Victoria - The Green State.

Our day in Bendigo playing tourist was very interesting and enjoyable. The Bendigo Woolen Mills was a compulsory excursion to enable Gail to fill every remaining empty crevice in the caravan with wool and knitting cotton - all at bargain prices of course..
It was then my turn to choose somewhere to go, so off to the Bendigo Pottery we trundled. This pottery, one of the oldest still operating in Australia is chock full of history and memorabilia. After perusing all manner of pottery items for sale we went on a tour of the facility. The original brick kilns where the country's first clay drainage pipes were fired have been carefully restored and now serve as unique display rooms in which to display the varied items which were manufactured in this method over 100 years ago. The pottery still operates, producing mostly glazed household items. A large number of items are now manufactured using mechanised procedures, however it was pleasing to see that hand throwing of plates, urns and jugs etc are still in use there.

From Bendigo we continued south west through Ballarat towards Geelong. The lush green countryside has benefited from recent rain with everything looking very fresh and alive. Our overnight stop was half-way betwen Ballarat and Geelong near the small settlement of Elaine. A late afternoon rain squall meant that we barely ventured outside the van. Local TV station reception was excellent with the standard antenna, so we watched some afternoon quiz shows on TV before preparing dinner.

Arrived at Claire & Lou Crameri's in Torquay shortly after lunch. During our three day stay there we caught up with Peter & Caroline and went to see their completed house at Jan Juc. Gary & Sandy Crameri are currently building a new house which Gary is building with Sandy's help. It is a huge undertaking as the house on a sloping block is being built on 4 levels with connecting walk-ways linking the various sections. Once again it is a most unusual design, but it will no doubt end up being magnificent, like the last one they built.
Torquay has grown enormously and now includes a massive Crown Plaza Resort complex, built on the site of the old Zealy Bay Caravan Park.
We all went to the Geelong Football Club at Kardinia Park for lunch at their relatively new "Club Cats" restaurant. Excellent day out.
It is most pleasing to see Lou back to normal following his very serious heart operation last October.

From Torquay we headed up to Melbourne, however our first stop was to Homewood near Yea to drop the caravan off at Rosie Moffat's bush house as there is no where to park it in suburban Preston. Glenice was pleased to have us stay with her in lieu of in the Caravan at the Coburg CP park which we have done on previous visits to Melbourne when we have had the van with us.
I took the opportunity while in Melbourne to have the Landcruiser power steering pump replaced as the old one had developed a serious leak over recent weeks.

Gail & I had a day out on public transport, venturing into the city, Docklands and surrounding areas. The cold wind in Melbourne was a vivid reminder why we chose to stay in Sydney back in the late 70's.
We were invited to Mark & Sharon Hughes for dinner one night and caught up with Daniel, and Tim who turns 18 in a few days.

Departed Melb on Friday morning, returnig to Homewood to hitch up the caravan once more, then on to Kinglake, Healsville, Cockatoo (where we heard Puffing Billy in the distance) and eventually to Pakenham where we joined highway 1, the Princes Highway. We encountered very strong gusty winds during todays travel.
From Pakenham we travelled to Rosedale near Sale where we stopped at a great rest area, called "The Willows" for another overnighter.
Saturday morning we continued on to Bairnsdale, stopped to visit the magnificent St Mary's Catholic Church with it's incredible ceiling murals and stained glass windows.
Then on to Lakes Entrance for a two night stay at North Arm Caravan Park. Unfortunately Gail picked up a stomach bug and spent most of Saturday afternoon and night between the toilet and bed. Come Sunday she was a little better so we went for a drive in the sun. The wind is still incredibly strong and making things quite unpleasant. Still we can't complain after such a fantastic run with great weather.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Back to the Cooler Weather

Three very pleasant and relaxing days were spent at Darlington Point camped beside the Murrumbidgee, giving us the oportunity to catch up with some washing etc. We were entertained each afternoon when a few cows and their calves came down to have a drink from the river. The young calves were so intent on running up and down the steep bank that several times they overshot the mark and ended up toppling into the water. The only concerning part of this hilarity was that they found it very difficult to get a foothold to get up onto the bank, but eventually they managed to get back onto terra firma, with the vocal assistance of their "playmates".

Upon departing Darlington Point on Saturday morning, we continued south to Jerrilderie. A visit to the museum where a lot of Ned Kelly memorabillia is housed took up most of the morning. After passing through Finley we then crossed the Murray River into Victoria bound for Cobram. We arrived at another very pleasant overnight campsite on the banks of the Murray by mid-afternoon in time to watch the last quarter of the Geelong v WCE AFL match on TV.

As we were approaching Cobram something unfamiliar landed on our windscreen. We determined after a brief discussion that it was RAIN, the first we had seen since mid June. It rained on and off throughout the night but we were quite cosy inside the van with the gas heater. We are beginning to understand what all you people in NSW and Victoria have been telling us about the weather over the last four or so months.

Our planned route from Cobram is via Shepparton, Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong to Torquay to spend a few days with Claire and Lou. Now that we are back into "civilized" country the distances between towns seems miniscule. It is also noticeably very lush and green compared to the country side we had become accustomed to in our travels up north.

We called in to see friends in Shepparton for a couple of hours on Sunday morning and also caught up with Gail's sister Glenice, who was visiting there.
Our Sunday night rest area is at Eaglehawk, just outside of the City of Bendigo. Tomorrow we play tourist in and around Bendigo.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

The Kidman Way.

Heading south from Cunnamulla, we crossed into NSW north of Bourke. This road is known as the Kidman Way and extends from Cunnamulla in the north to Jerrilderie in the south passing through Bourke, Cobar, Griffith and the most delightful small town called Darlington Point.
We had been told about some terrific camp spots on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, so that's where we decided to spend a few days. The weather is lovely during the day but quite chilly once the sun goes down. Because we are only a few kilometers from the town we have full mobile phone coverage - first time for ages. Firewood is readily available so we have been doing our cooking etc on a campfire which we keep going most of the time. The river water is not suitable for drinking but meets our needs for showers etc.

The river is very low but still flowing, with huge fallen redgums being exposed in many places adjacent to our sunny campsite.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

A sample of recent photos.

Yowah Opal Fields and Eulo.

We departed Quilpie on Saturday morning, bound for the Yowah opal fields. What a desolate, dry and uninteresting place. Camping on the town common complete with free hot showers (artesian) and very clean toilets was one of the highlights, the other being Gail's opal find.
After settling ourselves in we walked about 1km to the public fossicking area where we scratched around for about 1/2 hour before Gail literally tripped over her opal bearing rock. Another 2 hours was about all we could handle in the hot afternoon sun. We had intended to stay there on Sunday also so that we could attend their weekly open air opal trading market on Sunday morning. However at 11am Sunday we learned that the market did not start until after 2pm so we decided to hit the road.

The lovely little town of Eulo was the next place we came to as we headed toward Cunnamulla and civilization. We saw a very extensive boulder opal collection in Eulo at the general store. The stones had all been polished and contained magnificent traces of opals in a variety of spectacular colours. Prices were fairly high for any that really appealed to us. The opal miner there also owned the general store and spent considerable time polishing and setting his opals.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Day trip to Eromanga.

Having resolved our electrical problems we now felt confident to venture off the beaten track once again. Consequently it was decided to drive the 106km from Quilpie to the remote settlement of Eromanga and have a look at the oil fields in that area. Eromanga is also best known for two other things. The first being its geographical location, the second as being the place where Steve Fossett, the round the world solo balloonist made his unplanned decent back to earth, having flown across the Indian Ocean but miscalculated his planned landing spot in Western Australia.
They have retained a number of artifacts from his equipment which are on display along with photos in the cafe.

Geographically, Eromanga is the town furtherest from any coastline in Australia. Hard as this may seem to believe, I actually took dividers on a map of Australia and found it to be true. Whilst we may think that Alice Springs or other similar isolated towns would be furthest, consider such coastlines as the Gulf Of Carpentaria for example.

Extensive oil fields have been found in the area and we observed many "donkeys" pumping oil from the ground. They have established a mini oil refinery at Eromanga which strangely enough has a retail outlet at prices similar to everywhere else. Work that one out!

The town is very small, having a Hotel, Caravan Park/Motel, a primary School, Cafe and Police Station. We saw the school kids, six in total playing in the school yard with their teacher and five emus also in the yard. Not a sight you see everyday!.
Most of the housing is of a portable nature with a few exceptions. Oh and yes, they had a combined CWA and RFDS rooms and clinic. The road is sealed all the way from Quilpie, so it was refreshing to be able to zoom along without the caravan for a change.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Fuse Blowing Problem resolved.

After a mostly sleepless night trying to understand what may be the answer to the intermittant fuse blowing, I suddenly remembered that the LP gas gauge had also failed when the fuse was blown. This led me to think about the recent gas leakage and gas shut-off problems. So first thing next morning I once again climbed under the Landcruiser to check the wiring associated with the LP gas installation. Straight away I observed a polished ring around the tail shaft adjacent to the LP gas cylinder solenoid wiring.
On closer examination I found the live wire to the solenoid had partially worn through the insulation and a bare section of wire was visible. Apparently when the mechanic in Mt Isa had tightened the solenoid at my request, the cable ties securing the wire out of harms way had not been replaced. This had allowed the slack in the live wire to come into contact with the rotating tail shaft. Tape up the wire and secure with new cable ties and problem resolved.

The disturbing part of this whole saga is that had I not persisted and tracked down the problems myself, we may have still been stranded in the middle of nowhere as the RACQ were simply not available and nothing was in place to provide alternate road service. Nor was mechanical or automotive electrical assistance available once we were in Quilpie. The NRMA were happy to accept our extra payment for "Total Care" coverage during this trip, but their affiliated interstate body were unable to deliver. They have not heard the last of this.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

The Adventure We Didn't Need.

Our plan on departing Cooper's Creek overnight rest area was to travel south-east to Quilpie on the Diamentina Developmental Road, a distance of 248km with nothing in between. After travelling approx 60km we pulled to the edge of the one lane sealed road to allow an approaching road train right of way. As we commenced to move off the Landcruiser stalled. The starter motor worked fine but the engine would simply not start. My first thought was that the main diesel tank had run dry, so I switched to the full auxilliary tank, still no success. For those of you that know about diesels, my next step was to "crack" the six injectors, or in simple terms, loosen them all then using the starter motor, turn over the engine so that the fuel pump will pump diesel out of the loosened injectors and therefore bleed any air from the six fuel lines.

This was also unsuccessful - no fuel coming through at all. It was at this point that Gail observed that the indicator lights on the instrument panel were not illuminating when the ignition was on, therefore I assumed there was no glow plug voltage to start the engine.
My next step was to check all fuses - all appeared to be ok, so out came the workshop manual. Under the trouble shooting section it pointed to an item called a "fuseable link", which initially I had trouble locating. We had now been stopped for an hour when the first passing motorist stopped to see if he could asssist, followed minutes later by a policeman. The policeman informed us that the nearest RACQ depot was in Quilpie (180 km away). The motorist had a satellite phone so the policeman used it to call his office in Quilpie and request them to organise the RACQ to attend. As we were about two and a half hours from Quilpie we expected quite a delay. Then came the bad news, the police staion rang back on our good samaritan's satellite phone to advise that the RACQ "man" was on holidays - stiff shit..

As the policeman had already departed, our good samaritan offered to see what he could organise when he passed through Quilpie. Bear in mind we had no communications, even our HF radio could not raise anyone - great. So here we are not knowing when help would arrive or whether in fact it would arrive at all. Several passing vehicles (wrong direction) stoped to inquire and we advised them that help was on the way - we thought, silly us.

I kept working through everything I could, then eventually examined the circuit diagrams in the workshop manual. Discovered that there were four possible fuses/fuseable links that could cause glow plug voltage failure. So this time with the aid of my multimeter I proceeded to recheck all fuses etc.
Bingo, one small fuse was in fact faulty. Replaced it, instrument lights and glow plug now work. Press starter and would you believe - motor started, after a 7-1/2 hour stop. As it was now 5:15pm we rapidly packed up tools etc and headed off to try and cover 180km to Quilpie where we were booked in for 2 nights. One of our doors was not shut so I stopped while Gail closed the tailgate, then as we started to move off the engine stalled again, same problem, this time I went straight to the faulty fuse, blown again, replaced it and away we went again.

The drive to Quilpie took us over 2-1/2 hours, an absolute nightmare the whole way, what between wondering if we would stop again and the kangaroos, pigs, emus and cattle on or crossing the road. The last 1-3/4 hours being in darkness, but we were keen to press on and reach our destination while we were still moving.
Take it from us - anyone who willingly travels on remote roads at dusk and beyond is definately mad.
It was after 8pm when we eventually reached Quilpie and the caravan park. We were then shocked to learn that the policeman had not advised the caravan park of our situation, despite the fact that we had requested him to do so and given him our name.
A hot artesian spa at the CP then something to eat rounded out the day we would prefer to forget.

I still have to find the cause of the blowing fuses - that's another story for another day, but tomorrow we go on our planned adventure. That is to accompany the Quilpie mailman on his 500km round trip delivering mail and parcels to remote cattle stations - also another story.
Until then, cheers to all.
Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

The Quilpie Mailman Run.

PLEASE NOTE: This entry is actually in the wrong sequence. It should follow after "The Adventure We Didn't Need". i.e. In between "Fuse Blowing Problem Resolved" and "The Adventure We Didn't Need".

After a very welcome sleep we were picked up at 7am from the caravan park in Quilpie by the 80 year old "Mailman" Dave. Two other passengers, Marion & Dennis Smith from Tatura in Victoria made up the full compliment for the twice weekly mailman run. Our vehicle for this excursion was a 4 door Toyota Hilux 4WD with tray back. The small canvas mailbags were carried in an old chest freezer on the back, together with sundry boxes, cartons, rolls of fencing wire etc for delivery to the various outlying cattle stations we would visit.

It was not very long before we left the bitumen, travelling for most of the remaining 500km round trip on dirt roads and property tracks. One of our first deliveries was to the homestead of a very isolated cattle and sheep station where the two young children were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a carton containing next months school lessons. Because of their isolation they do "Distance Education" via satellite. The boy was in year six and the girl was in year two. They do not go to boarding school until year eight. They had just spent 4 days at Charleville (300km) doing activities with their other class-mates who they only see once per term.

A number of other very large stations were visited, some as far as 85km from their nearest neighbour, before we arrived at "Trinidad" where we were greeted by the owner Margaret Pilliger who is a widow of ten years. Margaret runs the property of 650,000 acres in conjunction with her daughter and son-in-law who live in another house on the property. She treated all five of us to the best morning tea imaginable. Freshly baked scones, biscuits and walnut cake. She has the most magnificent green garden surrounding the modest house. Fruit trees with the biggest mandarines, oranges and grapefruit you can imagine. We were iinvited to look over the sheds, workshop etc before I helped her pick mandarines using a step ladder to reach the ones out of her reach.

In all we visited about eight homesteads, however three stand out for various reasons. "Araluen", a station of approx 210,000 acres is of special mention as here we were almost persuaded to fill the vacancy of resident caretakers. The young female owner is also a road train driver, bush pilot and also operates a very successful quilt business, "Quilpie Quilts". Consequently she has little time for looking after the homestead and garden. It was while we were here that the greatest coincidence occured. Our travelling companions of the day, Dennis & Marion mentioned several times that the temporary caretaker looked very much like their brother-in-law. When they mentioned the resemblance to the man, he answered yes to all their questions re their relations, name, nickname, previous hometown etc. It was in fact their brother-in -law who they had lost contact with 15 years ago when he divorced his first wife - the sister of Dennis.
His curent wife, (the mother of the property owner) and he had arrived at the property one week ago to fill-in as caretaker while the daughter took a roadtrain to Brisbane. The two men, Dennis and Vince had played footy together for years in Shepparton. Beat that!

Another property of mention was one where the resident was a professional roo shooter. I was able to find out a great deal about his profession. On a good night he shoots 70 kangaroos on the 25,000 acre property. At 80 cents per kilo, with the average roo around 30 Kg gutted, it's no wonder both he and his wife drive the very latest model Landcruiser utes.
The final property also worth mentioning was "Thylungra", currently due to be sold by auction on 9th Sept in Brisbane. This 695,000 acre cattle and sheep station has absolutely everything. Look it up on the internet.
Our very long and most interesting day concluded at 5pm when we were returned to the caravan park.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Longreach and Beyond.

Our Cobb & Co. coach ride was an outstanding success. After the traditional lap around the town centre in the coach we were off to the Town Common at a leisurely canter. A little known fact is that most country and particularly remote towns still have a Town Common for the general use of all town residents. In the case of Longreach, the Town Common covers around 3,000 acres of unoccupied land surrounding the town proper. Ratepayers are considered to have equal share and rights for the recreational use of this land. Each family is allowed to graze up to five horses at no cost. This allows the towns kids to have a pony even though they may live within the confines of the town boundaries.
It is also a place where leaner riders can take their motor bikes etc. and make use of the many dirt tracks criss crossing the open sections of the land. The lack of rubbish dumping was a feature that stood out, due in part to the fact that everyone has a vested interest in maintaining the area. There are also very heavy fines for offenders caught dumping on the Common.
The stage coach made great use of these formed tracks, allowing the horses to gallop along a section. Gail was one of eight passengers who rode inside the coach, while I sat right up top in the "Top Seat", previously reserved for the first class passengers. The experience of galloping through the bush was one we will cherish and long remember.

Whilst camped beside the Thompson River adjacent to the stock route, we were extremely fortunate to witness a large mob of cattle being moved from the Northern Territory to NSW under the control of two drovers on horseback, two on quad bikes and 5 or 6 dogs. The mob of 1,000 had to cross the river via the now disused highway bridge. There were many many calves within the mob who had been born "on the route" and many of them became seperated from their mothers while crossing the narrow bridge. This resulted in a lot of mooing and general noise until they all crossed the bridge then settled down to sort themelves out and graze adjacent to where we were located.

While in Longreach I finnally was able to rectify the problem with the LP gas on the Landcruiser. Simply a case of the switching solenoid being overtightened - partly my fault....

Once again we decided on an alternate route when departing Longreach. We want to spend a few days in Quilpie in the south west of Queensland, so rather than have to retrace our steps from Charleville when we reach there we will make a complete round trip of this excursion. From Longreach we travel south west to Stonehenge, then Jundah, Windorah and then east to Quilpie and Charleville. This route takes us right through the Queensland Channel Country.

Well, as I write this we are camped beside the infamous Cooper's Creek just outside Windorah, having camped last night at one of the best places to date. We sat atop a "jump up" with uninterupted views of the surrounding countryside, with the road snaking its way all the way to the horizon. And just to make everyone really envious, I baked a full roast leg of lamb in our Cobb campoven under a glorious sky full of brilliant stars. This is living..

Cooper's Creek currently is quite full, renowned for massive flooding most years of thousands of square kilometers. Some of the longest floodways we have ever encountered are in this area. A massive solar farm is currently under construction at Windorah, five huge dish like structures which will harness enough energy to power the entire town and also feed into the Qld. power grid.

We are now seeing lots of red kangaroos, wheras previously we mostly saw greys. Apparently the reds are more nomadic and with the extremely dry country out here the reds are on the move in their search for water.

Tomorrow (Wed 20/8) we move on to Quilpie where we have another great adventure planned. Tell you all about that in the next blog. In the meantime, love and best wishes to all.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

The Land of the Min Min Light.

Departed Mt Isa on Monday morning. On this occasion we are departing from the popular tourist route which is east to Cloncurry, then south on the Matilda Hwy. to Winton and Long Reach.
Instead we drove south from Mt Isa to Boulia, possibly the most remote place we have visited to date. A distance of 305km, bordering the Simpson Desert and traversing the flatest, driest and treeless plains imaginable. Unfortunately we had a strong breeeze directly in our face consequently fuel consumption increased dramatically.

Boulia is regarded as the centre of the Channel Country of Queeensland and known better as the area where the Min Min Light has mysteriously appeared to locals and travellers alike. Situated 360km west of Winton, Boulia is really in the outback. Not being confident of sighting the Min Min, we instead visited the town attraction known as The Min Min Experience. This is a high tech laser and animatronics display which simulates this mysterious phenomena. We also visited the fossil display which has the most remarkable fossils of sea creatures dating back millions of years when this area was an inland sea. The curator of this exhibition, Dick Suter, the guy who located most of these fossils throughout the area was in attendance working on recently discovered finds. We were fortunate to be the only ones there and he gave us a personal tour - extremely interesting.

Another coincidence while at the Min Min Experience was that the guide, Sharon Walsh came from Wolumla on the NSW south coast where Colin lived for a number of years. Her family are well known in the area.

We departed Boulia around 5pm and drove East on the Min Min Hwy. for about 75km to our overnight rest area, Hamilton River (ruins) which was once one of seven Cobb and Co. staging points between Boulia and Winton. Talk about deserted - we were the only travellers there. Our only company being a pair of brolgas, a lonely bull and a windmill that creaked and groaned all night. We fully expected that if anyone was going to sight the Min Min Light, we were in the ideal isolated spot. Unfortunately (or fortunately) no sighting tonight.

Moving on next morning we stopped at a lookout which had magnificent 360 degree views of the Messa like country. A brief morning tea stop at Middleton, population 2, which is another story, then on to Winton where I again tried to resolve the gas problem.

Another overnight rest area stop 47km south of Winton, this time in the company of about 10 other travellers, then on to Longreach the next morning where we intend to stay for 3 or 4 nights at the Longreach Waterhole rest area on the outskirts of town. This free rest area is beside the Thompson River and is extremely popular with folks like us. I counted 54 caravans, trailers and motorhomes here on our first night. Tomorrow we are booked in for a Cobb & Co. gallop through the bush in a restored coach with billy tea etc.

Another coincidence - the couple next to us come from Tathra, once again a place where Colin spent a lot of time while living at Wolumla. This ladies sister has worked in the office at Bega High School for many years, where Colin also worked. It is a small world, isn't it.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Our Maltese Cross

Mt Isa stopover.

After leaving Banka Banka Station it is about 80km tothe junction of the Stuart & Barkly highways, known as Three Ways. It was here that we refuelled (@ $2.20 litre) in preparation for the long haul east to Mt Isa - a distance of approx 650km and only one fuel outlet, Barkly Homestead where the diesel is priced at $2.35 litre, a point to be by-passed. Our overnight stop was at a nice rest area midway between Barkly Homestead and Mt Isa. Curiously there is a Police Station located adjacent to this rest area known as Avon Downs. Heaven only knows why it is located here, but the constable was on duty outside his "house" with his radar and breathalyser. Maybe there are enough speedsters exceeding the 130 km/h speed limit to justify his presence.

Via the highway grapevine we heard that the annual Rodeo was coming up in Mt Isa next week, so we decided it would be wise to make an advance booking there as there are a few things we need to sort out and do. Three nights seemed ideal to carry us through to Monday when all the shops, garages etc would be open.
All caravan parks were almost fully booked out as the Rodeo is the major event on their calendar of events and this being the 50th anniversary made it even bigger. However we were able to get in, an unpowered site initially then move to a powered site later if we wanted to. After some deliberation it was decided that we would stay on for the week for the rodeo and celebrations etc.
Anyway one week in Mt Isa where there is lots to see and do appealed to us anyway. Visits to the extensive visitors info centre, then a visit to the undeground hospital took up part of Monday. Service of the Landcruiser on Tuesday, then a very rough bush expedition on Wednesday to search for "Maltese Crosses". There are only two places in the world apparently where these can be found, one being about 55km from Mt Isa and as we were to discover, 17km in from the highway on an extremely rough track into the hills. However we managed to safely negotiate the route following a very rough mud map from the info centre.
After a pleasant picnic lunch we started digging and sieving in the search forthe rare Maltese Cross. Luck was with us as we unearthed a very good example. (see photo)

The 50th Anniversary Mt Isa rodeo got under way on Wednesday night with heats of the bull riding and bareback riding. We went along and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a very big event for Mt Isa and attracts competitors and visitors from all over Australia. Kevin went again on Thursday afternoon then again on Saturday. Friday night there was a Mardi Gras parade with dozens of floats etc. All very good and warm enough to line the parade route on these balmy "winter" nights. Once again we are lucky enough to be close enough to walk to the various events.
Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Southward Bound.

Our departure from Darwin was delayed for a couple of hours, while I revisited "Think Water" and exchanged the incorrect water pump for the more expensive one. This decision was taken to ensure that we resolved the intermittent overheating problems. Once we leave Darwin it would be almost impossible to obtain the correct pump in the outback in the event our overheating one packs it in totally.

Eventually on the road southbound by 11:15am. a brief lunch stop along the Stuart Hwy. then refuelling after 330km at Katherine. We then pressed on for a further 48km to a nice rest area at King River. After finding a nice spot well away from the highway, in the already crowded area I heard a loud hissing noise coming from under the Landcruiser.
Upon investigation this turned out to be coming from a valve on the LP gas tank. Fortunately it was not gas, but air. Turning the valve off caused the escaping air to cease, so assumed all was well and that maybe the valve had worked its own way open. However on the next day's trip the diesel fuel consumption took a marked increase. Our destination for that night was Dunmarra Roadhouse, so upon arrival I phoned Davids Automotive in Gosford who had done the gas conversion. Dave's first question when I outlined the problem was to ask if I had overfilled the LP gas tank. At the last gas fill the gas dispensing pump had been faulty so in all probability I had in fact overfilled. By turning the valve on the gas cylinder off I had actually turned all LP gas off - proving once and for all that the use of LP in conjunction with diesel has a dramatic positive effect on economy. Enough of our problems, now some interesting stuff in relation where we have stayed the last two nights.

Banka Banka Station is one of three Sidney Kidman cattle stations in the area bounded by Renner Springs to the north and Three Ways to the south. We were able to camp on the Banka Banka property for $12 a night.
The three stations combined cover a total area in excess of 3.6 million acres. One "paddock" alone on Helen Springs station covers 535 Square kilometres and carries 8 to 10 thousand steers. A team of 16 jackaroo and jillaroos are responsible for the mustering of 65,000 head of cattle. They run only crossbreads, Brahman bulls and Santa Gertrudus cows. There is one mechanic who looks after 16 Landcruisers, 2 Roadtrains, 2 horse trucks and two graders in addition to 47 diesel bore pumps. There are 2 bore-men who spend all their time going around all the bore pumps checking that they are keeping the troughs and dams full so that the cattle always have water. If a faulty pump is located, they change it over and return the faulty pump to the mechanic for attention.
It was interesting to learn that diesel bore pumps have replaced windmills, as no wind - no water for the cattle.

They use "calming" mustering procedures, ie. no dogs, no stockwhips or helicopters, only horses and 1 or 2 motorbikes. All beef ready for market is trucked to Darwin for live export to Indonesia. Each roadtrain carries 180 head of cattle, with the most recent shipment comprising 15 roadtrains. The distance to Darwin is approx 880km, however the cattle are off-loaded for a 24 hour break at another Kidman Station halfway to Darwin.

Our 2 day stopover at Banka Banka has been a real education and is highly recommended for anyone travelling the Stuart Highway between Three Ways and Katherine in the Northern Territory. I even learned how to divine for water with two pieces of 8 gauge fencing wire. Believe me - it really works.

Tomorrow, Friday, we turn left at Three Ways and head toward Mount Isa.

Kevin and Gail.
View a small sample of our trip photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055/2008trip

Still enjoying Darwin.

Our last week in Darwin has been quite challenging and enjoyable. Early in the week Gail decided that enough was enough of the dismal Optus mobile coverage of her phone.
So, conversion to Telstra was our number one project for the week. The best deals are only available on line, so we had to arrange courier delivery to a convenient place in Darwin. This went without a hitch, the new phone being received in two days. So be advised folks, Gail has the same mobile number, but with Telstra now and not Optus. Her "Free Time hour" is betwen 4pm and 5pm daily so watch out.

It seems the saga with our caravan water pump may not be over yet as the pump motor is now becoming extremely hot if the power is left on. This intermittent problem has the end result of cutting off water at the most inapropriate time (generally while under the shower) when the thermal overload snaps in.
After purchasing a replacement pump, which turned out to be unsuitable.
I removed the original pump and after checking it I decided to re-install it so that we would still have some water, as the shop is not open until Monday for a refund or exchange. To date all seems to be ok, so maybe there was a blockage or something limiting the flow and causing the motor to keep running and overheat. Time will tell.

Early in the week we received a disturbing phone call advising us that Robbie Cox, a very close friend was back in hospital after having another bad fall. After a week of phone calls and worry, we received the news on Saturday morning that Robbie had passed away following her ongoing battle with cancer. The tumour had advanced to her brain.

A new reptile attraction was officially opened during the week in the CBD. Crocosaurus Cove is a state of the art facility displaying a large variety of lizards, snakes and crocodiles. It is similar to Darling Harbour Aquarium, you are able to view from below water level. The experience of observing very large crocs in a simulated natural environment is awesome.

As the weather has continued in the low 30's, another visit to the Recreation Park and pool was a high priority.
We drove out to Palmerston - a satellite city of Darwin on Thursday for a look around. A very dis-jointed shopping area in our opinion.

Gail and I went to the wharf again one evening for fish and chips. This is a lovely area and one very popular with locals and visitors alike.

Friday was a public holiday for the annual 3 day Darwin Show. We elected to visit the show on Saturday rather than Friday which turned out to be a wise decision. We were very conciuos of the crowds on Friday as the showgrounds are next door to where we are staying at the Greyhound Club and the car parking for the show extended into the greyhound grounds.

As we are located close to the Darwin airport and the Defence Forces airstrip, we are frequently entertained by Airforce F18 Hornet jets taking off and performing training manouvres overhead. The take-off speed and rate of climb are just awesome, not to mention the noise. It would be devastating to witness an actual attack, they are just so powerful and fast.

Tomorrow (Mon 28/7) we depart Darwin.

Kevin and Gail.
See a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055/2008trip

Winter in Darwin.

Well we are told it is winter, but with 31-32 degrees every day it is very hard to come to grips with this fact. We have however been getting out every day and making the most of this very cosmopolitan city. Last Tuesday eveming we "over-dressed" (read closed in shoes and sports trousers / skirt) and met our friends Wendy & Keith and dined out alfresco overlooking the harbour waterfront at Stokes Hil Wharf. It's no wonder Territorians love this time of year, a balmy breeze off the water while watching the huge fish gather around the pier under the lights. The sunsets are magnificent, I could just about do a complete album of these alone.

One day we went to the Leanyer Recreation Park where there is a very large swimming and water playground complex. Parking and entry are free, the swimming pool is an extremely large man-made lagoon with water depth ranging from zero to about 1.5 metres, surrounded by green lawns and plenty of shade. This facility has become a regular short stop for us on several occasions.

Mindil Beach open air markets each Thursday night are an absolute must see for all Darwin visitors and we were no exception. The range of exotic take-away food is beyond belief. The biggest problem is what to choose for dinner while watching yet another magnificent sunset over the water. Because of the huge numbers who visit there every Thursday night, parking can be a real problem, however we chose to park at the nearby Casino and carry our picnic chairs the short distance to the parklands and beach. Aside from food stalls ther are vendors selling everything from coconut watches to clothing to stock whips. It is a real spectacle and one not to be missed if you visit Darwin in the "dry".

We seem to be continually encountering small problems which we have to overcome on the run. The latest being a problem with the water pump in the caravan. Eventually solved when I discovered that air was being sucked in via a faulty hand pump which is connected into the main line from the tanks. We are certain these things are thrown up from time to time just to ensure we don't get too lay back during our time away from home.

We had a very unexpected surprise last Friday night when we received a phone call from Son-in-law Ian. All of our kids and respective wives together with close friends Cathy & Adrian were on their way to see The Rocky Horror Show at Star City in Sydney. They decided to give us a call, so we were able to have a chat with almost everyone. Thanks everyone, it really made our week.

We still have almost a week to go here in Darwin before reluctantly departing on our slow treck south and the cooler weather.

Kevin and Gail.
For those interested read our blog at
http://www.2008wanderings.blogspot.com/
or a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055/2008trip

Katherine to Darwin.

Following the problems we had with our Honda generator stopping we planned time in Katherine to have this looked by the Honda people. We intended to buy a new spark plug as we felt this may have been breaking down. On explaining the problem to the Honda Service man, he asked if the oil reservoir was full to the brim and not just the full mark on the small dipstick. Apparently there is a protection cut-out against low oil level which is ultra sensitive to uneven ground. When we "over filled" the oil the problem was resolved. the moral of this story; read the instruction book - between the lines, then talk to an expert in the field.
After a brief visit to our satellite man Johhny in Katherine, to thank him in person for his no cost after sales service over the past four years, we presed on towards Darwin.
Overnight stop on the way was at another delightfull free rest area. Copperfield Dam is situated near Pine Creek, about 220km south of Darwin. As the name implies there is a very large dam there which is the main water supply for Pine Creek. Swimming is permitted. At all of these "remote" overnight stopping places we are able to set up the satellite dish and receive crystal clear TV channels, so can keep up with the news etc. Now that the generator is fixed we are also running it once we stop for the day to supplement the fridge and freezer.

Upon arrival in Darwin on Thursday morning, we firstly checked out the Pony Club camping facility where power is available for $20 per night. This compares more than favourably with the Big 4 caravan resort which is asking $38 per night. However we were unable to get in at the Pony Club as there is a big gymkhana on over the weekend, therfore they are clearing all campers out Friday.
Another location had been recommended by travellers, the Greyhound Club, which is just off the highway at Winnellie about 12km from the CBD. We checked this out and decided to stay there for a couple of nights and then move on to the very expensive Big 4 place down the road. Power is not available at the Greyhound Club, but they do have water, toilets and a hot shower available. At $55 per week plus $10 annual club membership we decided that this was more our style and we would stay here for the duration of our time in Darwin. The people here are very friendly and Happy Hour takes place most evenings. There is a bus to the city @ 50 cents return (within 3 hours) only 100 metres away - what more could we want!
Generators are permitted all day during daylight hours, so for the cost of a tank of petrol (2 litres) every couple of days we are very comfortable. An unexpected bonus occured last Friday night when we got free admittance courtesy of our annual membership to "the dogs" which had a ten event race program. They have TAB, bistro and bar facilities, so we dined out and had a flutter on the dish lickers.
We drove to Lee Point caravan village (where we have stayed in the past) and looked up caravanning friends, Wendy & Keith from Rye in Victoria, who come here every year for about 4 or 5 months during the bleak Rye winter. We plan to have dinner with them one night at Stokes Wharf pier in Darwin as the sun sets.

Saturday evening we went to the movies and saw Kung Fu Panda which was realy good - lots of laughs.

On Sunday we went to church at Casuarina where the minister was previously at Belrose in Sydney and had just moved to Darwin 4 years ago when we were last here. After church we went to the annual Beer Can Regatta at Mindil Beach, it was a real hoot - see pics on website as below.
Monday was Seniors Day at the Casino, so we went with another couple from here and had a beautiful lunch overlooking Mindil Beach.

The weather here is superb, around 30 degrees every day with a gentle breeze coming in mid-afternoon.

Don't forget to keep those emails coming, we would love to hear from everyone.

Kevin & Gail

See a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055

Newcastle Waters to Mataranka.

Our plan to watch the V8 Supercars on Sunday from our Newcastle Waters rest area almost came to grief due to a problem arising with our Honda generator, consequently no 240 volts to power the satellite receiver.
The generator kept stopping suddenly for no apparent reason. I cleaned the air filter, the carby bowl, cleaned and re-gapped the spark plug, all to no avail. The interesting part however was that every time it stopped I was able to restart it immediately, then it would run for a minute or so before stopping without warning again. Another traveller parked beside us who I had earlier helped out with an electrical problem came to our rescue and allowed us to plug into his Honda generator for the duration of the race. This also recharged our caravan battery, so our 240 volt inverter could be used again after his generator was turned off.
This is another example of the camaraderie that exists between caravaners in remote areas.

After departing our two night rest area we took a short detour from the Stuart Highway to visit the historic township of Newcastle Waters, situated on the junction of three major stock routes. Until about 30 years ago when cattle were walked overland across the Territory Newcastle Waters was the great gathering place of the drovers where they could stock up and have a break before heading on. The abundance of water from the extensive permanent water hole meant that the cattle could also be assured of a refreshing drink. This water hole is still brim full of crystal clear water to this day. Of particular interest was the old Junction Hotel where the old fridges were still in place in an otherwise empty building. The hotel last served a beer to drovers in 1975 during the Last Great Cattle Drive from Mataranka to Longreach in Queensland.

During our continued northbound journey from Newcastle Waters towards Mataranka we passed a number of elaborate transporters heading south following the V8 Supercars weekend in Darwin. Much to Gail's delight most of them were the various Ford team semi's. We made a brief stop at Dunmarra Roadhouse where about six more of these transporters were taking a short break. We chatted with a couple of the drivers who told us they expected to reach Melbourne in another two days. (See pictures on Picasa website as listed below).

Arrived Mataranka mid aftenoon and booked into Mataranka Cabins and Camping which is an ex cattle station homestead situated within walking distance of Bitter Springs - the warm (32 degrees) crystal clear springs. This was the primary reasn for our two night stay here before pressing on to Katherine.

Kevin and Gail.
See a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055/2008trip

Towards Gulf Country.

Over recent weeks we have been taking particular notice of the age of vehicles towing caravans during our travels. Without doubt our 1992 Landcruiser has been the oldest by a number of years. Four wheel drive tow vehicles outnumber sedans and station wagons by about 7 to 1, and even higher in the remote areas.

True to form we ammended our tentative plan to stay at Georgetown and pressed on following the Gulf Developmental Road westwards to another free camping area, Gilbert River, about 70km further on. The number of travellers utilising these areas continues to amaze us, as on previous trips we had often been the only ones at some spots. Now it is almost a case of arrive by 2:30pm or so - or miss out.

Saturday (28/6) saw us arrive at Normanton about 1:00pm, re-fuelled with diesel and gas (surprised to find gas available in this very remote town), then a counter lunch and a cool one at the "Purple Pub". Yes, it really is painted purple which makes it stand out like the preverbial in the blistering sun. Then turn south onto the Burke Developmental Road. The word highway is not in the Far North Queensland vocabulary, although these roads are excellent for some distance then atrocious for a similar distance before returning to excellent and so on.
One facet of this Gulf Country is that there are generally 3 or 4 "rest areas" between the quite sparce civilizations, 150 to 250km is quite common. Another "rest area", curiously called "Bang Bang" situated halfway between Normanton and Burke & Wills Roadhouse was our overnighter for Saturday. Here we met a number of like travellers and ended up sitting around a huge campfire (in singlet, shorts and thongs) discussing a variety of subjects until quite late in the night. As the fire died down we were able to witness the absolute magnificence of a 360 degree star studded sky.
What a privilege it is to be able to sit and gaze at such a spectacular galaxy. There is no doubt the stars are so much brighter when viewed from a very very remote location with no lights for possibly hundreds of kilometres, as is the case at these remote road-side camps which Gail and I are enjoying immensely.

Having a generator with us enables us to run the fridge and freezer etc for a few hours on 240 volts which gives the batteries a spell and also enables them to recharge. Generally we only run the generator for a couple of hours until it gets dark, then the caravan battery takes over for lighting, radio etc. All travellers seem to abide by the unwritten law, "no generators after dark" which makes for a very peacefull experience and the abilty to take in the sights and sounds of the bush as it settles down for the night.
One interesting aspect of our campfire last night was that apparently it drove very large grasshoppers into a frenzy and we were all subjected to high speed bombardment for about an hour after dark.
It is now 5pm Sunday and we have been settled at our overnight stop, (our 7th consecative night at free rest areas) halfway between Burke and Wills Roadhouse and Cloncurry for about 3 hours. In that time we have done a load of hand washing, hung it out to dry, set up the satelite dish and watched the last 3 quarters of the Melbourne - Brisbane Lions AFL match, which Melbourne won. (only their 2nd win for the year). Because neither phone nor TV signals are available here, other campers constantly come over to ask us how we are getting footy results etc.

Must go now, it's Happy Hour again.
Regards to eveyone,
Kevin and Gail
For those interested read our blog at
www.2008wanderings.blogspot.com
or a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com.au/kevinh005/2008trip

Heading West

On our last day in Cairns we visited the Cazaly Club, and as the name implies (for those AFL followers at least) this is a club fostering junior AFL football in Queensland. We watched the Sydney Swans defeat Melbourne on their giant screen, while sampling a Qld beer (or 2) from the Barrasi Bar.
On departing Cairns we drove up the mountain range to Kuranda, then on to Atherton, a total distance for the day of 90km. Settled in at a great free camping area at Rocky Creek War Memorial park, which is about 12km north of Atherton and near the small settlement of Tolga.
This is a very popular area with a maximum stay of 72 hours. On our first night there we counted a total of 22 vans and motorhomes. This goes to show that more and more travellers are choosing to stay at these "freebies", what with the current cost of fuel and the high prices that some caravan parks are asking.
The next day we secured our van, packed a picnic lunch and took off just with the Landcruiser to explore the Atherton tablelands area and in particular the "Waterfall Circuit".
We visited a cheese and chocolate factory, met a group of four very interesting Brazilian guys who were travelling in a rented motorhome throughout Eastern Australia. We were able to pass on a few tips and suggestions, for which they were very grateful. The next day we had intended to drive to Lake Tinaroo, however we awoke to a very cold and miserable day - and yes, drizzling RAIN. At least that's what we thought it was - it has been so long since we last had any ongoing precipitation... Consequenty changed arrangements saw us paying a visit to a fantastic woodwork and craft shop just down the road in Tolga. This is one of the best we have ever visited, as apart from the very high standard of the displayed woodwork and the unusual nature of most of the work we were also allowed to roam in the woodwork workshop and talkn with the tradesmen. As it was now mid-day we decided that we would "up camp" and move west to Ravenshoe. This is only about 65km, however we felt that by m!
oving further inland we may escape the rain. Our next camp was at Archer Creek on the Kennedy Hwy. about 12km west of Ravenshoe. Another very popular area, with around 20 odd here on our first of 2 planned nights. Left the van the next morning and drove back into Ravenshoe to make some phone calls and stock up in preparation for our continued progress into the remote western region of Far North Queensland. At the time of writing this blog (Thur 26/6) I have just counted 18 new vans and motorhomes parked here for an overnight (or longer) stop. By staying for 2 nights we are able to catch up on maintenance chores and Gail has just cooked a piece of corned beef on the open fire. I queried whether she had intended it to be "smoked" as there seemed to more smoke than fire. We have just heard that the annual rodeo is on at Georgetown over the weekend, so we may make that our stop for tomorrow night. Only about 120km, so our "short hops" continue for the moment. In fact we just wo!
rked out on the computer that since leaving home we have only averaged
90 km per day travel. It certainly makes for a more relaxed trip. At this rate expectto see us in 2010.... just kidding.
Regards to all and keep those emails coming.
"kevinh@pocketmail.com" or "windmill67@bigpond.com"

Kevin and Gail.

Our week in Cairns.

As previously mentioned we have arrived in Cairns. After careful consideration Gail & I decided to take the plunge and convert our Internet provider and method of accessing the Internet. We have changed over to Bigpond, which allows us to connect with virtually no additional monthly costs.

Our new Wireless Broadband modem will allow us to connect to the Internet at fast broadband speeds wherever we have a reasonable phone signal.

Unfortunately we experienced a number of major obstacles in our attempts to self-install this new device. Countless phone calls to Bigpond technical support over 3 or 4 days failed to rectify all of the problems. We are pleased to say however that Gail and I eventually managed to resolve those outstanding problems without outside assistance, simply by sitting down and talking through all the changes together. We are a formidable team!

 

Aside from all this frustration we did manage to take in Cairns and environs with a number of day trips and picnic lunches.

Perhaps the highlight of this was our day trip further north to Daintree Village, The Daintree River and Cape Tribulation. The round trip distance for this day out was about 340km’s, so it was a very full day. Our first stop was Daintree Village where we visited a very interesting timber museum and craft shoppe which had some magnificent high quality wood-turning. Also beautiful folk-art type paintings on all manner of implements including chain saw bars, circular saw discs, hand saws etc.

 

We next went to the Daintree River Ferry crossing where we boarded for a two hour boat trip on the river. The boat is constructed like a series of train carriages coupled together with small concealed outboard motors at each end to control this long “snake-like” vessel. We were able to see and come close to eight crocodiles in total plus a huge assortment of tropical birds and plants. Following the boat trip we went on a self-guided boardwalk “tour” on private property through a “wet tropics” mangrove area.

This whole outing was quite amazing. On our return journey to Cairns we passed through Mossman and Port Douglas, the latter being very trendy and expensive – similar in a way to Noosa.

 

Another day we drove to Lake Morris and the Copperlode Dam. This is about 20 km’s from where we are staying, but only 4km’s to the turn-off. The remaining 16km’s are mostly uphill and winding. It feels like it is about 10km as the crow flies but 6km straight up. Our GPS told us that we were at an altitude of 5,780 metres, consequently the panoramic views of Cairns settled below are truly magnificent. Lake Morris is the water supply area for all of Cairns and it is huge. The turbo in the Landcruiser really excelled on the steep winding road as I never shifted below third gear the whole time, even though some bends were extreme hairpins.

 

Another outing was for a swim and sun-bake at the “Lagoon” on the Cairns foreshore. This is a beautifully landscaped area with a massive man-made lagoon as the central feature. The weather was ideal for this planned activity (eat your heart out NSW), but one small problem. On arrival and after finding a parking spot we walked to the area only to find it completely fenced off for so called “maintenance”. It looked more like a major rebuild and was running two months behind schedule. So, no swim….

 

We still have another day here in Cairns before we depart and head west via the Atherton Tablelands.

 

Until next time…….

 

Gail & Kevin.

Babinda and Cairns.

After leaving Lucinda we travelled approx 180km to just north of Inisfail, to a small township called Babinda. We have stayed here previously at one of the best free camping areas we have encountered in our travels over the years.The camping area is situated about 200 metres of the Bruce Hwy and within 5 minutes walk of the small township. There is a very large relatively flat grassed area beside a nice little creek, a toilet block serviced daily and a cold shower if required. By providing this level of free 48 hour camping they are encouraging business into their small community. As an example, we countered 16 different on our first night there, then 22 on the next 2 nights. Yes, we stayed 3 nights and not two as the local ranger's attitude is very lenient if you do the right thing.
An interesting aspect of these free areas is that you tend to meet people much easier than in the typical caravan park. We palled up with 3 or 4 different couples, but in particular with a young couple from Narooma who are travelling for 3 to 4 months with two children aged about 8 and eleven years. Their daily school work takes place each morning, leaving the afternoons free. Understandably "Happy Hour" each afternoon was an interesting time which we shared with those around us.
Everyone down south has been complaining about the never ending rain, but we have had very little and what we have had has ben mainly limited to overnight.
Monday morning we moved on and tok up residence for a week at "Cool Waters" caravan park in Cairns. On this trip we have made the decision to visit and stay at different places if possible. This park is lovely, we have a very large, shady site adjacent to a creek where there are turtles and fish.
Our plan is to use Cairns as a base and do day trips during the coming week, to such places as Daintree and Cape Tribulation.
Kevin and Gail.
For those interested see:
www.2008wanderings.blogspot.com

We have Wireless

Yes folks,

We now have Wireless Broadband in the caravan, so look forward to some holiday photos in the not too distant future.

Kevin and Gail.

PLEASE NOTE”

windmill67@bigpond.com is now our preferred email address,

however kevihh@pocketmail.com is still valid.

Meeting up with old friends.

Well unfortunately snorkelling never took place on Magnetic Island due to extremely bad algae in the entire area. We enjoyed a lovely pub dinner overlooking Horseshoe Bay and a most magnificent sunset. We returned to Townsville Saturday afternoon on the vehicle ferry, then on to Bluewater Caravan Park where we had left the caravan. Here we met up with Brian and Joan, caravanning friends for many years. Understandably the next 3 days were taken up with a lot of catching up over many cuppa's.
They are heading south, so we went our separate ways on Tuesday morning. We travelled north to Ingham, then out to Lucinda on the coast. Lucinda's main claim to fame is for the sugar loading facility. A sugar conveying jetty extends 5.7km (yes 5.7km) out to sea with an offshore loading facility. The conveying jetty follows the curvature of the earth and is the longest of its kind in the world. Good fishing is supposedly possible from the adjoining service jetty, but not for us. - say no more. However almost every camper in the caravan park has a boat of some sort and they seem to do very well in the Hinchenbrook channel and offshore. Tempting as it may have been, I resisted the urge to put the Zodiac inflatable in, having seen the signs posted at regular intervals along the beach and boat ramps in the many inlets, warning of the danger of crocodiles. Fish and chips from the corner store will have to suffice. Lucinda which is 27km from Ingham, boasts little more than the suga!
r loading facility, a small corner store which sells more fishing gear than anything else and the caravan park. The majority of caravanners here come from all over the country and spend 4 to 5 months here - hence the many tinnies and assorted small boats.
Lucinda is considered to be the southern gateway to Hinchenbrook Island and sits at the southern end of the Hinchenbrook Channel.
Tomorrow we move on after 3 delightful days here.
Kevin and Gail.

Magnetic Island.

Sunday and Monday we spent exploring in and around Townsville, referred to as the Capital Of The North. Mount Cootharinga, known better as Castle Hill is one of the better known landmarks of Townsville and one of the most distinctive natural features on the Queensland coast, and is an imposing backdrop to the heart of Townsville.
Tuesday morning we locked up the caravan, leaving it for 4 days while we soak up some luxury at a timeshare resort on Magnetic Island.
The island is adjacent to Townsville just off the coast, with regular ferries covering the 8km trip in 20 minutes for the passenger ferry and 40 mins for the vehicle ferry. Although Magnetic only has about 20km of road, we elected to take the Landcruiser over as this allowed us to take food etc. which we had in the fridge and freezer. We also have our push bikes and snorkelling gear etc. so don't have to lug those about. The trip across was great on the 9am vehicle ferry, dead calm water due to the proximity of the Barrier Reef and the many islands scattered about. After disembarking we drove around the Island to get our bearings, then checked into our accomodation for the next 4 nights, "Island Palms" on the waterfront at Nelly Bay. This is a magnificent timeshare resort and dare we say almost as good as Boambee Bay on a smaller scale - there are 12 units. Set in a very lush tropical setting with palms and frangipani. Some of the best beaches and most picturesque bays in Qu!
eensland are found on the island, with the more secluded ones accessible by walking track or boat. More than half the island is national park, its huge granite boulders and towering hoop pines dominate the mountainous skyline, the rugged natural beauty, a haven for wildlife such as koalas, rock wallabies and a wide variety of tropical birdlife. There are 4 small communities on the island; Horseshoe Bay, Arcadia, Nelly Bay and Picnic Bay.
We were up bright and early Wed to go on a walk to The Forts - a 3km walk. It begins as an ungraded road and winds its way along a ridge with great views above Arthur and Florence Bays. On the way up there are two gun emplacements, left over from 1939-42, plus quite a few building foundations such as; observation tower, command post, mess kitchen and sleeping quarters. We climbed all the way to the highest point (385m), the Command Post, which is still in use for navigation lights, where a panoramic view of 360 degrees is experienced.
Mid afternoon I went fishing for 3 hours from the jetty at the old ferry facility at Picnic Bay. Caught 8 smallish ones - enough for a feed.
In between times we have been swimming in the resort pool and walking around Nelly Bay area where the new ferry terminal is located.
We are going snorkelling later today.
Kevin and Gail.

Ulysses Grand Parade.

Saturday morning, and the entire showgrounds tent city was up and about very early. Assembly for the motor cycle grand parade commences at 7:00am, with planned move-off at 9:00am. Organisinng 3,000 plus bikes into an orderly group takes quite a lot of time and effort. On this ocassion the parade route of approx 10km's circles the Townsville CBD then proceeds along 3 major roads to the finish point at a sporting complex in an outer suburb. Under the control of Police escorts, the entire parade was broken up into 6 groups with a 5 minute gap between each group to allow other traffic to cross major intersections. Each of these major intersections was under the control of traffic police, with the lights switched to flashing yellow. The locals came out in force along the route to wave and cheer the riders along. I was able to "hitch" a ride as a pillion on a BMW 1200 LT (a very luxurious touring bike) with a Ulysses friend. A very enjoyable experience which gave me the freedom to!
take photos and video. Gail drove to the end point of the parade and parked on the edge of the road where she watched the entire parade pass by. I was in the second last group, so by the time we had parked the bike Gail had seen the entire 3,000 plus bikes.
We watched some of the presentations, then had a coffee before driving to the Entertainment Centre where I was attending the actual AGM. Interesting to note that only about 400 of the gathered Ulyssians actually attend the AGM meeting. This is the case each year, consequently this group are known as the "faithfull 400".
While the meeting was taking place Gail took her book into the coffee shop at the Casino next door, where she pal'd up with another "Ulysses AGM Widow". They had a great time chatting and found that they had a lot in common such as Forestville Scouts, as they used to live in Starkey St.
I had packed up my camping gear except for the tent prior to the ride,so we dropped back into the showgrounds and collected it on the way back to the caravan. Sunday morning I went back and packed up the tent and said good-bye to new friends I had made during the course of my stay at the showgrounds.

Kevin and Gail.

Ulysses 25th Anniversary AGM.

Monday morning Gail drove me into town where we first went to the Ulysses registration point, then on to the showgrounds, the venue for the coming week's AGM events. Fortunately we were permitted to take the Landcruiser into the grounds (under the guidance of an escort). This greatly simplified the task of conveying my tent, chair and misc. camping gear to a camp site.
I was able to get a very good green grass spot, close to power, water, toilets and showers. After erecting the tent I went for a walk around the confines of the showgrounds to check things out. There are already hundreds of other Ulyssian's set up here with tents, motor cycle trailer/campers and every imaginable type of minimilist camping gear. It seems that every second person has a motor cycle trailer, some extremely flash (and costly) and others home made from such things as a decorated forty-four gallon drum mounted on a small trailer. All of these people are able to carry far more of the essentials which a solo rider is limited to carrying. However on this occassion I have everything that I need to make my camping experience comfortable. Limited food outlets are on-site, however a major shopping centre is only a 5 minute walk away.
I did a test ride on a radical new style of motor bike, called a Spyder. This "bike" has independant front suspension with two wheels and a single very wide rear wheel. Powered by a 1,000cc V Twin motor it is effectively a "3 wheel trike" in reverse. An entirely different concept and riding experience, but one which is very exciting. Possibly more suited to older riders with limited mobility. Gail came and picked me up on Wednesday afternoon and we went for a drive to "The Strand", where we had a coffee overlooking the ocean, with Magnetic Island on the horizon. We then went to Jupiter's Casino for dinner. When Gail dropped me back at the showgrounds (she is not registered, so cannot enter due to security requirements) I felt a little like a geriatric "out-patient" who had been allowed out for the afternoon.
As luck would have it, I discovered that another Hornsby branch member Alex is camped with several of his Internet Forum friends, just across the road from me. Alex plays guitar and had entered the daily talent quest, qualifying for the finals on Friday afternoon. We all sat and talked and sang to his music until well past the 10pm nightly noise curfew. Met quite a lot of very nice friendly people from all over Australia.
My second test ride was on another new brand of motor cycle from America, called a Victory. This bike is in direct competition with Harley Davidson, with a range of loud V twin cruiser style bikes. My interest in the Victory was purely to gauge if they vibrate as much as the Harley. Not quite as bad but still detectable. Test riding is a way of getting out to see the surrounding country-side when your own bike is two thousand kilometres away. I may do one or two more test rides on differnt makes if possible.
At the moment I am trying to setup a ride as a pillion in the grand parade on Saturday morning. In excess of 3,000 motor cycles will take part in this spectacular organised ride through the CBD area prior to the actual AGM to be held at the Casino.

Kevin
"Growing Old Disgracefully" at the AGM.

Townsville on the horizon.

We departed Airlie Beach with Ayr as our destination for overnight where there is a very large off-road park.
As it was only 2pm when we arrived at Ayr, being totally flexible we decided to press on to Townsville and camp overnight about 30km north at Bluewater Park, which is a fantastic camping facilty and only about 5km from the Bluewater Caravan Park where we are booked into from Saturday for 10 days. The local junior football club run a kiosk at the park, so Friday night we bought dinner from them - BBQ sausage in bread for $1. They also are allowed to sell beer etc there as it is about 25km to the nearest pub, consequently there were lots of locals there. We had a leisurely Saturday morning before departing this great free camping area and driving the 5km to the caravan park.
We have set up the annex as this will give Gail plenty of room during my absence at the Ulysses AGM in Townsville, which starts on Monday. I will be camping at the Showgrounds until next Saturday. Sunday we did a full load of washing in the laundry then went for a drive to a couple of the beaches in the vicinity.
Kevin and Gail.

Onwards to Airlie Beach.

I have been having some electrical problems with the 12 volt cigarette lighter in the Landcruiser, consequently the Engel freezer and other 12V accessories have been intermitently cutting out. Emerald being a fair sized town allowed me the opportunity to buy a double 12V socket, which I wired directly to the auxillary battery via an inline fuse. This appears to have resolved the previous problems. On the road again, northbound. We have decided to now head north-east towards the coast,joining up with the Bruce Hwy at Mackay. On the way we stopped mid-afternoon at a great rest area beside the Isaac River. Shortly after we were joined by two other couples in caravans for the overnight stop. As the State Of Origin Rugbby league match is on tonight between NSW and QLD, we set up our satelite dish to ensure god TV reception. As it turned out we were the only ones to get a picture, so we invited the other couples (both Queenslanders) to join us to watch the game in our van. As luck!
would have it, NSW won, so we did not have to suffer the ridicule of our guests. Les and Kim, one of the other couples had supper with us and in return for our hospitality, Les who is an auto-electrician, gave me a hand next morning to completely rewire the 12V accesory outlet in the Landcruiser with the recommended connectors, which he had with him. After morning tea we all departed on our seperate ways. This sort of friendship and mutual help is what makes roadside rest area overnight camping so enjoyable. A lunch stop at Bowen, then on to Airlie Beach for our next overnight - this time in the Gateway Caravan Park and the promise of dinner at the best seafood cafe in Australia. Wrong, the cafe has closed since our last visit in 2004, possibly because they were too cheap. We consoled ourselves with fish and chips from a take-away, eaten at their kerbside tables. Still very nice though.
Airlie Beach has changed completely, high rise everywhere and prices elevated to match this development. This is most unfortunate as we feel the casual back-packer atmosphere has gone. The caravan park has quite small sites now, having sacrificed quite a number in favour of cabins.

Kevin and Gail.

The Clean Skins.

Stay more than 3 days in Mitchell, have a hot artesian spa twice a day every day and you can't help but be pristine clean. Well that's exactly what we did. A number of factors contributed towards Gail and I deciding to stay on in Mitchell for an additional 3 days, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Over a conversation with fellow travellers while in the hot spa we heard about a free camping area on the outskirts of Mitchell, at the Neil Turner Weir.
So, we decided a nice little walk to check it out would be a relaxing Saturday afternoon activity. The route took us via the local cemetery and the racecourse. The weir is a very nice grassy location, with plenty of shade and town water - keep it in mind for the future. We took a shortcut back to town via the railway line where there were hundreds of rail spikes lying beside the line, which I made a mental note to come back later and collect some. By the time we got back into town we had walked just on 10km. A visit to one of the pubs fo a refreshing drink, then back to the van park.
Little to report on during the rest of our time at Mitchell, other than to say we did a lot of nothing... and some reading and craft work. While Gail did her crochet, I tried my hand at Pyrography - wood burning drawing to the un-initiated.
Departed Mitchell Monday morning, after a last early morning spa. We returned east to Roma, then north via the Carnarvon Development Road to Injune then Rolleston where we stayed overnight. Continuing north via the Dawson Hwy we pased through Springsure, a lovely well looked after town, then onto the Gregory Hwy to Emerald. There is a lovely free overnight camping area adjacent to the Botanic Gardens in Emerald, so this was our planned overnight stop. Arriving prior to lunch we parked to secure a good level spot, then spent time walking around town and some food shopping.
Kevin and Gail.

Great Artesian Basin country.

Reluctantly we departed Chinchilla area and pressed on further to the west. A stop in Miles to check for an expected letter awaiting us there, but it had not arrived yet. As we intend to continue further west through Roma then on a further 90km to Mitchell for 3 or 4 days, we will backtrack to Roma before heading north. Consequently the Post Office in Miles has agreed to forward the expected letter onto Roma when it arrives, saving us the additional 280km return trip. Our purpose in spending the time in Mitchell is purely to soak up as much of the beautiful artesian basin
hot water as we can. Mitchell has a magnificent public spa facility, which for a mere $7.50 gives us a 3 day pass. It is located a short walk from the caravan park, across the Maranoa River. The statistics of the Great Artesian Basin for those not aware are staggering.
Estimated 65,000 million megalitres of water stored in the Great Artesian Basin. It covers 22% of the Australian continent, the maximum depth that the water comes from is 3,000 metres and covers 1,711,000 sq kms. The basin extends 2,400km north-south and 1,800km east-west at the widest point. The water temperature averages 30-50 degrees C. The approximate age of the water is 2 million years old. Thought you would be enthralled by all that.
We visited the spa upon arrival for about an hour, then walked around town, which takes every bit of 10 minutes. Mitchell is a very typical outback Queensland town. They do however have 5 pubs. As it is their annual Show Day here, all the shops are closed. We appear to be following the annual show circuit at the present. Wednesday - another visit to the spa in the morning, a bit of food shopping, then a visit to the Mitchell railway station where there is a travelling roadshow (in a train) put on by the Queensland University Of Technology.
This is primarily for school students to see, feel and hear what the Q.U.T is doing in the field of research into all manner of things. The displays, many of which are inter-active, take up 6 specially built carriages. The educators travel with the train and are housed in sleeping carriages. There is also a dining/kitchen carriage, making the whole train totally self contained. The "SMART TRAIN" normally spends one day in each whistle stop town, then moves on to the next stop overnight. School kids atend in groups through-out the day under the control of their teachers. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and also learned something.

Kevin and Gail.

The Darling Downs.

Our campsite beside the Condamine River comes with a couple of added bonuses. We discovered that we can get normal TV reception, with good picture quality on four channels, plus we have a reasonable mobile signal and therefore have been able to update this blog via my mobile in "free time" between 7 and 8 pm.
I took a torch and went to check the shrimp and yabbie traps, only to discover that the shrimp trap had wedged itself under a submerged log. Must have been dragged under by an oversized cod.... ha ha. The tethering string broke as I tried to drag it free, net result, one lost shrimp trap.
We had a very quiet and restful night, awoke Monday morning to the various birdcalls as they all went about getting a drink from the river. I put on bathers after breakfast and ventured into the river. Luck was on my side as I was able to recover the lost shrimp trap - complete with shrimps captured overnight. Rods were re-assembled, baited up and placed in the river directly below us. As you will have gathered by now, we are staying another night at least at this great camp site. Ran the generator for a few hours to give the car batteries a break from the Engel freezer and also run the caravan fridge on 240 volts in lieu of gas, as well as charging other essential items such as the PC batteries, iPod etc. The weather continues to be beautiful, clear skies, lovely sunshine and about 25-27 degrees each day.

Kevin H.

Bye-Bye bright lights.

Thursday through Saturday was spent lazing in the sun, combined with a walk through the National Park, around the Burleigh headland into Burleigh Heads. This walk is absolutely fabulous as the pathway follows the ocean, providing some magnificent views. Once in Burleigh Heads, the compulsory breakfast overlooking the beach was in order. We managed to get in some more fishing in between a visit to the South Tweed Heads shopping plaza.
Saturday afternoon was spent packing up the boat and misc. gear in preparation for our departure Sunday morning. We watched the AFL Tribute match between a Victorian team and the "Dream Team", comprised of the best of the rest.
The Vics won, with Brendan Fevola kicking six goals and winning the E.J.Whitten medal and the commentators best on the ground. It was a very good match.
Sunday morning we departed Tallebudgera and followed the Pacific Motorway north to the Ipswich toll road. From there we travelled west via Ipswich to Toowoomba, continuing on the Warrego Hwy. via Dalby to a great camp site about nine kilometres east of Chinchilla. This camp spot is on the banks of the Condamine River, about fourten km's off the Warrego Hwy. Arrived here around 4pm after travelling 360km today. Time to bait up the shrimp trap and the yabbie net. Local fisherman who came into the boat ramp at our camp spot gave us a nice yellow belly and some dry dog food which they claim is the best bait for the shrimp trap. Hopefully we will get some shrimp bait and then a big yellow belly. Gail tells me that the home of the yellow belly is in fact "The Brigalow", which by coincidence is a small town just down the road from where we are at present.
Despite the fact that we thought we were stopping in a nice quiet spot tonight, the deafening sound of dozens of cockatoos, kookaburras and misc. other noisy birds is almost distracting us from our "nibbles and drinks" time.
Kevin and Gail on "The Darlin Downs".

Sunny Tallebudgera

Monday kicked off another clear blue, cloudless day. As I was planning to go and pick up some beach wheels for the Zodiac, it seemed sensible to drop-off Gail at the Twin Towns club for her day at the CWA conference. We had overlooked one very key point however - it was a public holiday in Queensland. When you're away like this every day seems lke a public holiday, with one exception - everything is closed, so no wheels today. Our satellite TV card has been zapped again by Optus, so an email to Johnny in Katherine resulted in a return phone call from him and his agreement to provide a new one, free of charge, if we post the original back to him. Not bad "after sales service", four years on.
Although at present we have no need for the satellite TV, next week when we head west into remote areas is when it is great to get crystal clear reception. Gail's return bus trip in the afternoon however was apparently a real trip from hell as the female bus driver had a real issue with every other driver on the road.
I have been doing a fair bit of fishing and yabbie pumping (with limited success) while Gail is at the conference.
Wednesday night we went to dinner at Broadbeach with two other CWA ladies from Somersby and their husbands, so I am not the only male here in the midst of all these scone cooking ladies. The population of the caravan park has diminished incredibly since the end of the long weekend. Camper trailers certainly have a very strong hold on the scene now, with around 50% of those here last weekend in them as opposed to caravans. Most have very large canvas annexes and extensions which makes them very roomy and practical for young families. They certainly outweigh tents now.
Going Fishin' now.

Nimbin drive-thru (cont'd.)

It seems as though the last blog chopped off in the middle of a sentence - so continuing on....
After Nimbin we climbed up through Nightcap National Park, rejoining the Pacific Hwy at Murwillumbah, then on to a great overnight rest area beside the Richmond River, known as Stotts Island. An early arrival here enabled us to sit in the warm sunshine and watch the rest of the world hurry by. Several other overnighter's joined us here as darkness approached.
As we are only 30 or so kilometres from Tallebudgera where we are booked in for a week, we took the opportunity to re-arrange cupboards etc in the van before moving on about 11:00am.
Arrived a day earlier than originally planned at Tallebudgera, however our waterfront site was available so in we went. Most of the afternon was spent getting settled in and putting up the annex. Mid afternon we went for a walk along the waterfront then out to the surf breakwater and along the beach past the Surf Lifesaving Club. As this weekend is a long weekend in Queensland, the park is packed with families and hundreds of ankle biters on little bikes and scooters. It is really lovely to see families out enjoying this beautiful water-side playground.
As Gail intends to catch the bus from here to Tweed Heads each day of the CWA conference, we decided to catch the bus on Saturday to Pacific Fair to check timetables etc. The Gold Coast public transport service is very good with buses passing the front of the park every half hour in both directions.
The conference kicked off on Sunday afternoon with a combined Church Service, held in the main auditorium of Twin Towns Leagues Club. After that we went to The Northumberland Group Dinner - also held at the club.
The weather has been fantastic since our arrival here and the forecast is for continuing sunny days until next Sunday. bye for now...
Love to all,
Kevin and Gail.

On The Road - at last.

After a very hectic few weeks of getting everything in order at home in addition to a few last minute problems with batteries on the Landcruiser, we finally managed to depart Mangrove Mountain around 1:00pm on Monday 28th April.
It did not take long to discover that the Turbo/LPG conversion has made an incredible difference to the pulling power of the Landcruiser. The additional horsepower means that far less gear changes are required in order to maintain a constant speed. On the F3 freeway the improvement was particularly noticeable, even in in 5th gear, allowing us to cruise quite comfortably with a fully loaded caravan and roof-rack.
A fairly uneventfull trip north via Raymond Terrace, a late lunch break at the 12 Mile Creek rest area between Heatherbrae and Karua, then on to Taree. Incidentally the latter two locations are now by-passed by the Pacific highway. Our planned overnight stop was Swan's Crossing, which is 15km west of Kew, via Kendell.
Darkness closed in very quickly around 5:30pm, resulting in us not quite making Swan's Crossing in daylighsing one turn-off we were able to do a 5 point U-turn with the assistance of a farmers driveway only a short distance after the missed turn. Not being absolutely sure of the road we stopped momentarily to check our directions when an old motor home pulled up beside us. They were also heading for Swan's Crossing and knew the way so suggested we follow them in. This we glady did and they were able to show us a very good camping area away from the main camp area. It was quite cool by this time so we were happy to retreat into the caravan and start preparing dinner. As we have not yet connected the TV etc. we spent the evening listing to ABC radio while playing a few games of Rummy.
Turned in relatively early (for us) around 9:30pm.

Tuesday 29th April.
We decided overnight to stay here for an extra night which will give us the opportunity to sort things out in the van after a hurried last few days, and to have a fairly relaxing day in this picturesque location. There is a lovely creek running beside our camp which has very good running water should we need it.
Another very cool night.