"Cheryl' the tent lady

On arrival at El Lago caravan park, we noticed a small green tent in the next row of the park. Some time later a single lady came wandering past and went to the tent. That night, it poured rain. I am not sure how much rain we had but it was at least 25mm. there were puddles in the grassy areas around the park and "Cheryl" was in her tent. A polite "good morming" was about all the conservation we had with her but amongst us vanners, "Cheryl" was the topic of conversation more than once. Elaine had said that the boys, John and Rob, had helped her put up the tent two days earlier and she arrived with tent, blow up mattress and sleeping bag all stuffed in a shopping trolley and had come from Sydney where she had been sleeping "rough.""Cheryl" had no refrigeration
 or cooking facilities. We don't know how or where she ate. She hated Sydney so she told the boys.Anyway after the rain, a small white car arrived one morning, "Cheryl" had packed up her goods and they were all placed in the car and she left. More conservation this time more about the "thank goodness, someone has taken her into care" type ones. All agreed that this was good.
We said our goodbyes to John Elaine Rob and Lorraine on the Friday morning and guess what happened Friday afternoon, "Cheryl" returned with shopping trolley, new larger tent and goods. She had a bit of trouble putting the new larger tent up and knocked on our door for some help. Of course I will.....and she was back.

Central Coast of New South Wales

Having lived in nsw for the last 17 years or so, we still know very little about it. Lets face it, it's our oldest state and with our love of all things historic, we need to find more. We chose to stay at Gerroas Seven Mile Beach caravan park for Easter. South coast is a place that we visited about 35 years ago and we haven't been able to get back in that time. Seven mile beach lives up to its name and there is plenty of WOW factor.The park is divided into two distinctly different sides, beachside, where we stayed, and riverside, on the other side of the verybusy road. A visit to riverside showed many of the sites were annual or long term residents, several canvas cabanas backing on to the river and sites suitable for large tent groups, like school groups and the like. Some large groups of teenagers were spotted when we were out, on a surf school/camp. This type of business fits in well along this coast and the beauty of seven mile is that there are no killer currents or high rough surf.
At beachside there were nice modern beach hut style cabins, modern amenities and a pool with different sections that suited from toddlers to adults. The lounge had a few coin operated games , a pool table and a big screen. Outside the lounge a bbq, sink and a pizza oven. First one we've seen in a park. The jumping pillow was just along from us and it had a fair workout over Easter. Lots of tents in ourarea as well and they took up ALL of their site. Annexes, tarps and gazebos were what looked like "compulsory". The park was full as expected over the peak Easter period. Shopping centre is at nearby Kiama and the traffic there was also bedlam. We did a littleshopping at a lovely little IGA at Kiama downs, just out of town away from the traffic snarls. Back to camp and into "lockdown" mode for the next few days. About 25ml of rain overnight and it was quite heavy, next couple of days, just lovely. Drive to Nowra via Shoalhaven Heads gave usa good look around. We were last here when our good friends the Gibsons lived here and we had a holidat at Ulladulla. We met up again with the Gibsons and had a lovely meal in Kiama at Hanoi on Manning and a great catch up. We hope to meet them on the road somewhere.
We moved on from Gerroa back up the highway1 to the Hume and on to Richmond. It was in the new Camps 7 and is attached to the Richmond club. Wanderest has powered sites and water for 12- per night for clubmembers. Showers and toilets there as well and all sites are on bitumen. This area was part of the earliest settlement after Sydney cove began expanding. The Hawkesbury river valley provided fertile soils for farming and vegetable growing in the area.St.Matthews at Windsor has some very early graves in its graveyard beside the church. We found a first fleeter married a 2nd fleeter and their descendants in there as well.

This is Mat Urquhart, and he is the General manager of Tyrepower at Sunbury. Have I ever told you how much these guys are dedicated to customer satisfaction and all round do-gooders....Our first experience started last year when we were leaving Port Augusta and I needed a couple of tyres changed over from the van to spare and we called at two bridgestone dealers on the way out of town and both more or less said, Come back Thursday..This was Monday morning. great help. On we push to port pirie and the Tyrepower branch there had had a change of owner and it was lunch time, not a good time to call generally , but wait...Yeah wheel her in, said the owner and they changed the tyre straight away. How much, mate? ooh thats alright, no charge today. That was the start. On our return to Sunbury area I went to see Matthew about replacing the tyre that had been on the spare. well he tried very hard to replace the Simie tyres but apparently they are not made anymore. He did recommend a couple of light truck rated tyres and fitted and balanced for a very good price. light truck tyres are recommended because of the higher pressures they take rather than a normal car radial. The extra pressure because of the load they take.

My latest episode with Matthew Urquhart and Tyrepower Sunbury came just last week when I am considering changing my Coopers preferably for more Coopers. that was not to be at $370- per tyre. Matthew showed me some information on the Kumho KL/61a good, well wearing tyre that would suit our useage with 70%bitumen and 30% off road- sand and mud etc. The price included balancing and i asked about a wheel alignment and that again was no problem. Cannot speak highly enough of the service we have received at Tyrepower branches in Port Pirie and Sunbury. If you are in the market for a set of new tyres, give Matt a call on 97407755 and tell him Bruce sent you.

St.Leonards, Inglewood, Upwey, Macedon, Moama and further

Well it's  been a while since writing and quite a few things have happened since we left St.Leonards.I was right in thinking of maybe Inglewood and we stayed for a few days there. The frustrating part is that we still haven't been out fossicking yet. We go there and get busy with other things, like the WUDU magazine or an article for the website and before you know it, we're off again. Exactly what happened this time. Few days at Inglewood and then off to Romsey where we left the rig hitched up, took the "For Sale" Territory to Upwey for another WUDU shoot. This was a reunion of people involved in the Summer Series and will front the new season of Whats Up Downunder when it goes to air on the 30th March (check your local guides.)
Sunday morning and we are packed ready to leave and our host Col has arranged for us to meet his good friends Terry and Kaye. Terry has a great car collection that Col reckons I will enjoy. After winding our way through some very dry parts of the Dandenong ranges, we reach there magnificent house and several outbuildings on about 5 acres overlooking Cardinia creek reservoir. Terry DOES have some interesting vehicles indeed, as well as a great Elvis collection and an extensive museum collection of all sorts. Makes us feel a little older when you see things on display in glass cases and we both say "oh I remember those."
Terry has a "Tucker" motor vehicle, No.45 of 48 produced in the world, he is a member of the Cord and Duesenberg owners club of Australia and also drives in hillclimbs competitively. Thats the difference...Terry took 10 seconds off the record for class in his '64 mustang at the Bathurst hillclimb recently.Nice record breaker there, Terry.
My brother Dean was bringing Mum down to my sisters place at Wantirna south and our daughter Elise, was also going to meet them their with her two children, so as we were in the area, decided to surprise them and call in as well.A nice get together and a chance for a four generation photograph.We left there, back to Romsey, pick up the van and headed for Macedon.
 We hadn't been to this park before but it has everything we wanted, peace and quiet as well as being on the Bendigo train line, all good points. Not too far from Elise either.
Once you are able to settle into a park or area, start to appreciate and fit into your surroundings, a greater appreciation of the area develops. How so? Well, a forinstance..the local c.f.a. were holding a "flea" market on the Saturday so we decided to go and have a look. Well, we had no idea  how big this thing was. Kids jumping castle and special kids activities, food stalls a bric a brac shed and a book shed where a bag of books was $3-, unbelievable, then the auction started. Donated goods from which you could furnish a house were put up to sell with the MOST entertaining auctioneer we have seen in action for a long time, knocked the car park full of donated goods down to the highest bidder. Sattelite dish went for $2- Wow. Marg tied my hands behind my back otherwise we would have needed another storage container I reckon, and this only take place ONCE a year..Great event.
Left Macedon after about a week and headed back to Moama for another board meeting and catch up. Stayed in Shady River park as we had before and it's close to the RSL.Warm enough for me to go swimming and the floatation helps my back, so I don't mind getting wet now and again.
After a few days, all business done, we head South and return to Treetops. Elise and her cousin Erica have organised a family reunion here and we have a great time. all in all 25 people were there, we self catered, some had powered sites and the rest used the bunkhouse type of accommodation  that is in the hall. A great weekend. We stayed on for a further couple of days and explored the Topaz possibilities of the area. We were given info about the area that we may be able to fossick for these stones, not too far away. so a day out proved fruitless, but our info did say "when the creeks are running."
Now onto the Caravan, Camping and Touring super show at Caulfield racecourse . High temps about 34C may have put some people off but that was not evident where we stood. Luckily the WUDU stand is on the 1st floor in the air conditioned area and we are glad it is. Have spoken to lots of people over our time so far there and back into it tomorrow. If you are around, come and say G'day to stand no.115..

This last week has been one of several kilometres. Firstly we left Waratah bay to be back in Moama for a meeting, a visit to the storage facility and catch up with family and friends. We had another overnight stay at lockington at the travellers rest before reaching Moama. This weekend is the annual Sourthern 80 ski boat race so we were really anxious about leaving before the streets once again became grid locked as they do on that weekend.Straight through Bendigo stopping for fuel for the vehicle and ourselves before making the trip through Castlemaine, Daylesford and Ballan to Geelong. Once through Geelong to Portarlington and Bellarine Bayside caravan park. Strange coming to Portarlington and our good friends, Terry and Marg. not being there. We do manage to catch up with them later.

Bellarine bayside controls about 24klms of beach front in the parks they look after. Stretches from portarlington to St.Leonards and parks vary in size, with the largest at their headquarters at PA.Friendly staff, helped us when we needed to re-locate because of a fence and a parked vehicle near our original site but this was no problem to them.Vans our size are in the minority here and we see groups of several members of the one family occupying about 3-4 sites for their annual seaside holidays. Several options are available for long term  (seasonal) site rentals.Some nice photos around the park and the town and a meal at the local Tandoori with friends was great. They invite us back the next day for lunch and the usual mussel feast is difficult to refuse and we look forward to that. Terry loves his cooking and does a great chilli mussels dish.
After two nights we move on to indented Head to stay in another of Bellarine bayside parks. A smaller park but quite friendly. We speak to people who have been coming to that spot for up to 50 years and we learn that there are three generations of the one family there as well. These parks are different from what we are used to. There are more long term camps here than transient campers. We very much categorise ourselves as being in the other group of travellers. Several people take a lot of notice as we negotiate the park for our site and see the big rig coming in. Today, we move again to St.leonards on the beach. Another Bellarine park and a little different again. Not a lot of cars at the camps as we come in and only a few people walking around. Thats ok, it is a working day after all and will see a change at the weekend. Southerly breeze is still around so, after taking some photos of the camp after original set up, we go off to Queenscliff for lunch and a wander around the shops. After lunch and a quick drive down to Barwon Heads for a look at Diver Dans cafe, now At The Heads cafe. Call back through Ocean Grove for a stroll up the shopping strip, a lovely thick shake at a cafe there and on home once again. tonight its a BBQ with Ivan, Margaret and family and tomorrow we are North bound once again. May be overnight at Inglewood, me thinks....

Had a couple of days at Inverloch big4 and caught up with my Mum and one brother. Had another look around now the de-sal work has finished and found many houses for sale. They vary of course, right across the board. Inverloch too, has several nice houses for sale and they also have matching price tags.Just love that coastline. from the first time you catch glimpses of that dramatic vista over the sandhills at Kilcunda and on further to cape patterson and finally to inverloch with the ever decreasing point smythe  on the other side of Andersons Inlet slowly but surely filling the inlet. It's hard to imagine that when my father was a boy, ships used to sail into Inverloch to the original jetty taking Outtrim coal out, from about where the Big4 park is now. He said there was a crane on the end of the jetty and kids would climb it to dive into the deep water there.

On through Meeniyan, Fish Creek to Waratah Bay where the caravan park is located in Freycinet street.We have been going there for many years but we only took a cabin. we had a favourite that you could actually see the condition of the sea from our bed.The crimson Rosellas come to greet you and bags of parrot food can be bought from the small shop.Hand feeding can be done with confidence as the birds are cheeky enough to allow this.Fishing has always enticed me at Waratah and with only 23 steps from the top of the steps to the beach, why would I resist. This time though, fishing was not the drawcard. We went for R & R and that's exactly what we got. Nice to re=kindle the relationships once again with park managers and just chew the fat about the area, industry and future.

We asked my brother in law and wife to come over as they had just purchased a new van. They were planning a shake down trip with friends to Lochsport but all decided that Waratah was a better option. We had a good catch up there as well.
People behind us, German visitors joined us for happy hour and were very interesting to talk to.

Kay and Elke were fascinated to see the Koalas just behind our camp and still within the park.

What a great couple of weeks we have had. Moving quietly through the central goldfields of Victoria after the Portarlington mussel fest, we settled in Maryborough. Had a pleasant stay overnight en-route at Clunes, the booktown.. We have always liked Clunes. Our first venture there was on Anzac day about 1990 and it was a whole lot different then. A piper and tinrattler for the local RSL went from pub to pub ,piping and collecting and you could park anywhere in the main street on THAT Anzac day. Plenty of vacant shops in all states of disrepair and a couple of bric-a-brac shops and not a lot of anything else. Clunes has had a re-vitalisation. Lovely bakery, book shops galore, news, hairdressers a few gift shops have given a re birth to this old goldfields town. Well worth the journey from anywhere to Clunes.

Maryborough seems to be dominated by some lovely elevated architecture. Try and find anything higher than the old schoolhouse, the site of a new retirement village now, or spend some time browsing the antiques at the magnificent railway station before having a snack or perhaps even lunch at the lovely cafe there. A little further on from the railway station is the old mill, now turned into a sewing machine museum, yes ,thats right.  This corrugated clad 4 storey mill once crushed local grain and now houses a great collection of sewing machines and an impressive array of bric-a-brac.
The local highland society have a great club on the main street and serves a mean lunch. The town is also the gold seeker centre for victoria so any tips, or equipment to find that elusive nugget may be found at Coiltek out along the Bendigo road.Quite hot while we stayed in the Maryborough caravan park. We met a few locals and a few visiting fossickers out to find that elusive nugget.
Moving on we went to Inglewood, another old gold town with an amazing history. The great fire of 1862 destroyed most of the main street of Inglewood, so most of the buildings date from then.