On the Road Again

Fae was given the all clear today after many rounds with specialists etc. She was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis, what a mouthful! It is the dilating of the airways in the lungs, caused in part from her radiation treatment a few years back. She was coughing and spluttering for some time and finally when we got home she went to see our doctor. After many rounds with antibiotics, various drugs and CT scans she was told she had the problem.
Any how, it is not curable but is treatable, so she is on drugs now leagaly. Hee! Hee!
We are going on to Prosserpine as Fae has her talks booked there first. We have allowed 5 days to get there from Cairns, a total of 630 odd klms. No too much of a rush.
From there we are going on to Laguna Quays and then to see the prodigal son in Yepoon, not sure after that but further south, may be the Great Ocean Rd.
Keep in contact and we might see you some where.

Back in Cairns

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans we left CT and headed off for slow drive to Blue Waters free camp. We were not in a hurry as the traffic was quiet and a beautiful day for driving. We stopped at Kmart in Townsville to get Misty a new bed for the back seat, also to grab a bite to eat, still only 1pm. We did the last 40 klicks to Blue Water only to find the place totally full, not a parking space to be had, there must have been 50 vans there at 1:50pm  some folk had obviously been there for a couple of days as they were really set up with full annex, washing on lines etc. There is a 20 hr limit on this park but some over stay. Never mind we went on just out of Ingham to a free camp called Frenchmens Creek nice camp on the side of the road, toilets, plenty of parking for around 10-15 vans. One old couple were again set up for the long haul, genny in the bush, etc. They left their van and went shopping then returned late that afternoon. We had a reasonably quiet night, I slept like a log as usual.
Up in the morning and in to Ingham for Macca's Breakfast, Yeeeh! From there we decided we would go straight home, then the rain started, hell what was this? FNQ and cold rain, it poored down for ages.
On a very sad note we went through beautiful Cardwell, what a disaster area, all the beautiful shade trees along the beach were smashed to bits, houses were missing or had tarps on the roofs, we had totally forgotten about Yasi in Feb this year. I did not want to stop as I loved this place and to see it in such disrepair was upsetting. We drove through the rain all the way to Cairns. We are staying at a friends house in Kuranda, Lisa & Rick have 5 acres in the jungle, fantastic spot except for the narrow, gate entrance. We had a hell of a time getting in and into a spot. Nevermind, all set up now but not looking forward to getting it out again in a few weeks.
Well this closes this episode and blog so we will start a new one in October when we will be off again. To all who have followed us please sign the guest book and we will see you all later.
LOL
Dreamcaster, Fae & Misty

Charters Towers

We left Clermont after a great week doing nothing but site seeing. We met lots of nice people there, most are regulars who come to fossick for a month or two then go home again.
The road up to CT is nowhere near as bad as we had before, not great, but not bad either. We had an uneventful trip just looking at the beautiful scenery as it went by, some startling cliff faces out of nowhere, miles of grass lands.
One thing that stood out all the way from Narribri up was the amount of cotton on the side of the roads from the passing trucks. There must be tons of it, one lady at Goondawindi Info center told us the local charity group built and paid for a small club hall from thr proceeds of picking up the spilt raw cotton from the sides of the road. We would not doubt it.
We finally made it to Charters Towers by three oclock after the caravan park told us if we were not on time they would give our site away.!! I have never had this problem before, never mind, quite a nice park, nice clean ammenities, camp kitchen is not too bad. We have got a BBQ in front of our site but it is wood fired and no wood present. The BBQ has not been used for a while as it is very rusty. They have various theme nights in the camp kitchen every second night or so which cost around $10 - $12 per head, not much I suppose but with two it makes it $20 odd dollars a night, not on my budget by having these nights earning money though it stops any one else using the Free camp kitchen at times. Bit of a bugger. They advertise Free Wi Fi but thats only for 30 mins then you have to pay.
Still never mind again we are close to home and looking forward to getting a few little things done on the van and tug. We will free camp at blue water for a couple of nights then on to Our starting point Cairns.

Emerald to Clermont

We left Roma to head on to Clermont but we received a call as we left. The lions club at Emerald contacted Fae to do a talk that night! No problems, yeh right. No where to stay booked etc never mind, we ended up at a nice free camp by the botanic gardens under the bridge. We got in aroud 4 pm and the camp was almost full. The vans were from the entry to the park all the way down to the rail bridge. There must have been around 20 vans etc in the park. One thing I notice is that every body is friendly in these free camps, they all talk to each other.
Fae had a good night and was given a lift back to the bridge, we had a good nights sleep and off in the morning. We did not get away very early as we only had to go just over a hundred klicks to our next stop in Clearmont.
We had a full week off here, we found a beaut caravan park in the Clermont Caravan Park Haig st. What a pleasent place. The new managers Mort and Gayle were the most welcoming people in a park we have found, they went out of their way to help, offer advice and generaly make you feel special. They have only been there since. Nov last year and are slowly pulling a forgotten park back to its former glory, the amenities, though old are spotless, heaps of hot water, the sites are huge with all sites dead level, slabs and car parks for each site. There is heaps to do in and around town. The girls at the info center go above and beyond to help. The scenery around the area is beautiful as is the Theresas Dam. The camping out there is also mind blowing, $10 per night, showers and toilets, drinking water and open fire places. Heaps of fishing in the dam also red claw aplenty. This area is well worth another visit, albeit from a different direction.

What a Trip to Roma

The road to Roma from Gundawindi was what is called hell on bitumen. I have often complained about the road from Cairns to Townsville, hell that is a super highway compared to the north road out of Goondi. It is one lane wide with a middle line, i am sure it was someones idea of a joke, you go up and down, down and up the poor suspension on the tug and van. I bent up my brand new Trail Mate jack as it bottomed out on the road. This has not even got close before. The sides of the bitumen were totally destroyed by the big rigs going up and down the road. The sides stood up around 30 -40 cms high leaving you only the center of the road in many places before a small place called The Gums. From there on it was just pure up and down with out the sides being trashed. I realise this sounds bad but take my word for it, do not do that trip.
On reaching Roma we stayed at the Big Rig Tourist Van Park. The park is taken over by the mine workers once again, i know you cant blame the owners but the touring vanners take second plsce. We were lucky to have a site with a slab, out the back people were just placed around the mud areas. There were no sealed roads out the back just a lot of single quarters. Pool was closed, water to doors of toilets when it rained. The managers were not that helpful either.
The one saving grace was the Bull Ring camp kitchen, right in the middle of the front park, it had every thing you would want. 2 BBQs, stove top, fridge freezer, microwave all stainless steel bench tops etc and lots of seating and room. Although you do have to get in early to beat the workers and truckies who live there. When we left they still had a couple of single mens quarters to open up. Forget trying to use the laundry, the workers leave their gear in machines and driers all day and night.
There were lots of things to do in Roma itself so you can still have fun. By the way the family park is owned by the same crowd so dont expect any better, oh dont forget to book. They were turning away 20 vans per day when we were there.

Goondawindi

We left Narribri and drove out towards Roma via the Macka's for brekky, He! He!
First part of trip as far as Goondawindy was great. We ended up stopping, what a lovely little town, we ended up staying at the Goondawindi Tourist Park for three nights. The park was one of the best we have stayed in so far, clean, peaceful, great clean ammenities, camp kitchens (two) BBQ's about 4,did I mention Clean!!
The owner managers were teriffic, I was walking to the office, after I had stopped in the designated booking in area, and noticed a golf cart coming my way. Being stupid I stuck my thumb out and the cart stopped, the guy said I was a "lazy bastard" and to get in. He turned out to be the boss, what a pleasant way to be welcomed Ha!Ha! After booking in they show you where to park and escourt you just in case you have any trouble reversing etc. it was a drive through so that was OK but one gent did have to get help !! makes you wonder. The owners tell you about the parks facilities also what happening in and around in town.
There is a stocked billabong on the property complete with ducks etc. They have fish BBQ every second night and pancakes on Sundays. We did not do the BBQ's as $15 per head was out of our budget. For that though you got a fish fillet, coleslaw and a baked spud, choc pud for desert and bottomless tea and coffee, so not bad.
The place was very busy and full all the time, the only complaint was he told us we would have trouble with power, and he was right, every time you wanted a coffee you had to turn off HW and heater. On investigation I found that the part of the park we were in was supplied with 10 amp circuit breakers only, there were no exceptions to the complains about this but he said they are working on it, here's hoping.
Unfortunately it was time to go and head for Roma so on ward further north.

Narribri NSW

Well we made a big mistake here. I booked on line after seeing the place on the web it looked OK. (Narribri Motel & Caravan Park) Wrong, getting in the dip of a drive way should have been a warning, went into the office, quite nice and friendly young girl. We paid straight up instead of having a look, The layout of the park looked good on paper, on paper every thing looks good!!
Drove through and around the first corner, very tight with a bigger van, where are all those sites??? Gone to make way for cabins, there were 10 van sites (drive through) in total, 3.4mts wide and suitable for an 18ft van only. Went back to office and said you have got to be kidding, they allowed me to take up half of one of three tent sites as well, that helped a bit. These tent sites were in the middle of the van sites.Power was a mile away, only taps for 8 sites!! It did not get any better from there. It was bloody freezing for the whole week we were there. Not the owners fault I know.
All the tiny cabins were booked out to mine workers, and this little park, which the owner emailed, was very quiet and peaseful, buzzed all night with the coming and going of the workers and taxis. Hell it was noisy, the toilet had not been cleaned for a week and the facilities, BBQ areas etc had not been cleaned for a year. The toilet block had raised panels off the floor separating the toilets and showers, ie when some one had a shower the spray would come under the wall, great again, wet pants. One good thing was Queensland winning the State of Origin again Yea!!
On a positive note the town was very friendly and clean, Fae did a couple of talks and was very warmly received. We had a wonder around the place and found some great shops and cafes.
I must admit that we could not wait to leave and head on to Roma.

Dubbo

Arrived at Dubbo on Saturday afternoon as planned. We have stayed here before and had prebooked our site, near amenities. The people here are very friendly and welcomed us back again. Dubbo is a very busy place and again there is a lot to see with the western plains zoo etc. Night telescope viewing and shps galore. Plenty of places to test the budget. We stocked up on supplies and fuel. Very pissed off on that front. I wanted to do a fuel check so had to fill the empty tank up to full. 131ltrs. At $1.52 per litre. Averaged 15.4 liters per 100 klms. Very happy with that. Two days later fuel dropped 6cents a liter or 10 cents with fuel docket. Not happy jan. Never mind, Fae is doing two talks in town then we are off to Narribri thats further north so it has got to be a good thing
Bye for now

Spring Hill

Free camp tonight on way to Dubbo. The free camp at spring hill is very nice. You know the thing that stood out most was as soon as we crossed the NSW border the road side stops had toilets. This one boasts, BBQ, fire pit, toilets, water & a fenced play ground. There was a very nice, clean table chair set up on three sides of a covered seating area. We met some nice fo.k there, George & Dot in their motorhome. Some other folk all came and said hi as well. Every one seems much friendlier in the free camps. We left the next day around 10:30 and headed to our next free camp at Meadow Glen. On the way we leapfrogged George & Dot at a couple of rest areas where they or us stopped for lunch or coffee. Again the areas were very well kept and clean. We went on arriving at Meadow Glen out of Cobar arond early afternoon. What a very busy place, by happy hour we had 16 vans and motorhomes pulled up in the various sites. The area was around 5 acres, toilets, fire pits, etc were all around, a great spot. George and co joined us for drinks, as it got colder we were invited in the motor home to sample a Webasto diesel heater at work. Got to get me one of those very toasty and warm. Bugger had to go back to our van to sleep
On to Dubbo tomorrow.

Peterbrough

What a nice park. Sites are level, most drive through. Amenities very clean and well maintained. Soap and air driers supplied.
A very interesting town, based on the railway from years gone by, the East West still passes through. I guess i have not seen a town that caters so well for the traveller, there are parking areas a plenty set up for vans etc. A great info centre built in an old sleeper railcar. The volunters that opperate the info center are a very happy and knowledgeable group. There is much to do in town and see, from self guided walks to light shows, all free. Ther are four pubs in the msin street all offering cheap meals, so no need to go hungry. Some local drives were terrific too! Magnetic hill, does your car get pulled up the hill??
Also found a litt.e town called Terowie, this is where General MacCarthur uttered his famous 'I will return". I tjought he said that in Darwin, learning all the time i is

Whyalla

We had booked into a park by the airport on the West side of Whyalla. We turned into the drive and pulled up to the office. Luckily for us no one was around, the place looked very sad and run down. We did a quick u turn and left.
Went in to the Forshore Park, this was left as it was supposed to be expensive. The staff were very friendly, asked if were sight seeing etc, gave us maps, pointed out local attractions, best eating places etc. Charged us the same rate as quoted by the other park, great! We were offered a seaside site but we asked if we could go up the back of the park amonst the cabins. Much quieter, less wind, that was the kicker as the wind was freezing on the water front. The amenities were great, soap, paper towel, air driers and shower mats. Great free BBQ and camp kitchen and as i said great staff could not do enough for you. We had a week there and did the touristy bit before heading off to Peterbrough.

We're back continued

We Arrived back in Adelaide around 4pm, raining and cold, we rang the gent at the Airport Motel and he came and picked us up and took us to our vehicle. A quick trip (not, peak traffic) to Golden Grove to stay with Wolf & Merilyn again. What a beautiful hotel Wolf supplied a great dinner. (again) On Sunday we were taken for a drive to One Tree Hill area and we found a great old pub, it was raining and misty but inside we had a roaring fire, a band playing and quite a few ladies enjoying the music & well on the way to having a head ache. Wolf booked us into the dining area later in the evening and we had another very good meal. The atmosphere was terrific, we would love to go there again during the warmer months. Once again thanks to Wolf for picking up the tab.
On Monday I had booked the tug in for a service, $360 later, but much cheaper than Ford.
Tuesday morning found us on our way back to Port Lincoln, we went straight to RSPCA to pick up Misty. The guys at RSPCA Port Lincoln went above and beyond in their duties. They were well aware we were very worried about leaving Misty; whilst we were in Bali, on several occasions they sent us a text message complete with pics, from Misty of course, letting us know what fun she was having. Our very heartfelt thanks go to Narelle, Mel and Morris for looking after Misty so well ( sorry re name spelling, if I got it wrong) I would recommend this place to all who visit Port Lincoln, they were great and Misty was very well Looked after.
We had another couple of engagements in the area then off to Tumby Bay for a couple of hours for Fae to do another talk. We then went on to Lenny's place for a couple of days before heading north towards the elusive sun.

We're Back

Wow it's cold in Port Lincoln We have just returned from our trip to Bali. I admit We do love that place. It was just like being home, weather wise that is. Beautiful days with warm barmy nights. Lots of Bintang ( the local beer, for the uninitiated) food & more food. The Balinese people are very friendly to Australians and love to practice their English with you. We struck one guy that had obviously been mixing with the wrong crowd. I had to explain that some of his language was wrong!!*****### you know what I mean.
We visited the Bali Safari park again, beautiful place to visit, the bird and reptile park were also on the agenda.
We had a very good friend with us for the first 5 days. I don't think Jo quite knew what to expect, it was her first trip to an Asian country, but she says she loved the place. She certainly got plenty of pics to show her friends
It was very quiet over there this time, probably tourists were scared off with the Bin Laden affair. You could get hit by a truck in Adelaide!!! I would recommend Bali to any one thinking of a break. Yes it is a bit basic, on the roads etc but our hotel was quite nice. Very clean, very friendly staff, right on the beach and safe. It was only three star, With three pools and two restaurants, you can go all out to 5 star, if you wanted but then you might as well go to Darwin.
Bali is, by nature, a slow place, it might not happen straight away, but it does happen. You just have to learn to Relax and chil out. Go with the flow and enjoy another culture, away from Kuta. try the highlands and northern parts of the island. Anyway back to reality.
We had to go via Melbourne then to Adelaide as there were no flights direct to Adelaide until the next day. I did not realize that Darwin is classed as a regional airport.

Still at Beautiful Port Lincoln

Well not much has changed since last post. Still bloody cold etcThe last week was not too bad though, saw the sun on six out of seven days, a record I recon! Fae is still busy with her talks, and in the news again, it must be hell to be popular Hee! Hee!
They had a caravan show here and we went for a look see, they matched the Internet for a C-Mat ,I was very suprised, also purchased a Trail Mate jack set, again matched prices on the net. Good onya Port Lincoln Caravan Centre. Nice people to deal with as well. The water pump now lives under the van in a secure marine ally bracket, no more leaks in the van.
I should not have tempted fate and said that  Fae was in the shower when she heard a bang, bugger, hot water pipe at rear of shower gave way. Actually it was not the pipe at all but the plastic connector where pipe goes into. Either over tightened or just heat stress. Never mind went back to the caravan shop to get a JG fitting, but. There sitting on the shelf was a brand new tap set. Looked great so $53 later and about 20 minutes work, all fixed and working fine 
Sister Sylvia and The "Lady Annette" joined us in a cabin for a visit this week, champagne again any one!!!
We are off to Bali on Monday for our 40th wedding anniversary, my time with Fae just flies we are staying at Legian and really looking forward to the trip. We will store the van and fly from Adelaide. Misty is going to have a holiday with the RSPCA. I don't know who will miss who the most. I know I will worry about her until our return, I must be getting very soft
Ah well time for that champagne I was talking about, see ya all on our return lol

Port Lincoln

Hi to all, here we are in Port Lincoln, we left here in 2000. We used to call Port Lincoln home for around 15years, Fae & I had a lovely home over looking the beautiful Boston Bay.
We are at the Port Lincoln caravan park at North Shields, around 12klms from the city. A very nice park, it was owned by some friends many years ago, they sold it after the big fire. The new owners let it run down as they wanted to build units here. Luckily for us the council stepped in and stopped the development. New owners again now and they are doing a wonderful job bringing it back up to scratch. The sites are generous and right on the ocean front. Would keep most fisherman happy, with beach and jetty fishing right at the park. There is a road house at the entrance, owned by the park that has everything you would need including groceries and cooked meals, yummy!
I must admit to feeling very comfortable here at present as we know a lot of people and places here. Just driving around brings back fond memories of years gone by. We are bumping into people who recognize us then walk by and you can almost hear their brains ticking over with 'I know them from somewhere'!! It's quite funny, as we do the same, trying to put names to faces.
One thing I had forgotten was the wind!!! Bloody he'll does it ever stop blowing? I remember now, it blows most of the time. The awning is up and down as the wind goes from fresh to strong, around 25 knots. We have caught up with my sister Wendy and her Husband Phil. We saw Wendy at my birthday but I have not seen Phil since we left. We also caught up with friends Dennis & Pat whom we last saw at Fae's birthday when we first moved to Cairns. Dennis built and owned a 33ft yatch called Free Spirit, so named in honor to a lost son, we have sailed quite a few miles in her including to Kangaroo Island for a weeks holiday. Dennis & Pat have moved into a beautiful home in a retirement village. Very swanky too I might add. It was great to catch up and will get together for a meal a bit later.
Fae is very busy with her talks and even made the local paper, she will want a rise soon!!
Did I mention the bloody wind? And the temperature, it has been averaging around 17 during the day and about 9 degrees, my fridge at home does not get that cold,buuurrrrrrrr!! Misty sleeps under the cover most nights, soft dog! OK this is week 3 and still not used to the wind and temp. Never mind we will head north in about 6 weeks, via Broken Hill, Longreach etc.
Well that's all for now as my fingers are bomb from the cold.

Arno Bay

Here we are at beautiful Arno Bay, the caravan park is right on the ocean front, nice little beach and a jetty. Seems to be plenty of fish and squid around as well. The park is very friendly and they have a few social nights as well. Wednesday is cheap snitzels at the pub, right across the road. Thursday nights is sausage sizzle night, complete with fish and crabs some nights. We were very lucky as the both weeks we were there we had crabs (no not that type!!) and snapper cooked on the BBQ as well as the snags. Sunday morning is Pancakes for breaky cooked by the owners Steve & Belinda bloody great,!! together with a Coffee. Yummy!
The Arno Burgers from the cafe just outside the park at the jetty were Huge!! I could'nt even eat a whole one. They come cut in half for a reason, they were around 9inches across and about 5inches high. You must try one if you visit this area.
There is a beautiful park and play ground just newly completed at the end of the jetty & and overall there is a very pleasant atmosphere. I would stongly advise you to book at this park as during the two weeks we were there they were literally queued up at the enterance awaiting people to leave.
We met some lovely people at the park including Studs and Adele, Rick and Jen and another couple that we will catch up with in Port Lincoln, Martin & Gail, great folks all of them.
I forgot to mention the board walk.
There is a fantastic board walk just up the road complete with fishing alcoves within the walk. We actually saw the fish in the water. The walks are also wheelchair friendly and the water is crystal clear.
We are moving on to Port Lincoln tomorrow and we will call the Port Lincoln Caravan Park at North Shields home for around 8 weeks. Fae is busy with her talks and we are catching up with friends we have not seen for a few years.

Cowell

We hooked up for the long trek (470klm) to Cowell to catch up with my old mate Lenny Sims. Lenny used to be a commercial diver on the tuna farms in Port Lincoln where I used to work for Lucky ‘S’ fishing.
I was bloody great to catch up; we were made very welcome and parked up in Lenny’s front yard over the long week end. We we hanging out for Pizza so asked Lenny if they made pizza in town, Yep was the reply, we ordered two large ones and went to pick them up. Next time I will ask Lenny if anyone in town made “good pizzas”. We were very disappointed as the pizzas left a lot to desire. Ah well we made good with a bottle of Chivas Regal and a two litre coke, yep! Slept well that night!. Lenny and I used to have a bottle of scotch and a two litre coke every Friday or Saturday and think nothing of it the next morning. Must have been something in the ice blocks!!!!One of the other guys from Port Lincoln was Schultz, another diver turned truckie. Both these guys are now driving road trains. Well as it turns out Schultz lives just up the road from Lenny and we were having a BBQ at his place the next night. There was more food than you could poke a stick at, and did I mention the scotch???
My turn to cook the next night. I did one of Wolfgang’s curries, turned out bloody beautiful, I did o small tame one for Fae at the same time, geeess I am getting good.
More food the next night with Lenny cooking a roast pork for us all, beautiful crackling as well as roast potatoes, carrots etc. Plus desert!!!! I got ta leave this place as I will soon be the size of a block of flats instead of a house!!
We left Cowell on Tuesday to head down the road to Arno Bay for a couple of weeks then on to Port Lincoln.

What happened to the Weather

We ventured up to Wallaroo the other day and caught up to a very old friend in Max Walker (No! not that one!) We haven’t seen him or his lovely wife Rosie for a good few years. Max was in Port Lincoln when we were there but has since moved to Wallaroo into a beautiful new house on the banks of the new canal estate. Water at the front doorstep, The pontoon is already in place and just awaiting the boat!!!!(Just kidding Rosie) We had a lovely lunch and talked about old times over a few beers. They have got a dog called “Buddy”, he and Misty got on very well, they played for ages. You should have seen them running on the tiles in-between table legs etc. Very funny. Poor little Misty had to stop for a lay down and rest. Great she should sleep well tonight.
Hell it’s bloody blowing a gale and cold as all getup, my fridge in Cairns doesn’t get this cold. Double doonas tonight!
Never mind, we went for a trip to Marion Bay at the end of the Peninsula, very pretty spot. Beautiful coast line. Had a steak sandwich at a little service station, we were told about this place by someone in the park. They said the service was slow but worth the wait. “They we right” best sanga for a while, great fresh made chips as well. Even the sea gulls said so, I read once where hot potato chips were now recognised as being among the seagulls diet, unbelievable. That is until you open the paper around the chips and the sea gulls come from miles around, squawking and carrying on until you feed them. I had forgotten all about that, when we were kids we would tie cotton around two bits of crust and then feed the gulls, great fun watching them try to go in different directions. Ummm!! What a waste of child hood.
We are off this Friday to go and visit a mate in Cowell. (on the Eyre Peninsula) Long week end coming up so we don’t want to be in a park if we can help it. See you soon. :o)

Yorke Peninsula

We hit the road for a short trip over to Yorke Peninsula, very dry around here. I forgot it is a very big grain area so all paddocks are just stubble now. Remember “sun on the stubble” from school???
We came across to a small place called Port Victoria on the coast. Nice little park, very full at present but will get quieter at the week end. We are at the rear of the park on the hill overlooking the sea when it is clear in front. Fae is doing talks about Register4 with National Breast Cancer at various clubs etc. It is about trying to get a data base of people willing to take place in research gathering from time to time. She is doing a gig at Wallaroo on Wednesday and we have decided to stay here for another two weeks to access other clubs and people in the area.
The manager, Jason, has given us a new site from tomorrow on the beach front; I can’t wait to have a wine or three looking over the ocean with an uninterrupted view from our awning. Whiting Caprice is on the menu tonight, I cooked a great curry last night, (a bit hot for Fae, but she ate up, good girl) there is some left over for me tomorrow night.
I had a Long Ranger fuel tank fitted at ARB in Adelaide; this should give us a better range for our trips north. Gee it costs a lot to fill it; 126lts at $1.40 per litre, fuel is pricey down here. The diesel is used to prop up the discount for unleaded which sells for around $1.21. Diesel is a far more unrefined product and should be cheaper!!!
The sun is shining and we are getting an average of 25 degrees this week so out comes the doona and electric heater, no matter we are having fun.

Adelaide

Well we are in Adelaide now: we are staying with some very good friends who we have not seen for quite a while. Wolfgang & Merilyn were friends when we were first in Port Lincoln many, many years ago. They had the flat down stairs and we were constant companions and friends. Wolfgang is a chef and we had many a beautiful meal in those units with the little candles on a string burning as our only light.
They now live in a lovely house in Golden Grove, complete with swimming pool, hot spa, etc. A nice change from the van. We had our own room with our own bathroom and toilet, like staying in a very nice hotel really, complete with chef cooked cuisine. (Some of us have it good) Thanks a lot to Wolf & Merilyn for having us and making us feel very welcome.
We had a great time catching up and visiting some of our other friends around Adelaide. We have not seen Fred & Marg for years either and we got invited to have dinner with them at their beautiful home in Norwood, (a rather posh suburb of Adelaide) we learned that Fred had had bypass surgery a while ago, and has recovered well. He was looking great. Fred & Marg put on a super BBQ complete with flash deserts and wines. I have got to get back to the road or I will end up a bloody site bigger than I am. Fae was lapping it up and enjoyed seeing friends again.
We caught up with Brad & Brenda (Fae’s sister) for a nice lunch and a couple of wines!! At the Goodwood Hotel, very nice it was too. Brenda is on a health kick at present and goes to gym a couple of times a week. (Looking good girl). They both seem in the pink and Brad was with me in the food and wine stakes. (How come he is so slim!!!?)
Oh well
Off to the van tomorrow (Wednesday) a reality check.

What A Day

What a fantastic surprise, my lovely sister Sylvia organised (and paid for I might add) a full day of celebrations. We started at the Cobdogla steam museum; Sylvia had hired the place for a ride on the train through the vine yards etc. What a great time, she again surprised me by getting a lot of rellies to come along. There were people I have not seen for years, Great nieces and nephews I have not seen or remembered. (craft) My nephews Patrick & Steven, nieces Belinda & Sally, sister Wendy just to name a few. There was champagne and “horses douvers” to be had on the train trip; we even got “mooned” by a young guy on the trip!!!!!
After our return to the museum we had a tour of the place including the “Humphrey Pump” and a huge steam tractor. We all moved to Sylvia’s place after that for more celebrating, eating and drinking. I think everyone had a great time, I know I did. We went on till well after dark so it was a very good day. I slept like a baby that night!!! Again a very big thank you to sister Sylvia, love ya heaps.

Cobdogla Station Caravan Park

Cobdogla Station Caravan Park,
The park is home this week, we met up with sister Sylvia on the 25th , my birthday, it was a great afternoon, many champagnes and a nice dinner, more champagnes , and bugger it why not another champagne!!! Hell!!** The wind started, gusting around 30-40 knots came out of nowhere, trees blowing over etc . Just as well Sylvia only lives a couple of clicks from the park. Quick trip home to roll in awning and put chairs in etc. Back to sis’s place and did I mention the champagne!!! Mmmmmm!!
Got into bed and I must say the park is very noisy, kids everywhere on bikes at 10:30 at night, no lights or parents etc. Bloody noise!! People rolling up at this time to pitch tents etc. One thing that really stood out was the amount of kids; I mean 5yr to 7yr old type kids riding in the back of boats whilst being towed to and from the ramp, very dangerous practise, especially when kids are sitting on the edge of the boat. Still not my kids.
We have been into Berri and Renmark to have a walk round and see the river. It was good to see the mighty Murray flowing at last, not for the last two decades have the barrages at Goolwa been opened. In a couple of locks the river was almost the same level on both sides. In both cities the areas surrounding the river banks is very green and well looked after gardens, flowers everywhere, a change to the foliage colours in Cairns. Well my birthday party is tomorrow (Saturday) so I will update the blog later.

Hay Plains

Well we made it across the Hay plains, very different county side, not many trees etc. We stopped at the fruit fly thing and unloaded our fruit, only a couple or oranges and an apple so Fae and I decided to eat it instead. Some people had just thrown their fruit at the bin or just in the bush. I can’t understand the attitude of some folks!!
We are staying at the Hay Caravan Park, virtually on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River; you can see where the flood was last week. About 10-12ft up the trees, it was very close to some houses. The park is not bad; amenities are very clean but no drier in the laundry. Sites are big and drive through, plenty of trees etc. The surrounding areas are very dry and although we are staying a week there is not much you can’t cover in a couple of days. The info centre is great and very friendly, even able to fill your tanks, free BBQ etc. We are moving on Monday to see my sister and celebrate my birthday, Yehhhh!!. So see you later and please don’t forget to sign our guest book.
Rgds Dreamcaster & Fae

Forbes

Arrived at Forbes and checked out a couple of parks. We decided on the Country Club caravan Park. It is situated in a small industrial area but is very friendly and was recommended to us by Nigel & Lesley. What a nice place, only a few sites but they are very big around 9 X 9 meters of a fine grey stone and level. You then have lawn either side of the van site. There is a camp kitchen and BBQ in the middle, very convenient. The amenities are clean and there is even a dog bath in a separate room. There were even horses, a little pony and sulky to take the owners grand kids for a ride. Us too!! Forbes has some interesting history with Ben Hall leading the way. The info centre is run by volunteers and one of the ladies owns a Olive Plantation. I can vouch for the black ones with a wine or three for a very happy hour. The city centre was only five minutes walk away and there was an historic walk around town as well. You are only a short drive from Parkes if you want more selection of shops. There is a very pretty lake complete with fountains and park. I would recommend a stay just to relaxxx, I am sooo relaxed!!! :O)

Dubbo

We left Celtic country on the 31st and headed to a free camp at Gunnedah (305) Red bank rest area. They have got very clean toilets here but no water. There is a BBQ but totally unusable as all the old ash has been placed on the BBQ plate. Too much for idiots to have done, the park is run by Rotary but there is virtually no upkeep as far as the rest of the stop goes. The tables are very rundown and the grass was at around 2ft high with very deep ruts to negotiate with the van. No matter the night was very quiet and only one camper trailer kept us company. We welcomed the New Year at around 9am the next day, very civilised, what!!
We moved off around 11am on to Dubbo for a week in the Westview caravan park. Quite clean amenities but nowhere to dry your hands ???? Both BBQs are US, and a lot of very noisy kids. Still the park is central and we have met some lovely new friends who are also travelling, Nigel & Leslie have been on the road for 7.5yrs and have really been around. That doesn’t sound good at all!! We had a great happy hour yesterday that just went on & on, you know what I mean……. We are moving off on Monday to hit up Forbes for a couple of days, see you all later

Broard Water & Beyond

We left Broadwater Stop Over Caravan Park on the 29th ready to head west to Tenterfield via Casino. No way hojse!!! Road closed, bugger that was a waste of fifty kays. No mater, I have got to learn to relax and go with what life gives me.
We backtracked and went down to Grafton and west to Glen Innes, what a road!! Not. More pot holes than you can poke a stick at and a very steep climb to the top of the range too.**!!
On the top of the road is a beautiful look out over the valley and flats you have just come from, beautiful in deed. Another older couple stopped with their dog for a look see and a coffee break. We went on into Glen Innes and much to Fae’s delight we found the Australian Standing Stones ( the Ozy Stonehenge ) It was a beautiful park but it was right on closing time. We moved through town and free camped at (136) the Celtic rest area. Of course with our Wiccan beliefs we returned to town the next day and spent all day looking around and a treat of a Devon Shire tea at the stones. The whole town were a very friendly lot unable to do enough for you. We both decided we could settle there at a later date. We met many nice people who just wanted to have a chat. Back to the same camp tonight then onward