July 2018, Riverview near Bundaberg, Qld We explore Riverview on the Elliott River. Not far from Bundaberg and surrounded by strawberry and vegetable farms this is a charming backwater with some holiday homes and a few moored yachts. A pelican paddles lazily upriver and a group of fruit pickers fish from the wharf. Small oysters are wedged in the runnels of the concrete boat ramp. Continue reading Sunday Arvo at Riverview
Sep 2019, Maryborough, Qld As I toddle off to the loo I notice a woman packing up her motorhome. She has two cute little bouncing dogs. Another woman walks over for a chat and sounding perplexed says “I can’t pat you darlings, I’ve got Deep Heat on my hands.” She probably can’t bend over either. Oh, the trials and tribulations of getting older. Continue reading Aching joints
Winter 2018, Nanango, Qld Tearing southwards down the Bruce Highway we are seduced by a warning sign at Tiaro for a roadside stall. Yep, there she is, off to the left and a good one too. We buy a few fresh vegies and a lovely pumpkin. No one grows pumpkins like Queenslanders do, especially around here. Of course, we stop at Kilkivan for a walk in the sun and to buy a lamb roast and their wonderful home smoked smallgoods. While the butcher cuts the rack of lamb for us, I sit out front in the sun, eyes closed almost … Continue reading Let’s go to Nanango
Be they bathers, swimmers, togs, cossies or whatever else swimwear is called in your part of Oz, there’s no point in buying flash bathing costumes for caravanning. One day you’ll be flouncing about in a nice swimming pool under swaying palms and an ornamental waterfall and the next you’ll be scrambling across muddy rocks to throw yourself under a real waterfall. Then there are ocean swims, farm dams with oozy mud and cow pats, clear mountain streams, mud between your toes in the Murray and boiling hot artesian bores. As much as I care for our bathers and rinse out … Continue reading Leave your expensive swimwear at home
Oct 2019, Yackandandah, Vic The Star Hotel is renowned for its open mike music nights. Naturally I can’t wait to visit this rollicking little pub. Of course, Thursday night does sound appealing. Continue reading Star Hotel, Yack
Day 4, 13/10/2019 Sunday Whorouly, warm sunny VeeWee leaves to go in search of ancestors’ graves and Woody and I drive into Bright for a look around. Pine plantations, hop farms, avenues of grand trees and neat flower filled gardens. Back at camp the locals are having a working bee, digging, scrubbing and cleaning. Once more we spend the afternoon reading, chatting and snoozing in the sun. Until we realise that the water has been accidentally turned off. A quick ring around and the locals get things going again with a cheery g’day. El Prado reverses over his own solar … Continue reading Wandering to Whorouly, Day 4
Day 3, 12/10/2019 Saturday Whorouly, early shower, sunny day Woody wanders across to the Whorouly café for coffees and a passing motorist stops to ask if we are enjoying ourselves. “Thank you for choosing our town.” She says. Gee that makes you feel good. We take Double or nuthin’ and Shirley (as in Temple) over to Yackandandah and while we’re there we check out the little caravan park which is bordered by two small creeks just a short walk below the town. The sites are grassy, some have slabs and the cottage style camp kitchen has a large open fireplace. … Continue reading Wandering to Whorouly, Day 3
Day 2, 11/10/2019 Friday Whorouly, sunny 20 and a passing storm We girls have a lazy morning sitting in the sun chatting while the fellas join hoses up and fill all the vans with drinkable bore water. It’s a short pretty drive into Myrtleford and we buy some much needed vegetables. We watch a thunderstorm building in the mountains to the east then someone mentions ‘pub’ and we get soaked dashing into the Whorouly Hotel. A warming drink, the storm passes and the boys light two fires for the evening. Two of the guys are duelling generators to run their … Continue reading Wandering to Whorouly, Day 2
Whorouly, Vic If you’ Day 1, 10/10/2019 Thursday Home to Whorouly, cool 14 to sunny 20 We stop at Yea for a break and as normal Woody checks each wheel. One van wheel hub is abnormally hot and has a burning smell. Thankfully there is a tyre and brake place just up the road and the mechanic quickly adjusts the rubbing brake. Woody realises that the caravan hand brake had been left on and I realise too late that I hadn’t done my Ten Point check when we left home (to make sure that everything was hooked up properly). A … Continue reading Wandering to Whorouly
Oct 2019 I visit the doctor, a very young fellow since our old family doctor has finally retired, he was bloody old, the same age as me, and I had been nagging him to consider retirement and a life other than peering into other peoples’ crevices. Anyway, back to the young doc, I suggest that my regular appointment should be stretched out a bit as we’re going away. He asks where and rather than confuse him with ‘Whorouly’ which no one seems to have heard of I replace it with Ovens Valley. The Ovens Valley is quite possibly the most … Continue reading You’re going where?
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