Tuesday 23 October 2012

A NEW ADVENTURE

WELL - I did say on the last blog that there was a surprise coming......

And it surprised us when we were able to fit the bikes into those little bike boxes for the flight!!!!

But as usual Dave was successful and the bikes and all our luggage was successfully transported .......to.......
HELLO GRANDPA!!!!
Yes - back in Australia.   After nearly 5 months and 5,000 klms cycled we were starting to get system overload on Castles, Culture, and Cultivation.  And the arrival of that little man above was also a big draw card back. So we made the decision to return.  But we have enjoyed every minute of our adventure so far - even looking back on all the horrible weather in the UK, and will definitely travel this way again in cycle friendly countries. Already planning for future trips!

BUT!!!!!

We still have quite a few months until Dave has to go back to work - so WHAT TO DO??????

Well there is a big country here that we have only seen a very small part of so let's go see Australia!!!!
Joey is there leading the way as usual, but as you can see he is not sitting on a bicycle!
Australia is not set up for cycle touring like Europe and we intend to travel a lot of territory so its 4WD and camper trailer for us this trip.  Will feel like luxury compared to the tent!!
Heading towards the outback we came across this beautiful Jacaranda tree...
And as nature called we found this rather sophisticated 'Outback Dunny'   Pumping water to flush from the creek nearby.  After I chased the frog out that was sleeping on the underside of the seat it was fine - -
We set up our first camp at Neil Turner Weir just West of Mitchell.  We will be free camping wherever possible and are lucky that there are so many places wdhere this is possible here.  It was pretty warm round 38'C and the nights although a little cooler were still warm.
This camp was beside the Neil Turner Weir and we took a drive down to see the weir in action..

Right outside our campsite was a great spot for relaxing and taking a swim in the cool water!

Later that afternoon Dave said that we had better start cooking dinner as there was a storm a brewin!  You can see what he meant!!

Soon back on the road again and ever westwards....  Becoming hotter and dryer with every kilometre, we were eventually arriving in Charleyville.
While we were stopped  here for a 'cuppa' I decided to explore down by the river and found what I thought was a partner to the Grandpa Chair that I photographed Dave in back in Europe.......but don't think this one was meant for sitting in.  It was pretty interesting though.
 I love to read signs as they can be interesting / amusing or downright funny.  But this one has to be a first...
 It may not be as pretty as some of our cycle paths or as shaded but our 'new office' has a captivating presence and harsh beauty all its own!
We do have to share our office at times and these guys although pretty incredible to watch, have to be the dumbest creatures around and you can never guess which way they will go - just prepare for whatever...
  I love some of the place names here, and this creek was a good one.
We pulled up for a look but don't think we will be taking a swim anytime soon - This was my view...
and this was Dave's view
But we later stopped at the Bulloo River and that was a different story altogether.    Although it was the colour of mud, it definitely was water!!!!

We camped one night by Cooper Creek and the ledgend behind the name was pretty interesting -
Dave went to checkout the water after we set up camp.

In 'The Wet' this waterway can cover thousands of kilometres of land, but even in 'the Dry'  it is not a bad size for 'a creek'.
We could see something in the distance and could not quite work out what it was at first.....a bit science fictionish???  Then as we got closer it became clear...

But why so many?  and what are they for????
Oh OK this explains it all!
It's great - always something new to discover, something interesting to see, something new to learn!
And this  next sign was something we needed to know - don't want to run out!!!
So its on to our next destination.......as we saw on this sign......Onwards to BIRDSVILLE!
catch you soon!!

Tuesday 16 October 2012

ON TO VIENNA

We continue to come across unusual signage and these signs were at one of our campgrounds along the river:  What do you make of these - - -

After dinner we decided to go for a walk along the river and this was our neighbour just nearby...
 The next morning we had to ride up the hill and pass this castle and it was just as impressive up close..

We continue on and came across another sign re the local wildlife, but unfortunately we never did see one of these little creatures even though they are supposed to live in the area.

A little later on there was a sign for Wolves - so I thought maybe they ate all the beavers??  But we failed to see any wolves either - not that this was a bad thing!!!
The river continues to be pretty busy with barges and the ever present cruise boats.

There is always something unusual popping up and this open air alter was a bit out of the ordinary.
The Hillside agriculture continues along side the river, even on the steepest of slopes.  This castle garden still looked to be thriving, even though the castle seemed to have seen better days ( to say the least!) Wouldn't like to venture out to pick something after a couple of drinks though - a tumble would find you in the river quick smart!!

Dave is continuing his unusual photography on the move, check out these signs - with careful emphasis on the round mirror!!
As we neared Vienna we came across another structure - pretty self explanatory really -
This building out in the middle of nowhere was very entertaining - I guess Austrian style graffiti!
As we entered Vienna the amazing cycle ways continued.
And instead of cigarette vending machines there were some that were more in our line.......bicycle tubes!
As we searched around the city on arrival for the Tourist Information Bureau, we discovered this pretty interesting place just across the road - not what we expected to find in the middle of Vienna.
The cycle paths continued, and this one was across a bridge, but right under the motorway....
The beautiful buildings continued and inside one church was this magnificent pipe organ -
And this soaring spire was all the more impressive as there was absolutely no sign of a clock anywhere - -
The interiors continue to amaze....
I could include just so many photos of all we saw but these next two just had to be includued . There were so many wonderful statues.... Check out this one....
Now how about this for detail.....What you wouldn't give to have been able to see these being carved!!!! and when!!!
We arrived in the middle of a Harvest festival so the city was full of colour and celebrations..
Even the horses were looking pretty smart.  These two had their little ear muffs on.....ooohhhhh.
Dave and I were pretty colourful as well with our cycle/sandal tans........
As we left our campsite in the Vienna Woods one of our fellow campers offered to take this pic.....not often we get one together...
And so we say goodbye to Vienna or to use the local venacular......
Stay tuned for our next Blog for something exciting.............