Day 145 Tuesday 30th November 2010 & Postscript

Shire of Bland


Silo kick


Dinner in the pub


Hello from the "Shire of Bland". Seriously that is what it is called. Susan wanted to take a picture of the sign but stopping from 100kmh when it is pissing down with rain was not option. Tonight's blog is being typed from the front bar of the Royal Hotel at Mirrool and is fuelled by many pots of CaRLTOn dRAUGHt hic.

Today started miserably with pouring raining at the Warrumbungle Holiday Park. We packed the swag under the BBQ shelter as best we could, keeping the mattress dry and the moisture on the outside. Sleeping under the car awning managed to keep the swag reasonably dry overnight. I had a shower when the rain was at its heaviest since we had payed for it.

We drove through Gilgandra, Dubbo, Parkes, (we saw "The Dish" in the distance) Forbes, West Wyalong and were heading to Narrandera when we saw a sign indicating free camping at Mirrool. Susan checked the Camps 5 book and saw the red recommended tick so we pulled in. I don't think we had a real idea of where we were going to stay since it poured with rain most of the day and dry spots would be thin on the ground. Sometimes you get lucky and this was certainly one of those times. The free camping area contained a BBQ with a steel roof and concrete floor which is where we chose to pitch the swag.

We wandered to the pub for tea. The pub being the only business in town apart from the wheat silo. Interestingly the hotel is actually owned by the community. We had a terrific tea with copious amounts of well cooked food. This is a good example of what a community can do by capturing passing trade. The big event in town is the annual kick a football over the wheat silo competition. The silo wins about 1 in 4 years. The first year the competition was won by Billy Brownless. The funds raised have been used to develop the community facilities.

The bizarre thing that happened tonight was that Susan heard the name Simon Harris mentioned in the bar. Yes you guessed it there were 2 Simon Harris's present go figure.



......POSTSCRIPT


Tiles in the front bar


Tiles in passage way/foyer


As Simon showered this morning I watched intently the flies that were sheltering from the rain on the underside of the guy ropes on the awning. Is it true flies cant fly in the rain? I saw that in an children's animated movie about bees at Takura!

The Royal Hotel in Mirrool is one of those relatively untouched pubs featuring many of its original federation era features such as stained glass, pressed metal ceilings and tiled walls. Tiles in several areas had an interesting arc of chips caused by the location of the dart board. As noted by Simon the pub is owned by the community who have plans for further restoration in coming years, it will be interesting to call back here next trip past. I is worth a visit if any readers are passing by.


Tiles in lounge/ladies bar


Tiles on walls of staircase

Day 144 Monday 29th November 2010

Daybreak at Bluff Rock


Fog at Warrumbungles, then came rain!


Hi all,

Tonight’s blog comes to you from the Warrumbungle Holiday Park about 12 km west of Coonabarabran. Tea consisting of BBQ chicken and salads from Woolworths has been eaten along with a desert of Lindt chocolate balls.

Today started at the rest area adjacent Bluff Rock. Dew had settled on the swag and awning causing us to wait for the clouds to dissipate and the sun to shine before we rolled the swag. Nevertheless we were on the road at 830 and soon enjoying coffee in the pretty New England town of Glen Innes. We were joined by the local mounted police and Susan was amused that the burliest of them ordered a chai latte frappe.

We visited the tourist information centre and viewed the sapphire dealer’s wares. Some nice big pieces of sapphire jewellery for around $4000 with larger pieces unpriced. Apparently 50% of the world’s blue sapphires are produced in this area. We wandered on and the towns began to reel themselves off, Armidale, Tamworth, Gunnedah and finally Coonabarabran. Susan rang ahead to where we are currently camped to find out the tariff which was $17 as we felt the need for cheap showers.

As soon as we arrived thick black clouds rolled over and we sheltered while eating tea in a bbq area. Once the rain cleared we moved from the area we were going to camp as it had pools of water. There is no 3G coverage here so it will be an early night. We need these as we battle our colds. However we appear to be improving. We travelled about 500km today which is as much as we like to do in a day. Haven’t quite decided on the final route home but we have 150 or so km to think about that in the morning until we get to Dubbo.

Cheers Simon

Day 143 Sunday 28th November 2010

Greetings from the Bald Rock free camping area about 10km south of Tenterfield. After several months in Queensland we have finally crossed the border back into New South Wales. The most obvious change is daylight saving. Hoorah!
We had several showers last night again at Nerang which necessitated waiting for the canvas to dry this morning. We departed around 11 after saying goodbyes to Steven, Michelle, Lili and Edi. We have our fingers crossed that they don't catch our colds.
After refuelling aided by a generous 10c per litre Coles discount we headed steadily southwards under grey skies into NSW and through Lismore to Tenterfield where we stopped for a visit to Bilo and a nice pizza for tea. Both too tired from our colds to contemplate hauling the stove out to cook. Tenterfield looks like a nice town unfortunately we are just passing through so won't be able to stop and explore. It is also the birthplace of Peter Allen..
The swag is now rolled out next to the Pajero under the awning. Susan has been wracked by coughing fits which will hopefully subside when we sleep. The Bald Rock camp site is close to the road so no doubt heavy transport thundering through will wake us in the night. Would be nice to see some sun tomorrow. I am not quite sure where we will be tomorrow night but around 400km closer to home would be good. :-)
night folks,
cheers Simon

Day 142 Saturday 27th November 2010

Mates reunited

Hi all, the canvas house resembles a tent in the great plague at the moment with both occupants stricken with a horrible cold virus. We were not helped by a heavy shower in the night where we had to get up to zip windows and put the kitchen away.

We pottered slowly this morning. Susan painted Lily's toenails and fingernails. At midday we headed up the road to Yatala to visit David (Cromb) and Jo and their children, Jess and Matthew. I was best man at Davids wedding in 1987(I think) We have had brief catch ups since including a stopover at Brisbane airport in 1997 and a visit to Adelaide circa 1999 with a young Jessica. There was also another visit that totally slipped my mind prior to when my kids were born as Jo remembered the nectarine tree in fruit and David a garfishing trip to the jetty. The fact they stayed overnight and the Challenger disaster occurred puts that date as (quickly searches google) 28 January 1986.

Anyway it was good to catch up on lot's of news after so many years. They have a nice big property and a lovely house. We insisted on sitting outside to avoid transmission of our horrible bugs so we didn't get to see inside as much as we should have. Jo prepared an excellent lunch and David produced bottles of good wine. The afternoon ticked away far too quickly, we said our goodbyes and hope to return before too long. Certainly not 10 years!

On our return Susan painted Edi's nails and we enjoyed fish and chips.

However an early night is in order as we are driving tomorrow if we manage to have the strength to pack.

Cheers Simon

Day 141 Friday 26th November 2010

Gold Coast


Appartments

Hi All,

We had visitors at around 630 this morning in the form of the girls that live here. As mentioned yesterday the sun is high in the sky by then so it didn't seem that early.

Today was a struggle weighed down as we were by this darn virus.
We dove down to Yatala to seek out an old friend. We located the house and i spoke to his missus over the fence. We will return tomorrow and try not to give them our germs. Should be an interesting day.

We then retraced our steps and visited Steven, Michelle and the girls at their Designers Home business in Bundall. Some very nice furniture.

From there we cruised down the Gold Coast Highway to Palm Beach as i tried to locate unsuccesfully a house i visited 23 years ago on Tullabudgera Creek. We returned to Nerang stopping at Coles to purchase ingredients for tea. Susan cooked a lamb stir fry which every body enjoyed even those of us with diminished taste buds.

After tea the girls retired to their inside tent for a spot of camping and Susan showed our hosts our blog and the Helpx website. We retired relatively early to catch some health rest.

cheers Simon

Day 140 Thursday 25th November 2010

Camper at Steven and Michelles


Camper

Hi all or few as the case may be.

We said our goodbyes at Twin Waters this morning to John and Wendy after packing up our stuff. I logged onto the govia website and established a one month account for the toll roads we will pass on today.

We hit the road about 11 and were winging our way down the highway. They have service roads off the highway into McDonalds so we availed ourselves of expresso as per usual.

We arrived on the Gold Coast at Nerang and after a bit of Laurel and Hardy with the camper are now set up in Stephen (Susan's Stepbrother) and Michelles back yard. Their girls Lily 7 and Edi 5 greeted us on the front lawn. Lily also made us Xmas cards last night. We had a delicious pasta tea with home made pasta and home made damper courtesy of chef Steven.

After a game of mousetrap the girls went to bed we settled down for adult conversation and retired to bed at about 11 still both sick as dogs woof.

Sunrise is now 442am here and sunset 624pm and they are still saying they don't need daylight saving, go figure!

Cheers Simon

Day 139 Wednesday 24th November 2010

Large house and Glasshouse Mountain



Glasshouse Mountains

Hi Folks,

The day started with a laugh.
Susan poked her head out of the toilet and said,
“Did you use the toilet this morning?”
“Yes first thing”
“Have you used it since?”
“No”(now knowing where this is going)
“Are you sure?”
“I did put my fingernail clippings in there”
“Thank god for that I thought you had worms”

As decided yesterday John and Wendy took us for a tour of the towns up on the Blackall Range behind the Sunshine Coast. We headed through Nambour, Mapleton, Mapleton Falls, and onto Montville. Montville is a pretty tourist town with the usual shops and a host of eateries. It is like Kuranda but with more class. After browsing some shops we had a bite of lunch and coffee and moved on to Maleny passing along Mountain View Road and stopping for a great view of the Glass House Mountains(named by Cook).


Montville shops


Large bat in the trees - Montville

We headed back down the hill and took up Johns offer of a coastal tour from Caloundra back up to Twin Waters, stopping to view several of the beaches.
We returned home. John and Wendy headed to a birthday party. After reheating our pasta from last night we settled down to some travel administration tasks. We are both now succumbing to the raging sore throat virus which is the first time we have really been sick since we have been away.

Sadly tomorrow we move on John and Wendy have been terrific hosts and have really made us welcome. It is a great help to be guided to the best locations in an area. Thanks guys!

Cheers Simon



Kitesurfing at Caloundra


Mooloolaba

Day 138 Tuesday 23rd November 2010

A fence around the corner from John and Wendys' - Why the thongs? We dont know



View from the back deck at lunch time

Hi Folks we were out and about by about 10 today.

We rode our bikes along a pretty decent bikeway from Twin Waters to Coolum. The bikeway runs behind a small line of dunes behind the beach and passes through resort and forest areas. On the way back we stopped off for coffee and returned by midday. A nice 23km ride in very pleasant conditions.

After lunch we observed the mayhem in the water as John fed a chicken carcass to the local bream population. Some good size fish that should be easy to catch. As i observed yesterday it would be like catching and eating a family pet.

This afternoon John and Wendy took us on a tour northwards to Noosa Heads where we alighted at the mouth of the river to take in the atmosphere and record video and pictures. We were going to head up the hill for a ridgetop top tour but decided to do this tomorrow. Instead we ventured to BiLo so Susan could purchase ingredients for tea tonight. Tea was good a Carbonara pasta and of course sticky date pudding. After tea and a review of some of my holiday videos and pictures Susan toodled to bed early feeling crook with a wretched sore throat.

Cheers Simon


Wasp with Spider Noosa Heads

Day 137 Monday 22nd November 2010

The new carrying arrangement with the $8 cargo net

Hi All,
We packed in leisurely fashion this morning Susan pausing to wash and dry the sheets from our bed and vacuum the bedroom floor. I prodded our possessions into the car and made sure the new mounting arrangement for the bike box and tarp was secure. We said our goodbyes to Peter, Catherine, Alex and Benny. We had a really enjoyable stay guys. Hopefully you will soon be reading this on your computer.
The tarp was required as after we had refuelled and enjoyed Sexie Coffee at Maryborough the heavens opened once again. The 195 kilometres passed with out incident. Susan drove today since I had a stinker of a headache. My brain was feeling better until the wayward GPS intervened as we reached our journeys end. As luck would have it John our host came out of a side street as we were inching slowly towards our destination and we were able to follow him to his house at Twin Waters. We greeted Wendy his wife and ventured inside their stunning dwelling. For those not following the blog closely we met John and Wendy at Lawn Hill (back in August/September see days 51 and 52) and shared some pre dinner drinks and nibbles that lasted to about 11 pm. Somehow dinner was forgotten. Today after a chat and some unpacking we strolled with John and Wendy along a circular walkway along the canals. This was followed by predinner drinks and nibbles. Tea was a lovely serve of fish and salad interspersed with the X factor and then chat on the back deck overlooking the water. Water that contains good stocks of fish! It is a bit freaky that many of the spots John and Wendy visited were exactly the same as thos we visited.
Once again it is after midnight and after beer and wine as I write this so bleary eyes will be the order of the day again tomorrow morning.
Cheers Simon

Day 136 Sunday 21st November 2010

Hello,
Quiet morning at Takura pottering around. The weather precluded any outside work. Susan looked at real estate online, played with the boys and chatted with Catherine. I popped to Hervey Bay to get some straps to hold the tarp down on the camper with our new packing idea. No short rubber straps at either Supercheap or Bunnings. The longer ones were $6 each and i reckon i would need 6. I bought a trailer net for $8. If it lasts till we get home i figure i will be well ahead. In the afternoon we headed to Alan(Susan's stepbrother)and Karens property at Torbenlea. We met Karens parents and settled down for, drinks, a nice BBQ tea, chat and some WII gaming. After establishing my superiority in 100 pin bowling and inferiority in all the other games we said our farewells and departed we invitations to return. The driveway and creek crossing out of the peoperty were quite sticky and slippery and with the trailer on 4WD was definately required.
Home and to bed by about 1230. Tomorrow we move on.
Cheers Simon

Day 135 Saturday 20th November 2010 & Postscript

Queenslander in yellow and orange


Another Queenslander, not sure about the pattern on this one

Hi All,

Quiet day today. Susan did some child minding for a Nutrimetics party while I decamped to Hervey Bay for some food shopping and a browse in couple of other shops. It rained on and off most of the day and the temperature was down to 20. This afternoon we just pottered. Tomorrow back to Torbonlea.

cheers Simon

......Postscript

Child minding today involved entertining and shepparding the activities of 9 children between the ages of 7 months and 6 years for 2 hours, somewhat exhausting! One thing I had forgotton was just how much little tikes can eat, hollow legs for sure.

As Catherine and Pete had gone out last night I awoke early in an attempt to let them have a sleep in after their late return, which involved getting Benny up and dressed. Some hilarity later when Catherine looked puzzled and commented on Ben clothes - they were Alex's (3 sizes too big).

Day 134 Friday 19th November 2010

Classic Queenslander


Another Queenslander



Hi Folks,

This morning we were child minding while our hosts skipped out for the morning. Susan spent the morning entertaining Alex the 4yo while I took on Ben the 17 month old. I am happy to report Ben had a fun morning playing outside with, the gravel (his favorite activity), digging in the dirt with a stick, Pushing dirt into the irrigation trench and almost managing to open the pad bolt on the breeding box door for the chickens. He got very close to opening the door but in male style gave up and beat the mesh with his hands. While this was going on I observed one of the ducks in the pen trying to swallow a dead rat which was a bit of a worry since there was talk of rat poison being in use. I chased the duck with a stick ,retrieved the carcass and dropped it over the fence. The duck still seems to be kicking. The other item of note was a magpie wrestling with a rather large centipede which it eventually pecked to death and ate.

We also tried flying the kite but the only time there was enough wind was when a large shower scooted across. Bens clothes had to be discarded for his midday nap, wet and dirty. Ahh memories I vaguely remember having toddlers!

In the afternoon we went to Howard a small town 20km or so up the road. Main claim to fame is a haberdashery shop which we were told had ancient spoils and bargains. Maybe we went to the wrong shop. The guy serving could certainly talk, I was looking for some donkeys hind legs laying on the ground.

Howard has 3 real estate agents!

I was struck by the statistics of the fallen names on the centotaph, WWI 34, WWII 2, Korean War 1. Maybe there were more volunteers from the country for the war to end all wars.

We had a drive around the town and returned to Maryborough with the GPS once again in the bad books. A coffee and a short walk and we were on a different road back to Takura through the driving rain, which had stopped by the time we returned allowing me to finish the last of the varnishing. Peter and Catherine headed out for some clubbing at Hervey Bay. Susan cooked tea for the boys and settled them into bed while I cooked tea for us. A quiet evening in front of the TV/laptop as our days here draw to a close.

Night all.

Simon

Day 133 Thursday 18th November 2010

Soggy Remembrance Day at Hervey Bay


Hi All,

A short report tonight.

After a late night last night we were back on the tools today. I assembled an irrigation run with drippers which was straightforward the hardest part being shovelling all the dirt back into the trenches. Susan applied the second coat of varnish to the front and back verandah rails. Had a delicious Catherine carbonara pasta for tea topped off by Susan's superb sticky date pudding. Tomorrow pruning and baby sitting.

cheers Simon


View from the balcony at Takura.

Day 132 Wednesday 17th November 2010

Dart Out and Dart Inn


Beach at Burrum Heads


Pondering


John and Sir William

Dear Friends and Family,

Today we "earned" a day off. We have had a bit of conversation with Catherine about the "rules" for HelpX - we obviously did not read the guidelines clearly enough. The basic guideline is 4 hours work = accommodation and food. Extra hours can be worked for other perks such as horse riding, sailing etc if the host has such toys.

After reading 1/2 a dozen books to the children, the family headed out and we got ready for a leisurely drive to Burrum Heads an old fishing/holiday town and now a retirement mecca. We had the required fish and chips for lunch overlooking the beach, a walk on the sand, checking out the fishing catches (zero).

We drove around the town and I took a range of photos of classic Queenslander houses. Particularly liked the humour of one owner with 2 sheds named "Dart Inn" and "Dart Out".

Back home for showers and spruce ups for our dinner date in Maryborough with John and Marian from the Oz Tour.

We went to 1169 apparently one of the top eating spots and had the $10 steak night specials. Toppers were extra ($4.50) I had cajun squid and Simon the pork ribs. Bonus John shouted us dinner, next time its our shout! Dinner was accompanied by lively chatter and loads of laughs.

Back to Marian and Johns for coffee and chocolate and the best laugh of the night. They have a cat "Sir William" or "Bill" a Tonkanese breed, and as fussy as they come. Not only is the cat fussy about the brand of cat food, but it has its slave (John) microwaving the food before serving. Fifteen seconds being the precise heating requirement.

Cheers Susan

Day 131 Tuesday 16th November 2010

"Willing Workers" or "Happy HelpXers"

Hi All,

Yesterday we organised a catch up with Marian and John from Maryborough - fellow travellers from the Cape York trip, unfortunately Cath and Geoff (from Perth) are still up north (Gladstone) and wont be able to join us. It will be good to dress up for the meal out.

This morning we recieved an email from Astrid & Mo helpers from Ingham, who have had a change of travel plans and may now come and visit us in Adelaide. Catherine has suggested we should join HelpX as hosts, might be novel. Certainly an idea for longer term if we ever do decide to build an eco house.

Today was a quiet affair with the children at child care; allowed us to put in a solid day coating the decks (front and rear) and the railings.

Only other event of note was the segregation of one of the families ducks who was noticed yesterday not being able to walk. Poor thing was doing a type of belly slide to get around. This is apparently because it is "shagged" literally by the ducks and roosters alike, not sure if the turkey was involved.

One of the jobs on the HelpX job list is to complete a pen to keep ducks away from the other birds, might need to be priority one.

Cheers Susan

Day 130 Monday 15th November 2010 & Postscript

Ben 10 and Aliens


Hello,

Today whizzed by. Our tasks for the next couple of days are to varnish and oil the front and rear decks and clean the windows. I started off the washing of the front deck which Susan took over "because you are much better at cleaning the windows than me" I think I got conned there.

Whilst the deal here is we do 4 hours each per day for room and board we have been doing extra so we can have full days off. We were offered one today but declined since we didn't have anything planned. Susan washed the front and rear decks and I completed about 75% of the windows. The ones behind the screens have to be removed to be cleaned which is fairly straightforward. Great working conditions I am cleaning windows weather is glorious, gentle breeze blowing and a view over the valley and the forest.

We watched an interesting program on ABC tonight Making Australia Happy When it comes to explaining happiness 50% is down to genetics, 10% life circumstances such as material possessions and 40% by the life choices we make. Food for thought.

I have started reading the Hawke Memoirs also an interesting read.

Goodnight...


......POSTSCRIPT

Staying here is preparing me for time with granddaughter Abella when we get home in a few weeks. I am practicing carrying a 20kg parcel - in the form of 17 month old Ben - so that I will be in good shape for similar exercise at home. By then Steph will be ready to deliver the new bub and Abella will no doubt want lots of attention.

I am also having fun playing with 4 year old Alex and have learnt all about Ben 10 a current cartoon character.

Simon neglected to mention it was washing day..... ahh the excitement!

Cheers

Day 129 Sunday 14th November 2010

Simon assisting with child care


Fruity porcupine Susans healthy food creation

Hello Folks,

It's about 10 pm and the bouncy castle downstairs has been turned on again I can hear the blower running. The castle was here for the four year olds birthday party today which went pretty well as far as I can tell. Susan did a lot of work in the food preparation and ideas area which was well appreciated I think.

I was just filling in moving food around and generally helping on command (lift that barge, tote that bale) which was good because I have been hampered by a blocked ear (sounds a bit pathetic doesn't it) which I thought I had fixed yesterday with the wax dissolver and water syringe getting out some great lumps of crud. However it was still blocked today so it looks like it is on the other side of the eardrum.

I was observing today how quickly we have adapted to settling into new locations in the houses of people we have never met. It just seems so comfortable and easy. Admittedly having experienced hosts helps.

This morning we went to a local market with our hosts. It was much the same as any other market except tropical fruit dominated the veg stalls. On our return the rest of the day was spent assisting in the preparation and execution of the birthday party. The weather was a bit grim with rain this morning and in the middle of the day but came good for the party.

Day 128 Saturday 13th November 2010

Susan decorating



A blog tonight that is not long enough to be boring. As per yesterdays blog today was a big helping day.

I used the brushcutter to cut all the long weeds around the pool and surrounds and then moved on to oiling the facsia boards on the deck. This occupied me for the rest of the day. Susan meanwhile was looking after the children while Catherine went shopping for the party and other things. When Catherine returned the baking commenced. As I sit here typing this Susan is icing biscuits to resemble "Ben10" watches as seen in the picture above. The kitchen is still humming at 10pm. Everything seems to be under control.

Short and sweet night all

cheers Simon

Day 127 Friday 12th November 2010 & Postscript

The free water park on the foreshore


Hi Folks,

We were given the day off from HelpX today due to the busy schedule in store for us over the weekend and next week with a big list of jobs.

We drove down to Hervey Bay and had our coffee. Hervey Bay is a collection of fishing villages which in combination are Hervey Bay i.e. Torquay, Pialba etc The area has extensive shopping facilities with the main tourist attraction being Fraser Island.

We headed along the esplanade southwards until we reached the marina where the Fraser Island barge departs. A brief walk around and we returned to the part of the esplanade where there was a bike track. A gentle 20 km ride along the foreshore saw us taking in the houses, apartments,shops, sea views and people. The weather was perfect; light high cloud, 26 C with a nice sea breeze, The paved track was flat with lots of shady trees and decent toilet blocks. After the ride a light late lunch and more coffees before returning to our hosts via the shops. A very relaxing afternoon where one just pedalled and let the mind wander/wonder.

Some lovely BBQ T-bones on the balcony for tea.

As I type this Susan is wrapping the "pass the parcel" presents for the birthday party here on Sunday.

The weather is idyllic. House and land prices away from Hervey Bay are very reasonable. Could be a good place to live.

Finally congratulations Alyce on your promotion!

Night Folks

cheers Simon


Free gym machines - lat pull down


More gym machines - cross trainer and inclined bike


Camels where?

......POSTSCRIPT

Hervey Bay is the Florida of Queensland, populated mainly by retirees. Interesting to see a younger guy ask a 70's + man at McCafe how to connect to the wifi. Later on our cycle along the esplanade I notices another old guy doing sit ups on some type of inclined board, it wasnt until later that I found that there is a circuit of "gym equipment" along the track complete with lat machine and cross trainer among others. A good idea!

One discovery today has left me stumped, as we havent seen any camels around the area.

Susan

Day 126 Thursday 11th November 2010

Hi Folks,

Today we settled in to a day of HelpXing. My task for today was cutting the lawn using the ride on. Things stalled early because the mower would not co-operate. However it was eventually only a battery problem fixed by recharging. I did 20 minutes worth of mowing then changed into some more reputable clothes to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at Hervey Bay. I had some difficulty locating the cenotaph using google but eventually guessed correctly it would be located in the main street adjacent the sea. The service was well attended probably due to the high proportion of retirees in the area and was well presented. Unfortunately as soon as I arrived it started to rain quite heavily. The rain precluded the release of the white doves, why? I don't know. I called into McCafe on the way back to dry out. On my return straight back on the mower.

As I completed the first section I stuck a tree root necessitating a repair to bent blades. This was completed while Susan and I had lunch. After lunch I continued on with the next section of lawn. It is a large lawn around 3-4 acres. I nearly completed this when the cutting deck decided to fall to pieces. Fortunately this time it was not my fault but mowing activities were curtailed. My toil finished with some whipper snippering.

While this was happening Susan was cleaning out the shed, with its own toilet and fridge facilities, a big job but looking much improved by the time she finished. Susan and Catherine headed to town to pick up the kids from daycare while Peter and I discussed weighty issues over some XXXX Mid strength.

After tea, a delicious green chicken curry prepared by Susan we discussed our experiences with retaining walls with our hosts as this is on their list of jobs to do.

Tomorrow we have a free day since we will be required Saturday and Sunday to assist with the birthday party.

Cheers from Takura.

Simon

Day 125 Wednesday 10th November 2010

Hello to the handful of brave souls still reading the blog.

We awoke to the patter of rain on the canvas this morning. However I could see sunshine so was not worried that the rain curse was still active. The rain lasted 3 minutes. The sun shone, the canvas dried. Karen offered me custody of one of the many goats when I was seen "talking" to it as it moved to examine the lidless foodbox I had placed on the ground. We said farewell temporarily to Alan and Karen as they left for their respective weekday jobs.

Since we only had a short distance to travel we took the opportunity to do some organising of our stuff and to ensure everything we were packing away was dry. After many weeks of carting the third bike around in the box on top of the trailer toolbox we realised we could pack it on top of the camper with the swag under our newish tarp. We are leaving the camper on the farm while we do our HelpEx up the road. I also plonked the solar panel on top to keep the battery fully charged while we are away.

We drove to Maryborough for a McCafe and a quick trip around the town before heading to our new location at Takura.

We were greeted by Catherine and shown around. It is a nice property set on a moderately sloping block of about 5 acres. Peter her husband arrived a little while later. They have 2 children aged 4(nearly) and 16 months. We have settled in and commence our toils tomorrow.

I shall travel to Hervey Bay tomorrow for Remembrance Day.

The weather is perfect here around 25/26 with humidity under control. Apparently this area has close to perfect weather all year round which is why Peter and Catherine chose it. Hopefully the presence of the Jonahs will not change that.

cheers Simon

Day 124 Tuesday 9th November 2010

Sunset at Torbanlea


Pull over for massive machinery, and it was travelling fast!


The GPS reads (not that you can read it!) 43755 Bruce Highway, thought those numbers were only in the USA

Hello folks,

A late night blog here. We were up early enough this morning after showers on and off overnight. We did not have showers this morning we had rain! Finally after 123 days we have packed the canvas away wet, pools of water laying on it. However it was not all bad since we washed the clothes we were wearing and ourselves at the same time as we were packing, hehe.

We drove from Yeppoon back to Rockhampton. Since my clothes were relatively hard to access I removed my saturated shirt (not a pretty sight) and Susan dried it in the car with the heater and the aircon running at hurricane speed. By the time we reached McCafe it was dry enough to wear. The rain barely abated outside.

We drove southwards, the journey often through heavy rain with a large amount of heavy transport travelling in both directions just to add to the fun. At one stage we had to pull over for a low loader with an enormous mine vehicle on board. It took up both sides of the road.

We had not intended to travel through Gladstone but were forced to do so by a detour from the A1. Gladstone consists of a lot of saltwater creeks, aluminium smelter, coal fired power stations and a large wharf to handle the coal and bauxite. We drove through taking no detours into more heavy rain which persisted until we reached GinGin for a late lunch and coffee at the bakery (recommended). The median strip and road were perfectly dry indicating that we had reached the limit of the rain, for now.

Another 60km or so down the road we arrived at Torbanlea, home of Susan's step brother Alan. After a minor navigating misadventure we located the property and were soon joined by Alan and his children. We were made most welcome, Alan pressing cans of beer into my hand. They even helped us set up the camper. We were joined by Karen, Alan's wife who had to adjourn for a meeting while the rest of us enjoyed tea. After tea a few games on the wii and it was time for us to go to bed so our hosts could get some sleep since they have to work tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a short trip to our HelpX destination so we will have some time in the morning to rectify todays moisture events before we leave, assuming of course it doesn't rain here. Funny how the weather is such a big part of your life when you live outside. Makes you respect what the "early settlers" achieved. Since our HelpX is close by i am sure we will return here for some more socialising.

Cheers Simon

Day 123 Monday 8th November 2010

Old Customs House now Tourist Info Centre Rockhampton


Emu Park - view back towards shore from jetty built 1924, islands in the distance


Japanese Gardens - Rockhampton Botanical Gardens


Sausage tree - head injury for sure if one of these landed on your scone


View towards Murray Lagoon

Hi Folks,

A grey cloudy day today. After refuelling we drove along the road to Emu Park although we missed half the coastal view due to the road we used. We will rectify this on our way out tomorrow. From Emu Park we went back into Rockhampton which was pretty deserted. The town has a strange layout from the point of view there is no concentration of shops in any one area. We did by good fortune find a good coffee shop and fuel up. After a stroll around the shops this avowed non wearer of Crocs bought his second genuine pair since they were half RRP at $25.

We then drove up to the Botanic Gardens which includes a free zoo. First stop was a bowl of wedges with the usual sour cream and sweet chili sauce. We then toured the gardens which had some nice specimens but seemed to be a bit tired and needy of some renovation. Whether i would have the same impression on a sunny day is another matter. The free zoo was a case of getting what you payed for. Few dingos, couple of monkeys,a sparsely populated aviary and some kangaroos. The main exhibit the chimpanzees was empty. They had been shuffled out the back so the rubbish could be picked up by a keeper.

The highlight was two air force jets taking off with teeth chattering volume. I couldn't identify what they were since we were shrouded by the aviary canopy. I suspect they were F1-11's. The cloud by this stage had grown more threatening and since Hardy hadn't zipped the tent windows up we beat a hasty return to Yeppoon.

We were going to ride our bikes to the business centre but decided to have tea before darkness and any rain arrived. For once a good decision as the rain did arrive although to be fair up until I type this it has only been showers.

Tomorrow onto Hervey Bay.

cheers Simon

PS Sausage Tree

Day 122 Sunday 7th November 2010

The beachcomber



Carmila Beach



Tidal Creek at Carmila Beach



Brahminy Kite


Hello,

This morning we awoke at around 6 to a cloudy morning at Carmila Beach. The sun was well above the horizon which is consistent with what we were told yesterday that it rises at about 5am. We headed down onto the beach and walked southwards for a considerable distance until we reached the creek. This is where the Kite picture was taken. Unfortunately i missed taking a snap of a much bigger bird that was much closer due to the remove and replace the battery technique that i have to invoke to persuade my camera to work. Too slow!

The tide was out again so no fishing. We heard some loud wave noises in the wee small hours which was the water coming in. The water rises to a certain level and then pours in about 300 metres over the flats so the flat goes from being dry to high tide in about an hour. We witnessed this this morning at around 11. The water was quite dirty.

There were quite a few groups free camping along the beachfront all the way down to the creek. As usual no swimming due to nasty snappers. We paused for a quick chat and for Susan to purloin a plastic bag to store more valuable shell fragments for transport back to Adelaide. We toyed with staying another day but the thought of facing the longdrops again and the fact there was no potable water was enough to tip the balance. These long drops were undoubtably the worst composting toilets we have encountered due to their lack of maintenance. I shall spare you the gory details but they were bad.

We packed and left by 1130. The previously mentioned tawny frogmouth(s) had managed to miss the strategically placed mat on top of the tent so another cleaning job. Birds of prey don't digest their food very well, enough said!

Amazing even after 122 days we still manage to get things wrong. Today we left the ladder and mat inside the tent as we folded it up. I noticed the ladder was missing and we extracted it through the zip up floor panel. The mat we found when we set up tonight. Laurel and Hardy are alive and well.

We travelled southwards for a couple of hours until we reached Rockhampton. Another very large regional city with a lot of older buildings. We visited the tourist information centre and the closest caravan park which was cramped and relatively expensive. I took the executive decision that we should travel back to Yeppoon located on the coast adjacent Great Keppel Island since Susan also had a vague recollection of a recommended tourist park which we located. We will stay here 2 nights.

Viewing Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton makes you realise that SA is a bit of a backwater sizewise. However there is no Bob Katter or midges in SA and for that you should be thankful.

We have been discussing storage options (drawer units and a fridge slide) for the Pajero and some rearranging of the way we pack our kit to facilitate a more efficient use of our time when we are on the road. We seem to spend a lot of time packing and unpacking which is annoying when you are in travelling mode. Looks like i will be busy building once we return to Adelaide.

Tomorrow we will have a look around Yeppoon and Rockhampton.

For those of you returning to work tomorrow .... suffer .. hehehe

cheers Simon