Caravanning Hints, Road House, SALeave a comment

Why Do Some People Always Complain?

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So often people complain about the cost of fuel or caravan parks in remote areas without sparing a thought for the difficulty in providing the things that we take for granted on the East coast. We recently stayed at remote Nullarbor Road house 295km from Ceduna and 905km from Norseman. The water there is artesian that must be pumped from seventy metres below and then desalinated. They use 11,000 litres per day. Then there’s the electricity. It comes from three diesel generators out in the paddock and kindly located far enough away that you and I don’t have our precious … Continue reading Why Do Some People Always Complain?

The Road Less Travelled, Tugs, WALeave a comment

We bought a Jeep….what colour?

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Tom Price is WA’s highest town and we decide to take the Jeep up the 4WD track to the top of WA’s highest peak, Mt Nameless. A Mitsubishi comes down the track and the driver declares it as not being too bad. So the challenge is on. I sit gritting my teeth in the back terrified while the boys discuss the use of low range, like there’s a choice! The road rears up in front of us at a frightening angle and it’s rutted from the rains. I’m just about looking for rosary beads and the boys are having a … Continue reading We bought a Jeep….what colour?

Caravanning HintsLeave a comment

12 Volt Water Pump

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A cheap 12 volt shower quickly converts to a water pump for filling your onboard tanks. Just disconnect the shower head, drop the filter end in the bucket of water and plug the unit into a power source. There is an on off switch on the power cord. Our van only has a 12 volt plug on the opposite side to the tanks. We find that the easiest way is to back the car up to the van’s water intake and use the 12 volt plug located in the back of the car.    Quick and easy to fill and … Continue reading 12 Volt Water Pump

Caravan Parks, Vic, When Things Just Go WrongLeave a comment

Not a Drop to Drink

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We had spent the weekend with mates in Badgers Creek Caravan Park in Healesville prior to us leaving on the first leg of our ‘big lap’. It was a very ‘nose cold’ night but we slept in until 7:15am. It is around zero degrees. Brian leaps under the shower and there is only a trickle of water. After racing about to check the taps he decides on a quick ‘bush shower’ under the trickling shower. Then it is my turn and guess what? There is barely a drop left. We hadn’t filled the tanks at home expecting to keep our … Continue reading Not a Drop to Drink

Point of Interest, WA, Well Bugger Me!2 Comments

Looking for Dinosaur Footprints

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We’re feeling quite settled in Broome WA. Brian has chosen to forgo Japanese cemetery visits and rock hopping to cook dinner and I’m on a mission to see the dinosaur footprints. The tide is 30 mm below the required level for viewing them, yippee. People are wandering left, right and centre about the rocks as there are no marked pathways to get out onto the lower rock ledge. It’s a case of every man for himself and hope that you don’t break a leg. A mother is trying too hard to teach her kids about dinosaurs “now remember what I … Continue reading Looking for Dinosaur Footprints

National Park, Places, The Characters You Meet, Top Spots, WA2 Comments

Big Brook Arboretum, Pemberton

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In Western Australia the National Parks have a system of camp hosts. Camp hosts are volunteers who stay on site for about six weeks at a time. Their task is to manage the camp and the fees and keep the amenities clean. The system works very well and the camp grounds are a credit to the camp hosts. When we arrive at Big Brook Arboretum it is being hosted by Jim and Flo. “It’s a Conservation Park so dogs are allowed”. Says Jim as he puts his arm around Flo. We sit around the campfire and celebrate Jim and Flo’s … Continue reading Big Brook Arboretum, Pemberton

Qld, Well Bugger Me!Leave a comment

The Movable Towns of Queensland

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In Western Qld in the old days towns would spring up at the rail head. As the railway line was extended some buildings would be dismantled and moved to the new town at the end of the line. Up in the Gulf both the Albion Hotel and the Purple Pub in Normanton were moved from Croydon, 150 kilometres away, when the gold mining ceased. In Ilfracombe, east of Longreach, the Wellshot Hotel has been moved from further down the railway line. Also in Ilfracombe there is a house that belonged to the Langenbaker family. Mr Langenbaker was a carrier so when work … Continue reading The Movable Towns of Queensland

Qld, The Road Less TravelledLeave a comment

The Gillies Range Road

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The Gillies Range Road in Queensland drops sharply from the Atherton Tableland to Gordonvale near Cairns down on the coast. We had travelled this road several times and had wondered why there was a sign announcing Top gate and another Bottom Gate. It is an extremely steep and winding road and when descending it has stunning views for the passenger but hopefully not the driver. The story goes that in the old days there were 612 hairpin bends. The road would be opened for one way traffic going up for 90 minutes, then traffic would be reversed for 90 minutes. If … Continue reading The Gillies Range Road

Taking Directions, VicLeave a comment

GPS

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With each trip we learn a little more and we decide that we need more in the way of maps than an outdated Atlas and two Camps Guides, oh and of course Google Maps on the iPhone. We now have our new Garmin GPS plugged in and it has been updated with the most recent maps as well as the Free Camps from the OZ Camps web site, which show as Points of Interest on the GPS. Wow there’s nothing stopping us now! She’s even directing us around our own suburb, this is a little disconcerting, “no, we are not … Continue reading GPS

Caravan Parks, QldLeave a comment

We’re a Little Tight in Bowen

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At Bowen we check into the tightest park we’ve ever stayed in. There are only centimetres to spare between each awning and the next van. Even though we have a drive through site (that’ll be $3 extra thanks) it takes quite a bit of juggling to squeeze in. Our neighbour pops in for a chat on our metre wide strip of grass and we are being bitten by midges. Tiny little black dots with a pin prick nip. “Oh” she says “they don’t really bite they just piss under your skin. Then in a few days all this liquid comes out … Continue reading We’re a Little Tight in Bowen