30th April 
The saga of the ride on mower continues. After getting it all together it still didn't run that well until the ignition coil failed and confirmed a suspicion that I was starting to have.

The offending piece. I have one on order, so hopefully when it arrives it will get the thing going as it should.
Sorry about the technical stuff, but we are not touring at the moment so there is not a lot of scenery to show.
We have been out visiting old friends, but you dont want to see all them now do you.
Helen had a BCC cut from her cheek on Thursday last, so we have to wait for the stitches to come out next Thursday before we can carry on with the trip. She said no photos of the black eye please,
Back to the Tech stuff.
I thought it prudent to change the front disc pads before we head into the Boony's as they have done 70,000km and will need replacing soon.

Yes good call as they were getting down so I will keep the old ones as spares.

The bike rack works fine but it does get in the way if we need to get into the front boot of the caravan. We bit the bullet and splashed out on a set of racks and a basket to go on top. We will put the bikes up there and keep the boot free. I will take the bike rack as well so I have the choice of the two if need be.

They fit OK, but its a bit of a stretch getting them up there. At least they are out of the way.
Sorry about the idiot reflected in the window,don't know where he came from!

Cheers from Beerwah
Dave and Helen

25th April
I couldn't resist another short blog. Not a lot going on, but one must pay your way, so here we are doing a valve job on Max's ride on mower. The poor old thing hasn't been going for a while as it loses power not long after starting work. (I am familiar with those symptoms) It turned out the valves had lost their clearance so a strip down and readjustment was needed. The valves had to come out to be ground to length.

The conditions are a bit primitive but that's not a problem, Ive worked in worse.

The heads off,  the valves ready to come out and we are well on the way.
To be cont----
Cheers Dave and Helen

Fri 20th    Left Coffs Harbour after a couple of days relaxing and looking around town. Restocked the fridge and hit the road after a rainy night again, though it had cleared a bit by the time we left. Had a good run through with rain off and on with the occasional downpour to make driving interesting.
A stop for lunch by the river and then we were off again with rain on the horizon once more.
Made for Byron Bay and drove through town dodging hordes of Back Packers without actually hitting any, then out the other side and back onto the highway heading North again.
Finally had enough of the rain and stopped at the "Sleepy Hollow" rest area. Not sure where they got the sleepy tag from as the trucks roaring past dispelled any illusion of being lulled into a dreamy sleep.

As it happened we were the only ones to spend the night there so it always makes you a bit nervous, but all was well and with more rain over night, the morning dawned bright and sunny for the final leg home.
A good run into Queensland and instantly noticeable was the better roads.
I cant believe how bad some of the main roads are in NSW, they never seem to improve them. Maybe because the State in nearly bankrupt.!
After a stop at Burpengarry for a bite to eat we made it to our final destination at Max and Murdulas place at Beerwah and set up for a couple of weeks.

One of the best camping grounds so far
 We want to catch up with friends and family and do a few jobs while we are here before heading North again. So for awhile the Blog will most likely stagnate until we are on the move again.
Till next time regards Dave and Helen

Tues 17th (cont)  --- Until we found a place to stop for the night along with a few others that were sick of driving in the atrocious conditions.

We sent a rainy, noisy night along with 4 other groups. Its amazing how you can sleep through the traffic noise when you have to. At least we weren't cramped up in the little camper van like the couple in front who are on their way around Australia for the second time in the same vehicle! A nice couple from Sydney.
We decided to carry on as far as Coffs Harbour the next day and put as much distance between us and the rain and wild weather as possible.
As circumstances would have it, we made the right decision as Sydney got hammered and Narrabeen where we were,got a pasting as well. It pays to watch the TV weather and listen to the radio.

We stopped for lunch at Macksville by the river and filled the water tanks from a tap on the fish filleting bench. Stopping overnight in the free camping areas is fine but not many have nice clean water so you have to look out for it wherever you can.

We had just run out of the rain here,(the ground is still wet),and the Sun had come out so our panel was busy recharging our battery. By the time we left there was 4 vans parked everyone having a bite to eat.
We carried on to Coffs Harbour and decided to shout ourselves a couple of nights at the Split Solitary Camping ground. Its named after the Island just off the coast which has a split right down the middle.
I took a photo but it was too far away to see the split.

 There was still a bit of weather around with a couple of showers in the afternoon but not enough to stop us having a walk down the Beach and having a photo shoot.

Jock on a rock! or Jerk on a rock, you decide. About 5 seconds after the photo was taken the tide swept around from the left and swamped Helen's feet. Maybe that's why I'm smiling, I could see it coming!! Don't tell her though.

Our spot at Split Solitary Holiday Camp as it was called last time we were here though now it is Sapphire Beach Holiday park. Must have new owners since we were last here.
Tomorrow we head North again and will probably be back on the Coast by the weekend all going well.
Cheers for now,Helen and Dave

Sat 15th 
 We made it through the mad house that is Sydney traffic and found our way to Narrabeen on the North shore, just North of Manly. The Caravan Park is nice but at $47.00 a night not cheap. Still its close to the beach and the Manly Ferry.

Its nice to be in a Park as you can get all the washing and other domestic chores done when you are connected to power and water.

SUN 16th   Anyhow Sunday Morning we met up with Grant in Manly and had the Morning with him before heading into Sydney on the Manly Ferry.

Of course Sydney Harbour is not complete without a view of the Bridge and Opera House.

A double whammy with the bridge and Opera house in the same shot.
Went on the Ferry to Darling Harbour and had a walk around and a cup of Coffee with Grant.

Darling Harbour is a lot more developed than when we were there last and has quite a buzz with it.
The Powerhouse and Maritime Museum, the Imax theatre and lots of eateries.

On the way back to Manly we passed Luna park, all lit up and sparkly. On the way back we got stuck behind the Sea Princess as it made its way out to the heads then on to where ever the cruise was taking it. It nearly made us late for the last Bus to Narrabeen.

Mon 17th Packed up the van and headed North to a place called  "The Entrance" We stayed there last time and its a great Caravan park right on the water. The Weather forecast wasn't very good for the rest of the week so we have to make a decision as to what we want to do.

 No mistaking the way North. A very distinctive piece of road carved through solid rock in places.
Anyhow we managed to find the Caravan park again. We stayed there last time and loved the place.

We went for a walk to the beach once we had set up and saw the weather they said was on the way.

It gave us a lovely sunset though.

The front row stalls with the best view,costs more though!.

Tue 17th  Well they were right,it hosed down all day which made it a bit dicey on the highway. Lots of trucks,spray and traffic. All a bit nerve racking. We have decided if this carries on we will just make our way home quicker and head North earlier.

We carried on until !!--- That's for the next post folks.
Cheers Dave and Helen

Sat 14th.
Thought Sat morning would be a better time to get through Sydney, though on the radio they said a Triathalon was being held in town and some roads would be blocked, but as far as we could make out none that we wanted to use. The Harbour bridge was to be closed Sunday morning but we hoped to be well away from it by then.
Anyhow we headed North and went over the sea bridge which we had done before but going the other way.

This is the roadway built out over the sea, as where it was before, it was constantly being closed by rock falls. You can see to the left of the photo where the old road ran,just below the lower cliffs.

A great piece of engineering that solved the problem of road closures.
From here we connected up with the Princess Highway which took us straight into the middle of town, though nowhere near the closed roads thank goodness. It all gets a bit hectic from here as there are traffic lanes going all ways so its up to the Navigator to keep her eye on the GPS and tell me in advance, where to go. We skirted around the Airport and ended up at the harbour Tunnel.

From here it was the Submarine act as we dove under the Harbour. Now about this time the GPS normally stops working through lack of a signal, so when you get out the other side you haven't a clue where to go. Sound familiar Rob!! Anyhow our one kept going so we came out the other side with sighs of relief. We only had to do the one trip!!

About to do the dive under the Harbour. Time to hold your breath!! Look at the lanes to chose from when you get out the other end. You don't want the GPS to crash now.

Half way through and all that water up there!!
Anyhow we made it through and on to Narrabeen, just North of Manly and apart from a little detour up and down a hill, the GPS was having a bit of a joke with us, we found and booked into the caravan Park.
Tomorrow we meet up with Grant in Sydney and spend the day with him. But that's for the next installment.
Bye for now Dave and Helen.

13 th April  Black Friday!!  Not really the day to be on the road but hey who's superstitious. We headed away from our roadside stop and headed North again this time to a little camping ground at the Coledale Surf club. We found this last trip and its a great spot on the beach and its cheap!

A spot of truck surfing along the way,great for the economy!

Passed through a nice little town called Mossvale,all trees and quaint buildings.
On our way we encountered the Illawara Highway which started out great but as we came down the escarpment to sea level it got a bit dodgy. Hairpin bends,one 180deg,just as well there was nothing coming up as I had to use both sides of the road to get around. very scenic though when i had time to look.

Then we got to Coledale beach. We found this last trip,belongs to the local Surf Club,great beach,cheap and not too crowded. About 20 vans all up.

I tried to get a good shot of Helen on the beach. Just move over by that rock a bit,nearer the edge please.

She did the same with me.

Thats all for now,on to Sydney and all the traffic and stress tomorrow.
Cheers Helen and David.

Wed 11th April   Well the time has come to hit the road North and head for the warmer weather. Lots of tears and hugs and last cuddles of the baby and we were on the way.

The van was packed bikes on and away we went.

We had a nice exit from Melbourne through the Yarra valley (Grapes,wine etc) though we didn't bother to stop then out through the Goulburn Valley (Fruit etc)  to the Hume Highway and North.
Had a nice easy trip,very little wind,warm sunny day so it made it easy driving.
We stopped for the night at a roadside lay bye just North of Albury. Quite a nice stop away from the Highway, you could still here the Trucks going through but we managed a good nights sleep. That is untill morning when the temps had dropped to 4 deg. very hard to get out of bed though the sun on the side of the van warmed it up a bit.

Headed away again and stopped at Gundagye for some shopping at the local Woollies to stock up on food etc. You could see in many places around town where the floods had gone through and
just out of town you could see Autumn is not far off.

 The Poplars just starting to turn yellow.
We had a good trip onwards doing a bit of Truck surfing!! It consists of travelling along at around 90 to 95 kmh and let the big trucks creep up and pass. They are normally limited to 100kph and then tuck in behind in the slipstream and get a free tow. The fuel consumption lowers quite considerably and you are going faster as well. With the Hume being double lane its quite easy and we covered a lot of Ks and saved a bit of fuel as well. Cuts the boredom down a bit!!
 Tonight we are just South of Goulburn NSW in another lay bye but a bit closer to the Highway so it will be a bit noisier this time. The temps have plummeted below 10deg so it off to bed to keep warm.

 Bye for now
Dave and Helen

Easter Sat.  What to do on a long weekend when in Melbourne? Go to the Victoria markets of course. We managed to negotiate the public transport system in Melb and found our way from Ringwood station into the city and Central station. From there it wasn't so easy as the GPS didn't want to know about Markets or their where abouts. So we had to ask and found we were going in the wrong direction,not far luckily. Anyhow we found them and spent a pleasant 2 hours roaming around checking out all the stalls and having a nice home made Pizza for lunch.

The markets if you haven't been there are right in the middle of town and are in what looks like an old cattle sale yard under cover.

All sorts of gear for sale here. If you want leather stuff,baby clothes, cheap watches etc its all here. Reminded me of the night markets in Hong Kong. Manned by the same sort of people as well.
We managed to find our way home again so that was a bit of a miracle as well

10th April
The boys wanted to have a night in the Caravan with Nana and Grandad before we left to go home so on Monday night we set up the bed for them and we had a party. A few games of cards first which the oldies lost most of, especially the ones requiring a good memory!

A couple of card sharps about to fleece their Grandparents. After chips and soft drink it was off to bed on the modified table that Grandad had arranged for just such an occasion. The table was lowered down to the level of the cushions using a short tube and a couple of supports put underneath. Using the cushions from the back it made a comfy double bed. I think it was comfy but then  I didn't have to sleep on it!!

Well tomorrow we bid farewell to Melbourne and head North to warmer parts (we hope) and plan to be in Sydney on Sunday 15th to meet up with Grant who flies in for the day.
Till next time,some where by the side of the road probably.
Cheers Helen and David

7th April  Well its about time I added some more to the blog I suppose,so here goes.
We travelled to Hastings on the Mornington Peninsular to catch up with friends of ours, Helen and Brian Hammond. When I was with Caterpillar in NZ I used to consult with Brian on a regular basis and have remained friends ever since. We did a trip around the Western Port area with them, which is on the Eastern side of the peninsular, the Philip Island side and had a nice day.

David with Helen and Brian Hammond at Warneet North Jetty. We ducked in and out of the little beaches and inlets and ended up at the Tooradin Airfield where we had lunch.

A lovely little airport looking out over the bay with a few interesting aircraft in residence. A nice lunch was had by all, then it was back home to the Hammond's, dropping in to a few more Marinas on the way.

The next day the Hammond's had an appointment so we headed off on our own for a tour of the Mornington Peninsular. First stop was Balnarring Beach. Not quite the quality of the Sunshine Coast but nice all the same.

From there we drove across to Rosebud and Rye on the Eastern (Port Phillip Bay) side of the peninsular and had a walk down the Beach at Rye.

Helen is trying the water temp but wasn't tempted,a bit too cold for swimming. You will notice the Jeans and warm clothes, Autumn is definitely in the air down here. We had a sit on the beach in the Sun until it disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

The smoke from a bushfire some where gave the bay an eerie light and turned it to gold.

We came back to Melbourne on the Thursday and the following day being warm and Sunny again went to the Ringwood lake reserve with some of the family. A nice sheltered place but quite busy on Easter Friday.

Here the Kids are trying to catch leaves from the trees as they fall. Autumn is well on the way.

Even the big kids were joining in
.

Well thats enough for one night.
Cheers Helen and Dave