Yabba Creek!?!

The week and a bit in Brisbane has been productive and also relaxing.  Of first priority was a decent GPS; I settled for a Garmin nüvi 4190T and am very happy with it.  A major reason is that there is a download available from Camps6 Australia, loading all the camps listed in their book onto the GPS, which to me is invaluable.  It also has Bluetooth so I can talk handsfree when a call comes in (there is never anywhere to pull up when the phone rings when you are driving), so I will be assured of being contacted by all the telemarketers out there!  For city driving there is Advanced Lane Guidance, a 'must have' for me as my 'scenic tour' of Melbourne proves.

I have re-arranged the van somewhat, with the aim of anticipating usage and sorting things more in the order I will use them, E,g a set of clothes, rather than have all trousers in one cupboard, shirts in another etc.  That way some of the 'deeper' storage areas don't need to be constantly accessed (usually a procedure involving moving a lot of other things to get to them).  I also purchased some bins to better sort things and have them more readily available. A new summer weight sleeping bag and setting up the awning should help as the weather is now warming up.  As extra tabs were required for the awning, the sewing machine was required!!

So on Sunday, 7th August, I keyed '162' into the GPS and set off following it's instructions.  Let me explain this a bit more:  The sites in the Camps6 book are listed by State, name and number.  On the GPS, you select the State and the names are listed, so you can scroll thru them to find the one you want, or you can key in the relevant number as a quick means of selecting your goal.  Such is faith (or perhaps laziness) that I didn't bother checking the map, until, after continuing along ever narrowing & winding roads, -  to the strains of "I'm Just an Okie from Muscogee" appropriately - I came to the end of the road!  The GPS stated I had a few more Km to go, but I was in a cull-de-sac surrounded by houses.  So I looked at the map.  The first thing I discovered was I should have keyed in '168'.  I then noticed some vague tracks shown on the map, but if they existed, I doubt if they'd have been trafficable by my van, as I was on quite a hill and the only way was down, sharply!  So I backtracked to the main road, continued on and along the way noticed the path the GPS was trying to take me originally was a very deep, steep rugged valley!  Arriving at the Little Yabba Picnic Area, just south of Kenilworth, QLD, I set up the van, complete with awning!  The only other vehicle was another HiAce from Tasmania!  We exchanged greetings, spent the evening in polite conversation and thus was the first day of my true goal-less Grey Nomading.  From here I'll review other camps in the area to decide where to go next, meanwhile, I shall spend the day here and move on tomorrow (Tues).  Unfortunately there is no phone reception here; tonight is Census night, so that could be interesting!

Brisbane!

Arrived Brisbane on 29th July!  I'll base myself here until November, looking at exploring QLD & perhaps northern NSW, if it's not too cold down there.  I'll spend maybe a week-10 days here before venturing off again so I'll have to work out where to go/what to see.

The extra day in Morven was spent catching up on things and exploring the town.  There is a very interesting museum run by local volunteers which is well worth a visit.  There is a Kerosene Tin Hut on the site, popular during the Depression but which is now quite a rarity.  There are also some splendid replicas of early buildings on display, showing the ingenuity of the early settlers.

From Morven I drove to Kumbia and stayed the night there, so as to be at the top end of Bunya National Park:  My plan was to drive thru it the following day on my way to Brisbane.  It is a dense forest with some walks to various points which are both interesting in the forest they pass thru and in the views at the end!  Some campgrounds are located in the park, permission must be organised beforehand, I gather (I didn't camp in the Park but it would be a very nice spot to spend a few days).  I was talking briefly to a Ranger who was concerned about the damage wild pigs are doing to the Park, which I gather is considerable.  It was a fleeting conversation as I really stopped to ask for instructions to get to the Warrego Highway, which he also provided.  Thus I departed, drove thru Toowoomba and on into Brisbane, where I shall have to lay out plans for trips for the next three months.

QLD

On leaving Griffith I traveled thru the Darling Downs to Bourke.  Along the way I passed just west of the geographical centre of NSW:  Being only halfway across the State (from E to W), it brought home how vast this 'outback' is, bearing in mind it continues north thru QLD and W into the Northern Territory and Western Australia.   It was mainly flat, red soil and ranged from orchards/vineyards/intensive cropping up from Griffith in the irrigation areas to extensive grazing above that to natural low scrub - lightly cleared in parts - in the more remote areas.  There were emus and wild goats along the verges, with only a few kangaroo seen:  There was, sadly, plenty of roadkilled roos and also wild pigs, which must be nocturnal as I never saw any.  I stopped at a small roadhouse for coffee and further up went into a lookout over a copper mine. 

Bourke actually has a jetty on the Darling River - compulsory photo - and I took the opportunity to do a bit of shopping before settling into the caravan park in North Bourke for the evening.  The caravan park was a very nice one, with excellent clean amenities and obviously popular as travelers kept rolling in well after dark.  

In the morning I delayed long enough to cook bacon & eggs (muesli bars are ok when you want to get away quickly but...) then hit the road for Charleville, about a five hour drive.    Arriving in good time, I then turned east, continuing on to Morven, and a bit of good luck that was, as at the Morven recreation ground they have it set up for campers.  It is a very pleasant spot with emus roaming about nearby.  So pleasant, in fact, I've decided to spend an extra day.  The neighboring campers invited me for a BBQ and a chat, which made for a very social evening.  

A Night in Griffith NSW

Due to a cold, my first day and a half was spent lying doggo.  I'd hoped to have a decent look about and sample some of the original Italian cuisine on offer in the town, but travel on the ferry has it's risks.  Sunday I got to the fruit & veg market before it closed at noon and then made up a hot lemon & had a snooze.  At 3pm, feeling much better, I went into town & had a very nice spaghetti.  I hadn't been back at the caravan park long & was invited to a BBQ, which I went to on condition I didn't have to eat much. 

Earl (not their real names, I've changed them to preserve anonyminity), had just put an extension on his caravan and that was where we met.  There was his son Tim - quite the computer gamer & hoping to get to a big gathering in LA; Bud, who is doing an excellent job fitting out a 1966 Leyland bus; Bluey, a jack of all trades; and Don & Phyl, who are currently living in the park & working locally.  Apparently Phyl won a couple of meat packs at the local Corio Club the night before and this was the mainstay of the BBQ; she also prepared some excellent salads to go with.  Don, a 6'4" ex-boxer, took over as Chef and no one decided to challenge him - a good thing actually because he did an excellent job!  He covered the grill with oven paper, which helped keep the grill/plate clean but also did an excellent job with marinated meat as it kept it's moisture, didn't burn and thus was great tasting!  Don is currently a truck driver and gave a running commentary of anecdotes while cooking, no expletives deleted.  He also gave me excellent advice on UHF channels & usage, as well as what to do when approached from behind by a faster moving road train:  DO NOT slow down, maintain your current speed as he is adjusting to that, can see much further ahead than you from his lofty cab and when he puts his blinker on, wait until he is well into the other lane before you slow down.

Bluey has traveled about the country, part chasing work and - I suspect - part curiosity as to what's over the next hill.  He has picked up a range of skills and informed me the best way to condition a fry pan or wok:  Heat it with a blow torch until it is nearly hot enough to ignite oil, then pour fish oil in it, running it all over the inside.  Apparently fish oil settles into the pores best.  He also mentioned putting a cast iron plate near the top of my water tank so that it gets exposed when the water drops & then covered when the tank fills again - this will ensure you get the iron you need from your water.  He had numerous tales & bits of advice, and later sent me a photo he'd taken of lightening, which was superb!

Bud was apparently the project leader in the extension, having had building experience.  As stated earlier, the work he has so far done in his bus conversion is excellent.  He intends to do the big loop around Australia and estimates it will cost him around $90,000 - I think that includes his vehicle and the conversion costs.  He ran the bus down to Victoria the following day to register it in Victoria, where apparently it is 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of QLD or NSW.  Tim was going to travel with him and I reckon it would be a great mini-trip!

Tim is in his late teens and into computers, esp gaming.  He has won major competitions in Australia and hopes to go to a big gamers convention in LA.  He was offered a job by a firm in the US, but was under 18 at the time so couldn't accept.  He kept the conversation lively and is knowledgeable on a wide range of topics.

Phyl arrived with salads when the BBQ was cooked and joined in at that time.  She discussed the local area and the changes her & Don had seen in the ~18 years they'd lived there, then later in the evening drove us up to the scenic point overlooking the town.  It certainly was much more widespread than it appeared in the daytime, plus you could see lights from some of the nearby communities, actually as far south as Darlington Point (35km away). 

A fascinating slice of life of a small group with a broad range of experience and skills, a 'can do' spirit and an enjoyment of their lives.

To the Mainland!

The ferry crossing was uneventful, which is good!  Not long before there were 13m swells in Bass Strait.  On arrival in Melbourne I got stymied by new roads and ended up going thru the northern suburbs to get out - a long, slow, gear grinding route - fortunately I had a CD of soothing instrumental music.  Once on the Newell Highway things improved and I made good time to Shepparton, where I stopped in at the SPC Ardmona outlet, stocking up on fruit& nuts to last me a while!  As it was still only mid day I kept going to the NSW border, camping on the Murray River banks, a very pleasant and peaceful spot indeed.  The laptop works well off it's DC adapter, the LED bunk light is truly a marvel and I discovered the pure sine wave inverter was going to be used sooner than expected as my phone badly needed charging.  But important things first - a good brew of coffee!  Plus an early night, as I didn't sleep well on the ferry and was tired.

The 30 year old superdown sleeping bag again worked it's wonders - I slept very warm and discovered it was 3 degrees C when I woke up!  That sleeping bag has sailed the East Coast of Australia, a couple Van Dieman Circumnavigations, countless weeks camping in remote areas doing assessment and bushwalking excursions undertaken by the children.  Magpies and cockatoos were greeting the new day in their usual noisy fashion, the mist rising over the river with the dawn, what better way to wake up?  Other than a quick coffee, things sort of moved at tier own pace.  This included installing the inverter, fixing a cigarette lighter socket serving the house part and also the 12V fluoro light, which started working again when I started to take it apart-I see an LED replacement in it's future.  By 9am I was ready to go, so set off first east along the Murray about 40 km, then back up to the Newell Highway thru Berrigan.  The country is flat as, with cropping where they have irrigation and grazing where they don't.  The weather was sunny and the cumulous clouds were whiter than white against the blue sky.  The horizon seems endless, no doubt because of the flat terrain and the country seems to impose a feeling of limitless on you; I can see how poets like Banjo Patterson were entranced by it. 

On reaching the Murrumbidgee River I started looking for a campsite along its banks, and that is where I sit now.  Met some GN (grey nomads) from Adelaide who have been all around Australia in a caravan & 4WD, which they were happy to discuss.  Then there was the usual talks about generators vs solar etc. giving me the benefit of their experiences on power generally. And so tomorrow it is off to Griffith, maybe for a day or two before continuing on, but now it's off to sleep.

On the Road!

"One small step..." a link to the web album has now been established:  Click on box marked "Viking Journey Web Album" above the entries.  It only has a couple of photos at the moment but additional photos will be uploaded as the travels progress.

All things now finalised, booked the ferry for 20th July - an evening departure & a night crossing.  My plans at this stage are to travel to Brisbane via Griffith, Bourke and Charleville, where I'll head east to Brisbane. This should give me a good feel for traveling and further fitting out requirements for the van - mainly to get it more self sufficient power-wise, with solar the most probable option.  From Brisbane I'll do some trips, including one to Townsville in Sept. to meet up with a Vietnam Vet friend who will be there at a reunion.

Packing has been interesting to say the least.  What to take, or more to the point, what not to take, has been a challenge.  So, first in was the fishing gear (Man School had a unique set of priorities), tools took a while, there are way too many clothes packed and some won't return, and you know, I'm sure that sewing machine will generate a story or two! 

Getting the van ready has been interesting.  Testing it at Cozy Corner on the East Coast was fun, winter not-withstanding.  The discovery of leaking coolant on this trip resulted in replacing the radiator, the only fault found in the pre-departure Service.  The drivers seat had a list to port, so I had it's frame straightened & the padding made more comfortable.  The van is currently set up mainly for frequent connection to 240VAC, with a 12/24 VDC fridge, 1.8A battery charger and a small wet cell house battery.  I intend to mainly 'free camp', so will need some method of storing/generating more electricity for longer excursions.  Studying electricity options proved rather involved, so still have to do more work on the exact details for solar, my preferred energy option.  So far, a 'smart charger', 105AH deep cycle battery, inverter and a laptop DC to DC power pack have been obtained.

A UHF radio has been installed, requiring an antenna bracket on the front bullbar and the discovery that it is very difficult to get any access behind the dash!  I can only conclude that the whole dash comes out as a unit somehow, but equally difficult is finding a workshop service manual. Unfortunately, I purchased a GPS navigation system, which was a 'dud' purchase from a supplier very unwilling to either repair/replace the unit or come up with a refund.  The supplier stalls, balks, gives useless 'instructions', requests returning the unit 'for inspection', which he claims it works fine but the unit is returned in the same condition it left, i.e. not working properly.  Meanwhile charging me postage both ways, hoping by stalling long enough I'll give up.  I will probably have to write off the purchase, but will broadcast the supplier - helomolto - all over the internet. 

I return to Tasmania in November, and will remain until after New Year's, when I plan to head for the mainland again, cross the Nullarbor and into southern Western Australia, where there are some terrific forests & reasonable fishing spots. 

I return to Tasmania in November, and will remain until after New Year's, when I plan to head for the mainland again, cross the Nullarbor and into southern Western Australia, where there are some terrific forests & reasonable fishing spots. 

So, sad goodbyes having been said, the final checks having been made, it is On The Road - with a few nights in Launceston along the way!  One final photo of a snow covered Mt. Wellington on my morning walk on the beach.

25May2011 - First run in the new camper, a round-a-bout way to Launceston for a birthday party weekend.  I headed to Cozy Corner near The Gardens in NE Tasmania.  About 5 hours driving, with a couple of stops for photos,  plus a lunch break at Spiky Beach (opposite Spiky Bridge), a spectacular bit of coastline which overlooks Great Oyster Bay and the Hazards.  Some excellent photos! 

Set up near the beach with the sound of the surf pelting in.  It will take a while learning the setup routine, which will include re-arranging where some gear is stored:  More on that later when I get it worked out.  Tried a bit of fishing but didn't have any bait and they weren't touching artificial lures.

Dark came early, so I went to bed early - not the least because the drive was a bit exhausting.  The sound of the surf was not unlike a strong wind, however the wind was actually very light wind so no worries about losing my poptop.  Slept very well, until nearly 7am!  Cold when I got up but soon dressed & had the kettle on - note to self:  work out how to boil kettle quicker!  The coffee was enough to 'kick start' me, so I left for my next planned stop - the Croppies Point side of Waterhouse Point, where we had anchored on our last Tasmanian Circumnavigation and we had an excellent feed of flathead and squid.

There was a 6 km stretch of bone rattling washboard road to Waterhouse Point Reserve, and THEN signs saying the roads were unsuitable for any but 4WD, so I turned around & headed back over the same 6km of washboard road.  I decided to drive to Launceston.

The van went well, some rattles to be sorted, I don't know if it is the road or it has some sort of vibration inherent - on smooth roads it is fine.  The seat is a bit funny, with a 'list to port' so will need to be looked at.  Also, the coolant indicator came on so I added some water & fixed it.  It is not an indicator I was familiar with, so I stopped & looked it up in the manual.  On the run home from Launceston the van ran much smoother than when starting out, so the few days running were a tonic.   A few things to sort out on the pre-departure service.