To Nuriootpa - December 2025

 Time for another trip, this time just a few days in the van. We stayed at the Nuriootpa caravan park again, and used it for a base.

 It was our family Christmas in the city about 3/4 hour away. It was a great gathering of family......the Melbourne crew flew over too........and here are a few photos....................

                                              My 3 girls all were dressed in denim.........................

                                                  

It's not often that we all gather together, so it was time for a whole family photo!!

             

It was a very warm evening, and there were some very excited children, and we headed back to the van about 9pm for a good sleep.

It was a late start next morning, and we had planned to meet one of my customers to deliver her quilt. We enjoyed meeting Jill, and talked for about 2 hours. She collected one quilt and left me with 2 more.

                                      

         

 

Following our meeting we headed back to the van for a quiet afternoon. 

The next day we decided to be tourists and drove to the riverland town of Blanchetown and looked at the flood damage at the shacks and how a lot of the damaged ones have been demolished and rebuilt........also the Blanchetown bridge and Lock 1.

                               

. We returned to Nuri via Swan Reach and had a very late fishnchips lunch at the Dark Sky Cafe, which is near the ferry to cross the river.

Day 5 and it was time to head home again, via Murray Bridge to catch up with mum.

Back to reality and unpacking, after another lovely few days away seeing family and celebrating Christmas with them. Christmas day was at home and a quiet day after church.

Blessings, From Jude and Bazza

Sunraysia quilt show - September 2025

 I know I am posting this in 2026, but this was back in September, 2025!! It was time for the Sunraysia Quilters show, and I was one of the shops at that..............this is the car, all packed ready to go............

                                                       

Barry and I headed up the Ngarkat highway via Pinnaroo, and then turned east towards Ouyen, where we saw a sign for the lake camping area...........

                                        

It looked like a good future camping spot, so it was "filed' away in the head...................

                                                

From Ouyen it was north to Red Cliffs where the quilt show was to be held.......... and it was time to set up the tables............my offsider Pat came with her hubby too, and we stayed at the local motel..........While Pat and I were at the show each day, the husbands toured around the area and had a a trip over the river to Pooncarie, and also did some shopping for me.

                                       

                                               

                              It seems that I didn't take too many photos....................my apologies...........it was a lovely display of quilts from a very talented group of ladies. Thankyou for asking me.

                                              

                      We went to the local RSL for evening meals, as it was just across the road from the Motel.

                                              

While getting ready on Sunday morning, we looked outside and saw the black clouds building up in the distance..................

                             

............and it wasn't long before the rain came down.

                                        

Monday morning it was time to head home, and Barry and I headed home via the riverland, and through the quarantine station.............

                                   

..................and had lunch at Loxton, before turning south and back through Pinnaroo.

                             

I shall be back soon with a report of another quilt show, and one more short trip before the end of 2025. Hopefully I will be almost caught up to the end of 2025 and can get another book printed, before I start thinking about 2026!!

                                                         Blessings, From Jude and Bazza

Another trip -Loxton, Flinders and Yorke Peninsula - July to August 2025 - Part 2

 We are up to Day 18 of our journey, and it is the 7th August, 2025. We booked into Port Augusta Shoreline caravan park for 3 nights. We needed to do some shopping for printer cartridges so Barry could finish some work, and needed to find a bank to do something we couldn't do online.

 "Someone" had a birthday, and I bought a cake to celebrate. We had Barnacle Bill fish and chips for tea.

                                                    

Next day was a work day now that the printer was in action, and more domestic chores. Also a repair job on the car.

Day 20, and its the 9th August 2025. A special day for us, to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. Barry had booked us tickets on the Richi Richi Steam train, leaving from the Port Augusta railway station.

                                                        

It was quite the festive occasion as the platform was filled with a band, playing and singing for us before departure. I have some video, but seem to be unable to load it here. 

                                 

                                          

                     

The train stopped in Quorn, where we disembarked and walked around the town..............

            

            

............we had lunch at the Quandong Cafe, which was very busy..................

............before travelling back to Port Augusta.

The train was full, about 80 people and is 'manned' by volunteers, who keep the train running and maintained. Lots people were hanging out the windows for good photo opportunities.

It was a fantastic journey and a great way to celebrate a special day.

We departed Port Augusta and headed south next morning noting the countryside was much greener and very different to what we had seen in the Flinders Ranges.

Our first port of call was into Port Broughton for a look.........

.......................and we called into see my friends Marilyn and Peter, who were neighbours when our family lived at Brinkworth, back around 1974 to 1977. It was so good to catch up with them.

After our visit we drove further south and ended up at Wallaroo.....

                                   ......where we stayed for 3 nights.....first day was a work day for Barry, and then we toured around the area............to Moonta, Moonta Mines, Port Hughes and Kadina.....

It was soon time to head south again, travelling further down Yorke Peninsula, passing through Maitland and Port Victoria............

........and arriving at Point Turton where we booked in for 3 nights............we decided it would be a good spot at the top of the caravan park, so we got a good view of the sea from the van.......

You can see that Yorke Peninsula is the shape of a foot, or boot.........and the dark line is our route.......

One day we toured around the bottom of the foot, along the coast to Corny Point, and the lighthouse...........

......and then around to Marion Bay......., to the Kangaroo Island lookout, to Foul Bay, and then into Edithburgh, the Wattle Point wind farm, then to Coobowie and Port Giles, the huge silos at Wool Bay and the kiln and then to Stansbury, Yorketown, Warooka and back to the van at Point Turton.

The nights had been very cold, and it was our last night at Point Turton, and remember we were situated high in the park. The weather had turned very very windy!!!!!! The winds were so strong I thought we might get blown into the sea, and I was very relieved sometime after midnight when it quietened and we could sleep!

Next morning it was a late start to the day, and we hooked up and headed off again. This time we were going north, up the other side of the peninsula, although not going too far, only 33km.

We booked into the Minlaton Caravan Park. Friends of Barry's, Rob and Chris lived here and we had arranged to meet up with them. We enjoyed evening meal with them on the first night and then joined them for church the next morning, and this was followed by lunch at Stansbury.

Minlaton is was the birth place and home of Captain Harry Butler.........

After 2 nights we headed further north again........

travelling up the east side of the 'foot'........ going through Port Vincent, Port Julia, Pine Point and Ardrossan................

From Ardrossan we turned slightly to be in Port Wakefield, and then west to Balaklava...........

........which is the home of my nephew, who we caught up with...........

...............and we booked in for 1 night and Barry took the opportunity to fix a light on the van.....

                                                                  

The next morning it was departure time again, and we headed south, towards the Barossa, via Owen and Hamley Bridge and Roseworthy.................

                                            

                                             .............and called in briefly to say hello to Carly and Olivia.............

                                    

......before heading over the hills and down to the plains and through Sedan, Cambrai and into Mannum.....

                                          

                                          

                                 

.....where we booked in for 2 nights. Barry had some more work to do, and it was time for more domestic duties. We went for a drive around the area, to the lookout, to the riverfront...........

All too soon our time is coming to an end, and next morning we hooked up again and headed about 30km to Murray Bridge where we booked in for our last 3 nights.........

                                      

                                                        We caught up with family, and went shopping.

Day 35 and we were homeward bound..............via the waffle shop at Coonalpyn!!!

............almost there..................

...and the unpacking starts, and reality hits!!

Aproximately 4000km in 35 days. We covered a lot of country and had a great trip. I am very blessed.

Blessings, From Jude and Bazza.