27/28 March 2011 - Canberra - Myrtleford, North East Victoria

Hit the road again on a sunny morning, only about 4 hours to drive today along the Hume Highway which flows from Sydney to Melbourne.  Stopped for morning cuppa (from the van), at the little old town of Yass which has certainly seen better days & looked a bit depressed.  However it did have some wonderful  old buildings like the Oddfellows Hall, Post Office & the Courthouse which was magnificent, all still being used & in good condition.  On from there to Gundegai - some of you may know the old song 'On the road to Gundegai' which has a monument of a dog on a tucker box. It used to be in the centre of the main road, but sadly the highway now bypasses it.  Apparently it has been suggested that it be moved but the locals have fought that idea, so now there is a sign on the highway to direct people to the site.  I guess unless you knew what it was, you wouldn't bother.  Apart from that historical feature there isn't much of great interest in the town, but we were to meet up with our four friends there who were the organisers of the cycling tour.  We stayed the night there in a lovely little caravan park by a river & beside a couple of very old historical railway bridges.  Stuart was very taken by them.  Our friends told us that in years not too far past it was possible to walk over them, but they are now in a pretty bad way, so have been locked off.  We were very amused by the sign which stated 'This is a managed ruin!'    Victoria is trying to use all the old railway lines are rail trails, so it's a shame they weren't able to be saved for that - would be marvellous to cycle over provided they put rails on the sides - pretty scary otherwise.  See photo.

Next morning we all set off for Myrtelford separately as we intended stopping to look at a few things & the others had done the route many times before.  As usual by 10am we were looking for a stopover for the 'cuppa' & came across this little town called Holbrook with a giant submarine in a park as you enter the town.  Naturally we stopped to find out why there would be a submarine so far from the sea.  Apparently Holbrook was named after a local family, one of who in recent times was a navel commander of the said submarine HMAS Otway  built sometime in the 60's. It certainly makes people stop - there were busloads of people leaving as we arrived so it is obviously good for the town.  Next stop was Albury right on the NSW/Victoria border, a very large town, so we filled up with diesel & continued on, not being town lovers.  It was quite a long drive, nice blue mountains in the distance, very little traffic which seems to be normal here once you leave a township.  It must cost billions to keep all these highways maintained & we have seen lots of construction through every section of our trip so far.  And when I say construction, it is BIG!  Fascinating to see how they do the concrete highways & the machinery they use.  The other aspect we noticed is that rather than hold up traffic to improve the highway, they often just make another alongside. 
After turning off the Hume Highway  toward the alpine region, the roads became much more winding & hilly, & the little townships much more historic & attractive.  We stopped at Beechworth which is gorgeous.  The old shops are all in beautiful condition & when you step through their doors it is almost like going back in time.  Many of them have windows which  have original signage & some of them are quite tiny inside.  There are several oldfashioned bakeries, &  lots of cafes but they all have an old fashioned air about them apart from the modern coffee machines & modern cuisine.  It's just a marvellous atmosphere & we intend to revisit as it's not far from where we will be based for the next 4 days.  Finally made Myrtleford , another nice little town, about 1.30pm & lunched at 2pm, so it's a miracle Stu didn't expire on me - you probably all know his habit of eating at specific times.  Anyway it is a marvellous little camp, very laid back & owned by a lovely friendly couple.   It is absolutely full of cyclists, young & old.  There is a rail trail here, but many of them do road cycling as well & I understand we will do a bit of both.  I'm feeling nervous to be in a group of 14 experienced cyclists, but nothing is compulsory & there are also walks, so although there is a programme, there is also free choice.  I'm glad I had some training with my 35kms around Canberra which should help.  Time will tell.  We were the first to arrive, then our friends, & slowly the rest of the group, all really nice & 60+, some 70.  Stay tuned for the first days cycling tomorrow.

26 - 27 March 2011 Canberra, ACT

 

Left Jervis Bay after a cool night & a cool morning , passing through lots more little coastal places on side roads, too numerous to stop at them all.  Also lots & lots of lakes.  We were heading  for Bateman's Bay further down the south coast where we stopped for morning tea.  Again there is a connection to the navy in this area in that they have holiday cabins here for naval staff.  It's a pretty little bay with a river running into it on the edge of town, & is very popular for fishing, both recreational & commercial.  Consequently it has a little 'port' which had a number of quite sizeable fishing boats at anchor.  Just a little south of Bateman's we turned inland onto the Kings Highway in the direction of Canberra.  The surrounding landscape changed quite a bit to rolling hills not quite so green as we had earlier experienced.  Obviously not so much rain in that area.    Despite our research, it was very difficult to find a caravan park in Canberra, so we opted to head for Queanbeyan, about 5  minutes south-east of the city.  However, on arrival we discovered there was 'no room at the inn'.  In actual fact we were both quite pleased as we weren't very impressed with it as it was in the middle of a residential area & very small with difficult access & small sites.  After several phone calls we found a vacancy at another park about 20 minutes north of the city.   This proved to be a much better option as it was very rural, nice family park, very quiet & good facilities at a reasonable price ($25 powered site).  Next morning we drove to the i-site on the outskirts of Canberra to get information about what to see, hoping that we could cycle rather than drive.  It is a marvellous place to do just that, with cycle tracks on almost every road in the city, plus many offroad tracks for recreational cycling.  At first I was very nervous about cycling on the road bit, but it really is a breeze & quite safe.  The driver's are all very cycle conscious & most polite, so give way to you if you are crossing a road where there are no lights & they are turning.  We visited the National Gallery of Australia  which was really interesting, some amazing old paintings by some of the old masters like Matisse, Gaughin, Monet etc.  Also a lot of VERY modern abstracts, which we were rather scathing about, but our favourites were the Australian landscapes which were very good & also the indigenous art. All a matter of taste of course.   Next to the Gallery was a lakeside park full of the most interesting sculptures by artists around the world, including a 'fog' garden  & I found it lovely to watch the passing children & their fascination with it.  We felt we had done our 'cultured'  bit by then,  so next was the political bit, when  we visited  Capital Hill.  Next was the recreational part, so we cycled right around Lake Burley Griffin, a distance of 35km which I enjoyed until the last quarter which became quite hilly though Stuart had no problem.  Most of the ride was gently shaded by autumn trees which were just changing into their autumn apparel.  Apparently they are a bit late this year as it's been so warm in this area.  It had become quite hot by then after a very cool start to the day.  The nights here are quite cool too at present.  Canberra  really is a lovely city, so pristine, but all very new looking so no real character in our opinion.  However, it has parks everywhere & so many people cycling & Lake Burley Griffin is obviously a wonderful water playground.  We saw dragonboating, yachting, pedalboats, kayaks, & dinghies.  They are obviously very fitness minded, as all around the lakes there are exercise 'posts', some for situps, pushups, stepups, body curls, etc, etc.  Naturally we did them all!!!    All in all we had an enjoyable day & had we not had a commitment to get to join our cycling group, would like to have stayed longer & seen more.

24 - 25th March 2011 - Wollongong - Jervis Bay, south coast NSW

Left Wollongong in sunshine - Glory be!  Lovely drive down the coast, then a little inland to Berry , a lovely little heritage town with some lovely old buildings.  Had a nice lunch there in a very old pub, then continued back along the coast to Kiama.  This is a really nice seaside town, with amazing rocks along the shoreline & crashing waves I could watch all day.  There is a beautiful white lighthouse on the  head overlooking a great blowhole which luckily was performing beautifully that day.  Got some great shots of both plus a couple of lovely old churches.  We were heading for Jervis Bay which took us about 6 hours with sightseeing stops.  The countryside was of  rolling hills clad in Irish Green thanks to all the recent rain.  Arrived at Jervis Bay & the Booderoo National park camping area.  Although it is in the Australian Capital Territory, it is actually surrounded by NSW.  I assume that is why it was so expensive.  All the national parks here charge you to even enter with a car, so we had purchased a pass when we first crossed the border into NSW.  Great, that will save us some money, but no - it didn't apply for this one.  They sure know how to charge for national parks in this country, not like good old NZ where they are cheaper than private caravan parks.  So $10 per day for the car plus $30 per night camp site.  It is a lovely national park though, with lots of walks to other bays through lovely bush trails &  the navy has some sort of base in the area.  On our morning  walk on the second day, we had our first encounter with a snake.  I was very bravely leading the way & suddenly saw it by the side of the track, about 1/2 metre long & black.  By the time I said 'STOP' Stu only managed to see the end of  it's tail scuttling into the undergrowth.    It's strange really because I now feel better about walking here .  I think it's an experience I had dreaded from the moment we arrived in this country & I coped really well, so I don't dread it so much now.  Not that I want it to happen again of course.  We are careful to always wear good footwear when we walk which is quite important, & have read up on the first aid required if the worst should happen.  That's about all you can do really.  Of course we keep to the trails which are usually quite wide & well trodden, & make lots of conversation & noise.  I've had a bit of a cough since I arrived, so that's quite handy too.    Anyway, the one hour walk  took us to a gorgeous isolated bay flanked by high cliffs & backed by steep sand dunes of an unusual colour for the area.  There is no vehicle access & only about 6 people there.  The sea was the most amazing azure colour & there were lots of rollers breaking close to the shore of  golden sand in contrast to the very white sand of most of the beaches in the area.  In the afternoon we visited a botanical garden owned by one of the local aboriginal tribes, all natives plants & trees & the only ones owned by aboriginals in Australia.  They are jointly managed with the Government's Director of National Parks.   It was lovely, with a little lake full of  long necked turtles.  We were lucky enough to see one though he was too shy to poke his head out for us.   The weather was nice & sunny & warm for the two days we spent here.

SYDNEY 16 to 22 March 2011

As you can see, we had the best of weather for our stay in the 'big smoke'!  Luckily the time was spent visiting friends and family, so we were indoors most of the time.    The first day or two were OK, but as you can see from the photos, it was pretty terrible at times, and very scary on the roads  Initially we stayed at St Ives showgrounds, north of Sydney.  nice spot with water & power & ablutions for $20 per night.  It was quite central for all our visiting.  Had 4 nights there, then shifted further south nearer more friends and relatives.  It was great catching up with everyone.   The photos were taken around the Wollongong area, south of Sydney on the coast.  It was really scary driving on the roads, - as you can see visibility was almost nil  but we survived though we did see a few cars lose control not far in front of us.  Luckily no-one was hurt.  It is an extremely steep, winding piece of road called 'the Bulli Pass', & even in the best of conditions needs careful driving.  Luckily we did not have the caravan on the back at the time.   They also have another amazing coast road down there, see photo also.

15 March 2011 - Budgewoi, Central Coast NSW

Sorry to leave our little wildlife camp at Crowdy Bay, - left at 8am again.  Heaps of caravans on the road today in both directions - Stu has developed an automatic wave everytime a van comes towards us going the other way, & it's nice that most wave back.  Lovely big concrete highway in parts, then absolutely disgusting parts in some areas. Rolling hills & quite a few cane fields, with quite old houses, some with rusty old corrugated roofs.  Passed through the Manning Valley, population 47,000 - makes you wonder where they all are as there are so few houses.  It is mostly farming, at present really green.  We couldn't believe the number of very, very large rivers & bridges we passed over,  all salt water.  Some cute little river settlements alongside.  We also saw an area of mangroves, reminding us of home on the Kaipara back in good old NZ.    Stopped for morning cuppa at one of the many rest areas along the highway.  They actually have signs telling you how many rest areas in the next 50kms or so, & what distance to them which is really helpful.  Most of them have shady shelters & toilets, some with BBQ's.

One other aspect which kept us  amused along the way was the number of funny names many  which conjured up comical images - e.g. Blackbutt, (explanation not required)  Cheesetree (which variety - ? Edam, tasty or Gruyere?), and my favourite, Bulahdelah (Bull a dealer).  I always thought it was the dealer who did the bulling???  Also passed through the Hunter Valley which of course is a wellknown wine region & would you believe that Stu didn't want to stop?  Further down I had a touch of nostalgia as we began to pass signs to places I recognised from my childhood when we used to travel from Sydney on the overnight train to stay in the country with a much older sister for the school holidays.  All such a long time ago it surprised me that I did remember, but suddenly it didn't seem so long ago after all.

We arrived in Budgewoi about lunchtime & managed to find our way to the caravan park our friends suggested to us,  thanks to our dear friend Mrs GPS who we couldn't do without with so many highways crisscrossing each other at times.  She does make the odd mistake & we get the giggles occasionally at the number of times she utters that word 'recalculating, but it's not her fault that they make new roads or alter the landscape.  Anyway, the camp was huge & so is Lake Munmorah on whose shores it rests.  It was very quiet , but in the summer holidays would be like a little town of it's own (180 sites)  Lots of permanent caravans with permanent annexes attached &  beautiful cabins, all with covered verandahs  ( about 150 of the 180 sites).  All beautifully set out with named roads (fish, flora & fauna), playground for children of course, & lovely ablution blocks, stainless steel BBQ's & stainless steel sinks attached, & a HUGE opensided but covered kitchen / dining area.  It was $29 per night which we thought was quite cheap but of course it wasn't peak time.  Next door to the camp is a beautiful public park, again with a very large covered & decked picnic area with tables & seats.  They really do things well here in that respect. Every morning someone comes along with a leaf vaccuum to clear the paths & roads.  Most of the caravan sites had large concrete pads which you park beside so that you can step out of the van onto that, usually covered by your awning.  We love our awning which goes up so quickly, just pull out the supports & it unrolls & goes up.  Gives great shade & can be kept quite low to the ground if required, giving privacy or protection from sun or rain.  Once we were settled in we contacted our friends, the purpose of our visit to this area.   They used to live in NZ when our children were small, moved to Perth many years ago, & to the central coast about 6 years ago.  We were invited to have breakfast at their house next morning, so we were collected at 8am & given a lovely cooked brekkie (fancy Stu not having his muesli, toast & marmalade!)  Naturally it was a rather long breakfast session with all the catching up to do as we last saw them 6 years ago in Perth.  Later in the day they took us on a wonderful beach walk where I wasted a lot of time standing on a monsterous slab of rock with large waves breaking, trying desperately to get 'the shot'.  Just as well we don't use film anymore or I would be broke with all the dud shots I took.  It was quite bracing & the best wave was so good I had to run from it instead of getting my photo of the day.  Stu & my friends were way back studying sea life on the rocks, & thought I had turned to stone I stood there so long with the camera to my eye - Stu doesn't call me Paparazzi Jan for nothing!  Oh well, we all have our little quirks - don't we???
On the way back from the beach we called into a quaint little pub at Catherine Bay (or Catho as the aussies say).  It's a tiny little settlement with very small, old cottages  like the old NZ baches.  Like many places at home, they are fighting a fierce battle to try & stop development, so the whole area is covered in signs declaring their feelings about it.  I took a photo of the pub & a couple of aussie guys remarked that it would cost me $10 for taking their photo, to which I cheekily replied that I was going to charge them $10 for making them famous - they were quite amused luckily.  Everyone was friendly & typically aussie.  In the evening we went to the local Bowling Club, where we got a lovely meal for $8, the cheapest thing we've had since we arrived.  Of course it is all subsidised by the gaming machines of which there were many, complete with TAB screens with all the horse racing happening around Australia. 

 Before we left this morning we took an early morning walk where I chatted to a couple of elderly guys fishing on the bridge - very convivial.  They were catching blackfish which they assured me was lovely to eat.  Seemed to be plenty of them there (fish that is).

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Central Coast, & it's always nice to catch up with old friends.  Hope we make some new ones along the way as well. 

We arrived in Sydney to catch up on more old friends & relations, so there will probably not be any sightseeing as Sydney is my old home town & is a double edged sword for me - I love it but can't wait to leave it again.  Cities are not our favourite places although the Sydney area is quite beautiful, especially where we are on the North Shore.  So much bush, water & rocks.  We are camping at the St Ives showgrounds.  Nice & quiet, only $20 per night, quite a few caravans, buses, etc.  No limit on how long you stay & some have been here for weeks. 

No blog now till we leave Sydney to head south en route to Victoria.  Stay tuned & thanks for your comments.

13th March 2011 - Diamond Head, Crowdy Bay National Park, NSW

Set off from Bundjalung camp at 8am for Port Macquarie further down the central coast, with a short stop at a market to get homemade jam & honey for Stu.  Lunch at Port Macquarie beach, then a long drive to our new destination (6 hours in all) via the coast road instead of the M1.  Some sections of road were really terrible, but most of the M1 is amazing, with some sections concrete.  Must cost a fortune.   Had another break at a cute little place called Lauriton - poked our noses into an op shop (still looking for bits & pieces for the van) & also an art gallery.  We try to keep the landcruiser topped up with fuel all the time & it is getting more expensive the further down we go.  There are two fuel tanks in it, so it will be good when we get into the outback, but it's a bit of a shock to fill it up.

Crowdy Bay, our home for tonight,  has good fishing, birdwatching & fascinating headland walks.  There are several camping areas but only this one suitable for caravans.  We were amazed when we arrived to see goannas & kangaroos all around the camp.  No-one took any notice of them except new arrivals like us, & the animals didn't take much notice of the humans either.  We were to discover next morning that they can be too friendly & when you wake up & open the caravan door for the first time, they are happily fossicking around in your awning. Have even been known to poke their heads in the door.   One family left their towels etc plus a packet of potato chips on the beach near a log, only to come back & find a large goanna had had a lovely feast of them!   Naturally I had the camera out immediately while Stu was backing the van into position - great help I am! It had obviously been really busy for the weekend, & there were people still packing up to leave on our arrival at about 3pm.  No power or water at this camp which didn't worry us as we had filled our tanks at the last camp & had an ample supply of gas.  Once organised we set off for a walk around the rocky headland of Diamond Head - wonderful rock formations & great large rock pools when the tide is in, unfortunately it was going out so we were a bit late to relax in the warmth of them.  Once again the camp was right on the beach, so took a swim in the surf instead as it was quite hot, then headed back  to the van for nibbles & a wine.  The temperature is more bearable down here now that we have left Queensland but still hot without the humidity.   Had quite a nice chat with an old couple next to us (probably about 80) with a very large motorhome, who were making the most of their later years.  Was really good to chat to someone as I am missing that a bit. Stu is not into approaching people, but I like to pass a remark or two when I pass & hope to get into some sort of conversation.  It hasn't done me a lot of good so far as most of the people in these camps have been aussies.  I think it might be easier if we meet more tourists like ourselves.  Still, it's early days yet.   We are sleeping like logs, most nights to the sound of waves. 

11/12 March 2011 - Bundjalung National Park, NSW

Tried to drive further down the coast from Burleigh Heads & managed to get as far as Tweed Heads, but there was major construction on the roads everywhere, so we opted to go back on the freeway..  They are spending millions on their roads  - must say some of them sure need it.  Turned off at Byron Bay which looked a nice place (apparently quite hippie).  Stopped off for lunch at a place called Lennox Head which is a hang-glider launching place.  There were two there & I waited patiently hoping to get a photo, but nothing doing.  We arrived at Bundjalung mid-afternoon,  & found a very busy camp as it was the weekend.  Lots of families,  in tents mostly, with all the fishing gear etc, but also caravans  & a few motorhomes.  We could choose our own site, & decided to keep away from the families as much as possible expecting that they may be a bit noisy at night etc.  However it was all very good really.  Because they are all up early, they crash at a reasonable time at night, & it get's dark about 7pm here.  (In QLD it was 6pm)  They are all into camping much more here than in NZ which is great to see.  Again young & old & they don't necessarily have loads of flash gear.  This camp supplied firewood & little woodburning BBQ's  at each site & most people used them.  There were also a few flash gas barbies.  When we first arrived we were pleased to see kangaroos in the camp, obviously acccustomed to all the comings & goings as long as you don't approach them too closely.  Managed to get a photo or two.  Next morning after breakfast we took a walk around the rocks to another little bay.  I wasn't too keen as at the beginning of the walk was a sign telling you of the dangers e.g. snakes!!!  Stu convinced me it would be OK, so I made him lead the way.  Naturally made sure we had good strong shoes on too.

10th March 2011 - Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Queensland

Left the beautiful Lamington National Park area, driving through Nerang to the Gold Coast.   Had decided we didn't want the hype of the main tourist area, so headed for Burleigh Heads a little south.  Found a caravan park right over the road from the beach,  so had lunch & headed for the surf.  Lovely beach & even though it was a weekday, very busy.  The water was just the right temperature, nice surf for us seniors, lots of boardriders, some definitely our age.  Lots of gorgeous young ones too of course.  Good fun just people watching.  Stu thought it was still far too busy for us, but he survived.  We had to find a camping shop to buy a pole for the awning on the side of the landcruiser, which we successfully managed.  Went back to the camp for dinner, then Stu decided we would go for a drive to Surfers and see the nightlife.  Well, that was a bad idea.  Halfway there the heavens opened & we could hardly see the road, let alone the night life.  So we turned around & headed back.  Then Stu decided we had better fill up with diesel - Trevor had warned us that not all servo's had diesel, so when we found a servo, which happened to be rather difficult to get into, we couln't see a diesel pump.  Meantime we were blocking the passage of other cars & after much to'ing & fro'ing we spotted the diesel pump (not exactly obvious I might tell you).  By then of course Stu was getting very frustrated but at least we got what we came for.  Anyway, we had a reasonable sleep till about 6am when aussies seem to rise.  There were a lot of permanents in the camp who go off to work, so if they hadn't woken us, the trucks coming in to do some building work would have.   Good opportunity to get going early for a walk around the foreshore we decided.  Well!  There were crowds of people out there walking - these aussies are real fitness nuts I reckon.  No wonder they are so good at sports.   Old & young, they are all out there at the crack of dawn.  Dozens of board-riders carrying their boards around the headland, over rocks, to get to the good surf.  We  even saw a little guy of about 9, all on his own, heading out with the big boys to surf.  Anyway, it was a delightful walk to another bay & back again, so we started the morning right like the locals.  Left the camp around 9am to head for Bundjalung National Park.

09 March 2011 Canungra, Lamington National Park, Queensland

Well we are finally on the road & it feels so good!  Left Maleny yesterday morning heading through Brisbane towards the Gold Coast on the M1.  .  We were feeling  starved for some walking with nature, so decided to give the main part of the Gold Coast a miss & head inland & are very pleased we headed here. Canungra is a little village about the size of Waipu, very tidy & nice with lots of history about 90kms south of Brisbane, 35 kms west of Surfers' Paradise.  But is also at the foot of the Lamington National Park which was the attraction for us.  We are staying in the local showgrounds  for two nights which is very quiet with only about 4 vans here in a very big area.  We have had quite an eventful day, leaving at about 10am to head up the mountain, about 40 minutes of winding, narrow but sealed road.  At times it is only single lane with passing bays & lots of blind bends.  Wonderful views on the way up of huge valleys between the mountain ranges.  It is unusually green, not the typical brown we are used to seeing at this time of year.  Initially it is the typical eucalyptic forest, but higher up turns into rainforest. We headed for a place called O'Reilly's Plateau right on top of the mountain, where there is a rainforest retreat etc.  We had availed ourselves of a map of walks once there, & chose one which went to Moran's waterfall - note the Irish names - the area was originally settled by the Irish who logged the area.  I very bravely led the way telling myself that there would be no snakes as people are walking these tracks continually.  Lovely rainforest trees & vines & gorgeous big birdsnest ferns.  Didn't seem a lot of birds, but we gradually realised that the movement in the small trees were very small  ones who were quite camaflouged & VERY hard to photograph for that reason plus the fact that they never stayed still.  The falls were very nice & the views over the distant mountain range very misty shades of greys - Stu may paint them sometime.  After the walk we headed to the top where the retreat was situated & did a treetop walk in the canopy of the trees.  At one point there is a large tree which grows up beside the bridge, & there is a VERY strong ladder within a cage which can be climbed up into the canopy of the tree to a viewing platform.  As it was about 30ft up I suggested Stu take the camera up, but I suddenly decided to follow - what the heck, you can only die once. That from the girl who doesn't like heights.  I can tell you I didn't look up or down & a little family group waiting at the bottom told me how brave I was.  I thought so too.  Saw & heard a lot more birds up there & managed to get a few photos.  Had intended to do a second walk but time was running out, so headed back down the mountain.  Were lucky enough to see kangaroos beside the road & got a good shot of a young one just posing for us.  Then this evening on Stu's visit to the loo's, he saw a large green frog in there, so came scampering back for the camera.  A few nights ago he nearly stood on a cane toad, so we are being acclimatised quite quickly.  Have only had a sprinkling of rain today & good temperature for walking unlike the first few days in Maleny which nearly killed me.  By afternoon I just flaked.  This evening we are perusing the maps etc again, & searching for the next campground.  We will head for Burleigh Heads at the southern end of the Gold Coast tomorrow & stay for one night, then head down the coast road towards Sydney as Stu has not been that way before. 

Sunday 6th March 2011 - Landsborough Queensland

The last few days have been very hectic -  Collected the Toyota Landcruiser Thursday evening, & the new caravan Friday afternoon.  Wouldn't you know it, the rain was absolutely torrential.  So there we were with strange vehicle, strange caravan , peak hour traffic & torrential rain!  And guess what?  We made it all without mishap.  Stu says the van is great to tow, so that's a relief.  We had decided not to go back to Maleny with it as the ground is so sodden & it's not real flat, so booked into this caravan park at Landsborough which is mostly permanents.  All very tidy & nice, I think most of them are retired people trying to live a cheaper lifestyle on their pension.  We haven't had a conversation with anyone as yet as we are in & out so much still picking up bits  & pieces to fit out the van, plus food.  Had our first dinner in the van last night as we have been to local pub a couple of times & no wonder there are a lot of obese people around - the meals were huge.  Stu & I shared fish & chips & salad (3 big pieces of fish for one serving).  Made it cheap anyway.   Yesterday Trevor did a full service on the car which gives us peace of mind once we set off.   We will be here  tonight, but will park behind Trevor's workshop tomorrow night as he is going to do one last check on landcruiser for us.  Then we will set off at last,  probably aiming for south of Gold Coast on Tuesday.  Weather forecast is not very good, so we may grow fins .  One good thing about it, it's not so hot &  once the rain stops it seems to dry up quite quickly.  Daughter in law Cris & the three children are coming to view the van sometime today so hope it's not raining then, though we have a great roll out awning which keeps everything quite sheltered as it can be set low to protect the doorway , & also there is a concrete pad beside the van which is the norm here it seems.

Maleny Queensland - 26 February

Good flight, long queues at immigration etc & thought we would miss our shuttle bus to Maleny, but being cheeky these days, I asked to be pushed ahead & was.  No real sign of the floods on outskirts of Brisbane but much greener than I have ever seen it before at this time of year.  Straight into caravan hunting as soon as son Trevor collected us from bus.  Supposedly big clearance sales on, (new vans only) but everything more expensive than we had anticipated.  Miss our own NZ 'little playhouse' already.   Trevor had a possible vehicle lined up which we have decided to buy, a white Landcruiser in lovely condition.  Also a new caravan which Stu is keen on.  The nightmare now starts to register, insure etc.  The paperwork is incredible so Stu is not happy but we are very lucky to have Trevor to help us with everything, & also to have an address we can use here (his). 

After all the floods here the gardens are looking so tropical & luxurious -would love to be able to grow some of the plants they have here. 

Thursday 03 March 2011 - Maleny Queensland

Spent the last few days travelling back & forth between Maleny & various other places, looking at caravans, & deciding whether to buy the very nice Toyota Landcruiser son Trevor lined up for us.  Things are so different here as far as registration etc go, so Stu has taken out Queensland driver's license to make it easier ($30)  Decided last night to take the Landcruiser, and has also opted for a brand new caravan as anything we saw secondhand was either not what we wanted, or so little difference in price to the new.  It is a 21' Voyager Marlin, queen island bed, beautiful ensuite bathroom, club lounge/dinette & the usual kitchen things including microwave but no oven.  Good excuse not to bake.  One disadvantage is that we now have to start from scratch to fit it out, so lots of lists & visits to cheapie shops for crockery, cutlery, linen etc.  Now that we have our own vehicle that will be so much easier as we have had a little old one of Trevor's for a few days which naturally we were very grateful for. We pick up the caravan tomorrow, so Stu has spent most of the morning on the phone insuring everything.  We are so lucky to have Trevor to direct us in all these things & lucky to have an address in Queensland as it is all much harder without one.  It's been very hot & humid of course, one lot of heavy rain early one morning, but that's not unusual this summer & the ground is constantly wet.  We are woken early each morning by all those noisy Aussie birds, like kookaburras, whip birds, cockatoos, rosellas, & the noisiest of all, a wild guinea fowl.  In the evening, just as it begins to darken, we have 100's & 100's of bats fly over, heading for some poor person's fruit orchard to gorge themselves for the night.  Stu & I thought they were birds.  This morning I had the first experience of an aussie spider, a huntsman a little smaller than my fist which was in the house.  Little Tynan (4)  informed me I could touch it if I wanted - what!!!  I tried to take a photo but it was whipped away in a jar & deposited in the garden, in which I will now be more observant in case I tread on one.  Obviously they do not harm you???   We are collecting the van tomorrow, & will take it to a caravan park nearer the shopping areas so that we can get fitted out with all the essentials & get the feel of it, then hope to be on the road by Monday 7th.   Look out Austalia!.  Be glad when all the bureaucracy is completed - the theory that everything is much the same here as in NZ is a myth, especially as each state is different.  Oh well, we'll get used to it.