Budgewoi June/July 2014

June 28^th, We packed up and headed off for the Budgewoi Holiday Park. We decided to stay in that area as this is where we are very likely to settle, when we find the right Village to settle into. The trip from Sydney was only to be a 90 minute drive to the Park but unfortunately that wasn’t to be! A V-Double caught fire on the Sydney to Newcastle Freeway, blocking 2 lanes just before the Hawksberry River Bridge, and we took 1 ¼ hours to get past that accident. After calling into The Caltex on the freeway, for a quick lunch at Maccas, we finished our trip to Budgewoi Holiday Park. We booked in for a 2 week stay, with the option to extend. Our site is on a corner, as close to the lake as you could get, and there is a road and then a strip of grass to the water (perfect). A gale force wind was blowing across the lake so did a minimal set up and decided to leave setting up the awning and annexe until tomorrow. The Amenities here are very good and spotlessly clean. I took a walk down to their boat ramp and wasn’t very impressed. The water is very shallow and the edge was piled up with seaweed blown in by the wind, good for launching a canoe or hopefully a 3 metre Tinny.

June 29^th, It was still very blowy this morning but with a little perseverance I managed to put up the Annexe and finish setting up. I took the Tinny off the car and started to fit my “clamp on” wheels, only to find that one of them had stripped a thread and would not tighten up. Just what I need, another problem to sort out.

June 30^th, We drove down to Toukley to check out the Shopping Centre. I put my paperwork into Centrelink, then found the Library and took out a few Westerns while Val browsed around the shops.

July 1^st, Today we drove a little further and travelled 10 minutes to Lake Haven Shopping Centre. It is a large Complex with a K-Mart, where I was able to buy a cheap battery ($66) for my Tinny.

July 2^nd, I took another trip down to Lake Haven to have a look around Bunnings. I was thinking that I could rebuild my boat ‘clamp-on wheel’ with a new piece of threaded rod and a nut, however, being undecided on the repair job, I left for home with a fold-up camp shovel and an under cupboard mounted light, to put over the kitchen sink in the Van. After lunch I did the priority job (for Val) and fitted up the light over the sink.

July 3^rd, I pulled the Boat wheel assembly apart and got the idea that if I turned the threaded rod around, re-drilled and re-fitted the handle, that the worn section would be in a different position and have enough thread contact to tighten up. After doing all that, I tried it out and it didn’t work, Bugger. After lunch we went to Lake Haven Shopping Centre again and bought a new Kettle from K-Mart (our not very old cheap Kettle was leaking) and I went to Bunnings and bought a length of screwed rod and some nuts to fit, as I should have done yesterday.

July 4^th, Today’s project is to rebuild the boat clamp-on wheel assembly. I made up a new threaded rod piece and fitted the old handle. I then cut off the old nut from the lower section, ground down the nut to fit into the square tube and knocked it into position in the tube, ready for welding. I will get it welded up on Sunday by Cory, Joan and Robert’s son.

July 5^th, The boat ramp (in the Park) was used to launch a Jet Ski today, so it’s suitable for them as well. We went to Lake Haven so Val could buy a “Baby Shower” present for a party on Sunday. We went to the Christmas in July event in the Park and had a great Spit Roast Dinner and Entertainment (including Santa).

July 6^th, I dropped Val off at the Baby Shower Party at 1.30pm and went to Robert’s house and Cory did my welding job. Robert got a phone call to take a chain saw and fuel to his daughter (Kirrie’s) place, as Rick wanted to cut down some trees in his yard. We all jumped into Robert’s car and went over to watch them working, somebody has to supervise. Cory did all the chainsaw work, while Rick, Scott and Callan stacked it all on the nature strip, ready for the Council clean-up. We went to pick up Val and Joan from the baby shower and go back to their place, to pick up our car and head home. It was late, so we stopped off at Maccas in Swansea for a burger and chips; it was easier than getting something to eat when we got home.

July 7^th, I went to Specsavers at Lake Haven for an eye test and ordered new glasses, then did a bit of shopping. After lunch, I fitted the repaired clamp-on wheel to the Tinny and started on setting the boat up.

July 8^th, I finished setting up the boat and put the cover over it. When I went to get out my fishing rods from the Tunnel Boot, they were all caught up with the other stuff in there. I started to pull things out of the tunnel boot and then thought I might as well clear it all out, sweep it out and repack everything back, tidily. The battery that I bought for the boat was flat, so I put it on the charger overnight.

July 9^th, I put the new battery into the boat, so now the fish finder was working but I had to make some repairs to the lights before they were working. I’m not likely to be out in the boat after dark but it pays to be prepared. I set up my fishing rods with new hooks and sinkers, so now I’m really ready to go for a fish, when the weather improves.

July 11^th, Joan and Robert came down for Dinner and Tiles and we had a very enjoyable night.

July 13^th, Steven and Ed came up from Sydney today for Lunch and at 2 o’clock we took them over to Bevington Shores, to show them where we hope to live and we had a look at 2 “pre-loved” homes while we were there. No.134 was over our price range and the bedrooms were very small but didn’t need any work to be done. The 2^nd house, No.34, was in our price range at $99k but we could only look at the outside as the key had been misplaced. We looked through the front door and could see that the carpets had already been removed. The front verandah was new and we had a view down to Lake Munmorah. There is work needed but we said we would come back tomorrow, when they had a key, and finish our inspection. Steven and Ed said they were impressed with the look of Bevington Shores, it was better than they had expected.

July 14^th, The key to No.34 had been found, so we went back to Bevington Shores to look through it. We liked the layout and size of the rooms but that was where it finished. The old style kitchen was very old and tired; definitely have to be replaced, including the floor covering. The bathroom and laundry were combined, that would have to changed by moving the laundry out to the shed, which also has to be replaced. The shower is a plastic module, so new glass shower and tiles are needed. All the internal walls are timber wall paneling, which we don’t want, so we would replace them with Gyprock. Finally, the carport roof has to be raised, as it runs across the kitchen window.  Our general impression is this place is overpriced as it will need a complete renovation. However we can see the potential and we put in an offer of $85k and we would replace the carpet in the lounge and 2 bedrooms, at our cost. Now we have to wait for the Vendors to respond.

July 15^th, I dropped Val at Charlestown Square, for her appointment at “Ella Bache” for a Facial. She has an Ella Bache gift card that was a Birthday present. I went down to Robert’s place, at Cardiff, to help him with an old Compressor that he had and needed an electric motor tested and fitted. We were happy to see the motor running and the pressure coming up on the gauge, so a few drinks and we headed home.           

Sydney June 2014 Cont'd

June 20^th, We caught the local Bus from the front of the Park up to the Rouse Hill Shopping Centre. I can’t remember the last time that we would have been on a Bus. We bought Pensioner Excursion tickets, for $2.50 ea, which would allow us to travel all over Sydney by Bus, Train or Ferry. You can’t beat that for a good deal but you don’t have the convenience of having a car waiting ready to go! We enjoyed our little shop and had to confine our shopping to 4 bags, so that we could carry them to the Bus Stop for the trip home.

June 21^st, We were back on the local Bus again this morning to go and watch Jessica and Annaliese playing Netball. They have both been playing for some years, but this was the first time we were in Sydney in the Netball season. We had a short walk from the bus stop to the Netball Complex and we couldn’t believe the number of people that were there. My guess was at least 1000. Annaliese’s Team had a win and Jessica’s Team had a loss, but we did enjoy watching them play. We didn’t realize that Netball is such a very fast and energetic game. Dianne and Jessica had to stay on for the afternoon, Dianne plays and Coaches as well, so Dianne let me have her Jeep Cherokee for the afternoon. After I learnt how to release the footbrake (not a hand brake) I was able to pick up Val and Annaliese, who had been waiting at the front gate for about 10 minutes or so. We had lunch at the Van and then I took Annaliese to see a movie, of her choice, at The Rouse Hill Theatre Complex. We saw “Blended” which we both enjoyed. We picked Val up from the Van and all went over to Greg and Dianne’s place and Val cooked spaghetti & meatballs for dinner. Greg had been out fishing all day with a mate, miles out off Sydney Heads, and came home with a couple of good sized leather jackets and a red fish he couldn’t name, while his mate took a striped tuna and a dolphin fish home. Greg dropped us back at the Van after dinner.

June 22^nd, We went to Greg and Dianne’s this afternoon, Steven and Ed came over as well, and Greg and Dianne cooked up a great Baked Dinner, with the Beef Roast and Leg of Lamb that Val had won at the Coonamble Bowling Club raffles. I took my Laptop over to show them the shots I had taken at The Coonamble Rodeo. They got to see the photos but when I started to play the action videos, I ran out of battery, which was very disappointing. Dianne dropped us home to the Caravan. It’s a damn nuisance not having a car!

June 24^th, Dianne picked me up after lunch and we went to pick up our car from the Mechanics. I took cash, hoping for a discount, but that didn’t happen, it was still $1540. It was good to be back in our own car and without all the bad noises.

June 25^th, We drove over to Steven and Ed’s Apartment, for dinner. The traffic was heavy and slow, so we were late, arriving around 7pm. We had decided to leave next Saturday, so they wanted to see us again before we left. They have a parking spot in the driveway down the side of their Apartment, quite steep, so it’s best to drive all the way down and do a 3 point turn and come back up to park, ready to drive out when leaving. I have done that a few times, without a problem, however, in the dark I backed into a large overhanging tree trunk and shattered the back door lift up window, a very distressing sound. I parked the car then inspected the damage, not a pretty site. All the lights were working as they were part of the main rear lift up door. Steven found a roll of strong tape so we taped up the glass to hold it together for the trip home, as every movement bits kept dropping off. I couldn’t believe that I did it after all the car problems were fixed. After a pre-dinner drink, we took a Cab up to Darlinghurst and had a very huge meal at Una’s Restaurant, then walked back to the Apartment. It was an easy walk as it was all downhill. Driving home along Parramatta Road, I was flagged down for a roadside “Breath Test”. I passed the test OK as I only had 1 glass of wine with dinner and none of the Police noticed the rear window.

June 26^th, I got out my Insurance Policy for the Territory and confirmed that my excess was $650, so I rang a couple of the wrecking yards and found one that had a Ford Territory, with the rear lift door intact and only $150. I told him that I would pick it up in the morning. Greg, Dianne and the Girls came over to the Park, after work, for Dinner and Val made a Beef Stroganoff and a Rice Custard, all delicious.

June 27^th, I drove down to the Wreckers, at Seven Hills, and I couldn’t believe my Luck when the car he was wrecking, was the same colour as our car. They dismantled the window for me and carried it out to the car, great service. I was expecting to be pulling the window off myself, as it was a “Pick and Pull” business. I went home and got busy removing the damaged lift window. The most difficult part of the job was getting the shattered panel of glass into the high Dump Bin in the Park (it’s on a trailer). I had to reclaim a few parts from my old window to rebuild the one from the wreckers but I found it easy to fit the new window assembly, so I was very pleased with the finished job. We went over to Greg and Dianne’s place, after Dinner, to say our final good-byes, as we are leaving in the morning for Budgewoi.

Sydney June 2014

June 13^th, As we were leaving the Caravan Park, Val handed in the amenities keys and was told the overnight temperature was minus 2, no wonder we felt the cold. The drive to Sydney was pleasant enough but when we were driving up Mount Victoria; I was a little worried, as the car was straining up the long steep uphill drive and developed a noise that I hadn’t heard before. At one stage I had to get down to first gear and I was very glad to get to the top and start the downward descent. We made it to the Caravan Park, booked in and got set up. We now had another clicking noise coming from the back of the car, mainly when I applied the brakes. We drove over to Greg and Dianne’s place and Greg gave me my Birthday present from all the Family, A side grinder, which was what I needed as my old one had developed a short. They ordered in Chinese for dinner, which was very good, and Dianne said she could take our car in to her work (Heartland Holden) on Tuesday and let them check it out.

June 14^th, We had intended to watch Jessica and Annaliese playing Netball today but it was raining, so we did “plan B” and went for a stroll around Parklea Markets instead. I was getting more worried about continuing to drive our car, especially into the City, as it would be a major problem if it broke down and I didn’t want anything to mar Val’s big Birthday celebrations. So, I did a swap with Greg for his dual cab and we went into Steven and Ed’s place at Elizabeth Bay, where we were staying for the night. After catching up with Steven and Ed and having a few pre-dinner drinks, we got dressed up in our finery to go out for a family Birthday dinner (destination unknown to Val and myself). Our driver arrived to pick us up and a ¼ hour later we were dropped off at the Overseas Shipping Terminal at Circular Quay and walked to the Cruise Bar and Restaurant. After another pre-dinner drink, while looking out over Circular Quay and the Opera House, we moved upstairs to the Restaurant where our table was along the large glass windows, so the view didn’t change. We enjoyed a wonderful 3 course meal with some nice wines. When it came time to leave, Steven insisted that we call into the Grain Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel for a nightcap before Greg, Dianne, Jessica and Annaliese left to go home, as they had a big Netball Event tomorrow. We were surprised to find waiting for us in the Grain Bar was another group of Steven’s friends, some that we have known for many years, so it was good to catch up with Margaret, Nikos and Sandra. As we left the Bar, after saying all our good-byes, Val gave me a carry bag to look after while we were leaving and we jumped in a Cab out front, on George Street, and went back to Steven and Ed’s place, where Val asked me for the bag, to look at all her presents and I realized that I left it in the Cab! Bugger! The worst loss was the Gold Earrings that Greg and Dianne had given Val. Steven posted the loss on several Taxi lost Property sites and even rang the Hotel, who checked the Bar and even looked through their CCTV footage and could only confirm that I walked out through their door carrying the bag. Unfortunately the Hotel’s CCTV did not cover the outside street where we got into the cab, so was unable to tell us the Taxi Company we had used. If the earrings don’t get returned I will replace them for Val.

June 15^th, We had a light breakfast at Steven and ED’s, then went for another mystery drive to an unknown destination for lunch. We where both delighted when we arrived at Neilson Park, as we had not been to this Park in a very long time. Unfortunately it was overcast and showery but the sailing boats were racing by, on the Harbour, as we walked along the pathway to the Kiosk, for lunch. After enjoying a great lunch we went to the Broadway Shopping Centre, for a browse, had a look at some earrings and finished up with a Coffee and Cake before heading back to Elizabeth Bay. After a final drink (only coffee for me) we loaded our gear into Greg’s Truck and drove back to Glenwood, to swap over cars.

June 17^th, Happy Birthday Val. I took our car into Heartland Holden, Dianne met me there and introduced me to the Service Manager, and we all went for a drive to let him listen to the various noises. Dianne dropped me back at the Caravan and went back to work. Val got her final Birthday Surprise when Greg, Dianne, Jessica and Annaliese all arrived this afternoon with a Birthday Cake. That was a lovely surprise!

June 18^th, Dianne rang with the bad news about the car. It needs the 4 rear diff bushes replaced, requiring special tooling and dropping the diff assembly, CV joint repaired and stabaliser bushes replaced. All resulting from the constant towing of our Caravan. Dianne picked us up on her way home from work and after dinner we all watched The State of Origin game. It was a series WIN for NSW after a drought of 8 years. Greg dropped us back home after we decided not to accept his offer of his vehicle, as there is a good bus service from our Caravan Park to anywhere in Sydney and we didn’t want to inconvenience either Greg or Dianne any more than we had to.

June 19^th, Dianne rang with the best quote she could find and we are up for $1540, with it all being ready to pick up late on Monday. We will have to extend our stay in Sydney, so will probably add another week.

Dubbo to Bathurst June 2014

June 9^th, we packed up this morning and drove to Dubbo, with a short stop at Gulargambone, to get a photo of their flying corrugated iron galahs and have a quick look around Town. I had an Uncle on a farm, not far from Gulargambone, when I was in my Teens. We booked into the Poplars Caravan Park, in Dubbo’s CBD, for a 3 night stay and set up. After lunch we drove up to the Orana Mall and had a look around. We have been to Dubbo quite a few times, as Val’s Mother and

a brother lived here some years back.

June 10^th, The Manager at our Park recommended B&C Caravan Service as the best place to buy a replacement door handle for the Van. So I went to get the parts I wanted and he was out of stock of handle assembles but had a box of old handles and was able to sell me the inside half (which had the handle I needed) for $15. I found out later that the new complete door lock assembly sold for $120, so I was thankful that he was out of stock. I went back home and rebuilt the door lock ass’y from all my bits and now it works perfectly. Val walked across the road to the Coles Arcade and continued along the main street, having a bit of Retail Therapy, so when she wandered back home at 5pm she was one happy girl.

June 12^th, We packed up and moved to Bathurst, for a one night stay, before moving on to Sydney (Rouse hill) tomorrow. There is only one Caravan Park in Bathurst, the Big4 Panorama Holiday Park and we were lucky to get put on a site long enough to allow us to stay hooked up, so we will get a quick start tomorrow.