Category Archives: Aus

Aus, family, national park, roadtrip, travel

Top End by campervan

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Into the Northern Territory, where the roads deteriorated markedly but perversely the speed limit went from 110 to 130 km/hr – not that the camper was worth driving at those speeds, 100 was plenty. The landscape of vast flat plains, occasionally interspersed with mesas, covered in low-density, low-height forests and scrub continued. We regularly saw controlled burns keeping the undergrowth in check, only once having the highway completely engulfed in smoke.

Posted observation points were welcome, they helped to break the driving. This one just short of Victoria River had a bonus walk up a hill in the sweltering heat.

Trees and rocks, with a bonus river.

Down to the roadhouse, with attached campground, the only facilities for many miles.

Said roadhouse, without all the vehicles belching diesel. Saw a bunch of big motorsport team trucks rolling through, a change from the preponderance of mining and cattle road trains. Found later the Supercar roadshow was moving from Perth to Darwin.

After not having seen a supermarket all week, a restock in Katherine was needed before heading to Nitmulik National Park for a couple of nights. The Three Gorge boat tour gave us the opportunity to sit, occasionally walk to another boat and learn about the gorge from a local. Towering cliffs and how the volume of water in the wet season has shaped the landscape were impressive.

This may be recognised from some films, but not by me.

Somewhat inexplicably to me, we had an hour to swim at Lily Ponds under a tall thread of a waterfall. About a third of the group got in the water, most else sat in the shade.

I found a marked track that involved plenty of rock-hopping and steep scrambling to the top of the waterfall. Much better view and more interesting up there.

The creek approaching the cliff.

Spot the tour group.

Further up the gorge, past where boats can reach – there are a lot of rocks around these parts.

On the return, the longer walk (not long) between boats and impassable rocks.

First crocodile in the wild for the trip.

Our guide pointed out a viewing platform up high as we neared the end of our boat trip, suggesting it was a good place to see the sunset. As it was the first time I’d seen significant clouds in the sky since our layover in Melbourne, I was hopeful it would be worth the walk and steep staircases. It was.

But first, different rocks! Curious conglomerations.

The start of the Kakadu Highway held the most engaging driving of the trip – especially in a seven metre long, three metre high van. Alas that didn’t last long, but probably good for Mum’s comfort and getting to Jabiru campground before dark. I was a bit under the weather for our two days there, unfortunately coinciding with the hottest weather of the trip – alarmingly close to forty degrees Celsius.

Better than your average water tower.

A little boat tour up the East Alligator River (no gators in Australia, only crocs – the river mistakenly named) was slightly cooler than staying on land. I found the local guide interesting, plenty told of how the local flora and fauna form part of their life. Not a lot of wildlife to be seen in the heat of the afternoon; more time in Kakadu and even getting into the vast, sparsely populated Arnhem Land would be cool.

Spot the fictional characters – Homer, E.T., Robocop…

Although not that far back to Darwin and campervan return, certainly less distance than we had generally been driving, we broke it up choosing to stay in the middle of nowhere. Bark Hut Inn had a great campground, adjoined to a roadhouse, built in an area that once was predominantly buffalo and croc hunting (the old modified Landcruisers with a lot of external steelwork looked plain mad). Disappointed by the lack of wildlife on the trip thus far, we booked one last boat tour on the nearby Corroberee Lagoon – thinking we had enough time to pack, clean the camper and drive to Darwin the following day.

It turned out to go swimmingly (except no-one literally went swimming for obvious reasons). An exceptional tour with a very knowledgeable guide who was only too happy to answer questions, show us what we wanted to see and keep us both amused and informed. Helped that we saw plenty too – here’s a little of it:

On that high, the campervan was returned on time leaving us a day and a bit to have a look around Darwin. With the Supercars in town for the weekend, the excellent night market at Mindil Beach was packed – but the city seemed deserted the following day. Perhaps it’s always like that, but it seemed an odd place. Give me the wilderness instead.

Aus, family, roadtrip, travel

Kimberley by campervan

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Somewhere along the way I said I’d drive Mum on a campervan trip across the NW of Australia. Suddenly it was thirty-odd degrees hotter than is normal at home this time of year and we were checking out Broome – an interesting little town with a history of pearl harvesting by many ethnicities and being bombed in the Second World War; now its biggest asset seems to be a busy fly-in, fly-out airport for WA’s mining industry.

We had some time before picking up the van, so wandered in the heat.

Plenty of the old corrugated buildings survive.

One of the many boab trees (related to the African baobab) we’d see on the trip.

Originally a telegraph station when the subsea cables were the quickest form of comms with the outside world – Timor is really close.

A few of the scores of crabs that were fascinating to watch.
Parking the camper (a very similar van to the ambulances I’m used to driving, just a fair bit longer) first-up in a crowded Cable Beach carpark conquered, we were on time for the camel ride that Mum wanted to do. No racing, all rather sedate – a pleasant hour not having to walk in the heat. Unsure what the camel thought, but I expect it’s better acclimatised than southern New Zealanders.

First night and campground successfully negotiated, the first of many interesting rocks on the trip were visited – with some fun scrambling too.

Finally hitting the highway, it was a few hours north to Derby – even hotter, most notable to me for having up to thirteen metre tides.

Tidal plain, would have liked to see the sea rapidly advance across it.

One of the wider-trunked boabs we saw.

Apparently the largest cattle trough in the world, guess there’s got to be one. From the days of driving stock ultra long distances without trucks.
Continuing east, there were a few small towns every so often (hundred-odd kilometres apart) – maybe because it was a Sunday, but they were grim. Service stations so barricaded I didn’t think they were open, usually they were – just as well.
I much preferred the next campground, Mimbi, to the overly large and full ones on the coast – no power, remote and quiet.

Not at all packed in like sardines.

Also, there were rocks and hills to explore.

Triodia grass – annoyingly pointy.
We’d slowed our journey east a bit so as to catch a tour through the Mimbi Caves, led by the local people. It was wonderfully low-key and gave plenty of opportunity to hang at the back of the large group to try and get some peace to gaze at the intriguing formations.

More rocks – walking to the caves.

Back at the campground, there was enough time to go for a more challenging scramble through the triodia and up the rocks to see what sunset would serve up.

Slightly different rocks. And redder rocks.

Token van photo as Mum was off looking for giant ant hills.
We were really hoping to see the bizarre rock formations of the Bungle Bungles (large, striped beehive shapes), but found at the campground that the permit for this season’s 4WD tours still hadn’t been granted – and we certainly couldn’t take the van on fifty kilometres of rough 4WD track. Disappointing – but the campground, with buffet barbecue, was excellent; I also enjoyed a couple of evening walks lit by the full moon.

Slight detour out to Wyndham and another huge tidal plain.

Boab trees and road trains – pleased to get a photo, while stopped, of some of the constant driving-sights.

I think this was the only Big Thing we saw on the trip, which seems an unusually low tally for an Australian road trip.

But the boabs were far more impressive than Big Things. This one at the campground, carbon dated to about 2000 years old, is apparently still young!
Mirima National Park, small and right on the edge of Kununurra, was billed as a mini-Bungle Bungles – so we had to have a look. Plenty more fascinating rocks, but I’m not sure that billing is at all accurate. Good fun on short walks all the same.

Mum was keen to see some unique local zebra rocks – so we visited a local stoneworker. More cool rocks! Plus some impressively heavy workshop equipment for drilling and cutting all sorts of rock.

Not seeing the Bungle Bungles was playing on my mind, especially with a better than even chance we wouldn’t be back to see them another time. While I’d have much preferred to be able to walk around and inspect them, we were fortunate that there were two seats left on a scenic flight the following day. Apologies for the slightly foggy photos through a small plane window – they’ll have to do their own talking though.

I’m still a bit surprised by just how much vegetation, and how green it was, that we saw on the whole trip – dry season it may have been, but I guess it was close to the start.

We certainly saw plenty during our ten days in WA; onto Northern Territory, all new to me.

around home, Aus, bikes, family, NZ

The Christmas Letter 2024

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Selling last summer to the continued Pulpmill cyclone recovery project turned out well – recency bias perhaps, it was the most rewarding, engaging and worthwhile work I can remember doing. Generally fifty hour, five and a half day, weeks didn’t leave a lot of time for much else – but I did manage a bit of gravel riding with a good mate and even-slower parkruns as I nursed a side strain. I was pleased to see pulp just starting to come out of the mill before I returned home at Easter (finally reaching the 100 parkruns milestone). I continued to support the project remotely for the next two months, but the hours decreased as the project neared completion.

Returning home and working less gave the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, get in vital firewood, try to remember how to ambulance, and get out in the hills a little. Some highlights were:

Riding from Macraes to the coast through farmland for a fundraiser.

The new, and excellent, Pike29 trail with a good bunch..

Gravel riding near Lake Brunner with the same group, and half the Heaphy with a subset.

A typical, but easy (to cater for less-fit me), West Coast hike up to Mt Brown Hut.

And the summit, only posted here because I thought I’d better put some of the rare photos of me in. Thanks to Katie for this one.

Back in Naseby, I enjoyed a couple of weekend visits from Hooges and Orlaith – as well as helping with firewood work – they bring enthusiasm for half-baked adventure plans that I never seem to get around to doing solo. In this case, finally climbing up through friends’ farm to see what it’s like at the top of Mt Alexander, near Danseys Pass.

Thanks Orlaith for this pic.

Visits from our parents to Naseby reduce over winter, but while Mum was visiting family and friends in UK and Europe I helped Dad buy an e-bike – so that was brought along during a rare winter visit. It’s been good fun having Dad suggest rides we should do and I look forward to more. A sunny, frosty ride from Oturehua to Omakau on the rail trail particularly memorable.

I successfully did my best to not go straight back to work, partly because I’d long wanted to visit a few friends in Queensland for the first time. September was the month to do so, shouldn’t be too hot. I hastily repacked and left my bike at home, forgoing the easy tour I had planned, when temperatures soared over thirty degrees higher than I was used to in Central Otago. So I had a leisurely trip spending extended time with dear friends and family.

On a Sunshine Coast walk.

I did of course manage to borrow bikes and get some short half-day rides in.

Time on farms was excellent, here having watched a bit of beekeeping, but there were general garden tasks, soap making, and dog walking to get me outside – as well as the riding, general exploring and walking.

Coming home to October snow and a week of rain was a bit much; on the plus side, I’ve never seen Central Otago looking so green! November was much better, especially with a delightful overnight hike with my young nephews and their family.

Back north later that month, there were more small hiking and biking adventures and I got to see my favourite podcast performed live again – which reminds me I also saw my favourite band perform in Auckland one weekend back in February.

Photo credit to Katie again.

And again.

In searching for portraits, I did find a couple of photos I’d forgotten about. This one reminding me that my haemochromatosis is still in maintenance with three-monthly blood donations. I continue to maintain that as far as chronic health conditions go, it’s a pretty good one – no medication, regular blood donations that help unknown others out, and I’m arguably symptom-free.

Also on the health front, I’m surprised and pleased at how good my once-troublesome shoulder now is after last year’s surgery. It certainly doesn’t clunk or stall as it used to – and it’s had a fair workout this year with firewood sawing, chopping and throwing.

Back in Naseby life, when I’m there, I spend a lot of hours on call for the local ambulance. After the long break with surgery and back in Napier, it’s obvious I’m not the medic in the family – but that’s fine, I don’t need to be to help keep our volunteer-staffed ambulance online. Small house building has stalled in the consent process, but the with a lot of help the pad for my garage was laid a few weeks ago – hopefully I can build the garage in January, with more help. It should be a fun and rewarding learning curve.

Somehow I’ve picked up a bit more work in Napier, this time on a casual basis in the sawmill (a different world to pulp), but it’ll be a couple of months before I’m back up there. Besides that and building, nothing much planned for the coming year – lots of ideas, but nothing set. Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year!

around home, Aus, bikepacking, bikes, family, friends, MTB, national park

The Christmas Letter 2016

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Once again, I try to look back on the year. 2016 has definitely been momentous in many ways and on the whole, another excellent year. I’m still loving life in Napier, my work is great overall, having my own house is fantastic and I’m riding bikes plenty (with twelve days to go, I’m rapidly closing in on 10,000 km for the year – easily my biggest year ever; half of that is commuting to work).

The year started off with a couple of overnight bikepacking trips as some form of light training. This one riding the gravel road from Wairoa past Lake Waikaremoana towards Rotorua.

I also persuaded Steve to join me on a great local ride to Everett’s Campsite for another overnighter. The hills back there are well worth seeing and riding.

That and commuting to work was basically my preparation for my Tour Aotearoa attempt. Mum & Dad came up to Napier and dropped me off at Cape Reinga – the goal being to ride 3000 km to Bluff self-supported on a new route that was a mixture of as many cycle trails and backroads as possible (two-hundred odd others were also doing this). It was a grand adventure and I was thrilled with all I saw, the experiences I had and how I rode – finishing two days sooner than I needed to, in sixteen days, overcoming some horrendous weather and slight illness to do so.

Crossing the Hokianga to Rawene – I was feeling far less than brilliant and rested/was sick for a couple of hours in the heat. I got better.

The Timber Trail in the Central North Island was a highlight, even in the early morning mist. I must return.

Much to my surprise, my favourite day was through northern Manawatu. So close to where I went to university – yet I’d never been there, the rural landscape was sensational. The hilly gravel roads were excellent too.

Another highlight was staying overnight in the remote old gold mining area of Big River; even better because best-sister Adele joined me for a couple of days.

The West Coast Wilderness Trail is also on the must-return-to list, as it’s supposed to be beautiful – but it sparked the start of about four-hundred kilometres of rain for me, so I didn’t see much.

After freezing riding up the Cardrona Valley, being blown by a storm to Mossburn and then battling the same storm (reduced to pushing my bike alongside a flat highway into 120 km/hr winds) I was well pleased and satisfied to finish in 16.1 days.

It took quite some time to recover from that; I kept riding to work, but I was eating five meals a day for weeks afterwards – on the ride, I lost about four kilograms that I didn’t really have spare!

My winter break was a week down in Central Otago for Adele & James’s wedding. A fantastic time of family, friends, celebration, beautiful scenery and good food. I loved it.

Perhaps my only bikepacking event for this season, was a very enjoyable four days on backroads around Rotorua. It was fascinating returning to an area near where I grew up and seeing it from the different perspectives that a bike and being older give.

Still recovering from 550 km of riding in four days, came the sudden (but ultimately unsurprising) news of the passing of my grandfather (the last of my grandparents to go). Thus set in motion a whirlwind November. One weekend I was in Sydney for the funeral (it went as well as could be expected), then back to work for a blur of a week, before being back in Australia the next weekend for a long planned trip seeing best-friends from Canada (who were back for a family wedding). A month after all that, it still looms large.

We stayed at Arapiles, where Adele joined me for the renowned rock-climbing (it was quite a family & friends month). I almost popped my other shoulder and swore off rock-climbing forever. I didn’t sleep much camping in the west-Victorian weather, but it was a great trip.

I did, of course, take a bike and managed a great day’s gravel riding in Grampians National Park.

Later this week I head south for two weeks with my family – I’m really looking forward to it. While generally quiet, which is how I tend to like it, 2016 has proved to have its share of momentous occasions and has been one of the best yet. I’m eagerly looking forward to next year and seeing what it holds. There are no fixed plans, but it promises to be another great year in Hawke’s Bay, exploring a little further afield, work will be busy and challenging, and I sure hope for plenty of riding, in different places, with whoever will come along for it.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – do come and visit Napier if you’re so inclined.