Week 1 (27th March - 2nd April)

First port of call on arrival in Melbourne was to see our new caravan. It seemed enormous! Inside, with all its cupboards, switches and gadgets it looked even better than we had imagined and we were relieved to see that our remote caravan mover had been successfully fitted.Now a hunt for a Toyota Land Cruiser for towing was imperative! A Troop carrier in Torquay, 65km from Melbourne, with a large family of garden snails living comfortably on the engine block was a no no! During peak traffic hours we crept towards the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to view another Troopy - 1999 model, with 135 000km on the clock and everything we desired from long range tanks, dual batteries, electric brakes, snorkel, tow bar, winch, roof rack, two spare wheels, air conditioner, comfortable front seats, bed-boards, high lift jack, compressor, full recovery kit and emergency spares. The number plate letters began with SKV so Lea named the vehicle “Skiv” since it is to be the skivy in our life.Our week deadline marched on with all the red tape required arranging insurance and registration documents. Thanks to a surprise visit from Andy and Nuala, who joined us in our cabin for a couple of nights, they were able to help with the collection of “Skiv”. Finally, on Friday 31st March, “hook up day” dawned – ten years to the day since we left South Africa. The technician gave us a run down on how everything worked totally addling our brains. Nervous about dragging what seemed like a monster behind us we finally had the wheels of “our rig” rolling on the open road by mid afternoon. Being buffeted by the wind of passing trucks and road trains we made our way to Puckapanyal through some picturesque Australian country on the Great Divide, to overnight with the Heinrich family. Robyn taught with Lea in Darwin.

The round Australia rig

With the weather starting to turn cold, strong winds and showers of rain, we headed back south towards the Great Ocean Road. Moving slowly because of the twists and turns as well as the steep gradients, we found ourselves making frequent use of the numerous “turnouts” provided for slow moving vehicles. A spectacular drive but we could not help feeling that the forest cover (tall eucalyptus) screened many of the views of the ocean. In one spot a koala, fast asleep in roadside tree, had created a mini-traffic jam. After passing through the rugged Otway National Park we turned off the main road and found a semi-deserted campsite at Johanna Beach and with a couple of hours to spare before dark busied ourselves sorting things out – Lea packing away our clothes and groceries in the caravan, remaking our bed and soon getting our new home ship-shape. While the wind blew and a light drizzle set in we relished the comfort of “Getaway” - hot noodles for supper, quiet music playing, comfy seating and an invitingly warm bed to climb into. Sheer luxury!With the weather still cold we dived out of the caravan and got the heater fired up in the cab while Skiv slowly pulled Getaway up a steep, corrugated road back towards the GOR. Once in the Port Campbell National Park we were blown away by the many best known views …. the Twelve Apostles, the Loch Ard Gorge, the Island Archway, the Razorback; not to mention the most spectacular array of limestone cliffs all being gradually pounded to pieces by huge swells rolling in from the southern ocean. The wind was so cold that we had to pull out our lumber-jackets to keep warm! Who was it that said England was cold and Australia was the land of warmth and sunshine?


The Twelve Apostles

Around every corner lay more and more dramatic views of the coastline characterised by tall yellow coloured stacks - some balanced on thin pedestals, others with holes (arches) remaining, deep foam covered inlets, caves and blowholes. The wreck of the Loch Ard, a cargo ship from England that came to grief on the coast on 1st June 1878 fascinated us as all 54 of the people on board were lost and in the small, scrub encroached cemetery we noted the dead included a family of seven. The area was also renown for the large number of mutton birds (50 000 short-tailed shearwaters) that nest on the stacks, the birds coming all the way from the Aleutian islands in Alaska, 30 000kms away!In Port Fairy we booked into a caravan park in order to get some laundry done, have a hot shower and download some pictures. Our first week was over. We are living our dream.