Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
2nd November to 18th November 2024
So, this post is somewhat different as we take a little holiday from our big holiday. My Aunty Ann (mum’s sister) and my cousin Claire flew into Port on the 2nd November. They flew in from Colorado, USA, and after a good night’s sleep, or not so good in Claire’s case, (she drew the short straw and had the foldout bed) they were set to go and I have to say, we had a ball.
A short drive from mum’s place is Lake Cathie. On one side of the road is a lovely protected cove, you can swim, fish or when the tide is low, walk over to the main beach. A Cathie Creek (more a river than a creek) runs off the cove under the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is some great kayaking. Peter, myself and Claire made good use of the kayaks to explore the Creek while the Mums caught up on the good old days.
Port Macquarie really is a beautiful part of Australia, though their visit was short, we made sure to fit in some of the best that Port has to offer.
On the 4th we all piled into the car and drove up to visit Kevin and Gabriela at Kingscliff, passing the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour, (one of the many BIG things scattered around Australia) and a brief stop in Ballina. We only had a short time with Kevin and Gabby, but enjoyed a wonderful home cooked meal. Claire had booked a scuba diving trip in Cairns, so , on the 6th Claire, Ann, mum and I hopped on a plane to Cairns. Peter was our airport drop-off driver, so he was able to escape us ladies with a side trip to visit family in Kingaroy.
We stayed in an Air B and B at Holloways Beach, in Cairns. It was close to a couple of restaurants, and a short drive from shops. With our trusty little hire car we had everything we needed to enjoy our three night stay.
Claire had booked three dives on the Silverswift, through Quick Silver, it was a really lovely catamaran and even though I didn’t dive, I thoroughly enjoyed being out on the pristine waters around the Great Barrier Reef. While Claire and I enjoyed the reef, Mum and Ann went on a day trip to Green Island, at the end of the day we exchanged stories while we enjoyed the feast of champions; Cheese, crackers and wine. 🙂
While in Cairns we wanted to experience the Kuranda railway. A stunning one hour and forty minute trip through rainforest and over bridges with views of stunning waterfalls. I did the good tour guide thing and called to book our seats only to find out that for the entire three days we were in Cairns, the rail was closed for maintenance. So, into the car we got and drove up to Kuranda. You don’t get the same spectacular views from the road as you do from the rail, (I did it too many years ago to count) but we had a good look around, and did a couple of touristy things.
At the end of the day Mum, Ann and Claire hopped on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, leaving Kuranda station. Even though there wasn’t a lot of water in the falls, the ladies told me the views were lovely. While they enjoyed the views from above, I drove down the range to pick them up at Smithfield. No, don’t feel bad for me, you see I don’t like Skyrails. I don’t know why, I’m not scared of heights, or bridges or flying but for some reason, Skyrails scare the poop out of me. So, I really enjoyed the drive. 🙂
We flew back into Brisbane, where Peter picked us up, had another evening with Kevin and Gabby, then back to Port Macquarie, this time the inland route taking us through Grafton and the last of the Jacaranda flowers, for more fun in the sun.
Strike One – The BBQ picnic boat. What better way to spend a day but cruising on the clear waters of Port Macquarie. I called and booked a boat for 6 hours, answered all the relevant questions, asked the relevant questions, and the day before ,bought and packed all the goodies we needed. We made it to the boat hire ramp, but got turned away because we didn’t have a boat licence. So much for ‘..all the relevant questions”.
Strike Two – The great dolphin chase. So, there we were with a car full of goodies and no BBQ picnic boat. No worries; There’s a lovely area called Camden Heads, the perfect spot for a picnic, a swim and if you’re lucky, dolphin spotting. We’d all had a lovely walk along the breakwall, and the beach when the BBQ plate started to call me. Mum, Peter and I headed back to the picnic area to fire up the barbie. After a while Peter went to see what was keeping Ann and Claire.
Claire had spotted a dolphin and decided she wanted to swim out closer to it. Now, she is a strong swimmer, but so was the current and before she knew it, the current was taking her out of the inlet and into the ocean – not a good thing! Fortunately, she had been seen from the beach (now several hundred metres away) and a guy called the rescue service before sprinting up the breakwall to help. As scary as it all was, Claire didn’t panic, she made her way across the strong current to the breakwall and with the guy’s help she managed to clamber up over the sharp rocks to safety with only minor scrapes and bruises. The paramedics arrived soon after to check her out and the day’s adventure was, thankfully over.
Strike Three – The dolphin cruise that wasn’t. We opted for a somewhat safer way to see dolphins and booked a four-hour dolphin cruise. It was an extremely windy day, but we were all looking forward to the cruise.
Long story short; we had a glass of bubbles and some nibbles while we waited for cast off. After a few jokes from the captain, the clock struck 11:00 and we’re off! Only we didn’t get very far. We were about fifteen metres from the dock when we started drifting sideways towards another boat which we almost hit. We had lost control of one of the engines, which, we were told, shouldn’t have been a problem, but the wind was too strong to manoeuvre the boat safely.
The map below shows the route we took (well… where the wind took us) to a dock opposite our departure point. When we arrived on the other side everyone, except us, got of the boat and walked back. We decided to stay on board and enjoy the free flowing bubbly and nibbles, and the interesting cruise/drift back to our departure site. It was 12:47 when we finally disembarked, staggered to the nearest pub and bought a bottle of bubbly.
The following day, we farewelled Ann and Claire. It was a a short visit, full of laughter, fun and adventure. It was fantastic seeing you both again, so thank you for coming such a long way. Till next time, stay safe; and Claire…stay away from those dolphins!
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
9th October to 25th October 2024
From Goondiwindi we continued making our way south.
We had an overnight at Gurley, stopping early to avoid/enjoy a storm before a nice camp on the Namoi River.
We had only planned a night or two on the banks of the Namoi River, but it was so nice we stayed for six. It was a lovely peaceful spot, and very popular with the friendly locals.
We had what is likely to be our last camp oven cook-up before the summer heat. Peter gladly got out his trusty bowsaw and cheerfully collected enough wood for us to have a fire most nights. He then spoiled us with his speciality; date scones. One thing is certain, whether its on the coals, over the fire or in the van, we always eat well.
One of the locals noticed me with my camera and asked if I liked birds. Silly question; he went on to tell me that there was a flock of Magpie Geese at Lake Narrabri, not that far from us…PETER…. and off we went.
After a couple of nights at Gunnedah Paceway (nothing much to say about that) we ended up at one of our favourite spots (Cobrabald River) for another six nights. We were hoping to spot our Platypuses and Rakali but were a little disappointed that neither were there. There was however, a little fellow further down the river. I really don’t know enough about platypuses to know if they are nomadic. Perhaps moving when the food runs low, or if weather plays a part in their movement. There had been a lot of rain and the river was higher than usual. Wherever they are, I hope they’re safe.
There were, as usual, quite a few birds here. The regulars and a few newbies. There were quite a lot of Australian Reed Warblers. I’ve seen them before, but not here, and boy do these little guys love to warble.
And there were some very busy parents in this tree, across the river.
As you know, we visit here whenever we’re in the area, but we have never ventured across the road. We did this time and were pleasantly surprised at how pretty it was. Not as suitable for camping, but quite lovely and we saw a few Eastern Long-necked turtles.
This really is a pretty spot, and just to prove that WA is not the only state to have pretty wildflowers, look at these.
Next stop, Port Macquarie and our visitors from overseas. 😊
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
7th to 10th October 2024
We left Millmerran on the Monday. It was later in the day, so we didn’t get far, not that we need an excuse to not travel far. Our next stop was Goondiwindi. We were a bit lucky there too. We rolled up into the Goondiwindi showgrounds in time to catch the last three hours of a Camp Draft competition.
The horses in the Camp Draft competition were absolutely stunning. Lean, with shiny coats, it was abvious they were well cared for and they seemed to enjoy the challenge.
For those of you who don’t know what a Camp Draft Competition is (I know I didn’t,) it goes like this. There is a mob of cattle inside a small yard (this is the camp) the rider has to select a beast, cut it out of the mob and prove to the judges that he/she has control of it. Once they have it under control, the gate is opened and the rider and horse move the beast into the arena. (28 points). I couldn’t get any photos of that, but it looked hard and a good few riders didn’t get passed this first stage.
Once in the arena, the horse and rider must guide the beast around two obstacles/poles. You fail one, you are out.
If they get them around both obstacles, they must finish by driving the beast through the opening formed by another two poles.
There is a huge burst of energy and action when the gate is open as both beast and horse charge through the gate.
Then the fun really begins as the horse and rider attempt to guide the beast around the course. At times, it was hard to tell who was in charge, the rider, the horse or the beast.
I’ve got to tell you, that isn’t easy. The beasts want to go where they want to go, horses and riders work incredibly hard to control the beasts, to guide them around the narrow poles, and very few complete the course.
Of course the horses were the heroes, but the beasts need a mention too. They had to keep the horses on their hooves… get it? Like ‘On their toes’. Heh heh, that’s funny. Alright, I know what they say, if you have to explain a joke it really isn’t funny.
The only disappointment was that we only got to watch for a couple of hours. This is one of the things we love about travelling, the unexpected. Whether it be a new bird or animal, stunning scenery or an activity/sport we haven’t seen before.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
25th 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 19th 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.
We said goodbye to Big Ears on the 25th, and on the 26th Arnie ditched his training wheels as we left Kingaroy on his first solo trip, without Big Ears to keep him in line.
Not before we had a couple of visitors near Chunky Bum.
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 1st of August 2020 (The first day of Peter’s retirement).
Talking about carrying on, you may recall Rodney the Rooster.
This is Rodney and Hugo; they were good mates.
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’.
Well, on our first visit with Arnie, who should we see but, da, da, daaa!
The son of Rodney.
Ok, so it might not stand up to a paternity test, but it is a nice story: New car, first camp repeated, new Rooster to greet us.
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.
They checked us in through their system, we were given our pretty, hot-pink, paper bracelets and a blue BR 14 sticker for Arnie. Our entry fee covered all the festival and 7 nights’ accommodation.
We got a fantastic spot, right up at the back end of the camp area, and a corner block to boot.
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
I have to say, we’re not normally the “big gatherings” type of people. Too much humanity squished into a small space is a bit hard for me to take, but because of our location, we still felt we had plenty of privacy in amongst the other 1,250 caravans.
I found this image online for the 2016 festival.
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!
15th to 25th 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 25th 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!
…and some stuff I forgot.
8th September to 13th 2024
It never ceases to amaze me how much we take our own backyard for granted. True, Kingaroy isn’t exactly our backyard, but it’s not far from it.
Yet, the other day we visited the Bunya Mountains for the very first time, and it was really lovely.
We stopped at the picnic area first and had a wander around. There were quite a few Lewin’s Honeyeaters (I think) which I’d never seen before, and in amongst the trees off the beaten path, was a large patch of Orange Blossom Tree Orchids.
We had a wonderful day and did a couple of shorter walks. Shorter, partly because we ran out of time, and partly because we’ve been a bit sedentary for the past couple of months and as a result our fitness level has dropped. But that’ll change once we get moving again.
In between walks we stopped for lunch at the local pub in Bunya village. And what should nick a chip off my plate but a Satin Bowerbird. I kid you not! Now I’ve never even seen a Satin Bowerbird before so to have one nick my chip was…pretty cool.
Well, my goal was set for the afternoon. So, after lunch off we went in search of the little chip thief. I did see him in the trees but didn’t get a good shot, I also got a glimpse of a Regent Bowerbird, but again no photographic proof. However, when we got back to the park area near the pub, there were seven, yes seven, female Satin Bowerbirds and a single male.
Although I didn’t get any good photos of Bowerbirds in the woods, I did see a Green Catbird. Another first for me, and a few other birds so all in all, it was a great day.
On the way home we stopped at one of the lookouts and took our time to enjoy the sweeping vista of the Bunya Mountains.
I think I must have been distracted the last couple of months. While I was sorting photos from my mobile for this post, I came across a heap of photos that I seem to have ignored. So, in order to preserve our memories, I’ll do a brief summary and chuck in some pics.
While at Caboolture we did a day trip out to Landsborough, (22nd Aug). There we had a very pleasant walk along the Tunnel Track in the Dularacha National Park.
I mentioned in the previous post we had to leave the Showgrounds for one night, (23rd Aug). We stayed at Glenview, a camp spot right on the side of the Steve Irwin Way and the Bruce HWY, so you can imagine our surprise when we found this area leading off the campground.
My final omission and I guess my editor should share the blame for this, was our trip to the Glass House Mountains, (24th Aug) this is always a lovely area to explore.
And that’s it. I’ll try not to forget anything in future blogs, try being the operative word 😊
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
