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Post by bobt on Jul 21, 2011 20:20:32 GMT 10
Hey CrusingDoug I would love it in my garage. Stopped at Peak Hill to see if anything had changed or there was any opportunity to buy a collectable, alias no… Didn’t bother taking photos, have heaps from the last time and time before and the time before that… ;D Gregory Developmental Rd. Miles and Miles of it Much nicer then what we were enduring between Gilgandra and St George… shook most of me teeth out.. upset a whole lotta things in the van including breaking ½ doz eggs in a cardboard egg crate thing. Road Train 50 metres long travelling slower then us.. You need an awful lot of straight road to get around em. We didn’t try. We followed him from just out of Charters Towers to Townsville. Amazing the risks some motorist took to overtake him. YEAH I found some… ;D ;D ages back I talked about chains in caravan parks to tie down too during cyclones… Coral Coast caravan park. Found this on the camera….maybe kiwijim could explain, I caint.. Well the sun is out the weather is nice and warm… Looking forward to not waking u in the middle of the night and having to turn the heater on.. ;D
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Post by atouchofglass on Jul 22, 2011 7:06:17 GMT 10
Hey Andy Come on mate you must have gotten something out of a hole that big..... apart from blisters. Show us your haul. Sounds like you're having a great time Bob. Keep the photos coming so the rest of us can enjoy the ride as well ;D ;D ;D ;D Cheers Atog Don't mention UAS he gets upset
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Post by bobt on Jul 24, 2011 23:24:53 GMT 10
Well we are about as far north as we are travelling this trip. The sun is shining, its warm, I am now getting around in shorts and thongs, behaving just like a typical southerner.. ;D Went searching for something classic or fibreglass. Struck a bit of success in a street on the side of a hill. Much to my delight I was given a guided tour and a demo of the light show. Amazing how much better some things look in real life. Even swmbo was impressed. Chin wagged with the owner, could have easily kept at it for longer but we had other things that needed to be done. We were really well looked after. Thanks very much Mr & Mrs atog we enjoyed meeting up and spending time with you. Now could this be the spot? When I was 12 I caught my very first fish at a spot just like this in Cairns. Definitely not the view from the caravan park. Some what amazed at the number of places to eat on the Esplanade and the number of people out and about eating.. At least I am not working up a sweat or getting blisters doing this.. ;D
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Post by kiwijim on Jul 25, 2011 4:22:43 GMT 10
"Hey there Bobt" I hope you Guys realize that all these pictures of the lovely fine weather, isn't helping us "poor sods" who are stuck in the damp parts of the country. Keep the pretty pic's coming though, It's great to see that some people have the brains to be in the right parts, at the best time of the year. The "Dear One" is still waiting for a pic of the furry thing on the dash Bobt. ;D Now who could believe that Viscount6116 has dug a hole big enough to sit a D6 Dozer in , and still claims that he hasn't found any good Gems, " Come on Andy"..... just a wee Pic of a wee Gem, would be nice ;D kiwijim
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Post by bobt on Jul 25, 2011 21:40:34 GMT 10
Another lovely sunny day, so we headed off to the Cairns Tropical Zoo. Saw a couple of these fellas, sure glad the fence is strong enough to keep em on the inside. Caught up with some of my FNQ relatives, took a photo. ;D Finished the day off in the caravan park being feed by the owners. It was nice to sit with others from the park and exc hange information about places to stay, places to visit. Kiwijim just for you.. the furry thing on my dash.. sliding off on account of the double sided tape no longer being sticky.. I took it.. ;D pssst kiwijim do ya recon viscount 6116 could be stuck down that hole? ;D
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Post by kiwijim on Jul 26, 2011 21:35:22 GMT 10
"Hey there Bobt" The "Boss" said, she feels much better now that you have shown her your...." Furry Thing" She said that's not the only slipping thing that she can name either. ;D Yer, He's a bit of a worry,.... that Viscount 8116, Reckon he's dig a hole that deep that some Chinaman has stuck his head out and swiped his Gems. On our trip around the Block, we came across a few Caravan Parks that put on a good feed for the residents, "Boy" did they put it on, One place we stopped at in Victoria, had a snag night, hundreds of Hugh, locally made snags sizzling away on the Barbie, The local Butcher was the Brother of the Caretaker.......Handy, There was a charge of a gold coin which no-one begrudged giving as it went to the local school. It's sure a great way to meet your neighbors and talk about the next free camp site down the road. "Hell" we've just gotta get back on the road again, and real soon. ;D ;D ;D Cheers kiwijim
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Post by viscount6116 on Jul 28, 2011 12:36:03 GMT 10
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Post by kiwijim on Jul 29, 2011 2:20:40 GMT 10
Howdy Andy, Great to see you're still alive, must have had a hell of a fight with the Chinese to get out of that hole. ;D ;D ;D Well it looks like the trip hasn't been in vain, you've got some nice color there, it's a bit hard to judge the size of the stones, except for the ones you are holding up to the light, Would they be of an average size ? or have you got some, say around..... 10 carrot ;D Glad to see you have been keeping up your daily liquid requirement ;D hate to see the pile if it was the middle of Jan. We really envy you sitting there,..... watching the sun set out in that "Magic" country, especially at the moment, as we sit inside listening to the Thunder roll and the wind and rain belting against the house. Glad to see you're another collector of fine things....... where did you score the B.B.Q ? Sunday Markets ? Keep the pic's coming Mate, I can see a return run coming, just to pick-up the gems you missed. ;D ;D ;D kiwijim
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Post by viscount6116 on Jul 29, 2011 11:47:29 GMT 10
G'day Kiwijim Yeah I reckon the only reason that chinaman let me go is that when I said to him "let me out of this hole" he thought I said "hey I've found some more coal" ;D ;D Dont worry about the sapphires still heaps here for you mate! I've found a couple of cutters but most are too small to be cut so they arent worth much but lets face it I didnt really come with the expectation of getting rich and as i said from the begining definately not into digging!!;D ;D As for the can pile in January it would probably be smaller cause I'd be at the pub in front of the airconditioner!! ;D With regard to the "new" ;D ;D BBQ what do you reckon ,I must be the last of the big spenders ;D Got it on loan so just have to go to town to pick it and the chairs up so saves carting stuff all over the country! Anyway better get organised and I'll do a stop rain dance for you later this arvo Bobt keep them piccys coming ;D Cheers Andy ;D
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Post by kiwijim on Jul 31, 2011 19:10:54 GMT 10
Calling ....... Bobt........ Bobt....... BobtWhere are Ya Bloke ? ? ? We're hanging out for some more Pic's of some Sunshine.
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Post by bobt on Jul 31, 2011 21:31:35 GMT 10
yoo hooo... I am over here.. Unlike some, I have not been out rock collecting. Have endeavored to keep myself out of holes.. Talking about rocks… hey viscount6116…why the shifter sitting on the table between the rock collection? (photo#9) Did do the tourist stuff.. after all I have a reputation to live up too. ;D Took a ride on the train to Kuranda. Did the return trip on the Sky Rail. Yep it is real high off the ground. Swmbo took awhile to get accustom to the height. Took a drive out to Port Douglas Left Cairns and started to head south… On the way we did a little detour to Mission Beach Tropical Museum Townsville - Pandoras Box .. Self portrait… ;D Caravan Park.. Some of the caravans parked in here are huge .. Gotta say I am amazed at the number of converted coasters driving around. got some photos too.. how about a couple of yours kiwijim.. View of Townsville from Castle hill The top bit of Castlehill from the car park. mean walk.. ;D Townsville. The strand A resident at the Aquarium Boats in Ross River Need more time…… to tour the region....
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 1, 2011 5:09:39 GMT 10
Well Hello there Bobt, Thanks a heap for the Pic's with all that Sunshine, You Guys really look like you're having a ball, getting plenty of exercise on the hills I see. That view of Townsville is great, how high were you there ? Did you manage to get up into the Atherton Table lands and into the Mango Wineries there ? ;D ;D ;D I would post some Pic's of the Coaster Bus, that is if it ever stopped raining long enough to get the picture. Shouldn't really complain, it only rained twice last week, The first time for 3 days and the second for 4. I see that there is plenty of room in the Caravan Parks up where you are, ;D and yes, there some rather over-sized C/vans getting around, I think some "Oldies" must have sold up everything and poured it into some of these monsters. What is the average camp fees up that way now, ? they ranged between $ 33 - $38 p/n when we were through there....... well over 12 flamin months ago Keep the Pic's coming Bob, they sure bring back memories of a great time we had, and it seems you are enjoying the trip as well. cheers kiwijim
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Post by atouchofglass on Aug 1, 2011 6:00:49 GMT 10
Hey Bobt and MrsT ;D ;D
Great to see some photies of the Nth in brilliant sunshine. The big white shed in your photo of Pt Douglas use to be Ben Cropps shipwreck museum. Before that it was a sugar terminal.... loooooong time ago. Before there was a good road to Cairns.
Darn good fishing from there if I remember correctly.
Keep the piccies coming mate. You heading back down the coast or are you detouring inland? Charters Towers is on my list of "must see" in the not too distant future.
Cheers Atog
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 8:25:01 GMT 10
Hey guys if your near do yourself a favour and see Paronella park. its one of my favourite spots.
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 1, 2011 10:50:52 GMT 10
I'll second that idea Inncrafers, What a fantastic place to visit, It will take a good couple of hours to see this place Bobt, The good thing here is, after you walk all the way around the Park and you're totally exhausted at the bottom of the Park, there is a free 4x4 service available to cart you back up the hill to the exit. ;D ;D kiwijim
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Post by bobt on Aug 1, 2011 21:15:51 GMT 10
Hey kiwijim Yes we are having a great time. But we only have 6 weeks, not nearly enough time to see and do some of the things we would like to do. The sunshine is nice the warm is really nice too. Mind you for the locals its winter, correct atog?? Castle Hill is 286 metres above see level. Had to google it. It is a rock in the middle of Townsville, with great views of the surrounding areas. We did not make the table lands, kept my wife away from the wineries. ;D Paronella park is closer to Cairns then Townsville. We did not realise where it was till we got here, so no we are not going to get to see it. Bit of a pity actually. They even provide one night free camping.. Atog we are going to hug the coast all the way down to Sydney. We screamed thru Charters Towers.. Not all of the parks we have stayed in could accommodate large vans. Park fees, yep they go up every year. The lowest we paid was at Capella $23, heaps of room really friendly, helpful and facilities clean. The dearest was $38 a night, site had an ensuite, being a top tourist we got the discount, cost us $205 for 6 nights. We got a feed at this park.. Some of the Top Tourist parks will give you a free night if you stay 7 as well as the member discount. But they seem to average around the $30 mark. Then of course there are the free camp sites for overnighters if you wish. Yep your correct some of those big ones are peoples only home. Not for me but one couple were telling me they were getting rental assistance because it was their only home. If your going to go that way it would be appropriate to get some good financial advice. Rain.. If I recall correctly it was not that long ago that some in the west were getting desperate for some rain. So take the umbrella outside and just snap away… While we are talking motor homes you need to join the CMCA. It will be a couple of years before we get this far up again. I will work on posting some more pics.. bobt
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 5, 2011 1:51:19 GMT 10
Howdy Bobt, Hope the trip is still going O.K. Well I took your advise and tried to arrange payment for membership with the C.M.C.A. last Monday, I E-mailed them and Told them we didn't have a credit card and always payed with cash, so was there another way to make payment, either by bank deposit or bank certified cheque Still waiting to hear back May-be they're are to busy with the owners of the half million $$$ Rigs,,,,,,,, to worry about a Coaster Owner. kiwijim
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 14, 2011 1:29:47 GMT 10
Now the 13Th Aug, Still no reply from that C.M.C.A. guess the Coaster is definitely........ toooooo old....... for that Mob
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Post by drylander on Aug 14, 2011 22:04:02 GMT 10
No KJ its the most popular type of MH in the cmca......They take a while sometimes. I just pay via cc so no probs Pete
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 15, 2011 22:11:34 GMT 10
Howdy Pete, I am not surprised about the number of Coasters belonging to Members of the C.M.C.A. On our trip around the Block, we camped beside, and met dozens of them on the road. Couldn't get over what some of them had hanging off of them as well. every thing from push bikes to massive tool box's on the rear, all the spotties you could think of sitting on the Roo Bars, and some of the T.V. antenna's were out of this world. Any way, I've sent another message to them, this time addressed to the General Inquiries E Mail address, Hopefully there will be some response shortly. I see there is a cmca get-together here in the West, in Kalgoorlie come October, should be a bit of fun, if we get organised in time. cheers kiwijim
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Post by drylander on Aug 15, 2011 23:12:13 GMT 10
yeh they tend to over pack them I think. The spotties get me as you very seldom see them driving at night. Pete
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Post by bobt on Aug 15, 2011 23:16:49 GMT 10
popular is an understatement
they seem to be everywhere
by the way kiwijim. the cmca founders owned a vw kombi camper..
bobt
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Post by kiwijim on Aug 16, 2011 22:05:58 GMT 10
Well Bobt, There's some very nice Kombi's still getting around, If you care to have a look at the price some are going for on E Bay They're not a bad investment, some are worth many times over the original price. kiwijim
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Post by bobt on Sept 1, 2011 23:18:05 GMT 10
Howdy all We are home. Concluded that we should have taken more time off... hmm retirement might be good. Took heaps of photos, will share a couple of special ones. We landed in Rockhampton just in time for the Rocky swap. Had to walk around with my eyes closed and my hands in my pockets, we simply do not have the room in our car or caravan to transport much home.. Anyone interested in Olympics?? They seem to pop up every now and again.. ;D We took a wander around the heritage village and spotted these.. Thought a kiwi might be interested.. The real ones were setting up for a display that was to ocur on the weekend. I discovered a little later on that my cousin was a part of the crew setting up the display.. I have lots more but I will hold back. I did not post them earlier as we got caught up with friends and family. When I did find time to sit down and post I did not have coverage. Now what has happened to the rock collector?
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Post by kiwijim on Sept 2, 2011 4:53:15 GMT 10
Well, Hello there Bobt, Great to see you have survived the trek up into the Tropics alright, I bet you were just getting used to the climate when it was time to return to the cold South again ? Love those Fire Trucks, still got a fancy for one, We drove past a local Auto Auctions yard the other day, saw a ripper Fire Truck sitting there waiting to be sold, Asker the Missis..... Can I buy it ? ? ? You probably get the same answer when in Bunnings looking at the latest Power Drill . Any way, good to see you got home safely Bob, sounds like you had a ball, apart from fuel costs, Did you do any Bush Camping ? or was it the luxury of Parks all the way ? We haven't heard from that Rock Digger for some time now...... Bit of a worry, Love to be back in the Gem Fields right now. cheers kiwijim
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