Fellow Travellers Travelling

24/06/2024

We're in Giru, bit of a longer drive today than we planned but we're here now for a few days. Right beside a sugar mill in the crushing season 🤣 but we stayed here last year and loved this camp.

We drove up to Rocky from Miles and HIGHLY recommend the freecamp (donation) at Wandoan, beautiful hot showers and hardly anyone there. Lovely vibe!

The following night was at Dululu and I HIGHLY recommend you give this a miss. Possibly my feelings about Dululu are partly informed by the fact that I fell over on some loose gravel (you'll notice I didn't say 'had a fall' I've realised young people fall over and old people 'had a fall' so I'm obviously not old yet 🤣🤣🤣), the prickles are EXTREMELY prevalent and big enough to pierce thongs and it was party central in Dululu on Saturday night. To be honest, the prickles are why I wouldn't go back.... We've never seen anything like it!

So, last night we were going to stay at Flaggy Rock cafe on the highway but we turned into the street before we needed too and stumbled upon the Flaggy Rock Community Centre complete with heated swimming pool and very hot showers, lots of green grass and were encouraged to fill our tank with their rainwater.
And I just love the name Flaggy Rock... It reminds me of Di**le Dell (but that's another story 😜)

Several photos of looonnnggg straight roads because I know how interesting you will all find them. 🤣🤣🤣

And lastly, my father grew up in Giru, so this place has special meaning ❤️❤️❤️

24/06/2024

Not far from where it all started for me ❤️

21/06/2024

Sunsets are the go!!! And the photos don't do them justice.

In Wandoan tonight

And just to bring you up to speed on the latest conspiracy theory we've heard... The brilliant red in the sunsets is because of all the chemicals in the sky these days... 😳🤣😳🤣

20/06/2024

Gorgeous sunset on our last day in Mitchell

17/06/2024

Oops... I think we'll be in bed for a while longer

15/06/2024

Could be here a while, in the interest of safety we will not leave a fire unattended and as it gets colder we have to put more wood on the fire, problem

15/06/2024

2 of our favourite things to do ... Hot pools and camping fires ❤️

12/06/2024

More…....
Spent a night at Wallumbilla right beside the highway and anyone who has travelled out this way knows that that means road trains and it still surprises me just how many there are.

The names of the day are Thistledoo and Lake Neverfill.
Don’t know where the name of the lake came from, it is close to Roma and if you want to kayak or paddle board etc you can just wander in and have a go. If you have a power boat there is a membership fee to access a key to get through the gate. You also have to be licensed and insured. You also have right of way over non-powered craft. Thinking about the lake and boats puts me into a nautical frame of mind and things like knots and fathoms take their place in my head.

Talking of Roma the biggest cattle Saleyards in the country are in Roma with varying figures quoted upto 400,000 head a year of cattle through the yards. If you are looking for the saleyards the address is 44,589 Warrego highway. Wonder if the postie starts at 1.

And on to Mitchell.
I know a sentence ought not begin with a conjunction.
Bye from us.

(Wind farm at Dulacca)

11/06/2024

Random funny post on the newsfeed 🤣

Cats be clowning on us 🤣

11/06/2024

Hello again, we have left Tara behind as we move further west. Really good facility in park like surrounds, around thirty sites with very few time restrictions, several people were there on long term and when I asked the caretaker how long we could stay he said he could book us in for six months if we wanted.
We have been to Helenback which is just down the road from Elsewhere and a few kilometres from Fairy Meadows which is close to Humbug. Just a few names of properties and roads on the way.
Prices, Dalby we got 2 medium coffees and a jam and cream scone for $9.50, Tara we got 2 medium coffees and a cake for $19.00. When we get cake etc. we share so it’s only one sweet thingy.
Petrol, Dalby, $1.71 per litre.
That’s it for now, be back soon.
Edited: by the other traveller to add the photo and say this is what a panorama looks like when taken while driving and the road is bumpy LOL... Was trying to capture the BIG sky out here

09/06/2024

Peaceful, quiet, relaxing day today.
Cherie is using basket weaving skills learnt at a workshop not long ago (thanks Lyn ) before she forgets how. Those were her words not mine.
One picture is at the work table and the other is a coaster that resulted from the work

07/06/2024

Seen this week on a drive to Dalby... We passed the rabbit fence on the Warrego Highway too as we did the loop coming back.
The cotton bales(?) look like big Lego blocks. We've seen a few variations for baling cotton, this is by far the biggest!
There is a camping area near Dalby called Lake Broadwater which is seriously good... $7 something pp/pn... Has some powered sites and has hot showers and a great bbq area... We will definitely stay there sometime, who wants to come with us? (and we forgot to take photos)
The photo of the road is the 10k straight road in.

02/06/2024

So Saturday on the Western Downs was yucky weather (as I suspect it was in many parts of Australia), wet and cold so lying in bed watching DVDs was the order of the day...
Today was a Sunday drive for a couple of hours, around the block to Condamine... Saw part of the area where the fires went through last October... This town has seen more than it's fair share of heartache in the last 12 months

31/05/2024

Welcome to Tara... After a delightful 10 days in Laidley we moved on Tuesday to a freecamp at Bowenville where we overnighted on our way west. If you're out this way and enjoy freecamping Bowenville Reserve is a cracker of a spot.
We have committments needing internet connections at the moment so only stayed one night.
Tara is somewhere we've never been before... it's on the Sunset Way which runs roughly parallel to the Warrego Highway (the main road west from Brisbane) and we've not travelled this road before.
Delighted to find that we have phone reception here with our Aldi phones... Internet isn't great but we weren't expecting it so it's a bonus.
We're staying at the Tara Lagoon Parklands and it might be the best allround camp we've stayed in ever!! We're on power, water is available, there are hot showers and the park has recently been done up and is just lovely. And it costs $10.60 a night, 2nd and 3rd nights free, so a fortnight is costing $43.
There is outdoor gym equipment that we've been and used (would like to tell you that will happen every day hahahahaha)... a lovely walk along the edge of the lagoon with a children's story along the way.
Tara has always been one of those places that I thought was waaaayyyyy out west and perhaps in some ways it is... we'll let you know how it is after a fortnight of being here

26/05/2024

Hello again, it’s me writing about us again, the day dawned which is not unusual but a bit if nonsense helps fill out the post. Anyway the day dawned misty and overcast and soon developed into rain, we had intended going to the market in town today but gave it a miss. We had booked and paid for an Indian feast in the West End in Brisbane so headed off to Bris. For the hour and a quarter journey. The only thing a bit different about the trip is the numbering of the exits.they must have run out of the exit numbers they had as spares because the numbering goes twenty seven, thirty, twenty eight. This can cause great confusion for the unknowing.
Okay, on to the dinner, a traditional Indian feast including pakara,samosa, deep fried paneer sticks, spicy potato ball thingy, and a really good salad, a rice not unlike a fried rice but a bit different, three curries one of which was a dhal, a creamy dish that had little balls of things that popped in your mouth, the chai was tops, the turmeric latte was could i have some more good, desert was galub jamin, a caramel almond nougat, a rice custard , think that’s it. When i typed galub jamin spell check came up with gallbladder jasmin which brought forth a burst of laughter at the thought of a diet consisting of this. A great evening out and another memory created. Photo is volunteers getting ready to serve. Only one photo meant to be there but I can’t delete the unwanted. Not bad for the biggest problem of the day

25/05/2024

24/05/2024

Hello out there, been a few days since I wrote anything. sometimes its hard and sometimes its easy. today its easy.
We are in Laidley which is a small (4000)town in the Lockyer valley. It is a friendly little town with a good vibe. We have done two Friday morning markets, a regular thing here, but they are very small and according to locals, getting smaller. When we’ve been there most of the conversations are face to face not on mobile devices with people enjoying the company of others. we didn’t make a fortune at these markets but more than covered costs.
You don’t have to drive very far from town to see crops growing in the fertile ground. Actually you dont have to leave town to see this, sometimes when looking between the houses the crops can been seen just over the backyard fences, the lighter colour of lettuce freshly planted and the darker colour of broccoli and cabbage reaching maturity along with other not so easily recognised plants.
As we were out and about in the car decided to go to the scenic lookout so we could lookout stunning view and thought the large range in the distance was probably in NSW.
After looking out we headed back to the show grounds where we are staying. A travelling Street Feast outfit moved into the show grounds on Friday afternoon with about 30 food stalls and an equal number of market stalls. looks like we are dining out.
We wandered around the market looking at the various scrumptious offerings and decided that Pippis Kai was the one for us. After due consideration it was decided to undertake the vast trek to our caravan (probably 50 metres)and get our camp chairs so we could dine in style with suitable creature comforts. Indulgence may have been the order of the night , our shared evening meal consisted of raw fish (a delicacy to delight in ) muscle fritters (exactly as they should be) and a serving of hangi with an ideal combination of vegetables, meat and chicken. If that wasn’t enough it was topped off with a mister whippy ice cream topped with caramel and nuts. A fine meal in the middle of Laidley Showgrounds. i am writing this the next morning and for some reason I dont really feel like breakfast.
Thats it for now. back again soon.
Photos are from the lookout and the market with Cherie in a thoughtful pose

17/05/2024

Hello out there, stayed in Gatton for three nights, liked it, fairly quiet, wide streets and clean. Stayed at free spot in town with a two night limit and forgot there was a limit. Fertile country with various vegetables, cotton and other crops growing.. We drove past one crop a few times and it was interesting to see how quickly they replanted. First drive past broccoli was being picked, packed and loaded on to trucks in the open. No packing shed. Second day same piece of ground had been turned, hoed etc and third day planted in different crop. There would have been thousands of plants.
Spent a bit of time at the cultural centre and library charging electronic stuff (have been off grid). Coffee shop cafe restaurant place on premises $7 for a coffee and it wasn’t the best ever.
Nice lake besides Lake Apex with walk around lake.
Evidence in most places we stay (paid or unpaid) of homelessness. Councils tending to be less authoritarian regarding people staying longer on places they manage.
Travelling and staying in the Lockyer valley tends to emphasise one thing, coal trains running through a lot of the towns day and night.
Photos are a shot of Lake Apex and a painting on glass with one photo taken from each side.
that’s it.

17/05/2024

for some reason when I 'like' your comment it doesn't always show up... Please know it is seen and appreciated...

17/05/2024

Laidley market today... Our first foray into having a market stall for quite some time.
It's a friendly little town... Think we'll stay a little while ❤️

15/05/2024

Just a few more photos to add from our Murphy's Creek experience...
What a great weekend it was, with Kerryn (and Rocky, her puppy) and Colleen.
It was lovely to just hang out with them in the peace and quiet of the bush and I look forward to more to come.
The road in was a bit hairy in places for an ordinary caravan and parked on a slope did my head in but all in all it was a gorgeous place.
It was very quiet when we were there and as Gary said, the facilities would be stretched if it was busy.
Love having camp fires 🔥

15/05/2024

Well hello there, bit of a gap since I last put something here but sometimes I have difficulty doing stuff. Went from Nanango to Cooyar and stayed at swinging bridge free park, nice park with power, local hall has old fridge outside full of books for travellers to swap, great idea. Stayed at Cooyar two nights and then on to Murphys creek. Met up with friends there and had great conversations around camp fires. It was nice but I wouldn’t rave about it And would not like to be there when it was busy Not a lot of facilities. Really happy with how the car coped with a couple of steep rough wet hills. Stayed four nights which was one longer than in tended as it was raining and we didn’t fancy packing up in the rain.. Couple of phots of the area. Next stop Gatton

07/05/2024

Well, just finished our first week on the road this trip and what a doozy of a week it's been...
We knew we'd be getting to know our new (to us) caravan but weren't prepared for just how many things were going to need attention.
As Gary said in the last post we got locked in on our first night, detoured to Nanango to a caravan repair place to discover that he was off on holiday for 2 weeks 🤣🤣
After the locksmith replaced the lock for us we booked in to a 12v place to get the water pump sorted (not working at all)... Then we decided we needed a breather in a showgrounds with power, due to weather being a bit less than ideal... so booked in to Nanango for 4 nights only to discover that the power inlet plug was old and our power cords are new and they wouldn't fit so out to find an electrician on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend. He came out this morning and put in a new plug in thingo (I'm sure they've got a name but plug-in thingo works for me 🤣🤣)

We borrowed a lead from the showgrounds and spent a relatively quiet time there for a few days... On the edges of a 500 site monthly market on Saturday, which is well worth a visit if you head this way.

So all's well until the grinchy gremlins arrived again yesterday afternoon and Gary's iPad wouldn't charge and my laptop wouldn't turn on... This morning we couldn't get the awning back in and even the neighbour who Gary asked for help was bamboozled by it.
And this afternoon as I was winding down one of the stabilisers it wound itself almost out... The nut had fallen off the back but with this one we're starting to feel a bit more like it's coming to an end as it has JUST fallen off and Gary found it about a foot away.

Okay!!! Sooooo enough of the nonsense now grinchy gremlins, we're looking forward to moving on with only occasional issues at worst 🙏

We travelled vast distances today LOL... 48 ks south to a gorgeous freecamp at Cooyar called Swinging Bridge Park... For a $5 a night donation we've also got ourselves a powered site... No I haven't braved the bridge yet, just far enough to realise Yes, fear of heights (and seemingly flimsy structures) is still an issue 🤢 we're here for a couple of nights, maybe I will, maybe I won't...

And I also want to introduce you to Mookie.
Mookie was bought last year in Giru and I had thought we'd bought her for a great-nieces 1st birthday but nope, she's mine ❤️
Mookie is going to tell travel tales as well along this trip so I look forward to hearing what she's got in store for us.
Ciao, see you again soon (send us good thoughts about grinchy gremlins being left behind us)

02/05/2024

Hello again, first night out and we locked the caravan door when we went to bed and could not unlock it. Lots of muttering things like oh bother, hmmm, bit of a nuisance, heck, you know what i mean. Did manage to get it open and slept with unlocked door. Good news, went to Nanango population 4000 and was able to get locksmith to do the job for us, talking to him and mentioned that our water pump wasn’t and he said go to those guys over there, pointing across the road, they do water pumps for cvans. So in this small country town we got our van repaired.
Went for small walk, saw this tree and thought it was worth a photo to show Patterns in Nature

30/04/2024

it’s happening, we are on the road, drove out at 11.30 after much soul searching, do we really need this, what about this until the stage is reached, that’s enough, we will survive. Easy drive on the Bruce highway to start with traffic fairly constant till the other side of Gympie, Gympie bypass looks as though it could be opening soon. Turned off the highway on the Kilkivan road and traffic thinned out considerably, time to look around. Drove past Woolooga .solar farm, it’s huge and covers about 500 hectares only some of which can be seen from road. There is 398,748 modules/panels. Enough power to supply 63,150 households.
We cannot guarantee the authenticity of these numbers as we did not count them ourselves. We are now at a place called Fat Hen Creek which is a nothing really, just an overnight stop with a toilet. This is the third time we have used this place as a first stop when we have been heading off somewhere. It has sentimental value. Our first stop here was in 2001. More next time

26/04/2024

This was the day we picked up the caravan... On the way home from Brisbane