JOURNAL 2000

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January 3rd 2000 (Monday)

Having just checked the date on my watch I'm glad to see that it is Y2K compliant. Finally the Christmas new year period is out of the way and things can start to return to normal.

In December’s Wanderer (the CMCA magazine) I spotted an ad for 1500w inverters for $699 so I have ordered one and hope to have it by the end of the week. This will allow us to run the fridge while we are on the road and may do away with the need for a generator when we are moving from one place to another. (The inverter lasted until 2003 before it packed up.)

I still think we need a bigger generator although I am now looking at a 2.6kva (2000w) Onan instead of anything larger.

We took the boat out on Saturday night as we went fishing with some friends in Ross Creek. We hooked a few small fish - no keepers - but at least we were getting bites. (fish as well as mosquito).

Today we did most of the packing up around the bus as we are due to go house sitting for three weeks starting next weekend. The bus is going out to the back of the caravan park and we will only have to pay $5 a week to keep it there.

I start work again on Wednesday and as I have finished most of the work around the bus that is perfect timing.

Less than three months to go before we head up to Cairns and Atherton - I am really looking forward to that.

January 23rd 2000 (Sunday)

With the period of house sitting nearly over we have moved the bus back on to a site at the caravan park. It's wonderful to turn the Air-conditioner on and get REALLY COOL.

Although the house we have been looking after has a pool, it is an older style Queensland house with ceiling fans and NO FLYSCREENS!! God the mozzies have driven us crazy over the past two weeks. You can't close the house up because it gets very hot so all the windows are open and the mozzies just come swarming in. Even mosquito coils failed to keep them at bay for long.

House sitting makes a change but its always nice to come back home to our old bus.

We still have two days before we are back here full time but we can now come down here and put the Air-conditioners on during the hottest part of the day. The weather is getting quite warm with no sign of a 'wet season' yet.

January 28th 2000

We have now set a date for leaving Townsville (March 18th) when we will head up to Tinaroo for a week with some friends we have made here and catch some red claw (the Queensland version of maron).

After that mum is planning to fly into Cairns and we will come back up the range to Atherton where we can do some exploring. We want to go out to Undara and then on to Daintree. With luck we can get a ferry up to Cooktown which is the furthest north we want to go. Then back down the coast and on towards Mackay.

Tropical fruit is still in season although lycees are going out but longans (my absolute favourites) are coming in.

January 29th 2000

It's hard to believe that it is two whole years since we lost dear old Sam. Time has flown and I guess it has eased the pain somewhat. I often wish we could get another dog, but it just isn't practical while we both have to find work. If we ever decide to settle down again I think that will be the first thing I do.

We are now starting to plan for the trip north. Our first stop will be Tinaroo where we will spend a week catching redclaw in the dam. Then we move to Atherton and shortly afterward we hope mum is going to fly into Cairns where we will pick her up and spend some time touring north Queensland.

Mum will be 87 this year and although she lost her drivers licence a little while ago she is still managing to keep busy. I know she is looking forward to coming over and seeing Queensland. Hopefully we can all go out to Undara as well as going to the Daintree and Cooktown.

February 3rd 2000

We have added a few more tropical fruits to our expanding palate in the past week or so. I'll try and describe a few that we have tried so those with less adventurous tastes will have some idea of what the fruit is like.

Abiu - Big yellow fruit with a soft centre that tastes like caramel. Yummy.

Sempote - Green fruit which we didn't like.

Marang - Big prickly looking fruit which is probably related to the jack fruit or durian. It has small white pods with a seed in the centre of each. Unusual taste, worth a try.

Ice cream bean - YUK ! Supposed to taste like ice cream - tastes like cotton to me!

Lycees - Just like in the tin but much better

Longans - Similar in flavour to lychees but stronger and sweeter. Brown skins rather that reddish.

Rambutan - Red hairy looking fruit. Nice sweet flesh inside but the woody part of the seed tends to cling to the fruit and spoils it a bit.

Star apple - Green star shaped fruit which are crisp and quite refreshing.

Star fruit - Green or purple fruit with seeds in the shape of a star. If the ones we tried were typical I won't try them again.

(it is possible I have mixed up the names of the star apple and star fruit)

Jambu - Really just a lily pilly fruit - we used to eat these as kids. Red fruit with a crisp white centre. Not unlike star apple in texture.

Jack fruit - Big green fruit - looks like a durian but less spiky. String smelling and tasting with orange pods. Some people don't like the smell but it tastes good.

Sour sop - Not sour at all. Green fruit with a soft creamy and delicious centre.

Along with the more unusual fruit there are plenty of mangoes (Bowen mangoes are best), paw paw, passionfruit, bananas, pineapple, grapes, coconuts and so on.

February 6th 2000 (Sunday)

Yesterday we spent the day out at the local speedway, not as you might imagine watching the races, but helping John put together an annexe roof for our bus. We met John (whose brother owns the Townsville speedway) via a mutual friend (Max) and he was kind enough to offer to stitch up a roof for us if we were able to get the material.

All up the main roof (21'x7'6"), an offside cover (3'x21') and a windscreen cover has only coast about $300 - very good value.

Friday night we were visiting a neighbour in the caravan park and I managed to put away a bit more grog than I should so I have been feeling very seedy today. We didn't get to bed until after 1am but despite this with John's hard work the roof is complete and is now attached to the bus.

6 weeks to go now before we are back on the road.

February 10th 2000 (Thursday)

Work for me at the Thuringowa Council is petering out a bit now. I have had the last three days at home as there isn't any work at the office. I have managed to put the driver's side shade up in the last couple of days and also do a few other minor jobs that have been on hold for a while. Now we have a 22' annexe on the passengers side and a 3' x 22' shade on the driver's side. This will not only help keep the temperature in the bus down a bit but it will allow us to open the windows when it is raining and let fresh air in. The main idea is to cut down on air conditioning and save a bit of money - although as I write this the air-conditioner is on - so as the Yanks say 'go figure.'

Belle is getting a bit cheesed off with work as well but won't take a day off as it means a lost days pay.

Not being at work means no access to the internet and I can't update the site as regularly, so the update when it comes should be a big one.

February 14th 2000 (Monday)

Mum's flight is booked for March 26th and she arrives in Cairns at 4.20pm local time. We expect to have the bus in Atherton so will go down to Cairns for the day and pick her up when she arrives.

I have been spending plenty of time (and money) working on the bus but everything is an effort to make life easier when we are travelling. We are on design number 6 for our outside shower tent and I think this time I finally have a winner. It is free standing and quite large and can be set up in about 5 minutes. Hopefully it will be the last time I need to re-design one of our more important facilities.

It has been very hot outside but I am gradually getting all the work done. I'm very happy not to be working at the moment as I just couldn't have found the time to get this done otherwise.

February 17th 2000 (Thursday)

I am no longer wondering where the wet season has got to as it has arrived with a vengeance. I have been getting work on the bus done between showers and I am almost finished now. I am still waiting for word about the solar panel which is due to be in stock by next week. With just over 4 weeks to go until we start heading for Tinaroo I am trying to make sure we are 100% ready for life on the road again.

As part of a power management system for the inverter I have purchased a 24 hour timer which I will use to cut power to the fridge between 8pm and 4am. I am putting this on trial with standard 240v power now to see how it goes. The operating temperature of the fridge is about 2.2 Celsius so I'll see how being off for 8 hours overnight effects things.

As I want to have the shower tent and poles easily accessible I have put a 2 metre length of 160mm storm water pipe across the front of the trailer and capped the ends. This will hold most of the poles etc that we need when we stop overnight.

Apart from the solar panel I still have to put a series of rings along the top of the annexe rail so the roof can be rolled up and tied into position when we are moving. I have to wait for a dry day to finish this off.

February 22nd 2000 (Tuesday)

Rain, rain, rain…. ever since the start of the month there seems to have been little else. Thankfully the council have found some more work for me to do and I will probably be there for the next three days - I'm starting to go stir crazy in the bus.

February 25th 2000 (Friday)

Very heavy rain fell most of last night and is still continuing this morning. Huge areas of Queensland are under water and for a short time today we were cut off as the water came up over the top of the Bohle bridge and water flooded the road towards Hervey Range so we were completely stranded.

There is also a cyclone watch current and Cairns has been flooded. I hope this weather starts to dry up in the next couple of weeks or we are going to find it difficult getting to Tinaroo and Cairns.

March 1st 2000 (Thursday)

After nearly a month of rain we finally have a clear blue sky today. Cairns, Atherton and surrounds have been flooded by a category 2 cyclone which passed through a few days ago, but apart from the rain we were ok down here.

I hope things start to dry out soon as we only have two weeks left before we are due to leave.

I'm stuck in the bus again after having only two days work last week and time is crawling by. The anticipation of moving on always seems to make time slow down in the last few weeks.

I have almost finished all the work on the bus. The last major thing is to install a solar panel and regulator which should be here in the next few days.

Belle is still at work and isn't due to stop until the day before we leave. She's lucky, I wish I still had a bit of paid work to do. I know I'll get at least one and perhaps two more days before we leave but everything at the shire is pretty well tied up now.

March 5th 2000 (Sunday)

The weather has cleared up enough for a day out, and well overdue it is. Despite the locals telling us that there wasn't anything to see at Ravenswood we decided to make the 130km trip back along Charters Towers Road and then take the left hand turn off to go and see for ourselves.

We were pleasantly surprised by a quaint little town with several heritage buildings and two operational pubs. Ravenswood was once the centre of a gold field and has been somewhat restored. Sadly the local authorities have allowed the construction of modern buildings in the town which spoils the pioneer atmosphere, but it was still worth the journey.

As the Ravenswood turn off is about 40km out of Charters Towers, we made the trip into the larger town for lunch - steak and salad for $5 at the local RSL.

The solar panel arrived this week and I spent yesterday wiring it all up. Initial tests show that it delivers more power than the fridge uses, but we are still to make a full test when we get back on the road. The only thing left to do now is get it mounted up on the roof.

March 11th 2000 (Saturday)

Poor old Bugsy's kidneys finally gave up on him and we had the sad news last night that he has been put to sleep. Belle spent a restless night shedding more than a few tears as Bugsy was her special pet. I think he was about 16 and a half and up until he started to show signs of kidney failure last year he was never sick a day in his life. Not a bad run. Now the last of what was our little family have gone.

The day we brought him home as a little kitten, he took one look at our dogs, fluffed himself out in a big ball and chased them down the garden. His was promptly named Bugsy after the gangster Bugsy Malone.

March 16th 2000 (Thursday)

We are just about all packed up and ready to go, so guess what happens? We get a cyclone warning and by evening the rain is pouring down in torrents. At 7pm the cyclone warning is called off but the rain keeps on coming all night.

March 18th 2000 (Saturday)

We were due to leave for Tinaroo today but thanks to the rain the roads are cut and Tinaroo is overflowing so the trip has been postponed. The weather has started to clear now and we hope to be away tomorrow.

March 19th 2000 (Sunday)

We stopped off for the night at Bluewater which is only about 30km north of Townsville. Bluewater is an attractive campsite with toilets, shelters, BBQs and even drinking water but it is quite noisy as all the semis heading north pass right by it.

March 20th 2000 (Monday)

Left Bluewater early and headed for Cardwell. Everything was fine until we got over the Cardwell range. The bus got jammed in first gear and when we were almost on the other side of the range the clutch made some nasty scraping noises and then with a lot of expensive crunching sounds it completely disintegrated.

Luckily we were able to coast into someone's property drive way and phoned for assistance from the CMCA. The bus was eventually pulled up on to a low loader and we were driven back over the range to Ingham where we spent the night in a workshop.

Thankfully I did have a spare clutch plate.

March 21st 2000 (Tuesday)

B#%!!&r b#%!!&r b#%!!&r! the clutch plate wasn't any good and now we are stuck for another night and a new clutch plate has to be brought in. The worst part is going to be the time wasted (and presumably paid for) putting in the plate I had and taking it out again.

March 22nd 2000 (Wednesday)

We finally got back on the road about mid morning. The 12km tow cost $300 and fitting a new clutch plate cost $842.60 - My advice to anyone travelling near Ingham is not to break down! Both these prices are ridiculous.

The towing company was Barra's Transport and the repairer was L&W Repairs. Although everyone was very pleasant their charges were nothing short of profiteering, so I guess they could afford to be friendly.

We stopped overnight at Bramston Beach which is about 36km from Innisfail. I don't have anything nice to say about the drivers in Innisfail as they make life very difficult for heavy vehicles trying to get out on to the road from service stations. I watched a semi driver have to push his way on to the road after being stuck for several minutes and then I eventually had to do the same thing as no one was going to let me out. The drivers in this town are a bunch of ignorant pigs.

Back to Bramston - This is a nice little camp ground situated right on the beach. There is no power but there are toilets and hot showers as well as drinking water. You can use generators from 8.30am to 8.30pm and the overnight fee is $10. The camp ground is a little difficult to turn round in for big rigs but it can be done and there is also plenty of shade.

The road in to Bramston Beach is a bit narrow and it winds about a lot but it is worth it once you get to the end. A couple of wooden bridges looked a bit suspicious but we got across with out vanishing into the rivers.

The drinking water at Bramston is apparently ok but it looked a bit on the brown side to me. We have been using it but I think I will flush out the water tank next chance I get.

March 24th 2000 (Friday)

After a nice relaxing day by the beach we moved on to a small campsite 7km west of Babinda at a place called The Boulders. The camp only caters for about a dozen sites but at this time of year we had it to ourselves.

Nearby is a great swimming hole with clear cold water and there are a couple of walk trails through the rainforest. Technically there is a $5 per person charge for overnight stays but as no one turned up to collect the money we were more than happy to stay for free.

March 25th 2000 (Saturday)

We were up early and arrived at Fishery Falls Van park just before 9am. The first two nights here are $18 (that's $18 for both nights not $18 each) and after that it is $12 a night including power. The park was easy to get in to and easy to turn around in - a big plus for anyone with a big rig. We are about 40km from Cairns and have chosen to stay out here because we will be going both north and south and this is a reasonably central point.

The park is well laid out, has plenty of shade and a nice little pool and I think we will be very happy to spend our time here for the next two weeks.

March 26th 2000 (Sunday)

We had a good look around Cairns and were a little disappointed. Compared to Townsville it was not all that attractive, and the muddy seafront was rather ugly and the town itself seems unplanned and disorganised. The only things Cairns has over Townsville are the nice places scattered around the town.

Mum arrived at the airport on schedule at about 4.30pm and we got back to Fishery Falls sometime after 5pm.

March 27th 2000 (Monday)

We had a full day out today up in the Table lands. We were thinking about taking the bus to Tinaroo but after going up the Gillies and then coming down the Palmerston we have changed our minds.

The trip today included Eacham Lake - good swimming, Tinaroo - good camping and boating, Atherton, Dinner Falls - only average, The Crater and Milla Milla - wow!. The highlights of the day were Eacham and Milla Milla Falls.

March 28th 2000 (Tuesday)

This morning we had a bit of a rest and after lunch went down to Josephine Falls. The guide book says the falls are a 10 minute walk from the car park, which may be true for an athlete but for us unfit people the uphill walk took about twice that long. The falls were beautiful and there was a great little swimming hole at the bottom.

From here we moved on to Bramston Beach for lunch and then back up to the Boulders for a quick swim before heading home for a few well deserved drinks.

March 29th 2000 (Wednesday)

Today we had to go in to Centrelink (oh God!) to register for benefits again. As usual there was a complete cock up where we were sent from one office to another, and yet another before we finally got to where we were supposed to be. This time I lost my temper and let fly with a few expletives about the dills that work there - but it won't do any good. After making an application and having all the details lost and re-entered, and after wasting 2 hours of the morning we finally got away and went down to The Pier - a big building on the sea front - where we had a look at Undersea World - which was ok but not all that big ($8 each). We had lunch at Windows Restaurant which offered a buffet for $14.50 and was very nice.

Finally we went to Stockland shopping centre to pick up a few items before once again making the 30km trip down to Fishery Falls. Cairns is really a dump. The streets are badly laid out and it is quite scruffy compared to Townsville. After experiencing an 8km traffic jam trying to get in to town this morning all I can say is that I am VERY glad we spent 6 months in Townsville; this place would drive me mad.

About 6pm the skies opened up and after a hasty reinforcement of the annexe roof and making sure the tent was secure we had to change our booking for a cruise out to the reef that we had planned for tomorrow.

The cruise we have booked is with Sunlover Cruises and includes a day out on the reef at a pontoon and a second day going up to Kuranda by train and back by skyrail. Both days include lunch and although it is a bit expensive ($230 a head) it works out as reasonable value if the tours were taken separately.

It is now pouring with rain outside and I am hoping that it isn't going to set in. The weather over that last 10 days has been good but I don't like the look of this.

March 30th 2000 (Thursday)

Despite the rain we managed to get in some more sight seeing today. This time we went south to Innisfail and despite my earlier criticism of the ignorant drivers there, the town itself was quite attractive.

Flying Fish Point to the east was a bit of a disappointment - Bramston was much better - and a visit to the crocodile farm ($11 each) was interesting but the highlight of the day, in fact the highlight of our time in Queensland to date, was Paronella Park. It is about a 15 minute drive from Innisfail and costs $12 entry and is the most incredible single thing I have yet seen in Queensland. Anyone who comes up this way and doesn't go to Paronella Park has missed out in a big way.

The area was developed by a Spaniard who came to Australia and built what amounts to a fantasy kingdom for himself and his wife. Words can't do this place justice so do yourself a favour and come up and have a look.

March 31st 2000 (Friday)

Today was a rest and chores day as we got the washing done and settled down to a roast in the evening.

April 1st 2000 (Saturday)

Up reasonably early and off to the Rusty's Bazaar in Cairns to pick up some more tropical fruit. From here we went up the Kennedy Highway to Mareeba which was a bit of a bore so we went on to Mount Molloy and had lunch at the only pub in town. Lunch was huge and cheap, and surprisingly good.

From here we went down the ____ Highway and out to Port Douglas which is getting over developed and is hemmed in by plush tourist resorts for the rich. The area around the town and the foreshore is very nice but most of 4 Mile Beach has been gobbled up by the resorts. The lookout and Anzac Park were the best areas in town.

The drive along Captain Cook Highway from Port Douglas to Cairns is mostly along the coast and very picturesque. There are a number of pull ins for vehicles to stop and take pictures or just admire the view, but drivers beware! Keep your eyes on the road, if you want to admire the view stop and get out of your car. This section of road has more than its fair share of accidents.

Palm Cove wasn't all it is made out to be and the 'camping area' is too small for big rigs like our bus. It was pleasant enough but I still think Bramston Beach is by far the best in the Cairns area.

April 2nd 2000 (Sunday)

We are doing the reef & rainforest tours back to front so today we took the train up to Kuranda (after getting up at about 5am) and had a look round at the markets. The market area was quite large and prices weren't as bad as we had expected, but we didn't buy all that much as we would have to cart it round for the rest of the day.

The butterfly sanctuary ($11.50 a head) was pretty but there weren't enough species of butterfly to see so in the end was a bit disappointing.

If the sanctuary wasn't much good the trip back on the Skyrail was absolutely spectacular. The cable car system carries you over the rainforest canopy for about 7km and although it costs $45 return (you can go up by train and come back by cable car) it is worth every cent.

Lunch at the Tjapukai complex was part of the tour and was buffet style, (not as good as Windows but adequate). The shows put on by the Aboriginal people were informative and interesting. There are three shows detailing creation, history and dance with special headsets for the creation and history sessions which allow visitors to hear the audio section in their own language (8 languages in total).

The Tjapukai complex is well planned and staffed entirely by the local Aboriginal people and it is certainly a good place to visit if you come up this way. It is good to see Aboriginal people involved in and operating a business of this type and something that should be considered in many other centres.

It was a long day out as we only arrived home about 6pm so tomorrow looks like another rest day.

April 4th 2000 (Tuesday)

We had to go back to Cairns and pick up some photos today and had lunch at Cairns Central. The weather has been bad but we can't complain because Townsville has just been hit by a cyclone. The bad news is another one has formed and is heading this way.

April 5th 2000 (Wednesday)

Finally we managed to get a day out on the reef. The tour took us to Fitzroy Island and then out to a pontoon at Moore Reef. The trip included lunch and snorkelling on the reef was one of the highlights of the trip so far. The cyclone moving towards the coast has caused the cancellation of tomorrows boats to the reef so we made it just in time.

April 6th 2000 (Thursday)

Although the weather has been pretty good all day we haven't been out because we are preparing for the cyclone off the coast which looks like it may pass this way later this afternoon. The annexe and tent have been packed away and all loose items are in the car. We had lunch at the local pub and are now sitting and waiting to see which way the wind is going to blow.

April 8th 2000 (Saturday)

The cyclone, which was category 3 at one point, petered out into a rain bearing depression before hitting the coast so now we are coping the rain without the wind.

We managed to get up to Kuranda again yesterday and were hoping that the rain may have eased a bit by today but it has been getting steadily worse overnight. The trip to Daintree is cancelled as the river has risen too much and no boats are going out today. Missing out on seeing the Daintree is a big disappointment for all of us.

I am quite sick of all the rain up here, the roads north and south are both cut due to flooding as we have had about 200mm of rain overnight. We have all lost about 4 days of a 2 week holiday due to the weather.

April 9th 2000 (Sunday)

Mum's flight was put back from 1.25pm to 3.15pm due to the after effects of the cyclone that didn't happen.

We are preparing to move south ourselves tomorrow, depending on the road conditions and we won't be sorry to say goodbye to this area. Cairns is a dump, it is badly signposted and the traffic is awful. We really feel like this has been quite a waste of money, but going out to the reef and coming down the skyrail were two things that were worth doing as was visiting Paronella Park.

If the weather had been better and we had been able to spend a week up in the tablelands I think we may have left with a different impression, but as it is I wouldn't waste my time coming back this way again.

April 10th 2000 (Monday)

We were due to leave today but the weather closed in again and we will stay one more night before making our way south along the coast.

April 11th 2000 (Tuesday)

We are all packed and ready to go but the rain just keeps on coming down. The roads are flooded again and the rain doesn't look like stopping for a week. We are now heartily sick for far north Queensland and its miserable never ending rain.

April 12th 2000 (Wednesday)

We finally decided to make a move despite the rain - which continues unabated - and made our way south to a rest stop 20km north of Cardwell. This area allows for 48 hour stop overs and there are toilets, shelters and lights at night. The only problem is that it is only just off the highway and like most rest stops up here the train line runs behind it so a peaceful nights sleep is out of the question.

If you pass through around May you should be treated to some free tropical fruit as we discovered paw paws, bananas, sour sop, jack fruit, passion fruit, pomelo, mangoes and coconuts all around the rest area. Most of the fruit wasn't ripe but there were some sizeable paw paws which will be ready in a couple of weeks time. The only thing we managed to get was a coconut.

April 13th 2000 (Thursday )

After moving on past Cardwell we have stopped at 5 Mile Creek swimming hole (which isn't an overnight area) and are waiting to see if we get kicked out. We haven't gone swimming in the very inviting looking pool in the river because we don't know what the chances of North Queensland snapping lizards (crocs) being present.

It is STILL raining and very sticky. There are seats, a toilet here and BBQs but no shelters. It would be a lovely spot if the wretched rain would just GO AWAY!

April 14th 2000 (Friday)

We didn't get kicked out but the rain keeps on coming so we are off again and heading for Balgal Beach closer to Townsville.

The further south we drove the better the weather became and by the time we reached Balgal (50km north of Townsville) we had beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Balgal is a good (free) campsite right on the beach and a couple of kilometres inland is another campsite at Rollingstone where you can swim in a fresh stream.

The big problem with Balgal at the moment is the number of mosquitos and sand flies. We took the boat out fishing twice with no luck and only managed an undersized mud crab in the pots.

April 16th 2000 (Sunday)

Belle has come down with a fever so instead of free camping at Rollingstone as we had planned to do we have come back to Townsville and the Range caravan park.

April 24th 2000 (Monday)

We decided to stay at the Range until after Easter to avoid the traffic on the roads and Michael (a friend we have made at the caravan park) put on a BBQ today. Yesterday I managed to do an update to the site as Peter (a friend of Michael's) kindly let me use his PC for a while (thanks Peter).

Today we sat around drinking and eating most of the afternoon, a most pleasant way to spend the day. Thanks to Michael for putting on such a good do.

April 25th 2000 (Tuesday) ANZAC Day

We went over to Fleur & Kevin's (Belle's ex-boss and her husband) early and then went down to see the ANZAC Day march along the Strand. Another of the many friends we have made in Townsville (Max) was marching in the parade and we made the effort to go and see him dressed up with all his medals.

We still expect to move on tomorrow and are going over to see Max & Gai and say goodbye tonight - although they are planning to get back on the road themselves in the near future so I hope we catch up with them again.

April 26th 2000 (Wednesday)

We left Townsville a bit before 9am and drove the 80km to Ayr. The showgrounds are available for CMCA members to stay overnight and cost $5 including power so we decided to stop over.

The ground is well grassed in the showgrounds but I am paranoid about getting the bus bogged so I asked Belle to get out and check the ground. After walking up and down for a bit she declared that it was ok and that I should drive in. I knew half way through the turn that I was in trouble and suddenly the bus came to a squelching halt. I got out to find the wheels sinking into black oozing mud and the grass awash with water. After a few rude comments from me Belle ran off to get help from the shire who sent a tractor round to pull us out.

The weather is still grey and drizzly and still doesn't look like clearing up. Oh for a week of sunshine.

April 27th 2000 (Thursday)

Yet another tropical low has formed off the coast and there is the possibility of another cyclone developing. That makes 3 full cyclones and 3 tropical lows that have formed up here in the last couple of months. We are going to stay put for the moment as we have electricity here and there isn't any point on going on to Whitsunday until the weather starts to improve.

April 28th 2000 (Friday)

We have moved on (a very short distance) to Groper creek 15km east of Home Hill. Groper Creek has boat launching ramps, a jetty, water, power and toilets. It costs $12 a night here but by the looks of the people with boats here there must be some good fishing somewhere nearby.

We are booking in for 3 nights to see how it goes. Apparently there are prawns, crabs and a number of fish species in the creek so we will cross our fingers. All we caught on our outing today was one small catfish but at least that was something.

April 30th 2000 (Sunday)

So far we have caught 1 catfish, 1 prawn and 7 undersized mud crabs - not exactly fishing paradise. We are going to have another go tomorrow and if it is still as bad we will head off. The tides are big at the moment so water movement is very fast on the creek and it was a battle getting back up to the camp site. The only way to go is to go full throttle all the way. No wonder everyone here has big engines on their boats.

Weather wise we got more rain this morning but it has cleared up for the rest of the day.

May 1st 2000 (Monday)

The fishing is gradually getting better but we still haven't managed to catch a meal. We caught several catfish and three bream but the bream were either undersized or just legal size so we put them back. Crabbing isn't much better. We keep catching crabs but they aren't legal size.

We are going to give it one more day and see if there is any improvement before making up our minds about moving on.

May 2nd 2000 (Tuesday)

After a quick trip into Ayr for supplies we went out fishing again and apart from 3 catfish, another undersized bream and several undersized crabs we were again unsuccessful. Later in the day I checked the crab pots again and we finally caught our very first legal sized green mud crab. HOORAY !

Since we arrived we have met 3 other couples (Sam & Daphnie, Kaye and Terry, Deardrie & Buckets) - all CMCA members; who are staying at Groper Creek for a while. Today we joined forces to produce three different crab dishes for dinner and the results were enjoyed by all. (Deardrie's Crab stir fry, Terry's curried crab and Belle's Singapore chilli crab.)

A total of 9 mud crabs went into the pot and by late evening only a few cleaned out shells remained. A yummy end to a good day. We have now decided to stay a full week.

May 3rd 2000 (Wednesday)

More fishing and crabbing resulted in the loss of one of our crab pots and only undersized catches. We are now keeping any catfish we catch to use as crab bait.

May 6th 2000 (Saturday)

After not having much success fishing at Groper Creek we have moved on to Bowen. We are spending our first night at the romantically named Harbour Lights Caravan Park. The name is about the only thing remotely romantic about the place. We have been charged $17 for the night and the park is a disgusting mess. I have rarely seen such an ugly, unattractive caravan park. We have had a good look round at the other parks and have booked in for a week at the Tropic Beach. It is a bit expensive at $103 for the week but it is right on the beach and is very nicely kept. Horseshoe Bay - which was recommended to us by friends only has a limited number of large sites and we didn't feel happy about getting the bus into one of the small sites that were available.

Bowen and the surrounding coast is very attractive, and as we had yet another flat tyre on the trailer thanks to Queensland roads, we are hoping to find some work in the area.

May 8th 2000 (Monday)

Bad weather continues to dog our footsteps, and after one fine day when we arrived in Bowen the weather is overcast and rainy again. We joined up with the local library ($53 deposit for tourists) and I managed to update the web site ($4 per hour at the library for internet connection).

We also registered with NEATO (an employment agency) and will register with CHR tomorrow. There doesn't seem to be much work around here at the moment but fruit picking season isn't far away so we may wait for that to start while we keep an eye out for better jobs around the Mackay area.

4 new tyres for the trailer $296. - I'll cross my fingers that we won't have any more trouble with blown tyres now.

May 10th 2000 (Wednesday)

The weather has cleared up a bit but blowin' Bowen is certainly living up to its nick name.

May 13th 2000 (Saturday)

After a fairly dull week in Bowen we are moving on to Mackay tomorrow. Today we went down to Airlie Beach which despite being over commercialised is still a very pretty area.

Further north Hideaway Bay is cluttered with houses which block access to the beach and Dingos Beach which is very nice but it is a long drive. We were going to have a look at Elando but the state of the road was so disgusting we turned back after only a few kilometres.

May 14th 2000 (Sunday)

On the way out of the caravan park at Bowen this morning I collected a pole and then blamed Belle for not helping when it was really all my fault… now I'm in the 'dog house'. The pole ended up a bit bent but the poor bus has had a panel buckled and it will take me a lot of work to fix it. I'm still trying to work out how it happened.

Our first impressions of Mackay are not too good. We tried 3 caravan parks before finding one that would take a bus. Big rig owners avoid Central, Tropic and Premier as you won't be welcome.

We finally found a very nice caravan park (Andergrove) which not only takes buses but has a nice pool area and one of the best camp kitchens I have ever seen in a van park. It's a little expensive ($96 a week) but it is a well kept park with good toilets and showers so if we do end up being here long term it will be a good place to come home to after work.

The weather is gradually getting better - today was beautiful - but the mornings are getting very chilly.

May 16th 2000 (Tuesday)

Belle went to see the labs in town today to find out about the chances of finding work. I sent out some job applications yesterday and have already had one response asking me to call back.

We have been looking round the general area and have found that Mackay has some nice beaches to the north of the town. We haven't had much of a look at the southern end yet but hope to get to that in the next couple of days.

Our first negative impressions of Mackay have gradually dissipated as we find both the town and its surroundings are quite attractive.

May 19th 2000 (Friday)

The change in the caravan park since we got here is unbelievable. When we got here on Monday there was only one other caravan in the tourist area now it is almost full. Most people have come in within the last two days and have brought the weather from down south with them - wind and rain!

We finally got rid of our old mattress which really should have gone over a year ago. The new one cost $325 so our savings took another big hit.

We have seen most of the interesting places in the immediate area including an amazing marina with the biggest boat ramp I have ever seen. There is going to be a lot of development in that area and already there are dozens of yachts and launches moored there.

If the weather clears a bit on the weekend we want to go exploring further from town.

There isn't anything promising on the job front yet but I have been applying to a large number of businesses in town, hopefully something will turn up in the next month or so.

May 20th 2000 (Saturday)

After a quick visit to the rather disappointing Foundry Markets (on the road to Mackay Harbour) we drove out to Seaforth in the afternoon. Seaforth is about 45km north of Mackay.

There is a very large camping area at Seaforth with well grassed shady sites which will accommodate even the biggest motorhome. There are toilets, showers, water and shelters - all right next to the beach. The cost is $8 a night or $40 a week. There is no power available so you need solar power if you want to run electrical appliances.

Further along the coast from Seaforth is the national park at Cape Hillsborough. There is another (smaller) campsite on the bay here and the same fees apply. The only problems in this area were swarms of biting sandflies.

The countryside in these areas is very attractive with a mixture of farms and forest covered hills.

May 24th 2000 (Wednesday)

Today we went west from Mackay along the Pioneer Valley then up to Eungella (apparently pronounced Young-ella - by the way locals pronounce Mackay Mack-eye) and finally to Broken River where the platypus is said to live. We didn't see any but there were quite a few turtles.

The drive up the range at the end of Pioneer Valley is very steep and there are some real hairpin bends. It is a much more difficult road than any we came across in the Cairns area so I certainly wouldn't think about taking the bus up there.

At Broken River there is a campsite in the National Park. There are some excellent walking trails in this area along side the river. The rainforest here is very attractive. 33km further on down a pretty rough unsealed road is Eungella Dam. At the top of the range is a lookout called the Sky Window which gives a complete view of Pioneer Valley and is a good spot to stop and have lunch.

Heading back towards Mackay (back in the valley) you pass through the small town of Finch Hatton before reaching the turn off (left) to the Finch Hatton Gorge. The last section of road out to the parking area is VERY rough. We managed to get through in the little Barina but there are several creek crossings and the track is in very poor shape. (Typical national park road).

On the way out to the car park is a small campground but it is small and unsuited to big rigs or caravans.

The Gorge is a 1.6km walk from the car park but it seems like a lot more as you are going uphill for all but about 400m. The walk is still very pleasant and the falls at the end are something like Dinner Falls on the Atherton Tablelands.

Once you are back on the sealed road the drive back to Mackay takes you through several small towns and the trip up to Eungella is a good days outing. There are two other dams along this road which we will take the time to explore a little later on.

The weather has been a bit cloudy but there hasn't been any rain.

May 28th 2000 (Sunday)

Today marks two and a half years on the road and I have to admit to a growing desire to go back to W.A. While it's interesting moving around seeing different places, you start to feel out of place. There is no sense of belonging and everywhere you go you are just a stranger.

The east coast is much too over populated for me. There isn't anywhere that is all that remote and around every other bend in the road is another small town. Perhaps I have spent too long in W.A. where you can drive a couple of hundred kilometres without seeing another vehicle, far less another town. I have to admit that I yearn for the wide open spaces that just don't exist over here.

Our outing today was back out towards Pioneer Valley and up to Teemburra Dam. There is a big parking lot by the dam (where we noticed a Motorhome has set up camp) with a boat ramp, but again it is at the top of a steep winding road - part of which had collapsed - so no chance of getting the bus up there.

We came back towards Mackay and then south to Kinchant Dam where there is a good recreation area and a campsite - but again not much space for a bus. Water skiing is popular at the dam and the road out (from Marian) is sealed all the way.

I think I'll give it another week here looking for work and if nothing turns up we'll head south again.

June 3rd 2000 (Saturday)

After a fruitless week of running around looking for work we took time out to relax today and took the boat out fishing in the local harbour. The morning was crisp and clear and the wind was blowing fairly strongly from the south east (doesn't it always!), the hooks were loaded with succulent bait - and the fish had gone on holiday.

We were so spectacularly unsuccessful that the fish we are having for tea tonight came from the supermarket. Thinking back I don't remember catching a decent fish since we left W.A. (Yet another reason to go back).

Weather wise; the days are sunny and clear and the nights and COLD. This is the fist time we have given the heater a good work out since we have been on the road.

June 9th 2000 (Friday)

Well the fine weather didn't last too long. The past 3 days have been grey and wet. I wonder if there is ever any real fine weather up here.

The lack of entries signifies a big drop in things to do at the moment. We still have just under $5000 to keep us going but now we have to start being careful. Our search for work is now spreading south and I have even started applying for work in Sydney - not that I really want to be any where near that city when the Olympics are there.

I know now isn't really the time to start thinking about buying things but I'll keep this list for the time we are both back at work:

Wish List:

Service & tune bus (done at Alice Springs 2003)

Spare tyre holder on trailer

2 deep cycle batteries (Bought in Alice 2003)

New water hose (Bought in Adelaide 2001)

New cushions for bus (Done in Adelaide 2002)

New lino for bus (Done in Perth 2001)

Fish finder for boat (Bought in Karratha 2003)

Swivel bases for front seats in bus (Sort of done in Perth 2001)

June 18th 2000 (Sunday)

Today marks our last day in Mackay. We haven't found any work here and despite a few fine days it seems to do little else but rain. We have to move on to a bigger centre before our money gets too low. We only have about $4000 in the bank at the moment and with fuel for this trip costing from $350-$700 and the car rego due next month we can't take too many chances.

June 19th 2000 (Monday)

After a 9am start we got almost as far a s Sarina (30km) when trouble struck (again!). A car pulled round in front of us honking his horn, so we pulled over to find that a wheel had come adrift from the trailer and had sailed off into the grass at the side of the road. (So much for my ability to tighten wheel nuts).

While I was unsuccessfully looking for the wheel (with brand new tyre attached) another bus that we had been parked near in Mackay (Arthur & Kaye) pulled up and by the time I got back they had put the spare on for us. Thanks guys.

There was a wreckers only 100 yards from where we pulled up so we managed to buy another spare and 5 more wheel nuts for $35.

We pushed on without further incident and reached a rest area 12km past the St Lawrence turn off about 2pm. This is a good spot to spend the night as it has toilets, water, BBQs, shelters, tables and seats and a large turning circle.

We met another CMCA member (Ron) who provided some steak for dinner - while we did the vegies - and spent the evening chatting while the weather kept trying to put the BBQ out.

June 20th 2000 (Tuesday)

An early start got us to Rockhampton at about 11am, but by this time we had another problem to contend with. The brakes on the bus have stopped working correctly. We ran all over town looking for a repairer and eventually found Bramac but they can't look at the bus until next Monday, so in the meantime we have booked in to a caravan park and will take the opportunity of looking round the area.

We spent the night at Ramsays Creek rest area 11km north of Rockhampton, and a noisy restless night it turned out to be.

June 21st 2000 (Wednesday)

We had the chance to look around Rockhampton today and despite the fact that the town is 40km or so from the coast, its setting on the Fitzroy River is quite attractive. The Fitzroy is the longest river in Queensland and there are a large number of boats moored near the centre of town, and there are many historic buildings along the river's edge.

The caravan park we are in only charges $13 a night including power but we later found out that CMCA members can stay at the showgrounds for $7.50 a night (Curses foiled again!).

June 22nd 2000 (Thursday)

This morning started cold and misty, but by mid-morning the mist had started to clear and we took a trip out to the coast to look at Emu Park and Yeppoon. The Capricorn Coast as it is called is dotted with bays of various sizes and is very attractive. The big attraction in the area is Great Keppel Island but as we don't have the funds we won't be going out to see it.

Further north from Yeppoon is state forest and the tiny town of Byfield. The campground 2km off the main road is easily accessible but the whole area would be cut off after any heavy rain.

Yeppoon is becoming over developed, and as with all development, once it starts the small camp grounds get closed down and travellers are forced into caravan parks.

June 27th 2000 (Tuesday)

We took the bus in the Bramac yesterday to have the brakes looked at but were told that we were looking at a bill of $3000 plus. Since we don't have that kind of money to spend on repairs we are making our way VERY slowly south.

Last night we stopped at Calliope (pronounced Cal-Eye-O-Pee) River and are now parked on the south bank of the river in a big 48 hour camp ground.

We will stay another night before moving on to the Boyne River which is another 20km or so south of here.

June 28th 2000 (Wednesday)

After two nights at Calliope we moved on to the rest area at Granite Creek (63km north of Gin Gin). There is a good turning circle and all the usual amenities including toilets but we arrived early and moved on in the afternoon to another rest area which is just north of Gin Gin. This is a large area where you can get back from the main road a bit, but there are so many semi-trailers going past it is still quite noisy.

June 29th 2000 (Thursday)

We heard about a good campsite at Inskip point from Mary - another CMCA member - who is staying here for a couple of nights. This morning we packed up and were in the process of driving out of the rest area when the engine failed. After determining that I had plenty of fuel, and that there was spark from the distributor to the plugs, I gave up and called a local mechanic. (John Goggi Ph. 4157 2398). John was very helpful and located the problem in the gas system. As he isn't a gas fitter we decided to take the offending part in to Bundaberg to a gas conversion business who found that the diaphragm had ruptured. All up this will cost us about $150, but with a bit of luck we will be back on the road tomorrow sometime.

We hadn't planned a trip to Bundaberg but it turned out to be quite a pleasant little town and on the way back down the Gin Gin road we came across a fruit winery. Despite the current lack of funds we treated ourselves to three bottles of different fruit wines which are reasonably priced from $8.50 to $12.95.

We are now settling in for another night and hoping the new day will see us moving again.

June 30th 2000 (Friday)

The part we are waiting for still hasn't arrived so we are stuck for yet another night. Thanks to the delay we will also get charged GST on top if it doesn't manage to get here later today…

Later…..

Thankfully the diaphragm arrived and the fuel mixer was ready just before 5pm, so I made the 100km round trip and fitted the mixer back in to the engine. The engine fired up without any problem so we packed up ready to leave in the morning.

July 1st 2000 (Saturday)

After testing the engine on gas and petrol we set off towards Childers. The only problem was the speedometer had now stopped working.

We stopped at Childers hoping to find some fruit picking work but nothing was available so on we went to Maryborough. Only 20km north of town the bus started violently backfiring and suddenly lost all power.

Stranded yet again, we took the car off and drove into town to organise a tow. The only suitable tow truck came from Gympie and another $300 vanished from our dwindling bank account.

We have been taken in by Wayne and Sue who have very kindly given us the use of their back garden and hooked us up to power in their house. Wayne runs a towing service in Maryborough (Kellys Towing Ph. 4121 5974) and their help is more appreciated than they will ever know.

Now we have to decide what to do next. The bus already has brake problems and now seems to be unreliable when travelling so we are thinking about having it transported directly to Melbourne where I have the best chance of finding a good paying job.

July 3rd 2000 (Monday)

The transport costs to Melbourne are about $2000 which is very tough for us to pay, but we will clear the VISA card for this month and then put the transport bill on the credit card. This will give us a month before we have to pay it off, and hopefully by that time I will have a job lined up in Melbourne and we will be settled down again.

Wayne and Sue have made us feel very welcome, and Wayne has spent time arranging the transport for us so despite the problems with the bus we aren't feeling too bad. It's very nice to have someone helping when you are down.

July 5th 2000 (Wednesday)

We took Wayne and Sue out to dinner last night to thank them for all their help while we made up our minds what to do with the bus and then this morning the bus was picked up by a large hook truck and carted all the way down to Brisbane ($650 - oh no!). Our ideas of going to Melbourne were just too expensive and too difficult so we have settled for Brisbane where we should be able to find work.

Although the bus is driveable the lack of brakes made it just too dangerous to try and get into the city, so we opted to fork out the extra money and now we are safely in place at the Watson Convention Centre on Old Gympie Road north of the CBD.

Watson Park is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist church and is one of several sites around Australia where the general public can come in and stay for $77 per week. These camp grounds are not widely known, but they have excellent facilities and are available for all but a few weeks a year when the church holds its own gatherings.

We will spend the next few days settling in and getting to know our surroundings and then on Monday we will have to start our job search in earnest.

July 6th 2000 (Thursday)

We were looking round the Redcliffe area this morning when we passed a caravan park (Bells) which is right near the sea. We spotted a couple of busses there and went in to enquire about sites. Apparently these are the only two bus sites but one is due to move out in about 4 weeks so we put or names down for the site once it is vacated. Rent there is $60 plus power so it should work out cheaper than where we are at present.

Redcliffe is a very attractive area (reminiscent of Cottesloe or Peppermint Grove in Perth) and is not too far from the city if that is where we end up working.

July 7th 2000 (Friday)

As the weather is staying fine (for a while anyway) we drove north to have a look at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. From what we saw in Caloundra we won't be going back all that often. The beaches are very nice but the whole area is full of traffic and is vastly over-developed.

On the way back to the bus we had a look at Donnybrook which is much more to our taste. Very few streets and a quiet seaside location looking out on to Bribie Island to the east. Bribie Island itself is accessible by a bridge and the southern end is typical of many suburbs on the mainland.

On the eastern side of the island is Surf Beach - which at the time we were there was hardly living up to its name. Back on the west side of the island is Bungaree and views of the mainland across the water.

July 8th 2000 (Saturday)

Today's trek took us south into the city and the over the river to South Bank. The CBD area is about twice the size of Perth and the journey in to town is not very straight forward. South Bank is a public open space combined with museum, art gallery, exhibition centre, markets and so on. It is a nice area but difficult to get to and expensive to park in $6.60 for two hours!

Drivers here all seem to be nutty as fruit cakes. Red lights, double white lines and stop signs seem to be alien concepts. We have seen more accidents or near accidents here in three days than we would see in Perth in a month.

The Queensland trick of pulling straight out in front of you from side roads is hardly new, but the wild abandon with which it is carried out beggars belief.

Yesterday we saw a tail end collision, today we saw two lots of screeching brakes, one driver running a red light and one going straight from a right turn only lane. No wonder this place has so many accidents, they must have all got their driving licenses from Kmart.

I think we will stay away from the city as much as possible.

July 9th - 13th 2000

We haven't been doing much over the past few days except apply for jobs all over the place. We did take one trip out to Ipswich - a big waste of time. And called in at Mount Coot-tha and got a good view of the city on the way back. Needless to say we got lost trying to find our way out of the city area again!

I wish Queensland road authorities would stop the practice of having different names for the same road. Another example has popped up in Kippa Ring (renamed Fish Butt by me) where Elizabeth St becomes Coote Rd and then Elizabeth St again further along. This kind of stupidity exists all over the outskirts of Brisbane.

July 14th 2000 (Friday)

I had a job interview this morning and have managed to get a part time job doing mostly technical work at a small computer store in Clontarf (in walking distance from the caravan park we hope to move to in a couple of weeks.)

The job won't even get us past the break even point but at least it is a start.

July 15th 2000 (Saturday)

We went out to Deception Bay this afternoon to do some yabby pumping on the mud flats when the tide went out. After catching a few (pretty hard work) we went round to Woody Point and tried some fishing but the fish were still on holiday.

July 18th 2000 (Tuesday)

My first day at the new job wasn't much of a success. Of the four jobs I looked at today I only got close to finishing one. Driving home in the dark was a bit nerve racking and I've decided not to drive at night anymore. My eyes aren't too good at night so its safer if I stick to driving during daylight hours.

Today was also our 19th wedding anniversary, but due to the tight financial situation we are in at the moment we will have to put any celebrations on hold for a while.

July 19th 2000 (Wednesday)

Although I was a bit more productive at work today, I have been out of the technical side of computing for a long time and have fallen behind in a few areas. It will be interesting to see if I get asked to go back in next week. I still don't know how much I'm supposed to be getting, but since I haven't got anything better to do at the moment I don't have much to loose.

July 21st 2000 (Friday)

As a change from driving around the city we decided to take the train in today and purchased what are called southern explorer tickets ($8.60 each) which allows for all day travel on bus train and ferries.

After a look around the central city area we went out to 'The Valley' (Fortitude Valley) where there is a small Chinatown area covering a couple of blocks. Belle has been hanging out for some dim sum so we had lunch and then took another train out to Sandgate. Once we are staying at Woody Point, Sandgate will be our closest train station and we wanted to see how long the trip into the city would take.

Brisbane city is so full of vehicle fumes it was a relief to get back out into the suburbs again.

July 22nd 2000 (Saturday)

After a quick trip up to Morayfield shopping centre near Caboulture we decided to head further north to have a look at the Glass House Mountains. Most of the area around the mountains is national park or state forest and the mountains themselves are a series of isolated peaks which travellers along Bruce Highway will be well acquainted with. The area was pretty but I can't say that it was overly impressive.

After a few minutes at one of the lookouts we went back to the main road and then north again to Maroochydore and finally to Noosa.

Both areas are heavily developed but both have the saving grace of lovely waterways for boating and fishing. It's a nice change to see the ocean looking crystal clear after months of looking at the churned up brown waters further north.

On the way back we called in at the Ginger Factory and the Nut Factory - both were horribly over-priced and real rip-off tourist joints. A couple of pricing examples: Chocolate ginger in Coles is about $14 a kilo, the Ginger Factory was asking $30. In the Nut Factory macadamia nuts were $22 a kilo and $17.50 a kilo in Coles. What's the point of driving all the way out to these places if all they do is try to rip you off?

Another time wasting place was Aussie World where the admission is free only because no-one would go there if it wasn't. If you like half baked amusement parks and more tourist prices for tacky souvenirs made in China then you'll love Aussie World. We hated it.

The Ettamogah pub replica wasn't all that good either. Depending on which way you go, the drive from Brisbane to Noosa is between 120-150 kilometres. Thanks to the Bruce Highway the drive is pretty easy and stress free.

From what we've seen of Brisbane and its surroundings so far, we only really like the Redcliffe/Woody Point area. Parts of the Sunshine Coast are ok but mostly it's over developed. Bribie Island is nice enough but nothing special and inland there are a couple of big lakes and a lot of hills. Over all it's a bit disappointing and the city is an absolute nightmare to negotiate.

July 30th 2000 (Sunday)

Another week gone and we aren't any closer to getting full-time work. The part-time job I had fell through because I am no longer up-to-date on the technical side of computing and nothing else has turned up so far.

We haven't been going out much but this morning we went south across the Gateway bridge (toll $2.20 each way) and had a look at Wellington Point. I still don't think much of Brisbane but at least we have discovered the Gateway is a good way to bypass the city.

I am getting a bit concerned about a large lump that has come up on my abdomen after having the hernia operation. It has gradually getting bigger and has recently started getting sore so I suppose I had better get it checked out.

August 9th 2000 (Wednesday)

Nothing going on but job hunting at the moment and we are starting to get pretty desperate. I applied for 40 jobs today alone but out of all the applications I have sent so far I have only had a handful of replies and they have all been negative.

On a completely different tack, I am forced to comment on the weather again as it has been rainy and miserable for the last week. It doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is, there is always some rain hanging around. Looking at the pictures I have taken in Queensland only about 30% show blue skies and I think that's just about the right proportion. So much for 'Beautiful one day, perfect the next' What a load of BULL!

August 13th 2000 (Sunday)

Well a lot has happened in the last week. We started a training course on Monday designed to help us find work and despite some misgivings to start with I have to admit that it has saved me money in making applications by mail.

Belle has managed to find 8 weeks work at Chermside Hospital but only as a Lab Assistant so the money isn't great. It will take a bit of pressure off for a while but by the end of that time I hope to be in a job myself.

Yesterday we went fishing at Donnybrook but only managed to catch three undersized whiting which we let go. Never the less it was a nice day out on the water and the first time we have managed to get out since we were in Mackay.

Last night we moved from Watson Park to a caravan park near Woody Point. We had been waiting for a site to open up in the park next door but had to move now as I will need access to public transport. The upside is that the area round the park is lovely, in fact we think it is the best area in Brisbane. We are just across the road from the sea and there are plenty of places to walk and cycle.

As the bus brakes are still dodgy we decided to move the bus in the early hours of the morning. I was surprised to find that the brakes have come back to being about 80% effective - they were only about 20% before - and instead of moving at 4am we could probably have done it during the day. Anyway now we are finally settled in with the annexe up and everything tidy and clean.

August 26th 2000 (Saturday)

We have been at Bramble Bay for two weeks now and Belle has settled in to her work at Chermside. I have sent out about 130 job applications in the last two weeks but have only had one reply.

We have trouble brewing on the home front with my niece's defacto getting on the phone yesterday and abusing me for refusing to allow them to have a Rottweiler on the property as they are untrustworthy and my mum who lives in the unit at the back would not feel safe. He had gone behind my back and bullied my mother into agreeing to let them have the dog when I had specifically told him he could not bring it on to the property. He was aggressive and wouldn't let me get a word in and when he started using four letter words I told him that I had, had enough and he could get out of the house. He then went on to tell me that I was "F'n ungrateful etc etc…' I have now given him two weeks to find alternate accommodation before I have him removed for trespassing.

People never cease to amaze me. We have allowed him to stay in our home for over 18 months and have not received a cent in rent during that time, AND I AM UNGRATEFUL ! What a little s&$t.

August 31st 2000 (Thursday)

The end of August and I still don't seem any closer to finding a job. We have started looking at alternatives now and it is even possible that we will go overseas for a year, possibly to the middle east to find work.

Southern Queensland has not been a good place for us so far. I continue to see work in my area going in Melbourne and Sydney but we haven't got the resources to get the bus down there.

The situation at home has calmed down a bit now and I have extended the deadline from 2 weeks to 2 months but I can't say I'll be sorry to have peace and quiet again once the house is vacated. I still don't know why I put up with being walked on all the time.

September 6th 2000 (Wednesday)

Although I have another interview tomorrow, I don't have much hope of getting a decent position in Brisbane. We are still in discussions with a company with regard to going to work in the United Arab Emirates for a year. The discussion has been going on for some weeks now and it looks like it is a real possibility, although its not going to happen overnight.

September 8th 2000 (Friday)

The interview I had yesterday may have been just another time waster as there is nothing is available for at least a couple of months. Belle also had some bad news and has not even reached the interview stage for the job she applied for at Chermside. I am getting the distinct feeling that we are not welcome in Brisbane.

The job Belle has now finishes in about five weeks and the money she is being paid isn't even more than we get on the dole when we take petrol and car expenses into account. Currently we are going broke at a rate of between $80 and $180 a week. Our savings aren't going to last forever so I hope something turns up soon.

September 16th 2000 (Saturday)

I have switched focus now to applying for work in Melbourne or Adelaide. There are jobs in my line of work going there almost constantly, but the challenge will be to get one without having to attend an interview.

Today we took a long drive out to Mount Glorious, where the scenery reminded us of the hills behind Cairns, and then on to Lake Wivenhoe and up to Sommerset Dam. There are some very pretty areas around the lake and a couple of good campsites at the base of the dam and another further north at Kirkleagh. At $11 a night they are a bit expensive, but Kirkleagh is an excellent camping area with access to the dam.

At the end of the dry season the area around the lake is very dry and brown, it would be so much more attractive after rains when it all greens up again.

September 23rd 2000 (Saturday)

Another week gone and still I can't find a job - this is getting ridiculous!

This weekend decided to go and have a look at the Gold Coast, although it isn't exactly the kind of place we are drawn to. For a brief period we left Queensland while we had a look around Tweed Heads (which is just over the border in New South Wales.)

The Gold Coast is everything you would imagine from the photographs in tourist brochures. Big brash and modern with tourists everywhere. The traffic in the area wasn't as bad as I had imagined and parking was surprisingly easy even right by the beach. I have to admit that it really is a great beach but all the skyscrapers really don't make it attractive.

Shopping in the area is good with Daimaru centre being one of largest complexes we have seen in Australia so far.

October 6th 2000 (Friday)

The lack of journal entries signifies that nothing has changed in the past two weeks. We are now thinking about moving on to Melbourne as I have been completely unsuccessful at finding work up here. Belle's temporary job finishes up in two weeks and next weekend we are planning to go back up to Maryborough and pick up the car trailer. Belle is taking 3 days off and we plan to stay at Inskip Point for 4 nights which might make up for missing it on the way down. We don't have the money to go to Fraser Island even though it is only just across the channel at Inskip. Maybe we'll go over in the dinghy just to say we set foot on the island.

We have managed to get a tow ball put on the car ($195) which means we don't have to rent a vehicle to pick up the trailer. The challenge will be to pack all the camping gear and the boat gear into the car. Coming back will be fine as we can put the boat on the trailer, but going up will be a bit of a squeeze.

We did manage to go swimming at the Redcliffe Lagoon last weekend but it isn't something I can recommend as it was absolutely packed out. Far too many people and not enough space.

On a completely different tack, I noticed that the one place I did get a job here closed down a couple of weeks ago. I can't say I am surprised as it was a real disorganised mess.

October 11th 2000 (Wednesday)

We are off to Maryborough in the morning to pick up the trailer. We are stopping at Inskip point for a few nights on the way back and hope to do some fishing. The weather has been fine for nearly three months so guess what happens the day before we are due to go off and try to get some fishing done - it pours with rain! If I didn't know better I'd say someone had got it in for us at the moment.

October 12th 2000 (Thursday)

We left early under darkening skies and reached Maryborough about 9.30am. After a brief stop over at Wayne and Sue's to pick up the trailer - and after thanking them again for all their help, we took off for Inskip Point praying that the weather would improve.

Inskip is an excellent camping area but it is getting some very heavy use and is starting to get overcrowded despite having almost 300 campsites. The cost per night is $3.50 + GST per head and there are some good toilet facilities at the point but no sign of rubbish bins and NO WATER - fill up at the taps on the road to Inskip from Rainbow Beach.

It was a very grey day but managed to hold off actually raining so after we had set up camp we went fishing. There weren't many fish on the bite and by this time it was starting to get dark so we resorted to steak for tea.

October 13th 2000 (Friday)

We woke to more rain but by mid-morning the skies had cleared and we were treated to the magic of Inskip Point at its best. The sand flats are home to thousands of yabbies and armed with a bait pump we quickly managed to pick up enough to supplement the bait we had brought with us.

There were plenty of whiting around but all were undersized so again we ended up eating the food we had brought with us.

October 14th 2000 (Saturday)

Overnight the weather closed in and the early hours of the morning saw the skies open. Undaunted we were off and out fishing again early but now the weather really livened up. Ripping winds and driving rain tried to chase us from the water but we were made of sterner stuff. We sat it out and finally the weather began to break. The fish were off the bite so we had sat out in the boat freezing and getting soaked for nothing.

Still it was better than sitting in the tent which was a long way from waterproof.

October 15th 2000 (Sunday)

Now with the weather totally clear and the winds fairly light we fished the whole tide and had a few whiting to show by the time we made our way back to shore. The yabby banks were now producing heaps of free bait for much less effort than before (I had learned by watching others and now know that angling the bait pump got much better results than going straight down).

By evening we had cooked all the remaining food and were wondering what to do as night closed in when I suggested we go out in the boat and do some night fishing. Belle complained loud and long but when the rod she was holding suddenly bent almost double and the line snapped she was singing a different tune.

Not long afterwards it happened again and she chickened out and handed me the rod (now with the drag set correctly) to me. I was hoping for a huge flathead but in the end I brought a biggish ray to the surface and having had the opportunity to land it, decided (wisely) to cut the line and let it go.

Shortly afterward I caught an eel which also got put back then we started getting among the whiting, and this time they were good sized fish. Now 'happy as Larry' Belle couldn't get enough of night fishing and we were out until after 10pm.

October 16th 2000 (Monday)

Our last day at Inskip and we were up early to catch the low tide and stock up on yabbies again. After packing most of the campsite up we took the boat out one last time but didn't have a lot of success. The engine wasn't exactly running smoothly but Belle wanted to go out into the main channel so with a little misgiving (NOTE TO SELF: Next time you feel like this don't listen to others) we went out and were soon getting bite after bite - but no fish. We just kept on losing bait and no matter what we did the fish remained masters of the moment. With the bait all but exhausted and only two fish to show for it we were going to move back near the campsite but of course the engine now refused to start. I'm not exactly a mechanic, but I do know how to remove and clean the plug, this I did with the same results.

By this time I was getting mad - we were on the Tin Can Bay side of the inlet and I could just imagine a long row back to the campsite with the hot sun baking me to a frazzle. It didn’t matter what I tried that cursed MERCURY engine would not start, so that was it, row back across the bay, pack up the campsite then drive 200+ kilometres back to Brisbane.

Despite the rain, the wind and the sodding engine we did have a good weekend and would rate Inskip as one of the top ten campsites we have stayed at.

Sadly all we got to see of Frazer Island was the shoreline just opposite Inskip, so along with Undara, The Whitsundays and one or two other missed opportunities, Fraser has to go on our list of 'We'll see it if we ever come back this way'.

October 22nd 2000 (Sunday)

We moved out of Bramble Bay about mid-morning and made our way south to the boat ramp caravan park at Nudgee. This is a big area with toilets and water nearby as well as the river which is supposed to have lots of crabs in it - not that we caught any.

October 23rd 2000 (Monday)

We left the boat ramp area early to avoid traffic and parked near Action Brakes waiting for them to open. We dropped the bus off and then had to make arrangements to stay in a caravan overnight as we couldn't stay in the workshop.

We ended up at Newmarket Caravan Park which is at best pretty ordinary but the on-site van only cost $33 a night. We found out why when we looked inside and found there was NO TV and NO Air-conditioner. After a trip back to the bus we solved the no TV problem by bringing over one of ours.

While we were walking round the park we found five buses parked down near the rear fence. We made friends with Christine and her husband Alan who also have a Bedford and are planning to take off round Australia soon.

October 24th 2000 (Tuesday)

The bus was finished by about 3pm and after a quick test drive and coughing up the $1512 it cost to fix the master cylinder, we took off again for the Nudgee boat ramp. We are booked in tomorrow at Windscreens O'Brien to the a new windscreen and then we hope to book in for one final day to get a few other bits and pieces sorted out.

Action Brakes seem to have done a good job and they stuck very closely to their original quote, so for now I only have nice things to say about them.

October 25th 2000 (Wednesday)

This morning we had a new windscreen fitted by Windscreens O'Brien at Geebung. Their facilities easily accommodated the bus and by mid-morning we were on our way out to Bob Gears to have the rest of the work on the bus completed.

Things that still need doing are: Speedometer, bus brake lights, trailer lights, service & tune, weld broken mudguard on the trailer. We will be in the work premises overnight but we have access to power, toilets and A SHOWER!

October 26th 2000 (Thursday)

The bus has now been finished and everything seems to be working ok. It cost us another $509.12 but at least it went on the VISA card so we have until the 18th of next month to pay it off.

We spent one last night at Nudgee boat ramp but didn't bother setting the crab pot this time.

October 27th 2000 (Friday)

By 4.30am we were on the road and off over the Gateway Bridge. Brisbane got its hooks into us one last time as we paid $5.50 $3.90 and $3.90 in toll fees just to get away - toll roads are a disgusting rip-off considering the amount of tax we already pay.

The biggest obstacle we faced was Main Range where we had to climb up in to the mountains. We unloaded the car and hooked the trailer to it just before the hills. The road up Cunningham's Gap was excellent and the bus almost made it to the top without resorting to first gear, but the last few metres were the steepest and down into fist we had to go - thankfully this time it didn't stick.

Not long after we had made it over the range the bus started playing up when running on petrol, so I switched to gas hoping that we will make it all the way without having to get more work done.

We stopped for the night at Coolmunda Dam (14km east of Inglewood). There is a caravan park (which looked awful) and some camp grounds on the far side of the lake but we spent the night at a large area near the boat ramp. There are toilets, shelters, tables and BBQs and well as untreated water for washing etc. The area was very picturesque but the insects at night made sure we stayed inside the bus.

October 28th 2000 (Saturday)

On the road by 7am we continued west to Goondiwindi (Good roadhouses east and south of town) then turned south to cross the New South Wales border. There were very few good rest areas from Brisbane to Goondiwindi, most being nothing more than a big patch of dirt right next to the road. The only area of any note was some 28km after we crossed the range where toilets and shelters were available and the area was set back a little way off the road.

On the NSW side the pull-ins and rest areas are generally better, but much further apart. We finally found one that was suitable about 12km south of Narrabri. There is untreated water and rubbish bins as well as good shade and a big turning circle but precious little else.

October 29th 2000 (Sunday)

After a later than usual start we passed through Coonabarabran and on to a pleasant campsite at Hickey Falls (34km south). The campsite is fairly basic with only one small shelter but the falls are pretty and there is a good turning circle. The area we are travelling through now is quite hilly and has gone from dead and brown to green. One hill not far out of Coonabarabran is very long and steep but despite the lack of power the bus eventually crawled its way to the top.

The bus just seems to be getting slower and slower, the sooner we get to Dubbo and get it fixed the better.

October 30th 2000 (Monday)

The bus finally slowed enough so that it wouldn't start again, but luckily we were still sitting at Hickey Falls so Belle drove to the nearest house (just over the road as it turned out) to seek assistance. The owner of the house (Mr. Hickey - the grandson of the man the falls were named after) gave the NRMA a ring and within a short time we were back on the road again. The problem was just a sticky set of points but being a mechanical moron I had no idea what it was. The NRMA man from Coonabarabran worked it out as soon as he turned the engine over.

We spent some time chatting to other travellers while we were at the rest stop and made friends with Norm & Sue from Victoria. They were on their way home and we kept leap frogging each other on the highway.

The run in to Dubbo was pretty smooth and the bus now had back all its lost power (that means 50mph instead of 35mph). We want to have a look at the Western Plains Zoo while we are here, so have booked in to Dubbo City Caravan park which looks like an excellent set up. It was very easy to bring the bus in and it is only $17 per night which is quite reasonable for such an up market park.

On the down side it is now pouring with rain and the sky is completely overcast.

October 31st 2000 (Tuesday)

After chasing all over town trying to find a battery for the video camera (the old one having died after only 12 months and 15 tapes) we finally found what we wanted at Grace Brothers and then went out to have a look at the Western Plains Zoo. The zoo is a huge area that you drive/walk through. It's not exactly a safari park as the animals are all in enclosures, but the design is such that moats have replaced bars and the animals are housed in large natural surroundings.

The zoo houses over 1000 animals - many of which do little else but sleep all day - but it is a full days outing to see all the animals around the 6km of roads and 15km of walk tracks. There are good picnic facilities in the park so taking a packed lunch or some steak for the free BBQs is a good idea. The entry fee of $18 a head is a little high but over all I think it is reasonably worth while. It is much bigger than the Territory Wildlife Park (See earlier entries while we were in the N.T.) but doesn't have the diversity of interesting exhibits. Over all I still think the park at Berry Springs is the best we have ever seen.

The carnivore exhibits are beautiful but somehow disappointing. Sad looking bored tigers (one with a very sore leg), one cheetah and a couple of Asiatic lions make up the core of the big carnivores, but although all seemed content enough they lack the true majesty and vigour of wild animals.

Giraffe, zebra, antelope, hippos, deer, tapir, buffalo, bison, pigs, birds of various sorts, gibbons and many others make the visit interesting, but all have that overfed, bored look of zoo animals which I find quite sad. The zoo does some useful work in breeding endangered species but the older I get the less impressed I am with looking at captive animals even if they are in cleverly designed enclosures which give the illusion of freedom.

November 1st 2000 (Wednesday)

After a LOOOONG drive from Dubbo, we are now sitting in a rest area 1km west of Goolgowi while a thunderstorm passes overhead. This section of road badly needs more rest areas and we were driving all day to get here.

Probably 2 or three more nights until we get to Adelaide.

November 2nd 2000 (Thursday)

The road on this section of the drive passes over some pretty flat and uninteresting country. We ran out of autogas 25km out of Hay and had to rely on petrol which just got us to the nearest gas outlet before the engine coughed and stopped. After filling the tank again the engine didn't want to re-start and had to be coaxed to do so by the local NRMA man who just happened to be driving by.

By about 1pm we had stopped at a good rest area 9km east of Balranald. The sealed part of the rest area is a bit on the small side if several people want to use it, but in dry weather there are some excellent sites near the river. There is only a shelter with seats and tables and a disused water tank but the area is set a long way back off the road so a good nights sleep should be possible.

November 3rd 2000 (Friday)

Well the good nights sleep came to an end at 1am when some thick witted truck driver decided to bring his semi-trailer into the rest area (which is clearly signposted "NO TRUCKS"). Not only did this sub-moronic git wake us up, he then got his semi stuck and started knocking over the posts around the rest area in an attempt to get out again. This of course just wasn't enough so when he started to get bogged it suddenly became all our fault for getting in his way - in an area that he should not have come in to - and so he started swearing and abusing us. Charming little turd - it really is no wonder that no-one has anything nice to say about truckers. The scum sucking little w****r comes into an area that specifically says no trucks, gets himself stuck and somehow this is all our fault! Truckies can go to hell from now on - I used to pull in and let them pass, now they can b&**#y well get round on their own.

So after an interrupted nights sleep we made our way to Mildura; crossing another state border in the process and by mid-afternoon we had crossed another border and were finally in South Australia. The border crossing into SA has a quarantine station where they pinch all the potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, capsicum and fresh fruit that are on board - then presumably have a good feed at other people's expense. Quarantine stations are a bit silly when you consider that insects don't usually stop to get sprayed, they just fly on in. Too bad for those people who have just stocked up on fruit at Mildura.

Crossing the bridge over the Murray (entering Renmark) I heard a bang from the trailer and stopped to find that something had snagged a trailer wheel and we had to drop the car off and change it later. This particular bridge looks like it was made in the days of the horse and cart and is barely wide enough to get through. It wouldn't be a bad idea to knock it down and start again.

Finally we set up camp on the banks of the Murray River at Plush's Bend. This area looks like it could get very boggy after rain, but at the moment it is quite hard and we had no problems getting the bus down here. It is a beautiful setting next to the river and there are toilets here as well as a boat ramp. We may stay here two nights as we are within a days drive of Adelaide and I don't really want to get there on a Saturday.

November 5th 2000 (Sunday)

Waiting another day to avoid the traffic was a waste of time as there was plenty on the roads when we did finally reach Adelaide. The bus started playing up as we went up the east side of the range but still managed to get us here ok. We have booked in to the Adelaide Beachfront Tourist Park which is not only expensive at $114 but as usual the bus sites are the worst in the park and are right next to a very busy road. We won't be staying here any more than a week.

November 7th 2000 (Tuesday)

We have had a chance to have a bit of a look round Adelaide in the past two days and I have to admit that I am very impressed. There are so many old character homes as well as historic buildings and of course the churches. The city is surrounded by parkland and is set against a backdrop of hills. The Torrens River is a little on the small side but over all it is a most attractive place. People here seem to be very friendly and I am crossing my fingers that the job interview I had today will turn out favourably as I would like to stay here for a while.

On the down side (there always is one isn't there?) my niece and her horrible boyfriend have finally moved out of our home in Perth and after living there for nearly two years without paying any rent they left piles of rubbish in the garden, have damaged some of our furniture and have stuck us with a phone bill of over $300 - so much for happy families. I hope they don't think they are going to be allowed to get away with it.

(NOTE: At least the phone bill 'eventually' got paid 10/2/01).

November 8th 2000 (Wednesday)

I have been told to expect an offer of a six month contract in the next day or so, so it looks like we will be here for a while, which suits us fine. The weather has turned sour so we went to have a look at the local maritime museum. At $8.50 a head it is vastly over priced and too many of the exhibits are aimed at children. If this is an example of what the other museums in Port Adelaide are like then we will give the rest of them a miss.

November 9th 2000 (Thursday)

With the weather gradually clearing we went into the city early to have a look round the Central Markets. This is a terrific mix of fruit, vegetables, cheeses, seafood, meats, smallgoods and other specialty stores which also happens to be right next door to Chinatown with its Asian restaurants and emporiums.

Belle was delighted with the place and we took our time browsing the stalls until 11am when the food court opens. After a yum cha lunch we returned to the markets to pick up some seafood before heading back to the caravan park. One item of particular interest that we had to try was seafood sausages which we had never seen before. After doing so we can thoroughly recommend them.

Later in the afternoon I received confirmation of a six month contract at Epixtech so now we know we will be here for a while. The work doesn't start until December 4th so we have a few weeks just to sit back, relax and enjoy ourselves - Boy what a change!

November 11th 2000 (Saturday)

There are many areas to explore around Adelaide and the first place we chose to have a look at was Victor Harbour and Goolwa. These towns lie on the opposite side of the peninsular to Adelaide (about 60km away). The weather looked ok so we set off only to find as we crossed the hills that eastern side was cloaked in cloud and was very overcast.

Victor Harbour is pretty, at least from the little we could see through the haze of cloud and drizzle, but it is a bit too big, so we moved up the coast to Goolwa where we had lunch. The weather was just too overcast to do any photography so we will go back when we are sure the weather is fine on both sides.

Part of the journey was via the Southern Expressway which is a three lane road that allows traffic to flow in one direction only. We aren't sure when the switch over happens but traffic was flowing south when we went down and north when we came back so we were able to use the road going both ways.

November 12th 2000 (Sunday)

Today we moved out of Adelaide Beach C.P. and down to Brownhill Creek. This is a much better park set at the bottom of a valley in the foothills 8km south of the city. It is not only quieter but is also cheaper and takes long term residents. After setting up the annexe we had a quick look round the area before settling down for a well earned break.

November 14th 2000 (Tuesday)

After a cloudy few days the skies finally cleared today and we went up to Mount Lofty and Hahndorf to have a look around. Mount Lofty - being the tallest peak in the area - is well named. Views out over the city are spectacular and the design of having parkland around the central city block is very obvious from up on the lookout. There were parking meters in the lookout car park which is a bit of a con, but we didn't pay as I don't think 5 minutes looking at the view should cost anything.

The area around Mount lofty was the one involved in the Ash Wednesday fires way back in 1983. Apart from the ruined buildings that were never restored there is little evidence of the fires today. The botanic gardens nearby are very attractive but to explore them fully you need a backpack, lunch, drink and a good pair of hiking boots - also a level of fitness we don't have. The gardens are set on a very steep slope and require quite some effort to negotiate.

From Mount Lofty we made our way further east to the old settlement of Hahndorf, which as the name suggests was founded by German immigrants. The town retains many original buildings and the shady main street has a number of interesting shops and restaurants. We opted for the buffet at the Old Mill which was very good quality with a huge selection and at $10.95 (weekdays) is very good value.

The Princess Highway which leads through the hills to Murray Bridge is a very good road. The tunnel which now cuts through the main hill has made the journey much easier than it once was.

In the evening Belle's brother Mike and his son Darryl dropped in and took us out for dinner. Unfortunately as we were still so full from lunch all we could manage were a couple of drinks.

November 15th 2000 (Wednesday)

Today was more or less a rest day except for a brief excursion to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Here you are charged to park, charged to look at the rose garden and charged to enter the butterfly house - they like charging for things that should be free here.

Needless to say we didn't look at the rose garden or the butterflies and just had a look round the gardens. The area is pretty enough but nothing special.

November 17th 2000 (Friday)

While I am waiting for my work to begin in December, I am taking every opportunity to explore the areas surrounding the city. This time we went south along the peninsular to Cape Jervis. This is a very scenic drive which takes you along the coast in some areas and further inland in others. The hills dotted with trees and scattered farm buildings and the lush green colours that are still there after the winter rains make this a beautiful place. There are a number of small sandy coves along the coast with a good camp ground situated at Second Valley (this should have said Rapid Bay – Second Valley has a caravan park.). Despite the name the campsite is right next to the beach and is $3 a night per head of about $14 a week.

Just across the water from Cape Jervis is Kangaroo Island which can be accessed by vehicle ferry. I would like to explore the island if we have time later on. The drive is about 200km return but quite a few more kms are added by exploring the side roads leading to the coast. The only bay we found that wasn't worth while was Myponga. This bay is well named as the creek running down through the few shacks really stinks. The track down is unsealed and there are some very sharp rocks over its surface. The only other bay not really worth the drive down is at the resort and marina. They even charge $6 just to let you launch a boat at the boat ramp here.

November 19th 2000 (Sunday)

We caught up wit Blue and Skeeta today (the last time we saw them was in Darwin over a year ago). They were living out near the Murray River but are re-locating to Port Lincoln.

November 20th 2000 (Monday)

Skeeta and Belle went off into town for the day and Belle finally found a place that sells the special BBQ pork she loves.

November 21st 2000 (Tuesday)

After a trip down to Brighton to have a look at the beach went up to Blue and Skeeta's camp for a few drinks and a feed of pizza. As usual I overdid the 'few drinks' bit and ended up feeling a bit seedy in the morning.

November 22nd 2000 (Wednesday)

We have booked a 3 night cruise on the Proud Mary which comes down the Murray River from Blanchetown to Murray Bridge. It is quite expensive ($900 for both of us) but usually it is double the price so we are putting it on the over used VISA card and hoping to pay it off quickly once I start getting paid.

This weekend we are due to visit Belle's brother in Pirie, then when we get back we are off the next day on the cruise so all our time is well planned for the next week.

November 26th 2000 (Sunday)

Well the trip to Pt. Pirie was called off at the last moment and we had to find something else to fill in the weekend. I made the mistake of going up to the Barossa Valley yesterday when the weather was too hot and we didn't enjoy it much at all.

If anything the weather was hotter today and after a trip out to the Brickworks Market in the early morning we hid in the bus with the air conditioner on all day. Funny to think that this time last week it was still quite cold at night. The markets were a bit disappointing as many of the stalls didn't open and the fresh food market was selling a rather poorer quality range of produce than we have seen at either the central market or the Sunday markets at the Cross.

The worrying thing at the moment is that we are technically out of money - there is more owing on the VISA card than we have in the bank - but with a bit of luck and juggling for the next three weeks I will get paid enough to cover it just before the bill falls due. I don't much like it as we have never been in this situation before.

November 28th 2000 (Tuesday)

After killing time all day we caught a taxi into town just after 4pm and then boarded a bus for the long ride out to Blanchetown. At about 7.30pm we boarded the Proud Mary and soon afterwards settled down to dinner with our dining companions Midge and Bob from Adelaide and Ros and Ken from the U.K.

Little did we know at the time that these four people would turn out to be the salvation of this trip.

Our first meal was a lamb roast and steamed vegetables - no choice, and too bad if like me you don't like lamb - followed by ice cream. Not a very impressive beginning considering the $900 we had paid for the trip. No one on our table was happy with the food and as far as first impressions are concerned this was pretty bad.

Our 'Cruise Director' made herself known to us but instead of the usual happy, courteous helpful person one would expect in such a role, we were confronted with someone who had the mental level of a 13 year old with all the manners and charm of Mike Tyson. Our conclusion was that she must be related to one of the company directors as there is no way she would get a Cruise Director's position otherwise.

While our table would rather have sat and talked while we got to know each other, we were press ganged into a stupid quiz game without even the incentive of a prize for the winners. We did our best to ignore proceedings but our 'Cruise Director' made it clear that everyone was going to play whether they wanted to or not. (Would there be guard dogs and sentries outside to prevent us leaving we thought?).

After retiring to our cabin with tummies grumbling from lack of food we spent a reasonably comfortable night in what can only be described as a pretty average room.

November 29th 2000 (Wednesday)

An early start saw an improvement in the food at breakfast with a buffet style full English breakfast, but last nights lousy food had left its impression on all of us.

A brief shore excursion was our morning activity and then we re-boarded for a cruise along the River to Big Bend. The Murray River was everything I had heard it was and with our new found friends we began to enjoy the cruise in spite of the food and the 'Cruise Director'.

Lunch appeared at 12.30pm and again there was no choice of meals. Silverside, steamed vegies (AGAIN!) and cheese cake - which I loathe and would not eat. By this time we were getting really cheesed off (pardon the pun) with the food and lack of choices.

After arriving at Big Bend around 2pm we were taken on a short boat tour of a nearby creek which although informative didn't really show us much more than we had already seen from the main vessel.

The evening meal was a BBQ on shore which at least had some variety to it, followed by a sing-a-long round a camp fire. Nice for the oldies and overseas tourists but listening to all the well worn favourites re-hashed for the thousandth time was too much for us and we retired to the dining room to play cards.

To be fair the entertainer was very good and did his job well but sin-a-longs are just not 'our thing'.

November 30th 2000 (Thursday)

An earlier than usual start to the day saw everyone a bit bleary eyed and breakfast was served in the same manner and style as the day before. At least it seemed we could rely on the quantity and quality of at least one meal a day.

The on shore excursion today was a guided tour of an Aboriginal site and the tour guides were very friendly, informative and entertaining. Some people decided not to go to the top of the cliffs but those who did were rewarded with a spectacular view over the river and some very interesting rock formation on the way.

The rock art, although significant historically and culturally, was not as spectacular as some painting galleries that can be seen in northern Australia. It was sad to see the vandalism that had occurred on the site and it is rather surprising that after being subjected to that, the Aboriginal people still allow any white people near the area.

Back on board lunch was again one option only, but at least this time we got salad instead of steamed vegetables.

The ship pulled in to Mannum for the night and we had a chance to have a look round the town before preparing for 'The Captain's Dinner' at 7.30pm. This turned out to be the best meal of the trip, but having said that, it was the type of meal we would have expected to be available all the time. Finally we had a choice of main meals but the appetisers left a little to be desired (Cheese and crackers and bread with melted cheese and bacon bits) and the soup was awful.

Entrée - smoked salmon - was excellent, in fact the best thing we had on the entire trip. The main meal was a choice of chicken or venison, both of which were nice. Desert turned out to be apple crumble and custard which is hardly exotic but it was edible.

Pre-dinner cocktails turned out to be orange juice or wine - not cocktails at all.

December 1st 2000 (Friday)

Our final day on board started with the reliable buffet breakfast and then a bus trip out to see Reedy Creek Waterfall - which had no water. The walk was fairly easy but not very interesting. After visiting a local school where the children run their own small shop we boarded Proud Mary for the last time for the run down to Murray Bridge.

The final meal - lunch - was buffet style but lacked anything remotely interesting.

By 4pm we were at Murray Bridge and more than ready to disembark and get home again.

Conclusion:

The Murray River was beautiful. Cruising along was relaxing and most enjoyable BUT, the food served on Proud Mary was average to poor at best. The Captain was charming and very adept at handling his vessel but the rest of the crew would at best rate as mediocre. The 'Cruise Director' was a waste of space and her manner bordered on offensive.

While there was a nice covered area for relaxing on the top rear deck, right in the middle of it was a huge very noisy exhaust outlet which totally ruined the tranquillity that should have been available. The loud speakers on board are tailored to the hard of hearing - for the rest of us - we are in danger of having our hearing damaged by them. The same applies to the speakers on the bus which took us to Reedy Creek.

The cabins were comfortable enough if somewhat spartan and there was adequate room in the ensuite. The dining room on board was well appointed, comfortable and attractive but at times a little on the stuffy side.

The bar was not adequately stocked despite the rules preventing people from bringing their own alcohol on board. We could not buy a decent bottle of champagne - even Yellowglen - and prices for the poor quality champagne were too high.

We managed to get this cruise at half price ($450 a head) but even at that price it does not rate highly as value for money. At the normal price of $900 a head it is a huge rip off.

On our normal scale of rating, at $450 a head, this cruise rates a 3/5 but only because the River is so majestic and beautiful. In the end we did enjoy the cruise but we would not consider going again. The cruise and program of activities are designed for elderly people and I could not, with a clear conscience, recommend it to anyone else.

The majority of people on board were elderly, and they seemed to think the food and activities were fine. For the more sophisticated, or the younger travellers, a houseboat would probably be a better bet.

December 6th 2000 (Wednesday)

The first and most distressing news today is that Belle is very ill and in hospital. She had very bad abdominal pains yesterday and went to see a local doctor who told her she had constipation and to go home and take some laxatives. By the time I got home she was in agony and was vomiting so I took her straight up to Royal Adelaide Hospital where she waited from just after 6pm until well after 10pm before a doctor finally got round to seeing to her and 4am before she was admitted to a ward!

I went in this afternoon to see what was going on. At this stage we still don't know exactly what the problem is but they are fasting her in preparation for an operation - it would be nice if they bothered to let us in on why!?

I rang again a few minutes ago and still no news so we have to wait until the high and mighty doctor does his rounds in the morning to find out what the hell is going on. Meanwhile I am stuck in the bus fretting while Belle is in the hospital feeling very unwell.

Meanwhile I am in the process of learning the software system at Epixtech but due to Belle being so ill my mind isn't as much on work as it should be.

December 10th 2000 (Sunday)

We found out that Belle has an inflamed pancreas and will also have to have her gall bladder removed. She is very sore and is still only allowed to take fluids so hasn't eaten a thing since last Tuesday. Her operation is supposed to be this Wednesday, and I think we will both be glad when it is finally done.

I have been going to the hospital every day to see her but there isn't much I can do except just be there.

December 13th 2000 (Wednesday)

Belle had her operation this morning and when I went to see her after work she was still very sore and unhappy. For some reason I get very queasy in certain situations and when the doctor pulled back the sheets and I saw the drain hose coming out (I won't go into the gross details of what was leaking from it) I started to feel very ill and broke out in a sweat. It was so bad that I had to go outside for a few minutes to settle down. I know Belle must think I'm a bit of a wuss but there are some things that make me feel very odd indeed.

Now we just wait to see how quickly she improves and with luck she will be on her feet again before Christmas. She hasn't been overly happy about her treatment in Royal Adelaide - but then again she has been in constant pain for the last eight days so she has every right to be a bit on the cranky side - I know I was after my hernia op.

Work is still a bit stressful as I have been worrying about Belle and about our lack of money, but hopefully we have finally turned the corner and things will get back to normal - whatever that is.

Monday was the first time I haven't gone into to hospital to see Belle. I feel a bit guilty about it but there isn't much to do there and after work there's so much traffic around. Well at least I have been in every day but one so my record isn't that bad.

Well it's now 11pm and I still have a shirt to iron for tomorrow so I'd better get on with it if I want some sleep.

December 16th 2000 (Saturday)

After running round getting the bus tidy, doing the washing and then the shopping I was finally able to go and pick Belle up from hospital some time after 2pm. She is still sore and it was all she could do to go for a short walk down to the caravan park pool area and back. It will be some time before she is back to her chirpy self again I think.

December 22nd 2000 (Friday)

Belle spent last night in hospital after she experienced some sharp pains in her side. Another ultra sound was done and more X rays but nothing showed up. She is home again but still quite dependant on pain killers.

December 23rd 2000 (Saturday)

I spent the morning running round the shops doing the last of the Christmas shopping. I have managed to spend much more than I intended as usual. Tomorrow we head off to Port Pirie to stay with Belle's brother and his wife Helen for the next couple of nights.

December 24th 2000 (Sunday)

We arrived in Pirie about lunch time and it wasn't long before we (well more I than Belle) were getting right into the Christmas goodies and the odd beer or three. Mike and Helen (Belle's brother and sister-in-law) took us around town to see the Christmas lights. For a small country town, Pirie certainly does have a good community spirit and the efforts put in by the locals in lighting up their houses is amazing. Earlier in the day we met Wayne and Bev (Mike and Helen's friends) and we dropped in to see Wayne's 'mechanical' Santa. Belle was lured into pushing the button to make Santa work and then the mechanical Santa dropped the bell he was ringing. I could smell 'set-up' all over it but Belle was asked to put the bell back into Santa's hand - the mechanical Santa was of course Wayne with a mask on - who was quite convincing - and as Belle put the bell back into the hand he gave her a fright by grabbing her with his free hand and she jumped about a foot into the air. Bev managed to catch in on video and everyone had a good chuckle about it. Wayne apparently does this every year and sits out for 3 hours every night in the week leading up to Christmas.

We were pretty tired and crawled off to bed just after midnight but everyone else - who seemed to have boundless energy - partied on until after 3am.

December 25th 2000 (Monday)

Christmas day was pretty standard issue with parcel opening in the morning and a huge meal put on by Helen for lunch. After a quiet afternoon and the post lunch siesta we all went off for a ride up into the Flinders Ranges where Mike and Helen showed us some of the local scenic attractions. When we get back up this way with the bus we will certainly do some more exploring. One place of particular note was a foreshore campsite 10km before Port Germain. After the PG10 sign there is a bend in the road (heading west on highway one) then a train crossing sign. The next track heading to the coast takes you down to a good little campsite right by the sea. We will probably spend some time here when we pass through.

Back at the house Bev and Wayne returned and we continued drinking and eating into the wee small hours. Mike and Wayne are quite a comedy team when they get going, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

A very satisfying and pleasant Christmas and the first we have had in three years when we were not on our own - a big difference. This was a special Christmas for Belle as she has hardly seen Mike since he left Singapore 26 years ago and she was very glad of the chance to catch up. Happily she is well on the road to recovery from her op although she is still in need of the odd pain-killer.

December 26th 2000 (Tuesday)

I am beginning to wish that I had taken tomorrow off work as I am struggling to recover from all the activity and over indulgence of Christmas. The drive back from Pirie was fairly easy and traffic free but we still didn't get back until after noon and I am feeling the effects of the last few weeks catching up with me.

Pirie doesn't seem to have much to attract the casual tourist and is famous for the lead smelter and the virtual forest of huge TV antennas that allow the residents to get Adelaide television. The town does have some nice old buildings and according to rumour there is some good crabbing and fishing in the local creeks - so it may be a good place to base ourselves and explore the coast and the nearby ranges.

December 31st 2000 (Sunday)

The last day of 2000 and with tomorrow being the real start of the new millennium it is time for a little reflection.

The last year has brought its share of troubles, but has also held some rare delights for us as well. It nearly ended on a sour note with Belle in hospital and the operation, but she came good at the last minute and Christmas up in Port Pirie with Mike, Helen and their friends made this Christmas the most memorable of our time on the road.

I can't quite believe that I started work 4 weeks ago, time has just flown. We have been in Adelaide nearly two months already and still have lots to explore so I don't think we are in danger of getting bored before we leave.

Adelaide is a lovely city and so far it is the only place we have been to so far that we would consider settling down in when the time comes and we tire of a life on the road. Everything is so close with the hills right behind us, the city a ten minute drive away and the beach only about 15 minutes.

We discovered the Fisherman's Markets up in Port Adelaide today and despite the name they don’t have fish for sale. The markets are housed in a huge building and there are dozens of stalls all selling bric-a-brac, collectables and all sorts of trinkets and knick-knacks. Anyone coming to Adelaide would be well advised to at least visit these markets on a Sunday morning and have a look around.

Although we are missing the tropical fruit we were getting in Townsville this time last year, the quality of fruit and vegies here is very good and there are some excellent cherries available this time of year for as little as $6 a kilo.