Day 109 Friday 26/8/2016, Kialla to Home, 0 degrees 

We throw the heater in the bin, scrape the ice off the windscreen, buy a coffee at GB Coffee in Maude Street, Shepparton and hit the road for home. Now that was a trip.

Towing Kms: 238Kms

Like a Rollingstone, Summary

Distance 12109 kms

109 days

Average of 67kms per day (excludes touring)

Accommodation average $30.24 per night, $10 above average due to the bad weather

Kerfuffles: Car, blocked drainage pipes on sunroof, oil pressure switch, exhaust sensors.

Caravan, oven replaced, nylon hose fitting sheared off water tanks, door out of alignment, table fell out of the wall bracket.

Weather, unseasonal rain and a helluva lot of it.

Highlights: Balranald Muster, Yanga Station, Billabourie farmstay, thanks VeeWee.

Mulga Creek Hotel, Mrs Kelly and the Kelly Gang.

Lightning Ridge and a mini muster!

Grawin Opalfields, now that was a tag along. Nindigully Pub.

Roma Gun Club.

Fossicking and finding gems at Sapphire.

Theresa Creek Dam, we’d go back tomorrow.

Charters Towers, learning a little about the life of Great Uncle Rees. Meeting the Sugar City Pioneers and the World War Two tour of the airfield.

Rollingstone, the perfect tropical paradise and catch ups with VeeWee, the Prado’s and the Sugars again.

Townsville’s Castle Hill and Magnetic Island where we chose a nice lunch over sightseeing. Meeting up with Woody’s cousin and her husband from Seymour. Does any Victorian stay home in winter anymore?

Ingham’s treasures: Italian groceries, plump juicy prawns and sugar, sugar, sugar. And its natural delights: Wallaman Falls, Little Crystal Creek and Hinchinbrook Island.

Hydeaway Bay, the beach park without a beach.

Cape Hillsborough and kangaroos on the beach

Mackay and the hospitality of those Sugar City Pioneers. Oh, and the rain!

Yeppoon, the place we hadn’t intended to go to yet fell in love with. Especially the emu who came looking for breakfast every morning. Emu Park and the Anzac wall. Picnicking in Byfield NP with old friends C and W.

Bundaberg, finding Gilda’s Binnowee farmstay.

Kilkivan’s amazing smoked meat butchery, thanks El Prado. A big plus for a small town and worth the drive from Melbourne just for the real bacon.

Jondaryan Woolshed, not your average caravan park that’s for sure.

Toowoomba, silly us not knowing that it is situated on the edge of a precipice. And such a charming city.

Burleigh Heads, catching up with Woody the Elder and the very good Golfer as well as M and C from Hobart. Not to mention the memorable Purling Brook Falls walk with the very good Golfer and meeting the lovely girls in her book club.

Rappville Pub, historic building, eccentric owners and a dozen freight trains to lull us to sleep.

And last of all, Uralla’s Top Pub and it’s five star meal on a wintry New England evening.

2021 Note: I’ll be taking a break for a few weeks to catch my breath. For those not in Australia, Melbourne has just come out of a 4th Covid 19 lockdown and as is becoming the norm we are all a little anxious. Woody and I have had our first Astra Zeneca vaccination and can’t wait to get the 2nd one, where that will take place will be anyone’s guess. Thanks for taking the time to follow our bumbling travels, take care, stay safe and see you from on the road…somewhere.