Short days

After what seemed like the longest pack up in history, including discovering one of our caravan blinker bulbs was out, we moved on from Airlie Beach with a parting shower of rain and drifted North picking up a few caravan supplies and a spare bulb on the way. A pleasant drive through sugarcane fields being harvested and more train crossing than Kai (our train buff) could keep up with along with steep mountains raising high (in the Australian thinking of mountains) out of the flat plains. We headed for a campground 15kms off the highway along a dirt road, which we expected to be fairly empty. What a surprise when we found the place full. Half the people there looked like it was there home, or at least they were there for the winter. It was on a beach and chatting to a few people the fishing was good there. Some of the others had the same thought as us and were equally surprised.


We got a reasonably early start in the morning after bacon and eggs for breakfast to celebrate my birthday and made the short drive to Townsville were we did a spot of shopping and research at the tourist information centre. We only made it 20 or so kilometers out of town and pulled in to a rest area (Bluewater Park) for a late lunch and our overnight stop. This was a very busy rest area with about 30 rigs already here and we squeezed into one of the last spots. Many more people arrived after us, most of whom found a spot, but mostly in areas marked as no overnight camping. This is an excellent rest area with a fantastic playground for the kids right across from our van. Having plenty of time we went for a wander around and chatted to a few people, including a fellow Bushtracker owner who had two dogs that the kids love to pat and play with. I think they are missing Sophie.

Thea spoiled us with roast pork and pavlova for dinner. It is certainly worth having a birthday.


It has been very nice not traveling very far and getting into camp early, however while Cairns is not far away now there is a lot to see between Townsville and Cairns so it will be a few days off yet.

Till next time.
Tig

Windy Whitsundays

Our stays are getting longer, after just two weeks on the road we enjoyed three nights at the beautiful Airlie Beach. We were fortunate enough to be given a big grassy site at the Island Gateway Holiday Park on the edge of the campground with heaps of room for the kids to run around and ride their bikes. The caravan park was the closest to the centre of Airlie Beach and half the price of the Big4 caravan park further out of town.

On our way up to Airlie Beach we saw some massive ocean racing power boats on the back of semi-trailers, very impressive. These, as were we, were heading for the Mackay Marina. We were meeting up with Nicole Bartels for lunch and they were on their way for the race on Sunday. It was great to catch up with Nicole while the kids played in the park and then we all enjoyed fish and chips overlooking the Marina and some might tug boats. Kai was quite impressed by their size.


We arrived in Airlie beach to a perfect day only to be greeted by strong winds over night. This meant that the jumper went back on the next day, although it did not stop us heading out to Cedar Creek Falls, Conway Beach and to the local shops for new shoes all round for the kids. In the afternoon we went to the lagoon at Airlie Beach, an expansive beach/swimming pool (very cold) that the girls insisted on going swimming in and Kai sensibly opted for a quick paddle and then back to the play equipment. A stroll through town provided all the information that we needed to arrange a day trip to Daydream Island the next day.


An early start (6:30) to be at the ferry by 8am saw us getting ready to go in the wind and a shower of rain. It’s a bit like heading off for a bike ride in the rain, you know there is a pretty good chance it will turn out ok, but heading out in poor conditions makes it hard to get motivated.

It turned out to be an all right day weather wise. After a short ferry ride to Daydream Island we quickly found the play equipment by chance. We thankfully managed to pull the kids away from the equipment in time to see the public fish feeding in the largest outdoor aquarium in the southern hemisphere ‘Living Reef’. Afterwards there were photos with the mermaids in the howling wind and a dip into the freezing pool, which migrated to the slightly warmer spa. Here Kai found the bubble control, which was enough to keep him happy and Maddi found a friend to play with. On to our lunch spot at Lover’s Cove, which Maddi was desperate to go to as her new friend was going there, but a wrong turn (which was hard to believe on such a small island), had us heading for the other end of the island. Kai was ‘busting’ so we stopped so he could wee on the side of the track. Not really note worth, except for the poor unsuspecting snake that was happily sleeping there and made a hasty get away into the undergrowth. An information sign a little further along informed us thatit was a common (or Green) tree snake. All the kids kept a little closer to us along the track after that.



It was an uneventful late lunch and ice cream however the ferry home provided entertainment with a very breezy open top deck with the occasional spray.

Tomorrow we head further north in search for even warmer weather and hopefully stay clear of any wind and rain.

Till next time
Tig and Thea

1770

Having enjoyed a couple of excellent days at the town of 1770, it is back on the road again. It has been very nice to stay at a couple of towns for two nights each. Both places are ones that I have heard of and wondered what the fuss was all about. I can certainly understand now. Hervey Bay was a very nice bustling beach side tourist town with everything you could ask for, excellent beaches (even in winter), great cycles/walking paths, great cafes and convenient parks for the kids. The town of 1770, while also a perfect holiday destination, is a tiny place right on the water and as the name suggests full of history with its biggest claim to fame being the second landing place for Captain (then Lieutenant) James Cook after Botany Bay on his first voyage to Australia. It has been a great opportunity to give the kids a history lesson, much to Maddi's dismay. We also went to the local historical society museum which the kids enjoyed for a while.



A friend of mine who I use to work with (Bart) often raved about his regular holidays at 1770, so there was no way we could pass by without stopping in. The campground is right on the beach and if you are into boating or camping this is a fantastic spot with awesome views across the water over which the sun sets, being quite unusual on the East coast.

Tig (aka Phil)

So, I can't leave it there so what else did we get up to over the last couple of days. Well while relaxing at 1770 Camping Ground the girls did a little painting craft. Yes, I can hear the preschool teachers laughing as they know I am not a fan of painting. I can't cope with the mess and believe this is something left for preschool and school and not in my home. However, since the great outdoors of Australia is Maddi, Ella and Kai's class room for the next 6 months I have to give in and allow some painting. Thankfully the girls were very well behaved and I was a meany and only allowed 2 colours to be open at any one time. Did you not realise I was a control freak when it comes to paint.



We also took a little detour on the way back to the caravan after the Museum and headed up to the nearby lookout for a view of the sunsetting. I managed to capture a photo from Wave Lookout. I tried to get a photo of the three kids here but that wasn't their plan so the only pictures I got was of either girl trying to lick the others face. Did I mention Ella and Maddi have formed a lovely if not strange friendship since spending more time together.


Today, has been a boring day with lots of driving (441km) and a food shop at Rockhampton. The kids unfortunately didn't get a play on any play equipment today but did manage to run some of their energy out running crazy around Rockhampton Woolworths searching for me in the aisles.

The highlight of today for Tig and I at least was the commentary on the UHF while driving between Miriam Vale and Rockhampton. We had a rather wide load behind us somewhere which we only at first heard about from the voice that said 'Southbound, there's a 5.5. If you stick to the edge of the black you should be alright' each time a truck passed us heading southbound. This beast of a wide load came up behind us with a police escort who basically drove on the wrong side of the road to push any on coming cars right over so this mega of a wide load could proceed. QLD seems to be the state of roadworks at the moment so we listened and watched the mayhem this wide load was creating as it drove up the Bruce Highway. The truckie was very skilled at his job as he managed to position it perfectly across bridges (within a foot of the rail), past signs, witches hats and even stupid drivers overtaking southbound trucks who had moved over due to the warning on the UHF. You could tell which cars had UHFs too as they proceeded with great caution. Remember how I said this wide load came up behind us, well I was driving and I generally stick to around 90kms/hr when towing the van and the Bruce is mainly a 100 to 110 zone and every truck including this wide load and escort were doing 100 to 110km/hr. It was crazy. What made it crazier was the fact that there was actually two of these beasts. The other was about 300 metres behind the first and had another police escort.


Ella did get a special treat today. She managed to convince her dad to buy a few prawns which she sat down and peeled prior to dinner as a little pre dinner appetizer. She was proud as punch to have one of her favourite foods.



Till next time ...
Thea

Hervey Bay

A short drive to Hervey Bay still took all day, even with an early start. Our regular followers will be please to know that we were not parked in overnight.

First stop was the Ginger Factory at Yandina where Kai insisted on a train ride only to find out that the driver blows the whistle every two minutes and Kai did not like that at all. The kids found a lolly shop which ended in tears as usual. Thea found a Macadamia shop which ended in a purchase (which surprisingly we have not eaten yet). Tig (Phil) found a coffee factory, but it was closed.


On to find a place for lunch, which as luck (or Google assisted research) would have it was a newly opened park on the out skirts of Gympie. We drove in only to find that the parking options did not really cater for 40 foot rigs so we drove out and around to the other side of the park (it’s a big park for a country town).

The park was amazing and would rival any the kids have been to in Sydney. The highlights for our three was the twin flying foxes, all three loved them and with a bit of a push (quite a lot really) you could get the kids to come back to within 3 feet of the start point. It was a bit scary for me sending Kai down as he swung almost up to horizontal and I hoped that he held on tight, which he did.



Maddi also loved the spinning dish, and even held her own when the boys came and spun it as fast as they could to see who would fall off first. Ella found the giant spiders web and climbed right to the top, fortunately Kai could not stretch enough to get more than a couple of metres off the ground.

Eventually we convinced the kids we should get moving and after the slowest possible walk back across the park we were on our way to Hervey Bay where we had agreed we would spend a couple of nights. It was lucky it was more than an overnight stay as it took a good hour to get into the very small spot for our very large van. This was not helped by having to back in around a 90 degree turn, off a very narrow roadway and being ‘helped’ by one of the staff and having difficulty getting the hitch undone due to the slight slope of the site. It was a very frustrating hour but we provided good entertainment and the evenings conversation for the people camped around us.

The next day was very relaxing, starting with an early (7am) morning run/walk for me to check out the neighbourhood. This allowed me to find a nice park for the kids, right on the beach. Alongside was a good café who were happy to bring out a coffee to the beach for me when we returned with the kids. This also provided an opportunity to get the family on the bikes, as there is a fantastic 16km bike track along the Esplanade. The girls even ventured into the very cold water but could not convince Kai to join them.



Tomorrow it is off to 1770 or somewhere else north of here.

Until next time.

Tig (Phil)

We are in Queensland!

Well, we have been having so much fun that we haven't had time (unless we went to bed at midnight every night) to update the blog. Sorry for those family members who thought we might have been swallowed up somewhere north of Moree.

On Thursday we woke in Moree to beautiful sunny weather and great company. After another late start (we are getting good at them) we said farewell to the Dunlops and headed to one of Moree's top attractions, The Rocket. The kids had a fantastic time climbing the ladders right up to the top and then screaming all the way down again. Kai unfortunately got his leg stuck when going down with Tig (Phil), Maddi and Ella one time and ended up in tears by the bottom. After that he didn't want to go on the big one anymore and either Tig or I had to go with him for the small one. Tig insisted I go on the big rocket slide, which I did. Ella went first, then Maddi, just to show me how it is done. It was then my turn. After checking that the coast was clear I proceeded down the slide. I got the shock of my life as it dropped away below me as I hadn't expected it to be so steep. I didn't stream but the girls streamed for me at the bottom into the tunnel just for effect.


Once we managed to pry the kids away from the Rocket we loaded up and headed out the main road for Goondiwindi, Queensland for lunch. We made a big song and dance explaining to the kids that we were leaving NSW and now in QLD. Thankfully QLD greeted us with more sunshine but a little windy so the jumpers went back on. Lunch did provide us with the opportunity to get out the clothesline and finish drying the washing. As you do.


The next leg across to Toowoomba was on a major trucking route where I had large doubles and road trains overtaking me. The UHF got a work out so we could hear what was going on with the big beasts that would loom up behind us. We arrived in Toowoomba after dark and thankfully Tig was driving while I navigated through the city streets to his cousin Jackie's house. Jackie was all prepared for us with a yummy dip and chips while the pasta bake finished cooking. Thank Jackie it was great.

Friday we woke in the van outside Jackie's place and it was freezing. Heater straight on, little hungry boy feed and in no hurry to make those cold steps across the front lawn into Jackie's cosy house. Once we finally emerged at Jackie's door it was well after 9am and therefore of course it wasn't till 11am we finally pulled away. After at spot of food shopping at the local Woolworths we headed towards Brisbane with the sunny finally shining.

After a long lunch stop and some more clothes drying where the wind was so strong it knocked over the clothes line weighted with 15 litres of water at least twice. The clothes dried so quickly that by the time we left it was all dry. After taking the windy scenic route into Brisbane via Mt Crosby we pulled up at our friends TJ's place just on dusk again. TJ's street wasn't the flattest so we camped out downstairs in a very flashy renovated guest room. Up till this time we had been in the van for 34 nights. Maddi asked why we where sleeping inside rather then the van. Her complaint was that all 5 of us had to sleep in the same room, which we quickly pointed out was no different then the van and this room was over twice the size of the van. Kids!

We finally got away early (8am) and stopped at a lovely little rest area for breakfast before arriving at Australia Zoo for the day. We had a great day with the sun shining (yes, I am finally in QLD) and a little wind. Highlights of our time at Australia Zoo were:

1. Feeding the elephants in the afternoon and having multiple turns each.
2. Wildlife warriors show
3. All the animals that the kids got to pat around the zoo - baby crocodile, koala, wombat, massive python.
4. Feeding the kangaroos their special roo food - only $2 a bag which you bought from a vending machine.
5. Climbing all over the big Cameron crocodile statue.





After a very tiring day we had to find somewhere to park for the night. We have ended up in a rest area with a few other motorhomes but have been warned that the commuters to Brisbane park here from 5am, 7 days a week. We were advised to be careful that we aren't parked in by them as we will be stuck. Maddi being the worrywart of the family was most concerned about this news and insisted that we move the van. We have managed to reassure her that this will not be a problem. On going to sleep I had to promise it would be fine which she informed me if we did get stuck it would be my fault. The pressure!

Anyway, after two cups of tea and that midnight approaching it is time to sign off. QLD planning is taking place so if you have any suggestions let me know.

Till next time...
Thea

An error of judgment

This morning we made an error of judgment, but more on that later.

Light rain overnight and a pleasant temperature greeted us on our first day in one place. Perfect, not driving today, but no sunshine either. Having made it to the black opal capital of Australia, Lightning Ridge where there is plenty to do and see, we embarked on an opal mine tour. A great tip from Mike and Chantelle was to take the ‘Walk in mine’ tour. Not put off by the rain we were there shortly after 9am to see the opal cutting demonstration and take the self-guided tour. It was perfect for the kids and adults alike, a short self guided tour down an old mine, now the ‘Walk in Mine’. We all selected a hard hat and took the easy walk down to the tunnels supported by cypress pine logs. There was loads of information about how opals are formed by silicon seeping through the sand stone and filling in the cracks in the clay layer and the addictive nature of the opal mining experience.




Everyone found it interesting and the underground video room was much warmer than the outside air. It was a very educational visit and we could have come home with some very nice stones. We didn’t tell the kids that they could go fossicking in the pile of mud beside the mine, to avoid loading three muddy wet children back into the car.

An easy way to see some of the sights of Lightning Ridge are the car door tours, four different coloured car doors mark out points of interest around town, following a fact sheet from the Visitors Information Centre. There are streets with mine shafts every few metres and some crazy locals, one of whom built a castle.



A visit to the shops and an art gallery saw us done for the day, so it was back to the van in the rain to feed the kids, play a board game or two and make some rocky road.

After a good night’s sleep, even if the van was buffeted by the rain and wind, it was time to pack up and move on to Moree. I quick check of the map showed two ways to Moree, back down the 60kms and then 70kms up to Collarenebri or the scenic back road which is only 90km. It’s a no brainer right, the short scenic way for shore.

Oh, did I mention that it was dirt, which should be ok as we have driven loads of dirt roads before. Ok, so it had rained overnight, quite a bit really, still should be ok, just take it slow, we’re not in any rush. Well, anyone who knows north west NSW would know some of these roads are dry weather only roads, and for a very good reason.

Well this certainly was a dry weather road. We unfortunately worked that outabout 100m after the bitumen ended as our 40 foot, 6 ton rig fishtailed back and forth on the slippery muddy surface. This was a bad decision, all four wheels on the Landcruiser were spinning. After what seemed like kilometres, but probably only a few hundred metres the wheels started to grip and I stopped to engage low range and assess the situation. We could not go on, but how to turn around on a wet, muddy country road where the shoulder was soggy mud. Fortunately Thea found a grassy section where we could reverse the van and do a three point turn of sorts. A tense few seconds as the Landcruiser slid through 90 degrees while being pushed off the road by the van. We had made it around so stopped for a quick photo. While our heart rates came down there were shouts from the kids, ‘Can we do that again?’.


Back on the bitumen, back through Lightning Ridge and around the long way. A bit more excitement on the wet road with a puddle pushing the van around and Thea experiencing some torrential rain but on the whole a nice drive through to Moree. We had a challenging time getting our oversized van down Scott & Claire’s driveway. The hospitality has been fantastic. The kids have loved having other kids to run around like crazy with and we enjoyed a great BBQ, thanks guys. I will try not to destroy anything getting out the driveway.

Until next time when we hope to report on some fine weather.

Tig (Phil)

Day 3 - Outback NSW

Today we had a late start.

Beginning with a little lie in, which really means 5 in the bed until either Tig (Phil) or I get out, as the queen bed doona doesn't quite cover 5. Yummy bacon and egg breakfast, which was cooked once we booted the kids outside for a little morning soccer. The floor space in the van is like the bed. 5 standing is certainly a crowd. Breakfast was followed by a little Aboriginal exploration walk before finally hoping in the car for a rather long trek north.



We managed to get to Coonamble for a late lunch which was had in the van due to a little drizzle. You have got to love public holidays in small towns. The town was so deserted that we could park our 40ft rig (car and van) outside the old bank building (now Telstra shop) in the main street.


After lunch we continued on to Lightning Ridge, arriving here at about 5pm and have stationed ourselves in the new caravan park (only opened this year) for two nights. Some washing and hot showers are high on the agenda.

Tomorrow we will check out what The Ridge has to offer and maybe even try out the Artesian Baths across the road.

Till next time..
Thea

Day 2 - Central West NSW

This travelling around Australia business is tiring and it is only Day 2.

We had a jammed pack day today. First we visited Parkes', 'The Dish' which was great for us adults and the kids had some fun too. They particularly liked climbing on the monument directly in front of the dish, running around the gardens outside the visitors centre and telling us we had to turn off our mobile phones. I personally think CSIRO have done a wonderful job with the Visitor Centre and we all particularly liked the 'Whispering Dishes' that they had out the front. These small white dishes demonstrated how the parabolic shape of the dish amplifies sound waves. These two dishes stand approximately 50 metres apart facing each other. One person stands directly in front of a dish, facing it and whispers a message which, then travels the 50 metres across to the other dish where the other person is standing to hear it. With Tig (Phil) and Kai at one dish and myself at the other, Kai found my voice so clear that he walked around the back of the dish just to check I wasn't standing behind it. It was clearer then any UHF chatter we have heard so far. We even had our first experience of the kids leaving something behind. No sooner had we driven out of the car park gates Ella suddenly calls out "where's my book and pencils". As I tried to find somewhere to turn around and travel back down the road, we questioned Ella as to where she had left them. Her only response was "I don't know". Great I thought, we had been many different spots at The Dish and I certainly didn't want to search every spot. Ella was also the cheeky monkey who told us as we drove into the car park again "You need to turn your phone off". Great, I had only just turned it back on. Thankfully Tig and Ella quickly found the items on a picnic table which was the first spot we had wandered to and off we went again. Ella has now learnt that when we say 'Please leave your treasures in the car', we mean it.

Next stop was Dubbo Zoo where we found the signage and system of entry needing some attention. We had a great afternoon driving around in our zebra striped buggy seeing the animals. I did find that I got a little wind chilled as the kids constantly asked Tig to drive faster and he was more then happy to put his foot to the floor and say "This is as fast as this thing goes". Most of the animals we found were quite far away as they have so much room to roam but we did get a close up of the elephants as the keeper came and gave them some branches right near us. The kids enjoyed having a go at taking some photos using our big camera. Unfortunately the Mac is having some difficulty downloading these so I don't have them to show. The only photos I have here to show are one I took with my iPhone. Hopefully I will be able to solve the problem and get them downloaded soon.

After the zoo and the compulsory play on the play equipment and flying fox we headed a bit further north to our camping spot (I use that term loosely since we are sleeping in a caravan rather then under canvas). We are surrounded by numerous other caravans and motorhomes which even includes another Bushtracker. They are camped up at the top boundary away from the rest of us so we haven't ventured up to say hello. Tomorrow morning we will probably have a walk around and check out the other set ups.

Tomorrow we are off to Lightning Ridge where unfortunately we will not be catching up with Mike and Chantelle Keith as they are both still out of town. We plan on spending a couple of nights there so we have a whole day to check out what The Ridge has to offer.

Till next time...
Thea

The adventure has began!

Today at 10am (yes a little later than 6am but lets be realistic here) we departed Mt Colah to our first destination Dubbo via Parkes. Of course we didn't quite make it to Dubbo and are spending the night in a lovely rest area just 3kms north of Parkes.

The kids travelled well and we had our first stop at The Fruit Bowl in Bilpin for lunch in the drizzling rain and a play on the play equipment. After lunch the travelling was all too much for Kai and Ella and they soon rested their weary heads. Maddi entertained Tig and I with a game of eye spy which she kept having to tell us her answers as she was to good for us. Somehow every time it was my go, Tig would guess my answer within about 5 seconds of me telling them which letter. It was very annoying and Maddi tried to convince me that she was actually whispering him the answers.





We arrived in Orange for afternoon tea at the local park which thankfully had a swing set to play on. It was a lovely 11 degrees and the kids and I popped on the beanies to keep our ears warm. I would love to come back and explore Orange some more one day but today we had to push on.

Central West NSW provided us with our first beautiful sunsets as we drove towards Parkes.

Tomorrow we plan on heading to see "The Dish" aka Parkes Radio Telescope first thing and then push on to Dubbo to the zoo.



Today's achievements were:
1. We actually got away before lunch time.
2. I travelled past Bathurst, yippee. I don't think I have ever been further west than Bathurst before. Correct me mum and dad if this is wrong.
3. I did my first small town driving the big rig without hubby in the car. This was around Orange locating the park while he went shopping.
4. Probably more but it is late so I next need to find a home for all the items that I dumped on my bed while trying desperately to get away.

Till next time
Thea

10 days to go...

Today is the day that we were supposed to be leaving so everything feels a bit strange as it has become just another normal day. Phil went off to work as usual. Maddi off to school and now I am looking around me scratching my head not sure what to do first. Due to Phil's work commitments we are in Sydney for another 10 days. We will depart on Saturday 11th June as early as possible in order to avoid most of the Long Weekend traffic.

My mum departs to Africa this afternoon to visit my sister Saskia and her family so today involves a trip to the airport. I will miss her for many reasons but especially for the freedom of just walking out the door to take or collect Maddi from school without having to get Ella and Kai ready too.

Till next time ...
Thea