Holistic Doctor on Line

Australia blog - Blackheath to Sydney

Hi folks!

On Saturday 14th April we rose in a leisurely fashion, aware that we had few miles to go to return to Sydney and give up our campervan. After our customary jog, I let the cildren play in a large park nearby, while I telephoned a few local places in the hope of being able to go horse-riding for our final morning.

I was in luck; at Megalong Australian Heritage Centre they were able to fit us in for a 1 hour long ride from 10:00am (in 20 minutes from my phone call - a mad dash down a delightful rainforest road), leaving us ample time to get back into Sydney.  We had a fantastic ride, with three escorts, two sensible and reassuring women and the thirteen-year old daughter of one of them. I enjoyed chatting to Jodie, another mum, who was riding with her three daughters. We all rode easily, using Australian Stock saddles, and even Nathalie rode for an hour without a lead rope. This was a personal success for Nathalie, as she has only had half-hour long lessons up to now.

Australia blog - Orbost to Katoomba

Hi folks!

The next day was Thursday 12th April.  We had been caravanning for so long by now that it seemed unthinkable that we would be handing the van over in two days!  This was even more scary when we looked at the map & saw how far we had to go, especially if (as we hoped) we were to make it to the Blue Mountains National Park as well.

I awoke early as usual, and went for a jog around the campsite while the kids dressed. As promised by the elusive Graham, the wilder end of the site was alive with the sounds of bellbirds, their beautiful haunting calls echoing from tree to tree. These amazing greenish birds appear to be able to throw their voices - it is extremely difficult to pinpoint them. I remembered them with the tuis when I visited New Zealand years before.  They have obviously captured the hearts of generations of settlers - I found this magical poem by Henry Kendall on Google - here is an exerpt:

The silver-voiced bell birds, the darlings of daytime!
They sing in September their songs of the May-time;
When shadows wax strong, and the thunder bolts hurtle, ;
They hide with their fear in the leaves of the myrtle;
When rain and the sunbeams shine mingled together,
They start up like fairies that follow fair weather;
And straightway the hues of their feathers unfolden
Are the green and the purple, the blue and the golden.

Australia blog - San Remo to Orbost

Gday from down under,

Hi all, I am catching up with my Australia diaries from the UK, now that I am back, so doing several days' travel per blog entry......

On 10th April, Daniel and I discovered the empty sand and shingle beach at San Remo when we went jogging. Knowing that Nathalie would have been sad to have missed another shell moment, we collected her and spent a few minutes on the beach together, collecting shells and watching the Australian Ibis that was probing the beach for food.

Colac to Phillip Island

Hi there!

8th April was Easter Sunday. Nathalie had become convinced that the Easter Bunny would put an easter egg under her pillow overnight. I don't know where she got this idea from - certainly not me! Disappointment ruled, until I told Daniel to get the two small eggs out of the fridge - both kids had been there when I bought these, and knew that I had said we could not get any other Easter eggs as they would melt in the caravan during the day.

Chomping merrily on said chocolate, and sharing the eggs with us, calm reigned. After breakfast and on return from the shower block after tooth cleaning, I introduced both kids to a plastic bag containing their "Easter Eggs" proper. Cuddly take home echidna (named Edna the Easter Echidna) and Wombat (Russell Wombat, of all things) toys were valued and cherished, joining Crackers the dog, Baby-Baby (see photos taken on the plane) and Mr Turtle.

We set off north of Colac to explore the dry, barren countryside around Lake Corangamite, the largest salt lake in Victoria. This is massive, miles long - but to our amazement, virtually empty! There appears to be a small pool of water in the centre, but apart from that, miles of dry salt lake, with grasses and algae - see the photograph for an idea of the expanse. There were startlingly red grasses around the perimeter, as well as dark, igneous-looking rocks around - porous, obviously volcanic in a previous life.  There were several completely dry lakes in the surrounding region.

Colac and the Great Ocean Road

Gday,

I hope that you have all managed to look at the photos - click the Australia icon to the right of the Blog main page.

We rose early on 7th April, leaving the campsite before breakfast.  We drove back South towards the Great Ocean Road, taking the C154, a different road to that we had travelled on the evening before. Looking for a place to stop for breakfast, we came upon a beautiful reservoir, West Barwon Reservoir, on the C119.

Here we were impressed to see large warning signs about European Wasps - surely these can't be considered as dangerous as redbacks, funnelwebs and the Taipan, each of which could kill a grown man..... We parked in the car park, prepared a cereal breakfast (quick & not requiring gas or electricity), and had a fun breakfast admiring the view. Then, when I had finished, I went for a jog.  I found the warning was not an understatement - there were about 50-100 wasps around the bonnet of the car. I couldn't work out what they were up to, although later an Australian informed me that they were preying on the numerous dead insects that had accumulated over the miles (or rather, kilometres).

Aireys Inlet to Colac

Gday from Oz!

On 6th April we had a leisurely start to the day at Aireys Inlet.  I was awake at 6am again, so I had time to meditate, give myself self-healing and send distant healing, as usual. In a daze I heard a few raindrops on the roof of the caravan, so, having put washing out the night before to dry in the early morning sunshine, I leapt over Heather (2 double beds in this van remember) and pulled on my dressing gown for a hasty washing retrieval exercise.  Surprisingly the washing had dried completely, and the drizzle was scanty - just a few drops again.

After safe washing collection I went for a jog, leaving the more sleepy members of the party to snooze on. I jogged around the camp site, then over the road, past a few shops with early morning shoppers, and down a little yellow path in the direction of the cliff and the light house. There I discovered a beautiful cliff-top path with views of the surf, sand, rock pools, and the lighthouse. It was stunning, and gave me bags more energy to enjoy the day. It was fun looking at the houses around here - amazing shapes in Australia, a tradition of originality!

Red-faced and puffing, I returned to the caravan to do more stretches, persuade Daniel to jog around the campsite, and get breakfast.  We drove a little way along the Great Ocean Road to Lorne, where we walked along the shop fronts and back, admiring the surfers on the rather busier beach than those we had previously stopped at.  We paused at an inviting cafe and had milkshakes, Earl Grey Tea and croissants and doughnuts, but were disappointed at the E-numbers and sugar content of the "Blue Heaven" milkshake (which none of us could stomach) and the sweetened almond cream in the croissants.

Next we drove on and found a deserted beach further West, and spent some time paddling, writing in the sand, finding numerous pretty shells, and examining 2 dead little penguins (previously known as fairy penguins) washed up on the beach.  The feathers were almost fur-like, they were so fine. The white chest feathers were completely waterproof, with a deep layer of fluffy, dry downy feathers near the skin. The back had a beautiful metallic greenish sheen, and the wings were so specialised, they looked more like flippers - or even fishes' fins.

Bacchus Marsh to Great Ocean Road and Aireys Inlet

Gday from down under!

To continue the adventures down under of Alison the mad Campervan driving doctor and co in Oz....

The morning of the 5th April (a Thursday) was the beginning of a much more leisurely, less pressured period in our travels. No deadlines, and also my dear friend Heather - a fantastic and deeply spiritual doctor - who is more fond of lie-ins than I am. It was great, and a true holiday, in every sense of the word.

On waking, the children were eager not only to go down to the playground, but also to jog around the area it was in. The playground was strong enough for all - even us grown ups - so we were soon trying our hand at the zip-slide and the monkey bars (no good me, my arms have never been my strongest point - obviously need more monkey bar practice)!

Tocumwal to Bacchus Marsh

Hi folks! Greetings from Down Under!

Here I am again - the Holistic Doctor with a Mission! At this point it is just to find my way around Australia with a campervan and 2 kids, but in the future - who knows?

Tocumwal Tourist Park was another pleasant campsite. We arrived near to dusk, but the kids were determined to take advantage of their lovely outdoor swimming pool, which closed at dusk. 

On our arrival, the couple in reception strongly urged me to book ahead for the next few nights.  Up until now I had revelled in the freedom of just turning up at campsites.  Although I had known that I would need to book for Easter, I was hoping that I could put this off until I had my wonderful Australian friend, Heather, with me to help plan the rest of our trip.  Apparently this would not work - the lovely couple here had just been told that the last powered site at their linked parks along the Great Ocean Road had been booked.

Unfortunately this meant I needed to gather together my now activated mobile phone, a pen, my credit card, and all the camping site brochures I had, together with my excellent tour guides to Australia, before setting off for the pool. Dusk was closing in, and as we walked towards the pool the chap from reception was just in front of us, planning to close it for the night.  Bless him, he accepted our pleas (although like all the Australians we have met, so accustomed to their hot weather, he was amazed that we might want to swim in these "cold" evening temperatures), and let us use the pool until it was quite dark.

Meanwhile I sat on a picnic bench nearby peering in the darkness at the brochures.  I managed to secure one night at Bacchus Marsh, which was quite near Melbourne where we would be meeting Heather on the next day.  I then managed to get us a site at Aireys Inlet for one night, then 2 nights at Colac - a bit out of our way, not exactly on the Ocean Road, but I felt we could explore its full extent from the one site.

Relieved, we accepted the need for the pool to be closed and made our way back to the van.

Aftrer supper we made the beds up, lit our wonderful scented cinnamon candle ( a gift from my good friend Liz Whiter), and settled down for the usual bed time story.  One chapter of "The Making of May" and one chapter of "The Pig Scrolls". 

Then to sleep for them, and one chapter of "The Curous Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" for me.  This amazing book is told so accurately, from the point of view of a teenage boy with Aspergers Syndrome, it is truly amazing. I enjoyed reading it, and it brought home to me, not only what such children go through, but also their families. The insights make one wonder whether there can ever be true safety.  I would say this should be compulory reading for all doctors, teachers, and medical and teaching students - anybody involved with autism at all.

Forbes to Tocumwal

Hi Folks!  To continue our adventure down under....

On Tuesday 3rd April we rose to the dawn chorus again.  There were even more Galahs at Forbes camp site - about 100, which I saw feeding in the next field when I went jogging.

After breakfast we travelled on south to Marsden, West Wyalong, and Narrendera along the Newell Highway.  The scenery remained in the main drought ridden and scantily stocked. We passed through Jerilderee and Finley.  As we had made such good progress, we were tempted to stop in the lovely woods south of Tocumwal, just by the great Murray River.

We found a beautiful picnic spot and parking space, and locking the caravan, started our walk.  Daniel and Nathalie both played well as ever, make-believe of horses and galantry.  I walked on with my camera and my binoculars, enjoying the Murray River, which although not as full as its optimum, had more water in than any river we had seen for many miles.  I saw treecreepers, a butcher bird, and the ubiquitous Australian magpie.  These were found everywhere in Australia, each with a unique pattern of black and white plumage, and with an unusual biphonic call - I cannot decide whether it is quite harmonious or disharmonious, but it is not unpleasant.  The bird itself is more obviously corvine than our own magpie, although both are members of the crow family.

As we walked along a bit further, the kids some way behind, I spotted something in the crook of a eucalyptus.  Raising my binoculars, I was at first convinced that somebody had put a teddy bear in the tree - until it moved!

Moree to Forbes

Hi!

We rose early the next morning, woken as always by the raucous dawn chorus.  There were about 30 Galah in this caravan site, and they made a lot of noise when flying over & feeding.  Galah are amazing parrots, quite large, the colour of the pinkest sunset you can imagine, with slate grey backs and wings. Their calls are surprisingly high pitched for the size of the bird.

The next leg of our journey took us on through the orange dry areas, south from Moree to Narrabri, then through the beautiful koala-rich Pilliga Nature Reserve.  We did not see any koalas, but there were vast expanses that had been subject to bush fires.  We felt quite saddened by this, wondering how much wildlife had been lost.