The Pebbles - north of
Tennant Creek
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sat. 31st July
Just a note to say we are in Tennant Creek at the moment so I'm quickly putting the last few days blogs on. Don't know when I'll get to put next ones on. I can only do it in a main town where I get internet reception - not out in the middle of nowhere! We will be heading north towards Kathrine. We now have two new tyres and have replenished supplies and water so we are off. bye for now.
Just a note to say we are in Tennant Creek at the moment so I'm quickly putting the last few days blogs on. Don't know when I'll get to put next ones on. I can only do it in a main town where I get internet reception - not out in the middle of nowhere! We will be heading north towards Kathrine. We now have two new tyres and have replenished supplies and water so we are off. bye for now.
TWENTYSECOND DAY – FRIDAY 30TH JULY
I got up pretty early cause it was too hot to sleep and there just so happened to be a pretty cool sunrise. So out I went to discover that we were near a billabong surrounded by river red gums – a lot different than the ones we have in Victoria. I took quite a few photos of the sunrise over the billabong. By the time I had finished Graeme was up and started to pack up our camp – but guess what? He discovered we had a flat tyre on the back inside. So he changed the tyre and got all dusty with red dirt. We had cereal for breaky then off we went back across that horrid bumpy track to the caves just down the road. We checked out the caves which are huge big holes in the ground. You can only go into the caves on special tours that descend into the caves on ropes. We then continued on the bumpy, rocky track back to Camooweal where we filled up on petrol and someone informed us that there had been a big accident on the road to Three Ways and it was blocked off. If someone hadn’t told us we would have kept going anyway – so we did!! We figured by the time we get there it might be cleared. Anyway we continued along Barklay Highway which I have official nick named it the Patchwork Highway due to the many patch-up jobs on the road. We crossed the N.T/QLD boarder at 10.30 am and put our clocks back half an hour which was beneficial for us driving in ‘The Snail’ – gained half an hour – and took the obligatory boarder photos. We had a laugh at the 130 kmh limit signs and slugged on, or should that be snailed!! The terrain was flat and grassy plains as far as the eye could see. We were driving into a head wind which didn’t help – (maybe that’s why everyone seems to be going the other way??) The terrain turned into low scrub with lots of little flowers showing their beauty. Arha – we came across the accident. Police had blocked off the road and we had to stop and wait for approx 40 mins. So we took the opportunity to have some lunch. A big road train had tipped over during the night and was right across the road – one bit was on its side the rest was upside down. When we finally got to go we had to drive along a dirt track around the scene. It looked pretty bad. We continued on the patchwork hwy towards Barklay Homestead which is a big roadhouse and camping area, although we only got some fuel and a couple of icepoles to cool us down. We were told it is 32 deg. Celcius and ten degrees above average for this time of year. We continued on to a place called ‘The Pebbles’ that Graeme is determined to get to! We have to go into Tenant Creek tomorrow to get new tyres so this was the closest place to camp and sounded pretty good. WELL! Guess what – another bumpy, rocky track to drive along. Again I was grumpy and not happy – worrying about the poor old van and how it was going to survive another beating. Well thankfully it wasn’t too far to go – only 6 kms this time. We arrived at ‘The Pebbles’ which looks like a pretty cool place. There are ‘piles’ of rocks scattered in a big area. The sun is setting and the pebbles look pretty in the light. We picked our spot to park for the night. I was hot and a bit grumpy so I went for a walk to look at the pebbles which are a small version of the Devils Marble I was told by another camper. We had tea and each of us had an outside shower in the dark to wash off all the red dirt. I feel much better now. It’s time to go to bed now.
I got up pretty early cause it was too hot to sleep and there just so happened to be a pretty cool sunrise. So out I went to discover that we were near a billabong surrounded by river red gums – a lot different than the ones we have in Victoria. I took quite a few photos of the sunrise over the billabong. By the time I had finished Graeme was up and started to pack up our camp – but guess what? He discovered we had a flat tyre on the back inside. So he changed the tyre and got all dusty with red dirt. We had cereal for breaky then off we went back across that horrid bumpy track to the caves just down the road. We checked out the caves which are huge big holes in the ground. You can only go into the caves on special tours that descend into the caves on ropes. We then continued on the bumpy, rocky track back to Camooweal where we filled up on petrol and someone informed us that there had been a big accident on the road to Three Ways and it was blocked off. If someone hadn’t told us we would have kept going anyway – so we did!! We figured by the time we get there it might be cleared. Anyway we continued along Barklay Highway which I have official nick named it the Patchwork Highway due to the many patch-up jobs on the road. We crossed the N.T/QLD boarder at 10.30 am and put our clocks back half an hour which was beneficial for us driving in ‘The Snail’ – gained half an hour – and took the obligatory boarder photos. We had a laugh at the 130 kmh limit signs and slugged on, or should that be snailed!! The terrain was flat and grassy plains as far as the eye could see. We were driving into a head wind which didn’t help – (maybe that’s why everyone seems to be going the other way??) The terrain turned into low scrub with lots of little flowers showing their beauty. Arha – we came across the accident. Police had blocked off the road and we had to stop and wait for approx 40 mins. So we took the opportunity to have some lunch. A big road train had tipped over during the night and was right across the road – one bit was on its side the rest was upside down. When we finally got to go we had to drive along a dirt track around the scene. It looked pretty bad. We continued on the patchwork hwy towards Barklay Homestead which is a big roadhouse and camping area, although we only got some fuel and a couple of icepoles to cool us down. We were told it is 32 deg. Celcius and ten degrees above average for this time of year. We continued on to a place called ‘The Pebbles’ that Graeme is determined to get to! We have to go into Tenant Creek tomorrow to get new tyres so this was the closest place to camp and sounded pretty good. WELL! Guess what – another bumpy, rocky track to drive along. Again I was grumpy and not happy – worrying about the poor old van and how it was going to survive another beating. Well thankfully it wasn’t too far to go – only 6 kms this time. We arrived at ‘The Pebbles’ which looks like a pretty cool place. There are ‘piles’ of rocks scattered in a big area. The sun is setting and the pebbles look pretty in the light. We picked our spot to park for the night. I was hot and a bit grumpy so I went for a walk to look at the pebbles which are a small version of the Devils Marble I was told by another camper. We had tea and each of us had an outside shower in the dark to wash off all the red dirt. I feel much better now. It’s time to go to bed now.
TWENTYFIRST DAY – THURSDAY 29TH JULY
We left Clem Walton Park – Corella Dam at about 8 am. Along the way towards Mount Iza it was quite mountainous with red and orange rocks. They look very striking against the green foliage and blue sky. It didn’t take us long to get to Mt Iza and we found the info centre and booked ourselves a tour of at 1.00 pm. We also got to see the Dinosaur Fossil display and the Isa Experience which was a display of the mining and history of Mount Isa, they were both quite interesting. Then we went off to find a Woollies to get a few supplies and filled up on fuel. We went up to the lookout which is a great view of Mt Isa and surrounding landscape of mountains and bush. We then went back to the info centre, had some lunch in the van and then went in for our 1.00 tour. It actually started at the info centre. A man came and collected the ten of us who were booked for the tour and took us to a room to collect orange overalls, a hard hat and a big fat heavy belt. We had to go into the change rooms and dress into these things then come out and pick a pair of big heavy rubber boots the right size. We were then guided to outside and shown some of the big mining equipment that was on display and he explained in quite a bit of detail what each implement and vehicles where for. Then we went into a big shed to be given a light for our hard hat which was attached to a big heavy battery which was attached to the belt we had on. Now we were set – ready to descend into the mine. No – but first we had to have our photos taken of us all dressed up in front of the lift that goes down into the mine. We were not allowed to take our own cameras!! We all went into the lift and went down only about 25 meters into the ‘mine’. We then realised we were not going into the actually working mine. Apparently someone a few years ago ruined that for everyone else cause he got himself hurt somehow. So the real miners volunteered their time to build this ‘pretend’ mine. It is actually pretty good and they say it is a pretty good indication of the real thing. We all sat in a person carrier – a bit like cages on wheels then we travelled along a train track for awhile then stopped, got off and then the man showed us all around in the ‘mine’ they had it all set up just like a real one. He described at great length about all the details of mining from the supports on the walls to how the men blew up the rock to showing us how he can drive a big loader in and around the tunnels – very impressive. Two and half hours later we finally emerged from the mine – hot and ready to get out of the clothes we had on. We got dressed and then paid ten bucks for the photo and got out of there. Look! The mine itself was really interesting and the guy knew his stuff, but the tour went on for so long and the guy waffled on a bit. I certainly admire the miners and what they have to deal with, day in day out. They earn their money alright. It was four o’clock by the time we got out of there and Graeme had planned to get to Camooweal Caves National Park. It took us a couple of hours to get to the park turn off and the sun was beginning to set. We drove along a really bad rocky and bumpy track for about 20 kms to get to the park. I was getting a bit annoyed by this stage cause I was hot, hungry and all bumped around. Once we got there, there were three other campers there and just drove into a spot and stopped, as it was getting quite dark by this stage. We set up camp, I rinsed out our washing and hung it on the drying rack. Then we made tea. Can’t wait to see if this was all worth coming out here. I guess we’ll see in the morning.
We left Clem Walton Park – Corella Dam at about 8 am. Along the way towards Mount Iza it was quite mountainous with red and orange rocks. They look very striking against the green foliage and blue sky. It didn’t take us long to get to Mt Iza and we found the info centre and booked ourselves a tour of at 1.00 pm. We also got to see the Dinosaur Fossil display and the Isa Experience which was a display of the mining and history of Mount Isa, they were both quite interesting. Then we went off to find a Woollies to get a few supplies and filled up on fuel. We went up to the lookout which is a great view of Mt Isa and surrounding landscape of mountains and bush. We then went back to the info centre, had some lunch in the van and then went in for our 1.00 tour. It actually started at the info centre. A man came and collected the ten of us who were booked for the tour and took us to a room to collect orange overalls, a hard hat and a big fat heavy belt. We had to go into the change rooms and dress into these things then come out and pick a pair of big heavy rubber boots the right size. We were then guided to outside and shown some of the big mining equipment that was on display and he explained in quite a bit of detail what each implement and vehicles where for. Then we went into a big shed to be given a light for our hard hat which was attached to a big heavy battery which was attached to the belt we had on. Now we were set – ready to descend into the mine. No – but first we had to have our photos taken of us all dressed up in front of the lift that goes down into the mine. We were not allowed to take our own cameras!! We all went into the lift and went down only about 25 meters into the ‘mine’. We then realised we were not going into the actually working mine. Apparently someone a few years ago ruined that for everyone else cause he got himself hurt somehow. So the real miners volunteered their time to build this ‘pretend’ mine. It is actually pretty good and they say it is a pretty good indication of the real thing. We all sat in a person carrier – a bit like cages on wheels then we travelled along a train track for awhile then stopped, got off and then the man showed us all around in the ‘mine’ they had it all set up just like a real one. He described at great length about all the details of mining from the supports on the walls to how the men blew up the rock to showing us how he can drive a big loader in and around the tunnels – very impressive. Two and half hours later we finally emerged from the mine – hot and ready to get out of the clothes we had on. We got dressed and then paid ten bucks for the photo and got out of there. Look! The mine itself was really interesting and the guy knew his stuff, but the tour went on for so long and the guy waffled on a bit. I certainly admire the miners and what they have to deal with, day in day out. They earn their money alright. It was four o’clock by the time we got out of there and Graeme had planned to get to Camooweal Caves National Park. It took us a couple of hours to get to the park turn off and the sun was beginning to set. We drove along a really bad rocky and bumpy track for about 20 kms to get to the park. I was getting a bit annoyed by this stage cause I was hot, hungry and all bumped around. Once we got there, there were three other campers there and just drove into a spot and stopped, as it was getting quite dark by this stage. We set up camp, I rinsed out our washing and hung it on the drying rack. Then we made tea. Can’t wait to see if this was all worth coming out here. I guess we’ll see in the morning.
TWENTIETH DAY – WEDNESDAY 28TH JULY
Got up and packed – had a quick snack for breaky off by 7.40 am. There were no clouds in the sky! The terrain was flat and dry grassy plains. Lots of cows. Lots of hawks and eagles eating road kill and they also loved the locusts. I think there might be a locust plague or maybe its normal but boy there are millions and millions of them. We ran into probably a few thousand of them!! I also noticed there were lots of ant hills in the red dirt areas – actually hundreds of them – not exaggerating either. Some of them are so elaborate they look like castles. Imaging the queen ant in her castle with all her workers. We arrived in Cloncurry and filled the van with fuel and dropped into Wollies to get a few supplies. After Graeme spoke to a guy who was filling his water tanks from a tap in a park we also filled our one nearly empty tank and the guy also told Graeme of a good place to camp near a dam. So off we go and just out of the town we decided to check out a lookout. It was an amazing 360 deg. view of the area. It is quite hilly/mountainous in this area with some very interesting shaped structures popping out of the ground. Also in this area are many flowering gums and bushy wattles. We find the Corella Dam and go through a closed gate and find our way in on a dirt and rocky track. It is a beautiful place. We drove around a bit as there were quite a few tracks and we came across a lovely spot along the edge of Corella Creek. We set up camp and enjoyed a lovely afternoon watching the many birds swooping over the water, some smaller birds such as the Rainbow Bee Eater were catching butterflies and the brown hawks were catching fish. We are pretty much by ourselves here, there are some campers down a bit behind trees and another camper the other way behind more trees. Graeme wanted to try the outside shower. So he heated up some water and filled it up with mostly cold water and some hot. He hung it up in a big tree and had a shower. It was very water efficient and very effective. I decided to try and wash my hair. It worked really great. My hair is nice and clean again. We have managed to find the most beautiful places to set up camp. It is so wonderful to enjoy Gods creation in this way. At the moment the sun is going down behind the trees and rocky hill and the air is becoming quite chilly. During the day it has been really hot, I’m guessing about 27deg C.
Got up and packed – had a quick snack for breaky off by 7.40 am. There were no clouds in the sky! The terrain was flat and dry grassy plains. Lots of cows. Lots of hawks and eagles eating road kill and they also loved the locusts. I think there might be a locust plague or maybe its normal but boy there are millions and millions of them. We ran into probably a few thousand of them!! I also noticed there were lots of ant hills in the red dirt areas – actually hundreds of them – not exaggerating either. Some of them are so elaborate they look like castles. Imaging the queen ant in her castle with all her workers. We arrived in Cloncurry and filled the van with fuel and dropped into Wollies to get a few supplies. After Graeme spoke to a guy who was filling his water tanks from a tap in a park we also filled our one nearly empty tank and the guy also told Graeme of a good place to camp near a dam. So off we go and just out of the town we decided to check out a lookout. It was an amazing 360 deg. view of the area. It is quite hilly/mountainous in this area with some very interesting shaped structures popping out of the ground. Also in this area are many flowering gums and bushy wattles. We find the Corella Dam and go through a closed gate and find our way in on a dirt and rocky track. It is a beautiful place. We drove around a bit as there were quite a few tracks and we came across a lovely spot along the edge of Corella Creek. We set up camp and enjoyed a lovely afternoon watching the many birds swooping over the water, some smaller birds such as the Rainbow Bee Eater were catching butterflies and the brown hawks were catching fish. We are pretty much by ourselves here, there are some campers down a bit behind trees and another camper the other way behind more trees. Graeme wanted to try the outside shower. So he heated up some water and filled it up with mostly cold water and some hot. He hung it up in a big tree and had a shower. It was very water efficient and very effective. I decided to try and wash my hair. It worked really great. My hair is nice and clean again. We have managed to find the most beautiful places to set up camp. It is so wonderful to enjoy Gods creation in this way. At the moment the sun is going down behind the trees and rocky hill and the air is becoming quite chilly. During the day it has been really hot, I’m guessing about 27deg C.
NINETEENTH – TUESDAY 27TH JULY
Got up at 7.30 am and had a quick breakfast and went off to see Lilly’s Lagoon. This place was fascinating with coolabah trees and white lilies growing in the lagoon. Apparently these lilies only grow in this area. We looked around for a bit – Graeme collected a bit of firewood then off we went along the Landsborough Highway (Matilda hwy) towards Winton. There were big open grasslands and there were lots of clouds and it rained a bit, however the sun was attempting to peek through. We saw our first road-trains. Its a bit scary when the road-trains go the opposite way, some of them kind of suck you in towards them and it’s not always safe to pull over off the road when they come along so you just hold your breath. There were lots of sheep herds and some cows. We are wondering why everyone seems to be going the other way?? Just before Winton we saw ‘The Age of Dinosaurs’ which was quite interesting after driving along a very bumpy rocky track for about 12 kms. They showed us how they find them and what they do when they do. When they find dino bones they are very careful and dig the surrounding dirt and put a few different layers- first foil then newspaper then plaster to preserve them until they can properly and very, very carefully remove the dirt from around them. They showed us some of the huge bones they have already found of the largest dino that has been found in Australia, they call it Matilda. We then went into Winton and looked at the Musical Fence and wall of all kinds of stuff some guy built into his stone wall. Then we went to the ‘Waltzing Matilda Centre’. This was very interesting – dedicated to the song. There were also other displays of old stuff – collections of bottles, medical type equipment – scary, phones, cameras, shoes, star pickets, cow bells, wood shavers, old pots etc etc – I think you get the picture and Qantas stuff, and we ended up having a nice lunch there in their cafe. We continued towards our camp place for the night. We finally arrived at Combo Waterhole Conservation Park after driving along a dirt track for about 8 kms. But it was all worth it. There were a couple of other campers there also. We set up camp then went for a 2.6 km walk return to the billabong where the swagman supposedly drowned himself – you know the one in the song ‘Waltzing Matilda’. It was a very beautiful spot with lots of coolabah trees along the banks. We stayed and watched the sun set over the billabong and we sang the song. We then went back to cook our tea on the fire. I also made some damper which turned out ok – probably need a little more practice. While we were sitting outside and eating our tea we noticed some weird lights happening in the distance. At first I thought it was lightning but it wasn’t like that either. The lights lasted for ages and we became more curious about them. We could only see them through the trees but the distant sky and trees all lit up – fascinating. Still not sure what it was – I’ll have to do some research.
Got up at 7.30 am and had a quick breakfast and went off to see Lilly’s Lagoon. This place was fascinating with coolabah trees and white lilies growing in the lagoon. Apparently these lilies only grow in this area. We looked around for a bit – Graeme collected a bit of firewood then off we went along the Landsborough Highway (Matilda hwy) towards Winton. There were big open grasslands and there were lots of clouds and it rained a bit, however the sun was attempting to peek through. We saw our first road-trains. Its a bit scary when the road-trains go the opposite way, some of them kind of suck you in towards them and it’s not always safe to pull over off the road when they come along so you just hold your breath. There were lots of sheep herds and some cows. We are wondering why everyone seems to be going the other way?? Just before Winton we saw ‘The Age of Dinosaurs’ which was quite interesting after driving along a very bumpy rocky track for about 12 kms. They showed us how they find them and what they do when they do. When they find dino bones they are very careful and dig the surrounding dirt and put a few different layers- first foil then newspaper then plaster to preserve them until they can properly and very, very carefully remove the dirt from around them. They showed us some of the huge bones they have already found of the largest dino that has been found in Australia, they call it Matilda. We then went into Winton and looked at the Musical Fence and wall of all kinds of stuff some guy built into his stone wall. Then we went to the ‘Waltzing Matilda Centre’. This was very interesting – dedicated to the song. There were also other displays of old stuff – collections of bottles, medical type equipment – scary, phones, cameras, shoes, star pickets, cow bells, wood shavers, old pots etc etc – I think you get the picture and Qantas stuff, and we ended up having a nice lunch there in their cafe. We continued towards our camp place for the night. We finally arrived at Combo Waterhole Conservation Park after driving along a dirt track for about 8 kms. But it was all worth it. There were a couple of other campers there also. We set up camp then went for a 2.6 km walk return to the billabong where the swagman supposedly drowned himself – you know the one in the song ‘Waltzing Matilda’. It was a very beautiful spot with lots of coolabah trees along the banks. We stayed and watched the sun set over the billabong and we sang the song. We then went back to cook our tea on the fire. I also made some damper which turned out ok – probably need a little more practice. While we were sitting outside and eating our tea we noticed some weird lights happening in the distance. At first I thought it was lightning but it wasn’t like that either. The lights lasted for ages and we became more curious about them. We could only see them through the trees but the distant sky and trees all lit up – fascinating. Still not sure what it was – I’ll have to do some research.
EIGHTEENTH DAY – MONDAY 26TH JULY
Slept in a bit as we were in no hurry to go too far today. We only went as far as Longreach which is about 25 kms up the road from where we stayed the night. We planned to stick around for the day as there were things we wanted to do. Firstly we went to the info centre and booked ourselves on a couple of tours. Then we did a bit of grocery shopping and went to the bank. Then we went and checked out where we are planning to stay the night. It was pretty crowded but thats ok. Then we went off to see the Australia Stockman’s Hall of Fame. This was really good. There were displays about the early settlers, stockman, all manner of peoples who helped to build up the outback to what it is today. Fascinating. Then we went to our first booked tour. It was a ride on a Cob &Co Coach with four horses. It was a lot of fun riding on the actual track where the Cob & Co used to run. On our way back we even got to feel how it was when the horses ran along the road up to 40 kmh. Don’t think I’d like to ride in a coach for days on end though – its a pretty rough ride – even rougher than our van. After the ride we went to the camp site to find a spot and then get ready for going out to our other booked tour. We had to just go out on road near our camp and wait for a bus to pick us up. There were three other people from the camp site as well. The bus arrived and we climbed aboard. The bus was pretty full. We then went about a kilometre down the road to where the paddle boat is moored. We all got on the boat after having been given some safety instructions. It was only a fairly small paddle boat call Thomson Belle. We were given some nibbles on the boat while it paddled up and down the Thomson River (It’s the cleanest river cause it has no p in it!!!) for about an hour. The sunset was ok but a little bit of a fizzer. Then we got off and were entertained by the skipper of the boat – he played guitar and sang some good old country songs while everyone joined in making sheep, kangaroo and kookaburra noises – we had to sing for our supper. We were then given dinner of a very yummy hearty stew and bread, followed by dessert of apple slice and custard and later on we had billy tea – after it had been swung around six times and damper with golden syrup. During eating time the skipper kept entertaining us with songs and jokes. After this a man called ‘Scotty’ recited some very funny poetry – he was very good. We were told later in the bus that Scotty is illiterate and is very good at remembering poems. He didn’t wear any shoes. We were dropped off back at our camp site and we walked back to our van and settled down for the night. We had a pretty busy day but a really good one.
Slept in a bit as we were in no hurry to go too far today. We only went as far as Longreach which is about 25 kms up the road from where we stayed the night. We planned to stick around for the day as there were things we wanted to do. Firstly we went to the info centre and booked ourselves on a couple of tours. Then we did a bit of grocery shopping and went to the bank. Then we went and checked out where we are planning to stay the night. It was pretty crowded but thats ok. Then we went off to see the Australia Stockman’s Hall of Fame. This was really good. There were displays about the early settlers, stockman, all manner of peoples who helped to build up the outback to what it is today. Fascinating. Then we went to our first booked tour. It was a ride on a Cob &Co Coach with four horses. It was a lot of fun riding on the actual track where the Cob & Co used to run. On our way back we even got to feel how it was when the horses ran along the road up to 40 kmh. Don’t think I’d like to ride in a coach for days on end though – its a pretty rough ride – even rougher than our van. After the ride we went to the camp site to find a spot and then get ready for going out to our other booked tour. We had to just go out on road near our camp and wait for a bus to pick us up. There were three other people from the camp site as well. The bus arrived and we climbed aboard. The bus was pretty full. We then went about a kilometre down the road to where the paddle boat is moored. We all got on the boat after having been given some safety instructions. It was only a fairly small paddle boat call Thomson Belle. We were given some nibbles on the boat while it paddled up and down the Thomson River (It’s the cleanest river cause it has no p in it!!!) for about an hour. The sunset was ok but a little bit of a fizzer. Then we got off and were entertained by the skipper of the boat – he played guitar and sang some good old country songs while everyone joined in making sheep, kangaroo and kookaburra noises – we had to sing for our supper. We were then given dinner of a very yummy hearty stew and bread, followed by dessert of apple slice and custard and later on we had billy tea – after it had been swung around six times and damper with golden syrup. During eating time the skipper kept entertaining us with songs and jokes. After this a man called ‘Scotty’ recited some very funny poetry – he was very good. We were told later in the bus that Scotty is illiterate and is very good at remembering poems. He didn’t wear any shoes. We were dropped off back at our camp site and we walked back to our van and settled down for the night. We had a pretty busy day but a really good one.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
SEVENTEENTH DAY – SUNDAY 25TH JULY
Happy 29th Wedding Anniversary. X X Graeme gave me a nice surprise of a ruby necklace he had bought from the Rubyvale Mine. It was/is beautiful. We didn’t have breakfast, we packed up and left to go to the Sapphire Sunday Market. We had a look around, bought a couple of things as well as breakfast then continued on our way along the Capricorn Highway. The ground is very rocky in this area and a lot more mountainous than I expected. We drove through Drummond Ranges were there were a lot of cuttings through the hills for the road and the rail track. On the other side of the mountain range the terrain changed dramatically to open grassy plains with small shrubs and a few bottle trees. The terrain changes so quickly out here. We arrived in Alpha at 10.20 then continued through big trees and bushland. This is where we drove along one of our first straight long roads. There were lots of little ant hills/mountains along the way scattered throughout the bush and it became hilly again with lots of dead trees but new trees coming up everywhere. In Jericho which is on the river Jordon we had a cuppa and short break and looked at the sculptural instillation of the Battle of Jericho made of big slabs of rock. After Jericho we saw many orange grevillea type plants which were all in flower and looked fantastic intermingled with the wattles and other bushes and trees. It has been cloudy all day but quite warm – about 25 deg Celsius. There were also lots of road kill in this area probably due to the fact there is a lot of bush and lots of road trains and trucks along this route during the night. We stopped in Barcaldine where we looked at a dead tree they called “The Tree of Knowledge” which they have build an amazing structure over the top of it to protect it. We had lunch here and guess what this town has six pubs in about 400 metres. No we didn’t have lunch in a pub we had lunch in ‘The Snail’. We continued on a brown road which were the terrain became flat and dry grass lands with small bushes. It is becoming to look more like the outback now. We found a great camping spot for the night with only a couple of other travellers and it is so big that you can’t even see them. Graeme collected wood for a fire that we’re going to cook our vegies in and it looks nearly ready to put them in. At the moment I am sitting outside under the clouds looking at the fire and typing this diary and sipping on a glass of wine. What a Life!!
Happy 29th Wedding Anniversary. X X Graeme gave me a nice surprise of a ruby necklace he had bought from the Rubyvale Mine. It was/is beautiful. We didn’t have breakfast, we packed up and left to go to the Sapphire Sunday Market. We had a look around, bought a couple of things as well as breakfast then continued on our way along the Capricorn Highway. The ground is very rocky in this area and a lot more mountainous than I expected. We drove through Drummond Ranges were there were a lot of cuttings through the hills for the road and the rail track. On the other side of the mountain range the terrain changed dramatically to open grassy plains with small shrubs and a few bottle trees. The terrain changes so quickly out here. We arrived in Alpha at 10.20 then continued through big trees and bushland. This is where we drove along one of our first straight long roads. There were lots of little ant hills/mountains along the way scattered throughout the bush and it became hilly again with lots of dead trees but new trees coming up everywhere. In Jericho which is on the river Jordon we had a cuppa and short break and looked at the sculptural instillation of the Battle of Jericho made of big slabs of rock. After Jericho we saw many orange grevillea type plants which were all in flower and looked fantastic intermingled with the wattles and other bushes and trees. It has been cloudy all day but quite warm – about 25 deg Celsius. There were also lots of road kill in this area probably due to the fact there is a lot of bush and lots of road trains and trucks along this route during the night. We stopped in Barcaldine where we looked at a dead tree they called “The Tree of Knowledge” which they have build an amazing structure over the top of it to protect it. We had lunch here and guess what this town has six pubs in about 400 metres. No we didn’t have lunch in a pub we had lunch in ‘The Snail’. We continued on a brown road which were the terrain became flat and dry grass lands with small bushes. It is becoming to look more like the outback now. We found a great camping spot for the night with only a couple of other travellers and it is so big that you can’t even see them. Graeme collected wood for a fire that we’re going to cook our vegies in and it looks nearly ready to put them in. At the moment I am sitting outside under the clouds looking at the fire and typing this diary and sipping on a glass of wine. What a Life!!
Us fossicking for sapphires
SIXTEENTH DAY – SATURDAY 24TH JULY
Up at 7 am Graeme cooked breaky on the bbq and we left at 8.10 am after filling up our vans water tanks as the water was pretty good/drinkable in Rocky. Filled the van with petrol and began travelling east along the Capricorn Hwy – so named because it follows the Tropic of Capricorn. There was a train track running along most of the way – electric train. We saw a few very long trains carrying coal. I counted over 100 trucks on the train and Graeme calculated that they were about one and half kilometres long. They looked those caterpillars that follow each other nose to tail. There were a lot of wattles out in flower which looks really spectacular. In Blackwater we saw the Leichardt dig tree and Blackwater is the coal capital of Queensland. From Comet (so named because Leichardt saw Haleys Comet here) the terrain became flat and scrubby with trees of silvery leaves. In Emerald we saw the very big painting of Van Gough’s Sunflower painting. This area is renowned for growing sunflowers (which were all seeding), cotton, sorghum, and wheat. We then made away to Rubyvale through Sapphire. This area is well known for the sapphires mined here. We went on a tour at the Miners Heritage Walk-in Mine which was very interesting. We learnt about where the sapphires are found in the ground. We also got a bucket of rocks to have a play with and learnt how to sieve and wash and look for sapphires. We found quite a few small ones in a bucket. This was a fun activity so we bought some rocks to take with us to have a play with. We then found a really nice place to camp in behind Sapphire called Big Bessie Fossicking area. If you wanted to you could get a two dollar fossicking licence and dig for sapphires, but we went there just to camp and after seeing were most other travellers were camping and squashed up on a block of land for the night, we had the best place. There were a few other people camping there also but there place was so big you could easily spread out and not disturb anyone. We think it was close to full moon if not actually full moon, it looked awesome peeking through the trees and the clouds surrounding it every now and then. Off course I tried to take photos and I fiddled with settings on my camera to find the best one to do the job. I think I got some good shots. Graeme cooked an awesome meal of prawns, morton bay bugs and oysters and vegies on the bbq. He spiced the prawns with garlic, chilli and worcestershire sauce and the oysters with worcestershire, bacon garlic and little bit of chilli. They were extremely tasty. Even though it is our wedding anniversary tomorrow we made this our special dinner as we had to cook the seafood. We had a very nice evening under the full moon and stars and candle lit dinner.
SIXTEENTH DAY – SATURDAY 24TH JULY
Up at 7 am Graeme cooked breaky on the bbq and we left at 8.10 am after filling up our vans water tanks as the water was pretty good/drinkable in Rocky. Filled the van with petrol and began travelling east along the Capricorn Hwy – so named because it follows the Tropic of Capricorn. There was a train track running along most of the way – electric train. We saw a few very long trains carrying coal. I counted over 100 trucks on the train and Graeme calculated that they were about one and half kilometres long. They looked those caterpillars that follow each other nose to tail. There were a lot of wattles out in flower which looks really spectacular. In Blackwater we saw the Leichardt dig tree and Blackwater is the coal capital of Queensland. From Comet (so named because Leichardt saw Haleys Comet here) the terrain became flat and scrubby with trees of silvery leaves. In Emerald we saw the very big painting of Van Gough’s Sunflower painting. This area is renowned for growing sunflowers (which were all seeding), cotton, sorghum, and wheat. We then made away to Rubyvale through Sapphire. This area is well known for the sapphires mined here. We went on a tour at the Miners Heritage Walk-in Mine which was very interesting. We learnt about where the sapphires are found in the ground. We also got a bucket of rocks to have a play with and learnt how to sieve and wash and look for sapphires. We found quite a few small ones in a bucket. This was a fun activity so we bought some rocks to take with us to have a play with. We then found a really nice place to camp in behind Sapphire called Big Bessie Fossicking area. If you wanted to you could get a two dollar fossicking licence and dig for sapphires, but we went there just to camp and after seeing were most other travellers were camping and squashed up on a block of land for the night, we had the best place. There were a few other people camping there also but there place was so big you could easily spread out and not disturb anyone. We think it was close to full moon if not actually full moon, it looked awesome peeking through the trees and the clouds surrounding it every now and then. Off course I tried to take photos and I fiddled with settings on my camera to find the best one to do the job. I think I got some good shots. Graeme cooked an awesome meal of prawns, morton bay bugs and oysters and vegies on the bbq. He spiced the prawns with garlic, chilli and worcestershire sauce and the oysters with worcestershire, bacon garlic and little bit of chilli. They were extremely tasty. Even though it is our wedding anniversary tomorrow we made this our special dinner as we had to cook the seafood. We had a very nice evening under the full moon and stars and candle lit dinner.
Friday, July 23, 2010
FIFTEENTH DAY – 23RD JULY
We got up early – about 6 am to watch the sunrise over the ocean. We were in the perfect spot as we walked along the inlet and to the open sea. The sun came up over the Keppel Islands. It looked amazing when the sun just peeked over the horizon, it was a big ball of fire coming out of the sea. Watched the sunrise for awhile then make our way back to the snail. I was checking out the shells deposited on the beach. There were many different kinds and have to confess I collected a few. We had a quick breaky of cereal then off we went. We arrived at Rosslyn Bay where there is a fish co-op. Graeme wanted to buy some fresh fish but it wasn’t opened yet so went for a walk along the beach. Went back and bought some fish and ice then made our way back to Rocky. We found the caravan park and booked a site for the night. We then went and did a bit of shopping. Graeme wanted to get another ‘sexie coffee’ but this time he waited 45 minutes to get it!!! Hey that is way too long to wait for a coffee – I think anyway, I hope it was worth the wait!! We then went for a drive around the place just to check it out some more then went back to the caravan park. We had showers, relaxed a bit, got changed and ready to go out for dinner. We went to the Great Western Hotel where you can buy dinner and watch a rodeo at the same time. The dinner was BBQ style food – quite nice and the rodeo was young fellas aged from 4 to 16 practicing on various sized poddy calves and bulls. It was quite entertaining and something a bit different. We then went back to camp and settled in for the night.
We got up early – about 6 am to watch the sunrise over the ocean. We were in the perfect spot as we walked along the inlet and to the open sea. The sun came up over the Keppel Islands. It looked amazing when the sun just peeked over the horizon, it was a big ball of fire coming out of the sea. Watched the sunrise for awhile then make our way back to the snail. I was checking out the shells deposited on the beach. There were many different kinds and have to confess I collected a few. We had a quick breaky of cereal then off we went. We arrived at Rosslyn Bay where there is a fish co-op. Graeme wanted to buy some fresh fish but it wasn’t opened yet so went for a walk along the beach. Went back and bought some fish and ice then made our way back to Rocky. We found the caravan park and booked a site for the night. We then went and did a bit of shopping. Graeme wanted to get another ‘sexie coffee’ but this time he waited 45 minutes to get it!!! Hey that is way too long to wait for a coffee – I think anyway, I hope it was worth the wait!! We then went for a drive around the place just to check it out some more then went back to the caravan park. We had showers, relaxed a bit, got changed and ready to go out for dinner. We went to the Great Western Hotel where you can buy dinner and watch a rodeo at the same time. The dinner was BBQ style food – quite nice and the rodeo was young fellas aged from 4 to 16 practicing on various sized poddy calves and bulls. It was quite entertaining and something a bit different. We then went back to camp and settled in for the night.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
FOURTEENTH DAY – 22ND JULY
It was a cold and frosty morning as we got up early, there was mist on the river. Had breakfast of crumpets and set off about 7.50 am towards Rockhampton. There was plenty of bushland and fairly flat. It seemed that we were driving through a valley as there were mountains on both sides of us a fair distance away. The unusual unexpected thing to see was an electric train out in the bush. It just seemed out of place. There were many herds of white Brahman cows that stand out against the brown/green grasses they were eating. As we got closer to Rocky we had to take a detour as the cops had blocked off the hwy – we think there may had been an accident. When we arrived in Rocky there was a big statue of a – Brahman bull. Rocky is apparently beef central!! That would explain all the cows and bull statues everywhere. Apparently the testicles of the bull statues get stolen all the time. We had to laugh when we saw a statue that was all intact including a strip of police tape wrapped around its testicles!! Very Funny. We checked out the info centre as usual and then went and found the Botanical Gardens. This was an amazing collection of plants and they even have a mini zoo there which was a bit of a maze to get through but they are making improvements. They had all kinds of animals and birds – as many as the Australia Zoo only different and the same and it was free! As we continued on Graeme saw a big billboard advertising ‘Sexie Coffee’. He had to check it out so we found the shop and Graeme went in and got himself a sexie coffee and a muffin. We continued on to Capricorn Caves which is north of Rocky. When we got there we found out their tours start on the hour so we had lunch in ‘The Snail’ then went and joined our tour at 1pm. There were lots of school kids floating about and we were worried they might be on the tour but as it turned out there were only five of us and the tour guide called Jan. The caves were about ground caves mostly and they were very interesting. Over many years water has eroded the soft sandstone away and left open caverns – some small, some big enough that they call one the cathedral where they hold weddings, concerts and parties and others are small and squeezy. We enjoyed looking at them. We then travelled towards Jeppoon and we could see Great Keppel Island and a few other islands off the coast. We continued towards Emu Park where we checked out the singing ship which is a monument that when the wind blows through it it makes a tuneful sound. We then decided that we would buy some fish and potato cakes for tea and find a place to stay the night as it was getting late – 4.30 pm. You might laugh about this being late but we intend to travel then find a place to stay at least by 4 if we can and then have time to relax and take the scenery in. We drove past quite a few caravan parks but they looked very very full. We remembered seeing a carpark near the beach which looked ok to stay at so investigated it further. We are now here tucked away in a corner – all by ourselves looking over Causeway Lake which runs out into the sea. There were a few people fishing and walking and I took some more sunset photos!! And it is nice and quiet.
It was a cold and frosty morning as we got up early, there was mist on the river. Had breakfast of crumpets and set off about 7.50 am towards Rockhampton. There was plenty of bushland and fairly flat. It seemed that we were driving through a valley as there were mountains on both sides of us a fair distance away. The unusual unexpected thing to see was an electric train out in the bush. It just seemed out of place. There were many herds of white Brahman cows that stand out against the brown/green grasses they were eating. As we got closer to Rocky we had to take a detour as the cops had blocked off the hwy – we think there may had been an accident. When we arrived in Rocky there was a big statue of a – Brahman bull. Rocky is apparently beef central!! That would explain all the cows and bull statues everywhere. Apparently the testicles of the bull statues get stolen all the time. We had to laugh when we saw a statue that was all intact including a strip of police tape wrapped around its testicles!! Very Funny. We checked out the info centre as usual and then went and found the Botanical Gardens. This was an amazing collection of plants and they even have a mini zoo there which was a bit of a maze to get through but they are making improvements. They had all kinds of animals and birds – as many as the Australia Zoo only different and the same and it was free! As we continued on Graeme saw a big billboard advertising ‘Sexie Coffee’. He had to check it out so we found the shop and Graeme went in and got himself a sexie coffee and a muffin. We continued on to Capricorn Caves which is north of Rocky. When we got there we found out their tours start on the hour so we had lunch in ‘The Snail’ then went and joined our tour at 1pm. There were lots of school kids floating about and we were worried they might be on the tour but as it turned out there were only five of us and the tour guide called Jan. The caves were about ground caves mostly and they were very interesting. Over many years water has eroded the soft sandstone away and left open caverns – some small, some big enough that they call one the cathedral where they hold weddings, concerts and parties and others are small and squeezy. We enjoyed looking at them. We then travelled towards Jeppoon and we could see Great Keppel Island and a few other islands off the coast. We continued towards Emu Park where we checked out the singing ship which is a monument that when the wind blows through it it makes a tuneful sound. We then decided that we would buy some fish and potato cakes for tea and find a place to stay the night as it was getting late – 4.30 pm. You might laugh about this being late but we intend to travel then find a place to stay at least by 4 if we can and then have time to relax and take the scenery in. We drove past quite a few caravan parks but they looked very very full. We remembered seeing a carpark near the beach which looked ok to stay at so investigated it further. We are now here tucked away in a corner – all by ourselves looking over Causeway Lake which runs out into the sea. There were a few people fishing and walking and I took some more sunset photos!! And it is nice and quiet.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
THIRTEENTH DAY – 21ST JULY
Departed Apple Tree Creek at 8 am after having a nice breaky of eggs and bacon etc cooked on the park bbq. Off to Bundaberg we go. There were many sugar cane crops growing and Graeme just had to cut a bit of cane off didn’t he? Yes he did!! There were also some orchards of maybe mangos and lyches or they could have been avocados – not quite sure! Some pine plantations of varying degrees of maturity are also grown along this area. In some of the bush there was a patch of banksias growing which lovely with their big yellow flowers. We arrived in Bundy about 8.50 am. Went to the info place and found out where to find the Bundaberg run factory. We booked ourselves in for the 10 o’clock tour so had a look around at their display/interactive area which was very informative and fun. We then went on the tour. Everyone had to put all things with batteries into a locked locker – and i mean everything – watches, hearing aids and all techno stuff. The reason for this is that if anything should go off or malfunction for any reason it could cause the whole place to blow up!!!!! We were taken around the factory/distillery and saw the millions of litres of molasses which is the bases of the rum. This comes via a pipe from the sugar factory next door. The molasses then is put through various pipes and sieves to be cleaned then in goes water and yeast and into more tanks and distilleries. Then when it is ready it is put in these absolutely huge barrels which stand about 10 -15 meters tall. They are specially made from Canadian white oak which are grown in north America and Canada especially for their barrels. Each barrel cost $70,000 to build. They build them insitue and they have special buildings with about 15 barrels in each one, there are about 8 buildings each with as many barrels in. The contents of each barrel are worth three million dollars!!! Aussies drink one million dollars of bundy rum a day!! Yes a day!!!! And yes we bought some – how could we not!! We continued on our way go Gin Gin. There were lots and lots of sugar cane grown in this area and they were cutting it and transporting it in long trains and trucks to the sugar mills where it gets rolled and crushed and made into sugar, golden syrup, etc and molasses is the bi-product of this process. In Gin Gin we checked out some Mystery Craters. They were very interesting. Some guy decided to do up his garden and discovered these amazing formations under the surface. It is an area were the rock is mixed up colours of ochre, red and black rock and there are big scoops out of it, like someone’s come along and scooped it out with a giant icecream scoop. There are many theories as to why it is like that but no one really knows. We bought a fresh crab sandwich from the Travellers Rest Cafe in Gin Gin which is supposed to be famous, it was ok – a bit boring. I discovered a Hippy Shop with painted VW wagon out front. We continued on up the Bruce hwy towards Rockhampton. We realised we weren’t going to make it to Rocky so decided to camp at Calliope River Rest Area. On the way there was mainly open bush with this great looking long grass which has three colours in each stem in alternating sections. It looked fantastic. There was also plantations of tall skinny gums of some kind and undulating landscape. We finally made it to the rest area and discovered so did many other travellers. We drove all the way to the end to find a spot and found a nice spot under some trees. Graeme made a nice fire which we sat by and cooked our dinner of carrot, zuc and potatos and marinated lamb chops and lamb sausages. When we had eaten that delicious meal I got enthusiastic about cooking things in the fire and so I made dessert of a banana and apple in foil and with chocolate inside them. They didn’t take long to cook and they were very yummy. We are just chilling out and relaxing this evening. What a great day we had.
Departed Apple Tree Creek at 8 am after having a nice breaky of eggs and bacon etc cooked on the park bbq. Off to Bundaberg we go. There were many sugar cane crops growing and Graeme just had to cut a bit of cane off didn’t he? Yes he did!! There were also some orchards of maybe mangos and lyches or they could have been avocados – not quite sure! Some pine plantations of varying degrees of maturity are also grown along this area. In some of the bush there was a patch of banksias growing which lovely with their big yellow flowers. We arrived in Bundy about 8.50 am. Went to the info place and found out where to find the Bundaberg run factory. We booked ourselves in for the 10 o’clock tour so had a look around at their display/interactive area which was very informative and fun. We then went on the tour. Everyone had to put all things with batteries into a locked locker – and i mean everything – watches, hearing aids and all techno stuff. The reason for this is that if anything should go off or malfunction for any reason it could cause the whole place to blow up!!!!! We were taken around the factory/distillery and saw the millions of litres of molasses which is the bases of the rum. This comes via a pipe from the sugar factory next door. The molasses then is put through various pipes and sieves to be cleaned then in goes water and yeast and into more tanks and distilleries. Then when it is ready it is put in these absolutely huge barrels which stand about 10 -15 meters tall. They are specially made from Canadian white oak which are grown in north America and Canada especially for their barrels. Each barrel cost $70,000 to build. They build them insitue and they have special buildings with about 15 barrels in each one, there are about 8 buildings each with as many barrels in. The contents of each barrel are worth three million dollars!!! Aussies drink one million dollars of bundy rum a day!! Yes a day!!!! And yes we bought some – how could we not!! We continued on our way go Gin Gin. There were lots and lots of sugar cane grown in this area and they were cutting it and transporting it in long trains and trucks to the sugar mills where it gets rolled and crushed and made into sugar, golden syrup, etc and molasses is the bi-product of this process. In Gin Gin we checked out some Mystery Craters. They were very interesting. Some guy decided to do up his garden and discovered these amazing formations under the surface. It is an area were the rock is mixed up colours of ochre, red and black rock and there are big scoops out of it, like someone’s come along and scooped it out with a giant icecream scoop. There are many theories as to why it is like that but no one really knows. We bought a fresh crab sandwich from the Travellers Rest Cafe in Gin Gin which is supposed to be famous, it was ok – a bit boring. I discovered a Hippy Shop with painted VW wagon out front. We continued on up the Bruce hwy towards Rockhampton. We realised we weren’t going to make it to Rocky so decided to camp at Calliope River Rest Area. On the way there was mainly open bush with this great looking long grass which has three colours in each stem in alternating sections. It looked fantastic. There was also plantations of tall skinny gums of some kind and undulating landscape. We finally made it to the rest area and discovered so did many other travellers. We drove all the way to the end to find a spot and found a nice spot under some trees. Graeme made a nice fire which we sat by and cooked our dinner of carrot, zuc and potatos and marinated lamb chops and lamb sausages. When we had eaten that delicious meal I got enthusiastic about cooking things in the fire and so I made dessert of a banana and apple in foil and with chocolate inside them. They didn’t take long to cook and they were very yummy. We are just chilling out and relaxing this evening. What a great day we had.
TWELTH DAY – TUESDEAY 20TH JULY
Got up early, had a shower, had breaky, packed up and off we went in convoy again with “the snail” and the hire car. On our way to Maroochydore we dropped into Bunnings - again! to pick up a couple of things Graeme wanted. We then took back the hire car to its home at Budget then set off in the van towards Bundaberg. We actually slipped streamed a truck which is very rare and quite cool. There was undulating landscape and lots of ‘little’ cotten wool ball clouds. Sugar cane is growing extensively and looks majestic with its fluffy top knots of flowers floating in the breeze. We had lunch near a park in Maryborough and had a bit of a drive around looking at the many old buildings around the town. We then continued on the Bruce Highway towards Bundy. We came across a Bird Sanctuary which looked interesting so we decided to have a look. It was a little old and a bit run down, however the new owners have great plans for the place and I think it will be fantastic when all their alterations have been done. It is a big open plan aviary where the birds get to fly around freely. There are a few in cages. There were many different types – too many to name, but there were a couple of little cute young birds that love to sit on your arms, head or hat and were very cheeky. They were very cute and right now I can’t remember the name of them. Directly opposite to the bird sanctuary, across the highway was a really nice looking park area where some campers had already stopped for the night. We thought it looked pretty good and it was 4 pm so we decided to call it a day and settle down for the evening ourselves. There are horses in the paddock two meters away from our van. One came over to have a rub and scratch – very friendly. Graeme cooked tea on the park bbq which by the way worked very well and was very clean. The park is called Apple Tree Creek Park. We actually got TV reception so watched a bit of TV then went to bed. Good night.
Got up early, had a shower, had breaky, packed up and off we went in convoy again with “the snail” and the hire car. On our way to Maroochydore we dropped into Bunnings - again! to pick up a couple of things Graeme wanted. We then took back the hire car to its home at Budget then set off in the van towards Bundaberg. We actually slipped streamed a truck which is very rare and quite cool. There was undulating landscape and lots of ‘little’ cotten wool ball clouds. Sugar cane is growing extensively and looks majestic with its fluffy top knots of flowers floating in the breeze. We had lunch near a park in Maryborough and had a bit of a drive around looking at the many old buildings around the town. We then continued on the Bruce Highway towards Bundy. We came across a Bird Sanctuary which looked interesting so we decided to have a look. It was a little old and a bit run down, however the new owners have great plans for the place and I think it will be fantastic when all their alterations have been done. It is a big open plan aviary where the birds get to fly around freely. There are a few in cages. There were many different types – too many to name, but there were a couple of little cute young birds that love to sit on your arms, head or hat and were very cheeky. They were very cute and right now I can’t remember the name of them. Directly opposite to the bird sanctuary, across the highway was a really nice looking park area where some campers had already stopped for the night. We thought it looked pretty good and it was 4 pm so we decided to call it a day and settle down for the evening ourselves. There are horses in the paddock two meters away from our van. One came over to have a rub and scratch – very friendly. Graeme cooked tea on the park bbq which by the way worked very well and was very clean. The park is called Apple Tree Creek Park. We actually got TV reception so watched a bit of TV then went to bed. Good night.
Monday, July 19, 2010
EIGHTH DAY – FRIDAY 16TH JULY
Got up early, had a walk, had breaky and left Kilcoy about 8 am and it was a cold and frosty morning with sun shining. We arrived in Beewah before 9 am and we decided to visit Australia Zoo, Crikey!! It was pretty good. The animal enclosures were nicely done, however sometimes it was hard to see the animals – I guess they were hiding or not there at all. We walked all around the zoo in about three hours. We saw the big tortoises being fed, the crocs, lots of koalas, kangaroos, and birds. We also saw the majestic tigers. We saw a presentation at ‘The Crocosium’ of a big croc called Graham who’s been around awhile and the big snakes. We missed the elephants. The thing we liked the most was when the birds came in. It was amazing seeing these beautiful creatures flying all around the stadium. They knew exactly what to do. There were amazing coloured parrots, white and black cockatoos, lorikeets, smaller parrots and the most amazing of them all was this one Jabaru which flew in by itself over the top of the stadium and landing in the middle. That was awesome. We left the zoo about 12.30 and reached Maroochydore by 1.10 where we found the Budget Car Rental place to pick up our car. We then convoyed to Nambour where we found the Rainforest Caravan Park. Boy! It was pretty hard for the van to swing around into the driveway of the park. The caravan park is on the side of a hill. It looks nice but when we got to our site we had trouble backing into the site. Other people told us that nearly everyone trying to go on it has had trouble. Graeme managed to get the van into place however managed to bend the wheel on his bike in the process. – not happy!!! After we set up camp we went for a wander around in our hire car which is a Mitsubishi Lancer. Took Graeme’s bike wheel to bike shop – getting a new one. Got our bearings, went back to van, had showers, got ready to go to Maurie and Annies place for dinner. We found our way to Mauries place and quietly went to the front door. We rang the bell. We could here Annie calling to Maurie to answer the door. He came and answered and we shouted “Surprise, Happy Birthday” Maurie was very surprised and I think he was very happy for us to be there. There were lots of hugs and kisses. We met Hannah’s new fiancé Adam, who is a lovely young lad. There were Rachel and Joel and Jessica and her new boyfriend Corray, who was quiet and lovely.(I hope I spelt his name right, sorry if I didn’t) we had a terrific evening with the family. We surprised Maurie again by presenting him with the things that he had chosen from mums stuff which had been packed away in a box in Mikes garage. They had fun opening them like presents as we had wrapped them up. The kids got a kick out of looking at the old slides of which there were many. We had a lovely dinner of a chicken, vegie and rice meal with choc fondu and fruit for dessert. Yummo! They used some of the strawberries from the basket that I arranged to be sent there for Mauries birthday to put him off the scent. It worked he had no idea we were coming. We left their place about 10.40 back to the van. It was a good night.
NINTH DAY – SATURDAY 17TH JULY
Left the van at 7.35 am to go the Eumundi Market. On the way there we dropped into the Jandina Market with was mostly vegies and second hand goods and lots of plants! I wish I could bring some of the plants with us but alas we can’t. Boohoo. We then went onto Eumundi where the market was huge. Much more touristy but good none the less. We bought quite a few things including food, clothes, bits and pieces and food! We were there for a few hours and right before we were about to go we heard a band called ‘Jabaru’ playing which consisted of two people (a couple). I really liked the sound of their music which included a didgeridoo, drums, flutes, shakers, dulcimer and other instruments, it is quite tribal. We bought a couple of their CDs for our trip. We then went to the Ginger Factory and bought some ginger beer and ginger and left. We didn’t do a tour as we have been there before. As we were leaving the ginger factory we discovered ‘The Nut Factory’ opposite which to me was much more enticing than ginger. We had a really nice lunch there and bought some macadamia nut things as well. On our way back through Nambour we dropped into a shop call ‘The Time Machine Shop’ where it was like going back in time where there was all things 50’s, 60’s and 70’s stuff. He had toys, books, magazines, comics, music and you go downstairs to find clothes etc, etc. There is a life size statue of Elvis out the front of the shop. We then went back to van to get ready for Mauries 60th birthday party – we had to dress up in 60’s style clothes. Graeme and I dressed as hippies. We thought this was the easiest. The party was great, seeing people dressed in all kinds of gear. There was a lady who had made a yellow jumpsuit in the 60’s for herself and she still amazingly fits into it. She looked fantastic. We had a sit down smorgasbord meal. Maurie played his guitar which took me back to days when I remember listening to him play when I was little. He was great. I had some great conversations with different people, one being Ross Bird who we haven’t seen in ages. He introduced us to his 18mth old son. I went to Luther with Ross. We practically stayed to the end, which wasn’t terribly late as the party started at 5 and Maurie has to preach three services tomorrow.
TENTH DAY – SUNDAY 18TH JULY
We got to sleep in a bit. Had breaky and went to Nambour church for 10 o’clock service. It is a lovely church – very bright and roomy. Everyone sat on one side of the church. Half the people there were visitors who had come from Brissy for Maurie’s party. Maurie was pretty tired as he had already had two services in the morning and had to do another one later in the day at Witton. So we decided to have a day to ourselves. We went into Alexander Headlands to see the sea and just have a look and then back to Maroochydore and checked out the Sunshine Plaza then went to Bunnings (to get our bunnings fix-heehee) cause Graeme needed to get a few things for the van and then came back to ‘The Snail’ for some lunch and I read the paper and did some much needed washing. Graeme had a fiddle with the float level and carbi in the van. Had a nice tea, watched a bit of tele then went to bed.
ELEVENTH DAY – MONDAY 19TH JULY
I can’t believe it’s been over a week now since we left home. Its starting to feel like we’re on holidays now. We had breaky and then went to Maurie’s place. We hopped into his car and he and Annie took us up the mountains. We stopped at a couple of lookouts to view the Glasshouse Mountains, which are quite spectacular. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of cloud and mist so we couldn’t see the sea as clearly as we hoped. We then went to Mary Cairnscross Scenic Reserve, where we went for a walk through the rainforest. It was amazing to see the big buttressed trees and huge thick wonga vines curling up and around the trees in all directions. The towering strangler fig trees were spectacular as well as the many palms, lichens and fungi. We then went to the town of Maleny where there were many little interesting stores and art/craft shops. There was also an amazing wood shop. We had lunch there in a cute cafe and also had some homemade icecream. We then went onto another town called Montville which is a bigger version of Maleny and more touristy. We had a look at some of the shops – bought some yummy fudge and lollies from a shop called fudgyboombahs – isn’t that a great name? We then went to a waterfall and another rainforest walk which was just as amazing if not more amazing than the first one. And yes, I took lots of photos. We then went back to mauries place had a bit of a chat then we said our good byes which was a bit sad. Hugs and kisses and departed. We came back to van, had tea, watched a bit of tele and then I wrote about the last four days of our trip. We plan to get going early tomorrow as we have quite a bit to do.
Got up early, had a walk, had breaky and left Kilcoy about 8 am and it was a cold and frosty morning with sun shining. We arrived in Beewah before 9 am and we decided to visit Australia Zoo, Crikey!! It was pretty good. The animal enclosures were nicely done, however sometimes it was hard to see the animals – I guess they were hiding or not there at all. We walked all around the zoo in about three hours. We saw the big tortoises being fed, the crocs, lots of koalas, kangaroos, and birds. We also saw the majestic tigers. We saw a presentation at ‘The Crocosium’ of a big croc called Graham who’s been around awhile and the big snakes. We missed the elephants. The thing we liked the most was when the birds came in. It was amazing seeing these beautiful creatures flying all around the stadium. They knew exactly what to do. There were amazing coloured parrots, white and black cockatoos, lorikeets, smaller parrots and the most amazing of them all was this one Jabaru which flew in by itself over the top of the stadium and landing in the middle. That was awesome. We left the zoo about 12.30 and reached Maroochydore by 1.10 where we found the Budget Car Rental place to pick up our car. We then convoyed to Nambour where we found the Rainforest Caravan Park. Boy! It was pretty hard for the van to swing around into the driveway of the park. The caravan park is on the side of a hill. It looks nice but when we got to our site we had trouble backing into the site. Other people told us that nearly everyone trying to go on it has had trouble. Graeme managed to get the van into place however managed to bend the wheel on his bike in the process. – not happy!!! After we set up camp we went for a wander around in our hire car which is a Mitsubishi Lancer. Took Graeme’s bike wheel to bike shop – getting a new one. Got our bearings, went back to van, had showers, got ready to go to Maurie and Annies place for dinner. We found our way to Mauries place and quietly went to the front door. We rang the bell. We could here Annie calling to Maurie to answer the door. He came and answered and we shouted “Surprise, Happy Birthday” Maurie was very surprised and I think he was very happy for us to be there. There were lots of hugs and kisses. We met Hannah’s new fiancé Adam, who is a lovely young lad. There were Rachel and Joel and Jessica and her new boyfriend Corray, who was quiet and lovely.(I hope I spelt his name right, sorry if I didn’t) we had a terrific evening with the family. We surprised Maurie again by presenting him with the things that he had chosen from mums stuff which had been packed away in a box in Mikes garage. They had fun opening them like presents as we had wrapped them up. The kids got a kick out of looking at the old slides of which there were many. We had a lovely dinner of a chicken, vegie and rice meal with choc fondu and fruit for dessert. Yummo! They used some of the strawberries from the basket that I arranged to be sent there for Mauries birthday to put him off the scent. It worked he had no idea we were coming. We left their place about 10.40 back to the van. It was a good night.
NINTH DAY – SATURDAY 17TH JULY
Left the van at 7.35 am to go the Eumundi Market. On the way there we dropped into the Jandina Market with was mostly vegies and second hand goods and lots of plants! I wish I could bring some of the plants with us but alas we can’t. Boohoo. We then went onto Eumundi where the market was huge. Much more touristy but good none the less. We bought quite a few things including food, clothes, bits and pieces and food! We were there for a few hours and right before we were about to go we heard a band called ‘Jabaru’ playing which consisted of two people (a couple). I really liked the sound of their music which included a didgeridoo, drums, flutes, shakers, dulcimer and other instruments, it is quite tribal. We bought a couple of their CDs for our trip. We then went to the Ginger Factory and bought some ginger beer and ginger and left. We didn’t do a tour as we have been there before. As we were leaving the ginger factory we discovered ‘The Nut Factory’ opposite which to me was much more enticing than ginger. We had a really nice lunch there and bought some macadamia nut things as well. On our way back through Nambour we dropped into a shop call ‘The Time Machine Shop’ where it was like going back in time where there was all things 50’s, 60’s and 70’s stuff. He had toys, books, magazines, comics, music and you go downstairs to find clothes etc, etc. There is a life size statue of Elvis out the front of the shop. We then went back to van to get ready for Mauries 60th birthday party – we had to dress up in 60’s style clothes. Graeme and I dressed as hippies. We thought this was the easiest. The party was great, seeing people dressed in all kinds of gear. There was a lady who had made a yellow jumpsuit in the 60’s for herself and she still amazingly fits into it. She looked fantastic. We had a sit down smorgasbord meal. Maurie played his guitar which took me back to days when I remember listening to him play when I was little. He was great. I had some great conversations with different people, one being Ross Bird who we haven’t seen in ages. He introduced us to his 18mth old son. I went to Luther with Ross. We practically stayed to the end, which wasn’t terribly late as the party started at 5 and Maurie has to preach three services tomorrow.
TENTH DAY – SUNDAY 18TH JULY
We got to sleep in a bit. Had breaky and went to Nambour church for 10 o’clock service. It is a lovely church – very bright and roomy. Everyone sat on one side of the church. Half the people there were visitors who had come from Brissy for Maurie’s party. Maurie was pretty tired as he had already had two services in the morning and had to do another one later in the day at Witton. So we decided to have a day to ourselves. We went into Alexander Headlands to see the sea and just have a look and then back to Maroochydore and checked out the Sunshine Plaza then went to Bunnings (to get our bunnings fix-heehee) cause Graeme needed to get a few things for the van and then came back to ‘The Snail’ for some lunch and I read the paper and did some much needed washing. Graeme had a fiddle with the float level and carbi in the van. Had a nice tea, watched a bit of tele then went to bed.
ELEVENTH DAY – MONDAY 19TH JULY
I can’t believe it’s been over a week now since we left home. Its starting to feel like we’re on holidays now. We had breaky and then went to Maurie’s place. We hopped into his car and he and Annie took us up the mountains. We stopped at a couple of lookouts to view the Glasshouse Mountains, which are quite spectacular. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of cloud and mist so we couldn’t see the sea as clearly as we hoped. We then went to Mary Cairnscross Scenic Reserve, where we went for a walk through the rainforest. It was amazing to see the big buttressed trees and huge thick wonga vines curling up and around the trees in all directions. The towering strangler fig trees were spectacular as well as the many palms, lichens and fungi. We then went to the town of Maleny where there were many little interesting stores and art/craft shops. There was also an amazing wood shop. We had lunch there in a cute cafe and also had some homemade icecream. We then went onto another town called Montville which is a bigger version of Maleny and more touristy. We had a look at some of the shops – bought some yummy fudge and lollies from a shop called fudgyboombahs – isn’t that a great name? We then went to a waterfall and another rainforest walk which was just as amazing if not more amazing than the first one. And yes, I took lots of photos. We then went back to mauries place had a bit of a chat then we said our good byes which was a bit sad. Hugs and kisses and departed. We came back to van, had tea, watched a bit of tele and then I wrote about the last four days of our trip. We plan to get going early tomorrow as we have quite a bit to do.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
SEVENTH DAY – THURSDAY 15TH JULY
What a beautiful day, there is a clear blue sky and the sun is shining. We had eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomato for breakfast – Graeme cooks a great ‘bushmans breakfast’ . We packed up ‘The Snail” my nickname for the van and then did another walk. We walked to the Koonin Lookout – which was a great view down Diamond Valley – so called because in the sun the tiny flecks in the rocks glisten like diamonds. If you looked really, really carefully you could see it. There was also these pines called hoop pines – a native tree which is what the lookout is named after, koonin being the aboriginal name for the tree. They grow naturally in wet rocky areas. On our return walk we trekked down to the Waterhole. This was a lovely place and I’m glad we made the effort – had to climb over rocks to get to it. It is a big deep water hole naturally carved out in between rock walls – we saw it from above on our walk yesterday but it looked so much prettier up close. We could also see the ‘waterfall’ that we saw yesterday a bit better, but it was still only a piddle of a falls. We then walked back to our van and left the campsite back to the town Crows Nest. We saw a statue of Jimmy Crow who the name of the town was named after. He was an aboriginal who lived in a big hollowed out tree which people called Jimmy’s Crows Nest – hence the name. We also stopped and looked in a very big Antique shop. They had a really lovely brass statue of pixie/elf which stood about a metre tall. He was holding a frog in one hand and had a frog in a bag on his back. Hey – I just liked it! We continued towards our next nights stop over. Along the way we were behind a double decker cow carrying truck – stinky. The terrain was steepish in sections and mostly undulating. There were quite a few Brahman herds. There were also some wineries although we couldn’t see the grapes being grown. We stopped in Yarraman to get a couple of supplies from the IGA. After this the terrain looked very ochre and dry. We arrived in Kilcoy and saw a nice camping area so we decided to stop here. We were going to go to another place off the track a bit (40 km away) but decided this place looked ok. It will mean we won’t have to go as far tomorrow. We are heading to Nambour. Can’t wait to see my brothers face when we go to his place tomorrow night for his 60th birthday tea with the family. Everyone knows we’re coming except my brother.
What a beautiful day, there is a clear blue sky and the sun is shining. We had eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomato for breakfast – Graeme cooks a great ‘bushmans breakfast’ . We packed up ‘The Snail” my nickname for the van and then did another walk. We walked to the Koonin Lookout – which was a great view down Diamond Valley – so called because in the sun the tiny flecks in the rocks glisten like diamonds. If you looked really, really carefully you could see it. There was also these pines called hoop pines – a native tree which is what the lookout is named after, koonin being the aboriginal name for the tree. They grow naturally in wet rocky areas. On our return walk we trekked down to the Waterhole. This was a lovely place and I’m glad we made the effort – had to climb over rocks to get to it. It is a big deep water hole naturally carved out in between rock walls – we saw it from above on our walk yesterday but it looked so much prettier up close. We could also see the ‘waterfall’ that we saw yesterday a bit better, but it was still only a piddle of a falls. We then walked back to our van and left the campsite back to the town Crows Nest. We saw a statue of Jimmy Crow who the name of the town was named after. He was an aboriginal who lived in a big hollowed out tree which people called Jimmy’s Crows Nest – hence the name. We also stopped and looked in a very big Antique shop. They had a really lovely brass statue of pixie/elf which stood about a metre tall. He was holding a frog in one hand and had a frog in a bag on his back. Hey – I just liked it! We continued towards our next nights stop over. Along the way we were behind a double decker cow carrying truck – stinky. The terrain was steepish in sections and mostly undulating. There were quite a few Brahman herds. There were also some wineries although we couldn’t see the grapes being grown. We stopped in Yarraman to get a couple of supplies from the IGA. After this the terrain looked very ochre and dry. We arrived in Kilcoy and saw a nice camping area so we decided to stop here. We were going to go to another place off the track a bit (40 km away) but decided this place looked ok. It will mean we won’t have to go as far tomorrow. We are heading to Nambour. Can’t wait to see my brothers face when we go to his place tomorrow night for his 60th birthday tea with the family. Everyone knows we’re coming except my brother.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
SIXTH DAY – WEDNESDAY 14TH JULY
It began to rain about 5.30 am really heavily and didn’t stop. It was also windy so we slept in a bit. We were in no hurry to get going as we only needed to be in Goondiwindi by 9.00 am so Graeme could pick up parts for the van – just in case!! We left Boggabilla about 8.40 after having breakfast and packing up. It only took about 15 mins to get to Goondi. We found the Repco store where a part was being delivered for us and it had arrived so all is good. It appears to be a nice tidy town, nice gardens and parks around. We are now finally in Queensland. We filled up on fuel and off we continued north towards Toowoomba. The terrain is very flat where crops of maybe corn or maize and cereal crops have been grown. The wayside stops in Queensland are not as nicely kept as the NSW ones. We have noticed prickly pear is rampant in the bushland along the roads. In section the prickly pear bushes were fruiting so of course Graeme stopped to pick/cut off some pears to try out. Some of the bushes are enormous – as big as some of the trees. Graeme recksons they need to get the beetle that eradicated it someone else, he thinks its called the Cockchaffer Beatle – I’ll have to look that one up when I get a chance. Saw a few wallabies just having a nibble along the roadside. It was drizzling most of the morning and complete cloud cover. We had a toilet break in Millmerran and discovered the town has some great murals on some of the old buildings and big water tank so we checked them out. We then kept going and noticed that the paddocks don’t have any fences in this area as they are all crops and very large ones as well. As we approached Toowoomba it became hilly and also got quite cold. We ended up putting on more clothes. We found the info centre and then tried to buy another battery for my camera. Went to Harvey norman, good guys, then Owens Cameras and had no luck – no one had one in stock but could order one – didn’t really have the time for that. It didn’t really matter I just wanted another back up one as the ones I have are getting old and don’t hold their charge so well anymore. But they’ll have to do. We continued on to the find the Crows Nest National Park were we have decided to stay the night. There were lots of baby pine trees growing as well as adults and teenager pines! along the way. It was a little bit hilly to get to but not bad. We had to register and pay – honour system really. Then picked a site. There is only one other couple here and we can’t even see them – hidden behind the toilet block. It is a lovely place. Very quiet and peaceful surrounded by bush. We set up camp and then went for a walk on one of the walking tracks to Crows Nest falls. It was a lovely walk through bush and along a very craggy rocky creek to the falls. Well! I was a bit disappointed by the ‘falls’ of which there was a trickle- if that, however there was a big water hole which is surrounded by rock cliffs – quite spectacular. It was worth the walk. We got back to camp before the sun went down. Graeme made a great fire and we cooked our vegies in foil in the coals of the fire. I also cooked a little roast beef in the oven. We had a lovely dinner with a glass of red on the side. I even managed to get the internet here so will attempt to add this to my blog.
It began to rain about 5.30 am really heavily and didn’t stop. It was also windy so we slept in a bit. We were in no hurry to get going as we only needed to be in Goondiwindi by 9.00 am so Graeme could pick up parts for the van – just in case!! We left Boggabilla about 8.40 after having breakfast and packing up. It only took about 15 mins to get to Goondi. We found the Repco store where a part was being delivered for us and it had arrived so all is good. It appears to be a nice tidy town, nice gardens and parks around. We are now finally in Queensland. We filled up on fuel and off we continued north towards Toowoomba. The terrain is very flat where crops of maybe corn or maize and cereal crops have been grown. The wayside stops in Queensland are not as nicely kept as the NSW ones. We have noticed prickly pear is rampant in the bushland along the roads. In section the prickly pear bushes were fruiting so of course Graeme stopped to pick/cut off some pears to try out. Some of the bushes are enormous – as big as some of the trees. Graeme recksons they need to get the beetle that eradicated it someone else, he thinks its called the Cockchaffer Beatle – I’ll have to look that one up when I get a chance. Saw a few wallabies just having a nibble along the roadside. It was drizzling most of the morning and complete cloud cover. We had a toilet break in Millmerran and discovered the town has some great murals on some of the old buildings and big water tank so we checked them out. We then kept going and noticed that the paddocks don’t have any fences in this area as they are all crops and very large ones as well. As we approached Toowoomba it became hilly and also got quite cold. We ended up putting on more clothes. We found the info centre and then tried to buy another battery for my camera. Went to Harvey norman, good guys, then Owens Cameras and had no luck – no one had one in stock but could order one – didn’t really have the time for that. It didn’t really matter I just wanted another back up one as the ones I have are getting old and don’t hold their charge so well anymore. But they’ll have to do. We continued on to the find the Crows Nest National Park were we have decided to stay the night. There were lots of baby pine trees growing as well as adults and teenager pines! along the way. It was a little bit hilly to get to but not bad. We had to register and pay – honour system really. Then picked a site. There is only one other couple here and we can’t even see them – hidden behind the toilet block. It is a lovely place. Very quiet and peaceful surrounded by bush. We set up camp and then went for a walk on one of the walking tracks to Crows Nest falls. It was a lovely walk through bush and along a very craggy rocky creek to the falls. Well! I was a bit disappointed by the ‘falls’ of which there was a trickle- if that, however there was a big water hole which is surrounded by rock cliffs – quite spectacular. It was worth the walk. We got back to camp before the sun went down. Graeme made a great fire and we cooked our vegies in foil in the coals of the fire. I also cooked a little roast beef in the oven. We had a lovely dinner with a glass of red on the side. I even managed to get the internet here so will attempt to add this to my blog.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
FIFTH DAY – TUESDAY 13TH JULY
I got up bright and early about 6.20 am to see the sunrise. It was just beginning so I got dressed and went out. It was a beautiful coolish morning with the sunrise over the lake. I took quite a few photos and thinking the sunrise had finished I then realized that the sky was changing again. A peek of red began in-between the clouds and as I watched it got brighter and bigger and then after about 20 mins. The whole sky was firey red and oranges it was amazing. It was like there were two sunrises on one morning. Of course I took more photos and then decided to go for a bike ride around the other side of the lake. I took more photos from that angle then when it was clear that the sun had finally come up I went back to the camper. Graeme was up by now and was beginning to pack up. I went and had a really nice shower – it had one of those old shower roses and lovely hot water. We had breakfast and off we went back in Narrabri where we bought some groceries and fuel before leaving about 9.45 am. The road to Goondiwindi was pretty straight and very flat. Along these plains they grow wheat, cotton and canola crops. Along the sides of the road there are little white fluff balls – cotton which has fallen out of the trucks. In some spots it almost looks like snow. When we got to Moree Graeme dropped into the Repco store to pick up parts he had ordered yesterday, for the van – just in case. We dropped into the info centre then went and had a swim and soak in the Artisian Swimming Pool which was very relaxing and hot at 40 deg. C. We only stayed there for about half an hour before checking out the Art Gallery. We had lunch alongside the Meha River then left Moree at 1.35pm. There was a lot of traffic along this road – lots of trucks caravans and campers. We headed towards Boggabilla just this side in NSW. We arrived here about 3.30, found the caravan park and settled in. It is a quiet little place with a few permanent residences. The manager of the park is a large lady with not many teeth which may give an indication of what some of the residence are like. There was a really nice sunset which I guess I’m going to have to get used to – put how can anyone get sick of the beauty of sunsets – they are awesome!! I tried to get the internet but failed – no reception. We managed to get the TV though.
I got up bright and early about 6.20 am to see the sunrise. It was just beginning so I got dressed and went out. It was a beautiful coolish morning with the sunrise over the lake. I took quite a few photos and thinking the sunrise had finished I then realized that the sky was changing again. A peek of red began in-between the clouds and as I watched it got brighter and bigger and then after about 20 mins. The whole sky was firey red and oranges it was amazing. It was like there were two sunrises on one morning. Of course I took more photos and then decided to go for a bike ride around the other side of the lake. I took more photos from that angle then when it was clear that the sun had finally come up I went back to the camper. Graeme was up by now and was beginning to pack up. I went and had a really nice shower – it had one of those old shower roses and lovely hot water. We had breakfast and off we went back in Narrabri where we bought some groceries and fuel before leaving about 9.45 am. The road to Goondiwindi was pretty straight and very flat. Along these plains they grow wheat, cotton and canola crops. Along the sides of the road there are little white fluff balls – cotton which has fallen out of the trucks. In some spots it almost looks like snow. When we got to Moree Graeme dropped into the Repco store to pick up parts he had ordered yesterday, for the van – just in case. We dropped into the info centre then went and had a swim and soak in the Artisian Swimming Pool which was very relaxing and hot at 40 deg. C. We only stayed there for about half an hour before checking out the Art Gallery. We had lunch alongside the Meha River then left Moree at 1.35pm. There was a lot of traffic along this road – lots of trucks caravans and campers. We headed towards Boggabilla just this side in NSW. We arrived here about 3.30, found the caravan park and settled in. It is a quiet little place with a few permanent residences. The manager of the park is a large lady with not many teeth which may give an indication of what some of the residence are like. There was a really nice sunset which I guess I’m going to have to get used to – put how can anyone get sick of the beauty of sunsets – they are awesome!! I tried to get the internet but failed – no reception. We managed to get the TV though.
THE FOURTH DAY – MONDAY 12 JULY
Well last night was terrible it rained pretty much most of the night. This morning was drizzling and we decided to leave. We packed up, had breakfast, I took some photos of the cute rocky creek that now has water flowing and off we went. We only left at 10.00am. stopped at the visitors centre to pay our nights fee and buy a couple of post cards to remind us of what we didn’t get to see due to the rain and fog and headed off. Most of the morning was drizzly and wet. The van behaved itself at least. Between Coonabarabran and Narrabri we drove through the Pilinga State Forest which is apparently as big as Belgium. The forest is the largest remaining native forest on the Australian continent. The sun peeked through near Narrabri and the clouds were braking up. Saw a very very small black and white bird flit in front of us very fast – ill have to look it up in the bird book. We reached Narrabri 12.45 pm. It is a very nice neat town. We stopped to look at a local craft shop. We had lunch near the Narrabri creek which was a nice spot. We went to the info centre and then I got some money out. We headed towards Mt Kaputa National Park where we thought we would stay the night however where we were lead to believe from our book a camp should be it was no longer there, we were disappointed. So what were we going to do? We headed back into Narrabri and had some choices of caravan parks in town or we discovered - in the book, a camp near a lake called Yarrie Lake – a bit out of town. We decided to risk it and go for the lake camp. We went past the CSIRO Australia Telescope – went in and took a photo then left – hey it was a big dish what can I say. Then we headed towards the lake. We finally got there and well!! We were pleasantly surprised. We were the only ones there/here . We paid our 20 bucks for a powered site then promptly got our bikes off and went for a ride around the lake. Graeme was looking for firewood to make a fire and I was taking photos. The sun was going down and the lake with clouds above made for some beautiful sunset pictures. There was a wetlands with many kinds of birds flying around squarking and looking for a place for the night. It was amazing. This was the best choice and all turned out for the best in the end. Graeme has made a great fire and we even had a fire to cook our dinner over in the bbq. The night is clear and mild and one can see many stars twinkling in the sky. What a beautiful night. aaahhhhh
Well last night was terrible it rained pretty much most of the night. This morning was drizzling and we decided to leave. We packed up, had breakfast, I took some photos of the cute rocky creek that now has water flowing and off we went. We only left at 10.00am. stopped at the visitors centre to pay our nights fee and buy a couple of post cards to remind us of what we didn’t get to see due to the rain and fog and headed off. Most of the morning was drizzly and wet. The van behaved itself at least. Between Coonabarabran and Narrabri we drove through the Pilinga State Forest which is apparently as big as Belgium. The forest is the largest remaining native forest on the Australian continent. The sun peeked through near Narrabri and the clouds were braking up. Saw a very very small black and white bird flit in front of us very fast – ill have to look it up in the bird book. We reached Narrabri 12.45 pm. It is a very nice neat town. We stopped to look at a local craft shop. We had lunch near the Narrabri creek which was a nice spot. We went to the info centre and then I got some money out. We headed towards Mt Kaputa National Park where we thought we would stay the night however where we were lead to believe from our book a camp should be it was no longer there, we were disappointed. So what were we going to do? We headed back into Narrabri and had some choices of caravan parks in town or we discovered - in the book, a camp near a lake called Yarrie Lake – a bit out of town. We decided to risk it and go for the lake camp. We went past the CSIRO Australia Telescope – went in and took a photo then left – hey it was a big dish what can I say. Then we headed towards the lake. We finally got there and well!! We were pleasantly surprised. We were the only ones there/here . We paid our 20 bucks for a powered site then promptly got our bikes off and went for a ride around the lake. Graeme was looking for firewood to make a fire and I was taking photos. The sun was going down and the lake with clouds above made for some beautiful sunset pictures. There was a wetlands with many kinds of birds flying around squarking and looking for a place for the night. It was amazing. This was the best choice and all turned out for the best in the end. Graeme has made a great fire and we even had a fire to cook our dinner over in the bbq. The night is clear and mild and one can see many stars twinkling in the sky. What a beautiful night. aaahhhhh
THE THIRD DAY – SUNDAY 11 JULY
As it turned out the wayside stop was not a good place to stop as nearly every big rig must have stopped for short breaks and left again. And you could hear all the trucks going past on the road all night and I mean ALL night. We had gone to bed early last night so we would get up early this morning to get going by 8.20 am. We saw a statue of Ben Hall in Forbes and saw the The Dish in the distance. ( we had seen it up close the last time we came through!) the weather was very overcast and the occasional spots of rain. The terrain became more undulating as we continued north. When we got to Peak Hill we dropped into the info centre where there was an old lady there whom we asked if she knew where the flora and fauna park is. She proceeded to explain to us about a big place where she used to go with her dad when she was little. She kept talking about all sorts of stuff until we had finished buying a couple of things and said goodbye. I had read about this flora and fauna park in a book so we decided to go look for it ourselves. We found it in a few minutes and it was literary a hop skip and jump from the info centre. I couldn’t understand why the lady had no idea about this park. We went for a walk and it was quite nice – needed quite a bit of work but it had a lot of potential. We had morning tea and then kept going. Filled up petrol in Gilgandra then the unthinkable happened. As we were going up a hill the van got slower and slower and I asked Graeme is something wrong. Then we stopped on the side of the road. I felt kind of sick thinking what was wrong and prayed that what ever it is Graeme could fix it. Graeme checked things and discovered it was the float in the carby that had stuck up which wouldn’t let the fuel through. So he fixed it and off we went again. Thank you God that Graeme is a mechanic – anyone else would have been stuck. We saw a fox run across the road on our way to the Warrenbungle National Park where we are going to stay the night. We also came across some cattle crossing the road and some emus in the paddock and some wallabies along the way. We finally got to the camp site chose a powered site in the older section where you can have a fire and settled in for the night. Graeme went a found some wood for the fire and ended up covered in some sort of seeds from a weed. We had to pull them out one by one – very funny. Then Graeme attempted to make a fire which didn’t really work – having wet wood and no paper. Then the little girl next door – I think her name is Emma – came over and asked us if we wanted some fire sticks from their lovely big fire to start our one. How sweet. So we got our fire going with the help of next door. I think they felt sorry for us. We had a bbq tea. We played two games of battle ship then Graeme went to bed and I down loaded my photos and began writing about the first three days of our trip. It really helps when we have ‘real’ electricity. Hee hee. We played a game of golf on the computer which was fun.
As it turned out the wayside stop was not a good place to stop as nearly every big rig must have stopped for short breaks and left again. And you could hear all the trucks going past on the road all night and I mean ALL night. We had gone to bed early last night so we would get up early this morning to get going by 8.20 am. We saw a statue of Ben Hall in Forbes and saw the The Dish in the distance. ( we had seen it up close the last time we came through!) the weather was very overcast and the occasional spots of rain. The terrain became more undulating as we continued north. When we got to Peak Hill we dropped into the info centre where there was an old lady there whom we asked if she knew where the flora and fauna park is. She proceeded to explain to us about a big place where she used to go with her dad when she was little. She kept talking about all sorts of stuff until we had finished buying a couple of things and said goodbye. I had read about this flora and fauna park in a book so we decided to go look for it ourselves. We found it in a few minutes and it was literary a hop skip and jump from the info centre. I couldn’t understand why the lady had no idea about this park. We went for a walk and it was quite nice – needed quite a bit of work but it had a lot of potential. We had morning tea and then kept going. Filled up petrol in Gilgandra then the unthinkable happened. As we were going up a hill the van got slower and slower and I asked Graeme is something wrong. Then we stopped on the side of the road. I felt kind of sick thinking what was wrong and prayed that what ever it is Graeme could fix it. Graeme checked things and discovered it was the float in the carby that had stuck up which wouldn’t let the fuel through. So he fixed it and off we went again. Thank you God that Graeme is a mechanic – anyone else would have been stuck. We saw a fox run across the road on our way to the Warrenbungle National Park where we are going to stay the night. We also came across some cattle crossing the road and some emus in the paddock and some wallabies along the way. We finally got to the camp site chose a powered site in the older section where you can have a fire and settled in for the night. Graeme went a found some wood for the fire and ended up covered in some sort of seeds from a weed. We had to pull them out one by one – very funny. Then Graeme attempted to make a fire which didn’t really work – having wet wood and no paper. Then the little girl next door – I think her name is Emma – came over and asked us if we wanted some fire sticks from their lovely big fire to start our one. How sweet. So we got our fire going with the help of next door. I think they felt sorry for us. We had a bbq tea. We played two games of battle ship then Graeme went to bed and I down loaded my photos and began writing about the first three days of our trip. It really helps when we have ‘real’ electricity. Hee hee. We played a game of golf on the computer which was fun.
THE SECOND DAY – SATURDAY 10 JULY
Graeme had woken up and realized there was a lovely sunrise. So I got up and had to take some photos. He wasn’t wrong. It was an amazing sunrise over the Murray. The colours were almost red and pinks – truly spectacular. We left at 9.30 after a breakfast of bacon and eggs. While driving up north on the Newel Highway we saw flocks of budgies and other birds. The terrain is very flat and is ideal for the rice they grow there. In Jerilderie we saw a big windmill called “Steelwings” which was made in the 1900’s, is one of only two of its kind in the world. In Marundah we discovered a couple of metal sculptures. One was of a kangaroo – very cute and the other was of a full size horse and rider. The horse and rider was absolutely amazing. It was made up of hundreds of old tools and bits and pieces and made perfectly to scale. We stopped at Narrandera Wetlands and had lunch. In West Wyalong we saw a plane – Douglas DC3 Dakota which was built in 1943 in Oklahoma city. We stopped for the night at Marsden wayside stop.
Graeme had woken up and realized there was a lovely sunrise. So I got up and had to take some photos. He wasn’t wrong. It was an amazing sunrise over the Murray. The colours were almost red and pinks – truly spectacular. We left at 9.30 after a breakfast of bacon and eggs. While driving up north on the Newel Highway we saw flocks of budgies and other birds. The terrain is very flat and is ideal for the rice they grow there. In Jerilderie we saw a big windmill called “Steelwings” which was made in the 1900’s, is one of only two of its kind in the world. In Marundah we discovered a couple of metal sculptures. One was of a kangaroo – very cute and the other was of a full size horse and rider. The horse and rider was absolutely amazing. It was made up of hundreds of old tools and bits and pieces and made perfectly to scale. We stopped at Narrandera Wetlands and had lunch. In West Wyalong we saw a plane – Douglas DC3 Dakota which was built in 1943 in Oklahoma city. We stopped for the night at Marsden wayside stop.
THE FIRST DAY - Friday 9 JULY 2010
We said goodbye to Josh who was the only one home and the doggies – I gave them each a treat, and off we went in our fully packed up old jalopy of a van. We left Vermont about 9.10 am hoping to miss some of the traffic. We filled up with petrol at Craigebourne. For me it was hard to believe that we were finally off on a trip we had talked about for so long. I kept thinking of the kids and the doggies and Nana hoping everything will be alright while we are gone. We stopped in Mangalore – we looked for a stop No. 260 that was in the book which sounded nice but discovered it doesn’t exist anymore but we had morning tea anyway in a dead end road that was quite pretty with trees all around. Not quite the start we had in mind – it can only get better from here. When we got into Shepperton we went to the SPC factory only to discover that it wasn’t were it used to be. We asked a lady walking along the street if she knew where it was she told us its near Kmart in the middle of Shep town. Ok so we headed back into Shep and actually found the SPC outlet really easily which was a plus. We bought a good amount of supplies such as tins of tuna, salmon, small fruit boxes, herbs, nuts and lollies. This should keep us going for awhile. We then headed off and discovered theres a Campbells outlet as well so we had to stop. The lady gave us some free hot soup – pea and ham – very nice, just what we needed as we hadn’t had lunch yet and it was about 2pm. We bought some soups and off we continued. We found this beautiful quiet spot along the Murray River on the Victorian side near Tocumwal. We set up camp and went for a bit of a walk. There was quite a good track and I had an urge to go for a bike ride along it so I did. It was lovely and peaceful. The birds beginning to roost for the night and the sun going down. When I got back Graeme had made tea. We sat outside and ate. We then attempted to get TV which we did – amazing. We watched our favourite shows for a Friday night. Then went to bed. It was a good first day.
We said goodbye to Josh who was the only one home and the doggies – I gave them each a treat, and off we went in our fully packed up old jalopy of a van. We left Vermont about 9.10 am hoping to miss some of the traffic. We filled up with petrol at Craigebourne. For me it was hard to believe that we were finally off on a trip we had talked about for so long. I kept thinking of the kids and the doggies and Nana hoping everything will be alright while we are gone. We stopped in Mangalore – we looked for a stop No. 260 that was in the book which sounded nice but discovered it doesn’t exist anymore but we had morning tea anyway in a dead end road that was quite pretty with trees all around. Not quite the start we had in mind – it can only get better from here. When we got into Shepperton we went to the SPC factory only to discover that it wasn’t were it used to be. We asked a lady walking along the street if she knew where it was she told us its near Kmart in the middle of Shep town. Ok so we headed back into Shep and actually found the SPC outlet really easily which was a plus. We bought a good amount of supplies such as tins of tuna, salmon, small fruit boxes, herbs, nuts and lollies. This should keep us going for awhile. We then headed off and discovered theres a Campbells outlet as well so we had to stop. The lady gave us some free hot soup – pea and ham – very nice, just what we needed as we hadn’t had lunch yet and it was about 2pm. We bought some soups and off we continued. We found this beautiful quiet spot along the Murray River on the Victorian side near Tocumwal. We set up camp and went for a bit of a walk. There was quite a good track and I had an urge to go for a bike ride along it so I did. It was lovely and peaceful. The birds beginning to roost for the night and the sun going down. When I got back Graeme had made tea. We sat outside and ate. We then attempted to get TV which we did – amazing. We watched our favourite shows for a Friday night. Then went to bed. It was a good first day.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
A week till we leave on our big trip
Well I managed to set up a blog for the first time. I hope this works as Im not familiar with blogs or blogging but thought it could be a fun thing to do so bare with me while I learn how to do this.
It is a week before we head off on our big trip. there is so much to do. I have one more day of work then HOLIDAYS!! I can't wait this has been a long time coming. Graeme has been preparing the old campervan in his spare time. We had trouble with the water tanks but now have two brand spanking new ones so hopefully no water leaks anymore!! We are taking two push bikes and I want to make a cover to protect them so this is going to be a bit of a project to try and get done before we go. I have been buying a few supplies to take with which are in the van already. I am thinking of upgrading my phone but not sure what to get so this is something else I need to investigate. We are very happy to have Graemes mum settling into Alawarra a low level care facility. this has taken a lot of our time over the past month. So now I am trying to concentrate a bit more on our big trip.
It is a week before we head off on our big trip. there is so much to do. I have one more day of work then HOLIDAYS!! I can't wait this has been a long time coming. Graeme has been preparing the old campervan in his spare time. We had trouble with the water tanks but now have two brand spanking new ones so hopefully no water leaks anymore!! We are taking two push bikes and I want to make a cover to protect them so this is going to be a bit of a project to try and get done before we go. I have been buying a few supplies to take with which are in the van already. I am thinking of upgrading my phone but not sure what to get so this is something else I need to investigate. We are very happy to have Graemes mum settling into Alawarra a low level care facility. this has taken a lot of our time over the past month. So now I am trying to concentrate a bit more on our big trip.
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