Back on track.......

We hightailed it out of town as quickly as we could and headed for the hills.  Passing through Toowoomba at school pick up time is not much fun and we kept on driving until we were well away from the traffic. 

Our original destination had been Dalby but as we approached Bowenville we saw a nice little camp ground beside Oakey Creek and decided we had found a home for the night.

A lovely large reserve with flushing Loos is available for campers and we had a quiet night there.  The next morning we took a walk along the creek and Bill enjoyed the birds as we walked.

Back on the road we stopped at Dalby for a walk around town.  A very large Main Street and shopping area gave us plenty to look at and we found it to be a very tidy looking town.  I loved the old St Johns Anglican Church.

A little further along the road we did 'the old truck stop park' to make and eat lunch before stopping at another free camp at Westmar.  Another very tiny dot on the map that provides toilets and showers for truckies and travellers.  It was very much appreciated I can tell you.

Leaving here the next morning the forecast was deteriorating once more with another huge weather event coming towards us but we continued on stopping to have lunch beside the Balonne River in St George.

After lunch we had a walk around this little town and were interested to read that the Australian Hotel was the first one in the town opening in April 1864.   With five hotels in its heyday we could only find four today.

We continued on from here driving to Bollon where we stopped and camped for the night at Wallam Creek Rest Area.  Bill went in search of birds and was thrilled to see this Spotted Bowerbird.

Once again this small town encourages travellers to stay by providing this beautiful camp ground free of charge.  There are flush toilets and free artesian showers a short walk away.

The next morning we had a walk along Wallam Creek already starting to flow over the spillway at the little weir.  We had a look in the excellent Heritage Centre where Bill was fascinated with this old machine called a Delve.  It was used to clear the channels of the artesian bores.

We left at midday and not far up the road the rain started and it continued for two days.  With this whole area having had an earlier drenching just two weeks ago this rain was just adding to the mud and swollen creeks and rivers.  It was a very wet and soggy drive to Cunnamulla where we had been intending to stay for a few days at a bird sanctuary just out of town.

We rang during the afternoon and were told the road in was impassable and would be for a few days so plan B became a caravan park for the night.  Our first for 12 days.  Our power upgrade was working well even in this inclement weather.  

It continued to rain all night and the next morning one almost had to swim to the shower.  It stopped for a short while as Bill packed up and we were soon on the road again this time to Charleville.  Surely it must stop raining soon.  

We know the whole area needs this rain but to get so much to the point of flooding can't be good, can it?  It was a long slow drive that day as the roads were wet, shoulders soft and water lying everywhere alongside the road.  

Our next stop was at the Angellala Bridge Memorial just before Charleville.  This was the site of the most powerful explosion in Australian transport history when a truck carrying 50 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed and exploded.  It completely demolished the road bridge and destroyed the railway bridge beside it as well.   The new bridge has just been completed and this memorial is an interesting place to stop and learn all about the road and the rail line next to it.

As we arrived in Charleville the skies lightened and the rain stopped.  We had a look around the town but being Sunday it was very quiet.  We made our way out to the Bush Camp ($5 pp a night - bring your own loo) and checked in.  The sun actually made an appearance during the couple of hours left in the day and at 4.30pm the camp hosts lit a big camp fire and we all enjoyed a couple of hours telling our tales of the big wet!

We left the next morning, had a look around a working Charleville before heading up the road again.  The old Classic Queenslander Historic House is said to be the oldest in the area and is now a museum/heritage centre. 

Our next stop was off the highway at a Augathella, a lovely little town whose main attraction is the Giant Meat Ant in the centre of town.  The local football team has adopted the name now and usually referring to the meat ants means you are talking football/rugby rather than the pesky little creatures themselves.

There are also a few murals along the main street and I loved this one of Smiley which was shown at the old cinema in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary since the original movie was released.

Soon after we were arriving at Tambo where it was time to address the washing so we booked into the caravan park for two nights and set to work.  We'll have a look around tomorrow.

until then.........

On the road to Brisbane.........

We left Lake Cargelligoe and drove towards Condobolin where we stopped 30 km out of town to have a look at Utes in the Paddock.

This is a paddock with a row of Utes all painted and decorated in various ways.  I loved the old FX Holden as the Coat of Arms and the Bottle of Bundy called 'Clancy Stops the Overflow'.

Later that afternoon we stopped at Parkes to see the Satellite Dish there.  Of course we all know this iconic dish from that little Aussie movie 'The Dish' but one of it's other claims to fame is the part it played in the historic moon landing when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  It was a very interesting place to visit.

We drove on a little further and stopped for the night at a place called Bogan Weir just out of Peak Hill.  A lovely place to camp but with an overnight low of 0 degrees we were glad the diesel heater worked beautifully and kept us warm and toasty.

Continuing on the next day we stopped at Gilgandra to have a look at the Coo-ee Heritage Centre and the Rural Museum.  Both interesting places to look around.

Still moving we drove on to Narrabri where we stayed overnight at the Showgrounds.  We have passed so many places that we would love to have a better look around so we will definitely be up this way again.

The next morning we kept on driving and were soon crossing the Macintyre River into Goondiwindi  Qld.  Here we stopped and had lunch beside a lovely little park before walking around to have a look at the Gunsynd Memorial.  Who can forget the year 'The Goondiwindi Grey' was named 'Australian Champion Racehorse in 1972'!  Well I remember the song anyway!

Our next stop was to camp for the night at Karana behind the pub there.  Another great little free camp for the cost of a drink.

We made our way to Brisbane the next day and spent the night with Sherree and Kylie in Upper Mount Gravatt.  Sherree used to work with Bill and very kindly offered us a bed and a verge to park the van on during our unplanned trip to Brisbane.  We had a fabulous night with them enjoying a yummy roast chicken dinner and a few glasses of red.  Thanks so much for your hospitality.

The next morning we made our way to the factory and a few hours later were on our way all fixed.  It turned out to be a fairly simple fix.  So I'll leave you here with this rather coy looking Galah from Lake Cargelligoe as we make our way out of the 'big smoke' once again.

And so now we can restart our adventure and hopefully begin to find some warmer weather.

Until next time........

A cold and wet start........

Winter has truly arrived and it is time for us to hit the road in search of somewhere warm and sunny.  We had packed the van over the weekend in between downpours and on Monday morning pulled out to begin another adventure in this big country of ours.

Our plans were to head over to the Capertee Valley for the first few days but due to a huge weather system affecting the area we changed our plans and headed further inland instead.

Our first day saw us driving through heavy rain and we stopped at Ironbark Rest area to make lunch and then continue on to Yerong Creek where we camped that night at the rec grounds.  This beautiful rainbow was the highlight of our day.

The following morning was still cold and wet and we made our way along stopping at the lovely town of Coolamon to buy bread.  Still wet so we didn't hang around outside.

Our next stop was at Ardlethan where we made and ate lunch beside the silos.  Still pouring rain so
we decided to continue on a bit further and made our way to Mirrool, a tiny town whose claim to fame is the annual Silo Kick.  The first winner of this was Geelong legend Billy Brownless.

We camped here overnight in a great little free spot with showers ( a gold coin donation) and toilet and woke up to a beautiful blue sky the next morning.

We did a walking tour of the little town and just loved the old pub, now owned by the community and the little silos for the kids to kick over.

On the road again we made our way towards West Wyalong where we stopped for lunch beside this old RAAF DC3 in the Lions Park.  

From here we drove on to Lake Cargelligoe where we found a spot at Deadmans Point and settled in for a day or two.  The sun had shone most of the day so we hope it is a sign of things to come.

The next morning was blue and sunny and as we were preparing to head out and see the sights we discovered a problem with our inverter.  Uh oh, no inverter, no 240V power.  Bill spent most of the morning on the phone with the guys in Brisbane and so now we head east instead of north to have it fixed or replaced (still under warranty) and go north from there.  No rush though the solar is still operating most things so we'll take another day to look around here and hope the clouds don't come back soon.

Lake Cargelligoe is a little town some 600km north west of Sydney.  Known as the Oasis in the Outback the lake is home to many birds mostly of the waterbird variety.  We drove out to Round Hill Nature Reserve and on the way stopped at a well known birding spot called 'Chat Alley' where this little Song Lark seemed quite happy to play on the wire.  Once at the nature reserve we were unable to access any of the tracks due the the recent rains.  Lots of water standing along the roadside made for a very muddy car.

Bill spent a morning at the treatment plant/wetlands and enjoyed some time with the birds there.  This cheeky little Butcherbird stayed and posed for him.

The next morning we began our drive to Brisbane so we'll stop here and continue soon.

until next time........

A few weeks at home.........

Back at home we spent the afternoon unpacking and were welcomed home with big hugs when Wilma and Gordon popped in from next door to say hello.  It was wonderful to see them again.  Our first week was taken up with washing and shopping and on Sunday morning we drove to Shepparton to visit Aldi and the SPC shop to top up the cupboards again.  

While there we stopped for a coffee at a lovely cafe in an old converted church and were amused by all the 'Friar Tuck' ornaments on the shelves.  All became clear when we walked outside and saw the name - Friars Cafe.  Across the road was the Uniting Church and being Sunday I thought a photo was appropriate.

With just one week at home it was time to hit the road again as we made our way to Ballarat to meet Cheryl and Shane.  Bill had been given a Red Balloon voucher for his birthday for a Murder Mystery night at Kryal Castle and so the four of us were off on an adventure.  We had all decided to stay overnight and found a little motel on the edge of Ballarat.

We met in the afternoon and had lunch in a nice little cafe near the Cathedral.  Yummy and warm inside as outside it was typical Ballarat weather, cold and miserable.  Just down the road St Patricks Cathedral looked very stately on this chilly day.

From here we had a wander around the Botanic Gardens and just loved all the colourful flowers in the Begonia House.  The little cottage now used as an art shop was fun to wander through as well.  We left the gardens and went in search of the motel and not too much later were dressed and in a cab for our night of murder and mayhem.

Now I must mention here that I am not a fan of theatre restaurants so I was not expecting much but I also need to say that we had a great night.  The whole thing from start to finish was fun and entertaining, dinner was nice and it really was an interesting way to see Kryal Castle as you had to wander round with torches from place to place to find your clues.  Chilly - yes but lots of laughs.

Of course I can't tell you 'whodunnit' or I would have to kill you!

The next morning we met up for breakfast and soon after were on our way back to our respective homes.  It had been a fun weekend.

The next couple of weeks saw Bill return to Shepparton a number of times as the car went in for a service and a new air con, thankfully under warranty as it had only been a year since it was replaced last time, then the van was taken in for a service as well.  I think the car knew the route by heart now and could have gone by itself.  

The next Sunday a surprise visitor appeared at our door and we enjoyed a nice afternoon with Jo as she was heading up to Yackandandah for another week at work.  It was great to see her again and hear all about the new beers that Trevor is brewing.   'Till the cows come home' Pale Ale and 'Clear as mud' Porter style are proving to be big hits by all who taste them.  Well done guys and good luck!

The next weekend was Anzac Day and this year we walked down to attend the morning ceremony.  It was a beautiful day and it was lovely to see the young people from various groups marching with the few old timers left.  The ceremony was very nice and we enjoyed a cup of coffee and a sandwich afterwards.

The following weekend we ventured a little bit further afield and drove up to Albury to see The Caravan and Camping show.  There were a few bits we wanted to buy and had not been able to find them in the shops.  It was just a small show but we found what we wanted and left happy.  On the way back we stopped at Chiltern for a late lunch and were sad to see that our favourite cafe had closed.  The Mulberry Tree is up for sale so I guess Regina retired at last.  The bakery seemed a poor substitute but it was the only option other than the pub.  The pies were nice though.

Back at home we enjoyed a movie on Saturday night.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was almost as good as the first one and we had a good laugh.  The next day I got 'my country on' and made marmalade.  Wilma has a lime tree which has produced more limes than she knows what to do with so she dropped a bagful in to me.  I made a lime cake which used 2 and had no idea what else to do with them.  Bill suggested the marmalade so a quick look at the CWA cookbook and we were ready to go.  Ten jars of Lime Marmalade made and it was yummy.  I'm very impressed with myself I must say! 

One problem though, it had only used half of the limes, so the next week I repeated the process and this time had six (larger) jars which I took to line dancing with me and they all disappeared pretty quickly.

We had not driven down to Melbourne for Mothers Day so decided we would pop down and see the family before we head north again this year so we caught the train during the next week.  We had a lovely dinner with everyone at the Chelsea RSL and really enjoyed catching up again.  After dinner we went home with Maree and stayed the night with her and had a lovely time chatting madly til bedtime.  The next morning we caught the train back to town where we did some shopping, had lunch and caught the train home again.  It was a long day but much better than driving.

The next week we were heading back to Shepparton to pick up the van.  When we left it for a service we discussed upgrading the solar and battery capacity to allow us to stay out longer.  We decided to go ahead and get this done and so we had an empty spot in the back yard for a few weeks.  Today we were bringing it home again.  All went well, did some shopping and picked it up and got back home just before dark.  Now we just have to clean it out and pack ready to leave in a weeks time.

Another surprise phone call on Saturday saw us welcome Merv and Noelene for an afternoon in the sun the next day.  We had met them in Tasmania and it was lovely to see them again.  While it was nice in the sun on Sunday the weather has since changed and winter has arrived with a vengeance.  The nights are down to 1 and 2 and the days are having real trouble reaching the forecast 13 and 14's.  It's winter and we shouldn't be here.  Only one week to go and we're off to find some warmth.

A special event this week as we became grandparents again for the fourth time with Taegan and Gareth welcoming another little boy to their family.  Ethan Joseph was born on the 25th May and looks adorable.  We look forward to meeting him a little later in the year.

We had a fun week catching up with friends in between packing to go.  Lunch at Alberts with Astrid and Hans was fun and the next day coffee and scones at The Jolly Jumbuck with Faye and Kevin was lovely.  So good to see friends before we run away again.

So just one more day to go and still lots to pack but for me it's time to say farewell and next time I write we'll be many miles from here.

until next time........