Winter 2014, Sawtell, NSW The seaside town of Sawtell, NSW is situated between two small creeks just south of Coffs Harbour. In the 1940’s the locals planted Moreton Bay Fig trees down the centre of the wide main street in … Continue reading Sawtell
If you’re going to build a campfire then why not build the chairs as well and the couch. Hey, they forgot the drink holders! Continue reading Outdoor design award of the year
A long time ago I got into a habit of naming our ‘long’ trips and somehow, they took on a musical theme. First there was “It’s a long way to the top” (AC/DC or Acca Dacca to most Aussies) on … Continue reading Naming trips? It’s a song
Anyone who has caravanned for a time will have a story about being locked in or out of their van and our crazy mates El & Elle Prado have turned door locking into an artform. They’ve successfully locked themselves inside and outside of their van 5 times now and all that we can do is offer sympathy and laugh ourselves silly. When I read this poem in Everything Caravan and Camping I knew it just had to be shared and El & Elle, this one’s for you! JOYCE AND FRANK by Robert Dungey Joyce and Frank had had enough, they … Continue reading Joyce and Frank
I was recently trying to explain ‘freedom’ camping to a cousin at a family reunion. The caravanners in the group nodded sagely but this particular cousin is probably still scratching her head and wondering what on earth we all get up to when out on the road. Some caravanners choose to stay in caravan parks but not long after we bought our first pop top caravan we made the decision to explore other options. Caravan Parks, National Parks, Showgrounds, Freedom Camps, Farm Stays, Pub Stays and Rest Areas. In fact, it’s hard not to include the odd rest area if … Continue reading Freedom with options aplenty
May or is it June? 2018, Western Queensland After nearly three weeks inland we seem to be noticing the things that we should get when we get to the coast. We’ll get the new latch for the door when we … Continue reading The land of plenty
Jan 26, 2020 Dromana, Vic Contrary to the forecast a cool breeze blows from the south, the bay is grey. The smell of frying onions hangs in the air. Why do they always smell so good? Flags flutter overhead. We tune up and settle our ageing bums into plastic chairs as the local Australia Day awards are presented. “Who’s got a copy of the music?” “Here we’ll share, I’ve got one.” Thank goodness I don’t have to drag out my rickety music stand. Kids are licking ice creams, dogs and prams shuffle past. The more curious stay to watch, maybe … Continue reading We are one
I was pleased to read recently that the Mirrool Pub is back in business and under new management. For the ‘pub stay’ caravanner using the Newell Highway this is great news because the friendly hamlet of Mirrool provides spotless and modern bathrooms (toilets and showers) along with power and water for a small fee. Across the road is the grand old Royal Hotel from which, as legend has it, is where AFL star Billy Brownless once kicked a footy over the grain silos. For those grey nomads making the trek north in winter there’s a big open fireplace in the … Continue reading Let’s raise a glass to the Mirrool pub
During what a caravanning friend of mine refers to as ‘the quiet time’ I’ve been playing with a rather cute app called Pin365 and logging all the pubs that we’ve had a beer in on our caravanning adventures. Just the caravanning trips, not the casual Sunday lunches around Melbourne and not the places that we’ve visited by ships and planes and without our van Priscilla. Of course, the trouble with computers and statistics is that they always seem to disagree with the old ‘gut feel’ method. Thus, in this enlightened state two things have become blindingly obvious, firstly there are … Continue reading An app addiction
Jan 2020, Portsea, Vic During my working life, on perfect summer days I was often heard to be mumbling “Wouldn’t it be nice to be sitting on the lawn of the Portsea Pub today?”. On the day that I retired, sitting at a waterfront pub the realisation hit me, hey we can go to any waterfront pub in the country now. Of course, it wasn’t long before we discovered the appeal of inland pubs and then we decided that we shouldn’t pass a pretty pub without having a beer. God, there are a lot of pubs in this country. Continue reading The Portsea Pub
itchingforhitching 