Head for the Hills (and home)

Thursday 23rd November to Sunday 3rd December 2023

We left the lovely little caravan park at Mt Compass and headed for the hills…..the Adelaide Hills. We were there for the wedding of my second son, Ashley, to his fiancé Nadera. The wedding venue was The Lane vineyard in Hahndorf, 40 km southwest of Adelaide.

It was just a short 53 km drive for us from Mt Compass to Mount Barker caravan park, our camp site for the four days in the Adelaide hills. We met Ash and Nadera in Hahndorf for a drink on Thursday, then the two families, 28 of us in all, enjoyed a meal together in an Afghan restaurant on the Friday night, with the wedding on the following Saturday. It was an exceptional venue for an exceptional wedding.

We stayed in Mount Barker on the Sunday and started to make our way home on Monday morning, first stop being a free camp near Kulwin in Victoria. We had a day or two to spare before fulfilling an appointment at the Forbes Showground, so we made a detour to Griffith, a town in the NSW Riverina that we have always bypassed. We spent two nights at an amazing free camp at Lake Wyangan, 12 km out of Griffith. We only spent a brief few hours in town, preferring to relax at the camp.

The next day was an overnighter at the Forbes Showground for the opportunity for another look at the facilities and pavilions in preparation for our 2024 BOG Muster there in September.

The final stop was in the little locality of Arthurville, 50km south of Dubbo, to check out a block of land that Nicole and James have recently purchased as a hobby/holiday property. Affectionately known as El Dumpo, the previous owners left a substantial amount of rubbish in and around the rather derelict house, that Nicole and James are systematically removing.

Despite our home in Taree being vacant for the last month of our 5 month journey, it was overgrown with grass and weeds, as the last few weeks saw a considerable amount of rain fall in the area. Now the work begins, not only to clean up Henrietta and Blake, but to tidy up the yard as well.

Thanks for following us on our journey again. This is likely to be the final post of Henry and Jake’s (Henri and Blakes) Adventures.

TRIP STATISTICS

Total time away: 158 days (5 months and 5 days)

Distance travelled by Henrietta: 22,265 km

Distance travelled by Blake: 18,110 km

Number of campsites: 80

Fuel consumed: 4,590 litres

Total fuel cost: $10,135

Range of fuel price cents per litre: $1.80/L to $3.10/L  (average $2.20/L)

Leaden skies did not dampen the ceremony, nor the preparation of that good looking couple about to leave Mount Barker caravan park for the wedding venue, The Lane Vineyard.
left to right: The procession started with the page boys and flower girls, Ash and Nadera’s nieces and nephews. Pete (in the waistcoat)  was carrying one of the rings. They were followed by Nadera in a stunning dress, to join Ash.
Ash’s immediate family from left to right: Dave (youngest brother), me, Nadera, Ash, Helen (the boys mum) and Trev (older brother). Once all the family photos were completed outdoors the rain started so we all quickly retreated to the bar/restaurant.
top left: our campsite at the Mount Barker caravan park, 10 minutes drive from the wedding venue. Other photos: our free camp on the first night leaving Mount Barker, near Kulwin in Victoria, adjacent to a wheat crop ready for harvest.
Almost home….well at least we are now in our home state of NSW, having crossed the Murray River at Tooleybuc. If Tooleybuc isn’t a weird enough town name, what about Goodnight? Though Goodnight is not really a town, more like a locality.
Our campsite at Lake Wyangan, just outside Griffith, with a deer farm next door. The only building I thought to photograph whilst in town was the very art deco Griffith War Memorial Museum. It was the pink fence that drew my attention.
Our camp on Nicole and James’ property in Arthurville. James and Conner took Carol and I to a local creek for a swim. Carol declined the opportunity to swim.
Just some of the treasures lying around the Arthurville property “El Dumpo”.
Home at last. With only having lived in our home at Taree for 12 months before departing for WA, we were homesick within the first week. Thus we are so pleased to be home again, though there’s a bit of work to be done to get the yard looking good again.
All of our travels, with the 22,265 km 2023 WA trip shown in light green. (It’s a little hard to see).

3 thoughts on “Head for the Hills (and home)”

  2. I have really enjoyed your blog over the years and understand the commitment you have put into it Graham. We have also enjoyed meeting up with you in various places in SA, NSW, QLD and Tassie on our shorter trips. Now put your feet up (for only 5 minutes) then attack that yard.

    The photos are great, lovely Watson pic. Interesting to hear about the Arthurville property. They will have fun there. Do they go via Wellington or past the zoo? Mt Arthur is always a landmark.

    1. We’re looking forward to more camping catch ups with you two. As for Arthurville to Dubbo, the route the kids take is via Geurie, the most direct to their end of town.

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