Country Retreat - 31. Fooluru

When we arrived at the T-Junction, we turned left, to go and check out the Olgas, also known traditionally as Kata Tjuta, and when we arrived, we decided to take a hike through one of the gorges in the valley of the winds as it is known, and it was spectacular to see this amazing natural feature up so close. It was just a 50-kilometre drive to Yulara, where we checked into our accommodation at the Ayres Rock Campground, where we discovered there were cabins available, so we elected to upgrade to a cabin for our stay.

We ended up staying for two nights, as we experienced a Camel ride, drove around the base of Uluru, as well as a 25-minute helicopter flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta, which was amazing, and viewing the sunsets and sunrises each day too. Sadly we had to leave Yulara and Uluru, to continue on our journey eastwards towards the Stuart Highway, which will take us south to Adelaide.

An hour after leaving, we pulled over to the side of the highway to take some photos of Mt Conner, an equally impressive flat-top mountain that is nicknamed Fooluru, which stands 859 metres above ground level and is located just 55 kilometres north of the South Australia border. Ninety minutes later we stopped for fuel and to rest at the roadhouse on the Stuart Highway junction before we started heading south stopping briefly at the South Australia border to take a photo.

We stopped at the small town of Marla to eat, stretch our legs and swap over drivers, as it has been just over 250 kilometres since turning onto the Stuart Highway and five hours since leaving Yulara. While eating, we checked out our route further south to see what there was to see on the way, and with Coober Pedy located just two and a half hours away, we decided that we would arrive there in time to have a very good look around the place and to book into some accommodation for the night.

With the few hours we had, we checked out the Old Timers Mine & Museum, the Umoona Museum, the underground Orthodox Church, the Catacomb Church and the Golf Course, which I am hopeless at playing the game. We even got a fossickers licence and did a bit of digging around in and found it very hard work. I did find a time spec of red and blue opal, which was valued at just $45 and I chose to keep it as a memento for the trip.

The following morning, we left just after 7 am, and we arrived in Port Augusta, just before 1 pm, with just one rest stop along the way at Pimba. Here we relaxed and enjoyed some lunch, and we had a good walk around, before we headed off again, with a four-hour drive to Adelaide, where I had booked us into the Brighton Beach Holiday Park, for our final night together, before Giles moved into his University accommodation, and I continue towards Canberra.

The following morning, I helped Giles to get settled into his assigned accommodation, which is one bedroom on the second floor, with nearby shared individual bathroom facilities, laundry rooms and store rooms. As part of his scholarship, he gets all of his meals and half of his accommodation fees paid and was planning to get a part-time job to assist with covering all the other costs.

After saying goodbye, which I found difficult, we had an awesome journey together travelling through the middle of Australia, and exploring some very interesting places. I now needed to concentrate on the rest of my trip with just over a week and a half left before the first semester began at ANU.

Before leaving Adelaide I studied my planned route carefully, which would take me through Murray Bridge to Mt Gambier, where I would stop for a night, and I was now planning to do mostly camping for the rest of the journey to Canberra. From there I was going to take the coastal route, along the Great Ocean Road, through Warrnambool, Port Campbell and Apollo Bay until I reached Geelong, which would be my next overnight stop, with stops along the way to check out the 12 Apostles, the Otway Ranges, and lots of coastal lookouts along the way.

The next day I drove around the outskirts of Melbourne, and east to Traralgon below the Alpine National Park, which is clearly visible in the distance. When I arrived in Traralgon, I decided to take a longer rest and sent my usual message to Gran to say where I am currently located, as I ate some of the last of the food in my fridge, before continuing my journey east, with my planned last night on the road to Buchan, which was another two and a half hour drive.

Arriving just before 3 pm, I checked into the caravan park, before taking a walk to explore the many caves that are located in the area, and where I spent a full two hours exploring these amazing underground features, before getting settled into my campsite, and preparing some dinner.

As I was eating my meal, I was looking at my iPad to see what was left of my journey to the capital, I saw on the information that I was now in the Snowy River National Park, and as a celebration of this, I located the movie – ‘Man from Snowy River’ and relaxed to watch it, having not seen the movie in some years now.

The following morning, being in the mountains, it was quite chilly in the morning, as I had some breakfast before I packed up camp, and set off on my last day of travelling to Canberra. Just over ninety minutes later I passed by the border between Victoria and New South Wales, and 45 minutes later I passed through the small mountain region of Moonbah, where I glanced over to my left, knowing that just 25 kilometres away stands Mt Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak.

Fifteen minutes later I arrived in the town of Jindabyne which is 915 metres above sea level. Like I had been doing every lunchtime at places where there is mobile coverage, I sent a text message to my grandparents to let them know where I was currently, and shortly after my mobile rang. “Hello Oscar, I am glad that you have stopped there, we have some friends that live just out of the Capital, and I thought you might like to call in and say hello to them for us,” Gran said to me.

After a bit of a chat, and having written down the address, I finished my lunch and looked up the address that I had been given, on seeing its location on my iPad, I worked out that it is an hour’s drive north-east of Jindabyne, and the same travel time to Canberra from there. The property I was informed is on the western side of the Murrumbidgee River, and 3.5 kilometres south-west of the turnoff from Monarto Highway, checking it on the map, I take note of where I need to turn off the highway to get to the farming property.

As instructed I turned off the highway, and just over a kilometre later, I crossed over the river, with the low bridge being quite narrow and another kilometre away, I saw the old hayshed with no sides at a road junction and I turned left down the track, and after passing a machinery shed, I slowed down as I passed through an open gate, with the homestead now in full view nearby.

“Hello Oscar, welcome to our home, I am Jean, and this is my husband Sam,” a lady who looked to be about the same age as my Gran said, and I gently shook her hand in greeting. “Please, come into the house, we have afternoon tea ready for you,” Sam added as he led the way towards the large house. “So your grandparents have informed us that you have spent some time working on cattle stations in the north of your home state, that must have been quite a challenge,” Sam said to me.

“Not really. Having grown up on a farm, I am used to the hard work, and difficult weather conditions no matter if it's summer or winter, and the work helped me greatly with expanding my experience, especially with the studies that I have been doing,” I replied. Once Afternoon tea was completed, Sam offered to take me on a tour of the property, which I learnt is two blocks of land.

The homestead is located on 81.28 hectares, while the other property just to the north is 541.2 hectares in area, so they have additional yards, sheds and as well as the main homestead, there are also two cottages, one of which is used by their son – Jake, when he is home on leave, as he works for the Army, while the other one is used for guests, which is rare these days, and we drove past the said two cottages.

Back at the homestead about 90 minutes later, I was getting concerned that it was getting a bit late, and they must have guessed as I was offered to stay for dinner and stay overnight before heading into the capital in the morning, and I gladly accepted the offer. “Since you have farming experience, would you be interested in working here on our farm on weekends? We will happily provide you with meals and you can stay in the spare cottage if you want your own space,” Sam asked me.

I let them know that I would think about it and I thanked them for the offer but I need to get settled into my studies first before I start doing any other work. During dinner, I was informed that the family have a third property, 239 hectares of land on the far southern edge of the capital city, which is where Jake lives and spends his days off working, and that property too has a spare cottage that is rarely used.

I was asked where I would be living while I am attending university in Canberra, and I informed them that Gramps had arranged for me to stay at a bed and breakfast until a more semi-permanent solution could be found and that I still had four more days before the start of the first semester.

After a wonderful dinner, I settled into my overnight accommodation and I sent a message to Giles to check how he was settling into his Uni room. “Doing well my friend, had a tour of the University and I am ready to start the semester,” Giles responded.