Ah, the next adventure, and what an adventure it was. Somewhat after the fact, but here it is all the same.
Tuesday 3rd of September saw us pack up and head out of Toowoomba for what I believe was the best part of our trip yet. After saying a sad goodbye to our new friends Glenn and Sue as they were to move on from Toowoomba whilst we were away, we turned Trevor and Cara west and headed inland. We spent the better part of the day at the Jondaryan Woolshed Complex. A working farm / museum / camp ground / event site. After exploring the historical parts of the farm, including the heritage listed and largest working woolshed in Queensland, the dairy, the machinery sheds, blacksmith, school room, hall, cottages etc. we headed on over to the animal nursery. The kids, T included, were really excited about holding some two hour old baby chicks. They had in fact only emerged from their shells while we had been at the farm! And after that we all had a go helping to bottle feed some goat kids. Trying to extract E from the animal nursery was near on impossible by this stage. She was determined to take home a baby goat!!
Finally we managed to remove her and made tracks for our first camp site. The Bowenville Reserve. (Thanks Willy for the recommendation). It was a lovely free camp on the banks of a nice creek line and all of about 50kms away from Toowoomba!! Huge first day of travelling!!
We spent the next day relaxing at our camp. The kids tried out the new yabby nets, with no success, and even forced Dad into getting the kayak wet when they snagged the nets while trying to pull them up. Yay for Dad who managed to retrieve them without damage. They also created some interesting ant farms (because we have to have pets), by collecting specimens of all the different types of ants they could find. From memory they had about 5 or 6 different species. As has become the norm, E made friends with the other kids in the camp. There was a group of about three families who all live at the reserve permanently in tents. They couldn't play for most of the day though as they were all home schooled by their mothers. R and I had an interesting chat with a fellow south aussie. He was ex-police so had some interesting stories to tell. Pa would have loved listening to his stories of car restoration too. He had certainly had some adventures down that line of hobby.
Thursday dawned another beautiful sunny day, and coincidentally my birthday. R cooked up a storm for me, pancakes with cream, maple syrup and sliced strawberries. Yum! After that we went for a drive into Dalby to have a look around. We did a spot of shopping, had lunch and went to the playground before returning to camp and spending the evening chatting around the campfire with another camper. It was an awesome way to spend my birthday.
The following day we decided was time to move along, so we packed up again and headed back to the highway, and might I add in record time. We were on the road by 8.30! Our travels on this day took us through St George, where we stopped for lunch and a play. E scaled a tree in the playground to retrieve some fruit to try. The screwed up look on her face told us it wasn't particularly nice. LOL. It took some research to find out that the fruit in question was the Burdekin Plum. It was very bitter straight from the tree, but information suggested that if we let it sit for a few days it would become sweeter. Pfft!! It didn't!! While we were in St George we also went for a look at a very unique museum. It was entirely carved emu eggs. The man who does these amazing carvings is a Greek immigrant and has been perfecting his art for over 50 years. His work was unbelievable. I would love to have spent a bit longer looking at them but the kids weren't really interested and the highway was beckoning us again. A couple of hours later we arrived at our camp, in a teeny, tiny town called Bollon. We were all astounded to be met in the main street by some Emu's having dinner on the grass of the civic centre. We all thought it was hilarious. After picking our site and setting up on the banks of the Wallam Creek we headed over to the pub for a drink. I can't say I had ever been to a pub that just opens the doors and hoses it's concrete floors off to clean, but now I have. The other patrons were amused by the kids climbing up the verandah poles and lying on the ground with a local dog, but the publican was not amused by the cattle truck driver who pulled up outside - phew wee!!
The free camp was edged on the opposite side to the creek by open farm land and the town cemetery. You can imagine the fright I had when on leaving the toilet (after dark) I heard something move not too far away, and when I turned my headlamp around to find the source I was confronted with a white headstone and the reflection of two eyes!!! Turned out to be a kangaroo, one of many, but it sure did startle me. The cemetery turned out to be a source of interest to E the following morning too. It seems she shares my interest in wandering around old cemeteries, reading about the people in them, and trying to imagine their lives. E was very thoughtful and walked around standing up all the fallen vases, putting flowers back in place and even putting new ones on the graves of children that didn't have any. Death was about to become a big part of our learning while on this trip.
The following day, which happened to be election day, was also moving day. R and I had already voted before we left Toowoomba. As we were in no hurry we had a slow morning, took a walk along the creek, watched some horses on the opposite bank go for a swim, and had a discussion with E about her wanting to be an aboriginal so she could live on the land. At the last minute we decided on a change of plans for our destination. We decided we would try and call ahead to a private station that offered camping, instead of going directly to Cunnamulla. This was by far, in my opinion, the best change of plans we could possibly have made.............
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Wednesday 11 September 2013
Murphy's Creek Escape, Upper Lockyer QLD
Why, hello there!!
It has been some time since I last posted. Oops, sorry, we just kind of got into the swing of life in Toowoomba and I didn't think we had anything interesting to write about so I didn't. Then when we did have something interesting we had no phone or internet service so I couldn't. I am going to endeavour now to catch everyone up on the last month and a bit. You may need to go make a cuppa, get a snack, take the phone off the hook, and settle in to a comfy chair as we have been having some fantastic adventures and I have lots to tell you.........
Alrighty then, since we had not been able to secure a "long term" site in Toowoomba we were needing to park hop around the place a bit and our next place to try was a little further afield, about half an hours drive from Toowoomba, and down the range to boot. We booked in for a week at Murphy's Creek Escape. A lovely little bush camp on a private property. It was awesome. We had a site right on the creek front, one of only 20 powered sites in the park. The creek itself is mostly shallow and the kids had an absolute ball playing in the water for most of the week as fortunately for us the weather was on our side and it was t-shirt and shorts all the way!! A short walk down a path led to the "beach", a sandy area fronting onto a much deeper waterhole suitable for swimming. Needless to say E dived straight in.
As usual E made friends with the owners daughter, Holly, within minutes and off they went on their bikes around the property. At 4.00 each afternoon it was bird feeding time. The kids, and some big kids, gathered around with seed in hand and waited for the Rainbow Lorikeets to come on down from the trees for dinner. It was usual for about 50 of them to be feeding. The groundskeeper informed us that it took about 6 months to get the birds to come and feed in the area and another 6 months to get them eating from the hand. Thanks to his patience the kids had a great time.
As has become the norm for us in most of our camps, E likes to find herself a "pet". This time however, Mum wasn't quite as pleased as the pet of choice turned out to be a cane toad. It was amusingly given the name Bum-bum because E discovered that if she poked Bum-bum up the bum he would hop over the stick she held in front of him like a hurdle!! She had quite an obstacle course set up for Bum-bum!! We also spent the better part of a morning in the creek searching for more frogs as T and C decided that they also needed to have a pet. T then spent the afternoon creating a Lego world playground for his frog.
Another animal first for us was seeing a goanna. The kids decided that the goanna would also need a name and thus was titled "Joanna". Joanna lived right on the edge of the creek, very near our camp, and the kids delighted in announcing her presence every time they saw her sunning on the rocks. While we were initially impressed with the size of Joanna, it wasn't long before E and I were having a bit of a walk in the park and saw another goanna a whole lot bigger than Joanna climbing a tree. We were pretty stoked with our find.
Murphy's Creek is also home to a pretty fun 4wd area. We were given directions to an area behind the township where anyone can go to test their skills. We were informed by some local people that if you are able to drive on it, you are allowed to drive on it! Unfortunately we didn't get too much time to play as R had to get back for work. Keeping that area in the memory banks for another time.
The kids and I had a bit of a fright one evening when at about 8.00pm a giant big Blackhawk helicopter came zooming up the creek gorge at very low altitude and with spotlight on. Of course it led to all sorts of assumptions as to what they were doing out in the bush where we were. All was revealed in the morning when the owner came around to say hi. Peter was ex-army and the base at Toowoomba often now used his property as a target in training practices. Phew, there were no mad axe-murderers on the loose!!
Due to Peters army background he also ran several adventure activities on the property. We enjoyed watching some kids on the "ropes course". I know E would have loved to have a go but unfortunately she was just a bit too short to participate. T and E did however get to participate in one of the sessions on the giant flying fox. The flying fox is 235 meters long and can get up to speeds of 60kmh!! The kids had to attend an info session and get fitted up with the appropriate harnesses, and helmets etc before trekking off to the top of the flying fox. That was no mean feat in itself. There was a hike of about a km, then a scramble over the rocks, climb a ladder, cross a beam, shimmy around a tree trunk and only then were they on the platform!! The kids both had two rides down the flying fox and loved every second of it. T even did one of his rides strung upside down!!
After 9 nights our time at Murphy's Creek Escape came to an end and we made our way back to Toowoomba, albeit only just as it was a pretty huge effort for Trevor to pull Cara back up the range!! I'm sure the traffic stuck behind us crawling along in first gear and at about 20kph were less than kind in their mumbled mutterings about caravanners!!!
Back in Toowoomba for a few weeks saw life return pretty much to normal. R working in the afternoons, kids swimming, mum cooking and cleaning....... You know how it goes.......
And then, R finished working a week earlier than expected and so we moved our next adventure forward by a week...........
It has been some time since I last posted. Oops, sorry, we just kind of got into the swing of life in Toowoomba and I didn't think we had anything interesting to write about so I didn't. Then when we did have something interesting we had no phone or internet service so I couldn't. I am going to endeavour now to catch everyone up on the last month and a bit. You may need to go make a cuppa, get a snack, take the phone off the hook, and settle in to a comfy chair as we have been having some fantastic adventures and I have lots to tell you.........
Alrighty then, since we had not been able to secure a "long term" site in Toowoomba we were needing to park hop around the place a bit and our next place to try was a little further afield, about half an hours drive from Toowoomba, and down the range to boot. We booked in for a week at Murphy's Creek Escape. A lovely little bush camp on a private property. It was awesome. We had a site right on the creek front, one of only 20 powered sites in the park. The creek itself is mostly shallow and the kids had an absolute ball playing in the water for most of the week as fortunately for us the weather was on our side and it was t-shirt and shorts all the way!! A short walk down a path led to the "beach", a sandy area fronting onto a much deeper waterhole suitable for swimming. Needless to say E dived straight in.
As usual E made friends with the owners daughter, Holly, within minutes and off they went on their bikes around the property. At 4.00 each afternoon it was bird feeding time. The kids, and some big kids, gathered around with seed in hand and waited for the Rainbow Lorikeets to come on down from the trees for dinner. It was usual for about 50 of them to be feeding. The groundskeeper informed us that it took about 6 months to get the birds to come and feed in the area and another 6 months to get them eating from the hand. Thanks to his patience the kids had a great time.
As has become the norm for us in most of our camps, E likes to find herself a "pet". This time however, Mum wasn't quite as pleased as the pet of choice turned out to be a cane toad. It was amusingly given the name Bum-bum because E discovered that if she poked Bum-bum up the bum he would hop over the stick she held in front of him like a hurdle!! She had quite an obstacle course set up for Bum-bum!! We also spent the better part of a morning in the creek searching for more frogs as T and C decided that they also needed to have a pet. T then spent the afternoon creating a Lego world playground for his frog.
Another animal first for us was seeing a goanna. The kids decided that the goanna would also need a name and thus was titled "Joanna". Joanna lived right on the edge of the creek, very near our camp, and the kids delighted in announcing her presence every time they saw her sunning on the rocks. While we were initially impressed with the size of Joanna, it wasn't long before E and I were having a bit of a walk in the park and saw another goanna a whole lot bigger than Joanna climbing a tree. We were pretty stoked with our find.
Murphy's Creek is also home to a pretty fun 4wd area. We were given directions to an area behind the township where anyone can go to test their skills. We were informed by some local people that if you are able to drive on it, you are allowed to drive on it! Unfortunately we didn't get too much time to play as R had to get back for work. Keeping that area in the memory banks for another time.
The kids and I had a bit of a fright one evening when at about 8.00pm a giant big Blackhawk helicopter came zooming up the creek gorge at very low altitude and with spotlight on. Of course it led to all sorts of assumptions as to what they were doing out in the bush where we were. All was revealed in the morning when the owner came around to say hi. Peter was ex-army and the base at Toowoomba often now used his property as a target in training practices. Phew, there were no mad axe-murderers on the loose!!
Due to Peters army background he also ran several adventure activities on the property. We enjoyed watching some kids on the "ropes course". I know E would have loved to have a go but unfortunately she was just a bit too short to participate. T and E did however get to participate in one of the sessions on the giant flying fox. The flying fox is 235 meters long and can get up to speeds of 60kmh!! The kids had to attend an info session and get fitted up with the appropriate harnesses, and helmets etc before trekking off to the top of the flying fox. That was no mean feat in itself. There was a hike of about a km, then a scramble over the rocks, climb a ladder, cross a beam, shimmy around a tree trunk and only then were they on the platform!! The kids both had two rides down the flying fox and loved every second of it. T even did one of his rides strung upside down!!
After 9 nights our time at Murphy's Creek Escape came to an end and we made our way back to Toowoomba, albeit only just as it was a pretty huge effort for Trevor to pull Cara back up the range!! I'm sure the traffic stuck behind us crawling along in first gear and at about 20kph were less than kind in their mumbled mutterings about caravanners!!!
Back in Toowoomba for a few weeks saw life return pretty much to normal. R working in the afternoons, kids swimming, mum cooking and cleaning....... You know how it goes.......
And then, R finished working a week earlier than expected and so we moved our next adventure forward by a week...........
Friday 2 August 2013
From T
Hello Everyone!
Today we went for a drive. We went up a volcano. We had a look around up there and later we found a playground so we stopped for a play. It had a really big pancake swing. Me and C were pretending that we were superman flying around. At the volcano we saw a kangaroo with a baby in it's pouch. We saw a funny looking bird statue in some ones garden. We went past the airport and Dads work. When we came home we watched a movie called Getting Even with Dad. After that we watched some normal TV. E started to do some homework and I went up into my bed to play Lego Chima.
So far my favourite place has been Warrnambool. It was really fun, there was lots of things to do. There was a jumping pillow, a playground and a swimming pool. I really liked the huge TV in the games room because it had Foxtel.
A really fun bit on our holiday was when we went to Melbourne. Dad and I went to the MGC to watch the Tigers play the Saints. At the end of the game the Tigers were on 118 points and the Saints were on 57. I bought a toy from the Mascot Manor caravan. It was a Tigers mascot. When we got home it was really late so we had to go straight to bed.
At Mt Gambier it was really rainy. We did see lots of things and tried to avoid the rain. We went to see the Blue Lake, we went of lots of different look outs. At one point we climbed a thousand stairs to a really tall tower but then we realised that there was a car park. Dad was cranky that we walked up all the stairs when we could have driven up! We went to two sinkholes. One of them had two waterfalls and three movies on the wall. The next day we went to another sinkhole where there were possums. We took food to feed them. It was really funny when the possum lifted its tail up because there was poo hanging from its bum. We called it the dangly possum.
The other day when we came to the Big 4 park in Toowoomba we went to a really cool park where there were heaps of really cool plants cut into shapes. There was a Thomas the Tank engine that had seats in it. At the playground we saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse. At one section of the park we saw a mother duck with five baby ducks and on the other side we saw a turtle. When we went over to another section of the park there was a spider, a rabbit, a dinosaur, a lawnmower and lots of other things.
In the first caravan park in Toowoomba we went to Mc Donald's three times. Once for dinner, once for an ice cream, and once for my birthday. After my birthday we decided to not have takeaway and that we should have some real home cooked food. I really like the Big 4 caravan park because it has a heated pool with a water slide. It has a playground and a TV room but we can't go in there at the moment because they are building a jumping pillow next to it.
Yesterday in the caravan park we saw two Tawny Frogmouths in a tree next to our caravan. Today when we went to see if they were still there but they weren't so we are guessing that at night they flew away.
At Portland the playground was really fun. It had a three horse merry go round. It had a wooden bit, a plastic bit, a swing set and a broken tractor. There was also a rocking lady bug. Just outside of the caravan park there was another playground with a see saw, a swing and a wobbly snail.
At Apollo Bay it was fun because at the playground there was a flying fox, a bouncing swing, and some bars. There was a koala crossing the road and it went right underneath our car in the caravan park. That was a bit unusual. We looked at the water and all of a sudden there were whales popping up. The next day we went to the rock pools. It was really cold. I slipped over on the rocks. We found over 40 starfish. When we got back into the car we were looking out and all of a sudden we saw whales jumping up and down and splashing in the water. The lady at the information centre said the whales might have gone quiet because it had gotten cold.
At Geelong Mummy and I went to Target and I spent my money on a cool Lego Chima set and it came with two speed oars, a big lion thing, a ramp and a chi throwing thing. The two characters that were in the set were Cragger and Laval. They are my favourite characters. Every day when I have some quite time I like making up my own secret weapons for the chima characters and I think all the weapons I have made up look pretty cool.
We stayed at Barooga for a week. It was fun, there was lots of things to do. Because we had a spare tyre Dad used a rope to make a swing in the tree. There was lots of sand to play in. My cousins came the day after we arrived. Erin and I made treasure hunts. Two days later when everyone went to the bike track Mummy and I made a really cool treasure hunt and the treasure was caramello koalas and freddo frogs. The treasure hunt was a clue treasure hunt. I had the last clue which told them that they had to go and dig. It was really fun watching them run up and down looking for the treasure. One night mummy and daddy had a shower by the fire after everyone had gone to bed. The day we left it was so cold that we didn't get out of our pj's. C's hands were so cold they went all red and hurt. He was crying.
At Forbes we got cleaned up after staying at Barooga because we stank really bad. The next night we went to the pub for dinner. We had McDonald's for lunch.
The day we left we went to the Big Dish at Parkes. It was really big and we did the scavenger hunt there. We kept going to Dubbo where we stayed at a Top Tourist park, There was a jumping pillow, a huge playground and a TV room. We didn't go in the swimming pool because we only stayed one night.
We went to the Crystal Kingdom in Coonabarabran. We looked at lots of fossils and crystals. Then we went a long way to find a pottery place. We got to use clay and we made lots of stuff. After that we went an extra long way on a bumpy road to get to our camp spot. In the morning we went for a really long walk. We saw lots of aboriginal artworks. At the bottom of the gorge we saw a sign that said look up, when we looked up we saw one of the statues that we had passed.
After we left we drove to Moree. At Moree we had stayed at the caravan park for three nights. We went to the big swimming centre there. It was really fun. In the caravan park there was a heated spa. Mum, E, C and I played hide and seek. We used our scooters and bikes to play around the park. We went to the beer and bull shit corner to have a sausage sizzle. It was really nice in the caravan park but on the second day we looked at the fence around the park, it was barbed wire. The middle of town was nice but if you go further out of town all the houses were burnt down, grafitied or vandalised. There were people still living in graffitied houses. There were lots of police cars going around.
On our way to Warwick which is my last favourite place we stopped at Glen Innes to do some fossicking. It was really fun. I found a sapphire and Mum found a really cool green one. I also found a red garnet. At Warwick not one of the family liked the caravan park.
Today at Toowoomba there was 60 teenagers that arrived in the caravan park.
Last week was my birthday. I got four presents. Then I got one more yesterday. We went to Crows Nest. We explored there, we stopped for a quick play at the playground then we had lunch at the waterfall place. We had an explore around there. To get C to go back to the car I played a game with him.. We had a race to see who could get back to the car first. C won. We pretended we were riding our chima motorbikes.
Today we went for a drive. We went up a volcano. We had a look around up there and later we found a playground so we stopped for a play. It had a really big pancake swing. Me and C were pretending that we were superman flying around. At the volcano we saw a kangaroo with a baby in it's pouch. We saw a funny looking bird statue in some ones garden. We went past the airport and Dads work. When we came home we watched a movie called Getting Even with Dad. After that we watched some normal TV. E started to do some homework and I went up into my bed to play Lego Chima.
So far my favourite place has been Warrnambool. It was really fun, there was lots of things to do. There was a jumping pillow, a playground and a swimming pool. I really liked the huge TV in the games room because it had Foxtel.
A really fun bit on our holiday was when we went to Melbourne. Dad and I went to the MGC to watch the Tigers play the Saints. At the end of the game the Tigers were on 118 points and the Saints were on 57. I bought a toy from the Mascot Manor caravan. It was a Tigers mascot. When we got home it was really late so we had to go straight to bed.
At Mt Gambier it was really rainy. We did see lots of things and tried to avoid the rain. We went to see the Blue Lake, we went of lots of different look outs. At one point we climbed a thousand stairs to a really tall tower but then we realised that there was a car park. Dad was cranky that we walked up all the stairs when we could have driven up! We went to two sinkholes. One of them had two waterfalls and three movies on the wall. The next day we went to another sinkhole where there were possums. We took food to feed them. It was really funny when the possum lifted its tail up because there was poo hanging from its bum. We called it the dangly possum.
The other day when we came to the Big 4 park in Toowoomba we went to a really cool park where there were heaps of really cool plants cut into shapes. There was a Thomas the Tank engine that had seats in it. At the playground we saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse. At one section of the park we saw a mother duck with five baby ducks and on the other side we saw a turtle. When we went over to another section of the park there was a spider, a rabbit, a dinosaur, a lawnmower and lots of other things.
In the first caravan park in Toowoomba we went to Mc Donald's three times. Once for dinner, once for an ice cream, and once for my birthday. After my birthday we decided to not have takeaway and that we should have some real home cooked food. I really like the Big 4 caravan park because it has a heated pool with a water slide. It has a playground and a TV room but we can't go in there at the moment because they are building a jumping pillow next to it.
Yesterday in the caravan park we saw two Tawny Frogmouths in a tree next to our caravan. Today when we went to see if they were still there but they weren't so we are guessing that at night they flew away.
At Portland the playground was really fun. It had a three horse merry go round. It had a wooden bit, a plastic bit, a swing set and a broken tractor. There was also a rocking lady bug. Just outside of the caravan park there was another playground with a see saw, a swing and a wobbly snail.
At Apollo Bay it was fun because at the playground there was a flying fox, a bouncing swing, and some bars. There was a koala crossing the road and it went right underneath our car in the caravan park. That was a bit unusual. We looked at the water and all of a sudden there were whales popping up. The next day we went to the rock pools. It was really cold. I slipped over on the rocks. We found over 40 starfish. When we got back into the car we were looking out and all of a sudden we saw whales jumping up and down and splashing in the water. The lady at the information centre said the whales might have gone quiet because it had gotten cold.
At Geelong Mummy and I went to Target and I spent my money on a cool Lego Chima set and it came with two speed oars, a big lion thing, a ramp and a chi throwing thing. The two characters that were in the set were Cragger and Laval. They are my favourite characters. Every day when I have some quite time I like making up my own secret weapons for the chima characters and I think all the weapons I have made up look pretty cool.
We stayed at Barooga for a week. It was fun, there was lots of things to do. Because we had a spare tyre Dad used a rope to make a swing in the tree. There was lots of sand to play in. My cousins came the day after we arrived. Erin and I made treasure hunts. Two days later when everyone went to the bike track Mummy and I made a really cool treasure hunt and the treasure was caramello koalas and freddo frogs. The treasure hunt was a clue treasure hunt. I had the last clue which told them that they had to go and dig. It was really fun watching them run up and down looking for the treasure. One night mummy and daddy had a shower by the fire after everyone had gone to bed. The day we left it was so cold that we didn't get out of our pj's. C's hands were so cold they went all red and hurt. He was crying.
At Forbes we got cleaned up after staying at Barooga because we stank really bad. The next night we went to the pub for dinner. We had McDonald's for lunch.
The day we left we went to the Big Dish at Parkes. It was really big and we did the scavenger hunt there. We kept going to Dubbo where we stayed at a Top Tourist park, There was a jumping pillow, a huge playground and a TV room. We didn't go in the swimming pool because we only stayed one night.
We went to the Crystal Kingdom in Coonabarabran. We looked at lots of fossils and crystals. Then we went a long way to find a pottery place. We got to use clay and we made lots of stuff. After that we went an extra long way on a bumpy road to get to our camp spot. In the morning we went for a really long walk. We saw lots of aboriginal artworks. At the bottom of the gorge we saw a sign that said look up, when we looked up we saw one of the statues that we had passed.
After we left we drove to Moree. At Moree we had stayed at the caravan park for three nights. We went to the big swimming centre there. It was really fun. In the caravan park there was a heated spa. Mum, E, C and I played hide and seek. We used our scooters and bikes to play around the park. We went to the beer and bull shit corner to have a sausage sizzle. It was really nice in the caravan park but on the second day we looked at the fence around the park, it was barbed wire. The middle of town was nice but if you go further out of town all the houses were burnt down, grafitied or vandalised. There were people still living in graffitied houses. There were lots of police cars going around.
On our way to Warwick which is my last favourite place we stopped at Glen Innes to do some fossicking. It was really fun. I found a sapphire and Mum found a really cool green one. I also found a red garnet. At Warwick not one of the family liked the caravan park.
Today at Toowoomba there was 60 teenagers that arrived in the caravan park.
Last week was my birthday. I got four presents. Then I got one more yesterday. We went to Crows Nest. We explored there, we stopped for a quick play at the playground then we had lunch at the waterfall place. We had an explore around there. To get C to go back to the car I played a game with him.. We had a race to see who could get back to the car first. C won. We pretended we were riding our chima motorbikes.
Wednesday 31 July 2013
Toowoomba, QLD - Part 2
Another of our outings around Toowoomba was much more sobering. After talking to the man in the visitor centre about the floods in 2011 we went for a drive through the Lockyer Valley area. It is really beautiful, now, but when comparing what we saw to what we looked at on YouTube later of footage from the floods, I just cried. I think what it did was enable me to make the footage real. Watching it all on TV we do become so desensitised to the massive event that it was. It is just pictures. It doesn't mean anything. But when you can drive down the road that was washed away, when you can see where there used to be houses that were washed away in minutes with the occupants still in them, then it suddenly becomes so much more real. Now I watch footage and I know where it was taken, I can see for myself how no-one had anywhere to go. Now I drive through the intersection where a mother and son were washed away and I know what the flowers on the post are for. But it's not even just the major impacts of the floods that have become real, there is all the other stuff, the vastness of the area affected and the degree of damage caused all over the region.
On T's birthday we decided to go for another drive. It was T's pick which direction we would head and so north it was to a place called Crows Nest (just because the name sounded cool!). It was only about a 40 minute drive away. Crows Nest is a small town perched on the top of the great dividing range, like Toowoomba. There wasn't much to see or do so after a short play in the town centre park we decided to have our picnic lunch at the Crows Nest Conservation Park, where there was the promise of a hike to see some waterfalls. We had lunch in the picnic grounds with the company of a strange looking bush chook type bird who wanted a share of the spoils. The kids then did some rock hopping around on the banks of the creek that flowed through the park. Much to my dismay, when the spotted a random cow on the opposite bank T and E decided they would have to rock hop their way right across the creek to go and see the cow. In the mean time the cow had wandered away from site. I had my heart in my throat watching E head through head high grass and reeds towards where she thought T had gone, but in fact not going in the right direction, with a random cow somewhere around there and her not able to hear me calling out over the sound of the water over the rocks. I couldn't even try to cross myself as I had C with me and I didn't trust him not to try and cross too! Finally E found her way out onto the sandy bank and together with T they headed around the corner to find the cow. They found it! And from the look on their faces as they came running back, with many a glance over their shoulder, it would seem that the cow was just as interested in checking them out!! After lunch we completed the 3 km round trip hike to see the Crows Nest Falls. Hmm, it was a lovely hike but the falls themselves were a little disappointing. It was along this walk however that we got to see more of the widespread damage that the floods had caused. There were several paths that were now closed due to damage, rock falls, and unsafe edges. A large part of the park itself was now off limits as the granite rocks are too unstable and there had been several large rock falls in the near past.
T's birthday was finished off with our customary birthday person choice for dinner, and as expected it was off to the golden arches we went. I do hold hope that one day he will choose something else. One day.
We have been on a few drives around the town and district to have a look around and have found and tried out every playground in walking distance from the caravan parks. So, with that in mind and me being thoroughly playground-ed out, todays activity was to head to the city library to see what we could find. We had to beg and plead and get admin involved to try and get a membership as we have nothing we can show with a Queensland address, and thankfully the nice administration lady agreed that we could have one. Poor R looked like a fish out of water in the library. "It's not my kind of thing" were his words. The kids however thought it was pretty cool. The library has a cubby house, and much to C's delight, a fire truck to play in.
This afternoon, as is becoming the routine, the kids jumped into the pool for a swim. This park has a heated kids pool which is nice and shallow at one end, great for C, and quite deep at the other to allow for the curly waterslide. The kids were all a bit excited when the lady from the office came out to take some pictures of them for use on their website. E declared "I'll be famous!!".
Other than making some plans for upcoming bookings and planning some travel in September, that is our time in Toowoomba thus far. We are going to be taking off for about 4 weeks again in September as this is a quiet period at R's work so they are happy for him to take that time off and would love to see him come back again in October, and stay until Christmas! We haven't made any firm decisions as yet so will have to wait and see which way the wind takes us........
On T's birthday we decided to go for another drive. It was T's pick which direction we would head and so north it was to a place called Crows Nest (just because the name sounded cool!). It was only about a 40 minute drive away. Crows Nest is a small town perched on the top of the great dividing range, like Toowoomba. There wasn't much to see or do so after a short play in the town centre park we decided to have our picnic lunch at the Crows Nest Conservation Park, where there was the promise of a hike to see some waterfalls. We had lunch in the picnic grounds with the company of a strange looking bush chook type bird who wanted a share of the spoils. The kids then did some rock hopping around on the banks of the creek that flowed through the park. Much to my dismay, when the spotted a random cow on the opposite bank T and E decided they would have to rock hop their way right across the creek to go and see the cow. In the mean time the cow had wandered away from site. I had my heart in my throat watching E head through head high grass and reeds towards where she thought T had gone, but in fact not going in the right direction, with a random cow somewhere around there and her not able to hear me calling out over the sound of the water over the rocks. I couldn't even try to cross myself as I had C with me and I didn't trust him not to try and cross too! Finally E found her way out onto the sandy bank and together with T they headed around the corner to find the cow. They found it! And from the look on their faces as they came running back, with many a glance over their shoulder, it would seem that the cow was just as interested in checking them out!! After lunch we completed the 3 km round trip hike to see the Crows Nest Falls. Hmm, it was a lovely hike but the falls themselves were a little disappointing. It was along this walk however that we got to see more of the widespread damage that the floods had caused. There were several paths that were now closed due to damage, rock falls, and unsafe edges. A large part of the park itself was now off limits as the granite rocks are too unstable and there had been several large rock falls in the near past.
T's birthday was finished off with our customary birthday person choice for dinner, and as expected it was off to the golden arches we went. I do hold hope that one day he will choose something else. One day.
We have been on a few drives around the town and district to have a look around and have found and tried out every playground in walking distance from the caravan parks. So, with that in mind and me being thoroughly playground-ed out, todays activity was to head to the city library to see what we could find. We had to beg and plead and get admin involved to try and get a membership as we have nothing we can show with a Queensland address, and thankfully the nice administration lady agreed that we could have one. Poor R looked like a fish out of water in the library. "It's not my kind of thing" were his words. The kids however thought it was pretty cool. The library has a cubby house, and much to C's delight, a fire truck to play in.
This afternoon, as is becoming the routine, the kids jumped into the pool for a swim. This park has a heated kids pool which is nice and shallow at one end, great for C, and quite deep at the other to allow for the curly waterslide. The kids were all a bit excited when the lady from the office came out to take some pictures of them for use on their website. E declared "I'll be famous!!".
Other than making some plans for upcoming bookings and planning some travel in September, that is our time in Toowoomba thus far. We are going to be taking off for about 4 weeks again in September as this is a quiet period at R's work so they are happy for him to take that time off and would love to see him come back again in October, and stay until Christmas! We haven't made any firm decisions as yet so will have to wait and see which way the wind takes us........
Toowoomba, QLD
After our disappointing overnighter at Warwick we decided to head for Toowoomba as R had some work leads he wanted to follow up.
We checked into the Toowoomba Motor Village for a night and after setting up headed into the city centre for a look around and so R could go and do some job hunting. The plan was that if he was successful in finding a job we would extend our stay, and if not we would head for a friends place about 2 hours away. R dropped the kids and I in the middle of the city centre with the agreement that he would call once he was done job hunting and we would try and find each other again. The kids and I spent the afternoon wandering around the local shopping centre and up the main shopping street, then made our way to the local Queens Park, just in time for R to call to say he was finished. An hour and a half later and the decision was made - we were staying in Toowoomba. R had secured a job. This was definitely a bit of a relief given the ever decreasing bank balance.
R was now going to be working afternoon shift which suits us perfectly as we have the mornings to do things all together before he heads off to work. The work is casual, and the employers are aware of our situation so are happy for R to have time off if there is something particular we want to do. They have also expressed that they would love for R to stay with them until Christmas. We are not sure yet whether this is what we will do or not.
We extended our stay at the Motor Village for another week and a bit, and have since moved to the Big 4 as it caters a bit better for the kids. There is a TV room and a heated swimming pool with water slide. The kids have been in most days since we arrived here, but have yet to talk me into getting in with them despite the heated water. I have told them that I require the sky to be completely blue, ie no clouds what so ever, before I will be getting in. I'm kind of dreading the day that that happens, I'm not really ready for the swimming season just yet. It may be warmer here than back home, but it's not warm enough!
So, since we have become official banana benders we have checked out several of the parks and gardens in Toowoomba. Picnic Point, the highest peak in Toowoomba is beautiful. There is a giant flagpole which stands 53 meters tall, with a flag that is 40 foot by 20 foot in size. It is huge and can be seen from miles and miles away. The picnic grounds, waterfall area, playgrounds and café in the vicinity are so well maintained. We have definitely noticed that Toowoomba is a very clean, tidy, well kept and proud city. It really is a lovely place.
We have also been to Queens Park, in the city centre, several times. For those Adelaidians reading, it reminds be very much of the Plane Tree Drive park between the Botanical Gardens and the Zoo, if you add a couple of really cool playgrounds. There are some huge grass areas and some lovely tree lined boulevards. The playgrounds cater for all age groups too, there is a toddler playground and middle sized, and a teenagers area. A little further away is an awesome musical playground. All the activities revolve around sound. There is an interactive digital game, a solar powered piano, a giant xylophone and a whole heap of other stuff. It is really cool and the kids love it!
Another park that we have checked out was the amazing Laurel Bank Park. This is a garden park, not a playing park, but it is home to the original clubhouse and greens of the Croquet Club. This is the only ball game allowed within the park. The whole park was stunningly immaculate. It is made up of several sections, there is a rose garden, a topiary garden, a scented garden, a wisteria arch walk, and some garden beds which are planted out with flowers to make pictures and can be viewed from a raised platform. The kids especially like the assorted topiary. We found, amongst other things, a caterpillar with boots on, a spider, a lawnmower, mother duck with her five little ducks, a chair, a go kart, and an awesome Thomas the Tank Engine complete with painted face panel and bench seats in the carriages. We are planning another visit to this park just so we can have another look around, and so the kids can climb some more trees!
To be continued.......
We checked into the Toowoomba Motor Village for a night and after setting up headed into the city centre for a look around and so R could go and do some job hunting. The plan was that if he was successful in finding a job we would extend our stay, and if not we would head for a friends place about 2 hours away. R dropped the kids and I in the middle of the city centre with the agreement that he would call once he was done job hunting and we would try and find each other again. The kids and I spent the afternoon wandering around the local shopping centre and up the main shopping street, then made our way to the local Queens Park, just in time for R to call to say he was finished. An hour and a half later and the decision was made - we were staying in Toowoomba. R had secured a job. This was definitely a bit of a relief given the ever decreasing bank balance.
R was now going to be working afternoon shift which suits us perfectly as we have the mornings to do things all together before he heads off to work. The work is casual, and the employers are aware of our situation so are happy for R to have time off if there is something particular we want to do. They have also expressed that they would love for R to stay with them until Christmas. We are not sure yet whether this is what we will do or not.
We extended our stay at the Motor Village for another week and a bit, and have since moved to the Big 4 as it caters a bit better for the kids. There is a TV room and a heated swimming pool with water slide. The kids have been in most days since we arrived here, but have yet to talk me into getting in with them despite the heated water. I have told them that I require the sky to be completely blue, ie no clouds what so ever, before I will be getting in. I'm kind of dreading the day that that happens, I'm not really ready for the swimming season just yet. It may be warmer here than back home, but it's not warm enough!
So, since we have become official banana benders we have checked out several of the parks and gardens in Toowoomba. Picnic Point, the highest peak in Toowoomba is beautiful. There is a giant flagpole which stands 53 meters tall, with a flag that is 40 foot by 20 foot in size. It is huge and can be seen from miles and miles away. The picnic grounds, waterfall area, playgrounds and café in the vicinity are so well maintained. We have definitely noticed that Toowoomba is a very clean, tidy, well kept and proud city. It really is a lovely place.
We have also been to Queens Park, in the city centre, several times. For those Adelaidians reading, it reminds be very much of the Plane Tree Drive park between the Botanical Gardens and the Zoo, if you add a couple of really cool playgrounds. There are some huge grass areas and some lovely tree lined boulevards. The playgrounds cater for all age groups too, there is a toddler playground and middle sized, and a teenagers area. A little further away is an awesome musical playground. All the activities revolve around sound. There is an interactive digital game, a solar powered piano, a giant xylophone and a whole heap of other stuff. It is really cool and the kids love it!
Another park that we have checked out was the amazing Laurel Bank Park. This is a garden park, not a playing park, but it is home to the original clubhouse and greens of the Croquet Club. This is the only ball game allowed within the park. The whole park was stunningly immaculate. It is made up of several sections, there is a rose garden, a topiary garden, a scented garden, a wisteria arch walk, and some garden beds which are planted out with flowers to make pictures and can be viewed from a raised platform. The kids especially like the assorted topiary. We found, amongst other things, a caterpillar with boots on, a spider, a lawnmower, mother duck with her five little ducks, a chair, a go kart, and an awesome Thomas the Tank Engine complete with painted face panel and bench seats in the carriages. We are planning another visit to this park just so we can have another look around, and so the kids can climb some more trees!
To be continued.......
Saturday 20 July 2013
Warwick, QLD via Glen Innes, NSW
We decided that instead of heading straight north for Goondiwindi from Moree we would instead turn east and head for Inverell and Glen Innes. The drive from Moree to Inverell was nothing special, nor was the drive from Inverell to Glen Innes, but on arrival in Glen Innes we headed for the Visitor Centre so we could find out about doing a quick bit of fossicking while we were in the Sapphire Capital of Australia.
We were directed to a local caravan park who offered fossicking on site for a relatively small fee. We watched a short video on how to sieve and pan the gravel wash and how to identify the sapphires before heading out to immerse our hands in freezing cold muddy water for the next hour or so (and pay for the privilege!!). However our persistence paid off and we were rewarded with a couple of small sapphires. And so, riches made, we headed off for our free camp site for the night about 40kms south of Warwick, or so we thought......
After stopping for a photo shoot at the border of NSW and QLD, and proving to the kids that we can be in two places at once, we kept heading north towards camp. However this was to be the first time that Apple iMaps failed us. It turned out that the turn off to our free camp was actually on a road that ran beside the highway and that we should have gotten onto a few kilometres earlier, and there were no other exits. Grrrr iMaps, you didn't show that part!!! Oh well, we decided that since Warwick was only 40kms away we would just continue on and find a caravan park for the night.
And find one we did, the most expensive park we have stayed in, with the worst facilities, and the most arrogant owner. So glad we only booked in for one night there. Again, we had intended to stay in Warwick for a couple of days to look for work but again we changed plans and decided to move on the following day. We did go for a bit of a drive around the city centre and were amused to see some of the decorations being hung in the trees for a Jazz and Jumper Festival. Would have been nice to see it all complete but the road and some more job prospects were calling us and so away we went. Next stop, Toowoomba......
We were directed to a local caravan park who offered fossicking on site for a relatively small fee. We watched a short video on how to sieve and pan the gravel wash and how to identify the sapphires before heading out to immerse our hands in freezing cold muddy water for the next hour or so (and pay for the privilege!!). However our persistence paid off and we were rewarded with a couple of small sapphires. And so, riches made, we headed off for our free camp site for the night about 40kms south of Warwick, or so we thought......
After stopping for a photo shoot at the border of NSW and QLD, and proving to the kids that we can be in two places at once, we kept heading north towards camp. However this was to be the first time that Apple iMaps failed us. It turned out that the turn off to our free camp was actually on a road that ran beside the highway and that we should have gotten onto a few kilometres earlier, and there were no other exits. Grrrr iMaps, you didn't show that part!!! Oh well, we decided that since Warwick was only 40kms away we would just continue on and find a caravan park for the night.
And find one we did, the most expensive park we have stayed in, with the worst facilities, and the most arrogant owner. So glad we only booked in for one night there. Again, we had intended to stay in Warwick for a couple of days to look for work but again we changed plans and decided to move on the following day. We did go for a bit of a drive around the city centre and were amused to see some of the decorations being hung in the trees for a Jazz and Jumper Festival. Would have been nice to see it all complete but the road and some more job prospects were calling us and so away we went. Next stop, Toowoomba......
Moree, NSW
Well, what an eye opener to the way other people live...... I had no reason to think that Moree was anything other than another country town and first impressions firmed that opinion. The main street of Moree was lovely. Beautiful old buildings, lots of lovely looking shops, well maintained. It wasn't until we were unpacked and settled into the Mehi River Caravan Park that we started to notice a few things that made us wonder......
The park itself seemed quite nice, and well maintained. We were lucky enough to secure the last powered site available in the park and so booked in for three nights so we could stick around and try our luck on the jobs front as there had been several advertised in the area. And so, it wasn't until a few hours later, when we were well and truly settled in that we went for a wander around the park with the kids and stopped for a chat with a fellow who was less than complimentary about the local indigenous community. It was after this conversation, during which he advised us not to go out at night, and after noticing all the signs in the park about making sure you lock your car and van, that we then noticed the fact that the caravan park was fenced with barbed wire!!!! If that alone wasn't enough to make us a touch nervous the next notice I read in the amenities block sealed the deal. Now most caravan parks have notices advising you to lock up your belongings, but this was the first one I had ever come across that advised us to lock the van even when we are in it!!!! After our drive to the supermarket later in the evening during which we also noticed that there was not a ground floor window, regardless of size, on any half way decent building that didn't have a security screen on it we made the decision not to make any job applications in this area. I told R there was no way I was going to live in the van with him at work in this town, and my decision was firmed even further when we took the kids to the playground the next day and the signs displayed around the play equipment stated no smoking, no drinking, and no syringes or blades!!!!
On our second to last day we took a bit of a sight seeing drive around the town, into the back streets, just so we could have a look. OMG!!! We counted in one street alone, four burnt out houses, one burnt out block of flats and so many completely trashed, as in no wall without holes, no full panes of glass, no ceilings at all and no complete roof, houses, that we lost count. There was an entire street of houses in this condition. At least a dozen houses all in a row in this condition.
In Moree's defence though, we did enjoy our hot artesian spas every evening in the caravan park. And did enjoy an afternoon at the new artesian water aquatic centre.. The aquatic centre had pools ranging from the standard outdoor pool temp right through to 41 degrees. From brrrr, to phewwww. I could only manage 10 minutes in the hottest spa before I got too hot and had to get out and the kids loved that Dad even got in for a swim.
While I'm not in any hurry to go back to Moree, I'm glad I did get to see the "other side" first hand. It certainly made for some very mixed emotion discussions. And I would be happy to go back to the park. It was a quirky, Australiana based, caravan park (including a beer and bullshit corner), and was the cheapest we have stayed in yet!
The park itself seemed quite nice, and well maintained. We were lucky enough to secure the last powered site available in the park and so booked in for three nights so we could stick around and try our luck on the jobs front as there had been several advertised in the area. And so, it wasn't until a few hours later, when we were well and truly settled in that we went for a wander around the park with the kids and stopped for a chat with a fellow who was less than complimentary about the local indigenous community. It was after this conversation, during which he advised us not to go out at night, and after noticing all the signs in the park about making sure you lock your car and van, that we then noticed the fact that the caravan park was fenced with barbed wire!!!! If that alone wasn't enough to make us a touch nervous the next notice I read in the amenities block sealed the deal. Now most caravan parks have notices advising you to lock up your belongings, but this was the first one I had ever come across that advised us to lock the van even when we are in it!!!! After our drive to the supermarket later in the evening during which we also noticed that there was not a ground floor window, regardless of size, on any half way decent building that didn't have a security screen on it we made the decision not to make any job applications in this area. I told R there was no way I was going to live in the van with him at work in this town, and my decision was firmed even further when we took the kids to the playground the next day and the signs displayed around the play equipment stated no smoking, no drinking, and no syringes or blades!!!!
On our second to last day we took a bit of a sight seeing drive around the town, into the back streets, just so we could have a look. OMG!!! We counted in one street alone, four burnt out houses, one burnt out block of flats and so many completely trashed, as in no wall without holes, no full panes of glass, no ceilings at all and no complete roof, houses, that we lost count. There was an entire street of houses in this condition. At least a dozen houses all in a row in this condition.
In Moree's defence though, we did enjoy our hot artesian spas every evening in the caravan park. And did enjoy an afternoon at the new artesian water aquatic centre.. The aquatic centre had pools ranging from the standard outdoor pool temp right through to 41 degrees. From brrrr, to phewwww. I could only manage 10 minutes in the hottest spa before I got too hot and had to get out and the kids loved that Dad even got in for a swim.
While I'm not in any hurry to go back to Moree, I'm glad I did get to see the "other side" first hand. It certainly made for some very mixed emotion discussions. And I would be happy to go back to the park. It was a quirky, Australiana based, caravan park (including a beer and bullshit corner), and was the cheapest we have stayed in yet!
Sunday 14 July 2013
Coonabarabran, NSW
Well, we didn't hear anything from the jobs we applied for so we decided to move on from Dubbo, complete with our new travel buddy - Sharlene the Emu!! Sharlene has become our travel mascot and she has pride of place on the dashboard of the car. We have decided to have some fun by making Sharlene appear in random photos with us as we stop to sight see.
We made the decision to head for Coonabarabran and see what happened from there, and finally we made it to a planned destination!! Popped into the local information centre to suss out what there was to see in the town and local area, and after that made tracks to the local playground for a lunch stop. E and C thought it was pretty awesome that a gaggle of geese were wandering up the street and stopped for a snack of bread crusts.
After lunch we took ourselves off to Crystal Kingdom. For those who know it, Crystal Kingdom is very much like "Woodsies" in Mildura, and after that aimed the car towards Pilliga Pottery, about 25kms out of Coonabarabran. The drive into the property was just gorgeous. Beautiful country. Loads of big gum trees, some smaller shrubbery, emus, kangaroos and wallabies, and when we stopped the car all that could be heard was the birds. Awesome! Pilliga Pottery is a private property and business. They had some lovely pottery pieces for sale but nothing I would dare buy and try to transport around the country in Cara. The kids enjoyed the pottery as they were all given a fairly large piece of clay to make whatever they liked. They were occupied for at least an hour or so. There was also some demonstrations of pottery making and we watched a fellow make a couple of urns very quickly. I couldn't help but smile to myself thinking about a potters wheel and a scene from one of my favourite movies!! LOL.
When we had finished at Pilliga Pottery we decided to make our way, slowly, to the Pilliga Forest's newest attraction, Sculptures in the Scrub. We had been told by the information centre in Coonabarabran that there was free bush camping there and that we would be able to get the caravan in there. Well yes, we did get poor Cara in there, very slowly and very bumpily over 30 kms of dirt corrugations!!! It was definitely worth it though. The Dandry Gorge, where sculptures in the scrub is located, was spectacular. I know, I know, I keep saying that about so many places, but there really are so many beautiful places outside of the usual places we went to, and I'm sure I will keep saying it about so many more before we are done.
As seems to be a very usual occurrence for us, we again set up in the dark, so we cooked dinner in the van and went to bed, of course after venturing outside to admire the stars, millions of stars. After all, we were in the astronomy capital of Australia. We got up fairly early in the morning so we could go and do the 3km hike to see the sculptures. Wow! The sculptures are a series of 5 different pieces of artwork that have been placed around the 3 km hike through the Dandry Gorge. All are aboriginal art works as the gorge is a significant Aboriginal site. I loved them. They were all so well thought, planned and placed, and as described were very much in keeping with the landscape. The hike went along the top of the gorge firstly and then made it's way down along the bottom of the gorge. It was fascinating to see the change in the scrub from the top of the gorge to the bottom. The top was very scrubby and thick with trees, bushes and grasses, while the bottom was much more open and clear with lots of large gum trees and soft grass. It was just beautiful. R and I both commented how we could both very happily plonk ourselves in a swag with a campfire and just stay there in the gorge. It was so peaceful and tranquil with only the birds for noise.
After our hike, we packed up the van and made our slow and bumpy way back out to the tar. We made it to Narrabri for lunch and the kids (and Mum) had a play on a huge cotton harvesting tractor in the information centre. I was very excited as I have always wanted to drive a tractor!! Next stop, Moree..........
We made the decision to head for Coonabarabran and see what happened from there, and finally we made it to a planned destination!! Popped into the local information centre to suss out what there was to see in the town and local area, and after that made tracks to the local playground for a lunch stop. E and C thought it was pretty awesome that a gaggle of geese were wandering up the street and stopped for a snack of bread crusts.
After lunch we took ourselves off to Crystal Kingdom. For those who know it, Crystal Kingdom is very much like "Woodsies" in Mildura, and after that aimed the car towards Pilliga Pottery, about 25kms out of Coonabarabran. The drive into the property was just gorgeous. Beautiful country. Loads of big gum trees, some smaller shrubbery, emus, kangaroos and wallabies, and when we stopped the car all that could be heard was the birds. Awesome! Pilliga Pottery is a private property and business. They had some lovely pottery pieces for sale but nothing I would dare buy and try to transport around the country in Cara. The kids enjoyed the pottery as they were all given a fairly large piece of clay to make whatever they liked. They were occupied for at least an hour or so. There was also some demonstrations of pottery making and we watched a fellow make a couple of urns very quickly. I couldn't help but smile to myself thinking about a potters wheel and a scene from one of my favourite movies!! LOL.
When we had finished at Pilliga Pottery we decided to make our way, slowly, to the Pilliga Forest's newest attraction, Sculptures in the Scrub. We had been told by the information centre in Coonabarabran that there was free bush camping there and that we would be able to get the caravan in there. Well yes, we did get poor Cara in there, very slowly and very bumpily over 30 kms of dirt corrugations!!! It was definitely worth it though. The Dandry Gorge, where sculptures in the scrub is located, was spectacular. I know, I know, I keep saying that about so many places, but there really are so many beautiful places outside of the usual places we went to, and I'm sure I will keep saying it about so many more before we are done.
As seems to be a very usual occurrence for us, we again set up in the dark, so we cooked dinner in the van and went to bed, of course after venturing outside to admire the stars, millions of stars. After all, we were in the astronomy capital of Australia. We got up fairly early in the morning so we could go and do the 3km hike to see the sculptures. Wow! The sculptures are a series of 5 different pieces of artwork that have been placed around the 3 km hike through the Dandry Gorge. All are aboriginal art works as the gorge is a significant Aboriginal site. I loved them. They were all so well thought, planned and placed, and as described were very much in keeping with the landscape. The hike went along the top of the gorge firstly and then made it's way down along the bottom of the gorge. It was fascinating to see the change in the scrub from the top of the gorge to the bottom. The top was very scrubby and thick with trees, bushes and grasses, while the bottom was much more open and clear with lots of large gum trees and soft grass. It was just beautiful. R and I both commented how we could both very happily plonk ourselves in a swag with a campfire and just stay there in the gorge. It was so peaceful and tranquil with only the birds for noise.
After our hike, we packed up the van and made our slow and bumpy way back out to the tar. We made it to Narrabri for lunch and the kids (and Mum) had a play on a huge cotton harvesting tractor in the information centre. I was very excited as I have always wanted to drive a tractor!! Next stop, Moree..........
Thursday 11 July 2013
Dubbo, NSW
Our plan for today had been to get away from Forbes quite early so we could get as far as Coonabarabran. Ummm, the best laid plans are always broken and we are now set up in a caravan park in Dubbo, only about 150 kms up the road!!!
We decided to make a stop at "the Dish" just outside of Parkes. What we thought might have been a half hour stop ended up being a couple of hours! It was a really interesting place. I really loved the scientific garden, with all its interesting facts and displays. They even have some apple trees growing there which are proven descendants from the tree in Sir Isaac Newton's garden, the one from which the apple fell. The kids enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt around the complex and C loved telling us every time the dish moved.
We stayed at the complex for lunch and then spent a little while talking with another travelling couple, of course the conversation started from E wanting to pat their dogs which were tied up outside their bus!! We have been trying to get our doggy pat fixes every time we see someone with a dog.
So, we reached Dubbo at about 3.30, and after spending about an hour in the visitor centre and playground, R decided that he didn't feel like driving any more today so we have checked into the caravan park for the night and will head off again in the morning - maybe. We have both applied for a couple of jobs in the area, all of which are short term, live in positions on large farms. Fingers crossed......
We decided to make a stop at "the Dish" just outside of Parkes. What we thought might have been a half hour stop ended up being a couple of hours! It was a really interesting place. I really loved the scientific garden, with all its interesting facts and displays. They even have some apple trees growing there which are proven descendants from the tree in Sir Isaac Newton's garden, the one from which the apple fell. The kids enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt around the complex and C loved telling us every time the dish moved.
We stayed at the complex for lunch and then spent a little while talking with another travelling couple, of course the conversation started from E wanting to pat their dogs which were tied up outside their bus!! We have been trying to get our doggy pat fixes every time we see someone with a dog.
So, we reached Dubbo at about 3.30, and after spending about an hour in the visitor centre and playground, R decided that he didn't feel like driving any more today so we have checked into the caravan park for the night and will head off again in the morning - maybe. We have both applied for a couple of jobs in the area, all of which are short term, live in positions on large farms. Fingers crossed......
Barooga, NSW
So, we didn't make it very far before we pulled up stumps. We got as far as Barooga, NSW, which is just across the Murray river from Cobram, VIC. A whole 370kms! As seems to be the case for us, we arrived much later than planned and were again trying to locate our proposed camp site in the dark. We did manage to find it and set up the basics for our first night there.
At first light in the morning we were gobsmacked by the most awesome of awesome camp sites. We were parked up on a huge, grassed, flat area backed by huge river red gums and scrub and fronted by a really big sandy beach down to the river. It was just awesome. Free campsites just don't get much better than this one!! We spent the day gathering fire wood and just chilling out. E and I built a house of sticks, C had an absolute ball digging and 4wd'ing in the sand with his tractors and T helped R install our very own tyre swing from a tree. Later E and I went for a walk in the bush to collect allsorts of berries and nuts and leaves so we could make a "happy, healthy tree potion". It included all those berries, leaves, nuts, plus some charcoal from the fire and river water. We mixed it up and poured it over the "tree" (a fallen branch that we had planted) and said a happy healthy tree spell, added some sparkly sand and the job was done! It was cool, and had all stemmed from a conversation with E about how trees make oxygen for us and how if trees weren't healthy they wouldn't make oxygen and we wouldn't be able to breathe.
Later than evening we were joined by our Ocean Grove hosts who had come to camp for the weekend with us. Even after only one night apart the kids were very excited to see M and C! The next three days were spent relaxing by the river, collecting fire wood, cooking, eating and generally enjoying watching the kids playing. I think I can safely say that I have now gotten the hang of cooking a damper in the fire, and can definitely cook a mean roast in the camp oven!!
Our last night/morning at Barooga was probably the coldest we have had on this adventure so far, and we were to find out later that the temp had dropped to about minus 4 degrees!!!! It was freezing!!! So cold that R and I had difficulty packing up in the morning. The annexe wouldn't roll up because it was frozen, the toilet shelter wouldn't fold up because it was frozen and for the first time ever we had things frozen which were UNDER the annexe!!! We ended up not even getting the kids dressed, it would have been too mean to strip them in that cold, so they travelled until lunch time in their PJ's. C the poor little mite had hands so cold that he was crying in pain. :-( We made it that afternoon to Forbes and pulled up stumps there for a couple of nights.
We had to use a whole day to get through the backlog of washing and to take some much needed long, hot showers. As much as we love a camp fire, after four nights we were quite "on the nose". The great thing about Forbes was that there were quite a few people to chat with and we had some great conversations with some other couples who were travelling. We picked up some handy hints and tips and some great suggestions for places to go and see. We did get to have a bit of a look around the town and even splurged on a meal at the pub on our second night. R had a hankering for a big, fat steak!!!
At first light in the morning we were gobsmacked by the most awesome of awesome camp sites. We were parked up on a huge, grassed, flat area backed by huge river red gums and scrub and fronted by a really big sandy beach down to the river. It was just awesome. Free campsites just don't get much better than this one!! We spent the day gathering fire wood and just chilling out. E and I built a house of sticks, C had an absolute ball digging and 4wd'ing in the sand with his tractors and T helped R install our very own tyre swing from a tree. Later E and I went for a walk in the bush to collect allsorts of berries and nuts and leaves so we could make a "happy, healthy tree potion". It included all those berries, leaves, nuts, plus some charcoal from the fire and river water. We mixed it up and poured it over the "tree" (a fallen branch that we had planted) and said a happy healthy tree spell, added some sparkly sand and the job was done! It was cool, and had all stemmed from a conversation with E about how trees make oxygen for us and how if trees weren't healthy they wouldn't make oxygen and we wouldn't be able to breathe.
Later than evening we were joined by our Ocean Grove hosts who had come to camp for the weekend with us. Even after only one night apart the kids were very excited to see M and C! The next three days were spent relaxing by the river, collecting fire wood, cooking, eating and generally enjoying watching the kids playing. I think I can safely say that I have now gotten the hang of cooking a damper in the fire, and can definitely cook a mean roast in the camp oven!!
Our last night/morning at Barooga was probably the coldest we have had on this adventure so far, and we were to find out later that the temp had dropped to about minus 4 degrees!!!! It was freezing!!! So cold that R and I had difficulty packing up in the morning. The annexe wouldn't roll up because it was frozen, the toilet shelter wouldn't fold up because it was frozen and for the first time ever we had things frozen which were UNDER the annexe!!! We ended up not even getting the kids dressed, it would have been too mean to strip them in that cold, so they travelled until lunch time in their PJ's. C the poor little mite had hands so cold that he was crying in pain. :-( We made it that afternoon to Forbes and pulled up stumps there for a couple of nights.
We had to use a whole day to get through the backlog of washing and to take some much needed long, hot showers. As much as we love a camp fire, after four nights we were quite "on the nose". The great thing about Forbes was that there were quite a few people to chat with and we had some great conversations with some other couples who were travelling. We picked up some handy hints and tips and some great suggestions for places to go and see. We did get to have a bit of a look around the town and even splurged on a meal at the pub on our second night. R had a hankering for a big, fat steak!!!
Monday 1 July 2013
Ocean Grove Part 2
We have also done some driving sight seeing around the Bellarine Peninsula. There are some really lovely little towns. We were amazed to see "The Rip" at Point Lonsdale. The point at which all water enters and leaves Port Phillip Bay and through which all ocean going vessels pass with the guidance of a Pilot. The entrance to the bay is 3.05kms wide but has a navigable channel of only 300 meters!! Queenscliff is a beautiful town with loads of gorgeous old buildings. We also stopped at their very new and modern marina to watch the ferry come in and dock from up the top of the viewing tower, and we were interested to find out that Melbourne only looked like it was a stones throw away across the water from Portarlington when by road it was about two hours from there.
Another afternoon was spent at Barwon Heads on the beach / river bank. E did some kayaking and T dug a hole deep enough to find water (with some help). C was happy building sandcastle lighthouses, and the seagulls were happy eating our left over fish and chips!
Sunday saw us pack the kids on the train in Geelong to head into Melbourne for the day. The kids were super excited about the train trip, even when we nearly missed it!! When we arrived in Melbourne we took a walk to Federation Square before splitting up for lunch. E and I headed off to find sushi and the boys all went to McDonalds. We regrouped to share the special treat that I had sourced - Krispy Kreme Donuts! Not long after R and T departed for their afternoon adventures - a trip to the MCG to watch an AFL football match. E, C and I made our way to the nearest Target store to buy a pram as C was determined not to walk anywhere and is way too heavy to carry these days. We then walked, walked and walked for hour after hour. But we did see some pretty cool stuff. We checked out street art, Bourke Street Mall, Federation Square for the Winter of Light Festival and display, walked along the Southbank Promenade for dinner, made it just in time to the Crown Plaza for the gas fire tower display. Then walked back to Federation Square to meet R and T before all walking back along Southbank, watching the gas fire tower display again, and walking the rest of the way back to Southern Cross Station for our train back to Geelong. It was a really long day, we didn't get home until 10.15pm, but we all enjoyed our respective activities a great deal.
We have now decided to turn left and head north for warmer weather, so will be leaving Ocean Grove on Thursday and heading for Beaudesert QLD.
Ocean Grove
B and J very kindly allowed us to park up in their driveway and stay for as long as we want. We have used a lot of our time here simply for relaxing and doing some caravan maintenance and alterations. We have made changes to gas bottle storage, made curtains for the kids bunks, done another clear and cull etc etc.
We have also had some adventures while staying here too. We headed out one day for some 4wd'ing and a BBQ lunch in the national park. We were amazed at the availability of places to go and do that sort of thing. We had a ball driving through puddles and mud, up and down hills and through the sand. We finished the day with ice creams in Anglesea. A great day had by all.
R and I took the kids for our promised day trip back to Lorne. We had lunch in the park and were mobbed by some very friendly cockatoos who wanted to share. E and I both had several of them on our shoulders taking food from us!! After lunch we drove out to Erskine Falls. Wow! What a beautiful spot - again! We took ourselves down the 250 stairs to the bottom of the falls and found it was so worth the walk. We spent a good bit of time playing around on the rocks and trees playing explorers and had a ball, until we looked at the staircase we had to climb again to get back out. Ugh! E decided to show us just how fit she is and ran the whole way up!! On the way home we made a stop at Bells Beach to check out the surfies and the waves, and the kids were happy to have a run on the beach and tell us all about the strange, really coarse sand.
We have also had some adventures while staying here too. We headed out one day for some 4wd'ing and a BBQ lunch in the national park. We were amazed at the availability of places to go and do that sort of thing. We had a ball driving through puddles and mud, up and down hills and through the sand. We finished the day with ice creams in Anglesea. A great day had by all.
R and I took the kids for our promised day trip back to Lorne. We had lunch in the park and were mobbed by some very friendly cockatoos who wanted to share. E and I both had several of them on our shoulders taking food from us!! After lunch we drove out to Erskine Falls. Wow! What a beautiful spot - again! We took ourselves down the 250 stairs to the bottom of the falls and found it was so worth the walk. We spent a good bit of time playing around on the rocks and trees playing explorers and had a ball, until we looked at the staircase we had to climb again to get back out. Ugh! E decided to show us just how fit she is and ran the whole way up!! On the way home we made a stop at Bells Beach to check out the surfies and the waves, and the kids were happy to have a run on the beach and tell us all about the strange, really coarse sand.
Great Ocean Road Part Two - Apollo Bay to Ocean Grove
Apollo Bay had our attention from the moment we drove in. What a beautiful place!!!
We had only been in the caravan park for half an hour before I took myself back to the office to pay for and extend our stay an extra night. Much to the kids delight as soon as I came back we were greeted with the sight of two whales playing in the bay directly opposite the caravan park. E and T both thought that this was pretty awesome!!
Later in the afternoon we took ourselves off for a bit of a look around the town and a play on the foreshore. We then went for a bit of a drive on the road to Marriners Falls and were absolutely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty and size of the rainforest surrounding us. Words couldn't describe how gorgeous this place is.
On night two of our stay in Apollo Bay we rugged up to go and see if we could spot any glow worms at Maits Rest. The kids were a bit hesitant at heading into the forest with only our torches for light but bravely they stepped forward. Poor R had to carry C all the way, up dale and down dell. We did manage to spot a single solitary glow worm, but had a lovely night time walk all the same. R and I would have loved to go back for another walk around during the day but were out voted by the kids.
We also spent an afternoon checking out the rock pools on the foreshore at the next town down the road. The kids loved looking in all the pools for things to find. We found an assortment of shells in different shapes and sizes, we found some huge seaweed plants and we found loads of starfish. In one pool alone there were nearly 40!! It seems that E has finally heeded my lessons on not touching anything at the beach with your fingers if you don't know what it is, and she used a stick to point things out!
Another super highlight of our stay in Apollo Bay had to be the visitor to our camp site. I was in the van making sandwiches one afternoon and when I looked up, what should I see sitting in the street outside our van? A koala!! We were soon joined by several other people, all with cameras in hand to watch the koala going for a casual walk through the park.
We set off from Apollo Bay on Sunday to make our way to B and J's in Ocean Grove. It was a reasonably short leg, but a rather windy one!! This leg took us along the main section of the Great Ocean Road, right along the coast line. Unfortunately, it was also the section on which the kids cars sickness was pushed to its limits. We made a stop in Lorne for lunch and a play, and a purchase of travel sickness medication!! We weren't able to go to the Erskine Falls as planned, just outside Lorne, as we were not allowed to take the caravan down the road to the falls. Since C had gone to sleep we opted to just keep driving through to Ocean Grove and come back to Lorne for a day trip.
We made it to Ocean Grove around lunch time and only had to cut down two trees to get our van down the driveway!! So good to see B and J and the kids again!! T and E were very excited to see their cousins. Time to relax for awhile.......
We had only been in the caravan park for half an hour before I took myself back to the office to pay for and extend our stay an extra night. Much to the kids delight as soon as I came back we were greeted with the sight of two whales playing in the bay directly opposite the caravan park. E and T both thought that this was pretty awesome!!
Later in the afternoon we took ourselves off for a bit of a look around the town and a play on the foreshore. We then went for a bit of a drive on the road to Marriners Falls and were absolutely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty and size of the rainforest surrounding us. Words couldn't describe how gorgeous this place is.
On night two of our stay in Apollo Bay we rugged up to go and see if we could spot any glow worms at Maits Rest. The kids were a bit hesitant at heading into the forest with only our torches for light but bravely they stepped forward. Poor R had to carry C all the way, up dale and down dell. We did manage to spot a single solitary glow worm, but had a lovely night time walk all the same. R and I would have loved to go back for another walk around during the day but were out voted by the kids.
We also spent an afternoon checking out the rock pools on the foreshore at the next town down the road. The kids loved looking in all the pools for things to find. We found an assortment of shells in different shapes and sizes, we found some huge seaweed plants and we found loads of starfish. In one pool alone there were nearly 40!! It seems that E has finally heeded my lessons on not touching anything at the beach with your fingers if you don't know what it is, and she used a stick to point things out!
Another super highlight of our stay in Apollo Bay had to be the visitor to our camp site. I was in the van making sandwiches one afternoon and when I looked up, what should I see sitting in the street outside our van? A koala!! We were soon joined by several other people, all with cameras in hand to watch the koala going for a casual walk through the park.
We set off from Apollo Bay on Sunday to make our way to B and J's in Ocean Grove. It was a reasonably short leg, but a rather windy one!! This leg took us along the main section of the Great Ocean Road, right along the coast line. Unfortunately, it was also the section on which the kids cars sickness was pushed to its limits. We made a stop in Lorne for lunch and a play, and a purchase of travel sickness medication!! We weren't able to go to the Erskine Falls as planned, just outside Lorne, as we were not allowed to take the caravan down the road to the falls. Since C had gone to sleep we opted to just keep driving through to Ocean Grove and come back to Lorne for a day trip.
We made it to Ocean Grove around lunch time and only had to cut down two trees to get our van down the driveway!! So good to see B and J and the kids again!! T and E were very excited to see their cousins. Time to relax for awhile.......
Great Ocean Road Part One - Warrnambool to Apollo Bay
The Great Ocean Road is one of those iconic road trips that every Australian (especially those from the southern states) is expected to make at least once in their lives, and this is my experience.
We left Warrnambool mid morning and followed the big brown signs which directed us towards this great Australian icon. Our first stop was only 15 minutes down the road, and saw me jumping around in the car with excitement as we pulled into the car park of "Cheese World" at Allansford. Now, everyone that knows me knows how much I love cheese so the prospect of a whole complex dedicated to one of my top five food groups was pretty damn exciting!! Well, let down of the century..... I spent a total of maybe five minutes inside, was told I couldn't do a tasting because it wasn't time yet, struggled to find any cheese amongst the shelves and shelves of imported souvenirs, cheeses and small goods. When I finally found the Allansford Cheese Factory cheeses on the shelf (one very, very small shelf) I was even more disappointed to find that all they had was several different flavours of cheddar. Cheddar!!! I can go and buy cheddar in any corner store or supermarket!! I wanted cheese, real cheese, camembert and brie, not cheddar!! So, back on the road we went....
Down the road a bit further we made a stop at Port Campbell for lunch. What a beautiful little town. We spent some time in the playground and on the skate park before I headed into the local history centre for a roam around the tiny museum and a lovely chat with the lady volunteering in the centre. They also had a fabulous range of locally made handcrafts to choose from for purchase. After lunch we all wandered down the main street to the small bay. When I say small bay, that is exactly what I mean too. The whole bay is only around 150 meters wide, and is edged by cliff faces both sides, except for the river running into it. It was stunning. We were all amused though by the sheer number of eateries in a town with only a dozen streets!
From Port Campbell onwards we met with the stunning coastline of the Great Ocean Road. The sheer cliff faces that look like they have been carved with a knife, waves that crash in over the limestone and a sea that is as blue as the sky. The first of many stops was the "Bay of Islands". Scenery like that is just awe inspiring. It really does make you stop and think about how insignificant humans are in the history of the planet. To see what nature can do is amazing. We also made stops at London Bridge, the Grotto and Thunder Cave. Each one as stunning as the last and the next.
My favourite stop along this section of road, however, was definitely Loch Ard Gorge, despite the multitude of coaches and enough people to fill the MCG! E and I made the trek down the stairs first and we were fascinated by the gorge and spent quite some time looking around and talking about it's history. When we finally made it back up the stairs E took R down so he could have a look and she could show him around. I would have loved to spend some time there without crowds of people. It was amazing.
Our last sight seeing stop for the day was to the 12 Apostles. They had a huge visitor centre there, but we didn't go in, we headed straight for the scenery. Again we were in the midst of crowds of people but did get to have a good look and got some lovely silhouetted photos as the sun was going down. We all had a giggle at the most straight forward of warning signs we had ever seen. "Warning, do not climb over fences, you could fall and die!"
We had planned on free camping at Joanna Beach that night but as we had taken longer than we expected getting from Port Campbell we decided to stop in Princetown instead. We drove into the Recreation Grounds and organised our campsite for the night. As we drove further around the oval we were greeted with the sight of over a hundred kangaroos surrounding us!! We had never before seen so many kangaroos in one place, until E did an "ooga booga" dance and scared them all away!! LOL. It was cold that night, really, really cold. Even the discarded pairs of jocks and undies on the oval were snap frozen!! Our poor air con just couldn't cope, as quick as it finished its defrost cycle it had frozen again. The only thing that made the cold withstand-able was the kangaroos that again greeted us in the morning, but this time only meters away from the car.
We left Princetown in the morning and headed for the inland section of our trip through to Apollo Bay. Again we were left speechless at the awesome beauty of the landscape we were travelling through. It wasn't long before we were heading up, up and up into the Otway National Park, towards Lavers Hill. I have to say I was somewhat nervous as we twisted and turned on a rather narrow road with drops off the side larger than I care to estimate in distance, and found that the roads were so sheltered by the enormous trees that there was moss and ice on the road. We were all pretty much in awe of the size of the trees through this area. The drive from Lavers Hill downwards to Apollo Bay was no less amazing, but I was somewhat relieved when the hills started to level out a little and I could finally see the bottom of the drops off the road. It was about lunch time when we found and checked into our caravan park in Apollo Bay. We were immediately taken with this little town wedged between the ocean and the hills.
We left Warrnambool mid morning and followed the big brown signs which directed us towards this great Australian icon. Our first stop was only 15 minutes down the road, and saw me jumping around in the car with excitement as we pulled into the car park of "Cheese World" at Allansford. Now, everyone that knows me knows how much I love cheese so the prospect of a whole complex dedicated to one of my top five food groups was pretty damn exciting!! Well, let down of the century..... I spent a total of maybe five minutes inside, was told I couldn't do a tasting because it wasn't time yet, struggled to find any cheese amongst the shelves and shelves of imported souvenirs, cheeses and small goods. When I finally found the Allansford Cheese Factory cheeses on the shelf (one very, very small shelf) I was even more disappointed to find that all they had was several different flavours of cheddar. Cheddar!!! I can go and buy cheddar in any corner store or supermarket!! I wanted cheese, real cheese, camembert and brie, not cheddar!! So, back on the road we went....
Down the road a bit further we made a stop at Port Campbell for lunch. What a beautiful little town. We spent some time in the playground and on the skate park before I headed into the local history centre for a roam around the tiny museum and a lovely chat with the lady volunteering in the centre. They also had a fabulous range of locally made handcrafts to choose from for purchase. After lunch we all wandered down the main street to the small bay. When I say small bay, that is exactly what I mean too. The whole bay is only around 150 meters wide, and is edged by cliff faces both sides, except for the river running into it. It was stunning. We were all amused though by the sheer number of eateries in a town with only a dozen streets!
From Port Campbell onwards we met with the stunning coastline of the Great Ocean Road. The sheer cliff faces that look like they have been carved with a knife, waves that crash in over the limestone and a sea that is as blue as the sky. The first of many stops was the "Bay of Islands". Scenery like that is just awe inspiring. It really does make you stop and think about how insignificant humans are in the history of the planet. To see what nature can do is amazing. We also made stops at London Bridge, the Grotto and Thunder Cave. Each one as stunning as the last and the next.
My favourite stop along this section of road, however, was definitely Loch Ard Gorge, despite the multitude of coaches and enough people to fill the MCG! E and I made the trek down the stairs first and we were fascinated by the gorge and spent quite some time looking around and talking about it's history. When we finally made it back up the stairs E took R down so he could have a look and she could show him around. I would have loved to spend some time there without crowds of people. It was amazing.
Our last sight seeing stop for the day was to the 12 Apostles. They had a huge visitor centre there, but we didn't go in, we headed straight for the scenery. Again we were in the midst of crowds of people but did get to have a good look and got some lovely silhouetted photos as the sun was going down. We all had a giggle at the most straight forward of warning signs we had ever seen. "Warning, do not climb over fences, you could fall and die!"
We had planned on free camping at Joanna Beach that night but as we had taken longer than we expected getting from Port Campbell we decided to stop in Princetown instead. We drove into the Recreation Grounds and organised our campsite for the night. As we drove further around the oval we were greeted with the sight of over a hundred kangaroos surrounding us!! We had never before seen so many kangaroos in one place, until E did an "ooga booga" dance and scared them all away!! LOL. It was cold that night, really, really cold. Even the discarded pairs of jocks and undies on the oval were snap frozen!! Our poor air con just couldn't cope, as quick as it finished its defrost cycle it had frozen again. The only thing that made the cold withstand-able was the kangaroos that again greeted us in the morning, but this time only meters away from the car.
We left Princetown in the morning and headed for the inland section of our trip through to Apollo Bay. Again we were left speechless at the awesome beauty of the landscape we were travelling through. It wasn't long before we were heading up, up and up into the Otway National Park, towards Lavers Hill. I have to say I was somewhat nervous as we twisted and turned on a rather narrow road with drops off the side larger than I care to estimate in distance, and found that the roads were so sheltered by the enormous trees that there was moss and ice on the road. We were all pretty much in awe of the size of the trees through this area. The drive from Lavers Hill downwards to Apollo Bay was no less amazing, but I was somewhat relieved when the hills started to level out a little and I could finally see the bottom of the drops off the road. It was about lunch time when we found and checked into our caravan park in Apollo Bay. We were immediately taken with this little town wedged between the ocean and the hills.
Sunday 23 June 2013
Warrnambool
We arrived in Warrnambool mid afternoon and set ourselves up in the Big 4 Hopkins River. We had already decided to live it up for a few days and made sure that this park had a heated pool, spa, jumping pillow, mini golf and games room for the kids. The plan was that we would just take it easy for a few days and have some chill out time.
Thankfully the weather finally broke and we saw the first bit of sunshine that we had since we left Adelaide. Yeay!!
R took himself off to the "big smoke" to do some accessory shopping, namely a floor for our annexe and some new camp chairs for the kids as theirs had gone mouldy (un-treatably) from being wet on the roof of the car. The rest of the afternoon was spent having a swim and relaxing.
The next day we took ourselves to the information centre to check out the 'what to do' details. We then took a vote on whether we did the playground or Flagstaff Hill first and the vote went C's way as he is a bit fanatical about lighthouses at the moment and was desperate to go to the one in the village. So, lighthouse it was. C was sooooo excited about being able to climb into a real lighthouse. The kids had a ball racing around doing the Treasure Chest Trail. R and I just loved watching them so excited about their finds.
Next stop was down to the Lake Pertrobe Adventure Playground for a fish and chips lunch. While playing on the awesome flying fox (adult sized - yes R and I went on it!) we met another travelling family and stopped to chat for quite awhile about our adventures and plans and the places they have been and seen. It is so cool to meet a like-minded family and to know that we are not insane after all, and that we aren't the only ones out there doing this. :-)
The rest of our time in Warrnambool was spent relaxing, playing with the kids and just generally chilling out.
Thankfully the weather finally broke and we saw the first bit of sunshine that we had since we left Adelaide. Yeay!!
R took himself off to the "big smoke" to do some accessory shopping, namely a floor for our annexe and some new camp chairs for the kids as theirs had gone mouldy (un-treatably) from being wet on the roof of the car. The rest of the afternoon was spent having a swim and relaxing.
The next day we took ourselves to the information centre to check out the 'what to do' details. We then took a vote on whether we did the playground or Flagstaff Hill first and the vote went C's way as he is a bit fanatical about lighthouses at the moment and was desperate to go to the one in the village. So, lighthouse it was. C was sooooo excited about being able to climb into a real lighthouse. The kids had a ball racing around doing the Treasure Chest Trail. R and I just loved watching them so excited about their finds.
Next stop was down to the Lake Pertrobe Adventure Playground for a fish and chips lunch. While playing on the awesome flying fox (adult sized - yes R and I went on it!) we met another travelling family and stopped to chat for quite awhile about our adventures and plans and the places they have been and seen. It is so cool to meet a like-minded family and to know that we are not insane after all, and that we aren't the only ones out there doing this. :-)
The rest of our time in Warrnambool was spent relaxing, playing with the kids and just generally chilling out.
Too busy to blog......
I know, I know, I haven't updated everyone in ages, but well frankly, we have been having way too much fun and haven't had any time to stop and blog. I have been keeping a list of short points written down so I can do a mega update and remember to include everything. So...... here goes.
Portland, Vic.
We took a drive out to Cape Bridgewater, about 20 minutes away from Portland so that we could go and see the largest seal colony in Victoria - approximately 650 seals. When we got to Cape Bridgewater however, we discovered that to see those said seals we had to walk about 45 minutes up and down 45 degree tracks to reach them and as it was raining at the time the four to one vote was not to do it. Instead we drove a little further around the coast to have a look at the blowholes (which weren't blowing) and the petrified forest (which wasn't particularly amazing). Bit of a let down. On our return journey the rain had eased off somewhat so I decided that I would do the seal walk with E, as she was soooooo desperate to see the seals. R took T and C down to the beach for a hot chocolate to wait out the hour and a half that E and I would be gone. Oh my goodness, I really thought I was going to die this time. I was red in the face, puffing like a steam train, not able to talk and certainly not stopping half way up a hill for a drink, coz there is no way I would have gotten started again.
We finally made it to the highest point of the walk, which happened to also be the highest cliff on the Victorian coast at 130 meters above sea level. After about 55 minutes we finally made it to the viewing platform - and would you believe not one of the 650 seals could be seen!!!! None, nil, zero!!! I had just walked nearly an hour at heart attack level for NOTHING!!! Poor E was so disappointed, and to match the disappointment the rain started again on our way back meaning that I no longer had my walking stick as I had to actually use it as an umbrella. We eventually got back to the car exhausted, wet and very disappointed.
After that we headed a few km's further out to have a look at the Bridgewater lakes area and have a climb around in the limestone caves on the side of the road. Fortunately this placated E and the earlier disappointment was forgotten.
Later that afternoon we made a visit to the information centre and kindly asked them to let the local seals know of our disappointment. The staff were very surprised at our story of woe as they had never before heard of there being NO seals visable at any other time.
So, as Portland is an industrial town there wasn't much more to be seen, but we did do a drive around the port area so R could see how things worked there.
The next day saw us moving along towards Warrnambool. We had a couple of short stops along the way. The first being the giant slide at Yambuk. We started to think we had taken a wrong turn as we followed the signs towards the slide as the road was narrowing and getting rougher and bumpier. All of a sudden we found ourselves IN a caravan park as the road ended. Ummm?? We were then directed to drive straight through the park and around the corner to where the slide revealed itself. The kids were so excited. It was a huge slide, but unfortunately for them, it was wet and not so slippery. There was a magnificent view from the top platform though. While the boys played on the playground, E and I went for a walk along the beach, and found ourselves tracking emu prints. Can't say I have ever come across emu prints on a beach before!
Next stop was a brief stretch of the legs stop in Port Fairy as we had been advised that we just HAD to have a look around there. I'm so glad we did. It is such a gorgeous town. Reminds me of a fairy tale village. Cute little cottages, sail boats tied up on the pier. So much history. I would have loved to spend a bit longer there looking around.
To be continued.......
Portland, Vic.
We took a drive out to Cape Bridgewater, about 20 minutes away from Portland so that we could go and see the largest seal colony in Victoria - approximately 650 seals. When we got to Cape Bridgewater however, we discovered that to see those said seals we had to walk about 45 minutes up and down 45 degree tracks to reach them and as it was raining at the time the four to one vote was not to do it. Instead we drove a little further around the coast to have a look at the blowholes (which weren't blowing) and the petrified forest (which wasn't particularly amazing). Bit of a let down. On our return journey the rain had eased off somewhat so I decided that I would do the seal walk with E, as she was soooooo desperate to see the seals. R took T and C down to the beach for a hot chocolate to wait out the hour and a half that E and I would be gone. Oh my goodness, I really thought I was going to die this time. I was red in the face, puffing like a steam train, not able to talk and certainly not stopping half way up a hill for a drink, coz there is no way I would have gotten started again.
We finally made it to the highest point of the walk, which happened to also be the highest cliff on the Victorian coast at 130 meters above sea level. After about 55 minutes we finally made it to the viewing platform - and would you believe not one of the 650 seals could be seen!!!! None, nil, zero!!! I had just walked nearly an hour at heart attack level for NOTHING!!! Poor E was so disappointed, and to match the disappointment the rain started again on our way back meaning that I no longer had my walking stick as I had to actually use it as an umbrella. We eventually got back to the car exhausted, wet and very disappointed.
After that we headed a few km's further out to have a look at the Bridgewater lakes area and have a climb around in the limestone caves on the side of the road. Fortunately this placated E and the earlier disappointment was forgotten.
Later that afternoon we made a visit to the information centre and kindly asked them to let the local seals know of our disappointment. The staff were very surprised at our story of woe as they had never before heard of there being NO seals visable at any other time.
So, as Portland is an industrial town there wasn't much more to be seen, but we did do a drive around the port area so R could see how things worked there.
The next day saw us moving along towards Warrnambool. We had a couple of short stops along the way. The first being the giant slide at Yambuk. We started to think we had taken a wrong turn as we followed the signs towards the slide as the road was narrowing and getting rougher and bumpier. All of a sudden we found ourselves IN a caravan park as the road ended. Ummm?? We were then directed to drive straight through the park and around the corner to where the slide revealed itself. The kids were so excited. It was a huge slide, but unfortunately for them, it was wet and not so slippery. There was a magnificent view from the top platform though. While the boys played on the playground, E and I went for a walk along the beach, and found ourselves tracking emu prints. Can't say I have ever come across emu prints on a beach before!
Next stop was a brief stretch of the legs stop in Port Fairy as we had been advised that we just HAD to have a look around there. I'm so glad we did. It is such a gorgeous town. Reminds me of a fairy tale village. Cute little cottages, sail boats tied up on the pier. So much history. I would have loved to spend a bit longer there looking around.
To be continued.......
Friday 14 June 2013
And we have left the state.......
Tonights blog post comes to you from Portland, Victoria.
Yesterday we were still in Mt Gambier and found a whole lot more to do before we left this morning. In the morning we headed to Umpherston Sink Hole and were blown away by the fantastic garden that it is. Mr Umpherston decided back in 18 something that he would turn it into a public garden and did exactly that. It is magnificent and would make such a gorgeous wedding venue. We have been very impressed by the level of maintenance of the tourist attractions around Mt Gambier. As we had promised the kids we took a picnic lunch and returned to the Valley Lake Recreation Area. Erin and I had a great time feeding the ducks, geese and one lone black swan - they all were more than happy to come and take the bread directly from our hands. Two and a half loaves of bread later they had all had their fill and were not in the slightest bit interested in the offerings of the next person ten minutes later!!
After lunch we decided to take a short trip to the coastal town of Port Macdonnell. We did stop at the base of the walking track up Mt Schank, another volcano, but just as we arrived so did the rain and we decided not to do the trek. Thankfully the rain stopped when we arrived in Port Macdonnell, but the wind was icy cold. We agreed that the tourist drive was our best option and headed off. We made a quick stop at Shelly Beach but had to leave there in a big hurry when E was stung/bitten by a blue jellyfish. We weren't sure if it could have been a blue ring octopus so left in a big hurry to have it identified, with E under strict instructions to let us know immediately if she started to feel funny. A visit to the local fishing bait and tackle store, followed by the pharmacy assured us that it was a jelly fish and not an octopus and that the vinegar which they provided would be sufficient. The local chemist also provided some "special medicine" in the form of a Ferrero Rocher!!!
After having been assured that E wasn't going to go into anaphalactic shock we decided to finish the tourist drive. The next stop for us was at the site of the old Cape Northumberland Lighthouse. Brrr, not a place I would want to live. It was freezing. We also thought it was pretty cool that we had found the most southerly place in South Australia, and have the photo to prove it! Unfortunately, to E's disappointment we did not spot any fairy penguins at the local colony, and after a quick stop at the local playground we headed back to Mt Gambier.
Evening saw us heading out yet again to Umpherstons Sinkhole as we had been told by the Visitor Centre that it was worth a visit at night to feed all the possums that emerge from the limestone walls. We were somewhat concerned though when we met some people in the car park who had just been down who told us to make sure we had some food in reserve as the possums chased them up the stairs!! The kids thought the whole experience was fabulous. There were at least a dozen or more possums who were more than happy to take food from our hands. Even C got to pat and feed one! And yes, they did chase us up the stairs!!
This morning saw us packing up and heading out of town with our house in tow. We made a very interesting stop at the Princess Margaret Rose Caves between Mt Gambier and Nelson. It is another very beautiful spot, in the Lower Glenelg National Park. R even wanted to pull up stumps and camp there! We were lucky enough to be the only visitors at the time so got to have a private tour of the cave. It was awesome!! The kids were very interested and even asked lots of questions. They did think it was pretty cool when the guide turned all the lights out to show us how dark the cave is. After our tour of the cave we decided to do the short hike to see the lookout over the Glenelg River from the top of a cliff. Very beautiful. We were also lucky enough to see several kangaroos and emus as we drove out of the park.
The drive from Nelson to Portland is not particularly interesting as there is only so many pine plantations you can look at before they lose their novelty!! On arriving in Portland we headed for the caravan park that we thought we would stay at - NOT!! Just the gate was enough for us to decide we were absolutely not staying there. Thankfully there is more than one park in Portland and our next option looked much more promising. It is quite nice, we are one of only a few vans in the park and are conveniently placed right between the playground and the amenities block.
After setting up home and having a cuppa and a play we decided to go for a bit of a drive around the town to check it out. We found quite a big breakwater that you can actually drive on and managed to get our timing spot on. A large ship was being piloted with two tugs into the port and we got to stand at the end of the breakwater, all of about 30 meters from the ship coming into port and watch it being manouvered by the tugs. Quite amazing to watch, albeit icy, icy cold (a point obviously not noticed by the insane group of people surfing next to the breakwater!!). We then went for a bit of a drive around the fishing wharf and got to see some of the trawlers up close. After which we went for a little lookie around the industry section of the port area as this is of particular interest to R. Last stop was to collect some dinner before home for hot showers, PJ's and hot milk drinks. We have an action packed day planned for tomorrow so watch this space.......
Yesterday we were still in Mt Gambier and found a whole lot more to do before we left this morning. In the morning we headed to Umpherston Sink Hole and were blown away by the fantastic garden that it is. Mr Umpherston decided back in 18 something that he would turn it into a public garden and did exactly that. It is magnificent and would make such a gorgeous wedding venue. We have been very impressed by the level of maintenance of the tourist attractions around Mt Gambier. As we had promised the kids we took a picnic lunch and returned to the Valley Lake Recreation Area. Erin and I had a great time feeding the ducks, geese and one lone black swan - they all were more than happy to come and take the bread directly from our hands. Two and a half loaves of bread later they had all had their fill and were not in the slightest bit interested in the offerings of the next person ten minutes later!!
After lunch we decided to take a short trip to the coastal town of Port Macdonnell. We did stop at the base of the walking track up Mt Schank, another volcano, but just as we arrived so did the rain and we decided not to do the trek. Thankfully the rain stopped when we arrived in Port Macdonnell, but the wind was icy cold. We agreed that the tourist drive was our best option and headed off. We made a quick stop at Shelly Beach but had to leave there in a big hurry when E was stung/bitten by a blue jellyfish. We weren't sure if it could have been a blue ring octopus so left in a big hurry to have it identified, with E under strict instructions to let us know immediately if she started to feel funny. A visit to the local fishing bait and tackle store, followed by the pharmacy assured us that it was a jelly fish and not an octopus and that the vinegar which they provided would be sufficient. The local chemist also provided some "special medicine" in the form of a Ferrero Rocher!!!
After having been assured that E wasn't going to go into anaphalactic shock we decided to finish the tourist drive. The next stop for us was at the site of the old Cape Northumberland Lighthouse. Brrr, not a place I would want to live. It was freezing. We also thought it was pretty cool that we had found the most southerly place in South Australia, and have the photo to prove it! Unfortunately, to E's disappointment we did not spot any fairy penguins at the local colony, and after a quick stop at the local playground we headed back to Mt Gambier.
Evening saw us heading out yet again to Umpherstons Sinkhole as we had been told by the Visitor Centre that it was worth a visit at night to feed all the possums that emerge from the limestone walls. We were somewhat concerned though when we met some people in the car park who had just been down who told us to make sure we had some food in reserve as the possums chased them up the stairs!! The kids thought the whole experience was fabulous. There were at least a dozen or more possums who were more than happy to take food from our hands. Even C got to pat and feed one! And yes, they did chase us up the stairs!!
This morning saw us packing up and heading out of town with our house in tow. We made a very interesting stop at the Princess Margaret Rose Caves between Mt Gambier and Nelson. It is another very beautiful spot, in the Lower Glenelg National Park. R even wanted to pull up stumps and camp there! We were lucky enough to be the only visitors at the time so got to have a private tour of the cave. It was awesome!! The kids were very interested and even asked lots of questions. They did think it was pretty cool when the guide turned all the lights out to show us how dark the cave is. After our tour of the cave we decided to do the short hike to see the lookout over the Glenelg River from the top of a cliff. Very beautiful. We were also lucky enough to see several kangaroos and emus as we drove out of the park.
The drive from Nelson to Portland is not particularly interesting as there is only so many pine plantations you can look at before they lose their novelty!! On arriving in Portland we headed for the caravan park that we thought we would stay at - NOT!! Just the gate was enough for us to decide we were absolutely not staying there. Thankfully there is more than one park in Portland and our next option looked much more promising. It is quite nice, we are one of only a few vans in the park and are conveniently placed right between the playground and the amenities block.
After setting up home and having a cuppa and a play we decided to go for a bit of a drive around the town to check it out. We found quite a big breakwater that you can actually drive on and managed to get our timing spot on. A large ship was being piloted with two tugs into the port and we got to stand at the end of the breakwater, all of about 30 meters from the ship coming into port and watch it being manouvered by the tugs. Quite amazing to watch, albeit icy, icy cold (a point obviously not noticed by the insane group of people surfing next to the breakwater!!). We then went for a bit of a drive around the fishing wharf and got to see some of the trawlers up close. After which we went for a little lookie around the industry section of the port area as this is of particular interest to R. Last stop was to collect some dinner before home for hot showers, PJ's and hot milk drinks. We have an action packed day planned for tomorrow so watch this space.......
Wednesday 12 June 2013
Rain, rain go away.......
RAIN!! Lots of it!! Remind me again why we didn't turn north???
Despite the wet weather we did manage to get out and about on Wednesday to see as much as we could. We started with a visit to the Lady Nelson Visitor Information Centre to see what there is for us to see in Mt Gambier. The kids were very impressed with the replica boat out the front. After leaving the centre we took a drive up the crater to see the "not so blue" lake. Unfortunately, the lake is only blue between November and March. We stopped at the Rook wall and turret to have a look at the lake and could barely see the other side for all the rain and mist. The kids decided it was an absolute must that we climb the 176 steps up to the next lookout! OMGoodness, I nearly died!! After getting rather wet we clambered back into the car and went for a drive around the Valley Lakes area. We decided the rain was just too heavy to get out and explore the animal sanctuary but a little further down the road we did stop for the kids to have a play on the next best playground we have found. It was nearly as good as the one in Millicent. The kids were a bit put off by the green colour of all the equipment until we explained that it was so the playground blended in with the scenery. The Valley Lake area is just stunning. So, so green, beautiful lawn, lake for skiing or canoing, bbq's and benches galore. We even had the pleasure of seeing a black swan, and on thinking we could creep up on it for a photo we were surprised to have it come waddling right up to us waiting to be fed. We have told Erin that we will go back again on Thursday to feed the swan, geese and ducks. We were all a bit disappointed that we couldn't go up and climb the Centennial Tower as it wasn't open today.
After exploring the lakes area we headed for the central business district for some lunch and a coffee. I found a little cafe that I will most definitely have to go back to and try again. They have 24 flavours of hot chocolate!!!! R had an encounter with a very kind Coopers rep. He was standing with the boys under the pub drive through waiting for the rain to ease off before crossing the road when she offered him an umbrella to keep. There are still nice people in the world!! Next for the afternoon was a visit to the Cave Gardens behind the town hall. The kids thought this was pretty cool, especially since the waterfall was flowing (the one benefit we have had from all the rain). After the cave garden we headed to the "Main Corner" to explore the Kings Room exhibition all about Mt Gambier. The kids loved the floor area that was lit up with what looked like water, and had a great time "swimming". From there we moved into the theatre room to watch an hour movie on the big screen all about the volcanoes in the region. The kids managed to sit through 45 minutes before getting restless.
What a busy day, but it wasn't over yet. After going home for an early dinner, I spent some time doing washing, in my baby twin tub, in the dark, and while holding an umbrella over both of us!! I made use of the tumble driers in the park as there was no way I was going to get anything dry with all the rain about. T and I had a few games of ping pong and at 7.30 we headed off for the town centre again to go and watch the cave garden light and sound show. They play a film on the side of the building and then another on the wall of the cave garden, along with beautiful lighting of the plants. Needless to say it was the 45 minutes that we were standing in the garden that it absolutely bucketed down!!! In the end we gave up on the garden movie as the rain was getting heavier and we couldn't hear the movie over the sound of the waterfall which had started flowing again with all the rain!!! And of course the moment we got back in the car the rain stopped. Grrr.
Fingers crossed the rain will ease off a bit on Thursday, but listening to the weather reports and all the flood warnings for Victoria I'm not all that hopeful......
Despite the wet weather we did manage to get out and about on Wednesday to see as much as we could. We started with a visit to the Lady Nelson Visitor Information Centre to see what there is for us to see in Mt Gambier. The kids were very impressed with the replica boat out the front. After leaving the centre we took a drive up the crater to see the "not so blue" lake. Unfortunately, the lake is only blue between November and March. We stopped at the Rook wall and turret to have a look at the lake and could barely see the other side for all the rain and mist. The kids decided it was an absolute must that we climb the 176 steps up to the next lookout! OMGoodness, I nearly died!! After getting rather wet we clambered back into the car and went for a drive around the Valley Lakes area. We decided the rain was just too heavy to get out and explore the animal sanctuary but a little further down the road we did stop for the kids to have a play on the next best playground we have found. It was nearly as good as the one in Millicent. The kids were a bit put off by the green colour of all the equipment until we explained that it was so the playground blended in with the scenery. The Valley Lake area is just stunning. So, so green, beautiful lawn, lake for skiing or canoing, bbq's and benches galore. We even had the pleasure of seeing a black swan, and on thinking we could creep up on it for a photo we were surprised to have it come waddling right up to us waiting to be fed. We have told Erin that we will go back again on Thursday to feed the swan, geese and ducks. We were all a bit disappointed that we couldn't go up and climb the Centennial Tower as it wasn't open today.
After exploring the lakes area we headed for the central business district for some lunch and a coffee. I found a little cafe that I will most definitely have to go back to and try again. They have 24 flavours of hot chocolate!!!! R had an encounter with a very kind Coopers rep. He was standing with the boys under the pub drive through waiting for the rain to ease off before crossing the road when she offered him an umbrella to keep. There are still nice people in the world!! Next for the afternoon was a visit to the Cave Gardens behind the town hall. The kids thought this was pretty cool, especially since the waterfall was flowing (the one benefit we have had from all the rain). After the cave garden we headed to the "Main Corner" to explore the Kings Room exhibition all about Mt Gambier. The kids loved the floor area that was lit up with what looked like water, and had a great time "swimming". From there we moved into the theatre room to watch an hour movie on the big screen all about the volcanoes in the region. The kids managed to sit through 45 minutes before getting restless.
What a busy day, but it wasn't over yet. After going home for an early dinner, I spent some time doing washing, in my baby twin tub, in the dark, and while holding an umbrella over both of us!! I made use of the tumble driers in the park as there was no way I was going to get anything dry with all the rain about. T and I had a few games of ping pong and at 7.30 we headed off for the town centre again to go and watch the cave garden light and sound show. They play a film on the side of the building and then another on the wall of the cave garden, along with beautiful lighting of the plants. Needless to say it was the 45 minutes that we were standing in the garden that it absolutely bucketed down!!! In the end we gave up on the garden movie as the rain was getting heavier and we couldn't hear the movie over the sound of the waterfall which had started flowing again with all the rain!!! And of course the moment we got back in the car the rain stopped. Grrr.
Fingers crossed the rain will ease off a bit on Thursday, but listening to the weather reports and all the flood warnings for Victoria I'm not all that hopeful......
Tuesday 11 June 2013
Greetings from Mount Gambier!
Today has been a very mixed bag of things to do and see. We had a remarkably laid back morning - sooooo loving this caravan pack up business!! Didn't get up until 8.00 and still managed to get out of the caravan park by 10.00! R and I took turns taking the kids to the beach while the other did some packing up. E was very excited to come running back to tell me that her thong was on its way to Antartica as she had dropped it off the jetty!! I managed to control my tummy butterflies while C kept trying to look over the side of the jetty (the side with no railing of course!!). E and I then took up a collection and got a photo of 24 different types of seaweed from on the beach!!! There were some amazing colours amongst them.
After leaving Cape Jaffa we headed south and found ourselves in the lovely little town of Beachport. We stopped for a quick visit in the tourist centre to see what there was for us to see. We opted for a short tourist drive around the town to take in a few of the scenic views of the ocean and the second longest jetty in the southern hemisphere (772 meters). We also made a pitstop at Lake Siloam, a small lake which is the local swimming hole. Lake Siloam is nearly seven times saltier than the ocean, and our taste test proved this theory to be true - YUCK!!
Moving on from Beachport we made our way to Millicent, which we have deemed to be the home of the most awesome playground in the history of playgrounds ever. Their "Playground in the Domain" was fabulous. So fabulous that we stayed there for about an hour and a half! R even found his new truck there. A cool truck complete with springs on all wheels!! Playgrounds have an amazing ability to bring out the big kid in all of us. R had a wow of a time on the giant swing, trying to compete with T for who could swing the highest, and R and I had races on the flying fox.
We were all amazed with the sight of hundreds and hundreds of hectares of pine plantation between Mt Gambier and Millicent. The pine trees just seemed to go on forever. We were disappointed that the Tantanoola Caves are closed for the season now. On asking at our caravan park we were told that they are quite wet in winter and as they have less steps and handrails can become quite dangerous. Ho hum, guess we will have to go to some other caves instead.
The caravan park we are in now is quite small, but we have the luxury of our own ensuite on site. Niiiiice. No midnight walks to the toilets and we can leave all our bathroom bits in there until we leave. I likeeeee. Our neighbour came and introduced himself and gave us some assistance in the rather frustrating task of trying to figure out how to put the walls of our annexe up. Aaaggghhhh!! That could possibly be the source of more marital arguements than reversing the caravan!!! We got there in the end. =o)
So, tomorrow we will do some exploring of Mt Gambier and its surrounds. Perhaps a spot of shopping - for an annexe floor, and maybe even get in some relaxing down time.......
After leaving Cape Jaffa we headed south and found ourselves in the lovely little town of Beachport. We stopped for a quick visit in the tourist centre to see what there was for us to see. We opted for a short tourist drive around the town to take in a few of the scenic views of the ocean and the second longest jetty in the southern hemisphere (772 meters). We also made a pitstop at Lake Siloam, a small lake which is the local swimming hole. Lake Siloam is nearly seven times saltier than the ocean, and our taste test proved this theory to be true - YUCK!!
Moving on from Beachport we made our way to Millicent, which we have deemed to be the home of the most awesome playground in the history of playgrounds ever. Their "Playground in the Domain" was fabulous. So fabulous that we stayed there for about an hour and a half! R even found his new truck there. A cool truck complete with springs on all wheels!! Playgrounds have an amazing ability to bring out the big kid in all of us. R had a wow of a time on the giant swing, trying to compete with T for who could swing the highest, and R and I had races on the flying fox.
We were all amazed with the sight of hundreds and hundreds of hectares of pine plantation between Mt Gambier and Millicent. The pine trees just seemed to go on forever. We were disappointed that the Tantanoola Caves are closed for the season now. On asking at our caravan park we were told that they are quite wet in winter and as they have less steps and handrails can become quite dangerous. Ho hum, guess we will have to go to some other caves instead.
The caravan park we are in now is quite small, but we have the luxury of our own ensuite on site. Niiiiice. No midnight walks to the toilets and we can leave all our bathroom bits in there until we leave. I likeeeee. Our neighbour came and introduced himself and gave us some assistance in the rather frustrating task of trying to figure out how to put the walls of our annexe up. Aaaggghhhh!! That could possibly be the source of more marital arguements than reversing the caravan!!! We got there in the end. =o)
So, tomorrow we will do some exploring of Mt Gambier and its surrounds. Perhaps a spot of shopping - for an annexe floor, and maybe even get in some relaxing down time.......
Monday 10 June 2013
Drive away day!
Hello from Cape Jaffa!
It's day one of Bob and Bel and the mini B's Big Adventure and we have made it a whole 250kms from our old home!
We didn't get away quite as early as planned as we still had quite a few jobs to be finished off before we could drive out. There was grocery shopping, laundromat ting, car dropper off-ering, packing, cleaning and goodbye-ing. It was 12.00 before we hit the road, but what a relief it was to finally be underway. It seems like it has been such a long time getting to this point but I know that realistically it most definitely hasn't been long at all - about 14 weeks since the day we made the decision in fact!
So, day one involved a quick stop by our container to throw in the last few things that couldn't come with us and to pick up the BBQ. After that however we hit the open road. Our first stop was a late lunch on the shores of Lake Albert at Meningie. Being the last day of a long weekend it was a very busy place. Caravans, campers and 4x4's everywhere. Oh my goodness we were praising the simplicity of a caravan compared to our previous campers. Sure it's bigger and heavier, but we were able to pull up, hop in and make lunch and boil the kettle for coffee then shut the door and keep driving! Ahhhh, so easy and convenient.
Driving along the coorong was quite interesting. Observing the changes in flora and dreaming of getting the car across to go and play on the HUGE sand dunes!!! Our next point of interest was the encounter with a cow - on the wrong side of the fence! Thankfully he or she must have thought we were an even bigger black cow and promptly ran away.
The kids were starting to get pretty restless by now so we had to play eye spy until we finally could spy our first "big thing" of the trip - Larry the Lobster, standing proudly at Kingston SE! We of course took our obligatory photos then hit the road for the last half an hour of today's driving.
It was getting close to dark by the time we arrived at the caravan park in Cape Jaffa. When I went in to reception the manager asked where the kids were and could they be quiet? Oh dear, I'm thinking, this is not going to be good, my children don't know how to be quiet. It was ok though, he just wanted to show them the two kangaroos grazing just outside the reception building. Vey cool. We also have the pleasure of being the only guests in the park tonight so have spread out over two sites and have the amenities to ourselves! Nice!
Anyway, we have survived our first day on the road, our first meals cooked in the van and our first round of showers. Time for a cuppa and bed so we can be ready to take on tomorrow's adventures.
It's day one of Bob and Bel and the mini B's Big Adventure and we have made it a whole 250kms from our old home!
We didn't get away quite as early as planned as we still had quite a few jobs to be finished off before we could drive out. There was grocery shopping, laundromat ting, car dropper off-ering, packing, cleaning and goodbye-ing. It was 12.00 before we hit the road, but what a relief it was to finally be underway. It seems like it has been such a long time getting to this point but I know that realistically it most definitely hasn't been long at all - about 14 weeks since the day we made the decision in fact!
So, day one involved a quick stop by our container to throw in the last few things that couldn't come with us and to pick up the BBQ. After that however we hit the open road. Our first stop was a late lunch on the shores of Lake Albert at Meningie. Being the last day of a long weekend it was a very busy place. Caravans, campers and 4x4's everywhere. Oh my goodness we were praising the simplicity of a caravan compared to our previous campers. Sure it's bigger and heavier, but we were able to pull up, hop in and make lunch and boil the kettle for coffee then shut the door and keep driving! Ahhhh, so easy and convenient.
Driving along the coorong was quite interesting. Observing the changes in flora and dreaming of getting the car across to go and play on the HUGE sand dunes!!! Our next point of interest was the encounter with a cow - on the wrong side of the fence! Thankfully he or she must have thought we were an even bigger black cow and promptly ran away.
The kids were starting to get pretty restless by now so we had to play eye spy until we finally could spy our first "big thing" of the trip - Larry the Lobster, standing proudly at Kingston SE! We of course took our obligatory photos then hit the road for the last half an hour of today's driving.
It was getting close to dark by the time we arrived at the caravan park in Cape Jaffa. When I went in to reception the manager asked where the kids were and could they be quiet? Oh dear, I'm thinking, this is not going to be good, my children don't know how to be quiet. It was ok though, he just wanted to show them the two kangaroos grazing just outside the reception building. Vey cool. We also have the pleasure of being the only guests in the park tonight so have spread out over two sites and have the amenities to ourselves! Nice!
Anyway, we have survived our first day on the road, our first meals cooked in the van and our first round of showers. Time for a cuppa and bed so we can be ready to take on tomorrow's adventures.
Wednesday 5 June 2013
Tonight I pay homage......
Today was C's last day in daycare. It was a bit sad - for me. C was pretty excited about not having to go back again. Don't get me wrong, he loved going there, at least he did after the first 15 minutes of screaming!
I would like to take this opportunity to pay homage to the wonderful, fantastic, beautiful ladies at Littlehampton Child Care Centre. Many of whom have been there since the first day I dropped our eldest off, way back in 2007. They have watched all three of our kids grow and develop, move through the rooms of day care and then move on to kindy and school, and even now that the big kids have been gone for several years they still never fail to address them by name and ask after them. I felt so comfortable with LCCC from the first time I popped in un-announced to check the centre out. It always seemed so friendly, fun and happy.
The beautiful ladies there have spent time listening to me, talking to me and at times even providing me with a shoulder to lean on as I went through some pretty hard times. They have laughed with me and watched me grow and develop as a mother as I went from one, to two, and then to three children. They have, I'm sure, been amused as I moved from being a sooky-la-la dropping my first born off, to quite happily telling them that they can keep my last born!!
I have so much respect for the ladies at LCCC. They do a job that I am certain I could not do. They care for my, and other peoples children all day, every day and always with a smile on their faces. I have never been greeted by any of them with anything less than a smile, and they have always made me feel that I have never had to worry about the level of care my children have received while attending the centre.
I am so grateful for having found such a fantastic child care centre with such a wonderful bunch of carers.
Thank you Littlehampton Child Care Centre for your wonderful service over the last six years.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay homage to the wonderful, fantastic, beautiful ladies at Littlehampton Child Care Centre. Many of whom have been there since the first day I dropped our eldest off, way back in 2007. They have watched all three of our kids grow and develop, move through the rooms of day care and then move on to kindy and school, and even now that the big kids have been gone for several years they still never fail to address them by name and ask after them. I felt so comfortable with LCCC from the first time I popped in un-announced to check the centre out. It always seemed so friendly, fun and happy.
The beautiful ladies there have spent time listening to me, talking to me and at times even providing me with a shoulder to lean on as I went through some pretty hard times. They have laughed with me and watched me grow and develop as a mother as I went from one, to two, and then to three children. They have, I'm sure, been amused as I moved from being a sooky-la-la dropping my first born off, to quite happily telling them that they can keep my last born!!
I have so much respect for the ladies at LCCC. They do a job that I am certain I could not do. They care for my, and other peoples children all day, every day and always with a smile on their faces. I have never been greeted by any of them with anything less than a smile, and they have always made me feel that I have never had to worry about the level of care my children have received while attending the centre.
I am so grateful for having found such a fantastic child care centre with such a wonderful bunch of carers.
Thank you Littlehampton Child Care Centre for your wonderful service over the last six years.
Tuesday 4 June 2013
Busy, busy busy.
So very, very busy. There is so much to do and so little time in which to do it all.
We had a really lovely day at our housewarming / bon voyage / birthday for Erin party last Sunday. Thankfully the rain held off for most of the day, especially since we were about 60 seconds to late to secure the rotunda at the park. No one would say it was a sunny, warm day, but at least it wasn't bucketing another months worth of rainfall like the day before it. We had quite a few people come to wish us well on our travels, however they didn't eat anywhere near enough sausages, and I have over 2kg left!! Many we were expecting and some we weren't which made for a nice surprise. It was interesting to observe peoples reactions to seeing Cara. Most thought she was lovely, but a few shook their heads and told me I am mad!! Lol.
Others wondered how you can condense a house down to a caravan, and more importantly how was I going to survive with a wardrobe that only holds about 8 coat hangers of clothes??? That is one question I'm not entirely sure how I can answer - yet - as I am still coming to terms with the enormity of this part of the whole process. I think I must still be in denial, grief is yet to come..... My beautiful red winter coat, my lovely burnt orange coat, my black trench, my grey coat (I love my jackets), my dozen different scarves, all my tops and tee's in all the colours of the rainbow, all the lovely knitted cardigans, and shirts, and pants and shorts, and shoes, all my shoes, all my lovely, wonderful, beautiful shoes. Boooooooo hooooooooo hoooooooo!! How am I going to survive with a pair of Blundstones, a pair of hiking shoes, a pair of ugg boots and a pair of thongs (and maybe a sneaky pair of ballet flats)??? How is it possible to live with a winter waterproof coat, three jumpers, two pair of jeans, two trackies, one pair of shorts and about half a dozen assorted tees and long sleeves?? OH MY FRIGGING GOODNESS!!!! What have I done to myself?????
Ok, ok, ok, settle down Bel. Take a few deep breaths. Think about something else. Phew. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favourite things.....
So, with only 6 days until drive out day we have been packing, unpacking and repacking Cara. We have been culling anything else that we think we can do without (not much!). We have had the car serviced and have it booked in for some final electric works tomorrow. The kids are very excited that they only have three days left of school and C only one day left of daycare. E's teacher is even organising a shared lunch for her class to say goodbye. We have shopped for shoes, birthday presents, towing mirrors and toilets. Filing and paper work is in order, insurance organised and checked again. I'm making a list and I'm checking it twice. Thursday will see us make our final visit to our storage container to collect the last of the things that are coming with us, namely Wally the Washer Mark 2, Kevin the kayak and all necessary accessories like the obligatory lifejackets and paddle. We will also be returning to the container all items and objects that we just don't think can come along including, to the dismay of the children, the Soda Stream. We had been hoping to take it with us, but just can't fit it in without forgoing the allocated storage area for wine and scotch - pffft like THAT is going to happen!!!!
Well, must be time for a little tipple before I tipple myself into bed exhausted - again! Hmm, only 6 days until we can relax. Bubbles, must add bubbles to the list, must get bubbles, bubbles, pretty bubbles, colourful bubbles, big bubbles, little bubbles, lots of bubbles...... I like bubbles...... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. =0)
We had a really lovely day at our housewarming / bon voyage / birthday for Erin party last Sunday. Thankfully the rain held off for most of the day, especially since we were about 60 seconds to late to secure the rotunda at the park. No one would say it was a sunny, warm day, but at least it wasn't bucketing another months worth of rainfall like the day before it. We had quite a few people come to wish us well on our travels, however they didn't eat anywhere near enough sausages, and I have over 2kg left!! Many we were expecting and some we weren't which made for a nice surprise. It was interesting to observe peoples reactions to seeing Cara. Most thought she was lovely, but a few shook their heads and told me I am mad!! Lol.
Others wondered how you can condense a house down to a caravan, and more importantly how was I going to survive with a wardrobe that only holds about 8 coat hangers of clothes??? That is one question I'm not entirely sure how I can answer - yet - as I am still coming to terms with the enormity of this part of the whole process. I think I must still be in denial, grief is yet to come..... My beautiful red winter coat, my lovely burnt orange coat, my black trench, my grey coat (I love my jackets), my dozen different scarves, all my tops and tee's in all the colours of the rainbow, all the lovely knitted cardigans, and shirts, and pants and shorts, and shoes, all my shoes, all my lovely, wonderful, beautiful shoes. Boooooooo hooooooooo hoooooooo!! How am I going to survive with a pair of Blundstones, a pair of hiking shoes, a pair of ugg boots and a pair of thongs (and maybe a sneaky pair of ballet flats)??? How is it possible to live with a winter waterproof coat, three jumpers, two pair of jeans, two trackies, one pair of shorts and about half a dozen assorted tees and long sleeves?? OH MY FRIGGING GOODNESS!!!! What have I done to myself?????
Ok, ok, ok, settle down Bel. Take a few deep breaths. Think about something else. Phew. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favourite things.....
So, with only 6 days until drive out day we have been packing, unpacking and repacking Cara. We have been culling anything else that we think we can do without (not much!). We have had the car serviced and have it booked in for some final electric works tomorrow. The kids are very excited that they only have three days left of school and C only one day left of daycare. E's teacher is even organising a shared lunch for her class to say goodbye. We have shopped for shoes, birthday presents, towing mirrors and toilets. Filing and paper work is in order, insurance organised and checked again. I'm making a list and I'm checking it twice. Thursday will see us make our final visit to our storage container to collect the last of the things that are coming with us, namely Wally the Washer Mark 2, Kevin the kayak and all necessary accessories like the obligatory lifejackets and paddle. We will also be returning to the container all items and objects that we just don't think can come along including, to the dismay of the children, the Soda Stream. We had been hoping to take it with us, but just can't fit it in without forgoing the allocated storage area for wine and scotch - pffft like THAT is going to happen!!!!
Well, must be time for a little tipple before I tipple myself into bed exhausted - again! Hmm, only 6 days until we can relax. Bubbles, must add bubbles to the list, must get bubbles, bubbles, pretty bubbles, colourful bubbles, big bubbles, little bubbles, lots of bubbles...... I like bubbles...... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. =0)
Tuesday 28 May 2013
Cara is here! Cara is here!
Yeeee!! So excited!! We are no longer homeless!!
We were very excited yesterday to phone the seller of our new home and advise him that the funds transfer was complete and we were coming to collect Cara that afternoon. We took him a little by surprise as we were a couple of days earlier than we had expected the pick up to be and had to wait when we all arrived for him to empty out his belongings.
However about an hour later we were driving away with our "house" having had instruction on all the ins and outs and how to's.
Cara is a 2006 Coromal Lifestyle 600. She has triple bunks for the kids, a queen sized bed for us, stove top, grill, rangehood, microwave, large fridge, hot water to the kitchen, r/c air conditioning, built in stereo cd player, loads of storage space, comfy lounge and dining table. She is a lovely pale timber veneer colour with navy trim and pale blue curtains. Cara also has a large roll out awning and full annexe. Lots of space for a family of five.
The kids were very excited to get Cara back to Grandma and Pa's. They had to check out all the cupboards and hidey holes. There was the expected debate over whose bunk was whose, and the demands for the beds to be made IMMEDIATELY so they could be tested out that night. So make the beds we did, and we all slept our first night in Cara in the driveway.
Today was "moving in" day. We did a trip up to our storage container to retrieve all the belongings we thought we would need. A trailer full. Add that to the trailer full that we had already taken to Grandma and Pa's and we were starting to wonder just how we would manage to fit everything in! We unanimously agreed that all the external stuff would be hubby's domain and all the inside stuff would be mine. Much like a real house in which I take care of kitchen and bedrooms and hubby takes care of the shed and yard. We just have a much smaller "shed" now (in fact it is so small that the tool box wont fit in!), and our yard is the size of Australia (lucky he doesn't have to mow that!). I spent the day pottering about, deciding what would go where, and trying to jam all our clothes into a very, very small space. In fact I think the sum total of the wardrobe space in Cara is still smaller than my personal wardrobe space in our old house. For a person who has somewhat of a clothes fetish this is quite alarming, and has been the cause of several minor panic attacks in the past few months. Anyway, Cara is now loaded, the kids are super happy that they have their own bedding (and just quietly, given the son of a gun job it was to make the beds, I may not change the sheets again until we stop travelling!!). Everything is in, I know where it all is, now it's time to start using it.
We were very excited yesterday to phone the seller of our new home and advise him that the funds transfer was complete and we were coming to collect Cara that afternoon. We took him a little by surprise as we were a couple of days earlier than we had expected the pick up to be and had to wait when we all arrived for him to empty out his belongings.
However about an hour later we were driving away with our "house" having had instruction on all the ins and outs and how to's.
Cara is a 2006 Coromal Lifestyle 600. She has triple bunks for the kids, a queen sized bed for us, stove top, grill, rangehood, microwave, large fridge, hot water to the kitchen, r/c air conditioning, built in stereo cd player, loads of storage space, comfy lounge and dining table. She is a lovely pale timber veneer colour with navy trim and pale blue curtains. Cara also has a large roll out awning and full annexe. Lots of space for a family of five.
The kids were very excited to get Cara back to Grandma and Pa's. They had to check out all the cupboards and hidey holes. There was the expected debate over whose bunk was whose, and the demands for the beds to be made IMMEDIATELY so they could be tested out that night. So make the beds we did, and we all slept our first night in Cara in the driveway.
Today was "moving in" day. We did a trip up to our storage container to retrieve all the belongings we thought we would need. A trailer full. Add that to the trailer full that we had already taken to Grandma and Pa's and we were starting to wonder just how we would manage to fit everything in! We unanimously agreed that all the external stuff would be hubby's domain and all the inside stuff would be mine. Much like a real house in which I take care of kitchen and bedrooms and hubby takes care of the shed and yard. We just have a much smaller "shed" now (in fact it is so small that the tool box wont fit in!), and our yard is the size of Australia (lucky he doesn't have to mow that!). I spent the day pottering about, deciding what would go where, and trying to jam all our clothes into a very, very small space. In fact I think the sum total of the wardrobe space in Cara is still smaller than my personal wardrobe space in our old house. For a person who has somewhat of a clothes fetish this is quite alarming, and has been the cause of several minor panic attacks in the past few months. Anyway, Cara is now loaded, the kids are super happy that they have their own bedding (and just quietly, given the son of a gun job it was to make the beds, I may not change the sheets again until we stop travelling!!). Everything is in, I know where it all is, now it's time to start using it.
Friday 17 May 2013
It's the very last night.....
So, tonight is the last night in our house. We move everything out tomorrow. Earlier today I made a comment that I was not at all sad or sentimental about moving tomorrow. This evening I'm not so sure.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a whole new life. Everything about our lives is going to change, and life will become like nothing we have known before. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited about it I could bust, but I suppose it would be strange if I didn't have some kind of less than excited feelings about leaving the place we have called home for over six years.
Six or seven years seems to be a catalyst point for R and I. We seem to make lots of big changes at about that interval. We had been in the Riverland for six or seven years when we decided to move back to Adelaide, we had our first child six years after becoming a couple and now we have been in Adelaide for a bit over six years and we are moving along again. I wonder then, will we travel for six or so years before we settle down again? Or will we find somewhere to stop and leave there again in another six years? Or could there be some other big event in six years? Time will tell I suppose.
Hmm, how life has changed since we first moved to Elizabeth Street. We were so full of excitement when we bought this house. We had two children and didn't think at that stage that we would be having any more, we were the text book family. We had been looking for a house for a few months by the time we found this one. We were smitten by it as soon as we saw it too. I remember coming for our inspection. Toby took off out the back door and spent the whole time we were here running up and down the driveway. We just loved it. It was perfect. Beautiful house, huge yard, huge verandah, lovely quiet cul-de-sac. What wasn't to love? We had decided within 5 minutes of leaving that we wanted this house and rang the real estate agent straight back. So, within 3 days of having gone on the market, the house was sold and it was ours. We were certain that this would be our long term home, our family home, the place our kids would grow up and always consider home. The place to put our roots down.
We have seen several other neighbours come and go from the street, but have been very lucky that, with the exception of one lot of tenants in the neighbours house who had a rather limited but always very loud and colourful vocabulary, all have been lovely. We have made some fantastic friends here and will remember our time in the street with smiles. Especially when reminiscing about christmas street parties and the friendly competition and banter around the light displays.
We made some changes to our house, but nothing major, window furnishings here, air conditioner there. The biggest change was probably to the front garden. We ripped out the existing garden with grand plans for the new one. However changing our minds several times delayed the process, as did a shortage of funds, and we are very grateful to our neighbours for putting up with our bare, dusty or muddy (weather dependant) dirt front yard for well over 12 months. Isn't it a shame though, that so often we only get our homes the way we always wanted them in time to sell them? Well, we do anyway. We had been saying for six years that we would paint throughout, but only did so when we decided to sell. We lived with an un-working dishwasher for several years, but replaced it with a working one so we could sell.
Well, life changes, circumstances change, and while there will be a tinge of sadness that life here didn't end up the way we had planned, we are very ready to leave and move along and we wont be looking back.
B
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a whole new life. Everything about our lives is going to change, and life will become like nothing we have known before. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited about it I could bust, but I suppose it would be strange if I didn't have some kind of less than excited feelings about leaving the place we have called home for over six years.
Six or seven years seems to be a catalyst point for R and I. We seem to make lots of big changes at about that interval. We had been in the Riverland for six or seven years when we decided to move back to Adelaide, we had our first child six years after becoming a couple and now we have been in Adelaide for a bit over six years and we are moving along again. I wonder then, will we travel for six or so years before we settle down again? Or will we find somewhere to stop and leave there again in another six years? Or could there be some other big event in six years? Time will tell I suppose.
Hmm, how life has changed since we first moved to Elizabeth Street. We were so full of excitement when we bought this house. We had two children and didn't think at that stage that we would be having any more, we were the text book family. We had been looking for a house for a few months by the time we found this one. We were smitten by it as soon as we saw it too. I remember coming for our inspection. Toby took off out the back door and spent the whole time we were here running up and down the driveway. We just loved it. It was perfect. Beautiful house, huge yard, huge verandah, lovely quiet cul-de-sac. What wasn't to love? We had decided within 5 minutes of leaving that we wanted this house and rang the real estate agent straight back. So, within 3 days of having gone on the market, the house was sold and it was ours. We were certain that this would be our long term home, our family home, the place our kids would grow up and always consider home. The place to put our roots down.
We have seen several other neighbours come and go from the street, but have been very lucky that, with the exception of one lot of tenants in the neighbours house who had a rather limited but always very loud and colourful vocabulary, all have been lovely. We have made some fantastic friends here and will remember our time in the street with smiles. Especially when reminiscing about christmas street parties and the friendly competition and banter around the light displays.
We made some changes to our house, but nothing major, window furnishings here, air conditioner there. The biggest change was probably to the front garden. We ripped out the existing garden with grand plans for the new one. However changing our minds several times delayed the process, as did a shortage of funds, and we are very grateful to our neighbours for putting up with our bare, dusty or muddy (weather dependant) dirt front yard for well over 12 months. Isn't it a shame though, that so often we only get our homes the way we always wanted them in time to sell them? Well, we do anyway. We had been saying for six years that we would paint throughout, but only did so when we decided to sell. We lived with an un-working dishwasher for several years, but replaced it with a working one so we could sell.
Well, life changes, circumstances change, and while there will be a tinge of sadness that life here didn't end up the way we had planned, we are very ready to leave and move along and we wont be looking back.
B
Wednesday 15 May 2013
By Toby
I cant wait in till we go.I really want to see snakes crocodiles and many more animals.The place i really want to go to is Tasmania so i can see snow.The place we are going to first is my aunties house in geelong. I am going surfing with my cousin Mitchell. We are sleeping in John the caravan, i get the top bunk. We are tacking my lego so i can make the sydney harber briege.
Tuesday 14 May 2013
By Erin
I'm excited about our holiday because I am going to Tasmania. and i'm going to the snow. i'm going to bild a snowman. and i'm going to put a carrot on it. i'm going to sea world and i'm going to the waterslide. i'm going to go really fast on the slide. i'm sleping on the floor now because mum pakd my stuf up. we are mooving to grandma and pa's house.
Monday 13 May 2013
It's the final countdown..... (dah na na naah, na na naah na na)
Wow! What a crazy few weeks it has been. I have barely had time to scratch the proverbial, let alone write a blog entry.
Quick update......
It is 28 sleeps until we drive out!!!
We put the house on the market and sold after our first inspection. Thank goodness because I don't know if I would have kept it together if I had to keep the house immaculately spotless like that for much longer!! Cleaning bathrooms and toilets three times a week is just ridiculous!! We actually knocked back our first offer on the house, but then on the advice of our fantastic agent we agreed to their amended offer the next day. And thank goodness we did as while there has been several enquiries since, there has been no solid interest which may have generated an offer. This Wednesday is the finance cut off date for the purchasers and according to the last communication from our agent everything there is on track so we should have a sold sticker on our sign by the end of the week. :-)
So after reaching the end of the cooling off period R has, much to his delight, given his notice at work and as at tonight he has 14 trips up and down the hill to complete and then he can wave goodbye for good!! (Not that he is counting at all!!) R's work have been very generous to us though. R negotiated the purchase of our 40 foot shipping container through his big boss, and he has agreed to us being invoiced for it, so as to allow us to have it before the settlement date enabling us to actually move out of the house. He has also arranged for the yard staff to transport the container up from Adelaide during the week, and has allowed R to use the truck on the weekend to deliver it to our house (and gee, doesn't it look pretty sitting out the front of our house!), pick it up and return it to the yard and finally store it in the yard for as long as we need at absolutely no cost. We are very thankful, and think that it really does go to show that the old proverb of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" really does ring true. Finally R is getting some very handy and helpful recognition for all his hard work and for all the times he has gone the extra mile to help out the boss.
Since my last post we have also put down a deposit on our new house - the one with wheels. After spending countless hours scouring the internet for a suitable house we spent a day dragging three very reluctant, restless and bored children from one caravan yard to another and from one private home to another looking at possible contenders. As we expected, trying to keep children off the beds in caravans is near impossible, especially when your attention is elsewhere. The last caravan we looked at was the one that I had been eyeing off for some time on the internet. It seemed to be exactly what we were looking for, and true to form, it absolutely was!! I was so excited but didn't want to jump up and down like a school kid (or like one of my kids) infront of the current owner. We spent quite some time with the owner talking about all the pros and cons, talking about travel experiences, and tow cars. Finally we thanked him for his time and said we would get back to him. We hadn't even gotten all the way out of the driveway before R and I decided that this was definitely the van we wanted and we weren't even going to negotiate on the price. We stopped the owner in the middle of the street and said we wanted it. We had already discussed that we would not be able to pay for and collect the van until after our house settlement and he was fine with that so we paid him a reasonable deposit and left saying see you after the 24th.
Later that night, while looking at photos of our new house, I decided that it would most definitely need a name. I decided on a name and announced it to R who just smiled and shook his head at me. Anyone would think he thinks I am silly........
Cara it is!!
Cara van -Dyck!!
I thought it was very fitting and very clever, and thus it is the reason for the new name to this blog.
So, what else? What else have we been doing??? More like, what haven't we been doing?? I have now taken out memberships in SA Ambulance, RAA, Big 4, Top Tourist, and Family Parks. I have bought our copies of Camps 7 (the free campers bible) and its companion book Caravan Parks Australia. I have lodged the kids school exemption forms and have given C's notice to daycare. I have made and attended doctor and dentist check up appointments for several of us. I have a print out calendar of may and june and I don't think there is a day between now and the time we leave that doesn't have something on. I have written list upon list upon list of things to do, things to buy, things to pack, and even some lists of things I have to write lists for. I know I like to be an organised kind of person but surely that is getting just a little crazy??
Last Saturday Erin very bravely came with me to take our cats to their new furever home. I was ok with taking them, but poor Erin was a bit upset as I was expecting. Thankfully their new home is on a property so Erin was distracted from being upset by the offer of feeding the hundred or so goats there. I did, however, get a little upset on Sunday when I realised that this was the first time since I was four years old that I have not had a pet in the house. :-(
I have also packed box, upon box, upon box of household stuff that will be going into storage. Poor R is going crazy. I have packed up most of the kitchen with the exception of the things that will be going in to Cara and have stacked it all into one cupboard of the kitchen, needless to say he can't find anything he wants and keeps opening empty cupboards looking for it. Hehehehehe. I am getting quite a giggle out of watching that. LOL. The kids are now sleeping on matresses on the floor. Their beds have been dismantled ready for packing. They have their one tub of toys and one tub of clothes. Everything else has been taken out of their bedrooms except for the empty furniture. Thankfully, they think that sleeping on the floor is kinda cool and somewhat of a novelty.
So, between now and drive out day we have more appointments, car services, moving house, bon voyage parties, family dinners, school excursions, caravan collections, school, day care, work, and crying over the fact that my coffee machine has to stay in storage and wait for me to come back. Enough to keep us busy!!
Until next time........
Quick update......
It is 28 sleeps until we drive out!!!
We put the house on the market and sold after our first inspection. Thank goodness because I don't know if I would have kept it together if I had to keep the house immaculately spotless like that for much longer!! Cleaning bathrooms and toilets three times a week is just ridiculous!! We actually knocked back our first offer on the house, but then on the advice of our fantastic agent we agreed to their amended offer the next day. And thank goodness we did as while there has been several enquiries since, there has been no solid interest which may have generated an offer. This Wednesday is the finance cut off date for the purchasers and according to the last communication from our agent everything there is on track so we should have a sold sticker on our sign by the end of the week. :-)
So after reaching the end of the cooling off period R has, much to his delight, given his notice at work and as at tonight he has 14 trips up and down the hill to complete and then he can wave goodbye for good!! (Not that he is counting at all!!) R's work have been very generous to us though. R negotiated the purchase of our 40 foot shipping container through his big boss, and he has agreed to us being invoiced for it, so as to allow us to have it before the settlement date enabling us to actually move out of the house. He has also arranged for the yard staff to transport the container up from Adelaide during the week, and has allowed R to use the truck on the weekend to deliver it to our house (and gee, doesn't it look pretty sitting out the front of our house!), pick it up and return it to the yard and finally store it in the yard for as long as we need at absolutely no cost. We are very thankful, and think that it really does go to show that the old proverb of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" really does ring true. Finally R is getting some very handy and helpful recognition for all his hard work and for all the times he has gone the extra mile to help out the boss.
Since my last post we have also put down a deposit on our new house - the one with wheels. After spending countless hours scouring the internet for a suitable house we spent a day dragging three very reluctant, restless and bored children from one caravan yard to another and from one private home to another looking at possible contenders. As we expected, trying to keep children off the beds in caravans is near impossible, especially when your attention is elsewhere. The last caravan we looked at was the one that I had been eyeing off for some time on the internet. It seemed to be exactly what we were looking for, and true to form, it absolutely was!! I was so excited but didn't want to jump up and down like a school kid (or like one of my kids) infront of the current owner. We spent quite some time with the owner talking about all the pros and cons, talking about travel experiences, and tow cars. Finally we thanked him for his time and said we would get back to him. We hadn't even gotten all the way out of the driveway before R and I decided that this was definitely the van we wanted and we weren't even going to negotiate on the price. We stopped the owner in the middle of the street and said we wanted it. We had already discussed that we would not be able to pay for and collect the van until after our house settlement and he was fine with that so we paid him a reasonable deposit and left saying see you after the 24th.
Later that night, while looking at photos of our new house, I decided that it would most definitely need a name. I decided on a name and announced it to R who just smiled and shook his head at me. Anyone would think he thinks I am silly........
Cara it is!!
Cara van -Dyck!!
I thought it was very fitting and very clever, and thus it is the reason for the new name to this blog.
So, what else? What else have we been doing??? More like, what haven't we been doing?? I have now taken out memberships in SA Ambulance, RAA, Big 4, Top Tourist, and Family Parks. I have bought our copies of Camps 7 (the free campers bible) and its companion book Caravan Parks Australia. I have lodged the kids school exemption forms and have given C's notice to daycare. I have made and attended doctor and dentist check up appointments for several of us. I have a print out calendar of may and june and I don't think there is a day between now and the time we leave that doesn't have something on. I have written list upon list upon list of things to do, things to buy, things to pack, and even some lists of things I have to write lists for. I know I like to be an organised kind of person but surely that is getting just a little crazy??
Last Saturday Erin very bravely came with me to take our cats to their new furever home. I was ok with taking them, but poor Erin was a bit upset as I was expecting. Thankfully their new home is on a property so Erin was distracted from being upset by the offer of feeding the hundred or so goats there. I did, however, get a little upset on Sunday when I realised that this was the first time since I was four years old that I have not had a pet in the house. :-(
I have also packed box, upon box, upon box of household stuff that will be going into storage. Poor R is going crazy. I have packed up most of the kitchen with the exception of the things that will be going in to Cara and have stacked it all into one cupboard of the kitchen, needless to say he can't find anything he wants and keeps opening empty cupboards looking for it. Hehehehehe. I am getting quite a giggle out of watching that. LOL. The kids are now sleeping on matresses on the floor. Their beds have been dismantled ready for packing. They have their one tub of toys and one tub of clothes. Everything else has been taken out of their bedrooms except for the empty furniture. Thankfully, they think that sleeping on the floor is kinda cool and somewhat of a novelty.
So, between now and drive out day we have more appointments, car services, moving house, bon voyage parties, family dinners, school excursions, caravan collections, school, day care, work, and crying over the fact that my coffee machine has to stay in storage and wait for me to come back. Enough to keep us busy!!
Until next time........
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