OCTOBER PHOTOS

Free camping at Calliope River

Calliope River

The Old Bruce Highway that's now a bridge from the lower to higher level at Calliope River

Koorana Crocodile Farm

Ocean bbq at Bowen

It's a hard life but someone has to do it!!

The happy hour gathering spot

The area that was used to film scenes from "Australia"

The Big Mango at Bowen

Some of the wall murals at The Town of Murals Bowen

Bowen Harbour

Beautiful Rose Bay

Grays Bay

Shute Harbour where the ferries go to the Islands at Airlie Beach

Another view of Bowen Harbour

A frequent sight in Qld sugar cane trains loaded with cut suga cane

A colourful toilet block in Townsville

The Big Brolga (upside down - oops)

Sally in her spot in the car, always ready to go somewhere

 Next Week we're free camping for 2 nights on our way back down  to Bundaberg where we're getting a few reapirs done to the carava under warranty.  Then we're going to Woodgate Beach - about 45 minutes from Bundaberg - a beautiful ropical paradise that we found on the way up through Queensland.  Can't wait and hopefully our air conditioner will be working properly. 

Hope you enjoyed the many photos.  I'll try to post the blog weekly so there's not a big back-log again.
Hope you all have a good Melbourne Cup Day.  Will  keep you up-to-date on our latest adventures very soon. 

Thanks for logging in once more.  Bye for now Love Marian and Richard

ON THE CAPRICORN COAST

Thursday 18^th October  We leave the Fraser Coast and drive further north.  Our destination is Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast.  We drive for about 4-5 hours with a few stops and reach Calliope River a gorgeous spot where we’re free camping overnight.  It’s about 15 minutes off the main road.  We’re worried there might be no-one else around.  If that proved to be the case, we would drive a bit further up to another free stop.  When we drove into the area, our fears were needless as there were lots of caravans, motor homes, trailers and tents already set up.  I think many of them had been there for a while.  It’s a gorgeous spot right on the river.  We chose to stay on the lower level right on the river edge.  Many people were set up on the higher level on the other side of the river.  We went for a walk across the river – the bridge an unused partial roadway now. We chatted to lots of people and discovered many of them had been there previously, some many times.  It’s obviously very popular and you need to arrive fairly early to get your spot.  We had happy hour looking over the river and then settled in for the evening.  Unfortunately we had a dreadful storm once again.  We’re really getting into this free camping and there are so many beautiful areas to stop for free.  We will need a generator for longer stays and will probably get one early next year.  Most people we talk to have a generator and highly recommend them.

Friday 14^th October  We leave our beautiful river stay at 8am.  We have to evacuate a few stowaway frogs from the back of the car that we found when packing up.  We thought that was quite funny.  We arrive in Yeppoon at 11.30.  Heading out of the main town and up to our caravan park there’s a magnificent scenic drive with deep turquoise water that’s quite breathtaking.  We stay at The Causeway in Yeppoon.  It’s a fairly old park, very laid back, but it’s facing the causeway and beside the beach and has character.  There’s a boat ramp at the end of the park where you can hire out canoes, kayaks, fishing boats and paddle boats.  It’s a popular fishing area off the bridge with picnic/bbq areas for families, play equipment and tables and chairs.  It’s already busy when we get there.  There’s a kiosk at the entrance to the park with a big undercover eating area which is always busy for lunch and dinner.  We had fish and chips from there for tea that night.  It was hard to find a seat under cover with groups from the other caravan parks coming out for their Friday fish supper.  It has a very good reputation and is open from 6am to 7pm every day. The car parking area was chockers too.

Saturday 15^th October   Went for a drive to the surrounding areas.  We first went to Emu Park which is a popular tourist area by the beach.  The main feature there is “The Singing Ship” sitting on the hilltop.  It’s a monument built like a ship.  When the wind blows it blows through the monument and makes it sound like it’s actually singing.

Our next stop was Rosslyn Bay which is very beautiful and probably my favourite spot of this area.  It’s a dog friendly beach.  Unfortunately at this time of year there are lots of marine stingers about, so swimming in the ocean is not recommended.  We saw lots of them scattered on the beach, so kept Sally well away from the water.

The main town of Yeppoon is lovely with a beautiful esplanade stretching for miles from the Sailing Club on the corner right past Farnborough Beach.  It’s a new, modern esplanade with floodlight pathways for night time, shaded under cover areas to sit and play areas. The town is quite touristy but not overly done.  I really liked the feel of the place.  We stopped for lunch there a few times and for supplies.  We sat at the City Beach parkway that evening and had a beautiful Thai takeaway watching the ocean.  It was a beautiful mild night, quite magical.

The beach by The Causeway was full of blue/green alga that give off a really foul stench when the tide is out.  We renamed it Yeppong instead of Yeppoon.  Apparently it’s a seasonal thing, but isn’t very inviting.  It also leaves a trail that looks like a petrol spill and resembles crinkled newspaper when dry.  Not very pretty I must say!!

We’re surprised by how flat Queensland beaches are and most of them have deep yellow muddy sand/mudflats.  To be fair, I’m sure last year’s cyclones and floods haven’t done them any favours.  They certainly fall short of what we expected.  Many travellers we meet share our opinion.

We’re amused to find lots of little frogs beside the caravan and Sally spends ages chasing them (not actually getting them as we have her leash shortened).    They even come on the caravan step.

Monday 17^th October  Koorana Crocodile Farm  We decide to make the 45 minute trip out to Koorana Crocodile Farm, although we’re not sure what to expect.  We’re pleasantly surprised and our young host Adam (the son of the founder) is very informative and funny.  It’s a 1 ½ hour guided tour and we can’t possibly imagine what’s going to take so long.  We start off with a very interesting pre-tour video telling us the history of the farm and the family that started it over 30 years ago.  That goes for about 15 minutes then we go out to actually look in the ponds.  We learn some fascinating crocodile facts and see Rocky the biggest crock the farm currently has measuring 4.7 metres and weighing in at over 1 tonne.  Crocodiles can live to the age of 100.  The park has one that’s 103. They grow until they’re 39 years old.  We toured the ponds and watch them eating chicken bits.  Apparently they really don’t eat much as they can slow their heart rate down to 3 beats per minute and may not eat for 12 months.  We see another male who started out with 24 girlfriends in the same pond, but it was too strenuous for him (poor old fellow) and he now has only 4 females to nag him – imagine 24 nagging wives!  We learn lots about their habits and Adam really brings their characters to life for us, telling us where each one came from.  One was a donation from someone that had kept a pet from a baby in his bath, but when he got to 5, his wife insisted he get rid of it.

We learn that crocodiles can hide very well in water less than 3 feet deep.  Adam demonstrates that for us and even he can’t find the one he’s looking for.  He says beware of the crocodile you can’t see.  Never feel secure that the water is crocodile free just because it’s shallow.  I shall never paddle in a river again.  They sense movement by vibration.  Their heads are one fifth of their overall size.  Their ph levels are 1 (in other words pure acid).

We handle a 2 year old crock and are very surprised by just how soft its underbelly is.  We’re also surprised to learn their top skin is full of spiny bones and is like concrete to feel.  Crocodile skins currently sell for $25 per 1cm, which would explain the cost of the souvenirs in the gift shop.  We passed on eating crocodile burgers and kebabs in the café.  Adam tells us it tastes like a sweat pork meat.

All too soon the 1 ½ hours has passed and our tour is over.  We’re both so glad we took the time to drive to the farm.

Tuesday 18^th October  I was looking forward to a day trip to Great Keppel Island today, which has just been refurbished from the cyclone last year.  Unfortunately, we’ve had very strong winds and all boat tours are cancelled today.  This trip only goes each Tuesday, so I will miss out this time.

Wednesday 19^th  Still very windy today.  We’ve seen all we can in the area so decide to move further up the coast the next day.

Thursday 20^th October  We leave the Fraser Coast at 7.30 and our destination is Bowen on The Whitsundays.  We intend to drive for a few hours and free camp half way.  We decide to drive on to Bowen and arrive at The Tropical Beach Caravan Park at 4pm.  It’s been a long day and we’re glad to get set up and have a rest.  It’s a small very pretty, well maintained park right on the ocean front.  The owners are really friendly and helpful.  It’s lovely to hear the ocean so close.  We’re behind the cabins which gives us some protection and shelter.

Friday 21^st October   After chatting to our neighbours and just about everyone else in the park we take a drive around the local beauty spots to Horseshoe Bay, Grays Bay, Rose Bay and up onto the pinnacle called The Interpretive Centre (an aboriginal centre/café), offering  a spectacular 360 degree panoramic ocean vista that is stunning.  We drive down to the Harbour and buy some fresh seafood for dinner that night.  We drive to the famous site by the Harbour where some of the scenes from the movie “Australia” were shot.  It’s barren now save for the facade of the Police Station just about standing.  The town is called the town of murals and features amazing Australiana feature walls throughout the town.

We have happy hour with our neighbours Ros and Rob, originally from Derbyshire in England, now living in Ulladulla.  Lovely people and similar ages to us.  We learn Rob is an Aries and also a Rolling Stones fan.  We reminisce about England good and bad and pass a couple of very pleasant hours and promise to do it all over again the following evening.

Saturday 22^nd October  We went for a drive to Airlie Beach – 1  ½  hours south from Bowen.  It’s a real tourist trap for young backpackers and very dog unfriendly.  The main beach is smaller than I’d imagined.  We felt like we were in any resort in Spain full of bars, shops and cafes.  They were hosting a 4 day Reef Festival so the place was ultra packed and parking was difficult.  They also charge to park.  It was disappointing to find no lookout areas to stop and take photos of the magnificent drop overlooking the harbour coming up the hill and into the town with bright turquoise water.  We drove further along to Shute Harbour where the tour boats depart.  That was very pretty and we found a lovely spot by the water to have our morning cuppa.   We filled up with petrol and drove to a few other beauty spots, driving through Strathdickie (which made us chuckle to think there actually was a place by that name).   We were glad to see the area but wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back again.  We came back to a lovely happy hour with our neighbours Ros and Rob once again.

Tuesday 25^th October We went for a huge daytrip to Townsville – 3 hours north from Bowen.  We stopped off at Ayr and Alva Beach a very pretty but very quiet area.  We drove through Home Hill which has a free overnight stop area by the station which has been recommended to us for future use.  We saw The Big Brolga at a Tourist Information Centre on the way up and have to take a photo.

We have to call into Jayco at Townsville for some clips that have broken off the kitchen cupboards.  We instantly love the feel of the big town and how the old refurbished buildings retain their integrity amongst the new modern ones.  We comment on how spread out the town is and how wide the streets are.  The main beach is caged off and is being rebuilt from last year’s cyclone and floods.  We drove further along the coastline to the designated dogs off leash area and see signs saying “crocodiles spotted here recently”.  Needless to say we don’t let Sally anywhere near the water.  We had lunch in town and a huge dish of ice cream by the beach which melted very quickly as it was a sweltering 30 degree day.  We drove around by the Harbour where the tour boats go to Magnetic Island and up and down The Strand which is the main area of the town.  It’s 5.30 by the time we get back to Bowen but we’ve had a very enjoyable day.

Wednesday 26^th  October We took a visit to “Jocheims Pie Shop” the famous pie shop in town.  Apparently the friendly service by the owner and a history of  the shop to a then unknown Baz Lurhmann sealed the deal for him of where to shoot some of the famous  movie “Australia”.   They now boast an indoor seating area for 65 people full of historical photos.  The pies were delicious.

We also had to have a photo by The Big Mango at South Bowen Tourist Information Centre.

A lot of people staying at the park are working through the tomato season picking and sorting.  Many come here from year to year.

We’ve really enjoyed our stay at Bowen.  It’s been one of the friendliest places we’ve stayed at and we can understand why so many people come back time and time again.  There’s always a happy hour happening by the bbq area overlooking the ocean.  The owner an ex-Hungarian refugee called Ernie always has time for a yarn and to pass on helpful tips, whilst working very hard with his family to maintain the place.

Saturday 29^th October  Sadly we leave Bowen and turn around for the slow trip back to Sydney by Christmas.  We’re heading for Bundaberg to get some repairs done to the caravan and to get the air conditioning fixed which hasn’t worked  properly since we bought the van -  very inconvenient to say the least with the high temperatures we’ve had the past few weeks.  Not happy Jan!!!

There are lots of photos to go with this blog so I will post them separately.  Don't go away just yet.




   
The

WE'RE IN QUEENSLAND

Tuesday 4^th October  We left lovely Maelstom at midday for a 4 hour trip to our first overnight free camp stop at Yelgum Rest Area near Brunswick Heads.  It’s a very big rest stop used by many of the large refrigerated trucks as well as caravans and campers.  There are lots of grassy areas, toilets and play equipment for families to use.  We had our LED lights and switched the fridge and hot water over to gas.  This was the first time we’d used gas for our hot water.  It was piping hot.  We couldn’t use the microwave but had the gas rings on the stove for cooking dinner.  There were lots of people parked there by the time we arrived and lots more came afterwards.  Quite a crowd in fact.  We met some lovely people and they were all keen to tell us about where they’re going and where they’ve come from.

Wednesday 5th October  We left our rest stop at 8am heading to Yandina in Queensland a further 4 hours drive north.  About 1 ½ hours later we finally cross the Queensland border.  Yeah , we’re finally in Queensland!!!  We arrive at Yandina Caravan Park about 2.30.  We’re at the back of the park on top of a grassy hill where the bigger buses and 5^th wheelers are.  We feel like we’re in a bus depot as there are a lots of buses parked up there.  There’s a lot of bush around us and a housing development under construction behind us.  It’s only $20 per night and we’re only there for 2 nights. We’re here to catch up with our friends Janet and Paul who are stationed in Nambour for a while awaiting major roof repairs to their caravan.  They’re 10 minutes away from us.  There’s not much around Yandina except for THE best bakery where we bought the yummiest home made orange/date scones.  We did find a good free camp area further up the road from the caravan park where you can stay 48 hours maximum.  We may stay there on our way back down to Sydney in late November so that we can catch up with Janet and Paul again.

Thursday 6^th October   We went for a drive along the coast road.  Our first stop at beautiful Coolum Beach.  There’s a lovely beach front caravan park there but unfortunately they don’t allow dogs which is a real shame, I’d love to stay there.  We then went to Maroochydore, Buderim and Caloundra.  We found a lovely vegetarian café at Cotton Top with another lovely beach front caravan park (no dogs allowed once again).  Then the sky turned really black and we had a dreadful storm. We headed back to Yandina as Sally was alone in the caravan and she’s absolutely terrified of thunder.   She was so happy to see us. 

Our friends called over to see us in the evening and it was really great to see them both again.  It’s been about 3 years since we met them last at Corindi Beach.  We first met them on one of our weekends away at Shellharbour Caravan Park on the South Coast about 5 years ago.

Friday 7^th October  Hervey Bay – Australiana Caravan Park.  We left Yandina at 8.30 and had a 4 hour trip further north to Hervey Bay.  I was really looking forward to visiting Hervey Bay and it has been on my wish list to visit  for a long time.  The park is about 10 minutes away from the ocean and Scarness is the closest area. The park is very well maintained and run by really nice helpful people who guided Richard into our spot. There’s a swimming pool here. It’s a smallish park and the sites are a bit smaller than many of the parks we stay in. 

Once we were set up and had eaten lunch we went for a drive along the esplanade from Point Vernon through to Torquay, going through to Boat Harbour where all the whale watching boats are lined up waiting for the day trippers to Fraser Island and the Barrier Reef.  Along the esplanade there are lots of ocean front cafes, pubs and shops.  We stop at Torquay and go for a walk on the beach.  I’m immediately struck by how flat the ocean is and how yellow and muddy the sand is.  There are lots of mud flats everywhere when the tide is out, which is not particularly pleasant to walk on.  The weather is glorious.  All along the esplanade is a long cycle/walking path with plenty of people exercising all the time.  There are 4 lovely beach front caravan parks along the esplanade and a big water slide amusement park.  There is one other caravan park Harbour Town that do take dogs but it’s really noisy there with buses and boats coming and going with all the day trippers from 7am through to 7pm when the last boats return to the Marina.

Saturday 8^th October  We went for a drive to Toogum, a very small sleepy town and also Burrum Heads which is slightly bigger (not much though). It’s another glorious day and so many new places to see.  Once again the afternoon brings black skies and heavy rain.

Tuesday 11^th October  We left at 8.30 for a big day trip.  After 1 ½ hours we arrive at Woodgate Beach.  It’s a tropical paradise and we instantly fall in love with the area.  We’re here to check out a caravan park that we learnt about when we stayed in Yamba.  It’s run by the same owners and was definitely on our list of potential places to stay.  It’s a very small place with 1 pub, 2 coffee shops and 1 caravan park.  There’s not much else to do but swim, relax, eat and enjoy the fabulous scenery (such a hardship).  The long beach is lined with palm trees and you almost feel like you’re a castaway on a remote island.  There’s a coffee shop/restaurant  at the front of the caravan park and most of the residents  look like they’ve been there for a while with no intention of leaving any time soon.  We have our morning tea overlooking the ocean and feel like we never want to leave and can’t wait to actually come to stay here for a while.

 Reluctantly we decide to press on to Burnett Heads to check out another potential caravan park.  It’s very nice here also, but seeing Woodgate first has tainted our impression of anywhere else we’re going to visit today.  It’s a very big caravan park, very laid back with not much shade. It’s on a waterfront which is a mud flat when the tide is out.  There are some lovely parks and walkways around the area.  It’s not as striking as Woodgate.  It is very close to Mon Repos Nature Reserve and Turtle Rookery which is a place I’d love to visit.

From Burnett Heads we went to visit Bargara Beach.  One of the people at the caravan park suggested we really should visit there.  It’s a lovely area very modern with a resort feel to it and ultra modern units facing the beach.  The esplanade is very new with Turtle Cove recreation area for children.  The place has a very nice feel to it with tourist shops and cafés surrounding it.  We stop at a dog friendly café for a lovely lunch.

After lunch we drive on to Bundaberg which is a very big major town with huge old historical buildings.  We have to stop at the Jayco dealer to pick up some hinges to fix some of the cupboard doors that have broken already.  We took a quick drive though the town and drove onto Childers another town.  Typically mid afternoon the skies turn a horrible shade of black and we’re hit with hard torrential rain and spend a scary hour not being able to see much through the windscreen for the hour trip back to Hervey Bay.  We arrive back safe and sound in Hervey Bay to discover they missed much of the storm we’d driven through.  A cup of tea was very welcome at that moment.

From the moment we reach Queensland we’re struck by the houses. The big weatherboard typical Queenslanders brightly painted with huge surrounding enclosed verandahs.  No two are the same and it’s quite fascinating looking at them as we’re driving past. There’s a real mixture of really old and really modern side-by side.

Tomorrow we’re leaving the Fraser Coast and heading further up north to Yeppoon –Kinka Beach.  We’re doing another free camp tomorrow night and will arrive in Yeppoon on Friday.

That’s all the news for this week.  Stay tuned for all the details about Yeppoon in our next blog.  Take care and hope all’s going well in your lives.  Please keep in touch as we love to hear what you’re up to also.  Love for now Marian and Richard   

ANOTHER WEEK FLIES BY

The first stunning butterfly we saw

The kookaburra wood carving we fell in love with

A visitor Richard spotted close to our caravan yesterday - lucky Sally didn't spot it!

A beautiful Male Ulysses in the display cabinet



Beautiful Sawtell Beach standing outside the cafe on the hilltop



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The beach cafe behind Sawtell  Surf LifesavingClub

Panoramic view looking right on the hilltop lookout at Sawtell

Another  vista on the hilltop lookout

Looking left on the hilltop lookout at Sawtell

The patient during therapy

 Monday 19^th  Forgot to mention in our last blog about the $10 Steak Night at The Coast Hotel (Budgewoi local).  Boy were we very pleasantly surprised – a beautiful thick, moist steak, chips and salad - mine with yummy home-made Dianne sauce.  What fantastic value!!  Tuesday is the same deal but Schnitzel Night.  Wednesday is $15 Seafood Night and Thursday $12 Curry Night.  So there’s the week almost taken care of food-wise.  The curry is very good value also – deep dish, basmati rice, huge crispy pappadams, yogurt and succulent soft meat curry (choice of 2). Dessert is $2 worth of M & M’s from the machine – I almost feel embarrassed going to the machine without any kids in tow, but I do love M & M’s.  Needless to say Richard’s nowhere to be seen at this time.

Wednesday 21^st – Finally went to see the movie The Help.  I’d heard so many conflicting reports but decided to go and see it for myself.  It was quite a long movie and you quickly became involved with the story and characters.  It was surprisingly good, even Richard thought it was much better than he was anticipating. The fact it was a true story was quite horrifying and I’m sure the treatment the maids received was very much toned down for the movie.  Nevertheless, it was very confronting and poignant.  It had been stinking hot before we left to see the movie so we left the air conditioner on for Sally.  When we came out from the movie the sky was black and there were fierce winds howling about and the temperature had dropped by at least 15 degrees.  Poor Sally was frozen when we got back and huddled in her basket trying to keep warm poor thing.

Saturday 24^th Spent the day shopping at Tuggerah with my friend Katriona (Kiwi Kate for short) and having some girlie down time which I don’t get much of any more.  Richard hates shopping and only goes when it’s absolutely necessary and then is in and out asap once he’s got what he went for. He can’t understand why women like to browse around (and not necessarily buy anything).

We went to the Ocean Thai for dinner and then onto the pub to check out the band.  Kate was meeting us later to have some drinks and watch the band.  The band were very good but unfortunately half way through their fourth number there was a total power black out which lasted for 2 hours.  The pub couldn’t serve any more drinks as their tills weren’t working, so we had to go home – end of a big night out without kids for Kate!!  I’d no sooner got back to the van and put on my pyjamas when the power came back on.  I couldn’t be bothered getting dressed again, so the rest of the night was spent watching tv.  The funny thing was that the band were called CHOAS – haha.

Sunday 25th  Back on the road to Sydney once again for the last time until December.  Cooked a baked chicken dinner for all the family which they loved and there was plenty left over for everyone to take to work the next day.  It’s been great seeing them again so regularly and catching up with friends also.

Monday 26^th  Richard’s appointment is at 12.30 for his post-op check up.  When we got to the surgery we were surprised to find it empty and the door locked.  The receptionist looked confused when she saw us but unlocked the door saying “Didn’t you get my message?”  We said “No what message?”  The doctor was operating and had cancelled his appointments for the day.  We discovered the message had been left on the work phone Richard had with Invocare (he had forgotten to up-date his details).  Well that was a wasted trip and had delayed us heading off to Queensland a further 2 weeks.  Richard arranged to ring the doctor the following day for his results.  We high-tailed it back to Daniel’s house, quickly packed up and put Sally in the car and were headed back to Budgewoi Home Base once more!

Tuesday 27^th Yeah we’re on the road up north again.  We left at 8am as it was a 6 hour drive up the mid north coast to Maelstom near Urunga (1 hour south from Coffs Harbour).  We arrived at Maelstom  North Beach Caravan Park around 2pm.  It was a lovely sunny day.  The park is very big and lots of grassy areas.  It has a large swimming pool as you enter the park.  We intended to stay for only 2 nights as we’re trying to get up to Queensland as fast as we can to make up lost time (by rights we should now be almost at the top end of Queensland).  As it’s now school holidays combined with the October long weekend, most accommodation is fully booked, particularly further up the coast.  It’s a real hardship I know but we’re trapped here until next Tuesday and have to wait it out and make the best of the beautiful beach backing onto the park and the stunning views of the Bellinger River parallel to the park.

Wednesday 28th  We went for a drive to Urunga, Repton and  Sawtell.  Urunga is a lovely small town with a cycle/walking path flowing around the river.  There’s a long bridge going over the river into the National Park. The Ocean View Pub is the centrepiece of the town and overlooks the river.  It’s an old pub in it’s original state with plenty happening every day.  The caravan park is right on the river/beach but they don’t allow dogs as it’s close to National Park –such a pity as it’s ideally situated with everything within walking distance and would be a beautiful place to stay.

Sawtell was a total surprise.  I was expecting the usual run-of-the-mill town.  We were both blown away by just how pretty it was with rivers all around and a stunning beach.  It’s a small historic town.  We were looking for somewhere to have lunch and saw a sign in front of the Sawtell Surf Lifesaving Club saying “café open”.  We were expecting a kiosk on the beach and were stunned to find an up-market café on the hilltop overlooking the beach. There were tables and chairs and umbrellas and the place was absolutely packed.  The food was really good and reasonably priced and our waitress was very friendly and helpful.  We had a lovely lunch there and said we’d be back another day, which we did do 2 days later.  After lunch we drove around to several lookouts and the views were panoramic and stunning.  We’re surprised how many magical gems we come upon unexpectedly and Sawtell is definitely one of those.

Friday  30^th It’s a beautiful sunny day so we’re taking advantage of it and spending lots of time walking on the beach for sand therapy for Sally as well as us.  The park is filling up for the long weekend but is by no means crowded.

We went to Coffs Harbour Butterfly House.  It’s an amazing place with lots of varieties of colourful butterflies.  They’re kept in a large glass green house and fly freely around, frequently landing on you.  We couldn’t believe how big some of them are. Our guide was a very informative young girl who was very passionate about butterflies.  She led us through their life-cycle and we were surprised to learn some of them are only alive for 3 weeks, some survive a few months, such beauty for such a short time.  Our favourites were the electric blue Ulysses and the male Green Birdwing.  The Butterfly House have around 12 species on display at any one time, most of which are supplied from butterfly farms.  Some interesting facts:  A female can lay upwards of 200 eggs singly or in groups.  The largest Australian butterfly – the Cairns Birdwing has a wingspan of 15cm.  The largest in the world is the Queen Alexandra Birdwing with a wingspan of around 28cm.  Butterflies flap their wings about 20 to 30 times per second.  It was a very tranquil setting inside with a waterfall, but quite hot as it’s temperature controlled.  You can wander in and out as many times as you like, depending on how you cope with the atmosphere. 

There’s also an interesting wood turning section with really good quality wares for sale.  We fell in love with a beautifully carved kookaburra.  I would have bought it but don’t have anywhere to display it.  There were intricate butterfly design secret boxes and bowls on display.     

 

Saturday 1^st October – AFL Grand Final Day.  A very mixed weather day, starting off with rain, fining up mid morning and then torrential rain and black, black skies.  We went to Maelstom markets at the back of North Beach Bowling Club.  Nothing particularly interesting there, except yummy home baked cakes which I just couldn’t resist.  We’re going to North Beach Club for dinner tonight and hear they’ve got a pretty decent restaurant.  We’ve spotted the Riverview Terrace undercover area and plan to sit out there tonight to eat dinner.

Next week we’re going to do our first free camp at Yalgum overnight on the way up to Yandina where we’ll be catching up with our grey nomad friends Paul and Janet Henstock stationed at Nambour. We’re looking forward to seeing them again.  We first met them at Shellharbour Caravan Park 4 years ago. They’ve now been on the road about 6 years.  They’re from Melbourne and it’s taken them 6 years to get to Nambour (they’re in no hurry).  Janet likes sparkling wine, so I’ve got a few bottles o reserve to share with her.

Hope you all had a lovely relaxing long weekend.  Log in again next week to hear all about Yandina and our free cam experience.

Love for now Marian and Richard

WE'RE BACK AT CORINDI

Dangar Falls

High up at Dorrigo

Some of the 14k of "windy" road going up the mountain to Dangar Falls 

An interesting tiled mural on a wall in Dorrigo High  Street 

Some of the memorabilia at the Worlds Smallest Motorbike Museum

 Beautiful Corindi Beach

The patient looking for sympathy

 

Monday 29^th August.  Arrived back to one of our favourite spots.  There are new managers at the park and they’ve been busy getting rid of lots of the older permanent vans and really sprucing up the place.  They’ve built a new office and house for the managers, completed building many en-suite sites and put in 3 new cabins.  Wow what a difference since we were here 3 years ago.  The caravan sites are on a palm laden grassy slope that overlooks the beach. Quite magical.  There are tables and chairs to sit and admire the view along the hilltop.  We were all set up by 1pm, so had a quick lunch and went for a long walk on the beach.  We wandered up to the tables at 5pm for happy hour – imagine sipping wine, relaxing and listening to the ocean – it just doesn’t get any better than this I can assure you.

Tuesday 30^th  Went for a drive to Maelstrom, Repton, Bellingen and Dorrigo. We checked out a caravan park at Maelstrom called North Beach for future use.  It’s part of the Family Parks Group.  It’s large and backs onto the ocean.  It’s very pretty and well maintained with large drive-through sites.  It’s fairly quiet with only 2 local clubs for entertainment but certainly on our list of parks to visit in the future.  Repton is a small river town but has a lot of charm. Bellingen is an historic town with lots of the old buildings still in use as shops and offices. The Bellinger River flows around the town.  We saw a sign for the next town of Dorrigo and decided to drive on.  We passed scenic countryside and came to a sign warning us of 14km winding roads up to Dorrigo.  They weren’t kidding.  It’s steeper than Kangaroo Valley and was scary enough driving up along the mountainside.  We stopped at some falls on the way up which were beautiful.  We also passed some caravan parks – boy oh boy  wouldn’t fancy taking any sized caravan up that road, let along coming down again.  I can only say those that have are very brave.  We stopped at Dorrigo and popped into the Tourist Information Centre to get some maps of the National Park and Dangar Falls.  We were amused to find ‘The World’s Smallest Motorbike Museum” located in the High Street at Dorrigo and couldn’t resist a look.  It was basically a café with lots of motorbike pictures, spare parts and memorabilia.  There was a very old motor bike hanging on the wall.  Richard found it quite interesting and took lots of photos to share with the boys next time we see them.

We drove through the town to Dangar Falls bypassing the National Park as we were running out of time.  Dangar Falls was absolutely stunning and gushing like crazy from all the rainfall we’ve had lately.  We took photos and wished we’d come earlier as there was a walkway down to the falls that takes about 30 minutes each way.  The drive back down the mountainside was really scary, being so close to the edge looking down and the roads being so windy.  I was glad to get to the bottom and won’t be in a rush to go back that way.

Wednesday 31^st.  Went for a drive and walk around Coffs Harbour.  The town is busily making preparations for the World Car Rally that they’re hosting next weekend.  Road blocks are being prepared to close off the streets for the event and a stage is being erected by the harbour.  Lots of International rally drivers will be arriving this week and the hotels and accommodation are totally booked out. At least there’s a Dan Murphy and Aldi store so that we can restock our supplies once more.

The caravan park is filling up now with people coming to get their spots and settle in for the blueberry picking season which starts shortly.

Saturday 3^rd September (yes it’s spring already and ¾ way through the year  –  don’t know where it’s gone) We decided to visit the “Bollywood Markets” at Woolgoolga that we’d seen advertised all week.  Woolgoolga has a large Indian community. We were expecting a big, packed market place and trouble parking the car.  Woolgoolga is about 15 minutes drive from Corindi.  We were surprised to find we could park the car easily right in front of the markets and that there wasn’t the large crowd milling around that we’d been expecting.  There were about 12 stalls all up – one with a traditionally dressed Indian gentleman offering authentic butter chicken and rice lunch special.   It was all a bit disappointing.  We did talk to the man running the second hand book stall and once again were disappointed to find he didn’t have any John Grisham novels for sale.  He quickly told us his wife ran the shop at the end of town “Can’t miss it look for the big purple building at the end of town” and assured us there were some Grisham books available.  We thanked him and headed back to the car.  I kept my eyes peeled for the purple building and we almost drove past it as it was a dress shop.  We decided to stop anyway and discovered the book shop was through the dress shop on the other side.  A very nice Irish woman from Dublin ran it and we had a long chat to her and did indeed buy some more Grisham books that we haven’t already  read to add to our collection, as we’re

now addicted to his style of writing and intrigue and want to read everything he’s written.  We couldn’t wait to get back to the van and start reading our new purchases.

That evening we had a lovely thai meal in Woolgoolga and went to the C.Ex Club to see the “Rebel Rousers” that promised a good mix of 60’s music for all tastes.  We were very enthusiastic walking into the club to hear the band playing “My Girl” a great old motown classic and thought the evening had tremendous promise.  We walked to the dance floor area and found a spot to sit as the auditorium was pretty packed.  It soon became clear that everyone was from the same dance school and knew one another.  They were dressed up in true rock n roll fashion and shiny black/white patent spats that seemed the compulsory footwear.  They were all having a great time strutting their stuff and swapping dance partners.  They were all quite focussed and serious and obviously the dancing lessons had paid off for most of them.  We felt quite out of place as there was a competitive professional atmosphere happening.  It was enjoyable watching them dancing, but there was no way we were going to get up to dance amongst that crowd.  We stayed for a while and decided to leave them to it.

Sunday 4^th – Father’s Day.  The Amble In – the local pub – 5 minutes away from the caravan park – were holding a Father’s Day lunch and entertainment.  We had nothing else on so decided to “amble up to the Amble Inn” for lunch.  It was a gloriously sunny day and we sat under the outdoor pergola and had a lovely steak, chips and salad lunch washed down with a good bottle of sauvignon blanc overlooking the ocean with a musician/entertainer who was pretty dreadful. We didn’t let that spoil a nice relaxing lunch.  Unfortunately their legendary homemade cheesecake was unavailable (I just love cheesecake – specially if it’s homemade).   Oh well, you can’t win them all!!    We left very relaxed and full up.

Monday 5^th September – We were on the road by 7am Budgewoi bound once more. It’s a 6 hour drive south from Corindi. That’s the furthest distance we ever want to do at any one time.

Before I go on I must explain why we’re now going south instead of north as planned before you all get quite confused.  When we were up North at Tweed Heads, Richard had a phone call from Bankstown Hospital advising him that a date was now available for the day surgery he’d been on the waiting list for over the last 4 months.  We were hoping it wouldn’t be available until we came back to Sydney in December. Things never work out to plan.  At first he said he’d cancel it and go back on another waitlist.  I didn’t think that was a good idea as we wanted to get to the bottom (pardon the pun) of what the problem was.  At first he intended to fly to Sydney from Tweed and I’d remain in the caravan with our dog Sally.  As it happened fate intervened as Sally has become quite lame on one leg and is in pain with it a lot of time. We’ve taken her to a vet in Yamba and got anti-inflammatory tablets which didn’t make much difference.  She was born with hip dysplasia which took 2 years to be diagnosed.  2 years ago she had an operation on her left hip where they cut off the ball socket to prevent bone rubbing on bone.  We were never100% happy with the outcome plus it was very expensive and a long recovery process.  We knew she had the exact same symptoms as before, limping on 3 legs and not wanting her hip touched.  After many emails and conversations with the original veterinary surgeon at the Animal Referral Hospital, we decided another operation was the only way to help Sally have a happier future. It was also 2 of our children’s’ birthdays –  hence we’ve now turned around and are on our way back to Sydney once more.

BUGEWOI – HOME BASE FOR 3 WEEKS

Richard’s surgery is booked for Monday 12^th and Sally’s for Wednesday 8^th.

We got back to Budgewoi at 1pm and I must say it’s almost like coming home as we’ve been here so often and love the place and feel very comfortable here.  There could be worse places to be marooned at, so it’s not all bad.  We did basic unpacking as we were heading off to Sydney the next day.  The caravan is staying on site at Budgewoi whilst we commute to and from Sydney over the next weeks.

Tuesday 6^th  September – Adam’s 20^th birthday.  We couldn’t believe the traffic in Sydney when we got off the freeway and onto

Pennant Hills Road

. We’ve got really out of the swing of built up traffic congestion over the last 12 weeks.  It was quite a shock to the system that we once looked upon as the norm.  Have we become country bumpkins after all???  We arrived at Revesby where our 2 sons are renting a house mid afternoon.  Their house is on the corner of 2 busy roads, so the noise hit us like a ton of bricks.  Sally enjoyed the freedom of running around without a long restraining rope behind her.  After a quick cuppa and unpacking it was straight into loads of washing and housework – as you can imagine 2 men living on their own aren’t  the least bit houseproud or fussy about the piles of washing/washing up laying around.  I know, I know you’re saying you don’t have to do it – it’s their responsibility now they’re living on their own – but old habits and all that.  I just couldn’t help myself.  The girls called in after work and it was lovely to see the family complete and together again.

Wednesday 8^th September.  Sally’s operation date.  We were very upset leaving her at the hospital, but it has to be done.  Not sure how long she’ll be in – it depends on how she recovers and deals with the pain.  It seems so quiet and strange in the house without her.

Friday 9^th September.  We had a combined dinner for Adam and Hayley’s birthdays and a belated Father’s Day celebration at a local thai restaurant.  We were joined with some of our friends and it was lovely to see them all again – Lorraine, Cliff, Brooke, Jane.  The evening went too quickly.  Hayley and her boyfriend Adrian are off to Singapore on Saturday afternoon for 4 days as a birthday present for Hayley’s 26^th birthday on 13^th.  We won’t see her again this time around.

Saturday 10^th  September   Picked up our darling dog Sally from the Animal Hospital.  She was so pleased to see us.  She has stitches in and we return on 19^th to have them out. We’re so pleased to have her home again.  She seems quite happy in herself but will need lots of TLC over the coming weeks.

Met a friend for coffee at Panania to see the “Panania Village Festival”.   There were market stalls, dancers and musicians, sausage sizzles and lots of activities happening. The place was buzzing with a roaming magician twirling a crystal ball.  I visited the Salvation Army store and bought a bag full of yes – you guessed it John Grisham books.  Can’t believe that man wrote so much that we haven’t yet read.  I also went to the second hand book store in Padstow and came away loaded up with another bag full of Grisham novels.  That must be it by now.  Richard had a fit when he saw all the books I’d bought.  We’ve now got enough reading material for quite a few weeks.

Sunday 11^th September.   I went to Leichardt with 2 girlfriends to see the movie “The Guard”.  We had a lovely lunch in the bistro next to the cinema and a bottle of sav blanc (who wants coffee when wine is available?).  Richard was at home taking his peri prep medicine so wouldn’t be venturing too far out of reach of a bathroom.  There was nothing I could do to help, so decided it was best to leave him alone.  The movie was very funny and entertaining and well worth seeing.

Monday 12^th September.  Richard has his colonoscopy.  He’s not scheduled to get to the hospital until 12.30 and is already starving and trying not to think about food, food, food.

Whilst I’m waiting I catch up with Jan, Mel and Kathy from Panania Diggers and we have the $6 lunch special curried chicken.  Very nice.  Richard’s home by 6pm and glad it’s all behind him (pun intended this time). 

Tuesday 13^th September – Hayley’s 26^th.  She’s not due back from Singapore until 7.30pm.  We have dental check ups in the morning and head off to base camp later in the afternoon.  It’s good to be back somewhere tranquil after the chaos in Sydney.  We relax with a welcome cuppa watching the ducks and swans on the lake. The ducks roam freely on the grass and wait to be fed by one of the park residents. She feeds them at the same time each afternoon and they wait outside her door till she comes out with a bucket full of seeds.  It’s quite a spectacle and the grass is covered with ducks squawking for ages before she feeds them.

Friday 16^th “September Went to the local thai restaurant which is always yummy.  Afterwards we went to the Coast Hotel to hear the band.  They’re a young local début group and very good.  Most of the audience consisted of their friends and family.

Saturday 17^th September.  Went to North Lakes Tavern that’s recently been refurbished.  They have the 1824 steaks that we first tasted in Laurieton and they’re just the best.  These were was pretty good. I’ve been craving steak Dianne for a while. After dinner we ventured into the Coast Hotel again and the place was absolutely rocking to the sounds of Jellyfish Rock.  They surprised us with a pretty good rendition of “Jumping Jack Flash” that Mick Jagger would have been pretty pleased with.  They’re a young, experienced band and were very good to listen and dance to.

Sunday 18^th September Back on the road to Sydney.  We’re up and in the car early.  We’re cooking a huge lamb roast for the family – hope they all turn up. They all turn up at different times, so I’m constantly in the kitchen and don’t get finally cleared up till late in the evening.  It’s all worth it when Adam gives me a big burly hug (he’s 6’6” and solidly built) and tells me he misses my cooking.  Such a smooch!!

Monday 19^th  September  Sally has her stitches out.  Now we have to start intensive physiotherapy to get her to use her leg again (last time it took ages for her to use her leg).   Walking in sand is great, so we’ll be doing lots of therapeutic walks to the beach from now on. Back to Budgewoi by lunchtime  – a quick lunch and off to the beach for a therapy session with Sally.

Apologies to our friends in Sydney that are reading this blog that we didn’t have time to catch up.  We will be back in Sydney for 3 weeks in December and hope to catch up with more of you then.

We will be making one more quick overnight trip to Sydney this Sunday 24^th as Richard has a post-operative appointment with his specialist on Monday.  Hopefully it will be good news and we can resume our trip north on Tuesday 25^th.  All will be revealed in the next exciting instalment of our blog.

Well this has been a mammoth blog as I haven’t had time to write it all up for 3 weeks as you can see.   Thanks for your patience ploughing through this massive missive.

Take care and hope you’re still enjoying our adventures.

Till next time.  Love Marian and Richard