Category: Uncategorised

February 25th

Looking back over the last few days. We were staying at Smithton and doing day trips from there, first up was into Rocky Cape National Park again, to do the forest walk and Arch.

One of the best we have done, so far. The walk in was easygoing and beautiful. At the end there were rocky cliffs, caves and a green pool.

Throughout the walk the tree ferns and ground cover were superb. My kind of walk, nature at its best.

Next stop was the big tree, OK I’ve seen bigger, but it still is a big tree.

Next stop was Dip Falls, nothing spectacular, but has 260 odd stairs to the bottom, and I need the exercise

Then there was all those stairs back up, stopping to take a few photos here and there,(catching my breath, in other words)

The next day we tackled the Nut at Stanley, guess we could have walked up, but they say it’s very steep going, so we opted for the chairlift.

Like kids on a carnival ride, love it.

Once we got to the top we did our walking, a good track of about 2kl, with brilliant views back over Stanley and the cliffs of the Nut.

The views of the Harbour and waterways were nice, although a bit hazy due to the hot day.

On one side of the Nut it’s like walking through a forest with lots of wildlife. They just go about their business as if your not there.

The walk done and a bit hot we caught the chairlift back down the hill and into town for a walk and photos. Stanley is a quirky little place and worth the visit.

We then drove out the road a bit to see some of the first settlement buildings and jail remains.

Beautiful old buildings, now have accommodation with manicured gardens including contented chooks, all with a beautiful view over the coast. Not sure I was supposed to walk around in there, but I did. Anything for a photo or two.

Some of the shops in Stanley are nicely done up. Especially the old school house.

The RV camp spot in Smithton, is another good place to stay while doing day trips.

Our next day out was to see how close we could get to the North West cape.

Not very close I’m afraid.

Woolnorth was as far as we got, so I took a couple of photos of the area, before coming back to camp.

Time to head South our first camp is at Green Point. And what a great view we have! Looking out our bedroom window. Just as well as it is very windy at times.

The beach is good for walking, and surfing if you’re keen.

Today has been rather hot but windy, again! Just spent some time rock hopping and talking to other campers. Life is good. That’s it for now. Xx

February 22nd

How beautiful is the view of Mt Roland from a stop in Wilmot . We were on our way to Cradle Mountain for the day.

It was also my birthday, no cake, but a quick bite to eat, before catching the shuttle bus up to Dove Lake, not far from the summit, and no we didn’t do a hike to the top.

We got off the bus and started walking around the lake

not many wild flowers out, except the White Leather bushes which made great contrast to the blue of the lake

It was a very hot, clear day, not an ideal day to be doing mountain walks, but I had fun taking photos.

Going far enough around one side, so we went went back down, then tackled the other side of the lake

It is more rugged, but not as steep. There is a Boat shed on that side, which makes for nice photos

This is one of my favourite.

After the Lake we caught the bus down to another walk. A great board walk called the overland track.. It is as named taking you over scrubby land and waterways. Lots of Wombat holes, but we didn’t see any Wombats out and about, probably too hot in the midday heat.

We walked this for some time, before taking a turn to do the forest walk, where there’s chalets snuggled in the bush. Such a relief to finally get some shade ,the walk across the open land had been hot going.

This is the original Charlet built by a man called Waldheim .we took a look inside where there’s a nice display of fine china and original timber furnishings.

It was all down hill from there, stopping to take photos along the way

Lots of these red berry bushes and a few dainty orchard type flowers along the well maintained track.

We caught the bus back to where the car was parked and did our final walk on Cradle Mountain, it took us around the banks of a creek, an easy walk with kids in mind it has little tunnels with painted murals on them, along the way. it ended with a nice little waterfall ,not far from the car.

on the way back to camp we stopped in to see Cathana Dam

The pipeline leading up the hill from the dam was huge, makes you wonder how they got it in place as the hill was very steep. We had a great day out, going from 8 till 5, But it sure was worth it 👌

The next day needed to be less strenuous, so we opted for a short drive to do some sightseeing and shopping, even though it was a bit cloudy to start with. First stop was the view from Table Cape, then the lighthouse. This is where a lot of tulips are grown, out of season now so the farm has dahlias in flower.

The next day was into Rocky Cape National Park, sure is rocky, the colours of the rocks around the headland are worth the drive,

This is Sister’s Beach, there is actually two separate rocky outcrops from a small sandy beach.

Table Cape maybe a flater headland, but it’s still very rugged, the views around it, however are quite spectacular .

A pic of Rocky Cape Lighthouse before making our way back to the van. Yes that’s a big bike we saw on the way back.

We are pulled up on a disused netball court at Myalla. Next stop will be around Stanley on the Nth/Wst Coast. Thats it for now.

February 17th

Thursday we went for a drive into Burnie, the port there is very busy. Again a nice day and pleasant views from the lookout.

The camping area at Midway Point is popular, and the beach is nice. We stayed there for a couple of days.

Yesterday, without the van, we took to the hills for a day of sightseeing . First stop was Lake Kara.

We spent some time there, I went for a bush walk following a creek, also walked along the edge of the lake, picking and eating blackberries. There are blackberries growing wild at most places we have been so far.

The ferns also are growing wild here

After that we drove further into the hills, stopping to do some walks, the view from Black Bluff lookout was nice ,looking over the Cradle Mountain area.

Not many, but some wildflowers, growing around the bush

Lots of nice creeks and river crossings, most flowing into dams. This one goes into Cethana Dam.

Was such a perfect day today 27* and no wind ! When we got back to camp Chris went for a bike ride and I went for a wander down on Turners Beach.

Even the water was warm, and paddling in little rock pools was relaxing. Picking out different coloured rocks, is almost as interesting as seeing different wildflowers.

I guess small things amuse small minds.

The carpark has gardens around it with some lovely proteas out in bloom

Back at camp, we decided to have an early dinner at the Berri patch restaurant, a nice meal in pleasant surroundings .The fresh strawberry ice creams, are worth a try. Yum.

The Berri patch is actually a farm, so the camping area is probably a couple of acres and you can camp anywhere . This is a photo of where we are, the next is what we woke to this morning

We had to check we weren’t missing a rear set of lights, haha ! There’s always gotta be one, eh.

Our drive today was back into Burnie to do some shopping, then have a look around the headland

The lighthouse and walkways are well maintained, and quite safe to walk around the cliffs.

As we were leaving the walk ,we ran into Chris’s retired Doctor from Ballina, we stopped and had a chat before returning back to the van. A good day out …

February 12th

Another day of sunshine, first stop was the Axemens Hall of Fame, we were too early to go in , but the walk around the park was worth the stop.

Next was the town of topiaries, some good others were hard to know what they were. Over a 100 in town.

The rat gets my pick,

Then on to the town of murals, Sheffield., some political, some really good, others beyond me! However we spent a couple of hours there wandering around.

Even the cafes are full of art or crafty things

There’s a park, with murals under shelters , with the award winners each year , the one below is last year’s winner.

Quite a few old buildings and book shops. Chris is always on the lookout for Wilbur Smith books.

Driving out of Sheffield you get a great view of Mt Roland before getting into the unusual town of Deloraine.

A nice park and with a swinging bridge over the waterway.

I only took one photo in the main street, because it reminded me of a granddaughter,, as for the rest of the town it’s very out there, like Halloween on Steroids, haha . Didn’t impress me much, so no photos, sorry.

Chris found the ultimate book shop, and the owner managed to find some of the ones he wanted. That was back in Ulverstone. We had one more night there before heading out yesterday to Levon Canyon area. Should not have taken the van up into hills. Poor Triton. ,,!

There was no room to park the van up at the canyon car park, so we found a little spot of our own and stayed the night, we had a few showers of rain over night.

This morning we drove out of the hills, making a few stops to look at a waterfall and have a cuppa in a park.

This afternoon we pulled into a lovely camp spot at Midway Point, on the North Coast and I guess its halfway 😀 has great walking tracks and a rail line around the beach front.

The afternoons are great for walking as the winds drop. After dinner tonight we went for a drive into Penguin, hoping to find an ice creamery open . Nuh ! Oh well it was a nice drive, very pretty looking out towards Goat Island and the Three Sisters.

Thats it, so far . …

February 11th

A look around the area we are staying. So many things to see, lovely parks, and we went to the amazing Tasmanian Arboretum, spent a few hours just wandering around natural lakes, forest, hills and quarries, complete with it’s natural inhabitants. Here are some of the photos.

A lovely day out before returning back to the van and sitting out the last of the sun. The weather is really being kind to us at the moment. Xx

February 8th

Early morning start, and a walk across the Memorial swinging bridge at Inverleigh, then through the park there, which is very overgrown. Lots of shrubs are being covered in cabbage months at the moment. The media has been talking about them, as apparently they are more prolific this year than most.

The next day we made our way through Winchelsea, beautiful red roses are in bloom throughout the town centre at the moment.

From there we found a camp spot in the Otway Forest and stayed for 3 nights. Nice and peaceful with cheeky magpies and kookaburras for Chris to feed. So many others like us ,Stopping here, before heading into Geelong to catch the ferry to Tassy.

Then it was our time to move, travelling the coast road, stopping here and there on our way, love how these trees have survived the struggle to live, against the wind on the headlands.

Point Danger is just that! However on a nice day it’s a lovely area to wander around and take photos

The Geelong showground was a buzz of excitement, pending our 5 am get up the next morning. Do we have breakfast, or travel on an empty stomach? After a long wait in the line, we finally drove on board, one of the last to do so. But hey, thats OK as we will be one of the first to get off !

The Spirit of Tasmania may not be a modern cruise ship, but the passenger areas are comfortable, well lit, and lots of friendly staff . A great selection of food and reasonable priced I thought.

It was a bit overcast as we left Melbourne behind and travelled into the open waters of Bass Strait .

Then the sun came out… why was I concerned, the sea was as calm as !?. We had a nice meal, then sat in lay back chairs and chatted to others to pass the 10 hour trip away

Almost first off, we’re in Tasmania !,

As we were driving off a ferryman said, stay at Turners Beach, so we did, a mown paddock on a Berri farm. Day one off for a look around , the nearest major shopping centre is Ulverstone, about 20 minutes away. We did grocery shopping and took some photos, it’s a hilly but pretty town. Nice parks to visit, but most gardens have finished flowering.

Back to the van ,we still had time for a walk along the beach, the sun didn’t go down till about 8.30. A river also runs into the sea here, maybe that has something to do with all the rocks here. . A big variety of colours and smooth enough that I was able to walk on them.

A nice way to end our first day.

January 30th

Good morning everyone from Cann River camp. We’ve had a quiet restful night, before we head out today.

Nobody in the creek this morning, however I enjoyed lying in the shallows yesterday It’s a good spot to stay and we have stayed here before. The bushland around the creek is very green after all the rain, so far this year.

Tuesday we headed further south to Eastwood, where we caught up with. some of Chris’s cousins. Carly made us very welcome. I’m still amazed at Dog Dog, the family’s dog.

A busy household, James her husband is a fisherman, and they have 4 children. At the moment Jack, her brother, and his family are staying there as well. So it was a nice time for the cousins to catch up.

On the road again, after a late start we drove through Sale, then decided on a grassy free camp, not far out of Melbourne, willow park at Rosedale, to stop for the night. The weather is being kind to us. Warm and sunny and very little wind.

Another day and another Cousin of Chris’s. We met up with Tim at a Cafe on the outskirts of Melbourne. They had a great chat over a couple of hours, and a couple of coffee’s.

After that we tackled the afternoon traffic straight through the centre of Melbourne to stay at Tree Tops, a scout camp. We will have 3 nights here. It’s relaxing here, not many other campers, and again we have stayed here before.

Yesterday was a day for shopping, and meeting up with Agnele a friend, in Sunbury, a suburb of Melbourne.

Back into the city today, Tullamarine has a brilliant wave park, right near the Airport

It’s a great set-up, not a lot of shade yet as the trees are only young, so on a 35deg day it was a bit punishing sitting on the edge, and not able to go in and cool off.

The city folk use it for learning to surf as well as training. I believe there is only 2 in Australia . Also a spa and other facilities around the complex.

It was a special time for us to be there and watch Rosie compete in a rather different surfing comp. I love taking photos and should of remembered to take my better camera in. So a few shots from my phone had to do.

Lovely to catch up, and smiles all around at the end of the day.

On the way back to camp we stopped at some of the painted water tanks on the edge of the road..

This morning we left the Tree Tops camp, and called into Gisborne markets, best markets we have been to, so many stalls, something for everyone, and no, we didn’t need anything but we were two of the hundreds out on hot Melbourne morning enjoying what was on offer.

Next stop was a nice park overlooking the water and reservoir, where we had lunch.

Heading further south towards Geelong, we are camped on the Leigh River, near Inverleigh, trying to keep cool. We will stay here for two nights, then find somewhere else, it’s not long till we board the Spirit of Tasmania, so will hang around close to Geelong. The seas were huge the last few days, so we were told, so I hope they calm before we go across to Tassy.

Meanwhile I’ll just try not to think about the crossing, and relax by taking photos of these little cuties, darting around our camp. Ahh the serenity 😌. Night all.

January 27th

We are enjoying our stay at Kalaru , it’s nice and quiet with big sites. The weather has cleared, and I’ve got all the washing done. Today is Chris’s birthday, we spent the day at Tathra, walking around the memorial park and the recently completed walking tracks, around the headland. A lovely day with lunch at the Wharf bakery. A relaxed atmosphere and well presented food.

The far south Coast is beautiful and we have decided to stay another night here. So we can wander around the area more tomorrow.

The following day we went out to Nelson beach and walked till we reached the Lagoon around the corner. The water was so relaxing.

After cooling off for a couple of hours, we went into Bermagui, had lunch in a park and drove around the waterways.

While at Bermagui a swim in the Blue pool is a must

I also enjoy taking photos around the headlands

I stood on the rocks, patiently waiting for the colony of sea lions to pose for me, but this was the best I could get, so many sleeping on the rocks and others swimming around them.

Today we headed further down the Sapphire coast, and it was living up to its name, absolutely sparkling today.

Next stop was Eden, we had lunch down near the water, and as it is a big timber area, there’s a memorial sculpture for all the timber workers who have lost their life, while working in the industry.

we drove around Twofold Bay, where the Whale museum sits on a hill top and looks great, all white with murals around the fencing.

This afternoon we crossed into Victoria and tonight we are starting at a fee park at Cann River. Again I was able to cool off in the water, while Chris went for a walk. That’s it for now x

Jan 24

Travelling on…Hi again, if you are a follower of our travels, you probably realise we try to avoid staying in caravan parks, not only because of the cost, which ranges between $50-100 a night, at the moment, but also being packed in like sardines, the noise and people in general. That said, we opt for free RV sites on rivers or in bush camps.

As we travelled down the South Coast, we stopped on the edge of lake Illawarra at Warrawong. Just one night gave us time to do some shopping and relax, chatted with another lovely couple, starting their retirement journey, and chill out after driving through the Sydney traffic on a hot day, where we visited Chris’s brothers grave and had lunch with his nephew, at the Ettamogah pub . A warm 38 degrees there.! The Lakes area was very welcoming that afternoon.

The next day was Nowra… Met up with a class mate from my high school days and had lunch at the Worrigee sportsman club with him and his wife. We then called into the cemetery and put flowers on my family’s graves. Tom and Janette invited us to go out to their property at Falls Creek and stay overnight. We had a good catch up of days gone by and Chris really enjoyed Tom’s home brew, which Chris said got better as the night went on. An enjoyable stopover, thanks again Tom and Janette.

The following day we realised that the van fridge wasn’t working properly. So we started making phone calls and found a repair chap at Ulladulla All RV Repais.. So we dropped the van off to him and we did some sightseeing around the area. Went out to Ulladulla headland where I cooled my heels off in the water, taking some photos and watched little fish swim around my feet. My kind of enjoyment.

Lots of baby flathead.

A few more stops before we picked up the van and headed out to my cousin’s place at Lake Tabourie, to stay for the night. The fridge is still not working so need to look into it more tomorrow.

Another day without the van so we spent most of the day parked at Ulladulla Marina, waiting to see if the fridge is going to work after some minor adjustments by the repair guy.

No that didn’t work, thank goodness for the Waco fridge in the back of the Ute. We had to see if the fridge would would work on electricity, so we went into the Milton showground for the night . Not a bad spot.

Back to the Ulladulla fridge guy again yesterday, we left the van and had lunch in the park, I even had a nanny nap on the park bench while Chris read a book. Felt like we were homeless. I had forgotten to get a pic with my cousin John and his wife Valma when we stayed at their place so we went back into Lake Tabourie got a lovely photo and said farewell again. They are an amazing couple ,John is 94 and has a brilliant memory of his Navy days. They both still have full drivers licenses, do shopping once a week and also play cards twice a week. Valma cooked a lovely meal the night we stayed and John proudly said we were eating his home grown vegetables. I am so inspired by their zest in life, love and how to do life in your nineties. So happy that we took the time to visit.

We picked up the van late yesterday afternoon, Its fixed, yay !!! We headed further down the coast, so much water around the lakes area.

We travelled through the Bega Valley area,everywhere is so green, it also started to rain. Thankfully not too heavy when we arrived at Kalaru Park. We have booked in for 3 nights over long weekend.

Happy Australia day everyone. Cheers

2024 15th Jan.

Time for another trip around this amazing country. We have been home based since February last year. Although we spent 10 lovely days in the Cook Islands and 3mths at Cootamundra. Did lots of gardening, as well as spending time with family and friends…just how we had planned…so the year went that away..

So 2024 let’s go…

We left home just as it started to rain, and rain it did, all the way to Coffs Harbour .We had planned to have dinner with Peter, but the rain was torrential, so we decided to stay in his office till it stopped, but it didn’t, we were stuck there for over an hour . I’ve never been in such weather, certainly not with the van in tow. Made a dash to the car and got out of there! We travelled as far as Urunga, the rain eased and we pulled off the road in a gravelled area for the night, what a start to our trip!

The next morning the weather was reasonable, we drove out to South West Rocks for a look around and a short walk. Chris was starting to worry about the car..something doesn’t seem right.. now what! We went into Kempsey, made some phone calls to Mitsubishi, put a new hose on the motor and settled in for a few days at Gail and Noel’s place. Ahh, a great feed of Chinese that night, will fix all our problems.. not so…

WE stayed at Gail and Noel’s for 3 nights, before heading south again, a cuppa in a park beside the river, Stopping to sitesee overcrowded coastal towns. Down through Crescent Head and on to Port Macquarie.

We only just made it , the car started making some really bad noises. It’s getting worse! So we limped into Mitsubishi. The service guys there were great . Took a look, fixed the problem and sent us on our way. No charge.! Nothing frightens a triton, but the triton sure frightened me, the thought of cancelling our Tassy trip was running through my mind.

It was time for a break, I rang a school friend from Bomaderry, who lives in Port, she came out and met us at a sports ground . What a lovely catch up, a simple cup of tea on the edge of the road. Doesn’t need to be fancy, when old friends meet the years just melt away. Thanks Jan x.

Back on the road again, we looked for a place to stay overnight. We found a nice area behind the Laurieton boat club. Parked up and settled in for the night

This morning we watched the rowers on the lake and went up to a book sale at the club, Laurieton seems like a nice community minded town in a peaceful setting.

Today (Saturday), we are a bit further down the coast, a couple of stops, before pulling into a parking area at Tomago boat ramp on the river. Thankful for river parks with this hot weather. We head through Sydney tomorrow. More in a couple of days….