Ups and Downs

Tonight we are staying at a farmstay called Ups and Downs just out of Roma in central Queensland. It seems like a great place to spend some time with a good amenities block, a great camp kitchen and a toasty big open fire to sit by on this chilly night. Tonight we also got our first taste of a beautiful Queensland sunset.

Lightning Ridge

Lightning Ridge is an opal mining town in New South Wales, population according to the sign coming into town is ?. I love towns like this because the so called locals are sometimes very entertaining.

This is the second time I have visited Lightning Ridge, but last time was for just overnight. Even though we are on a mission to get up north I really wanted to have one day here to see a few things. We have chosen to stay at the Opal Caravan Park which is very nice and has the cleanest amenities I have ever seen. Each night there is lady "Mel", a very funny Bush Poet entertaining to park guests.

Another advantage of this park is it's location, it's only a 200 metre walk to the Artesian Bore Bath. The Artesian Bath is a pool of really hot water - 40c - coming from the Great Artesian Basin, one Kilometre below the surface. Being a mining town everywhere you drive there are mounds of dirt and rock with a mine shaft next to it. It certainly would be a very hard life. I cannot even imaging how the miners managed in the good old days.

Tomorrow we will continue heading north and cross the border into Queensland to a town called Roma.

Eumungerie, NSW

Waking up in Boorwoa was pretty chilly but once on the road the sun rose it's head and Monday turned into a lovely    t-shirt day. For some reason our water pump wouldn't work in our camper "Myrtle" so we had arranged to call into the Jayco dealer in Dubbo to have it checked out. To our embarrassment it worked perfectly for the caravan guy - must have an air lock!! So anyway we were once again on our way to our free camp for the night. We were unable to find the camp we were looking for so decided to head further north along the Newell Highway. We came across the Eumungerie Recreation Reserve in the tiny village of Eumungerie. With its fees only $5 per night and an extra $5 to have power we quickly decided this was where we would lay our heads for the night. There were only four other vans there so we all had plenty of space. We then spent a lovely evening around the campfire with a few of the other campers exchanging life and travel stories. Yes, we certainly are living the dream. Today we head further north to the mining town of Lightning Ridge. 

Boorowa, NSW

Leaving Batemans Bay and my son and two adorable grandsons O'Shea and Finn was a bit sad this morning.

Not long into our drive we had to tackle the Clyde Mountain, which is a pretty long steep hill to climb while towing Myrtle. I was a bit nervous but we did it easily, the oil temp did rise slightly but all was ok. The rest of the day's drive was through lush green rolling hills. We fully intended to stay the night in a different town but as we drove into the little village of Boorowa it looked so good we decided this was the place for us to spend our night. From what I have read after aboriginal tribes had gone the town was built on with convicts (mainly Irish) who had received their ticket of leave. Apparently at times it was a pretty hard and violent place to live. It is now a charming pastoral town with a deep Irish heritage. We have decided on a caravan park to stay at tonight as it is only $25 for the night. After having a couple of drinks we headed to the local Chinese Restaurant and had a very nice meal. So tomorrow we will be up early to head further north on our journey to the tip of Australia. 

Aussie Adventure Part 3

After a few weeks of getting organised we are finally off on another Aussie Adventure for the third time. This time we are heading north to the tip of Australia - Cape York. We have made a loose itinerary but if this trip is anything like our last two our plans could change and any time. Our first night was spent at a free camp in the north east area of Victoria, Bellbird Creek. We camped behind the Bellbird Hotel in a lush green paddock surrounded buy evergreen trees and other trees covered in glorious Autumn colours. All the owners ask is that you spend some money in the pub, which is not a problem for us!! Waking up to kookaburras, various birds and cows mooing was an enjoyable start to our adventure.

We are now having a couple of nights in Batemans Bay with my son Shane, daughter in law Stacey and my two adorable grandsons O'Shea and Finn. Tomorrow we will be heading inland for our 2,643 km journey up to Cairns. 

March update

Wow what a busy and varied March I have had. My month started off with a week in beautiful Bali for a friends 40th. This was my 5th visit to Bali and each time I spend time there I love the people and place even more. It's funny I can't really pinpoint exactly why I love Bali so much, I just feel so comfortable being there. The Balinese people are so friendly, the bartering to some is annoying, but I treat it like a game and keep in mind the tiny amount I am actually bartering about and how much it actually means to seller.

The streets of  Bali are always busy

Just near Tanalot Temple

This time we had a few events we could have done without, for some reason I got a dose of Bali belly and unfortunately one of our party - Alice - broke her ankle. Luckily she had taken out travel insurance and once she contacted them, they took care of everything. 

Before the Bali belly and Broken leg!

The day after I arrived home I started my babysitting stint of my two granddaughters for the rest of the month while my daughter Rachel and her husband Luke went on their honeymoon to Europe. My three plus weeks with Clare (4 years old) and Mikayla (2 years) was exhausting, fun, brain draining but one of the best months I have ever had. It's so much fun spending time with little people. 

A day at the park with Clare and Mikayla

I also celebrated my 63rd birthday in March with a little birthday cake and birthday song with Clare and Mikayla celebrating with me. Then I had the joy of spending the day with all four of my grandchildren - Clare (4), O'Shea (4), Mikayla (2) and Finn (2). After getting a heart warming Happy Birthday song from all the precious treasures in my life, we then spent a great couple of hours playing at the beach in Cape Paterson.

My daughter in law Stacey with O'Shea, Finn, Clare and Mikayla

Tonight I sit here in a quiet house with the girls back with Mummy and Daddy wondering where my April will take me.