Camped at Broken Hill Racetrack for 5 days until the BIG Trek !
Motor homes are starting to arrive daily and we have already made some good friends here at the once grand St Patricks Race Course.The shower facilities need a lot to be desired and we had to use a double shower !! Toilets are first class and plenty of them (although they are a long way from our camp site!) Annie and I have told those noe here to tune into Channel 18 around 4.30pm (CB) so we can inform them of our Happy Hour thise evening here is just a little on Broken Hill and is an isolated mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. The world’s largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has roots in the town.and is located near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (national route 32) and the Silver City Highway (national route 79), in the Barrier Range. It is 220 m (722 ft) above sea level, has an average rainfall of 235 mm (9 in) and summer temperatures that reach well over 40 °C (104 °F). The closest major city is Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, which is more than 500 km (311 mi) to the southwest. Unlike the rest of New South Wales, Broken Hill (and the surrounding region) observes Australian Central Standard Time (UTC+9:30) a time zone it shares with South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Broken Hill has been called “The Silver City”, the “Oasis of the West”, and the “Capital of the Outback”. Although over 1,100 km (684 mi) west of Sydney and surrounded by semi-desert, the town has colourful park and garden displays and offers a number of attractions such as the Living Desert Sculptures.
Annie is getting to be very proficient at taking photo s and all the above are credited to her My little contribution is below More to follow whilst we are in Broken Hill 
Next stop Warrawong Park at Wilcannia
We move on making very good time .This campsite is a tad expensive ($35) but we opted for a bit of luxury (Shower and water plus POWER ) places visited on the way include Nevertire (really!) Nyngan that has a helicopter positioned to recognise the bravery of past life savers when this area flooded a while back. Cobar where we have stayed before.On the way we met up with a bus load of teachers ,who were quite entertaining,heading for a conference in Broken Hill (bet they have the best time considering they are around 800 kms from Home).Tomorrow we head for Broken Hill approx 250 kms from here and will camp there for a few days and stock up with water,extra fuel and beer supplies ! before heading off to Birdsville
Along the way we saw massive bales of Cotton all plastic wrapped and ready for delivery For my Pommie pals note the GPS that advses Straight for 570 kms then turn left!!! Brilliant stuff and the interesting bird homes under the water tower also the interesting EGG flower pic that Annie took
Tomorrow Broken Hill for 5 days prior to setting off on the Birdsville Track estimated 59 Motorhomes travelling in Convoy ! Can,t wait !
Leaving Hebel for Warren with a tourist stop at Lightening Ridge
The stay was comfortable using our own resources powered in the daytime by the Sun…We ventured into an Opal mining town Pop unknown because fossikers come and go ( I have had a Miners licence since coming to Australia 30 yrs ago) On the road into LR is what can only be described as a Concrete Mixer on a Plinth ! Apparently was used for putting dirt in them and mixed with water to show OPALS as it spins around.We visited an Art Gallery and the photo,s n Paintings were fantastic !! Sadly out of our price range so we opted for Posters !! The town is a mixture of old and new Buildings and does not have a Post Office !!Well worth a look if your near by.Next stop via n almost single track road is Warren where we have opted to stay over night.On entry we saw a very large lake and it looked very pretty BUT apparently it is a sewage pond and the water is being purified ! Annie didn,t want to go for a swim !! Lots of stray animals on the road especially cows and we have to very vigilant considering we are travelling around 100 Km ph !
Onwards to Hebel via Dalby
Goodbye Imbil as we travel to our next destination and overnight stay Some of the scenery going towards Dalby is spectacular with mountainous very scenic roads with the Glass Mountain looking very spectacular stood on its own.Roads were a little scary at times and we got lost only once ( GPS? And managed to lose only 20kms) Because our bus is now fully self sufficient our overnight stays at camps are proving to be 50% cheaper sometimes more !We had lunch at St Georges and although we stayed there once before we have decided to move and now staying at Dalby Passing thru places like Black Butt,Nanaango and Kumbia Next we travelled onto Hebel where the population is 27 !! and stayed another night (the pub opposite is something out of the comical Etamagah Comic era !) On the way the roads were very clear with lots of road kill kangaroos,sheep and 2 black wild pigs !! we came to a very sharp bend and after not seeing ANY type of vehicle for some time we confronted by TWO very large trucks with 3 trailers each !we had to stop whilst the drivers negotiated the bends very skilfully and gave us a cheery wave for stopping and letting them thru !! Hebel is situated just before the NSW border next to the Bokhara River that is a tributary of the Darling River
We are now less than a 1000 kms from out target Broken Hill,next Lightening Creek
Imbil part 2
After the games and our very famous happy hour session a BBQ was organised with members bringing different salads and I have to say the Zucchini Tart and Cauliflower in bacon sauce was excellent !! One of the CMCA members along with his wife played brilliantly on 2 accordions playing music from yesteryear that totally suited the group we proudly belong too !! A fire was lit and we sat around that till around 10 pm telling our different but very interesting stories ‘Next morning we were treat to full English breakfast supplied by the hard working committee members (and others) the AGM was held raising various concerns etc .Annie and myself have volunteered to organise a gathering next July (more on that next year)
A great weekend,we are now settled for the night in Dalby over 300 kms from Imbil as we make our way to Broken Hill for our Birdsville trip (1300 kms to go)
Imbil,Queensland and the SUNCOASTERS having a good time Part1
We have started our 1800 km meet up trip in Broken Hill and met upi with our Club Chapter The Suncoasters motor-home group.Imbil is the largest town in the lower Mary Valley, in Queensland, Australia, with an estimated population of 600 people.Like most country towns, it has a warm community with many active groups, and that, combined with its picturesque main street perched on the banks of Yabba Creek, is one of its main attractions.Volunteers organised an annual country show, local Sunday markets and the Friday night youth group, as well as various events throughout the year. As we set off from home we discovered our 240 volt to our bus was not working !! We thought we would carry on to Toowoomba and spend lots of money getting it fixed !! On arriving at the meeting place we parked alongside a fellow club members at Imbil and discovered he was an electrician !! After spending a bit of time testing everything on the RV he diagnosed the problem and fixed it !!saving us money SO we spent the next few hours drinking alcohol at my expense and ended up having a great boozy relaxed day and that was the Friday sorted !! Saturday began after breakfast by getting involved in a Disc Bowl competition using Frisbee type discs instead of Bowls.The playing area can be placed in almost any area and is very popular with CMCA members I went out first round (twas my fault incurring penalty points !sorry ladies) Annie played very well and got into the semi finals !.Afternoon tea the raffle was held (no luck!) The 20th anniversary of this club was celebrated with cake and champagne and a few speeckes,Me and Annie have held our hand and hopefully will host a meeting June 2014 (oh dear !!)
Sunshine Coast and the Birdsville Track and a short Blog
We set off Friday next for a meet up with our chapter friends on the Sunshine Coast for a few days THEN the biggie to Birdsville Races travelling in a Convoy.Should be so exciting,extra fuel tanks bought because of lack of Garages en route,all adds to the fun of desert driving .Hopefully exciting blogs to come and hope this itinerary is legible
Love this retirement !!!
Pomona Queensland/Suncoasters and Yellow !!
On this visit to the monthly meeting of the Queensland Suncoasters me and Annie (after 3 compulsory visits) are now fully fledged members of the club and as usual there is a theme this month being that everyone wore something YELLOW !! and of course me n Annie dressed for the occasion Parked at the base of the magnificent MT Cooroora we had ,as usual a fun filled weekend and enjoyed a bit of music and afeed at the local Bowling Club (even tho the meal took 90 mins to be served !)
Pomona is a town located at the base of Mount Cooroora at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The town was originally called Pinbarren siding and was renamed Pomona in 1906, after the Roman goddess of fruit and orchards. Pomona is 166 kilometres north of Brisbane Now it is a heritage and lifestyle town and formally declared the region’s ‘friendliest town’ (2004 and 2010), Pomona was first settled by Europeans in the late 1880s, but had been home to the Gubbi Gubbi indigenous peoples for thousands of years before that. Early settlers collected timber from the area. The railway to Pomona was operating in 1891, opening the land to farming. Pomona is notable for three things: a relaxed streetscape of distinctive timber and art deco buildings, the heritage-listed Majestic Theatre and the annual King of the Mountain race up the nearby, Mount Cooroora.( I was told the course from the town centre return has been clocked at under 25 minutes !! )The Majestic, built in 1921, is claimed to be the world’s oldest continuously operating silent movie theatre built for that purpose. However, it is not the first theatre in the world in which silent films were screened. The Majestic has been a community-owned enterprise since October 2006.
Australian musician Darren Hanlon’s album “Fingertips and Mountaintops” was entirely recorded in the Majestic Theatre.
July in Australia is my favourite Month because of Xmas Celebations here !
Tomorrow we will be holding a Xmas in July Party at our home Christmas in July refers to Christmas-themed celebrations held in July.
In the southern hemisphere, winter falls in July.Countries such as Australia, New Zealand in order to have Christmas with a winter feel .Christmas in July events are undertaken.However, Christmas in December, the usual month, is a far more common practice, despite it being summer here in Oz bringing the atmosphere of Christmas but with warmer temperatures. Parties may include Santa Claus, ice cream and other cold foods, and gifts. Nightclubs often host parties open to the public.
Meals on Wheels Hervey bay
Me and Annie have been delivering meals for 2 months now and the job is interesting,varied and never boring .The FIRM is always looking for volunteers and we have already met some lovely peopleincluding clients and the people we work alongside.
Meals on Wheels is a name familiar to Australians and is at the heart of many communities. It represents helping hands, teamwork and looking out for each other. It is all about people in the community joining forces to help others. While age and disability may reduce some people’s capacity to get out and about, Meals on Wheels helps make it possible to stay in their homes, where most are happiest, and maintain some independence. Delivery of nutritious meals, social interaction and regular visits ensure a clients’ well being and can help people live the lives they choose.
From its inception over 60 years ago, Meals on Wheels has grown to become a driving force of care in the community. In the course of a year, over 14.8 million meals are delivered by more than 78,700 volunteers to about 53,000 recipients Australia wide in cities, regional and rural areas.
The changing face of Meals on Wheels reflects how the organisation is responding and adapting to the changing face of the community. The multicultural nature of society is echoed in the food, faces and friendships that typify Meals on Wheels.
While the tradition and values of Meals on Wheels remain true to its’ origins, a focus on engaging people of all ages from all walks of life is unfolding and bringing renewed energy, ideas and vision to help the organisation continue to provide a vital service and meet the needs of the community.
Meals on Wheels has had a place in the hearts and homes of Australians for now 60 years. Helping the frail older people and younger people with disabilities and their carers stay in their homes where most are happiest is at the heart of the matter.
Every day a friendly smile, a chat about the weather, a nutritious meal and knowing someone will drop by to say hello, changes the lives of many Australians. It’s not just the clients who value this contact, ask any of the 78,700 volunteers and they will tell you reaching out and making a difference in somebody else’s day, makes their day too.
Independence is something we all value and to have that taken away through not being able to go to the shops for groceries or to cook regular meals, should not be an obstacle to autonomy.
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 