Bowen

Sunday, 29 June 2014

 

I’m sure the very heavy due this morning registered in Mackay’s official rainfall total.  Of course, this meant a gorgeous day was to follow, with the temperature quickly rising to 27 degrees.  We are finding that we are getting quicker at packing up after an overnight stop – or it just may be that someone is getting up earlier!

Apart from a very long freight train which we had to wait for, there wasn’t a lot of Sunday morning traffic about in Mackay.  As we headed north towards Proserpine, there was very little to look at apart from sugar cane, and then more sugar cane.  As we neared Bowen, the cane was replaced by vegetables – tomatoes, zucchinis, capsicums, etc.

We are staying at the BIG4 Coral Coast Caravan Park – not our first visit to this lovely park on the beach front.  Although the drive-thru sites are nice and long, the roads are quite narrow which means driving onto site can be very tight.  This year, a staff member arrived at our site to direct proceedings, which went well after parked cars were moved both in front and behind us.  The lovely gardens between sites and the friendliness of the staff and fellow travellers more than compensates for the parking.  The heat today meant that the washing dried very quickly and it also meant that the awning was very quickly unrolled.  Cat even ventured outside for a snooze in the shade.

We had a quick drive around the town and noted that the site of Darwin in the film “Australia” is up for sale.  We drove to the top of Flagstaff Hill to enjoy the views and have lunch in the café.  Lunch was shared with the 5,318 flies on the dining verandah – at least we used up lots of energy waving our hands.  A walk through the park along the beach front was much more enjoyable later in the afternoon.

Mackay

Friday, 27 June 2014

 

Coal train

We had a much warmer start to the day, with the temperature soon reaching 17 degrees.  However, the odd cloud did increase during the day, as did the temperature.  The first part of the drive north of Gin Gin was very, very slow, with virtually continual roadworks for about 100 km – the Bruce Highway will be very easy driving once it is finished but at the moment it is rather frustrating.  We stopped for lunch at the Caliope River – as did many other caravanners!  After more traffic delays due to even more roadworks, we finally crossed the Tropic of Capricorn – and the temperature immediately rose three degrees (probably had a bit to do with the city traffic).  Probably the most exciting part of the trip was the very, very long coal train – with the coal no doubt headed for the power stations of China.

We are staying at the Discovery BIG4 Holiday Park; certainly not our first visit to this park as we first stayed here with our children in 1983.  It has changed a bit since then.  For the first time this trip, we are staying in a caravan park that is nearly full.

Saturday, 28 June 2014

 

Bush

Sugar Cane

Tropical Cattle

Boosting Vitamin D levels

 

 

There are 1,687,934 rainbow lorikeets in Rockhampton, and last night they all roosted in the tree beside our caravan.  Lorikeets like to talk with each other about their day’s experience before they fall asleep; they also like to wake up early.

We were on the road a bit earlier than usual this morning and made good time on the road north to Mackay.  For once, we only encountered on roadwork area and the road surface was good but a bit bouncy in places.  We travelled through cattle country and bush for most of the way, with sugar farms putting in an appearance about 100 kms south of Mackay.  As we drove through Sarina, Doris said “No” to turning left towards Sarina Palms Caravan Park.  Obviously a very smart TomTom who didn’t want to repeat last year’s bad experience at this place!

We are staying at The Park, on the southern outskirts of Mackay, not far from the airport.  What a little gem this caravan park is; such a good find.  The grounds are absolutely immaculate, the sites large (ours in drive-thru) and all grassy, some with slabs.  Long term residents (a fact of life in Mackay) are obviously very well controlled, with no junk or excess gear apparent.

The weather today has been clear and sunny, with an overnight minimum of 18 and a very pleasant 27.  Vitamin D levels are rising …

Bundaberg

Thursday, 26 June 2014

 

Bundaberg Town Hall and War Memorial?

One of our coldest mornings since leaving home – 3 degrees – and at the Sunshine Coast!  However, this did mean the most beautiful day followed, warm, clear and not a cloud in the sky as we drove to Bundaberg.

I think the majority of road works in Queensland are happening between Maroochydore and Bundaberg, or so it seemed.  We did spend a considerable amount of time parked in long lines of vehicles.  There was also an incredible amount of traffic on the road and we were amazed at the number of caravans heading south.  When we were only about 15 klms from Bundaberg, we were made very much aware of why we take out windscreen insurance.  A car travelling in the opposite direction threw a stone at us and left a lovely shaped, double star about 10 cms up from the bottom.  Himself has applied a patch and hopefully we will be able to return to home base before having the windscreen replaced.

After checking into the BIG4 Cane Village Holiday Park, which is a very nice tropical park with very good sites and amenities, not to mention extremely friendly and helpful caretakers, we drove to Bargara on the off chance of catching Helen and Vince (ex next-door-neighbours) at home in the caravan.  Unfortunately, they were out but we did meet someone else from Ulverstone and left a message with him.  As we were driving back to Bundaberg, we passed Peter and Pat (also ex-Ulverstonians) heading towards Bargara.

The scenery today has been very Queensland – sugar cane, pineapple plantations, macadamias, mangos, sweet potatoes and hunch-back cattle.

Australia Zoo

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

 

Today was a family day out at Australia Zoo; unfortunately, the Weather Bureau seemed to over-estimate their forecast temperature.  Being midweek and not school holidays, there weren’t crowds of people of attendance.

The crocodile experience commenced as soon as we walked through the entrance, with a small crocodile waiting for photo opportunities.  Our first stop was to see the giant tortoises being fed – and actually moving!  Then Aidan spotted the merry-go-round so both little and big kids climbed on board for a spin, before heading off to look at the big crocodiles.  We spent some time in the children’s zoo, with the two boys thoroughly enjoying the experience of handfeeding goats and sheep.  We moved on to the kangaroos and fed them as well.  (It is amazing how these zoos manage to get patrons to pay extra for food to feed the animals!)  After patting a koala (asleep, of course) and oohing at the many snakes, we headed to the crocoseum for the midday show.  We were treated to displays of macaws, cockatoos and parrots, snakes, dingos and a couple of crocodiles.

Following lunch, it was time to head to Tigerland (no, not Richmond!!!) and Aidan’s much loved tigers.  We were just in time for an unadvertised tiger show – much to the delight of Aidan.  The day then became even better for him– a camel ride with his brother and father.  “Africa” was also in this section of the zoo, with a large grassy plain for the giraffes, zebras and rhinos.  A ride on the shuttle train took as back to our final show of the day – the otter feeding.

Goodbyes were said in the carpark, as we will be moving northwards towards Cairns on Thursday, David and his family will be returning home and we will not see Shan’s parents until next January.

Maroochydore

Monday, 23 June 2014

 

Last night, we met up with our son, his wife and sons, and parents-in-law who just happened to be staying a short distance from us.  David and family are having a week with Shan’s parents before heading to New Zealand and Shan’s parents had arranged a short break on the Sunshine Coast, not realising that our times here would coincide.  Yesterday was also Aidan’s actual birthday, so we decided on dinner to be followed by birthday cake later at their holiday apartment.

Unfortunately it was also Sunday night and we quickly discovered that Trip Advisor can’t be trusted with restaurant opening hours.  Apart from a few bars – and McDonalds – Maroochydore seemed to have closed for the day and the only place we found open was the local RSL Club, where we have eaten before and had good meals.  After signing in, we discovered that Jack had disappeared; he was discovered trying to play the poker machines!  On entering the large dining area, we found a live band playing and dancing in progress, but we also discovered that Sunday night was family roast special night – no a-la-carte menu.  Although not gourmet or Masterchef, the food on offer was acceptable and very good value – Aidan and Jack made very short work of their chips and nuggets, followed by ice cream Sunday.  Later, after blowing out his birthday candles, Aidan unwrapped his present from his other grandparents and his face lit up with such a huge grin when he realised he now had his very own iPad.

Hard to believe that it was only last Monday that we were on the boat!  No fog this morning, just clear skies and a beautiful sunrise; it wasn’t very long before we were sitting on the patio working on our vitamin D levels.

 

After swapping our winter wardrobes for summer wardrobes, we visited Bowlers Paradise for some new bowls gear – shoes and vest for her, trousers and shorts for him.  For some reason, polar fleece jackets don’t seem to be stocked in Queensland, but there was plenty of wet weather gear.  This afternoon was spent just relaxing – so nice to have some time just to sit and soak up the warmth – and feeding the ducks, and eels, in the caravan park’s lake.

Queensland at Last

Saturday, 21 June 2014

 

Thank goodness we didn’t get up early to attend the Winter Solstice Sunrise at the standing stones – it was very, very cloudy.  We continued our journey north, with the terrain much less challenging than yesterday; it was much nicer to see a “normal” fuel consumption!  We didn’t stop until we reach Queensland, not long after passing through Tenterfield – and noticed an immediate change in the weather, with the temperature hitting 18 degrees and rising to 20 degrees by the time we arrived at Warwick.

With such warm weather and sunny skies, a quick decision was made to wash the sheets and towels and hang them on the line to dry.  So much nicer than having to use a dryer.  Once set up, we headed to the centre of town for some lunch and supplies and were very surprised when we left the shopping centre to see very dark and ominous skies heading our way.  We stopped for a quick refuel before heading back to the caravan park and the almost dry washing.

We are staying at the Kahlers Oasis Caravan Park on the outskirts of Warwick – a nice park with very large sites, the sunny ones have dry grass and the shady ones have a concrete slab.  The amenities are good and currently being updated.

Sunday, 22 June 2014

We thought we were back in New South Wales this morning – thick fog again!  However, once we were on the road, this quickly turned to brilliant sunshine and clear skies.  The countryside, in what I think are called the Southern Downs, was gorgeous, with crops growing in rich black soil as well as some cattle.  We descended from the Downs (why are they called Downs when they are “up?”) at Cunningham Gap, quickly dropping down a steep and winding road, with some wonderful views of the mountain range.  The fog descended again as we neared Ipswich and stayed with us most of the way to Brisbane.

Doris navigated us through Brisbane without any hassles (although many, many, many grizzles from Himself who considered she was taking him the hard way), through the Clem Jones Tunnel and back to the Sunshine Coast Motorway.  We arrived at Maroochydore just before noon, with very loud rolls of thunder as we reversed onto site.  We set up in record time, just beating the Queensland downpour.  The rain cleared, the sun came out and the temperature rose again to 24 degrees.

This afternoon we needed to find the local BCF to replace my chair – Himself sat in it a couple of days ago and broke it.  Of course, the new chair is mine, despite some mutterings.  Not only is it the same brand, but is a bit wider and has a special seat just for Cat (others might call it a cup holder).  We haven’t figured out why it has a seatbelt, though.

We are staying at the Maroochy Palms Holiday Village for four nights.  This is a beautiful park (we have stayed here on a number of occasions) on the banks of the Maroochy River, has a shop/restaurant on site (they will deliver pre-ordered meals to one’s caravan) and superb amenities.  With lots of palm trees and warm air, we feel as though we are really in Queensland now.

Standing Stones at Glen Innes

Friday, 20 June 2014

 

Stone Circle

Attempt to remove Excalibur

Working out direction of sunrise using stone compass

Direction of Winter Solstice sunrise

Still a long way to the top

No fog this morning, which made a welcome change, but very cloudy.  We set out for Glen Innes, driving along the New England Highway.  It wasn’t long before we started to climb, and climb, and climb!  Watching the fuel consumption numbers rapidly increase was far more exciting than watching a microwave.  The scenery was typical highlands type trees and scrub – and plenty of hills.  We drove around the outskirts of Armidale and continued to climb through Guyra, still climbing until the final hill before Glen Innes.  Then, it was a rapid descent in low gear until we reached the plateau where the Scots must have settled many years ago.

Glen Innes is known as the Celtic Centre of Australia and has its very own standing stones circle.  According to the advertising, these are the first standing stones erected for 3,000 years and the only ones in the Southern Hemisphere.  We even discovered there is a ceremony at sunrise tomorrow to celebrate the Winter Soltice and a bonfire at sunset.  After wandering among the large granite stones, we returned to the main street for a spot of window shopping and a few supplies.

We are staying at the Fossickers Caravan Park, which is quite small and close to the town centre.  The sites are large and a bit of grass would be welcome, but the amenities are good and very clean.

Tamworth

Thursday, 19 June 2014

 

Enjoying a singalong with Chad Morgan

Morning weather is becoming rather monotonous – cold and foggy again.  After consulting Doris TomTom and agreeing with her choice of route, we set off for Tamworth.  The scenery wasn’t very exciting for the first hour, just grey fog until we reach Leadville, then miraculously it all just disappeared and we had clear blue skies.

The previously Number 1 worst highway/road into Lightning Ridge has now been relegated to Number 2 worst highway/road.  The road from Gulgong to Mallaley was one of the worst drives we have done with the caravan.  Not only was the road narrow (no fog lines), windy, hilly and extremely bumpy, it was also a major short cut for every B-double truck within a hundred kilometre radius.  When we reached the turnoff from this road towards Quirindi and the knowledge that we faced nearly another 150 kms of similar, we had a quick discussion about continuing on the same road for another 41 kms until we met the Oxley Highway.  Although this would have added another 5 kms to our trip, it really was a no brainer to continue to the Oxley Highway and travel to Tamworth via Gunnedah.

By the time we reached the junction with the Oxley, we had left the cattle properties behind and were in cotton country – very much evidenced by the cotton bolls littering the side of the road.  We continued on to Tamworth in a much more comfortable manner and with no more mutterings about car sickness.

We are staying overnight at the Paradise Tourist Park in Tamworth, which is a very nice park with great amenities and very wide sites.  Unfortunately, the park was laid out when an 18 feet long caravan was considered huge!  Our allocated site (right beside a big pine tree) proved too short and with a bank at the road’s edge, we were unable to attach the jockey wheel.  Back to reception for permission to move to the next site and despite numerous juggles, we were unable to align the van exactly parallel to the small slab.  Himself is obviously more relaxed this year and was willing to leave it as was – phew!

We decided to treat ourselves to lunch today, finding a nice coffee shop in the centre of town.  Then it was a quick visit to the Big Golden Guitar (just to prove we have been to Tamworth!) and a visit to a service station for our daily fix of diesel.  With the temperature reaching 19 degrees this afternoon, it was nice to open some windows.

Henry Lawson

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

 

Sun shining and fog disappearing

Stunning War Memorial

Street scene from the War Memorial

"Knock off" poppit head

Stamper

A much shorter distance travelled today – only 300 kms.  What we saw of Young looked very nice – especially the multitude of cherry orchards in the district.  However, the overnight temperature left a little to be desired, with the thermometer sitting on 1 degree at 9.00 pm.  This morning, it was impossible to see much further than 100 metres owing to the thick fog.  How can mainlanders possibly say that Tasmanians are used to the cold – it never gets this cold in Hobart!!!

Our drive to Gulgong was through some beautiful farm lands – what we could see through the fog looked very prosperous – and many hills and windy roads.  We came across a number of road works, all of which were desperately needed.  The fog eventually lifted after a couple of hours on the road and we were treated to some beautiful sunshine for the remainder of the day.

We arrived at Gulgong about 12.45 pm and had the misfortune of disturbing the caravan park owner during his lunch break.  We are staying overnight at the Henry Lawson Caravan Park, which is a small, average country town caravan park with a number of permanents.  However, we have a large sunny, grassy site with a small slab and not exactly crowded by neighbours.

After lunch, sitting outside and taking advantage of the sun, we set out to explore the childhood town of Henry Lawson.  Unlike every country town in Australia, Gulgong’s main street is one lane wide and apart from the obvious Australian architecture, it was just like driving through an English village.  We spent some time at the Henry Lawson Museum and learnt much about his life, especially his early years at Gulgong.  He had such a sad life, it was quite depressing.  What a pity his contribution to Australian literature was not acknowledged until after his death.  A drive to Red Hill, with some gold mining machinery, concluded our tour of the town.