Tag: Travel

Places, Vic9 Comments

Port Fairy

Itching for Hitching

It is wintry and very cold and windy in Port Fairy on Victoria’s west coast. We rug up and walk around Griffiths Island which is only metres from the shore. This is a place that holds a special meaning to me as I once worked with a gentleman by the name of John Griffiths who was a direct descendant of the Tasmanian entrepreneur and sealer John Griffiths who established a sealing business on this island long before Port Fairy was established. There is lichen covered basalt, oyster catchers dart across small beaches and tiny turban shells called Italian White Snails … Continue reading Port Fairy

Well Bugger Me!7 Comments

Free WIFI?

Itching for Hitching

We spend most of the afternoon in the ‘phone’ shop with much heated discussion about data usage. We are told by said staff that we should make our communications using the free WIFI at McDonald’s. Well doh! We’ve been on the road 3 weeks and the only icons we’ve seen on the horizon are grain silos not golden arches …..I guess they just don’t understand the life of grey nomads. Utterly frustrated we make it back to our camp for happy hour and meet a great bunch of travellers who also spend very little of their time in large towns. Continue reading Free WIFI?

The Characters You Meet5 Comments

The Southern Grey Nomad, a not so rare species

Itching for Hitching

It’s August 2016, late winter in AustraliaAnd the annual northern migration of the Southern Grey Nomad is well under way. Zig zagging across New South Wales and Queensland ever northward like peripatetic ants in search of a new favourite nesting place. A new nesting place for future winters that is. Even the perils of a rough Bass Strait crossing doesn’t daunt them. You see the Tasmanian Southern Grey Nomad is even hardier than the rest and won’t be put off by sea sickness or a hefty return fare. The South Australians of the species can be found searching for warmth … Continue reading The Southern Grey Nomad, a not so rare species

When Things Just Go Wrong3 Comments

Ablution Blocks

Itching for Hitching

My damp feet start to curl on the cold wet tiles of the bathroom floor. Oh no don’t cramp now I still haven’t put my jeans on and all campers know what that entails; balancing on one leg whilst holding the pants leg high enough above the wet floor then gingerly trying to put the raised leg into the pants without getting anything wet. Did I mention the shower curtain? At least the shower was nice and hot. Continue reading Ablution Blocks

Why Caravanning8 Comments

What is it you liked most about camping?

Itching for Hitching

So you used to go camping and loved it but these days things are busier and it’s easier to just book a hotel or fly to a resort somewhere.Just for a minute cast your mind back, what was it that you liked most about camping? The freedom Simplicity Back to basics Back to nature Food that never tasted so good The smell of canvas Waking up to the warmth of the hot summer sun and the screech of the cockatoos Sleeping soooo long The stars at night and searching for satellites Falling into bed dog tired and with sandy feet … Continue reading What is it you liked most about camping?

Point of Interest, Qld3 Comments

Death in Paradise

Itching for Hitching

Port Douglas in Far North Queensland has a fascinating, beautiful and well kept cemetery. When walking past the cemetery one tombstone stands out from the rest. That is the one of William Thomson “who went to his death by cruel and treacherous murder”. The farmer William Thomson was murdered by his wife Ellen and her lover John Harrison in 1886. They were both hanged. Ellen was the only woman to be hanged in Queensland. Continue reading Death in Paradise