Stillness, quiet the smell of dust in the air. Cold clear nights, cold noses under a million stars. Dry grass, cracked earth the ground peppered with quartz. Striped gums, yellow gums pepper trees laden with pink corns. Kangaroos alert, feeding mobs of bounding roos. Galahs grazing, chattering flocks wheeling overhead. Gumnuts, slivers of bark a carpet of dry leaves. Stillness, quiet in the tall spindly, silent grey bush. – © Lindsey Wood, ifh2015 Continue reading Tarnagulla
There’s much more to being on the road than just travelling and sightseeing. Of all the hobbies that are available to grey nomads fishing and craft are probably the most popular. But there’s bird watching, shell collecting, kayaking, photography, painting, visiting country markets, even cookery. Yes cookery. As most vans have all of the appliances that one can expect at home so why not? One can produce gourmet meals from the Weber Baby Q. I’ve baked bread whilst camped at the beach and a friend of mine always carries an ice cream maker just in case she finds an abundance … Continue reading Hobbies on the Road
Water is a problem for free campers. Modern vans are either solar powered or use energy efficient LED lighting so that they can go for days or weeks without needing power. Water is the concern, it is heavy and costly to carry and isn’t freely available. We run into one sweet old couple who tell us “We get our water from cemeteries. There’s always a tap near the front gate. I guess you’d call it robbing from the dead.” They laugh. Continue reading Water
Take a nice warm Sunday, a long lunch and sit around with mates who are also caravanners. The talk will always end up being about the funny characters we’ve met and we’ll swap stories of great spots. Note to self: A spot that we passed by very close to last year needs a visit. Mirrool is just south of West Wyalong and just north of the Burley Griffen Way in the Riverina. This tiny town hosts an annual footy kicking competition ……over the grain silos! The Mirrool Royal Hotel kindly provides caravan sites. Continue reading What Do Caravanners Do When They’re At Home?
A favourite spot of ours is the Travellers Rest at Charlton, Vic. It is on the Calder Highway halfway between Melbourne and Mildura and it caters well to tourists. The manager Phil Brock makes everyone welcome. There are camp areas for those requiring power as well as ensuite sites and at the far end of the park there is a donation box area with water available for those free camping. A swing bridge crosses the river and links both areas of the park. Near the bridge there is a small herb garden for campers to use. There’s plenty of parking … Continue reading Charlton Travellers Rest
Our first set of towing mirrors were reasonably priced but almost instantly developed a severe case of St. Vitus Dance. On our first trip up the Hume Highway the driver side mirror shuddered and trembled so much that whenever a large truck passed the wind would force the car mirror inwards and leave the driver feeling somewhat blinded until opening the window and pushing it back into place, at 90kms an hour. We strapped it up heavily with gaffer tape which seemed to reduce the number of times that it happened. Ideally a set of Clearview mirrors that are permanently … Continue reading Upon Reflection
We’re ambling south through New South Wales and I decide to visit the Mudgee museum. I meet a charming old gent who proudly shows me their collection of wedding gowns and flat irons, but I’m a girl who is more interested in the sheep washer. I’ve never seen anything like it. Apparently in the old days they had no way of washing the shorn fleeces so the poor old sheep was put into a box, with its head poking through a hole, while water was poured in then he copped a jolly good scrubbing before being lifted out for drying. Continue reading Sheep Washing
We are spending a few days in the charming little town of Stratford in Victoria. As we wander along the Avon riverbank in the early morning chill of spring we find a small blue sculpture of an elephant and learn that it is a memorial to an elephant that was decapitated when the circus was driving under Stratford’s very low railway bridge back in 1950. Apparently he was too heavy to move so they buried him by the river. One wonders what became of the circus after it lost its star attraction. Continue reading The Legend of the Elephant
Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but it is played out over and over in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey. – Pat Conroy Continue reading Quote of the Day
We’re in our first van and stop for a pie in Colac, Vic. An older couple walking by wander over to admire our caravan bra (obviously they are caravanners) and we get talking. He asks what we think of the Ford Territory and if we’ve had it in for the front end knuckle warranty replacement yet. We both have an “Aaha” moment as we realise that this must be the cause of the unresolved front end knocking that we’ve had for so long. Continue reading Knock, Knock, Who’s There?
