Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
From Willows Gemfield
Dear Family and Friends.
We pulled into Willows Gemfield about 3PM yesterday and received a very warm welcome from Barry, Sharon, (Barry's stepdaughter), Ricki, Sharon's partner and a friend by the name of Madeline. We sat round and chatted for a few hours after which Ken maneurvered the the van into a fairly tight spot on Sharon and Ricki's front yard.
A storm had been brewing for a while and we listened to weather reports on the way here in the car. Storms were predicted for Emerald (just 70klms from where we are) right through to Bundy and Gladstone, down the coast as far as Brisbane and across to Toowoomba. Gale warnings were out and advising people in these areas to secure or put away any loose objects they may have in their yards. As we drove along there were just a few dark clouds and the rest were soft puffy clouds. We thought we would miss the storm because Emerald was the farthest town west that the storm was predicted to hit.
Well, were we wrong. Lightening flashes were coming from all sides as well as loud claps of thunder. We stood outside for a few moments before we said goodnight and when the rain came it came down in heavy drops and then in just a few seconds it teemed down and it was a mad rush to get inside before we were saturated. I think they had about 3 to 4inches and next morning you could hardly tell it had rained so heavy until you saw when someone had driven off the road and sunk down into the dirt beside it.
Our gem hunting has been delayed for a few days as a result of the rain, I think because of the difficulty of where we are going. The positive thing is that Sharon says after a heavy fall of rain it can wash the top layer of dirt and soil away and can leave you with stones on the surface and if you know what you are looking for it is sometimes there for the taking.
It is a little bit like lightening ridge in that you don't tresspass on anyone elses dig. The general rule is that if there is a pick, shovel, and a bucket on the site then it is being worked and you don't tresspass and you leave it alone. Another unspoken rule is that if you have not been near the dig for more than four days then someone else can take it over. We have been told stories of people saying they would share what they find with others digging the same hole and then that same person steal the gems and clear off.
When the girls have told us these stories they are talking about sapphires valued in the thousands and hundred thousands. The yellow sapphires are the rarest and obviously of greater value.
For the city slicker it's an unusual way of life as they are quite remote and well off the beaten track but they love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else. I'm sure we will have many stories to tell before we leave here.
Before leaving Howard we spent another day in Hervey Bay with Diane. We spent the morning at Diane's house and then went into town and had a chinese meal together before we said our final goodbye.
From Howard we went up to Bundaberg where we spent the afternoon with Russell (my brother), Megan, their children Kylie and Scott, and Kylie's son Curtis, whom we had not met before. We had a lovely afternoon together
After leaving Russell and Megans our aim was to stop at Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy. The two places are very close to each other with just a few klms between them and most people seem to say both names rather than just one. It took longer to get there than we had thought and when we drove into Agnes Water it was already right on dusk and before we knew it it was dark. The caravan parks were full and I mean full. The only way to get out of the park along the esplanade was to drive through the park and so we had to weave our way around the park. At one time we thought we might not get through but after getting someone to move their vehicle in really close to the tent we finally made it. It was probably a good thing because we wouldn't have enjoyed it being that full. People's guy ropes overhung the next persons and I said to Ken you would be able to hear someone snoring in the next tent. So, with nowhere to go we remembered passing the car park opposite the boat ramp and we went right down in the back corner and spent the night there. When I woke the next morning just after 6am, Ken was up dressed and about to wake me. When I looked outside the car park was full of cars and boat trailers. Every man and his dog must have gone fishing, so we had a quick breakfast and left our parking spot for someone else to use. We will go back another time but definetely not in school holidays.
We moved on next for an overnight stay at Calliope (Kal -eye - o- pee). A great free spot to remember for another longer stay. There was a market going on on the other side of the river as we could hear the loud speaker so I made my way over what was an old road and strolled around looking at what was on offer. I purchased some Rosella Jam. I had never heard of Rosella jam before but it has a taste and texture like a plum come strawberry / rasberry jam. It's quite nice.
Our next stop was to be hear at Willows Gemfield. We stopped at Blackwater to get some groceries and then went to a local park to have some lunch and who should we run into but Werner, Tracy and the children (Our neighbours at Yandina) So we chatted and told each other where we had each been and where we were each going. Who knows we may run into each other yet again, possibly at Longreach.
We pulled into Willows Gemfield about 3PM yesterday and received a very warm welcome from Barry, Sharon, (Barry's stepdaughter), Ricki, Sharon's partner and a friend by the name of Madeline. We sat round and chatted for a few hours after which Ken maneurvered the the van into a fairly tight spot on Sharon and Ricki's front yard.
A storm had been brewing for a while and we listened to weather reports on the way here in the car. Storms were predicted for Emerald (just 70klms from where we are) right through to Bundy and Gladstone, down the coast as far as Brisbane and across to Toowoomba. Gale warnings were out and advising people in these areas to secure or put away any loose objects they may have in their yards. As we drove along there were just a few dark clouds and the rest were soft puffy clouds. We thought we would miss the storm because Emerald was the farthest town west that the storm was predicted to hit.
Well, were we wrong. Lightening flashes were coming from all sides as well as loud claps of thunder. We stood outside for a few moments before we said goodnight and when the rain came it came down in heavy drops and then in just a few seconds it teemed down and it was a mad rush to get inside before we were saturated. I think they had about 3 to 4inches and next morning you could hardly tell it had rained so heavy until you saw when someone had driven off the road and sunk down into the dirt beside it.
Our gem hunting has been delayed for a few days as a result of the rain, I think because of the difficulty of where we are going. The positive thing is that Sharon says after a heavy fall of rain it can wash the top layer of dirt and soil away and can leave you with stones on the surface and if you know what you are looking for it is sometimes there for the taking.
It is a little bit like lightening ridge in that you don't tresspass on anyone elses dig. The general rule is that if there is a pick, shovel, and a bucket on the site then it is being worked and you don't tresspass and you leave it alone. Another unspoken rule is that if you have not been near the dig for more than four days then someone else can take it over. We have been told stories of people saying they would share what they find with others digging the same hole and then that same person steal the gems and clear off.
When the girls have told us these stories they are talking about sapphires valued in the thousands and hundred thousands. The yellow sapphires are the rarest and obviously of greater value.
For the city slicker it's an unusual way of life as they are quite remote and well off the beaten track but they love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else. I'm sure we will have many stories to tell before we leave here.
Before leaving Howard we spent another day in Hervey Bay with Diane. We spent the morning at Diane's house and then went into town and had a chinese meal together before we said our final goodbye.
From Howard we went up to Bundaberg where we spent the afternoon with Russell (my brother), Megan, their children Kylie and Scott, and Kylie's son Curtis, whom we had not met before. We had a lovely afternoon together
After leaving Russell and Megans our aim was to stop at Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy. The two places are very close to each other with just a few klms between them and most people seem to say both names rather than just one. It took longer to get there than we had thought and when we drove into Agnes Water it was already right on dusk and before we knew it it was dark. The caravan parks were full and I mean full. The only way to get out of the park along the esplanade was to drive through the park and so we had to weave our way around the park. At one time we thought we might not get through but after getting someone to move their vehicle in really close to the tent we finally made it. It was probably a good thing because we wouldn't have enjoyed it being that full. People's guy ropes overhung the next persons and I said to Ken you would be able to hear someone snoring in the next tent. So, with nowhere to go we remembered passing the car park opposite the boat ramp and we went right down in the back corner and spent the night there. When I woke the next morning just after 6am, Ken was up dressed and about to wake me. When I looked outside the car park was full of cars and boat trailers. Every man and his dog must have gone fishing, so we had a quick breakfast and left our parking spot for someone else to use. We will go back another time but definetely not in school holidays.
We moved on next for an overnight stay at Calliope (Kal -eye - o- pee). A great free spot to remember for another longer stay. There was a market going on on the other side of the river as we could hear the loud speaker so I made my way over what was an old road and strolled around looking at what was on offer. I purchased some Rosella Jam. I had never heard of Rosella jam before but it has a taste and texture like a plum come strawberry / rasberry jam. It's quite nice.
Our next stop was to be hear at Willows Gemfield. We stopped at Blackwater to get some groceries and then went to a local park to have some lunch and who should we run into but Werner, Tracy and the children (Our neighbours at Yandina) So we chatted and told each other where we had each been and where we were each going. Who knows we may run into each other yet again, possibly at Longreach.
It's a long way out here and the drive isn't all that exciting except that the road mostly runs parallel to the railway line and coal is clearly what keeps a place like Blackwater alive. We travelled past the place where the trains get loaded. The train is one side of the road and the coal is on the other side and the belt that takes the coal crosses over the road. I wish we had stopped to take a picture. From trying to count there are anything from 100 to 150 carriages filled to the brim of coal.
As I said there 's not a lot out there to capture your attention and fatigue is proably the number one cause of road accidents. We passed a sign to this affect, then soon after we passed another which said "Trivia Games keep you alert." Nothing else just "Trivia games keep you alert." Soon after that a sign read "Question - What is the floral emblem of QLD." Then further along another sign. "Answer - The Cooktown Orchid." And further along still was this sign saying "Keep playing and stay alive." I thought that was impressive. but alas there were no more Questions.
Leanne...., When we walked around Childers the name on the dentist surgery in the main street caught my eye and I thought you and John might like to know what it was. "The Decay Slayer"
For those who don't know Leanne is a Dental Nurse / Practice manager and John is the dentist.
The photos are of Hervey Bay with the tide right out and the people you see are trying to catch bait by using a bait pump that they put into the sand and suck up whatever it is to use for bait.
Another photo is at Seventeen Seventy again with the tide right out and the cactus plants are those in Sharon and Ricki's front garden, Sharon's the gardener and really loves her cactii. There are many about to break open in flower so I hope to get more pictures. Many of these cactus plants I have never seen simply because they don't grow down our way.
Well, that's my book for the day. Speak to you again soon.
Love to all
Ken and Lyn
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Hervey Bay
Dear Friends and Family
Monday was a day of rain, and I mean rain, it did not stop all day and pretty much all night though by Tues morning it was was just overcast but extremely damp under foot. We did not go out at all on Monday but when we saw heavy rain was predicted for the whole week we decided that rain or no rain we would still go out.
The habadashery store in Howard was a bit of a let down. It had a wide range of goods but by no means was it cheap. It was extremely cluttered and the woman serving was on her own but she tells me that there was a house next door which also had many more bolts of patchwork material.
We also went for drive to Hervey Bay to get a bit of an idea of what it was like. Barry, who we caught up with in Mooloolaba is now at Hervey Bay visiting his sister and her husband and we spent some time again with them. Ken had not seen Leanne, Barry's sister, since she was just a young girl.
After leaving Diane mid afternoon, Ken dropped me off to have a look at the craft shop in Hervey Bay whilst he went with Barry to check out a gizmo that helps Barry hitch up his van when he goes home. Barry had major heart surgery last Christmas and he's now not allowed to lift over a certain amount.
We have a slight problem with water leakage in the car. After our heavy rain on Monday the car floor was saturated, wet on my side but drenched on Kens. He thinks they may have put in a new front windscreen and haven't sealed it properly. We will have to do something about it today or if not today then on Friday when we go back into Hervey Bay.
Today, we intend to go to Childers to have a look around, almost every one says Childers is a nice spot.
Trust you are all well.
Love to all. Ken and Lyn
Monday was a day of rain, and I mean rain, it did not stop all day and pretty much all night though by Tues morning it was was just overcast but extremely damp under foot. We did not go out at all on Monday but when we saw heavy rain was predicted for the whole week we decided that rain or no rain we would still go out.
The habadashery store in Howard was a bit of a let down. It had a wide range of goods but by no means was it cheap. It was extremely cluttered and the woman serving was on her own but she tells me that there was a house next door which also had many more bolts of patchwork material.
We also went for drive to Hervey Bay to get a bit of an idea of what it was like. Barry, who we caught up with in Mooloolaba is now at Hervey Bay visiting his sister and her husband and we spent some time again with them. Ken had not seen Leanne, Barry's sister, since she was just a young girl.
Hervey Bay is a lovely coastal community stretched over the whole bay area and is made up of a 5 or 6 small suburban areas. I'm told they were all once individual small towns but with the passage of time they have each spread out and now it's hard to pick where one stops and the next one starts.
On Tuesday night Ken rang Diane to see where and when we could catch up with her. Diane is a girl friend of Ken's from when he was in his late teens through to just after his 21st. Diane and her family, mother, father and brother left Australia to return to England to live. Ken was supposed to follow on later but evidently got cold feet and never went. When I met Ken he had had his 21st and of course was living in Orange where I grew up. We were to meet Diane at a cafe to have coffee and a chat. We were all a bit nervous but all went well. From the cafe we went to The Boat Club where we had a meal over looking the harbour where all the boats leave to go whale watching.
After leaving Diane mid afternoon, Ken dropped me off to have a look at the craft shop in Hervey Bay whilst he went with Barry to check out a gizmo that helps Barry hitch up his van when he goes home. Barry had major heart surgery last Christmas and he's now not allowed to lift over a certain amount.
We have a slight problem with water leakage in the car. After our heavy rain on Monday the car floor was saturated, wet on my side but drenched on Kens. He thinks they may have put in a new front windscreen and haven't sealed it properly. We will have to do something about it today or if not today then on Friday when we go back into Hervey Bay.
Today, we intend to go to Childers to have a look around, almost every one says Childers is a nice spot.
Friday ....... I didn't post the blog yesterday. So to update
We headed off to Childers to wander up and down the main shopping area. It is a nice little place and one lady who was in the Museum Pharmacy told us that the whole town is listed as a heritage town rather than just a certain building. The pharmacy had all the lovely old wood shelving and cupboards in the rich dark wood of yesteryears and its shelves were filled with many antique curios. The old picture theater with some of its original seats and the sloping floor are still there and housed the Salvo's Family Store. The woman serving Couldn't tell us if there was a citadel / church in the town or not. (don't know where they got her from, her PR skills were pretty poor.)
From Childers we came home to have lunch at 2.30 (which seems to have been our regular lunch time over the last few weeks) and spent a quiet afternoon at home.
That's it for me.
Trust you are all well.
Love to all. Ken and Lyn
Monday, September 20, 2010
Leaving Yandina
We left Yandina mid morning on Friday after almost a two week stay. Our neighbours saying goodbye with a hug and a kiss. Earlier in the week we had a lovely family with three children pull in near us. Their names were Werner, Tracey, sarah, Callum & Madeline. We got on really well with them. Because this was the first time we had pulled the van with this car Werner came over whilst Ken made the necessary changes to the hitch so that we we didn't put any undue stress on the hitch. Jim our neighbour next to us came over the night before to say his farewells. He was a night owl and we didn't often see him till at least lunch time.
On Thursday, the day before we left Yandina, we backtracked a bit to go to Caloundra. Ken has a cousin who has retired there. We have not seen Jean and Ray in many, many years. I'm pretty sure I have only met them once in over thirty seven years. We had a terrific time with them and unfortunately we had to go as we had also made arrangements to catch up with Barry later that same day in Mooloolaba.
Not so long ago we met John Chester's sister Gay and her husband Peter and they invited us to call in and stay with them when we got up this way. They live at Howard. When we rang them we find that they are away at the moment and it will be at least a week before they get home so Gay just said to still come, to put the van in the back yard next to their motorhome and to plug into the power on the verandah. How's that for hospitality. We look forward to seeing them when they get home.
Howard is situated just off the Bruce Highway and seems to be central to Maryborough, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Childers. William Howard first travelled through the area in 1857 to go on and discover the rich isis scrub (Childers). He later owned mining leases in the area and at one stage about 25% of Qld's coal was mined in the district. Citris and timber are the other major industies of the area. Lenthalls Dam near Howard is recommended as a fishing and boating paradise.
Yesterday, being Sunday, we drove up to Bundaberg where my brother Russell and sister in law Megan live. It was lovely to get a chance to catch up with them as it is quite a while since we have seen them.
We had to go through Childers before getting to Bundaberg and we both thought it was a lovely little place so we decided to go back some time during this next week and just stroll around. On our way back home late yesterday (just on dusk) it was a hive of activity. There were cars and people everywhere. A couple of pubs were doing a roaring trade and many people were sitting around in outdoor areas. One pub had a balcony where people were dining. Then just as we were leaving we spotted a sporting oval and there was a game of polo on and it looked as though they were kids rather than adults playing.
When we finally get to Hervey Bay there is a craft shop that advertises themselves as the largest and best craft wharehouse in Qld. Their patchwork department boasts 6,000 different (and no I haven't mistakenly pressed an extra 0 ) yes that is 6,ooo different bolts of fabric. the shop also caters for beading, card making, scrapbooking, knitting, tapestry, paper tole and other enthusiasts.
Also, in Howard, their is a haberdashery store which in itself is a tourist attraction with buses visiting from as far afield as Gladstone. at last count they also have over 5,000 bolts of material.
I might need the credit card when I go shopping in these two stores. I wonder what treasures I might find.
No doubt I shall blog again before we leave here so for the moment Bye for now.
Love Ken and Lyn
On Thursday, the day before we left Yandina, we backtracked a bit to go to Caloundra. Ken has a cousin who has retired there. We have not seen Jean and Ray in many, many years. I'm pretty sure I have only met them once in over thirty seven years. We had a terrific time with them and unfortunately we had to go as we had also made arrangements to catch up with Barry later that same day in Mooloolaba.
Not so long ago we met John Chester's sister Gay and her husband Peter and they invited us to call in and stay with them when we got up this way. They live at Howard. When we rang them we find that they are away at the moment and it will be at least a week before they get home so Gay just said to still come, to put the van in the back yard next to their motorhome and to plug into the power on the verandah. How's that for hospitality. We look forward to seeing them when they get home.
Howard is situated just off the Bruce Highway and seems to be central to Maryborough, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Childers. William Howard first travelled through the area in 1857 to go on and discover the rich isis scrub (Childers). He later owned mining leases in the area and at one stage about 25% of Qld's coal was mined in the district. Citris and timber are the other major industies of the area. Lenthalls Dam near Howard is recommended as a fishing and boating paradise.
Yesterday, being Sunday, we drove up to Bundaberg where my brother Russell and sister in law Megan live. It was lovely to get a chance to catch up with them as it is quite a while since we have seen them.
We had to go through Childers before getting to Bundaberg and we both thought it was a lovely little place so we decided to go back some time during this next week and just stroll around. On our way back home late yesterday (just on dusk) it was a hive of activity. There were cars and people everywhere. A couple of pubs were doing a roaring trade and many people were sitting around in outdoor areas. One pub had a balcony where people were dining. Then just as we were leaving we spotted a sporting oval and there was a game of polo on and it looked as though they were kids rather than adults playing.
When we finally get to Hervey Bay there is a craft shop that advertises themselves as the largest and best craft wharehouse in Qld. Their patchwork department boasts 6,000 different (and no I haven't mistakenly pressed an extra 0 ) yes that is 6,ooo different bolts of fabric. the shop also caters for beading, card making, scrapbooking, knitting, tapestry, paper tole and other enthusiasts.
Also, in Howard, their is a haberdashery store which in itself is a tourist attraction with buses visiting from as far afield as Gladstone. at last count they also have over 5,000 bolts of material.
I might need the credit card when I go shopping in these two stores. I wonder what treasures I might find.
No doubt I shall blog again before we leave here so for the moment Bye for now.
Love Ken and Lyn
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Just Cruising
We have had an interesting week, something seemed to be happening all the time. The main thing has been a purchase of a new car. It is a 100 series V8 petrol Land Cruiser, dark maroon in colour with an irredescent fleck and a grey interior. We now can stop worrying about how overweight we might be. We'll add some pics of it. We purchased it from Old Mac in Brisbane, which is a very large Toyota dealership in Springwood. We drove down on Monday to do the deal so that was in itself a lovely days outing which took us over the Gateway Bridge.
We went to Maroochydore on Sunday and worshipped at the Salvation Army. It was a good service based on the theme of "I'm in His hands"
Coming home from church we took a different route and came across this huge castle. We managed to take a picture of it from the outside but we didn't stop. I would have liked to go back but that might have to be another time. The first stage of the building of this normandy, medieval castle began around 1972 with it's first owners Ian and Margo Hayne. and was completed in 1973. (Somewhere in the back of my mind I think I saw something on TV about this place being built)
Two years later a great hall, dungeon, torture chamber and a moat were added. Somewhere along the way it has changed hands at least three times.
Currently it operates as a tourist attraction, function centre and a wedding venue, tea rooms and a souvenir shop plus a self guided tour.
In one of the chambers it has a medieval armoury display with pieces coming from England, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Another chamber holds a purpose built doll and toy museum. Evidently there are more than 2,200 dolls plus the toys.
Bli, bli Castle is pronounced Bligh, Bligh and is an aboriginal word meaning swamp oak trees and It overlooks the Maroochy River.
As we have driven around the Sunshine Coast we have seen all things big. We have come across a big pineapple. a big dinosaur, a big cow and a big lawnmower.
Today we took a drive to the Eumundi Markets. these markest are open every Wed and Sat. It has at least 600 stalls and you can pretty much buy anything and everything. The car parking areas were all packed out and and at a cost of $4.00 a vehicle the local council did pretty well out of it. Today it was packed out so I hate to think what Saturday's crowd would be like.
Saturday night was pretty wild around here. In general it was quite a bit noisier than any other night and we kept hitting the mute button on the TV because it all sounded quite close. Eventuallly it got so noisy we went outside to see what was happenning as the noise got so loud you couldn't ignore it. There was a group of permanent people who were having a bit of a donnybrook. So we stayed at our van and took in what was happening from a distance. The chap beside us (also a permanent) tried to intervene and quieten things down. I was surprised no one rang the police.
Tomorrow we are going to Caloundra for the day. Ken has a cousin (whom we have not seen in many, many years) who lives there so we are going to see her in the morning and then in the afternoon we are catching up with Barry a friend of Ken's who is also on holiday up here.
That's been about it for us.
hope you are all well
with love Ken and Lyn.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Orange
Dear Family and Friends
I came inside last night to do a quick blog before getting tea but I got side tracked before I could even log in. I'll tell you why a little later.
We commenced the day yesterday leisurely reading and relaxing, with me doing the washing as well (I love my washing machine in this new van, it already has saved us a lot of money). An early lunch and we set off to go look at the stores at Mapleton, except they weren't at Mapleton but at Montville which was a little futher away than I had thought.
If you remember, I said on a previous blog that it was very steep. believe me when I say it was steep it got a lot steeper when you had to walk it. Sooooooooo we decided to look at about half of the shopping area and if time allows we will go back another time to finish it off.. The drive out there was just as stunning the second time around as it was the first.
We've had a morning at home today, as I wanted to do some housework, so later this afternoon we are going to a nut factory nearby as there are lots of nut trees around. We think they are macadamia nuts but we're not sure. They also grow strawberries and pineapples. Our next door neighbour has given us four pineapples, each at different stages of ripeness. The other place that is close by is the Buderim Ginger Factory which we hope to do today as well.
This is the story as to why I got sidetracked last night.
We had a caravan pull in behind us on Wed, and as soon as they parked they headed off in their car and we didn't get a chance to say hello. Yesterday they went out early and were gone all day and we still hadn't seen them to say hello. When they came home they went straight inside and so we still hadn't seen them. When I came inside last night Ken said he would go and knock on their door and say hello., which he did. It turns out that this couple were from Orange (where I grew up) and that the chap new my Dad and had played golf with him and had even beat Dad on the final hole in a competition many years ago. He proudly said he had sunk a 20ft putt to win the the game otherwise it would have been Dad's win. While we were talking to them Bill, the other chap here from Orange walked by and so we called him over and we all chatted for a while.
Small world, and had Ken not knocked on their door we'd have never known who they were.
That's it for now.
Love to all
Ken and Lyn.
I came inside last night to do a quick blog before getting tea but I got side tracked before I could even log in. I'll tell you why a little later.
We commenced the day yesterday leisurely reading and relaxing, with me doing the washing as well (I love my washing machine in this new van, it already has saved us a lot of money). An early lunch and we set off to go look at the stores at Mapleton, except they weren't at Mapleton but at Montville which was a little futher away than I had thought.
If you remember, I said on a previous blog that it was very steep. believe me when I say it was steep it got a lot steeper when you had to walk it. Sooooooooo we decided to look at about half of the shopping area and if time allows we will go back another time to finish it off.. The drive out there was just as stunning the second time around as it was the first.
We've had a morning at home today, as I wanted to do some housework, so later this afternoon we are going to a nut factory nearby as there are lots of nut trees around. We think they are macadamia nuts but we're not sure. They also grow strawberries and pineapples. Our next door neighbour has given us four pineapples, each at different stages of ripeness. The other place that is close by is the Buderim Ginger Factory which we hope to do today as well.
This is the story as to why I got sidetracked last night.
We had a caravan pull in behind us on Wed, and as soon as they parked they headed off in their car and we didn't get a chance to say hello. Yesterday they went out early and were gone all day and we still hadn't seen them to say hello. When they came home they went straight inside and so we still hadn't seen them. When I came inside last night Ken said he would go and knock on their door and say hello., which he did. It turns out that this couple were from Orange (where I grew up) and that the chap new my Dad and had played golf with him and had even beat Dad on the final hole in a competition many years ago. He proudly said he had sunk a 20ft putt to win the the game otherwise it would have been Dad's win. While we were talking to them Bill, the other chap here from Orange walked by and so we called him over and we all chatted for a while.
Small world, and had Ken not knocked on their door we'd have never known who they were.
That's it for now.
Love to all
Ken and Lyn.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Glasshouse Mountains
Dear Family and Friends
Yesterday we drove along the Steve Irwan Way, through a couple of quaint country towns nestled in the the foothills of the Glass House Mountains. We drove up to the lookout where you could stand and take in a full 360 degree view of the mountains and the surrounding scenery.
The view was spectacular, not only could you see the mountains but you could see as far as the ocean.
Our journey started at Nambour. We drove to Landsborough where our scenic tour of the Glass House Mountains began. We drove to Beerwah, where the Australia Zoo is located. I love a day at the zoo but we are not intending to go to it as Justin and Lee and the kids have told us about a crocodile park up higher where we can see the crocodiles.
Not long after leaving Beerwah we see the first of the Glass House Mountains, the first named Coonowrin. It's rearing crags loom out of nowhere and the immensity of it's size is quite awesome. The other mountains are named Tibrogargan, Ngungun, Tibberoowuccum and Mt Beerwah.
We drove the remainder of the circuitous loop that would bring us back to our starting point of Landsborough.
From Landsbourough we followed another scenic route which would take us through rich subtropical country that makes up the Blackhall Mountain Range.
I loved this drive as the scenery certainly had the wow factor. So also did the houses, many had amazing views from both the front and the back of their properties. Many of them valued in the millions rather than the thousands.
We stopped to have a look through an antique shop which I love doing and from the back of this very old home was yet another awesome view. We travelled through Montville, Maleny and Mapleton, each a small country style community with breath taking views and all along the journey there were heaps of Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, and restaurants galore. In some ways similar to what you see when you drive around the Dandenongs in Melbourne
Mapleton, the last of our towns had a great tourist shopping area which we are going back today to have a wander around. It sits on a rather steep mountain side so I have to remember that she who walks down must also walk up it.
All in all yesterday was a lovely day all round. I wonder what today will be like
trust you are all well
Love Lyn and ken.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Yandina
Dear Family and Friends
Yandina is a a quiet little place just off the Bruce Highway on the banks of the South Maroochy River. We don't have river views but there is plenty of activity to keep us going.
We decided to stop at this caravan park for a number of reasons. First I needed power and water to get washing done following our three and a half weeks at Inskip. Secondly, Cath and Mike told told us about this park and being close to Brisbane and thirdly after looking at the map this seemed a central location enabling us to visit the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Yesterday afternoon we drove up the coast a little to Coolum and then follwed the coast down to Maroochydore and Maloolaba before coming home.
I'd like to go to the Glasshouse Mountains today and perhaps take in one of the other tourist drives they have around here.
The weather yesterday was lovely and warm around the 25 degrees. The nights are still a little cool though and today looks equally nice.
On Sunday we drove down to Brisbane to look at a couple of cars, both Land Cruisers, neither suitable for us. Yesterday a Salesman from South Brisbane brought a car up to us to look at. It also is a Crulser and if negotians can work our way we will purchase it. Our Rexton, though it pulls the van really well, gives 14 to 17 litres / per 100 klms it is right on the legal limit and if by some chance we had an accident then the insurance would not cover us if we weighed over the limit.
Every second Saturday night the local Baptist Church puts on a Sausage sizzle for patrons of the park. It seemed to be a quiet night as we didn't think there were many that turned up. I don't mean to critisise but having done similar things ourselves at our churches there was a lot I would have done differently. No one from the local church spoke to us other than to ask if we wanted sauce on our sausages. A chap from a local AOG congregation came along and he was the only one who spoke to us. I asked if they had any leaflet that could give us with Church activities and times for their sunday services. I was told no, and the woman I spoke to didn't even bother to tell me what time the service began. The pastor was there and he didn't acknowlege us at all either so we went to the Salvos in Nambour and enjoyed the service and the friendship that followed.
One lovely thing that happened was that a little Kookaburra came down and settled on a log in the garden just a couple of metres in front of us. I managed to carefully get up and go inside for the camera and a piece of bread. When I came back out he was still sitting there and started eating the bread I threw near him. I eventally got close enough that he would take the bread from my hand. At one stage he flew up and settled on my clothes line. He was only young and seemed quite tame. He even let me stroke him. He had blue tips on his wings which I had never seen before. Natalya and Lachlan tell me that the ones who have blue on their wings are Queensland kookaburras and they can't laugh the same as the ones we see in NSW and Vic.
I shall finish here and wish you all well.
Love Ken and Lyn
Friday, September 3, 2010
Return to Gympie
Dear Family and Friends
As you can see by the title we have returned to Gympie. The reason being we are having some work done on the van. The new awning on the van broke and we are awaiting a part for it. Evidently when the new awning was installed in Melbourne it was installed incorrectly. Annoying!!!, We hope the part will be here today. As well we had the brakes checked and we needed to have them looked at also. Fortunately the same guy was able to do this work as well. We spent last night locked in this caravan sales yard as it was quite late when the chap finished yesterday. The two free camps near Gynpie are always packed and we knew when we left here last night there would be no spaces left for us so we are grateful that the guy said we could stay here.
Our stay at Inskip was quite a memorable one. One by one our friends departed until yesterday when we packed up to go also.
One of our neighbours Joe and Lyn were headed for Gympie and the muster. It was a dream of theirs to go and listen to the bush poets and hear the singing. The following day after they left Joe gave Ken a call and said that it cost them just on $800 for the five days. At first we thought it was just their camp site fees but it wasn't. We were shocked at the price but then we were told that it got you into all the venues and you only had to buy your own food and drinks while you were there. We were told it was worth every cent. That you got value for money on just the first day. Maybe one day we'll come back and go to it.
There is so much that you can go and see but it all costs money so we have to decide what we will see and what will have to wait till another time. We get lots of ideas about what is value for money from other campers and we take note of what they say is good to see and what isn't worth the money they charge.
Brief thou this blog is I will have to go as the van is about to be moved and it is nerve racking to be in a van when it is moving. All the creaks and the groans make it sound like it is about to fall apart.
We have to hope that the part arrives today (Frday) or we will be here till Monday or Tues of next week.
By for now
All our love
Ken and lyn
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