A day of complete relaxation - we read, had a look around the town, chatted to some people who were parked nearby & finally went to the Bowling Club for dinner.
News bulletins suggest that the UK is having some severe weather. Hope we won't hear of too many catastrophes. A news flash has just reported that a teenage girl, in Kent, has been killed by a falling tree - oh dear, that's already one sad incident too many.
Monday 28 October 2013
Sunday 27 October 2013
Sun 27 Oct - Cowra to Coonabarabran
We left Cowra at 9.20am on a beautiful sunny morning. It was a lovely place &, as I looked at the rose garden on our way out, I was sorry we couldn't have stayed longer. People obviously took pride in their homes & the town, as everywhere looked neat & well cared for. I envied those who were sitting outside their caravans, enjoying cups of tea or coffee, in the sunshine. We set off for Dubbo, which was 204kms away.
The countryside was undulating & mostly cultivated, with some horses, cattle & sheep grazing here & there. It was described as "Australia's Food Basket". A fair amount of harvesting was going on but I couldn't tell whether it was hay or a crop that they were cutting. Roses also grew well & several gardens boasted beautiful displays.
We by-passed Dubbo & continued on in the direction of Gilgandra. The countryside was becoming browner, with scrub-like vegetation but the cattle looked healthy & so the pasture must have been more nutritious than it looked.
At 1.30pm., we drove into Gilgandra, "town of windmills & home of the Cooees", which we'd visited before. We decided to stop for lunch & enjoyed light meals at a lovely coffee shop that we remembered, which had 'classy' gifts & beads (I'd bought a necklace on a previous visit).
Having filled up with Diesel, we continued on towards Coonabarabran. Two kookaburras were sitting on telephone wires, a sight which always delights me. The temperature had now reached 27C, so things were heating up!
On reaching the town, we booked in at a caravan park, did some shopping & settled in for the night.
The countryside was undulating & mostly cultivated, with some horses, cattle & sheep grazing here & there. It was described as "Australia's Food Basket". A fair amount of harvesting was going on but I couldn't tell whether it was hay or a crop that they were cutting. Roses also grew well & several gardens boasted beautiful displays.
We by-passed Dubbo & continued on in the direction of Gilgandra. The countryside was becoming browner, with scrub-like vegetation but the cattle looked healthy & so the pasture must have been more nutritious than it looked.
At 1.30pm., we drove into Gilgandra, "town of windmills & home of the Cooees", which we'd visited before. We decided to stop for lunch & enjoyed light meals at a lovely coffee shop that we remembered, which had 'classy' gifts & beads (I'd bought a necklace on a previous visit).
Having filled up with Diesel, we continued on towards Coonabarabran. Two kookaburras were sitting on telephone wires, a sight which always delights me. The temperature had now reached 27C, so things were heating up!
On reaching the town, we booked in at a caravan park, did some shopping & settled in for the night.
Saturday 26 October 2013
Sat 27 Oct - Canberra to Cowra
By the time we left Canberra at 9am., it was sunny & the temperature was 12C. We re-fuelled at Yass, then set off for Cowra, which was 121kms away. It was a pretty drive, spoiled only by a lot of blood on the road from a large number of recently killed kangaroos.
On arrival in Cowra, we settled in at the Cowra Van Park, which was a lovely leafy site on the Lachlan River. We had a quick lunch, then set off to find the Japanese Garden, which was the main reason for our visit - it had been recommended & sounded well worth looking at.
Cowra had been thrust into the headlines for what became known as "The Cowra Breakout", when 235 soldiers lost their lives. On Aug 5, 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners launched a mass escape from the P.O.W. Camp just outside the town. Many of them, as well as four Australian soldiers, were killed in the attempted escape & the town's RSL members have maintained the graves ever since. This care & respect has resulted in a special relationship between Cowra & Japan and the Garden is just one of the ways in which the town has contributed toward world peace.
What a beautiful place! It is tranquil, peaceful & exquisitely maintained. There are lush gardens, cascading streams & fish-filled lakes, all of which have been designed to represent the landscapes of Japan. Exploring this delighful place is a memorable experience & one which we were glad we'd taken the time to enjoy.
From the Garden, we continued on to the P.O.W. Camp & Guard Tower, the Cowra & Japanese War Cemeteries, Australia's World Peace Bell & the beautiful Rose Garden. All in all, it was a perfect day. We loved the town & would like to have stayed longer but this is a big country & we still have a lot of kilometres to cover!
On arrival in Cowra, we settled in at the Cowra Van Park, which was a lovely leafy site on the Lachlan River. We had a quick lunch, then set off to find the Japanese Garden, which was the main reason for our visit - it had been recommended & sounded well worth looking at.
Cowra had been thrust into the headlines for what became known as "The Cowra Breakout", when 235 soldiers lost their lives. On Aug 5, 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners launched a mass escape from the P.O.W. Camp just outside the town. Many of them, as well as four Australian soldiers, were killed in the attempted escape & the town's RSL members have maintained the graves ever since. This care & respect has resulted in a special relationship between Cowra & Japan and the Garden is just one of the ways in which the town has contributed toward world peace.
What a beautiful place! It is tranquil, peaceful & exquisitely maintained. There are lush gardens, cascading streams & fish-filled lakes, all of which have been designed to represent the landscapes of Japan. Exploring this delighful place is a memorable experience & one which we were glad we'd taken the time to enjoy.
From the Garden, we continued on to the P.O.W. Camp & Guard Tower, the Cowra & Japanese War Cemeteries, Australia's World Peace Bell & the beautiful Rose Garden. All in all, it was a perfect day. We loved the town & would like to have stayed longer but this is a big country & we still have a lot of kilometres to cover!
Friday 25 October 2013
Fri 25 Oct - a second day in Canberra
Canberra is COLD, even by my standards - it was really hard getting up! However, we had bright sunshine & a blue sky.
It was a great day. First, we drove to the Telstra Tower, on Black Mountain from where we had panoramic views all over Canberra & the surrounding countryside. We felt that specific landmarks could have been more clearly indicated & were disappointed that they had run out of postcards & stamps. However, the coffee was to die for!
Our next port of call was the National Portrait Gallery, which had a magnificent collection of pictures showing those who have been instrumental in forming the Australian nation from earliest times to modern day. People from all walks of life were included - industrialists, explorers, artists, business people, sports people, entertainers, etc., etc. The collection was all-encompassing & stressed the variety & value of people's contributions.
Finally, we chose to visit the National Museum of Australia, which has a stunning location with magnificent views over Lake Burley Griffin. The Museum is referred to as "where our stories live" & brings together the history of the First Australians, the European settlers & those who have resided here in more modern times since the formation of Federation.
A rotating theatre presents images, sound & music which combine to tell Australia's story. This is further expanded by galleries & a wealth of fascinating exhibits.
We found Canberra to be a very interesting city & felt that we could have spent much more time there. You should always leave something to come back for ... and, we did!
It was a great day. First, we drove to the Telstra Tower, on Black Mountain from where we had panoramic views all over Canberra & the surrounding countryside. We felt that specific landmarks could have been more clearly indicated & were disappointed that they had run out of postcards & stamps. However, the coffee was to die for!
Our next port of call was the National Portrait Gallery, which had a magnificent collection of pictures showing those who have been instrumental in forming the Australian nation from earliest times to modern day. People from all walks of life were included - industrialists, explorers, artists, business people, sports people, entertainers, etc., etc. The collection was all-encompassing & stressed the variety & value of people's contributions.
Finally, we chose to visit the National Museum of Australia, which has a stunning location with magnificent views over Lake Burley Griffin. The Museum is referred to as "where our stories live" & brings together the history of the First Australians, the European settlers & those who have resided here in more modern times since the formation of Federation.
A rotating theatre presents images, sound & music which combine to tell Australia's story. This is further expanded by galleries & a wealth of fascinating exhibits.
We found Canberra to be a very interesting city & felt that we could have spent much more time there. You should always leave something to come back for ... and, we did!
Thursday 24 October 2013
Thurs 24 Oct - A day in Canberra
We didn't have a good start to the day - the Tia Maria bottle had leaked in the under-sink cupboard (a real "ant attraction") & so we started the day sweeping out the van & washing the floor - well, Bob did; I was busy with other chores. He is considering drinking more in future, in order to avoid the alcohol going to waste - that's the newest excuse I've heard!
As we were leaving the caravan park, Bob backed into a lamp post that he hadn't noticed in his mirror (every vehicle has a blind spot). Oh dear, a broken indicator light & some minor damage to the rear light casing! We drove to the Visitor & Information Centre, quite near to where we were staying, & found out about attractions to visit &, most importantly, where to get a replacement indicator bulb which, fortunately, Bob was able to fix himself. We parked in a beautiful tree-lined street whilst he carried out repairs. We noticed that Canberra is a city of trees - every road is lined with different types of trees, which is lovely.
Eventually, we arrived at the Australian War Memorial, which was high on our list of places to visit. It is a wonderful memorial with landscaped gardens, stunning sound & light shows, galleries, a Pool of Reflection with an Eternal Flame, a Hall of Memory, Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, Roll of Honour & a daily closing ceremony which commemorates someone who has died serving his or her country.
It would take many hours to see all that the Memorial has to offer - we were there for four hours & found it fascinating, informative & extremely well presented. It showed conflict with startling clarity &, at the same time, brought home to us the tragedy & futility of war. Many school children were also spending time at the Memorial & we could only hope that it would show something of the debt we all owe to those who died for our freedom.
Bob was particularly impressed by the way in which "War in the Air" was presented - the sound & light shows were most dramatic. I admired many of the paintings by war-time artists, as well as the wonderful Changi Quilt made by women who were interned by the Japanese (we heard the women's camp choir singing whilst the quilt was being displayed, which was very moving).
The closing ceremony was very poignant as Private John Saunders, who fought in the Korean War & whose body was never recovered, was remembered & honoured. A lone piper played a lament, followed by a bugler who played the Last Post. Members of Private Saunders' family were present & several people, including children from the various schools that were visiting, laid wreaths.
As we were leaving the caravan park, Bob backed into a lamp post that he hadn't noticed in his mirror (every vehicle has a blind spot). Oh dear, a broken indicator light & some minor damage to the rear light casing! We drove to the Visitor & Information Centre, quite near to where we were staying, & found out about attractions to visit &, most importantly, where to get a replacement indicator bulb which, fortunately, Bob was able to fix himself. We parked in a beautiful tree-lined street whilst he carried out repairs. We noticed that Canberra is a city of trees - every road is lined with different types of trees, which is lovely.
Eventually, we arrived at the Australian War Memorial, which was high on our list of places to visit. It is a wonderful memorial with landscaped gardens, stunning sound & light shows, galleries, a Pool of Reflection with an Eternal Flame, a Hall of Memory, Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, Roll of Honour & a daily closing ceremony which commemorates someone who has died serving his or her country.
It would take many hours to see all that the Memorial has to offer - we were there for four hours & found it fascinating, informative & extremely well presented. It showed conflict with startling clarity &, at the same time, brought home to us the tragedy & futility of war. Many school children were also spending time at the Memorial & we could only hope that it would show something of the debt we all owe to those who died for our freedom.
Bob was particularly impressed by the way in which "War in the Air" was presented - the sound & light shows were most dramatic. I admired many of the paintings by war-time artists, as well as the wonderful Changi Quilt made by women who were interned by the Japanese (we heard the women's camp choir singing whilst the quilt was being displayed, which was very moving).
The closing ceremony was very poignant as Private John Saunders, who fought in the Korean War & whose body was never recovered, was remembered & honoured. A lone piper played a lament, followed by a bugler who played the Last Post. Members of Private Saunders' family were present & several people, including children from the various schools that were visiting, laid wreaths.
Wednesday 23 October 2013
23 Oct - Merimbula to Canberra
We left the Sapphire Valley Tourist Park at 11.10am with several people waving us goodbye. I had already swum with Yvonne at 8.30am & we'd both enjoyed pancakes in the camp kitchen again, at 10am. It was a lovely park - one we'd recommend & stay at again.
We hadn't seen much of the town but, as we drove out, it seemed to have all that anyone would need & the harbour looked lovely. We departed along a tree-lined road, passing the small airport on our right. This was an attractive area with hills, forest & ocean. We were 35km from Bega, home of a well-known cheese we'd seen frequently in the supermarkets.
The view of Merimbula Lake, down a steep hill overlooking the water, was particularly picturesque. The occasional lorry, loaded with tree trunks, passed us & we concluded that logging was one of the local industries.
What a beautiful day & how fantastic was the panorama that opened out before us as we drove towards Bega! Large herds of dairy cattle grazed upon the green hills, which became ever more steep as we entered the Snowy Mountain Highway towards Cooma & Canberra, the latter being 216km away. Apparently, we had about 60km of steep hills & winding road ahead of us as we crossed the Brown Mountains & travelled over the Great Dividing Range, which results in the marked contrast between the fertile east & the dry interior.
At times, a strong head wind blew, seriously hampering our progress. In Bemboka, we stopped to photograph the views & saw a shop advertising "Teddy Bears & Wool/Crystals & Lace" - I would have loved to take a look inside but realised that we should press on towards Canberra.
We entered the South East Forests National Park & began a seriously steep & winding climb, which slowed us down to a crawl. The forest was full of tree ferns & the gums grew straight & tall. We were very high up & stopped to take a picture at the "Fred Piper Memorial Lookout", where a really strong wind was blowing. On the western side of the Divide, tougher tussocky grasses grew & the area became less green. Animals still grazed but not on such lush pasture as that east of the mountains. As we descended, the trees became less tall & the terrain was more frequently strewn with rocks & boulders. Where water is less abundant, a marked contrast in the landscape soon becomes apparent. Gone were the dairy cattle, their places taken by hardier sheep.
We stopped at Lake Williams, in Nimmitabel, for lunch & were soon surrounded by ducks & moorhens, which Bob fed with his crusts (he hadn't been trained to eat them up!) The wind almost wrenched the car & caravan doors off, when we opened them!
The scenery was still magnificent &, when we passed a sign saying "Great Dividing Range", we realised that we were travelling right on top of it.
Soon, the terrain opened out into wide plains, bordered by far-distant mountains - completely different scenery from that through which we'd travelled during the morning. A few cattle re-appeared but of the beef, rather than the dairy, variety.
Cooma nestled in the surrounding hills & was set on either side of a wide main street. We climbed out of it passing the "Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre" on our right. Canberra was still 115km away.
Eventually, we passed a sign saying "Australian Capital Territory", which indicated that we were nearing the city. Negotiating it & finding a caravan park was quite another matter! There was only one such park in the vicinity with no directions to it & so we had to rely completely upon maps & our SatNav - goodness only knows what we would have done without them. We finally located the Exhibition Centre Park (nothing like as appealing as the one in Merimbula) & settled down for the night.
We hadn't seen much of the town but, as we drove out, it seemed to have all that anyone would need & the harbour looked lovely. We departed along a tree-lined road, passing the small airport on our right. This was an attractive area with hills, forest & ocean. We were 35km from Bega, home of a well-known cheese we'd seen frequently in the supermarkets.
The view of Merimbula Lake, down a steep hill overlooking the water, was particularly picturesque. The occasional lorry, loaded with tree trunks, passed us & we concluded that logging was one of the local industries.
What a beautiful day & how fantastic was the panorama that opened out before us as we drove towards Bega! Large herds of dairy cattle grazed upon the green hills, which became ever more steep as we entered the Snowy Mountain Highway towards Cooma & Canberra, the latter being 216km away. Apparently, we had about 60km of steep hills & winding road ahead of us as we crossed the Brown Mountains & travelled over the Great Dividing Range, which results in the marked contrast between the fertile east & the dry interior.
At times, a strong head wind blew, seriously hampering our progress. In Bemboka, we stopped to photograph the views & saw a shop advertising "Teddy Bears & Wool/Crystals & Lace" - I would have loved to take a look inside but realised that we should press on towards Canberra.
We entered the South East Forests National Park & began a seriously steep & winding climb, which slowed us down to a crawl. The forest was full of tree ferns & the gums grew straight & tall. We were very high up & stopped to take a picture at the "Fred Piper Memorial Lookout", where a really strong wind was blowing. On the western side of the Divide, tougher tussocky grasses grew & the area became less green. Animals still grazed but not on such lush pasture as that east of the mountains. As we descended, the trees became less tall & the terrain was more frequently strewn with rocks & boulders. Where water is less abundant, a marked contrast in the landscape soon becomes apparent. Gone were the dairy cattle, their places taken by hardier sheep.
We stopped at Lake Williams, in Nimmitabel, for lunch & were soon surrounded by ducks & moorhens, which Bob fed with his crusts (he hadn't been trained to eat them up!) The wind almost wrenched the car & caravan doors off, when we opened them!
The scenery was still magnificent &, when we passed a sign saying "Great Dividing Range", we realised that we were travelling right on top of it.
Soon, the terrain opened out into wide plains, bordered by far-distant mountains - completely different scenery from that through which we'd travelled during the morning. A few cattle re-appeared but of the beef, rather than the dairy, variety.
Cooma nestled in the surrounding hills & was set on either side of a wide main street. We climbed out of it passing the "Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre" on our right. Canberra was still 115km away.
Eventually, we passed a sign saying "Australian Capital Territory", which indicated that we were nearing the city. Negotiating it & finding a caravan park was quite another matter! There was only one such park in the vicinity with no directions to it & so we had to rely completely upon maps & our SatNav - goodness only knows what we would have done without them. We finally located the Exhibition Centre Park (nothing like as appealing as the one in Merimbula) & settled down for the night.
22 Oct - A relaxing day spent at the Sapphire Valley Tourist Park in Merimbula
What a night - it absolutely poured! We hoped that the bush fire areas had received some of it.
We had some lovely neighbours called Yvonne & Geoff - they were very sociable & we spent quite some time chatting with them. Yvonne loves birds & was able to tell us a lot about Australian ones. She also likes painting & has done some stumpwork, too, so we had a few things in common.
We had free pancakes & cups of tea in the camp kitchen - apparently, they also do a sausage sizzle on Friday evenings (a good way of bringing people together).
I had planned to swim with Yvonne after lunch as there was a lovely pool & hot tub. However, it became wet & cold, so I stayed in the caravan & brought this blog almost up to date (no mean task, as I had fallen very far behind with it).
At 6pm., we joined Yvonne & Geoff at the local Bowling Club for dinner. We ladies had Seafood Baskets, which were very tasty & the men had excellent steaks. After coffee & a chat, we spent a short time playing the Pokies - we didn't win anything & left our friends there still trying to "get lucky".
We had some lovely neighbours called Yvonne & Geoff - they were very sociable & we spent quite some time chatting with them. Yvonne loves birds & was able to tell us a lot about Australian ones. She also likes painting & has done some stumpwork, too, so we had a few things in common.
We had free pancakes & cups of tea in the camp kitchen - apparently, they also do a sausage sizzle on Friday evenings (a good way of bringing people together).
I had planned to swim with Yvonne after lunch as there was a lovely pool & hot tub. However, it became wet & cold, so I stayed in the caravan & brought this blog almost up to date (no mean task, as I had fallen very far behind with it).
At 6pm., we joined Yvonne & Geoff at the local Bowling Club for dinner. We ladies had Seafood Baskets, which were very tasty & the men had excellent steaks. After coffee & a chat, we spent a short time playing the Pokies - we didn't win anything & left our friends there still trying to "get lucky".
Mon 21 Oct - Sale to Merimbula
We had spent the previous night at a caravan park just outside Sale - it wasn't very special & seemed rather tired & run-down. However, we had left our arrangements a bit late & decided that it would have to do. It was cheap ($25) & we slept very well, so didn't feel that we had suffered unduly.
Sale seemed more like mid-west America than Australia. There were a lot of motor bikers about & we noticed a shop, next to the Baptist Church, advertising "Fire Arms"!
The sky was overcast as we drove towards "Stratford on the River Avon", sounding very English but looking very Australian with its wide main street & trees down the centre. It had some lovely homes, one in particular with a picturesque rose-filled garden.
The bikers sped past us as we travelled towards Bairnsdale, where we stopped to re-fuel, & a number of white cockatoos flew overhead (we had already been serenaded by a kookaburra before leaving the caravan park).
At Lakes Entrance, we stopped for a couple of hours & had a walk round, looking at the shops, boats, pelicans, etc. This was our second visit & we vaguely remembered some of it, particularly the steep drive down into the town.
We moved on into fairly densely wooded country, which was still hilly & provided grazing land wherever it had been cleared. We stopped at a Rest Area to have our lunch & listened to the loud noise of cicadas as we ate.
Eventually, we passed a sign welcoming us to "Snowy River Country" & crossed the wide Snowy itself (something else that I remembered marking on a map in my far off school days). It was an area of fertile plains & green fields, where lucky cattle grazed on the lush grass. The route continued up & down, becoming steep & very winding.
The forest of tall gums became thicker &, occasionally, tree ferns appeared at the lower level. A sign warned that kangaroos could appear over the next 20km & I sincerely hoped that none would jump out in front of us. However, we did see a very large dead wombat - such a shame!
We finally stopped in Merimbula, where the hills were ultra-steep, but the caravan park looked very inviting.
Sale seemed more like mid-west America than Australia. There were a lot of motor bikers about & we noticed a shop, next to the Baptist Church, advertising "Fire Arms"!
The sky was overcast as we drove towards "Stratford on the River Avon", sounding very English but looking very Australian with its wide main street & trees down the centre. It had some lovely homes, one in particular with a picturesque rose-filled garden.
The bikers sped past us as we travelled towards Bairnsdale, where we stopped to re-fuel, & a number of white cockatoos flew overhead (we had already been serenaded by a kookaburra before leaving the caravan park).
At Lakes Entrance, we stopped for a couple of hours & had a walk round, looking at the shops, boats, pelicans, etc. This was our second visit & we vaguely remembered some of it, particularly the steep drive down into the town.
We moved on into fairly densely wooded country, which was still hilly & provided grazing land wherever it had been cleared. We stopped at a Rest Area to have our lunch & listened to the loud noise of cicadas as we ate.
Eventually, we passed a sign welcoming us to "Snowy River Country" & crossed the wide Snowy itself (something else that I remembered marking on a map in my far off school days). It was an area of fertile plains & green fields, where lucky cattle grazed on the lush grass. The route continued up & down, becoming steep & very winding.
The forest of tall gums became thicker &, occasionally, tree ferns appeared at the lower level. A sign warned that kangaroos could appear over the next 20km & I sincerely hoped that none would jump out in front of us. However, we did see a very large dead wombat - such a shame!
We finally stopped in Merimbula, where the hills were ultra-steep, but the caravan park looked very inviting.
Sun 20 Oct - Portarlington to Sale
We were up at 6am & ready to leave by 6.30am.! Never let it be said that I can't rise to the occasion.
It was "Round the Bay in a Day" for pedal cyclists & a big meeting on Phillip Island for motor bikers, so we were surrounded by 2-wheeled vehicles.
Upstairs, in the refreshments area of the ferry, the noise was horrendous, as hundreds of cyclists all talked at once in anything but dulcet tones - definitely on a par with white cockatoos! We decided to postpone breakfast until we had disembarked & hoped that we would be able to find somewhere quieter to eat. In fact, we had to drive quite a long way before we left the cyclists behind & finally stopped at a place called Baxter, where we enjoyed good cooked breakfasts. We shared a table with a lovely couple who also loved travelling & had an interesting chat with them.
Once on the road again, I promptly fell asleep until we reached Inverloch, where we stopped for a cup of tea. Was it the early start that had made me so lethargic, or the lack of fresh air (the sky had clouded over & the atmosphere felt 'heavy')?
We moved into beautiful hilly country, with steep slopes & deep valleys - the scenery was very picturesque, even though the road was narrow & winding. At one point, it looked like Switzerland, apart from the fact that we could see the ocean in the distance. There were obviously a lot of animals in the area, as we saw numerous signs indicating the presence of koalas, kangaroos & wombats. We were now in Gippsland.
It was "Round the Bay in a Day" for pedal cyclists & a big meeting on Phillip Island for motor bikers, so we were surrounded by 2-wheeled vehicles.
Upstairs, in the refreshments area of the ferry, the noise was horrendous, as hundreds of cyclists all talked at once in anything but dulcet tones - definitely on a par with white cockatoos! We decided to postpone breakfast until we had disembarked & hoped that we would be able to find somewhere quieter to eat. In fact, we had to drive quite a long way before we left the cyclists behind & finally stopped at a place called Baxter, where we enjoyed good cooked breakfasts. We shared a table with a lovely couple who also loved travelling & had an interesting chat with them.
Once on the road again, I promptly fell asleep until we reached Inverloch, where we stopped for a cup of tea. Was it the early start that had made me so lethargic, or the lack of fresh air (the sky had clouded over & the atmosphere felt 'heavy')?
We moved into beautiful hilly country, with steep slopes & deep valleys - the scenery was very picturesque, even though the road was narrow & winding. At one point, it looked like Switzerland, apart from the fact that we could see the ocean in the distance. There were obviously a lot of animals in the area, as we saw numerous signs indicating the presence of koalas, kangaroos & wombats. We were now in Gippsland.
Monday 21 October 2013
Oct 13-19 A week in Portarlington, visiting friends
Sun 13th
What a grey day! After yesterday's glorious sunshine, it was a shock to awaken to cloud, mist & rain. But, we're tough; we're British & so, unlike many who deserted the caravan park, we soldiered on.
Bob went to a service at his favourite church in Drysdale while I washed my hair & generally pottered - it was good to have the van to myself for once.
After lunch, we visited Lyn & Don for a couple of hours. Later, they were going to a neighbour's cocktail party, no less!
Mon 14th
We didn't get up until 10.30am - very decadent! Maybe the wintry weather was encouraging us to stay in bed. Eventually, we drove to Drysdale, where we met our friend Judy & arranged to get together with her & Charlie before our departure.
We stocked up with food, then had a lovely walk along the beach & the pier, where we met a pleasant Maltese couple who were trying to catch fish. We just made it back to the van before a heavy shower of rain occurred.
Tues 15th
A much better day - sun shining; sea sparkling! We drove to Clifton Springs, where Tyler cut my hair while Bob visited Phil. We then continued on to Queenscliff & booked ourselves on to next Sunday's ferry to Sorrento.
After lunch, we drove into Geelong, did a little shopping, then went to the cinema at Waurn Ponds. We saw the film, "Blue Jasmine", starring Cate Blanchet. The characters were good but the plot was awful & ended so abruptly that several people looked at one another as if to say, "Has it finished?" Most unsatisfactory.
Wed 16th
Didn't get up until 9am.! It was very windy outside & HUGE waves were rolling in as I looked out of the caravan window. We decided to concentrate upon indoor activities & so, very nervously, I began to iron the pellon on to the back of my painted fabric, ready for embroidering (not exactly easy or stress-free on a tiny caravan table!) However, I managed & it seems to have worked.
In the evening, we drove to St Leonard's, where we had a lovely meal & a very enjoyable few hours with Lyn & Kevin Hughes.
Thurs 17th
It was a WILD day, with a strong wind blowing until quite late in the evening, when it finally abated. A nearby tree had obviously been damaged & a noisy machine "grated" for most of the day whilst the tree was made safe.
At 5.15pm., we drove to Kadumba Ave., where Wes was busy cutting the lawns ready for Grace's birthday party on Saturday. Jodie was working in the kitchen & Phil arrived in time for dinner. The eight of us enjoyed lasagne, salad & a couple of fruit pies & custard together, which was lovely. The girls are gorgeous - we shall miss them. Jenna asked when she could visit our house again & Jodie had to explain that it wasn't our house any more.
We saw pictures of Shane's wedding, which had been held on a houseboat, in Echuca.
We were very sad to leave our lovely family, who have been such wonderful friends & neighbours. We will definitely keep in touch with them.
Fri 18th
A much more pleasant day, weather-wise. There was still a fair breeze but we had sunshine & ablue sky.
We went to Madge & Ian's at 12 midday & joined the gang. There were 14 of us altogether - Madge, Ian, Lyn, Kevin, Lyn, Don, Kath, Terry, Yvonne, Reg, Joan, Ray & our two selves. Quite a gathering. Joan was very brave to join us so soon after her recent surgery. Neither Yvonne nor Reg had changed at all & both looked really well. It was a lovely afternoon, as we ate, drank & all caught up with one another.
After a rest at the caravan, we drove to Drysdale to visit Judy & Charlie. We had drinks, cake & a good catch-up with them, so we had managed to see all of our lovely Victorian friends before we start our journey back to Queensland on Sunday.
By the time we arrived back at the caravan park, the wind had dropped & all was calm.
Sat 19th
A WARM day - in the high 20's & forecast to reach 30C tomorrow! I did our washing, as it was such good weather for drying.
After lunch, we went to see Joan & Ray, as we didn't feel that we'd been able to have much of a chat with them on Friday, in a large crowd. They were pleased to see us & we felt that Joan looked much better & more rested. We spent a pleasant couple of hours with them & felt glad that we'd caught up properly.
We did some shopping, then returned to Portarlington to have dinner & get the caravan ready for an early start the next morning. We packed everything away securely & Bob hooked the caravan & car together before going to bed.
What a grey day! After yesterday's glorious sunshine, it was a shock to awaken to cloud, mist & rain. But, we're tough; we're British & so, unlike many who deserted the caravan park, we soldiered on.
Bob went to a service at his favourite church in Drysdale while I washed my hair & generally pottered - it was good to have the van to myself for once.
After lunch, we visited Lyn & Don for a couple of hours. Later, they were going to a neighbour's cocktail party, no less!
Mon 14th
We didn't get up until 10.30am - very decadent! Maybe the wintry weather was encouraging us to stay in bed. Eventually, we drove to Drysdale, where we met our friend Judy & arranged to get together with her & Charlie before our departure.
We stocked up with food, then had a lovely walk along the beach & the pier, where we met a pleasant Maltese couple who were trying to catch fish. We just made it back to the van before a heavy shower of rain occurred.
Tues 15th
A much better day - sun shining; sea sparkling! We drove to Clifton Springs, where Tyler cut my hair while Bob visited Phil. We then continued on to Queenscliff & booked ourselves on to next Sunday's ferry to Sorrento.
After lunch, we drove into Geelong, did a little shopping, then went to the cinema at Waurn Ponds. We saw the film, "Blue Jasmine", starring Cate Blanchet. The characters were good but the plot was awful & ended so abruptly that several people looked at one another as if to say, "Has it finished?" Most unsatisfactory.
Wed 16th
Didn't get up until 9am.! It was very windy outside & HUGE waves were rolling in as I looked out of the caravan window. We decided to concentrate upon indoor activities & so, very nervously, I began to iron the pellon on to the back of my painted fabric, ready for embroidering (not exactly easy or stress-free on a tiny caravan table!) However, I managed & it seems to have worked.
In the evening, we drove to St Leonard's, where we had a lovely meal & a very enjoyable few hours with Lyn & Kevin Hughes.
Thurs 17th
It was a WILD day, with a strong wind blowing until quite late in the evening, when it finally abated. A nearby tree had obviously been damaged & a noisy machine "grated" for most of the day whilst the tree was made safe.
At 5.15pm., we drove to Kadumba Ave., where Wes was busy cutting the lawns ready for Grace's birthday party on Saturday. Jodie was working in the kitchen & Phil arrived in time for dinner. The eight of us enjoyed lasagne, salad & a couple of fruit pies & custard together, which was lovely. The girls are gorgeous - we shall miss them. Jenna asked when she could visit our house again & Jodie had to explain that it wasn't our house any more.
We saw pictures of Shane's wedding, which had been held on a houseboat, in Echuca.
We were very sad to leave our lovely family, who have been such wonderful friends & neighbours. We will definitely keep in touch with them.
Fri 18th
A much more pleasant day, weather-wise. There was still a fair breeze but we had sunshine & ablue sky.
We went to Madge & Ian's at 12 midday & joined the gang. There were 14 of us altogether - Madge, Ian, Lyn, Kevin, Lyn, Don, Kath, Terry, Yvonne, Reg, Joan, Ray & our two selves. Quite a gathering. Joan was very brave to join us so soon after her recent surgery. Neither Yvonne nor Reg had changed at all & both looked really well. It was a lovely afternoon, as we ate, drank & all caught up with one another.
After a rest at the caravan, we drove to Drysdale to visit Judy & Charlie. We had drinks, cake & a good catch-up with them, so we had managed to see all of our lovely Victorian friends before we start our journey back to Queensland on Sunday.
By the time we arrived back at the caravan park, the wind had dropped & all was calm.
Sat 19th
A WARM day - in the high 20's & forecast to reach 30C tomorrow! I did our washing, as it was such good weather for drying.
After lunch, we went to see Joan & Ray, as we didn't feel that we'd been able to have much of a chat with them on Friday, in a large crowd. They were pleased to see us & we felt that Joan looked much better & more rested. We spent a pleasant couple of hours with them & felt glad that we'd caught up properly.
We did some shopping, then returned to Portarlington to have dinner & get the caravan ready for an early start the next morning. We packed everything away securely & Bob hooked the caravan & car together before going to bed.
Sat 12 Oct - Ballarat to Port Arlington
We left Shady Acres caravan park at 10.30am. in bright sunshine & with a blue sky. However, a keen wind was blowing & the temperature was only 13C. The countryside was beautiful & we saw many familiar spring flowers - laburnum, broom, lilac & even bluebells! We were quite high up in hilly country & the views were magnificent - at times we could see for miles. This was sheep & cattle country & several of the animals had lambs or calves.
As we lost height, the temperature rose fairly rapidly & soon reached 18C. A sign at the roadside advertised lamb sausages, which seemed unusual to us - we were sure we'd never eaten any of those before.
We stopped in Meredith to photograph the unusual church & saw a sign pointing to Steiglitz (10km away). Apparently, they were going to have an "Airing of the Quilts" tomorrow, the 13th - what a shame that we were a day too early. We wondered if they would be showing new quilts, or if they would be airing those they'd been using all winter.
As we drove through Geelong, the Bay looked stunning - bright turquoise water glistening in the sun, which was now hot on my side of the car. It was now 23C & a glorious day. En-route to Portarlington, we saw that the bright red bottlebrushes were in flower & the yellow oxalis was still covering the verges.
We reached the caravan park at 12.20pm where Bob booked us in for a week.
As we lost height, the temperature rose fairly rapidly & soon reached 18C. A sign at the roadside advertised lamb sausages, which seemed unusual to us - we were sure we'd never eaten any of those before.
We stopped in Meredith to photograph the unusual church & saw a sign pointing to Steiglitz (10km away). Apparently, they were going to have an "Airing of the Quilts" tomorrow, the 13th - what a shame that we were a day too early. We wondered if they would be showing new quilts, or if they would be airing those they'd been using all winter.
As we drove through Geelong, the Bay looked stunning - bright turquoise water glistening in the sun, which was now hot on my side of the car. It was now 23C & a glorious day. En-route to Portarlington, we saw that the bright red bottlebrushes were in flower & the yellow oxalis was still covering the verges.
We reached the caravan park at 12.20pm where Bob booked us in for a week.
Sunday 20 October 2013
7-11 Oct - 5 days, with friends, in Ballarat
Mon 7th Oct
We ladies "did the shops", as well as enjoying morning coffee, a light lunch & afternoon tea. The men played golf & were lucky to have good weather - cold-ish, but bright & sunny.
With the help of Lyn H's light box, I managed to trace most of the design, needed for Wednesday's course, on to my fabric, ready for painting. It will be a fairly large picture when completed.
In the evening, we all went to a club close by for dinner - the food was reasonably priced & good.
Tues. 8th
This was a day spent "being tourists". The 8 of us went for a drive, in 2 cars, stopping first at a
nearby woollen mill where the goods were of very high quality - those made of cashmere & alpaca wools were particularly soft (what a shame that my bags have to stay within a limited weight allowance when I fly back to the UK!)
From the mill we continued on to Creswick, where there were two patchwork shops, the second being particularly quaint & interesting due to the lady in charge being very creative & artistic. She had
some great ideas & I bought a pattern from her which was very appealing.
After lunch, we drove to Clunes, where the first gold was found & we were able to see evidence of
earlier mining. The miners' cottages fascinated me.
On our return to Ballarat, we drove around Lake Wendouree - it has some magnificent houses all
around it, indicating that it was the chosen spot of those who benefited from the gold.
I finished tracing my Civil War Poppies design before we all went out for our evening meal, this time at a steak house.
Wed 9th Oct
What a great day we ladies had! Lyn H drove us to Ballan, where we arrived at 10am. Coffee was provided, which started the day off well, then Kerry Gillespie (the teacher) gave a little talk on how to use the materials before we started to paint our prepared pictures. Kath & I worked together, as we were working on the same design & were able to share paint. It was a most enjoyable exercise, even though it required a lot of careful concentration - I think we were all pleased with our results. It was lovely to see Lyn C, who joined us for the day, with another lady.
At midday, we were ushered into the restaurant next door, where we were able to choose lunch from a comprehensive menu. I had a "Miller's Plate", which consisted of pumpkin soup, a ham & cheese Ploughman's & some salad - it was excellent.
Later in the afternoon, we had tea, coffee or chocolate & a delicious piece of custard slice - such good value.
The patchwork shop, where we did the course, was delightful, with a good range of fabrics & other items. Kerry's designs were on display & all looked very attractive.
The men had had an exhausting day on the golf course, battling against a strong wind. Although Bob was the winner, he said it was actually more a case of the others having lost!
At 7pm., we went out for a Chinese meal, which was a great success & enjoyed by all.
Thurs 10th Oct
Bob & I awoke late but soon found the others at the Lane Cafe, opposite the Art Gallery, where we all had coffee before visiting the Gallery. There were some beautiful exhibits, particularly of the area around Creswick & Clunes. The artist had done intricate pencil sketches prior to doing his paintings, in order to establish where the light & dark areas would be - fantastic!
The weather wasn't very good, so we moved on to Lake Wendouree & had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the water.
Finally, the men went to Master's (the Woolworth's equivalent of Bunning's), while we ladies paid a visit to Lyncraft. Lyn H & I bought some fusible pellon to back our pictures & one or two DMC cottons for the embroidery - however, Lyn insisted on sharing some of her cottons with the rest of us because she claimed to have more than enough.
After drinks & nibbles, we returned to the club that we had visited on Monday & had some excellent evening meals - Bob & I had seafood platters, which were delicious.
We ladies "did the shops", as well as enjoying morning coffee, a light lunch & afternoon tea. The men played golf & were lucky to have good weather - cold-ish, but bright & sunny.
With the help of Lyn H's light box, I managed to trace most of the design, needed for Wednesday's course, on to my fabric, ready for painting. It will be a fairly large picture when completed.
In the evening, we all went to a club close by for dinner - the food was reasonably priced & good.
Tues. 8th
This was a day spent "being tourists". The 8 of us went for a drive, in 2 cars, stopping first at a
nearby woollen mill where the goods were of very high quality - those made of cashmere & alpaca wools were particularly soft (what a shame that my bags have to stay within a limited weight allowance when I fly back to the UK!)
From the mill we continued on to Creswick, where there were two patchwork shops, the second being particularly quaint & interesting due to the lady in charge being very creative & artistic. She had
some great ideas & I bought a pattern from her which was very appealing.
After lunch, we drove to Clunes, where the first gold was found & we were able to see evidence of
earlier mining. The miners' cottages fascinated me.
On our return to Ballarat, we drove around Lake Wendouree - it has some magnificent houses all
around it, indicating that it was the chosen spot of those who benefited from the gold.
I finished tracing my Civil War Poppies design before we all went out for our evening meal, this time at a steak house.
Wed 9th Oct
What a great day we ladies had! Lyn H drove us to Ballan, where we arrived at 10am. Coffee was provided, which started the day off well, then Kerry Gillespie (the teacher) gave a little talk on how to use the materials before we started to paint our prepared pictures. Kath & I worked together, as we were working on the same design & were able to share paint. It was a most enjoyable exercise, even though it required a lot of careful concentration - I think we were all pleased with our results. It was lovely to see Lyn C, who joined us for the day, with another lady.
At midday, we were ushered into the restaurant next door, where we were able to choose lunch from a comprehensive menu. I had a "Miller's Plate", which consisted of pumpkin soup, a ham & cheese Ploughman's & some salad - it was excellent.
Later in the afternoon, we had tea, coffee or chocolate & a delicious piece of custard slice - such good value.
The patchwork shop, where we did the course, was delightful, with a good range of fabrics & other items. Kerry's designs were on display & all looked very attractive.
The men had had an exhausting day on the golf course, battling against a strong wind. Although Bob was the winner, he said it was actually more a case of the others having lost!
At 7pm., we went out for a Chinese meal, which was a great success & enjoyed by all.
Thurs 10th Oct
Bob & I awoke late but soon found the others at the Lane Cafe, opposite the Art Gallery, where we all had coffee before visiting the Gallery. There were some beautiful exhibits, particularly of the area around Creswick & Clunes. The artist had done intricate pencil sketches prior to doing his paintings, in order to establish where the light & dark areas would be - fantastic!
The weather wasn't very good, so we moved on to Lake Wendouree & had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the water.
Finally, the men went to Master's (the Woolworth's equivalent of Bunning's), while we ladies paid a visit to Lyncraft. Lyn H & I bought some fusible pellon to back our pictures & one or two DMC cottons for the embroidery - however, Lyn insisted on sharing some of her cottons with the rest of us because she claimed to have more than enough.
After drinks & nibbles, we returned to the club that we had visited on Monday & had some excellent evening meals - Bob & I had seafood platters, which were delicious.
Saturday 19 October 2013
Sun 6 Oct. - Tocumwal to Ballarat.
We left the Boomerang Way Tourist Park at 8.15am., a little later than usual, as Bob pointed out! But, what's 20 mins. between friends (& rellies). We were on the last leg of our journey, heading for Ballarat, which threatened to be COLD! I put on a long-sleeved top & will need to find my jeans when we arrive.
We crossed the Murray, it's life-giving water supporting a wealth of tall gum trees, & entered Victoria. Beyond the trees, there was a mixture of pasture & arable land & we spotted another kookaburra surveying the scene from a telephone wire. Alpaca farms were dotted about, as well as the occasional winery. We also noticed a "Limousin" stud farm, where the famous White French
cattle grazed contentedly.
At Shepparton, we crossed the Goulburn River, where I wished we could have stopped to have a look at the town. It appeared to be quite a big place, with Court House, Museum & Art Gallery, as well as numerous shops & businesses. Just through Shepparton, we stopped for diesel & encountered a
group of bikers - they looked quite up-market & certainly not threatening in any way but I wonder why some of them sport such excessive amounts of hair!
Outside the town, the countryside looked green & fertile - however, we didn't like the sound of "Mosquito Creek"!
Two more kookaburras appeared, as well as several galahs. The sky began to cloud over & our
temperature gauge recorded 17C outside the car - ominous! A couple of friends had sent news of
high winds in Victoria &, as we entered Elmore, broken branches littered the verges, so we guessed that the rough weather had been fairly wide-spread. When we pulled into a lay-by to make coffee, I
was a bit apprehensive about parking under some large trees, given that gums are known for shedding branches without warning!
Having enjoyed our coffee, we continued on to Bendigo, which was 40km away. I remembered admiring its grand buildings the last time we were there (built on the proceeds of the gold).
The sky cleared, the sun shone & the temperature rose to 18C, giving us a false sense of security. After all, the Tourist Park Manager in Tocumwal had warned us that Ballarat was the coldest place in Australia, even over & above Tasmania!
Bright yellow & orange gazanias coloured the verges, opening their faces to the warm sun, & a wealth of other flowers bloomed in some of the gardens that we passed. Meadows were flower-
strewn, too.
Several veteran cars, all polished & gleaming, passed us on the opposite side of the road, so there must have been a rally or a show going on somewhere. It's amazing how well nursed & tended some of them are - would that we humans were half as well cared for!
As we entered Bendigo, we were impressed by its wide streets & prosperous appearance. Some lovely old period homes stood well back from the road & I wished that we could have stopped to photograph them. We travelled next to a tram in the city centre, admiring the beautiful architecture,
wrought-iron balconies, etc., amongst which a cathedral stood, pointing magnificently skyward. Plane trees lined High Street, softening its urban aspect. Swathes of bright flowers adorned our route out of Bendigo, which we had very much admired.
Plains & distant hills fanned out before us, as we drove towards Castlemaine &, ultimately, Ballarat. Adorned in its Spring attire, the countryside was a joy to behold & I drank in its beauty as we drove into higher country & LOWER TEMPERATURES (currently 15C - Brrr ...!)
A small place called Harcourt advertised "Apple orchards & Wineries" & a valley below could well have been an alpine one, in Europe. At this point, we were 89km from Ballarat.
Castlemaine was another attractive town that would have merited a closer look, had we had the time (another day, perhaps?). Unlike Bendigo, many of the older homes were small, but fascinating nonetheless & had real character. Wisteria, geraniums & masses of other flowers covered their
frontages, creating picture-postcard scenes. What a lovely part of Victoria the is is!
I'm not sure that my suggestion to drive off the highway, to the Mount Franklin look-out point, was an altogether sensible one. We drove up, & up, & up ... pulling a caravan & having no space to pass anyone, or to turn around should it become necessary. Oh dear - my heart was in my mouth but, thank heavens, the narrow road eventually opened out into an area with picnic tables & other facilities. I dread to think what would have happened, if it hadn't! I breathed a sigh of relief & was grateful that there had been no on-coming traffic before we reached a pull-in almost at the bottom. Still, we'd had lunch & a break, so "all was well that ended well".
We were now travelling in the direction of Daylesford, another lovely place that we'd visited before & we passed a turning to Hepburn, famed for its spa & hot springs. Daylesford recalled happy memories of a short break that we spent there once in Forget-Me-Not Cottage, a beautifully renovated miner's dwelling.
By now, the temperature had dropped to 12C & road signs warned that the route was subject to frost, ice & snow! We didn't expect to experience any of these but the very thought was the stuff of nightmares for Bob! However, it was an idyllic environment, particularly for those who appreciate cooler climes. Tiny churches gave testament to the memory of the small populations that had established & attended them in the early days of settlement.
We finally drove into the "Shady Acres Caravan Park", just outside Ballarat, after a long & tiring day. My Ug boots were on duty again, not to mention warmer pyjamas & bed covers.
We crossed the Murray, it's life-giving water supporting a wealth of tall gum trees, & entered Victoria. Beyond the trees, there was a mixture of pasture & arable land & we spotted another kookaburra surveying the scene from a telephone wire. Alpaca farms were dotted about, as well as the occasional winery. We also noticed a "Limousin" stud farm, where the famous White French
cattle grazed contentedly.
At Shepparton, we crossed the Goulburn River, where I wished we could have stopped to have a look at the town. It appeared to be quite a big place, with Court House, Museum & Art Gallery, as well as numerous shops & businesses. Just through Shepparton, we stopped for diesel & encountered a
group of bikers - they looked quite up-market & certainly not threatening in any way but I wonder why some of them sport such excessive amounts of hair!
Outside the town, the countryside looked green & fertile - however, we didn't like the sound of "Mosquito Creek"!
Two more kookaburras appeared, as well as several galahs. The sky began to cloud over & our
temperature gauge recorded 17C outside the car - ominous! A couple of friends had sent news of
high winds in Victoria &, as we entered Elmore, broken branches littered the verges, so we guessed that the rough weather had been fairly wide-spread. When we pulled into a lay-by to make coffee, I
was a bit apprehensive about parking under some large trees, given that gums are known for shedding branches without warning!
Having enjoyed our coffee, we continued on to Bendigo, which was 40km away. I remembered admiring its grand buildings the last time we were there (built on the proceeds of the gold).
The sky cleared, the sun shone & the temperature rose to 18C, giving us a false sense of security. After all, the Tourist Park Manager in Tocumwal had warned us that Ballarat was the coldest place in Australia, even over & above Tasmania!
Bright yellow & orange gazanias coloured the verges, opening their faces to the warm sun, & a wealth of other flowers bloomed in some of the gardens that we passed. Meadows were flower-
strewn, too.
Several veteran cars, all polished & gleaming, passed us on the opposite side of the road, so there must have been a rally or a show going on somewhere. It's amazing how well nursed & tended some of them are - would that we humans were half as well cared for!
As we entered Bendigo, we were impressed by its wide streets & prosperous appearance. Some lovely old period homes stood well back from the road & I wished that we could have stopped to photograph them. We travelled next to a tram in the city centre, admiring the beautiful architecture,
wrought-iron balconies, etc., amongst which a cathedral stood, pointing magnificently skyward. Plane trees lined High Street, softening its urban aspect. Swathes of bright flowers adorned our route out of Bendigo, which we had very much admired.
Plains & distant hills fanned out before us, as we drove towards Castlemaine &, ultimately, Ballarat. Adorned in its Spring attire, the countryside was a joy to behold & I drank in its beauty as we drove into higher country & LOWER TEMPERATURES (currently 15C - Brrr ...!)
A small place called Harcourt advertised "Apple orchards & Wineries" & a valley below could well have been an alpine one, in Europe. At this point, we were 89km from Ballarat.
Castlemaine was another attractive town that would have merited a closer look, had we had the time (another day, perhaps?). Unlike Bendigo, many of the older homes were small, but fascinating nonetheless & had real character. Wisteria, geraniums & masses of other flowers covered their
frontages, creating picture-postcard scenes. What a lovely part of Victoria the is is!
I'm not sure that my suggestion to drive off the highway, to the Mount Franklin look-out point, was an altogether sensible one. We drove up, & up, & up ... pulling a caravan & having no space to pass anyone, or to turn around should it become necessary. Oh dear - my heart was in my mouth but, thank heavens, the narrow road eventually opened out into an area with picnic tables & other facilities. I dread to think what would have happened, if it hadn't! I breathed a sigh of relief & was grateful that there had been no on-coming traffic before we reached a pull-in almost at the bottom. Still, we'd had lunch & a break, so "all was well that ended well".
We were now travelling in the direction of Daylesford, another lovely place that we'd visited before & we passed a turning to Hepburn, famed for its spa & hot springs. Daylesford recalled happy memories of a short break that we spent there once in Forget-Me-Not Cottage, a beautifully renovated miner's dwelling.
By now, the temperature had dropped to 12C & road signs warned that the route was subject to frost, ice & snow! We didn't expect to experience any of these but the very thought was the stuff of nightmares for Bob! However, it was an idyllic environment, particularly for those who appreciate cooler climes. Tiny churches gave testament to the memory of the small populations that had established & attended them in the early days of settlement.
We finally drove into the "Shady Acres Caravan Park", just outside Ballarat, after a long & tiring day. My Ug boots were on duty again, not to mention warmer pyjamas & bed covers.
Wednesday 16 October 2013
Sat 5 Oct - Dubbo to Tocumwal
We left a bright, but chilly, Dubbo just before 8am. Brrr ... My ancient, warm, purple velvet M&S blouse is still doing great service!
More of the trees that we'd seen in Coonabarabran were blooming in the holiday park, opposite our caravan - beautiful, but their perfume was hay fever-inducing. Oh dear, keep taking the tablets!
Members of the Dubbo Ladies' Football Team were already stretching & exercising on the pitch & a market was set up ready for business as we drove out of town. Many of the fields & verges were covered with a purple flower (Patterson's Curse again, perhaps?)
We stopped in a lay-by to make coffee at about 10.30am. It was a pleasant break, as we sat outside the van with drinks & muffins. We could hear birds all around us, particularly the raucous screeches of some white cockatoos. By this time, we were just over 50km from West Wyalong. Birds were still nesting & we actually saw one or two sitting atop their nests in trees alongside our route.
In Narrabri, we realised that the NSW/Vic border was looming ever nearer & so we promptly made ourselves two rounds each of tomatoes on toast & large bowls full of strawberries & blueberries, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the border officials! I was still concerned about our bananas, pears, oranges, onions, beans & potatoes but Bob ignored my worries & put his foot down firmly upon the throttle!
As we drove through Jerilderie, several cast iron cut-outs reminded us that "Ned Kelly was here" & we imagined him cattle rustling or fleeing from troopers on these vast open plains. There was little to provide cover, so he would have been forced to outride anyone pursuing him.
Parrots & galahs congregated on the telephone wires & the trees became larger & more plentiful as we drove nearer to the Mighty Murray. I breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed the river at Tocumwal without having been challenged by any "Fight the Fruit Fly" officials!
More of the trees that we'd seen in Coonabarabran were blooming in the holiday park, opposite our caravan - beautiful, but their perfume was hay fever-inducing. Oh dear, keep taking the tablets!
Members of the Dubbo Ladies' Football Team were already stretching & exercising on the pitch & a market was set up ready for business as we drove out of town. Many of the fields & verges were covered with a purple flower (Patterson's Curse again, perhaps?)
We stopped in a lay-by to make coffee at about 10.30am. It was a pleasant break, as we sat outside the van with drinks & muffins. We could hear birds all around us, particularly the raucous screeches of some white cockatoos. By this time, we were just over 50km from West Wyalong. Birds were still nesting & we actually saw one or two sitting atop their nests in trees alongside our route.
In Narrabri, we realised that the NSW/Vic border was looming ever nearer & so we promptly made ourselves two rounds each of tomatoes on toast & large bowls full of strawberries & blueberries, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the border officials! I was still concerned about our bananas, pears, oranges, onions, beans & potatoes but Bob ignored my worries & put his foot down firmly upon the throttle!
As we drove through Jerilderie, several cast iron cut-outs reminded us that "Ned Kelly was here" & we imagined him cattle rustling or fleeing from troopers on these vast open plains. There was little to provide cover, so he would have been forced to outride anyone pursuing him.
Parrots & galahs congregated on the telephone wires & the trees became larger & more plentiful as we drove nearer to the Mighty Murray. I breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed the river at Tocumwal without having been challenged by any "Fight the Fruit Fly" officials!
Goondiwindi to Dubbo - Fri 4 Oct
When we left Goondiwindi at 7.45am., I had already washed my hair & cooked eggs for our breakfast (&, who said I couldn't get up!). However, we'd both had a good night's sleep, probably helped by the cooler climate. Did I say cool - it was positively COLD when I got up & I had to switch on our precious little hot air blower!
Having filled up with diesel, we set off towards Dubbo. The sky was blue & the sun was shining brightly. A pelican sat on the Serpentine Lagoon & bright bougainvilleas provided vivid splashes of colour as we crossed the border into New South Wales & entered Artesian Water Country. We saw a kookaburra, emus & kangaroos, several of the latter being dead on the verges, unfortunately.
It was still only 9.30am as we approached Moree & by midday we had reached Narrabri, where we stopped for lunch & did some shopping (at Woolworth's, of course, as Gus is collecting their Aussie Animals cards).
Just after 2.30pm., we stopped for diesel in Coonabarabran, where a large number of the trees were in blossom. They were very attractive but I had no idea what kind they were. The weather was still perfect & I guessed that hot days & cold nights might prove to be the norm until we arrived much further south. The town looked attractive & well-kept, giving the impression that it was home to a thriving community.
At 3.45pm., we drove through Gilgandra (town of windmills), on our way to Dubbo, which now only 66km away.
Having filled up with diesel, we set off towards Dubbo. The sky was blue & the sun was shining brightly. A pelican sat on the Serpentine Lagoon & bright bougainvilleas provided vivid splashes of colour as we crossed the border into New South Wales & entered Artesian Water Country. We saw a kookaburra, emus & kangaroos, several of the latter being dead on the verges, unfortunately.
It was still only 9.30am as we approached Moree & by midday we had reached Narrabri, where we stopped for lunch & did some shopping (at Woolworth's, of course, as Gus is collecting their Aussie Animals cards).
Just after 2.30pm., we stopped for diesel in Coonabarabran, where a large number of the trees were in blossom. They were very attractive but I had no idea what kind they were. The weather was still perfect & I guessed that hot days & cold nights might prove to be the norm until we arrived much further south. The town looked attractive & well-kept, giving the impression that it was home to a thriving community.
At 3.45pm., we drove through Gilgandra (town of windmills), on our way to Dubbo, which now only 66km away.
Thurs., 3 Oct - Coolum Beach to Goondiwindi
At 8.30am., Rob helped Bob to manoeuvre the van out of the yard & we set off in the direction of Ballarat with 1,866km to drive. It was already warm & a little humid when we left but the sun soon began to burn off the cloud cover, revealing blue sky & decreasing the humidity. Just after 9am., the Glass House Mountains came into view, their weird peaks & shapes seeming like the habitat of witches & goblins! Vast pine forests lined our route, replacing the tropical vegetation to which we had become accustomed. Signs advertising strawberries, pineapples & bananas appeared at the roadside (the fresh pineapples are particularly delicious & juicy!)
Some of the place names that we saw were very thought-provoking leaving us to wonder about their derivation: Pumicestone Rd; Anzac Ave; Pioneer Rd; Deception Bay; Woolshed Creek & Fortitude Valley.
Whole house removal is obviously a normal occurrence as we saw a large number of wooden homes, stored & waiting to be transported elsewhere. Maybe, moving one's house is less stressful than having to buy another! Personally, we have found that just packing a caravan is quite a big enough task in itself!
As we neared Brisbane, we realised what long journeys, morning & evening, Rob had completed whilst attending his course last week. Everywhere in Australia is so far from everywhere else!
All the usual trappings of a large city began to appear - MacDonald's can always be relied upon to pop up wherever you are! Along with signs for the Gold Coast, I also noticed directions to Ipswich, which added a homely flavour. We could now see the high rise buildings of downtown Brisbane & sincerely hoped that the SatNav would steer us clear of those.
Lovely purple jacaranda trees cropped up frequently, adding colour & beauty to the urban environment. Pink & white oleanders also contributed to the "softer city look". Many wonderful Queenslander-style houses dominated the area. The Inner City By-Pass had us towering above Brisbane & giving us a fantastic overview of it. However, the route was a most demanding one for Bob & not the easiest along which to tow a caravan! As we crossed the Brisbane River & were finally out of the city, I'm sure Bob breathed a sigh of relief to encounter easier driving conditions again. We entered hilly country & could often see mountains in the distance. A sign informed us that we were 3,434kms from Darwin - another reminder that we were in a BIG country!
We stopped for coffee along the highway, at a fascinating place, where they seemed to sell a bit of everything - flowers, gifts, citrus trees, refreshments, etc., etc. - it was called "Stop & Smell the Roses". Whilst drinking his coffee, Bob read a newspaper article stating that temperatures in Ballarat were zero at night & about 12C during the day! He turned pale & asked, "Why are we going there?" I had to remind him that golf was one of the attractions.
At Laidland, we encountered a bushfire, which was very scary as visibility, due to the thick smoke, was almost nil! The smoky smell hung inside the car for quite some time.
More signs appeared, this time advertising crabs, prawns, barramundi & red emperor fish, as well as water melon. This was a very fertile area, with a variety of crops & brilliant bougainvilleas on either side of the road.
On our approach into Toowoomba, the terrain became very steep & we laboured up a long hill. We were now in high country & the large town was a very attractive one with parks & green, tree-lined streets. It had a well-kept appearance, a beautiful cathedral & all the usual shops & facilities.
The region between Toowoomba & Millmerran was a very productive one, with vast areas of cultivated fields. However, we spent long periods of time waiting between traffic lights, as road works were underway along the route. This was frustrating as it held us up considerably & had us sitting amidst a lot of dust & dirt.
We stopped in a lay-by for a drink & a snack & decided that our refreshments were probably akin to "convict tucker" - the biscuits were dry, the butter was sparse & the coffee had gone cold. We really needed to do some shopping! With that in mind, we set off again in the direction of Goondiwindi, which was about 80km away. On arrival, we stayed at the same park we'd used the last time we travelled this way. It became much cooler in the evening & we changed into warmer night clothes.
All the usual trappings of a large city began to appear - MacDonald's can always be relied upon to pop up wherever you are! Along with signs for the Gold Coast, I also noticed directions to Ipswich, which added a homely flavour. We could now see the high rise buildings of downtown Brisbane & sincerely hoped that the SatNav would steer us clear of those.
Lovely purple jacaranda trees cropped up frequently, adding colour & beauty to the urban environment. Pink & white oleanders also contributed to the "softer city look". Many wonderful Queenslander-style houses dominated the area. The Inner City By-Pass had us towering above Brisbane & giving us a fantastic overview of it. However, the route was a most demanding one for Bob & not the easiest along which to tow a caravan! As we crossed the Brisbane River & were finally out of the city, I'm sure Bob breathed a sigh of relief to encounter easier driving conditions again. We entered hilly country & could often see mountains in the distance. A sign informed us that we were 3,434kms from Darwin - another reminder that we were in a BIG country!
We stopped for coffee along the highway, at a fascinating place, where they seemed to sell a bit of everything - flowers, gifts, citrus trees, refreshments, etc., etc. - it was called "Stop & Smell the Roses". Whilst drinking his coffee, Bob read a newspaper article stating that temperatures in Ballarat were zero at night & about 12C during the day! He turned pale & asked, "Why are we going there?" I had to remind him that golf was one of the attractions.
At Laidland, we encountered a bushfire, which was very scary as visibility, due to the thick smoke, was almost nil! The smoky smell hung inside the car for quite some time.
More signs appeared, this time advertising crabs, prawns, barramundi & red emperor fish, as well as water melon. This was a very fertile area, with a variety of crops & brilliant bougainvilleas on either side of the road.
On our approach into Toowoomba, the terrain became very steep & we laboured up a long hill. We were now in high country & the large town was a very attractive one with parks & green, tree-lined streets. It had a well-kept appearance, a beautiful cathedral & all the usual shops & facilities.
The region between Toowoomba & Millmerran was a very productive one, with vast areas of cultivated fields. However, we spent long periods of time waiting between traffic lights, as road works were underway along the route. This was frustrating as it held us up considerably & had us sitting amidst a lot of dust & dirt.
We stopped in a lay-by for a drink & a snack & decided that our refreshments were probably akin to "convict tucker" - the biscuits were dry, the butter was sparse & the coffee had gone cold. We really needed to do some shopping! With that in mind, we set off again in the direction of Goondiwindi, which was about 80km away. On arrival, we stayed at the same park we'd used the last time we travelled this way. It became much cooler in the evening & we changed into warmer night clothes.
Tuesday 15 October 2013
20 Sept - 2 Oct: More family activities in Coolum Beach
One day, Gus, Bob & I strolled along the board walk & were lucky enough to see whales not too far away from us, "blowing" & showing their fins, tails & even an occasional arched body, as they moved south along the coast.
Another day, we all went to Maroochydore & saw the film, "Planes", which seemed like a follow-up to "Cars".
Ruby, Gus, Bob & I drove to Sturmer's Creek on another occasion & had a pleasant time there, eating our picnic & walking on the beach. Chips, the dog, came too & he & Gus ended up in the water together - they had great fun.
'Grand Final Fever' hit Coolum on 28 Sept., when Hawthorn played Fremantle. Bob & Rob watched the match at a friend Ian's house, so I took the opportunity to do a huge pile of ironing as well as a little sewing.
What's it like in Coolum Beach?
The life-style is casual & informal. Clothing is light-weight & often very brief! Footwear usually consists of sandals, or bare feet. Leisure rules & many activities revolve around the beach, where people surf, swim, sunbathe & socialize.
The terrain is hilly, away from the beach & mountains can often be seen in the distance. The beach itself is a beautiful sandy one, where white-edged waves are constantly rolling in.
Vegetation is lush & tropical, consisting of bamboo palms, vines, flowering trees & many plants that would only be seen inside, in Europe. Leaves present themselves in a vast variety of size, shape & colour.
From amongst the foliage, the bird sounds are fascinating - there is the usual, familiar twittering & chirping, but this can be completely obliterated by the loud, raucous screeching of cockatoos, or the equally loud laughing of kookaburras as they build up to a regular crescendo!
The weather varies according to the time of year - there is a wet season & a drier one, the former being hot & steamy & liable to make you wilt (which is a polite way of saying "run with sweat, from head to foot"!) However, Paradise comes at a price & anything worth having, is worth suffering for!
Thursday 19 September 2013
19th Sept., 2013 - a day out in Maroochydore & Coolum Beach
Bob & I took a drive out to Maroochydore with Rob, where we did a little shopping & enjoyed views alongside the river, before returning to Coolum for lunch opposite the beach.
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| Pelicans on the Maroochy River |
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| Overlooking the beach at Coolum |
14th Sept., 2013 - Ruby's 13th birthday celebration
Although Ruby's actual birthday was two days ago, on 12th, we had a simple family dinner on that day & she waited until the weekend to celebrate with her friends. The following few pictures show her with Sam, Gus, some of her friends & the birthday cake:
8 Sept - 7 Oct (approx.) - A stay in Coolum Beach, Queensland, with the family
Rob lives in Warrack St., on a steep hill & it is a real test of a driver's ability to try & back a caravan into the front drive at No.107! If it were ever left up to me, I would simply telephone for the RAC. However, Bob is made of sterner stuff &, although it proved to be far more difficult than last time, he was successful on his second attempt, even though three of us (plus the children) had to push the van for a metre or so, into its final position. It sure is a tight fit & a difficult feat - not something you'd want to do too often!
The two-storey house sits at the top of the hill, amongst some lush vegetation. There are ferns, palms, eucalypts & a wealth of plants that would only be grown indoors, in the UK. We saw a little ring-tailed possum in the trees one evening & a dear little green tree-frog on another occasion, sitting on the outside staircase. There are also numerous kookaburras in the vicinity, which are often very vocal, both during the day & at night! We've seen a few huge butterflies, too, so there is plenty of wild life close by.
We will be 'camping' here until about 3rd Oct. & so I will only record a few of our activities, as this is intended as a travel-log, rather a diary.
The weather is gorgeous - warm, sunny & free from humidity; would that it could always be like this!
Wednesday 18 September 2013
7th Sept., 2013
As we left Bell, we noticed that we were just over 30km from the Bunya Mountains, which form a National Park, & would probably have been an interesting area to explore. The drive to Kaimkillenbun & Quinalow was a scenic one, but the countryside was extremely dry! At Kaimkillenbun, "The Bun Pub's" name made us smile & we could see evidence of earlier inhabitants as we passed a few small deserted homes. A herd of cows, along our route, were eating hay rather than grass, so brown was their pasture.
We were in an area of small country towns, hills & pasture land &, at one point, we crossed the Dividing Range (I guessed that we were on the drier side of it). However, things soon turned green again, indicating that we might have crossed the Divide again. We became 'lost' in the Yarraman State Forest area for a short time but doubled back on ourselves & soon found the road that we wanted.
Blackbutt was a lovely little town with an avenue of lush green trees & a wide main street. There was a large lake just outside the town & camping areas were dotted amonst a forest of tall gum trees.
In another attractive town, Moore, we saw several lovely Queenslander-style homes before we climbed back out of it into the surrounding hills.
At Kilcoy, a sign post indicated that we were 75km from the Sunshine Coast. Some rainbow lorikeets greeted us as we parked the caravan & a passer-by directed us to a place for lunch. We knew that we were in Queensland by the terms in which he described a bakery that he obviously couldn't recommend!
We set off into the hills again, passing wineries & entering the Moreton Bay Region, where more brilliant bougainvilleas cropped up from time to time along the verges. We drove through Peachester & saw the Glass House Mountains on our right. Through gaps in the trees, we could see the coast, far away in the distance. We passed the "Australia Zoo" on our right as we travelled through Beerwah & there were directions to mountain ranges on both sides. Finally, we saw signs to the Ginger Factory & the Ettamogah Pub & knew that we were very close to Coolum, where we would catch up with our family!
6th September, 2013
It was almost 9am when we set out from Moree on our way to Goondiwindi. We passed through an area where cattle were walking along the verges, on both sides - it is always my nightmare that a large animal will run into us but, this time, all was well.
Several more dead kangaroos & a few smaller animals appeared on the verges & continued to do so as we travelled towards Moonie. Another kookaburra surveyed the landscape from above.
At Goondiwindi, we crossed the border from New South Wales into Queensland, having had quite a bumpy ride on the road's very uneven surface. When we stopped for coffee, we saw that a small mirror, inside the caravan, was lying on the floor, broken.
"Tiger Bay Blues" still entertained us & caused me to listen rather than write (the story was excellent & illustrated how dangerous the Bute Street area of Cardiff would have been during the harsh days of the 1930's, when depression gripped the country.
I seemed to recognise the Crossroads Motel at Moonie, where we stopped for fuel, & could almost have believed that the people sitting outside it had been there since we called a year or so ago! It was on of those deja-vu experiences.
We left the Newell Highway & turned east toward Dalby & the Sunshine Coast on the final leg of our journey. When we stopped & went into the caravan to make rolls for lunch, we found that the pepper mill had come apart & there were peppercorns everywhere. Two of the drawers, below the sink, had become jammed because the contents had moved about & Bob had quite a job opening them. This really was a rough road!
As we continued, two cows & a calf suddenly crossed the road infront of us - fortunately, we had sufficient time to stop.
We took the wrong road out of Dalby & ended up in a small place called Bell. It looked so pleasant that we decided to stay there for the night, as it was already 3.15pm.
Our little park at Bell, though far less sophisticated than the larger ones, was a pleasure to stay at - it was bordered by a variety of brilliantly coloured bougainvilleas, was well spaced out & had adequate shade trees dotted around. Some of the occupants appeared to be permanent, whilst the family in a cabin near to us, were visiting the area to attend a wedding.
5th Sept., 2013
Although I am definitely not a morning person, we did manage to leave Peak Hill by 8.30am. It was another glorious day & more flowers were appearing all the time - we guessed that a lovely purple one along the verges might be the farmers' dreaded Patterson's Curse!
As we drove out of a small place called Tomingley, half a dozen bikers suddenly roared past our caravan, seeming alarmingly close! It wasn't the weekend yet, so why weren't they at work? We thought that priority on the roads, on weekdays, was given to truck drivers & grey nomads.
We were passing a lot of caravans on the opposite side of the road - probably Victorians returning home having escaped the winter.
We were now in a thickly wooded area, with a mixture of gums, firs & the occasional wattle. Any cleared land appeared to be used for grazing.
As we entered Dubbo, which was a very big place, we passed a golf club on our left & a sign to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo on our right. Bob offered me a McDonald's for breakfast, but I declined!
We crossed a river into the city centre, then turned out of Dubbo towards Gilgandra. More bikers appeared on the road ahead of us, suggesting that perhaps they might all be meeting up somewhere (not at our next caravan park, we hoped!)
Beyond Dubbo, the countryside lost the fresh green colour to which we'd become accustomed & looked generally drier. We saw a couple of amusing postboxes, one "wearing a hat" & another made in the form of a cow. We loved these humorous touches & regretted that we, in England, are often more formal & serious-minded. I guess life can be tough in this harsh climate & one would need a sense of humour to survive.
We were shocked at the amount of empty bottles lying on the verges, glistening in the sun - thrown from passing cars & trucks no doubt & posing both fire risks & litter problems. Sad, that such careless attitudes prevail.
Next, we arrived at Gilgandra, "town of windmills & home of the Coo-ees" (an aboriginal tribe, perhaps?). I thought of my brother-in-law as we passed a Speedway venue.
We stopped for breakfast at a lovely little coffee shop & gallery, where we had a delicious drink & scrambled eggs. The proprietor made all his own bread, which was so superior to the 'plastic' stuff sold at supermarkets. I bought an attractive necklace from the gallery, where some classy items were on display.
As we drove out of a small place called Tomingley, half a dozen bikers suddenly roared past our caravan, seeming alarmingly close! It wasn't the weekend yet, so why weren't they at work? We thought that priority on the roads, on weekdays, was given to truck drivers & grey nomads.
We were passing a lot of caravans on the opposite side of the road - probably Victorians returning home having escaped the winter.
We were now in a thickly wooded area, with a mixture of gums, firs & the occasional wattle. Any cleared land appeared to be used for grazing.
As we entered Dubbo, which was a very big place, we passed a golf club on our left & a sign to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo on our right. Bob offered me a McDonald's for breakfast, but I declined!
We crossed a river into the city centre, then turned out of Dubbo towards Gilgandra. More bikers appeared on the road ahead of us, suggesting that perhaps they might all be meeting up somewhere (not at our next caravan park, we hoped!)
Beyond Dubbo, the countryside lost the fresh green colour to which we'd become accustomed & looked generally drier. We saw a couple of amusing postboxes, one "wearing a hat" & another made in the form of a cow. We loved these humorous touches & regretted that we, in England, are often more formal & serious-minded. I guess life can be tough in this harsh climate & one would need a sense of humour to survive.
We were shocked at the amount of empty bottles lying on the verges, glistening in the sun - thrown from passing cars & trucks no doubt & posing both fire risks & litter problems. Sad, that such careless attitudes prevail.
Next, we arrived at Gilgandra, "town of windmills & home of the Coo-ees" (an aboriginal tribe, perhaps?). I thought of my brother-in-law as we passed a Speedway venue.
We stopped for breakfast at a lovely little coffee shop & gallery, where we had a delicious drink & scrambled eggs. The proprietor made all his own bread, which was so superior to the 'plastic' stuff sold at supermarkets. I bought an attractive necklace from the gallery, where some classy items were on display.
A call came through from our conveyancer, Ken, who reported that settlement on Kadumba Avenue will take place tomorrow (our original settlement date) - hallelujah!
As we set off again, Bob put a "talking book" into the CD player for us to listen to - they are very entertaining.
In the direction of Coonabarabran, some mountains appeared in the distance, creating an interesting horizon of pointed peaks & rounded domes, some of them quite dramatic. The undulating road stretched endlessly ahead, bordered by trees, wattle bushes & a mixture of cultivated fields and pasture land. Fairly isolated farmhouses appeared occasionally & I thought of how heavily the inhabitants must rely on the telephone & the motor car.
By this time, we had climbed to a fairly high point in the hills & had an over-sized vehicle infront of us, which we were unable to pass for some time. It was a relief to reach an overtaking lane.
Suddenly, we could see for miles on all sides as a vast panorama opened up around us! Once again, we were reminded of the immensity of this enormous country.
Another large group of bikers rode towards us as we neared Coonabarabran. Motels & caravan parks appeared as we entered the town, which seemed to be a large one. Just before 1pm., we drove into a Shell garage to fill up with diesel &, there they were - some of the bikers, called "Rebels Australia" - sporting leathers, long hair & beards (frequently grey).
We crossed the Castlereagh River on our way out of Coonabarabran, towards Narrabri &, as we followed the road around to the left, we noticed that the route straight ahead would have taken us to Gunnedah (home of Judy & Tom, the friends whom we met on the French River Trip & with whom we stayed last year).
Somewhere between Coonabarabran & Narrabri, we stopped for lunch in a rest area. After ham rolls, coffee & fruit, we set off again just before 2.30pm., noticing how large & noisy the trucks were, that thundered by us on the highway. Fortunately, there weren't too many of them.
Our talking book, "Tiger Bay Blues", which dealt with the problems of coloureds, like Shirley Bassey, in 1950's Britain, continued to entertain us, the narrator's South Walean accent recalling happy days in Barry & Llantwit Major.
A massively over-sized vehicle, preceded by warning cars, came towards us & we pulled as far over to the left as possible to let it pass. I couldn't resist imagining the situation had we been in one of Devon's diminutive country lanes! (Which caused me to wonder how they actually do manage to transport similar large loads, there - by airlifting them, maybe?)
We passed an enormous dead kangaroo, one of only very few that we'd come across, thank goodness - unlike on our last trip, when they had littered the verges in large numbers.
Narrabri, on the Namoi River, was an attractive town with plenty of wide open green spaces. However, we merely glanced at it & continued on toward Wee Waa & Moree - it would take about another hour to reach the latter, where we were to stay for the night. To my delight, I spotted two kookaburras perched on telephone wires.
Moree is in Artesian Water Country & it would have been good to relax in one of the spas but we were only travelling through. Our caravan park was situated on the banks of the Mehi River & we both suffered from a few mozzie bites. In fact, it was our most restless night yet & we were glad to move on the next morning.
Wednesday 4 September 2013
4th Sept., 2013
Another beautful day in Paradise (well, in Culcairn, anyway). We set off at 9am., in bright sunshine, in the direction of Wagga Wagga. The sun was actually on Bob's side of the car but, for how long, I wondered?
Many of the fields glowed bright yellow with canola ('rape' in England, I believe) & this provided a familiar feel, so we could hardly believe it when a red double-decker bus, advertising "The Blue Mountains Experience". came towards us out of Henty! Had we arrived in Australia, or were we still in England? Place names tended to confirm the former, as sign posts directed us toward Cootamundra & Narranderra.
Large silos indicated that we were in grain country &, when the occasional windmill appeared, we realised that the area could probably become very dry.
The road became very bumpy & I dreaded to think what might be happening behind us, in the caravan!
Sadly, we noticed a crow picking at a dead wombat alongside the road but, on the whole, we'd seen very little road kill - two kangaroos yesterday, at the most. However, Bob did spot a live kookaburra on a telephone wire - always a welcome sight.
A very long, sharp bend took us across the railway line to a point where the road divided either to Karapooka or to Wagga Wagga. We followed the latter direction into a very green & fertile area, where we saw pelicans swimming on a pond.
The next town was Coolamon, which we entered through a lovely avenue of blossom trees. It was an attractive, sleepy little town that Time seemed to have left behind. However, it was on a main railway line & seemed to have all the facilities & amenities that anyone could require. A lady's haircut was $25, a far cry from the $56 that I'd just paid in Clifton Springs. Not that I'm complaining, as Tyler did an excellent job - I'm merely comparing a small country town with an up & coming coastal resort.
We had coffee & a short walk in Coolamon, admiring several of the older buildings as we went along. The flowers were lovely - orange gazanias that opened to greet the sun, bright red geraniums & beautiful blue irises in a garden along our route & plenty of blossom trees. The town certainly earned a "thumbs up" from us!
Our road out of Coolamon, towards Ardlethan where we would join the Newell Highway, was very quiet - curremtly, we had only met one car; what bliss! But, I am probably speaking too soon.
We stopped at West Wyalong, along the Newell Highway, for lunch, where we picked up a guide pamphlet that we could have done with much earlier. It showed a straight-forward route all the way from Melbourne to Rockhampton & illustrated how far we had already gone out of our way by diverting to Albury & Wagga Wagga. Oh dear! The remainder of our journey might not turn out to be so interesting, perhaps, but it would be smoother & more direct.
"Canola ruled!" There were acres of it on either side of the Highway & it certainly is a yellow that you can't ignore - thank God for sunglasses!
We crossed the Lachlan River into Forbes, which appeared to be a very attractive town with some magnificent heritage buildings. Unfortunately, we could only stop for long enough to buy diesel & so we were unable to explore further. I often feel it's such a shame that we merely pass through places that merit a more detailed look. The Bird Hide, in Forbes, for example, is home to over 70 bird species.
Parkes, the next town we arrived at, is "the Elvis Capital of Australia", which probably excited me more than it did Bob! Consequently, we drove straight through, giving it hardly a second glance. A great shame, I thought, as we passed a 'Target', & continued on our way towards Dubbo. It was too early to relax & Bob decided that we didn't want to enjoy ourselves too much - it could become a habit! "Ever onward," remains his motto.
On leaving Parkes, we passed a school bus, which reminded us that time was getting on & the sun was sitting lower in the sky. We needed to look for a caravan park & came upon one at Peak Hill, where we decided to stay for the night.
Tuesday 3 September 2013
HOPEY40 TRAVELS AGAIN!
3 SEPT., 2013
Having completed a somewhat stressful session of house clearing & selling, we decided to relax by taking to the road once again. We left Portarlington Caravan Park at 8am on the 3rd of September in thick sea mist. Visibility was very limited & Victoria was showing us a face that we didn't recognise. This was Spring but the early part of the morning was more reminiscent of Autumn in the UK. However, the sun was already struggling to break through & would soon burn off the mist.
We had never experienced Spring in this part of Australia before & were delighted to see the swathes of brilliant yellow created by the sour grass (or oxalis) that flourished along the verges & in the pastures. Apparently, farmers & local people do not share our delight & regard the plant as a rampant weed. They feel the same way about Patterson's Curse, which we've often admired for the beautiful areas of purple that it produces throughout the countryside. It is said that such weeds can even affect the taste of milk if the cows have been eating them - not surprising then, that they are so unpopular.
At the next set of lights, a lady informed us that we had left some pliers on the tail bar of the caravan, so Bob dashed out & retrieved them before the lights turned green! This meant that two observant motorists had already helped us along our way before we'd even reached Geelong! Are we really safe to be let out alone? We hoped that the remainder of the journey would be less eventful & I could hardly believe that I succumbed to pancakes & syrup further along the road at Macdonald's - it's amazing how stress weakens the resolve! Bob had an egg & bacon roll, so we both felt guilty but well fuelled to face any more rigours that might lay ahead.
By 10.30am., the sun was shining brightly & God was in His Heaven! The hills were beautiful & greener than we'd ever seen them before. Wattle bushes & even a few blossom trees flowered in the countryside, which was clothed in its Spring mantle.
A call came through on the mobile from Jennifer & John who have bought our house. Having locked themselves out of No.11 last evening, & having been lucky that I was able to direct them to Jodie & Wes's house opposite for a spare key, they were now ringing to report their latest disasters. They had flooded the laundry floor whilst doing some washing (the machine obviously wasn't connected up properly) & the light wouldn't work in the main bedroom (probably needed a new bulb). Poor things, they sure do attract problems. Jenny had already hit the bridge of her nose on an open cupboard door in the kitchen, before we left! A lost document, that was holding up settlement on their purchase of our house, still hadn't turned up & John's sister was preparing to borrow money from the Commonwealth Bank, using her house as surety, in order that they would be able to pay us & so avoid any further penalties.
Back to our travels again! "Far-away places, with strange sounding names" began to crop up - Puckapunyal; Wodonga; Wangaratta, Narrambie & Yarrawonga to name a few. Pronunciation of these produces such satisfying sounds!
The new metal finish, on the front of the caravan, glared blindingly in our overtaking mirrors &, as usual, the sun shone fully on me, in the passenger seat of the car! It was so hot that I had to fix a sun shade on to the window &, because I couldn't reach my T-shirts, I changed into my pyjama top, confident that no one would realise what it was. However, I wasn't complaining - the weather was superb! Sheep & cattle grazed contentedly &, for once, they all had lush, green grass to eat & plenty of water in the creeks & ponds. A far cry from the dry, brown contryside through which we normally drive.
At 3.15pm., we drove over the Murray River at Albury, so crossing the border between Victoria & New South Wales. Albury is a substantial town with numerous lovely old buildings. However, it posed a real problem for us, as we couldn't see any signs to Wagga Wagga, which was the direction in which we wanted to travel. Having re-fuelled, we finally found the correct road out of the town & drove as far as Culcairn, by which time it was already 4pm. It had been a long day & Bob was tired, so we settled down in a caravan park & made a couple of new friends, with whom we enjoyed drinks & a chat before retiring for the night.
A second call from Jenny & John revealed that the offending document had been located & payment to us will now take place without further delay - hurray!
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