As we had arrived in Boonooroo after nightfall obviously we had to pitch the tent in the dark. In fact I wasn't even sure we had arrived in this small town and never did see any habitation beyond the few dwellings next to the campsite. It was dusk when we arrived but by the time the owner had finished chatting to her mum on the phone and booked us in the light was fading fast. I thought the husband was gong to help us pitch the tent but he only stood around and took good advantage of his opportunity to take the rise out of a Pom.
That's not being quite fair as he did explain that to use the powered site we had paid for, we would need an extension lead; that is we would need our own extension lead as they don't come with the site. Unfortunately none of the detailed investigation I had done before we left Brazil had revealed this little detail, and it is such common knowledge to Aussies that they didn't think they needed to mention it to us. So he kindly liaised with one of our fellow campers who kindly came up with a lead and a fluorescent light.
I thought that one of the more useful things I had bought before leaving Brisbane was a fluorescent light which I could either plug into the cars cigarette lighter or clip to the battery terminals. I had duly rigged it up in Maroochydore so Ale could get into her PJ's in comfort. Being a bit of a meddler i moved it a couple of times to get the best lighting effect. The second time, I noticed it was giving out more heat than light and shortly after this it expired completely. I carefully wrapped it and put it in its original packaging for attention further down the road.
I fact the lead was more useful for charging camera batteries than light so we did this. There is not much to do after dark on camp sites so we tended to try and prepare our meal as late as possible and then lay down to sleep. It was getting dark by 6pm and we considered it a late night if we wriggled into our sleeping bags after nine o'clock.
Knowing that we were going to be moving on the next morning to be prepared I wanted us to have our bottle of drinking water topped before we slept. I asked the camp site attendant to point out the potable water tanks and he said they all were but it was bore water. Being accustomed to sparkling clear water coming out of bores I was somewhat surprised by the dark brown turbid mixture I had in my water bottle. I pointed this out to the attendant and ne replied that he drunk it all the time and it didn't do him any harm. It didn't do us any harm either; we didn't drink it.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Friday, 12 September 2008
NOOSA to BOONOOROO
On the way from Noosa I am not certain of which road we took, as we were just following signs for places to the north of where we were. It was our intention to end up spending the night near the coast again, on our way to Hervey Bay. Not far out of Noosa we cam across signs to a lookout so decided to have a look. You might think that one should turn off the road whenever there is anything interesting and we were always tempted to do this however it is not always a good idea. Distances in Australia are seldom short and crossing them can eat into the day to arrive somewhere that might not have been worth the trouble. Personal recommendations are very useful in these cases.
This time it was well worth the effort. When we left the highway we had an idea the lookout would be close(as there was a hill by the side of the road)but we didn't know how much climbing would be involved. From memory I reckon we only walked for about twenty minutes to reach the viewpoint, which was a wooden structure giving a 360deg panorama with information boards. you can just see the info. boards behind us and over our shoulders the view looking back towards Noosa Heads.
Most roads in Aussie are pretty well signposted but occasionally one has to go a long way on trust. That is; there will have been a signpost indicating a turning off the main highway for where you want to go but then you need to drive down a road offering many turnings and forks, for long distances without any further help, until you are almost at your destination. This afternoon was a case in point. We headed off for Tin Can Bay and drove forever, full of self doubt, but it was alright in the end as shortly before we arrived in TCB there was another pointing directing us to Boonooroo.
Even when we arrived in Boonooroo we were not sure quite we were there as by now it was dark. We certainly drove down a long unlit road, getting more and more apprehensive that we might have made a wrong turn, and managed to avoid the camp site we thought we were heading for; then, there at the end of the road was a camp site, right next to the water. This was obviously a family run site with its cosy little shop in reception and the owner on the phone, while I booked in, trying to cheer her old mum up.
This time it was well worth the effort. When we left the highway we had an idea the lookout would be close(as there was a hill by the side of the road)but we didn't know how much climbing would be involved. From memory I reckon we only walked for about twenty minutes to reach the viewpoint, which was a wooden structure giving a 360deg panorama with information boards. you can just see the info. boards behind us and over our shoulders the view looking back towards Noosa Heads.
Most roads in Aussie are pretty well signposted but occasionally one has to go a long way on trust. That is; there will have been a signpost indicating a turning off the main highway for where you want to go but then you need to drive down a road offering many turnings and forks, for long distances without any further help, until you are almost at your destination. This afternoon was a case in point. We headed off for Tin Can Bay and drove forever, full of self doubt, but it was alright in the end as shortly before we arrived in TCB there was another pointing directing us to Boonooroo.
Even when we arrived in Boonooroo we were not sure quite we were there as by now it was dark. We certainly drove down a long unlit road, getting more and more apprehensive that we might have made a wrong turn, and managed to avoid the camp site we thought we were heading for; then, there at the end of the road was a camp site, right next to the water. This was obviously a family run site with its cosy little shop in reception and the owner on the phone, while I booked in, trying to cheer her old mum up.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
NOOSA HEADS
Unfortunately as we prepared to leave Maroochydore, Alessandra was feeling a bit under the weather,so she sat in the car and suffered while I took the tent down on my own. We were soon on our way though, after everything was dried out, concentrating on the road. Actually I see now that on some occasions we were too focused on the route forward and finding it rather than what lay either side of the road.
Looking back, even at this early stage of our Australian odyssey, a lack of planning was showing. I had worked out an overall route and looked at what might be interesting to see on the way but I didn't actually have any day to day strategy, beyond thinking that I needed to cover an approximate distance each day. This was based on arriving back in Alice Springs, we were due to pass through there on our way to Uluru, on 2nd June to catch the Ghan. As a result of this I kept driving when there were surely occasions we might have turned off the main road to stop and see some of the less touristy places en-route.
Having said that, we went to Noosa without staying there; of course Noosa is a tourist Mecca. We arrived about midday, parked in the shade and had a wander around the town to find tourist information. In May this place was already teeming with visitors. One good thing about our advance planning that we commented on many times was that it was just as well we came in the low season. In fact I suspect that Australia is such a popular destination that the number of visitors doesn't vary greatly throughout the year. If there is a reduction in overseas visitors in their winter I wouldn't be at all surprised if the numbers are not made up by local pensioners wending their way around.
We had been looking for information about Backpackers or other budget accommodation as Ale's cold was getting worse and we thought we might spend a couple of days sleeping in a bed rather than on the floor. We visited a Backpackers here in Noosa but their price was well beyond our budget. We wandered onto the beach which was beautiful and surprisingly busy, although Wayne had mentioned that it was still warm enough to bathe even in the autumn. We didn't feel even slightly like taking a dip so made our way round to Noosa Heads.
We parked and found ourselves a nice spot for lunch al-fresco. Australia is a pretty al-fresco sort of place.This matched our attitude to eating and we were much more likely to eat outside than in for the rest of the trip. Here we found a tabletop type seat, that is a low table that serves as seating as well, spread out our picnic, and fed ourselves looking out at the square rigger in the photo. It's a shame we didn't take more photos here as the sea was beautiful shades of blue and green and I cannot begin to do it justice in words.
After lunch we set off to have a little wander around the headlands. This place was really worthy of a bit more effort but we were still feeling somewhat indisposed by our colds and the weather was very hot when we arrived. We consoled ourselves with a short walk to the first of three lookouts, where we were entertained by a local chap discussing fishing, while he was distracted by the women walking round behind us.
We had a little bit of trouble finding our way away from Noosa and I'm not sure if we made it back onto Bruce's Highway but we were soon steaming on up the coast. We did get a bit of a hurry on as we wanted to camp by the sea again and it was getting a bit late so looked like we mihgt arrive after dark
Looking back, even at this early stage of our Australian odyssey, a lack of planning was showing. I had worked out an overall route and looked at what might be interesting to see on the way but I didn't actually have any day to day strategy, beyond thinking that I needed to cover an approximate distance each day. This was based on arriving back in Alice Springs, we were due to pass through there on our way to Uluru, on 2nd June to catch the Ghan. As a result of this I kept driving when there were surely occasions we might have turned off the main road to stop and see some of the less touristy places en-route.
Having said that, we went to Noosa without staying there; of course Noosa is a tourist Mecca. We arrived about midday, parked in the shade and had a wander around the town to find tourist information. In May this place was already teeming with visitors. One good thing about our advance planning that we commented on many times was that it was just as well we came in the low season. In fact I suspect that Australia is such a popular destination that the number of visitors doesn't vary greatly throughout the year. If there is a reduction in overseas visitors in their winter I wouldn't be at all surprised if the numbers are not made up by local pensioners wending their way around.
We had been looking for information about Backpackers or other budget accommodation as Ale's cold was getting worse and we thought we might spend a couple of days sleeping in a bed rather than on the floor. We visited a Backpackers here in Noosa but their price was well beyond our budget. We wandered onto the beach which was beautiful and surprisingly busy, although Wayne had mentioned that it was still warm enough to bathe even in the autumn. We didn't feel even slightly like taking a dip so made our way round to Noosa Heads.
We parked and found ourselves a nice spot for lunch al-fresco. Australia is a pretty al-fresco sort of place.This matched our attitude to eating and we were much more likely to eat outside than in for the rest of the trip. Here we found a tabletop type seat, that is a low table that serves as seating as well, spread out our picnic, and fed ourselves looking out at the square rigger in the photo. It's a shame we didn't take more photos here as the sea was beautiful shades of blue and green and I cannot begin to do it justice in words.
After lunch we set off to have a little wander around the headlands. This place was really worthy of a bit more effort but we were still feeling somewhat indisposed by our colds and the weather was very hot when we arrived. We consoled ourselves with a short walk to the first of three lookouts, where we were entertained by a local chap discussing fishing, while he was distracted by the women walking round behind us.
We had a little bit of trouble finding our way away from Noosa and I'm not sure if we made it back onto Bruce's Highway but we were soon steaming on up the coast. We did get a bit of a hurry on as we wanted to camp by the sea again and it was getting a bit late so looked like we mihgt arrive after dark
Monday, 8 September 2008
MAROOCHYDORE
The story of our tent is slightly interesting or peruaps I should say unusual. I bought the tent when visiting England about a year before our trip and took it back to Brazil as luggage. It has been pitched only twice before; once in England to check everything was there (as I bought it via the Internet) and then again in Brazil for an airing and so Alessandra could see what it looked like. The tent was a money saving idea. We didn't want to cook in it but decided togo for something quite big that we could stand up in. It can be quite tiresome having to get dressed day after day in a sitting or kneeling position.
Although we had the tent with us in New Zealand it had been too cold to consider camping there; so this was the first time we had put it up in anger. I'm not sureif it was linked to the weather there but I had caught a cold in NZ; it was still hanging on two weeks later and I seemed to be developing a chest infection. Of course, I had already passed the cold on to Alessandra so at the end of our first day fending for ourselves we were both ready for sleep even roll mats onthe ground. The tent was tested by heavy showers duiring the night but neither of us noticed and in the morning everything inside was still dry.
Although we had the tent with us in New Zealand it had been too cold to consider camping there; so this was the first time we had put it up in anger. I'm not sureif it was linked to the weather there but I had caught a cold in NZ; it was still hanging on two weeks later and I seemed to be developing a chest infection. Of course, I had already passed the cold on to Alessandra so at the end of our first day fending for ourselves we were both ready for sleep even roll mats onthe ground. The tent was tested by heavy showers duiring the night but neither of us noticed and in the morning everything inside was still dry.
HEADING NORTH - QUEENSLAND COAST
The city of Brisbane is well signposted and with directions from a resident and guidance from my on-board navigator we made our way out of the city with only on wrong turning. As we were on our way to start our camping adventure we stocked up with provisions on the way. these being mainly bread based, as we didn't know quite what to expect from Australian camp sites in the way of cooking facilities. Having stayed in Backpackers Accommodation in New Zealand we had been spoiled; their kitchens werer well equipped with cookers, microwaves, toasters, kettles, pots and pans, and fridges.We were headed for the Bruce Highway, the most important road in Queensland in terms of traffic volume. Mind you, if 'traffic volume' conjures up images of a constant stream of vehicles, you can forget that, it's more like a steady trickle. Having not camped for a few years our objective for this afternoon was to find somewhere reasonable to stop, put the tent up at our leisure and have a light evening meal. We ended up in Maroochydore which spreads itself along the coast, not much more than a hundred km north of Brisbane. We stayed at the Cotton Tree Holiday Park, or was it Caravan Park or Campground? Whatever the name is it is located right on the beach; the litches looked deceptively sandy but I still had to find a rock to knock my pegs in.
Although it doesn't look like it in the photo this seaside campsite was full, despite being out of season. We were lucky as not so many people camp under canvas so had a reasonable selection of sites and were able to choose a sea view. The rest of the place was packed with mainly 'more mature' Australians in their caravans and campervans, placed with hardly enough space to walk between them, each with its own dirty big 4WD. Judging by the coversations we had people were generally staying for longer than a fortnight - in actual fact some months. We would see this repeated throughout our trip and not just applyng to the older generation. We opted for a non-powered site that was tucked away in a corner by the beach, although it was a bit tough to get tent pegs in we were soon to find out this was soft ground.
Saturday, 6 September 2008
VISITING FRIENDS
The last thing we did before we left Brisbane was visit old friend JB. I hadn't seen him for twelve years, since the last time I was in Australia. During that time he had married, had two children, and travelled and worked his way around south east Asia with his family. When we found his house in the north east suburbs, it was as if I was popping round having seen him the previous day. He manner was unchanged, despite his having got married and had two children; still the relaxed gentle person I knew. Their two boys, even though they are two years apart in age, have the affinity of twins. Certainly for the time we were there, they played and behaved together as if they were very close indeed. JB puts it down to their having been somewhat forced together, having spent their earliest years in non-English speaking countries they were thrown together.
I spent a very agreeable evening reminiscing about times we had spent together in England and our mutual friends almost all of whom had moved on from our previous employer, especially Andy W now in NZ. JB has big plans for the future in his own layed back way and no doubt, market conditions allowing, will soon be a successful property developer. Another barbecue, some beer and wine later we ended up making an unplanned overnight stop. My only regret is that we didn’t take more advantage of JB and families’ hospitality to stay longer. Let’s hope it’s not another 12 years before we meet up again.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Lone Pine Sanctuary - Brisbane
The Lone Pine Sanctuary in Brisbane is well worth a visit. We spent a few hours there with Wayne and his family. We were able to learn about Koalas, not bears, marsupials the same as Kangaroos. The place is well organized and touchy feely. Close contact with the Koalas, Kangaroos and Rainbow Lorikeets. All this and we watched a display of sheepdog work by a splendid old shepherd whose name I am ashamed to say I have forgotten. He was classic.
OUR STAY IN BRISBANE
Whilst we were staying with Wayne and Louise we barbecued, or rather they barbecued for us, visited local places of interest, had a go on the City Cat up the River into the city centre, checked out Lone Pine Reserve and went shopping for camping gear. Only later in our trip was I to realise that I should have more attention to Wayne’s prompting about what to buy there in the camping shop. I felt at home here in Brisbane and I am sure that it is a pleasant city to live in. Of course most places one visits as a holidaymaker are pleasant as one doesn’t have to live with the day to day trivia of making a living, paying the bills and putting up with the neighbours.
Although Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia, behind Sydney and Melbourne, it doesn’t feel like a crowded metropolis. We went into the centre on the City Cat, a catamaran running frequent services along the Brisbane River. We got off at the South Bank Parklands and had a very pleasant walk down through the park after having a look round the Queensland Art Gallery. It is a great leisure area with lawns and a bathing pool with an artificial beach. We crossed into the town centre via the Goodwill Pedestrian Bridge. We spent a little while wandering around the city centre and I was able to redeem myself a little here. I had brought my digital camera along and its two accessory lenses but forgot the memory cards so I bought a 4GB replacement. This meant that we were able to click away at hearts content. Unfortunately we didn’t start clicking until after we left the town centre.
Although Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia, behind Sydney and Melbourne, it doesn’t feel like a crowded metropolis. We went into the centre on the City Cat, a catamaran running frequent services along the Brisbane River. We got off at the South Bank Parklands and had a very pleasant walk down through the park after having a look round the Queensland Art Gallery. It is a great leisure area with lawns and a bathing pool with an artificial beach. We crossed into the town centre via the Goodwill Pedestrian Bridge. We spent a little while wandering around the city centre and I was able to redeem myself a little here. I had brought my digital camera along and its two accessory lenses but forgot the memory cards so I bought a 4GB replacement. This meant that we were able to click away at hearts content. Unfortunately we didn’t start clicking until after we left the town centre.
Wayne and Louises' house in Brisbane
I was glad I had accepted Wayne’s offer to meet us, as this was the first proper city we had been in for some time, it was dark, and we would certainly have got lost on our way out of the town centre. An additional benefit of having made the mistake of booking the car for the morning not the evening was that we had to wait and when we left the terminal most of the ‘rush hour traffic” had already gone. I think that as motorists we are preconditioned to be stressed by traffic. Compared to the incredible levels of congestion I have frequently driven through in São Paulo, the traffic here was light but I still felt myself being tense. The images we see of cars for sale, driving along miles of open roads, just prepares us to be cheesed off by the reality of day to day driving.
The new house that Wayne and Louise recently moved into was very nice. Built in the style of a classic Queenslander, without the veranda all round, it has been or rather is in the process of being converted by enclosing the area below to for additional living space. It was all very homely and we were made most welcome by our charming, generous hosts and their two delightful daughters. My one regret, we didn’t stay here longer than we did.
First Rental Car in Australia
This is the Subaru Outback I mentioned. Haven't got the hang of including pictures yet
ARRIVING IN AUSTRALIA - BRISBANE
Everything had gone smoothly until we arrived in Brisbane, as I mentioned we had started our trip with a visit to NZ. We were checked very thoroughly by the Australian Ministry of Agriculture and our bags were examined minutely by a very polite official. Our tent was just about to come out of its bag, when we managed to convince the Official it was unused and she sent us on our way. Even with the slight delay we were processed quickly, politely and with no fuss to enter Australia. Then, there waiting for us at the Arrivals barrier was my friend, Wayne. His cheerful smile, the same as ever was; just the ticket.
Having explained that the trip had been carefully panned, I had booked a hire car for the morning and we arrived in the evening. Luckily, in just the time it took for us to have a coffee and a chat, the rental company had organised another vehicle. A Subaru Outback, that's it in the photo. It was very nice to drive a brand new car when the one I have at home is more than ten years old - don't let her know I said that though.
Having explained that the trip had been carefully panned, I had booked a hire car for the morning and we arrived in the evening. Luckily, in just the time it took for us to have a coffee and a chat, the rental company had organised another vehicle. A Subaru Outback, that's it in the photo. It was very nice to drive a brand new car when the one I have at home is more than ten years old - don't let her know I said that though.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Flight Planning
It occours to me that perhaps I should do something to set the scene before I go on. Any trip to Australia requires a bit of forethought but as we were going to be there for a couple of months I decided to indulge in some serious planning; not least because there was a budget to be considered.
We were going to be travelling from Brazil so our first consideration was the flight. We could either go via Dubai or Santiago De Chile and Auckland. Both flights' total travelling time were extraordinarily long but going via New Zealand was several hours shorter. As I have a friend in Auckland, the next thing was to contact him and see if we shouldn't pop in for a swift half on the way. Andy informed us that we didn't dare omit his newly adopted homeland from our trip so a quick beer in the pub turned into an 11 day stopover. We were very pleased it did too.
So we ended up flying: Florianopolis to São Paulo; São Paulo to Santiago De Chile; Santiago De Chile to Auckland where e gratefully disembarked into a cold, foggy night to find Andy's place.
Whilst in NZ we only flew once from Rotorua to Christchurch. Then at the end of our whistlestop tour we flew from Dunedin to Brisbane, where I will pick up the story shortly. Just before I do, I shall mention the outline plan of our cross continent trip.
From Brisbane we planned to head up the coast to Rockhampton then turn left and drive across to Tenant Creek.
South from Tenant Creek we were going to head for the Red Centre to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) before returning to Alice Springs.
Catching the train, The Ghan, in Alice would take us north again to Darwin. After collecting another rental car in Darwin we would head off into Kakadu National Park.
Then it would be a doddle to pop across to Broome in Western Australia to have a quick paddle in the Indian Ocean before nipping off to Sydney, via Perth, to have a quick dekko at the Opera House.
We were going to be travelling from Brazil so our first consideration was the flight. We could either go via Dubai or Santiago De Chile and Auckland. Both flights' total travelling time were extraordinarily long but going via New Zealand was several hours shorter. As I have a friend in Auckland, the next thing was to contact him and see if we shouldn't pop in for a swift half on the way. Andy informed us that we didn't dare omit his newly adopted homeland from our trip so a quick beer in the pub turned into an 11 day stopover. We were very pleased it did too.
So we ended up flying: Florianopolis to São Paulo; São Paulo to Santiago De Chile; Santiago De Chile to Auckland where e gratefully disembarked into a cold, foggy night to find Andy's place.
Whilst in NZ we only flew once from Rotorua to Christchurch. Then at the end of our whistlestop tour we flew from Dunedin to Brisbane, where I will pick up the story shortly. Just before I do, I shall mention the outline plan of our cross continent trip.
From Brisbane we planned to head up the coast to Rockhampton then turn left and drive across to Tenant Creek.
South from Tenant Creek we were going to head for the Red Centre to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) before returning to Alice Springs.
Catching the train, The Ghan, in Alice would take us north again to Darwin. After collecting another rental car in Darwin we would head off into Kakadu National Park.
Then it would be a doddle to pop across to Broome in Western Australia to have a quick paddle in the Indian Ocean before nipping off to Sydney, via Perth, to have a quick dekko at the Opera House.
First New Zealand
Earlier this year I travelled to Australia for a second time and to New Zealand. Not in that order but I shall write about Australia first. I went to visit friends and because of a long standing obsession with a country that my parents didn't emigrate to because I was born.
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