Our Big Trip

homeward bound

2011-10-21T20:19:00.003+11:00

Dear family and Friends

We are in Orange at the moment catching up with Mum and Dad. How did we get here? Well the answer is that we decided we would come home and be in Melbourne for Leanne's 27th birthday. Justin, Sharon and Lachlan all have birthday's before Christmas so we thought we would come home for a while.

So we head off from here tomorrow and will probably be home (in Bairnsdale ) by Sunday.

With love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

Goomeri

2011-10-09T17:55:00.004+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

We are spending this weekend at the Showground at Goomeri as the car races are on at Bathurst. Goomeri is just a small town 15klms from Murgon which is not all that far from Kingaroy. Ken spotted the showgrounds as it is on the main highway and there was already one other caravan here so we pulled in to see how much it was and decide if we would stop or go further on.

After farewelling the children and Barb and Laurie we stayed another couple of nights before setting off ourselves. We back tracked along the Capricorn Highway stopping at Emerald again to get some groceries and then driving further till we came to a free spot at Dauringa. We have stayed here before and chose this spot again as there is water available. From Dauringo we turned south just before Westwood onto the Burnett Hwy travelling through Biloela stopping at a little spot called Lawgi Park which didn't seem to even make it to a map. It was just a little spot where you could pull in. It suited us for the night and there were six others joining us for the night. The following morning we set off again for a long day of travelling till we reached Goomeri where we are now.

We had a bad storm here in the early morning yesterday. Lightening, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain all within a span of less than two hours. I spent much of the morning listening to the radio as they talked about where it hit and how bad the damage was. Lots of the usual Saturday morning activities were cancelled and the SES had been called out to a number of locations to clear away debris from trees and the damage done to houses. The storm hit suddenly at about 8am so there was a mad scramble to pack away our chairs and tables etc and to get the awning folded up before it was ripped off its hinges.

Tomorrow we head off again but to where we really don't know except to say that we will be back in Bairnsdale for Christmas.

So for now I shall close

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

More photos

2011-10-09T17:45:00.004+11:00

Lachlan with Chester

Natalya and Lachlan saying their goodbyes

Lachlan with Chester

natalya with Chester

Chester enjoying a nap on one of the chairs

Pictures with our grandchildren

2011-10-09T17:27:00.004+11:00

Lachlan fishing in the Jordan River

Nanny, Natalya, Lachlan and Poppy

Natalya swimming in the Jordan River looking for Mussels

Lachlan ever hopeful he would catch a fish.

Grandchildren

2011-10-03T14:45:00.003+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

Yes we have finally left the Willows and said goodbye to our friends there and hoping to come back again during the winter months.

Did you notice the picture of Chester in our previous photos? Chester is a 2 year old cross between a Pomeranian and a Pappillon and is our new pet. There is a long story to our getting him so here goes.

Background info - Friends of ours from the Willows who have a Winnebago and one of these dogs named Milo were away for a few days and we were unsure exactly when they were coming home.

As usual we took our weekly run into Emerald to fuel up, get water and do a grocery run. As we have done before we go down to the free camp area to see how many people there are there. As we drove in I spotted this little dog like Milo tied up under a Winnebago and I thought it was Trevor. So Ken turned around and we went back to stop and say hello. When we pulled up Ken walked around the Winny to find it that it wasn't Trevor after all. Whilst Ken was talking to the chap the women came over to chat to me as I hadn't got out of the car. We talked about pets and how we still missed having a pet and that Ken was constantly looking on the internet at homeless dogs. During our conversation the woman said "you can have this one" her reason being they were from Tasmania and they were on the way up to the top end and they had decided they didn't want to take the dog into the heat. No more was said and we waved goodbye and went over to the shopping centre to get something for lunch.

As we got talking about the coincidence of seeing a Winny and a dog like Milo Ken commented about how good the little dog was as he hadn't barked and was well behaved. I said to him that the women said we could have him if we wanted him. So after hearing about my conversation we went back to see if she was serious, which she was. Again we left to "think about it" A couple of days later we decidedd not to take him, so we rang them to decline. Then a short while later we realised that we were rather disappointed and decided to call them back and say yes. Having said yes we made arrangements to meet again and make a final decision if we wanted him and for them to be sure we would look after him properly.

So Chester is now part of our family and we are pleased we took him. He has a lovely personality and doesn't yap for no reason (we didn't hear him bark untill two days after we got him) and he is good with both kids and other dogs. He sleeps on the chair in his bed and doesn't wake till around 6.30 - 7.00 am when one of us gets up to take him for a walk. It's nice to have a pet again, even though it means we can't go into any national parks and other places with him. We decided we would deal with each problem as it arises .... like going shopping together when you can;t take a dog.

We have just spent a couple of days with Barb and Laurie AND our two eldest grandchildren, Natalya and Lachlan. The children had come up to Windorah to stay with Barb and Laurie for the school holidays and seeing we were so close they decided that if it was possible we would meet up and spend some time together. The kids had not been told that we would be here at Jericho to meet them and what a surprise they got when they saw us. The kids just thought they were going somewhere to camp for a few days. Naturally Barb saw us before the kids did and she said to them "Oh look those people have a satellite dish. Do you think they will let us watch their TV." Natalya's response was "As If". Then they saw us and couldn't get out of he car quick enough.

Jericho is on the Jordan River (Yes we have been here before) and so with the lovely weather we were having Lachlan was able to fish and Natalya was able to swim. In no time Lachlan was able to caste his rod almost to the opposite bank of the river. He was very patient and hopeful getting some bites but unfortunately no catches. Natalya surprised us because she loved swimming and duck diving under the water to find the many mussels that were in the bottom of the river. (The biggest any of us ever seen). Plus they loved playing with Chester. Lachlan in particular loved taking him for a run or was it Chester taking Lachlan for a run..... I'm not sure.
Either way they all had lots of fun.

Before the kids arrived there had been at least two sightings of snakes in as many days. One lady came over to warn us to watch the dog as they had a snake pass under their caravan the afternoon before and even as we were talking a women came over to say there was a snake sliding through the camp area. So with Kids and dogs we were exceptionally cautious. The kids weren't to go to the toilet on their own and they had to be in front of us when playing with the dog.

I asked Laurie if they had experienced a dust storm at Windorah as yet and he said "no". Well we have, now. The day after they left we had a terrible day of winds. You couldn't be outside as it was so dusty. It wasn't a true dust storm but here at Jericho they are building levee banks as they have been flooded too many times and with winds around the 80 -100 klms an hour a lot of loose soil was blowing around. Everything was covered in dust and grit. The chairs and tables and whatever was outside was covered in it as was every surface in the van. I think Barb and Laurie would have caught the winds on their way home as they were coming from a westerly direction.

That's it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Snake Bite

2011-09-24T08:25:00.007+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Nothing has changed as yet. We are still Willows but we plan t0 leave Monday but we are open open to change.

What have we done since our last blog? Sewing and Pottery have now finished untill the tourist season next year. Annette, Val and I continued sewing till we finished our last projects. It was so quiet with just the three of us but we had a really nice time.

The rec club is down to opening just on Saturday Sunday nights now and once they use up all the leftover fish and chips it too will close till next season.

Ken and I took a drive to Springsure last week. After checking what the road was like we decided to take the dirt road as we were told the road was graded and wasn't too bad. The road was fine and Springsure was a fairly small community so it didn't take us long to have lunch and take little look around. The landscape changed as we got closer to the town as mountainous crags seemed to dwarf over you.

Just on the edge of town is Mt Zambia and Virgin Rock. The Virgin Rock was named this as a feature on the rock resembles the statue of the virgin mother with child. Time has eroded the rock somewhat and the feature is not so readily noticeable as it once was. Even so we didn't have any trouble finding the section where this likeness can be found.

Ricky, Sharon, Tracy, a friend of the girls, and myself went on a girls day out to Capella and Clermont. All up it was a close to three hundred klms round trip. the purpose for going was that Tracy wanted to cheque out the op shops and she had been told there was a couple of good ones at both Capella and Clermont. Tracy is wanting to start selling stuff on E Bay and she was looking for items that she could use. We all bought something so we all came home happy with our purchases.

I mentioned that a few snakes have been seen recently and I have now seen two, thankfully on both occasions I was in the car and they were on the road. We did have a big scare here this past weekend on Sunday night. If you have followed our blog you might remember us telling you about Geoff who is known buy everyone as Spider Man because he has a whole room in house where he keeps and breads spiders and scorpians. Geoff was at home and went out to the car to wind up the car windows. As he opened the door and reached for the handle a brown snake, one of the most deadliest, reared up from under the car in an aggressive way. They have three dogs and one of them must have been aware that the snake was there because at that same moment Rosie their dog jumped at the snake. She caught the snake in her mouth about six or seven inches below the head and started shaking it to break its back but unfortunately as she was shaking it the head of the snake shook from side to side. As a result Rosie was bitten by the snake. In just a few minutes they realised that Geoff missed a snake bite by millimetres but Rosie hadn't, she had been bit. Geoff jumped in the shower with Rosie in his arms and turned on the cold water as this cools the body and slows the blood flow and lowers the adreniline level. While Geoff was in the shower Madds (Geoffs partner) rang the vet to have him at the vets ready with the right injection for Rosie for when they got there. It took them less 30 minutes to get in there. They were very lucky. Rosie survived, ....just ...., it was touch and go for a while.

We have also done some more fossicking. While Ken was helping Ricky fill up their 1000 litre water tanks I went out to their dig and got three good buckets full of wash. I got a doozie of a blister for my efforts and a small number of stones and one dog's tooth. A dog's tooth got its name because it looks exactly like a dogs tooth. It is the end of a crystal that has broken off. Its

not good enough to have it faceted but it is good enough for us to have it polished and have a clasp fitted. It's made a nice little necklace which is our first piece of stone that we have dug ourselves. It is possible that a couple of the other stones may be faceted but they will only be small stones if they are.

That's it for now.

Love to one and all Ken and Lyn

Wllows

2011-09-15T19:41:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

At the risk of being monotonous we are STILL at Willows. It is a totally different place than what it was a few weeks ago. It has become a sleepy little quiet town. Sharon and Ricki are still not wholly well yet. They seem to get a bit better and then it hits them all over again. Pottery has now closed down till next year. It becomes too hot to do it in the summer months. There are just three left attending sewing. Val, the park owner, Annette who lives near Lithgow and myself. We have continued to sew whilst Annette and I are here as it extends the time Val has company for sewing.

The local fire Brigade did a burn off last weekend and at one stage the fire got away on them. the fire actually went under a house on stilts. The owners don't live here permanently but they would have been very worried if they had. The animal life were on the move pretty quickly. We often see kangaroos in and around the streets so it wasn't a surprise to see them hoping around but I also saw Betons and little Pottaroos which I think are one and the same. Quite a few snakes have been seen lately. One chap in the caravan park had one crawl in his annex so he made lots of noise so it would leave plus there have been others seen in the park over the last few weeks. A couple of King Browns have been seen crossing the road and just today Shitty Kitty brought a small dead King Brown home minus its head. So we try and keep alert at all times.

We went out to Sharon and Ricki's dig area and brought back another three buckets of wash to do and we got lucky. No brilliant star sapphire but what is called a dog tooth. It is a part of the top of a crystal. It can't be faceted but it can be polished so we are having than done and then we will put a clasp on it and then use it as a necklace. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Barry, Ken's mate has headed home to Sydney and was quite surprised when he spoke to Ken today and found that we are still here.

We are off into Emerald tomorrow to do some shopping before we move on so that's about it from me for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Willows

2011-08-28T16:09:00.003+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Since Gem Fest there has been less and less people around. People are calling in to say farewell and the two caravan parks have more people leaving now than coming in and most people are saying that they will be back again next year.

At the moment there is a nasty flue bug going around and some people who have left are taking it home with them. Ricky and Sharon both have it. Ricky got it first followed by Sharon and they have both been very sick. So sick that this weekend they are not going near the Rec Club. No one went on Friday night and only a small number went last night and I think only a few will go tonight. So far Ken and I are well but we are staying home as we don't want to get it if we can possibly avoid it.

Word has it that this flue is quite widespread stretching from Rockhamton through to Longreach. There is talk of it being called the 100 day cough. It's not nice and people are getting really sick really quickly so we are going into Sapphire on Tuesday to have flue injections.

Other than that not much is happening so I will say goodbye for now.

Love to one and all.
ken and Lyn

Gem fest

2011-08-19T18:50:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Life in the Willows is hectic. It surprises us that a sleepy village can transform itself into a vibrant busy place throughout the months of May, June , July and August and into Sept.

Many people come up each year to avoid the cold weather of the south, some have been coming here for ten years or more. We have met people who come from South Gippsland, some from Morwell. Moe area as well as a group from around the Lithgow area in NSW plus many more.

Our social calendar has been very busy. Each Fri, Sat and Sunday nights the Rec Centre is opened up and people just flock there. It is a great place to meat the locals and the holidayers as well. Light meals are served and it is a friendly atmosphere. We have attended a number of fund raising events, one of which was a pancake breakfast to raise money for the local fire brigade. Following it was a presentation of what happens when a fire is started. It demonstrated just how quickly a fire can spread once it had started and how important it was to clear the area near your own home.

Each year the Willows crowd have another really big night. It happens the Wednesday night before Gem Fest starts on the Thursday morning. It involves a great night with lots of small raffles happening and a major raffle of a beautiful sapphire ring that had a number of local blue, yellow and green gems in it. It was beautiful and I had hoped it may have been my name drawn out but instead it went to a local lady.

When you arrived there was a long table set up with smaller prizes such as small tool sets, towels, toys, food containers, local pottery etc sitting infront of each bucket. You had to purchase a page of tickets which you could put in any bucket that had something you wanted. The more tickets you put in the more likely you were to win.

One of the visitors in town played his guitar and sang all night and I did hear someone say that he used to be a singer in the Easy Beats

The other big event of the night was the "stake a claim"

To enter the "stake a claim" you purchased as many flags as you wanted for a $1 each. Once you had written your name on your flags you took them to a table that was set up and you placed your flags wherever you wanted it to go on the board. all up on the night there were over 700 flags placed on the board. On the longer side of the table there were letters and on the shorter side there were numbers. A number and a letter were drawn from two barrels and when lined up on the table the person whose flag was closest won the prize. There were six prizes all up and obviously the prizes were sapphires of different sizes and value. Alas, my flags were in the wrong spots.

Steak sandwiches, blt's and sausages on bread were available to eat and reasonably priced. It was a great night and this year was the biggest turnout they have had since it first begun. It is being recognised as a good night and this year there were people from Sapphire and Rubyvale who came along as well as the local crowd.

Gem Fest was great. It had the atmosphere of a Field Day or a Show Day. One pavilion highlighted all the really lovely gems that were valued up to and over $100,000. Overseas buyers are here during the Gem Fest and they are wanting to purchase local gems. Some big money changes hands during this time. There were lots of other stalls selling anything and everything you could think of.

Evidently numbers through the gates were down on previous years but it sure looked busy to us.

We have done some fossicking,mostly hard work with little reward. Even so I have a small collection of mainly green (all different shades of green) and one blue stone, none of which I think are big enough even to be cut.

Whilst here I have been attending both pottery and a sewing group. Pottery is twice a week and involves using local clay that cannot be got anywhere but here. I have three pieces on the go. one a small bowl in the shape of an apple which is almost finished, one peice is a larger bowl that could hold fruit and the last piece is also a bowl. There has been as many as 15 in attendance and everyone helps each other. I have been made feel very welcome even though I have come into the group late.

With the sewing group there are similar numbers attending and you can take your own sewing along with you or if not they have lots af small projects that you can do with help from one of the more experienced sewers. I have made a pin cushion in the shape of a hand bag, a crap bag for all those loose threads you cut off, a scissor holder and a cup bag. the sewing group have just been given their own long arm quilter. The patchwork group in Emerald got some funding and recently purchased a new quilting machine and donated their old one to the willows group.

That's about it for me other than to say while you are both wet and cold down south we are enjoying beautifull daytime temperatures of around 24 to 26 degrees. Night time temps are around 8 to 12 degrees and we can't remember when we last saw rain. But you really didn't want to hear that did you?

Hope you are all well

With love to one and all.

God Bless

Ken and Lyn

Willow's gemfields

2011-07-30T15:01:00.004+10:00

Dear Famly and Friend

We have been warmly welcomed back into the Willows Gemfields by everyone that we have been able to see in just the few days since our arrival. Ricky, Sharon and Jessica along with their pets Georgie, Groovy, Puppet, Shitty Kitty and Wobbles and Casper (who looks very much like Amos, Sharon and Nath's Cat (prior to Roman) when he was just a kitten, and sleeps in the same weird positions as Amos did) have made us feel very much at home.

We are in for a good time over "Gem Fest" which goes from 11th to the 14th Aug and is actually held in the "School of Arts Hall and the Allen King Memorial Park" at Anake. One of the key attractions is undoubtedly the "Jewels of the Outback Exhibition" which features rare and exceptional sapphires, many that can only ever be seen at Gemfest. Can't wait to see some of them.

We were very privileged to have been able to see close up three of these sapphires. One green Sapphire we saw was valued at over $8,000 and it will soon be featured in a gem magazine.

The night before we left Jericho our generator started to make an awful noise and Ken really thought it would be unrepairable so we were in a quandry as to what we would do. It cost us around $1800 and we didn't like the idea of having to buy a new one. So when we got to Emerald on Tuesday we found a repair place that would look at it. Thankfully we got a phone call a couple of days later telling us that it was a bolt off the fan had come loose and that was causing the awful noise. Weren't we happy with that phone call.

Before we arrived here we spent two nights in Emerald where we stocked up on food and did laundry.

Friday night sees a few of the locals and a few ring ins like us and people from the two caravan parks rock up to the community centre for a night of entertainment, mostly karoke, pool or whatever. Last night there would have been around 25 in all who came along. The centre opens Sat and Sun nights as well and light meals are served. Tonight it's meat pie, potato and mushy peas. since we were last here they have now put in an outdoor fire to sit around. It was made by one of the locals and it looks a bit like a pot belly stove. Throws out a good heat.

Barry, Ken's mate from a longway back arrived the day after us and his van is backed up near ours so it works out really good for all of us. I have a lovely place to sit in the mornings where I can catch the early morning sunshine.

We are heading off soon so that's it for now.

Love to one and all

God Bless
Ken and Lyn.

jericho photos

2011-07-24T16:54:00.005+10:00

Me with Ginger

Reflections on the River Jordan

Our camp fire

More reflections

Photos

2011-07-24T16:29:00.007+10:00

Mouse and John outside their tent. their tent is designed for warm weather thus the openess with the fly screen. it had another cover which went over the top which made it warmer. Never the less they found it a bit on the cold side. After leaving us they were heading north to warmer weather.

Jericho

2011-07-24T15:50:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

It's now more than a week since we pulled in at Jericho. There continues to be around 30 vans per night. We are lucky to be right beside the river as it has given us a chance to watch the birdlife and their daily habits have been interesting. The larger birds come swooping in taking fish right out of the water then landing on the bank before devouring it with relish. There are wo small ducks that float around each day and from time to time two larger ducks float on by, we presume theyare the parents of the younger ones. Their are two large cormorant birds that seem to play together in the aafternoons as they sweep down and around the part of the river where we are, They look to be playing chases as they fly around. On land we seem to see a few Willy Wagtails, Butcher Birds and Apostle Birds and twice now we have seen two wild budgerigars one a pale blue and the other predominantly blue with yellow. Both beautiful.

We have also had the pleasure of a cat who has made itself at home with us. We have named it Ginger. It began by coming in the evenings at around six o'clock so we assumed that it may have been enclosed during the day and let out at night when it's owner came home from work. It would be gone in the morning. After a couple of days it suprised us by being on our chairs in the morning. It would sit on our laps and make itself quite at home. It dived for the van door whenever it was opened, which made us think that it may have been left behind by someone in a van. It was very clean and desexed and flea free. for a couple of nights it evidently didn't go home as we could tell it had been on one of our chairs. I started feeding at a couple of days ago as it was slightly on the thin side and by this time I knew that someone else here have fed it also.

Mouse (tell you more about John and Mouse's visit here shortly) made enquiries at the local pub when she went in to buy some milk and was told that it belonged to someone who had recently moved from the area. Mouse was told it was left with a neighbour but they didn't know if they were looking after it. It has been missing both afternoons yesterday and today so it goes somewhere, would love to have it as it is a lovely cat and jumps on your lap when you sit down but obviously we can't take it with us so when we go it has to stay but untill then I will enjoy its presence.

Mouse and John are on holidays and have caught up with us while we were here at Jericho. They have their tent and camped here beside us for a couple of nights. It was good to catch up with them. We had a good time with them here, We went on a drive with them to see the local sights (not much to see unfortunately) and checked out the local airstrip as a possible stop over when

John does his yearly flying hoiday.

We plan to leave her either tomorrow or Tuesday, not sure which.

That's it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Ilfracombe to Jericho

2011-07-19T13:27:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Ilfracombe is a small town just 30 klms out from Longreach. Our only reason for going there was to catch up with some washing. We decided to stay there rather than go further was that someone at White Cliffs said that it was a good park. It is a little town doing what they can to get people to stay there. The town is probably best known for their mile long display of old machines. One piece of machinery is said to be one of three left in the world.

There is also a house that gets opened up every afternoon by volunteers. The owners of the house raised a number of children with the last one dyeing in 1990's. The house was shut up and nothing has been touched from that day to this. Inside it looks more like "the Little house on the Praire" with a few mod cons such as a mangle for the washing and a slow combustion stove. Everything in the cupboards remains as it was and we could could see old jelly packets and bex powders sitting on a shelf. One of the surprises was that they had a writing desk that was probably a Circa 1920's with writing materials and paper and outstanding accounts ready to be paid. Photos still hang on the wall just as the beds have their old quilts and covers on them.

The other two things we looked at in Ilfracombe was a display of bottles of all shapes and sizes and a gun collection that was housed near the mile of machines.

From there we went to a free camp spot on the LLoyd Jones Weir. We were able to meet up with Ken's cousin Jean and her husband Ray. We were going in opposite directions so we spent the night there before making our way up to Lake Dunn. We spent only one night here as on the first morning we awoke to grey clounds, thunder and a prediction of rain which would have been OK as we had sufficient supplys with us. Except that before long everyone was packing up and heading out and as the ground was dark soil that bogs with just a short shower of rain we decided to pack up and leave rather be stuck there for a couple of weeks and maybe even longer.

From Lake Dunn we came to Jericho where we are now and again Jericho is a small town trying to keep there little town going. This is a lovely spot on the Jordan Creek and caravans come and go each night and morning, give or take there are 30- 40 vans here each night. Their is also a larger dam about a 100klms north by the name Lake Galilee, quite a little biblical area.

Alpha is just 50klms from here and we will spend a night or two there before going on to Emerald and then backtracking to Willows Gemfields.

When we arrived at Ilfracombe the owner Cathy said that they have a communal happy our from 6 to 7 each evening. She said to Ken people start coming down to the shed where it was held as early as 5.15pm and if we wanted to get a seat be early and come with your own drinks and nibbles. We rocked up around 5.30 and people flowed in right up to 6pm. Every seat was taken and late comers sat on benches that lined the walls and some had to go home and get their own seats. There would have beenevery bit of 60 turn up. What a happy hour that turned out to be. Cathy, the owner, gave general info on the local area and what was good to see and how you could book tours etc. She told a few jokes and then did some bush poetry written largely by a local. These poems were written about the outback including one about caravaners which had us all laughing our heads off. Some of the poems were quite long but she never missed a beat repeating them. We were told that the following night her husband would do happy hour and they would take turns, even their children participated. It was a great night and we were tempted to stay on just to see what happy hour would include.

News wise that's it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Longreach Pictures

2011-07-11T16:55:00.004+10:00

The Planes at the Qantas Founders Museum

From a different position

The Australisn Stockman's Hall of Fame

Longreach Pictures

2011-07-11T16:40:00.004+10:00

The ringer statue at the Stockman's Hall of Fame

Cows yoked together as they demonstrated how they drag a log to the big cart and how they drag it up on the cart for transport

One of the camels that were there too

These cows used for heavy haulage are enormous. You can see a man inbetween the cows. He is in the process a yoking them together. You can just see the top of his hat. He was every bit of 6ft plus. The second cow black and white cow was humungous.

One of the beautiful sunsets we have seen

Longreach

2011-07-11T15:37:00.006+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

While everyone in Victoria and NSW have been experiencing very cold, wet, windy and snowy weather we have been basking in sunny Longreach with daytime temperatures in the mid twenties. Unfortunately our night temperatures have been as low as two to four degrees so getting out of bed in the morning has been a bit hard. Thankfully the day warms up quite quickly so the cardigan is dispensed with by the time I sit outside to have my breakfast.

Longreach is recognised as the frontdoor to Queenslands outback. The Thompson River runs by on the outskirts of town. Longreach is smaller than I expected, probably no more than two or three thousand and has a small but adequate shopping area. Tourism is clearly its main attraction with The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas Founder's Museum and The Powerhouse Museum all being within the town's precinct.

We have stayed at a very popular camping area on the Thompson River north of the town on the Winton Rd. There has been anything from 60 to 100 vans here on any of the seven nights we have stayed here. They come in every afternoon and just as many leave every morning, its quite amazing. Many we have spoken to are biding there time before going on the the camel races in Boulia which start next Friday.

One afternoon while we have been here a chap came along and said if we were interested there would be a bit of music happening further down the camping area and we were welcome to come. This chap and his wife were muso's and used to do a bit of work in the pubs and clubs while travelling. Now they just do it every so often when they feel like it. So we decided to go along with about 80 others. They played for a while and people either sang along with them or just listened. Then after a while a couple of bush poets got up and recited some bush poems. One did "Mulga Bills Bicycle"and the other one did a Banjo Patterson one. They were both extremely good. There was also a country and western singer from Tamworth and she did a number of songs and she was very good. A few jokes thrown in and it was a very pleasant evenings entertainment all for nothing.

We are packing up this afternoon ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast . We are planning a big day tomorrow, all of 27klms. We need to catch up on washing so we will stay at a little park at a small town called Ilfracombe, just east of Longreach.

Enjoy the Pictures

That's it for now.

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Windorah Photos

2011-07-11T15:26:00.004+10:00

An inquisitive cow interested in us as we camped by the River.

Just one of the five dishes at the Solar Farm.

Dust clearing on the road after we had passed by

Bedourie and Birdsville intersection

One of many amazing panoramic views we saw on our Sundaqy drive

Windorah Photos

2011-07-11T15:11:00.003+10:00

An old Iron boat abandoned on the banks of the Cooper Creek

Just some of the bird life in and around the Cooper

Barb and Laurie on their way to do some work

Cooper Creek

Charles Sturt quote

windorah

2011-07-06T09:19:00.007+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

We have been without mobile and internet coverage whilst we have been in Windorah with Barb and Laurie, so I will catch up on all that has happened during that time. It was really good to catch up with them. They are well and enjoying themselves living and working in Windorah which apart from being in remote outback QLD, is in the heart of what is known as the Channel Country.

It gets this name because the Cooper Creek which runs on the edge of the town splits and divides itself during the wet season, into a vast tangle of channels, which fill up very quickly covering a huge area of land mass eventually empting itself into Lake Hope in South Australia.

Coopers Creek was named by Charles Sturt in 1845 and the reason he called it a creek and not a river was because at the time he was here it was during the dry season and the water was stagnant and not running. Little did he know that at another time of year it would become a expansive water system of many channels.

Windorah is an aboriginal name meaning "big fish" and lies 35 klms from where the Thompson and Barcoo rivers meet forming Coopers Creek and its many, many channels. Barb and Laurie showed us aerial pictures on the TV of the creek in flood and it is only by air that you get an understanding of these channels and what happens when it is in flood.

On Sunday, the day after our arrival, we went for a pleasant Sunday drive to have a look at this unique and beatutiful landscape. We took with us morning tea and a picnic lunch and all up we covered 500klms. We got a very good idea of how far the Barcoo Shire covers west of Windorah.

Our first stop was known as J.C. ruins which lays 80klm due west of Windorah and was once a thriving community known as Canterbury. All that remains are some of the wood that once was the hotel. Nearby was a small cemetary, a reminder of how hard life was back in the 1800's. Adults, all too young to die and small children not strong enough to fight off illnesses like dysentry and fever.

We also stopped at an old pub out in the middle of nowhere. The old bloke who had it died and thay had an auction and sold off everything. The chap who bought it put a fence around it ands it just sits there going to rack and ruin.

Our journey took us out on the Birdsville Rd to Betoota where we turned north going through a private property then coming back into Windorah on the Diamentia Development Rd.

If we think it remote out here and we have the luxury of cars and planes how much greater that sense of remoteness must have been with only horse and cart to get around.

Barb and Laurie have to go to work each day and when they are in town they come home for morning tea and lunch. On Tuesday when Barb came home she asked if I would like to go with her on a garbage run. This particular day she was just doing the bins located along the banks of the Cooper where many people like to free park. It's a busy little area judging by the amount of rubbish we collected. Clearly free parking brings many tourists to the to the banks of the Cooper Creek and to the little Caravan Park they have in town. It amazed me just how many caravans there were staying in the caravan park each night.

We had a clean up day giving the inside and outside of the car and caravan a good clean though the dust in such a dry area means it won't be clean for long.

From the information centre we picked up a brochure telling us about the various buildings you can see in the town. The school was started in 1888 and this year has just seven pupils. Barb is trying to organise it so that Natalya and Lachlan can come for a visit during the Sept school holidays and if they do it might be possible for them to spend a day in school and experience school in the outback and likewise tell the kids there what school is like for them.

In the middle of Albert St in town there is a large rock with a plaque on it in remembrance of Constable Thomas Callahan, a policeman who perished in 1888 when travelling from J. C. ruins
to Windorah. He lies in an unmarked grave about 40klms out of town.

On the edge of town there is a Solar Farm that is a fairly new govenment initiative progect looking at new ways to produce energy. It consists of five very impressive solar dishes that provide Windorah with their power during sunshine hours. It is a first for QLD and Windorah was chosen for its location because of the number of cloudless days they have throughout the year.

Barb was saying the other day that they have yet to experience a dust storm. In 1987 they had 10 dust storms in the one year making that their all time record for any given year.

Two things I have learnt whilst being in Windorah. The first is that you don't leave an external house or car door open as snakes are fairly common around here including some of Australia's most deadliest and they will go inside uninvited. The second thing is that whenever you go outback in your car you never turn the engine off just incase it won't start again. Laurie said that at times when they go out somewhere for work it is not uncommon for them to leave the engine idling for three or four hours while they complete the job.

We decided we would all go camping down on the Cooper during our last few days together. We headed off late afternoon on Friday and had ourselves set up in no time. We weren't in a public area as Barb and Laurie had arranged for us to be on private land so it was very quiet and peaceful. Bird life is prolific, we spotted Crows, kites, ducks, egrets, cormorants and shags plus some we couldn't name. During the day we often saw wild pigs on the opposite bank of the river and once we saw lots of little piglets which were cute except they are wild and considered a nuisance. We had a roaring fire going each night and spent our nights sitting around it and star gazing.
Barb and Laurie headed back into town on Sunday afternoon and we stayed the extra night before setting off for Jundah, Stonehenge and Longreach. We spent just one night at Stonehenge at a camp spot in the middle of town before heading on to Longreach.

We decided on our way to Windorah, not to go to Willow Gemfields and we would just go straight up to Darwin. but whilst we were with Barb and Laurie we watched a DVD we had bought last year about sapphires and the way they were mined. We realised how much we had been looking forward to seeing our new friends and having a go at finding some sapphires. So we changed our mind and we are going back there and we are now quite excited about seeing everyone. that means we have decided to stay in QLD and head home to spend christmas with the family.

The camp spot we are at is just 4klms north of Longreach on the Winton road. It is a huge camping area and there is probably 60 vans, campers and motorhomes with room for plenty more. Evidently there are often a hundred or more camping here. Because there was plenty of room we gave our neighbours plenty of space between us and them and wouldn't you know it someone came and parked right beside us. so we feel a little cramped

That I think brings us up to date

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

Wyandra

2011-06-24T19:41:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Hope you liked the photos. they are all taken in and around Cobar. If you wondered why there are a couple of photos of a pub it is because the lace iron work along the top floor is the longest lace work in NSW.

We left Cobar yesterday around 9.30am and drove as far as Wyandra which is half way between Cunnamulla and Charlieville. They have a free camp spot behind the public school and there would have been about 15 vans scattered around the area set aside for campers, a couple looked like they had been there long term rather than short term. The scenery ranged from bushy to vast open plains.

We encountered a variety of wild life both dead and alive. They included sheep, cattle, kangaroos (mostly dead ones), emus in prolific numbers (mostly alive), pigs, foxes, goats, feral cats and minature horses. Bird life was mostly crows, hawks and eagles all eating the road kill.

The days are getting warmer, we are down to t shirts and shorts but the nights are very very cold sometimes down to just 1 or 2 degrees.

We left Wyandra about 8am this morning and have spent the day on the road travelling. We are spending tonight at Quilpie and tomorrow we will travel to Windorah which is where Barb and Laurie are living at the moment. Barb and Laurie are Lee's parents and we are really looking forward to seeing them.

There is no internet or telephone connection so I' don't know how long it will be before I blog again but it shouldn't be more than a few days to a week.

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

2011-06-23T08:14:00.000+10:00

Cobar

2011-06-21T18:54:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Today has been a real winter's day here as it has been both wet and cold. Even worse at Orange where Mum and Dad live as we picked up their local news tonight and they have had a very heavy fall of snow. We did venture out to go to the Tourist Information Centre where we picked up a local map and were given direction to a viewing platform where you can see right down into the open cut mine. We went to have a look but it was very wet and cold and we quickly ran up to the platform, we took a quick look and our reaction was wow! We ran back to the car and decided it was worth coming back when it wasn't so wet. We didn't have the camera with us so we will go back and take some photos. It was quite amazing.

At the tourist centre they have a heritage museum and it is said to be one of the best museums in the state and they say to give yourself and hour to an hour and a half to see all the exhibits.

We will also go back to have a look through it.

We have been told to be really careful around Cobar and Bourke as they have the same sort of problems as Wilcannia. We have found Cobar to be a lovely town and we would come again another day. Yet again this afternoon caravans came in aplenty, they line up out the front waiting to come in and they won't take bookings so it is first in best dressed though it a large park with lovely big sites.

Ken was speaking to someone who had spent the night at the caravan park just out of Bourke and he had heard that in the park in town windows were broken in cars and boots had been jemmied open so with that knowledge we will stop only for mail and keep on our way.

Ken has to fix one of our water outlets tomorrow as the shower outlet was shattered when we drove those hundred klms on the dirt. I also got him to clean windows in and out for me this afternoon as the van is very dusty we would wash the whole thing but your not allowed to wash your vans here.

No pictures yet but more will follow tomorrow

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn.

White Cliffs

2011-06-20T19:42:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Today we have done a drive of about four and a half hours and have gone from White Cliffs to Cobar. We are settled into the caravan park here. Surprisingly the park here is really good and quite full. I was expecting an ordinary park with just a few vans but the sites are large and it is very busy. We got here about three thirty and from then on there has been a steady flow of vans coming in some on their way from Broken Hill and others on their way to Broken Hill. It seems to be a bit of a junction leading in all directions.

We packed up early today and said goodbye to those we have met at White Cliffs. We feel fairly sure we will run into a couple of people some where along the way as we are heading in the same direction.

White Cliffs has the distinction of being the first commercial opal fields in Australia. Opals were found here as early as 1884 but no interest was taken of the find untill in 1889 when station hands culling kangaroos found opal and took some samples back with them. Those samples put White Cliffs on the map as within the next year opals from White Cliffs could be bought from England, Europe and America. Not suprising the town of 30 soon became a community of over 500 and at its peak there was an estimated 5000 living there. Then drought, dwindling markets, epidemics caused by bad water and the onset of the first World War all took there toll and many of the townspeople drifted away.

The morning after our arrival we set off to look around the town and visit Dick Wagner who has the Aussie Southern Cross Opals shop. Dick's shop and his house behind the shop are all underground so we found it very interesting. Regretably we did not take any photos as it is hard to describe.

Thats it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Pictures of Menindee Lakes

2011-06-20T19:40:00.003+10:00

Menindee Lakes

2011-06-17T19:44:00.003+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

We left Broken Hill on Tuesday morning after the Queen's birthday long weekend after five very windy days. I sat outside one morning for about five minutes and that was all because it was just too windy for it to be pleasant.

We have wanted to see Menindee Lakes for some time and so we were very keen to get on our way as it was only a 100klm away. We decided to go into the little township of Menindee before heading out to the Lakes. Menindee is the first town on the Darling River and has a police station, a small hospital, a supermarket and not a lot more. I could be wrong but I think I read that there was about 80 people that live in the town.

We got a map of the local area from in the supermarket and were shown where the best free camp spots were. So with map in hand we set off. As soon as we turned off the main road we had our first experience of driving on corrigated roads. We took the slow and steady option and so it took us quite a while to go the 11klms to where the camp spots were. We must have had the van packed OK as the only thing that moved was the two chairs we have just put in and they slid back into place. We chose a spot right on the waters edge and set up camp. The first thing we noticed was that the weather was much warmer there than BH. With set up finished and a cuppa in our hands we sat down to enjoy the beauty of this vast expanse of water that wasn't there 12 months ago. We stayed there until the day drew to an end and we got to watch a beautiful sunset unfold before our eyes.

The next day we jumped in the car and drove to the main weir for a look then drove home stopping to speak to people on the way. The tourist books tell you there is great fishing and I'm sure there is except not while we were there. Carp was pretty much all that was being caught. i have seen something here that I have never seen before and that is fish jumping out of the water. Evidently the reason is that there is not enough oxygen in the water and that are gasping for air. The outcome is that there are fish dying and floating on the water then the birds come and feed on them and thus goes on the survival of the fittest.

Without the wind of BH I was able to do some more riding so the bike got a bit of use here also.

Late yesterday the wind picked up again and began to blow a gale. We could hear the wind and the waves splashing just outside our van all night and by morning there was still no let up so with the prediction of rain to come we decided that our 6 or 7 night stay would be cut to a 3 night stay. We had been told that if there is rain then you have to stay put as the dirt roads turn into clay and you have to stay until the roads dry out.

So after breakfast we started to do the pack up once again, all the while trying to decide which way to go. Option one was to take the tarred road back to BH which was 100klms then travel to Willcannia from BH which was another 200klms so in total 300klms. Option two was to take a dirt road which ran roughly in line with the Darling River all the way to Willcannia a total of 150klms all up, half the distance of option one.

We had asked as many people as possible if they knew what the dirt road was like and had mixed responses. The road was officially closed when it was wet so that wasn't any help to us. We wanted to know how rutted and rough the road might be, so having spoken to a woman in a slider van who had travelled along it and said it wasn't too bad except for the first few Ks on the Menindee side we decided to give it a go. One chap Ken spoke to said that he had travelled that way at other times and he said he went OK but he always droped his tyre pressure down on the van and the back tyres of the car. So that's what we did. Let the tyres down but this time travelling faster than we had gone on our way into the Lakes. Thankfully all went well EXCEPT the bolt on one of our driving lights fell off but thankfully not the light and we were able to strap it down. Also one of the hooks inside the van broke loose so that one is easily fixed. The worst is that one of the PVC water pipes under the van was shattered and half of it is missing so that will be the first thing for us to look at tomorrow when we go into town.

We got petrol at Wilcannia for $1-61 / litre which is the dearest we have paid so far on our travels and then stopped just on the outskirts of town to have lunch. After a short break we set of to White Cliffs, an opal mining town where a friend of Ken's from Bairnsdale now lives.

White Cliffs is known for its lunar type landscape because most of the people in town live underground rather then above ground. The heat being the reason. They are called dugouts and many shops and accomodation can be found underground too. We are in the caravan park and plan to stay till Monday morning.

That 's about all for now so

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn.

2011-06-13T13:14:00.003+10:00

trees Burra Gorge

2011-06-13T13:13:00.006+10:00

2011-06-13T12:56:00.002+10:00

In these pictures you can see how big these gums are and how when they detect the sap they kill of the supposed foreign body and divide and make two individual trees.

Broken Hill

2011-06-12T18:48:00.017+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Photos are of the Racing Club where we are staying, our caravan, the grandstand at the park. Pro Hart's car that he painted alongside one of his three Rolls Royce cars. The final photos are of the rail museum that include the Silver City Comet, the dodge rail car that was the first car to be converted into a rail car. Also is the Mine's memorial to all those who have lost their lives, overlooking the city and also overlooking part of the mine.

Broken Hill is renown for its wide open spaces, red earth (and there is plenty of it) and its pristine blue skies and they're right but I would add that its cold winter winds blow straight through you. we have contended with incredible windy weather since we arrived.

Broken Hill is also known as the town with the silver lining because it holds the world's largest store of silver lead and zinc. BHP (Broken Hill Prprietary) began back in 1885.

The ore is evidently shaped like a 7-5 klm long and 250 metre wide boomerang (or coathanger, depending on which tourist info you read) plunging deep into the earth at both ends, and emerging above the ground in the centre. This central protusion stood out as a rocky ridge among rolling plains, and was known as 'the broken hill, by pastoralists. Whilst we didn't go down into the mine we did visit the miners memorial at the summit overlooking the city. All the lives lost over the years are memorialised there and sadly there are too many. The last recorded happened in 2007. The youngest name I saw was that of a twelve year old boy and there were also a couple of 14 year olds that died in the late 1800's. Clearly a harsh way of life taking both the young and the old.

One of the things that stands out here in Broken Hill is the number of Hotels located on almost every corner in the heart of town, similar to and perhaps even more so than Charters Towers.

In its former glory there were as many as 60 hotels in the city centre and at least 30 of them were in just one street.

There is also a large number of art gallerys and the most well known would have to be Pro Harts Gallery. Pro Hart died in March 2006 but when you go to the Gallery you not only see his artwork but you can see where he actually did most of his canvas painting. He painted on lots of unusual mediums and became known to include religous themes in his art work.

His 1971 Rolls Royce that he painted is parked outside his gallery as is his three other Rolls Royce cars. Something I was not aware of was that Pro Hart loved music and was largely self taught. His favorite instrument was a beautiful Rodgers electric pipe organ which also sits in his gallery. They said he could listen to Bach all day and he could play it fairly well too.

We also visited the Railway and Historical Museum, The Silver City Tramway Co. Ltd., The Hospital Museum and The Silver City Commet. These exhibets were all located together so there was a large variety of exhibits to look at.

The other interesting thing about Broken Hill is its cultural history. The landscape, the weather and the willingness of the locals to become extras in the film industry have put Broken Hill on the world screens a number of times. Within the city itself there are reminders of the many theaters that have added a more cultural aspect to this city. The hippodrome was an open air theatre in the early 1900's, the Tivoli theatre opened in 1915 and in 1924 the Crystal Theatre had the capacity to seat over 1000 people and was still in use in 1966 when it was torched by an arsonist. These are only a few of the many theatres making up this unique cultural facet of life in Broken Hill.

In one of the tourist magazines they tell an interesting story that happened during WW11. It starts off "at the height of ww11 there were very real fears that Australia would be invaded by Japan. The Commonwealth Bank held most of its gold in its strongroom and in 1941 it was decided that the safest place in Australia to house all the gold was Broken Hill. The Broken Hill gaol was chosen as the site. The first gold transfer took place in 1942 on a train guarded by military and bank guards, none of whom knew what their cargo was. More consignments were transferred under escort in 1943 and 1944. In April 1945, the threat to Australias coastal cities was over and all the gold was transferred back. Again a special train was used, guarded by over 130 bank and military personnel" Interesting, don't you agree.

All in all Broken Hill has been an interesting place to visit. Today, Mon has been our final day here as we move on to Menindee Lakes tomorrow. We expect to be out of range so I might not blog again for a few days.

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

Burra Gorge to Broken Hill

2011-06-10T09:31:00.008+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

We have had a very relaxing and enjoyable 10 days in and around Pt Hughes and The Yorke Peninsula. It is a very pretty part of the amazing South Australian landscape. Unfortunately on the day we left I didn't feel at all well. It must have been a bug of some kind as it came on me very quickly. I was holding the bed up for Ken while he put stuff away and all of a sudden my Tummy turned over. Regardless we headed off as planned making our way towards Broken Hill.

While we were at Freeburgh we were told that Burra Gorge was a nice place to visit so we decided we would make this our first spot to stay. What a lovely spot it turned out to be. It was a very large free camp area with sites alongside the Gorge. Clearly it is a very popular site judging by the number of camp fire spots we saw. No showers but drop toilets were set up around the overall camp site. Clean fresh running water ran through the gorge. People who walked further down the gorge said there was a lovely swimming spot with a water fall but it was a bit of a climb to get there but worth the effort. We didn't attempt it because of Ken's hip never the less we were very happy to stay where we were. Bruce and Rosemary were camped near us and Bruce had a new pump he was trying out. He had the pump in the water with a lengthy hose on it pumping water up to his van which was elevated well above the river. He said they had lovely long showers the first night they had it in and were very pleased with the pump. Bruce also demonstrated their new diesel heater that they were trying for the first time. Very impressive. The weather was very cold most of our stay so I was green with envy seeing most of our heating is from our little gas cylinder heater. oh well, some of us have to do it tough.

We also met another couple, Arnie and Vicki who were on their maiden voyage. We may well catch up with them again as we are sort off heading to the same locations.

You may recall that we have brought our pushbikes with us on this leg of the journey. We are using them. I did some riding around the caravan park at Pt Hughes and I also rode around a new subdivision opening up. It seemed to be a very wealthy area as the houses all seemed to be large single story or huge long double storey homes. Either way if they are retirement homes or family homes being built there is a lot of development happening in Pt Hughes. At Burra Gorge, just 25klm from Burra we did some riding also. On one occasion I rode about 2klms toward the main road turnoff and was very pleased with myself thinking this is good I should do this every day while we are here. Then I turned around to ride back and realised I was riding into a head wind and a very strong one at that. It was a hard slog all the way home. By the time I got back I had changed my tune and ended up saying I'm not doing that again unless there is no wind at all.

What we did see were a number of old homesteads that were around. One near the gorge would have been a beutiful home in its day. There were cellars, outhouses, barns and shearing sheds, and stock yards left as a reminder of what was once a much loved home and sheep farm.

The trees at the gorge were quite amazing. Mostly gums. There trunks were huge and many were split down the middle and out of one tree two singular trees grew. At first I thought perhaps they had been struck by lightening But there were too many like it for that to have been the cause. We also thought it may have been due to white ants as there was clearly white ant activity in one or two of then so we were a bit baffled as to what the cause was. Then Ken was told it is a build up of sap in the middle and the tree thinks it's an invaidor and kills that part of the tree and then grows into two separate trees.

Because Burra Gorge was so nice we ended up staying there for six nights. We had no phone or internet connection. We had to drive out to the main road for a few klms just to get a signal so we could say happy birthday to Dallas. We used the satelite dish and managed to get all the channels. Otherwise we enjoyed talking to the many people who came and went during our six night stay.

Friends, Nev and Jenny, from Toongabbie have just started their long holiday around Aus and we were both in the same area and we were luckier enough to cross paths with them. They were leaving Broken Hill heading toward Peterborough and then onto Pt Augusta and we were leaving Burra and heading toward Broken Hill. So we met at Oodla Wirra and had a coffee and a chat before we went our own way. It was good to see them again.

We had intended to stay at the the Family Parks spot for $25 / night in Broken Hill as the Tourist Park was $10 / night dearer at $35 per night. Nev and Jenny, had stayed at the Racecourse for just $15 / night so we changed our destination to St Patricks Racecourse. We have a Camps 5 which doesn't have this site marked and Nev and Jenny have Camps 6 which does. It is a lovely spot and we are parked under shade sails There is green grass (which is noticeably absent in and around town) and we overlook the race track. It is also quiet as it is a new addition to the camps book although even as I say that, there were four of us here last night.

This is our first stay in Broken Hill so there is plenty for us to see and do. I'm keen to see Pro Hart's and Jack Absalomn's galleries. We arrived late (Late means after dark) on Wed night and so we set up as quick as we could as it was freezing and yesterday I caught up with washing and cleaning and then we headed off into town to find the information centre and have a quick drive around town to get a lay of the land (which is why I know there isn't much green grass except for a lovely park we saw as we drove around.)

Talk to you again after we have done some sightseeing.

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

2011-06-01T19:42:00.006+10:00

View of the water at Stansbury on the east coast of the Yorke Peninsula

View from the other direction

Another perspective.

The Salvation Army Hall at Moonta. It is now used as a house and is currently up for sale.

The Salvation Army used to be made up of Port Broughton, Moonta and Kadina. They have now combined and it is now called "The Copper Coast Corps" and their new building is at Kadina. We found it and as it had a Salvo Op Shop we had a little look around. I scored a new pair of sandals for just $5.00, a skirt and a blouse for just $1.00 each.

Moonta is a really nice little town and is just a few kilometers from Pt Hughes where we are staying. We have driven around Moonta and really like the old sandstone bricks used for building. S.A. sandstone homes are lovely.

Earlier this week we took a drive down the Peninsula along the west coast going first to Maitland and then to Minlaton. Weather wasn't looking good so we crossed over to Stansbury which is on the east coast of the peninsula which turned out to be a lovely little seaside village that we both liked. We then took a leasurely drive stopping at all the little coastal villages including Port Vincent, Port Julia and Pine Point. Ardrossan was our last stop on the east coast before we crossed back over to Port Hughs where we are staying. Port Hughs is really a nice part of the Peninsula. The caravan park here is unique as it is divided into two parts. When we arrived here it had been very windy and Ken was told that everyone that had been camped on the bay had packed up and came up to the site where the reception was as it wasn't quite as windy. The part of the park that is right on the beach would've been lovely had it not been for the wind. Maybe next time the weather will be in our favour.

We leave on Friday morning and will be making our way on to Broken Hill. It is only three hundred klms but we are intending to take it slowly getting there. We intend to free camp along the way.

That's it for now.

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Old Friends

2011-05-22T17:29:00.005+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

I didn't write a caption on the photos so in case you didn't know who was who Photo 1was Sharon, Roman and Nathan. Photo 2 was Sharon, Roman and me. Photo 3 was Snowflake, Photo 5 was Natalya and Lachlan in their cub uniforms and last photo was John landing his twin seater Foxbat at Porepunkah near Bright. John flew up to see us when were staying there for the ten days.

It is Sunday afternoon and we find ourselves staying at a caravan park at Mt Barker. The closer you get to Adelaide the fewer free camp spots you see and the one we did find was very unkept. Lots of graffitti on brick walls nearbye so we decided to give it a miss and stop in a park instead.

We have come from Horsham today. Robin and Pauline, our friends we spent the night of the cyclone with are down visiting Robin brother David who lives at Horsham. It was very nice to see them again. It's nice when you can pick up a friendship again as though you had seen each other just a day ago. We had tea together and chatted for ages. David had said we were welcome to stay the night so we parked near their Motorhome. It was great. It rained quite heavy in the night. Robin had said if it did rain we might have to move the van or we might get bogged in as it got very slippery and boggy pretty quickly. So we left about 8.30 and headed off on the next leg of the journey.

We have had a noticeable change in the temperature. Our first night (Frid) on the road we stopped at a free camp spot just before Aararat and it was nowhere near as
cold as Bairnsdale, so warmer weather so soon was nice.

Tomorrow we are planning to get to Port Hughes. We have decided we will follow the highway through Adelaide so we expect to get there by early to mid afternoon.

That's about it for today

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Farewell to Bairnsdale once again

2011-05-18T14:47:00.003+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

We have stayed in Bairnsdale much longer than we had expected.It is now about six weeks all up since we arrived home. We have had a lovely time catching up with friends and family. We spent just on a week in Melbourne staying with Sharon, Nath and Roman and had a wonderful time with them. Roman has grown into a lovely almost four year old. I was lucky enough to attend kinder with hiom for Mother's day. Sharon unfortunately had conjuctivitus and of course couldn't go anywhere near the children so I filled in. It was lovely to do this with Roman as I have been to these occasions with both Natalya and Lachlan and it was nice to be able to do it with Roman too.

Leanne and Tim were having the floors in their house being polished and her new kitchen was being installed so we couldn't leave until we had seen it. It was looking lovely. They are so happy to have this part of their renovations completed. The house is now totally different inside than when they purchased it. It is a credit to both of them for what they have achieved.

We have done our own bit of renovating since being here. We have taken out our three seater couch which was opposite the cafe table and in its place we have two recliner rockers that are much more comfortable for sitting in and for watching TV of a night.
When we took the seat out we left the back cushioning and only took out the seat part. We couldn't help but damage the wall a little when we pulled the seat out so to cover it we carpeted both the wall and the wheel arch thanks to Justins help.

We have also had the chair pads refilled and they are much firmer and more comfortable to sit in. Ken and Dale mended under the seat where we discovered a hole in the tin that was under Ken's seat from where we had the tyre blowout. They think that when the tyre blew it flipped and hit the tin damaging it in the process so it's been sealed up now too.

We have also done a big clean out in the van as we had to rearrange where we put things as we lost the storage area under the seat so we have taken quite a lot over to the house, especially if we have not used it or are unlikely to use it in the near future. We have decided to take the push bikes as there are plenty of times that we would have used them had we had them with us.

We now have two Jerry can holders on the back of the van for water and two on the front of the van for additional fuel The satellite dish is now attached to the back of the van and Ken should be able to pull it into whatever position is needed without taking it off and putting it on the stand.

All in all we have pretty much got ourselves organised. It won't be long now before we head off again, at least within the next day or two. We are heading to Horsham where we will catch up with our friends from Ravenshoe, Robin and Pauline, who are visiting family there We are really looking forward to seeing them again.

From their it will be over to Pt Hughs near Moonta for a 10 night stay at a caravan park there. Our long term goal is that we would like to be back at Willow gemfiels in July ready for their saffire Festival they have in August. Barry, Kens mate will be up there too so it will be a catch up with him and with the friends we made while we were there last year.

so whilst we have had a good time here we are also ready to head off again to new adventures and new friends along the way.

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn.

Bairnsdale.

2011-04-24T13:19:00.004+10:00

Dear Family and Friends

Our stay in Bairnsdale is flashing by all too quickly. We have had precious time with the kids and all too soon they will be back to school. Justin has been in Sydney with work but made it home in time for Natalya's 10th birthday. She had a very special day on Wednesday made even better by Justin's return in time for tea. Not only that he had with him an unexpected birthday present. A new member of the family by the name of Snowflake, aka Bugs. A fluffy white rabbit who has just a touch of grey on her back and her tail. Her previous pet, Tommy, a Goldfish, died just a couple of days ago. Snowflake is really cute and cuddly. She is living in a box in the laundry just until Justin is able to build her a hutch. He has started but not finished it as yet. Snowflake is going to take up a little more time to look after than Tommy but this is not a problem as yet. I went to the Library to see what books they had on caring for a rabbit but guess what they didn't have one so we have to wait until one is returned.

Our weather is getting very cold especially in the mornings and the evenings. The days are warm and fine, perfect autumn weather.

We are yet to see the kids in Melbourne as yet, although Dallas is here now, and it is good to see him. We have had a really lovely relaxed family Easter.

Dallas is expanding my technological skillbase so I am using Dallas's ipad to make this posting. I'm not sure about adding a photo of
Natalya with Snowflake but that is my next challenge to concur.

Bye for now.

Love to all

Ken and Lyn

Bright

2011-04-05T08:38:00.003+10:00

Dear Family and Friends We are now eight days into our ten day stop in Bright. For those who don't know where Bright is it is a beautiful town located at the base of Mount Hotham on the northern side. The days we have stayed here have been beautiful, lovely sunshine, truly beautiful autumn weather. BUT the nights and early mornings have been freezing, especially after beeing in FNQ. We have had quite heavy frosts most mornings and places where there is shade all day the ground remains wet from the frost and dew. The winter doona is back on the bed, the heater has been on during the night and I've bought some new flannel jammies to ward off the cold in the night. We have had a couple of very relaxing days just reading, watching TV and talking to others in the park. We aren't actually right in Bright, we are in a small place called Freeburgh which is about midway between Harrietville and Bright. This is one of our travel auction stays and we would never have come here otherwise. The park is quite a way off the road and not easily seen either. There are sign posts but they don't stand out. It is a lovely little spot and at the back of the camp runs the Ovens River (or at least we think it is the Ovens River). There has been a number of vans here and we are all here because we have got our stay from the Travel Auction site. One couple got theirs just three days before and they loaded up the van and came straight away. Some of the others like us got theirs about 10 months ago. So it pays off for the park, even though we all paid just over half the normal cost per night. Whilst here we have been to Mt Beauty (which is a delightful little place), Harrietville (which is the prettiest place of all) , Beachworth, Myrtleford and Porepunkah, plus Wangaratta. Tomorrow we'll have a look around the Bright shopping area and today John is flying over to see us. Ken has just talked to John so we are looking forward to seeing him. Bairnsdale is just 220 klms away from here so to be back in town to see family will be really great. That's all for now so next time I blog will be from Bairnsdale. Love to one and all and God bless. Ken and Lyn

Orange to Albury

2011-03-27T14:11:00.006+11:00

Dear family and Friends

At the moment we are in Albury but as you can see we have had a stop over in Orange and Sydney. Sadly the day we arrived a cousin of mine died from a five year battle with cancer. He was only 51. We were not able to stay for the funeral but Mum tells me it was one of the biggest she has ever seen. He was very well known and very well liked.

We spent time with Mum and Dad, we missed seeing Mike and Cath (as they were out) but we did have a look through their next door neighbours house as it was up for sale and they happened to have it open so we took a look through it. We saw my brother Bob but missed Warwick and Narelle.

We also did a trip to Sydney without the caravan to visit Nanette, Ken's sister who has just recently been placed into full time nursing care. She is not well but we were very happy when she showed definite signs that she was well aware of who we were. She is getting well looked after and the staff are lovely. We feel better now that we have seen where she is.

The church service in Orange on Sunday was great and the message theme was "Be Happy" an appropriate title as one of their parishoners had died the day before and was now with the Lord.

We left Orange on Monday but only travelled as far as Macquarrie Woods which is a lovely free camp half way between Orange and Bathurst. It started raining just as we pulled up and from then on it poured and poured for the remainder of the day. The camp site is spread over a 5 acre area and has toilets (spotless) situated in various places as they do with fires and they leave you with piles of fire wood to burn if you want to. The ranger was there at the time we arrived and he came over to give us a heads up on the area, he was very helpful. There are ponds. rolling hillsides and areas with trees if thats what you like. A great place but I wouldn't recommend it in the winter.

On Tuesday we drove into Bathurst to see Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes take their respective cars around Mount Panorama. What an experience that was. Craig Lowndes took his super car around the track 5 times then Jenson Button took his Formula One car around the track for 5 laps and boy oh boy did it sound loud. It squielled past us and the noise was deafening with just one car, the noise must be incredible with a race track full of them. The formula one car could be heard the whole way around the track but the super car could only be heard when it was coming toward us and then accelerating away from us. We found a spot near the bottom corner of Conrod to watch the braking into the main straight and then the accelerating. We had heard nothing about this promotion untill a couple of days before it was on so we didn't think there would be many there. But there was somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand. Car enthusiasts of all ages turned up for the event. There were families, school students (in uniform) some on class excursions, some with parents. There were business men and women, other grey nomads like us as well as a large number of older folk as well. yes we even saw some wheelie walkers.

After the first 5 laps were done Craig Lowndes and Jenson Button changed cars and then drove each others car for a further 5 laps. Jenson Button said later that he had grown up watching the races at Bathurst and had always wanted to drive on the circuit so it was special for him. And Craig Lowndes got to do something no one else is ever likely to do again and that is drive a Formula one car around Bathurst. No official records were broken but the unofficial times were interesting.

After the event was over we had a look through the car and bike Museam they have there now and found Bryans name a number of times on the winners boards for the different CC races Bryan had won.

After Bathurst we continued on our way and had a free camp that night at Jugiong before coming into Albury where we caught up with one of Ken's cousins and his wife. We have almost caught up with all the extended family on our trip which we didn't expect to do. After a lovely evening with Bram and Judy we booked into a caravan park so I could do washing and Ken could watch the races at Albert Park. We will leave here tomorrow and our intension is to head to Bright to use one of our travel auction packages. The weather will determine how long we stay there as I have been feeling a bit cold after all our hot weather in FNQ. I have put an extra quilt on the bed and I have also taken out a rug I have and thrown it over the bed during the night.

Once we leave Bright, assuming there is no snow (it's a bit early for the snow) we will head over Hotham and head home for a while and see the kids and the grandchildren. We are very excited about seeing everyone again.

That's it for now

love to all and God Bless

Ken and Lyn

N.S.W.

2011-03-14T08:12:00.002+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Last night we arrived late after a long day of travelling at Wellington in N.S.W. We actually left Goondiwini about 8am yesterday and drove the nearly 700 klms straight through except for our morning, afternoon tea and lunch breaks. The day was lovely and though it was hot there was no humidity. From Dubbo to here we could see rain in the distant sky but didn't actually get any rain untill we were tucked up inside for the night. The rain didn't last long and was quite heavy but nothing like what we have have recently experienced.

Having left Rocky we followed the coast line down till we neared Maryborough and Hervey Bay. We had an appointment the next day (Tuesday) to have tyres fitted to the car. Hervey Bay were the only Bob Jane to have the tyres that Ken wanted. We spent two nights free camping outside Maryborough at a little place called Tiaro. I stayed with the van while Ken took the car in early to have the tyres fitted. It was a great little spot on the banks of the Mary River but the grass had not been mown for some time so each time you went outside you had the grass up to your ankles. Once the tyres were all done we stayed the second night and were up and away fairly early the next morning.

From Tiaro we began to move inland via Morgon, Kingaroy and Dalby working our way toward Goondiwindi where we intended to cross the boarder and make our way to Orange. These little places were just lovely but you could still see the effects of the floods. Debri was caught on fences and up in the trees well above the height of our car. One couple we saw were beginning the process of clearing the debri of their fences before the weight of it caused the fences to fall over.We spent one night in Kumbia between Kingaroy and Dalby. It was a sleepy little village and we spotted a park where we could make some lunch. It was quite late so as I made lunch Ken wandered over and struck up a conversation with another couple who were also there.
It was a free camp spot which had a lovely clean toilet block that included three minute showers for just $ 2 and a donation box for electricity. As it was mid afternoon we decided that this was a good spot for the night. Had we not been making our way to Orange we would have stopped here for longer.

Our plans to go straight to South Aus have changed a little. Ken's sister, Nanette, is not at all well and so we decided to make our way to Orange where we will leave the van and from there go to Sydneyto see her and Norm.

This morning we have woken to a lovely warm day and with only 90klms to travel we will get there well before lunch

So for now
Goodbye and God Bless

Ken and Lyn

Rockhampton

2011-03-07T07:37:00.006+11:00

This bucket off a dozer was huge. We couldn't tell what it was until it was almost on top of us

fFom a distance, no wonder we had to get right off the road
Taken at Clearview where we stopped for a cuppa

Camilla Beach looking back toward our van. We were right on the water when the tide was in.

Camilla Beach with the tide going out

Dear Family and Friends

We have had our first blow out and didn't it go bang. Thankfully we were just on the outskirts of Bowen. We had left Home Hill reasonably early as we wanted to be in Bowen by 9.30 am so that we could find a church to go to but of course we didn't make it. Because Ken's back is causing him some grief we decided rather than change the tyre ourselves we would ring the RACV and within a half an hour they had the RACQ out and he had our spare on the car in no time and we were off to a caravan park for an unplanned stop over. Having had one blow out Ken wanted to put new tyres all round on the van. They were all the same and getting quite old so we figured if one has blown it's possible the others may blow also. So 8am Monday we were outside the tyre place and had four new tyres fitted and our spare put back on the van to be our spare again. And once again we hit the road and had a smooth run down to Rocky.

On our jouney down into Rocky we had to pull over and get right off the road. this was one of those times when the CB radio can be really helpful. We passed an Anderson's Removalist truck from Maffra, near Bairnsdale, so having used Anderson's a few times to bring something back to Bairnsdale (like our lounge that we had purchased from E Bay) Ken thought he might know the driver so he got on the CB and had a chat to the driver. It turns out that Ken didn't know him but he did say their was a wide load not far ahead of us and we would need to pull over. Sure enough we soon had police cars ahead of us indicating where we were to pull over (the pilot vehicle also were using the CB to tell people what they had to do) Then, not far ahead we could see something coming. We could see the truck coming toward us was driving right on the white line in the middle of the road and it was clearly a massive big thing spanning the width of the road plus some. We couldn't work out what it was until lt was almost on us. We heard on the radio that whatever it was it was 8 1\2 metre wide. It turned out to be a bucket off a dump truck and it was massive and probably was on its way up to the mines somewhere. Thinking all the excitement was over we continued on our way. Before long we could see more flashing lights ahead of us and this time we only had to pull over past the fog line on the road. This one was a large truck with four of the huge big tyres but it was only 5 1\2 metres wide.

This time with the excitement all over we drove to our next layover which was a free camp spot at Camilla Beach. In the holiday season this place is packed but for now it had about 5 or 6 vans that we saw. It was a lovely quiet spot by the beach but again very hot and humid. It is so tempting to have all that water there and not be able to go in it to cool down a bit. We stayed three nights before coming the rest of the way to Rocky.

We arrived in Rocky about 3 pm just after they had a heavy rainstorm. It was raining still on our arrival so we got moderately wet setting up. The humidity was unbearable so we got outside finished as quick as we could and got in the van which by that time was reasonably cool. We have decided to stay in Rocky now for a full week so that we could get a few things done. Ken wants to get the car serviced and new tyres fitted to the car. For me I wanted to do a spring clean in the van. We have been out of our house for a full year so it was time to clean up and throw out. That took me all day on Friday and once again the humidity was almost unbearable even with the air con. Saturday started quite early for me as my goal for this day was to begin cleaning the awning as it needed a really good scrub and I knew I had to start early or it wouldn't get done at all. Surprisingly I got it finished all bar a section that was hard to reach due to the height of the van. We have since moved the van so I will get it done tomorrow then it looks like the new awning that it is. Next is to give the outside of the van a really good clean also.

Due to the floods some of the cement in the park is badly damaged and the park managers came and asked us if we would move to a new site as they were laying some new cement and it would make it difficult for us coming in or out.. So in the humidity on Sat we packed up our van to set up in a different part of the park. We are staying at the Southside Van Park which has heaps of cabins and only a few caravan sites. It is well looked after and this spot is much nicer than our previous position.

Yesterday, being Sunday we headed off to church never expecting to see someone we knew but as we entered the church we could see that Anne whom we had caught up with in Cairns was also there. A new General for the Salvation Army has just recently been elected and it is a woman by the name of Linda Bond. She is a Canadian lady and her current position of Commissioner is leader of the Australian Eastern Territory and one of her farewell meetings was to be at Rocky in the afternoon. Anne was asked to come down as there would be a segment recognising the work of the SAES. (Salvation Army Emergency Services). As it turns out that included us and everyone involved were given a really nice pen in a black velvety cover. On one side of the pen it says "In appreciation" and on the other it has"Thanks SAES from NRMA insurance"

The General Elect. Commissioner Bond, is well liked in this territory and everyone we have spoken to say that she will make a really good General. It was a great service in the afternoon and almost all the songs we sang are my favorites. Once again God's timing is always right and we were both greatly blessed by the service and the opportunity to hear the new General Elect speak. We probably won't ever get that opportunity again.

That's about all for now

Love to one and all.

God Bless

Ken and Lyn

Cardwell

2011-02-26T18:34:00.005+11:00

2011-02-26T18:23:00.003+11:00

This photo is taken at Tully

This house has had its roof blown off and you can see the possession thrown out ready for trucks to come and take it away

Another view of the house

Views from the car around the Tully area

2011-02-26T18:12:00.003+11:00

The house with the sign say 4 sale. A reovators delight

The view from the community centre where we were.

From another angle

cyclone devastation

2011-02-26T18:00:00.003+11:00

This was the CWA meeting place

A line of trees with bark and leaves torn off them

roadside mess
Boats high and dry

clean up begins

Views from the car

Mission Beach to Cardwell

2011-02-26T07:40:00.013+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Having left Ravenshoe after saying goodbye to our new friends we pulled into Cairns for a short layover that turned into a five night stay which would have been a six night stay except the Salvos were in dire need of someone to take over the preparation of breakfasts and lunches for the people of Tully Heads, many of whom are sleeping on the floor in their own home or with neighbours or friends that havn't been as badly damaged. There are some who have not had a hot shower since the cyclone hit so portable toilets, showers and laundry buildings are just going up in the community centre grounds where we were set up. Basic sleeping quaters will be next but no kitchens so preparation of food continues to be an ongoing problem.

The whole coast from Mission Beach to Cardwell (we haven't seen or heard what its like below Cardwell) has been severly affected by the cyclone. The eye of the cyclone was some 70klms wide which is why we got it so bad at Ravenshoe but places like Herberton, Atherton and Mareeba didn't.

The fact that we were going south plus we had our own accomodation with us meant that we could fill the gap needed at this time. Three weeks down the track from Yasi hitting land meant that many people are now back at work, children are now back at school so numbers to do the relief work had depleted badly.

We had a hand over on Tuesday and hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. Breakfasts were not hard as it was just a simple breakfast of cereal, toast. fruit,tea and coffee. Numbers were getting less as each day goes by so we only had to cater for 20 give or take a few on each day. Lunch was the main meal of the day for people. The Community Centre had a small kitchen we could use plus we had a large BBQ for cooking the meats. Refrigeration of food was a problem as power was intermitant at best. Thursday we had no power all day so thankfully there was a generator we could use to keep refridgerators going. We had huge eskies full of bottled water as town water is still unsafe to drink. The heat and the humidity was unbearable especially for Ken as he was doing the BBQ. We fed about 80 on Wednesday, about 120 on the Thursday as there was a meeting to keep people up to date on what was happening, and Friday there was about 60 odd.

Friday was the last day The Salvation Army were going to provide meals. The initial disaster phase was now moving into recovery phase and so the local Rotary Club were going to organise locals to keep the meals going if possible each day or if not that often then on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Many are still doing it tough. You hear lots of sad stories, one 80 year old lady said to me that for the first four nights after the cyclone she slept in her car because her two little dogs couldn't stay with her in the emergency centre. Just yesterday one man who had been up at his daughters place at Walkamin came down to Tully Heads for the first time to see what had happened to his house and when he came in he was shell shocked. He'd lost everything. He couldn't think straight, he didn't know what to do or where to go and thankfully someone sent him to the community centre where he could get some help and some guidance.

There are some areas where people have yet to be allowed home. Many homes were built using
asbestos and so no one is allowed into those areas until it has been disposed of properly. This all compounds the problems people are facing and they are enourmous problems. Despite what they have gone through there are those who still have their sense of humour. For example as you drive into Tully Heads someone has got hold of something to make a sign with and on the front lawn the sign reads "Thank you Yasi for landscaping my garden" and another on the main road through Tully read "For sale, A renovator's delight." and yes the house was badly damaged.

The storm suge that occurred all along the coast caused untold damage and there are no words that can describe what happened. As you drive along houses are just shells of their former glory and it didn't matter whether they were someones holiday cottage or someones dream retirement home. Roofs gone, doors gone, windows gone and even internal walls all gone along with every piece of furniture that was in the house. Their is just nothing left and just like a fire a cyclone can be eratic and beside one home that is completly destroyed is another that has minimal damage. There are streets especially those along the water front that have been classified as unsafe and they are cordoned off as a "NO GO" zone. They will all have to be demolished.

The beach tells its own story of how forceful the winds and waves were. The road had been totally covered in sand and bulldozers have scraped it clean so the road is now passable. You can't see a blade of grass where the picnic areas were and the beach is a real mess. Trees are strewn all over the beach and in the water. The trees that are still standing where the grass would have been all have their roots exposed and should another bad storm come through they too will probably fall over. This too is a "NO GO" area

Very few people have been able to salvage anything. One chap found a cross that his deceased mother had given him and his glasses he found in the neighbours yard. You would think he won the lottery.

The boats at Cardell that were all slammed against each other have almost all been lifted high and dry but Oh what a mess they are. This is a very popular retirement area and as you would have seen on TV some of these boats were valued well over a million dollars and others were just tinnies or small runabouts regardless of their value they are all unusable and unsafe.

We knew things would be bad down here we just couldn't imagine the devastation that we have seen. The closer we got to Tully the worse things got untill what we saw was like someone had set off a Napalm bomb. The countryside is without leaf cover on every tree and I mean every tree. Some of the local native trees have been stripped of their bark and all that's left is the tree and bare branches. Trees are snapped in half or simply reefed right out of the ground. Debri is caught high up in the branches as is timber from homes, pieces of tin crumbled like you would a piece of alfoil. When you look at the skyline all you now see are bare trees. How long it will take to regrow no one knows. It is quite eerie driving through this country side.

Ken's cousin Stan and Connie have been up here going from door to door with aid to people help get through this crisis and last night we brought our van up to where they are staying so we were able to spend a couple of hours chatting to them. It is our intention to head off from here today. We are going to head south and depending on roads and weather conditions we will cross over and head south west to south Australia.

We have travelled south as far as Ayr and Home Hill tonight. We are at the Home Hill Comfort Stop. This is a little unusual as this area runs parallel to the main st and you actually park in the street. There are free hot showers as you cannot use a generator and they are really clean which is nice.

As we have travelled today the further away from the cyclone affected area the less the damage. It is good to see trees with leaves on.

We will add photos later

That's it for now. I will blog again soon.

love to one and all

Ken and Lyn.

Tull

2011-02-26T07:40:00.001+11:00

Tully Heads

Tull

2011-02-26T07:40:00.000+11:00

Tully Heads

Green island

2011-02-19T21:12:00.003+11:00

Feeding the fish - they would go from one side of the boat to the other knowing fish food would br thrown in

These fish looked a silvery colour under water but on top they were a reddy brown colour. You can see the black and white striped fish in the background

Sadly the colour doesn't do these fish any justice. They were a pretty blue colour and their tails were a vibrant yellow

Green island

2011-02-19T20:58:00.004+11:00

Green Island
The jetty where the boats stay moored

Green Island underwater observatory

Thw jwtty from the opposite direction

This is where most people went snorkling

Green Island

2011-02-19T11:05:00.002+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Wednesday arrived and we were excited about our day trip to Green Island. The bus picked us up just after 8am, collected some other people and took us to the jetty where our boat was waiting our arrival and it was a big boat. It had three levels to it so in peak season it would be packed. I estimated there were around 150 - 200 people on board. Staff said it was a quiet day. Friday and the weekend were going to be busy days again for them.

The weather could not have been nicer. It was warm, even at 9am which was our departure time, but not too hot. The middle deck which was where we chose to sit was air conditioned and thus our journey out to the island was very pleasant. There were complimentary ginger tablets for people to use if they were likely to get sea sick but the water was very calm on the way out and you could hardly feel any movement from side to side. It was only when you crossed over the wake of another boat that you felt any rocking.

On arrival at the Island the boat moored at the jetty for the day and you could go on and off at your leisure. We had booked in to have a semi sub tour and this was due to commense straight away so we remained on the boat. When you boarded the sub you climbed down into the hull of the boat and there were windows on either side where you could view the fish and the coral structure of the reef. The colours on some of the fish were amazing. There were little black and white striped fish which I think the woman said were soldier fish. There were quite large silver fish which later we found that their colour was actually brown and red as they loose their redness when under the water. There were sea turtles along with other unusual and brightly coloured fish. My favorite fish were the parrot fish and like the parrot bird they were a combination of various bright and beautiful colours ranging from greens, purples, blues and yellows and oranges.

The reef itself was not as colourful as I had expected but the variety of corals that we saw in just a very small area was amazing. The reef had been affected by Cyclone Yasi but nothing too bad. The pieces of the reef that had broken off would just settle onto the floor of the ocean and just become part of the reef. The water was also very green partially due to the cyclone and partially due to the level of algae in the water.

From the semi sub we transfered immediately on to the glass bottom boat and once more ventured out to the reef. You got a very different perspective of the reef from this boat. We were able to see giant clams as well as many little ones. It's hard to descibe it as every piece of coral was a different shape, size and colour and the camera shots don't give a true reflection of the colour.

By the time we returned to the boat lunch was served so we headed to the serving area as others headed out to the boats for their turn on the reef. Lunch was a smorgasborg of salads and a curry with white rice. Their was also pineapple and water melon to be had after.

We didn't go into the water at all but we watched as many people went snorkelling. Even close to the shore we could see the fish and coral from the jetty. You could go paragliding if you wanted to and we could see a sea plane coming and going throughout the day.

By 3pm everyone was back on board ready for our hour long journey home. In fact it was close to 5pm by the time we were dropped off at the caravan park.

The day was really lovely in every respect so thanks Dallas for giving us this memorable day in our journey round Aus.

The new fridge has been fitted so it is nice to have it back again.

Whilst we have been here we have had an unexpected chance to catch up with family. Ken's cousin Peter has been up here debreifing officers and people who have been working in and around Tully and Cardwell. He had a little bit of free time and so came to the van to see us. Peter is Bram and Stan's younger step brother and we haven't seen him for close on thirty years. My first thought when I saw him walking to the van was that he could easily be Ken's younger brother rather than a cousin. It was a great couple of hours catching up on family news.

We are also going to see Stan and Connie on Sunday as the army have sent them up to continue working with the people at ground zero. There is still much to be done and the armed forces have now moved out. Stan and Connie have done this sort of emergency work before at the Newcastle Earthquake and the Kempsey Bus Crash and other major incidences. They have also been Chaplins for the police, ambulance and SES volunteers for many years.

That's about it for now.

All our love and God bless

Ken and Lyn.

Farewell to Ravenshoe

2011-02-15T19:05:00.002+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

Yasi has come and gone but its influence still has an impact on bird and animal life. When we first came to Ravenshoe Pauline had 25 -30 Rainbow Lorikeets that would come and feed each day but gradually the numbers dwindled down till there were no more. They seemed to have moved on but since Yasi they have returned. There are no flowers left on any plants anywhere and there food supply has disappeared so they are back looking for food again. This morning before we left we threw out bread for them and there were about 30 again plus the little minor birds have made this their home now also. The kookaburras have grown in number also. We began with just two or three, then we had a couple of young ones that the mother would feed and now there are ten that want to be fed. They are now conditioned to come when we sit out on the verandah and no sooner do we sit down they come flying in and land in the same tree on the same branch and wait. They are well fed Kookaburras between the mince they get from Pauline and the worms and bugs they get from the ground. There are also butcher birds that come in for a feed. They eat the raw mince also and Pauline throws it into the air for them and they catch it mid flight. Just in the last couple of days they have brought two young ones with them so they are also feeding their young ones. The butcher bird has the prettiest song not unlike a canary. It is beautiful to listen too. They perch on the verandah railing and wait for Pauline and if she doesn't get up their chirp gets louder until she goes in for the meat.
Yesterday a couple of maggies arrived with a couple of young ones in tow so the word gets around that there is food available. There are curlews and friar birds that have a bright blue patch on their head and others that I don't know the name of all trying to find food.

The two kangaroos that lay in the sun just past the fence line have returned and the other day a big grey one hopped along and over the road and was gone in just a few moments.

Today we have moved on from Ravenshoe. Just a couple of days before Yasi hit our caravan fridge died. A couple of weeks age we could smell amonia and looking for it's source we found it came from the back of the fridge. The inside was fine but when we sniffed around it was coming through the controls. Ken looked it up on the net and it indicated that we were going to have troubles. The leak disappeared the next day and so we thought it would be OK. It began leaking again and eventually the smell was so bad we knew the fridge had had it and so we pulled it out of the van. We had ordered the new fridge just a couple of days before Yasi. The new fridge is supposed to fit in where the old one has come out but it doesn't. The gas position is different and we could not find a gas fitter in Ravenshoe, Atherton or Mareeba who would do the job so it meant bringing the van to Cairns.

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. We have made such lovely friends here and will always remember our time here. Peter and Erica had to be in Cairns today and Robin and Pauline came with them for the ride so we all met at the Brother's Club and had our last meal with them and as usual we had a great time before saying another farewell.

We are currently parked in the carpark of the Cairns Salvation Army as we are going to be here for a few days. It is a very busy spot as beside the church they have a family store so there is plenty of activity around the place.

One of the things we are going to do here before we move on down the coast is take a day trip out to Green Island. Dallas gave it to us as a christmas present and we are really looking forward to doing it. Because it's in the off season all we have to do is ring up on the day we want to go and check on numbers. It's unlikely they will be booked out. So, weather permitting we will go in the next few days. We have had a really heavy rainshower here this afternoon but that's nothing unusual. I think it made the humidity worse rather than better.

That's about all our news for now.

Love to one and all and God bless

Ken and Lyn.

Yasi continued

2011-02-15T18:50:00.005+11:00

Looking down to the back yard
Small limbs and a lot of leaves and twigs

Limbs and branches everywhere

Mostly leaves and twigs

More of Yasi

2011-02-15T18:35:00.004+11:00

Looking back toward the American Barn

Pathed area between the house and the Chalet

Looking toward the back fence. The tip of the chalet roof can be seen.

Another bedraggled Kookaburra

The top of the big tree that came down parallel to the house.

Before and after Yasi

2011-02-15T18:14:00.006+11:00

Middle of tree and the roots the tree. The roots were taller than Ken or myself

Water logged Kookaburra

before and after yasi

2011-02-15T17:52:00.004+11:00

Looking down from the verandah after Yasi had hit

Caravan partially under the carport before Yasi

Looking back over the garden from under the carport before Yasi

Picture taken near the caravan

Looking back toward the chalet

Another photo looking toward the chalet

Caravan anchored to the ground

Yasi Aftermath

2011-02-07T18:57:00.006+11:00

Dear family and Friends

First up we have only had intermitant internet, landline and mobile coverage since the day after Yasi hit. So this blog should give you some idea of what this past week has been like. Usually when we have rain our TV reception breaks up and it isn't worth watching but all through the night of the cyclone we had both phone and TV coverage but it went off some time during the next day. We had a brief phone call with each of the kids and with my Mum and Dad early morning after the cyclone and then one night we had skype briefly and spoke with Dallas also one short call with my brother and then that nothing. we still have no Power and have been told it could be between 3 days and 3 weeks before we get it back on.

The sky dish we have weathered the storm really well. Robin took his off the roof and stored it in th shed but Ken had anchored ours to the ground as we had with everything else and after the storm when we came down to the van the dish had not moved a cm. It was perfect. no adjustment needed at all, not even a little tweek.

The first 36 hours after the cyclone was a bit like waking up from a bad dream and finding it wasn't a dream after all and it really did happen. By 6pm on the night of the cyclone we had done all we could to protect our lives and property.

On Wed evening we sat outside as always to have our evening meal. Robin prayed that God would watch over us and keep us safe as well as other family members. Robin and Pauline have two of their children living in Townsville so they were concerned for their safety also. The kookaburras sat in the tree and waited for their fresh mince that Pauline feeds them seemingly without a care in the world. Did they know a storm was on its way? They didn't seem to but we did. The overcast sky had started to darken and we could begin to feel the impending storm brewing. It wasn't long before all bird life disappeared and the noises of the early evening were without the sound of birdcall. We wondered how the animal life would weather through the storm. The two kangaroos who stretch out in the sunshine at the bottom of the garden disappeared also. Where to I have no idea.

I have to say I was not afraid but I was beginning to wonder just how bad this cyclone was going to be. We often had windy days when we lived in Tierney St in Bairnsdale that shook the house so how much worse this would be I did not know.

The thought had crossed my mind that maybe one or both of us might not make it through this night as there was no doubt this was going to be bad.

We had decided that rather than stay in the van or in the little Chalet we would spend the night in the house with Robin and Pauline so after tea we came back to the van and did the dishes and gathered the few things we might need during the night like medications, pillows, rug and jacket. Robin said that it often gets quite cold prior to a cyclone and he was right I wore my jacket most of the night. First time I have put a jacket or cardigan on in months. I had my sandles on but he suggested I should get something sturdier to wear as it was possible that windows may be blown inwards and if they did there was less chance of cutting myself if I had a sturdier shoe on. We went inside wondering if the van would even be there in the morning.

We had generators ready for when the power went off which happened around 12.30pm. Channels 7 & 9 went off during the night but the ABC continued all night and so we were able to watch that and get some idea of what was happening elsewhere.

By 8pm the winds were increasing in velocity and Robin estimated they were about 80 -120 klms per hour. The high winds at Tierney St were probably within that range.

I'm not sure whether the cyclone hitting at night was better or worse than the day. The dark made it ominous and forboding which didn't help the rising sense of unease we were all feeling. The house withstood Larry in 2006 with one outside wall being damaged from a limb. Robin and Paulines's house has a very wide verandah on two sides and from time to time in the early part of the night we would venture out to have a little look.

During the night Anna Bligh gave hourly updates untill 11pm on what was happening. After that the ABC was our source of information. Anna Bligh has done a really good job of keeping the public informed both prior to and during the cyclone as well as the floods that happened earlier this month. It would seem some Queenslanders get a bit blaaze about cyclones. She said a number of times that this cyclone was going to be the worst cyclone that Queensland had ever experienced in more than 100 years if not ever so do your preparation early and don't leave it till the last minute.

How do I describe a cyclone? It started off as any storm with rain and wind but no lightening or thunder. The wind increased in its intensity and got stronger and stronger. The rain became horizontal. The trees were our indication of how strong the wind was as they blew from side to side and believe me they blew. There were a couple of trees Robin was worried about. The noise of the wind grew louder and louder untill it roared. It could have been a train roaring past or a jet plane taking off it was that loud. It was relentless all night and when you thought it could get no worse it would gust up even louder. We were just on the outer edge of the eye of the storm as we had about 20 minutes of calm then the wind changed and blew and blew from the oppisite direction. I heard on the radio that it is that wind that does the greatest damage.

We didn't sleep at all during the night but we each went in to have a lay down. We might have dozed for a few minutes but each creek or grown would have you up and on edge wondering what it was and what damage it had incurred.

The full force of the cyclone hit the mainland at Tully, Cardwell and Mission Beach and each of these communities have almost been annhialated as has a couple of the islands off the coast such as Dunk Island. The worst hit areas are those areas south of the eye and we were just above it and thankfully had less damage.

The house, the challet, the caravan and the sheds, one of which housed 2 cars (one of which was ours), 1 aeroplane and a motorhome had no damage whatsoever. The big shed was built to a cyclone 5 rating and it passed the test with flying colours. On the other hand 9 trees came down, one lifting the roots right out of the ground. It was a massive big tree and I would say well over thirty metres high. It fell less than 20ft from the house and thankfully parallel to the house . Had it fell sideways it would have brought the house down with it and probably us with it..

Ken, Robin and Kieren (Robin's brother) Pauline and I have spent the last few days cleaning up outside. The big tree that fell took almost the whole day to saw through it, load it into the trailer and drop it all on the wood heap. Its very large stump is now the only thing remaining on the ground. One tree landed on a fence and they cut it before the weight of the trunk brought the whole fence down. With all the big limbs and the smaller branches we dragged them together and made six bonfires around the 3 acres that we will light in a week or two after they dry out a bit. There is quite a large clump of Bamboo that the guys say was by far the hardest to clean up. The men cut down as many as 20 plus large stems of bamboo of differing heights many up to 6 to 7 metres. Most of the long stems have been put aside as they are useful for building. Some of the smaller pieces have been thrown on to the bonfires. Robin says we need to have a bit of fun when we set light to the bonfires evidently when the bamboo explodes it sounds like a gun going off. The bamboo isn't as dense now as it was and whenever the wind blows up you can hear it creaking and cracking as it sways in the wind. I was very amazed at the number of branches that were speared into the ground. Some as wide as a couple of fingers and some as large as my wrist. they were lodged into the ground as far as 6inches. How incredible the force that would do that.

Next Day - 8th Feb

We are still getting some rain and there are still constant warnings of more damaging rain and high winds. This morning on the radio I heard that Yasi continues its path from the interior QLD and is now down as far as Vic and SA and is heading West. WA have had bushfires with more than 65 homes raised to the ground while in the north of the state they have had heavy rains are experiencing floods. Sydney have had heatwave conditions for over 5 days. Victoria and Melbourne have had heavy rains and flash flooding. We saw on TV the Melbourne trams running with water lapping over the steps.

We drove into Ravenshoe on Friday to get some meat for Pauline and all the way in we were pointing out the various trees that had fallen to the ground. The local golf course was a mess with trees everywhere and one big one had taken out power lines. The SES had already been through and cleared the road of debri. Millstream river which we cross has grown from a small creek to a raging torrent, it and one other tributury was well over the road so we had to backtrack and go a different way. When we did get into town the butcher wasn't open and the supermarket had no meat what so ever other than pet food.

Watching the TV during the night of the cyclone and in the days since has all seemed a bit surreal. It felt like it was and had happened somewhere else. My heart goes out to all those people who suffered the greatest loss. I remind myself that we were a part of it and the intensity for us was probably rated at a category 4, never the less our winds were around the 230 250 klms per hour and it was no picnic.

We didn't have to huddle together in the bathroom and cover ourselves with mattresses, we didn't feel the walls of the house breathing in and out as some did, we didn't have our windows burst from the pressure of the winds or have our roof peeled back on us leaving us open to the elements. We didn't fear for our lives as some did. As some would say we were lucky. Never the less the sense of relief we felt when we realised the worst of it was over was incredible. We laughed and hugged each other and then Ken prayed and thanked God for watching over us and keeping us safe.

Whilst listening to the ABC radio they have asked listeners to call in and tell their story of what the cyclone was like for them. There are those who have said Cyclone Larry was worse than Yasi and some have said Yasi was worse than Larry. It depends on its pattern and where and how it moves. Keiren, Robin's brother said it was no more than a very strong wind at Mareeba. Atherton didn't seem to have been hit hard and Herberton, which lies over a small mountain range had it less sever than us here. So stories and expieriences are diverse in the telling.

Will this be the No. 1 memorable experience of our trip around Australia? Yes, I probably think it will be. I can't think of anything we might go, see or do that can eclipse a catergory 5 cyclone other than the Dinars.

We had no church on Sunday as the officers are down in the worst hit areas helping out and we were all so body weary after the clean up that we agreed a day of rest sounded pretty good.

Life goes on and so will our holiday except we are stranded here a little longer as roads are still blocked or restricted to residents and emergency workers only.

So with that I shall say goodbye for now and God Bless

with love

Ken and Lyn

.

More pics

2011-02-02T17:25:00.008+11:00

1. Big crock about to take food

2. Early morning view from our motel room

4. Another view from our room

4. crocodile raising up out of water to get food

5.Crocodile just laying around in the sun in lwater that is just 60cms at its deepest point

More pics from Tim and Leanne' visit

2011-02-02T15:36:00.004+11:00

1. Tim, eyes closed while the snake was put over his shoulders

2. Tim enjoying his minute of fame

3. See the smile on the crocodile

4. Leanne feeding the crocodile

5. Plaque at Walkamin Memorial Park

Yasi continued

2011-02-02T14:45:00.004+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

All is well with us at this stage (2pm Wed 2nd Feb). We have had yet another busy morning. By 7am Robin and Ken were out busy securing whatever they could. First off the carport that we are partially covered by has been tethered down with rope and cable to prevent it from being lifted off its posts. Then our caravan has now been anchored to the ground on all four sides by ropes and snatch straps. Robin has a large ship container on the property which has a lot of personal stuff in it and this too has been anchored to the ground with guy ropes etc.
We have emptied one small shed that Robin expects to lose and have tied it down as best he could in the hope that it won't be blown in the air and damage their neighbours place.

So far today the weather has been like any other day. We have seen sun, cloud, wind and rain.
The wind is spasmodic and blows up then settles down to a gentle breeze or complete calm. Once the cyclone hits the winds, according to radio and TV reports, could be up to 300 klms per hour. What does 200 - 300 klms per hour sound and look like? I don't know but we are about to find out.

So far the rain has been no more than a light shower which passes over very quickly. Radio reports say that we could get in the vicinity of 700 mls in the next 12 hours so to expect localised flooding.

As I said before the vehicles are in the big shed and in our car we have a couple of changes of clothing, food supplies to last us a few days, first aid kits, medications and some odds and ends.
In the van we have a couple of last minute bags to take with us if we have to leave here and seek shelter elsewhere.

There is nothing more we can do but stay as safe as we can. We have tried to cover all our bases and have every thing in place for all contingincies as much as we can.

At some time tonight we will loose contact but we will ring as soon as we are able to let you know we are all right.

I will try and blog again late this afternoon or early tonight if we can.

I have more pictures I want to show you so that is my next task.

Love to all and God Bless

Ken and Lyn

We now wait and PRAY.

Cyclone Yasi

2011-02-01T15:33:00.006+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Everything is a bit busy up here in F.N.Q. Cyclone Yasi is off the coast and is predicted to be the biggest cyclone ever to hit QLD. Yesterday, it was thought that the cyclone would hit Townsville and here where we are would be some rain and wind but not enough to cause damage. Reports were that this cyclone was in the vicinity of 700klms wide so a huge portion of QLD is under threat yet again with rising tides and flooding in low lying areas and so soon after the floods. Last night Robin and Pauline were talking to their family who live in Townsville and plans were being made to bring the grandchildren up here where they would be safer. Sirens were going off on a regular basis giving updates on phones, radio and TV keeping everyone updated on what was happening.

This morning (Mon) is a completely different story for us at Ravenshoe and Atherton. The cyclone direction had not changed as they thought it would through the night and rather than go south west toward Townsville it had continued in a westerly direction and now thought to hit land closer to Innisfail. They have said that Capetown down to Sarina which is just passed Mackay and possibly even as far as Rockhampton could be affected based on its currrent speed and intensity.

This creates a whole new scenario for us at Ravenshoe as we are about an hour due west of Innisfail.

Early this morning Pauline and I went into Ravenshoe to go to the Chemist and pick up some bread and ham etc.at the little IGA supermarket. It was so busy we had to drive around looking for a place to park. We (Ken and I, Pauline and Robin were away) didn't even see it this busy leading up to Christmas. The Chemist was our first stop and they were were busy but we got served fairly quickly. From there Pauline went to the Post Office while I went into the supermarket and it was just as busy. I collected the few things we required and went to wait at the Deli counter to be served. Whilst going through the checkout I commented to the girl about the busyness of the shop and she said that all three checkouts were going non stop they had been that busy. Later in the day Pauline had a doctors appointment and went back into town just before lunch time but rang us to say not to wait lunch for her as she would have at least an hours wait to have her prescription filled as the Chemist was so busy.

Radio reports are constantly keeping people updated. Two hospitals in Cairns have been evacuated and all schools are closing for the rest of the week. That even means the boarding schools at Herberton not far from here have to make arrangements to have those children picked up by the end of school today.

When Pauline and I came home from shopping Robin and Ken had pulled our van out from where we had it parked beside the little chalet and were busy giving the awning a really good clean as we were going to back the van under their carport beside the house as it would be protected their a little bit. Unfortunately we couldn't get it right under as the air con on the roof stopped it from going all the way under. There is enough room for both our cars and Robin and Pauline's motor home in the shed and since the shed wasn't there when cyclone Larry came through it will be put to the test. So when all is said and done we have done as much preparation as we can and now must trust God will keep us safe.

The last radio report says the cyclone is travelling at about 35 klms per hour and is expected to come through at about 1am day after tomorrow with winds from 120 to 220 klms per hour. We have no idea what to expect as we've not been through anything like this before. As Pauline and Robin say cyclones are so unpredictable that it could turn around and head back out to sea.

Last Sat was Ken's birthday so I arranged a lunch out at the Ant Hill Hotel in Mareeba with Robin and Pauline, Peter and Erica and we had a great time together. We left there and went on to Peter and Erica's and had coffee and cake for dessert so he had a really enjoyable day. He also had a phone call from each of the kids which was a lovely way to end his birthday.

That's about it for now. Shall keep you updated as news comes to hand.

All our love and God bless.

Ken and Lyn

Hartley's Crocodile Adventure Park

2011-01-28T16:34:00.004+11:00

You guessed right !!!!!!!!!!!!! Croc photos

2011-01-28T16:23:00.003+11:00

Leanne and Tim at Malanda falls

Photos 2&3 are The Curtain Fig tree

Barron falls

Barron Falls

2011-01-28T15:52:00.003+11:00

Photos 1and 2 are of the Cathedral Fig Tree

WW 2 war memorials

Leanne and Tim at Millaa Millaa Falls

Barron Falls

Tim and Leanne

2011-01-27T09:30:00.015+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

I'm doing a bit of a catch up here as Tim and Leanne came up for a visit and we have had a very busy three days sight seeing.

Having not seen any family for a well over six months it was good to put my arms around them and give them both a hug. It has made me realise how much I have missed all our family.

Tim and Leanne arrived in Cairns on the red eye special arriving at just after midnight. Ravenshoe is a good two and half hours away from Cairns so we didn't like the idea of driving back here at that time of night so we had booked into a Motel at Palm Cove that was just 15 minutes from the airport. I think we all fell into bed we were all so tired.

On our way back to Ravenshoe on the Saturday we detoured here and there sightseeing starting off at Barron Falls. The Barron Falls are a 260 metre granite faced waterfall that can easily be seen by taking road, rail or skyrail and they are a sight to be seen. If you look back on the blog you will see the difference in the falls from the first time we saw them to the time we went with Erica and Peter to this past weekend with Leanne and Tim. They were awesome to look at and the water going over them was just amazing. It was the best time to see them as the pictures in the tourist magazines were no better than the pictures we took with Tim and Leanne.

From Barren Falls we drove up to Mareeba where we had lunch at the Ant Hill Hotel.

Driving toward Atherton I wanted to stop at Walkamin where there was a really good place to get fruit and vegetables but when we drew up there it wasn't there anymore. This place wasn't just a roadside stall where they have an honesty box and you drop your coins in. This place was like a proper shop, it had electricity, fridges, cash register and was located beside the Walkamin Post Office. Leanne and I went in to the Post Office / corner store and asked what had happened with the shop beside him and he said Council had come along with a list of changes that had to be made and he said that they (the owners) said it was unreasonable and decided to close up shop. Not just close up shop, because it meant dismantling the whole premises. When we drove up it was like there had never been a shop there at all. Such a shame and as the shop owner said there were now at least three people without a job. He wasn't too impressed himself as this has affected his business also.

We continued on to Atherton to a shop called the Crystal caves where they sell a huge range of gems, jewelry and rocks. From there we headed off home to Ravenshoe where Pauline had a roast ready for us. Our evening was spent watching the night animals come out to play. An early night was planned to catch up on our missing sleep.

Sunday Morning, we had a leasurely breakfast before heading off for some serious sightseeing.

Every Sunday there are markets that rotate around the Atherton tablelands and on this Sunday they were at Ravenshoe. Not the best but we stopped and had a quick look around before heading off for our day of sight seeing. There are so many things to see and do it wasn't easy to decide what to see and what not to see so we took the best of the best and tried to fit as much in as we could. Our first stop was Milla Milla which is by far the prettiest falls of all and apart from Barron Falls one of the longest.

Malanda Falls were also spectacular but very muddy and like Millaa Millaa you could normally swim in it. Malanda, in particular was brown and dirty and all you could see was just the top of the arc where you normally step down into the water.

Two other stops that we did were at Lake Barrine and Lake Eachem. Lake Eachem is a very popular swimming area and great for a picnic. While we were there there were three men going skin diving so it was interesting to see them suit up and go in. We think it might have been either a lesson or a test. The last time we were there there were skin divers there then so they must use the lake quite often.

Leanne was keen to see the Curtan Fig Tree so we made that one of our stops. The Curtan Fig is a major attraction to the Tablelands. This 100 (some say 500) year old tree within the rainforest has roots that drop 15 metres to the ground that form a curtain effect. the Cathedral Fig Tree is another massive strangler fig tree and like the Curtan Fig Tree is one of the most impressive sights in the Danbulla Rainforest.

The day disappeared all too quickly and it wasn't long before we made our way home with a detour to visit Peter, Erica and Tiddles the wonder dog.

Monday our last day together was spent at the Hartley's Crocodile Adventure Park. What a great day that was. Hartley's is 40klms north of Cairns and has won some of the top tourist awards in QLD.

The map given to us was marked so that if you followed the attractions in a certain order you would see all the attractions with a minimal time of waiting. The great thing was that if you didn't make it to all the attractions you could come again for three days and the only stipulation was that you couldn't go on the boat ride again. On the boat cruise on the lagoon we saw just how high a crocodile could launch itself out of the water to get it's food. We saw a crocodile do the death role. The snap of a crocodile shutting its mouth is undescribable. If they got you there is no way you could get out of its mouth. Leanne decided she would have a go at feeding the crocodiles. You get a long pole with a piece of chicken tied to its end with a string of Hemp. They are incredible when they rise up out of the water and reveal more than half of their total body size. In the amphitheatre they had a large crocodile and when the man came into the area he told us that the two men outside were there to step in if something went horribly wrong. The trainer showed us how a crocodile could lay in water less than two feet deep and not be seen. they barely break the water when they bring their heads above the water line.

There were three koalas and a couple of Kookaburras that were injured and unable to fly, a bird Avery and a snake show where the trainer picked someone from the audience to join him during the demonstration. Tim just happened to be that someone. The trainer asked everyone to stand then asked all children below the age of 18 to sit down, then every one above the age of 40 to sit, all women to sit and then all men from overseas to sit and Tim was the last person standing. so down he went. The trainer asked Tim to put his hand in a large bucket where he had a deadly snake, he even took Tims hand and attempted to put his hand in the bucket. Tim kept resisting so the trainer stopped and said to the audience that some people actually trust him and go to put their hand in. In his other bucket he had a non poisonous snake which he placed around Tim's neck. While Tim was standing their the trainer started to put on a thick leathery cover for his legs and said to Tim to take the snake off and put it back in the bucket, which Tim did before coming back to his seat. Ken and Leanne got some pretty good photos of Tim with the snake and Leanne was able to get a short video of Tim taking the snake off. All in all we had a really great day and went home with a greater knowledge and awareness of both the saltwater and freshwater crocodiles.

From the park we headed into Cairns to a Hotel that we had booked into so that we didn't have too long a drive to the airport so Tim and Leanne could take their midnight trip home. After a meal in the city we went back to the Hotel where Tim, Leanne,and Ken got a couple of hours sleep before heading off to the airport.

Yesterday we had a BBQ here at Robin and Paulines. Guests included, Peter and Erica and Tiddles the wonder dog. Rick and BJ (the Atherton Corps Officers) Anne, a friend of Kens from his teenage years at Toongabbie Salvos and Heather also a retired officer and a good friend of Anne's. We had a great meal together with Peter as our chef on the BBQ.

That I think brings me up to date on all our news so with that

All our love and God bless

Ken and Lyn.

Qld Floods

2011-01-13T11:19:00.007+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

We have now had a taste of how wet it can be up here. Late afternoon, early evening last Thursday we had a deluge of rain. We sat on the verandah of the house and watched it teem down with sharp cracks of thunder that felt like it was right above us. All in all we easily had 120 mls plus in just an hour. The poor old Kookaburras were sodden when they came for their mince.

Robin and Pauline have returned home from Townsville. There was no way that they would get through to Nambour so they came home and will fly down closer to the date of the baby's expected arrival if they still can't get through because of the floods.

TV reports tell us that Qld is now 75% under water. You think it can't get any worse than watching what happened in Emerald and Rockhampton and the other small towns as they went under and then you see things like the 8 meter wall of water that rushed through Toowoomba without any warning. If you don't know Toowoomba it is elevated and sits up on a plateau. As you travel north out of Toowoomba the road is a very steep and windy decline and to see that water you have to wonder where it came from. How horrible it is to watch cars, boats even skip bins being washed away as though they were weightless.

Then again if that wasn't bad enough, the Brisbane River floods and we are now watching footage of homes and businesses flooding all along the banks of the river. The river normally meanders its way through many Brisbane suburbs and is a lovely outlook that many home owners have. Now that same river threatens their homes and livelyhood.

A category 1 cyclone has had a devestating effect over a huge area of QLD. This particular cyclone turned into a rain depression and stayed over land rather than go out to sea and loose its intensity out there. I heard that a cyclone needs temperatures above 27 degrees to form. The follow on now is that NSW towns including Goondiwindi (pronounced as Gun da win di) Ipswitch, Grafton and Lismore may also have rising waters threaten them. We already have another cyclone building up but not expected to hit land but as we are told. The wet season has only just begun.

We went to Innisfail today to do some shopping and on our way home we drove through heavy tropical rain, when it rains it pours, it comes down in bucket fulls.

We went on a tourist drive earlier this week going from Ravenshoe to Millaa Millaa where we went to see the Millaa Millaa Falls, we stopped for lunch at Millaa Millaa. We left Millaa Millaa and went through Tarzali and on to Malanda stopping to look at their falls also. All in all it was a pleasant drive and an enjoyable day.

Malanda is a small town about 25klms out of Atherton and is one of the wettest areas on the Atherton tablelands. Its surrounded by lush rolling hillsides, that support a thriving dairy industry. one of the worl'ds largest dairy factories provides the main source of employment in Malanda and is supported by 190 local dairy farmers. There is also a huge theatre in Malanda which began in the early 1920's and is still in use today.

Yesterday we had lunch in the Tully Falls Hotel with Peter and Erica, Robin and Pauline. It was a great meal (definitely worth going there again). The Tully Falls Hotel is the highest Pub in QLD. and sits on the highest point within Ravenshoe.There is one other pub but it sits further down the hill. After lunch we came back here to have coffee out on the verandah. All in all it was a lovely day.

That's about it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

PS Sorry folks but I meant to add some photos before I posted this blog so the news is a bit old. Photoes will be with the next blog.

QLD floods

2011-01-05T16:02:00.005+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

The old year has gone and the new one is well on its way with 50% of Qld currently under flood and the wet season only just begun. It feels quite strange and in some ways quite emotional to see places that we have recently been to under water. The big bull at the large roundabout as you enter Rockhampton is all that's visible of that intersection. We called in to have lunch there so we don't know the city well but we took a short drive around the town seeing the river and thinking we will come back at some time. Imagining it under water is hard but the TV brings the reality of it home very quickly as to how bad things are there and every where else that has been affected by the floods. We continue to get the tropical rain but not every day and we have had a couple of nights where it has rained continuously. The ground is quite soggy underfoot and we have had to lay bricks and make a pathway to get from the van to a path ed area as it was getting too boggy and wet.

We have been busy mowing the three acres while Robin and Pauline are away and it is certainly growing very quickly. By the time you finish it's time to go back and start again. Ken says you can see the grass growing it's that quick.

Yesterday we went with Peter and Erica specifically to see Barron Falls which is near Cairns and not far from Kuranda where we took the train ride up and the cable car down. When we first saw them it was just a small waterfall, nothing you would say was outstanding and then recently I was looking through a tourist book and they showed a picture taken in the wet season and I thought we should go back and see it again. This time we drove and Erica and Peter came along for the drive. And it was well worth the drive and the hot muggy weather. This time it was spectacular and even Peter and Erica had never seen it with this much water going over it. So we took photos and you can see for yourself the difference. It hardly looks like the same set of falls.

We drove home via Mareeba and had a great lunch at the Ant Hill Hotel for just $10 each.

Today I went and had morning with a retired Major from the Atherton Salvation Army as we have a similar interest in sewing. It was a lovely morning hearing about her life as a missionary in Africa.

I have spoken to Pauline and it looks like they will come home Saturday and fly to Nambour as there is no way they will get their motor home through the flood waters. It could be many weeks till it will be reopened and then major repairs need to happen as there are craters left where the water has washed away the road.

We are stranded here ourselves but it is a nice place to be. If we were needed by the kids at all we would have to fly down as it is the only way to get from here to there.

Leanne and Tim are coming up toward the end of January for thee days and we are so looking forward to seeing them. I can't wait.

That's about it for me for now

love to one and all and God bless

Ken and Lyn

christmas

2010-12-28T20:47:00.003+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Christmas Day and Boxing Day have been a wash out for us. It has rained very heavily since before Christmas Eve. Water was laying everywhere here and on Christmas day the rain was so heavy we decided not to go into Atherton for church as it is a round trip of nearly 100klms and there are a lot of little creeks and rivers that have been turned into raging torents. Good job we didn't as we probably wouldn't have got through and if we had got through we wouldn't have got home again. Radio reports were saying the road between Ravenshoe and Atherton were blocked by both water over the road and mudslides. Boxing Day was no better so again we did not go to Church. It was very strange not attending a service at all over Chistmas. We have continued having heavy rain here but clearly nothing like what they are getting further south. We couldn't have got to Cairns even if it was urgent as the roads were blocked off by water in a number of places. The further south you go the worse it gets.

We have been thinking of Sharon and Ricky, our friends from Willow Gemfields, thinking they would be flooded in but when we rang there was no answer and we realised they had plans to go to Brisbane for Christmas so they won't be able to get home for a while as the floods are quite severe around Emerald and Sapphire.

We are snug and cosy in the van but it is a different story when we step outside as there is a puddle of water right outside our door that you cannot step over so our feet get a bit wet, especially after it has just rained. Robin and Pauline have a large pond which has been empty for quite some time, it is a good two or three feet deep, and it is now full to overflowing. A good indicator of how much rain we have had.

We ventured into Atherton today and on the way in you could clearly see where the water has been. We were amazed how high the water got in places and the force of it laid flat trees and long grasses right along where the once little creeks flowed beside the road. Our decision not to go in for church was a wise one.

This is only the beginning of the wet season so there will be more to come.

We had a nice day together on Christmas Day but we did miss the kids and the grandkids, and thanks to Skype we got to see everyone and wish each other a merry Christmas. I hope we never have another one where we are separated from all our family, it's no fun.

That's my news for the moment.

So once again love to all and God Bless.

Ken and Lyn

TOBY

2010-12-22T19:26:00.015+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

We have had a hard week as Toby had to be put down last Friday. The vet had diagnosed Toby with a slipped disc in his back. He was in extreme pain and there was nothing they could do for him but dose him up with pain killers. No one knows just when it actually happened. He was well enough on the Wednesday as he had a bath up in the dog wash which he loves. so whether it happened when he jumped in or out of the car or whether it happened when he was in the dog wash when he had to turn around we'll never know but he was unable to toilet himself and he wouldn't eat so there was really no other option. We feel for Craig and Michelle and the girls as they are just as upset as we are. They gave him a great home for this last twelve months of his life and they loved him just as much as we did. We have lots of good memories and we have put some of our photos of him in the blog.

That's our sad news and now onto our holiday activities.

Robin and Pauline's daughter, Sharon, their granddaughter Analeese (phonetic spelling) and grandson Cody visited this week for a few days. As usual we had our meals outside on the Veranda and enjoyed the awakening of the night time animals. On the veranda their is an insect zapper which attracts whatever mossies and insects are around. And it does it's job really well. Each evening their would be a couple of green tree frogs sitting under it eating whatever fell to the ground. They are quite big, about the size of the palm of your hand and Pauline picked one up. Conversation lead onto the fact that it is possible to put a frog to sleep, something I didn't know you could do. Sharon moistened her hands placed the frog in one hand and covered the frog with her other hand. She then twisted her hand back and forth for a few times. Then she opened her hand and the frog lay in her hand apparently asleep. I lent over to look at it and it suddenly came to life and jumped across the table toward me. Yes your right, I got such a fright that I jumped and squealed. Evidently the longer you twist it in your hand the deeper the sleep.

Robin and Pauline have gone now and we are on our own at their place. They headed off to Townsville to begin with and then on to Nambour where they await the birth of another grandchild. We have had such a lovely time with them, they have made us feel so welcome. We may not see them again on this trip as we may have left here by the by time they come home.

Weather reports indicate that QLD have had heavy rains with roads cut off and flooding over a large area of the state. Up until last night here at Ravenshoe we have had very little rain compared to elsewhere. We have had many thunderstorms but no rain, though on our journey's in and out of Atherton we often run into heavy patches of rain. When it has rained it is the heavy tropical rain which passes over fairly quickly and then is gone for the rest of the day. Last night it began to rain about 9pm and has been raining ever since. It is not the torrential rain of the tropics but this seems to be set in for the day. We expect there to be a lot of rain whilst we are here as it comes with the territory and the season. Pauline was saying that last year they had 45 days straight with rain. Hope they don't repeat it this year.

The other day we took a drive out to see Tully Falls. It was a lovely drive except most of it was on dirt road but it was worth it. It was too steep of a slope for us to get to the main falls but we were able to go part of the way to an area where their were small falls where the water gushed over the rocks. it was lovely and serene as we were the only people around.

That's about it for now

Love to all and we hope you have a safe and happy Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

with lots of love

Ken and Lyn

toys

2010-12-16T09:18:00.005+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

A big hello to everyone.

First up we are still sorting toys ready for Christmas. Atherton don't have to prepare the hampers for Christmas, that is organised by others and paid for by the Mayor's Christmas Appeal.

On the other hand Atherton do the toys covering a huge area, anything above the mountain range comes here. That includes Mareeba, Walkamin, Kuranda, Atherton, Herberton, Miscellaneous ones and I think Innot Springs and Mt Garnet are in this area also.

We have toys donated by the public including what were given from the the Bikie run, We also recieve toys from Cairns and to fill the gaps with difficult ages toys and other gifts are purchased for the teenagers. Its a mammoth task but an enjoyable one and the range of toys is amazing.

Lots of little stocking fillers and a lots of stuffed toys, enough that we pretty much put them in all the Christmas bags. It's a happy time for every one but also a very tiring time as you are on the go all day.

In and around the Atherton area there has been a large Chinese influence over the years. China town actually existed as a town before Atherton was first explored in 1875. The chinese moved from the Palmer River goldfields to this area and are known as the pioneers of farming and agriculture. The soil here is either a rich dark colour or a deep brown colour depending where you are on the tablelands. It is said that as the population of Chinatown grew, small shops appeared and cooks, herbalists, doctors and merchants settled in the town and by 1909 the population was around 1200.

The Hou Wang Temple was built in 1903. It is the last surviving example of a timber and tin temple left in Australia made even more rare by the fact that many such temples in China were also destroyed during the cultural revolution. It's original furnishings remain in tact and include carvings, painted metal wall panels and furnishings import . Id from China in the late 19th and early 20th century. It's rareity not just in Australia but in the world bring tourists from all over the world here. China town was short lived as it was all but abandoned by 1920's, the temple being the only surviving building. It was used as a Temple till 1970's when its owners the Fong On family donated it to the National Trust of Qld in 1980 to ensure its conservation for future generations. It's just another great tourist attraction that brings people to this area.

Atherton and surrounding area through to Mareeba tell the story of the impact that the second world war had in this area. Prior to being sent overseas the army used this area as training grounds for their soldiers. The hunidity and dense jungles found closer to the coast acclimatised our soldiers for the tropical jungles they would fight in to keep our country safe. The bombing of Pearl Harbour impacted on Atherton with many people fleeing the coastal locations thought to be unsafe. Hospitals were set up to take the injured, many of whom didn't make it. There is a war cemetery at Atherton which bears rows of identical white headstones as a silent tribute to those who died for their country. There is also another war cemetery, an old army igloo, an airport with planes used in the war and a navel museaum all in and around Walkamin.

Well that's our history lesson for the day. What's next? Another great day on the tablelands. Thre is always something to see and do.

That's it for now

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

innisfail

2010-12-11T10:51:00.006+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

I'm a bit lazy with my blogs. Another week gone by and another week closer to Christmas.

We led the service on Sunday and all went well with good feedback. Our theme was the incarnation of Christ.

Peter and Erica asked us to join them on Monday and go to Innisfail with them. Friends of theirs, Joe and Dawn, purchased an Apple Mac computer and they were having trouble getting it hooked up to bigpond. Peter and Erica tried and tried to set it up but they also failed. Joe and Dawn are going to get someone professional in to fix the problem as the same thing happeneed to Erica and Peter as was happening to Joe and Dawn. They would get to a certain point and could get it to go no further. Half a dozen phone calls were made to bigpond but still it couldn't be fixed.

Regardless of computer problems we all had a lovely day together. We had our lunch at a local Brothers Club before setting off later in the afternoon to come home. Storm clouds filled the horizon but we didn't hit rain till we were almost home. Robin said that they had had well over a hundred mls in just over an hour here at Ravenshoe so it was pretty heavy. We are surprisingly dry here considering what Sth QLD, NSW and VIC are getting.

Thursday we drove to Innot Springs where you can sit or lay in the creek where the warm comes up from the river bed. It is just off the road but next time we will take our bathers, towel and a shovel. Robin tells us you pick a spot (it can be quite hot in places) then dig a hole and sit down in it and let the water wash over you. We continued on down the road to Mt Garnet and had a little wander around there before coming home.

Robin has had quite a nasty accident. Robin decided to put new blades on the mower. He accidently dropped the blade whilst trying to screw the new blade on and has cut through his nails and down to the nail bed on two of his fingers. A third nail is bruised and sore but not actually cut through like the others. They thought they might have to take his nails off but the doctor decided to leave them and see if they will repair themselves. As you can imagine they are quite sore though Robin weathers through it without saying too much about the pain. Unfortunately that means that the maintanence on the plane is put on the backburner for a few days. You can't work with your fingers all bandaged up.

Then on Friday Pauline was taking a neighbour down to Cairns to see an eye specialist so she asked if I would like to go along for the ride. So naturally I said yes. We had a really lovely day. The day was hot and relatively steamy but nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. After Heather (Pauline's neighbour) saw the specialist we then had lunch and went to do a little Christmas shopping. Again no rain untill we were between Athertan and Ravenshoe where we drove through a very heavy shower to clear weather for the rest of the trip home.

We went to one garage sale in Ravenshoe this morning and Ken picked up a car fridge for $12 which cost the owner $140 so he is pleased with his purchase.

You may remember me telling you about the possums and the Kookaburras coming in to be fed each evening, here are just some of the photoes we have taken.

That's it for today. Hope every one is well.

with love Ken and Lyn

Toy run

2010-12-02T17:59:00.008+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

The toy run I mentioned in my last blog took place on Saturday morning. We arrived at a little Park in Tolga at 10am and by that time some of the church people had everything set up and ready to go so it wasn't long before we were soon put to work. Ken and Robin were on the BBQ. Four hundred sausages were waiting to be cooked so that kept them occupied. I was on the gravy, others set up the serving area and the coffee and tea from a trailer.

Last year they had around 250 people turn up. They were hoping for similar numbers this year but only 150 turned up. A truck was taken out to Lake Tinnaroo where the toy run was to commence. A group of Bikies were waiting for them and from there they set off on a route that took them through a number of small places, including the main towns also like Mareeba and Atherton. At each stopping place more joined in.

It was quite a site to see the truck lead them through the gate and into the park. The back of the truck was opened and the bikies brought the toys up and they went into the truck. Their was also three or four vintage cars that I spotted that had come along for the ride. There was storms predicted and some rain and they believed that was the reason for the drop in numbers.

Once the toys were safely stowed in the truck it was time to feed everyone and that took some time but it all went very smoothly and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The toys were taken back to the church and sorted out ready for distribution. Not all of them were new so the second hand toys were put aside and will be used at some later time.

We enjoyed church on Sunday and as the C.O.'s will be away we have been asked to do the service next week. We regret leaving the printer behind and we wish we had brought a commentary with us.

We had plans to go to Innisfail this week but had to postpone it as one of the people going with us wasn't able to come so we will probably do it next week all being well.

Robin is an avid pilot and has one of his own small aircraft here. He has been working on it since we arrived. Today the motor has gone back in it and he and Ken wheeled it out of the shed, tied it to a tree and started up the engine. Robin spent 7 years in New Guinea and did a lot of flying over there. He is also a helicopter pilot as well so he spent a lot of hours in the air.

Did I say that we voted ?. The voting papers only arrived on Friday and I was getting a bit worried that they would not get here in time. Our votes had to be in the mail by closing of trade that day so I was very releaved that they came when they did so we filled them out straight away and put them back in the mail.

I also got another letter to say I was called up again for jury service but soon got my name taken off the list when I said we were in far north QLD. I want to know why Ken's name never gets picked.

That's about it from me for the moment

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

Ravenshoe

2010-11-26T09:15:00.003+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

the previous photos are of

1. One of the many views we see as drive around
2. The statue at Kuranda depicting the two tools, the pick and shovel used to carve out the scenic railway.
3. One of the amazing tropical flowers we see.
4. Billy, everyone's pet at Walkamin.
5. View of the Atherton Tablelands from Halloran's Hill.
6. One of the waterfalls we have seen (I forget which one)
7. Tiddles. Peter and Erica's amazing wonder dog.
8. Tiddles delivering the mail to Peter.

We are now settled in with Robin and Pauline. We have our van parked beside their little
A frame studio and we are using the bathroom in it but still sleeping in our van. Robin and Pauline have made us feel very welcome. We have almost been here a week now and I'm wondering where the days have gone. Last Sunday following church Robin, Pauline, Ken and I joined Peter and Erica to have lunch with them at their place. It was a lovely afternoon sharing life experiences with each other.

Robin and Pauline live on three acres and it is landscaped with natural Australian trees and shrubs and is an amazing natural habitat for birdlife and some animal life as well. Each morning Pauline puts out bread, and seed for the lovely brightly coloured rosellas and there can be anywhere between twenty or thirty birds feeding at any one time. There are also Kookaburras that come in to be fed mince by hand and possums as well.

Except for a couple of nights we have eaten our meal each evening on the back verandah. They have a large verandah covering two sides of the house and it is a lovely and peaceful place to eat our meal. Inevitably a couple of visitors come to have their meal also. They are a couple of possums that come down just as the sun gives way to the moon to eat bread that Pauline puts out for them. Thr other night one reached right over and sniffed Robins hair. They scurry around in the trees for a while and then disappear or we go inside and leave them playing.

Living here has reminded us how nice it was to live on our farm and we do miss that quietness and solitude that you get in the country but never in the city.

Yesterday, Thursday, Peter, Robin and Ken got up very earlier (as did Erica, Pauline and I) to have a guy's day out. They went to Townsville so that Peter could have a test drive on a Spyder Motorbike. Peter is probably going to buy one and so they all decided to go with him to have a test drive. The Spyder is a new three wheel bike that has two wheels at the front and only one at the back. The luxoury model, which is the one they rode, has a an armchair at the back which means Erica can ride it too when they get it.

While Robin, Peter and Ken were away Pauline and I (Erica had made arrangements to go out with a friend of hers) went into Atherton to begin sorting out toys ready for Christmas. There is a toy run that happens on Saturday and I think we will be there for that also. We unpacked about 12 large packing boxes yesterday and separated the boys into one room and the girls into another.

Have you ever seen a pineapple growing? Well I haven't untill just recently. Pauline and Robin have one growing here. They take five years to grow and the bush they are attached to is only the size of a shrub.

Our love to one and all

Ken and Lyn

billy

2010-11-18T21:12:00.003+11:00

2010-11-16T10:43:00.008+11:00

Dear Family and Friends.

Well, I have Ken back after his quick visit to Vic. He went to get the car registered and they were pedantic and he had to physically go and do it. He got a Tiger flight for $82 each way and he got to see each of the kids except Justin. While he was away I amused myself by reading and sewing and playing with Billy. I don't think I have told you about Billy yet. Billy is a young red cattle dog (I think) and she loves to play fetch. Billy belongs to Lucy who is the owner of the park so Billy wanders around the place like she owns it (well, she does , kind of).

She is funny to watch as she does the rounds, going from one van to the next visiting everyone. She will play fetch with anyone and she picks and chooses who she plays with. She comes with a bottle top, a stick of wood, a tennis ball or a large ball, pretty much anything you can throw or kick, the smaller items she rests on her tongue and even when she pants she keeps it on the front of her tongue until she drops it at your feet when she wants you to kick it again. She plays for a while and then moves on. She likes food too and if you feed her she will lay down and stay for a while. When she gets a bit overweight she has to go on a diet and at the moment she is wearing a sign that says "don't feed me, Mum says" and we are told in the peak season when this place is packed out they stensil a sign along her body which says "Nil by mouth"

Talking of clever dogs I must tell you about Tiddles. Tiddles belongs to Peter and Erica Fuller whom we met at church. She is a poodle cross but I can't remember what they said she is crossed with. She is white and has long hair and is similar in size to a Shitzue and she is learning to become a dog carer. Peter and Erica have a very steep driveway Peter has taught her how to collect the mail. When they hear the postie in the next street they know she is on her way around the corner. Peter opens the door near where he sits and Tiddles runs down to the letter box and waits. The postie puts the mail in her mouth and she runs back to Peter and delivers the mail to him. If they have been out then Erica gets the mail from the box and gives it to Tiddles who in turn gives it to Peter.

Like all dogs there are toys in the house that she plays with. The amazing thing with tiddles is that she knows each toy by name and she can distinguish between each toy by name. She knows which one is Turtle (her favorite) which one is Giraffe and which one is Zebra, which one is Big Elly and which one is Little Elly and so on. She will rummage around in the box till she finds where it is and if it's not there she will look for it. If she still can't find it they will tell her which room it is in and she will go straight to that room and get it. So she knows each room in the house by it's name. Clever. Peter will say give me a kiss and she will jump up give him a kiss them jump down again. When there is food around she will sit on her hind legs and stand the way a Meercat stands.

To become a dog carer there are certain things she has to be able to do for Peter on command such as pick up something dropped on the ground, get something he needs, get the mail etc. I have never seen a dog find toys and do what Tiddles can do. Peter and Erica have done an amazing job in training her. What dog can pick up a toy on command let alone determine which one is the big or small elephant.

On Tuesday we went for a drive. We headed toward Cairns and just before getting to Cairns we took a left hand turn and headed up the coast line toward Pt. Douglas and Mossman. Along the way we detoured off the main road to take a look at Trinity Beach. It turned out to be a really beautiful area. The coastal views were amazing and the blue of the water is hard to describe, I guess it could be called a teal blue or aqua in colour. It was stunning.We continued up toward Pt Douglas stopping a couple of times to enjoy the view and take some pictures.

We had been told there wasn't much at Pt Douglas as it was a stepping stone for people to go to some of the islands so I wasn't expecting too much. And I was surprised by its beauty , its size and it's shopping precinct. Yes it was resort after resort after resort, but their gardens and entrances were worth looking at. Qld has plants and flowers that I have never seen, not even in a magazine. Their colours are striking and the flowers are awesome.

It was heading toward lunch time so we decided to go the 20ks to Mossman and have lunch there. Mosman which we had been told was nice didn't rate that good for us. Less than average would be how I would describe it. It was quite dilpadated with many homes in quite a bad state of disrepair. The town looked to me like it would be more at home in outback NSW rather than here in far north Qld. We looked around for somewhere to eat and when we got out of the car there was a really unusual smell which was very unpleasant and we couln't place where it came from other than at a timber yard that was near the restaurant we were planning to have lunch at but the smell put us off.

That being the case we decided to hold off lunch till we got to Mount Molloy which was on the journey back home. Mount Molloy had a pub so we decided the pub was as good a place as any for lunch but wouldn't you know we got there about five past two and the kitchen was closed. With nowhere else to go we decided a Mrs Mac's pie was as good as anything, even with the temperature at a pleasant 31 degrees. After lunch it was back to Mareeba and home to Walkamin. All in all it was a lovely day with some amazing views along the way.

This week there are a number of long term residents of the park who are leaving. We've been here four weeks but others leaving have been here for six months or more. So Lucy decided to have a BBQ to say farewell to all those leaving. She put on a spread of steak, sausages, mashed potatoes, gravy, buns and dessert. Park patrons added to this with nibbles, garlic bread and salads and more dessert.. All up there was probably about 40 plus there. No cost, Lucy paid for the lot. It was a really good evening and would have cost her a pretty penny. We are told that in the winter months this place is bulging at the seams. Lucy has council approval for another toilet block and additional powered sites. Ken was told this morning that the park is up for sale appros 1.2 million so if you like the idea of running a caravan park , this would be a beauty.

On Friday we are leaving here and going out to Robin and Pauline's place It means we move down the map a little and inland a bit. It is much cooler than Cairns and doesn't have the humidity that you get closer to the coastline. We are starting to get some of the storms that come during the wet season. The mornings are hot (always in the low thirties) and humid. After lunch the storm clouds come over and for the past five days we have had very heavy rain that only lasts for a little while before clearing up. We were on our way home from Atherton when we drove into rain and visibility was very poor. Two other times I can remeber rain being that heavy were once we were on the Nullabour and the other was On Leanne's 13th birthday when we drove from Washington through Philladelphia and up to New York and it rained for the whole trip and we could hardly see anything along the way.

It's quite a long blog today. Hope you find it interesting

All our love and God bless. Ken and Lyn.

Lake Tinnaroo

2010-11-09T08:07:00.008+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

A little bit of local history. Atherton was explored by J.V.Mulligan in 1875 but it was John Atherton who who settled near the town which now bears his name. Originally a pioneering pastoralist, John Atherton was the first to find tin deposits in Northern Queensland. Local legend has it that Tinnaroo creek received its name from Atherton who shouted "Tin, Hurroo" when he first made his discovery.

Our stay at Lake Tinnaroo was pleasant but not long enough. We only had one full day to explore the local area. Sadly the weather wasn't hot enough to enjoy the delights of the pool or the lake.

On the Tuesday morning (Melbourne Cup Day) we enjoyed a morning tea of pikelets with jam and cream put on by the staff at the caravan park. We then set off to see the lake. We followed a sign posted tourist drive thinking it would bring us back to the van park in plenty of time to see the Melbourne Cup which started at 2 pm here rather than 3 pm in Melbourne due to daylight saving time difference. As it turns out the drive took us right around the back of the lake, and it is a huge lake and supplies the entire area with its water supply. A large part of the road turned out to be dirt and not recommended for caravans. We had just a few spots of rain along the way but it was only enough to make the car dirty. We also found a couple of lovely green grassed camping areas. Ken stopped to chat to one chap and he said to come during the week as on weekends there are heaps of people that come out just for the weekend.

Just a couple of klms down the road we were back onto tarred road which eventually brought us to a town called Yungaburra where we stopped to watch the horse race at a local pub and we just made it by about four minutes to spare. From Yungaburra we then travelled through Atherton, back to Tolga where we turned to go to Kairi and then back to the lake. Another night in the park and then it was time to pack up and come home.

Ken is flying back to Melbourne as he wants to get the cruiser registered in Victoria. It is much cheaper there than it is QLD so he's got a super cheap flight with Tiger from Cairns to Melbourne leaving Wed night and coming back on Sat night. So here's hoping there are no hiccups with the travel plans. All up it is cheaper to do the rego this way than it is to put 12 months on it up here.

Ken's going to take the laptop with him so as a result I won't blog again till he returns home.

So love to one and all

Ken and Lyn.

Lake Tinnaroo

2010-11-02T09:55:00.008+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

After a very busy few days Saturday was the opposite and we made it a very slow relaxing day.

At church on Sunday there were a group of New Guinea ladies who are in Far North Queensland for about 4 weeks visiting churches in the local area. They led the service, shared testimonies and sang in their own unique style. It was a great service and we will remember it for a long time. Following the service we shared a lunch with them which turned out to be a lovely day all round. It's amazing how you run into people that connect up at a specific time in life. A friend of Ken's from his youth (many years ago) just happened to be the driver taking these ladies wherever they needed to go during their time in Australia. Anne grew up in Toongabbie (as did Ken) and had lived in New Guinea for many years, she met her husband and started her family there and now lives in Cairns. I have met her only once before so that means Ken hasn't seen her for over 40 years, so they had some catching up to to do.

Monday began with another restful start to the day but by midday we had packed up a few clothes and some food and set off for two nights at Lake Tinnaroo. If you remember three weeks ago on our first Sunday here we stopped on the way home from church and went to the "Taste of the Tablelands" as did others from our Walkamin Caravan Park. As you entered you were given a voucher to fill out and place in a very large box. We didn't give anymore thought to it but it turned out that people near us at the park at Walkamin won two nights at a unit at Lake Tinnaroo.

When they were contacted to say that they had won this prise they were about to leave to go down to Rocky and they could not delay their departure. So they trasferred the prize into our name and gave it to us and that is the reason we are here staying in this unit. Lake Tinnaroo is enormous and is the water supply for a large area in the local vicinity including the many farms and market gardens in the area. When you drive around you can see large channels filled with water from lake Tinnaroo and it is from these channels that farmers get their water.

The park here puts on a Pancake morning tea on Tuesday and Thursdays so that will be our first stop this morning before going for a look around the local area.

More to follow

That's all for now

Love Ken and Lyn

Skyrail and Scenic Railway.

2010-10-30T10:21:00.010+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Wednesday.

It is now Saturday. We set off on Wednesday for our day touring on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Skyrail. As planned we met up with people we had become friends with at Mt Surprise and here at Walkamin. Bob and Ngiari left Walkamin to go up to Mossman and Pt Douglas for a couple of days. Steve and Sonja headed off down to Cairns a day later while Ken and I stayed put here at Walkamin. We set Wednesday as our day to regroup and do the day sightseeing.

We met at 9.30am at Freshwater Station which is just outside Cairns where we caught the Scenic Railway train. The train itself is one of days long ago meticulously restored to her original state with highly polished wood and a deep browny red upholstery. You could easily close your eyes and imagine that you were in another time and another era. The rail line runs through dense forest winding its way up to the Kuranda township. The scenery is breathtaking as you go through the Barron Gorge and wind your way upwards. Along the way you can see the Barron Falls dropping some 280 metres down the escarpents to the Barron River that you can occasionally glimpse far below and right at the bottom you can see the Barron Gorge Hydro electricity power station. If I remember rightly they said that there were untold number of injuries building the rail line but only 23 deaths. The line was commenced in 1885/6 and completed in 1891 and was built in three sections. The Navvies working on the line had to provide their own tools which consisted of a pick and a shovel whilst the company supplied the dynamite. The train goes through 15 tunnels, the longest and last one being 490 metres. During its construction the tunnel collapsed and 7 lives were lost, there are also 93 curves where you can get a great picture of the train sweeping around the corners.

They tell us that the journey up the mountain very soon became a sight seeing destination and Kuranda has made it's reputation as the sightseeing Mecca of the Far north Queensland for over 100 years.

The only disappointing part of the journey was that Ngiare didn't enjoy the train trip. She openly said she hated heights but was convinced or coerced by Bob to go. At times there was little between the train and the drop down into the Gorge. I began to wonder how she was going to get down the mountain because we had booked to take the skyrail back to Feshwater but my worries were unfounded as she thoroughly enjoyed the ride down on the skyrail. She was very proud of herself and made sure she had photoes to prove she did it.

Once arriving in Kuranda there was a courtesy bus waiting to take you up the hill to the top end of town. It was very steep so I think we all heaved a sigh of relief when we saw the bus. On the way the driver pointed out places of interest to visit and left us all to wander down the hillside at our own leisure and back to the Skyrail buy our depature time of 3.30. We separated and went our own ways to work our way through the different shops and markets. It was quite a warm day, around 30 - 33 degrees, and I'm really glad it was no hotter or it would not have been as nice a day.

Our shopping over we met up again at one of the hotel beer gardens and had a lovely cold lemon squash before the remainder of our walk down the hill and back to the Skyrail.

Ken and I got on one skycar and the others piled in together on another one and what a ride that was. You go up really high and glide over the Barron Gorge and rainforest that stretches for miles / kms It includes over 1200 flowering rainforest plants, 800 of which are classified as rainforest trees. There are also orchids, ginger plants, strangler figs, palms, stag horns and elkhorns and any number of climbing plants. the tree trunks are so long as they vie for the sunshine. It's an amazing sight and when you look at the density of the forest you get an even greater sense of the enormity and the hazards of building the railway and more recently the skyrail. Not long before the jouneys end you leave the rainforest and there is a steep decent as you drop down to the journey's end. The view here once again is spectacular and it is a little like coming into land in a light aircraft. There are the same sensations that you experience but a much clearer panorama of the landscape below. You can see the farming paddocks dotted below, some reddy brown. some green and some yellow. You can see Cairns and the smaller seaside townships like Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach and Palm Cove. Then still further on you see Trinity Bay and Cairns' section of the Great Barrier Reef. There are no words that describe the differing tones of blue water and blue sky all wrapped up together as one.

We did not go the Butterfly Sanctuary, The Koala Gardens or The Birdworld. There just wasn't time and we can go back at some time to enjoy these places as it looks like we will be here till the end of the wet season.

We arrived home exhausted but elated at all that we had seen and done, It most definitely sits as one of the best experiences we have had so far.

You may want to read this blog in stages as there is so much we have fitted into these past few days.

Thursday

We had planned for a quiet day but we got an early morning phone call from some people we had met at church with an invitation to join them and go out to the home of another couple also from church for lunch. Robin and Pauline lived about 10 klms the other side of Ravenshoe (QLD's Highest town but still very much part of the Atherton Tablelands). On our first Sunday at Church I had chatted with Pauline and Robin while Ken was chatting with Peter and Erica and when I told Robin and Pauline where we were staying they had said that we were welcome to bring the van out to their place where there was planty of room to park it. I thanked them for the invitation and had agreed to visit them after they returned from Cairns where Robin was having treatment for cancer. We drove to Peter and Erica's place at Herberton, which is just the other side of Atherton and then bundled into their car to travel the half hour or so to get to Robin and Pauline's place.

We had a BBQ for lunch and enjoyed a very pleasant day getting to know each other. Robin and Pauline had spent a number of years in New Guinea and also in Victoria. We knew one of their children by name and as the afternoon progressed we found quite a number of other people that we both knew. We arrived home late in the afternoon excited about the idea of staying at their 3 acre farmlet. They have a little two storied cottage near the main house where we would park the van which has a toilet, shower, bedroom, and sitting room that we can use if we choose too. We've got a couple of places we want to go to here before we backtrack a little to Ravenshoe. So probably we'll make the move in the next week or two. They tell us they are away for Feb, March and April so it seems possible that we may well house sit for them during this time.

Friday.

Another amazing day. This time we set off with Peter and Erica who took us on a sight seeing drive of the local Atherton area. You could describe Atherton as a mountain top experience with dramatic landscapes and gently rolling hillsides. It clearly has a high rainfall as the rolling hillsides and vast farming plateaus are very green and the cows have the thickest long green grass that I have seen in a longtime. Lots of cows, both dairy and beef, but no sheep at all at least not that we have seen so far.

All the places we visited we will at some time go back to them. A quick overview of where we went. This is not in the order we visited them and I will describe them more next time we visit each one. We drove to Dinner Falls and the water filled Crater. We also went to Hallorins Hill and the Curtain Fig which is going to be hard to describe. We stopped at a lookout that spans the width and bredth of the tablelands including the seven sisters which are a group of mountains located close together, we stopped to spot the platypuss playing in the water but were unlucky because it wasn't the right time of the day. We had a picnic lunch at Lake Eachem and drove around Lake Tinaroo estate (Very much like Newlands arm near Bairnsdale). Then to conclude the day we went back to Peter and Ericas place and had tea with them before returning home exhausted after another busy but wonderful day.

I'll finish off now even though there is much more I can say about our day sightseeing but I will keep it for another day and another blog.

Love to all

Ken and Lyn.

More tomorrow

2010-10-26T21:22:00.003+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

I've been a bit remiss of late and have not blogged for a while. This is just a quick update as I'm about to go to bed. We are still at Walkamin. The weather is consistently around 30 degrees each day. We still have had no rain even though weather reports say it is raining all around Cairns.

Tomorrow is a big day. We are going on the scenic railway and the skyrail with some friends we have met Steve and Sonja, and, Bob and Ngaire. We are told it is a must see.More to follow tomorrow.

Love to all Ken and Lyn.

Walkamin

2010-10-19T07:59:00.015+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

We are now camped in a caravan park at Walkamin. Its a small town pretty much in the middle of Atherton and Mareeba. The park caters for grey nomads and although it's is now past the busy season there are about 25 - 30 vans here. They have a sign up at the entrance saying "no tents" and there are no children here also. There is a huge shed here that allows large groups of people to gather. In the shed they have a huge open fire (which we had going last night as it cooled down a bit) with a variety of single chairs and lounge chairs surrounding it. There are the normal things that you find in a camp kitchen, plus they have the largest array of books, puzzles and games that I have seen in any van park (probably because people come here for a week and stay three months). The chap behind us came for a month and stayed for 4 years. He got a job picking avocados and is now a surperviser.

The night before we left Mt Surprise a couple we met who live in northern Queensland told us about this park and recommended it for a long term stay. Our intention had been to go to a freeby at a War Memorial Park just a few klms down the road where they allow you to camp for 72 hours only. Our neighbours at Mt Surprise (Steve and Sonja, Bob and Nyari) also intended on coming to this spot so we knew we would meet up them again. Because we didn't stay there (and it was a great spot) we went back late on Sunday afternoon to see them and tell them where we were. They've now joined us here at Walkamin and like us they are thinking of making this a long term stay. If you book for a week it costs just $105 so that also makes it a great spot and they have the cleanest toilet and shower blocks we have yet seen on this journey.

There is just so much to see and do around here. Cairns is about an hour away, the Atherton Tablelands are here to explore, there are forests, gorges, waterfalls, dams and lakes. There is also the Kuranda Scenic Railway as well as The Sky Rail. There is a butterfly sanctuary, a bird park, Koala and other aussie wildlife sanctuary and the Hartley Crocodile farm is up this way too as is Paronella Park.

We are thinking that we might drive up to Cooktown (without the van) and stay in a cabin for a couple of days so that we can have a look around there.

This last weekend we noticed that the Rotary Club were hosting a venture called "The Taste of the Tablelands" So on the way home from church on Sunday we found a parking spot not too far from the entrance and decided to take a look. All stalls and produce were local (44 in total) and there was a range of stalls ranging from goats milk soap to doggy treats to Indian, Thai or Greek food sensations to nuts, wine, dried fruit, jams, honey and much, much more. This is its second year and well worth going to. Parking was horendous as it usually is with events like this. We think this was probably the main fundraiser for the local Rotary Club and it looked to be a huge success.

That's about it for now so I shall say goodbye untill next time.

Love to all and God Bless.

Ken and Lyn

Mt Surprise

2010-10-15T10:14:00.003+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

From Charters Towers we drove just 40klms down the road to a free camp spot called Fletcher Creek. A beautiful babbling brook with crystal clear water runs through here and by the look of the surrounding area and the big bridge it floods here after heavy rain. We were on the high side but there were about five or six caravans parked on the lower side. So far we have dodged the heavy rains that seem to have hit QLD but somewhere we are going to run into it.

We set of early yesterday morning as we knew we had a fairly long drive ahead of us.We reached Mt Surprise late in the afternoon. We travelled up the Gregory development road and have now begun to pass the road trains, some of which have four trailers behind them. They are a bit scary when they pass you. Often the road way is just one lane and so you have to get off the road. They don't slow down and they don't move over. There are call points along the road where you identify where you are and so you get a little warning that they are ahead.

We stopped off Undara where there are the world reknown lave flows are. Two of the tours had ceased as it is now considered to be 'off peak season' and the easiest tour had some 300 steps plus a walk of unknown length. It is unaccesable by car so they take you in a bus so far and then you walk the rest. (the chap serving us couldn't tell us how far the walk would be) so we decided against it and continued on to Mt Surprise. The landscape here is very rocky and unusual in that the rocks are these huge basalt like boulders and many of them are boulders but many are small but all are dark. It must have been one heck of an eruption to spew out the size of some of the rocks.

Mt Surprise has just 60 people living here and for today we are just going to make it an overnight stop.

So with that I shall write again soon

Love to all. Lyn and Ken

2010-10-12T10:31:00.000+11:00

Moving on

2010-10-11T09:46:00.004+11:00

Deat family and friends

As planned we left Willows Gemfield on Friday morning setting off about 7.30am with the intention of returning next year for the annual Gem Fest which occurs each August.

We had such a good time there and made so welcome by all.

We headed north via the Gregory Developmental Road and what a long boring journey that stretched into as we travelled through Capella and Clermont. From Claremont through to Charters Towers, some 400 klms, there was one lonely old service station at Belyando Crossing which obviously had the monopoly on fuel and food, a little bit like the Nullabour when you pay an arm and a leg for anything. Thankfully we had enough of eveything till we reached Charters Towers.

The Bathurst Races were on this past weekend which meant that Ken was glued to the TV for the weekend. We did some shopping and some cleaning and today we will do some sight seeing.

Charters Towers is a very, very old place by Australian standards with a population of 30,000 people in it's hey day. the population is now only 7,000. It boasts the first pub outside Brisbane and it's own stock exchange from days gone by.

The architecture of many pubs and buidings is amazing.

Willows

2010-10-07T14:28:00.005+11:00

Dear Family and Friends

Our stay in the Gemfields region is nearly over. There is a rich spirit of friendship out here as most people are miles and miles from family and so friendships are very important for everyone. Some of the locals have begun a Recreation Club. With funding from State Government they have been able to oufit a large shed where people can come just for a cuppa and a chat, Some come for a beer and a smoke, others come to play pool, and others to play the Wii. And on weekends like the one just passed with the footy finals people come just to watch it with others who enjoy the game. Each weekend the club is opened from 3.00 till about 7.00. they are licensed to sell alcohol between certain hours and every Sunday night they have a meal of some kind available. Last Sunday night it was fish and chips night, and for $5 you got two pieces of fish plus a heap of chips. They have an outdoors area with shade sails up so depending on the day it can be either indoor or outdoor or both.

The tourist season is now ending and so by late November they will close it down till march next year. They say even then it is too hot even for the locals and some townsfolk migrate south for to cooler climates. Last year they had 10 consecutive days with temps over 45 degrees. the weather since we have arrived has been 30 and above almost every day, quite a few of then around the 35 degree mark.

On Sunday Sharon took us for a drive around Sapphire, Rubyvale and Anakie, all of which are part of the Gemfields. During tourist season there is always markets at Sapphire on a Saturday where you can buy raw stones or peices of ready made jewelry. In the next few weeks even this market slows down as the tourists are all gone and the locals know who to take their stones to to get a fair and honest price for them if they want to sell them, or make them into jewelry.

After looking around this area Sharon took us to "Pat's Place" to have morning tea. Pat's Place is a coffee shop plus a jewelers where you can purchase local stones already made into jewelry. Sapphires aren't just blue but can be found in all colours and hues. Green, yellow, purple and some which are multi coloured are called party coloured and a highly sought after.

While we had our drinks at Pat's we found the rosellas and lorikeets were very friendly and they would come very close to you knowing that food was available. So tame that they came to our plates and licked the caramel that was left on the plates. They even stuck their heads into our coffee mugs to see if there was anything left in them.

We have had no luck with the famous red claw that Ken was hoping for. The local water holes have been unsuccessful and that might have to do with the unusual weather they have had here. Only yesterday someone said that the water is still a bit too cold which means they have burrowed down into the mud. When Fairbairn Dam was nearly empty everyone was taking them in big numbers and so the council decided they had better see how many were left incase they were depleting the numbers of them and when they checked they found out that there was so many of them that they burrowed down to about 20meters under the mud. When you catch them you have to soak them for a couple of days in clean water so they flush out their whole systems otherwise they are not nice to eat.

Sharon and Ricki took us down to their dig site and showed us where they are working. They have their own hand machine which helps them separate the dust particles from the actual rock. After they have done that then they have to wash the stones in what is called a Willoby (no idea how it is spelt but it is pronounced as Will O Bee) If they are washed properly in the sieve then the heavyier stones (Ie the sapphires) settle in ther middle of the sieve. The sieve is then tuned out onto a cloth and you begin to look from the middle to the out side. A pair of tweezers is used to pick up the gems. At first is hard to see them but you soon learn to recognise them.

Yesterday (Wed) we went to Rubyvale to Willies Wash and here you buy two buckets of stones for $25 and he has all the equipment you need to find stones. A few of us went and we spent a couple of hours there. We found quite a few small stones with a possible 2 that we might be big enough to be faceted. This is a tourist spot, though, on this occasion it was only us there. As Sharon and Ricki said you will always find small stuff but never likely to get anthing big as it is "Salted" which means that when they get the buckets ready prior to your arrival they throw in the odd stone here and there, just enough to keep people's enthusiasm up. They know this because in one of the buckets a Garnet was found and Garnets are not found locally. All in all we had a good time. From there we headed back to Anakie and had lunch at the local pub.

Yesterday Sharon took me to the home of Robyn a local lady who paints. Sharon and Ricki have one of her paintings in their home and so she took me to see some of the others that she has painted. She mostly does landscapes and portraits and she is good at both.

The other place we went to visit was Geoff and Madds. Geoff is an encyclopedia on Arachnids. He said he has been facinated by spiders and insects since he was a small kid. He studies them and breeds them, he sells some (there is a growing market for people who buy them as pets, though he limits who he sells them too) and he keeps some, some for many years.

He also has scorpions, one of which he showed us under a special light and it comes up all green in colour. And they are not little. Some of them were almost the size of his hand. He fed some while we were there. We asked him what happens if he is bitten as many are the deadly funnel webb spiders and he said he has had so many bites over the years that he has built up an immunity to many of them. Some, he said might give him a bad headache for a few days. Some make him weak and sick for a few days and then he gets better. He has some though that would make even him sick and there is one he has that if he gets bitten it is so venomous that it will kill him within 7 minutes of being bitten. His collection of spiders include species of spiders that have never been seen or named before.

Today we went specking which is when you just walk around looking for stones on top of the ground.We had no luck except for one which Sharon found. Specking is usually done after it has rained as the dirt is washed away and the stones lay on top of the ground. "If it shines pick it up" was the advice given. Specking is best done on a sunny day as you use the sun to spot the stones. Many of the stones I have seen are just like a dark rock with silver striations on it. To tell the difference between a rock and a sapphire a) you feel its weight, sappires are noticeably heavier than a rock of equal size, b) rocks are solid and cannot be seen through where as colour can be seen when you hold a sapphire up to the sun and c) Sapphires are hard They have a hardness of 9 on the Moh's scale beaten only by diamond which is a 10.

To finish off our stay here at Willows Sharon and Ricki are having a BBQ here tonight to farwell Barry, Ken and myself as we are both leaving here tomorrow

Barry is heading south and we are going to continue north with the intention of reaching the Atherton Tablelands.

So for now God Bless and all our love

Ken and Lyn

2010-10-03T16:32:00.002+11:00

Cactus Flowers, only last one full day

Photo 2 The old house needs a little TLC

Photo 3 This bridge was completly covered by water in 2008 floods

Photo 4 Ricki, Barry and Sharon

2010-10-03T16:20:00.004+11:00

Medway River a great swimming hole
remains of a train bridge that washed away from flooding. A train came along in the dark and crashed killed about 25 people

Georgie (big dog)and Groovy (small dog) just love their swims.

Meday swimming hole

Groovy in the water

update on Willows

2010-10-01T09:30:00.007+10:00

Dear Friends and Family.

Ken reminded me of another camp site that I neglected to include. It was a place called "Duaringa" and we came on it by accident and surprisingly no one had yet told us about it. We turned off the main road at Duaringa to have afternoon tea and drove to where Ken thought would be a short stop parking area but it turned out to be a place where you could stay officially for 24 hours. At about 3.30pm there was already about 25 vans set up for the night so when we were told there was both water, free hot showers and BBQ vailable we decided to stay for the night. We spotted a tap that no one was using and pulled up beside it and within 15 minutes I had some washing on the go and we were sitting down to have our cuppa's. The showers were free but they asked for a gold coin donation for their upkeep and anyone and every one is happy to pay that.

Duaringa is the welcoming gateway to the Central Highlands and is the oldest township dating back to 1860. The park we stayed at has many fine examples of the Budgeroo or the Duaringa stringy bark tree

Yesterday was shopping day and so all of us except Sharon went into Emerald to do some shopping. Ricki picked up a lady who needed to go into Emerald for the night and she took her in and Barry, Ken and I went in in Barry's car. It's about 70klms to Emerald so it's not too far except for those times you get home and find you find you've missed something essential. Ken and I have to go in again today as we need to see a doctor from some new scripts. last night Sharon blew the lightbulb in her bedroom so as she had no spares we will pick up one for her today. There are a total of eighty residents in Willows and I gather that when something is needed urgently there's usually always someone going into town who are happy to help out.

Ken, Barry and Sharon have just walked down to the towns small dam. It's the water they use for watering garden's and what ever, not for drinking. The dogs George, Groovey Puppet and Squirts swim in it at least once a day and yesterday they put a few nets in to try and catch the red claw. So it will be interesting to see if they have caught anything.

Yesterday, when we were about to head into town Sharon told us of a place that she thought we might like to see. It has two names. One is Fairbairn Dam. The other name it goes by is Lake Maraboon which means 'Where the black ducks fly' in aboriginal. Fairbairn Dam is the name of the dam wall and the spillway. Whilst we didn't see them the huge expanse of water and surrounding bush is home to birds such as rainbow Lorrikeets, pelicans and black swans.

This enormous dam is said to be over three times the size of Sydney Harbour and like any volume of water it is an ideal spot for recreational sports. The building of this dam provided the Emerald shire with an ongoing water supply and created new industries such as cotton (the Emerald area produces over 25%of QLD's cotton), coal mining, vineyards and citrus orchards. The girls tell us that less than two years ago the Lake was almost empty and if it wasn't for the floods in 2007/ 2008 it would be now. It is an awesome Lake out in the middle of nowhere and the last thing you would expect to see this far west.

The photos tell their own story.

As I said today we are going back into Emerald and tomorrow we are going on a picnic to Bogantungan. In years gone by this little place had a population of 10,000 but now there is only three residents remaining. It's about half an hour from here heading west. Tell you more next time.

Time to go. Love to all.

Ken and Lyn

2010-09-30T21:19:00.000+10:00

2010-09-30T21:12:00.002+10:00

From Willows Gemfield

2010-09-29T08:17:00.011+10:00

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.

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

Hervey Bay

2010-09-23T08:05:00.011+10:00

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.

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

Leaving Yandina

2010-09-20T08:50:00.007+10:00

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

Just Cruising

2010-09-15T17:04:00.008+10:00

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.

Orange

2010-09-10T14:09:00.003+10:00

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.

Orange

2010-09-10T14:09:00.000+10:00