Redmond

For once we did not stay at a campsite… Instead we were tenting it up in a poly tunnel at the mechanics farm! If this had happened at the start of the trip we would have thought very differently about the situation, however, now this was awesome and a little random at the same time. Some of the pluses of camping in a poly tunnel: it provides you with a subtropical climate, when temperatures are around 10 degrees outside; it is around 25+ degrees in the poly tunnel. This means your tent that was drenched and clothes that have been damp for the last 3 days are now dry! You have a flat concrete floor so your table is level, chairs are not sinking into the grounds soft spots and your feet are CLEAN or at least the bottoms of them. Not only that, you are now sheltered from further rain and wind leaving you sat in your ‘home’ nice and comfy. Bloody lovely- this could totally catch on in the UK!

Our first experience of camping luxury!

The timing of our breakdown was a little frustrating. Just like last time we were ready to move on to a new adventure. Saying that it almost worked out in our favour… The weather over the weekend was terrible! Rain and more rain, overcast, windy and cold! Looked like we weren’t going to be doing much fishing by the sea anyway and it would be more like sitting around in the damp tent having cups of tea.

A funky plant that we kept on seeing while driving around the National Parks in the Redmon Region

After a day of chilling and hand washing our clothes we decided to venture out to Mount Lindesay NP. Liz had wanted to do the summit walk before leaving the Albany area last time but we didn’t get around it. The weather again took a turn for the worse, with on and off rain and showers. With Kyle’s back issues in conjunction with slippery wet granite we decided to leave it for today. The summit was among the clouds as we drove away and there wouldn’t have been much of a view at the top- Just “Poms in the Mist”. That said… Liz may have been a little persistent with wanting to do the walk so we headed up there the next day when it was a bit drier. It turned out to be more tiring than we expected but we made it and we were definitely sweating a bucket load by the end (Just a casual 10km hike up a mountain – who would have thought that was tiring?).

At the top of Mt Lindesay

Although it wasn't raining, we were still getting rather wet.

...But the views were worth it.

Filling up more of our down time we headed back to Denmark Bakery to try the pies… Again. The pies we tried this time were more like it. The Steak and Kidney Pie was the winner of them all! Can’t beat a classic.

Just YUM the famous Denmark Pies!

The Boston Brewery was awarded with another visit (mainly because we tried to go to the Denmark Brew and Ales place but was closed when we went). We wanted to fill ourselves up after a long walk and that we did. Decent food and reasonably priced! This breaking down malarkey isn’t helping our bank balance. One thing we didn’t consider was the rainy day fund- for when things just keep going wrong which can supply you with comfort food (and also stuff to do when you have exhausted the NP in the vicinity that you have broken down in).

Suitably filled with a decent Chicken Burger and Blue Cheese Sauce... Our mouths are still watering.

Now for a bit of reflection…Breaking down is frustrating but sometimes it can be a good thing.  While in Auburn and the Redmond/Albany area we have become fonder of the places because of the more, unexpected, time we spent in them. We had decided on trying to fit in as much as we could within our lap of Australia and sometimes everything becomes a little disjointed, with quick stop-start and pack up the tent sequences. The first time you see some stunning countryside you pull over to take it all in and go ‘Wow’. However, when you become familiar with the scenery and start to immerse yourself in it, you can begin to truly appreciate it for what it is.