Southport QLD

Southport QLD May 17th - 26th 2013

Visiting Burliegh Heads, Coolangatta, Tweed heads and various other places with good friends.

We had arranged  to visit friends on the Gold Coast since the first day that we set off and Friday the 17th would be our first day. Having had no luck in finding a dog friendly caravan park within the proximity we decided that the only option was to use an adjacent car park next to their apartment. Although this was far from perfect (having no real outlook) we managed perfectly well. Anyway it wasn't about great vista's it was more about renewing old friendships.

Dave drove us up Tambourine Mountain to look at the great views. It was a hell of a steep incline and even dave's ole Pajero was wanting numerous gear changes. I was glad it was in his car and not the bus.

The views down to the Gold Coast were spectacular and well worth the hill climb to see them.

My mate Dave, yet another Tyke on top of the world!







Both myself and Andrea have often wondered where we would like to live, if we ever left the Mornington peninsular? Well the Gold Coast has a lot going for it and would be a serious contender. There are a lot of works being carried out at the moment in and around the Gold Coast such as a new tram system, which has caused quite a bit of controversy. That said it still is a beautiful place.

Once a 900 space car park and now transformed with a $90 million dollars stimulus package endorsed in 2009 has made the Broadwater park an amazing place indeed and is in my opinion money well spent. The walk around Broadwater park is phenomenal and the council are pulling out all the stops to make this place amazing and stay amazing.

The Architecture is fantastic and a pleasure to see.

Andrea at Broadwater park in pensive mood! The one in the sunglassess.

Osprey surveying his/her territory, such a magnificent bird. Both male and female were on the man made platform.

He or she was probably also surveying the rich and famously owned properties facing the platform. Jackie Chan's to name one.

He was obviously filming in some far off distant land, as I am sure he would have joined us for a curry at the Goa on Tedder Ave. Ah well his loss.

Now although i enjoy a hot curry and I did ask for a vindaloo (medium) and Dave asked for a vindaloo (hot), I admitted defeat, my mouth was on fire. Damn and i was so looking forward to a Ruby Murry. Another lesson learnt!

Tedder Avenue is a great spot to eat and generally take in the atmosphere. It is here that the rich and famous frequent, so a great place to people watch.




I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days with Dave fishing, however and true to form there wasn't a lot of action. Sadly other than the ray that screamed off with my line it was a bit of a flop!

Maybe we have to be thankful for art.

The Gold Coast viewed from Burleigh Heads. The weather was a bit poor but the views were nonetheless fantastic.

However Casper just doesn't seem interested and is more concerned when the next wanged tennis ball is going to be launched.

We loved our time with our friends and will definitely be back! For now though we just have fond memories to look back on. Till we meet again Homies xx

Mullumbimby

Mullumbimby rugby league football club May 14th - 17th 2013

Visiting Byron bay, Lennox head, Brunswick heads.

As Andrea was wanting to visit Byron Bay (we last visited 10 years ago) we lookedfor a cheap camp site close by and settled on The rugby club at Mullumbimby. It was a great spot literally on the river, so suited me down to the ground. However before I get my days fishing it will be a visit to Byron bay. It is strange how one persons perception of a place differs from another. We were told by many people that Byron bay had changed dramatically since we last visited10 years ago, so we were very surprised to see that it hadn't change at all. It was just how we remembered it!

Byron bay lighthouse beach,taken just before the entrance to the lighthouse. Some things have changed at the lighthouse though? It is now $7 entrance! Well as we have seen it before we will give it a miss this time.

Brahminy Kite at Lennox heads foreshore, I did originally believe this bird to be a sea eagle. Lennox head was a very nice spot and only the weather put us off staying a while longer.

Well I managed to get a days fishing in and caught about a dozen Brim throughout the day. We were that close that I could have cast out of the Bus's window.

Brim all day long on pieces of Prawn. Luck for these little fella's they all got to swim another day. Sadly the Flathead and Jewfish eluded me once more.

Andrea in her arty-farty mood. She spotted the sea in the clouds. Mmm yes I can see what she means.

Latitude -28 55  02S   Longitude 153 51 54E

Dump-point - Yes Toilets - Yes Water - Yes Pets - Yes Shower - Yes (although communal) Length - 11 Mtrs Level - Yes Noise - No(although football is played regularly  Grassed - Yes Cost - $25 per night Time Limit - None Ring Margaret (onsite caretaker) 0405 198 866

Nimbin via Lismore showgrounds

Lismore show grounds NSW May 12th - 14th 2013

I was really disapointed with Lismore show grounds, amenities were scruffy and had it not been in the perfect location for a visit to Nimbin we would have carried on our merry way.

We have wanted to visit Nimbin for a while now. Andrea's son Mathew had visited there approximately four years ago and came back telling us all about this alternative place. Yes Nimbin was definitely on our to-do list.

The drive from Lismore to Nimbin was different to say the least. The road surface was atrocious and in bad need of serious repair.
However someone had taken it upon themselves to highlight the damage in the road by painting the damage as sort of a disguise!
I wondered who may have done such a thing? It was probably one of the happy people from Nimbin, however I would love to think that it was a wannabe artist road worker being told by his foreman that the road would have to be scraped off and resurfaced. While all the time my rogue hi vizzed, hard hat wearing Leonardo has already planned how he wants the road to look. Maybe if I make it look like a snake they won't notice or complain anymore.

Or maybe a turtle? Or a starburst

Who ever did this, my hat comes off to you, and well done! I know I took my life in my hands trying to take photographs of your artistic endeavours as cars whizzed past at tremendous speeds. I can only hope that if you carry on graffitiing bitumen you take care.

Nimbin main street in all its colourful splendour, the artwork and murals were fantastic, very hippy like with lots of flower power.

Peace man Peace, even the VW kombi is on a high!

The sign says it all about Nimbin, If they get anymore laid back they will fall over !

Another favourite sign, which if everybody followed the world would be a better place.
We enjoyed the variety that Nimbin had to offer although both myself and Andrea did think that it wasn't as clean cut as it looked.
We were offered a smoke as we walked down the main street, we refused and thanked them for the offer, but no matter how Nimbin tries to disguise it, Cannabis is freely available and it shows in the many wrinkled  faces of the people that reside in Nimbin. If ever you needed a reason not to start smoking dope visit Nimbin. I personally have never seen so many un washed people in my whole life.

I haven't left Lismore show ground details as I wouldn't recommend this particular site.

Glenreagh

Glenreagh recreational reserve NSW May 10th - 12th 2013

Glenreagh show grounds were a great choice for an over night stay. We arrived early in the afternoon and duly paid our $8 for the nights stay. The toilet block was well looked after and although the shower block was but a mere tin shed. The showers were fantastic, lots of power and lots of heat.

Stunning views with lots and lots of space. You could set up camp just about anywhere.

We also met our first live wallaby! We had seen many as road kill on our journey up from Victoria. So it was great to see this little Skippy tut tut tut! "Whats that Skip? Car crash send chopper?" tut tut tut.

Sorry I just couldn't resist. 

Sadly, those that understood that last bit of dribble will probably not want to admit to it. 

Now we have all heard of Horse power, you know that stuff about how many draft horses versus a steam locomotive. You know a unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors.

One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. However the term horsepower has widely been replaced by the watt. One horsepower equals 745.7 watts. So if a one ton draft horse exerts x amount of power? Is it fair to assume a new role for casper when driving up a steep hills?

Now before all you animal rights people get your knickers in a twist and start calling the RSPCA! If you take a closer look Casper is wearing his new $5 elasticated twangy bungee pulling lead. So he should be all good to go!

Speaking of horse power and locomotives the Glenreagh Mountain Railway Inc is also housed close by and I was lucky enough to be able to meet one of the volunteers working in the large shed. 

He spoke about the plight of the railway and the need to preserve Australian steam locomotives for the future of all to enjoy. After seeing 1919 in her shed, I have to agree with him. She was never built to be stationary and it is a sad state of affairs to see local history going down the pan.

1919 probably in her heyday and before the do gooders got involved with issues such as health and safety and work cover and the like!

Sadly as i found her in the shed. 1919 (Betsy) will no longer chug her way around New South Wales unless money is spent on her new boiler and further money is spent on the rail tracks that support her. It is such a pity, that a thing of such magnificence can be hidden away. Local and State governments should be ashamed of themselves to let this happen. In my opinion they should skim off the profits attained from gambling (this is only one way to obtain the monies needed, there are many more that we all can think of) to get this problem sorted.

Oh by the way Glenreagh also has the Golden dog pub

and not as we thought the biggest Dingo. However Mr Dean (owner of the pub) and who also helped in the construction of the Big Banana believes that it will bring more customers to his front door. Well Mr Dean if it doesn't? It won't be for the like of trying.

Latitude -30 03 08S   Longitude 152 58 27E

Dump-point - No Toilets - Yes Water - Yes Pets - Yes Shower - Yes 

Length - Big rig Level - Yes Noise - No Grassed - Yes Cost - $8 per night Time Limit - None

Wingham NSW

Wingham Brush nature reserve NSW May 9th - 10th 2013

We were looking for a free camp within 2 to 3 hours from Rathmines, when we came across a place called Wingham. Great we thought until I investigated the place further. It appears that the local council had decided to ban camping at the Brush nature reserve back in December 2012. The free camp was closed mainly due to the caravan park lobby, who I am sure would have every free camp and overnight stop abolished if they had their way. That said we do use caravan parks when needed and we do pay their exorbitant prices. ($62 per night in Byron Bay! I DON"T BLOODY THINK SO!!). During the planning of our trip and well before the bus conversion we had decided that free camping was the way we would like to go and it is due to that decision, the conversion cost more than we had budgeted for.
However on doing further research into the plight of Wingham we discovered that due to an outcry from the Wingham retailers complaining of lost revenue the council's decision was overturned in Feb 2013.
It does go to show that the people still have a voice and we should use it. We should never be afraid to take on the councils and the many fat cats who would like to dictate council decisions.
A new sign has now been erected stating that you can camp there and that you should enjoy it! Good on you Wingham.

View of the Manning river from behind our campsite. The river didn't look too inviting and seemed rather unclean. The Brush nature reserve more than made up for what the river lacked.

Wingham Brush nature reserve is a subtropical lowland rainforest, also known as 'The Brush'. This reserve preserves one of only a few remnants of this rare rainforest type in Australia, and is a significant roosting and maternity site for the grey- headed flying fox.

'The Brush' Is also home to some spectacular Ficus macrophylla, more commonly known as Moreton Bay Figs. These are bloody big trees and I do mean BIG!!

Poor Casper just didn't get it, if truth be known I think that poopy pants was a little bit scared of the forest! Call himself a Bull terrier? 

Run away Dad.  Run away !  Beasties, Ghouls, and Goblins live here and I'm having no part of this!

To be fair to him It did have a feel of platform 9 and 3/4 about it. One minute we were there and the next minute POOF we were gone! 

Wingham Brush was a very magical place to wander through, the bats were spectacular come sunset and were a delight to see.

The picture quality does not do justice to the actual sight but gives you an idea as to how many were in flight.

Wingham is a great place for a couple of nights rest and relaxation and well worth a visit.

Latitude -31 52 12S   Longitude 152 22 49E

Dump-point - No Toilets - Yes Water - Yes Pets - Yes Shower - No 

Length - 11 Mtrs Level - Yes Noise - Some Grassed - Yes Cost - $0 per night Time Limit - 24 hours although when we asked the person who knocked on the bus welcoming us with brochures and the likes the time limit he said we could stay as long as we wanted.

Rathmines Lake Macquarie

Rathmines (Lake Macquarie) May 7th - 8th 2013

Don't you just love forums? Well if you don't you should, especially if you can read between the lines and only take in the valuable information. Ignore the rubbish  and avoid heavy debates and conflict. I think forums are a great way of getting information that is not always available for general use.
We had read that the free camping at Rathmines had been closed by the local council. I asked on a forum I use if this was the case?

It wasn't long before a friend had given me an answer but what was so amazing was she was on her way to Dubai. Thank you.
So we headed off to Rathmines and set up camp next to Lake Macquarie.

Nice flat area along the side of a small wooded area. This will do nicely for a couple of days.





We tethered Casper up outside the bus on his long lead, this would prove a mistake. We didn't realise that a couple of dogs were roaming free around the park area. One was a Great dane (Male and intact) and the other was a small lap dog probably a miniature schnauzer. We were in the bus when the Great Dane decided to pay a visit to Casper. That was a huge mistake on his part as Casper was having nothing to do with this rude intruder. All hackles and muscles Casper made it quite clear that he was unwelcome. I ran out of the bus to calm things down but needn't have worried as the GD thought twice about getting closer to Casper.
Having realised that the GD must be lost Andrea approached it and tried to find a dog tag. Oh no surprise there then NO TAG! People should really take more care of their pet dogs.
Andrea took the pooch for a walk asking at the local shops if anyone knew where the dog lived. Alas nobody knew where the poor thing lived so on her return to the bus she passed some council workers leaning on their shovels (no change there then). Having told them of our plight they found some rope and tied the dog to their vehicle. They would contact a ranger to come collect the dog.
Thirty minutes later the Great Dane had a companion in the shape of a Miniature Schnauzer which had also tried to visit Casper.
The council workers closing statement to Andrea was "We'd like to be able to say we'll  see you again, but  hope we don't"
The next morning the Schnauzer was back in the park free roaming, we didn't see the Dane again.

Cormorants and Pelicans, more anglers to contend with!

Another type of angler A member of the kingfisher family. A kookaburra.
Actually there were loads of thm at Rathmines.

Lake Macquarie just before dusk, it was a beautiful place and so peaceful.

You don't wanna do it like that! You wanna do it like this!

We were just sitting down to our first glass of wine when a whine of another nature interrupted the peace and quiet. I have always loved the sound of the bagpipes, maybe thats why I love Scotland so much?

Rod had only been playing for five years but was brilliant with the chantner. Good on ya mate!

Norah Heads NSW

Norah heads holiday park May 4th-6th 2013

A very nice caravan park situated at Norah heads and only a short walk to the beach. I had a mind to do some serious fishing off the rocks and looked forward to getting my hands on some bait and getting a line wet.

Now I love fishing (all types of fishing) and have done so since I was a teen. I had spent a bloody fortune on bait and headed down to the rocks. I attempted to fish the rocks at the lighthouse and also the rocks immediately out from Norah heads.

Now I'm no scardy cat by any means, however mother nature decided to prove otherwise, as she turned up the heat and threatened to pull me off the rocks and smash my body to a pulp against the jagged rocks. After nearly being ripped off the rocks and getting a proper soaking from head to toe, i admitted defeat. Rock fishing is DANGEROUS!

It is advisable to wear a life jacket when fishing off rocks it is also wise not to fish alone. I was by myself and with no Mae West on!

Norah heads light house, for some reason I have always wanted to live in a lighthouse.









Note to self, don't buy too much bait as it will only go to waste. The other thing is don't believe weather forecasters!

Norah Heads

Latitude -33 17 00S   Longitude 151 33 58E

Dump-point - Yes Toilets - Yes Water - Yes Pets - Yes Shower - Yes 

Length - Big rig Level - Yes Noise - No Grassed - Yes Cost - $26 per night Time Limit - None

Richmond, NSW

May 1st - 3rd, 2013

A friend gave me a snippet of information about a place called Wanderest  Richmond. It seemed too good to be true. For an unpowered site the cost was $4.00 dollars which was the fee for joining the Richmond club. A maximum stay of three days which fitted our criteria perfect.We paid our monies and picked a site.
If a powered site was required it would be an extra $10 per night.

The blue mountain ranges are in the distance.

Bacon butties  for breakfast Nom Nom Nom. Casper the cool dude will also be wanting some!

http://www.wanderest.com.au

Wanderest Richmond

Latitude -33 35 42S   Longitude 150 45 4E

Dump-point - Yes Toilets - Yes Water - Yes Pets - Yes Shower - Yes 

Length - Big Rig Level - Not all Noise - No Grassed - No Cost - $10 per night powered or $4.00 for three night limit unpowered Time Limit - 3 nights