The route was set in the State Forest just south of Warburton.

We set off around 8.50am in the morning and reached Noojee town around 9.15am.

 From Noojee we went north into the forest. The tracks on this leg were quite easy and were mainly gravelled. After about 45 mins we exited the forest and proceeded for a short break at Warburton town. From there, we entered the forest again, this time travelling south and here the tracks were a bit more muddy and wet. There were some changes to the actual tracks compared to the map and we had to backtrack about 2 to 3 km at one point.

We reached Starlings Gap and had our lunch there. The picnic ground was really nice and the view was quite scenic. It was quite amazing to find such a lovely spot in the middle of the forest. Tony, Henry and I went off for a short walk along a forest trail, to try and find a fishing spot, but we realised that we were too high up in the ranges. Louie and Ren in the meantime were enjoying themselves playing with the hand held radios.

After lunch, we set off south again through the forest in search of a good fishing spot, but according to our resident expert Henry, there weren’t any along the way. 

So when we exited the forest, we decided to head for a stretch of the Yara river at a place called Doon Reserve, just west of Warburton town. We found a nice spot there and set up three lines, but unfortunately, the fish were just not biting that day. Still, we had a good time fishing, especially Louie and Ren.

All in, I thought it was quite an enjoyable outing, although feedback from my cousin and wife was that the drive through the forest was just too long. We had driven about 70km of forest tracks.  I think I agree with them, and will plan shorter off road drives for future trips!

More photos can be found here.

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On the 2nd day, we all drove to Cape Jervis and took the Sealink ferry to Penneshaw on Kangaroo island. We spent a day there, and saw the seals on Seal Bay. We also visited a bee farm and took a look at the inland sand dune on Kangaroo island. We weren’t able to do too much as we had to catch the ferry back to the mainland, and considering the cost of the ferry, we should really have stayed at least 3 days if we wanted to see everything on Kangaroo island and make the trip worthwhile. Well we plan to bring the rest of the family on a future trip and will definitely spend more days on this lovely island. The Prado was fully at home on the gravel and dirt tracks of the island.

On the third day, we did a bit of shopping and also visited an authentic German town called Hahndorf where we had a very nice lunch. And in the evening, we met up with Sr. Elizabeth and her mum, and we had a nice dinner at a Chinese restaurant called Citi Zen Chinese restaurant.

We drove back on the 4th day, and again, we made quite good time.

Photos can be found here.

Well, the next day, we went to test drive the Prado (a 2nd hand model), and Tony came along as well. And just like him, we decided to purchase it. I am now waiting for delivery.

I’ve been spending the past few days reading up on 4w driving and looking up clubs which I could join. I shall be attending some of the club meetings and see where we go from there.

We could never have done this in Singapore…

This is not the first time we brought Ren to a farm. The first time was when we visited the Lims in New Zealand, and Jean brought us to a farm which was quite a bit larger than Chesterfield.

Anyway, Ren had a good time with his schoolmates and because this was not his first time, he had no fear at all in approaching the animals to feed them.

There was also a short and interesting farm show, and it was the first time we saw a sheepdog in action rounding up sheep. It was really fascinating!

Some photos here. Video below:

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The movie was pretty good, but what really impressed me was the “Gold Class” experience.  The seats were arranged in couples and were huge, comfortable and you could lower and raise the back and the foot rest so that it almost turned into a bed.  There was a table where you could eat snacks, put your cocktails or even have a full 3 course meal (extra cost of course).  There was a service button where you could press anytime during the show, and a wait staff will come to you and take your orders.

Wow!  I don’t think I will ever be satisfied with watching movies in an ordinary cinema after this.  It’s a pity the experience is so expensive.

As I’ve written elsewhere on this blog, Australian tax returns, compared to Singapore ones, are a real pain in the butt.  But I must say that this year’s etax software has much clearer and better help and guidance as compared to previous years.

Let’s hope next year’s is even easier!

Also, Mary and I were calculating and figured out that if all goes to plan, we will still be attending a valedictory at St. Kevin’s in about 14 years’ time, when Ren graduates. I would be a doddering 61 year old by then! 

Some photos here.

Overall, I’m about 65% satisfied with the finished cabinet. The main error is that the cabinet depth is too shallow, because of the limited space available, and also because when I did initial measurements, I forgot to take into account the thickness of the rails. As a result, large shoes can’t sit properly and have to be sort of slanted and stacked in order to close the cabinet doors. Well, what’s hidden won’t bother too much I hope!

I learned a lot from the mistakes made though, and the next thing I build will hopefully have less errors. Mary’s quite happy with the final product and I guess that’s what matters.

… 

Today, the family (except for Yanjie who had to submit an assignment by today & then work in the evening & Gern also wanted to do her work)went up the Skydeck in Eureka Towers.  The building is 88 storeys high & is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.  We took the train down, had lunch at Singapore Chom Chom before proceeding to the Skydeck.  The view up there was magnificent & before heading home, we stopped by The Pancake Parlour  for dessert & an early dinner.  All in, it was an enjoyable outing, with Ren enjoying the most…

Some photos can be found here.

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