6^th Newsletter.

 

Townsville  Wednesday 27^th.

 

Today we are enjoying a quiet laidback day in and around our van. We decided a  little house keeping was in order so out came the hose and wash cloths. Ken did the outside of the van and car and I scored the caravan windows and screens, which were long overdue for attention.  The weather here is just perfect, I would call it a beautiful autumn day or even a spring day but to imaging this is winter is strange indeed. Back to the journal and a catch up.

 

We left Carmila Beach on Wednesday 20^th and knew we needed a caravan park for washing and a store for supplies.  The next big town North was Sarina so we picked the only caravan park that said PET FRIENDLY.  As it turned out it suited our needs admirably and we were able to spend time with new friends Gaye and Ted.

 

Thursday 21^st after saying goodbye to our friends we headed for Mackay and of course as with every coastal town the car steered toward THE MARINA. It’s amazing how this happens all by itself and we gaze yet again at the line up of beautiful yachts. We had lunch on the beautiful breakwater which accommodated our van very nicely.

After lunch we drove to Seaforth which featured highly in our FREE CAMPS BOOK, however we were disappointed with the park.  The view was wonderful but the blocks were steep and offered no water or power and yet were asking equivalent price to other parks that offer a lot more.  After spending half an afternoon trying to find two other camps from the book we stumbled upon, at the end of the road Cape Hillsborough Nature Resort.  This turned out to be a lovely place despite the unfriendly message NO PETS at the entrance, this included a drawing of both Dog and Cat, just in case you couldn’t read.  I could feel Wendal’s resentment rising due to their unwelcoming message, so undercover he went. 

 

Friday 22^nd the sun decided to bless us with a little of its rays, so it was time for a walk in the national park.  The walk we chose was on the South side of Cape Hillsborough and is known as The Hidden Valley Walk and featured an ancient Aboriginal fish trap.  It took us about two and half hours to complete, taking us on a magical journey through the rain forest and all its wonders.  We were blown away by the vegetation, the magnificent trees that stood what we guessed to be twenty stories high.  Every few feet another plaque appeared that informed us of the importance a particular plant or tree had in Aboriginal life and culture.  It was extremely informative and most enjoyable however perhaps more than anything else it gave us both an increasable sense of presence that we were in a very special place.  We stopped many times just to listen to the forest and its abundance of birds calling to one another, also the dancing of branches and leaves swaying in response to the wind.

 

Tearing yourself away from such a beautiful spot is difficult however we had to move on and our next stop was Proserpine and then on to Airlie Beach.  Ken and I had anchored at Airlie Beach many years ago, and have a funny story of dragging anchor through the fleet of boats without being aware of it happening.  Although it would appear that the main street hasn’t changed a great deal the surrounding suburbs and city scape has.  The waterfront is very attractive and tourist friendly with long walks on the boardwalks and a couple of pools to help you cool down in this gorgeous climate.  We stayed in a caravan park halfway between Airlie and Shute Harbour called Flametree Tourist Village, which was very friendly. Wendal had a lovely time exploring through the trees, and some kind person had left a concrete drainpipe exposed and this of course was of great interest.

 

Saturday 23^rd was a late start for The Ross-Conleys.  We had planned on going to the markets in town but slept in so after breakfast headed for a caravan store to get a new piece for the tow hitch.  Time went by very quickly and before we knew it, it was lunchtime and then we went for a drive up to a new estate on the hill overlooking Airlie Beach.  The developers are becoming desperate and have halved the prices of the blocks.  What was $1,300,000.00 has been slashed to $799,000.00. A bargain I am sure!

 

Sunday 24^th found us parking the van and taking a long walk around the beautiful Broadwater with its aqua water and beautiful scenery.  Heading out of town we decided to try another FREECAMP at a place called Hyderway Bay, it was many kilometers out of our way and we wished we hadn’t bothered. Back on the highway we eventually pulled into a roadside camp at Guthalungra. Many other Grey Nomads had the same idea to join us and even though it was noisy from the traffic it didn’t seem to bother us in the van.

 

Monday 25^th we woke to the rain and the notion that we were the only ones left in this roadside camp.  Even the young backpackers who were tenting, beat us to a departure. We have promised ourselves we must get up earlier, so far so good.  The next big town was Ayr, which proved to be a very friendly town to Nomads and the like.  It has set up facilities in the town for FREEPARKS and provides a free kitchen for those less fortunate than our selves, in the main street of town.  We opted for a Sausage Roll from a local bakery and very nice too.  Traveling on, our next stop was Townsville.  This town was where my parents first moved after their marriage and where my sister was born some 60 odd years ago.  I’m sure if my mother could see the town she would be staggered.  So many Caravan Parks to chose from but not many that are PET FRIENDLY.  Coral Coast Tourist Park is in the suburb called Garbutt, not the most salubrious suburb but very organized and friendly. 

 

Tuesday 26^th. What to do in Townsville on a free day?  I decided I would like to revisit Magnetic Island and we are so pleased that we made that decision.  We took a ferry from Townsville Harbour across to Nelly Bay and then a bus to the beginning of  The Forts Walk.  The track starts near Radical Bay turn off and it winds its way along the ridge with spectacular views of Arthur and Florence Bays.  It is historically a very interesting place as the track uncovers two gun fortifications and two observation towers plus many of the ruins that were left after World War 2.   The reality of it all makes you think about how they built the fortifications in such an inaccessible place.   That’s war for you.  We were lucky enough to see two Koalas in their natural habit.   The walk took us two and half hours but was well worth the effort. Caught a bus back down to the ferry and then over to the mainland.  Ken by this stage had not had enough adventure for the day, so headed up to Castle Hill Lookout.  We drove, other wise we would not have made it after Magnetic Island, however the views were spectacular. As we drove up Castle Hill we enjoyed waving to the brave souls who were slogging up and down this steep enormous hill.  What an effort on their part!!

 

Wednesday 27^th. That’s why we are having a rest day today, we are feeling old and a wee bit fragile.  However this afternoon we went shopping and guess what?  I got everything that I was after, which included presents for the nieces new babies, some not born yet. I also had my glasses frames fixed so I can almost see again. In all, a very positive visit to Townsville.  We are planning on leaving tomorrow morning, all being well, so will end the dissertation here.  Hope you are all well and enjoying life. Elizabeth.  

5^th News letter.

Carmila Beach Monday 18^th May 2009.

 

 

What beautiful spots this coastline of Queensland has to offer.  We have been very fortunate in so far as the last two nights we have found what is referred to as Free Parks and both places although worlds apart so to speak, have been equally as interesting and very beautiful.  I am getting way ahead of myself so will go back to where I left off with my last news letter.

 

 

We spent approximately 2 weeks staying at the Cotton Tree Caravan Park on the Sunshine Coast, roughly from Wednesday 29^th through to Thursday the 14^th.  The reason for such a long stay was because of a dental problem that had been developing for some weeks.  I would love to say that all is well now, tooth wise, however life is never that simple.  Living with the same view day after day is not my idea of traveling so we were both very pleased to say goodbye to the Sunshine Coast and be back on the road again. We did however, organize a few things that were pending such as another storage facility and took the opportunity to catch up with friends again.  It was also an opportunity to sort through what we had on board and to leave some things behind and heaven forbid pick up some others that we MUST have.  All in all we rationalized that the weight was about the same, however we freely admit to being a tad stubborn when it comes to weight.  Our tent, which we haven’t used for several years, got to have an airing as we ask ourselves “do we really need a tent that size to go to Cape York”, however as a great many of our decisions are based on money, we decided to take it with us rather than buying a new smaller one.

 

Our first night on the road was Thursday 14^th and despite the fact that we are over Caravan Parks we found ourselves ensconced in yet another one at Manduran Dam,  North West of Gin Gin.  It had come recommended by a friend, however apart from a beautiful night sky full of stars, the only other attraction was fishing which seems like a great waste of time.  The next morning we walked along the dam wall and the reality of the drought was very evident. 

 

Determined to start our Free Camping, out came our CAMPS AUSTRALIA WIDE book and I started to chart a course for Calliope where there is a rest area beside a river.  All sounds quite lovely you may say except every GREY NOMAD and their assorted dogs were also there enjoying what was soon to become a crowded affair.  We spotted a toilet block on our walk so I decided to poke my noise into it, however I  quickly withdraw in shock at the condition of the facility.  It’s amazing that some councils expect people to use places in such appalling condition.  My new book may be called ‘The Loos Around Australia’.  Another interesting part of FREE CAMPING as we were soon to find out, is the need that some older gentlemen ( vulgarly known as deaf OLD FARTS) have to use LOUD, NOISY GENERATORS.  My particular favorite is sitting out side enjoying nature at its best, to find your neighbor (who is too close to you anyway), starts up his GENNY to go inside his van and watch television, probably with the AIR CON on. 

 

Saturday 16^th we drove to Gladstone and I was struck by what a prosperous city it is.  It has extremely beautiful water ways and beaches that unfortunately are over shadowed by the high profile Industry that dominates almost everywhere you look. Aluminum production and the electric power generation station dominates the landscape, which unfortunately make it a catch 22 situation.  I was reminded by Ken that this was the town that our older son some 23 years ago, discovered and consequently become obsessed with THE WOMENS WEEKLY BIRTHDAY CAKE BOOK, which did not leave his hands for many days and was treasured for many years before outgrowing.  May I say many a birthday cake was copied from that book.  We headed North to Rockhampton and then on to Emu Park where we were treated to beautiful seascapes that almost take your breath away.  We found a lovely caravan park called Capricorn Palms on Mulambin Beach and for the first time I felt we were in the tropics mainly because of the change in vegetation.

 

Sunday 17th we drove into Yeppoon and were immediately struck by the amount of construction taking place.  It appears to be an up and coming town with some very attractive apartment buildings under construction which have potentially got glorious views.  Heading back to the highway Ken spotted a sign advertising THE CAVES, so of course off we go to see THE CAVES.  Fortunately for me I found out earlier that they contain BATS so announced that Wendall and I would enjoy a quite hour or so sitting in the car minding our own affair without the BATS.  Sadly they will only take a minimum of two people at a time through the caves and as there was only one who was interested Ken missed out yet again. Our camp that night was at St Lawrence at a recreational reserve.  I not sure what we expected by the term reserve and were surprised to see a rodeo just winding down.  Once again it was standing room only with the GREY NOMADS fighting for positions with their many and assorted forms of travel.   Ken being the more adventurous one of us decided we would go as far away from the crowd as possible which turned out to be a very good decision.  We met another couple Sherry and Ray and invited them over for a drink and much to our delight were able to share perhaps the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.  The most gorgeous pinks and reds mixed with blue and grey painted their pictures in the sky just for our enjoyment.  Drinks ended up being dinner with each bringing what we had to the table, resulting in a great night. 

 

Wanting to spend a little more time with our new friends, the next day we all headed up the Bruce Highway to our new camp at Carmila Beach.   We are in a wonderful position with our chairs down on the beach watching the tide come in on an almost deserted beachfront.  The down side of course is the midgies, you need plenty of insect repellent to cope with them.  This has proven to be such a glorious spot that we have decided to stay another day and fight the midgies anyway. 

 

Tuesday 19^th. Geordie flue to Japan for a two-week holiday, I hope he has fun.  It’s raining today, however it has not stopped us from a walk on the beach and a chance to meet up with another couple that we met at St Lawrence.  Perhaps we are all following one another meandering around this huge country, who knows. Tomorrow we are moving on, heading north to see where it will take us.

 

 

Hope this finds you all happy and well.  Would love to hear from you all when you have the time.

 

Love  Elizabeth. 

Gold Coast 27^th April.

 

I am sitting in the sun and enjoying some warmth on the Gold Coast.  Thank you to everyone who contacted me for my birthday. I appreciate your thoughts and yes I had a great day and was very happy that the boys were able to join us.  

 

Catching up on our travels so far, I last wrote from a spot just West of Coonabarabran where we had stopped for the night at another roadside camp. Tuesday 21^st another beautiful day and reluctantly we had to head back to civilization.  Somerton was our next stop; where Ken’s cousin Tom and his wife Margo live.  They have a  large farm just outside the small town of Somerton which is located between Gunnedah and Tamworth.  Ken and Tom had quite a lot to catch up on as they haven’t see each other for a long while. 

 

Heading out the next morning for Tamworth we decided that the time had come to change the hitch on the car as the one we had was very low.  We took Toms advice and found a place that had just what we needed however the job took longer than we thought so I filled in my time with grocery shopping.  Many hours later we left Tamworth loaded down with groceries and headed up the New England Highway to the small town of Bendemeer, where we found another beautiful spot by a river to stay for the night.

 

Thursday 23^rd we realized we were running out of time as we had promised we would be on the Gold Coast by Friday so we made for Tenterfield as fast as we could.  Wendell unfortunately decided that after a couple of hours traveling in his cage in the car, that he had had enough and threw a huge ‘I have had enough’ tantrum.  The only option we were left with was to put him in the caravan on his own.  This proved to be a great idea, as he seems to quite enjoy it, I guess he has more freedom. 

 

Tenterfield as we discovered is not known for its great caravan parks.  We pulled into Tenterfield Lodge with a bag of washing that I was anxious to take care of, to find this large park had one washing machine and two dryers one of which was happy to take my three dollars but not happy to dry my washing.  The van ended up looking like a Chinese laundry with cloths hanging everywhere and our small blow heater on high

 

Waking up early on Friday morning I could not see the caravan beside us because of the fog.  By this stage we were getting used to the cold and had been using our feather dooner on our bed since Sydney.

 

The mission for this day was to visit Bald Rock about 25 kilometers North of Tenterfield.  Bald Rock has always been a bone of contention between Ken and I because on our previous travels through the area I wouldn’t stop.  We had previously always had someone waiting for us to arrive, (such as my mother).  However I must say I was very pleased that this time we made the effort.  Bald Rock is a massive granite dome 750 meters long and 500 meters wide and sits 1277 meters above sea level.  It’s the largest exposed granite rock in the Southern Hemisphere and at its summit the views are spectacular.  We headed back to Tenterfield to pick up the van and then headed for the coast.

 

It was dark when we arrived at Moira’s house, however we were immediately aware of how warm the weather was.  As always Moira made us feel very welcome and perfectly at home, in her soon to be renovated house.  Saturday 25^th was a we all know Anzac day and for us the day itself was a quiet one however the evening proved to be somewhat different.  Our friend Sue Joplin came over for a visit, Freeman also arrived and Moira’s daughter Erin joined us as well.  A very funny time was had by all, with much hilarity and many a good story.  As always Sue had us all holding our sides with her quick and quirky sense of humor.

 

Sunday 26^th MY BIRTHDAY was a lovely day. Ken and I did a huge walk along the Broadwater and found a very nice Seafood Restaurant, so decided to come back in the evening and we were joined by Geordie, Freeman, Moira and Sara.  Back home to Moira’s for cake, coffee and a night cap. I had a great birthday thanks to those who shared it with me.

 

I hope this finds all who is reading this well and happy. Thanks again to those of you who sent me your good wishes.  From here we are headed back home to the Sunshine Coast to reassess our goods and chattels and to catch up with friends.

 

Regards Elizabeth.