Zoom ... Zoom ... Zoom ...

It's around 1,200 km from Coonamble in NSW to Nuriootpa in SA and as a lot of the journey is open countryside we moved through it quite quickly.

In Australia the term "bogan" is used in a derogatory sense and you immediately think of someone with a mullet haircut, wearing stubby shorts, a check flannelette shirt and completing the outfit with thongs (on their feet). So it was rather amusing to discover an area of North Western NSW that proudly proclaims itself "Bogan Shire". On further investigation I found that this shire, and the river it's named, after weren't the origins of the slang term which is also used by New Zealanders.

An enterprising farmer is western NSW has crafted these Galahs from corrugated iron.

In the far west there are miles upon miles of cotton farms, as this is a very arid landscape I wondered how they are able to grow cotton here and found that 90% of the farms depend on irrigation from the Murray Darling Basin (80% of cotton produced in Australia comes from here).

In light of the water crisis in the Murray Darling Basin you'd have to wonder whether this is a suitable crop for the climate and rainfall features of this area.







One of my favorite campsites on this trip was beside the Old Reservoir! Just outside of the outback mining town of Cobar.

 

Coonambling around Coonamble

I arrived in this little town around 10.30am and decided to have morning tea. The busiest cafe in town seemed the safest bet so Skye and myself headed straight there ... what a friendly welcome the local "town planners" gave us!

This group of men (anywhere from 6-12 each morning) recommended the local caravan park and it was certainly a lovely place, quiet, friendly, only $20 for a powered site AND on the river; and were just generally good fun to be around as Skye and myself joined them each morning on the 3 days we ended up staying here.

At the top end of town there is street-scaping in progress in front of the hotel, with shrubs and flowers being planted and a shaded siting area being built on each side of the street.

This seems to be a town that takes a lot of pride in itself.

This post was created on the iPad 4 using the Blogsy app, it's the only app I've used so far that actually works - very pleased with it.

Dad and Dave

The tiny town of Nobby has a really excellent camping spot opposite Rudd's Pub.

Steele Rudd, of Dad and Dave fame used to live in Nobby and apparently penned some of his short stories here in the pub.

Personally I found the front verandah of the pub was the perfect place to sit and write, chat and just generally relax with a cup of coffee and a pumpkin scone (a Queensland specialty). I met this lovely couple who farm nearby and were enjoying an outing on their motorbikes with a stopover at their favourite pub.

The pub has quite an eclectic decor with lots of bush memorabilia.

The town's free camping spot is just opposite Rudd's Pub and next to the now obsolete railway station which is a tourist information and craft centre. There are barbecues and picnic tables available and if you want/need power it's available for a gold coin donation (just pay at the pub). Most folks patronise the pub which is renowned for their lamb shanks — a small serving is more than enough — they must have giant sheep in this area as the shanks were ENORMOUS.

This is an excellent location and a good example to other tiny towns of how providing a place for grey nomads to camp can bring extra business and life into a town.

A bit of maintenance work

Highland Drover was drastically in need of some TLC so it was time to visit Brett's Camper Care.

First and most urgent job a leak in the shower, Brett removed the bath and shower and found that the wood and polystyrene base had rotted away and needed to be replaced — at last a shower that doesn't leak.

Next job was adding an additional 2 solar panels so I don't need to use the generator so often … much to some peoples relief.

Whilst rewiring the solar panels Brett discovered that some of the wires were incorrectly going to the control panel rather than the batteries and he fixed this as well.

Later he also discovered that the invertor/charger that charges the house batteries whilst the truck is running wasn't working and this was replaced by a newer model.  Result I'm now super-charged :-)

Thank you Brett.

Leaving the Mainland … again

Having lived on the Scottish Island of Iona in my youth I was very excited to be able to spend some time on another small island, this time on Macleay a scenic, residential island in Southern Moreton Bay.  Many of the 2,000 residents travel to the mainland daily, leaving one vehicle at the ferry terminal and the other on the mainland at Redland Bay in a secure parking area.

The vehicle ferry carried a wide assortment of vehicles—

• an articulated tipper, 
• a tractor 
• a motorbike, and 
• Highland Drover. 

The island has a very large population of Burhinus grallarius the Bush Stone Curlew an unusual large bird with an eerie cry, somewhat like a person screaming.  Instead of flying away when threatened, they freeze and hope they're invisible! The birds on Macleay are very acclimatised to humans and Skye was usually surrounded by 3 or 4 of them.

The passenger ferries are eco-jet catamarans which complete the journey to the mainland in 18 minutes and it's also possible to "island hop" to nearly Russell, Lamb or Karragarra Islands.

Markets and more markets

This past month I've been out and about visiting markets …

Lismore Showground in northern NSW where I met up for a few days with Jan and George (and Dookie and Lukie their terriers).  Jan & George travel on the caravan show circuit where they sell lots of goodies for motorhomers like myself.

The most interesting lunch was at the Hungarian kurtosh stand. Thin strips of yeast pastry are wound around a wooden cylinder and baked in a rotisserie oven. 

They can be served as a sweet or savoury. Hazelnut with nutella; cheese, olives and herbs with salsa dip; garlic and sesame with yoghurt dip.

Marina Quays Village at Hope Island on the Gold Coast.  Don't be put off by the rather tired appearance from the outside, this is a terrific place with lots of atmosphere.  First stop was Cafe Bonjour run by Carol-Anne and Rainer in conjunction with their Fantasy Art studio Kozik Art. The menu changes each week and there is a wondrous selection of cakes as well as main meals. I had the pumpkin lasagne which was the tastiest ever.

Carol-Anne also creates these amazing "art to wear" knitted outfits.  

His majesty Prince Oscar was very at home at Cafe Bonjour.

Next stop was The Dog Bakery much enjoyed by Skye and Oscar and also the girls who loved their Babycinos. This is a really great spot to enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee with your favourite pooch and where they can meet other canine friends in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

The only human food available here is coffee and Tim Tams, but you can have a great lunch at Cafe Bonjour or there is a good Japanese stall next door who make really good sushi at very reasonable prices and the Dog Bakery lady doesn't mind if you BYO.

Doggy treats here are amazing … Skye and Oscar loved the sausage wrapped in pastry, along with their special "Mutt Shake" (black strap molasses and lactose free skim milk)

Liver Chip Muffins will have to wait for the next visit

Dib Dib Dib … Dob Dob Dob

Rocky Creek Scout Camp, near Landsborough, a great find with reasonably priced camping in a lovely rural setting.

There are powered sites, good water supply, hot showers and a free washing machine.


The communal campfire area has camp ovens available for anyone to use and the fire seems to be lit around 4pm each day … now what's that time called?

For the young or young at heart there is an abseiling tower and various rope contraptions to be climbed on and over.

A great spot with a friendly and helpful young couple managing it.

Time to head to warmer pastures

On the way north I caught up with Lawrie and Robyn at the easiest place for a large motorhome to park in … MacDonalds

Next stop … the Kellybillies on the Gold Coast where we rugged up against the unusually cold weather and ate marvellous meals by candlelight.

Not another hospital visit!

Having a much needed post-hospital coffee at 
Desmond and Molly Jones cafe in South Brisbane

Yep, another visit to Dr Chang at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane. This time for an MRI which showed, as expected, that my pancreatic duct is occluded in many places (the Pancreas Divisium predisposes me to this) other than that all the test results were good.

Have an appointment in September for an ERCP and EUS which I'll attend on my way south for summer.

Nothing like organizing your travel around hospital visits. At least there's a focus for my travels!


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Location:Stanley St,Woolloongabba,Australia

Southbank Brisbane

I'm down in Brisbane for 4 days combining hospital visits with a city break. Yesterday I walked along the river to Southbank where "Homegrown 2011" was being held. It's a combination of innovative design, sustainable living and regional food and wine producers. Something for everyone!

Yummy............worm castings

A vegie garden made from old pallets

Very attractive and comfortable cardboard stools

Lots of folks there enjoying the sunshine

Sustainable gardening