As far as the East is from the West

Esperance is the kind of place that would be amazing when the sun is shining. We spent a week huddled into the tent, sheltered against the battering wind and rain, and putting fallen tent poles back up at regular intervals. Daniel was working each day, so Karen and the kids managed as best they could, watching movies, reading books, and getting on each others nerves in the enclosed space. They did manage a few walks along the waterfront to see the resident Sealion that displayed himself every day, and performed if anyone looked like they might be fishing. Finally, Saturday rolled around and we enjoyed meeting up with Daniel’s cousin Catherine, Greg, their son Kyle, and friends Matthew and Nathan for breakfast. We had already packed up our tent in anticipation of travelling for the day. And then the sun came out!

As anticipated, Esperance is beautiful. We took a few photos and left to head for the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The drive is 4,300km and we want to get there in time to spend Christmas with the family. It’s already the 11th of December, so time is running out. Daniel has lined up work on three properties across the Nullabor, so we set off for the first on the list.

We passed through Norseman and camped the first night at a free site along the 90 mile stretch. 90 Mile is the longest expanse of straight road in the country, so it was nice to break the drive up with an overnight stop. The next morning we introduced ourselves to Peter and Marg from Arubiddy Station, near Cocklebiddy. Whilst on the station Karen and kids mostly relaxed, reading books and playing around the buildings. We managed to get “Tour Guide Karen” to show us through the shearing shed, with all its fascinating machinery. Daniel completed the electrical job was in one and a half days, and we were on the way again. The next two jobs didn’t pan out. One property wasn’t ready for another week, and a roadhouse told us they didn’t need us when we walked in the door. So now it looks like we are going to make it with time to spare.

Sunset over Arubiddy Station	Moon rise over the shearing shed

We stopped overnight at another roadhouse, and then headed for Arno Bay. Daniel wanted to get some assistance from The Travelling Mechanic in servicing the Troopy. Arno Bay was another place that would be fantastic when the sun is shining (which it did as we were leaving). It was great to meet Robbie and Sharon and we would have liked to stay longer, but we are on a mission! A few days later, many of the caravans and vehicles were severely damaged when a freak hailstorm hit the area.

	< Cormornts queueing to get off the jetty as I approach. Along the GAB. ^ Nullabor means No Trees. Arno Bay Jetty. > Waves crashing on the jetty

On the way to Arno Bay, we blew another tyre, the new one that was just replaced in Perth. Aaaarrrggghhh! Fortunately Bridgestone agreed to replace the tyre AND tube under warranty, so after a quick lunch break (with Beth and Jason) in Port Augusta, we headed for Melrose. Here we spent the night camped in the showgrounds beside Mike and Sarah, and their seven children and four performing dogs. It was an excellent evening, and we forgot to take any photos, but the next morning the rush home continued.

Next stop was with Jodie in Merbein, near Mildura. We had met Jodie and her husband Andrew earlier in the year. Sadly, Andrew passed away from bowel cancer in October, and we thought it was time to visit again.  We all had a really enjoyable evening INDSIDE THE HOUSE! No camper set up and pack up. Meals cooked on a HUGE BBQ. Excellent company with Summer, storm and Beau (the kids). Most enjoyable, thanks Jodie.

The longest travelling day we’ve had on this trip was 740km from Nhulunbuy to Mataranka in the Northern Territory, so the next days agenda looked impossible. Dubbo is over 800km from our departure point, but Karen wants to visit the zoo for her birthday. We changed tactics for this part of the trip. Normally Daniel does most of the driving, but this time we alternated approximately two hours each, and made it safely, but tired, into Dubbo at 7:00pm. When Daniel went in to check into the Dubbo City Caravan Park, he contemplated setting up the tent and then getting dinner under way, and booked a six berth room instead. The kids (and Karen) were surprised, and delighted at this turn of events. The trailer was plugged into a power point to keep the fridge cold, and we enjoyed wandering around the Western Plains Zoo for the whole next day. Our last visit to the zoo was in 2006, and some things have changed since then, but others haven’t. We also enjoyed an award winning pie from the Village Dubbo Bakery for lunch that day.

On Guard, Meerkats		“Kiss me quick”
Hiding Cheetah	Click on this photo to blow it up, it looks great!	Siamang Apes
Clean your teeth time!	“Happy” really is!	“Catch me if you can”
When being chased by a Tiger, DO NOT climb a tree		New born baby
Otters are SO cute!	Bison	Mum and bub (awake for a change)

To vindicate Daniels cabin accommodation decision, it rained heavily that night, and we were tucked away warm and dry. And so was our tent! It was a week for breaking records, so we left at 6:30am the next morning with Maleny as our destination. At 940km away, there was much distance to travel!

There is not much to report about this part of the journey, we alternated drivers again, and made it into Maleny at 6:00pm that evening. Karen started to get excited when we drove through Toowoomba, and the kids were amazing: Not one call of “Are we there yet?” was heard. They enjoyed some Nintendo DS time (limited to a half hour each), read some books and played happily (mostly).

In 9 days we had crossed five time zones (our bodies are still adjusting to what time it is), and five states. It was an amazing journey, but one that we are not planning to repeat any time soon. 

Escaping Cyclones (Part Two)

We left 1770 vowing to return to explore more of this wonderful place. Our next destination was Bundaberg, or more specifically Bargara Beach. We found the Bargara Beach caravan park at the northern end and had an early dinner, as we had booked in for a Mon Repos experience tour.

Mon Repos is a world renowned turtle hatchery. Every year from November to February, three types of sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs in the soft sand. And then from January to March, the eggs start hatching and the baby turtles make the treacherous journey to the ocean to begin their life in the ocean. The visitor centre is exceptional, with plenty of information about these special marine creatures. 6 out of the 7 species of sea turtles in the world are found in Australia, and Mon repos is the perfect location to view them in their natural habitat.

We waited as part of a group at the information centre for several hours before heading for the beach to view some baby turtles making a run for it. What an amazing experience.

We were allowed a light touch of the hatchling turtle

Their flippers were going like mad

One of the displays in the information centre

The fantastic climbing trees in the caravan park, right beside our tent!

As we left Bargara the next morning, tropical cyclone Yasi was shaping up as the biggest storm ever seen in Australia. It was definitely time to escape this storm! We headed straight for Karens parents place in Maleny. The camper trailer is parked safely in the garage, while we are safe and sound staying in the house.

I quickly found a job in Brisbane repairing schools that were flooded, and have work for as long as we need it. We need it for about 8 weeks, to pay some bills and get ahead a little bit.

We watched with the rest of the country as the cyclone ravaged North Queensland and felt relieved that we weren’t there at the time. We are very pleased that no-one in our families was hurt or sustained too much damage during the storm.

So now we sit on the sunshine coast for two months and feel jealous every time we read a travel story about somewhere fabulous to visit. Never mind, we’ll be on the road again soon……

Escaping Cyclones

When you live in a camper trailer, there are certain things you never want to see. Bushfires, hailstones and cyclones come to mind. As we were preparing to leave Cairns after Christmas, a cyclone seemed to be forming in the Pacific Ocean. Looks like its time to head south!

We took two days to drive to Townsville, stopping at overnight Paronella Park (which Josie has written a blog article about) and then paying visits to the Lucinda Jetty and Wallaman Falls near Ingham.

The bulk sugar terminal at Lucinda is home to the longest jetty of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Stretching over 5km into the sea, it has a conveyor belt system used to load sugar on to the bulk carriers that transport it across the globe. They jetty is so long, you can see the curvature of the earth within its length. There is a beautiful playground and picnic area in the surrounding grounds, but we didn’t stop for very long – we are on a tight schedule.

Whilst we were visiting Lucinda, I had a phone call from Richard, a friend in Townsville. I told Richard we were heading for a look at Wallaman Falls next and he said “Keep an eye out for the cassowary that I saw last time I was there.” Cassowary sightings are very special, as these creatures are very shy and becoming increasingly rare.

Imagine our surprise as we drove along Wallaman Falls road to see a large cassowary feeding on the side of the road. He didn’t run away as we approached, frantically getting the camera ready, and then further amazed us when we spotted three chicks walking along in the bush behind him. We stopped for a few photos, and then as we drove away, he continued on his merry way as though nothing had happened. Fascinating!

When we arrived at Wallaman Falls lookout, we could see a rather large storm on its way, and the thought of driving back down the dirt road in the pouring rain forced us to take a few quick photos and get back in the car for the hair raising trip back down the mountain.

Fortunately, the wet weather had made the drive worthwhile, as the highest single drop waterfall in Australia was spectacular. Stony Creek cascades off the edge of the precipice almost 1000 feet to the invisible pool at the bottom, obscured by the mist generated by the falling water.

We arrived in Townsville for a few days stopover with Mum, Dad and my sister Roni, who had flown in from Equador for Christmas. We made a visit to Crystal Creek for a rather chilly swim, managed to do some electrical work for a friend, and visited Alligator Creek where I spent my teenage years.

CYCLONE UPDATE: As we left Townsville, tropical cyclone Anthony was heading for the Queensland coast, but it wasn’t very powerful. Best to be safe and get out of there though.

Having lived in Townsville for many years, and driven to Brisbane along the coast many times, I decided that this time we would tackle the trip a little more slowly, rather than with the usual rush and hurry we had become accustomed to. We stopped at the beachfront in Bowen to have a late lunch, and then drove through to Proserpine, where we stayed for the night, at the Peter Faust dam. We were the only people in the caravan park, which becomes filled to the brim during fishing season, around August/September each year. It is a beautiful area and we took some great shots:

Peter Faust Dam Wall

Mount Roma

Sunset at Peter Faust Dam

The next day we drove through Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour for a quick look, before heading to Mackay for the night. We thought we would just spend one night in Mackay and then keep moving, but as we approached, we saw a sign for a water park in town that looked like it would be worth a visit. We elected to stay two nights and enjoy the water park for a while.

Chasing seagulls along Airlie Beach	The bug water bucket in the Mackay water park
Everyone enjoyed cooling off	The water park in Mackay is beautiful

After Mackay, we endured the long 100km journey (joke!) to Carmilla Beach, just south of Sarina. We stayed at Carmilla Beach for three days, fossicking on the beach at low tide, testing out the cast net and trying our hand at fishing. We only managed to catch a small hammerhead shark, but thoroughly enjoyed a few days rest and recuperation by the beach.

Camping right on the beach	We tried to throw it back, alas it did not make it
Fishing while the kids are playing	Love having a campfire
Reflections on our fishing experiences	Sunset over the sand flats at low tide

Carmilla beach was very restful and no-one wanted to pack up and leave, but there was one small problem: CYCLONE UPDATE: Tropical Cyclone Anthony will hit the Queensland coast around Bowen shortly, and bring widespread rain to the area. Further out in the ocean, another, larger cyclone is forming.

Taking the long route again, we drove towards Rockhampton, thinking there might be some work there, and we might be able to relieve our very stretched financial resources. We stopped for a look around Yeppoon and decided we could stay here, while I went to Rocky to look for work. We found an affordable little caravan park, just north of Emu Park called The Causeway. What a great spot, situated right beside a large lake, with wide open spaces, power and water available and very friendly people all around.

The memorial to Captain Cook at Emu Park sings in the wind

Alas, my search for work in Rocky provided fruitless after a week so we decided to move on towards Gladstone and Tannum Sands. Still taking the long way, we drove through Gladstone taking in the mines and aluminium smelter at Boyne Island. We stopped for lunch at Tannum Sands and then headed for 1770 and Agnes Waters for the night. We stayed overnight at a caravan park on the outskirts of town. As the only tenants (again), it was very peaceful and relaxing.

1770 is a most picturesque place, and we could easily be convinced to spend more time here. It is named for Captain Cooks landing place before he returned to settle the land.

The waves breaking over the rocks at 1770	It was a bit windy the day we visited
It looks like it might be a bit windy most of the time	The cairn to commemorate Cooks landing