July 8 2014 – Melbourne to Halls Gap
Easing gently into it with a short (compared with what was to come!) to the Grampians. We were greeted with a bit of sunshine after the grey skies of Melbourne and spotted kangaroos and emu on the way to the campsite.

Then a quick trip up to the wonderland carpark to do the Pinnacle walk via the Grand Canyon (no not the famous one!).

• 272 km

• Borough Huts Campground

July 9 2014 – Halls Gap – Mildura
A soggy start to the morning, not what we’d hoped for. Coffee in Hopetoun at the Butchers where we also picked up some excellent sausages, followed by a fruit eating binge before crossing into a fruitfly exclusion zone.

A quick stop in Red Cliffs to see Big Lizzie before heading into Mildura and sheltering from the rain in the shops. Cross the Murray River and sneak into New South Wales for the night, greeted by Pelicans and a torrential shower just as we’re setting up.

• 396 km

• Buronga Riverside Tourist Park

July 10 2014 – Mildura – Leigh Creek
A day of driving, sunshine and rain showers. Cross into South Australia, we spot a twin in Morgan whilst stopped for coffee and plenty of wildlife along the way.

• 731 km

• Leigh Creek Caravan Park

July 11 2014 – Leigh Creek – Coober Pedy

Wake up to sunshine and we’re confident we’ve put the cooler daytime temps and rain behind us. Time to go off road on the Oodnadatta Track. Wedge tailed eagles overhead and salt pans shimmer in the distance. Outside it would be quite pleasant if it wasn’t for those pesky flies!

A short diversion to see the mound springs bubbling, a painted dragon basking at the bottom.

Next stop, the strange landscape of Coober Pedy and the Stuart Highway.

A night under a clear sky and a spot of nightime photography at the Hutchison Memorial.

• 491 km

• Hutchison Memorial Rest Stop

July 12 2014 – Coober Pedy – Uluru

Leaving behind the mounds arising from the opal mining in Coober Pedy it’s a big push north to get into the Northern Territory and onto Uluru in time for sunset. We make it just in time!

• 756 km

• Ayers Rock Campground overflow

July 13 2014 – Uluru

After going to bed under clear skies we woke up to a cold grey morning that soon turned to drizzle. Mocked by signs reminding us to drink plenty of water, we walked from the visitor centre to the rock and then around to Kantju Gorge, lovely and peaceful and out of the wind. A surprising amount of plants and other interesting things around for what looks fairly barren from a distance, we spotted quite a few of what we later found out to be mulga ant nests.

Valley of the Winds walk amongst the Olgas in the afternoon. The upside of the rain was that we had the place pretty much to ourselves, and despite the name the majority of the walk was out the wind and really quite tranquil. Driving back to Yulara resort Uluru had disappeared completely in the drizzle.

• 120 km

• Ayers Rock Campground overflow

July 14 2014 – Uluru to Alice Springs/Standley Chasm

Another drizzly start which looks unlikely to change so we divert from our planned itinerary of going to Kings Canyon and head for Alice Springs in the hope of finding some sunshine.

A spot of shopping there before heading to the West MacDonnell Ranges. Black footed rock wallabies at Simpsons Gap (less gormless looking than Kangaroos) and camping at Standley Chasm

• 492 km

• Standley Chasm

July 15 2014 – Standley Chasm to Devils Marbles

Finally a morning of sunshine, this must be the end of the clouds now we’re this far north. A morning walk up Standley Chasm, a quick hike up part of the Larapinta Trail to reach an excellent vantage point and then a walk down the creek before heading north once more.

• 461 km

• Devils Marbles

July 16 2014 – Devils Marbles to Katherine

A great site to wake up in, amongst the ‘marbles’ as the sun came up. Another long driving day, eased by the knowledge that it would be the last.

• 769 km

• Katherine Low Level Caravan Park

July 17 2014 – Katherine

Enjoyed the warmth in Katherine, walked to the Hot Springs (more tepid than hot) for a dip before lunch. Kangaroo Steaks for dinner.

• ~ km

• Katherine Low Level Caravan Park

July 18 2014 – Katherine to Umbrawarra Gorge

A 3 Gorge Cruise in Nitmiluk National Park. Arrive to a cacophony of noise from the flying foxes roosting in the trees above. Get a glimpse of a freshwater crocodile as we board the first boat but that was the only sighting. Enjoy a refreshing swim in the river before returning.

A short journey to Edith Falls at the other end of the park and another swim.

• 112 km

• Umbrawarra Gorge

July 19 2014 – Umbrawarra Gorge to Gunlom, Kakadu

A peaceful walk at Umbrawarra Gorge, some nice swimming spots but too early and cool in the day to be inviting. The Cathedral Termite mounds have become larger and more numerous the further north we go. Many along the side of the highway have been dressed.

• 130 km

• Gunlom camping area

July 20 2014 – Gunlom, Kakadu

A ranger guided walk to the lookout over Gunlom. Lots of pools to swim in and explore. Spend the afternoon in the plunge pool at the bottom. In the evening we look for crocodiles by torch light but only find a black footed tree rat and a file snake.

• 130 km

• Gunlom camping area

July 21 2014 – Gunlom, Kakadu to Florence Falls, Lichfield NP

From Kakadu to Lichfield, to Florence Falls campsite, hugest sites I’ve ever seen. Plenty of water flowing here, but hot too so it’s nice to cool down with a dip in Florence Falls. Unfortunately the biting insects are out in force too. Spot a bower birds nest on the walk.

• 300 km

• Florence Falls 2WD campsite

July 22 2014 – Lichfield NP

A morning walk to Buley Waterhole, a quick trip to Bachelor stopping at the Magnetic Termite Mounds and then a late afternoon swim and walk at Wangi Falls.

• 60 km

• Florence Falls 2WD campsite

July 23 2014 – Lichfield NP

A trip to the ‘Lost City’ and a walk at Tolmer Falls and swimming again at Wangi.

• 60 km

• Florence Falls 2WD campsite

July 24 2014 – Lichfield NP to Darwin

A visit to the Territory Wildlife Park included feeding the Fresh Water Rays. Into Darwin for sunset at Mindl Beach Market. Lots of yummy food.

• 140 km

• Wulagi

July 24 2014 – Darwin

Darwin Museum, Leanyer Water Park, East Point, Stokes Hill Wharf, Bicentennial Park, Doctors Gully, Cullen Bay Marina, Steak Dinner, fly home

I had some socks that I loved but were really at the end of their functioning life as socks so I decided to let them live on as a sock critter. I’ve been wanting to try a frog for a while but haven’t found suitable socks and I realised these would make a wonderful little frog.

As you can see, the socks were fairly worn around the heel

One of the socks formed the legs and the body,the worn area was around the crotch and I simply reinforced this with some fleece before sewing.

The other worn area was simply cutout and discarded with the remainder of the sock used to make the arms and the head.

Some left over bits of sock were used along with fleece for the feet and a bit more fleece for the eyes and ta da one sock frog!

I have a great little travel tripod that goes everywhere with me, but Mikkel wanted something fairly portable to support his SLR for shots where the camera needed to be steady. So at 9am on the morning we were going on holiday (we left for the airport at 10.30!) I quickly knocked something up. Two rectangles of fabric, camo on one side – the remains of some trousers that had split – and a black brushed cotton the other, stitched face side together, with a small hole left for turning. Turn right way out, fill the bag with rice through the opening and then hand sew it shut. Easy peasy! And I’m pleased to report it worked rather well, providing a nice level surface placed on the volcanic rock in Tenerife.

If I’d had a bit more time, I’d probably insert a zipper so that the filling was easily replaceable and maybe work out what filling material would be the lightest to use.

Coming to the end of our holiday, but with a late flight we still had a day to fill. It started off rather overcast, but we managed to find a spot of sunshine in Playa de las Americas to sit and watch the surfers and the waves and the wildlife.

The size of the waves indicated that snorkelling wasn’t going to be a good option on the south coast so we headed up the motorway to a spot we’d heard about. Still very windy on the beach here, but the sea itself was relatively calm. Swimming out along the rocky shoreline we were rewarded with the best visibility of the holiday and lots of different fish.

All too soon it was time for tapas and then our flight home.

Snow isn’t perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Tenerife, but the rain of Wednesday night had fallen as snow at higher elevations and there was still plenty of it about as we drove up into the National Park. Everything was very pretty but it put any end to hopes that the path to the crater itself would be open again so for the second time our permits went unused (third time lucky maybe?). We took the cable car up anyhow, and although nice enough, without being able to wander from the cable car station it was a bit disappointing, no 360 degree views and at -4 C at the top, we weren’t too keen to hang around!

Lower down there was just enough snow to make a snowman and then it was time to head to the beach. There’s not many places you can make a snowman and then go snorkelling all on the same day.

After a slight false start, we found the path that winds upwards through the hillside groves of almond trees from Tamaimo to Arguayo. We interrupted lots of sunbathing lizards and watched kestrels soar up above. After a slight detour due to road construction we arrived in Arguayo. Siesta time so not much to do beyond a quick rest and onwards towards Santiago del Teide. The path here follows a ridge for much of the way before descending again and the views were stunning. Descending again we were faced with more half constructed roads and so instead of pushing on towards Santiago del Teide we sidestepped towards El Molledo where we picked up the TF 65 Camino Real back to Tamaimo.

Walk details
Route map
Distance: 6.5 miles
Height gain: 1,246 metres

Aching legs and a poor weather forecast meant not much was planned for the day. A little stroll along the coast at Playa de San Juan and then to the supermarket before heading back to the cottage before the heavens opened. The beautiful view turned to zero view and we made full use of the woodburning stove.

The sun reappeared just long enough to have coffee and biscuits whilst admiring the view from the top terrace, but all too soon dark clouds were looming once more. Luckily, the weather forecast suggests that tomorrow will be a better day.

A trip to Santa Cruz today, firstly to sort out permits for Teide, just in case by some small miracle the summit is accessible again by Friday and secondly Mikkel was quite keen to see the canon that shot off Nelson’s arm!

The permits were easily sorted but unfortunately we didn’t manage to find the exact canon, even though it appeared in the information leaflet. Plenty of other cannons though and lots of interesting old maps.

After lunch in the sunshine we headed further north to Anaga for a little walk. Starting in Benijo, we headed along the coastal road to El Draguillo. Took pictures of the Dragon tree after which the village is named and then walked what felt like straight up the hillside before traversing back along the ridge. Not entirely straightforward it turned out, recent rain had caused several minor landslides which had to be negotiated. We almost turned round at one, unsure whether landslides further along would completely halt our progress. We persevered though and any further landslides were easily negotiated.

Stunning views over the coastline as we descended back to Benijo and past the “acceso cortado” sign on the footpath. I’d noticed this sign on the way to El Draguillo but had assumed it referred to the access for cars rather than pedestrians – oh well. It was a great walk.

Back home via Santa Cruz, some great views over Tenerife and Teide as the sun went down.

Originally we’d planned to go to Santa Cruz to sort out Teide permits but since the summit is currently closed we decided that could wait until later in the week.

It was a gorgeous day so the decision was made to do the hike down the Masca Barranco. Headed to Los Gigantes to sort out the boat taxi for the return and then a taxi up to Masca itself. It was nice to be admiring the scenery rather than navigating the insanely twisty road down to Masca itself.

We took a gentle stroll round the village, still quiet in the early morning (apparently it gets very crowded with tourists later in the day), before we started the descent into the Barranco. The initial section descends through palm trees, little lizards scuttling from their sunbathing spots as you pass, until you reach the stream bed, plenty of water around at this time of year. Soon the gorge narrows and most of the walk is then in the shade of the towering walls either side. The path meanders from bank to bank, with small obstacles to negotiate but never straying too far from the running water.

Just over a couple of hours after we started, terraces start to reappear and the sound of the sea can be heard. The barranco opens up again and we’re back in the sunshine and shortly emerging onto the beach, the cliffs of Los Gigantes towering either side.

A spot of lunch and some time to relax whilst waiting for the taxi boat. Boarding the boat was ‘interesting’, the sea was fairly choppy and boarding consisted of jumping and making a grab for the hand rails on the shout of one of the crew.

We arrived back at the car with just enough time to pop to the beach for a quick swim. A great end to a great day

We woke up to blue skies and headed up into the National Park, a sharp contrast to last year when we were greeted by snow and hail when we drove up into the interior. We had a nice leisurely drive and then a short walk around Mt Samara to admire the lunar landscape before returning to the cottage for lunch, stopping to collect pine cones for the fire. We parked at the Mirador, a 10 minute walk away, as I wasn’t yet up to facing the drive up to the cottage! (Photo to follow)

After a short siesta we headed to Alcalá for a swim. No beach here, just a paved terrace with steps straight into the sea, but sand is overrated anyway. Lots of sea life amongst the rocky shore, fairly choppy though so not the best conditions.

Back to the cottage again and I felt brave enough this time to tackle the drive up. The technique consists mainly of flooring it well in advance of the incline (further complicated by the presence of a blind bend) in order to gain enough momentum to pass the very steepest section at the beginning, just crawling up slowly is not an option.

Luckily the Mirador is easy walking distance, so up there for dinner and watching the sunset over La Gomera.