We had three factors working for us yesterday - it was Sunday, the tourist season has not started yet, and it was Election Day in Turkey. Hence we only saw three midi buses and a handful of other tourists (locals) in the whole day. So we had the peninsula to ourselves. Even the grand information centres were closed.

We tracked up the coast towards Anzac Cove, and the first sign was to Shell Green, up a steep rutted 4WD track . So we went. However we reasoned that the whole area was not based on this kind of access, so after seeing the cemetery there went back to the bitumen.

Probably one of the single most telling of all the things we saw was the statement by Ataturk , engraved on a huge monument, welcoming the fallen into Turkey's care - a statesman at his best.

Anzac Cove and North Beach, with its Sphinx, are so rugged. Right up to Lone Pine such a jumble. So many cemeteries (all meticulously maintained), so many fallen from both sides.

The sites for the 25th April commemorations are being prepared. Seating for thousands, both at Anzac Cove and at Lone Pine on top of the ridge line. The "Lone Pine" pine tree still stands, having escaped the bush fires of 1994. A seed was taken back to Aus. in 1915, grew to a tree and a seed was sent back to be planted on Lone Pine ridge in 1990.

We travelled up to Suvla Bay, then down to the southern end of the peninsula where the British and French landed . French cemetery very different - hundreds of simple metal crosses and 4 large stone monuments said to contain the remains of 3000 French soldiers each.

We camped the night in a recommended camp ground on the southern tip, actually on V beach where the British landed in 1915. Deserted except for us, and the ships kept sailing past all night, in and out the Dardenelles to Istanbul and beyond. Woke to 4 degrees. As son Mark said recently, "I did not sign up for this !"

Today was a travel day to Istanbul. Because of the uncertainty about camping sites, we stopped at ostensibly the last motocamp before Istanbul, about 50 km out. Tomorrow we check to see if the one marked in town is open or not. Again, camping to ourselves - one great advantage of travelling this early in the season. Time to do some washing and some minor but much needed maintenance on The Boomer.