Boyne Park. |
Interesting art. |
Clive cooking. |
Gai reading. |
Sunday 30th June Boyne River to Gladstone
We are staying at the Kin Kora Caravan park in Gladstone. It's a lovely big park and looks to be well maintained. We have a really good spot. Just drove straight in and parked up. There is plenty of room between the spots both beside and behind. There is a big shopping centre just down the road, as Clive needs to get food and also make himself a curry tonight. He's having withdrawal symptoms from the lack of curry. So he's off to get the shopping, wine and chemist while I have a rest. Well, the planes seem a bit noisy here. Clive tells me that we are basically at the end of the runway, which is across the road. Hopefully none of the planes will miss the landing or take off! Being a regional airport there doesn't seem to be too many flights coming and going. Coupled with that, there is also a railway track that runs alongside the park. Still it's better than last night as we had to turn the TV volume up to listen to the shows we were watching. We can get live TV again and I have a new camera that works. Oh the simple things in life!!|
Boyne Park. |
Interesting art. |
Clive cooking. |
Gai reading. |
Saturday 29th June Miriam Vale to Boyne River
Heading to Boyne River free camp today. This is about 50km south of Gladstone where we will go on Sunday. We got there and there was about a dozen vans already there so we parked up. I got to use the walkie talkie today to help Clive level the van on the ramps. Leaving Miriam Vale, it took Clive only one go to hitch up to the tow ball. He's getting good at this caravanning! I'm getting better at the final check list too. We are camped up just off the Bruce Highway. Lots of vans and campers on the road heading both north and south. Must be school holidays! There ended up being over three dozen vans parked staying the night. Good thing we got here early as we had our choice of the pick of spots. Clive went for a short walk across the road and down to the river. There were a few people fishing along the banks and the water was crystal clear. There is a mobile coffee van that come here six days a week and also sells donuts and other drinks. He was doing a great trade, as this is a rest area as well as a free camp area.
Boyne River. |
Gai enjoying a jam donut. |
Crystal clear water. |
The river. |
Friday 28th June Miriam Vale
A nice fine sunny day today. What more could you ask for? We went for a drive to Turkey Beach. Lovely farming country along the way as the area is mostly flat. Just before the town you have a set of hills to cross. It took about forty-five minutes to get there. Drove around and there were lots of houses on stilts and plenty of boats in the yards too. Possibly they get the water views. The water was very choppy as there was a stiff breeze. Did we see any turkeys - no. Lunch was from the road house with Clive having a Chiko Roll and I had a Dagwood Dog. We'll probably have pizza for tea - again from the road house. Off to a free camp tomorrow. The pizza was amazing, and only $12.00. It's the start of the school holidays so the park was full tonight.
Turkey Beach. |
Flip Flop Inn. |
The Big Giraffe. |
Gai eating again. |
Thursday 27th June Seventeen Seventy to Miriam Vale
Weather - cool breeze, cloudy and a few showers. Forecast is for some gusty winds too, so that will make for some interesting towing of the van. So it's off to Miriam Vale. I spotted the sign 'Caravan Park' and so we pulled into the Roadhouse and checked in. I asked Clive where the map is, as with every other park, we have been given a map of where to park, amenities blocks etc. He didn't answer me. So we followed the road for a bit and he turns onto another road and then stops and says - here we are. No reversing at all. We're on a drive through site located adjacent to the pool. We can only see about six spots, but maybe there are more out of sight. They have a large pool here, so you would think they cater for more than half a dozen vans. There is also a roadhouse here selling petrol, take away food including pizza etc. I have to say it's the strangest park we have been in to date. Yeah - TV reception, but only for the ABC. At least we can get 6 ABC stations including 24 News. I had a pie for lunch, something different and Clive had tuna. The camera is shooting white photos still, so definitely a new one will be bought in Gladstone. Clive went for a walk and there are lots more spaces to the right had side as well as cabins. A double crochet blanket finished. Clive made this one so that if it gets too cold we can put this under the doona to keep warm, as I suspect that when we head inland after Gladstone we could have some cold nights.
Double bed blanket. |
Us parked. |
The Roadhouse. |
Gai enjoys her pie. |
Wednesday 26th June Seventeen Seventy
Weather cold and rain all day. Good job Clive packed up the privacy screen last night, before the rain as it would be soaked. Checking the internet it shows the rain should clear by around 8pm. Sure enough at 7.30 we had the last few drops. We took a quick trip to the souvenir shop and bought a couple of tea towels and a magnet. Then back to the van to read and keep warm. We streamed Home and Away and after that the news. It's so good to see the news and see what has been happening. We also bought a satellite dish and decoder that is going to be sent to the Gladstone LPO, for us to collect next week when we are there. At least this will solve the problem of no TV reception and allow us to watch the shows we like. The decoder has dual tuners so we can watch a show whilst recording another. Tomorrow we leave for Miriam Vale which is about 60km away.Tuesday 25th June Seventeen Seventy
The weather today is not too bad - about 21 degrees. Lazy day with us both reading for part of the day. In the afternoon Clive went off for a walk to the boat ramp/marina at 1770. He went into the shop and saw that they sell souvenir tea towels, so we'll look at getting one tomorrow as the Collits Inn one we packed, has holes in it and is on its last legs. We are looking at getting a satellite dish and decoder, as there will be many places we go to that we will not be able to get TV reception. This is probably the third place we have stopped at. I'm aching all over, so Clive checked the weather for tomorrow and yes, you guessed it, 10-20mm of rain is forecast. My aches are hardly ever wrong. It started with light rain about 8.30pm tonight. (On my walk I noticed a lot of people gathered around the LARC. They do a 2 hour mid-afternoon cruise.)
Bustard Head Lighthouse. |
LARC - Light Amphibious Resupply Craft. |
Beautiful clear water. |
Walking back. |
Monday 24th June Seventeen Seventy
A bit overcast today and showers that we had overnight are meant to be clearing. We decided to go for a drive up to the point of 1770 today. The scenery is really lovely and we took lots of photos. Speaking of which, my camera is starting to play up, so we'll probably need to buy a new one in Gladstone when we get there. It is a few years old now. Sometimes when you take a picture, all you end up with is a white picture. Try again and it works perfectly. Firstly we went to Captain Cook Monument. This Stone Cairn was erected on the spot they thought that he first landed on, back in 1770. There is a car park here and plenty of walking trails if you want. From there we continued up the road to Joseph Banks Conservation Park. Clive decides that he has to drive to the highest point in the road, to see what the view is like! Again, plenty of parking and tracks for walking. From here we went back to Agnes Water and took a left turn, heading towards Deep Water Conservation Park and Clive sets off down this dirt track. I made him turn around in a clearing, as it was getting pretty rough and then he tells me that there is a free camp further along that he was looking at for us. He did say he changed his mind though. Great if you are in a towing a camper, but not a 20 foot van. I think I'll have to check his free camping spots in future, as we aren't the Leyland Brothers and we don't need to replace the car. Clive went to get something out of the cupboard and found water on the floor. Finding the source, it turns out that when he used the outside shower yesterday after his walk, he didn't turn the tap off completely. So with the pressure from the mains it had a slight leak. All I can say is good job we found it then. Rookie mistake number ?? And another one he mentioned, was that he left the tap fitting on the tap in Bundaberg when we pack up. Good job we have spares that he packed. Next door's, (Joe's) dog went missing, so he went one way and Clive went the other. He found him by the toilet block. Then about 10 minutes later he sees a young boy go around a corner and come off his bike. He gets up and then goes running back to his van in tears. Clive goes down to get the bike and starts walking it back the way the boy went. He meets the father on the way to try and find the bike. One badly grazed elbow for the boy. Turns out they live in Arundal, on the Gold Coast and are spending three weeks away. First week is driving to Airlie Beach, then one week there and the third week driving back. Yes, school holidays are nearly here. Dinner tonight is mud crab for me and left over fish and chips for Clive. Delicious.
So serene and peaceful. |
Cook's monument. |
Deepwater Park. |
Sweet and delicious. |
Sunday 23rd June Seventeen Seventy
Coolish day, cloudy and no sun. State Of Origin tonight and the park will have a big screen set up for the game. Clive went off at 11.30 for Mass at 12.00. We are currently in the 'Our Lady Of The Sea Parish, (Gladstone Parish which is a part of the Diocese of Rockhampton), which is administered by The Marist Fathers. The two priests cover 6 areas including Agnes Water, Calliope, Gladstone, Miriam Vale, Mt. Larcom, Tannum Sands and Ubobo. Agnes Water only get a priest on the 4th Sunday of the month. All other Sundays are Lay Led Liturgies. There was about 20 for Mass and after they have sandwiches, cake and coffee for those that want to attend. Clive had a good chat with a couple of blokes. Clive spent part of the morning talking to Joe. He came to offer us to connect to their satellite dish, as no one can get TV here. Pity we don't have the cables. This explains why the office has so many DVD's. They are free to watch and return. There is a track at the back of the park that leads directly to an unpatrolled beach. The track itself is suitable for 4WD vehicles only and is 800m to the parking lot. From here it's another 100m to the beach. So off goes Clive for his walk to the beach. 3.4km and 45 minutes later he's back. We were going to have chicken for tea but I decided on fish and chips, as the chip shop will be shut for the next three days. So about 6.40 Clive goes down to get tea and comes back not just with tea, but a bag containing two huge mud crabs. Seems while he was in there, a guy came in and left the owners four mud crabs for free. Clive mentioned that he loves crabs so they gave him one as they don't really like crab. Just as he was leaving with dinner, they gave him another one and also an extra piece of fish. Well the fridge is only so big and two crabs just won't fit in. So he goes next door to offer it to his mate Joe. Unfortunately his wife can't eat shell fish as it gives her gout. He seea there are other people sitting outside so he offers it to them and a lady says that she loves crabs, so it's gone to a good home. While we are having dinner it starts to rain. Origin is due for kick off at 8.00pm. No heading down to the big screen for us tonight, so we end up streaming the game. He set his phone up as a hot spot and connected the computer wirelessly to that. From there we had an HDMI cable from the computer to the TV. Pity Queensland lost, but NSW were by far the better team. Looks like I'll be watching Home and Away via streaming again this week. Might have to investigate satellite TV.
Track to the beach. |
Multiple rainbows. |
Getting ready for Origin. |
Bear after the game. |
Saturday 22nd June Mount Maria to Seventeen Seventy
Clive was up at 7 today and it was 6.3 then. A cool crisp morning. A lazy start, as I went back to sleep while he sat inside the van and read. Said it was too cool outside. The day was lovely and sunny. A great day for a drive. We met pig this morning as he was out for his daily walk around the oval. And yes, pig's name is pig. Clive reckons it should be 'Little Bacon'. Apparently he and the dog get on well, as you can see in one of the photos. Anyway, pig came and sniffed at our door way and all around and under the van. We finally left Rosedale about 10.30. A pleasant drive to 1770, taking about one and a half hours as we are in no rush to be the first there. Reversing in was good, with two gentlemen offering their help. Fellow nomads are so obliging. We are parked right near the amenities block which has a dis-abled toilet and shower. Pizza for tea tonight. First time using the gas oven in the van, so anything can happen. We are right outside the camp kitchen and BBQ area, so very close to the amenities block. So around 4.30pm the tables and chairs start filling up with people. Must be 'Happy hour' time. About 5.45 there is dead silence again. They have been and gone.
7am and 6.3 degrees. |
Pig checking us out. |
On site rooms. |
Community church. |
Friday 21st June Bundaberg to Mount Maria
Change of plan. Driving towards 1770 Clive saw a sign to Rosedale offering camping behind the pub, so this is what we did. Detour left. (This was originally part of plan A to camp here but because we stayed so long in Bundy the plans got changed.). A great spot and only $5.00 per person per night and pet friendly. This includes power and water if you need it. There was a full amenities block as well, as a cricket field for camping and turning around on. (So glad there was no cricket the next morning.) No reversing into a spot and no un-hitching required either. On a slight slope, but a wheel ramp soon fixed that. No TV at all. Oh well - we'll just have to watch some of the pre-recorded shows. Clive checked out the pub, and rather than go there for tea we decided on lunch. This will save walking in the dark, as there are no lights once you're away from the pub. On his way to get a photo of the menu for me, he told me there was a pig there. So when we went for lunch, he showed me the little pig in a cage, (took photo of this), and decides to communicate with it, (oink). Anyway, the pig started oinking back at him as if in conservation. I sometimes worry about him. It's a lovely country pub with real atmosphere about it. Clive asked how old it was and one of the locals said "somewhere between 103 and 115 years old." There is a large chimney and fire they have burning. Reminded us of the English pubs. I had some beer battered flathead, while Clive had a lamb shank, chips and salad. Both meals were delicious and cooked to perfection. Clive thanked the chef when she came past. Rosedale is a typical country town with a school, police station, general store and even a hardware store. A lovely little place to stay. There are only a few vans here for the night and we were told it's going down to 6 or 7 degrees tonight. Thank goodness I let Clive talk me into an electric blanket. He doesn't use the one on his side of the bed. So off to 1770 and hopefully a quiet and peaceful night tonight. Clive found a Lisa Gardner book in the laundry for me. Apparently that is where you go to find/leave books - The 'Laundry' Library.
The Rosedale Pub. |
Meet Pig. |
The menu. |
The fire place. |
Thursday 20th June Bundaberg
Last day here as tomorrow we will head off to Mount Maria for some free camping and then onto 1770, where we are booked in for Saturday. Today has been cold and only about 20 degrees, with drizzling rain. Last night was 9 degrees so not as cold. Clive did some last minute shopping and talked on and off all day to Frank, the neighbour next door who is also leaving tomorrow.Wednesday 19th June Bundaberg
Another cold night but sunny day. Clive went and did some grocery shopping and decided to go back to the book shop, to see if there were some books that mum wanted and he also wanted to get some more of an author that he started reading. Well I won't be letting him go to town again by himself, as he bought 9 for him, one for me and one for mum. We are well and truly stocked with books now. Need to get reading. The Jeep finally got washed and now they are forecasting showers for tomorrow. Maybe it will be the last wash it gets for a while. We had a beautiful sunset tonight. Clive wet off to the back of the park with his camera to get some pictures. (After taking about 20 shots over about 20 minutes, I thought I would review them while I waited for the sun to drop below the cloud. So I did and a message came up - No memory card inserted. Really - I could have cried. So back to the car to get a spare SD card and then back to get some more pictures. These are no where near as good as the ones I thought I was taking. Rookie camera mistake. If you take out the memory card, make sure you put it back before you put the camera back in the car.
Sunset . |
. |
. |
Gai reading. |
Tuesday 18th June Bundaberg
Weather got down to 6.7 overnight but, it became a lovely sunny day. It was a certainly a bit cool when Clive went for his shower this morning. We decided to go for a drive, firstly heading to Elliott Heads. Then to Coral Cove, Bargara and then back to Bundy. A pleasant 2 hour drive. Lots of new houses going up and some very strange designs. Some different architecture happening here. On the way back to Bundy we went to the Hummock Lookout. This is the only hill for miles around and being on the top, it gives you an appreciation of just how flat the land is around Bundy. Great views. The van park supports the Make A Wish Foundation and raises money through the collection of the 10 cent deposit scheme. In addition, it also runs a morning tea of pancakes on Thursday and a sausage sizzle on Tuesday night. Donation is a gold coin. Can I just say that the singer nearly killed us, as he was that far out of tune. Maybe on an off day ?
Elliott Heads. |
Hummock Lookout. |
Points of interest. |
Gai's ready to go. |
Monday 17th June Bundaberg
Fine and sunny with a bit of a cool breeze. Clive was on the phone and managed to book us in for hair cuts at 12.30. So yes we did go for a drive but only into town. We had them done at Hair Force and are both happy with the results. This salon does both men and ladies and has a staff of five. Three full time and two apprentices. Apparently most hair dressers are closed on Monday in Bundy. Came back and had some lunch and did more of - well you guessed it - reading. While in town just across the road is a second hand book shop. So naturally we had to check it out. This is a huge shop. Mum would be in there all day we think. I got six books and Clive got two, so the reading stash has been replenished.Sunday 16th June Bundaberg
Another warm day. Could this weather be any better. Clive went off to Mass at Holy Rosary Church in town. Mass is at 8am. Lovely church with a pipe organ and stained glass windows. We were invited to tea at Yvonne and Ted's place, but still having one of the PD days, so declined the offer. Spent the day reading again, but hopefully tomorrow we'll go for a drive along the Coast. (This is one of the reasons for getting the van, as this way if Gai is not 100%, we can just spend the day doing nothing.) Clive re-worked the travel plans for June/July, as we won't go to Townsville now and then fly back to the Coast for my appointments. We've decided to do an anti-clockwise circle around Bundy, heading to Gladstone and then inland and finishing back in Bundy around the 29th July. We'll then park up the van at Yvonne and Ted's and drive back to the Coast to stay at Michael's. Tried to book in for an extra two days but only one is available as people have requested the site which we are currently on. So now we'll leave on Friday and head to Seventeen Seventy with an overnight stay in a rest area. We need to find a hair dresser, as we both need hair cuts that are over due. Not looking forward to that, as we have used the same hair dresser since 2002 and she knows us so well. After Mass Clive drove around town and took some photos of salons to contact on Monday to see if we can get in.Saturday 15th June
Fine sunny weather again. Feeling average, so we both just read all day. Noisy neighbours tonight, so it must be their turn to entertain. TV works fine on seven, so it must be when it's shows that I want to watch. Oh well, not to worry as we have a plan B.Friday 14th June Bundaberg
Beautiful weather today. Sunny 29 degrees. Lazy day for me. Clive got into the domestic duties. Two loads of washing, grocery shopping, floor swept and then he went for a walk in the afternoon. As we lost channel seven reception last night, I missed out on three episodes of Home and Away. So Clive set up the computer to stream it for me onto the TV. Now that made me happy. A knee rug completed for Clive in case he needs it.
The park sign. |
One finger salute. |
Cane across the road. |
Another knee rug. |
Thursday 13th June Woodgate Beach to Bundaberg
A bit cooler in the morning, but plenty of sunshine. Time to hit the road to Bundy. A very pleasant drive which took about an hour. After parking up the van, we went to The Waves Sports Club where we caught up with Ted, Yvonne and Roma. They were mum's neighbours back in Elizabeth South and we had a great chat with them - well about three and a half hours worth. I had a toasted sandwich and Clive has a toasted chicken, avocado and cheese melt with chips. Too many chips for him, so they were given away. TV reception is good and the park is a big one. We were able to drive through to park up the van. Quite a few people sitting outside and talking loudly on their phones, so not as quiet as others. You can see smoke in the distance, where they are burning the sugar cane. Clive took some photos of the sunset, which seemed to go on forever tonight. Well so much for great TV reception. Half way through the news channel 7 drops out. All the other channels work perfectly, so no more news and no Home and Away tonight. Just my luck, when it's normally on for one and a half hours. Oh well, time to watch some pre-recorded shows and Clive can set the computer up, so I can watch it later on catch up.
Burning cane. |
Sunset . |
. |
. |
Wednesday 12th June Woodgate Beach
Well congratulations are in order. 1 month of being on the road together. I haven't filled up the car yet, but some stats upto the 5th June when it was last filled. We've travelled 1047km, 131.23 litres of fuel, costing $195.32, averaging 7.978km per litre or 12.53 litres per 100km. Clive walked along the beach this morning. His biggest decision was whether to go up the beach, or down the beach. A shorter walk only going 5.43km. He stopped to chat to a guy and that became a good 25 minutes of gas bagging. Talk about have a chat. We decided to have lunch in the park's coffee shop today. Well I saw a menu and it had pancakes on it, so I've had a fancy for some. They were delicious. Clive had a spicy chilli squid wrap, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Then back to the van for Clive to re-plan next months trip, as we've decided that we won't head to Townsville and then fly back for my medical appointments, but will stay around the Bundaberg area instead. Lovely sunny weather again today.
Up the Beach or. |
Down the Beach ?. |
Gai at The cafe. |
All gone. |
Tuesday 11th June Woodgate Beach
It was cool through the night, but lovely and sunny during the day. You've just got to love this winter weather. Clive did the Banksia Track walk, which is in the Burrum Coast National Park - Woodgate Section. It took about an hour and ten minutes and was about 6.2km. He said that he was the only one there, as there were no cars in the car park and the only things he saw and heard were birds and a kangaroo, which managed to hop away before he could get a picture. We went for a drive in the afternoon, firstly to Walkers Point. On the way to Walkers Point driving on the Esplanade we spotted a kangaroo on someone's front lawn, eating/mowing the grass for them. We drove to the boat ramp and took some photos of the islands in the river. (Clive - oh for a boat. Gai would become a fisherman's widow). Driving along the foreshore we also saw a Thong Tree. Different, but is this the place where old thongs go to die, get married or are they just a single one, that's lost it's partner? A few trees down someone has started another tree, that only has bands of red and yellow thongs on it. Then we went to the other end of Woodgate Beach - Theodolite Creek. Again, another great area to launch the boat and do some fishing. (Might have to come back here with a tinnie, if Gai will let me?). Clive went down to the beach tonight, as it we had some nice clouds and it looked like we would get a decent sunset. So off he set with camera in tow, but in the end it was a nothing special sunset. Better luck tomorrow, maybe.
Banksia Walk. |
The Thong Tree. |
Loved this Small van. |
Sunset from the beach. |
Monday 10th June Apple Tree Creek to Woodgate Beach
We left Apple Tree Creek at about 11.30 and arrived at Woodgate Beach around 12.30. It was a good run with not much traffic. Weather today is sunny and not cold at all. I'm even wearing a short sleeved top and Clive is of course in his shorts and T-shirt. We are booked in for 2 nights, but Clive went and extended it for another night, as it is very peaceful here. No sounds of children so far. I would think that the nights would get cold, but they have lovely sunny days. We can hear birds calling in the trees and also the sounds of waves on the beach, as the park is on the Esplanade. It is surrounded by National Park and Clive was told of a 5km circuit through the park, so I know where he will be tomorrow morning.
The Legend. |
Things to do. |
Turning onto The Esplanade. |
All set up And washing done. |
Sunday 9th June Childers to Apple Tree Creek
4 degrees overnight with 24 the target for today. Off to Apple tree Creek today, providing that we can get phone reception. I have an important call tomorrow and nothing must get in the way. It got a bit cool last night, getting down to 4, according to the thermometer Clive puts outside whenever we stop somewhere. This used to live under the back verandah at home, but we decided to take it with us on our travels. I woke up through the night and thought why didn't I put my crochet blanket on my feet, because it wasn't meant to be this cold. Went to turn the electric blanket on but remembered that we aren't plugged into the grid. Clive plugged the electric blanket into the inverter for me today, so I know I can use the blanket now if I need to. Anyway, I woke to sunshine this morning so the batteries can be charged through the solar panels. So off to Apple Tree Creek. We travelled all of 6km, (yes a big drive). I can't believe that Clive chose this place so close to Childers to spend a night in. There is a pub close by, that also offers patrons free camping, but we chose the park to save a bit of money. We had to leave Childers anyway as it is only a 20 hour stay and you should do the right thing we believe. The TV doesn't need re-tuning as we are so close to the last place. We'll watch more TV tonight, as we're off to a van park tomorrow to use their electricity. Clive went for a walk around town. Pretty small town really. They have actually started a new housing development where he walked.
The Legend. |
Gai prepares The donation. |
Apple Tree Creek Band Rotunda. |
Van from The Rotunda. |
Saturday 8th June Hervey Bay to Childers
Happy 60th birthday Denzil. We hope that you had a great day and everyone enjoyed the BBQ. Weather was 16 - 24 today. Over cast and showers and we're heading to Childers. In June of 2000, 15 back packers lost their lives when the hotel, which had been converted to a back packers hostel, had a deliberate fire lit. We had a good drive and the weather got a bit cooler in the afternoon. Clive said he was a lot more confident with the weight distribution hitch on, and so he should for the cost!! Childers is an old historic town and Clive went for a walk down the main street and took a load of photos. He also discovered an historical village, but it was closed. He still managed to get photos as you can walk around, just can't access any of the buildings. Cost is only $3.00 for adults when they are open. We are in a free camp tonight, which is one street back from the main road. Only drawback is that you have to be fully self contained, so no grid 240v. We'll be living off the two batteries under the bed and water in the tanks for the next few days. We're not sure how long the 'juice' will last in the batteries, so no TV tonight, except for the news I watched, while Clive went off to Mass. The church is only 2 minutes walk from where we are parked. There is a primary school next to the church that has 78 students enrolled. The van never came with an inverter, so Clive bought one and fitted it in under the bed. We used this to heat our dinners in the microwave. Pizza for me and curry for Clive.
Federal Hotel. Look at the iron lace work. |
Anzac Gallipoli Pine grown from original seed. |
Cane locos. |
Howitzer War Memorial. |
Friday 7th June Hervey Bay
Someone didn't totally shut the sky light, so when the sun came out it shone straight through onto our bed. So Clive got up and went out for a walk this morning along the Pialba Beach foreshore. They are doing some work here and also look like putting in a skate board park. Clive only walked for about 30 minutes. Some very interesting points of interest. During this walk he visited an aboriginal monument, a giant play ground, Freedom Park and also found a pie and pastry shop. Also in Freedom Park is the old Railway Station building. There is also a creek called 'Tooan Tooan Creek' that houses a bat colony. Interesting reading on the four signs but, they needs replacing as the plastic is faded and pealing.
Aboriginal monument. |
The giant Play Ground. |
A memorial plaque. |
The old Railway Station. |
Thursday 6th June Hervey Bay
Weather 12 - 21 today. Bit warmer than yesterday and the wind is certainly not as cold. Up early for an appointment which ended up getting cancelled, so shopping time. We went to Rivers and Clive got 2 pair of good trousers, a rugby top and a lovely jumper for me. It's so warm and soft. Then onto Big W for some track pants and flannelette shirts for Clive and some books for both of us. I knew we could have packed more clothes, but still these will last. We needed some more winter clothes and it was hard to pack when we were in the middle of a heat wave. More computer work and reading. The shops here are amazing as they are smaller centres with nothing like Robina or Pacific Fair style size. All the 'big box' style shops are on one of the main roads with all the major brands here. The centre of Pialba is great. Everything that you could possibly need. The park here is nearly full and we leave on Saturday for Childers. Clive booked our next week's accommodation today as well. One of them with discount was $30.00 a night instead of $38.00. We will be doing some free camping on the weekend as well. This will be the first time we have done that. We watched Qld win Origin last night. What a great game with a close finish. GO QUEENSLAND!!Wednesday 5th June Hervey Bay
Weather cool 9 - 20 degrees, but at least the icy wind has dropped and we had some sunshine. A lazy day for me reading and Clive did the blog and June web pages. He really needs to do a bit each day, or he won't keep on top of it all with such 'busy' days. He decided that he would go for a walk along Urangan Pier this morning. It's about a 15 minute drive from where we are staying to get to the Pier. The Pier is just over 800m long now and it was nice stroll out to the end and back. There are some serious fishermen out there too. These are the ones all set up with a stroller in which to carry their gear. Around the outside of the stroller are rod holders carrying around 6 rods and in the middle are the crab pots and gear for their adventure. Conversely the amateur fisherman is carrying a single rod and a bucket. Some don't even have any other tackle with them so what happens if they lose their bait or hooks ? I suppose it's just 'game over' and time to go home. Also along the Pier railings are Memorial Plaques to various people. They also had some markets on today and Clive found 2 hand towels for the kitchen for us. The Urangan Pier is a former deep-water, cargo-handling facility originally built to facilitate the export of sugar, timber and coal. The pier was used for the transfer of cargo between rail and ships. It was built between 1913 and 1917 originally to a length of 1107 metres. The pier was closed in 1985, and 239 metres of it was demolished. However, due to public outcry, 868 metres of the pier was left and restored. As the Botanic Gardens is just around the corner on Elizabeth Street, Clive went for another look at what we thought were oriental gardens. These turned out to be a Chinese Garden. Fraser Coast Regional City and Leshan, (China), share a sister city relationship and each has a reciprocal garden. This is a very peaceful area to sit and enjoy. While we were at the gardens the other day we noticed workmen building a kind of shelter. This was the picture Clive captioned 'OH and S'. Well on the news tonight they mentioned that this will become the new orchid house once it is completed. Something to return back to when we live here. We also found a couple of books to read that are kept in the laundry library, so we swapped with some of ours.
Urangan Pier. |
Looking back To the beach. |
A memorial plaque. |
The Chinese Gardens. |
Tuesday 4th June Hervey Bay
Clive went for a walk this morning. Still in shorts but he had on a beanie and a jacket. It was a cool nine degrees but the wind had an icy chill to it. When he came back it was into long pants that he ended up wearing all day. Gai brought out her winter clothes also including gloves! We went for a drive to the Botanic Gardens which was very pleasant. There weren't many flowers out, but plenty of trees and greenery, so you were mostly in shade when walking on the paths. We walked for about 30 minutes, so a big walk for Gai. I finally gave in and let Clive buy me an electric blanket for the van. Realistically I think it will get some use. Well Clive put in on the bed and it did get used that night. We had one at home and I was always using this. Watching some people parking their vans is better than the plane spotting that we did on Norfolk Island.
Off for his Daily walk. |
Gai in the Botanical Gardens. |
The lake. |
Bush Chapel. |
Monday 3rd June Hervey Bay
The rain seems to have cleared, with a nice sunny day and clear blue skies again. Clive did the food shopping and we have chicken marylands for tea tonight. He also went to Bunnings and bought some bits and pieces to put a vent into the grey water tank. It seems to be forming a vacuum when the drain valve is shut off and water won't drain from any of the sinks. This is no good if we want to do some free camping as we must be fully self contained. So he's under the van drilling a hole near the very top and he puts in a micro sprinkler valve. This cures the problem with the sinks and also improves the shower, but the shower is still not 100%. At least everything is now draining properly. It's a pity that the caravan retailer where we bought the van from could not have done the job properly in the first place when we had the grey water tank fitted.
The sign says It all. |
Sunday 2nd June Hervey Bay
Well it rained all last night and also on and off all day today. What is it with this weather that seems to be following us wherever we go. We stayed in the van except Clive when he went to Mass at St. Joseph's Church. After Mass he did some shopping, getting a waterproof jacket as he'll have to pack up one day in the rain, a plastic tub for all the read books, that will sit under the bed and a new shaver as he dropped his old one. He also bought himself a new rugby top. I can see that I'm going to have to hide his credit cards.
Clive's new jacket. |
The printer's home. |
Saturday 1st June Hervey Bay
Welcome to the 1st day of winter. Weather was 9 degrees overnight, so a bit on the cool side and we do have lovely clear blue skies. Clive went for a walk this morning and went to Pialba which is the next suburb down the road. He was gone for nearly one and a quarter hours and covered 6.95km. A lazy day with us both reading books for most of the day. Left over Chinese for tea again. The food was delicious.