Notes taken from Andrew & Susan's scrapbooks

On 27 November 1975 we flew to Madrid for an overnight stay. Next day we flew over the Sahara Desert to Kinshasa, where we landed for an hour, having had views of the Desert & Congo Jungle. It was then on to Johannesburg.

Here we stayed with Marjorie's brother, Uncle Les Milton for a day or so, learning to swim doggie paddle in his pool, buying camping gear, having BBQ's.

Then, borrowing Auntie Lisa's car, a V/w, we headed to Ermelo where we camped the night. Next day saw us in Hluhluwe Game Reserve were we spent a few nights in a Rondaval.

We had a day in Durban, and had to keep an eye out as monkeys kept raiding our site for food.

Umshlanga Rocks was our next stop, and here we hired a caravan for a week. It was now Dec 15th. We saw a Life Guards competition, and one night father Xmas came.

He was black and on a motorbike.

It was midsummer here!

There was plenty of wildlife including Rhino, Impala, Zebra, Nyala etc. Next it was Umfolosi Reserve. Andy and Sue recorded seeing 446 animals on one morning alone, including vultures on a kill.

Through Mtubatuba and Umlalazi, which was sugar cane and sisal growing country. We camped our way to the coast, the Indian Ocean. Here we had glorious beaches all to ourselves.

Marjorie Wiseman on Beach with Susan and Andy.jpg

After a sail round Durban Harbour and a visit to Japanese Gardens and a sugar factory we spent a day or so fishing and swimming.

Andy and Sue were learning to swim, and, in a rock pool, swam their best ever without armbands to earn a cash reward.

Both Sue and Andy kept a large format day to day diary of events.

Sue trod on a poisonous spiked fish and we had to see a Doctor and carry her for a few days.

Les and Lisa joined us for Xmas. Sue got a Cindy Doll, and Andy got a new fishing rod and nearly caught a fish.

On a wet day we visited an Aquarium, Model Village and Snake Park.

On New Years day we passed into Swaziland at Lavumisa, and along some very bumpy unmade roads to Big Bend, before camping at Manzini. We often had a roadside picnic.

A Swimming Christmas

St Lucia Reserve, Swaziland & Kruger National Park

Moving on, on December 29th, we travelled back up the coast to St Lucia Game Reserve seeing, amongst other things, Hippo and Crocodile.

Wild Camping & Drakensburg Mountains

I brailed the tent really tight, or so I thought, but we awoke with a cat asleep in our tent! Better than a snake I suppose. Or perhaps that was the reason we saw no snakes!

Over the next three days we moved slowly South again via Abel Erasmus Pass, Stridgem Tunnel, Echo Caves, Blyde River Canyon, Bourkes Luck Pot Holes, Pilgrims Rest, Mac Mac Falls, Sabie, Lone Creek Falls and Long Tom Pass, to arrive eventually in Ermelo again.

We had stayed here on the day we had set off, so had closed a circle.

Next came a fairly long drive to Royal Natal National Park, situated in the Drakensburg Mountains. Here a long walk saw scores of colourful flowers and grasshoppers on our way to Grotto Caves.

On Jan 11th we moved away from Kruger, camping at Kampersus where we needed storm lamps whilst putting up our tent as there were snakes around.

Game tally

After this, Mbabane, Piggs Peak and Barberton were visited, and to get there we had to risk a flooded river where a bus had been swept away.

For the first week in January 1976 we stayed in the Kruger National Park, possibly Africa's most famous Game Park.

We stopped at Satara, Orpen, Olifants, Skakuza, Pretoriuskop.

Needless to say we saw thousands of animals, including our first sighting of Lions (ten!), by the road side.

More Game then Johannasburg & Pretoria

We then moved on a short way to the Golden Gates National Park, seeing Blesbok, Bontebok and Black Wildebeest with white tails, and also visiting some bush paintings.

Soon we were back in Jo'burg for our final four nights, spending a full day in Pretoria. (Voortrecker Monument.).

Normal Neville Wiseman and Susan South Africa.jpg

On 29 January 1976 it was to be homeward bound after an eight week epic trip.

On the map our route followed Blue, then Green, then Red.

We had had the children's Headmistress' full approval, and we later attended at School to show our Cine