6 months of wonderful experiences – a rundown on what we have seen so far!

Copy of an email sent to family and friends 20 Feb 2010

Hi everyone

We we are now going into our 6th month travelling and it seems like only yesterday that we left home.  Can't believe how quickly the time has gone!  Must be a sign of having too good a time.  In case you aren't all looking at our blog on a regular basis (yes we know) thought we would jot down some of our experiences and things we have seen so far.   You'll have to look at our blog for further details of our adventures - here it is http://hansensaroundoz.blogspot.com/ (feel free to leave comments, nice ones).

• Kayaked with turtles in Exmouth, WA
• Stood at the bottom of a dormant volcano in Mount Gambier, SA
• Gorged our faces with exotic tropical fruit in Carnarvon, WA
• Dived the Navy Pier in Exmouth, WA (reputed to be one of the best dive sites in the world!)
• Came face to face with a Grey Nurse shark whilst diving the Navy Pier
• Dived and snorkelled the Ningaloo Reef (we still reckon it beats the Barrier Reef and yes we have done the Barrier Reef)
• Ran for our lives out of a farmstay in Port Lincoln on a forecast catastrophic fire day (OK slight exaggeration)
• Experience 45 degree heat one day to 22 the next - work that out!
• Stuffed our faces with the best freshest prawns ever in Exmouth, WA
• Watched a 12m underground blast at the Super Pit in Kalgoorlie
• Saw our first wild koala in Adelaide hills
• Went for a boat ride along the mighty Murray River in Mannum, SA
• Feel sad for the dire water situation in SA, still in drought conditions
• Great White Shark cage dive at Port Lincoln, SA
• Free camped with road trains on the Nullabor (not our choice)
• Had a tyre blowout on the longest straight stretch of the Nullabor
• Still in awe at the magic of the Pilbara - nowhere else can you see colours and a landscape quite like it (everybody should experience it)
• Wiped our feet as we left Port Hedland, WA
• Took at bite at the spectacular Australian Bight
• The Sturt Pea must be one of natures most beautiful flowers and how it grows in dry red dust is beyond us
• Saw many many minesites in north WA -  hmm wonder about the rehabilitation in such remote areas
• Can now appreciate why the miners get paid so well - living in the isolated, remote, hot dusty environments they deserve lots of money
• Walked atop dry riverbeds in Carnarvon WA - unbelievable but water sits 17m below the surface!
• Got saturated by blowholes in Quobba, WA
• Bought delicious wood fired bread from the roadside in Colton, SA
• Watched with dismay the ocean disappearing before our eyes at Streaky Bay when we were experiencing days over 40 degrees and we couldn't go for a dip because of the huge tides
• Stood under London Bridge at Sandstone, WA
• Found the whitest beaches in Esperance, WA - we think they are the best beaches anywhere so far.
• Watched the new year fireworks 250m in front of us on the foreshore at Streaky Bay, SA
• Rescued a pelican with a broken beak at Streaky Bay, SA
• Went to the only cow race in Australia at Mt Compass in SA
• Swam in the Southern Ocean, brrrr
• Seen the bluest lake at Mount Gambier, SA
• Loving daylight saving - WA big mistake not voting it in!
• Lost count of the numerous kms we have walked including through botanic gardens
• Had our fair share of mishaps with the car, radiator, water pump, replaced 6 out of 8 tyres but she still goes and goes, she just goes!
• Overheated going up the hill to Trevor and Margy's place in Adelaide Hills - never seen so many hills and windy roads and bends - after flat WA shock to the system
• Went horse riding in Adelaide hills - thanks Jazz and Margy for being patient
• Visited Hahndorf a lovely German influenced town in the Adelaide Hills and had the best hot Belgian chocolate
• Traumatised by the nuddies at Maslin Beach, SA - please old men cover up!
• Kayaked around the Ships Graveyard at Port Adelaide
• Toured the Royal Flying Doctor depot in Kalgoorlie, a must do so very interesting
• Saw our first woylie, rufus bettong and potoroos at Warrawong Sanctuary in Adelaide
• Toured the best tasting chocolate ever at Haig's Chocolates in Adelaide and got good sized samples.
• Looked at the 'stick figures' at Lake Ballard in WA, hohum
• Watched the best lightning display at Sandstone WA - combined with the colours of the Pilbara - just magic
• Went to the furthest tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in SA and watched the ferry cross to Kangaroo Island
• Met some great people along the way and yes we're coming to stay and rekindled some great old friendships

Phew and we still have 3 states and 2 territories to go and we haven't seen all that we want to see in WA yet.  

Are we ready to go home - no way not yet.  Still too much to do and see and we're having fun!

The one thing we would love to do and won't be doing is Tassie.  Unfortunately once we got the final quote (over $2000) on the ferry Spirit of Tasmania and this coupled with the fact that most of the sights we want to see are in National Parks and hard to do with the dog, decided we wouldn't do it this trip.  That will be our next trip when we can do it in a little more luxury, fly with our ff points, hire a car, chalets and no dog!

So for anyone who is looking at this email thinking they would like to do a trip like this, then we say JUST DO IT!  Life is too short and all the reasons/excuses why you aren't/can't will always be there.    Hope to see you on the open road.

Love

John, Karen and Coco