We're in NSW at last!!

Posted 30th Jan 2013

We've arrive at Mitchell.  Looks like there are floods throughout Queensland but we're not affected as yet. Since my last post on 23rd we have been steadily heading south/southeast. The weather is still very hot, but at least we are finding some campsites with some shade. We were both feeling a little sick and was blaming it on the heat, but we realised that the bore water  is causing us trouble so we have started to buy water and are feeling much better now.  The Qantas museum was quite interesting, I liked the part where they drove up to Darwin, in an old Ford through much of the country we have travelled on. That's where they got the idea to start Qantas in the fist place. Just incase you've forgotten QANTAS stands for Queensland & Northern Territory Airline Service. (This was a question on Who Want's to be a Millionaire?" So it could be important info loll.) We've seen heaps of history, which I won't go into here, but it seems that in 1886 there was heaps happening here in Qld. Shearers were forming  the Labour Party & a trade union & going on strike and the black stump was being used to survey Qld, railway stations were being built and everyone had a goat or two for milk.

We're camped at the weir just outside of Mitchell  we stayed last night and will stay tonight again, we need to get some meat frozen in the freezer. (We found some goats last night and some other things) We'll head off thru St George and Morven tomorrow to try and get to Nimbin. 

Posted 1st Feb 2013

We've reached NSW! On Wednesday night we decided to try to get to Nimbin via Toowoomba as most of the roads were open.  We got up early and set off to Roma, when we arrived to get fuel they informed us that the alternate route we had planned had been closed there was no way to get to Toowoomba at all. So we thought we would just go to Chinchilla and wait till the road opened again. About 17klms out of Chinchilla a bloke stopped us and told us another way to get thru-- Miles > Condamine> Tara> Dalby > Toowoomba.  So we turned back and headed to Condamine.  There was quite a bit of water over the road at Condamine, but Dorothy made it with no trouble. SES guys were there, I think they shut the bridge just after us, some mad bugger in a sedan used Dorothy's wake to get thru, but the SES didn't like that. From Condamine we set off to Tara, had the CB on and we started hearing that they had shut the bridge at Dalby.  There were a couple of trucks ahead so we followed them, another bloke stopped us and said we wouldn't be able to get thru Dalby and would be stuck for 3 days.  I was looking for another alt route but S thought we should go and look at the river at Dalby.  Turns out there was only a little water on the road and even though you couldn't go north or west you could still go east to Toowoomba. After Toowoomba we tried to find a camp but there was nowhere suitable, it is very built up. We ended up in a caravan park for only $20 and I had a lovely hot shower, 1st one in months!  Got up this morning early and headed off towards Nimbin.  Many roads are still shut and there is some crop damage but all in all it doesn't look too bad.  We have crossed the Condamine River several times and looks like it is going down now.  Everything should be Ok if it doesn't rain again too soon.

We only got a little way up the road today, with all the bad roads damaged from the flooding, and just the rough roads in Qld generally, some of the clamps have come loose from the exhaust  and  fumes are getting into the cab. We needed to stop for some repairs. 

We are crossing the Great Divide again. The road is sealed but very rough & steep. I spotted this clearing in the state forrest, there is no water but lots of shade. The bell birds are tinkling away. There are a couple of  old logging tracks to explore and it is a nice cool day. Gonna have a camp oven tonight, will cook some of the goat so we have some cold meat for lunch.   We don't want to get to Nimbin too soon, it will suck money out of our pockets. We still haven't finished our shopping as most to the shops have been out of stock also I forgot my pin number so I can't get any cash out :o(.  I'll try again next time I get to a EFTPOS machine…

Posted 8th Feb 2013

Getting slack, must be in holiday mode, I keep thinking of posts but haven't gotten around to writing them so here goes:

So we headed off last Sunday for Nimbin, the roads were dreadful rough, steep with lots of tight bends.  The mist was heavy and visibility was poor.  i hung on for dear life as we rounded the bends, so much for the beautiful NSW country side.  The mist finally cleared and we were able to see some of the greenery, NE NSW is lovely.  We arrived in Nimbin.  I always think I'm gonna like the place but when I get there I don't like it at all.  There were several drug pushers following us down the road trying to sell dope and one woman who I instantly disliked with long grey/blond hair selling cookies to the young people.  I had seen her earlier in the day getting out of her flash new little car and putting on her leather sandals, I suspect the long hair may have been a wig!! How fake! There were heaps of interesting characters on the street but we decided not to stay. LOL we probably should have given the place a bit longer since we had been through so much to get there, but when they were gonna charge $14 each for an unpowered site we cracked the shits.  So off to Grubs we headed.

When we got down the bottom of the hill and started off to Sydney the damage of the floods was quite evident, as we passed the sugar cane fields the smell from all the chemicals and fertiliser was disgusting, the cows were all put into small paddocks and they were pretty stinky too.  Most of the flood water has abated but the creeks and rivers are dirty so there is no fishing.  All the national parks are closed so we couldn't stay in one of those, so with nowhere else  to camp we stayed in a rest stop for the night. When we were setting up a friendly rooster popped over for a visit. I don't know what he was doing there but he came over to see if we had any food.  There were several people at the stop so we just continued setting up camp.  He went away, S went for a walk and out he comes again, S tried to catch him but the rooster was a bit wary.  But curiosity did not only kill the cat and silly mr rooster decided to follow S back to the car, needless to say we had to put him into the freezer as he was so insistent on coming with us. He will make a delicious dinner with the mangoes we had found growing wildly near one of the national parks.  (Yes mangoes do grow wildly here in NSW & Qld)

On our second day of traveling to Sydney we decided to stay in a caravan park near the beach, we stayed in a lovely park just next to a river.  The cost was $27 fro a powered site, which considering the 5 star accommodation I thought was reasonable. You had to pay 20c for 5 mins of shower but it was worth it, I had an 80c shower! The park was lovely and green, and had it's own boat ramp for campers. It had really nice grounds with lovely walks all around and a swimming pool with a waterfall. I was really surprised that there was so few people there, they had heaps of onsite vans but no-one was staying. It was too cool for a swim but it was a nice place to stay.

Next morning we headed off for Sydney, we stopped for lunch at Tea Gardens the beach was pristine with white sand and high surf, sorry didn't take my camera but it was beautiful.  Too rough for fishing so we tried our luck in the river, no fish but heaps of oysters so we just collected them.  The drive to Sydney was difficult in that they kept changing the speed limits 80, 90, 100, 110 and back to 80 again.  They have speed cameras and special speed cameras that take your average speed, we tried our best not to get a ticket, but I don't know if we succeeded. Arrived at Grubs about 5pm.

We've been camped at Grubs ever since.  S is very tired after so much driving and needs a rest.  Also Dorothy needs some work, he has fixed the exhaust and topped up all the fluids. I fixed a chip in the windscreen. We have also installed a spot light in the roof and S is putting some new speakers into her today. I took a ride into Sydney town the other day on the train to order an new pin and get some cash out. Man so many weird looking people! Lots of men wearing hot pink shirts, they wouldn't show their faces in Darwin lol. Women with green, blue and pink hair, one bloke was about 40 carrying a skate board with bleached blond hair, and lots of men wearing way too much jewelery.
I got off at a few stations to have a look around, on one of the stations there was a big group of school girls from a Muslim school, they all had their hair covered and were dressed modestly.  One girl aged about 16 was walking down the street with her friend and I overheard some of the conversation "F'n this and F'n that" lol, I thought Ozzy culture is certainly  rubbing off for better or worse. I tried to find Krispy Kream donuts but have had no luck as yet.  We have ended up spending all our money on the spotlight so I probably will find them now I have no money!

We will probably be leaving on Sunday off to Jenolan Caves, i'm just chilln here trying to learn how to program apps. I had some success today where I solved a problem I've been having for a week or so, so now I can move on to tutorial #16.  Grub and his wife have been very welcoming, the kids love us, the older boy is a sweetheart & made me a necklace at school yesterday. Well gonna get on with trying to make my Fragments do someone will get back later with the next adventure.