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| Carmila Beach 24 July 2010 |
We were originally planing to leave last Saturday but after we bought this we had to delay for a few days so in the meantime we decided we had better try to sell the old van and also pack the new one. With the new one being so tiny we had to leave a lot of stuff out of the new one (Ross’ knex – kinda a cross between Leggo and Mechano), clothes, etc etc which means we had to work out what to do with all the extra stuff. We packed it all up and were going to store it all at Deb and Steve’s place until we could organise to get it back to Port at some stage. The other problem was the tyres on the old van needed to be changed over because the ones on it are the ones that match the Land Rover and he wanted to put the original ones back on it which were down in Port Macquarie – he priced buying some second-hand ones in Brissy and it was going to cost him a couple of hundred dollars and he didn’t want to let the caravan go with the Land Rover wheels on it as they are several hundred dollars worth. Anyway, the van sold to a couple down in Tamworth and they were going to drive up to Brissy to pick it up and we said – prolly just going to be easier for us to bring the van to Port and you pick it up from there so we jumped in the Land Rover this morning and started heading down! Mum and dad had a few friends up north to catch up with so they wandered off this morning and we will catch up with them. The people are coming tonight to pick the van up.
We were making great time until we hit Coffs Harbour when we stopped to get fuel and the car wouldn't start! We spent an hour there trying to chase elecrical problems there with fuses blowing and finally got on the road only for a fuse to blow again so we had to stop in Macksville for another hour. Ross wasnt sure if it ws the car or the caravan that was causing the problem so Ross rewired the entire caravan!! We were originally planning to arrive in Port Macquarie at abou 7 and were going to stop off at Coles to get a couple of microwave meals for dinner and some other basic supplies but because we were so late and the lady was there waiting for us we just went straight home. Ross still had to change the tyres over before she could take it. Luxkily David (our neighbour) was there to help unpack the van and he even went and got some of his bread and coffee/tea and made us some toast for dinner otherwise we would have had nothing!
By the time we got everything sorted it was 11.30 and Kim was safely on her way with the caravan. We had showers and hit the hay pretty tired by then!
21 July 2010
We were up at 7.30 and on the road by 8ish, only to be delayed at Kempsey by huge trucks moving huge things (not really sure what they were) but it ook 40 minutes for them to get past. In the meantime Boris had decided to spew in the car - charming!!
The trip normally takes about 6 - 6½ hours but with the stop in Kempsey and all the roadworks along the way it ended up taking us over 8 hours to get back to Brisbane - big couple of days!
22 July 2010
We got up this morning - finished packing the van (a bunch of stuff just got thrown in at the last minute including the new awning which will need to be dealt with later) and finally headed off on our journey!! I can't believe we finally got going - so happy to finally be on the road!!
The new caravan towed beautifully and we caught up with mum and dad at Gympie at about 1ish - just in time for lunch.
We decided to camp the night at the "Duck Ponds" rest stop and the boys spent the afternoon getting the new annexe sorted out - called a QuickTent" - I can tell you now it's false advertising! We spent hours trying to get the thing right - total nightmare!! We got it in the end which was lucky because it was FREEZING! We played cards for a while and then decided to head for the warmth of our beds - couldn't believe how cold it was!
23 July 2010
We were up with the sparrows this morning due to our early retirement to bed last night - still very cold.
I sat in the car and worked while the boys were still sorting out the annexe - once it's sorted out properly it SHOULD be easy to set up - its just the initial setup thats a pain.
We got on the road by about 12 - not bad going - hehe! We stopped at a small roadside servo for lunch and kept driving until we got close to Miriam Vale and mum suddenly realised that we were close to our cousin's place who have a property just out of Miriam Vale so we called them up and they told us to come on in for dinner. I had never met them before that I could remember - Alison is my dad's sister's (Norma who we stayed with in Broken Hill) daughter and her husband is Eric. There are a great coulple probably about 10 years older than Ross and I and they are on a property all run via solar, gas, etc - no power lines or sewerage out there - so secluded and quiet and peaceful. They do a lot of travelling too but last time they went they took their motorbike with a sidecar on it - that would be fun!!
Boris being Boris had a fight with their dog as soon as we got there but they soon learned to stay away from each other and it was peaceful after that - cranky old sod!
Much milder weather tonight.
24 July 2010
We were up fairly early this morning and found there was a flat tyre on the caravan - nice thing to wake up to! Ross had it changed pretty quickly and after bacon and eggs for breakfast were on the road by about 9. 30 - we would have loved to have stayed longer at such a beautiful spot but we are on a mission!
Stopped for lunch at Rockhampton at a little park with a water fountain and while we were there another couple pulled up in a TVan (teeny tiny camper even smaller than ours). They had lunch with us and they had just come from the Cape so we caught up on all the happenings up there and road conditions, etc. They had successfully towed their TVan through the Old Telegraph Track so we were hopeful we would be able to tow ours through without any problems.
They also told us of a good place to stay overnight at Carmilla Beach - about 3 hours drive away so we packed up and headed off again. We also learned while we were talking to them that the lady used to live in Port Macquarie and probably played netball with mum at one stage - small world!
We arrived at Carmila Beach just before dark - lucky we already had curried sausages cooked for dinner :)
It's a beautiful spots with HEAPS of campsites and heaps of people there. The tide goes out for a kilometer or so at low tide and it makes for beautiful photos with the full moon shining off the water - Ross got some great shots.
The people in the same little camp are with us were lovely and the lady gave Boris her chicken scraps - Boris thought they were just wonderful people! Their van was called Crumpets and Honey :)
25 July 2010
We were up early and went for a walk and found an estuary - Boris had a lovely swim - the water was crystal clear. The campsite we chose to stay in probably wasnt the best choice as it was quite windy where we were and when we walked around there were heaps of others we could have chosen that would have been out of the wind. We decided that although it was a lovely spot that it was too windy so we packed up and moved on.
Had a pretty big drive and ended up in Guthalungra at a rest stop there - boy was it crowded!! Its right next to a service station so I would imagine that they would do pretty well out of it.
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