Month: February 2016

National Park, WA, When Things Just Go Wrong7 Comments

The Perils of Getting Up Too Early

Itching for Hitching

Normally we never drive early in the day or after mid afternoon because of the risk of hitting a roo on the road. We drive from Melbourne to Esperance, over 3000kms without seeing a single kangaroo. We’ve seen thousands of emus but where oh where are the kangaroos? Is this some kind of record for driving in Australia? Then just when we have to arrive early to secure a spot at a way too popular NationalPark camp ground, out pops a roo and wham. A couple of days later a policeman at a random breath test tells us to get … Continue reading The Perils of Getting Up Too Early

The Characters You Meet, WA9 Comments

Clothing Optional

Itching for Hitching

We’re in Broome, WA and our new grey nomad friend tells us that she met a naked man while walking along Cable Beach this morning. I later ask her what she is doing tomorrow “Oh going to find the naked man again” she says with a grin.    Continue reading Clothing Optional

WA, Well Bugger Me!11 Comments

Top Spot!

Itching for Hitching

I am so captivated by the rock formations at Osprey beach and Camp Ground on the Ningaloo coast that each day I scramble head down across the rocks taking photos of fossilised coral and watching my every foothold carefully for fear of being shredded on the coral outcrops. Suddenly a French voice says “Elloo”. I raise my head and all that I can see is a perfectly tanned bare breast. “Top spot” I mumble and stumble off to leave her sunbaking in peace. I’m still wondering how she managed to balance her chair on the rocks.   Continue reading Top Spot!

Freedom Camp, Qld7 Comments

Service With a Smile in Gayndah

Itching for Hitching

In Gayndah, Qld there is travellers rest called Zonhoven Park beside the Burnett River just east of town. We spent a peaceful night there in 2015: It is quite a pleasant spot and there is a farm beside us. The river is about 10 metres below the park and its far bank has to be 400 metres away. There is a beautiful sunset over the river as we chat to a local lady who is out walking her dog and pleased to see us sitting outside. She says that most campers set up then lock themselves away for the night. … Continue reading Service With a Smile in Gayndah

Bush Poetry8 Comments

Forty Degrees of Summer

Itching for Hitching

  Heat oppressive, barometric pressure palpable. The smell, of eucalyptus and dust hangs in the air. Thunder rumbles, far in the distance. Unswimmable the river, swollen and swirling in eddies. Silent dappled gums, soft yellow and grey trunks. Sweat streams, from scalp it trickles to feet. With reddened faces we gasp, dogs pant. Nervous, we sniff the air for signs of smoke. Stillness, brings big drops of plopping rain. Welcoming sweet and cleansing, on our skin. We dance with arms outstretched, as if to catch more. All too soon it is gone, stopped. Leaving a more bearable world.   Continue reading Forty Degrees of Summer

The Characters You Meet, Vic11 Comments

The Friends You Make

Itching for Hitching

We are on our second caravan trip and we have decided to try this free camping caper. We arrive in Charlton to find a ghost town, everything is closed and the locals have all gone off to the Charlton Show. We park in a wide area behind the shops which is signposted as the Travellers Rest. We walk the deserted main street and then set off for the free camp at Teddy Waddy, 8kms north of town. Sadly it’s right on the main road, dusty and very exposed, it’s a bit disappointing, so we return to town and find that … Continue reading The Friends You Make

Qld, The Characters You Meet14 Comments

The Anthropologist

Itching for Hitching

We have an unexpected surprise at happy hour when two blokes tear into the camp in an old rusty ute with a couple of dogs in the back. Craig and David are locals and they enthral the boys with their stories of life around Quilpie and Charleville. David’s ancestors bought a mob of cattle in Melbourne and drove them northward following the rivers until they reached Quilpie. These days David has 255,000 acres at Quilpie and his son runs a helicopter mustering business. Seeing a good sized crowd around the fire, Craig of Aboriginal descent, suggests that he give a … Continue reading The Anthropologist

Caravanning Hints3 Comments

Awesome Apps for Aussie Travellers

Itching for Hitching

  Wiki Camps – if you only ever download one app then make it this one. With over 23,000 sites listed around Australia this has to be the most comprehensive camp site guide there is. Best of all it is constantly being updated by users. Roadtrip – starting to plan and map out your next trip? This app is simple to use and gives upfront distances between stops, which some competitors seem to think isn’t relevant. There is no limit to the number of stops either, some apps force you to pay for more if you want more stops. Six stops … Continue reading Awesome Apps for Aussie Travellers

Blogging28 Comments

To my 100 Followers …A very big THANK YOU

Itching for Hitching

When I started this blog back in October last year I never would have dreamt that I’d be writing this post. In my University of the Third Age (U3A) creative writing class my teacher had shouted “will you get a damned publisher!” Actually I think that the language was a little stronger than that. Anyway I thought oh dear I better do something about this and decided to make the jump into public blogging just to see if anyone really did want to read my musings. Now here we are 158 posts later, I started with a daily post challenge … Continue reading To my 100 Followers …A very big THANK YOU

Caravanning HintsLeave a comment

Techni Ice Fridge

Itching for Hitching

Last year we bought a Techni Ice fridge after realizing that keeping the beer in the caravan fridge wasn’t ideal. Either the vegetables were perfect and the beer not cold enough or the beer perfectly chilled and the vegetables frozen. In fact on one trip some small round tomatoes morphed into rock hard red billiard balls that had to be quickly dispatched into a bolognaise sauce. There was a lot of consideration as to which way to go 12 volt or ice box and eventually the ice box won. Why? Because there is nothing better than an icy, cold beer. … Continue reading Techni Ice Fridge