2017 The Lap

Our trip with Cat & Keith and Jenny & Cameron started at Lock 9, Lake Cullulleraine and we thought it would be good to have our penultimate night there.  We pulled in and with just one  van parked about 300 metres away, we nearly had the place to ourselves. We commemorated with some smoked trout and a bottle of champers followed by a porterhouse and salad and a nice bottle of red and of course an open fire. Getting the fire ready at Lock 9. Clearly we were back in Victoria - it rained overnight - apart from the showers we had in Kalannie, WA, it's the only rain we've encountered in the 15 weeks we've been on the road. Still, we're sure it will simply be getting us ready for Melbourne's spring weather. We had a quick catch-up with Peter McGuinness (2/22nd Lark Force) in Mildura which was great. About the time we headed inland at Geraldton to see the wildflowers, Sandy and Jim  headed to Perth for some car repairs and to spend time with family.  T...

Tuesday 3 October   Well, some people should stay in caravan parks where fires are generally not allowed!  We drove into a 24 hour free roadside camp, set up and started to make a small fire.  Two women, who came in AFTER us and the conversation went something like this: Woman:  "Oh, you can't make a fire - I've got cracked ribs and I can't afford to cough due to the smoke!"  John:  "What smoke?!  Maybe you'd like to move your van back a bit so you're behind the wind." He then assisted her in reversing her car and van back a few metres but she objected to John telling her, "Right hand down ... left hand down ... right hand down." Woman:  "I know how to reverse I don't need you to tell me" and John watched as she jack-knifed her car and van into the bushes.  Karma!!! So we lit the fire only to have some old bloke come out and say, "You can't have a fire, the smoke will go into our van!" So we...

The WA/SA Border Village provided the next hole on the Nullarbor Links course. Lorraine's terrible driving on the range continued with her ball continually hooking to the left. Six strokes later on the par 3 hole she made it to the green - turned to watch John's third stroke onto the green turned back around ... and the bright yellow/green ball was nowhere to be seen. And we were the only people on the course! We can only assume one of the crows picked it up - perhaps angry with yesterday's result. Watch out for the crows! (It is only since we've returned home that I've remembered my message to Farina Faye and Dave about the warning on the Nullarbor Links brochure:  "Nullarbor Roadhouse - Hole 1 Dingo's Den par 5.  Watch the crow, he takes your balls!  Try spraying smelly stuff on the balls!")  So there we have it - it was a crow and a very sneaky one, neither of us saw him. The Great Australian Bight  is truly wild    and beautiful.   ...