Maryborough

We are now camped up at Maryborough RV Home Base.   This is a retirement village for those that have RVs.   All the homes have masive garages to house cars, motorhomes, caravans and boats.   This is the best village that we have ever seen.    They even have a Car Wash that is big enough for the bus.   We are their guests.   You can stay for 2 nights free, with use of all the amenities, we have power, water etc.   They show you around the village, the display houses, the amenities, give you all the info and then thats that.    Stay and talk to the residents, have a bbq or happy hour and get a feel for village life.    No hard sales pitch, but no doubt we will be hearing from them via email for many months to come.   We were only staying 1 night as we had plans, but its nice, so we are going to stay the second night.    Saw one home for sale, the guy has built a bigger home here, and its was absolutely perfect for us.    If we were in the market, we would have been doing some wheeling and dealing.    The garage alone is 17M x 7M  It has a mezzanine floor at the back, and a powder room.    We could easily have put the bus, caravan, suzi and chevvy in and still had room.     The house itself was a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom but had been beautifully designed.   It was only 9 months old.   As soon as it was finished, the guy realised he wanted a bigger house and a bigger garage. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   So he built a new one.  Too much money.     Might try and put a few pics up tomorrow if I get a chance to take some.        Rick is going to take advantage and wash the bus tomorrow, we will do some sightseeing and then catch up with some of the residents and get some feedback about living in a village.    I CANNOT see Rick ever doing this lifestyle but he LOVED the garage on this house and Im thankful we arent cashed up or I think he would have been seriously considering a move here.   I think he would have regretted it as I dont beleive he is ready to give up the big shed just yet.   Mind you the plan of the house we like is in the bus and we may use the design down the track on a block of land somewhere.

Tiaro

Another smallish town, nothing to see here, except the Mary River where there is supposedly a croc.  But we didnt bother to visit to have a look.   Stayed the night at a nice little free camp in town, just chilling out.   Bought what we hope, from a highly recommended butcher,  some good polish sausage, garlic strasburg and home made black pudding.   We had already bought, from a local smokehouse, Hot Chorizos and Salamis.    The lady threw in half a dozen twiggy sticks of various flavours.   The smell is enough to make me feel ill.   Today I had to buy Polish Dill Pickles to go with the meat and the garlic/black pepper cheese we bought from a local cheese factory.   Its enough to make me feel ill.    Im making sure Rick has lots of breath mints on hand.

Camped at the Theebine Pub

The Theebine Hotel, out in the middle of nowhere. 105 years old and in fantastic condition. Its the only thing here, apart from a few houses.   The owners are a lovely German couple in their 70s.    Retired at 65, moved to Hervey Bay in Qld and then found themselves bored, so they bought a pub.   7 days a week from 10 to Midnight.    We had a really enjoyable stay in their backyard.   A family of 5 were also there so we all ended up having a very long liquid time around the open fire and the bar.  Great company and even nicer to be over our nightmare earlier in the day.    We downed quite a few, and laughed about our ventures and it was good to finally relax.    The bus took a bit of damage on our trek, but it could have very much worse.    But after quite a few scotches, Rick was thinking that maybe we should have rolled the bus, cos then the Insurance could have fixed all the other body problems he has, i.e. rust and stone chips.    Anyway, we slept long and late and didnt say farewell to this great little camp until almost lunchtime.

The worst ride of our life

Well we decided on Theebine as our next stop.   Old Pub 110y.o.  Sounded good.   We followed our GPS and thats when the nightmare began.   We turned onto a lovely narrow country road, that then turned to good hard gravel.   The GPS told us we had 1 and 1/2km to go till we needed to turn left.  The road started to get narrower and rougher.   We soon realised we were on a fire track.  There was no way to go back and no way to turn around, we just had to keep going and hope it was OK.  The trees all crowded in on us as we scraped them by, the track got really rough and there were huge washouts.  At one stage we almost tipped the bus over.  It was only by good driving that Rick managed to keep it upright.   I was a mess,   I was simply scared out of my wits.   Eventually we could go no further.  The track had such huge washouts that we knew we would never get thru.  We had passed a property that had a bobcat on it.  So I left Rick and hiked back thru the bush to the property.  It was locked up tight, no one home.   Walked to two more, same story.   One of the properties, I jumped the fence and had the company of 2 horses for about 5 mins as I tramped thru their paddock.  They were freaking me out as they nuzzled me and I was waiting for them to take a bite.    Anyway, all the homes I tried were empty.   So I staggered back to the bus, covered in sweat, dirt and prickles.     I asked Rick if we could perhaps fill the washouts with fallen timber and with no other alternative, thats what we did.  We went into the bush and dragged as many logs out as we could.  Most riddled with bullants, which I am allergic to.    Eventually we felt we had enough to give it a go.   If the wood failed, then the bus was pretty much either going to go over on its side or bury itself down to its guts.   Plus we had the car on the back and couldnt take it off, the tow hitch was locked up.   We both knew that it was our one and only hope and I was beside myself.   I have never felt so scared of a situation as what we were in.    Rick admitted he was scared sick as well and so I knew then we were in big trouble.     I guided Rick as he slowly inched up on the high side of one washout and the lower one took the weight of the logs, we then had to fill up the dips in front of the bus with logs as we inched forward.     We finally, very slowly made it over the worst part and came out onto bitumen.      It had taken us TWO hours to do the1 and 1/2lm.   The GPS didnt feel sorry for us.    We got on the bitumen for a few kms then she told us to turn Right and all we saw was gravel.  No thanks.    We ended up finding our own way back to the Freeway and what should have been a pleasant 1 hour between camps took 3 and half.    It was without doubt the worst experience we have ever ever had.     When we got to the pub, we were filthy, covered in dirt and I had a million twigs and prickles in my clothes plus, Id been wearing thongs and my feet were brown with dust.    Could not wait till we hit the BAR.

From Goomeri

We left the bus and jumped in the Suzi, having  decided to do a drive and end up at the German Bakery, 25kms out of town for lunch. and to visit Kimbombi Falls on the way.  The Info Lady told us that if we could climb down the 150 steps, there were lovely rock pools to wade in.   Well she was right, there were about 150 steps but that was that.   The pools were full of green stagnant water.   This place has been in drought so we didnt expect waterfalls but at least something pretty.     Half way there, and I remembered Id left my purse back at the bus.    No german lunch for us that day.   We ended up back at the bus eating cheese and crackers.   Probably better  for us anyway.      As we had to head that way on our way back in the bus, I told Rick we would stop when we got to the Bakery and I would buy a slab of Strudel.   When we got there, it was closed.   It was Tuesday and for some reason all of the 3 small town we had gone to, all closed for business on Tuesdays.  The only thing opened in each of these towns was the pub and servos.    It seems so strange to us, but Im guessing they get a better crowd thru the weekends and so need a day off at some stage.

Kingaroy

 Kingaroy, the home of peanut farming, sounded like a must do for us.  We were camped about 40 kms away, but decided to shift camp as we thought there would be so much to see and do in this town.  How wrong we were.     Our tourist map gave us the place to go to buy peanuts, turned out to be a mobile van.  The closest we were going to get to a peanut farm.  Never mind, we got to try about 20 different types of peanut flavors before settling on a couple.   Then we drove around, visited the lookout, overgrown, the local tip  recycle shop, because we were going past, the Endeavour Foundations Biscuit Factory.  Here intellectually disabled adults are employed.  We bought biscuits and then spotted what we thought was a vintage caravan in the distance.    Turned out to be crappy old motorhome but this guys driveway/shed was a must.  we drove in and asked if we could take some pics.   Of course Rick talked and talked and talked.    All the stuff is garden ornament quality but it looked fantastic.   His signs and fixtures around the place would be worth a fair $$$$$ and we were amazed that stuff didnt get knocked off.  Nice guy, happy to talk to us, told us the place was for sale if interested.    the ONLY thing of interest in Kingaroy.    We decided to take the bus and go back where we came from and spend another night in a free caravan park in Murgon.

Goomeri and old friends

We have been trawling thru some very tiny towns and most of them are blink and miss them.   We found a German Bakery in the middle of a town that consisted of a bakery, a junk shop and a servo.  Great strudel and coffee, Rick was rapt.    Anyway we decided to stop in the back street of one of these tiny towns, take the car off the bus and drive out to a waterfall.   As we pulled up a lady came racing over, all smiles.   It was Noelle, pictured.   We met Noelle and Bill in Tassie in 2010.  Bill was 70 and had suffered Leukemia for 20 years.  But he was cheeky and loveable. Fell in love with them and visited them that year at their home in Casino NSW.   We stayed in touch via Xmas Cards.  Bill sadly passed away in nov. last year.   We had decided that on our way back down the Coast later this year we would catch up with Noelle, and lo and behold here she was in the same back street in a one horse town, half way between her home in NSW and her sons in Rockhampton Qld.     We laughed and cried and chatted for almost 2 hours before we went our separate ways.   A wonderful start to a day.   Its a small world after all.

Palmwoods again

This is  the diner we came across driving thru a small town in the Hinterland.  "Ricks Garage"   how could we not stop.  Especially cos they were selling T Shirts and someone had to have one.  Great bar and diner full of nostalgic pieces.   Would have been jammed packed on a weekend we think.  Great place for a hot rod or bikie run.

Sunshine Hinterland

 We left  Maroochydore and headed to Eumundie, famous for its Arts & Crafts Markets, held twice a week.   Over 1400 cars packed into the car park which is also now a designated RV Park Stopover as well.  Chaotic.  Staying here, our entrance to the market was included in our camp fees.   Brand new toilets and showers have been built.   They gave us a free sausage suizzle on Tuesday night complete with a couple of old bushies who told jokes and entertained us with some songs.  They flogged their $10 CD but we couldnt be tempted.  !!!!!!!Took a drive thru the Hinterland to Yandina and visited the Ginger Factory and did a tour.   It was very informative and we had a tasting plate of ginger products/recipes at the end.  Surprisingly they were good, not much of a ginger lover.  The little train is 100 y.o.    We also visited a Coffee Roastery and a Macadamia Processing Plant.   Didnt buy anything from any of them.   The next day we moved Camp to Cooroy, in the Hinterland but 20 mins from Noosa and Coolum Beaches.   Packed with tourists, its school holidays, not being beachy people, we liked but didnt love them.   Noosa is all about the beaches, the shops and the tourists.

Out and About On The Beach

We had a nice visit yesterday from Veronica, my daughter-in-law's mum.   She came to visit with her friend Ismay, whom she is staying with for a few days, on the Sunshine Coast.   Veronica has been away from home travelling thru Qld. for some weeks now and is slowly now making her way South.   Today we headed down to the Beachside and visited the citiesof  Caloundra and Mooloolaba.   Loved Mooloolaba.  Fantastic beaches, clean and safe swimming, but packed, as they were having a Surf Lifesaving Carnival and it seemed like everyone wanted to park alongside the Esplanade.   This place is all about tourism.   We didnt look at any shops etc., but from what we could see, it was a lot of the same old stuff plus heaps of eateries.     Went to the fish markets, bought some lovely fresh cooked fish and sat on the water and relaxed.   In the afternoon we took a 1 hour cruise around the Mooloolaba harbor and waterways.    Checked out the million dollar homes and boats.     Some of the houses were massive and the stories behind who owns them and what they spent on them was entertaining.  To hear how "the other half live".   Still didnt appeal to us in anyway.  Millions or not, didnt tempt us at all.

The Late Steve Irwins Home.  The boat he died on.  Noone has been on the boat or living in the home since he passed away.   Felt sad just passing it by.  

Not happy with what he had, he bought the block next door, continued the color pattern and built a tennis court.  Too much money !!!!!!!!!!!

T

Sunshine Coast.

Spent Tuesday with friends who came up from Brisbane to see us.  Met them in Derby WA in 2011 and have been friends ever since.  They have also camped up in our backyard.   Hopefully they are going to be on the road in a week or so and we should catch them again soon.   Took a drive up thru the Hinterland, taking in the small town of Kenilworth, visited the Cheese Factory and ended up trying so many cheeses it was impossible to decide.   Unfortunately for us we just bought one massive block of Garlic and Black Pepper.   It was a warm day and we didnt take a cooler bag and we had lots to do that day.   We will be camped up again not far so we can always go back for more.    The scenery thru the Hinterland was beautiful.   Had a picnic in Maleny, a very $$$$$ town that was once a hippie hangout, now just a "in" place to live.    On to Montville, a Swiss type village.   This was a great town.   We loved the quirky shops and great streetscapes.  Spent ages trawling thru the shops looking for that magic gift, but we didnt find it. The Cuckoo Clock Shop was great.  This Chapel is built from Sandstone, Timber and Marble.  Perched right on the edge of a valley. The rear windows, all glass, give you the most amazing view from inside.   Loved this town.

On our way to Qld.

We left home on Monday morning, to grey skies and couldnt wait to catch some sun.   Sadly for us, 5   Days  on the road and all we had was rain, rain and more rain.    It was so bad that we camped up just before the Qld Border and sat it out.   Unfortunately for us, our front windows aren't 100% sealed and we ended up with the front of the bus almost flooded.Water oozed up over our feet when we stood on the cabin carpet.  It has taken a week to dry out. Every  day we leave the bus with all the windows open to try and dry it out and remove the mustiness.

So we are now camped up at the Maroochydore Primary School.   Absolutely fantastic spot.  3 mins walk to the Plaza Shopping Centre, 5 mins drive to the beach.   Lush green grass and everything that you need, such as power, water, showers and toilets on site.   All for the  sum of $12 a night.    A bargain when the caravan park wants $54 a night.   There are about 10 other vehicles here, which makes a nice happy hour.

We haven't done a lot yet, spending time just chilling out and enjoying the sunshine.visited Steve Irwins Australia Zoo and after 7 hours of walking we were absolutely stuffed.   Its a great zoo beautifully set out and lots of things to see and do.   We saw a Croc Show, Wild Bird Show and the Tiger Show.   A great day out.