Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Adelaide to Melbourne


If you think we have "computer enhanced" the picture of the Blue Lake near Mt.Gambier, then you are wrong; it is a volcano filled with water and the colour at certain times of the day is just incredible!
 In the Otway Ranges near Apollo Bay in Victoria we find the Beauchamp Falls in one part of the rain forest.
There are 3 treetop walks in Australia, one near Walpole in WA, one in Tasmania and here we see one in the Otway Ranges, which is the largest one with tower and canterlever walk, some 60 meters above the forest floor.

Near Meningie in South Australia we find a huge wind farm. They are just adding another 80 wind generators and here is a picture of the crane which was used to fit the three blades. Note the 3 men near the hook at the end. There is a lot of discussion here regarding the cost and energy needed to build them and how much they can produce while running costs and maintenance need to be paid for as well.

The drought has been so bad here that the farmers resort to irrigation, if they have access to water. This circular pattern is quite a sight from the air.


Most places we visit have seen at least 5 months without any rain and farmers have to irrigate to keep crops alive. Here is an example of circular irrigation, quite a spectacular sight from the air.


The south coast is pretty wild and hundreds of ships have come to grief here over the last two centuries.
Camping in Victoria is restricted due to fires and also for administrative reasons; we still find some nice spots but again the weather is not kind to us: wherever we go, we end up with wind, rain or sand storms. (see picture of collapsed tent of another family)
Before the next 40 hours of heavy, constant rain that kept us locked up in the tent, we visited the Beauchamp Falls, part of a subtropical forest.

The Kampertrailer was delivered with one gas bottle and yes, it ran empty, of course when we needed it. Introduce our "Companion" a single burner unit with "spraycan butane" cylinder and automatic ignition. Very hot and useful when the weather is so bad that the thought of cooking outside is not attractive, or let's say, impossible due to high winds and rain. This little beauty can actually be used inside the camper tent. Highly recommended for anyone considering camping, cost about $22 plus $2 for a cartridge, if you shop around.


# posted by Tanneke and Renne de Waard @ 5:45 PM
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