QUEENSLAND

Hi to all, sorry for the delay in posting our last bog & this one but we had troubles with our power for the laptop and luckily we had Electrician... John with us and after some delicate surgery and a few worried comments from Mrs Calm (Carol) (her new name!) the problem has been fixed..well done John Boy. Anyway hope this finds you all well. To Hully, Hope your race at the Nth Pole goes well & better than your last race!!! Didn't start too well with your luggage missing but the people who know you would expect you to run naked if theres no other solution!! Deb hope your thumb is on the mend & a full recovery soon. Brett good to see your knee is much better and that your back to work if only for 3 days before starting your hols to see us Yippyxxxx Adam hope your hands are much better after your fall from your new bike, watch those hairpins mate. To all those Parra supporters...there is your wish for the year..(I asked Geoff Toovey to lose for Adams B'Day!!) Cheryl Beryl  hope you are not revving around Woy Woy in your new car too much.....Anyway we are now in Qld (yes I know Carol is feeling a bit sick by being in this state but)....and this is what has happened since leaving Broken Hill. THURS 5 APRIL 12.....We headed towards Wilcannia stopping to get fuel before turning left & heading out to White Cliffs. There is lots & lots of water on either side of the road from the turn off & continues for some distance. We must say the grass & trees are so green out here. There is an increase in dead roo's on the side of the road also. We arrive at White Cliffs and drive into the Van Park or what looks like a van park. There are 4 small trees, so we set up as near as we can to them. The lady beside us is so happy as we will give her arvo shade. We then decide to have a quick look around town.... a very quick look. We went to the Nat Park info centre which is very well done out, then up to Smiths Hill and went to Otto's place where he has some magnificent photo's of places around the world as well as opals.

We then went up Southern Cross Opals where the  home is dug into the side of the hill. The bloke here was very informative & helpful, we then went next door to the Cathedral which was also an opal shop. We then had a look around before heading back for drinks. The night sky was an almost full moon...and it was amazing, the stars were so bright & look to be sooo close.

 FRI 6 APR....Good .Friday. This morning we went for a 50km drive out to the Paroo N.P. and see the Peery Lake, a huge body of water in the middle of the outback. There is a big flock of Pelicans here along with other bird species. This area has just opened to the public, so not very exciting but maybe in years to come it will be a great place to stay.

We then returned to town,  did a drive around the opal fields where there  are thousands of mine mounds which means thousands of mine shafts. None here are covered and some go 20m deep so it would be advisable not to stagger out here on your way home from the pub!! We called into the local underground cafe & on speaking with the owner she informed Rans that her family live in Trafalgar Ave, Umina...small world. We then returned back for lunch and then ventured out to the Bottle House which is made out of Glass Beer Stubbies. Then we went to the highlight of White Cliffs....Jock's Place.

This is the home of one old, eccentric man....Jock. Well he speaks loud, tells you how opal mining is not worth it, that everyone else in town is mad, that he has spent time in the looney bin for alcoholism and if you didn't know better he might just be a brick short of a load. After talking to us 4 for 20min he says you can have a look through his place for $5 each. There were a number of tunnels so we thought... & others had said check it, baby prams, bottles,etc etc etc it went for metres upon metres in about 6-7 diff tunnels. There even was a small brown snake there and few lizards.

 He must have had over $150-$200,000 dollars of stuff...it was AMAZING. Anyway Rans told him about the snake & where it was so he had another group in & he went down to get rid of it. It was an eye opener & a good laugh. We then returned for our seafood cook up which included...Salt & Pepper Calamari, Creamy Garlic Prawns,Whiting Fillets & topped off with home made apple Pie & Ice Cream. We even had a trivia nite which was a laugh with Rans not remembering any of the places we stayed at....maybe it was the drink. A great day again. SAT 7 APR....We headed off towards Cobar stopping again at Wilcannia for Fuel. Rans walked down to the river beside the bridge & saw the water was flowing with terrific speed. Upon crossing the bridge over the Darling River we drove for another 13km with water on each side of the road which was moving, the plains were so wet...a sight that not many people get to see.

 We stopped at the free camp spot 60kms outside Cobar and set up. It turned out to be a very cold night. SUN 8 APR......We headed into Cobar for Fuel before heading to Bourke. The info centre has moved to the outskirts of town and is new, big and has a exhibition centre. We arrived at the park, a nice place with grassed sites. After lunch we went for a drive down to the river near the park to see the Paddle boat PV Jandra.(not in service until May ...too much water in the river !  Although the road was blocked we drove around & down with the ground a bit muddy but you could see where the floods had been.

They even have boats moored on the ground at different sections of the road. We then drove out to Mays Bend a free camp area on the Darling. It was so much different from when we stayed there a few years ago, with the road a tiny bit better but the grass was 2ft tall here now with the flood plains, although still muddy they are covered in grasses. Down near where we stayed it would have still been a bit dangerous to camp so we had made the right decision staying at the caravan pk. We then drove to the bridge at Northey....being Nth Bourke where the old mechanical raise bridge still stands. We then returned for arvo drinks, dinner & then we watched the worse game of footy for some time..Parra V Knights.   MON 9 APR.........Early morn walk for Rans then after breakie we head into the Info centre & to the Legends of the Outback Exhibit which was very good, informative and a well set out display.

We then went for a drive to find the Old Bourke Stockade which involves driving onto dirt roads where the floods have gone through, with water billabongs on each side of the road, well Mrs Calm came into action again with her worrying about us getting bogged!! I must say there were some good up & down tracks. We stopped just before the Stockade where it was impassable & where we had room to turn around....thank god. Here we had morning tea with the billabongs well & truly full & overflowing.

We then stopped at Fred Hollows grave site before having a look at the Old Wharf in town & the Crossley Engine. We returned for lunch. After John & I went down to the local IGA to get some beer with Crownies on Spec 2x$80 John got the last 2 !! but it was the store which fascinated us which is completely glassed in, so you can't pick up a bottle of wine, spirits or anything, you have to ask the lady behind the counter/glass....OH BOY its the worse we have been to, even worse than some of the towns in N.T. & Wyngham in WA. Later that evening Rans went to the club & watched Manly beat Penrith before getting the bus back to the Park. He asked the driver how the club goes & he said they take bet $60-$70,000 per week with the Pokies!! not bad for a small country town !....TUE 10 APR.......We headed off nth stopping near the border for a cuppa. We then drove into Qld and stopped at Cunnamulla for lunch. A nice town with the streets well looked after, just the shops all need a bit of face lift.

After lunch we continued nth stopping at Wyandra. There is a camp ( donation ) behind the school which allows 3 vans to stop. We were 3 & the 4, but after setting up & walking into town to the Local shop/Post Office where they have started a new van park at $15 powered site the lady said "Someone can't read the sign." As we left Carol finally understood what she was on about. We also saw a fence line approx 100m long with bras attached. We all then walked to the bridge that crosses the Worrigo River, we walked across and down to a small sandy area....which the locals call a beach !! We then returned and there were 3-4 other vans/tents had arrived so Caz felt better. There were hot showers & flushing toilets but you could smell the Artisan Bore during the night( smells a bit wrotten egg gasie). Around midnight our car alarm went off & Rans was outside pretty quick but didn't see anyone. The windows were down a little way and the drivers side inside light had come on & here were a number of fingerprints on the window so someone has tried to get in. WED 11 APR.....

We headed off heading towards Charleville and setting up at the van park where we did our washing .WE MUST SAY THE ROADS HAVE BEEN VERY BUMPY PROBABLY THE WORSE SO FAR & THE VEGETATION ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IS SO GREEN AND TALL & AS A RESULT THERE IS A HUGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DEAD ROO'S BOTH ON THE ROAD & BESIDE THE ROAD, SO WE DON'T HEAD OFF BEFORE 8.30AM & DON'T TRAVEL AFTER 3PM. After lunch we went for a drive out to the Info Centre & into town, you can see where the flood shave been but they have a big levee bank around the town plus a number of drains etc for water to disperse.

THURS 12 APR....Rans goes for a walk, It is a real country town with the noise of Horses Hooves down the street, geese & Roosters to wake up to.Today is mostly a cleaning day so pretty quiet, but we do get Rans's computer working again. Yeh Hah... FRI 13 APR....Today we head off Nth with us having do do a detour just out of town due to the recent floods. We stopped at Agathella a small town off the Hwy where the girls took some photos. We then continued on with the road even more bumpy than the past few days & as a result Rans is having prob's with his neck & back, with him in some pain. They are also doing roadworks & we are held up for 5-10min. We continue on & don't stop at Tambo which appears to be a nice town. We then drive into Blackall & set up at the local van park as it was getting late and we wished to see a number of things around town. So we go for a drive to the Qld Black Stump, then headed out to the Old Shearing shed which is home to the only Wool scourer (where they shear, wash, Bundle & bale the wool in Aus) There is a guided tour which shows the machinery in action. There are a number of old steam engines and some great memorabilia here.

 The tour is well worth visiting. There is also a bore which was drilled down 2500ft and has 59deg water emitting. Back in the old days they had 200,000 gallons a week coming out of it. We also saw our new caravans here in the paddock !!! We then went for a drive around town seeing some different statues etc. A very nice town. Then back for drinks & watch footy. SAT 15 APR....Up & head off wondering if the road would be as bumpy....well the first 2minutes out of town gave us the indication, as the back of the car and the whole van lifted 2ft off the ground !! Continue to swerve and evade the dead roo's as well. We stopped at Barcaldine, a nice town with probably the cheapest fuel in Qld & possibly Australia at the present time. Then onto Longreach where we set up in a huge van park. The weather is getting warm again 30-32deg so we find a couple trees to park beside. After lunch we head into town with most things closed. We go for a drive to the local lillypond, which was still wet under foot & tracks, the water is still high here. 

We checked out the free camp spot near the Thomson River nice but damp & no shade. we then had a  look at the sale yards which were huge here & have that great cowy , sheepy, horsey smell! The girls had a look in at a local gallery & the local IGA was almost empty of fruit & veg....wheres Mano when you need him ??? After dinner Rans & I went to the local RSL to watch Manly....we shouldn't have :(     SUN 16 APR...........Rans went for a walk down to the Heritage Exhibit & walks around the back ( staff only area !!) for a couple of photo's of windmills etc, but he doesn't see 2 guard dogs till he's almost on them.... Well he sh..s himself & gets out of there as quickly as Usain BOLT. After a big breakie with the Bewells we all walked down to the Stockman Hall of Fame Heritage Centre & watch the 11am show which was so so. A couple of good things but not spectacular, (whilst the show was on Sandra lost her Diamond out of her ring but luckily she saw it on the step below her, next to a man's foot) we then have a walk around the centre which was good, also an art gallery & a video on Longreach, we didn't see all and will return tomorrow. We then head back to catch up on computer stuff, do some checking on our vans etc. Prawns & Calamari tonight which was yummy..We sat outside & watched The Voice through the Bewells window & listened to it through our window. A nice night. MON 17 APR......Today we head down to the Qantas Exhibit with the Museum a great walk around with so much interesting information it is well done. We then attended the 707 tour which was very poor.

The plane has had many different owners & passengers, EG The Jackson 5, John Travolta & some rich Sheik, but the plane now is run down inside & the tour was over within 20min, not worth the money & possibly our worse tour so far. The 747 plane was inaccessible due to the nose sinking due to the rains

. We then returned to the Museum for more walking around. Then we returned for lunch after which we returned to the Stockman Hall of Fame and read & walked around as there is so much to see. Another nice day..So bye to all until our next blog, Only 13 more days before we see our son Brett & family Yee Haa looking so foward to seeing them all. Everyone take care & we miss you's heaps.

NSW BROKEN HILL...4 APRIL 12.

MONDAY 26 MARCH ....We headed off towards Arno Bay, stopping off at Port Neill. This is a nice little town with a small van park looking over the bay. We had morning tea here looking out at the Jetty. The local park is well kept and the town is clean & nice.
 We then continued on to Arno Bay where we set up with our vans on the waters edge looking out to the Ocean & Jetty...very nice. We can see a number of huge tanks out to sea where they place Tuna so as to fatten them up, these tanks are 80m or 120m wide. This caravan park has owners who look after their occupants with a number of different activities, fish cookups, pancake brekky's etc during the week. After lunch the Fab Four went for a walk out to the boardwalk, this is a walkway that meanders through mangroves and mudflats. It is by far the best walkway we have seen & walked, with a number of areas offset for fishing & seating.

 It also heads out to the mouth of the river, we saw a number of good size fish within the Estuary but we are unsure what type they are..could be a type of Tuna. Here we saw Tezza, who is also staying here & he caught one Whiting. We then walked back to our sites for arvo drinks. The park also has its own coax cable connection which is great for us as we don't have to get out our antenna. TUESDAY 27 MARCH...Rans went for a walk into town & then the Fab Four went for a drive north stopping off at Red Banks, a nice area looking over some steep red banks...,we then continued on to Pt Gibbon.

There is a small, nice free camp ground here and also a jetty but again seaweed in 2-3m height and 5m depth. We drove to the local lookout for morning tea and saw what at first we thought was shark but turned out to be a dolphin. We then drove to Cowell passing 4 bunkers from WWII that also had 32m towers which have since been removed. This  is also a nice town with 2 van parks, there is also a nice park down near the Jetty/boat ramps where we had lunch. The girls wanted to have a look down the main street & go to the local Op Shop but just as they got to the door... it had closed for the day, bummer !...12md. (Oh ! did the boys cop it, as though it was their fault for it closing!!)

This town is close to the Hwy and would be a good place to stop, also here, is large Oyster Farms with so many oysters to buy... We then headed towards Cleve which is inland, stopping at the local weir, where there is not much water but another small nice campground. We then drove to Cleve where there is another free campground in town, this town looks like the pastoral towns of western NSW. We returned to the van park where we caught up with Di for arvo drinks/nibbles. WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH.......Rans received a text mess from Brett during the nite asking for Dads DOB so we just thought it was to tell someone at work....but it wasn't, as he rings this morning telling us that he was assaulted last nite at work & ended up in hospital with his knee in a brace. He was kicked by this bloke he chased and caught... the bloke is really small & everyone at work was giving him heaps...been taken out by a jockey!! Looks like he will be off work for sometime as its swollen heaps & pain full, needs a MRI to see what damage has been done... So here we are in S.A with Mum & Dad worried but he has some good Dr's...Dr's Jacque, Dr Jade & Nurse Adam. After breakie the Fab Four headed back to Red Banks for a fish. We pulled up and some local was having a cuppa & he said its a great spot for fishing & you will easily catch some...well he doesn't know our 2 boys....Rans Nil & John 1, which was just bigger than his bait.( the seagulls don't even hang around cause they know they won't get anything there !!). It was a good couple of hrs though, saw 2 dolphins swim by & Rans saw a Ray. After lunch the 3 girls had their hair done..with all grey gone.....for now. It was baked dinner nite with Lamb & Pork...yummy.. Bloody Beautiful.

THURSDAY 29 MARCH ....The Bewells headed off early this morning as they had to put van in for repairs from that accident last year. We headed off along with the Butlers towards Whyalla with us saying goodbye to them at the detour to Whyalla. We will probably not see them now for a while. We reached the van park which has nice views out into Spencer Gulf, we set up with the Bewells having a cuppa before heading into town to put their car in for a service. We then had some lunch at a cafe & then went for a drive around the sites of the town including the 2 lookouts with Hummock Hill giving us great views of the Gulf, the Steel Works & foreshores, we had a drive around the Mariner before heading back for drinks & dinner. Brett is doing OK.

FRIDAY 30 MARCH 12..HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM....HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT DAY SONxxxxx Today Rans puts his car in for a service & then  we went for a drive nth to Fitzgerald Bay including the Lighthouse at Pt Lowly. The water here is the best so far in Sth Aust. There are a number of free camping spots along the water here, all the way down to the end of Fitzgerald Bay.

 We also went for a walk through the Mt Laura Homestead which had so much old machinery, household wares etc, it was really interesting. We then returned and went & did shopping with Rans giving Woolies Liquor a good workout!! , returned for unpacking groceries, which took hrs & put away somewhere in the van...Mrs Rans does a good job. Some drinks whilst watching 2 games of footy. SAT 31 MARCH 12.....This morning Rans looks at getting a new TV antenna or pole but after a couple of hours looking etc we decide to stick to the same, then did some shopping before heading back for arvo, catching up on blog, paperwork etc. We also finalised our next part of our trip to Kurrumba...looks good.

SUN 1 APRIL 12...End of daylight savings. We headed off towards Port Augusta with us now doing a full circle as we were here on the 8th June last year or 9 mths or 297days ago!! We drove through Port Augusta coming to the Mt Remarkables Nat Park. The sites here are all a good size with fresh water & hot showers. It is a bit pricey for a Nat Park but they all seem to be going like that. After setting up we decided to go on a walk through one of the Gorges to Sugargum Lookout.

The walk was 8km return with the last 500m very steep, well what a sight when we got to the lookout.....you couldn't see a thing for the growth of the trees, typical Nat Parks....wont cut down a tree !! not happy Jan !, anyway the walk was nice passing an old hut and seeing some Yellow Tailed Roos. enjoyed the beer when we returned & the shower.    YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT BUT AFTER 10MTHS CAROL HAS SERVICE with OPTUS HERE BUT RANS DOESN'T ON HIS TELSTRA PHONE.... 

MON 2 APRIL...Us 2 get up and went for a walk up to another lookout which was fantastic, with great views up into the valleys, out into the Spencer gulf seeing across to Whyalla & also down onto our campsite, & it was only 2.5km return. We all then went for a drive to do the loop around the Remarkables/Flinders. We headed through the Pass coming to the turn off for Horrocks Lookout, so we drove out through the bush for 7km and came to a wonderful lookout which had great views of the Spencer Gulf. It is also a free camp spot which would be great. We then continued onto Wimington, then drove out to Alligator Gorge, a steep drive down to the carpark where there are 2 walks to lookouts & one through the gorge. A lovely area but just a lookout, not too exciting. We then headed to Melrose. This a great small country town with nic nac stores, a wonderful War Monument set in the bush,  a big cheap camp area out at the showground and well kept gardens where we had lunch.

We then continued sth through Murray Town & onto Port Germain. Here they have the longest wooden jetty in Aus with it being 1.7km long, so from the carpark we walked 2ks out & 2 back. The tidal water was also a long way out & does come all the way back in the shoreline.

 The walk was well worth it for the boys as there were 4 white pointers out near the end of the jetty.....No not the biting ones!! Young European Girls !! Just as we alomost got back to the end of the wharf Di & Terry arrived, it was lovely to see them again, so we spoke to them for a few minutes before heading off, but we were all so hot from the walk as it was 34deg we stopped at the pub for some beers & squash. We then made our way back to the site, but it was a very hot arvo with all campers complaining about the heat & the flies. So it was all doors/windows open tonight. TUES 3 APRIL.....We packed up & headed off towards Petersborough stopping at the huge Gum Tree at Orroroo for a photo shoot.

 We then stopped at Petersborough for fuel lotto etc before stopping at Yunta for lunch.  We then continued onto a free camp spot just outside Olary beside the Hwy & Railway but it had shade. The Indian Pacific came through later in the arvo & gave us a blast. The flies here were bad but it will be that way for a while now worse luck. The night was pleasant except for lots trucks flying past but we still slept OK.

WED 4 APRIL.....Headed off entering back into NSW a big "yippy !" from the girls over the two way. Arrived at Broken Hill & set up, then headed down to wash car, then we went to the shopping centre & we ran into Hully's mum Terri would you believe !. We then had lunch at same cafe as 307 days ago, then done some last minute shopping as there aren't too many Woolies for a while, though a few IGA's.Rans went for a walk to the local cemetry & saw Pro Hart's grave.

We have really noticed how green the outback has become since our last time here after all that lovely rain they had, even though places around the area are still in flood, it must be relief for all the hard working farmers.     We will say goodbye for now & catch up with another blog soon. We are getting closer to home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!