Portland through to South Australia.

It's a double posting on the blog tonight, I am on a roll.

On the road again today, heading from Port Fairy to Portland for lunch, then onto Mt. Gambier.  

Out the car window once again, we see wind turbines this time.  They were busy today, turning, turning, constantly turning.  It was a windy day on the farm today.  

More wind turbines and more cows, always there are cows.

Arriving at Portland, a huge cargo shipping town.  You can click here for more information on Portland. It's late and I am tired, and the info I collected today pretty much matches what I found on here.  I know, I am very slack.  

Can you see that huge mound of golden coloured stuff to the right of the above photo?  It's grain.  There was another huge mountain of the stuff next to it.  Huge I tell you, just huge!!

Unfortunately we were short on time here, just only stopping by for lunch on our way through, so we didn't get to ride the tram, but they all waved to us as we drove past.  Lunch was at the Royal Hotel in Percy street.  Initially called Lamb Inn the name was changed to the Royal in the 1950's from memory.  What I do remember, and very clearly, is that it was windy again and the rain had started and our tummy's were rumbling for something yummy for lunch.  We decided to check it out and thank goodness we did.  Oh it was cosy inside and there was no spilt beer from last month smell in the carpet either.  We snuggled down in big cosy chairs in front of the open fire and feasted.  The boys had fish and chips, hubbie enjoyed his pasta and I supped up my butter chicken, oh that was nice!  We were all too full to sample the sweets, but by the looks of them, they would have been a meal on their own.  The serves of food down here are plentiful, but not wasteful.  Good real food type food.  

Just as we were driving out of Portland, we saw this scene before us, logs, more logs and even more logs, signs warning trucks carrying logs all the way.  wow, lots of logs. . . . . . . 

. . . . . and here is where they come from.  As far as the eye can see just outside Portland, pine tree farms?  I guess that is what they are called, but there is not a house to be seen, just rows and rows upon more rows and rows of pine tree farms.  So very different after seeing cows and more cows.

If you enlarge this pic you may just be able to spot the lone emu there.  He was the only one we saw, wandering around outside the comfort of the pine tree farm.  

Big pine trees, little pine trees, middle sized pine trees.  Rolling, undulating hills of pine trees.

Ok so this bit was funny, but you sort of had to be there to appreciate the funny-ness of it all.  We saw this sign about quarantine, then we saw another and another.  I realised we had just that morning bought fresh strawberries in Victoria, as the boys wanted strawberries and custard for sweets tonight.  We had hit the border of Victoria and South Australia.  oops.  I also remembered we had 4 apples in the caravan.  

I didn't want to put any of it in here. . . . . . so we pulled over in the rather ridiculously small area on the side of the road, getting rocked each time a logging truck zoomed past, and hubbie and I madly cut up the fruit we had, and disposed of the cores and strawberry tops in the bin here.  

Back in the car between showers of rain, sleety type wind and fast zooming logging trucks we feasted on the fruit.  There is no way I was going to throw it out.  So glad we didn't do sweets in Portland, so very, very glad.  

We have pulled into Mt. Gambier tonight, I had my big rain jacket on and was directing hubbie to back into our site, he and I ended up stripping because we were so dripping wet.  Lucky our rain jackets are so big.  What a sight, I ended up taking my skirt off and was in leggings and thongs (I took my boots of as well), with my big rain jacket on and hubbie was in a singlet and board shorts under his jacket.  It was just crazy, we left the boys in the car until the rain subsided for a few seconds to bolt them into the caravan nice and dry.  It's all part of the adventure and although a bit annoying at the time, gave us a few laughs as we looked at our dripping selves after setting up.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.  I hope you have had a wonderful day at your place. 

Take care of you and snuggle up tonight.  It's currently 7.6 degrees in Mt. Gambier at 11.06pm. 

The top tomorrow is predicted to be 13 degrees, more showers, with possible hail over the lower south-east until sunrise.  That's ok with me, I have no plans to be up before sunrise, in fact, I have big plans of still being in bed after the sun has risen.  

Sweet dreams to you and yours.

Posted by Joyce. xx