Tues, 18th August, 2015 Janet and Geoff’s, Smiths Gully (Stephen’s birthday)

Stephen is 56 today – oh dear, 4 years till 60. Glad we are on the road!! Lots of phone calls and texts.

5 degrees this morning so we are in no rush to go outside. Quiet day relaxing.

After lunch decided to go into Northcote and buy a new camera. Steve had fun negotiating all the locals and the trams on High Street. After a blockie we found a park near the camera shop. Got the same one for $176 but new and improved!! Made it back home again safely.

On the weather tonight they said it was the coldest August in 26 years.

More phone calls from family and friends.

NO PHOTOS TODAY

Mon, 17th August, 2015 Anchor Belle Van Park, Phillip Island to Janet and Geoff’s, Smiths Gully

Rain all night – so glad we were able to get all the racing down without any rain. The others stopped by to drop of the heaters before they headed back to Melbourne to fly back to Tassie this afternoon. We will see Malcolm and Kerry again in Winton at the end of September when they come over for another race meeting. We will be heading that way as we head up to Bathurst.

Headed back up the highway then turned off at Koo Wee Rup to stop for a cuppa. We pulled into a park then three more vans pulled in behind us. They are from Sth Aust heading for Phillip Island and are staying at Anchor Belle Van Park.

Back on the road and I managed to direct us a different route which was better to get to Nova Vans. Got the new compliance plate and we found out that our van was the 20^th van made by the company.

Headed off to Smiths Gully. Set the van up – this will be its home for the next month while we are in Cairns. Janet and Geoff are in UK and get back just after we leave. Will see them when we return in September.

Dreary old day as the sky is heavy but not much rain thankfully. Don’t think it got much over 8 degrees but we weren’t outside to worry about it. Put the heater on and started sorting our clothes etc for the trip home. Managed to get it all in.

Quiet night eating up all our food!!

5.8 degrees at 11pm.

Sun, 16th August, 2015 Anchor Belle Van Park, Phillip Island

1 year on the road. It has been a ball and we are looking forward to the next few years. Also looking forward though to going home on the 20^th to see our boys, parents and friends.

Early start as Malcolm has a race just after 9am. They start reverse order so he was in 6^th as he finished yesterdays in 4^th (10 in the race).

He was going so well and got up to 3^rd position.  He zoomed past us on pit straight to overtake 2^nd but then he didn’t appear with the others down near the ocean. Another car was missing too. Eventually the other one drove back then Malcolm limped back to the pits. He had spun in oil. After the boys checked it over they realised it was his oil. The bracket holding the oil dipstick broke which allowed the dipstick to pop out spraying oil down the right hand side of the car and over his tyre causing the spin. Luckily no damage except fishing out the kitty litter and fixing the bracket. Everyone got to work and fixed and cleaned the car so it was ready for the next race.

I wandered down to check out the Corvette. Steve saw the name and thought it was a driver from the old days of Touring Cars. When we asked, he was correct – Murray Carter was 84 years old and has been racing since 1948.

Ready for Race 3.

Unfortunately when he got up to form up the engine started to misfire and was down on power so he pulled off before the start of the race. When they checked there was no fuel being injected into No. 1 cylinder so maybe the oil upset things.  He joined us on the roof to watch the others. The front three guys were doing really well then as they came onto pit straight one drifted wide and caught the edge of the dirt and spun. He clipped another one then he hit the next one and they were all spinning around on the track and grass. Luckily no one was hurt through the wallets will be after the repairs are done.

There was another bad crash in the Superkarts – one guy flipped and was thrown from his kart. The ambulance attended so hopefully he will be ok. They stopped the race and the drivers were parked outside Malcolm’s pit area and they were all very concerned.

Packed up the car onto Malcolm’s ute – this way is so much cheaper on Spirit of Tasmania.

Certainly looks cute compared to the big rig beside him.

Headed back to the van for a bit then back to meet the others for dinner at the pub.  Peter (Mr PRB) and Renatta joined us for dinner which was lovely. Peter told us how he got started making the cars. He is electrician by trade. Very interesting story.

Said bye to Jeff and Anne, Malcolm’s parents – they are driving the ute back to Tassie on Tuesday night. Will see the others in the morning as we gave them our electric heaters to use as the unit’s heaters weren’t working properly and they even said it was too cold!!

Sat, 15th August, 2015 Anchor Belle Van Park, Phillip Island

Rain early this morning but it has now cleared. Breeze is very cold though.

Texted Tash to see how she was feeling.

Headed out to the race track. Down through the tunnel under the track to the pit area.

Sun out but breeze very cold. Malcolm’s PRB Clubman. PRB (Peter Raymond Bladwell) is the initials of the chap who created the cars. They are made to drive on the road as a sports car then started a series for those who wanted to race the cars.

Great day watching the different races.

Steve had fun helping out.

Ready for the 1^st qualifying session.

We stood on top of the pits which was a great spot. Everyone would run across from one side to the other as the cars went around. Looked like a funny tennis match!!

Good view across to Cape Woolamai.

The Superkarts look even smaller on the track.

After another qualifying session (added together to get start position for race) they had a race in the afternoon. Took a video of the start of their race then as he went around the first lap.

Back in the pits to get it ready for tomorrow.

Malcolm was very pleased with his time.

Back into town to meet up with the other drivers and families for dinner at Pinos. Very popular place. Good food and company again.

Fri, 14th August, 2015 Bass Valley Camping Ground, Poowong to Anchor Belle Van Park, Phillip Island

9am 10 degrees outside and overcast again. Jon rang to say that he took Tash to hospital with suspected appendicitis. Hope she will be ok. Headed off after a cuppa towards Phillip Island.

Meandering through lovely green pastures. Great views as we descend towards to coast.

Passed a Yak but didn’t get the camera out in time. Back over the bridge onto Phillip Island.

Drove down to the track and had lunch there. Decided to go to a van park so we don’t have to lug the van around as there aren’t any free camps here. Only the second time in a year that we have been in a van park. Let the moths out of the wallet as it was $36 a night. The van park is run by the two sons of  Norm Wolfenden. He started his business Wolfenden Highway Homes in the 1934. Very interesting.

Only a small area for tourist vans but we got in ok. No one to watch and laugh as we ‘arranged’ our van!!

Texted Malcolm and Kerry and met them in the Isle of Wight hotel (first one at Phillip Island) near their accommodation on the esplanade at Cowes down the road from where we were.

After a cuppa back at their room Steve and I went for a drive to check out Churchill Island that we didn’t see last time. Just like Tassie – an island off and island off the big island!!

Lots of Cape Barren geese and their chicks.

Across the bridge onto the island.

The farm here was started in 1801 and was the site of Victoria’s first crops and European building which has been restored. It is now a Heritage Farm Nature Park. It is a working farm and you can watch milking, sheering whip cracking etc. The man that started it was from Scotland so they have kept the Highland cattle here too as well as Suffolk sheep and Clydesdale horses.

When we got up to the info centre it was about to close so just had a quick look around. There are lots of walks to do (4.5km around the island). Will have to check it out next time we are around here. Great view back over the bridge to Phillip Island.

Drove around to Cape Woolamai. We did the walk out to the Pinnacles last time.

Further along we turned off at Forrest Caves where all the shearwaters (mutton birds) roost. Climbed up the boardwalk over the sand dunes for another great view back to Cape Woolamai then along the coast towards Pyramid Rock.

Zoomed in on Pyramid Rock.

You can make out the ocean side of the race track too.

Back around the island to the north side and Rhyll. Information about one of the pioneers of the area.

Found a cairn for Bass.

A water well believed to have been sunk by Captain Wetherall in 1826.

Found some history info in the brochure. The McHaffie brothers took out a lease of the whole of Phillip Island in 1842 and grazed sheep here. They lost all bar 640 acres around the homestead when the island was opened up for closer settlement during 1868-69. Conditions were very harsh for settlers and many left because of drought, failed crops and lack of water. Chicory was one of the first crops grown and proved suitable for the island’s climate, a lack of frosts being a main requirement. It was grown here for over 100 years and the remaining chicory kilns with their pyramid shaped roofs are a Phillip Island icon. The tourist industry started soon after subdivision. The first hotel, the Isle of Wight, opened in 1870 with the nearby Phillip Island Hotel soon after. The first regular ferry service began in 1878 making access much easier for visitors. The small paddle steamer Eclipse began running from Hastings to San Remo with stops at Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven. Motor racing, both car and bike began in 1928 with the circuit around the Island’s dirt roads. The Australian Grand Prix for cars was held for a number of years but the dust from the unsealed roads was a great problem and the major races moved elsewhere after 1938. In 1952 the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club opened up a new circuit on private land adjacent to the south coast. It went into decline in the 60s until bought by Len Lukey who resurrected the circuit. Major reconstruction work was done on the track and buildings to stage the 1989 motorbike GP and it has operated continuously since then. The present bridge was opened in 1971. This allowed increased development as the old bridge was subject to strict load limits. Tourists on large buses had to walk across the bridge and trucks were limited to 6 tons maximum.

Back into Cowes to join the others for dinner at the Fat Seagull – lovely meal and company.

Tash ok after her operation.

10pm 6.2 degrees.