business. Continued our journey to a place called Meadows where we had lunch (sandwiches). Then on to Strathalbyn, a heritage town with some quaint old buildings. We stopped at Langhorne Creek so the Langthornes could take some photos. A short drive south took us to Milang & a campsite that Keef & I knew. When we arrived there were hundreds of white cockatoos circling above & settling in trees on the campsite making quite a racket. They were Corellas, a small cockatoo with pale lemon feathers under their wings. Keef cooked chicken pieces, onions & peppers on the camp BBQ & I did the jacket spuds in the microwave + broccoli & carrots on the hob in the van. I prepared a big bowl of fresh fruit salad. The grass pitches we were parked on had lovely vies of Lake Alexandrina, a large salty lake where the River Murray flows into it. There is a peninsula which is the Coorong National Park but this does not block out the sea water. I tried to offer the Corellas a piece of apple but they were not used to humans. Had some NZ wine called Clean Skin from Marlborough – a white Savignon Blanc – very light & refreshing. C & A washed up & then we all had a game of cards. Went to bed at 10.30 pm – too tired to read my Kindle. My virus has now turned into a runny nose! Tuesday 7 March Milang to Robe Left campsite & I bought bread & milk in a local store. Milang was the most important inland port in South Australia in the old days & had a railway line – now all gone. Drove along flat salt marshes & salt lakes to Wellington & got the free car ferry across the Murray River. Went down the Princes Highway 1 to Meningie, a non-descript tiny town. Along the shore at Lake Albert there were information boards with photos & info on the town & its past history. Had lunch in a lay-by – chicken pieces & salad leftovers from last night = cup of tea. Further along the road there were kangaroo signs, but they would be resting during the day. We stopped at Kingston SE an area of Rosetown, on the Southern Ocean, the town with a massive lobster made out of plastic or fibreglass. Photo opportunity taken by the lobster. Along the seafront was the old Cape Jaffa lighthouse & a long green space with tall Norfolk pines – lovely views of the ocean & we could see the curvature of the Earth. Drove on to Robe Big 4 campsite. Arrived at 6pm & it shut at 5.30. Managed to contact them by phone & got 2 pitches for a night. Keef & I did tuna mayo wraps for dinner + melon & grapes. Wednesday 8 March Robe to Mount Gambier After breakfast we visited the beach by the campsite. The beach was 9 miles long with beautiful fine sand & blue sea. Temperature today 35c. Chatted to an Aussie lady on the beach. We drove into town & went for a walk (4 miles) in 35c heat. Sun was very intense. I was the only one to take a bottle of water – mad dogs & Englishmen etc!! Saw a statue of Matthew Flinders who named some small islands off the coast Baudin Rocks. Back in the 1850s lots of Chinese arrived at Robe & then travelled 200 kms by road to the goldfields. We saw a stingray in the marina & Keef took a photo. The marina looked brand new & a lot of the large homes were empty (obviously holiday homes as all the blinds were down at the windows). After Robe we drove through vast wheatfields to Millicent where we had a short break from driving. Keef & I saw a small tornado about 1 foot across churn up some dust & move across the road near us. Moved on to Mount Gambier, a large town (Aussies call it a city) built around an extinct volcano. The crater has several vivid blue lakes which is a major tourist attraction. We shopped at Coles & stayed at the Big 4 campsite. Chris & Allyson did burgers & salad & I cut up some rock melon. We were trying to use up all our fruit & vegetables before we cross the border into Victoria due to the quarantine regulations (mainly to prevent fruit fly & other pests damaging crops). My cough & cold are easing now – had this virus since we were in Alice Springs. Have not been 100% at all since then & my coughing at night kept waking me up. Thursday 9 March Mount Gambier to Portland, Victoria Very hot today again. We drove to the viewpoint over the Blue Lake which is at the bottom of the volcanic crater. The water looked like blue glass with a thin edging of turquoise – very calming & spectacular views. C & A did a walk for an hour along a trail which followed the rim of the Valley Lake. The middle lake called Leg of Mutton Lake does not have any water in it. We stopped at Valley Lake – swimming is forbidden due to bacteria & algae in the water. Lots of moorhen type birds with red heads, blue feathers on chests, black backs & VERY big feet! Chris & Allyson met up with us in the car park & Allyson briefly went into the nature park by the lake whilst the rest of us waited outside the fence. We all drove into Mount Gambier, parked up & walked to a large sink hole & cave just behind the Town Hall, which we’d read about in the tourist info. There were a few shrubs, plants & a red flowering tree along the path & steps down the MASSIVE 50 METRE deep hole in the ground. We could see the dark mouth of a cave further down – took lots of photos. This sink hole was situated right next to a busy street, a bank & the town hall – never seen anything like this before. We went into the tourist info centre & in the small theatre we saw a free one hour film about the volcano erupting thousands of years ago & subsidiary explosions with the force of an atom bomb caused by the build up of water pressure underground. The film was very detailed with excellent photography & it showed the fault line where the two tectonic plates had rubbed together. There had been two earthquakes in Mount Gambier & the last one was in the 1940s. After Mount Gambier we drove to Northumberland Point further along the highway. This was on the coast with a lovely sandy beach & azure sea. Had lunch in the bright sunshine on a picnic bench – egg mayo cobs & mug of tea. However, this was spoilt by the overpowering smell of sewage as we drove further along the road past houses. It must have been discharged down an outlet on the beach – not nice & good job we didn’t go for a paddle after lunch. Most of the houses were shut up – holiday homes- so like a ghost town. After we had crossed the state border into Victoria & on the outskirts of Portland, the next town, we were surprised to see a lone adult koala crossing the road directly in front of us!! We had to brake in order to not run him over. I took a photo of him – gorgeous cuddly!! We stopped for fuel ($1.24 litre for diesel) & drove into the town. It’s a port with container ships but did not look that busy. We spied out a fish & chip shop on the seafront for later & then found a campsite. When we returned later at 8pm the fish shop had closed so instead we went to a restaurant further along the seafront & had barramundi, chips & salad. Back at the campsite we had a game of cards. 3-5 Mar 2017 6-7 Mar 2017 8-9 Mar 2017 Trailer

Recap of all our Big Trip Slideshows in one place. All images taken on the big trip 2017 created September 2021 when i found the hard drive with them on, they are repeated on the individual pages on the site but are grouped together here for easy access. enjoy, with music , they are organised sequentially by the places we visited i.e Singapore, Australia, Cook Islands, New Zealand and finally Malaysia, Desaru. FULL SLIDESHOWS NOTE: these are all also available on the Individual Countries, Islands and States visited BUT I have decided to group them here for ease of access. These are ALL the photos we took through out this fabulous and memorable trip with our dear friends. They were put together retrospectively in September 2021 when I found the lot on an external hard drive tee hee. Slideshows are corresponding to each place visited in Chronological Order Singapore Singapore Australia Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territories,Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania Australia Cook Islands New Zealand North & South Islands Cook Islands New Zealand Malaysia Malaysia Trailer

The New South Wales slideshow page of our holiday 2017 website gives an introduction to where we went in NSW via our diaries, photo slideshows & pictures. The diary covers 19th March to 9th April 2017 and after each section of diary is the slideshow pertaining to those days so you can see the words pictorially NEW SOUTH WALES Slideshows & Diary Sunday 19 March Mallacoota to Pambula Beach, NSW Weather brighter & some hot sunshine later in the morning. We drove into the town & went to the café called Lucy’s for cooked breakfast which was tasty & coffee. We then drove through the residential area of Mallacoota where there was a sign by some woods which showed lyre birds were around, but we didn’t see any. Keef thought he saw a snake by someone’s front garden so we turned round the block to have another look but it had gone. Stopped at a car park at Double Creek where there were some very noisy bellbirds but no koalas. At Eden in New South Wales we stopped to visit the Killer Whale museum which Brian & Gina had recommended to us before the trip. It was $10 each & well worth it as we were there for a couple of hours. It showed the history of whaling in the Eden coastal region from the 1840s onwards. A pod of killer whales had helped humans to catch whales by driving the large whales into the bay towards the men in boats. The killer whales were then rewarded by the men allowing them to eat the tongue & lips of the whale (gory). Often the pod of killer whales splashed to alert the men to a nearby whale. It was the only example known in the world where the interaction of man & killer whales was for mutual benefit. The whale blubber was boiled down to create whale oil which had various uses back then, such as lamp oil (before electricity was invented) & the baleen from whales’ mouths was used for whalebone corsets of Victorian women. The locals who had rheumatism used to sit for hours in a large hole cut in the top of a dead whale where the rotting flesh meant that the temperature rose to 40c - yuk. The local people swore that this treatment did them good although a hot steam bath/sauna may have been more environmentally friendly. No doubt the horrible smell from the rotting whale meant they forgot about their rheumatism. In the bay at Eden the whalers caught a massive Blue Whale that was 93 feet long in Victorian time. The killer whales continued to help three generations of one whaling family at Eden & the whales were all given names based on the characteristics of the dorsal fin. Killer whales live to be about 37 years old on average. A skeleton of a killer whale called ‘Old Tom’ was displayed in the museum. The whole whaling industry & the rheumatism cure was pretty disgusting and repugnant to us all now. We want to preserve whales & love watching them rather than killing them. The museum also covered the local timber & tuna fishing industries. The tuna was caught off the Eden coast and then taken to Narooma further along the coast for canning then exported to the USA. There was a section on local people who had fought in France, Belgium & Gallipoli in WWI & WWII. The museum was fascinating. We drove to the harbour to take some photos & the lookout point on the steep hill but it started to drizzle & the sea mist was coming inland so the views were poor. We finished the afternoon at Pambula Beach where we stopped for one night at the Big 4 campsite $35. The site was flat, grassy and right by the sandy beach. There were several kangaroos who wandered around eating grass & were obviously used to people & vehicles. Took some photos & a video. We saw some rosellas in the tree (red, yellow & green). I nearly got knocked over when a very big grey kangaroo bounded right past me from the corner of a chalet which took me by surprise. The other grey kangaroos were quite little. Allyson saw some black cockatoos in a tree but didn’t manage to get a photo. Keef, Chris & I went swimming in the indoor heated pool – the weather had turned cool & misty/drizzly. Keef even went in the unheated outside pool. This campsite is very good for amenities (camp kitchen, BBQ, showers, pools with changing room/shower, TV room) & the fact that it’s so close to the beach. There were a couple of people surfing on the big waves but hardly anyone on the beach apart from a lone sea fisherman. In fact the campsite was less than half-full – so it felt more spacious with so few vehicles. Keef & I cooked pasta & sausages/ stewed apple & nectarines with yoghurt. There was no wi-fi as a lightning strike on the Bank Holiday Monday had damaged the power lines so Keef & I read our Kindles. Monday 20 March Pambula Beach to Dalmeny We set off along the tourist coastal route from Pambula to Tura Beach. We parked & walked to the long stretch of lovely sandy beach with hardly anyone on it. We continued on the tourist drive to Tathra, NSW and we stopped at the historic wharf/ warehouse where lots of kids & adults were fishing. There were some large rocks next to the wharf called Point Danger. The sea looked very blue & a lovely sunny day. Saw no dolphins. People were catching fish called ‘flatheads’ from the wharf & we could see lots of salmon in the clear water by the jetty. The warehouse was now a restaurant. Steamships used to call in at the wharf to deliver goods, post & passengers. We drove round the hill top down to the beach at Tathra & walked on the beach to admire the view & saw the wharf across the bay. We had our lunch at the car park by the beach & Allyson did some rolls with chicken salad & mayo- yum! Very hot at lunchtime & I could feel the intensity of the high UV rays. Then Chris & Allyson set off to meet Laura & Steve who were driving down from Sydney & the plan was for us all to meet up at a campsite in Dalmeny, which was further along the coast in NSW. Chris & Allyson hadn’t seen Laura & Steve since last summer when they came over to the UK & France. We planned on staying for two nights at Dalmeny. Keef & I did a slight detour before joining them all at the campsite at 4pm. Keef & I drove to Tilba & Central Tilba – two villages about 2km from the Princes Highway. Central Tilba is a National Truct village with Victorian buildings & pretty little front gardens with roses & lovely shrubs. We realised when we got there that we had visited the village 10 years ago! The single storey houses looked like small shops from the pavement but due to the steep hillside they were jutting out on 2 or 3 levels at the rear. We had an icecream from the village Emporium which was for sale – the owner had run the shop for over 30 years & was retiring. We noticed that a lot of the buildings in the village were for sale. We were the only tourists in the village. We continued our journey north along the Princes Highway to Narooma. Very sunny. Like a lot of coastal towns most of the houses were shuttered & closed up as they were holiday homes. Also not much work in these places either & lots of businesses & homes were for sale. Narooma has a sea inlet with a small harbour. There were no fish shops, oyster shops or restaurants. We arrived at Dalmeny Campground about 4pm & saw Laura & Steve who had just arrived & checked in to reception. Nice to see them again after 4 years. We checked in & were given a space next to C & A. Laura & Steve put their tiny tent up & then we all gathered for drinks (Laura opened some champagne), appetisers, cheeses & lots of chatting with a great view of the coast & beach below us. Just before 7pm we decided to go & get some fish & chips across the road from the campsite. We ate them overlooking the coast. They were the most expensive fish & chips takeaway that we had ever had ($21 including chips, which alone were $12 – worked out at £12.60 each). We carried on chatting until it was dark. Laura & Steve had spent 6 hours driving down from Sydney today so we were not surprised that they were tired after this long journey. Later that evening we had some heavy rain. Our pitch was already muddy from previous rainy days but it got worse overnight. Tuesday 21 March Dalmeny, NSW We stayed all morning in the campsite. Steve had organised a boat trip for us all at Wagonga Inlet , Narooma as he knew the owner of the electric boat there who did boat trips. Keef & I went in Steve & Laura’s car & Chris & Allyson drove their van. The boat was built in 1905 & had been diesel/ petrol but had been converted to electric some years ago. Electric boats are very quiet & there is no smell of diesel either. We left the jetty at 12 noon & had a very informative & humorous commentary from the 66 year old captain. He had lived all his life in the area & since a boy had fished & rowed to school in a small boat. He told us lots of yarns including his dad catching a Mako shark & a Great White Shark which had swum into the inlet after fish. There were lots of oyster beds & we found out a lot about the industry. We also saw sea eagles & their nest high up in the tree tops. He pointed out a ‘stinging tree’ which is toxic if the leaves touch your skin. The pain can be very intense & last for weeks or even months. Apparently there are 3 types of stinging tree – all in Queensland & NSW. Keef & I had heard about these trees when we went on a river trip up the Daintree in Queensland. Also Great White Sharks are now protected in Australian waters & you are not allowed to kill them. The captain also told us he had worked in a tuna canning factory in Narooma in his youth. The boat trip cost $30 per adult – well worth it & very enjoyable. As we neared the jetty it started raining & then it stopped briefly. We had tuna mayo wraps for lunch which I had prepared for everyone & sat at a picnic bench with a view of the inlet. It started raining again & got heavier. We did a short walk past the marina & jetties, which looked rather decrepit & unused apart from a couple of boats moored. We drove to an oyster shop on the other side of the bridge across the inlet & some of us bought oysters & ate them. We then parked nearby & did a boardwalk along a bay of the Wagona Inlet. By now it was pouring with rain & only Laura & Steve had sensibly brought rain jackets with them. It had been sunny when we set off from the campsite & we thought we were just going on a boat trip which had undercover seating. From the boardwalk we saw two large stingrays and a small brown one. We were quite soaked so went back to the campsite, got into dry clothes & had a cup of tea & then all chatted in Chris & Allyson’s motorhome as it was still raining. The ground by the door of our van was extremely muddy & boggy & we sunk in by about ½ inch. Gradually the weather improved & we could all sit outside again. Later on Chris & Keef cooked a lovely BBQ of beef burgers, sausages, fish, salad & cobs. Lots of stars out in the sky. Wednesday, 22 March Dalmeny to Mittagong Chris, Allyson, Laura & Steve had planned on staying on at the campsite for a bit & then travel north to Jervis Bay National Park & camp there for two days. Keef & I thought we would head inland as we’d been all along the coast in the past & wanted to take another route to Sydney. We said our farewells after breakfast & left at 9.30 to drive to Bateman’s Bay along the Princes Highway. Then we turned left to take the Kings Highway across the Great Dividing Range. We hadn’t done this route before & we drove through National Parks on both sides with eucalyptus bush stretching for miles. It was sunny, the scenery was great & it was quite a steep climb over the mountain range with steep drops at the side of the road. Some of the eucalyptus trees were very tall & there were deep valleys with a few sharp hairpin bends going up. We met a few road trains going the other way but the highway was not very busy. We reached Braidwood where we stopped for a break. Had a walk around the town looking at the heritage houses. Braidwood is a historical town with extremely wide streets, old shops, a supermarket (IGA) & a pub of course. Bought some pasta sauce from the IGA store & then drove on to Bungendore & on to historic Bywong goldmining town. When we eventually found it we were disappointed as there was not much left of the town – a couple of wooden mine shafts. We joined the Federal Highway to Goulburn. This was the first inland city in NSW & was quite big – 24,000 population. The city streets were built on a grid system and it had a big shopping centre with old Victorian & 1930s buildings & numerous churches (we counted 6 just on one street). Then we took the Hume Highway towards Sydney. We turned off the main road to a small sleepy village called Marulan where we bought some pies & a cake for lunch. A Chinese family ran the bakery & cooked everything on their premises. Another Chinese family ran the new general store (or they were all part of the same family). The buildings were very old & interesting, including the Royal Hotel & general store. It suddenly started raining very heavily with lightning. We rejoined the Hume Highway again & the rain became torrential, so much so that our windscreen wipers could hardly cope. We pulled over onto the hard shoulder as the road was awash with water & visibility was very poor. Despite this we were amazed to see lorries & cars rushing past at high speed. On downhill slopes the rain was collecting in the dips which was worrying if it became too deep to drive through. We got to Mittagong where we decided to stop for the night. The rain had stopped & we found an excellent campsite with no mud & hardstanding for the motorhome @ $35 a night. For dinner we had pasta, sausages & sauce. There were some large noisy cockatoos that made quite a racket at dusk. We saw some more lightning but no more rain & it turned into a nice evening. 19-20 Mar 2017 21-22 Mar 2017 23 Mar 2017 Thursday 23 March Mittagong to Narrabeen Lakes, Sydney. Dry weather today. We took the country route through NSW via Balmoral & Thirlmere. We saw some old train engines & carriages behind a fence in the NSW rail museum in Thirlmere (see below for more info - I am a coset anorak honest). Keef took some photos. Saw some kangaroos in fields & a flock of white cockatoos. Quite a lot of farms, homesteads & horses in paddocks – very rural. We went to Warragamba Dam which I had last visited as a teenager with my family in the late 60s-70s. I remembered that there used to be a lion safari near the dam which my family had visited but this no longer existed. The dam had an excellent visitors centre & a viewing area overlooking the dam. Warragamba is one of the biggest dams in the world supplying domestic drinking water. In fact it supplies 80% of Sydney’s water. The dam’s volume of water is four times that of Sydney Harbour. It was built between 1948-1960 & 15 men lost their lives during the construction. There was a wall of plaques commemorating them. A lot of young immigrant workers were recruited to work on the dam & a whole town was built to house them. Warragamba Dam was considered to be a major engineering feat in its day. I didn’t know that Sydney also has a desalination plant to convert sea water to drinking water & is powered by the wind. We found the visitors centre was very interesting. We then headed to Narrabeen Lakes, a Big 4 campsite in Sydney which we had pre-booked for 1 night whilst in England. This was the 3rd time we had stayed at this site. We went to the local Woolies supermarket to do some shopping & it started raining. Had cheese & biscuits back at the campsite for our evening meal. NSW Railway Museum Friday 24 March Narrabeen to Britz (to drop off motorhome) & then to Beacon Hill After breakfast we packed our bags & drove to our apartment in Beacon Hill (78a Beacon Hill Road) to drop off our luggage & food supplies. We were met by the owner Katrina Dell as her husband Roy was on their boat. She showed us around & explained how all the equipment worked, such as washing machine, dishwasher, coffee machine etc. She was very chatty and pleasant & said that they also owned the house adjoining the 1 bedroom apartment. They rented out the house to an English family. The landlords owned a boat & they had moved there whilst we were staying in their flat. They had previously lived on their boat for 4 years. The apartment in Beacon Hill had magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and beach suburbs. It had a swimming pool, sundeck, BBQ & thatched dining area that Katrina called a Bali hut. The fully equipped kitchen was open plan with lounge/dining area, TV, downstairs loo and bedroom with balcony, TV & en suite bathroom. We weren’t used to this luxury after being in the motorhome & on campsites. They left milk, wine, coffee, butter & chocolates for us which was very kind. Keef was pleased we could use the De Longhi coffee machine. After Katrina had gone we put the food away & then drove the motorhome across Sydney to Botany Bay, Meadowbank. We left Beacon Hill at 12.45 & it took us almost 2 hours to get across Sydney because of the heavy traffic – such a busy city. We dropped off the motorhome at Britz reception & then saw Chris & Allyson who arrived there after us. They had travelled up from Jervis Bay which took them 3 hours along the Princes Highway. Keef negotiated a refund of $80 for a half day’s motorhome because we had been kept waiting for hours at the pick-up in Adelaide as the previous hirer had returned the van a day late. Also we said that the toaster had blown a fuse & there was a small fault with the pull-out BBQ on the outside of the van which meant that the knob on one of the gas rings didn’t work. Chris & Allyson had a nice time at Jervis Bay with Laura & Steve & they were waiting for them to come & pick them up from Britz in their car. Keef & I caught a bus outside Britz which took us to Redfern station & from there we got the train to Chatswood on Sydney’s North Shore. At Chatswood bus station there were no timetables for buses but having asked several people & bus drivers we found a bus that would take us to Beacon Hill. However, we were misinformed and when we went past my old house in Frenchs Forest & turned somewhere I didn’t recognise I realised that we were not going the right way. Noticed also that a massive new hospital is being built on the outskirts of Frenchs Forest called the North Shore Hospital. We had to change buses & luckily caught another one that was going the other way. This bus dropped us off at the top of the road where we were staying. It started to rain at 4pm as we walked down the hill to our apartment. Too tired to unpack our bags & Keef said he had found it stressful driving across such a busy city. I did some washing in the machine & hung it indoors on a clothes airer while keef cooked us steak, vegetables & jacket potatoes. We watched a film on TV – The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman which we had seen before. Quite a busy & tiring day. Saturday 25 March Beacon Hill, Sydney We had a relaxing morning- had showers, did some more laundry, Keef cooked us bacon, scrambled egg & baked beans, which we ate outside on the deck. The sun came out for about an hour & I put the clothes airer outside our bedroom on the balcony. Keef was sorting out finances & checking transport routes in Sydney on the laptop. The wi-fi here is quite slow. The family who live in the adjoining house have a boy (junior school age) & a teenage girl aged about 13 & they went in the pool for a bit. We had lunch (egg mayo roll & cheese & biscuits) & then watched a film ‘Eddie the Eagle’ about the ski- jumper from GB who was in the Calgary winter Olympics – a good film & true story. Then we watched an Aussie film called Red Billabong which started OK but then got ridiculously stupid with a monster terrorising people on a country homestead – a dire plot! Saw a cruise ship go along the coast at Dee Why. We did a Skype video call with Doug, Phoenix & Charlie who was bouncing around & happily showing us her new 20 piece jigsaws which she had completed- clever girl. It was so lovely to see them again & chat. Charlie had a virus with a temperature yesterday but she is OK now. She kept waving to us & telling us the animals on the jigsaws. Doug & Phoenix told us that they were going on a cruise with P’s parents at the end of June. It’s for 5 nights from Hong Kong to Japan on an American cruise ship. Charlie is only two & already she’s been to China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Bali & England – very well travelled!! P’s parents have organised the cruise for them all – sounds good. Doug said he’d been to an interview with another bank this week with Standard Chartered Bank (English) & may get a second interview. It was 7pm in Singapore & 10pm here in Sydney – they signed off as their dinner was ready. Went to bed at 11.45pm. Sunday 26 March Beacon Hill & Sydney In the afternoon we caught a bus to Manly from the top of Beacon Hill Road as we were meeting Laura, Steve, Chris & Allyson in Sydney for a picnic & the opera (Carmen). The bus went to Dee Why & Warringah Mall & then to Manly Wharf. We asked at the tourist info in Manly about return buses on Sunday evening after the opera but all buses stopped by 6.20pm!!! For a big city this was ridiculously early. We took the very crowded Manly ferry across the harbour to Circular Quay. On Sundays there is a cap of $2.50 per adult to travel anywhere on the NSW transport system (bus, Manly ferry, train) which is very good value. We had bought our Opal travel cards whilst in England & they allow you to put money on the electronic travel card & then use the card to register trips on the transport system (similar to the MRT/bus cards in Singapore). The maximum daily amount you can be charged is $15. We started with $40 on each card. This is such a good idea for Sydney & NSW as you don’t need cash for travelling. From Circular Quay we walked to the Botanical Gardens where we were to meet up with our friends. Very hot today in Sydney & the gardens were tropical. When we found the Victoria Lodge Gate (which wasn’t signposted anywhere) we waited a while before Laura came to collect us. They had trouble parking the car. The venue for the opera was in the gardens opposite the Opera House & Harbour Bridge. Laura & Steve had prepared a picnic for us all & we took along a bottle of wine. The sunset was around 7pm but it was overcast & cloudy – very humid & sticky. After the food & drink we took our seats at the opera (the tickets were a Xmas gift to us from Chris & Allyson) & we were really looking forward to the performance & music. We had a good view of the stage which was like a floating pontoon with 2 access ramps on either side of the stage for the opera cast to use. There were 2 cranes either side of the stage & when the show started they swung round to deliver a tank & truck to the stage. The whole performance was spectacular & the setting of the night- time Sydney skyline, illuminated Opera House & Harbour Bridge enhanced the event. Very enjoyable show by Opera Australia. There was a 25 minute intermission. At 10 pm Keef & I had to leave 15 mins before the end as we had to walk a long way back to Circular Quay to get the last ferry at 11pm. All the gates round the Botanical Gardens were closed at dusk so we had to exit at the Victoria Gate Lodge entrance. We could not walk round the edge of Farm Cove to the Opera House which would have been a much quicker route. Instead we had to walk into the central business area past the Art Gallery & museum & past the Cahill Expressway (underground tunnel across the harbour) to Macquarie Street. On route we saw a large possum on a grassy area & took some photos. He was oblivious to us & was intent on searching for tree seeds. We made it to Circular Quay with about 10 mins to spare! Good job we left when we did. The Manly ferry left at 11pm on time & when we got to Manly we got a taxi back to Beacon Hill ($20.80. Had showers when we got back as such a humid day (80% humidity). Monday 27 March Beacon Hill Had a relaxing day in & around the swimming pool. I did some laundry & ironing. Watched some films on the TV. Keef cooked burgers on the BBQ for lunch by the Bali hut. Winds were strong in the afternoon – palm trees were swaying & weather turned cloudy – storm coming. Tuesday 28 March Beacon Hill Strong winds & heavy rain drumming on the roof woke us up during the night. Cyclone Debbie was hitting the Queensland coast around Townsville, Mackay & Airlie Beach (we had been to these coastal towns in 2008). It was a category 4 cyclone with winds recorded at 270kms/hour which is 167.7 miles per hour. The townspeople had plenty of warning about the cyclone & were told to stay indoors. There was lots of damage to houses, boats in harbours & businesses & schools were closed. The news said that this was the second worse cyclone to ever hit Queensland. We decided to go to Warringah Mall in the morning and then watch a film called ‘Lion’ at the cinema complex there. The film was a true story about an Indian boy aged 5 who was adopted by an Aussie couple in Hobart & he wanted to find his roots & family back in India. A very good film starred Dev Patel & Nicole Kidman. I got a new watch battery at the Mall & we did some food shopping at Coles before getting the bus back to Beacon Hill. Wednesday 29 March Beacon Hill Hannah & Connor came round at 3pm which we had arranged & Connor had a little dip in the pool with his swim nappy on. We had bought him a cardboard book of Australian animals which we bought yesterday at the Mall. He is 20 months old & knew shark, koala & crocodile & the colours apart from orange. We then went in Hannah’s car with them back to their apartment in North Balgowlah as Hannah had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. She is expecting a second child in July & knows it will be another boy. We looked after Connor whilst Hannah had her appointment. Hannah & family had just returned from a weeks holiday in Thailand. They were off on Friday for a few days to Orange, NSW for the food & drink festival which they had been to last year & really enjoyed. They’re staying in the same rented accommodation nearby as last year. David came home from work (he cycles into the city centre which takes him 40-50 mins). We hadn’t seen the family for 4 years which was the last time we’d visited them in Sydney when they lived in Vaucluse. Riley, their dog, was still as cute as ever. We took along a bottle of sparkling wine & Hannah cooked us a lovely dinner. Hannah gave us a lift back to Beacon Hill at 10.45. It was lovely seeing Hannah, David, Connor & Riley again & just before dinner we did a Skype with Brian & Gina, as it was Gina’s birthday. B & G were going to some national trust gardens for the day. Thursday 30 March Beacon Hill Rained all day non-stop & it was quite torrential at times so we decided to stay in the apartment all day. Watched some films & read our Kindles. The cleaners came 9am to do the apartment – took them 1½ hours. Whilst we cleared off to Rural NSW and across the Great Dividing range from Dalmeny Chris and Allyson went with Steve & Laura for a few days camping in Jervis Bay NP before we all returned our vans to Britz near the airport. Whilst we had time in our Apartment in Broken Hill and then a trip to visit John & Diana in Tassie C&A spent time with S&L on the boat in the harbour, visiting the Blue mounations and staying in a cottage and seeing the "dish" at Parkes observatory. For more details please see Allyson's diary and the slideshow below. 24-30 Mar 2017 C&A's Time in NSW 31 Mar - 9 Apr 2017 Friday 31 March Trip into Sydney & Darling Harbour Got bus 169 through Dee Why & past Warringah Mall to Manly Wharf & took the ferry to Circular Quay. We walked round the Quay & saw a huge cruise ship called ‘Emerald Princess’ moored at the overseas passenger terminal. We walked through the business/office district to Darling Harbour. There were lots of restaurants around the harbour & it was 12.30 so lots of business people were having lunch. As we walked along the quayside there were information boards & pictures showing what Darling Harbour used to look like. We walked all the way round to the Hard Rock café where Keef bought yet another T-shirt costing $40 to add to his collection. Then we had lunch there – we shared some chips& chicken goujons. After a rest we walked through the shopping centre called Harbourside which wasn’t very good (a few tourist tat shops etc). We crossed back to the other side of Darling Harbour on Pyrmont Bridge, built in 1905. We caught the ferry from Darling Harbour wharf back to Circular Quay, then the Manly ferry & bus. We got wet as it was raining when we walked back down Beacon Hill Road. Turned very overcast & then the rain was torrential in the evening. Watched TV & had dinner. Saturday 1 April Beacon Hill (see slideshow Beacon Hill Apartment from now on) A lovely warm sunny day. I did some washing & we prepared for a BBQ round the pool. Keef & I went swimming in the pool & tried to clean up some leaves from the pool after the previous nights storm. At 2pm Chris, Allyson & Laura arrived for the BBQ – burgers in cobs with cheese & bacon, chicken on skewers, green salad, red & yellow salad. Laura had brought along some homemade lamingtons- yummy- & we also had rock melon. Steve arrived later as he had some customers for his eco boat (self-drive electric powered boats for hire). We’d saved some food for Steve. They all left around 8pm in the car to return to Wollstencraft, on the north shore, where Laura & Steve live. K & I went to bed early as a busy travelling day ahead tomorrow. Sunday 2 April Beacon Hill to Broadmeadow, northern NSW (see slideshow Beacon Hill Apartment) Got up really early today as off to Newcastle, NSW on the train to meet my cousin Susan & husband John (Browne). I’ve not seen Susan for 45 years ( I was 18 & just returned from Australia with family. We walked to the bus stop at the top of Beacon Hill Road at 7.30am for the bus due at 7.50 to take us to Wynyard Station in Sydney CBD. The bus was 20 mins late so we were worried we would miss our train. Once at Wynyard we took a train a couple of stops to Central station & then got on a two tier train all the way to Broadmeadow, just south of Newcastle in northern NSW. The train was packed because on a Sunday you can travel on buses & trains in NSW for $2.50 per person – a bargain. The bus journey into Sydney took an hour & the trains took 2½ hours. At 11.45 we arrived at Broadmeadow station & could not see Susan & John so waited for a few minutes. We realised there was another station exit via the tunnel which gave access to a street on the other side of the railway line. Luckily Susan & John were there with their car & John said “Are you the Hellingers?” We finally met up after all these years & they were very welcoming. John drove us to their triple level duplex apartment a few miles away, just off the main Pacific Highway at Merrywhether Heights where we chatted & then had lunch (chicken thighs, salad, asparagus, giant couscous with peppers & onion & wine. Susan & John were very friendly & both were retired. They had moved to NSW from Perth, WA to be near their daughter Hannah, her husband & children. We took along a box of chocs & some red wine. Unfortunately red wine brings out a rash on their faces & they only drink white wine. The lunch was lovely & we continued catching up the years until 5.20 & then they drove us back to the station. Susan & John had just had my other two cousins Janet & Rob to stay with them for 3 weeks but they left to return to Canada 10 days before we arrived. Unfortunately we just missed the train & had to wait ¾ hr for the next one to Sydney. Another train went past heading for Brisbane which was an overnight train journey of 6 hrs from Sydney. Susan & John joined us on the platform as they realised we’d missed the train. It was lovely to meet up with them & we invited them to stay if they came to the UK. Their daughter Georgia lives in Glasgow & she is a musician (plays the flute). Keef & I read our Kindles on the return journey to Sydney as it was dark. We had seen the country towns, bush & Hawkesbury River on the journey up this morning. After arriving in Sydney we caught another train to Circular Quay & then the Manly ferry to Manly. We stopped off at KFC in Manly for a snack & then got a taxi back to our apartment at 10.10pm. A very long day & a lot of travel but worth it to meet up with my cousin. Monday 3 April Beacon Hill Did washing & ironing. We packed in the afternoon & the weather was not good enough to swim in the pool. Watched TV & read our Kindles. Tuesday 4 April Travel from to Sydney airport to Tasmania to stay with John & Diana Got up at 3.45am, showered & had a quick breakfast. Keef called an Uber taxi at 4.30am to request a pick-up & to take us to Sydney airport. We were annoyed to find a text to us from the Uber taxi driver saying he had cancelled. We had been waiting with our luggage on the pavement in the dark and rain. Keef called Uber again to order another taxi. We were not impressed with Uber – this was the first time we had used them. This time the Uber guy did turn up & was very friendly (he was a Civil Engineering student from Sri Lanka doing his Masters in Sydney & taxi driving between 5am -12 noon to earn some money). He dropped us at Terminal 2 & the Jet Star flight was ½ hour late departing. The pilot apologised for the delay stating that the plane was “messy” after returning from Tasmania & the cleaners were still cleaning. Not an efficient service. All drinks & snacks on this flight were not free. The plane eventually left at 8am. Saturday 8 April Tasmania to Sydney When we arrived in Sydney we had to wait quite a while for our hotel shuttle bus. Eventually we got into our hotel room at 1pm. Checked our e-mails & the BBQ invite for later that day from Chris, Allyson, Laura & Steve was cancelled as Steve was renting out his eco boats again. Just as well, because we were tired having got up before dawn & we would have had to get a taxi back to the airport, a train into Sydney, a ferry to Woolwich on the North Shore which would have been a further 2 hrs+ travelling. Also my cold & stye problem in my left eye over the last 3 days was not so good (Diana had given me a soothing eye lotion to use). Hope no one catches my germs. We booked our hotel in England – Ibis Budget – a compact room with wet room ensuite, TV on wall & kettle for tea etc. We went out for a late lunch to Kentucky Fried Chicken 2 mins walk away. At the hotel reception we booked our hotel shuttle bus for 7.50am the next day to Terminal 1 for the flight to Auckland. Read our Kindles & went down to the lobby seating area to read the newspapers. At 7.45pm we popped out for a coffee & doughnuts at Krispie Kreme Doughnuts (USA company). The coffee was Ok but the doughnuts were dire – sickly- yuk- never eat these again! This was our evening meal too. Things got even worse. When we got back to the hotel one of the two lifts wasn’t working. E-mail from Leanne to tell us that Keef had received a letter in England saying he had to pay a speeding fine from the police in Portland, Victoria!!!! Oh dear. Fine was $194/ £113.15. He had driven the motorhome 6kms per hr over the 60kms speed limit. To compensate for this additional trauma, Leanne sent a nice photo of Craig holding Edie who was wearing his sunglasses. Keef was in the dog house. Watched TV. Things got even worse. At midnight the hotel fire alarms went off. The fire brigade arrived with blue lights flashing – turned out to be a false alarm (probably someone smoking in their room set it off). After all that it took me ages to get to sleep & another early start tomorrow as we’re flying to New Zealand. Sunday 9 April Sydney to Auckland Got up at at 6.35am & had our showers & tea. Trying to take our bags down in the lift took a while because the other lift was still out of order from yesterday. We got the shuttle bus from our hotel to Terminal 1 at Sydney airport. The airport was very busy as people were travelling because of Easter next week. Queued up for ages at the Quantas desk & took even longer to go through passport control & security. Chaos - the flights were all late & the plane going to Bali changed its departure gate twice. Then the planes by the gates had to change areas & the announcement on the public address system said that the planes & late planes had caused overcrowding on the tarmac. All very confusing for passengers. A Japanese elderly couple stupidly lost their carry-on bag & were fretting about it to the airport staff & wandering about looking for it! Because of this they held up their plane to Singapore as all the other passengers had already boarded. They never found the bag as they could not retrace their movements & were frogmarched through the departure gate by the airport staff. Goodness knows what became of the ‘unattended baggage’. Our plane was delayed by 45 minutes. Met up with Chris & Allyson who were sad to leave Laura & Steve. Whilst we were in Tasmania they had gone with L & S to Parkes, inland NSW, to see the radio telescope/ museum there & had stayed at a rented homestead. They went on to the Blue Mountains & did some bush walking near the Three Sisters at Katoomba & also near Wentworth Falls. The plane left Sydney at 12 noon & we got a good view of Botany Bay, the harbour & sandy beaches as we headed for Auckland. The flight took 2½ hrs & we had to turn our watches forward 2 hours. Had lunch & an icecream on the Quantas plane. It was quite a small plane with 3 seats on either side of the aisle. Watched some films during the journey. Trailer

The Northern Territory Australia slideshow page of our holiday 2017 website gives an introduction to where we went in NT via our diaries, photo slideshows & pictures, with diaries and images from our time there, 1-3 march 2017 on the big trip NORTHERN TERRITORY Slideshows & Diary Wednesday 1 March Adelaide to Alice Springs Had the fresh figs for breakfast which were delicious. Another hot sunny day. The campsite staff drove the golf buggy with all our bags to reception and from there we got a taxi to Adelaide airport. Keef & I didn’t recognise it (we had flown from Alice to Adelaide 10 years ago) so it had obviously had a bit of an architectural make-over. Our flight to Alice Springs left at 10.40am & we had to change our watches as Northern territory daylight saving time was one hour behind Adelaide time. At Alice airport we got the Alice Wanderer shuttle taxi service to take us to our motel – Elkira Motel. We walked around the town & it was very hot at midday. Saw the Residency house & garden which was open to the public. The Queen & Price Phillip had stayed there in the 1960’s for 2 days & he had got food poisoning. Charles & Diana had also visited Alice & stayed there on a later date. Next to the Residency there was a new Northern Territory Supreme Court building almost finished. Walked through Todd Mall & went into tourist info. Keef & I enquired about about the shuttle bus taking tourists to all the best sites in & around Alice but unfortunately it had ceased running. Also the man who used to do the free didgereedo lessons had gone bust & was now a bus driver (we had bought our didgereedo from him 10 years ago). The tourist info staff recommended us to visit the Desert Park a few kms outside Alice so we decided to do this the next day. We visited an art gallery which exhibited Aboriginal art works – dot paintings. An Aboriginal lady called Margaret was sat on a cushion on the floor concentrating on her dot painting. When we tried to talk to her she was not communicative. The gallery owners probably make a handsome profit from these paintings. We walked on to the Royal Flying Doctor Service museum at 4pm. We had missed the film presentation so instead looked at the museum which was very interesting. Went back to the motel & K & I swam in the pool & then had showers. We all went to the Red Ochre Grill restaurant in Todd Mall for our evening meal. Thursday 2 March Alice Springs Had motel buffet breakfast which was very good. Keef had the full English breakfast which was huge. Then we got a taxi to Desert Park ( a wildlife park in the desert outside Alice). I was not feeling well, weak & occasionally light-headed with a cough & swollen glands in my neck – a virus probably picked up on the plane. Hope none of the others catch the bug. C & A kindly gave me some tablets which I took. When we arrived at the park we had to hurry at top speed to catch the wild birds in flight demonstration in the amphitheatre which was just about to start. The ranger gave an excellent talk about desert birds & the setting was spectacular with the MacDonnell Ranges as a backdrop. We saw owls & kites fly low over our heads & wedgetailed eagles flying at speed towards the amphitheatre. The temperature was 37c according to one of the park wardens & it got even hotter in the afternoon. We saw animals such as roos & emus & watched an informative presentation about Aboriginal bush tucker by a female Aboriginal park warden who showed us food , wooden tools, weapons & bowls. It was very interesting to hear how the women gathered berries, bush fruits, plus seeds & grasses to make damper (a flat bread) whilst the men’s role was to hunt game. She said that witchety grubs tasted like runny egg yolk & were nutritious. They had to bite the heads off the grubs which were found in dead tree branches or tree trunks. The grubs were about 2½ - 3 inches long & ¾” wide. Luckily she only had a plastic one to show us which did look quite realistic. We walked into two bird aviaries to see more desert birds, including a large black cockatoo. Then we went to the nocturnal house where an Aboriginal guide told us about the exhibits – small mammals such as the bilby, desert rat, numbat, plus snakes & lizards. He said that the small & thin Death Adder snake is so toxic if it bites you that you only have 40 mins before you die. Thinking back to us walking around Cook on the Nullabor it was no wonder that the train staff did not want any snakebite victims. Most of the roos were asleep & lying down so we couldn’t see them properly. Did not have any lunch but drank a lot of water. At the end of the afternoon at 3pm we watched a 20 min film about the desert in the cinema. We all enjoyed the Desert Park. Got a taxi back to our motel. Had a shower then I went to bed & slept for 3 hours. In the evening we all walked into town to a pizza restaurant. I ate hardly anything as still unwell. I don’t know how I managed to walk around in the desert heat all day. Went to bed & slept for 10 hours!!! Friday 3 March Alice Springs to Adelaide We ate breakfast in the motel again then caught the shuttle transport back to the airport via various hotels & backpacker hostels to pick up other tourists. The Qantas flight went over the desert & some massive salt lakes – no habitation visible at all from the plane apart from dirt road tracks. When we got to Adelaide we collected our large bags from the left luggage lockers & got a taxi to our motel – The Atlantic Towers in Glenelg, a suburb of Adelaide by the coast with very fine white sandy beaches. This motel was a tall round tower & even our rooms had curved walls. The rooms were very modern & spacious with an excellent bathroom. We all went for an evening stroll & had some drinks at an oyster bar. As it was Friday evening the restaurants & bars in Glenelg were packed. Walked past the marina & more restaurants. There were some very large expensive boats in the marina & designer apartments with sea views. Saw the Glenelg pier, tram & clock tower & then walked back. We decided to have dinner at an Aussie Outback bar/restaurant where we managed to get a free table. I could barely manage my meal (chicken salad) and had to rush to the loo with severe diarrhoea. Walked back to the motel & I took some tummy tablets which sorted me out. Had no idea what caused the bug as no one else was ill. 1-3 Mar 2017 Trailer

This page covers all the States and Territories we visisted with our pals chris & allyson in 2017 on the Big Trip in hired motorhomes. This covers Western Australia, The Indian Pacific Railway, Northern Territory Alice Springs flown from Adelaide and back, Adelaide-Sydney, Tasmania , Arrived in Perth, WA from Singapore. We saw the town before picking up the motorhomes and seeing Monkey Mia, Carnavon, Rottnest Island & the adorable quokkas, Margaret River but you can see this on the WA page AUSTRALIA - Aussie Adventures 4th February - 9th April 2017 States & Territories Oz - Western Australia Oz - Indian Pacific Railway Oz - South Australia Oz - Northern Territory Oz - Victoria Oz - New South Wales Oz - Tasmania Oz - Campsites Oz - Galleries "From Carnarvon in Northern WA, On the Indian Pacific Railway, Thru the Red Centre and then around the Coast Adelaide to Sydney, Plus Popping over to Tassie & Rellies" Happy 39th , Restaurant by Shag Inn, Perth INTRODUCTION Arrived in Perth, WA from Singapore. We saw the town before picking up the motorhomes and seeing Monkey Mia, Carnarvon, Rottnest Island & the adorable quokkas, Margaret River, Cape Leeuwin, Albany, Northam, Wave Rock, the wheat belt and a whole lot more before picking up the wonderful Indian Pacific railway to Adelaide, flight to and from Alice springs before picking up a 2nd set of motorhomes to see the Barossa Valley and more. We crossed over into Victoria from South Australia at Portland where we saw a Koala crossing the main road right in front of us. We headed around the coast taking in the fab Great Ocean Road, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, The 12 Apostles to name but a few sights before crossing into New South Wales just above Mallacoota. We saw a lot of wildlife in Victoria especially at Kennet River where once again the Koalas obliged. Once in NSW we headed up for family time in Sydney, oh and Tassie for K&A. In Sydney thanks to Allyson we saw the wonderful spectacle that was Carmen in the harbour. Diaries and Slideshows and / or Videos (The Talkies) are available via each State of Australia via the dropdown menu or the BUTTONS above, thanks for looking Desert Park, Foothills of the Gap, Northern Territory Map Intro Slideshows gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/9 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/5 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/31 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/5 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/17 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/10 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/22 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/30 gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/12 Galleries Audio Diary Trailer

This page shows some of the wildlife we encountered on our BIG TRIP in 2017 and images were taken by all 4 of us covering from snakes to cuddly koalas and all points in between, enjoy the slideshow WILDLIFE Wildlife spotted in Australia Western Australia Blue tongued skinks, Major Mitchell Cockatiel (white & pink feathers), emus, turtle, pelicans, eagles, goats, galahs, small frog, flock of white & yellow cockatoos, small lizard, green parakeets with yellow ring round neck – could be yellow ring lorikeets, alpacas of a farm, kangaroos, dead snake on road, budgies, quokkas, magpies, small black lizard 6-8” long, stick insects, dolphins, Australian sealions, 4 Ospreys, pelican colony, Little Blue Penguins, New Zealand fur seals. Northern Territory Lots of Aussie mammals, birds & reptiles in Desert Park, a wildlife park outside Alice Springs. Cockroaches in pavement in Alice at night. South Australia Corella parrots (white with lemon feathers under wings), large moorhens, stingray. Victoria Dead snake (brown) in middle of road. Koala crossing road, budgies, black rock wallaby, echidna, 4 koalas, wallaby, baby black snake, bandicoot, red & green parakeets, 2 sulphur crested cockatoos, seal by a jetty, grey kangaroo at Hanging Rock, thin lizard, large group of grey kangaroos & 1 albino one, black swans, large 3ft stingray with orange spots on top & orange underneath, koalas, bellbirds, small lizard. New South Wales Kangaroos, rainbow lorikeets, stingrays, white cockatoos, small geckos, dead wombats by highway, wattle bird, heron, ibis birds, possum. Tasmania Dead Tasmanian Devils by roadsides, plovers & sandpipers, kookaburra, wallabies. Wildlife in Cook Islands (Rarotonga) Plovers, sandpipers, small crabs, sea cucumbers, fish, geckos, black/brown birds. Wildlife spotted in New Zealand Green Praying Mantis, weka (bird), 3 kingfishers, eagle, dead possum, bush turkeys, black swans, large black eels, fantail birds, pet emus & small wallaby at campsite in Murchison, whales, rock wren, Kea alpine parrots, 2 dolphins, NZ fur seals, small albatross, white heron, grey herons, Little Blue & Yellow Eyed penguins, seals. A Gallery of some of that wildlife gallery images created by KeefH Web Designs for this Travel Photography site with care and love 1/43 Gallery Trailer