Tamworth an Australian Mecca (bit disappointing really tho !)
Well we arived here after really looking forward to the visit BUT it turned out to be a bit of a fizzer.Tamworth is renowned thru out the world as the hub for Country Music , BUT the music from what I have seen is around January where the accomodation rates soar and people pay excessively for the shows that are probably really great to attend. The Information Centre (and we have visited many well stocked premises thru out our travels) was a wee bit poor with souvenirs being low on choice and NOT much on display to promote this musical capital in New South Wales.The parking rules are difficult to understand as parking in the High streets is reverse angle !! We looked arounf and the ONLY icon we could find was on the Highway and is a giant gold coloured guitar (not sure what it is supposed to depict? unless the area was once inhabited by giant strumming guitarists?) BUT now we can cross Tamworth of our must visit list as we have now been there !!
Stanthorpe and Glenn Innes New South Wales and other places
We were up early today after our first night in the bus after a few months relocating houses.We travelled thru Stanthorpe a large apple growing area that comes apparent when passing by virtue of the large advertising Big Apple model (no relation to New York) Australians are renowned for large iconic models (hopefully Tamworth will have a large Guitar or the like !!!) We have settled in for the night at Glenn Innes a very Gaelic community mainly Scots/Welsh and Isle of Mann (did you know the Manx cat (I.O.M) has NO tail?) We passed thru the Gap in the Great Dividing Range which at times wa a wee bit scary because some of the road is disappearing down the mountain !! (Roadworks are being rectified as I write) We passed thru Tenterfield (just over the NSW border) where apparently the Federation of Australia was born The speech was made by Sir Henry Parkes The campsite here is again very friendly and tomorrow we are heading for the Country (not to be confused with Country & Western as advised by a local,my neice) music capital of Australia Tamworth
Towards Ipswich Qld and our first stop is The Ettamagah Pub Palmview
Its been a while since being on the road and we forgot how tiring it can be !We travelled 360 kms on our first leg towards Melbourne and the Ferry.By passing Brisbane (it is SO large) and being the last weekend afore Xmas the roads were extremely busy ! We had lunch an the iconic Ettamogah Pub originally a carton in the Australian Post from 1960 – 1998 immortalised by the late Ken Maynard depicting bush “ockers” rough life in a disorganised pub !! We have booked into a caravan park a short distance from Ipswich Qld and will continue tomorrow after a much needed rest !! We passed an amazing downhill bridge going across the motorway ! Ive been around this ole world but Never seen the like !!!
On we go !! WE ARE READY !!
All packed and we will hit the road tomorrow (Saturday) early next blog will be a couple of days away and hopefully will have pics of places we have visited I will be able to update out Around Australia Google map as we go >The eastern Coast has had quite a bit of rain recently and we are hopeful on missing these areas with advance warnings Around 200kms per day is our target and we do not want to do lots of mileage in a day in order to get good blog pictures !! House has been handed over to sis in law and the premises made secure OFF WE GO and as the saying goes TO INFINITY & BEYOND !!!
Almost ready to Travel on
Saturday departure day is approaching rapidly,Annie is busy plotting our course to Melbourne where we will board the ferry on New Years Eve (an experience I am looking forward to) I have been securing the house and charging batteries up for the cameras,I pad etc .Water tank on the bus filled,generator tested and running smoothly.New nieces will look after our house while we away and Annies sister will take care of our mail that will be forwarded to Post Offices thru-out Tasmania.Hopefully this blog will then be inundated with lots of pictures
New years Eve should be a hoot!!)
Our FIRST Cane Toad and how to eradicate them
Today we had our first Cane Toad experience by finding ONE in our water logged Garden ! Tough Annie “sprayed” it !!Most Australians don’t like toads . Other people believe that the toads themselves aren’t really to blame for being in the wrong place (Australia) – after all, they didn’t ask to be brought here! Me and Annie feel this way – so that although cane toads don’t belong in Australia, and their numbers should be reduced as much as possible, it’s also important to be sure that toads are killed humanely.
To kill a toad humanely, the easiest ( I dont think so !! Annie will have to do it !) approach is to pick the animal up (gloves are a good idea, to ensure you don’t get exposed to the toad’s poison!) and put it in a plastic bag, then pop the bag into the fridge. After a few hours the toad will be pretty much asleep (although still very much alive) and you can pop the bag into the freezer. Leave it there for a long time – preferably a few days ( I dont think I will use this method !! takes up my ice making room !!)– because there are lots of stories about apparently-frozen toads coming back to life if they haven’t spent long enough in the freezer! Our local plumber says he just puts them in his bin !1 (too cruel for me that method) Gaining popularity in Queensland is the use of DETTOL , apparently a quick spray kills the frog within 30 seconds ! Then he can be buried (in the bin !!) Sadly these creatures are decimating small animal life and need to be controlled taking into consideration upto 35 000 eggs per frog are hatched ! Wow !!
Ahh Queensland ! Raining one day? Pissing it down the next !!
Living in the Perth area of Western Australia for nigh on 30 yrs I thought Id seen heavy downpours!! WRONG !! Here in Hervey Bay I have TROPICAL rain fall at its best !! from empty my 5000 litre water-tank will fill in around 2 hours easily !! When the sun is at its best my back garden need s a pick axe to break thru the surface ! BUT after one of these regular rains my garden virtually turns into a swamp ( I’m trying to get Annie to take a walk on the marshy ground ,but she wont !) Across the road from us is a storm drainage system approx 6 feet deep ( mm) and that quickly turns into a raging river !! Nice to watch and hopefully it doesn’t overflow !! Our bus is currently parked in the garden and I’m very reluctant to move it in this rain in case it disappears below the ground surface !! Hopefully we will get the Sun for a few days as we are hoping to continue our travels towards Tasmania next Saturday.We will board the Ferry on new Years Eve SO? fingers crossed all works out.Phil the satellite man has installed our new new TV box enabling us to get ALL Australian TV stations including all State (delayed) programmes as they go to air Today we are having our early Xmas Party with Anns sister coz we have no idea yet where we will be around Xmas
back online! Yahoo!! Property almost finished ..back on the road 14 th December
This last few weeks have been very trying and were inhibited from returning to our travels….We have had several alterations done to the house (ready for when we settle down,hopefully a long way away yet !!) A Garage and a workshop have been added and we have had reverse cycle aircon installed (ahhh! such pleasant luxury !!) Sorry kids but your inheritance is quickly being swallowed up !! We are in the process of readying the bus,it has had its first clean in over a year and we have invested in a Suzuki Vitara that we will hope fully tow on further adventures around Australia.On the 14th December we will get back on the road as we head for Tasmania via the Tasman Ferry from Melbourne (we will be celebrating Xmas Dinner at home early before we set off ) New Years Eve we will be on the High Seas crossing the Tasman and THAT I am really looking forward too !! Photography has been a bit thin lately due to house sorting BUT hopefully be plenty when we finally set off Annies sister and daughters have kindly offered to look after our property and for the moment its just a waiting game SO here are some pics of our garage/Workshop
My Blogs will be suspended until around 25th November as my Dongle is stuff and I cant get a landline for 2 bloody months !!!
Watch this space
11am 11th day 11th month 11th year (2011) Australian Style Remembrance Day
Today celebrates the end of the Great War and Australians are gathered around the country to respect those who never came back and especially those killed lately in Afghanistan.Remembrance day here is not as significant as ANZAC Day is to Australians & New Zealanders (even tho loss of life was immense during all wars ) Me and Ann were privileged to attend the Remembrance day memorial held in the locality of Hervey Bay . Services differ a lot here in Oz .The weather was perfect a white balloon was released for each person as the names of war dead involved in Afghanistan were read out (and there was many released sadly) and a bell chimed for each name. The soldiers on sentry guarding the cenotaph were dressed in uniforms from the 1914 – 18 war and looked splendid in their “digger” uniforms .It was good to see school children laying wreaths alongside service men from yesteryear .Im not a religious person BUT the last post post always brings a tear to my eye .The service ended with the release of lots of doves by a lovely young lady dressed all in white . My day was made having my photo taken with a very humble war hero from the Vietnam War. He is an Aborigine with 30 yrs Army service and a sheer pleasure to have .For all of you who know me as a loud Pomm who talks a lot <I was stunned into emotional silence simply by being alongside this great man ( who is also the most highly decorated service man in the Hervey Bay area) For all of you around the world who live in free society where freedom of speech is a way of life and you wish to denigrate these magnificent people? Go and live somewhere where you would be welcome LEST WE FORGET
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD LEST WE FORGET
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 