The road adventures of the new 2Abreast, a Jayco 28ft Optimum motorhome: 19th May 2013 to 30th June 2013

Saturday, 18th May 2013 - Carnarvon Gorge to Springsure (south of Emerald)

Up at 7.45 after a fitful night with calf and feet aches … to be expected. Geoff cut down some lamb shanks for me and I prepared them and put them in the thermal cooker to cook on the way.

Geoff put the cover on the scooter to see if it cuts down on the dust (no … it doesn’t) and he packed things away in the outside bins while I got the inside ready for the road. We left at 9.45 and the 12 kms of dirt road seemed much shorter and less bouncy this time. It was 24 kms to the rest area of the Dakota Memorial and another 24 kms to the main road between Rolleston, 60 kms to the right, and Injune, 110 kms to the left. We pulled into Rolleston around 11.30 to dump the grey/black water and to fill up with fresh. Had a cuppa whilst I reheated the lamb shanks and then topped up on some fuel and a few groceries and then continued on to the Virgin Rock ‘free’ rest stop near Springsure. The rest area was overlooked by some pretty impressive and precipitous rock formations, one of which should be Virgin Rock (but which one?) We were soon joined by some more motorhomes and caravans. There was a Staffy called Coco with one of the groups so I got a nice big cuddle. The caravanners were from SA and you could tell as they sat outside when it got too cold for us Queenslanders. Geoff got the Sat dish out and tuned it in really quickly this time. Maybe he is getting the hang of it. We then caught up with what had been happening over the last three days. Geoff also went over to one of the motorhome guys who was having trouble with his fridge and was able to pinpoint the problem even though he couldn’t fix it. Borrowed some Dencarub for my sore calves as I’m having trouble walking at the moment. Poor me!

Sunday, 19th May 2013 - On to Emerald

On with the diesel heater and snuggle back under the doona till the van warmed up. Got up and could hardly walk as my calves were so tight … owwwww!!!!!

Geoff went off with his battery tester to the Winnebago Longreach motorhome to test the guys house batteries that weren’t holding a charge. He couldn’t help as the battery was too low so both he and his mate in the Sunliner are hoping to get their problems looked at in Emerald tomorrow.

We left about 9.30 and headed to Emerald ourselves which was about 60 km further north. The first shop we saw on the outskirts of Emerald was a brand spanking new Harvey Norman which was also open so we parked and went in to look at laptops. Saw one that had 8 GB RAM, 2 GB graphics card and a 1 TB hard disc. It was on special at a good price and we left to mull it over, as we almost always do.

We continued on to Emerald where we stocked up on supplies at Woolworths. It was a big shop and the bill came to around $220 but $65 of that was first aid items. We have realised that our first aid kit is abysmal (our good one went down with the boat, of course) so we bought strapping tape, bandage, ache rubs etc which soon added up. One thing we had plenty of were Band-Aids as we got them in a care package after the floods. The only good thing about spending so much is that we got a 15¢ per litre discount at Woolworth’s petrol outlet when we went to fill up, our next port of call. After we had filled up Geoff went to pump up the tyres but their air compressor machine would only pump up to 60 psi, which was useless for us so we will have to do it later.

Back the way we had come to stop at the laundrette to get all the washing a drying done. I made lunch whilst we waited and Geoff went to pump up the tyres with the compressor that comes with our jump start machine. Bugga, it’s not working. Luckily there is a Supercheap Auto in town (the chain store where we brought it from) so we will be able to take it back later.

Back to Harvey Norman to have another look at the Asus laptop and get a model number so Geoff could loo it up on the web. It looked okay so we went back to Harvey Norman but they were closed. We had missed them by 5 minutes. Never mind. Harvey Norman is situated out of town on a new commercial estate that is not finished. It has a lot of roads leading to nowhere and just stopping with a barrier so we parked in front of one for the night so we can go and buy the laptop first thing in the morning. Later a guy in a pest control van walked over to us. Not to move us on but to tell us that some trucks might be starting work early in the morning and to just be aware.

Monday, 20th May 2013 - On to Higher Ground Homestay, Emerald

Another bad night for me with leg aches. Up and clean and pack away. I even washed the floor as Geoff was having another look at the grey water which is still slow to drain away. It will have to wait until we have a base somewhere for a while.

Move the few hundred metres back to Harvey Norman and buy the laptop, extended 3 year warranty, blue tooth mouse and a cheap ZTE phone for me as my old one is starting to play up. We don’t really like ZTE’s but they are the only ones with an external antenna plug. It was only $49 so not at all expensive. On to Supercheap Auto to take back the Jump Starter/Compressor. Of course, they didn’t have a replacement in stock so Geoff bought an air compressor for larger vehicles for an extra $29. He said that now we had a new engine battery it was more important to have a compressor to pump up the tyres. So, before we left the Supercheap Auto car park, he pumped up the tyres and made sure it worked ok.

Onto the shopping centre as I was in dire need of some long pants and runners for winter as I only had one pair of worn and holey jeans and a pair of dress slacks. Plus, I only had my light boat shoes (pink) and sandals. I bought a pair of really cheap runners that were really soft and stretchy and hoped for the best as I needed to get my foot beds in them as well. WE also spent some money in Jaycar so we decided to was time to get out of Emerald as it was turning out to be a little bit of an expensive day.

From here it was a 16 km drive to a camping spot called Higher Ground Homestay. They only take self contained vehicles and the cost is $6 a night. It beats the 20 hours stay only spot in town which is right next to

the railway line one side and the highway the other.

We soon found a spot with two other bus type motorhomes and I got some lunch ready. Later Geoff re-wired the antenna to take both the internet and the mobile phones and we have managed to get 3G. The goy, Mick, next door says he can’t get the internet so the antenna was a good buy. Next it was out with the new laptop, on with the genny and start loading things on to the computer. I expect to hear a bit of swearing as Geoff gets his head around Windows 8. Windows 8 has a bad wrap in in the industry, apparently, so he will see if he agrees.

I fiddled with my new phone and explored how it works. It took me absolutely ages to find where I could change the ring tone.

Just as I was starting to cook tea the lady from the Homestay came round to collect our $6 ( a bit different to the $38 at Carnarvon Gorge) and we had a bit of a chat. After dinner we sat around the brazier with the other campers Mick, Kerry, Chris and Noel. These four are from near Berri in SA but weren’t travelling together. They recognised each other when the happened to camp next to each other here. A small world! We all chatted and, once again, solved all the problems in the world, as you do. Bed at 10.30 - late for us these days.

Tuesday, 21st May 2013 - Higher Ground Homestay, Emerald

Up at 8 am, shower and cook brekkie of bacon and eggs as we forgot to have them last Sunday.

We then went over to check out the catch of Red Claw (yabby type things) that Mick and Kerry had caught this morning. Mick then got his remote controlled helicopter out for a play so we watched him and his antics for a while. Boys with their toys!

Geoff then worked on his new laptop again and I did a bit of cleaning and wrote up my journal. Around noon Geoff decided to go back into Emerald on the scooter. His 12 volt power source for the Qosmio didn’t have the correct plug on it for the new laptop. His power supply came with various plugs of different sizes but they all went down with the boat. He wanted to see if he could just buy this plug and not have to fork out for a complete new power supply, plus he also wanted to buy the ‘stand alone’ Publisher program to load on his laptop. When he came back he said he had gone to various places trying to buy just the plug, to no avail, and in the end was resigned to buying the complete unit for $75 from Jaycar. Luckily, someone came into Jaycar to buy the 240 volt power supply which has the same ends and Geoff offered them $10 for the one plug he needed and which they didn’t need. They said done so it was a win win situation. He also managed to get a small discount off of Publisher as well. He was back on the laptop as soon as he came back . A little bit of cursing as the internet switched from 3G to DC and slowed things down. I caught up on my blog and the journal is nearly ready to go off. Just a couple of photos have to be stitched/tweaked by Geoff once he gets the photo program on the computer.

It has been a lovely sunny day today. Geoff has been admiring a brazier that Noel has just made out of an empty 9kg gas bottle. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t end up with a smaller version at some time.

Wednesday, 22nd May 2013 - Higher Ground Homestay, Emerald

Up really late. Almost 9 am and to an overcast day. It is supposed to rain today.

I did a bit of hand washing and borrowed a bit of Kerry’s washing line. Hopefully it will dry before it rains.

Geoff spent most of the day on the computer and also installing an inverter power point nearer the TV so we don’t have a large cord running the length of the van when we have the Sat TV on. He was doing both jobs at the same time as he was downloading stuff in between. I fiddled around finding jobs to do and I could hear Geoff cursing as he tried to poke the power lead under the chassis into the right spot and trying to grab the other end with a bit of fencing wire he had got from Jum and Jenny’s. He managed to get hold of it twice only to lose it again. He managed it in the end then I had to give him a hand to pull it through so he didn’t lose it again.

Quick note whilst I think about it. I do love the new genny. Once Geoff has got it out and set it up I can just turn it on and off whenever I like from inside the van at just the flick of a button. Great if I just want to use the microwave for a minute or so. Great buy as far as I’m concerned. Plus it looks so cute in its little dog kennel. Another good buy!

After lunch Geoff was still working on the wiring when Kerry, Chris, Noel and I decided to go f0r a walk. On with my new runners and foot beds and hope for the best. We walked down the track for about 25 minutes until we reached the river/creek. It was a lovely secluded little spot with some nice camp sites but you would only have been able to get down there with a camper trailer as the track was narrow with a lot of overhanging trees. The river was quite fast flowing and it was a pretty little spot. It looked good for gold panning and, maybe fishing, as there seemed to be some deep pools. Geoff was still at it when we returned just over an hour later but had just about finished. We had only been back about 15 minutes when it started to rain so Geoff put his tools away and I got my washing in.

After dinner we sat around the brazier and chatted again till past 10 pm.

Thursday, 23rd May 2013 - Higher Ground Homestay, Emerald

Up to a very foggy day but it soon burnt off when the sun came out. Geoff decided we would stay another day as he has decided to lower the table. We can have the genny on here and use power tools so it was a good place to get it done. Whilst he had the table out he also worked on his 12 volt connection so it was easier to get to. By 9.50 am the table was lowered and the leg cut down and it looks so much lower even though it has only been cut down by 2¼ inches. A 100% improvement. Now we can use our laptops with ease and not feel like we are shovelling our meals down.

We then had brunch and headed off on the scooter to have a look at Fairbairn Dam on Lake Maraboon which was only 4 km away. The lake was quite large with a 274 km shoreline. It was pretty and scenic but once you have seen one dam then you’ve seen them all. This was a quote taken from another cruiser who asked a newbie how she was liking cruising. Apparently she wasn’t and her comment was “Once you’ve seen one beach, you’ve seen them all. Once you’ve seen one island, you’ve seen them all”. Not at all true but this was how she saw it. As for the dam, well it was worth the short 4 km ride to have a ‘sticky beak’.

Back by 1pm and put the scooter back on the rack . No cover this time as it didn’t make any difference with the dust, maybe a bit worse.

After lunch I sent of the CMCA Trivia Night article and photo for their perusal for publishing. We then organised the photos for the Clarence River article and put the photos in ‘drop box’ and let Wendy at Multihull World know they were there.

After dinner we watched Mick and Kerry’s DVD of the conversion of the 1890 boat Hebe into a side paddle wheeler. The Hebe had been built and operated on the Clarence River and then taken down to the Murray

River where it eventually sunk. Mick and Kerry then raised it and spent quite a few years restoring it and converting it into a side paddle wheeler. Wow … it was some effort. It was a very interesting DVD and now it makes us want to have a look at it when we get their way.

Once again the night was finished off sitting around the brazier and chatting.

Friday, 25th May 2013 - Theresa Creek Dam, Clermont (inland and west of Rockhampton)

Up about 7.30 and have a shower. Say goodbye to everyone and head off into Emerald. We did the normal things with the black/grey/fresh water and filled up with gas at BCF even though it wasn’t quite empty (it must have been close). Onto Rockman’s to use my $15 voucher, Woollies to top up on a few bits, buy some print cartridges, back to BCF to buy two yabby pots, pop into IGA to buy some salt to add to the water when we cook the Red Claw when we catch them (ever the optimist).

Checked my phone and saw I had a missed call from Marg so rang her back. She said they had arrived back from their trip to SA but were heading off again on Tuesday. We found out they were coming up this way to a place called Bundoora Dam, about 80 kms north of Emerald and would be there in about 6 days time. We told them we would have a chat and see what we were doing and ring them back to let them know if we could catch up. I also remembered to ring Tony to see how the operation on his knee went. He says that it is stiff but not too painful and we all hope it will fix it.

We then got a call from Colleen saying we were snobs as we had just passed them. Even though Norm was standing out in the road we didn’t see them. Tch, tch. We told them to stay where they were at the Visitors Centre as we would be coming back that way shortly. When we caught up they told us they had spent a couple of nights at the Theresa Creek Dam near Clermont. They said the campground was right on the edge of the dam and it was only $10 per night with toilets and hot showers. This sounded good to us as it was just north of where Dan and Marg were going so we could spend a few days there before meeting up with them.

So … after saying goodbye to Colleen and Norm for the second time we headed off north towards Clermont, which turned out to be a small, neat and tidy little town and quite appealing. We had a quick look at the murals which we painted on to the side of railway freight wagons. Very nice too. We will have a look around on the way back out as time was getting away from us.

The dam was a further 24 kms away and it looked very nice when we got there. We paid for two nights and were told to just find a spot. No regimented sites pegged out. Just find a spot you like and prop. They also allow woofies, if anybody is interested. Good TV and internet too so we watched the news and caught up with what had been happening over the last few days. All bad … Oklahoma tornado and the ritual killing of a soldier in the UK.

Dinner and relax. A cool night!

Saturday, 25th May 2013 - Theresa Creek Dam

Slept reasonably well.

Not much to write about today. Cooked beef olives in the thermal cooker and then a bread pudding. It was a recipe I had got off the web as I had lost a lot of my own recipes in January. I think it is actually an easier and tastier recipe anyway, or so Geoff says.

Had a shower midday when it warmed up a tad as it was a bit chilly early morning.

Geoff spent most of the day making up new tiles for the Carcassonne game and I chatted to a few campers.

I also fed the Lorikeets some sultanas (I know Moo -- naughty, naughty). Then a Mina bird came and then I watched a pigeon/dove walk quite a long way and directly to me. It was if there was a bird telling the others and saying “If you go over to that motorhome she will give you some food”.

It was a sunny day but still very chilly in the shade. Still, it is almost winter so what can you expect.

The beef olives were cooked to perfection … yum. Later I checked my emails and there was one from Owen saying they had sold the house, got what they asked for and settlement was in 5 weeks. Well done guys, I knew it wouldn’t take long. Now Geoff and I will have to remember to get our mail re-directed and to change our address where it counts.

Sunday, 26th May 2013 - Theresa Creek Dam near Cleremont

Boy oh boy … it was chilly overnight and early this morning! At 9.30 we were still inside. It is a bit windy which makes it feel colder. Brekky of bacon and eggs.

Geoff is STILL making up those Carcassonne tiles. Okay for him but boring for me. In the afternoon, when he had enough for a while, I dragged him away for a walk. We wandered down to the office/café/kiosk and bought a Magnum each and wandered down to the seat which was on a little spit of land that jutted out into the lake. It was very peaceful and pretty. It was also lovely and warm down by the lake as it was out of the wind and there were a lot of lovely little camp spots. But, also a lot of trees, which would stop the solar panel working efficiently and no phone or internet coverage, plus more crowded.

We sat outside and had a cuppa when we got back then he was back into it, making up more tiles.

For dinner I tried out a new recipe I have got off the web which was Cajun Spiced pork steaks with wedges. Yum but a tad hot, which Geoff likes. Definitely a dish I will cook again.

Monday, 27th May 2013 - Theresa Creek Dam near Cleremont

A chilly morning but once the sun came out it became a lovely warm(ish) day. Geoff, yet again, made up some more game tiles. I’ll be glad when they are finished. We chatted to couple in a van in front of us who had two small dogs. One had a face just like Meggsy although her body was a different colour. She was a Shitzu Maltese cross. The guy had organised for an 12 volt LED guy (camps and makes a little money on the side) to come and change over one of his lights so we grabbed him at the same time. We changed the halogen light over the cooktop (from a 20 watt to a 3 watt) and two halogens over the saloon table to LED’s. $60 for the three which we thought was quite good and now we won’t use so much power.

Tuesday, 28th May 2013 - Theresa Creek Dam

I’m not sleeping too well as my bones or muscles ache all the time in bed and I can’t stretch out in case I disturb Geoff plus I get really hot at times.

A nice sunny day but a cool wind. Geoff said we may as well stay another night as we can go to the Clermont show tomorrow and then head off down to the Bundoora Dam between Tieri and Middlemount. I rang both IGA’s and the smaller of the two is open until midday tomorrow so we will be able to stock up before we leave. He entry into the show for pensioners is quite high … $3 a head, haha! I think we may be able to afford that. I also wanted to do some washing in town but Geoff said we had enough water to do a couple of loads in my small machine and it would free up the day tomorrow. Well, there wasn’t enough water so we ended up

using the water from the amenities block which is straight from the dam to wash it all. We then went down to the bottom are where there were tanks for drinking water. We think it is trucked in and filled up a 20 litre container to tied us over until tomorrow.

Time to ring Dan and Marg and they are already on their way and only doing one stop over so will be at Bundoora Dam in the morning so we said we would catch up with them after the Clermont Show.

The rest of the day was spent doing little things around the van, we can always find things to do, but nothing to write about.

Wednesday, 29th May 2013 - Theresa Dam to Bundoora Dam (Day 19 of travelling on the road)

Up reasonably early and saw we had some light rain overnight. Because of this it was a much milder morning.

We packed up and headed off into Clermont, stopping on the way to gather some roadside firewood. We got into Clermont around 10 am and popped into IGA to top up on a few supplies, get some money from the ATM, fill up with fuel, empty grey and black water and fill up with fresh.

Onto the showgrounds and, for a small country show, it wasn’t bad at all. We spent $10 on some dim sims and chips which was a bit expensive but you expect that in these sort of places. As we wandered around we checked out the massive pumpkins. The first prize was a 95.5 kg pumpkin which we thought was rather ugly and much preferred the lovely orange one next to it which weighed in at 88 kgs. Wow … a pumpkin that weighs more than me! Just! We also had a look at the poultry, ducks, parrots, cattle, dogs, cattle dogs working, camels, nursery animals, market stalls etc. All the normal things you would see in a show. It was all seen within 90 minutes and it was soon time to go.

As we headed down to highway towards our destination it started to rain a little and the sky was very overcast. As we neared German Creek we got a little geographically embarrassed and went about 5 kms out of our way. This was all because we had stopped to look at a huge coal freight train go by. It was pulled by three diesel engines and was followed by 50 wagons, then another two diesels and another 48 wagons on top of that. How large was that? It looked like a long snake disappearing over the horizon. Because we were watching the train we failed to see the turn off but eventually found our way to the campsite and Marg and Dan and found a spot just to the side of them. Geoff managed to really level the van off this time so he has now stuck the van spirit level down so he can see at a glance for the next time. The campsite is small and the ground a bit uneven and we were lucky to find a flat spot. Dan said that the reason it wasn’t sign posted was that the locals want to keep it to themselves ad don’t really like us travellers taking up the space. Never mind, we will share.

By this time the drizzle had stopped but the wind was strong and quite cold. We sat with Dan and Marg and had a drink until it was time for both of us to head off and prepare our own dinners.

Thursday, 30th May 2013 - Bundoora Dam, Qld

Another bad night with achy legs … it is driving me nuts! Up at 7.30 to a nice sunny day after a little rain overnight. Dan and Marg went out to check their pots and came back with quite a few medium to small Red Claw. They kept about 20 and put the smaller ones back. Later Geoff got our pot ready using some par boiled pumpkin as bait. He also slightly opened a small can of cat food to put in one to see if it made any difference. Dan then took him out in his outrigger canoe and they put them down. We are not expecting too much with only two pots but anything would be a bonus.

Whilst he was away I cleaned and did a few little jobs then it was time for lunch which we ate out on the picnic table right outside out front door. It was so hot on my back I had to move round the other side under the shade. So different from yesterday.

I then wandered over to Dan and Marg’s to con them out of a taste of their Red Claw which she had cooked in a Sweet Chilli and garlic sauce, very nice too! A little hard to get out of their shells even though Dan had cut them in half before cooking them. Later Dan took Geoff out again to retrieve his pots and he came back with about eight. The pot with the cat food in it came out the winner this time. They are now in a covered bucket (apparently they can climb out if you don’t put a lid on) awaiting to be added to tomorrow, with a bit of luck. Time for drinks with Dan and Marg before heading back to cook dinner.

Friday, 31st May 2013 - Bundoora Dam

I slept ok last night which was a blessing but still up at 7.30. Another nice day.

Dan took Geoff out to check his pots again and the one with the cat food in it came in trumps again. We now have about 28 in all, all of varying sizes, enough for dinner tonight which I think will be Pansit Bihon. Dan showed him how to prepare and clean them. You have to pull off their heads and then grab their tail and twist pulling out the guts. I couldn’t do that, they were still alive. I later checked on the web and it said to pop them in the freezer first to kill them gently. More my way to go! When he had done this he popped them into boiling salted water very quickly to soften the shell a I really wanted to use them green. He wasn’t quick enough and they are lightly cooked but will be fine. It was now my turn to shell them, not an easy task. As they are like yabbies they have a harder shell than prawns so it was time to experiment. The best method I worked out was to use some thin long scissors and cut the underbelly part and then get rid of that first. This made it easier to get the hard top shell off. It still made my scissor finger sore as I had to push down quite hard. Eventually they were done and in the fridge ready for cooking tonight. Geoff got rid of the shells and then went on my laptop. Give it back - I want to use it!

Late lunch and then Dan took Geoff to check his two pots again and the one with the cat food is missing, we think chopped off by a boat’s propeller. It was probable the speed boat that was out there hooning around with their music blaring for all to hear, but, it’s nice to not be waked for a change.

Happy hour with Dan and Marg until it was time to cook dinner of Redclaw Pansit Bihon (a Filipino dish with noodles and stir fry veggies, and very nice it was too! Thumbs up to the Redclaw.

Saturday, 1st June 2013 - Bundoora Dam, between Tieri & Middlemount, Qld

RABBITS!

It looked like another nice day. I had a look on the web at some heavy duty inflatable kayaks as I’m slowly trying to convince him we need a boat. But, I am also trying to convince him we need a pig (a small brazier made out of an old gas cylinder … see … http://www.instructables.com/id/Gas-Bottle-Wood-Burner/). The guys we camped next to at Emerald both had one and so does Dan and they do most of their cooking on them thus saving on gas. Dan uses a billy on it, of course, and a heavy dutch oven to cook with. I think I have convinced Geoff and he now thinks he has devised a method where he can cut it into three pieces (for ease of storage as we are running out of room) and bolt it together using a hinge and pin. Mind you, he has given me the job of obtaining an old gas bottle. So, I think the kayak is much further down the line, if at all!

Dan and Marg went off to check their pots and I went and got three buckets of filtered dam water (but not for drinking) to fill the washing machine to do some washing. Geoff got me another three buckets for the rinse and it was soon all out drying.

Because it is the weekend it is quite busy here today as it is used a lot by the locals from the mines. Most have boats and/or jet skis. There’s quite a few families and it’s good to see them all having fun together.

Geoff polished the bull bar and fiddled around with the van before going on his laptop and then it was time to socialise with Dan and Marg as per usual before heading back to cook dinner.

Sunday, 2nd June 2013 - Bundoora Dam

I forgot to write up today’s journal so now I have to get the old ‘grey matter’ working.

Ah yes … Geoff went up onto the roof and sealed up an area he suspected was giving us a leak. He’s done one side and has to do the other side at sometime.

Dan took him out to check his pots but he only got one Red Claw this time but it was a big one. Dan gave us some of theirs which Geoff cleaned and then I cut them down their sides and froze them for later. We have a good sized feed in the freezer now.

It was a noisy but interesting day as one guy came with a jet ski and a jet pack that connected to the jet ski and used its power to propel water through a tube up to large boots which allowed him to rise out of the water. We had seen this before when we were anchored in Bums Bay down at the Gold Coast but it was much closer and much more entertaining but very noisy.

Geoff chatted to him and was told it cost $10,000 for just the hose and boots. Wow … these guys that work at the mines have more money than sense! Geoff gets the feeling that once you have mastered the technique there’s not much more you can do with it.

We spent a lot of time chatting to Dan and Marg and other campers nearby. Marg made a beautiful damper which we ate warm with butter and golden syrup for a late lunch. Later … at Happy Hour, we helped them demolish a bottle of Sparkling pink Moscato … yummy.

Monday, 3rd June 2013 - Drummond Range Lookout via Emerald

A very windy night last night and I got up to close the windows and Geoff went out to check on everything. It calmed down after a while and we got back to sleep. When we eventually got up there was quite a cold wind so a cold change must have come through.

We packed everything away, said a fond goodbye to Dan and Marg and were on our way by 9am. We got into Emerald about 10.30 and stopped off at Maccas for brekky. Geoff then dropped me off at the Laundrette as I wanted to wash the bed linen and towels and he went off to do the normal chores you have to do with a motorhome. He came back just as the towels were finishing drying so it was on to the shopping centre to replenish our food supplies and get a few other maintenance items and odds and sods. We had a late lunch in the car park and eventually left Emerald about 3.30 and headed along the road to Barcaldine. Just before dark we got to the Drummond Range lookout rest area. There was another couple here who were bush camping out the back of a ute using swags. They had a nice fire going … good for them … but it was a cold night for sleeping out … oh to be young again!

Tuesday, 4th June 2013 - Thompson River, Longreach via Barcaldine (Day 25 of the round Oz trip)

A few noisy trains overnight. Windy and cold this morning! The young couple must have been cold overnight surely! They left quite early.

So, porridge for brekky and then hit the road towards Barcaldine. We passed through the small towns of Alpha with a population of around 400 and Jericho with a population of around 300. We had a quick drive around both towns but didn’t find much to hang around for so it was on to Barcaldine. The last time we had visited Barcaldine was on the Spirit of the Outback (sleeper train) in 2007 with our Japanese friend Noriko. When we got into town this time the first thing we saw was this mammoth square construction in front of the reailway station. It wasn’t there last time we visited. It turned out to be a massive wind chime made of large suspended logs. Some of the logs had there ends painted to give a variety of shading effects. These were all hanging down over the tree of knowledge. Go to http://architectureau.com/articles/tree-of-knowledge-1/ The tree of knowledge is supposed to be where the labor party in Australia was formed. The tree was a shady place for meetings. In 2006 some ‘sick’ person poisoned this tree so to tpreserve it , it has been incorporated and strung up in this large wind chime structure. Wind chime is only my description of it as that is what came to mind when I first saw it. It is very impressive and also very pleasing to the eye. Whoever designed it and those that built it need to pat themselves on the back. I loved it.

We were thinking of staying overnight nearby but we decided to push on to Longreach as we were looking forward to free camping beside the Thompson River. We had seen campers along the banks when we did a cruise in 2007 and vowed we would come back and stay a while. The road from Barcaldine to Longreach was in a state of being repaired/replaced along its entire length. It looked like they were putting in a complete new road beside the old one we travelled on and it also looked like it was going to be a dual carriageway. Surely not, way out here. Apparently not said another traveller we met. Whatever they are doing it is massive. Another thing that struck us was the huge amount of road kill. Every few metres there was some animal dead. Mostly Roos and Wallabies but also wild pigs, birds, Echidnas, and Emus. And what a mess some of them were and we can only guess they had been hit by one of the road trains out this way. These are mostly three trailer road trains but we did see one with four.

As we came into Longreach we saw the Qld Transport office so went in to see how we can get our yearly roadworthy (due to our weight and size) done when we were interstate. It is due on the 22 October so at least we learnt that. Seems we can do it interstate so that’s ok. We stopped in Longreach to pick up some more maintenance stuff and to try to get me a dentist appointment - no luck, then it was on to the Thompson River. Oh what a disappointment! Since we were here last they have stopped RV’s camping along beside the river and herded us all into a square paddock of dust, one on top of the other, with a four day limit. What a shame as we had so been looking forward to this since 2007. We will stay here tomorrow as I am hoping that the dentist will have a cancellation. The dentist only comes on a Tuesday and Wednesday so I don’t hold out much luck.

Whilst I cooked tea Geoff made up a foam cushion to protect my laptop on bouncy roads. He then ran out of glue so couldn’t make his up until he gets some more.

Wednesday, 5th June 2013 - Longreach

He awning rattled quite a bit last night. It didn’t wake me but kept me awake when I did wake up, as I do.

A lovely day. A lot of people have left so we moved and backed up to the back fence to give ourselves a little more privacy.

After brekky we went on to Youtube to see if there were any clips showing you how to cut hair with clippers. We watched a few and one was very explanatory so we thought, here we go! Brave Geoff! The largest cutter comb was a number four plus ½ which would leave the hair about 14 cm long. I, tentatively, set about it. Geoff has very fine hair which blew easily in the wind. It was a bit daunting seeing the hair that I clipped off falling away but they say the difference between a bad haircut and a good one is 6 weeks! After I had clipped it with the 4½ comb all over I then did the sides and back again with a 3½ comb. This, apparently, blends in the cut so it doesn’t show any lines. I then used the trimmer, cautiously, to do around his ears and neck line. I even used the scissors to tidy up a few strands of wispy longer hairs. At the finish it didn’t look too bad (or good) and Geoff was satisfied with it. He asked me if I wanted mine done. If we had a size 8 comb I might although we did see a youtube clip that showed how to use the clippers on just the ends of ladies hair. I might get him to watch the clip again (and again and again) and then chance it. The worst that can happen is that I look a bit ‘butch’ for a few weeks.

After cutting his hair he set about installing a shelf in the cupboard above his side of the saloon table . He had previously installed one there but had moved it over to my side as it fitted perfectly which meant he could then put in a bigger one his side. I could hear a few mutterings as he coaxed his Dremmel into thinking it was a router as he was also making a divide for the cupboard and wanted to make it to match the existing dividers. He hates things that look like they have been put in as an after thought. He likes things to look like they were installed during the fit out. It was a long job and I got out of his way and gave the bathroom a thorough clean and then started on the kitchen area, cooktop and oven. I still have to clean the fridge but that can wait. After lunch I made a bread pudding with the left over bread I had in the fridge. Whilst it was baking I went to the next camper trailer to cuddle Alfie. Alfie was a golden retriever and he had been camping since he was a puppy. I kept wanting to call him Bear as he reminded me so much of a friends dog from many moons ago. Bear and Tasha were mates and broke a shop window together from playing. Whoops!

No call from the dentist so I rang Winton - no dentist. Longreach Hospital has a dental service 2 days every 3 months. Great service! None of the chemists in town had anything like temporary filling material. Apparenty you can get it from the UK … ok , thanks for that! In the end I emailed Qld Health asking if I could get it done at the hospital at Mt Isa so I will wait to see if they reply.

Thursday, 6th June 2013 - Longreach

Geoff unloaded the scooter this morning and we headed off. He took us down a track to the river first to have a look at what we were missing. You could see why the council is so fussy with campers as there was rubbish left behind, dirty baby diapers. It ruins it for everyone. They have stopped RV’s from camping beside the river but allow tents. Dumb really as most RV’s are self contained and take their rubbish with them.

We then headed into town for, basically, glue but, of course, how can you go into town and not spend money? Before we left we went into the Visitor Info Centre and picked up a lot of brochures for further along the track

Back to 2AB2 for some lunch, bread pudding, how healthy! Whilst we ate we perused the brochures and found them very interesting. Geoff said we may send them to my dad after we have finished with them as he likes to see where we have been. He then ran out of glue again so went into town to get some more.

I also received an email from Qld Health saying that I would be able to get my tooth filled (or extracted) at the Mt Isa Dental Clinic in the hospital and supplied me with a phone number. I rang them and have an appointment for the 20th June so I hope it doesn’t play up before then. But it is nice to know I can get it fixed and at no cost as I have a pension card.

Once again the place really emptied out in the morning but starts filling up again from 2pm on. I have counted 50 RV’s at present (mid afternoon) but the lady next to me said there are often more than 70 here. No wonder it is a dust bowl.

Just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Friday, 7th June 2013 - To Darr River, 34 km NE of Longreach

Geoff scared the bejesus out of me at 3am this morning when he had reflux and ingested some of the bile into his trachea and was struggling for breath. Quite scary for both of us. He gets involuntary breathing at times and if that happens with reflux, often when he’s asleep, then he has a problem. His bodies reaction to this is to eject this acidic material and breathing takes second place. He has occasionally had this bef9ore on the boat but not as bad and this episode was a bit drastic. He was recovering half an hour later and was going back to sleep. I spent the rest of the night waking up frequently and listening for his breathing. When he got up he did a bit of research on the web and it is obviously connected to the insidual lung disease that got diagnosed in the Royal Brisbane Hospital last year. He felt fine this morning!

After brekky we decided to leave the dust bowl of the Longreach free camping area and head out. Our first stop was to do the normal van things and then go to IGA and Celebrations to top up with food and wine. We also topped up on fuel and headed up the road towards Winton. We were, hopefully, not going far as we wanted to check out a camp site I had stumbled on the web that was 34 kms NW of Longreach on the Darr River. This campsite was not in the Camps 7 or Boiling Billy books. When we got there it was all we had hoped it would be. There were good dirt tracks either side of the highway taking you beside the Darr River with nice and level little shady spots all the way down. We found a nice spot complete with a drum for a fire so we settled in. I got the inside of the van organised and Geoff did the outside. We were soon relaxing under the awning with a cuppa and the last of the bread pudding. The Darr River was not flowing much and looked like it might have gone into lagoon/billabong mode as it had a greenness about it. Still, it was nice and peaceful and Geoff put in two of our Red Claw pots and then it was off to collect some firewood. Whilst we were doing this another caravan came in and also found a spot. The campsites are undefined and you just pick a spot that suits. All the clearings are far enough away from each other to ensure you have your own secluded spot with the comfort of knowing that there are people not too far away. You can just see the others (2 caravans and a tent) through the bush and can sometimes hear them talking faintly in the distance.

I decided to do two loads of washing using Marg’s method. She fills the tub with water and adds wool mix. She doesn’t rinse the clothes, just spins them once washed. This saves a lot of water and seems to work well. Geoff made me up a washing line and it was swoon out and drying.

Just before dusk we wandered down the track to see how far it went. On this side of the river the track ends at the railway line which, in this neck of the woods is unfenced The line is used only for a little freight and cattle now and again. We chatted to a couple in one of the caravans , Paul and Sue from Rockhampton. They had a little puppy, a StaffyX perhaps, called Lucky. Lucky - because they found him in their garden when he was about 5 weeks old. After asking around the vets and locality, nobody claimed him so they think he may have been dumped. They called him Lucky as he now has a good home with them.

As we walked on to the railway line the sunset was beautiful with the backdrop of a typically Aussie bush windmill against the red sunset and the glow of red coming off the rail tracks. Alas, no camera so we hope we may catch it another day.

Back to the van and put the Cottage Pie in the oven that Geoff had cooked earlier and sit around the fire until it was ready. Then it was back out to sit gazing into the fire and letting your thoughts wander wherever they wanted. Fires do that, don’t they? The sky was clear and there were a myriad of stars out and we could spot quite a few of the constellations. What a lovely evening!

Saturday, 8th June 2013 - Darr River

Quite a warm night. We are 8 days into winter but as we are inland in Central Queensland, it is quite warm. I had a sleeveless top on and ¾ pants yesterday as it was so nice. Not too hot but just right.

We have a cheeky bird that comes into the van asking for his/her breakfast. It is a Spotted Bowerbird and doesn’t show any fear. Of course, he get his/her breakfast for being so cheeky. I didn’t get a photo as I didn’t want to frighten it but grabbed one of the web.

Geoff pulled in his pots but no Red Claw only two fish of which one was a reasonable size but they went back in. Geoff looked at the Darr River on Google Earth and it doesn’t go far so is more of a Billabong really … just as we thought.

Geoff spent the rest of the day making some meeples for our Carcassonne game. He has made two big men and two followers using his Dremmel, little hacksaw and file. They just need painting now when we next get to a town to buy some LITTLE pots of paint. This was after we had just relaxed and sat out under the awning and watched the river do … nothing! Time for me to catch up on my journal as I hadn’t typed any of June’s up. I gave up with two days to go as I was getting square eyes.

Just before dusk we checked out our pots again and zilch, zero, nada, nothing. Bumma … we will starve at this rate!

Oh … the manual vacuum pump I bought at the CMCA rally has given up the ghost already. I month after I bought it! Geoff checked it out and said the sealing ring had dislodged and there was no way he could get to it without wrecking the pump. I emailed the supplier, not expecting too much, and got an email back within the hour saying they would send a new one to the Mt Isa Post Office on Tuesday (Monday’s a public holiday … we had forgotten). How good is that for service. Thanks.

Cooked tea, ate it and then sat around the fire some more. Then it was a game of Scrabble before bed which I won!

Sunday, 8th June 2013 - Darr River

A bit of an overcast day today but is not supposed to rain. I hope not, it would get a bit muddy and sticky where we are. There was one reasonable Red Claw in the pot this morning. Geoff left it in to see if its true that they can climb back out if the pots are not modified. I’m hoping he will attract more to enter.

Another visit from the Bowerbird whilst I was on FB chatting to my sister Kay. She was sitting in bed in the UK whilst hubby was downstairs watching the TV. That’s what I like about FB. You never know who will be on for a chat.

Geoff cooked bacon, eggs and tomato on the BBQ this morning. Great, it uses only one hotplate and he cleans it afterwards. I only have the plates and cutlery to do.

Mid morning Sue and Paul ambled by with Lucky. They were off for a stroll so stopped for a cuppa and a biscuit. Lucky was a bundle of live wires and was into everything before suddenly falling asleep, as babies do. Before they left they invited us for ‘Sundowners’ (they have sailing friends so know this phrase) tonight down with them and their friends. It looks like rain, and Geoff felt a couple of spots, so I’m hoping it doesn’t.

A couple of campervans came in but did not stay. Apparently one was just testing out his camper trailer after having done some modifications.

Geoff worked on his laptop for a while until just after 5 pm when we loaded the chairs onto the frame of the wheelie walker, got some drinks and nibbles together and headed off down the track. We sat and ate and drank round their ‘pig’ fire and the time flew very quickly. As the sun slowly sank below the horizon Geoff managed to capture the sunset. At 6.30 we thought it was about time we left them to cook their dinner and wandered back up the dark track, torch in hand. As usual, after sundowners, it was a light tea.

Monday, 10th June 2013 - Darr River

Well, It just goes to show that Red Claw can work their way out of the pots as the one Geoff had left in yesterday was gone! But there were2 reasonable sized one in the other pot.

Another Caravan has come in and parked between us and the others. More company, nice. Nope, t out they are off again!

Mid morning we went for a walk up to the road to drop off our rubbish in the bins provided. Not much to see out this way. There was a tower with a water monitoring station in it and another RV camped across the other side of the river. We didn’t go over and annoy them and left them to their peace and quiet. On the way back we dragged some firewood back with us.

Time for a cuppa and to pour over the road atlas and the Camps 7 book to see how long it would take us to reach Mt Isa without rushing and where the free campsite were. I want to be at Mt Isa on the 19th with plenty of time to get my tooth fixed on the 20th. We decided that we would probably stop at Winton, Kynuna, McKinlay, Cloncurry and then Mt Isa. So we will leave tomorrow but until them just enjoy the lazy days and relax and either just stare at the river or the fire.

Relax, until Geoff had to chase that cheeky Bowerbird out of the van. This time it flew right in and sat on the saloon table. Then Paul turned up with his little chainsaw and cut some of our logs into manageable sizes. That was nice of him! These little (and they are little) chainsaws are from Bunning’s and cost less than $100 so Geoff will definitely buy one as they are so handy. Geoff then spent some time adapting the phone/internet antenna so that it can take both the mobiles and the laptop at the same time. Handy little B!

I started the fire back up just before 5 pm and then at 5.30 Paul and Sue arrived for ‘Sundowners/Happy Hour’. Once again we drank, ate, gazed at the fire and chatted until about 7.15 when they headed back to their van.

Geoff then cooked tea on the BBQ and we ate it by the fire.

Before heading back into the van Geoff checked his pots and he had another two reasonable sized Red Claw. Time to wash up, have a hot chocolate, a game of Farkle and then bed.

Tuesday, 11tth June 2013 - Winton, The Long Waterhole … Day 32 of the ‘Around Oz’ trip

No more Red Claw this morning. I think we get up too late and they have already found their way out! Geoff says he is going to modify the pot openings. He also said he now knows why people put out so many if you only get 1 to 2 in each pot. You can have up to four pots per person. Another warm and sunny day. We slowly packed up and then drove down to the end camps to say goodbye to Paul and Sue. The other campers they are with didn’t even acknowledge our existence. She is Chinese, apparently, and doesn’t speak much English so I can only assume she doesn’t like meeting new people but you would have thought her partner would have, at least, waved. Not to worry. Paul gave us his card and said for us to look them up if we are ever in Rocky. Who knows … we might but it is like ships passing in the night. You meet new people and you get on really well and then you may never see them again. Sometimes you do, more often you don’t.

We were on the road by 10 am heading for Winton. We stopped at a rest area on the way as Geoff wanted to check the pressure of the tyres as the van was pulling to the left. The tyre pressure was fine so she probably needs a wheel alignment. When we got into Winton we were told that we would have to get the wheel alignment done in Mt Isa as there was no-one in town that could do such a large vehicle. We thought as much.

We decided we would give the ‘Age of the Dinosaurs’ museum a miss as they wanted $27 each for a pensioner concession. We had previously been to Lark Quarry where the Dinosaur Stampede exhibition was. But we did go and have a look at the ‘Musical Fence’. This was an area that had been constructed of various bits of pieces such as hub caps, fencing wire, gas bottles etc. When we got there we joined three families all with kids. They were having a ball but I wouldn’t call the noise that they were producing ‘music’. Not music at all but what fun they were having. The big kid in me decided to give it a go and I joined in but only for a very short while as the noise was deafening.

With a grin we said goodbye and headed back into town where we did the normal things travellers do. Fill up with fuel, fix the black and fresh water, get supplies. Ouch … we got some supplies from the small Spar supermarket and the prices were very expensive. I expect we will have to get used to paying these prices out here, although the fuel wasn’t too dear.

Onto the free campsite at the Long Waterhole a couple of kms out of town. It is a bit of a dusty spot, with dry and cracked earth and not at all pretty. Apparently it is hell to get out of if it rains so please, please don’t rain (the occasional shower is forecast, maybe) We are only here overnight so we will keep our fingers crossed. Time to put the boiler on to do two small loads of washing as we had picked up extra water to do this. A bit late getting it out so it won’t dry before dark but should dry overnight … if it doesn’t rain!

Tuesday, 11tth June 2013 - Winton, The Long Waterhole … Day 32 of the ‘Around Oz’ trip

Another warm and sunny day. We slowly packed up and then drove down to the end camps to say goodbye to Paul and Sue. The other campers they are with didn’t even acknowledge our existence. She is Chinese, apparently, and doesn’t speak much English so I can only assume she doesn’t like meeting new people but you would have thought her partner would have, at least, waved. Not to worry. Paul gave us his card and said for us to look them up if we are ever in Rocky. Who knows … we might but it is like ships passing in the night. You meet new people and you get on really well and then you may never see them again. Sometimes you do, more often you don’t.

We decided we would give the ‘Age of the Dinosaurs’ museum a miss as they wanted $27 each for a pensioner concession. We had previously been to Lark Quarry where the Dinosaur Stampede exhibition was. But we did go and have a look at the ‘Musical Fence’. This was an area that had been constructed of various bits of pieces such as hub caps, fencing wire, gas bottles etc. When we got there we joined three families all with kids. They were having a ball but I wouldn’t call the noise that they were producing ‘music’. Not music at all but what fun they were having. The big kid in me decided to give it a go and I joined in but only for a very short while as the noise was deafening. With a grin we said goodbye and headed back into town where we did the normal things travellers do. Fill up with fuel, fix the black and fresh water, get supplies. Ouch … we got some supplies from the small Spar supermarket and the prices were very expensive. I expect we will have to get used to paying these prices out here, although the fuel wasn’t too dear.

I soon lost Geoff of course! He had gone to look at the waterhole and had got chatting. Hunger drew him back and he said the waterhole was low and stagnant and not much to look at. Geoff also said the ground was so parched that the excess water from the washing machine had just disappeared down a large crack and not even got the ground wet. Alas, this area is on drought, but we can see that it is often a swampy area when it rains.

After tea we played Scrabble and I won. I have to win at something at times!

Wednesday, 12th June 2013 - Fullerton River Rest Area, east of Cloncurry

There wasn’t any rain overnight, thank goodness and the wandering cows didn’t eat my washing.

We headed back into town to have a look around and Geoff found this little gem of a place (for guys … not us ladies). It was an Aladdin's Cave full of fittings, pipes, you name it. He managed to get a gas bottle decanting device made up here. A lot of places in the bigger towns and cities won’t make them up for you due to litigation, laws and legislation. Way out here it is a different story … nobody worries too much in the outback!

Mind you, these places don’t have eftpos or credit card machines so I had to go off in search of an ATM to get some cash out. I eventually found 0ne in the North Gregory Hotel and was able to get some money out to pay for Geoff’s purchase. As I had now been around town looking for the ATM Geoff sais we would continue on as he had only stopped for me to have a look as we had been here before.

We headed west with the intention of stopping overnight at Kynuna. This time we saw live wildlife for a change. Brolgas and Emus, mainly but there was still a lot of roos, pigs, emus, birds dead beside the road. There was also a lot of road works and road line painting but the crews called us up on the CB radio to let us know what was up ahead which we found most helpful.

We stopped for a cuppa at a rest area with some interesting features which looked like the American bad lands but on a much smaller scale. I say interesting features as anything that sticks up higher than the low bushes and flat land stands out somewhat. There were also road crews here so Geoff went and had a chat as he was interested in why huge wide tracts of land either side of the road had been cleared by graders. Apparently it is done as a fire break at times and others because they are about to do major road works that require bypass areas for their construction vehicles.

When we got into Kynuna we found there was ‘bugger all’ there. It was dry, flat and most unappealing so I took the wheel and we continued on to McKinlay. McKinlay turned out to be a tad (and I mean a tad) more inviting and we wanted to stop here anyway as we wanted to visit the Walkabout Creek Hotel. Now, if that name rings a bell it is because this pub is where some of the scenes in the Crocodile Dundee movies were filmed. It was built in 1900 and licenced in 1901 and very much a bush pub. (More info click on http://publocation.com.au/pubs/qld/mckinlay/walkabout-creek-hotel. It was old inside with one section left original from the movie. On the walls they had heaps of very ‘non politically correct’ jokes and it was great to have a chortle over them without worrying about offending anyone. We had a light drink each and then went back to the van where we caught up with some other RV’ers who also had scooters on the back. Always a topic of conversation!

We decided we would push on and have a look at the dirt road to Julia Creek but it was very corrugated and really shook up the van so we turned back as it was over 100 kms of dirt road to get there. We headed on towards Cloncurry where we stopped at the Fullerton River Rest area just before the town. The Fullerton River was wide but, like most rivers and creeks in this part, bone dry. We camped with quite a few other vans and are quite close to the road so it was a little noisy as the truck thundered by. They are, mostly, road trains with

three trailers, sometimes four. A lot of them are double decker cattle road trains and Geoff an I always feel sorry for the cattle on the lower sections as they must always be being pooed and peed on from the cattle above.

Thursday, 13th June 2013 - Onto Corella Dam, 60 km east of Mt Isa

It was warm overnight although it was a much colder night. We had brekky and slowly got ready to leave. When Geoff went outside we found that we were the only ones left there. How slack but we were in no hurry as we weren’t going far.

Received a call from a guy called Abe (yep ...he’s American) asking if we were interested in dog sitting his two Shizu/Maltese cross dogs whilst he went t0 the USA for 6 to 8 weeks. 8 weeks is a bit longer than we really want to do but he is right in Darwin and it means we will have a base. We said we would ring him back once we had talked it over.

We left around 10.15 and headed to Cloncurry through a land dominated by large red ant hills. We remarked to each other that if each ant hill was inhabited there must be more ants than humans on this earth. But, apparently, some of them were empty for some reason or other. As we neared Cloncurry the landscape was slowly changing and this country certainly looked like Pro Hart country (he was an Aussie painter) with red soil starting to take over from the black. We passed on small concrete tank which had been covered in spray graffiti. What the? Do these people travel with cans of spray pain just in case? We were constantly being approached by long 50 metre plus road trains so had to take care as they passed you. A lot of these were the four trailer bucket type and we believe these are mining road trains. Would these be called B double doubles? As Cloncurry came closer a few hummocky type hills started to appear and it looked a little greener.

We stopped at Cloncurry to top on groceries in Woolworths (what luxury … a Woolies) and the prices were normal city prices. We didn’t need much but manage to earn the 4¢ a litre fuel discount which was a blessing as the diesel was normally $1.70 here. There was a large camber in the road to get into the service station and Geoff didn’t realise and took it straight on and grounded the tow bar. More noise than damage as the noise came from a nut that hit the road. The sound made me cringe and you always think the worse. We then went and checked the price on the gas refills. Woolworths ‘Swap and Go’ was $37 for the 9kg bottle and the Home Hardware wanted $45 so we left it as we had enough to last us till Mt Isa where there was a Bunnings and a BCF which should be, hopefully, cheaper. St Vinnie's was closed where I was hoping to pick up an old saucepan and kettle for use on the fire. Never mind, it will have to wait.

Onwards James, crossing the wide and DRY Cloncurry River. Sally rang to say she had found our doona but then she got cut off as we were in a really bad coverage area. 53 km on from Cloncurry we turned south down a dirt track to the Corella Dam where there was free camping on the edge of the dam. When we got there we found a nice flat spot overlooking the dam (what was left of it) and settled in. Later Geoff went off in search of firewood and I built up the fire circle close by as the fire danger level was high and there was a little wind. We also noticed we had mobile coverage when we plugged in to the antenna so we rang Garry at the Mt Isa Bow Hunters club as Jum had arranged for us to get free camping there. Apparently the camp ground in The Isa are dear and they pack you in like sardines. Rhonda, Garry’s wife, said there would be no problem and we could socialise with them all when the ‘shoots’ (targets...not live game) were on. Nice.

We settled down with a cuppa and stared out across the dam and watched some blacks swans glide by. It is quite a picturesque little spot as it is surrounded by red hills. I rang Wyn and Ann just before getting dinner ready. Geoff got a small fire going and we sat gazing into the fire until dinner was cooked and then we ate it by the fireside. Geoff then got the Sat dish working and turned the TV around so it was facing out of the door and we watched the news under the stars whilst still enjoying the warmth of the fire. It started to get too cold for us around 8pm so we went in, rang Sally, played Farkle and then it was time to hit the sack.

Friday, 14th June 2013 - Corella Dam

Quite chilly overnight with quite a strong wind blowing. Brrrr!
Only getting to 22ºC today. No fire tonight if this wind keeps up as the fire danger is rated at high and I would hate for it to get away.

After brekky Geoff took out the shelves and divider he had installed to vanish them as it is not dusty here. Talking of dust though, just going on that little bit of dirt road towards Julia Creek has left the inside of the van with a film of dust over everything. So that is what I am going to be doing this morning … getting rid of it. The floor was also filthy where I had splashed water when washing up and then trodden the dust in. I was working around Geoff’s tools etc, as usual but it was soon time to stop for a cuppa.

After lunch we went for a walk around the edge of the dam to see if we could find our way to the Clem Walton Park which was above the other side of the dam wall and where there were more campsites and toilets. We followed a reasonably well defined track to start with but it soon petered out and then became a rock scramble. We did get to the dam wall which really emphasized the low level of the water. It soon became to difficult to continue on, especially for me, so we took some photos and headed back taking a photo of the van from afar.

At least it got us out of the van and getting some exercise. Later we got a call from a guy in Darwin called Rusty who was looking for a house/dog sitter for 3 to 4 weeks late August and early September. He and his girlfriend were off to Indonesia to get married and wanted someone to look after their terrier, StaffyX/Dingo and their pig.

She’s a policewoman, he’s a fire fighter and they had 5 acres about 25 kms from Darwin and it sounded ideal so we said we would chat about it and get back to him. We both think we will take them up on their offer.

Saturday, 15th June 2013 - Corella Dam

A dripping noise started up around midnight. I wasn’t asleep as we had both only put our books down at 11pm (late for us). It was so annoying that I got up to see what it was and found the gas had run out so the fridge had stopped and the dripping was the noise as the condenser defrosted. Geoff had to get up and change the gas bottle as the freezer would have defrosted overnight. It was bitterly cold and the wind was strong so he changed it over as quickly and as quietly as he could. I warmed him up when he got back into bed.

Up at 7.45 to a sunny morning with only a slight but cold wind. We checked our emails and we had received some photos of the house sit property and we have decided to take up their offer so emailed them back. The dates are 24th August to 17th September but we will get there a few days before to ensure that the dogs (and pig) take to us ok.

After brekky Geoff unloaded the scooter and went off in search of the Clem Walton Park. I declined to go with him as the track was supposed to be rocky and I don’t feel safe when the track is like that. Whilst he was away I built the fire rock wall a little higher, used a metal rod as a support, covered the kettle with foil (to stop the soot) and made myself a cuppa. Sat around the fire and enjoyed the view. When Geoff came back the billy was still simmering so he joined me for a cuppa and some lunch.

After lunch he got our empty 9kg gas cylinder out to use it as a design to make our camp fire pig. We have decided to maybe buy a new cylinder from Bunning’s as they are only $30 and then you don’t have to worry about residue gas.

This one of those ‘do nothing’ days with us just fiddling around do a bit of this and that. Put a roast on for dinner, started a fire and we sat round that until dinner was cooked. Then it was back outside and enjoy the stars and the fire until all of our collected wood was gone and the cold drove us inside.

Sunday, 16th June 2013 - Corella Dam to Mt Isa, Day 37 of our ‘Round Oz Trip’

Up at 7.30 and shower then Geoff cooked brekky out on the BBQ. Bacon and eggs of course.

As Geoff was cooking we got talking to a couple of guys who were off to the dam to fish. One of them was from Mallacoota in Vic and I said I knew some people who lived there. He said who and I said Allison and Darryl never thinking in a million years that he would know them. But, small world that it is, he did. He is a painter and he had painted their house for them. Wow … so I was soon on Facebook letting Ally know.

We then packed up the van and headed west. Mt Isa was only 66 km away so it didn’t take long. We stopped off to do the normal motorhome stuff and then went onto BCF to get the two gas bottles refilled. The 9kg cost $28.95 (better than the $37 and $45 we were quoted in Cloncurry) and the 4 kg one was $17.88. Then onto Bunning's … how cute … a quarter of the size of the megastores. We then drove a little out of town and took the Lake Moondarra road and found the track to the Mt Isa Bow Hunters Club where Jum and Jenny had organised a free camp spot for us. There are no free camp spots in the Camps 7 book, well there are apparently, you just have to know where they are. In the busy season the Hockey, Golf and RSL let RV’s camp in their grounds for free as the caravan parks have been overtaken by dongers for the miners. We got there just after midday and just as the shoot’ was breaking up. We met Rhonda, the treasurer, Graham, president and Richard the caretaker. A nice spot albeit with the noise of trail bikes on the weekends that frequent this area. After everyone had left we chatted to Richard for a while who said it was ok to have a camp fire. Geoff collected up some rocks to make a fire surround and then got some wood, which was in abundance, and soon had a fire going. I sent off my journal and my dad’s bounced back so I sent him a text asking if he had changed his email address. He then rang me so we had a nice chat whilst sitting around the fire until our tummies grumbled and it was time to cook dinner. Geoff cooked ham steaks, pineapple, fried potato and spaghetti on the BBQ, We ate inside, watched a bit of TV and then it was out to the fire again till around 9pm.

Monday, 17th June 2013 - MT Isa Bow Hunters Club

We are camped below a tall hummock with an almost sheer crumbly rock face. Ergo … it takes a while for the sun to make its way over the top. In fact, we didn’t get its warmth till 9.45 so on with the diesel heater.

Checked the emails and then Facebook and sister Kay came on for a live chat. I know some people don’t like Facebook but it is brilliant to keep in touch with people and/or to see what they are up to. Kay is in the UK and whilst I was talking to her Alan came on and he was in San Diego and he and Leslie were making their way to Mexico. So there was the three of us all talking from different parts of the world at the same time. It sounded like Alan and Leslie were having a few more dramas and I told him that they should write a book on it all. I think they may be thinking along those lines.

We are running out of fresh milk so it was porridge made with powdered milk this morning … shhh … don’t tell Geoff!

I downloaded the June magazine of

The Wanderer and then we got on the scooter and went into town. First stop was Bunning’s where Geoff bought some bits and a baby chainsaw for $99 to cut up the wood for the fire. He then took this back to the van and left me in town. I was off to the post office to send off my dad’s postcard and to check on the parcel that Owen was sending. Apparently it gets sent to the parcel centre so I got the address off her for another day. Owen only sent it on Friday so I don’t expect it yet. I wandered up to Kmart to check on the prices of empty 9kg gas cylinders ($39) and to look at camp ovens. The camp ovens were very heavy for the size I wanted so I wandered up to the kitchen area and found a cast aluminium stockpot that was heavy duty but much lighter and only $25. I decided to show it to Geoff before I bought it. Onto the Atlas Super Store where the gas bottles were $50, the camp ovens $45 and the stainless steel billies were also $45. Geoff fancies a stainless steel billy but I said a aluminium would do at $13 as it was going to get sooty and tar all over it and you wouldn’t see it was stainless steel after a while anyway. I met Geoff at Woolworths and we got a few ‘top up supplies’ and then we went back to Kmart. We were walking through the small shopping Centre when a lady said hello to Geoff. Her name was Sue and she used to work with Geoff at Wide Bay Volunteers in Bundy, before me I think. She and her hubby were touring in a caravan for a month. A small world again! After we had finished chatting I showed Geoff the stockpot and he said it would do the job fine so we bought it. No more room on the scooter to buy anything else so it was back to the camp for some lunch. We got chatting to Richard who told Geoff where the scrap metal recycler’s was and also said that Garry from the Bowhunters worked there and to ask for him. So, Geoff was soon off and came back with an old but good 9kg gas bottle (free), an aluminium billy, some red and yellow hobby paint to paint the Meeples he had made for Carcassonne and a few more bits from off the list. I fiddled around and then sat outside and relaxed until he came back.

I then got the fire going, put one of our spare grill racks over it, washed the stockpot and got some pasta cooking. When it was cooked I drained the pasta, wiped out the pot and got some weeny meatballs cooking, added veggies and pasta sauce. In went the pasta and dinner was cooked. I chose a really easy meal as the first try out. It worked well and we are saving gas. I’m pleased and I will be even more pleased once Geoff has made the fire pig.

Tuesday, 18th June 2013 - Mt Isa

Still tucked up in bed and under the doona after 8am. No sun yet, it’s still behind the hill. But, get up we eventually did and had a shower whilst the diesel heater was still on as we have it set for one hour.

Geoff was soon outside starting work on the ‘fire pig’ and it was time for me to get some washing going and I

did five small loads. Richard said I could use his washing line so it was soon out drying in the sun. We had a little fire going and had the billy boiling/simmering all day for cuppas and washing up. Whilst I was hanging the washing on the line a horse and cart came down the track followed by one being ridden. They horses were soon unsaddled and hobbled and were enjoying the little bit of green vegetation that was growing out of the dry (moist) river bed. There is not much vegetation out here so I expect they do this to give them something extra.

Later Garry (the guy who gave Geoff the gas bottle) came down looking for his dog and he looked at the finished product of the ‘fire pig’. Yep, it’s finished, well almost, just a few more rivets needed and, maybe, a few teeny weeny modifications.

As the afternoon wore on I noticed more and more Kite Hawks were circling and then landing nearby and Found that Richard was feeding them. There seem to be hundreds around here and you wonder how they survive. As dusk approached we could hear noises from above us. It was a group of workers who had climbed the hill, planted the Aussie flag, pulled out a guitar and were all singing away. Nice.

Time to try out the ‘fire pig’ so I cooked some hash browns and wrapped them in foil and leant them up the outside to keep hot. Then in went Geoff’s steak and my rissoles and they were cooked perfectly. I must admit to heating the baked beans on the cooktop inside the van but I think they would have heated through if I left them in the can and placed them beside the fire pig. Geoff seems very happy with his handiwork, as he should be, but he did hurt his thumb when the chainsaw starter kicked back onto it. Poor Geoff!

Wednesday, 19th June 2103 - Mt Isa

We didn’t get up till after 8.30 and it’s nice and toasty in bed. We’re still waiting for the sun to make its way over the hill.

Once it had made its way over we were on the scooter and heading into town. Geoff needed to buy a new, warm flannelette shirt as he had burnt his only one with the angle grinder. We also wanted to buy a trivet for the fire pig, a bag for the stockpot/camp oven, a fire pig poker thingy and to check whether the parcel had arrived. We got all bar the poker thingy so it was back to the van where we boiled the billy for a cuppa and then cooked toasted sandwiches on the trivet on the fire pig. The fire pig is great but smoky and sooty.

After lunch it was back on the bike and travel the 15 kms out to Lake Moondarra. A very scenic area and not something you would expect to see way out here. I think it would be very popular with the locals at the weekends. Day use only, which is a shame. We wandered up to the lookout and read the interpretive signs and then wandered along the dam wall. We took photos and chatted to other visitors, of course. We also took the fork in the road and went to have a look at another picnic area with a kids playground which was below the dam. There was a sign saying to beware of getting bitten by mosquitoes here as there was a high incidence of Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE), which was a potentially fatal disease. I supposed the only way you could stop getting bitten is to smother yourself in insect repellent! Hmmm, don’t lets linger!

Back on the scooter and head back into town to have a look at the Mt Isa Airport as Geoff has a ‘thing’ for airports. We decided to treat ourselves to a cappuccino here and then realised it was the first bought cup of coffee we had consumed since hitting the road in early May. Wow! It was a small Airport, about the size of Bundaberg or Albury but was different as it was use mostly for FIFO (Fly in, Fly out) workers and it was definitely marketed towards them. From here we continued on to the Royal Flying Doctors Service where we were hoping they had a museum or similar. No such luck as they have stopped tours as they have expanded into a large working facility and have used up all the space. They did have a few interpretive signs for us to peruse, which we did of course.

Back to camp, billy on for a cuppa. Time for me to cook so it was Japanese Chicken Curry and rice all cooked on the ‘fire pig’. I know I keep saying this but it is a good way to cook and saves a lot of gas. The only trouble with it is that you end up smelling of smoke and you have to be careful with the sooty pots and not get it on you. Geoff cleaned the outside pots and I did the inside washing up. Sounds fair to me!

Thursday, 20th June 2013 - Mt Isa, still

An overcast day today and much cooler and we may get a touch of rain. They don’t get much here in a year. According to the signage at the lake they only get a yearly rainfall of 14¾ inches. Still, the lake seemed reasonably full.

About midday I changed into good clothes and was just about to brush my teeth when the Mt Isa Dental Hospital rang saying the dentist was running 45 minutes late and may not be able to see me today. Shock, horror! I explained that I was travelling and had driven all the way from before Longreach to make this appointment and I really couldn’t wait around for another appointment in, who knows when. She said she would see what she could do and rang me back with a 2.30 appointment as she had managed to cancel someone else … poor thing. But I was very relieved and we headed off at 2pm and Geoff dropped me off at the dental clinic. I was ready for a long wait but I went straight in and she said it was an easy fix as I hadn’t left it too long to get an infection. I didn’t even need an injection and I was out by 3pm and Geoff picked me up. We then went around various shops trying to whittle down our list. We got back about 5pm I cooked our favourite Filipino dish, Pansit Bihon, with the frozen Red Claw we had in the freezer. I had defrosted them earlier and found the shells had gone brittle from the freezing and they were quite easy to peel. On the ‘fire pig’ of course. We had a few spots of rain at this time but I mean a ‘few’ spots.

Friday, 21st June 2013 - Mt Isa

It was after 9 am when we woke this morning. We are getting worse! A nicer, warmer day today.

Today is a local public holiday due to the Mt Isa Show Day so we decided to stay around the camp as we thought there might be quite a few people around and we are on our own here. Richard, the caretaker, has gone off with other Bowhunter club members to go pig shooting with compound bows. I think the pigs have a good chance of getting away! We said we would keep an eye on the place for them.

So today was work on the laptop as I wanted to get our mail re-directed and I wanted to change our address on any of the companies we could do over the net. It took a long time but I got most of them done with only a couple done by email and one by snail mail. Jen and Jum, in Bundaberg, is going to be out mail lady for a while as Owen and Maryanne are moving to Maleny, north of Brisbane, and are also going to take some well earned months off to go caravanning. I’m glad they are going to get away a bit more and make more use of their caravan. Who knows, we may meet them on the road sometime.

As we were going to be in camp all day I took the opportunity to get two lamb shanks simmering in the stockpot. The fire pig needed to be checked on now and again to ensure it didn’t go out or get too hot. At the moment it is all trial and error and the lamb shanks were, probably, ready one hour ahead of time. I put all of the veggies in an hour before finishing and everything was cooked to perfection. I have decided that I only need to get them on at around 2.30 pm next time. They tasted superb and it was my old recipe that Maryanne had found and scanned and sent to me. So yummy, thanks Maryanne! Geoff was soon out there reheating the left over gravy as there wasn’t enough to save but too much to waste. We haven’t cooked a meal inside since we had the open fire and then the fire pig.

Saturday, 22nd June 2013 - Mt Isa

It was a cool morning but turned into a nice and sunny day again.

After brekky Geoff headed off into town and I did four small loads of washing and got it hung out to dry. We seem to get a lot dirtier out here, what with the dust, smoke and soot from the ‘fire pig’. I also washed the floor … why? … I don’t know why as when Geoff came back he walked straight inside without attempting to wipe his feet. Men! Ho hum.

The billy was about to boil so I made a cuppa and we sat outside to enjoy them. Geoff then filled our water tanks and then washed the van. We had baby pizza’s for lunch and then we chatted to a guy, Paul, who wandered by. He was living in the caravan park nearby and worked in the power station 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off (FIFO). We had a drink and chatted about travelling, retirement and dying … in that order. (our fiend Marg, in Bundy reckons the chat always ends up talking about dying and I think she may be right).

When he had continued on with his walk Geoff went and collected a bit more firewood, then we fed the magpie larks, pigeons, butcher birds and kite hawks. The magpie larks (I think they were magpie larks) were so tame they ate right out of your hand whilst forever keeping an eagle eye out for the kite hawks circling above.

We had fish for tea which Geoff cooked on the BBQ as he said he had more room to cook the fried potato as well. I’m still finding jobs for Geoff to do but he also finds enough himself too. My job was for him to make up a board for under my herbs so they would sit up straight. His job was making up a little mouse table that fits on the driver’s door arm rest that removes the 30º slope. The arm rest mouse pad is big enough to move the mouse around when his laptop is on the table that hangs off the steering wheel. Ingenious!

Sunday, 23rd June 2013 - Mt Isa still

Up late again. It will come as a bit of a shock when we move and the sun comes up at the break of dawn and wakes us up.

Bacon and eggs cooked on the BBQ. Easy for me. Another beautiful day.

A very lazy day today with us just fiddling around doing various little jobs, relaxing but certainly not getting bored. Just nothing interesting to report!

Richard didn’t come back today so they must have decided to stay another day. Geoff put some beer and a little thank you note in his fridge as we may miss him.

Monday, 24th June 2013 - Mt Isa to Camooweal, The Georgina River

Up just after 8am, shower, brekky and slowly pack up. Geoff managed to find a spot for the ‘fire pig’ and the stockpot in its bag fitted easily in the oven with the stainless steel washing bowl. The billy and rack fitted easily into the ‘pig’, which was good. Speaking of the ‘fire pig’ Jen from Bundaberg said that it looked more like a guinea pig as it had no legs so it is now renamed the ‘fire gerbil’.

Still no Richard so we will miss him to say goodbye properly. We headed back into Mt Isa and did the normal motorhome chores and then went into have a look at ‘Outback at Isa’ which is really just a glorified information centre with a display that was $10 to go in. So, being the cheapskates that we are, we just wandered around and picking up brochures for further on. But we did go into the souvenir shop and I bought a red snake (fluffy toy) who I have named Isssssssa who will sit on the bed with the others when we are not travelling and go up on the kitchen shelf when we are to wedge the mugs and glasses in place. I used to use a tea towel but she is better.

Just outside of town we saw a backpacker thumbing a lift further west, We stopped and picked him up. His name was Jun and he was from South Korea and was travelling with a guitar and a very large backpack. He was happy for us to drop him off anywhere and we said we were stopping at Camooweal and he was very happy with that. He had been travelling around Oz for over 6 months and living on the cheap with a hammock and sleeping bag and had just bought a tent for $10. He got enough money to survive by busking in the larger cities and said he didn’t need much. Oh to be young and foolish again. I told him to b3e careful where he camped.

When we arrived in Camooweal Geoff offered him a beer in the Post Office Hotel which was enjoyed on their veranda overlooking the lazy main street which was also the Barkly Highway. The users of the highway were mainly Grey Nomads followed by trucks and a few cars. We then continued on to the Georgina River which was, at this time of year, just a series of waterholes. We found a spot away from the river as it was quiet but Geoff got the ebike out and went to explore down there. He said it was pretty down there but very crowded so we stayed where we were as we were only going to be there one night at this time. Jun went off with his guitar and backpack to try to find a secluded spot to camp and that was the last we saw of him. Whilst Geoff was away I rang ‘The Drovers Camp’ and spoke to Darryl, the president. ‘The Drovers Camp’ was on the outskirts of Camooweal (population 310) and was in the local tourist guide as a free heritage and history museum on the drovers and droving days gone by. Go to http://www.droverscamp.com.au/

for more information. They were offering free power, water, toilets and showers to travellers for a little bit of work in

return. Stuff like cleaning the amenities blocks, maintenance work, plumbing, electrical. Anything at all that you could turn your hand at. It sounded like something different so we have arrange to go down and have a chat with Darryl tomorrow. Geoff got the ‘fire gerbil’ out and I cooked Kai Si Min on it. It is brilliant for these one pot meals.

Tuesday, 25th June 2013 - The Drovers Camp … Camooweal

A bit cold overnight so, once again, we were in bed still at 8am. I also had a fitful night as I think I may be getting my bladder infection back … hope not, way out here!

We slowly had brekky and then Geoff unloaded the scooter and we left just after 10.30 to head off to ‘The Drovers Camp’ to catch up with Darryl who is also the caretaker. He showed us around and we watched another bloke (and these are blokes and definitely not guys) showing people around the complex on a guided 1 - 1½ tour and telling them all about the droving days and explaining all about the memorabillia they had on show. It wasn’t a huge complex but was neat and tidy with a lot of stuff on exhibit. This is all done for free. Darryl said the committee want to keep it free as, by the time the tourist arrive from the eastern seaboard in Camooweal, they have drained of every available tourist dollar by every town on the way. There is a donation box and because it is a free ‘not for profit’ organisation and people enjoy the tour so much (many say better than the Stockman’s Hall of Fame at $30 an head), the donation box is always full and of high denomination notes at times. I think people appreciate it and it shows.

Darryl showed us around and the few chores that needed doing and I will take on the job of cleaning the amenities blocks , no problems, and Geoff already has a few plumbing jobs that need doing and Darryl’s personal TV/DVD to be sorted out. You can do as much or as little work as you want. It was good timing as Darrly’s wife, Irene, had been flown to Townsville by the Royal Flying Doctor Service for tests for ‘petite mal’ epelepsy. Irene, apparently, normally cleans the loos so it will give her a weeks grace. We told him we would come for a week and he was quite happy with that.

So, back to the camp and pack up and make our way back. As we were going to be in one place for a week in a secure place we set up completely with the awning out, chairs and tables out, gerbil out etc. After we were set up and had relaxed with a bit of lunch we walked around the complec to assess the work needing doing, the bits that needed to be bought and we will start tomorrow. Darryl will get the bits when he goes to Mt Isa on Thursday to pick his wife up.

Geoff sorted out Darryl’s TV/DVD and gave Darryl some instructions on how to get the DVD to work. Darryl admits he is not at all technical savvy. His forte is being an expert horse breaker and droving.

I cooked a roast in the oven inside (first time since having the ‘gerbil). We have power so we may not have to use the gerbil too much as we can use the electric hotplate and the microwave and the fridge is on power as well so we are still saving gas.

Wednesday, 26th June 2013 - The Frovers Camp, Camooweal

Up just after 8am (no earlier) to a warm day. After brekky Geoff went off to have a look at the gas hot water system for the house which had stopped working. He and his wife were having to have a shower in the under-house camp kitchen. Meanwhile I was off to clean the amenities blocks. The one we are using is only used for festivals, shows and camps so lays idle most day gathering dirt and dust and bird droppings. Part of it is in the open. It doesn’t get cleaned that often so I gave it a good scrub and the stainless steel basins came up reasonably well. The other three toilets were for visitors use and were reasonably clean so I didn’t need to expend much energy cleaning them … definitely no elbow grease! That was me done so I went to see how Geoff was progressing and to keep him company. He had taken out the burner and worked out how it worked. He said there was a lot of dirt/rust particles on the top of the burner so he gave it a good clean, put it back together and replaced it and it works. Darryl is very happy but also wants him to put a bypass pipe line to the camp kitchen water heater so if the house one dies again he can just turn on a tap and use the camp kitchen one and still be able to use the shower in the house. Whilst Geoff was finishing off I was standing in the camp kitchen and noticed the large cooktop on the oven was really dirty. It wasn’t just dirt and dust but looked like it hadn’t been cleaned after the last festival so I got to it and cleaned the stainless steel top. It came up well … I wonder if anyone will notice.

Back to the van for some lunch and a cuppa and relax for a little bit and a visit from Darryl’s little Jack Russel, Tiger, who is a real cutie. It was then on to the block we were using to fix up one of the shower curtains with cable ties as some of the plastic hooks had gone brittle. Even though they were cable ties they ended up looking very neat. Any hooks that weren’t brittle we used on the other shower curtains so they would hang properly. Time for a shower as I had only cleaned the dressing areas and wanted to scrub the shower cubicle as I had a shower. I will use the other shower and do the same tomorrow. Geoff was working on the middle toilet as it was leaking really badly. He took it out and installed it properly and the leak has gone. Geoff then had a shower, made up a list for Darryl and we were finished for the day.

I posted on Facebook on the Highway Wanders and Grey Nomad pages telling them all about this place and hoping they get more volunteers through it as Darryl said they hadn’t had anyone offer for over 9 months. Camooweal is an RV Friendly town with a good free camping area and it is good to give something back to the community.

Thursday, 27th June 2013 - The Drovers Camp, Camooweal

A leisurely start to the day today as Geoff can’t do any more jobs until Darryl returns from Mt Isa, 185 kms away) with the bits he needs. Jeff, a volunteer tour guide and ex drover, did ask him to look at the sprinkler system which had developed a couple of leaks and which was soon fixed. He then water and fed the trees and filled up the horse water trough. I checked the toilets and showers but they had hardly been used so there was not much to do there. As Darryl was in Mt Isa Jeff asked me if I could do ‘meet and greet’ new visitors once he has started conducting a tour and point them in the right direction. So that’s what I did most of the day. Jeff conducted three tours (they take 1½ to 2 hours) one after the other (Jeff and Darryl take it in turn normally) and I made him a sandwich as he had no time to get some food down him. Both he a Darryl are real bushies and have their main meal (they call it dinner) at midday so his tummy must have been grumbling.

Darryl and Irene came back about 3 pm so we were introduced to Irene and had a cuppa. She was very happy the hot water service was running again as she said she hated having a shower down in the camp shower a it was very basic. A nice lady. Darryl had got all of the bits on Geoff’s list so Geoff will be busy over the next

few days. Geoff also offered to paint over the rough ‘Drovers Festival’ sign which still had last years dates on it. He rummaged in the workshop and found some paint so painted over the dates. When it was dry he drew the new dates in place so he could see that they looked in proportion and it is now ready for painting tomorrow.

Time for a shower and to scrub the second shower cubicle. It didn’t come up as good as the other one so I will give it another good go tomorrow.

Friday, 28th June 2013 - The Drovers Camp, Camooweal

Another warm and sunny day. Irene says it gets to 44ºC here in the summer but is a dry heat and not humid. I think they stay indoors then, in the air conditioning. It makes you wonder how the early pioneering families survived the heat, especially wearing the clothes that were the go in those days.

I checked out the amenities but they were still pretty good so didn’t need much doing to them. Geoff was vey industrious and he wore poor old Jeff out who was acting as his Gofer. Their first job was replacing the gate valve on the bore water pump. Then it was on to the office where there was a bad leak and this time replaced a ball valve. Next was the job 0f balancing the new washing machine which vibrated badly when it was using the spin cycle. Geoff had a look underneath and he saw that the packing straps were still in place. Silly B’s! He cut them off then they used a spirit level to get the feet level. I then did a load of washing to test it out and it worked fine. Their next job was to interconnect the two hot water services by running a copper pipe between their outlets and installing a tap so that they can isolate either hot water system. Now they can now use both systems independently or , in the busy times, use both together. As one is large and one is small it will mean they can reduce their gas usage when they are not busy and, on the plus side, they can always use the other one if one packs up. Next on the list was to replace the shower head in the volunteers camp shower and then Geoff decanted gas from the large house gas bottle into the smaller 9 kg gas bottle as both Darryl and Jeff couldn’t remember how to do it.

Time for a cuppa and a bit of relax time and then I was very BRAVE and I let Geoff cut my hair. He did a reasonable job and it looks ok but I will have it professionally cut when I get to Darwin. But it was driving me nuts and I couldn’t wait until then. I then went for a shower and gave it a good wash and condition to try to settle it down a bit. When it was dry we took the scooter into town to have a look around, all of about 30 seconds. We checked out what the two general stores had on offer for when we leave. They had reasonable stock but very expensive, of course. We continued onto the Post Office Hotel and had a Lemon, Lime and Bitters each and chatted to some other travellers on the veranda and then Jeff turned up and joined us and we chatted some more. Back to the van at 5.30 to relax for an hour before returning back to the pub to treat ourselves to a counter meal. Geoff had fish, chips and salad and I had the seafood basket. As we left there were four young people on the veranda and they had a giggle as we put our helmets on and Geoff said were they laughing at two old fogies on a scooter. They were friendly lads and were from the large Barkly Station and were as you would imaging jackaroos to look and act. Back by 8pm.

Saturday, 29th June 2013 - The Drovers Camp, Camooweal

Quite warm overnight at around 13ºC and very windy. Luckily Geoff had put the awning in before we went to bed as the wind was getting stronger.

I did the cleaning again and a little more around the camp kitchen/Shower area. Then I was off to find Geoff who was about to start painting the new dates on the large Festival sign that faced the Barkly Highway. He decided to mask up the words first so it would be easier to paint. He was painting in ‘4th Weekend in August, Fri - Sunday’. This means the sign will not need changing each year as it is always the 4th week in August. It was still a rough job but it was a 100% improvement of the previous attempt by whomever.

We then went over and sat in on a bit of Jeff’s tour and Geoff did a bit of ‘Meet and Greet’ as the visitors arrived. Geoff was going to have a look at the ’water lift’ but Jeff said a seal had gone so there’s nothing they can do about it. Jeff’s son is a lift mechanic and will have a look at it when he arrives before the festival. The ‘water lift’ was used by the previous caretakers spouse who was disabled. Now it is just used to get groceries etc. upstairs to the house which is on the 2nd floor with the camp kitchen below it. After this it was back to the van to do a few chores of our own.

Beef olives for tea … yum, yum!

Sunday, 30th June 2013 - The Drovers Camp, Camooweal

Bacon and eggs … it’s Sunday

A sunny but very gusty day today. After cleaning the loos I stripped the bed and piled it all the linen into the washing machine. Then I tried to get the washing on the line. Oh what fun that was in the strong wind. When I pulled the last item out of my light basket the basket was gone and I had to rush to retrieve it from the fence where it had, luckily, been stopped by some barbed wire. Sandy had given me this light fold up basket with some other items before we left Bundy so I was glad I was able to stop it heading for the Gulf. I’m a bit of a sook when it comes to things that people give me as I cherish them!

I then went and did a bit of ‘Meet and Greet’ to give Jeff a break (Darryl was conducting the tour this morning) as he needed a little snoozette. These guys work 7 days a week from 9.30 through to about 4pm, May until the end of September so it is nice to be able to give them a break now and again. In fact they have asked Geoff (and me, of course) if we can come back next year as they can get a lot of maintenance and fixing jobs done that they are no good at. It also save the complex money that they would have to spend on a tradesman. They realise that Geoff is a handy person to have around. We will try to come back for a couple of weeks or more, we will see how we are travelling!

Geoff was off today to fixed two toilets that we running constantly and to fix a hinge on a cupboard in the house. Then it was lunch and relax on the laptops. Geoff has printed out some photos for Jeff and Darryl that he took the other day. We will give them to them this evening. We then did a few of our own chores and then Geoff started packing things away in the outside bins as we are heading off tomorrow towards King Ashe Bay.

Friday, 2 August 2013

19th May 2013 to 30th June 2013

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