2007 July to Dec.

While staying at Dunleith Caravan Park, we had discussed with Joan & Robert the possibilities of meeting up at The Gold Coast, when they were visiting Joan’s Brother, Gary. We made our way north again, with a short stay at Forster, where Val had the Dental Mechanic finalise her new teeth. We stopped over at Coffs Harbour then continuing our journey called into the Service Centre at the Port Macquarrie turn off and met up with our niece, Kylie. It was good to catch up with her as it had been a lot of years since we last saw her. Unfortunately Kylie’s daughter, Naomi, was in Sydney, so we missed seeing her.

We stayed at The Gold Coast Holiday Park (Top Tourist), at Hellensvale and Joan & Robert booked into one of their cabins. While we were there, Gary came to visit and Robert & myself spent some time working on the Boat Motor & fuel tank, trying to fix a contaminated fuel problem. Naturally, we were successful in the end. We went to the “Outback Spectacular”. It was a fantastic show and we all had a great night. Good food, beer & wine provided, we all received a complimentary Straw hat on the way in. We would definitely recommend that you take in that show, if you are ever in the Gold Coast area. Joan & Robert headed back to Newcastle and we moved to Brisbane.

We stayed at the Redlands Mobile Village, at Birkdale. This is the Park we always use when in Brisbane, as it is the closest to Val’s Brothers place. It’s only 3 star but the amenities are always clean. As has become the usual practice, we organized to bring Val’s Mum up to Brisbane to Stay with Brian & Julie, while we were there. We caught up with all of Brian & Julie’s family and found time to donate some of our money to “The Treasury” Casino, in the City. When Mum left Brisbane, she flew to Sydney, was met at the Airport by Nikos, who then made sure she was put on an overseas flight to Vancouver, Canada, for a 2 month visit to Val’s cousin, Marion. This trip was our 90th. Birthday Present to Mum, although she was only 89 this year.

We went south again, to catch up with our own Family. It had been Steven’s suggestion to send Mum to Canada a year early, in case her health might deteriorate. Fat chance, she will outlive us all. This was our opportunity to do a long trip ourselves, so we planned to leisurely make our way north to Cairns, then to do a 7 day cruise from Cairns to Cape York & Back, while Mum was away.

On our return trip we stayed in Byron Bay, the Most Easterly Point of the Australian Mainland. Val really enjoyed browsing in all the quaint shops. Our next stop was again at Forster, just to “chill out”, then on to Wangi Point.

The Wangi Point Caravan Park, on Lake Macquarie, was recommended to us by a caravanning friend we met at Dunleith CP, one time. It’s a Council Park and we liked it a lot. Nice water views, clean amenities and friendly Managers. I put the boat into the water but couldn’t find any of the good fishing spots. Maybe next visit, hopefully.
Joan & Robert, and family, came to visit and deliver our mail. They tell us it’s not a problem to use their address and collect our mail for us. We really appreciate their help as it would be more difficult for us to manage by other means. We had been looking at upgrading our Van, as Val had finally decided she was happy to continue our Australian travelling adventure. We saw the Van we wanted at Alan Grahams Caravans at Gosford, so on the 10th. August, placed the order for an 18ft. “Concept” Caravan to be delivered in December. I spent a couple of days at Joan & Roberts, helping Robert with their Kitchen renovations.

At the end of August we went down to Parklea Gardens Caravan Park (Sydney), to catch up with all the Family at Greg & Dianne’s, we had a very nice BBQ. Jessica had lost all her front baby teeth and was looking very cute. Her favourite person was the “very generous” Tooth Fairy. Annaliese was also her usual cute self. We love keeping in touch with our two beautiful Grandaughters.

It was time to make our way to Cairns, for our exciting Boat Trip. We moved back to Wangi Point Caravan Park for a few days and went to Wests Leagues Club, in Newcastle, with Joan & Robert to see the John Rowles Concert. Excellent show. For a change, I decided to go via the New England Highway, so we planned a stop in Tamworth. I thought that, it was about time us coastal dwellers should see a bit more of the inland, the Country Towns and check out how the other half live. We were 20 Klms out of Tamworth, when (I couldn’t believe it) I ran out of fuel, again. With the help of Ford Roadside Assistance, the NRMA turned up with a can of fuel to get us out of trouble. It was only a one hour delay & I’ve learned the lesson that when you pull a caravan and travel up a steady 200 odd Klm. incline, that you use a lot more fuel, especially when driving in automatic.

We stayed at the Paradise Tourist Park (Big 4) while in Tamworth. This was a very nice, tidy and well kept Park, All the staff were very friendly. We enjoyed a visit to The Marsupial Park and The Golden Guitar. I did a tour of the Electric Museum and was surprised to find out that Tamworth was the first Town in Australia to have Electric Street Lights. We went to the Lookout to check out the views over Town and met up with Margaret & David from Melbourne, who we had met at Mountain View Caravan Park in Shoalhaven Heads, on our first visit to that area. Our last sightseeing stop was The Australian Standing Stones. We also made some new friends, Trudy & Bert, from Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. They own a Winery and happened to be carrying some samples with them. Val was very eager to do some wine tasting, and gave it the thumbs up. The Merlot is to die for.

On our way, traveling north again, we came to a roadside shop called The Super Strawberry. Had to stop and sample the strawberries and cream while Val settled for a milkshake. Very nice. Our next stop was at Glen Innes, home of the World’s Bluest Sapphires. We didn’t trek off to the sapphire diggings but took the easy way out and panned and washed a couple of buckets of mud at a nearby Caravan park at $10 a bucket. They had all the gear and the set up to make it easy. After 2 hours of enjoyable but backbreaking work we had a little bottle of small chips of sapphires and other coloured stones. I won’t need to have them valued for Insurance cover.

Moving on, it’s now the end of September, our next stop was the Town of Tenterfield, made famous by a Peter Allen song, The Tenterfield Saddler. We visited the Railway Museum and The Tenterfield Saddlery. A small shop, kept in its original condition and full of the history of this now famous saddler.

Our next “Port of Call”, was Toowoomba. We stayed at The Garden City Caravan Park, aptly named, as our timing was perfect. They has just finished judging the Annual Garden Show Competition. Naturally, we booked our seats on the Coach Tour of the Prize Winning Gardens. It was a great afternoon with the gardens, flowers and the homes all looking beautiful and colourful. The Toowoomba Japanese Gardens also lived up to expectations. Lovely gardens, pathways and water features, a very relaxing atmosphere.

Travelling on, we stopped in the small Town of Nanango for a meal break. Once more we saw lots of very good wall murals. Then moved on to Gayndah, where we stayed at Riverview Caravan Park.

Heading off for Clairview Beach, we spotted the Maryborough Hotel, in the middle of nowhere and back off the road, and went in for lunch. Meals were good and large. Val found out their Poker machines were no different to the big city clubs. While staying at The Clairview Beach Holiday Park, we were amazed at the way the tide went out for miles, leaving behind the unsightly rocky muddy looking sandy flats behind. Locals told us, now we were inside the Great Barrier Reef, they have king tides and do not get the surf that encourages white sandy beaches.

We arrived in Cairns, booked into Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort (5 star, Big 4). This was our first taste of a “Resort Style Park. The Reception Staff were all well dressed young ladies, very welcoming and even drove us to view our site, in a golf buggy, before we were allowed on to it. It was a great park, entertainment near the pool on Wednesday nights. We had a two weeks before we departed on our much awaited cruise, plenty of time to look around and finalise luggage & boarding arrangements. Due to the weather, we were told that the cruise would not exactly follow the previously advertised route. Their new route would offer more protected locations where they would be anchoring. Finally on board our ship, ”The Endevour”, we left the calm Harbour and out into the rough seas. We were allocated a table seating for all meals. They were tables of six. We were with 2 very nice couples, Janice & Peter from Ulladulla, NSW and Robyn & Roland from Rothwell, Qld. During the cruise we did teem up with another nice couple, Ann & Hans from Kirrawee, NSW. Val was able to buy Ginger Tablets from the Purser, to help her with seasickness. It was a strange sensation, on the first night, lying in bed rocking from side to side.

Our first port of call was Lizard Island. We were taken ashore in the glass bottom boats. They were stored on a hydraulic platform, at the back of the ship. We bottomed out on the sand. The portable gangplank was placed in the water, then we had to wade, knee deep in water, onto the beach. This was the opportunity for anybody to try snorkeling, so Val kitted up to give it a go. After the tenth time, attempting to put the flippers on, out in the water, against the waves coming in, she gave up the idea altogether. Instead we both went out in the glass bottomed boat to view the coral reef around the island. It was very pretty but our photos did not do it justice. Back on the Island, I joined a group of passengers, the energetic ones, and walked to the other side of the Island. Along the way we passed Mrs Watsons Cottage ruins, around 100 years old, then down the side of the Airstrip, belonging to The Resort on the Island. We were told not to encroach onto the Resort property. Our walk ended up at the Blue Lagoon Beach, a very pretty sight with deep blue water.

We boarded the ship and set off on the next leg of our Cruise. The meals on board were excellent, plenty of variety and all the staff were nice and helpful. Our Cruise Director, Bruce, was very good at running the Entertainment. To-night was “The Melbourne Cup”, using huge stuffed dice to control travel along a play board on the floor and wooden horses to ride. We did pretty well on our betting and Val rode the winner home in her race.

Next day we went ashore on an uninhabited island that had Aboriginal significance. Our aboriginal Guide was Bonny and her family had lived on this Island. It was a very interesting and educational tour. A real insight into how they lived. The caves where they lived were very open and their stories were painted on the cave walls. It was back to the ship to continue our cruise. We were in awe of the beautiful sunset on that evening. After dinner, Matt, the Musical Director entertained us with his own songs & piano music.

The weather was much better now and to-day we were promised a unique experience, if we were to be welcomed. Bruce had to phone ahead and ask permission to land on a small privately owned Island, which had its own Hermit. An educated man who had cut himself off from the outside world. We were definitely curious, so when Dave (the hermit) came out to meet us on the beach of his Island, I was not overly surprised to see an old man with a long white beard, wearing only a sarong and brown wrinkly skin. He did allow young girl backpackers to stay on his Island and do odd jobs. I’ll say no more. We were only allowed to walk around the beach, nowhere else. He was quite happy to talk to everybody and answer all their questions. Back on the ship and we headed for Farmer Island. A small island which was an uninhabited National Park. We walked right around the Island in 20 minutes looking at the plant life. The only excitement on this Island was caused by some young girls digging up a small crab and then doing a bit of squealing. Getting under way again, the ship sails through the night for Torres Strait.

Next day we anchored off Thursday Island. We were taken ashore in the glass bottom boats and while I went on the Bus Tour of the Island, Val did the shops and found a Craft Store. The Bus trip took us around the Town, the local cemetery,
a stop at the Local Museum and then up to Green Hill Fort. This was built in 1891 and with its huge cannons, was Australia’s Northern Defences. After Lunch back on the Ship, we were put ashore on the Mainland. After a short steep climb we were at the Most Northern Point of the Australian Mainland. Photo time in front of the big sign. I then walked to the highest point to take in the full panoramic views. Val waited for me to come back down, to walk down to the beach. To our surprise we see 2 Trail Bikes parked on the grass. Those two bikies did it the hard way. Back on board, we were now ready for the return leg of our cruise. After dinner they ask for volunteers to put on the entertainment for our fellow passengers and the crew. How could we resist the opportunity to sing a song.

Next stop is the outer reef. In the glass bottomed boats again, we view the giant clams, colourful tropical fish and coral. It was strange to see waves breaking onto the reef, when there is nothing to see all around but ocean. Up anchor and we head for Cooktown. We took the Bus Tour around Cooktown, taking in the local sights, including the cemetery, lots of famous dead people there, Captain Cooks Monument and the great views from the old Lighthouse.

We were under way again, on the last leg of our voyage. To-night our evening entertainment was provided by the crew. They dressed up and put on a terrific show, a great way to finish our cruise. We dock in Cairns to-morrow morning.

We picked up our Caravan from storage and moved to Port Douglas. We stayed at the Glengarry Holiday Park (Big 4). Val enjoyed the weekend Markets, in the park. We went on the Daintree Forest Tour with “Billy Tea Bush Safaris”. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, the plant life was interesting, we had tropical fruit for morning tea, with a genuine pot of Billy Tea. Lunch was provided and the tour included a river cruise, hoping to show us a Crocodile. All we spotted was a pair of eyes in the undergrowth. We were picked up and returned to our Caravan Park. We enjoyed a beautiful evening meal at the Nautilus Restaurant, compliments of a gift voucher from Steven. It was a great meal in very tropical surroundings.

Leaving Port Douglas, we travel back through Cairns and do a right turn and head up a very narrow, steep and winding road to reach Atherton. Very high altitude up there on the Tablelands but oh, so much cooler than Cairns or Port Douglas. It was a feeling of sheer relief. We stayed at Woodlands Van Park (Big 4). We enjoyed looking through the Crystal Caves, on the main street of the town. It’s a shop front with imitation caves built into the back section with a fantastic display of precious stones. Well worth the look. Val bought and cracked open her own Geode, very colourful inside. I did a bit of site seeing on my own and took in the Chinatown Museum & Art Gallery, which included The Hov Wang Temple. I went back the next day to see “The Birdman Show” which was also very interesting. Also had a look at the Rail Co. Display. A small display of an old platform with Train Engines & 2 carriages. Alittle way out of Town, I found the Rocky Creek War Memorial Park, this was an old Army Camp site during the war. Before leaving Atherton, we went up to Hallorans Hill Lookout and enjoyed the great views across the Tablelands.

Our next stop was Greenvale. A very small Town, with a very famous pub. Banjo Patterson wrote a song that was about the Three Rivers Hotel, at Greenvale. The Caravan Park was very basic but OK for a short stay.

Travelling on, we head for Charters Towers. I have forgotten to mention before, the fun of encountering the Roadtrains on the single lane inland Queensland Roads. They are 55mts. long and you soon learn, when you see one coming at you, to move over to the side of the road and let them have it all to themselves. We couldn’t find any decent Melbourne Cup activity in Charters Towers, so, change of plans, we drove to Townsville. We went to the Townsville RSL for Melbourne Cup and Val got the Trifecta which paid $1571.90. Next day we went to the Casino for dinner and I had a run of luck on the Blackjack Table and won $250.00. This turned out to be a very profitable detour for us.

Moved on to Makay and stayed at the Premier Caravan Park. Unrated and not impressive.

Next stop was at Emerald. We stayed at the Emerald Cabin & Caravan Village, in town and close to the Club. We checked out some of the local sights. The large Van Gogh Painting of the famous “Sunflowers” was amazing. The Botanic Gardens looked in need of a lot of TLC, Val wasn’t impressed. Travelling on to Roma, we stopped at Injune, for lunch, and were delighted to see wild emus as we were traveling down the highway.

In Roma we stayed at Villa Holiday Park (Big 4), another very good CP. We went to the Sale Yards and watched a Cattle Auction. It was very interesting. We visited The Big Rig, one of the historic sites marking the beginning for Roma when oil was discovered there in the 1800’s. We went back to see the Light Show at the Big Rig, Val wasn’t too impressed but I thought it was good. Roma is also famous for its bottle trees, having the largest with an 8.9mt. girth. We walked next door to the Villa Winery, where Val was happy to sample their wines. The Highlight of our stay, due to perfect timing, was the Roma Cup. It’s their version of the Melbourne Cup and had all the usual trimmings, fashions on the field, good food and losing horses. It was a great day out and one of Val’s favourite pastimes.

Heading further south, on our way to Moree, we stopped for lunch at Sarat and had a look through The Cobb & Co. Changing Station, which was quite interesting. At Moree, we stayed at Gwydir Carapark, which has it own Thermal Pools. There were 3 hot pools all at different temperatures, from36 deg. and a cool down pool. Very relaxing to soak yourself in, but we did find the hottest pool, at 39 deg., a bit uncomfortable. We also did a Bus Tour to The Pecan Nut Farm, which was very interesting and educational.

Passing through Narrabri, Gunnedah and Tamworth we head back to Wangi Point Caravan Park on Lake Macquarrie, one of our favourite Parks. Here we catch up with our good friends, Joan & Robert and collect our mail. Our new Concept Van is ready to be picked up from Alan Grahams and our old Van was being traded in. To achieve a smooth swap, we booked a cabin to unload the contents of our old Van into & the following day moved all our gear from the cabin into the new Van.

Its now December 22nd, 2007 so we move to Parklea Gardens Caravan Park in Sydney, to catch up with the Family and enjoy all the Christmas Festivities.
On 27th, we returned to Wangi Point Caravan Park, to catch up with friends for New Year.