DECEMBER 2011

Because we leave early each year for the south we had our usual family Christmas Party again this year in early December.  We were fortunate that Stuart's daughter Annie, husband Dale and kids Deanna, boyfriend Shaune, Thomas and Kimberley could join us as well as son James, along with my daughters Kylie and Kathy and their husbands Pete and Troy and Joel, Emma (Zac was at a Cadet Course in Townsville and came back a Corporael). as well as Kathy's kids Ricki Lee boyfriend Dean, Corbin and Mikynlee.  I don't know about anyone else but thanks to Kathy, the food was wonderful and I had a great time dispite the catch cry of the afternoon and night of "Mum, sit down" and Mum get off your leg."

Joel and Corbin

Deanna's boyfriend Shaun, Kimberley, Deanna and Annie

Kylie getting into the spitit of things (or getting into the spirit)

Grandma and Corbin

Kylie showing us how it's done

Kathy and Tracy doing all the work

Stuart's gift from Kylie (the wine not me)

Thomas and Dale

Ricki Lee

James

Kathy, Troy and Mikynlee

I think Emma liked this gift

We started our yearly migration south this year without forgetting anything and I think that is a first.

A quick call into Rocky for lunch with Tracy and Nana and then on the road again.

We camped at a place just north of Gin Gin and then came straight through to the Newmarket Gardens Caravan Park at Ashgrove in Brisbane after a quick detour into the Eumundi Markets and got a great curry base for Kylie and a laksa base for me.

Andrew and Tom came over for dinner on Sunday night and we tried the laksa base with prawns – YUM!!

Tuesday night and Stuart went to the Cricket with Andrew I have my feet up after a great day with Pat and Shelley checking out some divine shops and lunching at the  Newfarm Deli.  In between Shell and Pat dropped me off for my appointment with the eye surgeon following my Corneal Transplant to check after 3 months that everything was going along as planned. A couple of days later I had to see the surgeon for the ok regarding my knee replacement which also was behaving.  Stuart is concerned about all the replacement body parts.

We had a couple of days at the Caravan Park at Amberley and had Christmas lunch with Brett, Katrina, Mia and Eithen and Katrina’s parents Archie and Glenda.  Boxing day was supposed to be spent at Pats with her family and Shell’s but a bout of stomach bug saw us turn around and head back to the caravan park where I laid up all day.

Brett and Eithen putting the Transformer together

I wonder which present is mine

Mia with her Meerkats

Christmas at the Leards

Left Amberley about 9.30am Tuesday headed for NSW and taking a wrong turn we travelled over a bit of dirt road and a lot of very bad bitumen we ended up at Queen Mary Falls that were featured on either “The Great South East” or “Great Outdoors” and stayed there the night. 

Queen Mary Falls

 It is one of south East Queensland’s best kept secrets with a lovely walk to the falls of only about 600 meters and a much longer one down to the base of the falls which Stuart is going to attempt in the morning.  The Caravan Park caters to all requirements from cabins to powered sites, to unpowered grassy ovals with fire pits all around.  The amenities are very basic but clean and the shop caters to all from icecreams to Devonshire teas.

Crimson Rosella

King Parrot

Parrots are fed each day in front of the shop and seed can be purchased for this activity – naturally. 
















We moved on and went through Woodenbong which probably doesn’t mean a lot except that we called in for a cup of coffee at the only place in town that sells coffee at Woodenbong and that place belongs to a couple by the name of Mal and Lyn Coad who we know from Gurya as they come there and sing on a regular basis.  Mal sings country gospel music and has quite a few albums out.

We covered the worst patch of bad bitumen I have struck ever going from Legume and Woodenbong but the scenery was spectacular.  Such lovely rolling hills so green and lush and such vast and craggy ranges like this mountain.

We stopped for lunch and listened to the bell birds for about an hour and recorded it for Nana before we moved on to Kiogle and then to Casino where we bought some groceries.

We pulled up for the night only about about 25 kms out of Casino and met up with Shane and Kathy from Brisbane and then on to Grafton and had a coffee at the quaintest ice cream shop called “I Scream Retro Cafe” in Prince Street which had a typical black and white chequered floor, juke box in the corner which played: Monster Mash, Good Golly Miss Molly, Barbara Ann, My Friend the Witch Doctor and Yellow Submarine while we drank our coffee in mugs with large red spots on them and saw posters of the day and even advertising for such things as Bex.  Some of us will remember the catch cry “A BEX A DAY, KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY”  Of course these days we know what they did to the liver.

We drove along the most twisty turny narrow road over the Great Dividing Range and we were just getting to the end of it and met a semi and trailer coming towards us.  With not a lot of room to move either way we missed the vehicle by about 4 inches but didn’t miss the “beware of loose stones” sign which tore off the bracket for the leg of the awning.  No major problem but one we will replace in the next few days, and no other damage to our van – thank goodness.

On arrival in Dorigo, we made our way to the tourist bureau to get directions to a camp site behind a local resort where the owner charges $20 per van per night.

View from our camp site

Tomorrow we make our way into Bellingen to see about selling our Dining Room Suite and look around the quant stores situated around the old butter factory.

Dangar Falls at Dorigo

A Bat Colony at the Information Bureau at Boonah

Newell Falls between Dorrigo and Bellingen

Our arrival in Bellingen this afternoon followed a visit to the Dorigo National Park where we went onto a short but very picturesque sky walk.  The tree ferns were huge. 

The drive through to Bellingen was very turny twisty but very pretty.  Really needed to get the washing done so booked into the show grounds and found for $20 per night that the amenities were pretty good and the grass was mowed and the caretaker was on for a chat.

WINTON OUTBACK FESTIVAL

Back home again and what a whirlwind couple of weeks.

The Winton Outback Festival was a great week and can now be crossed off the bucket list but  I don’t know whether we will go back again.  Financially it was worth it though.

We arrived at about 6.30pm at the local show grounds and as Phil and Rod had arrived earlier they had a spot saved for us next door.  Within about 30 minutes we had the basics set up and it was into drinkies time.  Doug, Marie and Maureen arrived the next day at about lunch time.

Doug, Marie and I on the racetrack

Rod and Maureen

Stuart and Phil

We were set up in the main street right in front of the stage and except for Friday when everything moved to the sports grounds for the Dunny Derby that was our place of business for the week.

Events held throughout the week included egg throwing to be caught by a partner many many mitres down the street -

                                                                               – OR NOT!
 Whip cracking, wool bale rolling, fencing gear carrying and many more events that suited the outback of Australia.  Ages ranged from about 5 to about 70 for these events which were graded in their difficulty according to age and gender.

Stuart photographed these door panels in one of the old hotels in the main street depicting Banjo Pattersons Swagman and the music and lyrics to the famous song.

The highlight of the week for these types of events was the arrival of Australia’s strongest man Derek Boyer who while being presided over by a representative of the Guinness Book of Records attempted to beat his own record of rolling a 500kg car 10m times in 5 minutes.  This he did in under 5 minutes but didn’t beat his existing record.  In doing so he injured a muscle in his back and the paramedics were there to assist.

Derek rolling the 500kg car down the main street of Winton

Upon success of Derek's car roll

An interesting point I found out about Derek was that he is a type 1 diabetic and self medicates every day.  This is of special interest to me because of a grandson who is also type 1.  When I spoke to him he said to tell Joel that it will never be an impediment unless he allows it to be.

The Dunny Derby held in Winton every 2 years has world wide notoriety as being the only one of its kind in the world (apparently)  These structures?? Are built like an old Australian outback ????house on wheels with a pulling frame out front and must be pulled over the course with a person sitting on the throne.  Along the way they must alight the vehicle and pick up rolls of toilet paper (what else).  The best thing about the whole even is that the money won went to the charity they represented.









That night was a line up of stars including Adam Harvey to entertain a couple of thousand people.

Adam Harvey

Saturday was back to the main street with a lineup of finals of the iron man and woman events and finished with an Elvis impersonator Dean Vegas to round off a successful week according to organisors.

Elvis aka Dean Vegas performing in the street to the crowds
The story goes that he is standing for Mayor of the Gold Coast at the next elections

We planned to get away on Sunday around lunchtime but wanted to see Australias strongest men Derek Boyer push a semi and 4 wagons along the road.

Being interviewed by Neale Stuart (The voice of the Outback)

As he was still suffering from the injury he sustained earlier in the week he decided to leg press the road train by putting his feet on the bull bar of a 4 wheel drive parked facing the semi.

                                                          He moved it about ½ a mitre. 

Not satisfied with 4 he added an extra 2 wagons to the push.

We got away as planned after an early, light lunch at the Matilda Centre with Phil and Rod who were leaving for home on Tuesday.  With about 100km of dirt road to cover I was a bit worried about dust getting in the van but that wasn’t the problem.  Just as we were coming down into a creek with very rough terrain the van jumped off the tow ball and hit the dirt.  We got across the bridge with it dragging in the dirt and pulled up with the driver of a vehicle following us coming to our assistance. A quality found mainly in the bush.  The trailer mate managed to lift the van back onto the beast and with a bit of straightening out of the catch we were on our way again.

A great couple of weeks but good to be home again.

SPIRIT OF THE OUTBACK

I am travelling out to Longreach to meet up with Stuart who has driven out from home in Mackay as he is doing “Westtech” in Barcaldine, but before I board the train for Longreach I have to see the eye surgeon regarding an eye problem I have and It appears that in November I will be lining up for a Corneal Transplant in my left eye which will hopefully give me more vision than I have had in that eye since I was about 17.  This will be followed by one in my right eye next year.  I am really hoping that it will not interfere with our plans to travel next year.

Back at Ipswich and really looking forward to the trip on the Spirit of the Outback tomorrow at 1.00pm, and then on to Winton for the Outback Festival next week.

As the Queensland Wheelchair basketball team “The Spinning Bullets were due to play in the finals this weekend in Brisbane and their first game was to be at 11.00am Brett had to get me to the station by 9.30am to give them enough time to make it to the stadium in time.

Eithen and his big sister Mia ready to go to the finals

Little Mascot Number 1

 Last year the Spinning Bullets coach Tom Kyle made Eithen their mascot and so he has a replica singlet and leads the team out onto the court for their game. Tom is also Eithen’s coach for his basketball and has take Eithen under his wing and is very proud of the way he has improved in the last 12 months.

 Eithen in Prep with friend Charles on left and on right getting end of term awards

Mia and Eithen on Tramp at home

Mia on swing with Molly

After booking my suitcase in at Roma Street Station I caught a train to Southbank and wandered through the markets til it was time to come back and board the “Spirit of the Outback” for Longreach for departure at 1.10 pm.

Spirit of the Outback just coming into Roma Street Station

 About 1 hour into the trip we learnt that the on board computer which backs up the driver has failed and so as we approached Gympie 1 ½ hours late we were told that another driver had to be found for the train to continue.  I don’t know why I travel...............

The pod in which I live for 24 hours is small but comfortable with a very large window so I have a great view of the passing countryside.

The bed folds up into a seat with a full length window

The hall is very tight and zig-zagy with pods going off on each side.

Afternoon Tea of coffee, tea and scones was served at 2.00 pm and dinner will be at 7.00 pm with  choices ranging from soup and salad, steak, stew, fish and vegetarian as well as dessert.  Breakfast at 7am will be a surprise.  There was a choice of continental or full cooked and my breakfast companions were a couple from Brisbane and a nice young man from Italy who is travelling all round Australia and is currently going out to Winton for 3 days fossicking with palaeontologists.  He had some wonderful tales to tell about his adventures.  He also mentioned an Airline which goes all round Europe at incredibly low prices called RYAN AIR.  

We woke to find out that we are now 2 ½ hours late at Anakie and a few sighs in the dining room at this news prompted the waitress to say that we won’t be charged for the extra time on board.  I also noticed a major change in the poor condition of the line compared to the smooth coastal line.  These lines are very rough.

By the time we got into Longreach we were 3 hours late and a lot of unhappy people on board as they had to catch other transport to other corners of the country, but for me it was a welcome smile from Stuart and on to Winton.