Saturday 31 August 2013 – Hanging around in Hervey Bay

Up before 7.30 this morning, Grant was up by 6.30, so he tells me - and just because I haven’t mentioned the 4.30am butcher bird chorus lately, it doesn’t mean it’s not still happening, ‘cos it is – loud and long!

It was about 10.30 when we left for our walk this morning, and today we turned left at the shoreline and walked in the direction of Vernon Point.  The tide was well out, so we waded in the shallows for about 40 minutes in that direction before turning round, stopping off at another of the regularly positioned kiosks and had a cuppa.  I wasn’t impressed!  As requested they had given me a pot of boiling water and a tea bag on the side so that I could make the tea as I like it.  When I poured the boiling water into the cup ready to dunk the teabag, the water was a yucky yellowish brownish colour. And after I dunked the teabag and had a sip it was dreadful.  Grant took it back and they happily replaced it – no explanation as to the reason for the discoloured water. I hate to think!

Back at the camp by about twelve thirty, we found it had magically filled again!  As it is late in the season, all the caravan parks are now looking only half full, but it’s the weekend, so it fills with weekenders! At the moment we are pretty well surrounded by fellow Victorians and a smattering of Kiwis.

After lunch we sat around and read and talked, while Grant prepared his fishing lines for tonight’s attack on the denizens of the deep.

As high tide was about 5.30 tonight, we left here to go fishing at Torquay jetty (only a couple of kilometres from here), where Grant caught his shark last night.  By the way, we found out today that it was a black tip reef shark.  The jetty was pretty crowded as it was another beautiful day, but we managed to get a possie near the end of the jetty, but at the side.  The first 40 minutes looked very promising.  I caught two school mackerel, but they weren’t big enough to keep (they were about 30cm each and ‘keeping’ size is no less than 50cm), so we put them back.  Then Grant caught one about half an hour later – I reckon it was the same one as I had hooked twice, so back it went, too.  There were quite a lot of bites happening till then, but then they just went off.  When we had fed them almost a full bag of pilchards we decided to call it quits and come home (6.30).

Just on dusk the sky filled with flying foxes (fruit bats) migrating to who knows where.  We know where!! There were thousands of them, heading in the direction of Fraser Island which they visit each evening.  The mass exodus lasted about ten or fifteen minutes, then stopped as suddenly as it started! 

But all was not lost after our failed fishing session because we had last night’s catch to eat for tea, and it was delicious.

Friday 30 August 2013 – Hervey Bay

Well the second last day of winter and today has been 28 degrees!  After breakfast we went for a walk which turned out to be a marathon today.  We left the camp at 9.30 and got back at 12.30, so the walk was longer than usual, but there were a few chats along the way as well.

The sea looked like a mirror this morning as we got onto the sand – it was just amazingly calm.  We hadn’t gone far when we saw some dolphins playing off shore, when a couple of young travellers who were heading in for a swim asked: Have you seen the dolphins?  That of course got us chatting and it turns out that the fellow is French (from Bordeaux) and the girl is German (from Berlin), both are here on one year working visas, and so far he has spent the months travelling and working between Cairns and here, and the girl has a job here.  They are soon heading to Sydney and then he is going to Tasmania.  They seemed nice young people.

Lots of people walk on the beach, and after another half an hour or so I saw a couple walking towards us, but still a couple of hundred metres away from us, and I said to Grant that I reckoned it was Adrian and Linda (my cousins), and sure enough it was.  So we stopped and talked to them for a while, then we continued on in the direction we were going, while they changed direction and walked with us for another twenty minutes or so, then we all turned around and headed back our way.  Half way back they detoured to a kiosk for lunch and we continued on home – having another couple of instances of passing the time of day and a bit more conversation.  I even was given the business card of a local estate agent who we chatted to while he was having his lunch break on the foreshore!  We even had a phone call on the walk – Don Palmer, one of Grant’s old footy coaches rang.

It was obviously cuppa time when we returned to the park, and lunch as well.  But I’d just got to the van door when Bill Houston rang to thank us for the birthday card we sent him, so the cuppa was delayed a bit.  After lunch we just sat around and read, did crosswords, etc until about three o’clock.  I went for a shower to get the sand and salt off me, then about a quarter to four Grant went off fishing – from the jetty at Torquay just about a kilometre from here. Just before he left, Lauren Keating rang to say hello and to let us know that the family is at Gary’s this weekend sorting out a bit of his stuff, so we had a good talk to her.

I went to the recreation room here as there was an entertainer – a bloke about our age called Graeme Smart who sang songs from the 50’s to the 80’s.  He was pretty good – a bit of a rocker in his day I would say, and I scored a soft teddy bear which he threw out to me when he was singing Elvis’s song.  He sang from 4 till about 6.15.  About twenty five or thirty people from the park went to hear him.

Grant got home at about 7.15 after another successful fishing expedition.  He went to the local smallish jetty and came home with a shark!!!  Not a huge one, but probably about the same size as last week’s mackerel.  Photo evidence follows.  Next time I’m going fishing, too!!

Thursday 29 August 2013 – A quiet day

We had a good sleep-in this morning, waking just before eight.  It was quite warm then (today was supposed to be 28 degrees, but not sure if it quite made it).  After brekky we rang Janine for her birthday, did the massive load of housework which is part and parcel of caravanning life (just joking), then sat around for a while before going to have a cuppa with the Browns and the Caseys,  who incidentally all have colds, so we didn’t fraternise too closely with them.

By the time we got back from there it was about twenty to one, and sausage sizzle Thursday was just about drawing to an end at the camp recreation area.  Grant managed to get one sausage and by then they had run out.  They obviously didn’t cook as many as they did last week, probably because there aren’t as many in the caravan park at the moment.  The southerners are starting to head home.  Lyn, the manager, came out and asked if anyone wanted any more sausages cooked, but Grant said no – he must be having a thin day today!

While there we caught up with yesterdays co-passengers, and chatted with a couple from Drouin.  He (the male half of the couple) is a celebrant.

After lunch we went to Urangan to the shopping centre where Grant had to get some prescriptions filled and we did a bit of top-up shopping, then stopped off at a souvenir shop on the way home to have a bit of a look around.  Back at camp it was sit around with a cuppa, meet the new neighbours (again Tassie-ites) who had moved in just before we got back, and read a magazine or book until it got too cold for me to sit outside – nearer to 5pm today, whereas I’m usually heading indoors a bit after 4.

Grant just brought a baby bird into the van – some sort of a minah but not an Indian minah, clutched in his hand.  It was just outside the van and he put his hand down and it walked onto it. I told him to take it outside and put it down, and to wash his hands thoroughly so he doesn’t get bird disease.  He eventually did that, and now the bird is out there twirping at him.

So that’s today …. pretty unexciting after yesterday, just a lay-day, catch-up day, rest day, recharge day – name it what you will.  It’s also a multi anniversary day – Janine’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Janine), Grant’s anniversary day (now 21 years since we lost him) and my remodelling anniversary (2 years since my breast surgery).  How time passes.

Grant relaxing after tea tonight.

Wednesday 28 August 2013 – Fraser Island

Well, what a great day we have just had!  We had an early start today as we were being picked up at the front of the caravan park between 7.20 and 7.30 for a full day trip to Fraser Island.  I set the alarm on my phone last night for 6.30 this morning, after trying it out first, but woke at 6am anyway, so we were out the front at the designated time.  But not before farewelling our neighbours for the last week – Taswegians Pauline and Terry from out of Burnie.

We were picked up at just after 7.30 by Fritz (an Austrian), who picked up us and another couple from our park – Betty and Graham - who we later established knew Maureen and Bill Mumford (former Newsagents/Tattslotto people from Newborough), after having met them on travels a couple of years ago.  They regularly keep in touch by email.

From pick up we were taken to a bush caravan/backpackers park down towards the marina, and into a divey looking office, very disorganised, extremely casual and Grants description includes – ‘it looked shonky!’  Here we – along with eleven others – were ushered into the ‘office’ to pay the balance of the tour costs, then we were divided into two groups and directed into two Land Cruisers – each seating seven – with the three in the back seat with very little leg room.  Our car full comprised us, Pauline and Graham and three young German backpackers: Flo (male – short for Florian) who has been here in Aussie for eight months, Martin (a mate of Flo who only arrived a week ago and is in Australia for two months) and Ava (ready to start Uni in Frankfurt in October and travelling on her own).  The Germans (Don’t mention the war) were great fun, spoke very good English, and insisted on sitting in the back for the first stint.

Our driver/guide was Chris (Male) who was as Okker as you would find and had all the Aussie sayings you could imagine, was a very knowledgeable and funny man who had us all laughing frequently.  He referred to the Germans as ‘The Germans’ or the ‘Wunderbar set’ and told jokes about Kiwis, Iraquis, Afganis, Germans, Chinese – get the idea – very politically incorrect.  I did say to the Germans at the end of the day that their knowledge of Aussie idiom, slang and swearing would have doubled today – and it would have!  Fritz drove the other vehicle and travelling with them was Nick the token aborigine.  I’m not sure what his role was with the tour company, but after I chatted with him at morning tea time (he was very political and bitter about the police, Government, etc), he sought me out at lunch and at a later stop to continue the chat!

We drove to the barge departure point, the vehicles were driven onto the barge, along with lots of others, then we went on and at about 8.30 we set off on the 6km cross to Fraser Island.  It took about 35 minutes, and we were off!!  Well, we thought the roads in Africa were bad, but these were worse.  Of course Fraser Island is a sand island, and the sand has an extremely high proportion of silica, making it very fine (like powder) and unsuitable for much, but it is good for cleaning jewellery, so after an extremely rough ride in very deep sand, we came to a perched lake – Lake McKenzie.  A perched lake is one situated above sea level (this one is 100 mtrs above) and is fed only by rain.  No creeks run into it.  So of course I cleaned my rings and they came out sparkling!  We had morning tea there.

Lake McKenzie

From there we drove onto the 75 mile beach and drove pretty well the full length of the stretch at 70 – 80 kph right along the waters edge, seeing Yidney Rocks and the Pinnacles before stopping at the wreck of the Maheno, stranded there in 1935.  From there we continued along the beach to Indian Head and the Champagne Pools where we had lunch – lovely salad rolls we made ourselves and beer and champagne – and yes I did have some – 3 glasses in fact! (Just those skinny plastic flutes).

 Driving along the beach

The wreck of the Maheno

 Indian Head

That was as far as we could go along the beach (rocky outcrops) so we turned around and went back almost the whole distance, until we came to Eli Creek.  But just before we got to Eli Creek we saw our first dingo – a young one by a bit of a creek.  We were at Eli Creek for about half an hour, and after we left there we saw another dingo right up near a fishermen (there were dozens fishing), loitering to get his catch or his bait or whatever.  It was right out near the waters edge.

A young dingo

From there we made our way slowly back to the barge for the return to Hervey Bay.  The return road was terrible, huge holes, deep sand, etc.  But we made it back to the barge, left there at 5 and were back here at camp by around 6pm.

We had a really great day, drove around 270km in total, have arrived home cramped, weary but satisfied with the experience we have had today.

We did swap around with the seats, so all had our share of the cramped conditions, saw some badly bogged vehicles – one was being dug out when we passed going one way, and was still there an hour or so later.  Lots of private 4x4’s go over there, and have no idea of how to drive the conditions – ‘shit for brains’ as Chris referred to them all day.

All in all, money well spent.

Tuesday 27 August 2013 – Hervey Bay

It was a little cloudy when we woke this morning, but by 8am the sun was out again and it’s been another warm day. Pauline (next door neighbour) and I wandered over this morning to check out the jewellery stall set up by one of our fellow travellers.  She makes jewellery from small silver and gold-plated jump rings – a bit fiddly and not really my cup of tea, but they were well made.  She and her husband (he with the exceptionally gross toe-nails) are here for five weeks and she sets up a stall at the various markets that are on around this district at least twice a week.

After a mid morning cuppa we headed off up to Pialba where there is a big shopping centre, but had no luck in what we were looking for.  But we did go to an art and craft superstore, and what an amazing range of stuff it had!  I only bought a couple of small packs of trims for my sock dolls, but I could have spent the whole day there quite happily.  Obviously I didn’t – I think Grant might have been getting a bit testy if I spent too long there, though today while he waited he was occupied reading yesterdays copy of the Herald-Sun.  He actually found a newsagency that had them!

After lunch we went for a walk along the beach for about an hour and a half.  The tide was in and there were several men fishing off the beach, and a couple of them catching the odd whiting.  There were even a few people in swimming today.

Once back from our walk it was cuppa time, I did a bit of hand washing, then caught up on last nights episode of Masterchef.  I know ….. but it’s getting down to the pointy end!

Grant cooks our meat most nights at the camp kitchen on the barbecue plate there, and tonight I wanted a fried egg with my meat.  He just came back to the van to get another egg and another pair of hands.  He cracked the egg onto the bbq plate, which incidentally has a drainage hole in its centre which the plate surface slopes towards, and the egg slid straight down the hole onto the floor.  So he needed an extra hand to hold the spatula/lifter in an appropriate place while the second egg was put onto the plate, to prevent it also sliding to the same fate.  Job done.  And tea has now been eaten and was very nice.

So that’s today done.  I had a text from Linda today to say that she and Adrian have extended another week – they are now leaving next Tuesday.  It seems they can’t drag themselves away from the place.

Monday 26 August 2013 – Maryborough

The weather has been really good again today, though it did cloud up mid afternoon, but cleared again without rain.  Had a latish breakfast this morning and were just enjoying a second cuppa when Linda rang to see if we wanted to meet for a cuppa with the cousins at the kiosk on the foreshore at Torquay – only about a kilometre down the road.  We made a time and met them there at 10.30, sat out on the deck overlooking the water and yacked for a while as we enjoyed our cuppas and cappuccinos. 

From there we made our way to Maryborough, which is only 32 km inland from here.  First settled in 1847, Maryborough has a large number of historic buildings and sites and was a most interesting place to see.  Many of the old buildings are now used as museums, pubs, heritage centres and the like.

The Maryborough Heritage Centre

 It is also the birthplace of P.L.Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, and a life sized statue of Mary Poppins as described in the book stands on the footpath outside the building the author was born in.

Mary Poppins

Lots of large sugarcane trucks drove through town to the local sugar cane factory, the cane cut to lengths of about 15cm.  There were a lot of these trucks parked in the grounds of the factory, which looked pretty old and run down, but it was still working away.  And there was a strong smell (not unpleasant) of I guess the sugar going through the processes.

We visited the wharf on the Mary River, lots of boats and a decent sized houseboat were moored there.  It’s hard to imagine that this port – about 30km from the coast, was in 1905 Queensland’s largest port, a reception area for such things as wool, meat, timber and other agricultural products.

We had our lunch in Queens Park, and as we drove around the streets of Maryborough, saw lots of traditional Queenslander houses, ranging from really lovely to pretty decrepit.  But when they are in good nick they are really striking and remind me of what I imagine some of the homes in the southern states of the US may look like.

Once back in Hervey Bay we again went for a drive to Vernon Point where we had been told there is a pair of eagles and their babies nesting in a man-made eyrie right at the point.  And there was!  We pulled into a parking area there and sure enough, way up high on a pole there is a platform, and standing there, keeping guard over the chicks was one sea eagle (not sure if it was Mum or Dad as I didn’t have my sea eagle sexing manual ready at hand), and every so often a wing would flip up behind it from one of the babies.  As we watched, a second one arrived, and the squawking from the chicks increased tenfold.  But the two adults just perched together and kept watch.

Back at camp it was time for the ever welcome cuppa and a read before getting the evening meal ready – tonight sweet and sour chicken with rice.

We’ve been listening to the wireless waiting for the outcome of the Essendon drug cheat saga, and I am quite bewildered.  Apparently there has been no decision on the penalty yet as agreement hasn’t been reached between the club and the AFL!  Since when does the guilty party have any say in the penalty they will incur? 

At the moment we’re being entertained by a couple of singers performing at the bowling club next door.  The sound is carrying quite well, and there are two singers – a man and a woman, mostly each doing their own thing, but right now doing a duet ‘Peggy Sue’.

So that’s about it for today, and I’m getting cold (it’s 8.30pm) so I’ll have to put the heater on!!

Sunday 25 August 2013 – Nothing happening

Today went as the days have been going.  Grant went fishing at about 8 this morning and came back about 1pm – empty handed.  He got a number of smallies, but put them back.  Meantime I did the washing, read my book, talked to Pauline and Terry next door (from Tassie), watched a lot of vans leaving, had several cuppas, and generally just sat in the half sun.

Late in the morning I rang a family connection in a town out of Rockhampton.  I had a lovely but interrupted talk to him (a few months off ninety years of age) – first I ran out of prepaid time, so topped up, then three more times we got cut off – probably because of my impatience.  They do tell you once you top up that it can take up to 15 minutes to reactivate your account, but I kept ringing back straight away, so I can only blame myself.  Anyway we have agreed that when I get home I will write to him and ask further things that I need to know.

We had a late lunch, then just read, etc for the rest of the afternoon.  Several vans came in mid afternoon, Joy came to visit  ………..

So that’s today – nothing happening.

Saturday 24 August 2013 – Happy Birthday Lis!

Well another big day at the office!  Up at about 8, did the usual stuff before leaving a bit after 9.30 and walked to Torquay where they had a bit of a market on the foreshore.  It was a beautiful morning (today has been 26 degrees), and today we stuck to the pathway that winds along between the Esplanade and the foreshore.  As we wandered along there I was almost tempted to do my morning drill on the exercise machines that are along the way, but I didn’t want to show up the try-hards who were already occupying some of the machines.

The market was quite a small one, and a few stalls had some bits and pieces that were different or interesting, but we came away only having bought some honeyed macadamias and some chilli macadamias, and with a sample sachet of ‘Mims Magic’ – a cure-all lotion that helps with arthritis pain, cracked skin, sprains, insect bites, cold sores (just to name a few things it helps) – handed to me by a stallholder who obviously had noticed my arthritic gait.  I tried it out this afternoon, and it seemed to help my knees, so I’ll get some when we next go to the market.  On the way back to the park we had an ice-cream from a speciality ice-cream shop which had far too many flavours, making deciding difficult, but we were both happy with our choices.

Back at camp, settled down with a cuppa, we had a chat with the neighbours behind us who are from Whakatane in NZ and come over here every year from May to the end of September to get away from the cold.  They fly to Brisbane, then hire a car and caravan, and amble around the coastal places stopping wherever they decide to spend a few days (or weeks).

At about 1.30 we had just finished lunch when we had a visit from my cousin Adrian and his wife Linda, so we sat out in the sun and solved the problems of the world over a cuppa for about an hour and a half.  And during the afternoon we had various of our neighbours stopping for a yarn, including Colin who brought us a map showing where to find a caravan park they suggested we stay at on our way home.

Oh! Before we left on our walk this morning we booked a day visit to Fraser Island for next Wednesday, so that should be good.

At the moment (almost 5pm) the wireless is on, but all you can get here is rugby, though they kindly share AFL scores very occasionally.  I keep check of them though on the internet, and so far I’ve picked 2 out of 3 winners, and Grant has a perfect score.  Melbourne let me down this afternoon!

Well it is now almost 10 o’clock and I delayed posting this blog entry in case we won Tattslotto, but as we didn’t, that’s about the news for today.

Friday 23 August 2013 – Big excursion to Burrum Heads

We had another chilly evening last night and an equally chilly morning this morning, but the day has again been lovely – 24 degrees.  Had a bit of a sleep in (till 8), and hung around till late morning just enjoying the lack of housework and the indulgence of just eating brekky and reading as I enjoyed some extra cuppas. 

Grant has woken up a little bit sore in his hands and shoulder still, but he is focussing on his exercise, heat packing, etc. and trying not to trip over, stumble, step into any hollow, and generally just keep himself upright. 

We decided to go for a drive a bit further up the coast , so we left here at about a quarter to eleven making our way to the thriving metropolis of Burrum Heads about 35 km away.  Though it is on the coast, you don’t see the coastline on the drive there.  The township itself is quite small and very much a fishing village.  Each access point to the water had a boat ramp and there were quite a number of fishing boats in the mouth of the Burrum River – looking more like not-too-large commercial fishing boats than just pleasure ones.  And there were lots of little tinnies coming and going – we couldn’t believe one of them – it was about 2 mtrs long and two men were going out in it.  It would have been a bit dodgy if the breeze had got up much stronger, as it was a little bit choppy as it was!

  

Burrum Heads

The tide was out while we were there, and it goes out quite a long way, so at all the roads we went down to the ocean beach, there was quite a long walk to actually get to the water.  We were there for a while, then headed back towards Hervey Bay, going down every side road on the left (the beach side), invariably going down ‘no through roads’ which all ended up at a sandy turning circle on the foreshore.  There was one other even smaller seaside place we went to, Toogoom and its suburb Toogoom East, both very similar to Burrum Heads, just smaller.

On the drive back into Hervey Bay we saw our first Wicked van of this trip.  They seem to be far less prevalent here in Queensland than they were on last years trip – perhaps because the ‘Up the Centre to Darwin, down to Perth then across the Nullarbor’ trip appeals to as many younger people as older, whereas this part of the world is more regarded as God’s waiting room. 

Back in town by mid-afternoon we first of all found the early voting office, filled in the appropriate paperwork, were given our ballot papers and did our duty to the country – well one of us did, anyway.  The other exercised the right to a protest vote.  From there we went to the supermarket and topped up on a few bits before coming back to the park for a very much needed cuppa.  And that’s today in a nutshell.


A lovely silver palm tree (bismarckia noblis)  we saw in a garden.

Thursday 22 August 2013 – Hervey Bay …. still.

Well we both had a sleep in this morning, that is of course after the initial butcher bird alarm awakening.  I woke at 8 and Grant said he’d been up at 7.30.  We woke to beautiful sunshine, and although today only got to 21 degrees, while in the sun it was really warm, but as the concrete pad outside our van gets shade from about 2pm, we chased the sun around like lizards do, finding the warm spots.

So this morning we didn’t do much – showered, did the chores, cuppa or three, read a magazine and did the puzzles then decided to go for a walk.  I wandered over to the toilet before we headed off and accidentally spoke to Sue (our next door neighbour) on the way, so got caught up in conversation for a good 30-40 minutes.  Yes, I’ve found someone who talks more than I do!

Finally off on our walk at a quarter past eleven, once on the beach we turned right (not sure where east and west are here) and walked quite a way along, then did a u turn and headed back.  I walk in the water, while Grant today walked on the hard damp sand – the tide was going out.

Grant setting out on our walk.

                                                                                                                               We stopped to take a couple of photos of the pelicans that hang around, then continued on the walk, with me slightly ahead of Grant.  Then ………… I heard a great thud and a groan, and Grant had hit the sand!!!  At this spot on the beach there is a wooden boat ramp going down to the waters edge.  I had walked around the end of the ramp, while apparently Grant had walked across it, put a bare foot on the edging board on it, and lost his balance landing on his left hand, elbow, hip and shoulder – in fact in a heap on the ground, and he was moaning.  His sandals and the camera were scattered nearby.

I went over to him, asking important questions, then attempted to lift him up.  Meanwhile, a lady who was sitting further back up the sand called out – ‘leave him, I’ll help, he may have broken his hip!’  While she rushed down he managed to get himself over onto his knees, and the two of us hauled him to his feet. (Grant has since commented on the fact that at this stage I told her that – ‘He’s no lightweight!’)  He said he had no pain in his shoulder, though his fingers and hands were very painful, as well as his elbow.  As we checked him over, and asked more important questions, he seemed to be okay, but of course shaken up, so we slowly made our way back to the park. 

The ramp where Grant fell – far side, just above water line.

By the time we got back he seemed not too bad, so we went to the sausage sizzle they have here at lunch time on a Thursday – gold coin donation to the Flying Doctor Service.  On the way back to the van we had a yarn to a couple who had not long come into the park (Colin and Joy – thought it was the reincarnation of my mother and father–in-law, Colin and Joy Cowley), and she was telling us she had a similar fall four days ago. 

Grant then went across to the spa pool (36 degrees) as we thought that might be helpful for his aches and pains, as by then he had started to stiffen up.  He spent 30 minutes there, then came back and we just sat around this afternoon, having chats with passers by, cups of tea and coffee, and making sock dolls – me making the sock dolls that is.  (While I’m writing this – 5pm – Grant is lying sideways on the bed doing his shoulder exercises, and not groaning, so that is good).

When we couldn’t find any more sunshine within sitting distance of our van we came inside, I put the kettle on and Grant went over to the toilet block.  When he got back 5 minutes later he was brandishing a heat bag loaned to him by Joy.  She had one in the van and said it had helped when she had her fall, so Grant has just heat-bagged his shoulder.  He can do it again a couple of times and we’ll see how he feels in the morning.

It’s now just after 10pm and we are back home after having tea with the Browns and Caseys at a pub in Urungan – very nice meal, then had a cuppa at Linda and Ade’s.  Grant is giving his shoulder another heat bag treatment, he’s just a bit stiff and his hand and fingers are swollen, but he is fine.  And it’s raining at the cricket, so we can’t listen to what isn’t happening!

We might go for a drive somewhere tomorrow – keep Grant off the sand!!

Browns, Cowleys and Caseys

Wednesday 21 August 2013 – Still here at Hervey Bay

Well I didn’t have the greatest night last night – up a couple of times with cramps following the two walks yesterday, and of course the early morning call from the butcherbird, so when Grant got up at about six thirty and suggested I go back to sleep for a while, I actually did, and woke up at a quarter to eight.  This time I was rudely awakened by the fellow in the caravan behind – who had to move to another site in the park – wound his caravan legs up with the assistance of what Grant tells me is called a hammer drill.  Talk about loud – I know where the hammer part of the name comes from – it was deafening.

Once up I realised that Grant wasn’t around, neither was the car, so I figured he’d gone fishing.  It was nice and sunny, so after brekky and shower I sat outside reading for a while, had a couple of cuppas and a chat or two, and was just getting up to make another cuppa at about 11am when Grant arrived home …… with a catch!!  He was pretty chuffed as he had the biggest catch on the Urangan pier this morning – a 60cm school mackerel.  He brought it home de-headed, de-tailed, filleted and all set to go.  So that’s on the menu for tonight.  We figured it is best eaten fresh, so we gave half of it to the couple in the next door van.

A plate of fish!

So once again, with Grant home, it was cuppa time, then lunch, and we were sitting here just after lunch when Lauris and Ray (my cousins) came to visit.  So the next couple of hours were spent sitting around talking, and moving around our van like lizards chasing the sun as it was a bit chilly in the shade.

After a delay of about 6 hrs I’m back to finish this off.  We crumbed the fish and bought some chips at the shop next door to the park, and it  was all delicious.  I told Grant he is welcome to catch some more of those. We couldn’t eat all of our fillet, so there is some cold for lunch tomorrow.

After tea we went to the Happy Wanderer Caravan Park where the cousins we saw the other day are staying, to play cards.  It was a new game they had bought involving cards and counters, quite simple to learn, and fun to play – especially when you win, which Ray and I did!  We played in Ade and Linda’s annex, and though it was quite chilly outside, they had the heater on and it was warm.

Back in the van now, the cricket is on, Grant is snoring, and all is good with the world.

Tuesday 20 August 2013 – Hervey Bay

That bloody bird!!  This morning it was squawking at 4.15am and obviously woke us and several other people in the park.  I asked Gary (the Manager) this afternoon what sort of bird it is and he told us it is a butcher bird.  In fact he showed it to us, perched on top of the tall pine tree at the front of the property with two mates.  We might have to resort to ear plugs.  The odd thing is that it stops after a while, so you can get back to sleep – and official wake up time this morning was 10 to 7 (way too early, but that’s what happens).

Today has been a beautiful day – 25 degrees, so after a slow start to the day we went for a drive mid-morning down to the Urangan pier which is about 3 km from where we are camped. Hervey Bay is really several suburbs which just continue on from one another.  I suppose someone knows where each one starts and stops, but the names of these towns are Scarness, Urangan, Hervey Bay, Torquay, Pialba, Eli Waters, Point Vernon, Urraween, Kawungan, Wondunna, Dundowran and Nikenbah.  We are actually in Scarness.

Anyway, we went for a walk first on the Torquay jetty, then moved on to the bigger one.  The Urangan Pier was built between 1913 and 1917 and was a very busy centre for the export of sugar, timber and coal.  At the time it was built it was over 1100 mtrs long, but the end 239 mtrs of it were demolished after it closed in 1985.  Due to a public outcry, the demolition was halted at this stage, and 868 mtrs still remain.  It is currently undergoing renovations, but is still a very popular fishing spot.  We walked out to the end of the pier, watched some dolphins playing a bit off the side of the pier, then walked back to the car.

After lunch we went for another walk along the beach.  We walked from the end of our street to the Scarness pier, and be the time we got back we had done our second 1 hour walk today.  Well that was enough for me, so it was back to the van, cuppa or two, Grant starting to get his fishing line set up ready for launch tomorrow, and me reading, then making another sock doll.

Had some good chats to some of our fellow caravanners as well as Gary during the afternoon.  He and Lyn (his wife) have been managing here for a bit over a year, coming from Wagga to take on the job.  They love it, and he was telling us about the changes they have made during that time.  We’re very happy with the park.

Well that’s it for today – obviously we’ve been flat out all day!!  With a bit of luck we’ll have freshly caught fish for tea tomorrow night.

Monday 19 August 2013 – Settled in at Hervey Bay

We were literally up with the birds this morning.  I don’t know what time it was, or what sort of bird it was, but it was definitely loud!!  And it was definitely early.  So it was fitful dozing until about ten past 7 when we were up ready for the day.  After breakfast, the first chore was to do the washing as I hadn’t done any since we left home, except for rinsing out undies a couple of times when having a shower.  Today has been pretty overcast, with only a couple of hours when the sun peeked out, but it wasn’t cold, so managed to get the washing dry enough to hang on the clothes horse to finish off.

So after chores, morning tea and a bit of a read we went off and had a drive around Hervey Bay.  We drove the Esplanade, and as Hervey Bay stretches out a long way – probably about 10 km, and though the Esplanade follows the beach - you can’t really see the water from most of the drive, though there is a cycling/walking track pretty well all the way.  Around the furthest end (Point Vernon) it is very rocky – not high rocks, but like a very rough, sharp looking rock shelf.

After lunch we decided to go for a walk along the beach, and we are only two blocks from the esplanade – and not big blocks, so we got down to the beach at the bottom of our street, turned left and walked in the shallow water of the incoming tide to the Scarness Pier, got out onto the pier as Grant wanted to see if there was any evidence of fish having been caught (there wasn’t), then made our way back to the park.  Just before we went on our walk we saw two people doing parachute jumps.  From our van we thought they were heading to land in the sea, but they did sharp coastward turns near the landing, so we think they landed safely. We were away a bit over an hour, so we’ll try to build onto that each day, or maybe manage to go a bit faster.

Our neighbours Sue and Mark, whose vehicle got towed in last night, got a hire car today, so now at least they have a bit of independence and don’t have to sit around looking at one another.

Back at the van, and refreshed by a cuppa or two, we sat outside and I started on my first solo sock doll.  As I am writing this, just before tea, she is almost done, but has arms which could have been a bit longer and made her look a bit normal – but she has character!

Grant has cooked our meat the last two nights in the camp kitchen, and he reckons there are low flying fruit bats whipping around everywhere just on dusk.  I have yet to see one – probably because I’ve been in the van getting the rest of tea ready.

On the way back from our walk today, Grant stood on the footpath and watched through the fence at the bowlers going about their bowling (the Bowling club is our next door neighbour), and today he has also been sussing out suitable fishing spots.  There’s a big ocean out there, so I reckon there will be fish everywhere.  I’ll report when we have our first home caught fish meal.

Sunday 18 August 2013 – Rainbow Beach to Hervey Bay

This morning we were up pretty early, but didn’t rush as we knew we had only about 135 kms to drive today, so we didn’t leave the caravan park until about a quarter to ten.  Gave the car its breakfast energy drink and retraced the last forty kilometres of yesterday’s drive – back around Tin Can Bay to the turn off for Maryborough.

  Once on the Maryborough road we were pretty quickly in pine plantation territory again, and it carried through for a large part of the 60 kms to Maryborough.  And we thought we’d try Zola again today after her mental collapse the other day, and though she exhibited a bit of confusion for the first twenty kms, she soon hit her straps and got us here safely.

Sugar cane plantations were seen around Maryborough which appears to be a very beautiful city, with numerous heritage listed buildings and a history which dates back to its foundation in the mid 1800’s.  And along the roads we drove through the city, there was a predominance of Queenslander houses, in differing states of repair, and the well-maintained ones really lovely.

It was around midday when we arrived at our caravan park – the Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park.  It is quite small with only 41 powered sites, 6 units and 8 cabins, but has great facilities including a big recreation room with billiard tables, etc, and a really well-equipped camp kitchen.  The managers are really friendly, with the husband Gary escorting you to the site and directing operations when you’re positioning the van.

We took longer than usual to set up, as considering we are here for three weeks we wanted to put up the awning and the flys over the bed ends – not that we expect any rain, but you have to be prepared!  Also Grant has connected up the sullage hose and connected the water to the van – something he doesn’t usually do on one night stops.  On those occasions we fill the kettle from the taps or use what’s in our water tank, and let the sullage do its own thing once it has gone down the plughole.

The day was once again beautifully sunny and reached about 25 degrees here, so after we  set up we had a cuppa and something to eat before heading off to find a supermarket and stock up the pantry.  Once done, we went to the Happy Wanderer Caravan Park and caught up with my cousins Lauris and her husband Ray and Adrian and his wife Linda. We had a good old natter for about an hour and a half, then came back to our van.

Then there was a bit of excitement!!   Grant had just wandered over to the toilet when I heard ‘Knock, knock – anyone home’.  I said yes and walked to the door, to find Gary and another bloke there asking if I could move our car from where it was parked to just opposite, between two units.  I said: No worries – are we parked too far across?  (We had a vacant spot next to us).  Just then Grant came back so he moved our car.

  It turned out that the fellow with Gary had car trouble, and just waiting in the driveway a couple of van sites back was a big truck, with his car – a rather large twin cab thing with a canopy - secured on the back of its tray, and the big truck was towing a rather large caravan that had obviously (pre breakdown) been attached to the twin cab vehicle. 

Now as I have mentioned, this is a small park with quite a narrow road between each row of vans, and the driver of this rescue truck had to reverse the van into the space next to us.  With very precise directions from Gary, and pretty skillful driving from the rescue truck driver, the caravan was positioned with a minimum of fuss, but by now with about half the caravan park population watching on. 

Then the tray of the truck was slid back, the caravan owner started getting stuff out of his twin cab, including the washing machine, crates, bags and boxes – in fact everything they would need for what now will be an extended stay while their broken down vehicle is fixed.  And when that was done, the ramp was raised again and off went the rescue truck.

So now we have neighbours – carless – so luckily we are within walking distance to shops, beach, etc.

So that’s where we are at right now.  Tomorrow I’ll get some washing done and we’ll have a bit of a lay day, reading, making sock dolls, fishing, a walk along the beach – whatever takes our fancy.

                                Saturday 17 August 2013 – Nanango to Rainbow Beach

We were pretty much back to our normal this morning, as after waking at about 20 to 8, we were filling up with petrol at about 20 to 10, so a bit slow off the mark.  And it didn’t help matters when, while Grant was getting the fuel, I was putting our destination into Zola when she spat the dummy and died. Well she didn’t quite die, but the button you press to turn her on (I use the stylus) got stuck in the down position, and nothing would work.  Now for some reason unbeknown to myself, last night I had transcribed the directions from Nanango to today’s destination as shown on Google maps – maybe because we are up in the mountains and I remember being up in the Adelaide Hills early last year and getting totally lost!

So we confidently set forth ….. for about a kilometre until I started to second guess myself – the road name we were on didn’t match the one we needed to be on, but it did seem to be going in the right direction.  So after a bit of exasperated eye-rolling from the driver (it wasn’t me), we did a u-turn back into the main street and I got out of the car to ask for help.  In the local Mitre 10 shop, three men all contributed to the direction giving, which was confusing me even more, so I asked for a bit of paper and asked them for the names of the towns we needed to pass through, and just hoped the signposting would tally.  We left Nanango for the second time, interestingly going down the road I had first directed Grant on to!  By now the decision had been made that today we must buy a regional map for where we are going.

So with renewed confidence we followed Google maps directions, and the drive went without a hiccup.  Again most of the drive was quite hilly, and the first observation was a lovely big dam covering quite a big area, wandering around the hills.  It is the Bjelke Petersen Dam and holds over a million megalitres of water and covers an area of two and a half thousand hectares of land.

Constantly referring to the list of town names given to me by the fellows back in Nanango, I happily ticked them off – Goomeri, Kilkivan where we saw a dead snake on the road, Goombooran and Gympie.  In the vicinity of Gympie, we passed what appeared to be a convoy of 4x4 vehicles all loaded up with fishing rods in holders attached to the front of the car and held down onto the packracks, almost obliterating the vision of anyone in the passenger seat, and obviously hampering the drivers vision, too.  We thought they must be heading into the mountains to a fishing competition – but we were later to find out we were wrong.

 Continuing on in the direction of Tin Can Bay and into Rainbow Beach where we are installed for the night, we passed through massive pine plantations, and passed heaps more vehicles decked out in fishing rods.  It was only when we arrived here at the Rainbow Waters Holiday Park and spoke to Sue when we booked in, that we discovered that’s just how people arrive for a holiday here!  It’s a fishing place and fishermen come in droves!

We were here and set up by 1pm so after lunch went on a drive to explore the area.  Grant got in the car, picked Zola up from where she had been put in disgrace earlier in the day, turned her on, and she seems to be working, though the on button is still stuck in, so we’ll see how capable she is when she is set a task.

We went to Carlo Point where a number of boats were out, people were fishing and others were just playing around on the sand.

From there we drove the 12 or so km down the Inskip Peninsula to the barge loading point where you get ‘barged‘ to Fraser Island.  We were amazed at the number of people camped there in the ti-tree and scrub.  There would have been well over a hundred camps set up, and most of them up tracks of deep sand, only accessible by four wheel drive.  As it was quite a warm day, the spots there were beautifully shaded and everyone seemed really relaxed.

                             

The previous photo shows the vehicles on the beach – there were lots of them along the peninsula coastline.

Next we went into town and bought that all important map – no excuses now about not finding our way!  There was a wedding about to happen on the grass by the beach while we were there, and we drove past it two or three times as we explored the town, but the bride still hadn’t arrived.  We really like it here, it’s pretty, not too crowded and not too touristy.

Back at camp a bit after 4, and I’d just made a cuppa when we heard a woman call out knock knock!  We said hello, and the lady (Kay) told us that she and her partner had just got to the park, and her partner had said: Did you see that – a car like ours!  Of course she hadn’t noticed, but as they were interested in getting a camper of some sort, he was interested to see how it towed, etc.  He reckoned she wouldn’t come and talk to us, so he was wrong.  She was here for about fifteen minutes, then went off, coming back ten minutes later with Ross in tow.

They were here for the next hour – Kay sitting in the van and Ross standing at the door, and we chatted about everything – so that filled in the time till tea.  We did discover from Ross (they live in Dalby – about 300kms away) that the way those fishing rods we saw being transported is illegal, but everyone does it!  I wouldn’t be impressed if I was sitting in the passenger seat, I can tell you!

Tomorrow we reach our destination – a mere 130 km away.  Hopefully we can negotiate the route without too much difficulty.