Well it’s time to catch up on what has been happening over here. We have seen Sharleen & Glenn and the grandchildren, who are all well prior to them leaving on their big Aussie trip. We had Paddy and Yvonne Wickerson from Canberra, come and stay at Coolangatta with us for four days. We really had a good time as we went walking, gambling which I did well at. We talked and laughed a lot. On March the 9th we picked up the van from storage and made our way down to Sharleen & Glenn’s in Lismore. We had already been down twice, once to watch Zach in his swimming carnival and then again to go to the Warriors and Gold Coast Titans pre session game, which much to the Maxwell’s disgust the Warriors won. Jasmin and I had had hats on which I had sewn a kiwi on the top. We looked hard case.
When we got down to Lismore, Sharleen and Glen were getting ready to go on their trip as well. They are going around Australia for 6 months. We got the snorkel and under guards, serviced etc. on the Toyota. We also got drawers put in the back so that we don’t have to carry the trunks and finally the dual battery system for our fridge to operate on and not flatten the starter battery for the truck. When we went back to ask about something else the insect protector had arrived and they had to put that on and the compressor under the bonnet. I think we finally have everything Robert wants on it now. After 10 days we had everything organized and we left Lismore. Then a phone call from Sharleen, she had given me a massage the night before and I had left my watch and necklace there so we turned back to get it. Luckily we were only a few kilometers down the road. We then went a picked up a sign saying “do not overtake turning vehicle” put this on and we were away finally. We went through Casino to the Bonalbo Road towards Warwick where we found a lovely freedom stop at the Tooloom waterfalls which are in the Tooloom National Park. They were about ½ the size of Whangarei Falls and we camped right on the edge on the falls. We stayed there for three nights and days. Robert had slipped and split his toenail and big toe so he couldn’t go for walks so I went up in forest it was so quiet and nice. We met quite a few people, but there isn’t as many travelling this year as there were. On our way to Warwick to spotted the Queen Mary Falls which would be ½ the width of Whangarei but a couple of meters higher. We walked the 1.5 km circuit. We drove through the rolling hills and down into Warwick. This is a very friendly town and today it was show day and all the shops except Woolworths were closed, so we got a few things and set off to the gold fields these are about 34 kms away. On the first day we did 3 hours, it’s still very hot. We went back to the exact spot where Rob got the last nugget, with the help of our GPS. After a couple of hours Rob found one but only a ½ grammer ,a lot smaller than the last one but about the same shape. He wanted to find another so I could have matching ear rings but it didn’t happen. We went to the local pub at Karara for dinner and the bar maid and owner one of the same, was very chatting and informative. My back was still very sore and I couldn’t walk for long so I hope it gets better soon. We went out the next day but no luck we were not in the mood. So decided to pack up the next day and continue our journey. We left in the morning and the day was glorious with no clouds in the sky. We drove through the back roads again from Karara to Leyburn across to Brookstead, Cecil Plains and came out at Dalby. There were cotton fields, corn crops, flat green grass land. The grass was green and reminded us of home. They have had a lot of rain in the last few months. From Dalby another back road up through Jimbour, Jandowae, Boondooma and came out at Mundubbera. I know these names may mean nothing to you unless you have a map to follow but this is for my records as well. We stopped at Jimbour to visit a very old large sandstone home. The large grounds were open to the public and were something else. You couldn’t go in the home but it was huge. Two brothers own it, one lives there and one comes on holidays. What cost it would be for the up keep. We asked if we could stay in the car park and they told us that 5 kms back at the little town of Jimbour there was a hall that supplied power and water and toilets for nothing to travelers like ourselves. So back we went and it was great even got TV reception. What more could you want, we gave them a $5 donation when we left. Well it was onwards and upwards the next day to Mundubbera and then on towards Monto. We stopped at the Warrum Dam just by Abercorn. Well we stayed there once before and it was only 5% full so we thought with all the rain it would be good to see it with more water in it. No, that was not the case, it had less water than before, and the boat ramp was still 1km long and still nowhere near the water’s edge. There was about 50 vans here last time we came which was nearly the same time of year but this time there was only 3 of us. We find there is not so many vans on the road as there has been over the last 4 years.
We thought we would phone our friends Mike and Margarette who we went gold detecting with up in Foysath and down in Victoria and found that they were in Childers. Well we turned around and went back down the road we came as far as Mundubbera then over to Gayndah turned left and Ban Ban Springs up to Biggenden and then to Childers. It was a small town about the size of Wellsford. We found the Camping ground that Mike and Margarette were staying and booked in. They were not there at that time. What a dump of a camp this was. It was dirty and noisy and catered for the immigrant workers and not travelers, we found out that night that M & M were not staying here long only another 2 nights and they had found a better camp nearer where they had bought a block of land. They are planning to build a home ASAP. The next day we went and spent the day or some of it with them on their block 2000m2. We took the van and had lunch with them under the annex. It was so good catching up with them. They hope to be on the road again within 18 months once they get the home and landscaping done. We left them after lunch and continued on our journey. We then travelled up through Gin Gin through Miriam Vale and onto another one of our freedom camps. The photo we have of the fog under the bridge. It’s called Calliope River. When we got there the bridge had been damaged by the floods and you couldn’t drive across it so we had to go around it. We found our old place hadn’t been taken so we installed ourselves on the site ready for 2 nights here. We had a day off travelling read a book, then tried to put the telephone aerial on the car. We only wanted to see if it would impair our vision but we went further and then we couldn’t get it through the front dash. We were getting frustrated because it was so hot so we just put the cord through my door. We would have been able to get it through had the compressor not been put in. The next day being the 28thMarch was not a particularly early start, no hurry we were enjoying the journey. We had seen most of the road we were going on several times before so it wasn’t as exciting. We bypassed Rockhampton and made our way to St Lawerence. This is a freedom camp where we have been told by several people to stop if we were going that way, so we thought why not. Well it had water, level parking, good clean toilets and showers all for a small donation. They had a generator area and a no generator area which is great as some of the people with generators do not respect others and just keep them going all night. They say it is a great fishing place and they come for miles around to fish here. I don’t know why. The river we went to see with the boat ramp was 10 times worse than the booms, for mud and it had crocodiles in the river and salties at that. There was a pub and a shop that was half stocked and a takeaway. Never mind, there wasn’t any traffic and it was quiet and you got a good night’s sleep. So we stayed 2 nights. There were about ½ dozen caravans in all over the 2 nights. We met a couple from NZ who were just starting out on their first trip. “Mr. have a chat” as I call Robert, met some men and they went to have a beer at the pub. Then we walked around the nature reserve fro about hour them home to get the washing in. It was about 29 degrees today.
Today we are heading for MacKay. Noelene and Brian Potter are there. They are living in a apartment with some friends from Whangarei who Brian used to work with at the Dairy Factory. There apartment is right in the centre of MacKay. Noelene is at a course for hairdressing, cutting and blow waving. This she will be able to do on the road in caravan parks while they are travelling. We arrived in McKay and rang Brian to see what caravan park they recommended and when we got there he was there to met us. Then when Noelene finished her course for the day we went over and went out to dinner at one of the clubs. The next day we looked around Mackay and then went for a swim. We had Noelene and Brian around for dinner that night and played cards until 10pm. And then we said goodbye for them for a while on the 31st March 2009.
On with April 2009 On the 1st April Fools day we set of from Mackay and we had already done 2000kms so far. We took highway 70 down towards Clermont. The roads were good and not a lot of traffic for this time of year. We stopped at a station called Stanfield about ¾ the way down the highway. We saw these hills or mountains as some over here would call them, sticking out from the flats. We asked or should I say Robert got talking to the station owner and asked how we could get closer to them. Well it turned out it was a national park, and he said to park the van inside his gate by the yards and then unhitch and go take a look, which is what we tried to do. Alas it was not to be. The track leading down to the mountain was all over grown what with all the rain in the area and the growth and now it had dried out the grass and was a fire hazard and we couldn’t get down so we came back hitched up again and proceeded to go to Clermont. Clermont is a tidy town we have been here several times before, once with Kevin and Margaret Johnson and once with Mike and Margarette who we had just visited in Childers. We set up camp and got the same site as before, under the trees for shade. We went out to the pub for dinner which wasn’t bad. It’s a nice walk up to the pub and back again. The evenings are still very warm and the days are very warm about 38 with the night only going down to about 30 or so. We have the air conditioning on all day and night until the noise gets to us then we turn it off half way through the night. Up early next morning to so and find some gold. Seeing it was 2nd and my day to choose, where to go. We were out for about 3 hours in total and I found a nugget in the first hour just about 5 meters from where the car was parked. The 3rd hour we went for a ride to see where to go tomorrow. Its Rob choice tomorrow. We had a nice lunch at home and then stayed in doors and read a book and Rob had a nana nap. We were up early the next morning and the phone rang about 6.30am and it was Roger with the news that Sarah Jane (that’s Roberts mum) wasn’t the best and had to have an operation and wasn’t sure how it would go. After a lot of debate we decided to go out detecting but our mind wasn’t on the job so we came home packed up ready to go nearer the coast just in case we had to make a dash home. So we did the washing tidied up and washed the detectors and put them away. Rob went and filled up with diesel. We had just met the couple opposite us Paul and Wendy and they were sorry to see us go as they wanted to spend some time with us.
We set off at 7.30am on the 4th which is very early for us. We did quite a few kms today. We choose to go up the Gregory Development Road to Charters Towers and then across to Townsville. We were heading for Phil and Helen Smiths place. Phil is Roberts’s cousin, he had invited us to his 50th party on the 11th April which we intended to go to anyway so we will get there earlier than expected. We stayed the first night 22 kms east of Charter Towers beside the river. The floods had decimated this area. Before the flood there were trees to shelter under, good road in and you could get right down by the river. Well this time a lot of the tracks down by the river had been racked out and you couldn’t get down near the river bank. Even the roads into the park had been gauged out. The water went about 18 meters up the banks to the top of the toilets you would have to see the size of the river and the height it came to to appreciate the sheer volume of water that must of came down the river. One caravan was told to get out and even though he was a high as he could get they said to go but he knew better or so he thought. He thought he was higher than any flood water would come but his van got washed away and tossed like a piece of paper and was taken down the river until it was stopped by the bridge support. Spooking thing to see I bet. Glad we weren’t there then. It was very hot 38degress and no shade. Spoke to Roger again by Skype for 33 minutes what a great medium. It’s good to talk to the kids and see them and their actions etc. It’s like we were in the same room we just couldn’t reached out and cuddle them.
We were still concerned about Sarah Jane and travelled on the next day to a road side stop about 25 kms away from Phil and Helens place. It was really good there was a large tree under which we parked and it was so much cooler. We read a book and relaxed as much as one could. The road noise wasn’t to bad here and it cooled down a bit at night so we had a good night sleep. No power so no air conditioning when we travel, we don’t have a generator and don’t want one they are so noisy. Arrived at Phil and Helens about 10.30 the next day and they had a site already for us all leveled out and we had power and water connected to the van. They always make us so welcome. A lady came out to met us and told us she was the sister-in-law I thought she was Helens sister. It turned out she was Tink's wife Janet. I couldn’t remember her it was so long ago since we had met her. Tink (David, Phil's older brother) came home soon after that then all the Smiths started arriving home. Phil and Helen, Aunty Anne, Judy, Brain Tink and Janet’s son and Mark, Judy’s & Bud’s son and Michael. This was a real Smith family reunion. Then came Daniel and his girlfriend Merissa, Lauren and Ross and Glen and Carl. What a gathering for dinner. It was good to get to know all of the cousins properly. On the Tuesday we phoned Paul and Marie Wickerson, that is Paddy and Yvonne’s son the ones from Canberra who came to stay at the apartment with us. They invited us around to their place for dinner. What a nice couple, we haven’t seen Paul for years but it was just like we’d seen him last week. They made us very welcome and we stayed and chatted till 11pm. The days went by quite quickly and the three J’s as I call us, Judy Smith, Janet and I all got along great. We played cards at night I taught them how to play phase 10 and then Daniel and Merissa joined us one night and we also played skip boo. They had never played these games before. We laughed so much. Us three and Merissa went out to morning tea on Saturday morning were supposed to be quick but we took a few hours. We had already put up the Marque and set up the table and erected the dance floor for the party Saturday night. When we got home we set the tables with cloths and balloons etc. The weather was a little unsettled with a few showers but it cooled things down and a little shower couldn’t dampen the spirits of this gathering. They had about 80 people come and we had a great time. A good band, ample to drink a big bomb fire and even the digger going into the dam what more could you want. A good time was had by all. The next day it was the reverse, taking down the tables cleaning up the rubbish and then down came the marquee. That afternoon I watched netball on TV Thunderbirds versus the Swifts what a good game. On Monday we all got into two vehicles and went to Cardigan Station for the day. This is the station we stayed at 2 years ago when we visited the Smiths. It is Merissa parent’s property and she is Daniels girlfriend, and a very nice girl. We had a real nice BBQ lunch then a guided tour around the station, and it was very informative and fun. It was getting late and we started back home but we never made it in day light. We finished the day off with a game of cards. Us three J’s were still up and playing cards when everyone had gone to bed. The next day after we were satisfied the Sarah Jane was over the worst we decided after much discussion and talk and soul searching to carry on our trip as planned. We phoned all parents and Son Roger tried to get Sheryl but she wasn’t available before making this decision. So the next day we went into Townsville and got the gas bottle filled, car filled with Diesel and some odds and ends, met the Smiths for lunch that is Judy Janet, Tink Aunty Anne and Michael and had a nice lunch on the strand. They were flying home tomorrow; some had to leave at 4.30 in the morning some 10.30. We played cards again for the last time.
We left the Smith’s at 10.45 am with 21611 kms on the clock when we left Sharleen’s a month earlier it was 18000kms. We travelled back to Charters Towers stopped for the night at Praire Lion Park. When we got there we both remembered we had stayed here before, but this time they had put in new toilets and had water. Slept in the next day and set off about 10.30 towards Hughenden. This is the town that is known for the Dinosaurs. It’s a very friendly town and Rob went to the museum, which we went to last time so I went shopping for some batteries which they didn’t have anywhere. Then onto Richmond where they found crocodiles from the past with wings bones and fossils of different species, so it’s a very interesting museum here also, but we had already been so didn’t go again. Along to Julia Creek and turned right up the Wills Development Road for about 150kms which was a single land sealed road so you have to get off for the road trains, luckily for us we only past one then we found a station gate to the cattle trough to pull over for the night. What a quiet road, no road trains or any passing traffic what a good night sleep had by both. Left here at 9.30 am an got to Burke and Wills Roadhouse a little while later. A little disappointed with this roadhouse as there was no information of Burke or Wills the explorers and you would think this is the place we would find some. The young girls behind the counter were not that friendly either, they are just students or travelers travelling around Aussie and do this for a job for 6 weeks to get some money together. We met another couple Brain and Carla Riedy from Melbourne at the roadhouse. We then travelled up the Matilda Development Road to Normanton and seeing that wasn’t worth stopping at except for the information centre we went on to Karumba, of which we had heard so much about. It’s a fishing village so they say. They know how to charge at the camp it was $29 a night one of the dearest we have been. It did have a swimming pool because you can’t swim in the Gulf as there are salt water crocs in it. The gulf is dirty looking, and goes out for 2 kms and only gets 2 mtrs deep. There was a fishing competition on this weekend and boats everywhere. Brain and Carla turned up just after us and stayed just 2 sites down, so we had happy hour that night with them. The camp is full of fisherman and their wives, some nice some not so nice. Our neighbours were very nice and invited us over for happy hour the last night we were there. Robert went out fishing for ½ day from 7am to 12noon and caught 3 fish. I grutter and 2 blue salmon, don’t know what they are but he said the tasted nice, I wasn’t game to try them so I had fish fingers. I went for a hour walk was Rob was fishing and it got so hot I nearly fainted so got back and straight into the pool to cool down. The next day said our goodbyes to Brian and Carla and the fisherman around us and set off back to Normanton. We had a rather long debate on which way we would go from here. Do we turn left and go back to Georgetown and do some gold prospecting or do we go straight back to Burke and Wills roadhouse and turn left to Lawn Hill. Well we were going to met Sharleen at Lawn hill but they have had a hiccup in Moree with their air brakes so they will be a long way off yet so we should go on met them when we met them. So we went back the way we had come to Burke and Wills then turned left to Lawn Hill. When we were at Burke and Wills roadhouse we saw a caravan which had their telephone aerial attached to their TV aerial like we had discussed to do so Robert went down to see how it was attached. He got talking to them and they were heading in the same direction as us so we decided to meet at Gregory Downs and stay on the river together. It didn’t take long to get the 144kms to Gregory Downs and the nice flowing river where we decided to camp. While we were having happy hour we got talking to Jean & David Longland who were from NZ. They had spent some 18months in Whangarei, or more accurately in Ruakaka and when they asked us if we had heard of or knew Glenys and Brian Currie, the surveyor, Robs eyes nearly popped out of his head. That’s my sister he said. Well, what a small world, Glenys and Jean worked together at the ANZ and they became friends with them. She had heard Glenys talk of Robbie and has met Sarah Jane and Nana. We had tea together and Rob went for a swim in the scold river. The next day since we were going to Lawn Hill we went together. It was great talking to someone on the UHF and having a laugh. We left the seal here and drove 77 kms of good dirt road because of the mine down this road then another 20 odd on not so good dirt road. Still we got to Adele Grove and had a look around and then were told that Lawn Hill camping ground was closed for 10 days and the only place we could stay was there. Well we were not impressed as the National Park with the same facilities was going to cost us $9.90 per night and here they were charging $32.00 a real rip off. We set up camp and went the last 10kms to have a look at this Park and to see why we couldn’t stay there even if the toilets where getting done up as we both have our own facilities and didn’t need theirs. However, the ranger was adamant that we couldn’t stay so we had to resign a ourselves to staying at Adele’s Grove. It was 29 degrees and we went for a short walk up the gorge to have a little boo peep and ended up walking up the gorge lookout which was 1.75kms up and then down to the water falls. What a sight and what a place. And oh how my knees hurt. It was really lovely; the views were awe-inspiring so we are going up the gorge in the canoes tomorrow. When we got to the falls had a swim around the falls and then we found another way back that was only 800 meters and all flat. Never mind it was well worth the effort, in the heat, to see the view from the top. We were warned that there was a 2 meter fresh croc up near the waterfalls so to look out for it if we went swimming. That night we had a real good camp fire and sat around and talked until 10.00pm and had a few good laughs to boot. Jean & David have a Toyota Landcruiser the same colour as our old one and a caravan very similar to ours. We hired two canoes for 2 hours or should I say paid for 2 hours but could have them a little longer. The view from the gorge on the water was just as awe-inspiring. The large rock walls glowing red to brown then the palm trees and since we were the only ones, the reflections were great. We took it slow and it took us one hour to reach the falls then we had to carry the canoes up and over them and paddle very slowly for another hour. We had a swim in the crystal clear waters. We looked for the croc but there was no sign of him. We then paddled back but this time it was with the current so it didn’t take any energy. I can see why a lot of people go canoeing it is so peaceful. We got back to the falls and carried the canoes down the other side and had another swim., it was really quite refreshing. We had another pleasant evening around the camp fire. Jean & David were going to go back to Burke and Wills and then down to Mt Isa that way. Rob & I were going through Riverleigh after we asked around and found out the road was ok. The camp people said we wouldn’t be able to get through but we asked the road workers and they said there was about 5 kms of black soil road that has dried out and they had driven their trucks over several times to make a one way track and we should be OK. After careful deliberation Jean and David changed their minds and decided to come with us. It was a very good trip. We crossed over 3 rivers, something they had never done before, and the black soil road was OK as long as you went carefully, which we did. They were so glad they came with us to gain this experience. After Riverliegh the road improved and we travelled on to the Main Road this side of Camoonweal just 100kms west of Mt Isa and this is where we spent the night. At Riverleigh there is world heritage listed site ‘D’. This is where they have found hundreds of fossils, it was very interesting site so we have to go to the fossil centre at Mt Isa and have a look at more of the fossils they have found. We had to go back to Mt Isa because we were running low on food etc and this is the only big town until Katherine some 1500 kms away. It is the 24th April by now and we sent off towards Mt Isa and we stopped for Morning tea which Jean couldn’t go without, at a pullover where we met a couple, Chick and June having a cuppa they offered us a cup and we had one with them, while we were waiting for Jean and David to get there, as they don’t travel as fast as we do. The couple we got talking to while having a drink also came from NZ a long time ago. They have been to Paihia quite a number of times and was explaining to us about a house you see when you go over to Russell on the ferry. He said it belonged to his cousin, Jim and Maureen Robertson. Well that is the same Jim that was my Branch Manager in the Paihia office for all those years. Yes it is a very small world after all. We set off again towards Mt Isa. This was a very short travelling day today only 119 kms. We got settled in the caravan park the first real one since Karumba. We booked ourselves a massage, Robert for that afternoon and me for 10.30 in the morning which is Anzac day so I was surprised I got in. We all went to the Irish club for dinner, it was average. The music was really loud so we went and played pool Rob and I won 2 games to 1. Anzac day the next day and everything was closed except the information centre so that’s where we headed and went to the fossil centre which was more interesting since we had been to site ‘D’. There was a happy hour at the camp so we went to that. Yes there were more NZer's there, but there were just as many Aussies. We all had dinner at home tonight. Well it was maintenance day today; we were into washing the van and the truck as they were both dirty, after been on the dirt roads. With Jean being really busy getting her diary up to date and things I made scones for lunch for all of us. We went out to another club called ‘Buffs” tonight , the meal was better the entertainment was good inside but we sat outside where we were entertained by a group of Maori blokes singing, they weren’t always in tune but they were happy. Left Mt Isa on the 27th April with Jean and David in tow. We had our name printed on the van “kiwiroos”. We had to get up early to go shopping as Saturday being a holiday and no shopping on Sundays here. We stocked up with greens, vegetables etc then we set off towards our destination W.A. We are travelling with Jean & David are travelling with us until Katherine when they are going to Katherine Gorge and Darwin and we’re going west. I am just getting sick of the flies they are everywhere. It’s still hot sometimes its 36 degrees down to 30 in the night. Wish it would cool down at night so we could sleep. The freedom camp stops have got a lot better since we were here last. There is water at each stop and more have toilets. Going across the Barkley Highway is quite boring really there is not a lot to see apart from long brown grass small shrubs and road trains. There is not as many caravans on the road this year it might be because of the fuel costs or the economy for the older people. Over here a lot of older people lost a lot in their superannuation and with interest rates going down so has their income, so the roads are quite quiet. We are travelling between 92-94 km an hour to see if our fuel consumption improves and because the Longland's travel at about 85 so they get to far behind us. We arrived at Three Ways the cross roads to go up to Darwin or down to Alice Springs on the 29th. We turned right and went up. The scenery is changing and there is a lot more to do on this leg of the trip. We went about 50kms past 3 ways and stopped for the night. Need I say it yes another camp fire. Next day we called into Daley Waters where the old pub is still standing and it has one set of street lights (that don’t work) and the pub is so quaint. We could have stayed in the camp next to the pub but we gave that away for the freedom camp at the old World War 2 Airfield. No one else came just the two of us, which was different from the last time we stayed here there was about 7 vans. Rob got up early and went walking around the runways. I had a little sleep in it was so quiet. We then went up to the Mataranka hot springs. We all had a really nice swim in about 30 degrees clear water. Had lunch at the café and went for a walk through the palm trees. The flood has done some damage around with the debris left in the trees it doesn’t look as picturus as it could and has done in the past. We could have go to Katherine tonight but we wanted to go to the Cuttca Cutta Caves so stopped about 50kms before Katherine. Cutta Cutta Caves where great, different to caves back home these were dry caves and very muggy inside The tour took about 1 hour or so and then we continued onto Katherine. Katherine Township, will never change it is so grubby and not a nice clientele. We did our shopping, visited the information centre, filled up with Diesel and water and then got out of there. We said our goodbyes to Jean & David as they set off to the gorge. We hope to meet up in W A somewhere. It is still 33 degrees and the nights haven’t cooled down much yet. When we left Katherine our speedo was 25000kms. When we left Sharleen’s it was 18000 so we have done 7000kms so far this trip, it sure mounts up. It is the 1st May 2009 Nina’s birthday tomorrow and Dads on Monday. We stopped about 100kms out from Katherine where the freedom camp had water and it look like they are about to build toilets, we stopped earlier than usual but Rob read a book and I caught up on this diary a little. I had a great shower outside as no-one was around but by the time Rob went to have his we had 2 more vans in. A car load of Abo's stopped and asked me for some cigarette papers in broken English prior to the other vans coming Rob was back in the van with the Machete (Like a axe) ready if they caused troubles but I think they just stopped for a pee they said they were from Halls Creek. A young couple came in next and asked us if we were staying the night and if we were could they stay next to us. They were from Darwin. When we woke up there was 5 vans or campers in the camp. I have been bitten by mosquitoes I am very itchy so I didn’t have a great nights sleep so tonight I will take some telfast to help stop the itch.
MAY 2009
Well it’s upwards and onwards towards Western Australia. We sure have taken the long way round. Well its Nina’s birthday today and I hope she had a great day. I’m so sorry I am not there to share her special day. We had heard about this great national park called Gregory and also the keep National park near Victoria River. They are supposed to be spectacular so that where we headed to. It was just near Timber Creek not a nice place. Called into the shop and asked about the roads and they told us it was all OK so off we went only to find that the road was closed and no vehicles were allowed to go down there . Same as The Keep National park this National Park is just a few miles from the Northern territory and Western Australia Border. Went through the border crossing and the van was inspected along with the truck. We had cut up the fruit and veges like we were told we were allow to but the officer said no so he took them away. Never mind there was only a few carrots and lettuce and onions. We arrived in Kununurra which is the first town in WA and is quite nice really, early afternoon. We found a good caravan park right by the Lake and the views where great but the sites were very small. We set up then went up to buy some groceries; there was a Coles and a shopping centre we knew by the last time we were here a few years back. Well it hadn’t changed much, when we got to the entrance of the shopping complex, if you can call it that, there laying on the ground was this aborigine guy I didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. I tried to see if his stomach was moving but couldn’t see under his shirt so we decided if he was still in the same position when we came out we would do something about it. Well we did our shopping, had a cuppa and then as we walked out of the complex and we looked down and we saw him still there but something had changed. He was now laying there with all his parts exposed to the world, well I got the giggles and so did Robert, he was still asleep and not a care in the world or it seemed. Well sometimes we just look at each other and laugh, you would have seen it to see the funny side of it. I wish I could have taken a photo before and after but I thought better of it as there were quite a few abo’s around at the time. We got Toyota to check our oil again as the truck seems to be using oil and it shouldn’t. We went and saw a pink diamond worth $611000 aus dollars, it was only the size of the end of a match stick. They have a pink diamond here in Kununurra. The next day was site seeing day. We sent off to Wyndam the town right at the top were we missed last time we came over. We took the 4WD track around Ivanhowe river and up through the creeks and black trees etc. It was great scenery. We arrived in Wyndam at lunchtime and we thought we would not bring lunch we would have it a a nice café here but alas wrong, there is no café’s or even shops to buy lunch so we called into the pub. From the outside you would never have gone it but it was the only one and we met some people coming out and they highly recommend the food and when we got through the doors it was a different story. Remember that saying don’t judge a book by it ‘s cover” well this is one of those times. We ordered a barramundi (fish) burger and a chicken burger which cost $15.00 each. Well it came with everything and was very nice. We will remember to take our lunch next time even if we don’t eat it. It wass only 1hour from Kununurra and home if we took the sealed road, but yes we took the long way around and the information centre told us the 4WD track was closed so we wre only going to the prison Tree and the dam. However, when we got there the sign the track was open so yes we went. It should only take about one hour to get through to the Gibb River Road or so we thought. It was 3pm when we started on the track. It was good to start with then the tracks we were following stopped and we didn’t know which way we were supposed to go. We didn’t realise that we were the first people across this track since the rains had been and that it had only opened a few hours before we got there. Well after some wrong turns and going through some Black soil pans which if you get stuck it takes a lot to get out, we found some signs showing us that we were going the right way. We didn’t have a detailed map just our GPS. It gets dark here at about 4.45pm so we were both getting a little worried about finding our way through before dark. Well just on dark we came to this white sand and large flowing river which we couldn’t see us finding a way across. By this time we were both getting resigned to the fact that we may have to spend the night in the truck and wait until morning to get out. Then all of a sudden softer white sand and more of it then we booted it to get through and yes we were on the Gibb River Road right beside the Penercast River crossing. It was ½ meter deep and we had to go through it just for the sake of it as we were on the right side so we didn’t have to cross it to get home. There was a couple of photographers taking shots of one of their vehicles’ coming through so they took some of us. We went over turned around and came back, and it was dark by this time. We got home at 7pm all dry and ready for dinner. We were thankful for the big lunch it saw us through. Overall a 300kms round trip. The next day was a day off with a sleep in, but still went into town for a while. We are still concerned about the parents and their health etc but we phone home to check every week or so. Sarah was going to Cable Bay with The curries and Tim was home form Perth for a few weeks so that lifted her spirits. We set off at 7.15 am one of the earliest starts we have had. Nothing new to see on this road because we have seen it before and not so long ago. We stayed at the freedom stop near the bungle Bungles turnoff where there was no-one when we got there but within 2 hours it was fill. We had a fire with the others as they were going to go to the bungle bungles the next day and one couple who t live in their van offered to stay the day instead of travelling on ,so they could look after all the vans for security which was really nice as they didn’t even know any of them. We didn’t stop at Halls creek or Fitzroy Crossing, we went straight through to another freedom park which this couple told us about by a lake. We did call into halls Creek to enquire about gold prospecting but we didn’t have a W A’s miners license yet so we thought it would be better to wait until we did. This was a big day for us we did 497 kms. I drove for some 200kms, it’s so easy with the roads the way they are. Lake Ellendale was lovely we parked right beside the lake and could swim in it , use the water for washing and bathing etc, so we stayed 2 nights. It was so quiet even though the second night we had people come in with a generator they parked a good way away from us and lake so we didn’t hear it. During the day a vehicle pulled up with 2 white ladies and 2 abo ladies and 2 children and the little boy, about 5 didn’t stop crying or screaming and swearing at the ladies for the whole time they were there which was about 1 hour. I felt like going a giving him a kick up the you know what, and giving him something to cry about.
Next day was another early one this is becoming a habit, up and away by 7.15 am it’s so light at 6am.Got to the Derby/Broome turnoff and was going to fill up with diesel but thought the price was a bit over the p at $1.81 litre and so went on for another servo, as they say over here,50kms and sure enough it had gone down to $1.50 so it pays to drive around or on sometimes if you can. We went to Broome and it hasn’t changed any since last time we were here. We went shopping and then on out to Cable Beach and stayed here in the Caravan park for 3 nights. What a big caravan park we were in site 485 out of 600 sites. It wasn’t very fill for this time of the year it’s a lot quieter on the roads than usual. That night we went along the beach in the truck and took our cheese and crackers, lemonade wine and beer, shrimps and salad and had it all while watching the sunset and the camels going past with the tourists having a ride, and watched the goings on along with the other 100 4WD’s. What a great sight the sunset was great and the food was exceptional as to was the company. The nex t day, being mother’s day we rang home, and then went a booked a trip to the Horizontal Falls. It cost us well over our budget but what the heck I was just hoping it would be worth it. We were booked in for 5.30 take off Monday Morning. After booking our trip we went for a Sunday drive up the coast a little to Quandang Beach and it was lovely. The sand was white and the views were spectacular. We both had a couple of swims and then went to see the Willie Creek Pearl farm which was very interesting even getting there was a challenge. A man told us we could go back to Cable Beach by the beach so we thought we would give it a go. Well it took us ages to find the road to the beach and when we did it was narrow and a real 4Wd access. Never mind we got there and on the beach we went. Got about 3 kms down the beach and thought we saw someone stuck in the soft sand. The tide was going out at this time. When we got to the truck it was well and truly stuck up to the axles and then he bottomed it out because he revved shit out of it to try to get it out. So he started digging which wasn’t going to get him out. The sand was soft where we were and as we slowed down we began to sink down as well. We stopped and asked if we could give him a hand with the winch. I wasn’t to happy about this as the sand was not getting any firmer. Robert said it would be Ok and we let our tyres down a little more to give us traction. After a few goes the Landcruiser pulled this truck out no sweat. Another 4WD had joined us and asked Rob if he wanted a beer and he said yes when he got this joker out, well he went and got three cans out of his truck, one for him, one for the driver and one for Rob. Well as Rob was winding in the winch in the guy gives the beer to the driver and his girlfriend held out her hand for the other one so Robert missed out. They finished their beer the driver of the stuck truck said ta and drove off flat out and didn’t even wait to see if we could turn around and get out ourselves, the other guy did. We were OK no problems but a bit of excitement was had by all and Robert got to use his new winch. I didn’t even get to use the controls because the other truck driver’s wife came along and Rob asked her to hold it while I shifted the truck back a bit and she wouldn’t give it back to me. What a laugh. After all that it turned out that we couldn’t get back that way at all so returned by the main road. We had dinner overlooking beach and watched the sunset. The dinner not the nicest or the cheapest but when you are in a tourist place like this you have to pay. We went to see the stairway to the moon that night which is always spectacular. Up early the next morning because we were going to the horizontal falls and the flight left at 5.30 am. We had a cuppa and a piece of toast as breakfast was supplied when we got to the falls. I wasn’t that keen on going as the last flight I went on last time to Mitchell Falls it was 2 hours long and a very little plane only a 6 seater and I was horribly sick. This flight was on a sea plane and it was bigger, it was a 14 seater, and I was the co pilot on the way up there so I had a great flight up. When we arrived, we land on the water and climbed out and onto a rubber boat with 2 250 HP engines on the back. It was like our inflatable mum only a lot bigger. They took us straight up to the falls as the tide was going out and they wanted us to go up them. The Horizontal Falls and falls where the water is trapped in a basin on land and it only has a 7meter wide exit gap or entrance gap. The amount of water that comes out per second is incredible so that creates a waterfall to develop. (Much like the Whangaroa harbor but with a smaller entrance) So as the tide was going out, the water in the basin was higher than the harbor so we had to rev up and jump up a 2 meter water fall to get into the basin. Then we had to come back down it was very exciting and I had not seen anything like this before. We then went and another boat where we went for a cruise around the Harbour while we spotted crocodiles and had bacon and eggs for breakfast. After a few hours we were transferred back to the other boat and because the tide had change and was now coming in they took us back to the falls and we did it all again. This is not the normal thing you usually only get to go through on one tide we had both. Back to the seaplane, not the co-pilot this time but a great flight over Cape Leveque, Quondong where we had been the day before , along Cable Beach and safely home at 11.15am so still had a day ahead of us. Well worth the $1190 it cost. We have just blown a few weeks budget a few days. I feel there will be a lot more freedom camping coming up. We were both tired after a big day but we had two girls from some country or other next to us in a tent and they were up at all hours phoning home and not being very quiet about it. I had to ask them to shut up about 3.30am and the guys across from us played the guitar till well into the small hours. People wonder why we don’t like caravan parks. On the road again and this is now a new road for us as we haven’t been on it for some 30odd years. Just down the road people rave about this place called Barn Hill., so we thought we would call in and see what they did here and why it was so popular. Well it’s 13 kms off the main road on a dirt track but at the end of the road here’s this camp right on the edge of the red cliff which overlooks the white sand and blue ocean. It was magic. The grey nomads come here for 3 months of the year, as they have their own bowling green, some powered sites and heaps of good fishing, or so we are told. We stayed here for 3 nights at only $15.00 a night compared to $38.00 at Broome. No noise no neighbours and we could have a fire, water and toilets as well. What more do you need. We walked the beach both ends one end per day and then relaxed and went to a BBQ bring your own with the other campers. They were all very nice. But too much of a good thing spoils you so we set off again as the Gold Fields are calling. 175 kms down the road and the landscape changed just like that. There were no trees , shrubs just white dust, not red. We have passed more white maggots ( caravans) today than we have for the rest of our trip. They are all going north for the warm weather and fishing. We found a very nice campsite by a billabong, the only ones here so really quiet, so a great night’s sleep was had by all, we needed it as we did 517 kms that day. We headed down to Marble Bar where we can get a miners license and there is supposed to be gold detecting areas here so here’s hoping. Marble Bar is a quant little town with a general store, post office etc in one. A court house built in the 1800’s and still being used and what a lot of people here today as it was court day and the Judge had just arrived when we got there to get our licenses. It cost us $25.00 each for a life time miners license here in WA. So know we are legal and can go a find some gold. We were told we could camp outside a 5 kms radius of the camp anywhere on the map she gave us that was blue. The lady taught me how to get the maps off the internet of where we can and cannot go for gold. We headed out of town in the direction she pointed us in and stayed 5.5 kms out among the hills. I went out the next day and found 3 pieces within few hours and as usual Rob went for a walk with his detector up and over the hills. That evening I went out again that afternoon to change my setting on the machine and found another piece just on dark, Rob had to bring the torch to help me find it. It was starting to rain tonight and didn’t look that bright in the morning, so I went out for an hour no luck so we packed up and went up into Marble Bar and to the gorges and Chinaman's hole around the town. The Jasper ( pink rock) which when wet looks like marble hence the towns name, was great and we had lunch by the water edge. Water out here is a god send, because you are in the desert and then all of a sudden there is a water hole. We take water for granted back home. We couldn’t get any diesel because the browser shut at 1.30 and opened again at 4pm even though the owner was sitting outside reading his paper. Never mind his lose we had enough to get to Nullagine where we were heading next . We leave the seal here and for the next 800- 1000 kms its dirt roads.
We travelled for 97 kms and found a nice spot around the back of the hill to stay out of the sight of the road, although we only heard one vehicle go past the whole time we were there, not a busy road. We arrived in the big town of Nullagine about 10am, the town consisted of one big general store and servo in one, one small school, public toilets and a caravan park with a few other buildings scattered around. We pulled up and this man from across at the servo came running or jogging across the road and Robert said I think he wants to talk to us. So I wound down the window and he asked us where we had come from and if we had found any gold. Well we shared a little information with him and then asked him where to go around here and he rattled off a road and turnoffs and then said anywhere around there. Then he showed us his 17gram piece of gold that he had just found the day before, it puts my lot to shame. He got 2 punctures and was getting them fixed then heading out to Marble Bar in a few days. Well we went shopping or should I say we bought some overpriced groceries and milk etc. This is a very small place and it supplies the abo communities and they know how to charge and what to stock and it’s not healthy good food. Never mind that is what you have to put up with when you come in the outback's. We filled up with Diesel and bought some lemonade and ginger beer at $2.50 per can and then headed out the way Peter told us to go. Well with very little information and just by following our instincts we got to Mosquito Creek, this is where there is a water pump put in just for the prospectors, so we knew we were on the right road. We carried on for another 20kms and came to turnoff and there was a grader, and his operator, another Peter, was having lunch so we thought we’d ask him if he knew where we were supposed to be going. Well it turned out he was only new to this road and didn’t know the roads at all. All he did tell us was that the road we were heading on was a NO through road and that there was a very bad or rough gorge and we wouldn’t get the van through. I remembered that the other Peter had told us about the rough gorge so I knew then we were on the right road. So we sent off and Peter said if we got stuck or in trouble to call him on the UHF and he would come and get us with the grader. Well the gorge was rough but not impassable and not really that bad as some of the roads we have been down. Next we had to look for a large patch of greenstone on the road and we were there. After going through the gorge and travelling so slow we decided to stop for afternoon smoko so we found this little track and went down and then we stayed for the night. We got the detectors out and Rob took off with his but my hip was too bad and I couldn’t walk very far so gave up. We took of the next morning hoping to find the spot Peter has mentioned and we went down this other track and had to cut the trees or shrubs down so that we could turn around because it became to narrow for the van. After another 20kms we saw some greenstone and thought this was it so found a real nice spot to camp for a few days. We both got up the next morning and set off with our detectors, but mine would not work as it should and I was getting fed up with it and when we got back to the van found Roberts was doing the same, so out came the manual and I studied it for a while and tried again and got them both tuned in right. We then went for a ticky tour around to see if we could find any good prospecting area and 111kms later we got back. We did drive past the greenstone on the round and it was about 2kms up the road from where we had stopped. I went out about 4.30 pm, about 20 meters from the van and had another go with my detector to see if I had got it going right and within about 10 mins I had my first piece. It gets dark here really earlier so had to give up until the next day. On our travel yesterday we came across another couple of men camped and prospecting as well, about 5 kms from us they had only found 1 piece and had been here for 2 weeks, so I felt good that I had found one piece a bit bigger than theirs and in only 2 days. Got up the next day and found another one a bit bigger again within 15 mins of setting out and in the same area as last night. Rob and I swopped detectors to see if he could find one but alas it was not to be, so we changed over again and within a few minutes I got another piece, it’s such a adrenaline rush when you find it , no matter how big or small the piece. There are thousands of areas out here and to think I found it amongst all those areas is incredible. It’s like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. With my hip not to good we set off the next day. Back to the general store and spend a little more or a lot more $16.00 for Milk, bread and ice-cream. We then headed for Newman, a mining town at the bottom of the Karijini National park. It’s a real mining town, covered in red dust so it looks dirty but isn’t really. We went out to the pub for a meal but it was a real miner’s pub with loud music and there was no dining room, so didn’t really enjoy it much. Watched a little TV which is a treat for us, but there wasn’t much on. We went shopping, it sounds like we go shopping a lot but we only get a few things at a time because of the space we have to store things . We went onto the K National Park which we had read and heard so much about. The Pilbara was supposed to be so beautiful and this was part of it. We both hoped it lived up to its reputation. Well when we arrived at the information centre the lady sold us a Concession park to all Western Australia’s National parks, just like the Auckland Regional Pass, for $50.00. It usually costs $10.00 for a day pass. She suggested we go to Dales camping ground about 6 kms away so this is what we did. It was $9.00 per night to camp here and you had a good size site and you have your own space not next to anyone, and in a no generator area. The next day we went off to the Dales Gorge. Well yes it is as good as they say. We hiked for 3 hours down into the gorge and to the ponds, waterfalls and over the rocks and had a swim in the Fern Pool then back up the 100 metre gorge face back to the van. What a day it was, just wonderful. The next day we went to the other gorges about 30 kms away and to look at the other camp ground, which is a eco park, with solar showers that is the only difference except they did have a restaurant and bar which didn’t interest us. The gorges were great and they were all different but the Dales Gorge was the best, or so we thought. We had a day off the next day. We met a couple from Nelson and had happy hour both nights with them. Robert went down the gorge again and had a swim I had a nana nap as my hip wasn’t the best. Every night we were here was really cold and so out came the sleeping bag to use as an extra blanket, the first time we had to use it on this trip. We have just past 11000 kms since leaving Sharleen’s back in March. We went to Tom Price which is a mining town a lot smaller than Newman but it looks just the same, dirty even though it’s not. The caravan park was quite dear really for out here it was $34.50 a night and again it wasn’t that fill. We took a ride up Mount Nameless to the radio repeater this mountain is the highest in WA that is accessible by road. The road was a real 4WD track and we had to go really slow because of the sharp rocks. We went to the information centre to enquire about the road up to Hamersley Gorge. The lady there couldn’t speak English or Australian very well and was so hard to understand so gave up. We left Tom Price and headed towards the gorge and were we glad we did, we didn’t have to walk down the gorge very far as this one was a lot smaller than the others. The water was flowing over the rocks like little waterfalls and then a big swimming hole at one end and a bigger waterfall and spa,(swimming pool) at the other. Robert had a swim and then we went back up and had lunch and then set off on a back road which they told us was very rough. But, yet again, it wasn’t that bad, we got through it without any trouble. There was a few kms that other vans would not have liked to go over but ours was fine. We came across this town that has been shut down and all buildings but about 10 where removed. It was due to an asbestos mine being shut down in 1967 due to the danger of the dust. They say that it is all cleaned up now but the government won’t admit it. We found a old tar seal road heading down to some gorges and where they great. We found a lovely gorge with a big swimming hole and a big flat area right beside it so we pulled up and camped there for 3 nights. The road wasn’t that bad until the river crossing then they were washed out and I had to get out and walk across to see if they were deep and sometimes cut down some overhanging branches. We only saw 8 other cars during our visit. Our campfires were big and we had a lovely roast lamb and bacon and eggs for breakfast and read books and went for walks. What a great break from driving. We washed the truck and the van because we could with the availability of water and we thought we didn’t have any more dirt for a while. 2 NZers’ called in to say hi on our last night and wanted to stay with us but we directed them to the site over the way so they were still close but out of sight. When we left the paradise we had found we had 10 kms of seal then buggar we had dirt road again and with our clean van and truck. But it only last 10kms and it wasn’t so bad, we were heading to Port Headland. We found a freedom or cheap park over about 90kms from Port Headland as we decided to have a look and we stayed for 3 days. We were allowed to go prospecting here so we went for one day and I found one piece of gold. We went for a ride around the station of some 400 thousand acres. The owners of the station have happy hour every day here you take your own drinks and they supply nibbles. They were really nice people. We finally got Sharleen on the phone as we have trouble either she’s out of range or we are. They are in Darwin and will be there for a few more days as their fridge is not going right and they have to wait for a part. Glen has tonsillitis and so it will give him a chance to get better, but they are having a great time and the kids are really loving it.