"We've gone W.A.lkabout": Mildura to Adelaide

Driving through Victoria was nice for that hour or so, unfortunately it's the closest we'll get to Melbourne this year :(, but to be honest i'm actually looking forward to Christmas with just the 7 of us, most likely relaxing in air con and re-arranging our "classroom" (again).

oh i forgot to mention we saw the big chicken in Moonbi NSW on the way to Tamworth but we saw it as we drove past (moonbi is a very small town) and didn't realise till after we had. so just to keep it all kosher

to be honest it didn't look that big as we drove past?
maybe it got bird flu and lost some weight??

Gees i'm good at getting off track must be where Samuel gets it from.

We tried to get some of the paddle boats on the Murray but we weren't too successful :(

This bridge was mighty narrow! it was certainly all eyes on deck! - even though we saw trucks going across, the brain couldn't quite believe we would fit too.

Finally we got to the border,

and i think it was a few km's in or maybe before?? we were stopped for our check for fruit and vege. We had our first introduction to the 'dreaded flies' we were apparently going to encounter, as soon as we stopped they practically swarmed over the window!

" you want me to get out...... with them? ( one fly kept landing on the inspectors lip! bleargghhh! i think he was over shooing it?? double bleargghhhh!!!) i had to get out, open the truck and prove i wasn't smuggling fruiting banana trees or something?? I mean why would they stop ME if they were looking for QLD fruit fly?oh right, the QLD plates probably had them nervous??
you know i felt a little offended and dejected when they gave me brochures on the QLD fruit fly - ugly little thing. I don't approve of being associated with that little,... little BLIGHT! A curse on your household, i say, QLD fruit fly! Hmmpphh!

So satisfied we weren't smuggling fruit - only store bought mushrooms, we were on our way again away from the horrid flies - of all descriptions- QLD fruit fly - phoo to you, nyah :q

Lots more driving, some roadworks, lots more driving, some "interesting" conversations and statements via the CB Radio (whatever?) Samuel has certainly memorized some 'neat' language for the future (much DISTANT future!!) I'm sure.

I felt a little 'star-struck' when we drove past all the 'big-name' wineries, Oh almost forgot,

The Big Orange at...... Berri - some 'fun' getting this shot! - NOT! we'd only missed closing by like 45mins or something??

As i was loading the next shot i was going to say i had NO IDEA what it was about but i remember now.

It was a big-ish orange tree on top of a servo or cafe or something, on the way, between a couple of funny named towns - photo courtesy of me (oh c'mon i WAS driving at the time!)

Next item on the agenda....... 'Serena' and her so called 'up to date' data base!

There we were happily driving along, no corners, no detours nothing on a Straight road!, and 'Serena' tells us to get back on the highlighted road!?! hello, we are?! next thing, she's re-calculating, Dude we haven't gone ANYWHERE! Obviously not so up to date are we little miss poshy positioner?

So I'm ignoring her and following the signs that say 'TO ADELAIDE' - i mean that's how they USED to do it ;P, but after a whole heap of suggestions from 'Serena' to turn left or right - (some of them didn't even have exits OR old roads hidden in the bushes (how out of date WAS she??) I was getting concerned that we may end up somewhere weird? so the next time one of her suggestions actually lined up and was viable we took it. Turns out we should have ignored her as we would have been fine.

But we trusted her and she took me straight into peak hour traffic! They have weird roads in Adelaide, (some of Perth's are a little strange too) without warning the lanes merge or open up, to 2 lanes - NO WARNING!! or only a little, and we had some cranky little person in their cranky little red car, beep their cranky little horn at us! hmmph the hide of some people/cars - didn't they realise my truck could ~~fart~~ backfire, and it would blow their cranky little red car 4 lanes over???

So we tried as best we could, but we missed our turn, and we found a turn off to try get back and that cranky little red car beeped at us again as they drove past!! - we have had issues with little red cars ever since - mark my word, Aunty Pam agrees with me, Little red cars are a danger on the road, next time you're driving and someone does something stupid, i bet it's a little red (or shade variant) car!!

Anyway we finally arrived in one piece, and invaded everyone at #53 - It's just something you'll have to get used too ;P

The next day was Saturday, and we were taking Samuel (and Girls) to the 'Beach House' - formally Magic Mountain. for an early birthday treat.
It doesn't show clearly, just how dirty the truck ~~was....~~ is.
But the windscreen was required to be cleaned before i was allowed to drive it again.
Aunty Pam accompanied us also, and spent WAAAYYYY too much money on us (AGAIN) - apparently it was ~~'revenge~~'
payback, for how we left them last time (we left a couple little thank you gifts when we stayed in 2009 for Clipsal)

There are still water slides there !! :)

And they are still terrifying to little girls :(

They had great fun, on the slides, poor little Clairebear was too small - for everything :..( After the first attempt, Kaytie also decided to sit them out, so we played on the games, and the 3 little girls had a ride with Aunty Pam on the huge - full of history - Merry-Go-Round. Aunty Pam was hoping for a horse ride, but it turns out all my girls prefer the wagon ride.

The big kids finished on the slides, We had a go on the Dodge 'ems - Samuel my boy,For future reference, they are called DODGE-em Cars, not "purposefully slam into others, and complain when you get stuck'' Cars.

Again poor little Claire bear (and Sophie) were to small to have a go

.