In For a Service

Being a woman of a certain age I recently and nervously checked in for my regular colonoscopy. As I laid there on the operating table in my stunning backless blue hospital gown my Gastro Enterologist, whilst waiting for the anaesthetist to do his job, was cheerily trying to relax me by asking how the caravanning was going. “I’d just love to talk my wife into caravanning” he said “what sort of four wheel drive do you have?” “We bought a Jeep” I said and promptly fell into unconsciousness.   Continue reading In For a Service

Hairdressing

One of my biggest concerns upon retirement was hairdressing. After having spent a lifetime of donating the majority of my salary to my local hairdresser so that I could look decently coifed for business I realised that I needed to reduce the cost. With the help of friends I found a hairdresser who would trim my hair at a much more reasonable price. Another friend offered to teach me how to colour my hair.  The cost of this lesson was a long lunch and a bottle of champagne before we started! While the boys embarked on a second bottle, we … Continue reading Hairdressing

Coopernook, NSW

We turn off Highway One to visit the Coopernook Pub, it offers free camping in the back yard for the price of a beer. The pub overlooks the Lansdowne River and the remains of a large iron bridge. We have a beer but decide to move on to check out the Coopernook Forest Campground. Brian who has a fear of dirt roads is just about hyperventilating as we drive the 3kms to the park. Suddenly the trees part and there before us is a wide, open mowed grassy area with shade trees and enough space for about thirty camps. There … Continue reading Coopernook, NSW

Wrinkles and Wristbands

One of the things that is foremost in the minds of retirees has to be healthcare. “Am I risking my health to go to unknown places? Do they have decent hospitals out there?” Don’t rule out travel because of these concerns and when you do go on the road never put off health issues until you get home either. Always play it safe and seek advice. The healthcare facilities throughout Australia are excellent and you will hear many an uplifting story from other travellers who have found themselves in need of assistance in the unlikeliest of places. This morning we were … Continue reading Wrinkles and Wristbands

What Seniors Get Up To In Cars These Days

We’re heading to Mildura in Victoria’s northwest. By lunchtime we leave the Sunraysia Highway at Ouyen, because we want to try the Mallee Bakery’s famous award winning vanilla slices. The pies are excellent but the “snot blocks” are pillows of ecstasy and gooilly delicious but bloody difficult to eat whilst driving. Brian has large globs of soft white icing dripping from his fingers and a mouth filled with crunchy pastry as he asks me to mop up the custard that has landed in big dollops in his lap. All too soon I realise that I’m tickling his unmentionables while wiping … Continue reading What Seniors Get Up To In Cars These Days

The Waterwheel at Cape Leeuwin

Not far from the Western Australian town of Augusta, at the very south west corner of Australia called Cape Leeuwin, there is an old water wheel that once provided spring water for the Cape Leeuwin light house keepers. It is now calcifying and turning to stone. The water still flows and drips over the waterwheel. The water is sweet. Continue reading The Waterwheel at Cape Leeuwin

Another Thing the Salesman Won’t Tell You

Friends invited us to their place for New Year’s Eve. All of our club members were invited and to take the worry out of driving we were told to bring our vans as there is plenty of room. Now that’s an offer that we couldn’t refuse, because as all RVers know, there is no finer place to sleep than in your own home on wheels. Many is the time that we’ve happily given our bedroom to house guests while we’ve snored our heads off out in the drive way. We have friends who spend Christmas each year snoozing out front … Continue reading Another Thing the Salesman Won’t Tell You

Lookin’ Out My Back Door

A few years ago friends were contemplating buying a caravan. I suggested that the best thing of all is that each morning when you look out your door you see a different view. For this the final post of 2015 I was going to put up my favourite photos of the year, but hey you can see those in the Photo Gallery any time. So here are some of our ‘Window Views’ of the year. I like to show some of the window or doorframe where possible, sometimes I forget to take a shot out the window, other times I … Continue reading Lookin’ Out My Back Door

The Gulflander

As the wet season begins once more in northern Australia, I’m reminded of our visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the dry season of 2014. We assemble at the Normanton railway station in Far North Queensland at 8:00am to board the Gulflander train to go to Croydon 150kms away. The Gulflander is also known as the train that goes from nowhere to nowhere. The pretty little wooden station is all gussied up with flowers in pots and railway relics. In Queensland’s colour of maroon the diesel rail motor has three carriages. The 3ft 6inch wide line was opened in … Continue reading The Gulflander

Why Not Prop Here?

In southern NSW, we prop at the Temora  Aviation Caravan Park which is located in the airport grounds. Good amenities, grassy sites with power and water and a view of the airstrip. You see this town has focussed on airplane tourism. They have sold off chunks of airport land as house and hangar packages to owners of airplanes. The Temora Aircraft Museum is only a short walk from the caravan park. It has a large collection of old war birds and all are in working condition. The town has regular air shows when the planes are flown. Temora, was once home … Continue reading Why Not Prop Here?