Australian Walkabout

25^th September to 7 October 2024

Before I get to the main topic, I did forget something else, and I’d be remiss not to rectify my omission. On the 19^th of September, we went on a family picnic at Bjelke Peterson dam. We had a lovely time with our family.

Peter and I hung around the dam for a while longer and I did my usual wander with the camera. I was pleased to see a few birds there.

It seems we weren’t the only ones having a bit of a get-together.

A party of cormorants of all types:  There were Little Pied, Pied, Little Black and even Great Cormorants, as well as Pelicans, Seagulls and Little Terns.

And a few loners. A Black Fronted Dotterel, Great Crested Grebe and late in the afternoon, as the storm clouds rolled by, we spotted this Wedge Tailed Eagle.

All in all, a day not to be forgotten. 😊

Now, back on point.

Something not quite cute, and something super cute.

We felt it was fitting to carry on some traditions in Big Ears’ name. So Arnie’s first solo camp was at Rodney’s Rest. It was, after all, the very first place we stopped with Big Ears way back on the 1^st of August 2020 (The first day of Peter’s retirement).

He lived at Harland Park and we saw him a few times over the course of a couple of years, so we figured this was ‘Rodney’s Roost’. But the time came when we saw him no more, so we renamed Harland Park to ‘Rodney’s Rest’.

Anyway, enough of that frivolity. We had planned a longer trip before heading back to Port Macquarie, but we had some exciting news that meant we’d be back sooner than planned. We have relatives in the USA, and my cousin and Aunt are coming over for a holiday at the beginning of November. So, Port Macquarie here we come, albeit slowly. You all know us by now, we don’t do anything quickly. 😊

After two nights at Rodney’s Rest, we continued our journey south, to Toowoomba. Toowoomba is a lovely City, heavily treed, heaps of gardens and our single night extended into three while we enjoyed a bit of civilisation, and the end of the well renowned Toowoomba Flower Festival.

From there we drove to Millmerran. We were just going to pick up some groceries and pass through the little country town. But it was difficult to miss the Camp Oven Festival signs, so we asked the local shopkeeper what it was all about. It turns out that it is a biennial event and had been sold out for months.

But undeterred, we made a call and sure enough, the lady said it was sold out! We had checked on their website and it looked as though there was a ‘Big Rig’ site available, so we asked again and after a bit of re-checking she gave us the site and we were booked and paid for, and heading for the Millmerran showgrounds.

On our third day, after being out sightseeing, we got home to find the real owners of BR 14 camped a few metres away, they had booked the site months before! Well, it was a big site, so no problems.

It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the ovens in the forefront are big enough to cook for fifty.

There were a few bits and pieces on from the Tuesday, (when we arrived) but the main event didn’t start until Friday, through the weekend.

Damper throwing competition, only in Australia

While in the area we took the opportunity to explore a little, and really enjoyed our trip out to Mount Basalt on Thursday.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!

15^th to 25^th September 2024

That’s it, it’s over. After nearly six years, our relationship with Big Ears has come to an end. We found him a new home and wished him well as he drove away on the 25^th September with his new owners to his new home in the Northern Territory. 

Over the years Big Ears has taken us to places a lesser vehicle would have refused to go, most of the time towing Chunky Bum. He has carried our supplies; food, water, toilet paper, kayaks, camping kit and yes, the occasional bottle of booze, and has kept it all safe, secure and in some cases, icy cold. (Usually, the booze not the toilet paper).

We have treated him well, for the most part, and any little ding was fixed up quickly to bring him back to his optimal good looks.

He has only let us down twice, and the second time wasn’t even his fault, so he owes us nothing and has given us six years of travelling adventure and wonderful memories. So, without further ado, lets have a little trip down memory lane with a 2 minute video, sound on if you like, as we say a fond farewell to Big Ears, so named because of his oversized wing mirrors that stuck out like…well, big ears.

I’m having trouble with the video so I am trying something new. I’ve uploaded it to YouTube, which I’ve never used before, but it should work if you click below.

If it doesn’t work, enjoy the slide show below.

One thing’s for sure, Arni has big wheels to fill.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!

15^th August –  8^th September 2024

There is a lot to love about this car, and three weeks after the purchase only one thing that disappoints. We should be able to connect the camera from the rear of the caravan so that it displays on the infotainment screen, meaning we won’t need an additional monitor stuck on the dash. To date we haven’t been able to achieve this. Still trying though.

The car drives beautifully, it’s quiet (we didn’t realise how noisy Big Ears was until we’d been driving the two cars one after the other). Arni is very comfortable, he pulls chunky Bum with ease and he has a fantastic 12” infotainment screen and all the tech that goes with it including pretty blue lights at night. Hey…it’s the little things. The Platinum is set up as a towing vehicle as delivered, and includes a lot of features specifically for towing.

We were concerned about fitting all our goods and chattels into the back of the Ute, but as it turns out, everything fits nicely. It’s snug, but nothing gets squished in, we have easy access to what we need quickly (tables and chairs,) without moving things around and the auto roller cover keeps everything safe and clean. When we remember to close it. 😊

So, why Arni? Well, I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and just like Arni the person, Arni the car is intelligent, good looking and super strong. All the things we need to tow Chunky Bum. Ok, we don’t need it to be good looking but hey, why not.

After picking Arni up, we went cruising around Redcliff and stopped for a celebratory lunch before taking Arni home.

Putting aside our excitement for a moment, this period has been very messy. The logistics of trying to sell a car while on the road is complicated enough but it’s been made even more so by the difficulty in finding accommodation. It’s been really hard to get into any caravan park in SE QLD; they’re all booked out.

We were lucky to get in at the Caboolture Show grounds, (the twelfth park we tried). Even then, we’ve had to move sites four times and leave the showgrounds for a single night, which we spent on the side of the road with upwards of a dozen homeless folk, before they could fit us back in. Crazy! (No, that wasn’t an exaggeration – that really was so!)

We had booked Big Ears in for his service, and at the same time his roadworthy certificate. Riddle me this Batman.  Ford ticked the box saying that they replaced the brake fluid yet failed his roadworthy because the Brake Fluid needed replacing. 😏 Don’t get Peter started on Ford Service Centres.

Side Note: I was given a couple of destinations for bird watching, (thank you Rae) One turned out to be a bit of a bust, Sheep Station Creek. I could hear lots of birds in the canopy but didn’t see a thing, the second, Buckley’s Hole, was much more rewarding.

There was a bird hide there and it didn’t take me long to realise I was witnessing a barn raising, well, the bird equivalent of that, a nest building. I wasn’t much help but enjoyed watching as the Welcome Swallows worked.

In between building I got a good look at some of the residents at Buckley’s hole. I was thrilled to see a Comb-Crested Jacana. Never seen one before so that’s always a thrill, what a pretty little bird it is and just look at the size of its feet.

Finally, everyone’s favourites, the good old Australian Pelican.

Peter had gone for a walk along Red Beach while I was birding, when I’d finished, I walked back to the car along the beach. On the way I saw a Brush Turkey doing his thing, an Osprey on the beach, some busy little soldier crabs and a Spoonbill cruising by.

Ok, so it was a bit more than a side note, but hey…we had to have our bird fix. Now back to the main event.

Arni was pretty much ready to tow when we picked him up, but he needed wiring to connect the camera from the van, which would be shown on the infotainment centre, doing away with the need for an additional monitor. After a lot of calls, we found a business, Bashi’s who had worked on a Platinum before and said it should be an easy half day job, so we booked in on a Wednesday. We also booked in at ARB to have an air compressor installed (Wednesday and Thursday) the same week.

Oh boy, what a mess around! Long story short, the half a day job turned into a two-day job. This of course meant that we had to cancel our job at ARB. We couldn’t reschedule as the Showgrounds have a three-week maximum stay, and we were out of time. Luckily, ARB returned our deposit. We got Arni home from Bashi’s, after paying nearly $600, to find out that the camera didn’t work. Friday morning found us sitting outside Bashi’s, with Chunky Bum in tow to see if they could fix the issue.

Three hours later, and after trying everything they could, while Peter called Ford Australia, the manufacturer of the camera, and some other mob dealing with the cabling, Bashi’s team gave up. They were very apologetic, offered us a full refund, and we got to keep the cabling that, as yet, doesn’t work. Then we went home. Well, we took our home with us and went back to the Showgrounds.

We have two more nights here then we’re heading back to Kingaroy, me, Peter, Arni, Chunky Bum and Big Ears. Quite the growing family.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!

1^st August   – 15^th August 2024  

Kingaroy, as always, was wonderful. It was great to catch up with the family and we ended up staying longer than planned.

Hazel, (my sister-in-law) took me to a fantastic garden centre, though to call it a garden centre is a bit of a misnomer. It’s like walking through a village in Middle Earth, or, if you’re not a Tolkien fan, some sort of elven grotto. It truly is amazing and well worth the visit. This is just one small section of a living breathing, work of art, and the biggest chooks I have ever seen.

We even did a spot of sightseeing while we were in Kingaroy. In all the many years we’ve been visiting Kingaroy, we’ve never been to the lookout. Below is the view of Kingaroy from Mount Wooroolin.

Now, to answer the question on everyone’s lips:

“Did they weigh Big Ears and Chunky Bum?”

The answer is yes, and the news is not good. Even though both Big Ears and Chunky Bum were well under their individual GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass). When weighed together, they still exceeded the GCM (Gross Combined Mass). With no water in her tanks Chunky Bum was still 80kg overweight. Put the water in the van and we’re suddenly 240kg kg over. By the time we topped up our groceries, maybe a slab of beer and some wine, we’d be close to 300kg over the limit. ☹

This is one problem Jenny Craig cannot fix.

We have stripped down to the essentials and cannot, without impacting the way we travel and live, remove any more. Besides, we can’t fit anything else into our storage room.

So, it is with sad hearts, and shrinking wallets, that we must find a replacement for Big Ears. We need a vehicle with a bigger towing capacity, and more power and more torque wouldn’t be wasted either. It really is quite sad because Big Ears has performed remarkably well, and the canopy is just perfect. We’re not sure what the solution will be, but we will have to seriously rethink the way we operate.

We had planned to travel inland (New England Hwy) back to Port Macquarie when we left Kingaroy, but in a last-minute decision we took the coastal route (Pacific Hwy). This allowed us to overnight with my brother in Kingscliff. Only the overnight turned into four nights and led to us buying a new car. Talk about impulse buying!   No, not really. We’d been pretty sure what the outcome of the weigh-in would be so had been researching possible vehicles for some time. Without going into all the details, we had decided that a Nissan Patrol was our best option, mainly due to its 7 ton towing capacity and buckets of grunt.

The Nissan Patrol is a great car but there were a few negatives. It’s huge inside and super comfy, but it just didn’t feel right. On top of that, everything from our canopy would have to be carried in the back of the station wagon. We’d hear every rattle and bang as things moved around, and it would be hard to stop the interior from getting damaged as we dragged boxes and tables and chairs and God knows what else, in and out all the time. On top of that, the car’s on a constant pump crawl. The big V8 petrol engine wants to call in for a drink at every servo it sees.

Then someone had a bright idea. Let’s see if Ford has a more suitable vehicle. Guess what? They did. The newly released (2023) Ford Ranger Platinum. It has a 3 ltr V6 turbo diesel engine, (Big Ears is a  2.2ltr bi-Turbo) 600 Nmtrs torque (ours, 500) and GCM 6.4 ton (ours, 6 ton). In short, the new Ranger Platinum has a lot more towing power and fits our spec.

Now, you might think that the 6.4 ton towing capacity is still a bit lean considering we are currently at 6.3 ton. But consider this. The Ranger Platinum doesn’t have a canopy. So, when we deduct the weight of the canopy inc. solar panels, (approx. 300kg) the 70ltr water tank, the 2 x AGM batteries, battery management system and inverter (65 kg,) 40 ltr Engle (24 kg,) and the long-range fuel tank (an extra 60 ltr), and 25kgs of canvass, we are shedding over half a ton. Carrying what we have now, we approximate the GCM of Chunky Bun and the Ranger Platinum will be around 5.9 ton. And yes, we’ll go back to Kingaroy to weigh in…hopefully for the last time.

Our big question was, would we be able to fit everything into a Ute? After a good look at what was in the canopy, and discussions over what we could or could not live without, and decided that, even though we would greatly, and I mean greatly, miss the convenience of the canopy, we could indeed fit what we needed in the back of a Ute. More importantly, if we wanted to continue to travel, and do so safely, we had no choice.

One of our catch phrases is “Nothing’s ever easy.”  Finding a Ford Ranger Platinum came under that category. They are rare as hens’ teeth. Peter spent days while at Kevin and Gabriela’s place calling dealers and brokers to see if he could find one. We were told, six to twelve months wait. Or they could be in by November. Or we’re not sure. But nobody had one.

We finally contacted a Ford Dealer in Caboolture, who had a couple in stock, both had been sold, but they said we could come and look at one. We thought…why not. We hadn’t seen one in the flesh yet so off we went.

When we arrived at Nova Ford we were met by Mandy, who I had spoken to on the phone. At first, there seemed to be an issue with locating the cars and we began to think, hello, they don’t have any. All this way for nothing. Then we hopped into Mandy’s car, and she took us for a short drive to Ford’s pre-delivery area and there, two rows back and squished amongst other cars, was a Ford Ranger Platinum. We were able to open the door a bit and have a look in. The interior was still fully wrapped in plastic, fresh off the boat, so we couldn’t see too much detail. Even so, we fell in love with it there and then.

Back in the showroom with Mandy, we were wondering how long the wait would be, and if we should indeed wait until they became available. Then a gentleman walked over to us and declared… “The sale just fell through on the dark grey Platinum, so it’s available if you’re interested.”

We left there an hour later, paperwork signed, deposit paid and elated. This was on the 5^th of August, the following day we left Kevin and Gabby’s place, and made our way to Port Macquarie for my checkup (all good again 😊). On the 13^th we were back in Caboolture and waiting to pick up our new car at 11am on Thursday 15^th August.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!

12^th July – 26^th July 2024

We finally found the relaxation we had been searching for at Split Rock Dam. Our friends (Jenny & Ralph) from Tamworth came out to visit us and we were able treat them to a camp oven meal.

But of course, before camp oven cooking, there’s camp oven wood hunting.

We really detoxed there, it was quiet, peaceful and quite lovely. But again, we were disgusted with the rubbish left behind in the picnic area. Camping isn’t allowed in the picnic area, so it’s a local problem. Split Rock is a popular spot for day visitors, for swimming, picnicking and boating – and I’ll leave it at that. Our camp was a kilometre away, so our cleanup didn’t get that far. We did clean up for a couple of hundred metres in each direction from our camp.

Rubbish aside this was a really pretty area, and I think we’ll be back again. We even had a chance to wet the kayaks. Split Rock dam is huge, and we only saw a small part of it; much more to explore, and a good excuse to return.

There weren’t many birds there, but there was one very curious Whistling Kite. We must have been camped in his territory as we saw him several times a day. Each day he came closer, and I was able to get some lovely shots.

The only other bird shots I got were of an Australasian Darter and a parrot I had not seen before, a Musk Lorikeet. I couldn’t get many decent shots, but these should show how pretty he was.

I saw a Sea Eagle chasing a Whistling Kite. I couldn’t figure out why, then I saw the fish clutched tightly in the Whistling Kites talons. They disappeared from view and I don’t know who ended up with the meal.

We spent five nights at Split Rock Dam then started to make our way north to Kingaroy. We camped by the Gwydir River in Bingara, and it was so nice we stayed two nights. If time would have allowed, we would have stayed longer.

I think in the right season, this place will be full of birds. As it was I saw a few, including this stunning Azure Kingfisher who spent quite a bit of time fishing near our camp.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!