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!
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