Our FIRST Loop Finished!!!

17/09/16 Day 113 (Sa). On Thursday we were only planning on driving as far as Dotswood but Mum and Dad pushed us to keep going until we drove into Townsville. When we arrived we checked out Wiki Camps so we could work out the cheapest place, closest to town. Turns out the Seventh Day Adventists run a CP in their rear paddock behind the church. It is really good too with two sets of ablution blocks and plenty of powered and unpowered sites to choose from. It is right on the river and backs straight onto the off-leash dog park. At $20/N who can complain.

Townsville from Castle Hill, QLD

Townsville from Castle Hill, QLD

Sunset at Home Hill, QLD

After setting up camp Lib and I went for a drive into town to check out the Strand. We went for a walk and dipped our toes in the ocean and felt the sand under our feet. We hadn’t seen the ocean since Darwin which was approx. 6000km’s and 7 weeks ago. The amazing thing was the temp of the ocean. Nothing like Albany I can tell you, it was like stepping into a luke warm bath. If it wasn’t for the stingers I would have been straight in.
We were told of a takeaway place that did $5 fish and chips and so we went there to buy dinner and then ate it on the foreshore overlooking the marina. Lib had ordered crumbed fish and I had ordered battered but by the time we realised we were eating each other’s meal, 75% of the fish was already eaten. HA!

Home Hill, QLD Free Camp

Yesterday Lib’s parent’s friends Pete and Marg drove done from Atherton to visit and so we met them at the Strand and then went to the Coffee Club for lunch. We spent about three hours in their company and it was good to catch up with them. Lib and I had not seen them for 4 to 5 years.

Lib and I were going to have another poke around town in the afternoon but I fell asleep on the lounge and didn’t wake up til dinner time.

This morning we went shopping with Mum and Dad to Bunnings, Myers and so forth and then returned to camp for lunch.

In the afternoon Lib and I took Dad’s car up to Mount Stuart. The clouds had rolled in and settled on the mountain top and when we got up there visibility was reduced to about 50m. Henceforth our view over Townsville was a white blanket. It was very much like being back home in the mountains except for the fact that it was still 20C up there. Afterwards we drove back to the city and on up Castle Hill which is another great vantage point at which to view Townsville with a 360 degree vista. Once we were out of the fog the temperature of the day was back up to 27C although the humidity was still at around 90%.

Little Big Mango, Bowen, QLD

It is the first time I’ve been here as a civilian and not with the Army. There are some very definite landmarks that I recognised from my trips up this way with the Army but the place has grown so much. Many of the old Townsville buildings have been torn down to make way for the new so a lot of what I remember has gone. Vale Tim’s Surf and Turf. You can never go back.

We were planning on turning north at Mount Isa and heading up to Karumba and then across to Cairns but unfortunately time and money are against us and so now we will turn south from here and slowly make our way back to NSW where I have work lined up for harvest beginning at the end of October. Hopefully we haven’t left our run too late and we will be able to catch up with some close friends and family before we head to Temora.

Horseshoe Bay, Bowen, QLD

20/09/16 Day 120 (Tu). On Sunday we left Townsville and headed south. We drove about 100 km’s where we turned off the highway at Ayr and drove out to Alva Beach. In Ayr we bought some bait and then spent a couple of hours fishing at the beach. We caught two small flathead and a female crab with eggs and so all had to be returned to the water. In the afternoon we drove into Home Hill to spend the night in their Comfort Stop. It is a free camp one street back from the main street and parallels the railway line. Well done to the Burdekin Council! Although the camping is car parking either side of the street, they provide grassed park areas with park style bench seating, toilets and hot water showers and a camp kitchen with sinks and BBQs. Along that stretch of street is also a laundromat and café. A short stroll (50m) brings you to the main street with supermarkets, hotels, chemist, newsagent and a variety of other shops. More councils should stand up and take notice of how this place is trying to entice the tourist dollar.

Whispering Ducks, Airlie Beach, QLD

Yesterday we drove into Bowen. After arriving in town and getting our bearings we checked out the Information Kiosk where the lovely lady behind the counter was informative on various activities in the area including fishing, swimming and snorkelling. They also had really nice mango sorbet for sale which we could not resist.

Barry and Judith went and checked into a CP whilst Lib and I strolled through town, bought pies for lunch and then went for a swim at Horseshoe Bay. It is a very idyllic spot. It was great to be in the ocean again.

Reel Deal, Airlie Beach, QLD

We then headed to the CP to check in and get our site before we headed back to the jetty to spend the remainder of the day fishing. I caught four small fish which all went back. I could only identify one and it was a small trevally. It was dark by the time we were heading back and that’s where our problems began. After warming Bess to running temperature, she kept stalling in reverse. The problem was that the idle was too low and when put into gear with the foot on the brake there was not enough revs to keep her going. After about four goes we got her far enough out of the carpark that we could drive forwards and it was all good from there. As we were driving up the main street of Bowen the head lights kept cutting out and I had to keep toggling the switch to get them on again. In a stretch of road approx. four hundred metres long the lights went off and on about eight times. We pulled over and had to sit toggling the switch until we found the sweet spot after which we detoured via Woolies to get a BBQ chook for tea and then headed back to the CP incident free. She did stall a couple more times as we reversed into our spot in the CP.

Airlie Beach, QLD

This morning before leaving camp I had the engine cover off Bess and adjusted the idle and today was incident free. Hopefully I don’t have to do that too many times on the way back to NSW as it is a right royal pain in the arse to get that cover off and on again. We left Barry and Judith in Bowen as they had decided to stay an extra day. We kept going south and spent the day at Airlie Beach. We drove through town on arrival and found a spot to park down near the Yacht Club and then took the dogs for a leisurely stroll back past the shops. It is very much a holiday “destination” as it’s billed as the gateway to the Whitsundays. On our way through town we passed no less than four nite clubs and at least a dozen tour booking operators. Seems to me that the tourism is targeted to the backpackers as there is plenty of signs around for backpacker accommodation, but with five CP’s in town it also caters for the Grey Nomad Army. There are plenty of people in town but not as many as you would expect in school holidays. I guess since the humidity has risen here people have started drifting further south again. We bought kebabs for lunch which we ate by the beach and then headed out to the Sea Breeze CP to spend the night. The staff here are amazingly helpful making our stay all the more pleasant. After arriving and setting up we headed over to the lagoon pool to cool off and then took the dogs for a run down on the nearby beach. On our return we wandered through the dog off-leash park which is massive but also full of big mozzies. Gotta love the great outdoors.

Airlie Beach QLD

24/09/16 Day 124 (Sa). On Wednesday morning we rang Lib’s parents to find out where they were as we needed Barry to sign a document for us. So they said they would meet us in Airlie Beach. We headed over to reception to see if I could get on a fishing charter that day or the next. There is one called Reel Deal which looked pretty good. As stated before the staff here at this park are extremely helpful and rang three charters for me but I had to wait til Thursday afternoon for a half day charter on Reel Deal and it only had one slot which was lucky for me. So we booked in to stay another two nights at a discounted rate seeing as though we had booked a charter through them.

Lib’s parents arrived later in the morning and decided that they were going to stay in Airlie with us. After they got settled in I took a bike ride to the shopping district to see if I could get some LED globes for Bess and then in the afternoon we all took advantage of the lagoon pool for a lovely dip.

Thursday morning I spent relaxing in camp with Barry whilst the girls went into Airlie Beach to do some retail therapy and Mum wanted to get Dad a present for their wedding anniversary on Friday. The fishing charter in the afternoon was great. The Whitsundays is an amazing place to be out on the water. With little wind the sea was like glass. I caught half a dozen fish but they were all undersized and had to be returned to the water. It was a small charter accommodating eight people and the crew, Chris and Wayne, were friendly and helpful. The only keepers caught were two fish by the smallest kid on the boat and were an 80 cm Coral Trout and a 40 cm Sweet Lips. Right at the end of the day one of the ladies on the charter caught massive Wobbegong Shark.

Airlie Beach, QLD

Yesterday we left Airlie Beach and drove down to Mackay where we stocked up on supplies and had lunch by the beach before heading further south to Sarina. At Sarina we turned left and headed out to the coast to spend the night at a little fishing village at Armstrong Beach. It has a dinky little CP which suits us perfectly as it is nowhere near as busy as the major tourist centres and is a nice break from all the crowds as it is currently school holidays. We had a nice long relaxing walk on the beach in the afternoon.

Woo hoo!!!

Today we finished our first loop of Australia and arrived in Rockhampton. Well done to us but more importantly, thank you Bess.

Stone Curlew, Airlie Beach, QLD

And well done, many thanks and best wishes to all the people that have supported us along the way including family and friends, old and new of which we have made many since this journey began almost 7 years ago.

When we arrived in Rockhampton we celebrated with high fives all round and then headed to a free camp right in the middle of Rocky provided by another forward thinking council. It is literally a five minute stroll to a major Stocklands Shopping centre and close to all other amenities. It is great to see more of these opening up as councils are beginning to realise how to entice more of the tourist dollar.

Hughenden, QLD

06/09/16 Day 102 (Tu). By 0900 yesterday, Lib and I were out the gate of the CP to get a second opinion on our options with thermos fans on Bess. We drove out to the north side of town and spoke to two more mechanics who were both fully booked for the next week and a half to two weeks. One fellow did give us another idea which was to remove the four bladed fan and replace it with a plastic six bladed Commodore fan. It would appear that with the Nats just finishing that weekend, the mechanics in town are now catching up on a back log of work and are extremely busy so we will have to try our luck when we get to Mount Isa.

Barrow Creek WWII Staging Area, NT

When we returned to the CP I tried to get one of the bolts out that hold the fan in but there is no room to manoeuvre a socket or spanner. The radiator will need to come out to fit another fan. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

Sunset Through The Scrub, Barrow Creek, NT

Having Fun

This morning we were on the road by 0800 and drove 320 km’s north of Alice to camp just off the highway at a WWII staging site approx. 30 km’s north of Barrow Creek. It is a massive area with the only relics from that time being the concrete slabs left behind. It would fit probably 50 or more vans at a time but tonight we are sharing with only one other who thankfully went down the other end out of site. As it was a beautiful warm, sunny day and a warmish night, Lib and I ate outside for dinner by candlelight and then afterwards extinguished all light in the camp ground. Lib, Mum and Dad and I relaxed watching the stars over a cuppa. What a way to finish the day!

Wycliffe Well Roadhouse, NT

Stars or Meteors?

09/09/16 Day 105 (Fr). Wednesday we drove the remaining 180 km’s into Tennant Creek. It’s funny how you don’t really need to drive that far up the centre to get back into the warmer weather. In Alice it was like the start of spring with warmish days and cold nights and mornings. By the time we’d driven 500 km’s north Lib and I were back in the pool. It was 32C by the time we got there and so we checked into the CP, went for a quick dip in the freezing cold pool and then spent the reminder of the day relaxing. I did go for a ride at one point to Auto Pro to get some oil for Bess but it did nothing to alter my first impression of the town.

Yesterday we drove 250 km’s and set up camp in the Wononah Bore Rest Area. It was another very warm day. But that didn’t help my head cold which was making me feel the worse for wear. Also when I put my water bottle in the freezer with warm tank water in it, it didn’t help an already struggling freezer. All that accomplished was to partially defrost our meat. AWESOME!

QLD/NT Border

Today we crossed the NT/QLD border and are spending the night in the mini CP behind the Post Office Hotel/Motel at Camooweal. Lib and I went for a swim after lunch and then enjoyed a couple of quiet beers and a few games of pool in the air conditioning. When we returned to camp Barry and Judith were just making their way up to the pub and so we did an about face and returned for another beer. After dinner I hooked Barry up with free live AFL so he could watch his precious Geelong play in the finals series.

QLD/NT Border

Australian Darter, Mt Isa, QLD

White Faced Heron and Chicks, Mt Isa, QLD

14/09/16 Day 110 (We). You will have to excuse me for being really slack with writing this blog over the last week as I would have preferred for someone to walk up and just shoot me I was feeling that miserable. I caught some bloody head cold in Alice and since then got steadily worse until today. Today is the first day that I have not taken drugs to make me feel somewhere human again. The only downside is that because sharing is caring, I’ve now managed to pass it onto Lib, Barry and Judith.

Dusky Moorhen, Mt Isa, QLD

Dusky Moorhen, Mt Isa, QLD

Nest Building, Kite, Mt Isa, QLD

Whitebreasted Woodswallow, Julia Creek, QLD

Whitebreasted Woodswallow Feeding Chicks, Julia Creek, QLD

In the last 5 days we have travelled from Camooweal through to Hughenden. We had a brief stopover in Mount Isa over the weekend so we could take Bess to a mechanic on Monday morning to get further advice on our cooling system. As a trial he adjusted the angle on the fan to try and give it a bit more oomph. It is a short term solution at best but we’ll try it for a week to see how she goes.

Whitebreasted Woodswallow, Julia Creek, QLD

That’s about all the news for now as you don’t really tend to do much when your crook. Although I have continued on with the bird watching since Mum left us in Alice and we have seen another 5 or so species of new birds. As it is spring some of them even had chicks in nests. The best of these being the White Faced Heron.

Our big news though is that over the weekend I bought my first motorcycle! It is a 2010 Kawasaki Versys 650. It is awaiting our arrival back in NSW but it is all bought and paid for. We’ll pick it up in Penrith on our way back through to Temora. Ordinarily I wouldn’t buy anything sight unseen so I had my brother Trav go and take it for a test ride for me. As a novice I know nothing about them (yet), but Trav has been into bikes his whole life so I chose him as my resident expert. Woo Hoo!

My New Ride!

G'day all. Hope this all finds you safe and well. To date we have travelled just over 12,000 km's and are looking forward to the next leg of our journey with Lib's parents back up through FNQLD. Enjoy...

Ormiston Gorge

01/09/16 Day 97 (Th). On Monday we drove back into Alice Springs to the Heritage CP where we were lucky enough to get three sites together. They are unpowered but close to the camp kitchen so Mum and Dad Jeffree were able to run their lead to power. It was another rainy day and so the afternoon was spent chilling in camp.

Selfie @ Ormiston Gorge

Tuesday was another rest day and it poured down. Lib, my Mum and I drove into town and did the grocery shopping. When we got back to the CP there was a lake around Bess and we had to get out our second step to make stepping stones from dryish land to get into Bess without wading through the water. In the afternoon we played cards and ate nibblies, trying to stay as dry as possible.

Ormiston Gorge

On Wednesday we left the dogs with Lib’s parents and we drove out to the Mac Donnell Ranges NP. We drove half way to Ellery Creek Big Hole where we planned to camp the night. Lib was feeling very poorly and so Mum and I left Lib in camp and then continued on to Ormiston Gorge. It was spectacular, being one of few permanent waterholes in the area. We completed the loop walk in two hours which takes you up to the lookout and then down to return via the creek bed. The first half of the walk is by a reasonably easy marked trail, but the return leg via the creek bed is harder with no marked trail. It is basically blaze your own trail through patches of sand though most of it is over large boulders in the creek bed itself as the walls of the gorge are sheer drops on both sides.

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge

After returning to the car we had a sandwich and ice cream each in the shade of nice big shelter provided by the NP. As we were eating lunch we saw another type of Bronze Wing pigeon that we had not seen before. It is the Spinifex Bronze Wing and it has distinctive red eyes and a luminescent green patch on its wing tips.

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge

We then continued on to the Ochre Pits where Aboriginals have been mining for ochre for thousands of years. The colour in the creek bed is amazing with reds, yellows, greys and white. They used it in their daily life for painting, ceremony and medicines. But even today they are still mining it in this location for use in ceremonies. You can’t take any from the site with the fine for those caught being $5000. As we were returning to the van Mum pulled me up short as she had spotted a turquoise Splendid Fairy Wren. Another first and the colours of its plumage were so bright when it alighted on a branch in the sun. A very beautiful bird indeed.

Ochre Pits

We then returned to camp to find Lib still feeling pretty crook and so as the sun was setting Mum cooked dinner and then we ate under an amazing sky filled with stars. It is truly incredible how many are up there that we can see when there is no ambient light or smog to block them out.

Today we had a relaxed start to the day and checked out the waterhole at Ellery Creek Big Hole which is beautiful in itself being one if the permanent waterholes.

Ochre Pits

Starry night @ Ellery Creek Camp Ground

After packing up camp we made the return journey back to Alice via Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap. Lib was still feeling poorly and so we left her with the van. Standley Chasm is not in the NP. It is on Aboriginal owned land and they charge a fee to visit the site. At $12 it is very reasonable as they have gone into a lot of effort to make the walk up to the chasm an easy one. On site they also provide a grassy picnic area, a café, gift shop and clean amenities. The chasm itself is spectacular. We were there right at lunch time with the sun right overhead. It was a partly cloudy day and so we had to wait our chances for the sun to shine down on the rocks to get the full effect of the beauty of this place.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

At Simpsons Gap we had lunch and then strolled through the dry sandy creek bed to see the gap. The area is also home to the Black Footed Rock Wallaby which we were fortunate enough to see bounding through the rocks. They are very well camouflaged and it is not until they move that they are able to be seen. They are small, only growing to a height of 50 cm. We were even lucky enough to see a female with a joey poking its head out of the pouch. After watching for a while we returned to the vehicles to drive back into town.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Not long after driving back into Alice it started bloody raining again. I don’t know what it is with this town but we seem to only get rainy days here. We’ve driven into town three times now and every time the weather has greeted us with rain. When we leave town we get sunshine. Who knows?

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Ellery Creek Big Hole

04/09/16 Day 100 (Su). On Friday Lib was still feeling unwell and it was still raining. After a sleep in and a late start Mum and I went into town to check out the Todd St Mall. There are plenty of gift shops and Aboriginal art galleries. Mum bought some gifts for people at home and a new scarf as the hat band for her hat which had Aboriginal designs on it. Afterwards we went back to the CP for lunch and then in the afternoon at around 1500, Lib and I took Bess to a mechanic we’d been recommended to discuss putting thermos fans on Bess. He had some good ideas but he said he wouldn’t be able to do the work until the week after next. That doesn’t really suit our time frame as we don’t want to be sitting around Alice for another two weeks. We thanked him and went on our way and decided that we would spend an extra night in Alice and try some other mechanics on Monday to see if someone could do the work sooner. If not we may have to keep travelling and try our luck in Mt Isa.

Standley Chasm

Standley Chasm

@ Standley Chasm

Simpsons Gap

Simpsons Gap

This weekend the Red Centre Nats is on. It is awesome to see all the hotted up cars driving round the streets. And when you can’t see them you can certainly hear them.

Spinifex Bronze Wing

Turquoise Splendid Fairy Wren @ The Ochre Pits

Blackfooted Rock Wallabies @ Simpsons Gap

Blackfooted Rock Wallabies @ Simpsons Gap

Yesterday we all went out at around 1000 except for Barry, who was feeling under the weather. We went to check out the Cultural Precinct where there is an art gallery and the Craft Centre. There were some amazing pieces and some very creative designs. I bought Mum a gift of earrings which she had pointed out to me that she particularly liked. To get away to buy them I had to make the excuse that I was “going to the toilet”. They were of Aboriginal design. Afterwards we drove up to the Anzac Hill Lookout which is the location of the Alice Springs Cenotaph. It has an amazing 360 degree vista over the township. We picked a good time of day to go as the sun had managed to peek out from behind the clouds for a little while which also brought a little heat to the day.

Arts Centre @ Alice Springs

Craft Centre @ Alice Springs

In the afternoon we took Herbie to the car wash to give it a wash and then returned to the CP to finish off cleaning the inside and Mum began packing her things for her return journey back to the Blue Mountains. We needed to give the van a good scrub because the cleaning fee the hire company charged for returning it in an “unacceptable state” is $300. They must pay their cleaners extremely well.

Arts Centre @ Alice Springs

Overlander Steakhouse @ Alice Springs

In the evening we went out for dinner to the Overlander Steakhouse. It is a fantastic establishment with an awesome décor of exposed timber beams coupled with wall panes of corrugated iron. From the beams hang lots of horse tack e.g. saddles. On the walls are lots of skins including beef, camel and crocodile. Of particular note was a replica windmill which had been signed by visiting notorieties. We had a massive meal including Spinach and Ricotta Crepes, Crocodile Vul-e-vants, Mushrooms Kilpatrick, Surf and Turf, the Steakhouse Beef Chop (500g Rib Eye on the bone) and of course dessert. We were well stuffed at the end.

Overlander Steakhouse @ Alice Springs

Today was very low key and it was sad too, as the time grew nearer for Mum to catch the freedom bird home. After a relaxed start to the day we took Herbie back to the depot at around 1030 and then chilled out in the CP until it was time to take Mum to the airport for her flight at 1330. After many hugs Lib and I watched her walk and disappear into the plane before we dragged ourselves away and returned to the CP.

Overlander Steakhouse @ Alice Springs

Lib had forgotten that today was Father’s Day and so feeling very bad and very guilty she decided to detour on our return journey via the bottle shop to buy her dad a nice bottle of port. But with the crazy licencing laws in the NT we had no luck. So far we have discovered that on Monday to Friday the bottle shops in Alice do not open until 1400. On the weekends they open at 1000. Today, being Sunday there are only two places open to buy grog but low and behold there is one shelf that you cannot make purchases from until 1800. The one with the port, sherry and cask wine. You can buy everything else including beer and spirits before that time. It truly boggles the mind.

Cenotaph @ Anzac Hill, Alice Springs

We returned to the CP empty handed and relaxed for the rest of the day.

We have had such a truly great and fantastic time over the last five weeks discovering and traveling through the NT with my Mum. It was an awesome experience to be able to share with her such an amazing part of the country and to be able to introduce her to this type of travel and to living life on the road. We have too many awesome memories to count. Thank you Mum for sharing this incredible journey with us and we look forward to next time. Have a nightcap for us eh?

Anzac Hill, Alice Springs