Capitol Hill

On to Canberra it was, through the Great Dividing Range. Well, we didn't know that till we saw the road signs and saw how steep the road was. A real test for the van, but we were chugging up the hills at about 40 kph, pulling over every so often so that the following cars could get by. Half way through we stopped at Braidwood, an historic town for lunch and a look around. Once a month they have a market day there and people from Canberra drive down for it. We got there a little bit too late to shop around the market stalls. Before we got to Canberra, we passed through the NSW city of Queanbeyan, from where we could see the huge water fountain in Canberra 20 km's away and the restaurant tower overlooking the capital. We found Leslie and Linda Abbott's house close by the Canberra Stadium, not far from Belconnan and they made us welcome. So we had quite a chat catching up on all the goss since SOCSPO and Linda cooked a great roast chicken dinner for us. Next morning, we met up with Nat and Dave from SOCSPO – they live at Queanbeyan, for a big breakfast. Dave drives a bus for Murrays and he had to go on a trip to Sydney and back in the afternoon. Good to catch up with them also. The breakfast was just what we needed for the days touring ahead of us because Leslie and Linda treated us to a drive to the lookout where we could see all of Canberra laid out in front of us. Then it was off to the National War Museum and what a wonderful experience that was. There is so much to be seen that you get to a point where you suffer from information overload. The modelling of some of the battle scenes was just amazing. After that, it was the Capitol Hill, to see Australia's Parliament Buildings, again an amazing structure. We were all quite tired and so made it back to the Abbott household for a cuppa. Nice to have a soft bed to sleep in too after our days on the road. That night it rained heaps and it was a sight to see Linda and Leslie doing a celebratory rain dance out on the patio. Well, I must admit, Canberra does look a bit dry

So we left Canberra on Monday 26^th and headed back through the Great Divide for the coast, leaving a thunderstorm in our trail to keep Leslie and Linda happy. Thanks guys, we really enjoyed our stay with you. Brilliant.

Newcastle and Sydney

On the way in to Newcastle, there were coal trains like we get from the West Coast but these were twice as long. There are a number of opencast mines up country from here. We didn’t camp overnight but stopped off on the way through. It was so quiet on the Saturday that you could almost fire a cannon down the main street and not risk hitting anyone. Maureen asked the Information Centre why it was so quiet and they said that was normal, most people live out of the city. We went over to the river and had lunch in the van while watching huge ships coming and going, shepherded by tugs. We had a walk down Hunter St and then drove out to the Hamilton Shopping area where the Info centre had told us we could get wireless internet. We parked up just off the main street and whammo! When I fired up the laptop, up came the logo for the Hamilton Business area with wireless. So we did our emails and checked one or two things on the net and...also did our grocery shopping in the street – keeping the faith. While in the Newcastle area we learned that the Hunter Valley was just a bit inland – I thought it was further South, inland from Sydney. So.. off we went towards the wine making district with the intention of perhaps doing a wine trail or two. In the dark, we managed to find a camping place at Cressnock Showgrounds and by chance, stumbled across a group of CMCA campers who were having a weekend away. One of the group knocked on our door in the morning and asked us to join them for morning tea in the kitchen, which we did. They were a great group and they made us welcome, like the bunch we had met earlier up at Caboolture in Queensland. So on the strength of that, we stayed an extra night and spent the day touring round the wineries. We got a lot of good info on where to go from here and so next day we broke camp and headed inland and south towards Wollombi thence Wiseman's Ferry.

On that route South, we passed through what they call the Convict's Trail. The history is quite interesting. Convicts were brought into the area to build the road North from Sydney and so there is quite a lot of historical evidence of this as you drive through. But, before they had finished, the first steamship had arrived in Australia and it was put to work on the Sydney/Newcastle route so the road became redundant. That aside, we made our way South to Wiseman's Ferry to find that there was still a ferry (several actually) in operation. So we drove our camper on to the ferry and over the Hawkesburry River we went (see photo). It was a really nice place so we stayed two nights, going to the 'biggest morning tea' in support of cancer, before taking a drive through to St Albans the next day and returning via another ferry, much to Maureen's delight.

The road up out of there was very steep and winding on the way to Sydney. We stopped at the North of Sydney at a place called Mona Vale and camped at St Ives Showgrounds. The nights are definitely getting cooler now. I managed to find an address there where I was wanting to follow up on family history. Next day we drove through Sydney and camped up at a Caravan Park in Bankstown, then caught the train in for a day of Sydney Sightseeing. We went to the Opera House and photographed the Harbour Bridge, then sailed under it on a harbour ferry (named Alexander – name of my new grandson) to Darling Harbour. Keeping the faith with Friday lunches – well, it was actually Thursday, we had real asian food in Chinatown. I then had my ride on a posh new Sydney tram to Central Station where Maureen insisted we take a trip over the bridge (at peak hours) before finding a train back to Bankstown. Whew!

Next morning, we battled Sydney traffic to fight our way out South heading for Nowra, but we didn't stop at Wollongong, just drove on through. We passed through Coalcliff where there is a huge concrete bridge curling round the coastline, safe from rockfalls. What an amazing construction it is. We were actually heading for Sussex Inlet where I had planned to visit another source of family information but it was getting dark by the time we arrived and we had a bit of trouble finding our way round. After leaving the inlet, we decided to make camp in a rest area just down the road on Princes Highway but we couldn't find it and so we ended up driving a lot further in the dark, than intended. Alls well that ends well however, because we found a good rest area further on, just before Bateman's Bay. A small group of young lads had beaten us to it and had a great fire raging when we arrived so we parked quietly some distance away only to be given a demo of how great their ute can do wheelies on the damp grass. In the morning we saw what had fueled their fire. The little bu**ers had broken up the wooden picnic table and also lifted up a lampost sized log in the rest area and thrown that on the fire. We drove on to Bateman's Bay for breakfast by the sea.

Hello to Jessica's Class

Today we are in Canberra which is the capital city. It is a lovely city and we have been sight seeing . There are many kangeroos around but they do not come out until is geting dark at night. People have to watch out when they are driving not to run into any.
Tomorrow we are leaving here and driving to Melbourne.
We hope to be there by Friday.

Australia is a very big country.

Observations from Her Indoors

As we are now in our 3rd week here we are starting to get a bit organized. I seemed to spend the first couple of weeks rearranging the van every day until I think I have a place for every thing and everything in its place. Well not quite, I've already bought some postcards and put the stamps on and now even in this small place I cant find them. I also spent the first couple of weeks in the shops buying all the gear for the van. There some amazing cheap shops that seem to have all manner of plastic wear to make life easier in the van. I now have to be careful not to start getting so much stuff it starts to create its own problems. Allen has set us up with TV, DVD and surround sound but we do not seem to watch anything so far.

I have no real idea what is happening in the real world at the moment as we don't even read the newspaper..So far its all been working out really well,and we have met some great people and everyone is very helpful.We have been staying at a mix of camps and parks and everyday has something new to offer.We started off in the warmer weather and it has got gradually colder as we have headed south. Most people we meet are heading north and tell us we are going the wrong way. I think they are right as although the days are still warm its getting pretty chilly at night. Still this was our decision to come to Melbourne to catch up with friends and Allen's family tree stuff. After that we will head up the middle to Ayers Rock and Cairns etc.

I don't think that until we actually started this trip that I really appreciated the sheer size of Australia as I have only ever been in the main cities before.Although we have been on the road for nearly 3 weeks we haven't spent nearly as much time as we could have in many of the areas we have been in so far as we do want to be in Melbourne by the end of May. Allen has done all the driving and I must admit that I am not that keen to take the wheel. The traffic is much more than I am ever used to.We seem to have developed some division of the chores, and as Allen does the driving and any of the van stuff and I am happy to do most other things. So far Allen has given me breakfast in bed every morning. Thats great for me as I get to do a bit of reading as well and it also keeps me out of Allen's hair while he does whatever he wants to do .During the day the outside is our backyard as we are able to sit outside and watch the world go by. Most days have been quite warm My navigation skills still need to be improved.

Driving in oz

Wow! The traffic moves fast on the motorways. The highways are good and the big rigs come up behind you like the proverbial ‘Bat out of Hell’. I watch for them and pull over where I can if it’s two lanes only and left blink to let them know to pass. If I am not able, there is usually a passing lane every couple of kilometers. The Pacific Highway in New South Wales is being duplicated because it is now unable to cope with the density of traffic. In the north we drove through areas that had been cleared of gum trees in preparation for the additional lanes, then we passed by the areas that were being bulldozed level to form the rough road, then it was the surface crew making it more in the form of a road, followed by the road rollers, the bridging crews and people shifting power lines, etc. Lastly it was the huge concrete paving machine and the road markers before we shifted over onto the new road. That whole thing stretched out over about 100km and it was moving north all the way, so in about five years or so, they’ll have an up to date roading network. Of course, when they finish the new road in an area, they have to go back and bring the old lanes up to scratch by re-concreting them, so it is a huge operation costing billions. The old two lane roads are generally 80 km per hour although the better bits are rated 90 or even 100 km/hr. The new stuff is all 110 km – too fast for me chugging along at 90 km tops. The van bounces around and rolls a bit above that.

When you pull back out of a passing lane, they have a series of arrows saying to move right. The cars behind hold back in order to let you in to the main lane. It’s not a challenge like you get on Christchurch roads.

In the small towns, the cars angle park with their back in so the can drive out forward. So you have to wait while they manouvre into the park but the advantage is they can see the traffic when they are pulling out.

Diesel has ranged from $1.62 in Queensland to $1.79 down here in NSW. Some smaller stations sell it for less. That includes excise tax so you can’t compare directly with new Zealand. Coles Supermarkets giving 4 cents off per litre through Shell outlets have come under flack recently for price gouging. Coles/Shell are always first to put the price up and they seem to operate a weekly price cycle to make the most of people buying petrol after the weekend. It’s like milk being dearer on Mondays and Tuesdays say the government and there is no good reason for it. Petrol is cheaper than diesel.

You have to remember to stop dead at pedestrian crossings here. It’s something Aussies ate really strict about. You just have to look as though you are intending to cross and the cars on both sides will stop for you. None of this looking the person in the eye to see if they are going to step out before you charge through. Haven’t seen many cops on the road at all but I don’t want hassles. I was told by the Road Transport office in Queensland that I didn’t need to obtain a Queensland Drivers License because I was an itinerant visitor, but the lady wasn’t sure how it worked in other States. With a car license, they just give you a State license in place of your New Zealand one, without any test anyway. That was when they stung me for $860 stamp duty for the change of ownership with the Campervan.

Coffs Harbour

We arrived at Coffs Harbour at about 10 am after camping in the Rest Area. First port of call was the Information Centre – following advice from people we had talked with en-route. They supplied us with sets of maps for the town and also for the NSW State and NSW National Parks. We had parked outside the St Vincent de Paul Society Op Shop and couldn't resist checking out the books. Picked up an Australian book that one of the campers had said was worth a read, called 'We of the Never Never' about a Melbourne schoolteacher who went with her new husband to live in a remote site in the Northern Territory. After that, we drove down to the Marina to look around and have a cuppa. It's not a commercial port for ocean going ships but mostly for fishing boats, tour boats and pleasure craft. Coffs Harbour is reputed to have the best climate in Australia with mild Winters and pleasant Summers.

We parked up at the Showgrounds which had good facilities and was not far from town – shopping, shopping! We found Coles Supermarket and a camping shop, and Maureen found a bedding shop where she purchased a duvet and covers in preparation for the colder weather ahead. In the morning we drove down to Sawtell, 9km away, and had lunch at the RSL Club with all the 'Senior Cits'. Then it was on the road towards Port Macquarie but we were running in to a thunder storm so stopped and took refuge in a Rest Area alongside the Pacific Highway. Down it came amidst booming thunder and lightening flashes. It was cosy in the van but then our house lights went out as I was trying to fit up the TV from battery and that was that. Couldn't locate the fault, so it was an early night except that Maureen was able to read thanks to the wee Kathmandu LED light. We got to Port Macquarie next day where we stopped lunch and checked out the shops and decided to cut out to the Crowdy Bay National Park for a couple of days. There, there were Kangaroos hopping about all over the place and grazing on what grass there was. Maureen took off for a walk down the beach – there are supposed to be Dolphins and Whales just out to sea but we saw none. We also went for a 4 km walk up to the headlands on a loop track in our tramping boots, puffing all the way with our backpack containing lunch, camera, binocs, thermos, GPS and other essential lifesaving equipment only to be put to shame by a 70 y/o guy who passed us 3 times while training, I reckon, for his next marathon. The Park charges $10 per person plus a $7 park fee per day while day visitors have to pay the $7 park fee. The road in was gravel and potholed and the facilities while clean were pretty basic with cold showers. Brrr!

The nights were definitely getting cooler but we sat around the traditional campfire one night and chatted to a couple from Newcastle and another from inland NSW near Sydney. In the morning, the Kangaroos were grazing all around our camper. There was a Kookaburra flying around and some parrots in a tree by us. Nice to see, but for us it was on the road again towards Newcastle.

There is a lot of roadworks going on on this stretch of road. It's supposed to be one of the worst stretches for accidents in all Australia. They are duplicating the highway so there will be two lanes each way. Some parts were good but in others, the surface was bumpy. Anyway, Friday 16^th saw us lunching at Tralee, a little bit off the Pacific Highway, in traditional Friday Asian style at the Town Centre Shopping Mall food area. Not very original, but it was self serve and there was a good selection. So Friday night sees us camped up at a one-horse town called Bulahdelah where the pub is the focal point and everyone knows everyone else. Camp fees tonight were $25 in the only caravan park in town and it's almost as close to the Highway as a Rest stop, but we need power and water. Maybe it's Newcastle tomorrow, but it's quite good to have the freedom to park up wherever it suits and not be held to a definite timetable. We said we'd be in Melbourne by the end of May so we are not doing too bad and the 'old girl' is chugging along OK – thats the Mitsi, not Maureen, and we don't push it doing no more than 90k.

Settling In

Settling In

Well, we have been in Oz for 10 days now so it’s time we got something written here. It’s surprising once you get away from the ‘daily grind’ how life takes on a whole new meaning and timelines mean nothing at all. We have settled into the lifestyle really well. We picked up the van in Brisbane and, as there were no supplies in it, we headed off to a shopping centre to kit out the van. Unfortunately our ‘NavWoman’ navigator had not yet learned that red dots in the Brisbane mapbook were traffic lights and red circles were roundabouts and she also had trouble directing the driver into the correct lane so we ended up doing a bit of backtracking. Good news though, she is getting better as we go on but still has trouble sorting left from right to find a major road.

We found on our shopping spree that we had different views on what basic supplies were. Maureen was searching for food, utensils and bedding while I was checking out Dick Smiths for the CB radio, a TV/DVD player and the like. We decided to start with just the basics so we could ‘top up’ as we go and get a feel for what we needed. So by the time we got to Coolingatta, I have bought further essentials such as a new TV antennae and a power inverter so I can run the TV and the computer from the house batteries. Maureen topped up by buying things like a toaster, an electric jug and a duvet – we are heading South (against the flow) towards Christchurch weather conditions. The only things we bought with us on the plane were a couple of bits of bedding to get us started, essential reading/maps, plus our clothing.

Anyway, by about 2pm on the Sunday, we were all set to go with our Australia Wide Camps 4 book which maps out all the freedom camping sites which are either free or run at small cost by local councils. Our intention was to go North of Brisbane and ‘chill out’ for a couple of days while we got accustomed to the van and camping. We also knew that these are the sights the ‘Grey Nomads’ head for and these are the sorts of people we are hoping to meet up with. So we found Caboolture on the map - inland from Bribie Island, where there was camping at the Showgrounds. We did not know that Monday was Labour Day holiday in Queensland and lo and behold, we stumbled into a great “Urban Country and Western Feastival’ that went all weekend. There were hundreds of people about and loads of campers. At the gate, we asked a guy where we could camp. He picked us as being New Zealanders and asked us if we were in the CMCA – the Caravan/Motorhomes Association. We said ‘Yes’ and so he introduced us to a group of Sunshine Coasters in the CMCA who were camping there for the weekend. They called themselves the ‘Fun Rovers’ branch of the Queensland Chapter of CMCA. Sounded to us like bikies, but no, they were just the sort of people we could equate with and we ended up being made most welcome and had a great evening. The pattern seems to be that you meet up with people at a camping site like this for happy hour then at some point break off to have your evening meal in your camper.

It has been the same at later camp sites we have called in at – mostly show camping grounds. Go and introduce yourselves to other campers nearby then bring your chair over for a chat and a drink. At some, they light up a fire – this seems to be the Aussie camping thing (see picture below) and it’s really nice and cosy. Subsequent to Caboolture, we headed off South, doing only a few K’s each day camping inland from Surfers and then at a place called Murwillumbah about 100k South of Tweed Head. Oh! We stopped one night at a rest area off the Pacific Highway. Life is good and we are coping well with the confined space within the Campervan, so Maureen will not be on the next flight home. From here we are driving on towards Coffs Harbour.