Saturday the 1st A cold night, though the morning and the rest of the day was a warm 19 degrees. Cleaned up around the camp and then at 9:30am we drove back into St George which is some 15 kilometers away. We went to the I.G.A. to buy a few supplies that we had run short of. In these outback towns it doesn't take much to spend more than you normally would due to prices of goods. Then onto to the op shop where Liz was to buy a few items, whilst there a few travellers came in and so we swapped information as to future travels. The diesel engine in the Motorhome is running a bit cold which is affecting fuel consumption and normal running. In all I went to 4 auto spares outlets and finally drove out to a machinery repair establishment some 7 kilometre's along the highway to Dalby all with no luck at all they seemed to have every other thermostat other than the one I need. It was lunch time so we bought fish and chips and went along to the Apex Park to eat them and they were very nice though a little pricey. It was pleasant sitting by the river in the sunshine with no wind and taking in the ambiance of the area. Then we went to the cheapo store which is a little like Cheap as Chips etc though we were to look there was nothing of interest so we left and went to the liquor outlet to restock our supplies that are dwindling. The wine was $4 and beer $7 a carton dearer than we were used to paying, oh well them's the breaks. One thing we discovered driving around the town is the amount of hotels clubs and liquor outlets. Then we went and had a look at the Jack Turner weir which replicates the one we saw yesterday, had a look at the Cobb & Co Mural and then filled the water drums at the information centre and headed back to camp. On arriving back at camp we gathered wood for our fire tonight at happy hour and hopefully after our evening meal we can watch the Collingwood V Brisbane Lions and then off to bed, It has been a busssssy day.

Water channel for cotton crop	Lunch at Apex Park	Apex Park by River

Sunday the 2nd We were both happy this morning for both our football teams had won their match yesterday. We were out of bed early and it took only a few sticks to get the fire going given the coals were still hot from last nights fire. We were to cook our breakfast and eat by the fire taking in the tranquil morning on the Balonne River and the chirping of the birds with the exception of the dreaded Corella's.

Breakfast fire by Balonne River	Jim having breakfast

We have decided to stay in camp today, so we gathered wood for the fire and then cooked our lunch and then just relaxed. After lunch it was time for a stock take of our frozen food and found that we have a couple of chickens, fish, chops, pork, steak, sausages and mince more than enough to get us home for this is our last month on the road, the previous months have just gone so quickly. We read our books after lunch and then out came the firepot to cook a chicken for our evening meal and we will cook the spuds and pumpkin in foil in the hot coals, the corn and wong buck will be steamed. It is another fine sunny day with a top of about 20 degrees very comfortable though we were wearing out pullovers and come to think of it I haven't had my shorts on for at least two weeks just trakkies. We went for a walk along the river bank in both directions and there are no other campers we have the entire area to ourselves though I would believe that it is only the local people who know the area and the camp spots, if we didn't have the Suzuki then we may not have discovered the area.( The photo on the right is taken through the window of the Motorhome) We will leave in the morning leaving the Motorhome at the turnoff on the highway and go back into St George to get some cash and fill the water drums and then we will be on our way to Sarat.

Wheat crops appearing	Extreme wide load	Welcome to Surat

Monday the 3rd A very cold night though a fine sunny day awaited us, we had our breakfast and started packing up our camp for though we meant to do it yesterday afternoon happy hour happened to arrive and side tracked us. Once packed away we drove the Motorhome to the main road and parked it up. Into St George for water and the newspaper in the car and to draw down some money for our future travels. Back and hooked the Suzuki up and then we were on way towards Surat. The road though bitumen was really rough bouncing us up and down, the sun was entering through the window screen and was very warm so much so we had to shed our pullovers. The countryside though flat has not been developed and there were plenty of trees and kangaroos and emu's along the way. We were to get a bit of shock to come out of very undeveloped countryside into wheat growing in large paddocks as far as you could see. Along the way some of the crops were showing water stress through lack of water. So we assume if they did not receive good spring rain they could lose their crops altogether. We finally arrived at Surat and found it to look a bit more prosperous than other outback towns we have been though, we were parked up in town for about twenty minutes waiting for a wide load vehicle to come through. When it arrived we could see why they wanted all of the highway for the trailer must have had at least 100 wheels and there was a large Kenworth Truck pulling and another Kenworth at the back pushing with plenty of escorts and police to clear the way. It looked like they were carting a large loader that had been broken down into smaller sections for travel and even then they were taking up all of the road. We set up on the Balonne River once again at the fisherman's camp, what a great freedom camping area complete with toilets and water. There are plenty of caravans and a few Motorhome's with plenty of space available for all. We unhooked the car after lunch and went and had a look around the town and surprisingly it certainly looks a lot more prosperous than some of the outback towns we have been through. Today we only had a quick look and returned to camp and come happy hour we had a couple from their Motorhome come over and join us. It is always interesting to hear about other people's travels and more so given they know their state more than we do, so there is a lot of useful information imparted. We had a late happy hour which lasted until 6:20pm it only finished then due to the coldness of the night. As cold as it is we still had chicken salad for our evening meal and then after cleaning up we were to watch local television before reading our books and retiring to bed. Kilometers travelled 116

What a beautiful Shire Hall at Surat	Plenty of wheat stacked ready for export

Tuesday the 4th A cold night? No in so far as we have had of late. The sun was shining and the warbling of the magpies whilst we had our breakfast outside was great, they were so cheeky that they were coming very close to us. No doubt they are used to people feeding them. We had decided to have a stew for our evening meal so out came the fire pot and then we gathered wood and cut it to size with the chainsaw. What a difference it is to cut gum wood and not gidgee wood the saw thought it was heaven and the blade is still sharp, the downside is that we will burn more gum to achieve the same heat as gidgee wood. One of the campers came over that has the same G.P.S. as us and we spent the next hour or so running the woman through the many features that she was not aware of, her husband does not like them though I think he may have a change of heart now that he to has a better understanding. Then we drove into the village and went into the Cobb & Co museum which is excellent, the only thing is that we both forgot our camera's so we will come back tomorrow for photo's. They have large fish tanks there also that has an assortment of fish that can be caught in the Balonne River including Murray Cod. The Murray Cod in the tank was a nice size and I wish I could drop a line in the tank and catch it for an evening meal, very nice. We drove around the town and had a look at several shops and bought the paper at the Post Office. That's right in the Post Office is a section for the newsagency.Then onto the general store and were somewhat surprised at the cost of groceries and meat, for instance my favorites Tim Tams were $3.65 a packet and barbecue Shapes were the same price and that sums up the cost of groceries for instance in St George we paid $1.89 for a loaf of multi grain bread and the same brand and wrapper here is $4.50, a small cup of cappuccino costs $3.60. Then as free showers are advertised at the camp grounds we went and checked them out and they were great, Surat certainly looks after the traveller. We were to spend a few dollars and tomorrow we are going to the pub for lunch which also happens to be the internet cafe so this section of the diary will be uploaded and then we will go and check out the old Cobb & Co track which is only a few kilometers out of town. Then back to camp for a siesta before happy hour. Happy hour arrived and we had three couples come over and join us, it is always interesting to hear where people have been and their future travels We sat out by the fire after our evening meal which was yummy and had a chat to Fred our next door neighbor before retiring for the night after watching a bit of tellie.

Cobb & Co coach in Museum	Spot the Murray Cod	Yellow belly or golden perch

Wednesday the 5th A warm night for a change and the day was to be warm and sunny rising to 24 degrees. We had our breakfast in the company of warbling magpies in tranquil surroundings, we cleaned up around the camp and packed our gear to partake in the beautiful hot showers that they provide at the tennis courts. Then to the newsagency and then back into the Cobb & Co museum which is really worth spending a few hours looking at all the exhibits. The coach has been well restored complete with the old leather springs and the mail containers. I had trouble getting away from the aquarium where the big Murray Cod is housed and they had recently dropped in yabby's and worms to feed the fish, it was noted that the small fish kept well away from the Murray Cod. They are somewhat like Barramundi in that they open their mouth and then suck water into their mouth and impart the water through their gills. There are also Yellow Belly ( Golden Perch) on display which is a sample they say of what can be caught in the Balonne River. After looking through the museum we went across to the hotel to use their internet service however for some reason even though we could log on we could not get the service to operate for us. We then had lunch which consisted of a Works Burger with the lot and salad and chips and Liz had the Chicken Royal Burger with salad and chips and we washed these down with a few schooners of xxxx gold. The library was closed so we decided to do a few other things to await it reopening.

Beautiful house fence at Surat	Corduroy track used by old Cobb & Co Coaches as they went north in the wet season and nearby sign post

As we drove towards the Roma highway we noted a very colourful hedge which consisted of orange flowers surrounding a house, it was very beautiful indeed, of course the mandatory photo was required. The township of Surat is strongly aligned to sheep grazing, Grains and cattle and it publicizes heavily the fact that the Cobb & Coaches used to travel through their town going northwards and back. There is no guessing what their museum is called. We headed out of town to look at the corduroy tracks that were utilised extensively during the wet season and the above sign tells it all. The corduroys (Cyprus pine which queensland is renowned for) were laid out over the muddy patches and still remain today even if they are rotting now; they certainly have stood the test of time over the past 150 years. We then drove on out to view the water lillie's at Baranga Creek unfortunately they do not come to life until christmas and then until May, we came across the G.P.S. people who had set up camp there trying to catch fish though to no avail. They didn't know about the "Baranga Ghost" as folklore has it that it roams this area. Back into town and to the Library and they wouldn't allow us to connect out computer to their internet service so the best laid plans to upload the latest contribution of the diary was to no avail. Oh well later up the road somewhere it will happen. Exchanged a few books and then back to camp to start our packing and settle in for our normal happy hour and some of the new comers today joined us. We have enough stew from yesterday and Liz is going to make dumplings as well so it should be nice. We played force ten for awhile when we went inside and then off to bed after another day in paradise.

Meandarra RSL Museum	Main street Meandarra	Meandarra man

Thursday the 6th Wonderful warm weather as we arose this morning and had our breakfast in the pleasant morning sunshine, it was little sad to pack up for we had met some very nice people over the last couple of days in our stay at Sarat. We finished our packing and said our farewells and especially to Fred who has been a very good neighbor and then up to the service station to refuel for the next step on our journey. Though in the outback we seem to be moving closer to the coast all the time, we hooked the car up after refueling and headed out towards Dalby where we will make the decision as to whether we start heading down to the colder weather on our trip home. The road was the usual outback bumpy bitumen and due to us understanding that Liz placed washing in drums and the roughness of the road will agitate and leave the clothes clean at our next stop. We were to see plenty of cattle and farmland growing grains and then plenty of scrub in places. We were to arrive at Glen Morgan a very small village in the outback that had displays of very old cars in pristine condition including 1948 model Ford V8 and old falcons and many very old 1940's trucks. Maybe we should have stopped and took photo's though we decided against it, the road was still rough and we drove out of scrub and very sorry looking land into flat plains of grains as far as you could see which was very green indeed. We appeared to be climbing and the sun was streaming into the Motorhome making it pleasant as we drove along, we appeared to be climbing and as there was no wind it was easy going. We pulled off the highway into Meandarra for this place came well recommended by Fred and others and they were not wrong when we pulled into the camp area there was power, toilets and showers close by. We had no sooner set up and the council bloke came around and informed us that it would cost us $5 for the first night and the next two nights free with power and he also said we could stop another night for free if we wanted. So that's four nights with power and toilets and showers for $5 unbelievable. Then it was out with the satellite dish to watch the Marngrook footie show tonight, boy did it take some time to find the satellite to the point that I nearly gave up, it turned out to be a faulty cord. After we had a late lunch we wandered up into the shopping centre and bought a couple of items at the super market and then Liz booked in for a haircut on Saturday and then we spent a few pleasant hours in the hotel having a few xxxx schooners and learning the local happenings. We returned to camp and as it was happy hour we decided that we had enough and just took our chairs over to the Motorhome of John and Jane who spent some time in Tassie last year and attended a few of our chapter rally's. We had a good old chinwag for a couple of hours and it was great to hear where they have been since we have seen them last. Then home and cooked our evening meal and then watched tellie, there appears to be the odd mozzie here so we will setting up the mozzie coils before going off to bed. Kilometers travelled 97

Friday the 7th Poached eggs for breakfast in the early morning sunshine outside the Motorhome, during the night we were speaking about not stopping at Glenmorgan to have a look at the old vintage cars. So after breakfast and showering we unhooked the Suzuki and drove the twenty kilometers back to Glenmorgan. First of all on arrival we drove out to the botanical gardens some seven kilometers out and we were not impressed at all on what was on offer for the price and so we returned to the town.

Monty's Vintage Car Museum	Old pump up fuel bowser's	Second world war trucks & Jeep

We pulled up opposite Monty's Garage Vintage Car Museum and wandered over and found there was so much to see for just a gold coin donation, As nobody was there other than us we had the guided tour from Monty the owner. There is no doubt that he is passionate about his vehicles which are all road registered for he drives them all each evening back down to his large shed for the night and back again in the morning. Now where do you start for the museum itself holds so much old fashioned fuel cans, pump up fuel dispensers from a bygone era and every imaginable hub cap from the 1940's to the 1970's. There are spare parts galore and he even sources them from all over the world and appears to have a thriving business based on these parts that are still in demand by restorers, to see such a tidy garage that also is a museum is a credit to him.

1948 Ford Mercury	1948 Ford Deluxe Redex Trial	1951 Ford Single spinner

It is obvious that Monty is a Ford man by the numbers he has and they have all been restored by him and there are plenty still waiting for their makeover to bring them back to road registerable. There isn't a thing the man doesn't know about the old cars back to the "A" Model Ford. On display is a Ford Mercury, a faithfully restored replica of a Ford Deluxe V8 called the "Grey Ghost" that was driven by Dynamite Jack in the round Australia Redex trial in 1954, another Ford Deluxe V8, Ford V8 Single Spinners. He has a smattering of old cars from a Austin A70 and a 1968 Holden sedan plus a Ford Prefect again all drivable and registered. When I questioned him on the registration he indicated he did not want to register them as a vintage car for he wanted to drive any one of them on the highway anytime he liked and due to full registration they all have road worthiness certificates, unbelieveable cost.

Ford awaiting restoration	"A" model Ford	1951 Austin A70

We were to spend a pleasant two and half hours at the museum intrigued by the knowledge of Monty who is so unassuming and the display and the spare parts for so many different old time vehicles this man loves his cars and museum with a passion and he was to tell us that he has put it all together himself including the restoration of so many vehicle's and there just as many awaiting restoration, mainly fords of course and what other vehicle does Monty drive? why a latest model Ford Falcon ute of course. Its a pity I couldn't include all the photo's of the various cars we are glad we came back to look at the museum and can thoroughly recommend that it is on the list of things to do and see if you are coming this way. Back to camp for lunch and we decided to postpone our trip to the Museum at Meandarra until tomorrow and just laze around for the rest of the day. We had John & Jenny come over for happy hour and we were to discuss their travells whilst in Tasmania last year and their visits to the Island Wanderers. We had an easy evening meal and watched the Carlton V Geelong game and it was a surprise to see Carlton emerge as the victors by 35 points, it was a good game. Saturday the 8th Liz out of bed at 7:30am and me at 9:15am to use a Queensland saying, Lazy aye! and that is how it was all day other than a shower and clean the air filters in the Motorhome and the Suzuki I just lazed about and didn't even take a photo. At 12:30 Liz went into the village to the hairdressers for the obvious and then we watched the St Kilda V Hawthorn football match of course the Saints won. Had Fettuccine bolonaise for our evening meal and then settled in to watch the Collingwood V Adelaide match tonight before going off to bed. Collingwood won their game. Didn't do much aye! The overnight temperature was 14 degrees and the day rose to 26 degrees.

Old railway station Meandarra	Brigalow Creek walkway	Flowering Gidgee tree

Sunday the 9th Return of the cool evenings and mornings though the sun again warmed things up reasonably quickly, we spent the morning tidying up and preparing for our departure tomorrow morning like hooking up the tow gear and attaching the Suzuki to the the Motorhome. We were to say goodbye to those leaving the camp this morning and settled in to read and relax prior to lunch, we do not intend to do much today. After lunch we went walkabout along the Brigalow Creek which runs directly behind our camp, there are concrete paths along the banks of the creek which makes walking very easy. It is part of attracting travellers to come to and stay in Meandarra for the only other means of employment is the outlying farms and cattle stations. The walk was very nice with the day so warm and the noisy Corella's and Galahs in the tree tops there were a few ducks and water fowl in the river and there are plenty of no swimming signs along the way. The Gidgee tree is usually unattractive though with the yellow flowers appearing it looked very nice; of course there were plenty of small gum tips on the path that the birds are breaking off with their beaks, the new growth of course. There are very large wheat and other grain silo's close to the centre of town alongside the railway line which appears to only be used during the harvest season they really stand out on the landscape. Our walk took well over an hour and was pleasant and then back to watch the Richmond V Sydney footie game, we have decided to have a cup of tea happy hour today and head over to have our showers so as we can get away reasonably early in the morning heading for Dalby. Watch tellie and off to bed after another good relaxing day. There are four motorhome people in the area of whom two who have been here over a month and do not look like leaving, they are all on the road full time. If this is what applies when on the road full time we are not interested for they seem to sit around doing nothing all day not even walking up to the town centre. Two are hogging the free power pole and making it uncomfortable for others who come in who may wish to avail themselves of the free power. This township of Meandarra are very helpful and encourage use of the facilities. Though this should not be a reason for abusing their hospitality. The Shire Council also owns the caravan park and you can stay there for $5 per day including power with full use of amenities plus the use of washing machines; now how good is that. We had two caravans leave this morning without paying their $5 for three days and they were both on power. The council allows you to stay for free if you do not use power up to a maximum of a fortnight and needless to say there are a few abusing this hospitality.

Dalby Mall and Shopping Centre

Monday the 10th Arose early and all we had to do was pack away the satellite dish and batten down, so to speak, and then we were on the road heading towards Dalby after saying our farewells to those who were out of bed. It goes without saying that we enjoyed our time spent in Meandarra. A land of change is an understatement it is amazing how in such a small distance how the countryside changes. We were to see huge paddocks as far as the eye could see sown down to grain of some description, we are loathe to just say wheat for we were to see Sorghum, Canola as well as wheat. In one spot the paddocks were very wet with large puddles as if they had had torrential rain recently. The road was bitumen though rough and in no time at all we were to pass through the small township of Gum whose claim to fame we are not aware of, we were slowly climbing and then we came across plenty of Divets in the paddocks and it looked like that cotton had been grown recently; judging by the amount of cotton laying on the paddock and the side of the road. There were plenty of road trains carting grain to and fro and we came across road trains carting ore as well to where we wouldn't have a clue. Then twenty kilometers out of Dalby the first road sign we saw was for "McDonalds" and the second was for "Cash It" a pawnbroker. On entering Dalby we were to see traffic lights, roundabouts and parking meters. It would be true to say that we may no longer be in the outback for the this city of Dalby boasts a population of 11 thousand. We first went to the show grounds and found that they no longer allow camping there and in fact we found them to be camper unfriendly we were to check the two caravan parks and found one that you wouldn't stay at the and the other was absolutely full. We unhooked the car and went out to the industrial estate to no avail and whilst in the area we found the tip so we dropped in to their tip shop and when speaking to the woman she gave us a camp area by the creek that runs through the middle of town though not official she indicated that she has seen plenty of Motorhome's staying there overnight. If it wasn't for the fact that we expected the new thermostat for the truck to arrive today by mail which it didn't we would be gone. We went to Hungry Jacks for lunch at 2:30pm and decided to refuel at $1.21.9 per litre for diesel We checked out the spot the woman had indicated and set up for the night and then walked uptown for a bit of retail therapy. We shopped at the Big W, Woolworths and Coles as well as two of the dollar shops. Crumpets for 50 cents a packet, broccoli at $2.49 a kilo much better than the $12 per kilo at Thargomindah and of course the mandatory Tim Tams and the scotch finger biscuits were only 95 cents a packet. Back home at Woolworths $1.20 a packet. So it went with all prices with the exception of meat which was very dear indeed. Back at the Motorhome we noted that there were plenty of people walking on the paths beside the river so we did the same and didn't get back to the Motorhome until 5:15pm and then Liz cooked our evening meal and we settled in to watch television on the digital set top box before going off to bed. Kilometers travelled 173

Sorghum crop remains	Flowering fruit trees by road	Glass House Mountains in distance

Tuesday the 11th Walkers going by the Motorhome at 6am woke us so we hopped out of bed and had breakfast and then drove closer to the city centre. Purchased a few items from the supermarket and then around to the Post Office and picked up the Thermostat that had been sent air express and then we said our farewells to Dolby and then we were on the road. What I hadn't told Liz was that as I worked out that we were only two hundred plus kilometers or so from her sister's house at Woody Point, I had dialed in the address into the GPS and we were on our way. As we travelled north through farmland and started to climb the Great Dividing Range. Liz was not saying anything and kept looking at the map as we went through several small villages. Out came the map again and finally Liz stated we are going the wrong way. I stated that I wanted to travel down the New England Highway, the trouble was when we arrived a the highway I turned left heading further north. Liz asked what I was up to and I just said that I was following the GPS instructions. It was when we drove through Blackbutt Liz noted the sign pointing to Caboolture that she again consulted the map and asked are we going to Kerry and Julie's when I replied yes; well all I can say is that Liz became most excitable. Now the thing was that Julie didn't know we were coming, though Kerry did. We seemed to be always climbing and the terrain changed more to rain forest and we knew we were in the hinterland of Queensland. When we arrived at Kilcoy we stopped on the outskirts and had lunch before heading off, the traffic was much heavier and couple of times I left the road to allow those who were being held up could go around us. Before we knew it we arrived at Caboolture and all those traffic lights the GPS was going troppo warning us of speed traps and red light camera's what a bonus. It was a slow trip into Woody Point due to traffic lights and traffic in general. When we arrived no one was home and about fifteen minutes later Kerry and Julie arrived and there were hugs all round for we had not seen each other for over three years. Later in the afternoon the blokes went down to the hotel and sunk a few schooners and a few more before arriving home and having a few more with our meal and then off to bed for I don't remember a great deal after that. Thursday we will be going down to see Dad before heading inland again and heading south. Kilometers travelled 266 Wednesday the 12th After breakfast this morning I changed over the thermostat in the Motorhome and hopefully now we will see the motor run a little warmer, we then unhooked the tow gear from the Suzuki and went looking for a car wash to give the car a good going over, we had to go about 10 kilometers up Anzac Parade until we found one. They wanted $18 per wash or you could do it yourself for $1 for each different service you used, in all we used $7 dollars and the car looks a treat again though you can now see where the paint has been removed from various sections of the car by stones etc. Back to the house and Kerry and Julie had arrived home and then they were to take us to a Caltex service station where were purchased a pass over the Gateway Bridge for tomorrow. They no longer have the manual system in operation and to purchase this cost $4.35 and lasts for seven days only or until you go over the bridge once where they compare your number plate against the payment. Then Kerry drove us down through Kallangar and Petrie until we arrived at a BCF Store where we we spent some time in the camping department and what we wanted they did not have in stock. Then onto the Pines shopping centre for lunch and Liz and I opted for chinese food and Kerry & Julie muffins and coffee. Then into JB HI FI and then Coles to buy meat for the barbecue this evening plus whilst there we noted the capsicums were only 69 cents a kilo and the broccoli was 1.99 a kilo which we bought and mushrooms as well. Then onto the butchers for other meat for tonight and for our travels. Kerry drove us around through Sandgate and Redcliffe and we had a look at the new bridge being constructed, then around the waterfront parks and it was a perfect day with the temperature being 25 degrees though it was humid as well. Back home and we prepared the Motorhome for our departure tomorrow. After our barbecue we sat around and showed the complete collection of photo's that we have taken on this trip which went for some hours during this we were to experience very heavy rain and lightening in the dark sky's and at 9:30pm we headed off to bed for the night, we will leave in the morning when the bulk of traffic has gone off to work heading south.

New bridge next Gateway Bridge	Brisbane River from Gateway	Passing Dream World

Thursday the 13th We said our farewells to all and thanked them for their hospitality and then prepared to meet the south east traffic head on, given that we have been from the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback (to steal lines from Banjo Patterson) where we experienced single and double lane bitumen and gravel roads to now being in the heavy traffic of coastal south east Queensland on our way to see my Dad. We waited until 9am and away we went and the traffic to the Gateway Bridge was four lane (2 each way) and in places five lane due to run ins and run offs. The traffic was heavy with lots of interstate trucks and caravans we were allowing the GPS to show us the way and of course there are now new roads which the GPS did not recognise. We were to rely on our previous experience's and ended up on the Gateway Bridge headed for the Gold Coast. It was interesting to see that they were building a new bridge alongside the old one and the road infrastructure was enormous. We were of course travelling faster than we normally would in the outback just keeping up with the flow of traffic, we entered the Gold Coast highway which is 8 lane (4 lanes each way) and finally down to 6 lane and then 4 lane. We noted that there is no spare land from the time you leave Brisbane until you arrive at Burleigh Heads it could well be that the Gold Coast one day will become a suburb of Brisbane. We were to pass the adventure parks and water works which had their parking areas full. The traffic was no getting any thinner though the drive was easy with a fine sunny day and little wind other than that created by the traffic. As we approached the Gold Coast there was more road infrastructure taking place especially the extension of the railway line from Robina to the Gold Coast terminal. We finally arrived at turn off 87 and unfortunately I took the wrong turn on the roundabout and ended up down in Burleigh. We were driving on a concrete road and it was vibrating through the Motorhome to the extent that we thought that we had a puncture and so we pulled up and could not find a thing wrong and later when we made enquiries we were told it was the road and that we were one of many non locals who pull up thinking that they had tyre problems. We pulled up and set up the Motorhome and Dad and Helen greeted us both with a cup of tea, very nice indeed. We settled in and had our lunch and Liz went out with Helen for the afternoon and I went with Dad to the BCF Store and once again they didn't have what I wanted. The bloke was good enough to check the Labrador store and found they have two of what we want and have put one aside for us to pick up tomorrow, its back twenty kilometers so we will probably make a day of it.It is a warm 28 degrees so we are taking it easy until happy hour and and we are having a salad with fish to our evening meal and then watched tellie and then off to bed. Kilometers travelled 129

Friday the 14th In the outback you would normally wake to the warbling of the birds or in the case of Corella's the screeching, not so where we are, we were to wake with the noise of the traffic on the main highway even though it some two or three kilometers from where are staying and it seemed to go all night. Not to mention the cats fighting and the air conditioner turning on and off. Give us the gentle smooth sounds of the outback anytime. I took Dad with me when we went to BCF to pick up our goods at Biggera Waters which was some twenty five kilometers away. Though to local people it is just up the road. We then drove to Southport to view the area, the one thing that is very noticeable is the high rises both at Southport and Surfers Paradise also the heavy traffic that was building. We drove down to the broad water and the large boats in the Mirage Marina stood out and they would not be cheap boats either, then on past Sea World and down to the Broad water seaway entrance where they are currently filming a new series of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The voyage of the Dawn Trader ".

Movie props for Medieval Wharf & Dawn Trader		Close to Medieval Wharf

You could not get close to the film sets though it was obvious that the boats and wharfs props come from a bygone era, so we have used photo's from the local paper. The most noticeable is the amount of security they have around the perimeter and the amount of hire and drive trucks that are parked close to the action, there was even a barge in the river with very powerful lights operating even in the daylight hours shining on the Medieval Wharf no doubt to reduce the shadows or night filming. There were plenty of people having a look even though you could not get close to the action or the movies props. It is interesting to note that the Dawn Trader will not hit the water in reality though in the film it will no doubt be in all sorts of seas. We watched the fisherman for awhile and we saw no sign of any catches and there were plenty of boats big and small heading for the open water for the temperature was currently 24 degrees with just a warm breeze. We drove along the waterfront and where you could see the beach, there were plenty of surfers and swimmers enjoying the water.

High rise buildings South Port and Surfers Paradise		Mirage Marina

Through to Surfers Beach	Peter & Joan views from their balcony onto Mermaid Beach

You could spot the locals they were the ones all rugged up and the tourists with t/shirts and shorts, there was plenty of activity no matter where you looked and the traffic was still quite dense. We made our way to Mermaid Beach and dropped in to see Peter & Joan and had a cup of coffee and chewed the fat for awhile, the views from their balcony on the first floor of the high rise were enormous for they are nearly sitting on the beach front. This end of the beach compared with Surfers Paradise has few people walking along or swimming. We then drove to the Ready Road shopping complex and Liqourland and stocked up with grog for the rest of the trip on the way home. We then stopped at the bakery and purchased a couple of Big Dad's pies for lunch for it was nearly 2pm. On our travells we noted that diesel was around the $1.20 a litre mark and the unleaded price was around $1.35.9 cents a litre. Haven't Queenslanders suffered since the state government dropped the fuel subsidy to the fuel companies the radio is suggesting that they have put the price of fuel up more than the previous subsidy price. Liz and Helen were not home when we arrived as they had gone shopping and arrived after 4pm all shopped out, well its happy hour again and tonight we will watch the footie before retiring to bed in the house and hopefully sleep a little better than last night. Another full on day and the weather is a treat, though the evenings are a little cooler.

Beautiful day at Burleigh Heads Beach	Hopping on train to Southbank

Saturday the 15th Another lovely morning though there had been a heavy dew overnight, showered, cleaned up and then we drove down to Burleigh Heads to take in the sights. We couldn't get a car parking spot so we drove around stopping now and again to take a photo. The amount of cars on the road and parked is enormous, you have to be aggressive in your driving to keep up or it will become very frustrating waiting either to get into the traffic or to turn where you want. Definitely different to the outback. There were plenty of swimmers and surfers in the water for it was twenty four degrees with no breeze and in the background you could see the high rise buildings at Mermaid Beach also at Surfers Paradise. After we had taken in the sights it was off to the supermarket for a last few items to help us on our travels and due to the cheapness of the product versus the outback and inland where we will be heading next. Then it was back to the Motorhome for lunch then settled in to watch the Richmond V Collingwood game and of course the magpies thrashed the Tigers it really wasn't a contest.

Brisbane Lions V Western Bulldogs at the Gabba	Football game underway at the Gabba

Then it was time to cut a few rolls for our evening meal which we will have at the "Gabba" for Dad and I are off to watch the Brisbane Lions V Western Bulldogs football game in Brisbane. First we had to drive to Robina to catch the train into Southbank and then hop on a bus to take us to the Gabba football ground. It did not take long on the bus for they have built tunnels under the river and the city for bus's only therefore in no time at all we were pulling up outside the football ground. All you could see was a sea of people as they made their way into the grounds. Now the interesting thing is that the train from Robina to Brisbane is free if you are going to the football and likewise the bus trip to the football is the free also, Dad indicated that the Brisbane Lions football club pays for the fares and once at the ground the Membership of the club allows you to attend all home games for free also. Needless to say I used Helens membership card for entry. We had to climb up plenty of stairs and boy what a sight to see thirty three thousand plus people in the stadium cheering and waving their flags for their respective teams and you could see all aspects of the game being played. Very different to watching it on the television, now one aspect of the game is now clear to me and that is when a team kicks a goal an advertisement comes on the television and straight after that advertisement the ball is bounced again in the centre. How do the umpires now when to bounce the ball? easy mate! a white light flashes in the stands then the umpire bounces the ball for a restart of the game. There were times when the game was held up awaiting the white light and the bounce of the ball to take place. Now the game, the Bulldogs ran away in the first quarter though the Lions came within 12 points in the last quarter before losing by eighteen points. It was great to watch and I had a radio listening to the game play description before I turned it off in the last half and watched the game. It was interesting to watch all the young budding footballers kicking the ball is the auswide football competition at half time there were seven different games being played in the arena with footballers of all ages up to about twelve years of age. Game over and the rush to exit the ground given there is no parking for cars there were lines of bus's as far as you could see and each bus was filling in about two minutes and then away. We went to the Roma Street railway station on this occasion and had only to wait five minutes for our train. It took about forty five minutes to get to Robina. Then in the car and another fifteen minutes and we arrived home at midnight. A long day though worth every minute of it, the experience was great.

Sunday the 16th Needless to say we didn't get out of bed to early this morning, had breakfast and then pulled out the chainsaw and cut a few trees down that Dad wanted removed and after cleaning up and having a shower we drove over to see my sister Julie and husband Norm at Currumbin Waters. It was good to see them both for it has been about five years since our last visit. We chewed the fat for quite awhile catching up on all the gossip and then bid them farewell and home for lunch. After lunch we prepared the Motorhome and the Suzuki for travel for we are on the road in the morning headed south and home. Jupiter's Casino is where we had our evening meal and where with dismay I saw my beloved St Kilda defeated by Essendon football club. There is no doubt that casino's bring all types together and to see the amount of money won and lost on the tables is amazing. If you are looking for smiles and laughter the casino is not the place to be for it appears everyone is serious in their quest to win. Liz and I both joined the rewards club and that entitled us to buy a six dollar evening meal and it was great. Liz wandered off to try her luck on the poker machines, of course to no avail and I just wandered around watching people play on the many tables that were there, I would suggest I saw more losing than winning. The wonderful thing in not being a gambler is that your money stays in your wallet not risked on some game of chance Then we drove home and watched the movie Die Hard 4 and then retired for the night given that it had been another full on day and our last night in Queensland.

Heading south from Coolangatta	Entering highway tunnels	Big Prawn Ballina

Monday the 17th Showered had breakfast hooked up the Suzuki said our farewells to Dad & Helen and we were on the road heading south and home, we have some two weeks so we need to ensure that we do not arrive to early down south. With all the new highways we no longer have to go through Coolangatta, it is bypassed and whether it makes the trip to the border or not we do not know. It seemed that in no time at all we had left Queensland and entered New South Wales. The road was good and being twin lanes we were not holding any vehicles up at all though we were climbing all the time. We were to enter several tunnels along the way and we were to note the animal crossing bridges in many areas where they indicated Koala's habitat. At varying stages along the way we were to see hectare after hectare of sugar cane and in the distance you could see the sugar mill in full swing. Then we were in Macadamia country and the Byron Bay bypass and then it was the big slog in second gear up the hill though at the top there were tremendous views of the hinterland and back to the sea and going so slow it gave you the time to take in all the views. We then reached Ballina and were to see the Big Prawn that has been in the news lately and then turned off onto the Buxner Highway heading towards Casino. The road to Lismore was reasonable then on the way to Casino it was to get steep in places and the decent down the other side was the same. We arrived in Casino at midday and fueled up with diesel at $1.17.9 a litre given that back further they wanted $1.30.9 a litre. We then parked up and went down to KFC and had chicken for lunch for a change and it was great though a little dearer than the old hamburger, then up to BI-LO and bought some rolls for lunch tomorrow and and we were on our way to our next rest area. The wind had risen dramatically and the sky had the look of rain given that it was humid, we were climbing again and the going was tough with a lot of second gear work and finally when we arrived due to trees it meant that the solar panels would not be producing much power and the cloud and trees nullified the use of the Satellite dish so tonight we read or watch movies and of course happy hour arrived so we decided to have a few to remain happy. We had two fellow Tasmanians come in to use the facilities and we had a good chat before they were on there way. Kilometers travelled 230 Tuesday the 18th A noisy night beside the highway and the morning was cold, it is easy to see that we are travelling south. There was a Motorhome come in last night around 8pm and this morning we discovered they had Tasmanian number plates and the build was Freedom 3O we were outside for more than thirty minutes and when it was time to leave at 9am we still had not seen them. So we started up and hit the road and if I thought the hills were high and steep yesterday; I was to receive as shock for they were higher and tougher to climb. On many occasions we were back in second gear just loping up the hills and where ever possible we were to get off the highway to allow other traffic including trucks to pass. It was only 80 kilometers to Tenterfield which I thought we would cover in a bit over an hour how mistaken was I given the size of the hills we didn't arrive until 11:30am. We walked the main street of Tenterfield and as we had been here a couple of times not much had changed, with the exception of a BI-LO store and Crazy Clark's and a few more or renovated coffee lounges and cafes. We bought some fresh rolls for lunch and headed out to a rest area some twenty kilometers out on the New England Highway for lunch. Those dreaded hills were to hold us back again and being on this highway we were to encounter more trucks on their way south to where ever. We finally pulled into the Bluff Rocks rest area and had our lunch and a look around and read the information board. The spiel indicates that there were a tribe of Aborigines in the area when the farm was set up. The Aborigines apparently stole sheep and killed a few white people so a hunt for them was called and they were herded up to the top of Bluff Rock and then thrown off the top. Few survived and to this day one hundred and fifty years later there have been no aborigines in this area. I wonder why. I spoke to a bloke who was camped in one of the shelter sheds and found that he is cycling around Australia towing a small trailer, what a job he has in front of him no wonder he has camped up since yesterday to rest and recuperate.

Bluff Rock Rest Area	Bluff Rock information board	Bluff Rock across from rest area

Again we were climbing and if it could become worse it certainly did, second gear for kilometer after kilometer, though I have to say that the scenery was excellent with the wattle trees in blossom along the way and then we came across the sign indicating that we were crossing the Great Dividing Range. Now this is the second or third time we have crossed the range so it certainly covers some ground north to south.

Climbing up beside the wattle	Wrecked B-Double road transporter

As we came down off the range we came across many small villages who had signs indicating that they were historical and for what they never really told us, so once again we were in farm land even it was undulating ground and hilly indeed. We were come across a B-Double road transporter wrecked in a paddock and the S.E. S. and Police and Road Transport Authorities were at the scene and they were unloading the cargo that wasn't damaged onto other trucks on the highway. The strange thing is that we couldn't see where he left the road to end up in the paddock in the manner that he did. It was 2:15 when we came across Heritage Park just some 9 kilometers outside of Glen Innis so we have now set up for the evening and of course the satellite dish is up and going. At the moment there are no other campers here so I suppose they will come in again on dark after travelling all day. Well its happy hour so I am off! Kilometers travelled 175

Frost and Fog	Suzuki frosted up	Uralla monument

Wednesday the 19th Frost and fog greeted us this morning including the cold of course, the temperature in the Motorhome was 3 degrees and it warmed up when we turned the gas stove on to cook our breakfast boil the kettle. When I went outside I was greeted with fog and frost on the ground and needless to say that the Suzuki was frosted up as well, to think that two days ago we were in 26 degrees during the day and 10 degrees overnight. On the road again and as we were only 10 kilometers out of Glen Innis thus it didn't take long to arrive, first to refuel and what a shock between Casino and Glen Innis we only managed 14 mile to the gallon the poorest we ever had since owning the Motorhome. Again as we have seen Glen Innis previously we pushed on to our next rest area. The hills became more manageable and the sun was out and the fog had lifted, our first stop was at Uralla for a pit stop and to look at the many monuments explaining the theory of the Southern Cross. Then back on the road before we knew it we arrived at that terrible Moonbi Pass where the decline is so steep that there are many off ramps designed to trap any run away car or truck. We noted at the top there were several cars at the top with their bonnets raised so we can only assume that they overheated coming up the pass. Well needless to say we came down in second gear and the exhaust brakes were working overtime to slow us down the decline is so steep. Once we were on the bottom of the pass the road became easier and there was less gear work involved. We arrived at Tamworth and went into the rest area on the northern side of the town and had our lunch and it was good to have a rest, wouldn't it be great to have power steering. We filled with water and fuel and found that with easier going meant that we were achieved 19 mile to the gallon from Glen Innis to Tamworth and then we were on our way to our next overnight stop some sixty kilometers down the road. We went through the small town of Guyra where they boast they have the highest Caravan Park in Australia, an nice town tied to farming etc. We were to see cotton on the side of the road so we assume that they grow cotton in the area, we were to see many sheep and cattle along the way. We arrived at 2:30pm and just relaxed without setting up and then we noted a car drive over to us and it was Gary and Mavis ex Island Wanderers and we chewed the fat for awhile and then they indicated that they stayed on the river Gunadah and drew a map for us, they indicated that it is a spot that is not known to many people last year there were only three people there. As we are only 10 kilometers away from Gunadah we decided to push on for the spot we were at was very noisy with traffic. We finally found the spot and set up and found there were 23 Motorhome's and Caravans in total and then another 6 came in after dark, well we both had a laugh about the unknown camping spot. The bonus is that there are hot showers in the toilet block and rather than use our own we spent a pleasant time soaking up the water that more than hot. Happy hour arrived and we sat out in the dying sun of the day enjoying our surroundings and then two camper trailers arrived and set up close to us, poor buggers I hope that a frost does not occur tonight for their canvass will possibly be very cold not to mention the fact that they may have to fold up the gear wet in the morning unless they are staying for a few days. We didn't bother setting up the satellite dish tonight for the there is local television to watch. We will place blankets on the doona tonight and the shorts have been packed away and have been replaced by trakkies. Kilometers travelled 319

Ag-Quip crowd at 8:30am	Ag-Quip crowd at 10am	Robotic Lawn Mower

Thursday the 20th Packed to leave this morning after our breakfast and shower and then started talking to a bloke who camped near us last night, he was to inform us that the annual Ag-Quip show was on in Gunadah and today is its last day. Ag-Quip goes for only three days and is something like our Ag-Fest only on a larger scale. We unhooked the Suzuki and drove to the event at around 8:30am and were quickly parked up. What a bonus no entry fee and we started in row one which extended some 1000 metre's and there were 11 rows all up. There were stalls or exhibits on both sides of each row. There were all types of machinery and there was stall after stall of goods for sale, we had been looking for a folding rake for camping for some months to no avail and at last at one stall we found them for $20 each somehow I thought that they should be cheaper and later on I found the same product for $10 so we purchased one. Ha!Ha! we later saw them for sale for $8 however them's the breaks. When we first arrived there were only about two thousand people and by 10am there were at least five of six times that and the crowd just increased as the day grew longer. One of the strange exhibits was the Robotic Lawn Mower that stayed within the designated area and cut the grass no problem at all, there were all sizes from small to the large robotic mowers. The sale of goods was enormous and at one stage you would of thought that it was only for blokes. They even had a goods delivery service to your vehicle in the car park which was getting plenty of use. Tractors and equipment were so large for we are in wheat growing country and it stretched for hectare after hectare along with huge trucks, trailers and small earth moving equipment. You name it and it was there including bikes and oil companies and motorcar, motorhome and caravan exhibits; of course they were all for sale. Of course every where you looked there were food stalls along with displays of cattle which was close to the steak selling stalls indicating that the steak was from that type of cattle. We opted for the Devon royal regus cattle steaks and they were great, a large fillet steak along with the standard fried onions and condiments plus free coffee or tea for $7. By 3pm we had enough for the cloud cover had disappeared with the sun making things very warm and we had not thought of bringing hats. What a wonderful show and there must have been tens of thousands in attendance for it was not easy to walk around in the afternoon due to crowds. We headed for the car and then drove into the town centre and purchased bread and that is all and then drove around the town of Gunadah taking in the sights and it certainly is a nice little town with plenty to do and see. Back at camp and the first thing was to boil the billy and then happy hour arrived which was somewhat delayed for Fred the Pom had arrived and made a bee line for us and at one stage given that he was a local we thought he wouldn't leave. Then we had our usual happy hour at 5:15 and then our next visitor was a lady who indicated that she was the wife of the bloke that told us this morning about Ag-Quip. My golly goodness, nice lady though as we drunk our alcohol all she could talk about was the church and her seven children, when I asked was she a catholic she stated she was a Baptist. It was dark when she departed and we went inside to find it was 6:15pm then Liz prepared our evening meal and we sat and watched the Marngrook Football Show and then off to bed, neither of us will need any rocking, so to speak, to go to sleep tonight.

Peak Hill early morning	Canola as far as eye can see	Canola by Newell Highway

Saturday the 22nd There was the pitter patter of rain on the roof of the Motorhome last night, it had a soothing effect, what a change to what we had become used to in previous months. Luckily we had parked up on hard pan so this morning after the usual's we had no problem getting out onto the highway. There were semi trailers galore going both ways on the Newell Highway and luckily we did not seem to hold any up heading south to Melbourne, the morning was overcast as we headed down to Parkes with just a slight breeze. We had decided to head inland to Condobolin an area we both like after several visits there in past years. We went through many small towns along the way down the highway, Peak Hill was a classic example, small town that services the vast farming community that exists in the area. Wheat, Canola and other grains were everywhere to be seen and given the overcast day the Canola paddocks looked resplendent in the early morning overcast weather with the sun breaking through occasionally. We were to see the large telescope at Parkes which is some nine kilometers away from the town on the northern side, again as we have visited on two previous occasions we opted to move on.We refueled at $1.28.9 per litre and then turned off the Newell Highway heading for Condobolin.

Dry Gum Bend Lake	No diving or swimming?	Facilities Gum Bend Lake

There was a slight breeze and for the next hundred kilometers the going was easy and again we were to pass many small villages in the wheat farming belt. Each small town had Wheat silo's and the railway line was to pass through no doubt to carry the crop to market and finally for export. In no time at all we were to drive through the township of Condobolin and out to Gum Bend Lake. Again this year they have not pumped water into the man made lake due to the low level of water in the nearby river, it is unusual to see the signs indicating that there is no diving or swimming allowed. Given the dryness of the lake it is a bit of a joke, though well intentioned. The last occasion we were here we were the only people here. On this occasion there were plenty camped up and two were hooked into power at the toilets, we both think this is a bit rude and could bring about the closure of the area due to abuse of the hospitality of the the town. It is a nice area the facilities are clean and the bonus is that there are hot showers available and no doubt we will avail ourselves of these. Set up the satellite dish and will watch the football over the weekend before departing on Monday. Kilometers travelled 225

Breakfast at Gum Bend Lake	Lunch at Condobolin R.S.L.

Sunday the 23rd A warm windy night and we were to be woken by the sound of a train going by at the end of the park around 5am, this is a sound that we have not heard for quite some time. Showered in the good facilities at the lake and then used the barbecue area to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. Liz was to do a bit of washing and then we did a few minor repairs like tightening screws in the stove area and then we decided to go into Condobolin and purchase the sunday paper and then go and have the roast lunch at the R.S.L. We find that the people of these outback towns are very friendly and go out of their way to welcome you and give you any advice you may need, we were to be told about the dog show and stalls that was being held in Condo today and we decided that it was more important after lunch to go back to the Motorhome and listen and then watch the A.F.L. football. That is what we did and just relaxed after having a very nice roast pork lunch complete with apple strudel for desert and washed down with wine and beer. The weather was overcast and a warm 25 degrees outside and when we opened the Motorhome it was 30 degrees so we immediately opened the windows to allow the cook breeze in. We had an easy evening meal just a cup of noodles was required given all the food we eaten today watched a bit of television and off to bed to read our books.

Monday the 24th We had rain and wind during the night that made it a bit uncomfortable, though generally speaking we slept reasonably well. It was our intention to stay another day though given that the morning was overcast with a forecast of more rain we needed to rethink our plans. On checking the house batteries with my hydrometer I was to discover that one battery had a cell in the red whilst all others were half charged. I could expect the cells to half charged it was a shock to discover the bad cell, I would have expected the batteries life to last longer than it has. There was a need to get on to power or run the generator for five or six hours, bearing this in mind we decided to move on and find a suitable place. The weather forecast is for high winds and rain and as we went towards West Wyalong we luckily had the wind on our side. The going was flat and the paddocks either side of the road were sown with wheat, canola and another grain that we have yet to identify. We were to stop at West Wyalong to purchase the paper and fill with fuel again at $1.33.9 per litre and then on our way to rejoin the Newell Highway. As to be expected the traffic increased especially with B-Doubles and Semi's and again there were grain paddocks for as far as you can see. Liz had been looking in the camping book and looking at the travel book on past occasions and suggested that we go off the highway and stay at the Ariah Park camp grounds. This is what we chose to do and down to the Post Office to pick up a key for $5 per night which gave you power, showers and use of the washing machine or if you wanted use of the toilets and no other facility you could stay for free. We chose the first and set up and connected the C-Tek charger onto the house batteries, we like the area so much that we have opted to stay another night and Liz can then wash the heavy items and it will also give us a chance to look around the area. The television reception is not crash hot so we set up the satellite dish. Come happy hour we went down to the fire and found that there were two other Tasmanian couples here from Ulverstone and Carrick so we were able to have a good chin wag and compare notes of our travels, needless to say that the happy hour went longer than normally. Being on power as the cold night air came down we bought the electric heater out and were very warm indeed. What a wonderful area a woman came around and asked us was everything alright and was the hot water ok in the showers. We were to watch tellie for awhile and then off to bed to read our books. Kilometers travelled 188

Main street Ariah Park	Old federation buildings	Petrol bowser's from the past

Tuesday the 25th The evening was very blustery and during the early hours of the morning the Motorhome rocked a couple of times with the wind being of gale force proportions, I noted that come daylight that the pop top caravan had lowered its pop top. Our decision not to move on this morning was right for there are predictions on wild weather conditions in Victoria and coming over the border to our area. We are lucky in that we chose a site near the hedge of small trees and this helped to deflect the wind and rain. We had our shower and then Liz used the washing machine and it shouldn't take long to dry to dry the linen and clothes, we chewed the fat with a few of the neighbors and only two vans had moved on this morning. We then went into the township of Ariah Park and it was like walking back into the past. The township has chosen the epithet of "Wowsers, Bowser's and Peppercorn Trees" and the trees not only line the streets before the commercial centre also the centre strip. As usual we wanted to step back and look at the community and found that the people were very friendly and they knew who were were and all they had to ask is where we came from. The main street is full of old federation shops built in the 1920's and if they are vacant, as many are, they place displays of products and photo's of their past. They boast that the area is a diverse rural community and state that the area produces cereals, oilseeds, wool, beef, fat lambs, stud stock and pigs. They boast that "Babe" the pig was born and raised in this area before making its name in the movies. The street has many old fuel pumps of the type that you had to pump up and then release when you achieved the right amount of fuel. They state in the tourist blurb that in 1926 the area took a special place in history being the first anywhere in rural Australia a shipment of wheat was loaded in bulk for rail transport to the seaboard, so there you go! they also have a railway carriage on display to use their words "To the community's role as the Birthplace of bulk grain grain haulage in Australia" We spent some time in the Op shop and chewed the fat with the locals and Liz made a few purchases before we moved on up the street to purchase something for lunch. What can I say we ordered fish and chips for lunch and fair dinkum on piece of fish was big enough for two people and the amount of chips we were amazed for there was enough left to have with our evening meal and then will be left I bet. It was all very nice and freshly cooked in front of us what a lunch. We returned and I have put the charger on the batteries again though it appears that nothing is improving. Read the newspaper and then had a snooze before we went visiting for happy hour. Given the weather forecast and batteries we have booked for another night and will depart on thursday morning. We were to have another tassie pair come in in their A-Liner and set up near the Ulverstone couple for they were friends and we were introduced and spent a bit of time speaking about the weather that Tasmania was getting at the moment. Though a fire was lit it was to windy and cold to sit by come the darkness of the evening thus we went into the warmth of the heater in the Motorhome.

Welcome to Temora	Main street Temora	Yea olde corner store Temora

Wednesday the 26th A few wild wind gust during the evening and again a sunny morning though it clouded over during the day, the weather forecast for late this afternoon is for gale force winds hopefully abating tomorrow before we set off. After breakfast we went for a walk around the back streets of Ariah Park and noted there were houses for sale and given that they were old though with a fair bit of ground they were between $70,000 and a $100,000 most would need renovation. the houses are from the federation period and depict the town in its heyday. We then jumped in the Suzuki and drove over to have a look around Temora whose claim to fame is the same as towns in the shire and that is stock and grain growing with the necessary support industry's. On the way we were again to see fields of yellow (Canola) and green (wheat and grains) for as far as the eye could see with quite a few gum trees interspersed. It was really a tremendous sight though the locals are worried if the spring rains do not arrive they will lose the substantial crops in the area thus an economic blow to the communities that rely so heavily on the industry. We finally arrived at the township of temora and as usual it has a single shopping strip in the main street with a few corner stores that are very well presented in their federation colours and build. We were to wonder how they survived given that all the major supermarkets are here including IGA. We strolled around for awhile purchased some rolls for our late lunch and headed back to camp. Along the way we were to see plenty of grain silo's and grain on the ground in huge heaps covered with tarpaulins, we saw no major bird life which is strange for the Corella's and Galahs would normally eat through the tarps to get at the grain; maybe they have an eradication policy or use other means to move them on. We arrive back at camp and found a few had moved on and there is plenty of space here now between our neighbors, Oh! well happy hour once again so we went visiting for a couple of hours and back for our evening meal and then we watched television before heading for the shower so as we can get a reasonably early start in the morning.

Green and Yellow paddocks	Main Street Jerilderie	Koala sleeping at Finley Beach

Thursday the 27th A white frost covered the park and the vehicles thought the sun quickly dispersed it, we did our final packing after breakfast said our farewells to those that were out of bed and Liz returned the key to the power box to the Post Office. We have to say that we have enjoyed the hospitality of Ariah Park and the fellow campers at the football ground and again we have placed this area high on the list of most enjoyable camping experience. We were on our way heading for the Newell Highway and the increase in traffic especially truck. Luckily there more trucks heading north than south and with a sunny day with little, if no wind the going was easy especially given that the hilly country had disappeared. We passed through Grong Grong and happened to be pulled over when two wide load trucks and trailers came through with the necessary escorts. Along the way we were to see vast fields of wheat and canola and it really looked great with the green and yellow and the blue sky in the background, we were to see many water channels with no water in them at all, so the crops are relying on the rain and given the dryness of some areas they had not received much at all. We arrived at Jerilderie and went to pull into a service station advertising discount diesel at $1.30.9 per litre and at the last moment I pulled back onto the highway and then about a kilometer down the highway there was a Shell station with diesel at $1.28.9 per litre and so we filled up the auxiliary tank there and then back on the road heading for Tocumwal. There were a few more trucks heading south and luckily we were in a position on the road that made it easy for them to pass us and then we came into Finley where the water channels were full of water and they were growing wheat and canola. These are the areas that would normally grow rice so there must be a shortage of water for farming and coming into the town they had signs indicating that water restrictions were at 3.5 exactly what this meant we are not sure. Finally we arrived at Tocumwal parked up on the highway and then unhooked the Suzuki and then drove into the post office to pick up the mail and buy a few tomatoes for a late lunch and the newspaper of course. What a beauty the paper finally talks about AFL football and the pages of football whereas the NSW papers were only catering for rugby with usually a half page of football. We checked out town beach and nothing had changed so we then went back and picked up the motorhome and headed for Finley Beach on the Victorian side of the Murray River which is our favourite area. We are the only happy camper's here and we love it by our beloved Murray River and needless to say the river is very shallow with not much movement in the water as it heads for South Australia. After setting up we went looking for our old friends the Koala's, we were to find only one sleeping peacefully in the Murray Gums so we did not disturb it. Before we knew it happy hour arrived and we sat by the fire that I lit sometime earlier and we were to watch the antics of the wood ducks and noticed that mother and father wood duck had nine ducklings that they defended if any others came near them and at one stage they gave a magpie short shift. We sat outside until darkness came along with the cooler air and after cooking our evening meal on the fire we then went inside to enjoy it. Even though we set up the satellite dish to watch the Marngrook football show tonight we also used the digital set top box and tuned that in as well so we have a wide choice of programs. As we are going to Shepparton tomorrow to do some banking business and check the price of new house batteries. Liz packed us a cut lunch which we will enjoy after we do a little retail therapy. We settled in to watch also the melbourne footy show and then it was off to bed after another excellent day. Kilometers travelled 283

Our Koala mate	Wood Ducks and offspring

Friday the 28th Another cool night though the sun was shining bright when we arose this morning, after breakfast and a shower we cleaned up and headed out to Shepparton some 70 kilometers away in the Suzuki. There wasn't much traffic and the trucks like caterpillars were heading north with their loads of whatever. At the intersection of the Murray Valley Highway we pulled into fuel up and as the price was $1.25.9 a litre for unleaded fuel, we only filled with $30 worth which included fuel for the generator. We have leant enough by now to not accept the first price we see. Sure enough we were to find unleaded fuel for $1.15.9 a litre for unleaded and the same price for diesel so on monday we will fill at this service station as we head towards Kinglake. As we approached Shepparton the traffic was heavier and there was plenty on blossom on the fruit trees which reminded us that spring is nearly here. We parked and went into the bank and fixed our affairs and then drove away from the pesky parking meters and parked and then started our retail therapy. We came across the flashest op shop we have even seen and once inside you would have thought that you were in a normal clothing store, the signage boasted 5000 new (second hand) items each day and the store was certainly full of happy shoppers. Liz was to remark that you could, if you wished, dress yourself very cheaply here. Interesting enough we never made a purchase then onto Dimmy's and made purchases and then onto GO LO and made a few more. We then headed for the park lands and parked up and were to watch the young fella's display their skills on the skate board park whilst we had our lunch in the sunny warm weather. After lunch we went into the cut price chemist for prescription refills and then onto the Liquor supermarket that boasts the cheapest liquor and if found cheaper elsewhere they will match the price. They had Boags draught stubbies two cartons for $70 of course we made no purchases. Then onto Aldi's where we bought a few items and a carton of wine very cheap and Australian too, strange given that most food is sourced overseas with the exception of meat and fruit and vegetables. There were heaps of people there and you have to bring your own carry bags and pack your purchases yourself there is no customer service at the till. It was late afternoon when we headed back to camp. The trip back was without mishap given the crazy way some people were driving and when we arrived at camp we unloaded and then I went walkabout looking for the Koala's and unfortunately there was only still one that had come a little closer to the ground, the Ducks were still around and I was lucky enough to get closer today to take a photo of the ducklings with their parents. We were late having happy hour so we went down to the waters edge and watched the Murray go by and we were surprised at the speed in which it was running, there were boats on the river no doubt chasing the elusive Murray Cod. We did not light the fire tonight even though it was dark at 6:30pm when we went inside to cook the fish that we had bought today for our evening meal. We of course will watch the football tonight either on the digital set top box or the satellite dish which ever is best. Then after the footie we went off to bed a little tired and with the knowledge that they have predicted rain for the next couple of days.

Murray Cod, Tocumwal	Lake Mulwala, Yarrawonga

Saturday the 29th Heavy rain during the early morning and continued on and off for most to of the day, rather than sit around the motorhome we pulled out the awning to catch water and then hopped in the Suzuki and headed into Tocumwal to purchase a paper and then visit the op shop where we made a couple of purchases. We then took a couple of photo's of the famous Murray Cod the emblem of Toc, then back to camp for lunch. The area has become quite busy whereas we had the whole area to ourselves there are now another five happy campers come in and set up. Close to us? that's for sure, maybe they like the sound of my generator. After lunch we decided to go for a drive into Yarrawonga via Cobram, both these towns are in Victoria. We first had to dig channels around the Motorhome to drain the water away the rain, thunder and lightening was so heavy. When we left the weather had abated a little though it was still overcast, we first drove along the Goulbourn Highway and were to note the many hectares of stone fruit orchids all with a pink bloom on their branches. There was a smattering of vine yards and then we turned off the highway into Cobram. There were not many business' open for they generally only trade for five and half days a week, after a look around we headed into Yarrawonga and the same applied with the exception of the supermarkets and service stations plus el cheapo stores, the town was very quiet. We were to drive down to the Mulwala lake which in effect is a back up of the Murray River waters. As it was cold and windy we did not hop out of the car due to the conditions. We decided to drive over the bridge into N.S.W. and into Mulwala. We took a couple of photo's and drove back to Tocumwal through the farming country on the N.S.W. side of the border, of course the green and yellow paddocks were to be seen as far as the eye could see and the highway had the canola and wheat and other grains on either side. The round trip was around 115 kilometers so it had been a pleasant drive. Once back at camp the football was in full swing so started the generator and watched the Hawthorn V Essendon match for the rest of the afternoon. Essendon won. Of course that will be the case this evening settle in and watch the football and off to bed.

Koala near our camp	Final camp on the "Murray"

Sunday the 30th Rain and more rain, though when we climbed out of bed and looked outside the sun was shining brightly and not a cloud in the sky. By mid afternoon the wind had risen and the sky was clouded over with the temperature a low 14 degrees. We had our brekkie and headed out to buy the newspaper to catch up with all football results etc. We then drove to the western side of the bridge and was surprised at the amount of free camping spots on the NSW side, we came across a bloke whose camp on the river included a vegetable garden. He informed us that he been in this camp spot for the past eleven years and before that seventeen years on the Victorian side at Finley Beach. He indicated that he had no problems from Parks & Wildlife, we had a good old natter and we raised with him the great amount of caravans parked in a nearby paddock. He informed us that they belonged to the people who camp on the Murray every year and they pay a minimal amount to park there. There must have been well over a hundred caravans parked up in lines. We then went over to the western side in Victoria and found another bloke that has his caravan for that long I doubt if it could be towed away. Back to camp for lunch and then we noticed that the baby Koala was in the river gum tree close to our camp and where we have our clothes line attached, took a few photo's which was hard into a dull sky and then passed on the info to other campers and most of them came down to take photo's. As we are leaving in the morning we had our showers and then started packing up our camp and then went inside to watch the St Kilda V Melbourne football match, as we are having lamb silverside for our evening meal Liz started cooking and then it was time for our last happy hour in our Murray River camp; . whilst watching the football of course. Dismantled the satellite dish and will watch the digital set top box this evening for it is to cold to be outside.

Farewell to our camp mate.	Devastation of forests at Kinglake

Monday the 31st Stormy weather during the night with plenty of rain, no doubt it would be doing the various crops in the district the world of good, for the first time we were awakened this morning with that terrible screech of the dreaded Corella's. Two groups of happy campers had left early, we had our breakfast and thankfully we had completed our final packing yesterday which left the washing of the breakfast dishes and then we said our farewell to the two Koala's and especially the one that had made the tree next to our camp as its abode. Drove out near the highway and hooked up the Suzuki entering the final destination into the GPS and we were underway. We were striking plenty of traffic no doubt heading into Shepparton for work purposes and a few large trucks where we were able to get off the road and let them past. For some reason the GPS wanted to take us through Shepparton instead of using the bypass, we took the bypass knowing it was there and in no time at all we were taking on diesel at $1.15.9 a litre. Back on the road and it was raining steadily and it was something we were not used to. We left the Murray-Goulburn Highway and headed down to Bradford on our way to Kinglake. From here on the GPS appeared to have us running around in circles and at times it indicated that there was no road at all, when we consulted the maps of the area later we were to find that we had covered 80 kilometers more than was required and at one stage it had us travelling down a mountain where the road decline was so bad that we were in second gear and on the exhaust brakes. It was much worse that coming down the sideling near Scottsdale. It wasn't long and we were seeing large scale civil construction work which we thought was a new highway, it turned out to be large water pipes taking water into Melbourne. Even though there are large scale construction works being carried out there are many signs calling a halt to the pipeline project. We stopped for lunch at the Roadhouse where we topped up the diesel tank at $1.19.9 per litre and bought chips to have in our bread rolls for lunch. After lunch we moved on; after about 10 kilometers we started to notice that we were entering the area that was devastated by fire recently, as we travelled up the hill towards Kinglake the gum trees were starting to recover with the trees shooting new growth at various points of their trunk though there was no growth on the forest floor. We were starting to notice plenty of building occurring and areas where it was obvious that the residences had been partially or fully destroyed. Now the GPS was to take us to a final destination where the house at that address had been destroyed. This made it difficult for we were trying to find the residence of Bob and Chrissie and unbeknown to us we had passed it and apparently given that the community has a strong bond after the fires they were were rung by several people indicating there was motorhome that appeared lost and could be trying to find them. Finally we had Chrissie come to us in their car and escort us into there home. The next few hours was spent catching up with what had been happening in their life since we saw them last and the trauma they had experienced. Chrissie had cooked and excellent meal for us and around 10 pm we went off to bed very tired though very happy with the day. Kilometers travelled 307

September 2009

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