Tag: Humour

Freedom Camp, Vic4 Comments

Franklin River

Itching for Hitching

A friend had recommended this spot and it’s the Franklin River Reserve, near Toora in Victoria’s West Gippsland and it is perfect so we dash into Foster for supplies. There are swarms of cabbage butterflies flitting about the roadside in the sun. Foster is alive with shoppers and the shops are bright and cheerful. The local park is a picture with beds of annuals and colourful leafy vegetables. A little wooden bridge spans the creek where gold was first discovered. There are more flower beds down the centre of the main shopping street and a big old magnolia in the … Continue reading Franklin River

The Pubs6 Comments

Harry Corones & The Hotel Corones

Itching for Hitching

Even when on his deathbed blind and deaf, Harry Corones knew when someone had rung up a ‘no sale’ on the till downstairs. Aviator Amy Johnson touched down at Charleville in Western Queensland on her record breaking flight to London. She asked HC for a champagne bath to celebrate her arrival thus far. Twenty three magnums of the finest champagne went into her bath that night and later while she was downstairs being wooed by the townsfolk of Charleville, the staff rebottled the champagne. Harry got on the phone and sold the lot as “the champagne Amy Johnson had bathed in … Continue reading Harry Corones & The Hotel Corones

Caravanning Hints2 Comments

Easyburn Flatpack Fireplace

Itching for Hitching

We have a mate who talks to dogs. They follow him about as though he is the pied piper, so much so that he is now known at happy hours as Daz The Dog Whisperer. Any way DTDW bought an Easyburn flat pack fireplace and with a flick of a match and a puff of smoke he had us humans flocking to his campfire too. It’s a beauty! It is so good in fact that we ordered one online from the manufacturer http://www.easyburn.com.au in Wauchope in NSW. It weighs 7kg and all of the pieces (6 sides and 2 floor … Continue reading Easyburn Flatpack Fireplace

Qld, Showgrounds, When Things Just Go Wrong7 Comments

Where are we?

Itching for Hitching

The showgrounds market is just packing up for the day and the place appears to be somewhat disorganized. There are a lot of horse stables that, by the amount of fresh manure must be in regular use. The van parking area is in a fenced paddock off to one side and there must be thirty vans of all shapes and sizes, but mostly large. Beside us we have a magnificent Winnebago with slide outs and probably worth half a million dollars. On the other side is a somewhat messy van with an old bloke sitting in the sun on a straight backed … Continue reading Where are we?

When Things Just Go Wrong4 Comments

Don’t Mention the ‘L’ Word

Itching for Hitching

Woody’s brother has been staying with us for a few days. That’s Woody the Elder. Being an old caravanner he’s been sleeping on our van for old time’s sake, whilst visiting. During breakfast the other morning he wanders in and casually says “You know you’ve got a leak.” Not “You know you’ve gotta leak…” But “You know you’ve got a leak.” Mid mouthful of muesli I’ve dropped the spoon and we’ve all headed for the door. Overnight it had rained, no pelted with rain, for hours. Woody the Elder being from the tropics probably thought it was just heavy mist … Continue reading Don’t Mention the ‘L’ Word

Qld, The Pubs3 Comments

Club Hotel, Croydon, Qld

Itching for Hitching

Croydon is in the Gulf Country, the Gulf of Carpentaria and yep, you can call that the outback. The GPS tells us that we’re 3.3kms from Croydon but where the hell is it? We emerge from the scrub to find half a dozen wide dusty streets. This is a gold mining town whose heyday ended at the outbreak of the First World War. It now has a few houses, a pub, a take away/ store, an historic general store, a police station and the shire council. In fact the council has to provide all of the other services that are … Continue reading Club Hotel, Croydon, Qld

Why Caravanning3 Comments

10 Reasons to Try Caravanning in Retirement

Itching for Hitching

Outdoors. Fresh air, open skies and the chance to camp in the most amazing places, dare I say it again, beside stunning beaches and wild rivers. A simpler life. With little to do other than enjoy your surroundings. Housework is reduced to minutes and mowing the lawn is replaced with sweeping the mat. Shucks that’s hard, not. Relaxation. Throw in a line and catch a fish, get immersed in a good book, raise a toast to a desert sunset and watch in awe of nature’s star show at night. Food tastes better in the outdoors. It’s a fact, just like … Continue reading 10 Reasons to Try Caravanning in Retirement

Qld, Wildlife4 Comments

Gone batty

Itching for Hitching

I ride my bike down to Tooan Tooan Creek in Hervey Bay, Qld and in amongst the mangrove swamp I’m captivated by four different types of butterflies flitting about in the sunlight.  To onlookers I must have looked like some sort of mad woman dashing back and forth about the swamp wearing a bike helmet and waving a Nikon. On the north side of the swamp the flying fox colony is chattering and screeching in the trees, so before long the whole dashing performance thing is repeated. Continue reading Gone batty

Freedom Camp, Vic3 Comments

Never Look a Gift Pub in the Mouth

Itching for Hitching

The wee town of Port Albert is a fisherman’s paradise. The free camp is actually a parking area for cars, boat trailers and RV’s right on the sea front adjoining the boat ramp. There is supposedly parking space for six RV’s. So a bunch of us new arrivals all stand around debating how and where we are supposed to park. We later find the parking instructions and yes we have parked our vans incorrectly, but it isn’t busy and we aren’t blocking anyone. We should have parked the van on the lawn with the car on the asphalt. The town … Continue reading Never Look a Gift Pub in the Mouth