The Snailhouse Challenge

How cute is she!

Hi Millicent Harry William and John. Here is the:-

Snailhouse Challenge.

All you have to do is jot down the answers to all the questions - all are contained in the Blog.
These could be either emailed to the Old Blogger or checked with her when you come to visit.

The prize for those with the correct answers will be lunch at the Lolly Shop after a visit to Mutton's magic store to choose a prize. A small Princess may have some help from a gallant Knight Pa said.

Tall people (Uncle Glenn) are not eligible for a prize!!

1. How many flat tyres happened on the trip?
2. What was the new addition for this trip that Nanma loved?
3. Which famous Australian poet walked the Dowling Track in the middle of summer?
4. What town has a dinosaur named after it?
5. How many States and Territories did the snailhouse visit on this trip?
6. How many border crossings did she make?
7. How many kilometers did she do all up?
8. What did miss snail throw at the cows?
9. What state was she in at the time?
10. What creature likes to hang out in loos?
11. What animal decided to pull into the garage and fill up with gas at Turkey Creek?
12. What was on the menu for the croc at Parry Creek lagoon?
13. What is camel power?
14. Where was the last place the Snailhouse camped?
15. What famous Australian was born there?????
16. What is the name of the Gulf that miss snail visited?
17. What was the most northern town she visited - it is famous for its Gorge?
18. What was the most western town?
19. What is the animal this town is famous for - (a movie was made about it)?
20. What did Nanma buy in Bendigo on the way home that the snailhouse is not happy about?

Have fun kids.
Love you all
Nanma and Pa

The Blogger has gone for a shower.

I was in strife for leaving out this Photo when I did big loads. Mary thought the little car in the background helped with scale.
Whilst here though I will give you some of the numbers Mary says are of little interest.
By the time we get home we will have covered over 16000kms, including all the U-turns to go back and see a bird (possibly).
Both fuel and camp fees have noticeably increased this year, most Parks are over $30 per night, usually $36 or $38. WE heard that on Cable beach at Broome the daily fee for a powered site was $55.
Last year i would have said fuel averaged about $1.75, but this year somewhere round $1.84/5. The most I paid was $2.60 at Billiluna at the top of the Canning Stock route.
I tried to put numbers on the Snailhouse, ignoring running costs that would be required whatever we were towing. This is what I came up with.
Forgive the earlier mistakes the blog won't let me take the cursor back.
I started with the purchase price then added the deluxe inclusions (like espresso makers) to get a cost number, then I subtracted the value of all the bits and pieces I'll be able to move to the Birdhouse(like espresso makers).
The number I came up with when divided by the number of days we have lived in the Snailhouse in the last five years gave me a daily cost. The total number of kilometers we have travelled (almost 80,000km) gave me a per kilometre cost.
By feeding all those numbers into an Algorithm I have been working on for 40 years I came up with costings for our daily use of the Snailhouse. Remember these are per person so must be doubled to account for the two of us.
Each day, for sitting in the comfort of the dining area and enjoying a cooked breakfast overlooking some amazing and some very ordinary places $0.75
In the Navy expense accounts always doubled the breakfast figure for lunch, so enjoying lunch each day in the snail house cost $1.50.
That makes $3.00 per head for cordon bleue dinners every night.
Using the average cost per km arrived at earlier it cost $0.50 per head to move the accomodation, which equals the cost per head per night of $3.00 to have a comfortable night in a warm bed.
This adds up to $16.50 for two people per day. If you accept these numbers, the Snailhouse owes us nothing but has given us much.
The Blogger is rattling at the door now so I'm off
Cheers
The editor

The last Campsite

The limping Snailhouse is enjoying resting on the bank of her favourite river preparing for the last leg home to Deloraine. This hopefully will be her last memory of being on the road.
She has been an amazing old girl and will enjoy being the Deloraine Snailhouse Clubhouse for small persons.

She will no boubt be miffed when the Birdhouse appears but she sure has some great adventures to remember. Chucking a wheel into a cow paddock, ploughing knee deep through chocolate brown mud for 80kms before she had to sit for 5 days on Glenormiston Station till the road dried out, having a timber corset screwed on at Parry Creek Farm in the Kimberly (can be seen on the left of the door) to name a few.
I suspect she is the only caravan ever to have wire stitches. John now thinks he should have been a plastic surgeon exploring the possibility of tie-wire sutures.



  

The blogger

The Blogger hard at work in the snailhouse, probably for the last time. Tomorrow we will put our limping heroine on the road to Braidwood.

the last couple

The Church camp.

Found the wheel this morning, had crossed the road twice. Appears that loose nuts are the likely cause.

Still more, should have been a brain surgeon.

The repairs in progress

More!

At least the camping fees were cheap.
Now a photo we hope

This was the wound the wheel made as it headed off quickly ahead.

Poor Snailhouse

It is ironic that we would end up in a Presbyterian Church ground as John's Great Grandfather was a Moderator of this Church both in the Hebrides and in Victoria. Spooky!

The Blog is playing up like the snailhouse but I will try to post some more photos.

This is why!

After we left Kaniva we headed for the Little Desert to discover with the recent rain all of the tracks were closed. We drove through the centre on the only bitumen road suprised to rediscover the sandiness of the area.
We drove down through Horsham and on to Marong just outside Bendigo for the night with the intention of visiting the Jayco dealer to look at a possible replacement for the Snailhouse.

Well she did not take to that idea too kindly because as we left Bendigo via Rochester she decided to throw her right wheel off into a dairyfarmer's paddock as we were doing 90kms per hour.

We had just passed the deserted church so my friend did a u turn on one wheel and a hub and waddled the old girl back to the church pull off. The gate was locked so himself took the gate off its hinges and in we went.
By now it is raining. A walk along the road did not produce the absentee wheel and no obvious dead cows so the decision was made to put the old girl up on blocks and have lunch!!

John phoned Doug the gentleman who had been so helpful at the Jayco Dealers. Up shot - we drove back into Bendigo with the hub and the guys in the Jayco workshop kindly produced another for us, put the spare bearings John just happened to be carrying in liberally greased.

While that was happening I bought a Birdhouse.


    

Just when you thought it was all over!!!



Why would we be posting a photo of a deserted church 13 kms from Rochester Victoria?



After Lunch

After a lazy lunch on the Murray at Murray Bridge, unfortunately we had to get back onto a freeway to head across the border into Victoria. I have to admit to having a short nap! Tonight we are in a little place called Kaniva. Tomorrow we hope to head into the Little Desert for a couple of days.

Another example

Architecture

Similar to Tasmania all of the villages, without exception, had many building using this sandstone style of construction. 

Another pleasant morning.

This morning we drove down through the Clare Valley into the Barossa Valley. It was off the main road so the traffic was not heavy. The run was studded with beautiful little and very old villages. We had morning tea at a lookout over one called Eden.

Exchange the gums for oak or elm and you could be in England.

There were two of these

We only had to sit behind them for a few Ks as they completely filled the road. This is where they turned off to the mine and we could continue on our merry way.

Some more oversize loads

This was a police escort  - GET OFF THE ROAD ENTIRELY.
They travel at about 75/80 Km/hr

A Bloke Blog!!!

Going uphill, both lanes full, a bend ahead and a solid line, but the pilot truck has moved (he/she usually sits in the oncoming traffic lane so you can't even consider overtaking) over so that means I can overtake( they wave you ahead very vigorously if you don't move straight away). Foot to the floor and off we go.
There is a system, I discovered that there is a second pilot truck a couple of kilometres ahead and he tells this pilot just ahead of me that it is safe to overtake - no-one is coming- so you go like hell!
We passed this pair of low loaders five times in three days because we travel faster than they do but not for the same length of time each day. We were so late starting one morning that we never did catch them again.
From the editor, the Bloggist extraordinaire is having a shower.

The new Greenarbor!



Can you see why this has become our new Nullarbor?



Readjusting.

Clouds shrouding Mt Remarkable.

After we broke camp we headed straight through Port Augusta as it was our fourth visit and headed out through Mount Remarkable towards the Clare Valley. It lived up to its name as the photo shows. The drive was a very pleasant surprise as it was the original old Main Road North so was dotted with very old villages, many still having beautiful old sandstone buildings. No toads!

Back to reality.

As we drove back across the causeway we realised we were really heading back to reality. Because the wheat belt has had good rain, as we drove further into SA we were drowning in lime green wheat crops from horizon to horizon. To avoid too much culture shock after we leave Port Augusta we will sneak over to the Clare Valley and across to the Little Desert via Bordertown. That means we have to go home via Yarrawonga!!

That hot shower.

There were showers as you can see but the water was cold so out came the trusty bucket bath once more!

The Loo

The loo had a normal flushing toilet with handbasin. The water was drawn from the sand-dunes. Once you sat down no-one could see you.

Please note the tiny solar panel on the left side of the roof which activated a light as you walked towards the loo at night. There were only two other guys there who had been surfing and they had a loo of their own so there was not a rush on facilities!

More pics

The Blog is being a pain tonight and I am having to do one photo at a time. That's the snailhouse.

Sandhills and secret places.

After ten or so more miles of "rather rough roads"  we espied a sign that said campground. Turning in was like entering another world. It was a private place that had been heritage recognised as a significent place to the surfing fraternity. A young dad had been taken in 2000 whilst surfing and that was the incentive for the onner of this amazing cape to protect it but allow peope to come there and camp and surf.
To really hear all about it you will have to come for lunch after we get home but the photos will help give you an idea.
John has put it at the top of best places. I think because it reminded him of the wild places he, Mervyn and Collin surfed back in the 60's while he was at Uni - that is last century!!

An amazing suprise!

After we dragged ourselves away from the whales we decided we would head for a camp ground that had hot showers and flushing toilets after three wild nights and bucket baths.
However as we were approaching the turn off to Cactus beach I noticed it had a little tent in the map book. As soon as the snail heard me suggest to John it might be nice to have one more wild night at Point Sinclair she hung a right and darted down that dirt road like a champion. Twenty kms or so down we headed off across a tiny causway between salt ponds wondering where the hell she was taking us.

Favourite mum amd bub.

This calf was much smaller than all the others and did not seem to know what it was all about quite yet. He kept rolling onto his mothers back. So cute.

Cows and Calves.

We stood for over an hour mesmerised by the the parade of these magnificent creatures. Most of them were a cow and calf but at one stage we saw one pair stop and wait for another cow and her calf right in front of us. In this milling mass the two cows nuzzled each other as they met and the calves just rolled around as all children do in a crowd.

An hour with the whales.

Last year we visited the Head of the Bight Whale Watching Observatory and saw one whale in the way far out deep.
Decided to give it another whirl and!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am convinced in the last twelve months they have trained the cows to bring their calves in to show off for the tourists.
Not only could we see dozens of whales coming into the cove and leaving, they came up to just below the viewing platforms.

Nullarbor on sunset.

One evening I enthusiastically suggested we dive up a rough gravel road to find a snail home for the night. Mmmmm. Things were getting very quiet when suddenly the parking fairy was with me and there it was - the perfect pull off with an already perfectly constructed rock fire pit left by the last snailhouse type campers. Phew!! Let the smoking ceremony begin!!

Just as Pa had the fire burning and the sun was setting we noticed the rain squalls over the Bight.

Magnificent pink rain on the right.

Not to be outdone by a purple rain some distance to the east. Just for you Millicent in your favourite colours. xx

Naughty Nickers!

We wandered into Kalgoorlie smiling about how amazing our country is especially the outback where people will make the most of nothing. Once again a lady owned this cafe. I would love to be able to put some words together about my admiration for the new role of women in the bush and is it so different from the pioneer women. Maybe some day. Remember the Cocky's Wife Cafe in Nyngan. I also met a cocky's wife at Karinjini from the wheat belt who had picked and shelled sandalwood nuts to sell in the hard times. They are apparently on the market now so keep an eye out for them. She said they taste like a Brazil nut.

Lets get to the naughty nickers.
The last time I decided to take Pa out for lunch was in Dampier. I forgot we were in a mining town!! Silly me.
When we wandered into the bar to order lunch there she was fully equipped with a body that would make El green and more on the outside than in. It was naughty nickers Thursday.
Pa was valiant as always and was able to order lunch with great great dignity.

So when I decided to take him out to lunch at one of the amazing old pubs in Kalgoorlie I was on the job. When he was about to open the door to the Wild West Bar I headed him off to the Paddies bar at the side of the pub. Good fielding even if I say so.

The hotel was heritage listed and they were restoring it. I went for a wander to check out the progress and had a quick check of the Wild West Bar. OMG. I think even Pa's dignity would have struggled. Of couse I was busting to wander in and chat to the girls about their Award but a young woman appeared from nowhere and asked if there was anything she could help me with "love". I explained I was a heritage lover and was admiring the restoration!!  I think she struggled with that.

The meal was excellent and I saved Pa!!

The pub.

Up pops Miss Snailhouse again!

I have had to learn as we have grundled around this amazing country we live in that there are times when I have to grit my teeth, hold my nose and just get on the bitumen. The run down to Newman was one of those.
Newman Tres Forgettable! So also the run to Meekatharra except a great bush camp on the way at Mt Leake way back from a truck pull off. I have discovered there are often little treasures of tracks made by previous snailhouse type campers behind these!! You just have to be able to cope with the snorting and farting of air brakes at all hours!!
By Meek the Snail and I had had enough and she dived off down the dirt to Sandstone. If you ever feel inclined the pub there is worth a visit. Pa was happy because the graders had just been along the road. Red Highway Heaven! Saw two mine blow flies only. Bliss.

I haven't told a story yet this year so here it is! Non readers make a coffee.

On the way through Leonora John said we would not stop here (been there before and knew he was making a good decision) as he would buy me a double shot skinny latte at the gorgeous cafe in Menzies as it would have elfresco tables and chairs and a selection of yummy cakes.
Gutsy play as Menzies doesn't even really get a dot on the map. The closer we got the more he played this theme up.

Well Menzies has about ten buildings and I have to admit they have beautiful architectural features similar to other old gold towns. My smirk was growing but suddenly the snail was in free fall doing an amazing U turn and there it was - the "Achieveable Outback Cafe" with outdoor tables and chairs. I was speechless as they even had a selection of amazing cakes. As my old dad Nugget used to say "Bugger me"!

It actually started to mizzle rain BUT Sir Walter John even wipd the outdoor setting dry for me to  have my double shot.
Mind you he has flogged these brownie points to death since then!! But he is allowed to.

Karijini - a gem in the middle of nowhere.

We decided to take the 4x4 track into the park. Huge mistake. It was getting up there with the Tanimi and the country had suddenly become flat and rather boring. Rough country is not so bad if it is stunning.
Fortunately we got the last site in Cockatoo loop ( the honorary Ranger Lady who signed us in was highly amused by her joke that we were the last Cockatoo in) and to be told no-one uses the track we took!


 After setting up and pouring a drink things seemed better. That was when we noticed this hill behind us.

At that point we could not quite work out where the gorge could be.
Next morning we set off by foot with a map to discover this incredible hole in the ground between us and the above hill.

                The path down was in keeping with the usual mountain goat category but these two old goats managed to make it.

Once down on the floor of the gorge it was another world.

On the road again!

Our destination for the day was Karijini NP via Tom Price. The latter is in my top ten forgettable towns. Older mining towns tend to all look the same, dominated by a massive slag heap overshadowing everything and thick dust covering tired looking buildings and homes. But now they all have a Woollies which must make life easier for the families living there as  well as great for wanderers like us to stock up. Woollies are like Mackers - the same everywhere.

We were back in iron ore heaven and there are two forms of transport that are always in your face.  The first is the trains that you cannot take in in one glance.

That black line in the middle of this shot, again taken on the move (John has still resisted cleaning the windscreen), is a train. Not all of it is in the photo.

   The second sort of transport is the thousands of white Toyota blowflies with a red flag streaming behind them, swarming all over every red road in the mining country.

Miss Snailhouse got fed up with these blow flies blowing dust in her face and decided to do something about it !!

No idea what she has been up to but she sure looks cute!!

Camping on a Station

Many stations now offer camping to those wandering through the outback. They vary greatly in facilities and setting but we love them.

Mt Florance Homestead and outbuildings were normal except that the surroundings were green from the large dump of rain a month before. Normally you would camp on red earth.

You have to expect that every piece of equipment, left over metal and general "good stuff " as John sees it, is simply left lying where it stopped or fell off the truck.

I loved the curved rooves on the old sheds.

The homestead is tucked in these trees.

The camp ground could cope with about ten vans. They were quite excited that last week they had 27 people including children. Two sites were used by people who had been coming to the station for twelve years to help with cattle work and look after the park. We have discovered there are many of these people who live for very little in these places for the dry.

The toilet, showers and communal fireplace.

Naturally there is no garbage collection so the solution is a hole on the other side of the fence that you throw bags in and when it is full it is filled in and a new hole dug.

Imagine the silence of the night and the stars!

After leaving the Station we visited Hamersley Gorge.

It was stunning and with very few people there it was very peaceful.



The walk down and up was worth it.

We then got to drive through Rio Tinto Gorge. I guess when you seal the road through a very narrow, one way gorge you can call it after yourself!