Hi to everyone out there in blog land who is still reading about our adventures? This is possibly our 2nd last blog on our trip around Australia as we head back into NSW & home. But all is not lost as we are preparing our next adventure. So hope all is well with you and this is what has happened since our last blog. SUNDAY 10 JUNE....This morning we walk across the road to the local markets, well I spoke to Mano for most of the time whilst the other 3 walked around, all I can say great timing Mano!!
We then made our way back to the vans for lunch.
After lunch us 2 & Sandra go to the Botanical Gardens & Zoo whilst John
rests with a sore arm/shoulder. The zoo is free, we had a great time here
with the feeding of the Cassowary’s, then the chimps who ate their yoghurt out
of a bowl with a small plastic spoon !! & then a popper juice where the chimp
pulled the plastic straw off with his mouth, then removed the plastic, placed
the straw in the popper & drank from the straw, not spilling a drop!...it was AMAZING....The
gardens with the War Memorial inside are also good & this is the must do
in Rockhampton.
WED 13 JUNE.... This morning we head off towards 1770 ( the name of a town) with the Bruce Hwy getting major road repairs so there a lot of stops & go. The place we are staying at is a campground right on the water, its just beautiful. The only problem is there is no TV reception & with the State of Origin !1Oh Boy...After setting up we go for a drive around the coastline with a number of things here relating to Captain Cook & Matthew Flinders.
We then head into Agnus Waters & to the local Tavern where we can watch the footy & check on GF Food which is OK so we head back & there is a bush fire up on the hill behind us with lots & smoke & ash coming down to our vans, so we close everything up & get ready. We then get picked up in the Courtesy Bus and went to the Tavern for dinner which was very nice & sat & watched the footy on the Big Screen, it was a great night with a good hard game of footy & especially with the blues winning in front of a Qld crowd. THURS 14 JUNE.....Today is an easy day just hanging around the van, getting haircuts, go for a walk along the beach & boardwalk which is very nice and well prepared. A nice day here wearing singlets & shorts, just awesome.
FRI 15 JUNE..........We headed Sth this morning following the back road to Bundaberg due to road works on the Bruce Hwy...but we got caught again, so another slow trip. We continued through Bundaberg and then stopped at Childers for a cuppa. Then continued on to Hervey Bay. The town is much bigger than we thought it would be, but looks OK. Rans not happy as he can't get his footy channel!!! but all was not lost after 2hrs & a lot of swearing he gets the footy.... We head over to the Bewells & watch the 1st half before retiring to our van to watch the rest. Rans watches the 2nd game as well whilst Carol goes off to sleep but wakes 45min later to what she thought was a huge spider on the curtain/blind......so I had to wake her from the dream! SAT 16 JUNE..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANS !Up early after Rans received a midnight call from his close mates, Brad, Brownie & Snap wishing him Happy B'Day.... Thanks boys. We go for a 90min walk along the Bay & onto Urangan Pier where there were 40-50 people fishing at the end of the pier...at 7.30am??? We returned and then the 2 of us went for a breakie down at the Mariner. Nice food. We then returned and went for a drive with the Bewells along the Esplanade before going for a nice lunch, then the boys went down to the local for a beer & bet.( Unbeknown to us Carol got lost after she dropped us off & it took her over 15min to go 2min....that's why she has the nick name of Compass !!!). We then went to the Bewells for a nice Baked Dinner. Thanks Darl, John & Sandy for a great day. SUND 17 JUNE.....Washing this morning as the sun is out for a nice day.
The 4 of us go for a drive out to do some shopping before going for a walk along the Urangan Pier with it low tide but still heaps of people fishing. Late arvo the Bewells come to the Ransleys for drinks & watch the footy before the 3 of them headed back to the Bewells to watch the Voice. MON 18 JUNE......Rans woke up with what he thought was gout with his right foot in pain.Today we get picked early in a Humma as we head to Fraser Island, getting the Barge across. This turned out to be a great day passing all our expectations. The Island is all sand, so headed into the Rainforest and go for a walk to some huge trees (Satinays) which almost reach to the sky.
We returned to the car & our driver Rosco had morning tea ready, which had Choc Cake, Biscuits, GF rum balls & biscuits. We then made our way over to the beach & travelled along the beach for some 20-40k's stopping at ship wrecks, Pinnacles sands, where there are different coloured sands in the hill, then onto a fresh water creek (Eli Creek).
We then made our way up to some sand hills, where we had lunch which was so nice with a great Gluten Free lunch for the girls along with wine & Crownies for the boys. Whilst here we see a dingo which had been tagged. After a great lunch we then made our way to Lake McKenzie, a huge fresh water lake which has the clearest water and some of the whitest sand we have seen.
After a walk around we then headed back to Central Stn where the early lumbers lived back in the late 1800's early 1900's. Here is a beautiful picnic area with some huge Pine Trees (Hoop Pines) with some magnificent stag horns. We then went on a boardwalk through the rainforest & Wanggoolba Creek which was a highlight. The water is so clear & runs so fast but no sound, so when you close your eyes it is so peaceful. We then returned to the picnic area where Rosco had arvo tea with Champagne, Fruit, Chocolates & Crownies. What a way to finish the day, we then drove back to the barge with perfect timing driving almost straight on & heading back to the mainland then dropped back at our vans. Rans then went & watched Manly at the pub whilst the others watched the Final of the Voice..which means they can come to the pub with me next week!!!! Rans hobbled around all day and was in some pain when he went to bed. TUES 19 JUNE..Rans wakes up early with his foot swollen and he is almost unable to walk on it, so its Carol who has pack up, but Rans drives. We get to Noosa & Carol sets up & we then go to the Dr's who send Rans for an Ultrasound as it may have been DVT but no blood clots thankfully. The Dr doesn't think its Gout but an infection so he's on antibiotics. The rest of the arvo is taken up resting. Weather is almost perfect. WED 20 JUNE.....Rans's foot is a little better & he can at least hobble to the shower. We then head out with the Bewells for a drive up to the Scenic Lookout which has great views over Noosa. Rans can only walk along for a short way whilst the others go to the summit.
We then go down to the The Esplanade along the canal and have morning tea, a nice area looking out onto the water. We then drive down to the Main Beach & River mouth which is also nice but even in Winter is crowded & the shops look up market. We then went for a walk into the Nat Park following the Coastline passing a couple of lookouts turning around at Dolphin Pt. Rans only does a short part but he sees Koala in a tree. The weather is just fantastic. We then head back for a late lunch and Rans has a rest before Di & Terry come over. It was good to see them as it has been nearly 3mths since we have seen them. Had a good laugh and talk before they headed off. Another nice day, Rans is feeling slightly better. THURS 21 JUNE.......This morning we head Sth to Brisbane, John has to stop & get Fuel at a BP just out of town and guess who is there waiting with her camera to see us off.....Di of course, so good to see her......well done Di :)We head sth into Brisbane but just as we get near the airport, John has to stop so they go into a Service Stn Centre whilst we continue onto the park. We arrive and then we get a call from Sandra about going though a tunnel !!! ( they took a wrong turn somewhere) cause we didn't... but they eventually find the place and Sandra is so calm......NOT!!! Anyway it didn't get much better as ths sites are small,.....small you say !! put it this way we could open our van door and with a small jump we could touch their van!!
This is not a park to come back too.....Its called SHELDON at Eight Mile Plains, anyway we set up and late arvo the 4 of us head around to Cheryl & Mick McKenzies's home which only 3min drive. Cheryl is Ran's Aunty so it is a family reunion with Trad & Lauren and their girls, Claudia & Hannah, as well as Toni & Hayden & her girls Cleo & Duska.
It turned out to be a great nite, great food & great seeing everyone. FRI 22 JUN......Not much today Rans is still doing it hard with this foot, so an easy morning before we all head up to the local shop centre & returning to get ready for the footy. Late arvo Trad arrives & the 5 of us get a taxi to the Suncorp Stadium where we get the VIP treatment with us going onto the field along the side line and into the Broncos Dressing sheds.
Us 4 then go for a nice Thai dinner in Caxton St with John having the biggest soup we have ever seen. We then return to the ground and take our seats on the 40m line 10 rows back.....how good is this place, a fantastic footy ground and it gets better with Jessica Shipper sitting next to Rans & at half time Rans get his big melon on national Tv with him getting heaps of calls/texts. After the game we stay for Petros' presentation for 300 1st grade games before heading up to the Paddo for drinks. Trad arrives 50min later & we go into the Players room and sit around with the Ist graders, the coach, Alfie,.... yes Carol was only spitting distance from Alfie and also John Williamson, who sings True Blue, singing a tribute to Petro thrown in.
We head off around 11.45pm & get a taxi back to our sites. Just a great night. Thanks Trad. SAT 23 JUNE....Happy B'Day Mum & Brett, 75 & 23. Hope yous have a great day. Up early head Sth to Tweed Heads YE HA NSW AGAIN, arriving and setting up all before 10am. We then head out to and have a quick drive around Tweed/Coolangatta then onto the Nth Kirra Surf Club where we meet up with Carol & Sandras Uncle Merv and his wife Maree and their daughter Angela & granddaughter Chelsea, we have a nice lunch looking out over the beach & ocean.
Whilst there Rans sees a mate of his, Rod McCallum run past and yells out and they catch up, it was so good they also catch up his other brother Neil who was in Rans's classes at school. We then went to the Coolangatta surf club and caught up with Rans's cousin Toni and her father Mick (Dolly) McLean. We had a nice arvo on the veranda.
We then made our way back for a quiet nite. Well what thought & hoped would be a quiet nite but the house over the road had other ideas with them partying till 1am which wasn't too bad but around 4.30am we had this man & woman arguing at the top of their voices with nothing else said other than FU & CU & UGLY & something about thier mothers & about Canada. This went on for over an hr. It has been great catching up with relatives on the way down the coast and we had a good time with all.WELL WE ARE ALMOST AT THE END OF OUR ADVENTURE WHICH HAS BEEN JUST AMAZING. WE ARE SO GLAD WE HAVE DONE IT, SEEING & DOING THINGS THAT WERE ONCE JUST A DREAM. SO THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO READ OUR BLOG ITS MORE THAN APPRECIATED. TAKE CARE AND SEE YOU SOONXXX
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