Month: December 2015

Why CaravanningLeave a comment

Lookin’ Out My Back Door

Itching for Hitching

A few years ago friends were contemplating buying a caravan. I suggested that the best thing of all is that each morning when you look out your door you see a different view. For this the final post of 2015 I was going to put up my favourite photos of the year, but hey you can see those in the Photo Gallery any time. So here are some of our ‘Window Views’ of the year. I like to show some of the window or doorframe where possible, sometimes I forget to take a shot out the window, other times I … Continue reading Lookin’ Out My Back Door

Point of Interest, QldLeave a comment

The Gulflander

Itching for Hitching

As the wet season begins once more in northern Australia, I’m reminded of our visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the dry season of 2014. We assemble at the Normanton railway station in Far North Queensland at 8:00am to board the Gulflander train to go to Croydon 150kms away. The Gulflander is also known as the train that goes from nowhere to nowhere. The pretty little wooden station is all gussied up with flowers in pots and railway relics. In Queensland’s colour of maroon the diesel rail motor has three carriages. The 3ft 6inch wide line was opened in … Continue reading The Gulflander

Caravan Parks, NSW, Point of InterestLeave a comment

Why Not Prop Here?

Itching for Hitching

In southern NSW, we prop at the Temora  Aviation Caravan Park which is located in the airport grounds. Good amenities, grassy sites with power and water and a view of the airstrip. You see this town has focussed on airplane tourism. They have sold off chunks of airport land as house and hangar packages to owners of airplanes. The Temora Aircraft Museum is only a short walk from the caravan park. It has a large collection of old war birds and all are in working condition. The town has regular air shows when the planes are flown. Temora, was once home … Continue reading Why Not Prop Here?

Places, QldLeave a comment

The Isa

Itching for Hitching

Mt Isa in Queensland is not an old town but a fascinating one. Lead was discovered here in 1923, so there aren’t the heritage buildings and traditional outback pubs that define other towns. Surprisingly the City of Mt Isa actually includes the ‘suburb’ of Camooweal, 188 kilometres away. The road connecting the two towns is locally known as the “longest main street in the world.” The mine provides a dramatic backdrop to the city and the view of the city lights from the lookout is a treat at sunset. We spend the morning driving around Mt Isa’s residential streets looking … Continue reading The Isa

Caravanning Hints3 Comments

Trip Planning

Itching for Hitching

Half the fun of a long trip is in the planning and especially on a wet Boxing Day at home. We use a combination of sources once we’ve decided on a destination or direction. I keep an ongoing spreadsheet of places that sound interesting that we’ve heard or read about. I also mark them as Favourites in WikiCamps so that they stand out on the screen and are easily searchable once we’re on the road. Then with the aid of maps, WikiCamps, the internet and the latest Camps Australia Wide we build the route that we’d like to take. We … Continue reading Trip Planning

NT, The Characters You Meet2 Comments

It’s More Than Just Souvenirs

Itching for Hitching

It is the time of the year when we become a little more reflective, a little more caring of each other and grateful for life’s experiences. Sometimes we bring home something more than souvenirs from our travels. Last winter we were lucky enough to spend a few days in Katherine in the Northern Territory. The town had a warm friendly feel to it and the locals were welcoming to tourists. We were kept busy with all of the attractions that the area had to offer until I tripped and broke my ankle. While I was waiting in the Emergency Department … Continue reading It’s More Than Just Souvenirs

NSW, Places, Point of InterestLeave a comment

Cowra’s place in history

Itching for Hitching

A visit to the holographic show at the tourist information centre explains the town’s war history and the Japanese breakout that occurred there. We are surprised to learn that Italians and Indonesians were also housed at the Cowra POW camp during World War Two. The Italians worked the local farms and became popular with the locals. The Indonesian families had been considered a threat by the Dutch and thus were held on their behalf. The people of Cowra have retained their humanitarian values all these years and Australia’s UN World Peace Bell sits proudly outside the civic centre, the only … Continue reading Cowra’s place in history

NSW, PlacesLeave a comment

Sofala

Itching for Hitching

We leave the Castlereagh highway at the tumbledown town of Ilford, NSW and head off through the hills on what is unromantically named Tourist Drive 4. TD4 is a hilly road winding through brown farmland with sheep and the gum trees are adorned with mistletoe. We drop down a steep hill and find ourselves in the village of Sofala, it is Australia’s oldest surviving occupied gold mining town and there is still a little prospecting done here. It was also used in the 1974 movie “The Cars That Ate Paris”. We park the rig and walk as the street is … Continue reading Sofala

Caravan Parks, Qld, Top SpotsLeave a comment

Evening Star

Itching for Hitching

Evening Star Tourist Park is a working station and caravan park a mere nine kilometres out of Charleville, Qld and when we call in (winter 2014) it is managed by cheery Neil and Dot. The place is so good we book a second night as soon as we’re set up. It’s as neat as a pin with a real bush feel. There are spacious gravel sites and ensuite amenities surrounded by red dirt and mulga scrub. There is a licensed bar and camp kitchen that is run by Lenny the muso and his wife Annette who is the camp cook. … Continue reading Evening Star