26th August - To Brisbane via The Little Places

Today we set off on our next adventure.  We have to be in Brisbane on 20 September for Stuarts son in laws 40th so we have a while to get there.

We have travelled the coast road to Brisbane so many times and driven past so many places that we wanted to go in and see but were in a hurry to get from point A to point B.  This time we are going into the little places we have bypassed.

Tonight we stayed at Carmilla beach.  We obviously aren't the only ones wanting to see the little places as camping spots were hard to find between the Jaycos, many other brands and another New Age.

There were lots of these turkeys wandering the sand dunes

 

There was a lot of tree stumps half buried in the sand a snag for the small boaties.

The camp spots were in between sand dunes and patches  of green shrubs which afforded each camper a little bit of privacy but the sand was very loose and for the unsuspecting camper, a trap ready to bog you down to the axles. 

We found a spot where we wouldn't end up bogged and had a pretty good view of the ocean and while Stuart set up our chairs I had a lovely tarragon lamb with mustard and lemon juice (thanks Kath for the recipe) ready to go in the barbecue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tide was out nearly 750 metres and will be out in the morning but the view was no less spectacular for that.

Next morning we decided to wait for a while for the tide to come in a bit and make up a supply of whiskey from the raw alcohol we are carrying, as our supply is sadly depleted.

Our next stop for the night will be St Lawrence where I have a cousin living so hope to catch up with him, and also go into the only pub in the town to get a photo of the bar which has a long history with my mothers family.



I'd say if dear old Ma came back today she wouldn't recognise this bar which once graced a hotel in Rockhampton with the same name which her parents had when she was only about 10.

We got to Rocky at about 1.30 pm and after lunch with Tracy and her Nana tried to buy a tv cable and got so held up we stayed at a new free camp at Kershaw Gardens right in the centre of Rocky.

From Rocky we drove to the Caliope River where we stayed with friends Maree and Peter on the property owned by their daughter and son in law.  We had 4 very relaxing days catching up as we hadn't seen them since we left Tasmania.  Well 3 days actually as on day 3 Peter and his son in law decided to burn a small pile of rubbish from an old chook house when a whirly wind came through and picked it up and next thing we had a full fledged bush fire on our hands  with 4 of us old codgers and the owner of the 120 acre block to put it out.  We managed to keep the fire reasonably contained although by the time the Rural Fire Brigade arrived about 1/2 an hour later, it was within about 50 metres from the house and only about 3 metres from long grass which we would never have stopped. 

Before the fire deer were coming down to the dam to drink



Not a lot of unburnt grass between the edge of the fire and the house

Three tired fire fighters

Poor tractor just survived

 

Poor John (the owner) was trying to smother it with a blade on his tractor until it caught fire but being diesel wasn't going to explode and all that burnt was a fuel line before he got to it with our caravan fire extinguisher.  All up he lost about 8 acres So much for our first farm stay at  "Chateau on Ferguson"

We reluctantly said goodbye to Peter and Maree Cottrell and continued our journey up the coast to Agnes Waters and the town of 1770, where we couldn't get any free camps and ended up at a caravan park at 1770.

Sunset through the trees at 1770

1770 across the bay

Butterflies by the thousands all around the point of Bustard Bay

Beautiful sunset, wonderful company and a glass of wine.  what more could I ask for.

 

This little beach side town was so named as it was the first landfall made by Captain Cook in Queensland.
Our next stop was Lowmead, a little town just out of Bundaberg with a population of about 300.  The only significance this town has to us is the fact that my grandparents lived there for some years where my grandmother was nurse, midwife and at times doctor and sadly mortician to the townspeople and local aboriginal tribe and in her spare time played the piano at the local dance and raised 6 children through their formative years.  My grandfather worked in the town and I dare say frequented the local pub a few doors down the road.

One of these homes was owned by my grandparents.  I will need confirmation as to which one it was.

Lowmead School where my mother and her sisters attended school and where 60 years later my aunt went back to visit and found her initials in the bench where she sat and ate her lunch.



The dance hall where my grandmother played and where I am sure my mother got her love for ballroom dancing which she excelled at with my father as her partner in dance and later in life.



We got to Bundaberg and knew that we were about 1 tonne overweight in both van and vehicle so were looking out for a vehicle that would make us legal and not a danger to ourselves and others on the road.  Stuart spotted a Toyota Land Cruiser in the second hand yard with a canopy on which we need.

 On closer inspection we found that it had most of the things we needed in a tow vehicle and although we didn't want to outlay the money the price was right also.

Bundaberg is another one of those places just off the main highway that we never get to visit so as well as getting the vehicle we visited the Hinkler Hall of Aviation.  For the young ones amongst us, Bert Hinkler was born in Bundaberg in 1892, well before Qantas and Jetstar but was one of the early pioneers in the aviation industry.  At the age of 19 he was building and flying Gliders from watching the flights of the birds.  The most renowned achievement was a pioneer solo flight from England to Australia in 1928, and the worlds first solo flight across the South Atlantic in 1931.  Sadly he died crashing into the alps in Italy in 1933.  His home in England was pulled apart brick by brick and rebuilt in Bundaberg in 1983.

 

We also went to visit a place where there are mystery craters just out of Bundaberg.  Scientist still can't work out just how these craters were formed except that they are over 25 million years old.  They were discovered in 1971 by a local farmer and some of the theories are: part of a large meteorite, the roof of a Subterranean Lake, sinkholes from volcanic action, but no one has a clue.

They appear to be made by a giant human as some look like a mans left foot (size 48)

The colours in the limestone are amazing.  Some hold water and some don't

There are 35 so far and some still haven't been excavated

 

We arrived in Nanango for the Country Music Muster and will spend the next 5 days here before finally getting to Brisbane as planned. 



 

 

4th July 2014 - To Melbourne to change vans

After a lengthy stay back in Mackay where we sold most of our furniture and took the rest to join  our belongings in a storage shed, we headed out on the first leg of our journey to Melbourne.

We will take possession of our 5th van and our last.  This one has more comfortable seats and a diesel heater.
Our first night was at the Nogoa River in Emerald where we joined about 30 other vans and tents etc.

I always said we would never end up under the bridge drinking wine but here we are.

The next day as we headed toward St George we came across a sight very seldom seen these days.  Some body was droving about 200 head of yearling cattle along the sides of the road looking for food.  By the look of their camp and the number of horses I'd say they were taking them a fair distance. 

 

 Droving cattle overland has become a thing of the past as most cattle owners prefer the faster motorised method of shifting cattle.  After we passed through Diranbandi heading for Hebal passed through some of the most arid country we have seen for a long time.  Most of it not fit for man or beast.

We camped on the banks of the Maquarie River but where we were it was just a small stream.  Stuart handed me a small piece of trivia regarding this little trickle.  It ends up in the ocean somewhere in South Australia.

Nice spot for a morning

We were nearly at the Victorian border when we saw something very unique.  Stuart had been complaining about the head wind being so strong it was knocking around our fuel consumption when we saw a bird take off and was strugglingii to get height and flying as fast as it's wings would go but actually going backwards.  It had to drop almost to the ground to make any headway., We arrived at the caravan park on the outskirts of Melbourne on night 6 from Mackay and were very happy to be able to use the reverse cycle air for some warmth.  I was freezing.

Next morning we headed to the caravan sale room to check out our van and organise a pickup day and time as they still had to fit the inverter for Stuart to run his C-Pap machine.

The day finally arrived and we picked up our " New Age " caravan on Friday 27th June.  It's been a long time coming and I really look forward to the first time we turn on the heater, as with the temperatures down in single figures it's a bit cold.

 

 

That night we went to the local Irish Pub for a celebratory dinner and a pint of Guinness.  On arriving back at the caravan to gale force winds and about 6' Celsius with drizzling rain, the key that we used to lock the van wouldn't play the game and unlock it again.  After several tries, with both hands neither of us could get the key right in.  The only alternative was a motel stay for the night with no clean clothes, no tooth brushes, no jamas and no patience.  Next morning the caravan people rang back and told Stuart to put the key in the lock and tap it lightly with a hammer to get it all the way in.  When I looked at what he was doing he had a 4 pound hammer in his hand.  I said it isn't all that bad, don't go smashing the van up just because of the door catch, keep the hammer for the salesman when we go back on Monday - but it was the only one he had available and after a few taps the key was reseated and turned easily.

Interestingly enough I was telling Brett about it and he said that at a caravan park in Scarborough in Qld a few weeks ago there was a couple next door to them with a new van who had the same problem and after a night in a motel for them the dealership gave them the same advice and after a few taps with the hammer, they also gained entry to their van.

We tested out our diesel heater on our second night.  What luxury - what comfort - while outside it was about 4' inside it was a lovely 19' all night.

We woke up to a very foggy morning 2 of the 3 days spent at King Parrot Creek just south of Seymore in Victoria

That would be right...... the day we left the camp the sun came out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited the towns of Yea and Seymore in mid Victoria and though it was cold and very little sun, enjoyed the drive.  Yea is a boutique type of town with lots of eating places and a few knicky knacky shopping places.

Scallop Crepes with mashed sweet potato and vegies - and of course a glass of wine.

 

April 5 - The End Of 4 Months in Tasmania

 

 

Not real sure where this was taken but it was currently being lived in.  Stuart wanted to tell Kylie (our book keeper) that we had just bought a really good investment property in Tasmania but lucky for her we had no internet for a few days and by then the joke was a bit stale.

We got to Strahan after a trip through Queenstown where the road winds up through the the mountains where only 1 meter away from the wheels is a 100 ft drop.  As we went for a drive round the town including down to the football field which was all gravel Stuart asked me if I wanted to stay there for the night.  I said just get me out of there.  After that drive I was a nervous wreck.

We had booked our cruise on the Franklin River out to Hells Gates and a stopover at Sarah Island. 

The boat we went to Hells Gate in and had a stop over at Sarah Island

 

 

                       The light house at Macquarie Heads at the inlet to Macquarie Harbour on the West       Coast

We had driven along the beach to get to the other side of Macquarie Head to Strahan to try to get a feel of what the convicts could see coming in through the head

 

The closer to the opening of the head we got the more Salmon and Trout farms we found

 

These boats went round each trap and fed them a watery brine of fish food every day

 

On Sarah Island we were met by actors who re-enacted the convicts life for us.  seen here standing in front of the remains of the huge ovens

 

 

Ruins like this stood all over the island.  Unfortunately in the early 1900's authorities came and smashed a lot of the ruins because of the stigma Australians felt about their convict past.

 

 The cruise was wonderful but the walk around Sarah Island which was a Convict Penal Settlement between 1822 and 1833.  There were  about 1300 prisoners who were all second offenders during the period.  Most prisoners came from the convict settlement on the other side of Southern Tasmania at Port Arthur and to get to Sarah Island they had to pass through a narrow stretch of ocean and each convict knew that what awaited them at Sarah Island would be worse than Hell consequently they called this small gap Hells Gates.

These ruins are just that, ruins but with actors as guides it really brings it alive.

While in the area we took a drive to the Tahune Forrest.  There they have a walk along the tree tops  out to a balanced platform where you can look hundreds of feet down onto the river.

Stuart out on the last panel of the airwalk hundreds of meters above the ground

The view from the side of where Stuart was standing right out on the tip

Lake Gairdner was another pleasant  stay where we met some great people.  It was interesting getting the last 5 klms into the lake which was single lane, as gold had been discovered on property a few kilometres further from the lake and the road was windey and up and down (surprise).  There were a number of passing bays and we had to announce that we were travelling between bays 1 and 2 etc as there were trucks and trailers all day every day carting gold bearing rock out of the mine all the way to Beaconsfield about 140 klms away so each only did about 2 runs a day but they went all day.  It is apparently estimated they will get about 20 million in gold but will cost about 10 to extract it.

Stuart came back with a piece of firewood which really made me laugh as it was so big he could hardly carry it but after he got to it with the chainsaw and axe all was good.

  

Heading north we went in to Cradle Mountain and walked to the edge of Dove Lake which we visited last time we were in Tasmania about 10 years ago.  Back then there was about 6-12 inches of snow everywhere.  We also did a couple of walks there but  I was more keen to read about the history of the lakes and how they were formed from volcanos.

Cradle Mountain - shame it was a miserable day

Dove Lake

We had about 4 days in Sheffield where they were having a steam festival,  there were about 35 different steam powered vehicles from tractors to bailing machines to saws to everything powered by steam before fuel engines became the norm.  Peter and Maree Cottrell were there with us so we had another great time with this great couple.

At the Steam Festival there was a group who re-enact the Light Horse Brigade from the First World War
They showed how the soldiers trained at the use of swords and spears.

Two of the many steam propelled vehicles and farm implements on display

As our time in Tasmania was quickly coming to an end I was keen to cook some meals over the fire before we got back to Qld where the weather would be too hot for fires.

Tuna Patties Camp style which were amazing

 

As was the Shepherds Pie and Vegies a few nights later cooked in the Baby Q

After a few nights at Wynyard we came into Bernie where we parked right on the beach almost in town.  There was a display at the Bernie Art Gallery of Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions and really, the man was born about 600 years before his time.  Nearly all of his inventions were the prototype for modern inventions like the helicopter, machine gun, bicycle as well as the humble pulley.  Unfortunately, his Mona Lisa is not travelling with the display.

 

A hand driven cart

Made from his drawings all those hundreds of years ago.  Complete with a wooden chain

 

We set a record the other day for the shortest distance travelled from one overnight stop to the other.  We stayed in Somerset for a couple of days and then moved to our next spot Cooee Point in Bernie a distance of about 14 klms. Where we stayed for a couple of nights.

Bernie used to have a very large paper mill until it closed some years ago but they still have a paper making place where tourists can get a hands on feel of how it was done.

Also round the tourist information centre were paper mache figures which looked great.

 

Would have loved to get the detail in this elderly couple but the window behind prevented me from getting a good photo

 

For my craft friends, this quilt was in the foyer of the Bernie Tourist Information Centre and looked absolutely beautiful

 

 

The detail was incredible.

 

Looking towards Bernie from our camp spot at Cooee Point

A large freight ship just pulling away from Bernie

Also along the north coast is the little town of Penguin where all the rubbish bins in the main street looked like a penguin on the outside.  This one however wasn't a rubbish bin.

 

 

As we meandered our way towards Devonport where we are due to catch the Spirit of Tasmania back to the big island it was with a touch of sadness and regret that we still didn't see all of Tasmania dispite 4 months here.

To make up for this in a small way we travelled up the foodies way and visited a raspberry farm , a chocolate factory, a cheese factory and a strawberry farm.

The cheese factory was a return visit to get a tub of herb and olive marinated feta from Ashgrove Cheeses.  If ever you get a chance to try this you will agree it is the best.

We got to the small town of Westbury about 35 klms east of Launceston and spotted a familiar figure.  It was Claude The Mower Man.  Claude walks round Australia pushing a Victa Lawn Mower raising money and awareness for sexually abused children.  Stuart and I first encountered him in Charters Towers about 2 years ago where he was doing the same thing.  He said he was headed to the Biloela, Bundaberg area soon so look out for him and support his cause.

Claude the Mower Man

Tasmania is now a very happy memory and we are ready to face the next chapter of our life in another pocket of Australia.  However we face it with part of our hearts broken from the loss of our beautiful grandson Connor James Daly who passed away a couple of weeks ago.