A Very Special Anniversary
1st May – 1st June 2026
So where are we now? We’re back in QLD at Darlington Park just killing time after all the hassles and holdups, and a super-duper cruise.
We have our feet in the grass once more, sitting next to Chunky Bum just enjoying the lorikeets and looking forward to nine days of relaxation before heading into Brisbane.
We often see horses wandering in the fields behind us, and for some reason they had a bit of a get-together late in the afternoon, probably to show off their shiny coats. They are certainly well looked after. It really is a lovely area and if you’re willing to walk a little, there is a lot to see.
Our main reason for going to Brisbane was to see a musical called The Last Ship. That’s really exciting for me, not least of which because Sting wrote the play, it features his music and he is in it. I love Sting.
The show’s set in Wallsend, (Northeast England) where I, and Sting, hail from.
It tells the story of the last ship that was built in Wallsend before the shipyards were closed, and how it affected the families who worked there. We really enjoyed it though Peter, along with most of the audience, had trouble with the accents and dialogue because, ne’ mony fowk theer spak Geordie. Or, in the Queens English, not many people there spoke Geordie.
We had a lovely dinner at the new Entertainment precinct in Southbank. Boy, has that area changed since we were there last. Then after the show we had a bit of a wander around Southbank. Brisbane really is growing, and it has some lovely high-rise buildings that elevate the city scape.
We still had ten more days to kill before we could take back possession of our house on the 12th of May, so we went to another favourite spot, Bowenville Reserve, Wainui. There we had plenty of opportunities to go kayaking, and birds for me to chase.
I just love taking my camera out on the kayak. I find a nice calm spot on the water and just drift, apart from the fact that it is incredibly peaceful out there, I pass wildlife that I would otherwise miss, or scare away.
Like this family of Finches sharing bath time.
Or this Water dragon and freshwater turtle resting on their respective logs.
As I drifted further down the river I saw a Nankeen Night Herron, Little Cormorant and an Australasian Darter perched in trees along the riverbank.
I hung around a couple of dead trees, branches protruding from the water, in an area where I had previously seen Restless Flycatchers, and another area where I’d seen Welcome Swallows. They soon got used to me and got on with their business.
Back on solid ground, I was thrilled to note we had a pair of Red Capped Robins. The males are so vibrant and colourful, while the females are so dainty and delicate.
But don’t let her looks fool you…she is a real killer.
This next set of birds were all taken around the camp site, there was no shortage of subjects to keep me busy.
Though it is long past, May 1, 2026, was the five-year anniversary of our nomadic way of life. Sadly, it also marks the end of our nomadic life…at least in its current form.
Circumstances changed courtesy of Mr. Trump – fuel prices went crazy. We paid $3.50 for diesel in Sydney – double what it was before Trump’s war. The cost was unaffordable but more of a problem was availability. There was a high risk of getting to Kickatinalong and finding that there was no diesel to be had.
On top of that, our health issues keep interrupting our travel plans, dragging us back to Port Macquarie or Brisbane. These aren’t particularly serious issues, just things that have to be attended to. We also need to be closer to Port so we can support mum when needed.
So, taking it all into account, we figured that maybe the universe is telling us it’s time to hang up our wheels, at least for a little while.
Peter and I have been quite busy since we made the decision to stop travelling and we’ve made some big life-changing decisions. We are selling our home in Queensland and are moving to Port Macquarie.
That doesn’t mean our travelling days are completely over. We’ve bought a block of land, which won’t be ready to build on until next year, adding to that a six-month build time, and we are still nomads for another eighteen months.
So, for now, we still retain our freedom.
I will keep the blog rolling, no matter where we are I always have my camera with me, and we are still planning to head back to WA to explore the north. Third time lucky, eh? We’ll see. 😉
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
