107 - Stop Press!!!!!!

Well here we are at our son's place in Trinity park a suburb of Cairns. We left Nirvana and three days later we arrived.

At the time of writing this original blog entry, we had intentions of possibly staying here (Cairns) for the winter, hopefully find some work, and then at the end of the seasons head back south, then head to SA for the summer.

Well it is amazing what a day makes.

So on Saturday 2nd April we are returning to SE Queensland to take over a boutique cabins and caravan park in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. We have been negotiating this for a little while, however a take over date was a little down the track....so we decided it was all a little to hard, so we headed to Cairns to see the kids.

Well that date has now been brought forward to ASAP for the CP....so what does that mean?????........back we go to where we came from. We would not return if this contract wasn't long term. We will do our usual thing and continue to make it work until such times the property is sold. Could take a month or a year............that's the way it goes.

So as above we again hook up the Retro Liner on Saturday 2nd April and basically back track. Cairns to the Sunshine Coast. Bloody expensive exercise I don't mind telling ya, but however we have seen the kids and grandess.

We need to get back to work, I'm getting fatter, and the bride is whinging she's bored.......well I am going to fix that lovey.

It is going to take us at least a week to get back. At the time of writing this there has been heavy rain the area from Bowen to Mackay and the road is cut just south of Proserpine. However if no further rain falls in the area between now and say Sunday, the road should be clear........time will tell.

I will post again as soon as something happens, with some photies hopefully.

Cheers and beers

Us

106 - Nirvana 2

We really love this place. Great lawns, fantastic ammenities, everybody so friendly........but that is normal for our life style.

We were going to stay another week, but ended staying another 10 days. So on the morning of the 24th of March we are heading back to Cairns...........Crikkies!!!!!!!!!!

So what did we do for 10 days......eat, drank and be merry!!!!!!!!..............and swam in the pool, had a million BBQ's with all our neighbours, countless happy hours, life's grand.

Just as a dig for what we call textile caravan parks, at the time of writing this blog we have left Nirvana and a currently just north of Gin Gin at Lake Mondarah. At this point no one has talked to us, and all the "clicks" of Gerryatric Gypsies are in their little circles no doubt talking about nothing really. Get a life. I will hang out one of my signs, that will sharpen them up.

I wanna go back to Nirvana!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I suppose on our way back to Cairns we again can visit, Rawhided, Savannah Park, Goodies, Taylorwood, Murrigal.......to name a few. A'h well time to get back to reality.

Hope you enjoy the pikkies.

One of the resident critters

Now smile for all our bloggers dear!

C'mon you old humpty back old codger , do some strokes

Yes dear! That is a foot

This is the boozer

The owners house at Nirvana

Keep that training up for the Nirvana Olympics

That would be right. To much training, so it is time for the bride to vegie

Stay tooooned for the return trip to Cairns

105 - Mapleton Gold Coast Bribie Island

Although we are still  camped at Nirvana, the weekend of 11th and 12th of March we left the Retro Liner also at Nirvana and headed down the coast.

Our goal here was three fold. Firstly to talk to a couple who would like us take over a small and quaint tourist park in Mapleton, which is in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Secondly see our great friends Peter and Geraldine Butt at Bribie Island, then onto the Goldie to see a very dear friend of ours, who isn't in the best of health.

So Friday afternoon saw us at Mapleton, Saturday and Sunday on the Gold Coast, Sunday night Bribie Island.

Our trip back to Nirvana we stopped at the Ettamogh pub, (once again been past there a million times) so it best we stop this time. However coming into Scaryborough, I have never driven in rain like it. Man what a drenching. So when we finally got to our camp site, the access to get to the RetroLiner was underwater.

So we had to get the owners of Nirvana to come across the creek crossing in their fourby, to get us, leaving poor old Val out in the middle of nowhere. Anyway after a couple of days the creek went down and we retrieved the Val.

Enjoy the photies

Just about to have breakfast at Bribie

The rear of our friend's house on the Goldie

The front of the house...pretty swish aye!!!!!

 Nothing like a hot spa with our crazy friends Peter and Ger (Jezzabell) at Bribie Island

Hey Shell, just had to take that photo, not as neat as yours though

This is what met us on our return from our trip

The poor old Val, so lonely stranded on the other side of the creek

I just gotta save the Val........ready for a swim!!!!!

Well after the dramas you can't miss happy hooooooours now

Stay tooooned for Nirvana 2

104 - Woodgate Childers Nirvana (Hervey Bay / Maryborough)

We left Rawhide, and headed to an all time favourite place, that being Woodgate about 55 kays south of Bunderberg.

We didn't stop in Bundy, as we have "been there, done that," a thousands times. We thought 3 days would see us out at Woodgate, but the weather turned bloody awful, the second day we were there, so our dream of working on the tan, swimming, and just floating about in the ocean was doomed.

Persistent rain, gale force winds, and just miserable all up. We ended up staying for five days, not because we liked it, only because the weather was so crapp, and we discovered a new leak in the Retro Liner........right over the "work bench" of course. So we tarped the RetroLiner up, during our stay at Woodgate, to prevent further leaking.

Low tide at Woodgate (the only fine day we had)

As we were only about 35 kays from Childers, we thought as the weather was so rotten, we would take a drive, and have a look. Again we have passed through Childers a million times, but never stopped. 

A quaint little town, however 10 or so years ago, Childers became headlines, due to the tragic fire that swept through the Palace Backpackers, talking 12 lives in the process. We had a wander around town, checked out all the cute buildings.

Now as I have said before on quite a few occassions....I am not one for museums, old buildings, markets, freak shows, flower arrangements, craft shops....ho, he, ho, hum!!!!!!! get me outa here!!!!!

I figured I am either a total boring "old fart" cause I don't like all the above .........or maybe I am just a recycled teenager totally in denial.

I, and we, love the beach....secluded of course, the surf, classic cars, good look'n women....cause I am a boy that's my job!!!!!!, 60 and 70's music, hot spas, wear board shorts with favourite footwear being "pluggers". Enjoy a pale ale, red wine and port....Maybe I am having a mid life crisis........bring it on!!!!!

I am not going there, no way, to the senior cits department, but I will still collect my pension from January 2012.

However in saying all that, we went and had a look at the memorial of the Palace Backers. Quite moving I will confess. Can't take photies in there...however if you are going through that way, best to drop in.

The bride outside the ISIS RSL in Childers

We  left Woodgate after five days, and with the weather improving, we again ventured southward. I figured Hervey Bay. We had two choices, to either revisit our normal haunt of Sunlovers Retreat, or a relatively new retreat called Nirvana.

Nirvana won the call, mainly because Mike & Sue who run Sunlovers have moved to Sydney for business reasons....and they are great people, so lets try a new adventure.

We arrived at Nirvana and what a fantastic retreat. Unbelievable is all I can say. This place is just fantastic, as you will see by the pikkies. This place is now becoming well known to the "Wandering Bare" fraternity....and there are a skillion of those, any wonder why this place is what it is....just magic.

As we are really in no hurry to go anywhere, we have opted for a week, pay for 6 and stay for 7, and at $20 bucks a night, what a deal.

We have however made some more plans. We decided after four days to head to the Gold Coast to see one of our dear friends who is not in the beast of health, however this trip was a combination of seeing some people at Mapleton about a 12 month management contract to run a small tourist park, and to see another great couple Peter and Geraldine at Bribie Island.

We left our van on site at Nirvana and will return on Monday 14th March, and will more than likely stay another week.

Check out some pikkies, and next post will be more on our trip to the Gold Coast, via Mapleton and Bribe Island.

Here are some pikkies, but will post a lot more on our return.

The bride heading off for "happy hours". Check out the vans and its quiet!!!!!!!!

The Oasis



The pool area

Some of the local "critters"

Sunset over Nirvana

Watch the next post on our weekend away to Mapleton, Bribie Island and Gold Coast

103 - Savannah Park (Yepoon) & Rawhide (1770)

We left Clairview and headed down the highway towards Yepoon. The trip as per normal was as boring as frigg'n hell. Just hate that run between Mackay and Rocky, luckily Clairview broke the trip this time.

As in other posts we don't stay in Rocky, but go to one of our favourite retreats just 7kms outside Yepoon, called Savannah Park. Now like all the retreats we visit in our travels, they are not for everybody. We enjoy the atmosphere, the friendliness, and the natural environment. Each to their own of course.

We were as usual greeted by David and Elaine. Great hosts, great property. Apart from another van that was there, we were it. Just perfect. We took a seven day option (pay for six) and just did our usual nothing for the whole seven days. Weather wise quite windy, but sunny.......but poor old Yepoon, is like most places in Queensland....dead quiet.

We caught up with Jo & Ron one lunch time and had a great meal at the Yepoon Sailing Club. All in all we just lazed around for the period we were there....maybe a week was to long, however we are still trying to make up our minds whick way to turn....and the most important thing is we need to go back to work.......THE PIGGY BANK IS GETTING BARE!!!!!!

Open plan camping

Anybody for a swim

The garden gnome

After Savannah Park we decided to try a new retreat on the circuit, which was called Rawhide. Only been opened since August 2010, and the hosts Noel and Kym, have created a theme of the wild west, which was really cool. Like all the retreats we visit, each have their own atmosphere.

Now Rawhide is situated 16.5kms from the turn off on the Agness Waters to Bundaberg Road. So when reaching Mariam Vale, heads towards the town of 1770 and Agnes Waters. Once at the T intersection, you go left to AW or right to Bundy. So in this instance we turned right and 16.5 kms and later we arrived at Rawhide.

We have been to Agnes Waters a few years ago, there is a posting somewhere, and we stayed at Tee Tree, another little retreat closer to AW. So we wanted to try another spot and being new, and also reasonable close to Rules Beach and Baffle Creek, we wanted to have a look at something different.

We spent three nights at Rawhide, also visiting AW and 1770, plus Rules Beach and Baflfle Creek. Once again we had Rawhide to ourselves, apart from Grahame and Jennifer who camped there on the second and third night of our stay. Great folks as well and enjoyed the odd beverage or three most afternoons.

Enjoy the photies

That's where they hang'em 

Our camp spot

One of the cabins at Rawhide

The ablutions

Yes here it is again, the Dunnys and Shower

Me going for a swim at Rules Beach

The bride at Rules beach

The bride in the stewing pot

Boot Hil

The happy hour corale

Shower with a friend (save water)

Stay toooooned for Woodgate