Groundhog Day! Up early to take the van to Sunland to fix the axle issue! We were even earlier today, dropping the van off just before 7:30am. Then we headed to TripAdvisor’s 2nd best rated cafe for breakfast in Caboolture (obviously, we tried the best on Tuesday!) Indeed, the food was excellent today (possibly even better than #1) but the coffee wasn’t as good. We killed as much time as we could there, and then because it was such a clear sunny morning (they keep forecasting rain), we went to Wild Horse Mountain so I could climb to the viewing platform. It was a steepish 700m steady ascent but the views were worth it. I was the only one up there so apart from the highway noise, I could have been in the middle of nowhere. Great spot, when you could see so far.
Back down the hill to plan our next time filler. This time, we headed to Beachmere for coffee on the beach. Beachmere is a quieter, more low key coastal town than some of them around here with a good vibe. We bought coffees and sat drinking them in the lovely sunshine wile the high tide practically rolled in at our feet - 3 metres below us. I noticed one of the nearby houses had recently had its ocean stone wall re-excavated and set - perhaps this isn’t the prime place to have ocean side property. We went for a bit more of a drive around, before heading back to Caboolture to do some shopping. Interestingly, the only shopping centre in Caboolture only had underground parking, with one entrance. 2m clearance and the other 2.2m. Now this lifted and upgraded Landcruiser ain’t gonna fit under there so we gave up and drove to a other shopping centre 5km away. We stocked up on groceries, more shorts for me (it seems I didn’t pack enough for this warm weather), wine and beer for my brother and then thought we may as well head to Sunland to see how they were going. The van was just about ready but we did have time to check out a new van which we ooohed and aaahed over before coughing up plenty of $$ for our van repairs and hitching up our now-safe van. Home for cuppas but this awning issue is worrying us as the weather is forecasting a fair bit of rain while we are at my brother’s and we are worried a out getting wet as we get in and out of the van so I did a quick dash down to Supercheap Auto to buy a 3m x 3m gazebo we can set up outside the van. We’ll see how that works! Pre dinner drinks and nibbles were interrupted by a short rain shower but we were able to finish the rest of our evening around the campfire.
A lazy morning at camp, although we were keenly waiting for the phone call from Michael at Sunland from 8 o’clock. He rang just before 9am with the good news that they had an axel (bright red!) and he was teeing up the labour to do it tomorrow. We agreed to drop it off at 7:30am again but it still doesn’t sound like there is much chance for the awning.
So, with a day to ourselves, we all had quiet mornings around camp, enjoying the sunshine. After elevenses, we decided to head to Deception Bay for lunch and to get 20 litres of water, as we are starting to run low. With a bit of difficulty, we found what I had expected to be the centre of town on the waterfront, but it was actually a pretty and quiet little place - with a couple of good cafes! We chose the best one for lunch and enjoyed barramundi again. After that, we went for a walk along the water primarily in search of a potable water tap and found one close by so filled our jerry can. On the way back to camp, we stopped at Super Cheap Auto for a few bits and pieces and came home to find the others gone. So we settled in with a cup of tea and enjoyed the remaining sunshine but had to light the fire early when a cool wind came in.
Another lovely night around the fire, eating and singing. We even had this visitor on our caravan wall after I found him on the window ledge. I thought he might make a good 3D sticker for the side of the van!
Day 18 - Burpengary East (Caboolture, Bribie Island, Caloundra)
Up early this morning as our van was due at Sunland after 7:30am for a list of little repairs/modifications and of course, for them to check the work done on the bearings. We dropped it off and checked TripAdvisor for the best breakfast venue in Caboolture. I was just ordering when Sunland rang to say they needed our hitch (we do have a slightly unusual one) so I did another quick dash up the road and got back just as our food was served! After a delicious breakfast, we pondered what to do with our day, assuming Sunland would need the van all day. We decided on a drive to Bribie Island for starteres and headed for the ocean side. The island is much more developed than I expected - I was thinking it might be a bit like Fraser Island but no, there is Woolies, Aldi and plenty of other commercialism! The ocean side was a bit nicer so I decided to go for a walk along the beach. Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a pod of dolphins not five metres off shore!!! They were cavorting and playing and it was so beautiful! It was difficult to take a good photo of this but I did try! We then drove the passage side of the island but weren’t prepared for sand driving so left that and headed for Caloundra for lunch. On such a beautiful day, we sat on the beach eating our fresh seafood and that was most enjoyable! We even got to watch/listen to kite surfers who were benefitting from the winds.
We started heading back to Caboolture, figuring we had to pick up the van by 3:30pm and had a call on the way home form the Service Manager who didn’t have good news. The damage from the bearing going had caused dangerous damage to the axel and the whole axel needed to be replaced. So its a matter of when that can be done. In the meantime, they are happy for us to potter around locally but not do thousands of kilometres. It looks like we are staying in Burpengary a few more nights! The awning is also a no go - the awning itself arrived but not the arms.
Back to camp for a much needed cuppa and then a seat around the fire as Rhonda was on dinner duty tonight.
A quieter day today, so we all had a very lazy morning in our vans, not emerging until the sun was well and truly up. Another beautiful day in paradise! We did have elevenses together and started discussing options for the next campsite, as we have been checking the weather and have been getting concerned that its looking a bit wet where we were planning to go. Ironically, we didn’t go to this place on our last trip because of the rain forecast! So we were researching options for alternative campsites but couldn’t decide so I decided to go to the laundromat and do our washing. The Burpengary Laundromat was quite OK but a little busy on a public holiday Monday! Got my washing on, did a spot of shopping while it washed and was back in time to collect ready for hanging out at our campsite like a Chinese laundry!! A lazy afternoon in the sun until I was on dinner duty and then it was music blaring from the Patriot speakers as we sat around the campfire.
Sunday morning fry up so thankfully Neill restoked and fuelled the fire when he got up for the dawn service and it was burning very cheerily by the time we emerged. Eggs, bacon, haloumi and baked beans all cooked on the fire - yum! Several cups of tea, then coffee and freshly made Anzac biscuits occupied the morning by which time we had decided today was the day to drive to the Sunshine Coast so as not to get caught up in returning long weekend traffic tomorrow night. First stop was the at the Caboolture Showgrounds for the highlight of any camper’s travels - the dump point. Then it was up into the hills. The hinterland in this part of the world is just beautiful. Quite steep little mountains with amazing views back to the coast, lush almost rainforest style vegetation, and cute little villages. We aimed for Montville which was incredibly busy on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it was very hard to get a carpark! A sign for a devonshire tea caught our eye so we found a table and sat down - to then find out they had sold out of scones! We enjoyed some tasty treats and had a look around before Greg and I headed back down the hill to visit his old boss at their new place in Mooloolaba. They had bought a great house right on the canal and we enjoyed out visit and the boys enjoyed their catch up. Our camping group had already decided tonight was dinner out but we hadn’t anticipated so much trouble finding an open restaurant on Anzac Day! Given our fondness for dumplings, we aimed for Coast Dumplings which was very casual and very busy! The food was indeed very good so we enjoyed that before rolling out of there and driving the 40 minutes down the freeway back to camp.
The day dawned with lovely sunshine as we breakfasted on our Saturday staple of bagels with smoked salmon (yes, Tasmanian home made bagels) however Greg wasn’t feeling too well so he didn’t partake and ended up staying at camp to rest and recuperate. The rest of us headed up the highway to the Eumundi Markets, a bit of an institution in this part of the world. It’s probably about six years since we were last here. We arrived at about 10am and as I had hoped, were directed to a front row carpark because some people had already left. First things first, it was coffee and the most amazing chocolate filled fresh hot donut. Then we wandered the stalls. Plenty to see and buy but also lots of the same - clothes (dresses), jewellery, baby stuff, belts but in between, some cool 3D art, furniture and chook mozzie coil holders (practically an essential at the moment!). We met up again for lunch, even finding a table and chairs and enjoying the yummy offerings. Peter and Rhonda were on a roll, doing plenty of shopping so we continued on u til the markets closed and then we headed back to camp.
We were having a roast for dinner tonight so we had to get back and get the fire going. Greg was feeling much better so after lighting the fire and collecting some more firewood, we enjoyed a cuppa and then pre-dinner drinks. We pulled out all the stops to try and avoid mozzies - spray, coils, candles and of course, the fire. Although the new anti-itch spray I bought at the markets also seems to work well but I’d rather not get bitten in the first place. The roast beef dinner with roast vegetables and gravy was delicious and we enjoyed the campfire until much later than normal tonight. It was not too cold and our music was playing - a great night.
After a very restless and noisy night, we were up at dawn to have our breakfast and prepare the van ready for the tow. Kevin the tow truck driver rang at about 6:45am to say he was there but didn’t know which van was us. Neill moved their van out of the way, we unhitched, and then Kevin did his thing. He certainly knew what he was doing with caravans and was very careful with it but it was still worrying seeing it hauled up onto the back of a tow truck. We were ready to go within half an hour so Greg and I followed him out - it is very disconcerting to follow your own van, its supposed to be the other way around!
Gympie Caravan and RV weren’t even open when we arrived but as soon as we saw someone moving around the yard, we asked if they could open the gate so that Kevin could back the tow truck in and drop off the van. This went smoothly and after completing the paperwork we left them to it. We headed into the main streets of town to meet the others for coffee where we pleasantly wiled away an hour or so in the Brown Jug Cafe. Then we headed to the supermarket and eventually back to the repair place but it was still another couple of hours before they were finished. Apparently, it had been very difficult to get the burnt drum off - every part around the drum was destroyed. In the meantime, I had been able to get onto the insurance company and ascertain that they didn’t need us to keep any of the awning bits so we unloaded them and left them with the RV repair place. By 1pm, we were back on the road so we collected our travelling partners and headed down the highway. It was strange to see so much traffic but it is a long weekend here in Queensland so everyone was clearly heading away. By 3ish we were pulling into our campsite, another privately run campground on 40 acres which is completely incongruous to the surrounding built up areas so close to Brisbane. We have our own secluded site in the bush with cut grass and plenty of firewood. We got the fire going and although we had planned for a roast tonight, our extended time at the repair place has delayed that until tomorrow. So we enjoyed pasta around the fire before an early night.
Day 13 - Maryborough to Gympie (supposed to be Brisbane)
Ooooh, is it because today is Day 13 and therefore unlucky or is it just because I haven’t had much to write about over the last few days but boy, do we have a story for tonight!
The day started gently and normally enough. We were moving camp today and actually going our separate ways before meeting up again tomorrow, because we had the van booked in for a suspension service tomorrow in Brisbane. We had run out of gas overnight so I even had to get dressed and go outside to swap gas bottles before we could have a cuppa! But, we were all on the road before 10am with the first stop the Maryborough Showgrounds again to fill with water and dump the toilet. While there, we did have slightly early elevenses! We then detoured back into Maryborough to fill the gas bottle and met the others down the highway so we could travel in convoy for most of the way. Sixty kilometres down the road we heard an intermittent squeaking/whistling sound from the vehicles so we radioed the others saying we wanted to stop and check. We all pulled into a rest area - and discovered one of our rear caravan tyres was red hot and smelt terrible. Just as we were all investigating, a woman pulled in behind us to say she had been following us trying to get our attention because she saw smoke coming from our wheel! Turns out we have done a bearing which effectively renders us undriveable. We then spent the next four hours trying to get our roadside assistance to tow us, firstly to the place in Brisbane where we were already booked in, and then when that was going to cost more than $1100 and not get us until mid morning, to the nearest town where we found a caravan repair place that could fix our bearing at 8am. So now we have a tow booked for 7am tomorrow, we are spending the night in this noisy roadside spot with slightly dubious fellow campers, but on the plus side, Neill and Jude and Peter and Rhonda are supportively still with us, we have a plan to fix the problem, Rhonda cooked a nice dinner for us, and as has been quoted lots on this trip “things are different when you’re camping”!!! And apparently, it all made for a good story for the blog tonight......
31C = beach day!!! It was indeed pretty warm today. We had breakfast outside again but it was too warm for another cuppa outside so we headed into town to pick up Janne as we were heading to Hervey Bay again. Hervey Bay aka “the bay” sometimes gets a bad wrap as Scurvey Bay because so many Victorians retire up here. However, it has a lovely beach, great parks along the beachfront, good seafood and all the shops that Maryborough doesn’t have!
Janne wanted a new phone so we went to JB Hi Fi for Mallett technical support and we purchased a lovely new iPhone very efficiently. So we headed to the Esplanade and found a car park (not so easy when you had a very long caravan awning strapped to the roof of your car that hangs out quite a way) and chose our fresh seafood for lunch. When that was cooked (or in the case of my oysters, kept cool!), we found a
picnic table in the shade of the park along the beach and enjoyed our lunch very much. Afterwards, it was time for a swim! I had to get Janne to take photographic evidence as I hear it was a frosty 1C at home this morning so I can assure everyone back in Launceston that my swim in Hervey Bay was MUCH warmer than that! The water was delightful so I certainly enjoyed my swim.
As much as I could have stayed there for a long time, we headed back to Maryborough so I could set up Janne’s phone before heading back to camp as I was on dinner duty tonight. Beef stroganoff cooked in the camp oven over the campfire. It was actually a pretty warm evening to be cooking such a meal but it tasted great and the fire was necessary to keep the mozzies at bay (not so successfully - they were thick on the air tonight).
A sunny and warm 28C today - just beautiful! We had a very lazy morning around camp with Neill and Jude as Peter and Rhonda had left early for their Fraser Island tour. We had breakfast outside, then did some trip planning for the next week, then after all that effort it was time for elevenses so it was late lunchtime before we headed in to see Janne. I had some more washing to do so we had lunch with Janne while the washing machine did its thing and we caught up. We did pop out to fill our little gas bottle which ran out while I was cooking breakfast but the afternoon wiled away and soon it was time to head out for dinner as we had arranged to meet the rest of our party at a restaurant in Hervey Bay. It was a good seafood restaurant and we had yummy food and convivial conversation which made for a good night.
The sun is warm, there’s next to no breeze, the birds are chirping and it’s 28C - does it get any better than this?! We didn’t hurry out of camp this morning as it was only 130km of driving. Morning tea was at the rosella farm in Woolooga where we have stopped before because the rosella hibiscus jam is very nice! Next stop was the Showgrounds in Maryborough because we needed to fill up with water. Then it was a short 17km out to our campsite called Lazy Labyrinth, which is a private property on 60 acres where they have set aside some slashed spots in the bush for camping. We were all set up in time for lunch. After lunch, we headed into town to visit Greg’s aunt Janne while the others went to a laundromat. It was lovely to see Janne again and her fur kids. Back to camp as I was on dinner duty tonight - curried sausages was on the menu. We had a great campfire although it wasn’t nearly as cold as it has been with music and star gazing.
Pack up was a little different this morning - it was all about securing our broken awning bits and pieces to the roof of the Landcruiser! Given how long the awning itself is, placement was important to still allow for sharp turns of the caravan. So we taped it closed, then put it in the middle of the roofracks and secured it very well with ratchet straps. Then there was the broken awning arms, and just for good measure, a bag of firewood. We were on the road by 10am, but our first stop for the dumpoint was only 30km down the road where we also had elevenses - and checked all the ratchet straps! On the road again for the 100km to Goomeri where we have chosen the Goomeri Bush Camp for our overnight stay. It’s a great location, with manicured grass, scenic bush, rock rimmed fire places and not too many other vans. We were set up in time for lunch and then had a very quiet afternoon in the sun reading etc with the most activity a hair cut for Greg. Five of us did go for a short walk in the late afternoon before we lit the fire and got ready for dinner, which was a delicious pork dish courtesy of Jude. It got cool very quickly so the fire was much needed. This was the view of our camp in the late afternoon from the roof of the landcruiser - note the awning strapped down the middle!
And disaster strikes! A stormy windy cool change hit this afternoon while we were out and we came home to find our awning destroyed , bent back and broken across the roof of the caravan! It could have been worse - no damage was done to the roof or any other part of the van but it did take some work to get it back over the van and then off. Here was a work in progress:
So while this was happening, we were on a walk through the Bunya Mountains. It was nice and sunny when we started but the clouds were descending at a rapid rate and we didn’t know if we would get our walk done before the rain set in. We did, but we certainly didn’t see much - neither of the waterfalls had much water in them and scenic lookout was a whiteout. This is what we saw and this is what we should have seen:
The Bunya trees are quite something though and actually looked quite stunning among the mist. Unforuntaely, neither of the waterfalls on our walk had much water going through them so that was disappointing too.
We finally emerged from the mist quite cold and to be honest, a little disappointed. As we drove the 20 or so minutes home, we commented several times on how strong the wind was so our disappointment escalated when we got to the gate of this farm and saw our awning ruined. Neill and
Jude's was flapping so they hightailed down the drive to rescue it. Closer inspection of ours led to rescue plans because obviously we needed to get it off the roof. One arm had completely snapped but the other was bent and needed straightening to then be able to pull the awning back over the roof (without it getting caught in the wind again). So the Landcruiser came into action as a platform for Neill and I to get high enough to do some work up there while others held onto ropes secruing the broken bits. An hour or so later, as the wind got colder and the rain started, we had completely removed it. Clearly we weren't going to be having dinner outside in front of a campfire tonight so after a hot shower, Neill and Jude invited us all into Cafe Bushtracker for a hearty pasta dinner, followed by delicious pancakes after my excellent suggestion - because that's what we had last time the six of us were forced into cafe Bushtracker for dinner on a cold windy night in Farina 6 years ago!
What a joy to not need heating, to wake up to glorious sunny warmth, and to don the sorts and tshirts knowing we were going to be warm all day!
Sure enough, the train came through at 2:41am waking us all up. But it was no hardship to roll back over to sleep. And here’s the pub as promised last night:
We filled up with water in Nobby before hitting the road although it wasn’t a big drive today. We still stopped for elevenses in Oakey and then followed the very specific instructions from our campsite host to this gem of a place. We are quite remote, on a 200 acre cattle farm with fabulous views over the Bunya Mountains. So we set up in the first paddock we came to with a few cows and a shetland pony. The owner had even left us a trailer of firewood! Lunch was had in the shade of our awnings because the temperature had climbed to 29C!
After that, Greg and I headed out to catch up with his friends in Blackbutt while Neill and Peter collected some firewood and set up our campfire. It was lovely to see Andy and Mao again and to describe any changes in the country to Greg who is very familiar with the area after living here for so many years. We then stopped in at the supermarket in Blackbutt and definitely needed the satnav to get back to camp given it was dark by then! We were back at camp well before dinner, but in time to sit around the fire. A lovely steak dinner cooked by Rhonda tonight followed by a perfectly cooked by Jude jam rolly polly in the camp oven on the fire. A great day and night and even better, we’re not moving on tomorrow so can enjoy a more relaxing morning, hopefully with a fry up!
Sunrise at the trout farm was quite lovely albeit chilly. The diesel heater went on nice and early but as soon as the sun hit the van, it got too hot. We enjoyed our morning cuppa and then breakfast before outdoor tasks such as the dump point. Travel started just after 9am through towns such as Guyra and Glen Innes. This part of New England is indeed very English, with the English deciduous trees looking very colourful at the moment. We pulled over for morning tea in Deepwater with Tasmanian baked chocolate muffins available with our cuppas. On the road again, we actually passed two vans the same as ours (and have since identified the owners of one of them!) and then proceeded to get caught up in lots of roadworks. It seemed we were stopped for more than we actually drove . We entered Queensland just after midday and fittingly, it was very warm and sunny. We stopped for lunch in Stanthorpe which included some running repairs/mechanical advice on the Jeep of Rhonda and Peter. We bought pies from one of the local bakeries and they were divine. On the road again, with only a few more roadworks and a stop for fuel, we passed through Warwick and eventually arrived here in Nobby. We are camped along the old railway station although it turns out that trains do still run along here - I wonder if we will hear one tonight?! Dinner tonight was in Rudd’s Pub, also known as the Dad and Dave pub. Steele Rudd was the author of Dad and Dave ‘On the Selection’ and was a local who hung out here so they named the pub after him. Its an eclectic collection of memorabilia and it seems the locals love it! The meals were super huge but certainly very tasty and we waddled out of there back to our vans. Stay tuned for a daylight photo of the pub in the morning!
Glorious weather today - hot and sunny so we even cracked out the shorts! A slightly slower departure morning as Neill and Jude had a 9am appointment at the Telstra store to sort some data issues so the rest of us took our time, went and filled with fuel and waited. We were all the on the road just after 9:30am and headed for Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia. Upon arrival we sourced caravan parking (check) and a good coffee shop (check) and enjoyed our elevenses in the sunshine. We then sent Peter and Rhonda to the Golden Guitar while Neill and Jude went to yet another Telstra store to rectify this morning’s issues and Greg and I went to the electricity museum, where I was all prepared to correct their claim of being the first city in Australia to run electricity and defend my hometown until I fact checked and learned that while Launceston had indeed set an Electric Light Act in 1884 (four years before Tamworth) it took them 7 more years to decide where to build the power station (Duck Reach) and 3 more to construct it. So Tamworth was indeed the first to Light their streets with electricity.
Telstra took a little longer than planned so it was after 1:30pm before we all left Tamworth and hit the road, ready for the climb up the mountains. Over the next two hours we went from 400m elevation and 26C to 1300m elevation and 18C! Tonight we are in Black Mountain at Deano’s Trout Farm. We stayed here on our last trip in 2019 and liked what he was doing and trying to set up so we came back to support him. Having had good rain since then, his trout population has grown nicely and he has made some great improvements to the farm. We bought more trout products, set up camp, lit the campfire (yes, you may notice a trend in my photos to date!) and enjoyed a delicious casserole as the night air got a lot cooler.
We spent most of the day on the road today, and on the Newell Highway we had to share the road with truckies. Some are quite reasonable and we certainly try to be courteous by letting them overtake where possible, not speeding up when there is an opportunity for them, and keeping sufficient gaps between our convoy of three vans. But we sure heard from those today who were certainly not happy with us (caravanners generally, but specifically us today plus a fourth van which was behind us). What can you do, but try and be obliging. In a way, it does add to the stress of driving. Today was a bigger day, as we did 455km. We were on the road by 8:30am although we did have to stop for fuel before we left Forbes. The day dawned very cool - to the point where we ran the diesel heater all night set at 12C! But it was a beautiful sunny and even warm day. We stopped for elevenses at Dubbo which we enjoyed in the sunshine. Lunch was in a rest area just before Coonabaraban (with our fears of the place after our 2019 trip where we got stuck there for many days) and then we powered on to Gunnedah where we are camped on the banks of the Namoi River. A fellow camper told us there were plenty of mice around. But fingers crossed, we haven’t seen any yet. We collected firewood that washed up in the recent floods and set ourselves a great campfire, in front of which we ate our corned beef dinner (prepped in the non-electric slow cooker this morning before we left) complete with cheese sauce and mashed potato - ahhh, this is the life!,
It was a beautiful morning on the banks of the Murrumbidgee at Darlington Point. A little cool though but the diesel heater fixed that and we were toasty warm as we enjoyed our morning cuppas and breakfast. On the road by 9:30am, we headed through Leeton which was a much larger town than we expected to the reserve at Narrandera where we have had many morning teas in the past. We shared Tassie baked mini quiches washed down with our own coffee or tea before we were back on the road. I was impressed with the caravan parking in West Wyalong where we stopped for lunch - so much so that I took photos because this is what we need in Launceston (take note, Dave). We had baked goodies from the bakery before we turned north again. There was lots of roadworks, plenty of trucks trying to go faster than us, but at least the wind was not a problem like yesterday. We arrived in Forbes to find that our proposed campground was a bit busy so we checked out the showgrounds before setting up there. Deciding to take advantage of the afternoon sun, we opened our chair bags - until I screamed and dropped mine because I saw two mice run out. Last night after our campfire , I packed up our chairs but given the car was already locked, thought I would just store them under the van overnight, ready to be put in the van in the morning. Greg did say “you shouldn’t do that, a snake will crawl in” which I dismissed given how cold it was. So while it wasn’t a snake, it was snake feed! Lesson learned - don’t store the packed up chairs under the caravan.
After our cuppas, we did a couple of laps of the trotting track to get our steps up before we had drinks and nibbles outside in the rapidly cooling night - believing we couldn’t have a campfire. Until Doug the caretaker came around to take our camp fees and said we could! But it was too late by then. I did have a chat with some people with the same kind of caravan as us and there enjoyed Rhonda’s cooking for dinner before we all retreated to our vans for warmth.
It was a little sad to set an alarm this morning but this was offset by the beautiful sunrise over the creek. Breakfast, packup and hitch-up and we were on the road by just afrer our 9am scheduled departure. Down the road to Jude's niece's place to fill up with water, then fuel in Cohuna and finally we were on our way. Mind you, it wasn't far down the track before we stopped for elevenses - a stalwart of our camping trips with Neill and Jude - at Koondruk. Then to Deniliquin for lunch where I managed to squeeze in a walk along the Edwards River. But the cold southerly wind which had been plaguing us since this morning was persistent - eating our fuel, shortening our stops, and sending us all into our vans for stops.
Fuel in Jerilderie and finally we made it to Darlington Point for our ovenight campsight. Amongst the river red gums on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, it's a beautiful spot and we have a great fire going to warm us up. Chicken cashew curry for dinner, washed down with a lovely red, in front of a hot fire - it's all pretty good!
It was with great delight that I left work early on Friday afternoon, to swap cars and head to Devonport. We drove straight onto the Spirit and were tucked up in our cabin with our takeaway dinner by just after 6pm. It was a very smooth sailing so apart from the hard beds, we slept well. We were awoken at 4:45am so the boat could do a quick turnaround for a daily sailing. Thankfully, we found a cafe in Port Melbourne that was open at 5:45am so we could have coffee. We tried to kill time so we didn't arrive at Macedon too early but even so, we snuck into Stu and Eleanor's house just after 7am to the excitment of Evie the dog, but no-one else woke up! So we made a cup of tea and settled in to wait.
After a lovely family breakfast, and a walk through the house that is now furnished, we swapped cars amd headed north. Lunch in Kerang and then we wound our way around Gunbower Creek to find our caravan, whih had been camped up for a week at Neill and Jude's family campground. After unpacking, settling in, doing some grocery shopping etc we were thankful for a quiet night around the campfire in this beautiful location.
We awoke to find that Graham had leftt to tend to farm duties so Michelle cooked us up breakfast and eventually Graham came back just in time for us to set off. I was a little wary of the creek crossing I would have to do on the way (but still figured it was better than that bridge! But it worked out very well and both Graham and Michelle filmed our crossing so I could replay it with pride!
After a stop at the Evandale dump point, we were home to an enthusiastic welcome by Slick and our lovely house sitters. A great tour of our own backyard.
We had an easy slow morning and waved off the Thomas’ who were heading to the East Coast today. Eventually, we headed down the mountain which is a real zig zag road. We stopped for lunch in Longford, bought a few things at the supermarket and even stopped in at a steel sculpting place because I want a scupture of Rocco made for the new garden bed at the house entrance. We then headed across to Graham and Michele’s where Graham met us to guide us down to their campsite by the river. After all the rain, things were pretty wet so we started the get the tyres wet as we crossed dubious looking tracks. But what really met the definition of dubious was this little old concrete bridge that didnt look as if it would stand the weight of the Patriot! Graham assired me trucks had passed over it so I very cautiously started picking my way over. It was also quite narrow whcih was very disconcerting! Anyway we made it, at which point Graham told me there had been another way - I think we’ll go back that way tomorrow! Anyway, Camp Dolittle is an amazing little spot right on the South Esk River. It was a lovely warm sunny evening and we had a great catch up over dinner and drinks as we watched the sunset.
We were booked into the Wall at Derwent Bridge at 12pm so had to time our departure to allow driving time for that. We also needed to fill with water and WikiCamps told us there was a place in Queenstown but when we got there it was too far away and didnt have an adaptor. So we kept going and as it turns out, only just got to Derwent Bridge in time for our tour. The Wall is an amazing Huon Pine wall 3 metres high and 100 metres long sculpted into a series of iconic Tasmanian features. It is not 100% finished and that is deliberate so viewers can see how the artist works. Unfortunately, it is chained off so Greg could not touch it, which made it difficult for him to appreciate. However, at the end I approached one of the staff who turned out to be the son of the sculptor and he let Greg touch a few different individual pieces. It was all very impressive. We then had lunch in the van before Lisa and Paul headed for Lake St Clair and we found a water point in Derwent Bridge to fill our tanks. We then headed straight to Miena to set up at the Great Lake Hotel. As it was our last night together, we had dinner at the pub which was pretty good.
The Thomas’ were up and off early for their cruise of Macquarie Harbour so we had a slow morning around the van in the sunshine before I went for a 4km walk along the beach. From along harbourside to the ocean beach, it was amazing how much the scenery changed. Lots of cars on the beach too because you can drive on it along here. Plenty of ocean fishing going on too. It was actually a really great walk. We headed into Strahan for lunch and then went back to the Huon Pine places, includng the mill right on the pier where there was a tour/presentation just as the harbour cruise came back. Greg liked the vibe of this place and the sound of the miller so when the crowds left, we got chatting to him while Greg chose a heap of timber to make various things from, including a new coffee table for our lounge! The guy was great and spent a lot of time with Greg, including loading it and wrapping it carefully on the backseat of the Landcruiser! No roofracks for huon pine!
Back to camp for dinner and another fire - our last one together.
A lovely sleep in, awakening to the sounds of waves. We decided a fry up was in order again as we probably wouldn’t have one together again this trip. A beautiful lazy morning in the sun before we headed our separate ways. The camp caretaker had said yesterday that the wind was worst in the afternoon and he must be right because the mornings are lovely! Tomorrow we hope to do the steam train so we headed to the railway station to make enquiries while the Thomas’ found the laundromat. Train is booked out for weeks because of the limited on board capacity (due to COVID) so we met up with the others at Banjos in Strahan for lunch before a bit of rain settled in. We had indoor actcivities planned - Greg wanted to check out huon pine to see what he could buy. So we visited a mill that sells their own and two other places that sold suitably sized pieces. Breathing in that beauitful scent was a great way to wile away a few hours and then we had coffee at Strahan’s best coffee shop (it was pretty good!) before heading back to camp where the rain had cleared and the sun was back out so it was a nice quiet time around the campfire. I cooked a beef stroganoff in the camp oven which was just delicious.
Day 8 - Tuesday 4 January 2021 - Arthur River to Strahan
After much deliberation, we decided to retrace our steps and take the smoother road. Lisa and Paul’s van isn’t set up for rough roads and we had heard that although the gravel road between Arthur River - Corinna - Waratah had been recently graded, it was steep and with sharp stones. Either way, our travels were going to take at least 6 hours. So we set off nice and early, had some fuel amd toilet stops and got to the picturesque town of Waratah for an early lunch. Waratah is a quaint little town with a waterfall in the middle of town although unfortunately the little bakery cafe was not open on a Tuesday.
So while we made do with ingredients in the van, the Thomas’ headed off to Rosebery to the bakery. We then followed Marg’s route reccomendation through Queenstown and then Strahan. Just when we felt we had finally arrived, it was another 12km out to Macquarie Heads where our campground was. And it was a rough old dirt road as well! We checked in withthe caretaker who directed us towards Lisa and Paul and what a great spot they had found! Right on the beach, but with bushes to protect us from the wind. This is a great campground! So we settled in for drinks and nibbles, then dinner and a great campfire yet again.
Day 7 - Monday 3 January 2021 - Smithton to Arthur River
Today was time to turn south and head to some of the wilder parts of the north west coast. Arthur River is only an hour from Smithton so we were set up in a Parks campsite by 11am. It was a bit windier than Smithton but our caravans were in a little hollow and when the sun came out, it was actually quite pleasant.
After lunch we headed to the lookout known as the “Edge of the World” and that’s where we discovered what windy was. An awesomely rugged piece of coastline, with 20,000 kilometres of ocean before the next piece of land. We read these beautiful words as we stood there, the threat of being blown away very real! We were also quite amazed at the volume of driftwood washed up on the beach. Parks and Wildlife say it can be collected for firewood, as wood can’t be taken from the forests. However, there is enough to build a village of houses, some metres tall in places.
Where the river meets the ocean is also quite interesting as the river water is very brown and brackish whereas the seas is a glorious blue. You can drive on the beach from the river around the mouth and along the ocean beach.
We then headed north to a couple of lookouts, one at Bluff Point with a little lighthouse (currently occupied by a swarm of bees!) and then to Greens Point, as I wanted to check out the campground that I had considered for this trip. It is tiny and I’m not sure we would have fitted anyway. But what a beauitful beach! In the distance I could see the southern collection of wind turbines at Woolnorth. I went for a walk along the beach, enjoying the fact my footprints were the first in the sand further around the the point.
Back to camp for dinner and and we rounded out the day with a walk along the beach. It was cold and windy but quite invigorating. And ruggedly beautiful.
We had booked the Woolnoth tour yesterday despite some challenges with the website so were up and going very early to meet the bus . Woolnorth is Tasmania’s largest dairy farm but was previously a sheep farm, hence the name. Nowadays they also farm wind - a clever choice as this north west corner of Tassie is very windy . It was also pretty wet today! The first part of the tour took us to the wind turbines which were fascinating. They are not as noisy as you would expect and incorporate all sorts of technology to keep birds away.
Standing high on the western cliffs of Tassie they are cetainly spectacular but don't detract from the vista, rather they add to it. We then headed onto the real farm for morning tea in the old shearing shed before driving through the cattle to the very north west tip, where we could overlook Hunter Island, Robbins Island and .... It was certainly windy but what else would you expect.
A great way - the only way - to see this corner of Tassie and it was a very intersting morning. Back to the vans for lunch then we headed ut the Tarkine way to visit Trowutta Arch. It was a bit of a drive, and then a bit of a walk but well worth it. Just wow!
Like Leven Canyon, this natural wonder is little known but just amazing. We scrambled around it, took photos from every angle, and were just amazed at nature doing her thing. Pictures dont do it justice because you cant capture it all in a single shot. We headed back into town to refuel vehicles and then Lisa and I went to the supermarket. Given how wet it had been all day, sitting outside for dinner was not an option but there was areat campers lounge at the caravan park with facilities for cooking, tables and chairs to eat at, and even couches to recline on. So we ended up spending all night there in great comfort until it was time for bed.
Day 5 - Saturday 1 January 2021 - Gunns Plains to Smithton
The next morning was pack up time again, as we got ready to head north west. It was a couple of hours drive, most of it pretty easy so it was late morning when we pulled into the caravan park in Smithton. the owner was a most obliging chap and got us set up quick dmart. The wind had really picked up by this stage but it wasn’t too bad between the caravans so while I cooked chicken schnitzels for lunch, we were able to sit in the sun mostly out of the wind. After lunch, the Thomas’ headed for Stanley while we tended to some housekeeping matters before following them - although not up the Nut! We’ve done that before! However, while trying to spot them atop the nut, I realised I had left my phone outside the van so we decided to head back. The weather held for our dinner outside but we retreated to our vans soon after due to the threat of rain and coolness.
Today was Cradle Mountain day! So we were up reasonably early and on the road for the 65 or so kilometres up the mountain. There were a few stops for photos and to take in scenic vistas and of course, the route was pretty windy somit took almost two hours to get to the brand new visitors centre. We booked our tickets and then decided to have lunch. Because of COViD, the cafe didn’t have dine in options so we got our lunches and sat outside in the sunshine. The new visitor centre is very flash and very grey although I can see how it would look nice with snow around it.
After lunch, it was off to the bus. With the new set up, you can’t drive into the park unless you have a very good reason so we were shepherded onto a shuttle bus with everyone else. We decided to go straight to the end, being Dove Loke, do some walks there and then we could decide wehther we wanted to stop off any any of the other points on the way back to the visitor centre. They are doing some work at the Dove Lake end too (building another new - you guessed it - visitor centre!) but it wasn’t much of a detour to start the walk out to the iconic boat shed. Heaps of photos later - especially after we realised we were holding up others wanting people free shots! - we headed off in the other direction. It was a lovely day but there were pleny of people, you had to stick to the walking path/boardwalk (which did make it easier for Greg) and I felt it was quite scripted. Even though we were in nature, it felt unnatural. So by the time we got back on the bus, we decided our only other stop would be the natural history museum, which was actually also a bit of a disappointment. Eventually we got back to the car and decided we wouldnt care if we never came back to Cradle Mountain again. Places like Leven Canyon that we saw yesterday were much better. Lisa and Paul and kids headed to just there, while we fuelled up and headed back to csmp as I was on dinner duty tonight, although most of my work had been done is morning and the corned beef was in the dreampot! By the time the Thomas’ got back I was ready to serve. The kids absolutely loved the corned beef (something they dont get at home) and ate extra serves of meat. Then it was another night around the campfire to round out a great day.
Day 3 - Thursday 30 December - Narawntapu to Gunns Plains
Now that we were all mobile, it was time to pack up and set off. We were on the road at a civilised hour for the shortish drive to Gunns Plains. Just before Latrobe Paul came over the radio advising that one of our caravan tyres was a bit flat. We hadnt turned on the tyre pressure monitoring system and I thought I had noticed some flatness on the bottom but its sometimes hard to tell on differtn roads. So we pulled up in latrobe to put some air in the tyre and the Thomas’ detoured via the chocolate shop. However, as we put air in, i could hear it coming out. A bit more investigation revealed perished valve stems. Google told us therre was a tyre repair place in Latrobe. But there was no answer when I rang so we decided to try and get to Devonport, a mere 9km up the road. As we pulled out of town, the Latrobe tyre man rang back and indeed confirmed he was closed but recommended a place in Devonport that we made our way to, as I watched the tyre slowly deflate enroute. Pulling into the type place which was on the side of the a hill, the very helpful lady was more than happy to arrange for help, but needed to move on a caravan that was in the way. An hour later, the owner came to collect and we backed into position. We’d already told Lisa and Paul to keep going but it didn’t take long for the nice young man to replace all four tyre valve stems and pump them up to pressure. By midday, we were back on the road.
Our satnav took us a very roundabout way to Gunns Plains but we pulled into the wildlife park less than an hour later where Lisa and Paul had found us a nice grassy spot, although set back from the river because of all the caravans. The sun was shining and it was warming up quite quickly. We had a late lunch before making plans for the afternoon. Lisa and co were off to meet the wildlife so we decided to go for a drive. We headed to Leven Canyon, a 29km drive made all the better for the views of our campground in the valley as we climbed up and up. After parking and researching the two walks to the Canyon, we decided on what sounded like the shorter flatter one and came out at this amazing lookout. It was definitely a bit daunting stepping out onto the see through base with the Leven River (the same river we are camped on) hundreds of metres below us. What a view though!
Places like this are such Tasmanian hidden treasures. There were next to no people here, the carpark was basic and small but boy, does the nature make up for it. Highly recommend this to anyone visiting the area. Back to camp for a cool ale and a yummy dinner of fajitas before we felt the need for a campfire despite it not being very cold. And it was just great to be back sitting around a campfire into the night.
A beautiful day dawnd as we woke to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach. Given we werent going anywhere today, there was plenty of time for a fry up for breakfast, complete with pancakes. We lolled around in the sun over morning coffees, before some of us decided on a trip to the beach. We took Mighty Merlot but it was actually closer than we thought so I was able to walk back to make Greg’s lunch. And how beautiful was it to paddle in the shallows watching Kobi play in the sand while I caught up with my best friend.
Later that afternoon we got the call to say the Jeep was fixed and ready for collection. So Greg, Paul and I headed off to Spreyton to pick it up. Greg and I did a detour to the Anvers chocolate shop, and stopped in at the amazing IGA in LaTrobe. We were back to camp in time for pre-dinner drinks and then dinner that used up the rest of the Christmas pork. A beautiful evening watching the stars and listening to the waves.
Day 1 - Tuesday 28 December 2020 - Bangor to Narawntapu
The day started out smoothly enough, and we optimistically set off, confident that we would find suitable campsites at Narawntapu. First stop of the day was Exeter where we all hoped to have a delicious pie at the bakery but it was still closed. Never mind, we thought, and stocked up on a few things at the IGA to make our own lunch at Narawntapu. Upon arrival there - and after the girl at the Visitor Centre couldn’t say where there were any spots available at Bakers Point, we headed down their very corrugated dirt road to see. Doing the loop of the campground down there revealed nothing so disappointed, we headed back to the Visitor Centre to have some lunch and plan our next course of action. Along the way, Paul comes over the two way saying he had a strange warning light come up on his dash. Greg asked a couple of questions about it,but figured we would look in more detail when we stopped. As we pulled up near the Visitor Centre, Paul told us he had completely lost drive. Knowing that was serious enough to warrant an RACT call, possibly a tow, we deciced to see if we could camp where we were. The powered sites were only 100 metres away and as luck would have it, there were two available side by side. So we parked up the Patriot, had a quick lunch, and then used Mighty Merlot to transport the Thomas’ van into situ. Within a couple of of hours, the Jeep had been towed and we were set up. We did some walks, soaked up some sun, and generally took it easy.
I got the nickname Gismo-Queen in Canada in 1996, and it occasionally sticks...well enough for me to have named my cat accordingly! And given that she had to approve the man in my life, her actions in doing just that made him my King! So this blog is for our friends and family to keep up with our happenings, photos, travels etc
