Another financial year finished. Time to load up the wheel barrow and visit the tax office folks!
The space invader from next to us left this morning and Now They Tell Us, apparently he has been to this park before, most recently only a few weeks ago, and all he does is complain, about the price of the sites and the state of the toilet and shower blocks and the other facilities. Last time he was here he harangued the caretakers, this time he vented to the park owners. Now I ask you, if you could find that much fault with somewhere, why would you ever go back? We love this place, the facilities are spotlessly clean, the price is very low and the owners and caretakers are the friendliest we have met. There are testimonials on a cork board in the camp kitchen agreeing with our opinion, so we are left feeling that the owners should have been at the gate this morning to wave him goodbye and to tell him to never come back!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Saturday...28 June 2014
Boundaries. Interesting word. Some are visible and solid like fences, others are more a concept like good manners, but we all know what a boundary is. So why is it that in something as small as a caravan park, some low life mongrels spread themselves into other peoples space and even worse, carry on a treat if you call them on their bad behaviour thus effectively making you the offensive one for complaining?
We are big, but we always keep our camp within the boundary of our particular site. This is the patch of ground allocated to us and which we pay temporary rent for. We do not encroach on the sites behind or beside us. This usually makes everyone including us happy little campers.
But.... the old fart next to us has pulled in as close to the dividing line as he could, then instead of parking his car at the front of his site which by the way is twenty metres long, he has driven around behind his van into the next site behind him and backed his car up to his annexe thus blocking the site behind him and putting his car half on his site and half on mine. I do not need that extra metre or so of space, but......his car is now right beside my portable clothes line which I set up at the back of my site. Today I have had to move that line to be able to hang my washing and not have it blown against his dirty car while it is drying. Grrrrr.
We are big, but we always keep our camp within the boundary of our particular site. This is the patch of ground allocated to us and which we pay temporary rent for. We do not encroach on the sites behind or beside us. This usually makes everyone including us happy little campers.
But.... the old fart next to us has pulled in as close to the dividing line as he could, then instead of parking his car at the front of his site which by the way is twenty metres long, he has driven around behind his van into the next site behind him and backed his car up to his annexe thus blocking the site behind him and putting his car half on his site and half on mine. I do not need that extra metre or so of space, but......his car is now right beside my portable clothes line which I set up at the back of my site. Today I have had to move that line to be able to hang my washing and not have it blown against his dirty car while it is drying. Grrrrr.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Friday...27 June 2014
Nothing to tell. Trips to town for chats with my sister and some shopping.
We lifted the bed the other day to put something under it and discovered that the blokes who fitted those lovely black slide rubbers had somehow managed to rip the bed right off the wall it was firmly screwed to in the factory! So you can add caravan bed repairs to that list of nothing much happening.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Monday...23 June 2014
You know, if the weather here stayed like this all year round, I would be seriously tempted to start looking at the for sale signs. We wake up every morning to bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight and the day is warm without being too hot. First thing in the morning there is always a fairly heavy dew but that dries up by 9 am and then it is just us and the sun until the afternoon which does get a bit hot for a couple of hours but then a nice gentle breeze blows in to cool the day down before sunset. Wonderful.
We are out of town in the country and apart from the movements of the army air wing, all is quiet. The first day we were here, ten helicopters flying in formation came over. That made some serious noise! Some were normal choppers but four of them were the big cargo carrying type. Apparently we are not too far from their training grounds. If them honing the skills of their particular field of employment keeps me safe and secure I am happy to see them going about their day.
We are out of town in the country and apart from the movements of the army air wing, all is quiet. The first day we were here, ten helicopters flying in formation came over. That made some serious noise! Some were normal choppers but four of them were the big cargo carrying type. Apparently we are not too far from their training grounds. If them honing the skills of their particular field of employment keeps me safe and secure I am happy to see them going about their day.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Friday...20 June 2014
Today I went to visit my older sister. What a wonderful person. Still going up and down stairs in her high set Queenslander house at 86. Very fond of custard tarts and multiple cups of tea. It is so good to see her still hale and hearty.
On our trek north we stopped for a toilet break one day at a small country town in Qld called Augathella. In the park is a sculpture known as the big meat ant. Seriously impressive. I am gathering quite a collection of "big" things.
On the wall of the old picture theatre is a mural dedicated to A Boy Called Smiley. I was a very young child when the Smiley movies came out in the 1950's. They were about a young boy from Augathella and they contain several references to the district. The signature tune from the movies was a smash hit in its day and my younger sibling uses it as the lead in to his regular Sunday programme on the local radio station where he volunteers. Seeing the murals and knowing where the story originated was very special.
On our trek north we stopped for a toilet break one day at a small country town in Qld called Augathella. In the park is a sculpture known as the big meat ant. Seriously impressive. I am gathering quite a collection of "big" things.
On the wall of the old picture theatre is a mural dedicated to A Boy Called Smiley. I was a very young child when the Smiley movies came out in the 1950's. They were about a young boy from Augathella and they contain several references to the district. The signature tune from the movies was a smash hit in its day and my younger sibling uses it as the lead in to his regular Sunday programme on the local radio station where he volunteers. Seeing the murals and knowing where the story originated was very special.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Thursday...19 June 2014
Moving day again. Got up to the sound of gentle rain which was unexpected. Never mind we were able to pack and get away with only our feet wet from the damp grass underfoot as we went about our well rehearsed routine of breaking camp and hitting the road.
The weather improved as we moved north and in less than an hour we were in bright sunshine again. I was even able to remove my cardigan!
Along the way we saw the usual mad push bike tourists. We passed the big mango, the big pumpkin and the big slice of watermelon. I kid you not, they are all out there. We also found the usual roadworks, one of which held us up for quite some time. Normally we do not mind but this one was within sight of our destination of Townsville and after a long drive we did not want to be stopping for anything other than a toilet break and a coffee.
Tomorrow we will go into town and visit my older half sister. I am looking forward to seeing her.
The weather improved as we moved north and in less than an hour we were in bright sunshine again. I was even able to remove my cardigan!
Along the way we saw the usual mad push bike tourists. We passed the big mango, the big pumpkin and the big slice of watermelon. I kid you not, they are all out there. We also found the usual roadworks, one of which held us up for quite some time. Normally we do not mind but this one was within sight of our destination of Townsville and after a long drive we did not want to be stopping for anything other than a toilet break and a coffee.
Tomorrow we will go into town and visit my older half sister. I am looking forward to seeing her.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tuesday...17 June 2014
We got away on time, well for us anyway, and had a good day travelling to Mackay. The car ran like a dream and only smelt funny for a couple of hours as the little bit of residual oil burnt itself off the engine parts.
So here we are, it is threatening to rain but cannot quite do it. We have decided to stay two nights before we head north again to Townsville.
During the day we found ourselves in a slow moving convoy created when a caravan dawdled down the road at a set 80 km and while the road was good quality it seriously lacked overtaking lanes or opportunities. We were the third caravan in the lead line with two more behind us then a row of trucks behind that. After putting up with the situation for nearly an hour we decided to do the honourable thing and turned into a roadhouse with the thought that the trucks at least would had one less caravan to over take along the way. Wouldn't you know it, the trucks pulled into the same roadhouse!! We ended up doing a slow drive through and then rejoined the traffic which had moved far enough ahead to leave us with moving room on the road. One can only try to be a good road user. It does not always work out!
So here we are, it is threatening to rain but cannot quite do it. We have decided to stay two nights before we head north again to Townsville.
During the day we found ourselves in a slow moving convoy created when a caravan dawdled down the road at a set 80 km and while the road was good quality it seriously lacked overtaking lanes or opportunities. We were the third caravan in the lead line with two more behind us then a row of trucks behind that. After putting up with the situation for nearly an hour we decided to do the honourable thing and turned into a roadhouse with the thought that the trucks at least would had one less caravan to over take along the way. Wouldn't you know it, the trucks pulled into the same roadhouse!! We ended up doing a slow drive through and then rejoined the traffic which had moved far enough ahead to leave us with moving room on the road. One can only try to be a good road user. It does not always work out!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Monday...16 June 2014
Remember that expensive boat harbour from yesterday? One of the lead stories on tonight's local television news was about the sighting of a unpleasantly large crocodile in there today!
Just as well we did our looking from the safety of the pier.
There are some large signs reminding campers in this caravan park to stay clear of the river as it is inhabited by crocodiles and today while I was hanging out the washing in broad daylight, a fox casually wandered past me on its way to heaven knows where given that we are in the centre of a large regional city!
I am still shaking my head over that one.
After a long day waiting for the phone to ring, which it never did, we called the garage just on knock off time and finally got our vehicle back! So tomorrow we head north again.
Just as well we did our looking from the safety of the pier.
There are some large signs reminding campers in this caravan park to stay clear of the river as it is inhabited by crocodiles and today while I was hanging out the washing in broad daylight, a fox casually wandered past me on its way to heaven knows where given that we are in the centre of a large regional city!
I am still shaking my head over that one.
After a long day waiting for the phone to ring, which it never did, we called the garage just on knock off time and finally got our vehicle back! So tomorrow we head north again.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Sunday...15 June 2014
While we wait for the garage to complete the repairs to our vehicle, Himself got us a hire car, so yesterday we did some shopping and today we took a trip from Rockhampton to Yepoon and back via Emu Park. This was a pretty drive. Once you get to Yepoon there is non stop sea views and sandy beaches all the way to Emu Park which is 21 km away. Also visible are lots of islands including Great Keppel Island.
At Rosslyn Bay where the ferries for the Keppel Islands leave, we saw a lovely boat harbour with some very serious money floating on the well protected bay.
Emu Park is a lovely laid back little seaside town. On a raised area of the foreshore they have put a monument up for Captain James Cook and this takes the form of a singing ship. When the wind blows through the strategically placed pipes the monument appears to sing. While we were there it sort of hummed!
A good day out. Lets hope tomorrow the garage finishes fixing our vehicle.
At Rosslyn Bay where the ferries for the Keppel Islands leave, we saw a lovely boat harbour with some very serious money floating on the well protected bay.
Emu Park is a lovely laid back little seaside town. On a raised area of the foreshore they have put a monument up for Captain James Cook and this takes the form of a singing ship. When the wind blows through the strategically placed pipes the monument appears to sing. While we were there it sort of hummed!
A good day out. Lets hope tomorrow the garage finishes fixing our vehicle.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Friday...13 June 2014
It is Friday and it is the 13th so I suppose that explains why I am sitting in a caravan that does not have a tow vehicle any where in sight. Apparently there are two types of O rings that fit the F250 and the garage found out, after they pulled our ute to bits, that they do not have the one we need! Now we sit and wait until Monday for the right one to be sent from Brisbane. In the meantime we walk if we need to go anywhere such as the shops. Funny really but I feel very vulnerable without our transport.
Oh well I guess there are worse places to be stranded than nice warm Rockhampton.
Oh well I guess there are worse places to be stranded than nice warm Rockhampton.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Thursday...12 June 2014
We did it again. Set off to do a couple of hours down/up the road and ended up going all damn day! Wanted to only go a certain way then stop and maybe even free camp for a couple of days, but alas we cannot do that as the water pump is not working. There was water leaking out of the back of the van while we were in Bourke but Himself thought it was because he had over filled the tank. We forgot about it until the other night while we were camping at the factory. We were feeling lazy and decided not to bother hooking up to the town water supply for the one night. This is when we discovered that the pump is no longer working.
So anyway we ended up going from Gympie to Rockhampton which Google tells me is 468 km.
Now both of us were feeling somewhat tired and sore after that long haul but alas that was not the worst of a bad day. While we were setting up camp in a lovely caravan park on the banks of the Fitzroy River, we noticed that we had developed a bad oil leak somewhere under the bonnet. It was bad enough to be an actual puddle under the car. Himself took a look, told me to hope for the best then started muttering to himself in terms of thousands of dollars! Today he took himself and the vehicle off to the local Ford dealer and came back with a booking for tomorrow and his fingers crossed that it may only be an O ring and not a more expensive option. Fingers crossed. I will do my best not to mention that tomorrow is Friday the 13th!!
So anyway we ended up going from Gympie to Rockhampton which Google tells me is 468 km.
Now both of us were feeling somewhat tired and sore after that long haul but alas that was not the worst of a bad day. While we were setting up camp in a lovely caravan park on the banks of the Fitzroy River, we noticed that we had developed a bad oil leak somewhere under the bonnet. It was bad enough to be an actual puddle under the car. Himself took a look, told me to hope for the best then started muttering to himself in terms of thousands of dollars! Today he took himself and the vehicle off to the local Ford dealer and came back with a booking for tomorrow and his fingers crossed that it may only be an O ring and not a more expensive option. Fingers crossed. I will do my best not to mention that tomorrow is Friday the 13th!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Wednesday...11 June 2014
So yesterday we dropped the van off to have new slide rubbers done. The big surprise was that it was finished the same day, but....... (there is always a but isn't there?), we could not shut the slides for a while so they suggested we camp in our van in the drive way of the factory overnight. This saved us the expense of accommodation elsewhere, however it was rather unsettling to watch all the workers in an industrial area pack up and go home for the night and have an eerie silence replace them and their constant noisy hum.
The quiet of the night was broken only by an occasional train on the line out the back and the hum of traffic on the Bruce Highway about half a kilometre away.
Now I am up early as we are unsure of what time this mob start work and I would hate for them to be shocked so early in the morning by the sight of an ancient old crone as she goes about the business of scratching and coughing her way into the day!
While we waited yesterday we looked at the shopping malls and hardware stores and ended up buying Himself a new pair of safety boots. Sad really when there is a box full of them in Perth but he is still wearing the ones he had already worn for a while when he retired, but now you can see the bare metal of the steel cap in the toes. He was beginning to look a bit down and out when he put on his work boots.
I forgot to say that the new rubbers look fantastic and I hope they perform as expected when we begin our trek north later today.
The quiet of the night was broken only by an occasional train on the line out the back and the hum of traffic on the Bruce Highway about half a kilometre away.
Now I am up early as we are unsure of what time this mob start work and I would hate for them to be shocked so early in the morning by the sight of an ancient old crone as she goes about the business of scratching and coughing her way into the day!
While we waited yesterday we looked at the shopping malls and hardware stores and ended up buying Himself a new pair of safety boots. Sad really when there is a box full of them in Perth but he is still wearing the ones he had already worn for a while when he retired, but now you can see the bare metal of the steel cap in the toes. He was beginning to look a bit down and out when he put on his work boots.
I forgot to say that the new rubbers look fantastic and I hope they perform as expected when we begin our trek north later today.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Tuesday...10 June 2014
After two weeks with family on the Sunshine Coast we moved yesterday to a pretty place just a little further north. We are having some renovations done here to our caravan, which will take away the problem of unsightly road grime and mould around our slide outs.
Himself booked it in but he is not big on asking questions so we have no idea exactly how long it will take or how many days we need to find alternative accommodation for. Nor do I know how much will be getting dismantled or what I need to shift or repack so that the workmen can get to what they will be working on.
Oh well I suppose it will all work itself out. The worst that can happen is that they will charge extra!
We finally bit the bullet and bought new day night blinds for three windows in the van as the originals were always breaking the strings and it is a seriously big job to re string them. The new blinds are a two blind system from Himself's favourite hardware store and they certainly keep the light out. As long as they travel well we may have solved that problem.
Himself booked it in but he is not big on asking questions so we have no idea exactly how long it will take or how many days we need to find alternative accommodation for. Nor do I know how much will be getting dismantled or what I need to shift or repack so that the workmen can get to what they will be working on.
Oh well I suppose it will all work itself out. The worst that can happen is that they will charge extra!
We finally bit the bullet and bought new day night blinds for three windows in the van as the originals were always breaking the strings and it is a seriously big job to re string them. The new blinds are a two blind system from Himself's favourite hardware store and they certainly keep the light out. As long as they travel well we may have solved that problem.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Wednesday...4 June 2014
Just wrote the date and realised that today is a very dear friends birthday while yesterday a granddaughter turned 15 and the day before that a grandson turned 17, it must be a popular month for birthdays or is it because June is nine months after Fathers Day????
We have had a busy time since arriving at Caloundra. We have been to coffee, we have had lunches, we have had dinners, all with family and friends. I have had a day of shopping with my daughter and grand daughters, we have attended sporting events to show support for the family and we have had lovely chats around the fire pit. And our visit is not over yet!
We have done some minor repairs to the caravan and are doing the prep work before it goes into the workshop in Gympie next week to have the slide rubbers replaced. The originals are white and impossible to keep clean. All the new ones we have seen have the black on them and they look much much better.
The weather has been good. We get an occasional rain shower but the days are mostly fine and sunny without being too hot. Blue skies, gentle breezes and the ocean, absolutely wonderful.
We are staying at the Dicky Beach Caravan Park which is right on the beach.
Dicky Beach was named after a ship that was wrecked here and the remains of the SS Dicky which was forced onto the beach during heavy seas in 1893 are still visible on the beach.
We have had a busy time since arriving at Caloundra. We have been to coffee, we have had lunches, we have had dinners, all with family and friends. I have had a day of shopping with my daughter and grand daughters, we have attended sporting events to show support for the family and we have had lovely chats around the fire pit. And our visit is not over yet!
We have done some minor repairs to the caravan and are doing the prep work before it goes into the workshop in Gympie next week to have the slide rubbers replaced. The originals are white and impossible to keep clean. All the new ones we have seen have the black on them and they look much much better.
The weather has been good. We get an occasional rain shower but the days are mostly fine and sunny without being too hot. Blue skies, gentle breezes and the ocean, absolutely wonderful.
We are staying at the Dicky Beach Caravan Park which is right on the beach.
Dicky Beach was named after a ship that was wrecked here and the remains of the SS Dicky which was forced onto the beach during heavy seas in 1893 are still visible on the beach.
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