Mitchell

After spending last night at a roadside free camp at Warra we have now arrived at Mitchell, after travelling through very dry countryside and on a very straight bumpy sealed road. The road trains have helped with the deterioration of the road, many of them are carrying cattle. I now keep my window closed when driving, as I received a little shower from a passing cattle truck, yuk ! Bazza had to clean the windscreen when we stopped as it was getting quiet hard to see through.
The contrast in some paddocks from the dry grass to a lush green of newly sown crops is quiet remarkable.
We stopped in at the Chinchilla Weir for morning tea, there were many caravans out there as it has free powered campsites, a lovely spot will definitely return there sometime to spend a couple of days. We also passed through Miles and had our lunch at the Roma Big Rig information centre where they usually have a night show of the Big Oil Rig.
Today when we arrived here at the caravan park I quickly did a load of washing as it had been a few days since I last had a chance to do any. Then we sat around a fire pit and listened to a bush poet, he was quiet amazing how he can remember so many poems and yarns. Tomorrow we plan to go to the artisan spa here at Mitchell looking forward to soaking our bones in some hot water !

KILKIVAN

Tuesday we left Cooroy after a lovely relaxing stay enjoying the campfire, quiet and good company. The lamb roast was just the best, we all enjoyed it very much looking forward to cooking in the camp oven again soon. On Monday we spent the afternoon in at Noosa after walking along Hasting Street and the Boardwalk we found ourselves a lovely spot on the Noosa River not far from a very popular fish & chips shop. We had decided to have a late lunch around 3pm then we would not have to have an evening meal (Bazza's stomach was touching his back bone by mid afternoon) it was very enjoyable.

We travelled as far as Gympie where we found a car wash that we were able to drive the caravan into, as by this time it was looking pretty shabby! We had washed the car while we were at Noosa, so after $13 we had a van that looks like someone still loves it. It took both of us working flat chat to get it somewhere near clean, not worth being too fussy as it will not stay this way for too long at least we can enjoy it for a couple of days.

We spent the night at Kilkivan Campground it was a lovely place to stay about 6klm in off the hwy, so it was very quiet. The relief caretakers Alan & Fran were a great couple and very hospitable with a Happy Hour around their campfire, just the place to hear the history of the area. The cemetery just up the road was actually the dead centre of the town until flooding had the Town relocated about 8klms away. The Campground used to be the local school, and some of the sites are situated on the old tennis courts, it was also a gold & copper mining area with some mines still working. Alan also entertained us was a few songs and played his guitar. makes you wish that we had some musical ability.In the toilet there was a sign "Green Frog Country" please close the lid, I was always wary when lifting the lid just in case the was a resident frog.

Today we have travelled through Kingaroy & Dalby and we are at a little roadside free camp at Warra which is about 40klms before Chinchilla. We had been going to stop at Dalby but thought we would go a little further, maybe we should have stopped as 20klms out of Dalby we had a large stone hit the windscreen and now have a large star crack on the passengers side. Last time we were on the road we had to replace the windscreen when we got home, so looks like we will be getting another one.

Cooroy.....cont

We have spent the last few days in this lovely quiet campsite at Rob and Elaine's property, tonight we are having our lamb roast cooked in the camp oven with all the vegies. Yesterday we had a very enjoyable game of bowls at the Cooroy Bowls Club, unfortunately we were not on the winning team. Thursday we went into Noosa Heads and Noosaville for a look around and did a little shopping, was able to get the new baby (boy) that is on the way a couple of things they are so very cute.

The weather yesterday was lovely just what we have been looking for, today is very different a chilly wind and overcast. Will have to rug up soon and go and enjoy the fire !

Cooroy

Arrived at the caravan storage yard right on opening time 9am to pick up the van, then it was on the road to Cooroy.

Poor Kenny (Tom Tom) was very confused as we were travelling towards the Sunshine Coast, as there has been some new Hwy sections opened since he was last updated, so he certainly was having a hissy fit !

We arrived here at Elaine & Robs property about 2.30 this afternoon, lovely lush grassy area for us to camp in. Alison and David have already got the fire going for us to sit around so had better get my jacket on now, as the day is certainly cooling down, and join the others at the fire.

Off off and away again- Gold Coast

We were farwelled by Jack Frost on Tuesday morning as we were leaving Tassy to fly to Coolongatta. We arrived to a nice 22 deg temperature and were picked up by our friends and taken back to their unit at Emerald Lakes. That night we went out for dinner at an Indian restaurant which was first class.

Today we went for a drive up through the Gold Coast drag and out to Southport and brought some prawns from a trawler to have for dinner tonight. In the afternoon Denise and I went for a drive to look at some boats (dreaming) and then to Harbour Town for some retail therapy, and back to the French Quarter at Emerald Lakes for a coffee and hot chocolate at a nice restaurant by the water.

Tomorrow we will collect our caravan and head up with our friends with their van to Cooroy for a few days at friends property, and from there we will resume our trip to Longreach etc.

Gold Coast - Home

Since my last update we travelled 900klms from Dubbo to Nerang on the Gold Coast in two days, as Fred has had a minor stroke and we thought we had better come home to see what needs to be done for him.
On the trip from Dubbo we experienced a variety of different scenery, from flat massive pastures to rolling hills then into rain forest with winding steep descents before reaching the coast. Once again the weather was not wonderful, but as we were on a mission to arrive on the Coast by Tuesday so we could fly out Wednesday, we were not too worried by it. We would have liked to have been able to spend some time exploring some of the little towns that we passed through but maybe another time when we travel that way.
We spent Tuesday night with are friends Alison & David who have just moved into a fifth floor apartment at Emerald Lakes. Their new home is very impressive, in the French Quarter of a new housing and lake development. We were sitting out on their balcony having breakfast before our flight home and had a good view of two hot air balloons drifting past.
We have put the caravan into storage not far from their unit for $25 per week and Alison and David had an extra parking spot in secure undercover parking at the French Quarter where we were able to leave the Pajero.
We have been to see Fred since arriving home, seems to be picking up again with only slight loss of functions. We are hoping to be returning to our travels sometime next week if all is still going well. We will most likely have a change of plans for the rest of our trip, as need to be within a couple of days travelling time if we need to come home again. Looks like outback adventures will have to wait a little longer.
Will return to this blog when on the road again....................

Dubbo cont......

We are about to spend our third night here at Dubbo, after deciding to stay on an extra day due to the inclement weather. It has cleared a little this afternoon after a couple of rainy days, so hopefully the worst is over, has not been too bad compared with other parts of the state.

Since we have been here we have caught up on all our washing, thank goodness for dryers ! To relieve our cabin fever we went for a meal at the Bowls Club where we were joined by some fellow Tasmanian's Brian & Pam Bennett who just happen to be staying in the same caravan park as us. Barry's father (Fred) used to be Brian's boss at Telecom and I also knew him from being a director at the Credit Union. We also went for a visit to the Old Dubbo Gaol, where a reenactment was taking place of a prisoner trying to escape. Bazza was chosen from the group to help with the escape, but after enlightening the performer that he was a retired Prison Officer and his conscious would not allow him to assist, he was able to wriggle his way out of playing the part. Later the actors discussed that he was there as a spy so he did not get out of it that easy. The gaol is very well preserved and the interactive displays are very good, the main entrance to the goal is in the main st of Dubbo, the town has been built around it.

When we leave here we were to head out to Bourke, Charlieville and to Longreach but after a phone call back home we think it is advisable for us now to go to the Gold Coast, as Fred is not doing too good and we may have to fly home.