Day 13: Sun 31 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Overcast and cool 

No riding today, but Greg did walk to Church. Wendy picked him up after Church and both went shopping; for groceries and building supplies.  After lunch Greg got stuck into finishing converting Tinkie’s desk and did a really good job.  And now, she can’t sit down, even if she wanted to!  Wendy finished off scanning old photos to go in a photobook 50^th WA party in Feb.  She now has to get stuck into making the book. Dinner was steak for Wendy and a ton of prawns for the remainder.  

We thought we might go down to the nearest fireworks venue for the 10pm show and were all trying really hard to stay awake, however, after two bottles of bubbles, none of us were going to make it past 10pm.  We did hear them however, and they went on for quite a while so probably would have been quite speccy to see.  Oh well, we’ll just have to watch the 6pm news to see the Sydney show.

Day 12: Sat 30 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Cool 

Not much happened today apart from Greg starting the conversion of Tinkie’s desk and Wendy started scanning old photos for her parents 50^th WA

Day 11: Fri 29 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Hot and humid with a late afternoon shower 

Another third of the family left today – Dale&Suz and kids.  They left their cat behind (on purpose) and the poor thing was walking through the house meowing, trying to find its family! 

After a coffee we headed out for a walk to Surf Beach, via the hills across the gully from the house.  The beach was already busy with swimmers, surfers, paddle boarder and walkers.   The water was certainly warm enough for a swim but we just walked.  Back home for brekky and some house-work.   Greg checked out Tinkie’s office to assess what could be done to convert the desk into a standing one.  A bit of a chore.  Greg went for an afternoon ride while Wendy did some admin. 

Day 10: Thu 28 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Quite warm 

One third of the family left today – Kevin and Samantha left with the kids after lunch and the house was a tad quieter.  Whilst most went to the beach for the majority of the day, Wendy did not much of anything as did Greg.  Dinner was cooked by Wendy and Greg – pizza.  We made 10 pizzas – one for each person.  The kids’ ones were easy – ham and pineapple, whilst the adults’ ones were a tad more complicated – onion, mushroom, turmeric, ginger, broccoli, sundried tomatoes, red capsicum, smelly cheese and seafood marinara.  And, we only had 3 pizza trays to do this all on, so the kids ate first and then the adults. We think everyone enjoyed them, well, they said they did.

Mornos at the marina

Day 9: Wed 27 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Hotter today 

We went for a ride before breakfast today.  After breakfast we packed up the van to move it over the road back to BeeBee and Pop’s place as the neighbours are to return home today.  The pack-up didn’t take too long as there was not that much to do as we were just going over the road.  After a bit of manoeuvring, Greg got the van in the gate and down the driveway.  We elected to park in the driveway again as it is more level than the footpath. 

After moving the van, Wendy went with the girls to see the venue we had picked out for the 50^th wedding anniversary party.  We had chosen a room at Corrigans Cove Resort but had not yet seen it. Whilst the girls were away, Greg took all six children to the local Birdland and Animal Park.  They all had a fantastic time with their Uncle Greg.  

Dinner was prepared and served by Dale and Suzanne – fish for everyone except Wendy; she had a scotch fillet steak.  The main ingredient was served with a quinoa and pomegranate salad and vegetables.  Dessert was leftover Christmas pudding with cream and custard.  All our meals are taken on the back deck, as it’s big, cool and open with plenty of chairs and table space.  It’s been the best improvement that has been made to the house.  A fairly easy night after many nights of “celebrating”. 

Kids at Birdland and Animal Park

Joanna and Jemima

Carla and James

Ben and Henry

Day 8: Tue 26 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Cool but humid 

There were a few sore heads around this morning however, Wendy and Greg managed a morning ride whilst the rest of the family went to the beach. On the way back, we called in the Hardly Normal to check out the Boxing Day sales.  Greg picked himself up a new electric shaver for less than a new set of blades for his current one.  After getting home Greg went for another ride while Wendy went to the beach with BeeBee.  They took lunch with them – bread rolls with left over ham and cheese – yummo. After a game of Boxing Day beach cricket, it was time to come home and have dinner – more leftovers.

Day 7: Mon 25 Dec – Denhams Beach

 Cool all day 

The kids were awake at 5:30am eager to see what Santa had brought them. So, after watching six excited children rip open the presents in their Santa sacks, we had a quick bite to eat and then went to church.  An hour and a half later, we were home having brunch, complete with champagne. 

Wendy had the job of making a broccoli salad, so after a few more champers it was time to prepare the dinner.  Kevin and Samantha did the ham, and Dale did a stuffed turkey with a difference – the turkey had been de-boned so it was a rolled-up stuffed turkey.  We also had roast potatoes and sweet potatoes. Dinner was eaten at 5:30pm and after mains and dessert and Quality Street chocolates, we were all even more stuffed than the turkey! More champers and wine were consumed. 

Getting ready to open Christmas presents

Christmas dinner – Kev, Suz, Dale, Sammy, Greg, James, Jo, Jemmy, Ben, Carla, Henry, Tinkie, Rob, Wendy

Day 6: Sun 24 Dec – Denhams Beach

 15-23 degC 

Wow, what a night we all had last night.  Mum and dad’s neighbours from hell had us up practically all night from about midnight.  About 12:30am, there was huge noise that sounded like a gas cylinder exploding; all Wendy thought of was that the BBQ and perhaps it had not been turned off correctly and there had been a gas leak which exploded the cylinder.  A quick look outside at the house revealed no smoke, no fire, or any damage, so she lay back down (Greg didn’t stir) and tried to go back to sleep.  She then heard people running around outside.  Turns out, the neighbour and his son were sitting around a fire in their back yard having a chat (and most likely partaking of some whacky baccy) when the son (about 12-14 yrs old) threw a can of fly spray into the fire – that was the loud bang.  They then tried to douse the resulting flames with the garden hose – that was all the running around – trying to find the hose!  Meanwhile, a neighbour on the other side saw the flames and called the police and fire brigade.  The police turned up first, then left as by that time the fire was under control and almost extinguished.  Why they didn’t tell the fire brigade to stand down, we do not know.  Anyway, a 4WD fire vehicle stopped right outside the front of the caravan for about five minutes and kept its engine running.  So, not only was there noise, we also had the diesel fumes – yay!  The fire engine then parked in the middle of the road which added to the noise.  Greg had woken up by this time, saw it was the fire brigade, and promptly went back to sleep.  Both vehicles left and about 20 minutes later when Wendy was just about to fall asleep, another fire vehicle arrived and did a thousand-point turn complete with “beep-beep-beep” reversing alarm.  Then about 4am, the lovely neighbours decided they needed to go out, and couldn’t just leave quietly, but revved the guts out of the car, not once but four times.  Perhaps they were drunk/drugged and couldn’t find first gear, who knows.  So, all in all, it was a pretty terrible night sleep wise.  Never mind, we have nothing special to do today. 

After a quick bite to eat, we went off on our morning ride.  We were aiming to cross the bridge and do the north side, however, by the time we got to the bridge, it was getting a little late and Greg had to get back to freshen up to ride to church.  And, yes, he did come back in one piece, thank goodness. 

Whilst Greg went off to Church, Wendy did some housework – dusting and sweeping.  Didn’t take very long!  The Church goers returned and no-one felt much like lunch, so while Wendy continued with her admin duties, Greg rode back into town for a wander.

Grandkids helping BeeBee ice cupcakes for Church

Two dads resting while two mums wrap presents

 

Dinner was a choice of two chicken dishes – lemon or spicy, with salad and vegetables.  Given last night’s activities, we were all ready for an early night.

Day 5: Sat 23 Dec – Denhams Beach

 19-26 degC 

We were awake at 6am again this morning and we were all fogged-in, so didn’t go for our ride until after breakfast.  Pops came with us; it was his first ride after his left knee replacement op a little over 12 months ago and he did very well.  We went into town via the Marine Rescue HQ and boat ramp as we always do.  As we got there, we saw a lot of activity around the boat ramp with police and marine rescue in attendance.  A boatie had attempted to launch his boat when the car ended up in the drink as well.  It was only a third of the way up the doors so not too bad and started almost straight away after being winched out.  He was an elderly gentleman, so who know what happened. 

As it was a lovely sunny day, Wendy decided it was time to do some washing, so did the clothes and the towels.  The kids went to the beach, so we had a little rest before the remaining third of the family (Kev, Sam, James, Ben and Jemima) arrived about 3pm. 

Drinks were had on the back deck.  The kids were fed early, and while they were watching a movie, the adults ate. We were all pretty tired from doing nothing much of anything all day, so called it a day just after 9pm.

A new feature for Batemans Bay

Batemans Bay through the tentacles

Clyde River bridge

Our free-camp at Denhams Beach

Henry, Jemima, Ben, Jo, Carla, James

Wendy, Rob, Samantha, Tinkie, Suzanne, Dale, Kevin, Greg

Wendy and Rob

Rob and Samantha

Samantha and Tinkie

Suzanne and Dale

Wendy and Greg

Samantha and Kevin

Day 4: Fri 22 Dec – Denhams Beach

 18-26 degC 

Greg was up almost before the birds this morning to level out the back yard where the chips are going to go.  After breakfast, Wendy went grocery shopping whilst Greg and dad moved the rest of the chips.  They did very well and it was all gone from the front by lunch time. 

No riding today, as Greg still had work to do in the back yard, and Wendy did some work and admin. 

Another one third of the family arrived early evening (Dale, Suz, JoJo, Carla and Henry) and after a later than usual dinner and drinks and chats, it was off to bed.  Weather permitting, we will have our first ride since Monday tomorrow!

The new back yard

Day 3: Thu 21 Dec – Canowindra to Denhams Beach

 Drive: 365km

17-23 degC 

Due to being in NSW, we were only awake at 6:30am, which is 5:30am in QLD, so were excused for “sleeping in”.  As we were in a free camp without ablutions, we had to have a rushed breakfast to head off to try and find a loo.  We could have used the in-house dunny, and probably would have if we had not have found the public conveniences about 2km down the road; big SIGH! 

We made our way through Cowra (where we will probably stay for a few days whenever we are next in the area) and Boorowa to Yass where we had a wander down the main street and chose a coffee shop for mornos. We only chose that particular one because it had a lot of people at it and thought it must be good.  Well, it was a little worse than good and safe to say, we shall not be returning to that one any time soon – coffee was cold and carrot cake did not arrive with the coffee – we had to remind them that we had ordered it.  We then just had to visit both the Vinnes and Salvos shops before departing Yass.  We skirted around the edges of Canberra and filled up on the outskirts before heading to Batemans Bay via Bungendore and Braidwood.

In addition to having one of the best bakeries (allegedly) in Australia, Braidwood also has a public dump point.  So, we killed two birds – dumped and ate lunch.  On previous visits, we had noticed the pies, which were once second to none, were becoming a tad ordinary, however, against our better judgement we had a pie each; Chunky Chicken for Wendy and Steak and Kidney for Greg.  Probably won’t be going back there anytime soon either!  It was onwards to BB down the Kings Highway and fortunately it was not too busy, even at this time of the year, so we were able to take our time on the very windy road. We arrived at Wendy’s parents place at 2:20pm and had to have a cuppa and a chat before parking and setting up the van. 

The over-the-road neighbours kindly offered the use of their house to the family for Christmas.  So, we used their driveway to park the van as it was the most level of all the options.  Still not very level, but only required the one ramp and a few turns of the jockey wheel/jack.  Once the house was established it was down to the serious business of moving 5m³ of wood chips from the front yard all the way down the driveway, underneath all the trains in the garage and into the back yard. We got about one third done before it was time to freshen up for dinner at our favourite Indian restaurant – Kohlis.  They didn’t disappoint and each dish was very yummy and very filling.  We always walk out of that restaurant looking like big fat ticks!  A nice night to end a good day. 

Part of the Yass to Canberra road – nice as well!

The roads travelled today were a lot better than yesterday and much better than the day before.  Although the last 60km odd was quite twisty-turny, the road surface was excellent. Lots of sheep and a few cattle were the main theme of the agriculture business.

Nice road, somewhere!

Yass

City Hall and Post Office Yass

Part of the Yass to Canberra road – nice as well!

Braidwood

Braidwood

Day 2: Wed 20 Dec – Goondiwindi to Canowindra

 Drive: 657 km

24-38-20 degC 

After a good sleep in a nice cool van, we were awake at 5:30am and on the road at 7am after breakfast and packing up.  We stopped in Boggabilla for fuel as our App told us it was the cheapest around by about 4c/l. Two hours after leaving Goondiwindi we stopped at a rest area for mornos just south of Moree and made it to go.  We had no particular place in mind to call home for the night, so we kept driving, but we did have to consider the one-hour time change between QLD and NSW. 

Lunch was had in another rest stop, this time just south of Coonabarabran.  Unfortunately, it was not a really good place to stop as it was just off the highway on a very busy road.  However, Greg did manage to get a few winks to recharge his batteries.  About an hour later we were on our way again.  Although we still had no place to call home, we did have to decide which route we should take.  So, when we got to Dubbo, we turned half-left to Wellington.  This was where we discussed either Molong or Canowindra (pronounced “Canowndra”, why, anyone’s guess)as a final stop for the day.  When we got to Molong, Greg said he was still alright so on we went to Canowindra.  Before finding a place to camp, we stopped in the main street of Canowindra to find a place to have dinner.  We counted six pub/clubs and only two of them were open.  We happened to choose the one with Mr “Have-a-Chat” as the Publican.  There was not much on the menu, but the best of the worst was the chicken schnitzel, so we settled for two of those and a couple of beers to wash them down.  Not a bad meal, but not as good as even Torbo.  Anyway, it fed the worms, and we walked back to the van and decided to check out the free camp. It was a lovely grassy site with plenty of trees, and whilst just off the road, the road was not busy – see the photos.

After another drink together in the peace and quiet of our free camp, the nightly routine was completed, and it was time for bed.  Only 350km odd to Batemans Bay tomorrow, a fairly easy drive compared to the last two days.

 Before leaving this morning, Greg checked the tyre pressure and found it was a tad high (accounted for the rougher than usual ride yesterday) so let some air out and it made for a slightly smoother ride on a very rough road – no potholes – just a bitumen road that had been undermined by the rain and the very big rigs driving over it.  Whilst there were a LOT of B-doubles and some triples on the road, most of them were coming towards us, and those that were going the same way as us, were mostly polite (we didn’t have our walkie talkies on so couldn’t hear them) and only passed when it was safe to do so.  There were of course a few idiots that pushed the boundaries, but they were not limited to the truckies. 

The scenery, whilst mostly flat, changed frequently.  We saw a lot of grain crops, mostly harvested, some cotton, and many wide-open spaces suited to live stock – saw plenty of cattle and sheep. 

Allegedly, if you believe the Publican, and we have no reason not to except we have not yet consulted with Mr Google, Canowindra has a lot of gold underneath it, and in the surrounds.  A huge dam is to be built soon to assist with the gold mining, and property and business owners are biding their time waiting for the prices to rise. Good luck; we won’t be holding our breath.

Saturn at our lunch stop

Lunch stop south of Coonabarabran

It’s raining, after a 38 DegC high it plummeted to 22!

Dinner venue, Canowindra

Bugger, after a hard day on the road we were hoping for a few!

Early sunset, Canowindra

Our really cramped free-camp, Canowindra

Day 1: Tue 19 Dec – Hippo Farm to Goondiwindi

 Drive: 547km

25-39 degC 

After a final pack and securing of the house, we were on the road at 07:30am, but it wasn’t long before we had our first stop – Puma Fuel Stop just south of Maryborough; both the vehicle and us needed sustenance (just coffee in our case).  Onwards it was to Kilkivan where we had a pit stop and after an uneventful drive we refuelled again in Dalby.  We had not booked in anywhere this time and were undecided as to whether to stop at Goondiwindi or Moree.  Moree was a big ask for Greg who did all the driving and about 50km out of Goondiwindi he decided he’d had enough and we stopped at Goondiwindi.  What also helped seal the deal were the reviews on the Moree Showgrounds where we were hoping to park – apparently the local folk like to requisition that which does not belong to them.  Whilst there are other van parks in Moree, none are as close to the RSL which serves really good meals. 

We were going to try and find a free camp near Goondiwindi, but when we had a look at the temperature (39 degC) we decided that perhaps a powered site would be in order.  So, we pulled into our favourite Caravan park in Goondiwindi (Rivergums) and were the only ones, besides the permanent on-site vans.  Every other time we have been here it has been quite full.  Anyway, we were able to choose our own site and #4 it was.  Probably the shadiest site, but still quite warm.  We like this park because it has a few drive-thru sites where you don’t have to unhitch.  

After preparing the van, we relaxed waiting for the sun and temperature to go down before walking to our favourite hotel in Goondiwindi, the Victoria Hotel. Greg had Roast Mojito Chicken and Wendy had T-Bone, washed down with a beer and white wine respectively. The meals were excellent and they matched the prices; about double the price at Howard pub, but very, very good.

 

We walked home along the river, turned the aircon on in the van, teethed, showered and slept.

Dinner wander, Goondiwindi

Rivergums Caravan Park, Goondiwindi

Our meals at Victoria Hotel, Goondiwindi

Victoria Hotel, Goondiwindi

Greg and Gundsynd, Goondiwindi

Pretty Christmas lights, Goondiwindi

Introduction

 This trip took us to Batemans Bay initially where we spent Christmas with the Beswicks. As we had done this trip many, many times before we decided to just drive down without doing any sightseeing. So, we did more km per day than we would normally do when towing a caravan. We were also going to come home sometime early in the New Year and then fly down for Rob and Tinkie’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary in mid-Feb. However, we had a good think about this and decided to stay in BB for a little longer, move to Canberra, then on to Victoria, before returning for the anniversary party.