Well we have been home for a little while now and our travelling companions are home also. If you have been following this Blog you will have noticed that there have been a few "little" incidents along the way which have given me the chance to take the micky out of my mate from time to time (nearly every day actually).
Well Alan this time is completely innocent but he got the blame anyway; you see I have a digital camera and Alan has a digital camera and Maureen being a old fashioned girl at heart still uses one of those old fangled things called a film camera. Now I would never be one to rubbish the film camera which has served mankind well for many decades but on this trip things have turned out a little different.
You see Maureen has been busy taking photos all over Tassie and often snapped a scene that neither Alan or I got. When she arrived home she decided to get the film developed but found she was having trouble getting the film out of the camera. Of course Alan being the gentleman that he is offered to help and proceeded to unload the roll of film; - it was during this manly deed that he discovered that there had not been a film in the camera and all the many photos taken by Maureen had in fact not been photos after all.
Of course Alan got the blame for not loading a new film in when the last one was taken out. You naughty boy Alan, you should know better. Well we all had a good laugh as the story was being told but alas we will never know just how good a photographer Maureen actually is.
Please enjoy the many photos I have posted below from Maureen camera
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Friday, May 14, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Home again and it is so strange.
Well we left Ian and Julie's place and proceeded east along the Princess Highway to Bairnsdale before turning north towards Omeo. I seemed a bit strange with all the traffic and hustle and bustle around us compared to the last three months and we were glad to get onto the less travelled roads again. We pressed on to Bruthen for the night where we stayed a a small caravan park on the river. Late afternoon saw us hit with a storm but no damage fortunately. Apparently it had hit Melbourne and caused some damage there.
I could see Wendy was getting itchy feet now that her nose was pointed towards home so the next morning we travelled to Omeo and across Mt Hotham which scared the &;^%$# out of Wendy. The climb up the mountain was not two bad even though it was raining but the climb down the northern side was "interesting" with rain and heavy cloud, winding road and low visibility. An average speed of 30/40kph was the order of the day. Wendy reckons she never wants to see another mountain in her life time.
Anyway we survived and settled into Harrietville for the night and boy was it cold with the rain and dropping temperatures. The Autumn leaves of Harrietville were spectacular as was Bright just 25k away. At this stage I was outvoted and the decision was made to head for home without too much further meandering.
The next day we headed north via the Kiewa Valley Highway to Albury where we had morning tea before taking the back roads once again via Culcairn, Henty and The Rock to Wagga Wagga, arriving at Coolamon for the night. There is a great little council owned park here, very expensive at $10 per night with power and brand new amenities, free use of laundry etc. We like this place so much we decided to rest up for a day and booked for two nights.
Now we had managed to avoid much rain during our whole trip but Coolamon started to pour it on with the second night producing constant light to moderate rain. We took off next morning in rain and it got steadily heavier all day, heading north to Temora, a town that surprised me with it's size, then east to Young for a break and a cuppa. The rain even eased off while we stopped. From Young with the rain still coming down we headed for Cowra and Blayney on our way to Bathurst. Just outside Blayney we came across our first serious accident on the trip when a ute appeared to have skidded off the wet road and rolled a few times. Emergency service were on the way so we did not stop to avoid more congestion at the scene as there were already many people assisting.
We had hoped to make Mudgee for the night but on the spur of the moment detoured via Kandos and Rylstone on a road we had not travelled before. To our surprise there is a major quarry at Kandos supplying material to a cement company which has had a major manufacturing plant there for over 100 years. Amazing what you find when you get off the beaten track. We stayed at Rylstone, a very historic town for the night.
Next morning the rain was back so we decide to make as much distance as we could that day, not really the way to travel in a motorhome but it is not much fun being a tourist in the rain. We heading north again via Mudgee, Gulgong and Coolah before heading to Tamworth to go home via the New England Highway, stopping at Uralla for the night and the rain finally stopped as if by command the moment we set up camp.
The next morning we left fairly early and enjoyed a pleasant drive up the New England with the beauty of the Autumn leaves changing colour. The last time we were on the New England Highway was in the old non turboed coaster and it was amazing the difference in this vehicle with the turbo, hills which previously had been a real climb were now just a gentle cruise, some we were able to go over in overdrive which would have been third gear in the old coaster.
We got through to Crows Nest just north of Toowoomba where we settled for the night (and it was cold) before heading home on the final leg via Yarraman and the Burnett Highway to Bundaberg.
Was it good to be home, well sort of after four months on the road but it was a strange feeling walking into the house and having so much room around you after living in confined spaces for so long. I think we both had mixed feelings and the silent question was "where to next". Who Knows! BUT, I hope it won't be too long before we start talking about it. Did we have a ball, you bet! Things don't always go as you anticipate but that is the beauty of having your home on wheels, changes in plans, directions and itineraries really don't matter and taking life day by day sure has it advantages. Both Wendy and I have lost weight on the trip despite all the vanilla slices, and the walking and daily activity sure has been good for us. Good reason to hit the road permanently, but I had better not bring that up just yet.
I'll probably only make one more post on this blog with my "looking back" thoughts on Tasmania (when I gather them)
I could see Wendy was getting itchy feet now that her nose was pointed towards home so the next morning we travelled to Omeo and across Mt Hotham which scared the &;^%$# out of Wendy. The climb up the mountain was not two bad even though it was raining but the climb down the northern side was "interesting" with rain and heavy cloud, winding road and low visibility. An average speed of 30/40kph was the order of the day. Wendy reckons she never wants to see another mountain in her life time.
Anyway we survived and settled into Harrietville for the night and boy was it cold with the rain and dropping temperatures. The Autumn leaves of Harrietville were spectacular as was Bright just 25k away. At this stage I was outvoted and the decision was made to head for home without too much further meandering.
The next day we headed north via the Kiewa Valley Highway to Albury where we had morning tea before taking the back roads once again via Culcairn, Henty and The Rock to Wagga Wagga, arriving at Coolamon for the night. There is a great little council owned park here, very expensive at $10 per night with power and brand new amenities, free use of laundry etc. We like this place so much we decided to rest up for a day and booked for two nights.
Now we had managed to avoid much rain during our whole trip but Coolamon started to pour it on with the second night producing constant light to moderate rain. We took off next morning in rain and it got steadily heavier all day, heading north to Temora, a town that surprised me with it's size, then east to Young for a break and a cuppa. The rain even eased off while we stopped. From Young with the rain still coming down we headed for Cowra and Blayney on our way to Bathurst. Just outside Blayney we came across our first serious accident on the trip when a ute appeared to have skidded off the wet road and rolled a few times. Emergency service were on the way so we did not stop to avoid more congestion at the scene as there were already many people assisting.
We had hoped to make Mudgee for the night but on the spur of the moment detoured via Kandos and Rylstone on a road we had not travelled before. To our surprise there is a major quarry at Kandos supplying material to a cement company which has had a major manufacturing plant there for over 100 years. Amazing what you find when you get off the beaten track. We stayed at Rylstone, a very historic town for the night.
Next morning the rain was back so we decide to make as much distance as we could that day, not really the way to travel in a motorhome but it is not much fun being a tourist in the rain. We heading north again via Mudgee, Gulgong and Coolah before heading to Tamworth to go home via the New England Highway, stopping at Uralla for the night and the rain finally stopped as if by command the moment we set up camp.
The next morning we left fairly early and enjoyed a pleasant drive up the New England with the beauty of the Autumn leaves changing colour. The last time we were on the New England Highway was in the old non turboed coaster and it was amazing the difference in this vehicle with the turbo, hills which previously had been a real climb were now just a gentle cruise, some we were able to go over in overdrive which would have been third gear in the old coaster.
We got through to Crows Nest just north of Toowoomba where we settled for the night (and it was cold) before heading home on the final leg via Yarraman and the Burnett Highway to Bundaberg.
Was it good to be home, well sort of after four months on the road but it was a strange feeling walking into the house and having so much room around you after living in confined spaces for so long. I think we both had mixed feelings and the silent question was "where to next". Who Knows! BUT, I hope it won't be too long before we start talking about it. Did we have a ball, you bet! Things don't always go as you anticipate but that is the beauty of having your home on wheels, changes in plans, directions and itineraries really don't matter and taking life day by day sure has it advantages. Both Wendy and I have lost weight on the trip despite all the vanilla slices, and the walking and daily activity sure has been good for us. Good reason to hit the road permanently, but I had better not bring that up just yet.
I'll probably only make one more post on this blog with my "looking back" thoughts on Tasmania (when I gather them)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Back in "Australia"
Well we had a super smooth crossing on Saturday night and arrived in Melbourne(stepping forward twenty years in time) and unloaded at 6.30am. Said our goodbyes to Alan and Maureen as we were heading in different directions. I had been teasing Alan about not getting lost trying to get out of Melbourne and guess what, I got lost and ended up in the car park of the entertainment centre while trying to get on the freeway to the east.
Anyway we got out of the 6.30am Sunday morning rush hour and stopped at Nar Nar Goon for breakfast before making our way along the Princes Highway calling in to every town along the way. At Morwell we turned off the freeway and headed south to our friends Cuppa and Mrs T on their property 600 meters up in the hills overlooking the Latrobe Valley. Along the way we passed through much of the country which was devastated by the Victorian fires and the devastation is still very apparent with many hills still bare and some of the trees sprouting new growth in a desperate attempt to survive but they tell us that many of there trees will die within the next couple of years.Only three houses of 59 in this area survived the fire and many people died. One can only imagine the fear and terror that must have been in the area as this disaster descended on them. The word miracle comes to mind as you talk to Cuppa about how the fires divided and went around both sides of his property, The heat was so intense the the grasses were withered dry and the cattle could not eat it. It is indeed a miracle that they did not loose everything.
We will spend today with Ian and Julie and tomorrow descend down the mountain to make out way north to Bright before heading east to work out way up the east coast.
Anyway we got out of the 6.30am Sunday morning rush hour and stopped at Nar Nar Goon for breakfast before making our way along the Princes Highway calling in to every town along the way. At Morwell we turned off the freeway and headed south to our friends Cuppa and Mrs T on their property 600 meters up in the hills overlooking the Latrobe Valley. Along the way we passed through much of the country which was devastated by the Victorian fires and the devastation is still very apparent with many hills still bare and some of the trees sprouting new growth in a desperate attempt to survive but they tell us that many of there trees will die within the next couple of years.Only three houses of 59 in this area survived the fire and many people died. One can only imagine the fear and terror that must have been in the area as this disaster descended on them. The word miracle comes to mind as you talk to Cuppa about how the fires divided and went around both sides of his property, The heat was so intense the the grasses were withered dry and the cattle could not eat it. It is indeed a miracle that they did not loose everything.
We will spend today with Ian and Julie and tomorrow descend down the mountain to make out way north to Bright before heading east to work out way up the east coast.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Last Last Post From Tassie
I know I said the last post would be the last BUT I just could not resist this. You know I have been travelling with a "mate" who has been inclined to be accident prone. Well this morning on our last day on the Island he was getting his bus down from the levelling blocks and guess what? You guessed it, another little "incident", he managed to run over not one but two of his buckets.
Lucky for him we are parting company once we get to Melbourne and I won't be around with a camera to record the rest of his journey.
Ah well, life wasn't mean to be simple.
Lucky for him we are parting company once we get to Melbourne and I won't be around with a camera to record the rest of his journey.
Ah well, life wasn't mean to be simple.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Last post from the "Little Island"
Well here it is Thursday pm and this will be my last post while we are in Tasmania. Just settling down to have a couple days rest before heading to the Ferry on Saturday.
Yesterday we woke up to cooooool breezes blowing off the mountains at Sheffield and it was interesting sitting in my seat watching poor old Alan outside putting his car on the trailer in the freezing conditions. If I had been a real mate I would have volunteered to go and help him but there are limits to mate-ship. I may look silly but I'm not stupid.
Alan and Maureen had once again decided to follow us ( I think he is scared of getting lost) and we decided to head towards Penguin where we had just passed through in the early part of the trip. I have discovered the joys of back road travel and found the longest way possible in the back farming country possible and he came across some magnificent views as we climbed hill and dale. We finally hit the coast at Forth and had morning tea and Turners Beach where I almost got Alan stuck in a one way street. That will teach him to follow me!
We found a nice spot at Penguin at Lions Park and camped with several other motorhomers and conditions were perfect with the deep blue of Bass Straight and lush green of the parklands around us. The local ranger called in to apologise for the toilets not working as they had been vandalised by the locals. A lot of local councils could learn from this council. Beside providing quite a few free camps along the coat they call in every morning and place a note under your windscreen wipers, welcoming you to the area and advising you where the camps sites and caravan parks are and also advising of dump points in the area.
We left Alan and Maureen at Penguin arranging to meet at Latrobe where we will celebrate Maureen's birthday tomorrow. I had advised Alan that the camp site was behind the IGA store and true to form Alan managed to find the wrong IGA and drove unto a car park where he could not get out of with the car on. I guess he is determined to go out in a blaze of glory just like he started this trip. How many times it now that you have have to unload the car Alan????? LOL!!!!! AGAIN!!!
A lot of people must be thinking the same as we are and resting up before the trip, there are at least 5 in camp that are booked on the ferry on Saturday.
Alan is planning to make a quick trip home by the shortest route and we have decided to take the slow boat up the east coast with no particular plan. We are certainly getting used to this lifestyle and Wendy this morning even said "when we left home this morning" meaning the last campsite.
Packing the computer away for a couple of days now so the next report with be from the Big Island
Yesterday we woke up to cooooool breezes blowing off the mountains at Sheffield and it was interesting sitting in my seat watching poor old Alan outside putting his car on the trailer in the freezing conditions. If I had been a real mate I would have volunteered to go and help him but there are limits to mate-ship. I may look silly but I'm not stupid.
We found a nice spot at Penguin at Lions Park and camped with several other motorhomers and conditions were perfect with the deep blue of Bass Straight and lush green of the parklands around us. The local ranger called in to apologise for the toilets not working as they had been vandalised by the locals. A lot of local councils could learn from this council. Beside providing quite a few free camps along the coat they call in every morning and place a note under your windscreen wipers, welcoming you to the area and advising you where the camps sites and caravan parks are and also advising of dump points in the area.
We left Alan and Maureen at Penguin arranging to meet at Latrobe where we will celebrate Maureen's birthday tomorrow. I had advised Alan that the camp site was behind the IGA store and true to form Alan managed to find the wrong IGA and drove unto a car park where he could not get out of with the car on. I guess he is determined to go out in a blaze of glory just like he started this trip. How many times it now that you have have to unload the car Alan????? LOL!!!!! AGAIN!!!
What do you see in this picture
A lot of people must be thinking the same as we are and resting up before the trip, there are at least 5 in camp that are booked on the ferry on Saturday.
Alan is planning to make a quick trip home by the shortest route and we have decided to take the slow boat up the east coast with no particular plan. We are certainly getting used to this lifestyle and Wendy this morning even said "when we left home this morning" meaning the last campsite.
Packing the computer away for a couple of days now so the next report with be from the Big Island
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How Changable is Tassie
Well after a couple of days of cold blustery windy days, today has dawned cold but the sun came out and it is beautiful once again, even if the wind is a trifle cool.
We have spent the day going to Railton the topiary town and it was a bit of a disappointment, the town being a bit run down and the topiary just so so. I guess it is just a relatively new concept trying to give the town some distinction and no doubt with time it will work but at present it is a half finished town project and didn't really impress. Maybe I'm getting too fussy in my old age. Wendy did manage to get a hair cut there, probably the only customer for the day.
We came back to Sheffield and found Alan and Maureen had snuck into our camp site while we were away. We ran into them up town and had lunch together.
Sheffield is known for it's mural and they are everywhere. Just last week they held their International Mural Festival which draws large crowds. I'll let a few pictures tell a thousand stories.
We have spent the day going to Railton the topiary town and it was a bit of a disappointment, the town being a bit run down and the topiary just so so. I guess it is just a relatively new concept trying to give the town some distinction and no doubt with time it will work but at present it is a half finished town project and didn't really impress. Maybe I'm getting too fussy in my old age. Wendy did manage to get a hair cut there, probably the only customer for the day.
We came back to Sheffield and found Alan and Maureen had snuck into our camp site while we were away. We ran into them up town and had lunch together.
Sheffield is known for it's mural and they are everywhere. Just last week they held their International Mural Festival which draws large crowds. I'll let a few pictures tell a thousand stories.
This is the view from our camp siteMonday, April 12, 2010
Gee it's cold
Camped at Sheffield, looking out over Mt Roland, the wind is blowing a gale, the bus is rocking and it's freezing cold. Friends of ours are making the crossing tonight, sure glad it's not us on Bass Straight tonight.
They even had snow in Victoria last night and we've got to go through there yet.
Only mad dogs and Englishmen would live in this weather. Now I know why all these Mexicans migrate north for the winter. Anybody got a spare hot water bottle?
They even had snow in Victoria last night and we've got to go through there yet.
Only mad dogs and Englishmen would live in this weather. Now I know why all these Mexicans migrate north for the winter. Anybody got a spare hot water bottle?
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