Travelling in a motorhome called "Blue Snoopy" » Previous Years – Australian Motor Homes 2009 CMCA Charity Safari & SE Australia

Saturday 21 March 09 – Wagga Wagga to Sydney

Grey Nomad — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:10:16 +0000

Prior to heading off to bed on Friday night, our decision to return to Sydney one day earlier had been made. Returning via mid NSW and the Blue Mountains would have only added to the overall fuel bill and as it would have been unlikely that we would free camp, it would have cost us another night in a caravan park.

One thing that we would learn from coming home a day earlier would be more fuel consumption data as we agreed that we would not restrict ourselves to 80 kph on the freeway with a speed limit of 110 kph.

The alarm sounded at 6.00am and after a quick breakfast and pack, we were away just after 8.15am. First stop was at McDonalds at Gundagai (took 30 minutes to receive and eat our order as the service and communication was a long way short of acceptable. In their defence, they do cook the food when ordered although it was a pity that “He” did not get what he ordered!). We will never stop there again.

“She” took over the wheel shortly after the refreshment stop and drove to Goulburn where we decided to exit the freeway for a “comfort stop”. We continued on to a rest area just after Goulburn where we stopped for lunch.

We arrived back in Sydney just before 3.00pm and 450 kilometers after departing Wagga Wagga.

We drove most of the trip home in the 90 to 100 kph bracket and it appears that the fuel burn only increased by 1 litre per 100k’s for the additional 10 kph. We would consider this more than acceptable on a long trip.

We have had a very enjoyable three weeks on the road and met some wonderful people. We also had the opportunity to see our friends from Melbourne once again and we have experienced some of the wonders of this magic land that we live in. Overall the weather was kind to us and the temperature more than manageable.

The Iveco did not miss a beat and we have now resolved most of the little issues we had with the motor home (one left and it will be resolved on 27 March).

We have a better understanding of free camping and we are now very confident with the management of battery power when not plugged into mains.

Downside is we have to wait for more annual leave to be accrued before we consider another trip.

Friday 20 March 09 – Echuca VIC to Wagga Wagga NSW

Grey Nomad — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:52:16 +0000

All good times must come to and end and realisation hit home when the alarm sounded at 6.30am. Our original plan (or version eight of the second variation of the plan) was to travel home by central NSW with stops at Griffiths and Cowra before returning home via the Blue Mountains. Thinking that the coming Sunday could be used for better things, we decided to attempt to travel Wagga Wagga today and then decide if we wanted to stop at Cowra on Saturday night or simply head to the Hume Highway and arrive home on Saturday afternoon.

Our planned route took us to Deniliquin where we stopped to purchase more water, then Finley where we turned north on the Newell Highway and headed to Jerilderie where we stopped for lunch. We then travelled to Wagga Wagga via Urana and Lockhart.

We had a look around the shops at Wagga where we managed to purchase a replacement halogen globe for the motor home.

The temperature has risen and we noted that the outside temperature was 36 degrees when stopped at Jerilderie. 33 is expected for tomorrow. It is suppose to be autumn!

Thursday 19 March 09 – Ballarat to Echuca VIC

Grey Nomad — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:51:39 +0000

Sadly we said farewell to our friends who were returning to their home in Melbourne. We departed at 8.30am and headed back into Bendigo for a 9.30am tour of the Central Deborah Gold Mine. The cost was $24 each and we consider that excellent value for money. We were provided with hard hats and lights and decended 61 metres down into the mine via a lift. We were shown the workings of a gold mine and a detailed geology lesson as to how the gold is formed and where it is located. We were shown fools gold plus the real stuff that still remains in the walls of the mine. We were also shown how some of the machinery operates in the mine and also information about the history of mining in Bendigo.

After departing the mine, we refuelled and replenished our supply of bottled water. Next stop was at Bendigo Pottery where we stopped for a quick look and lunch. The drive to Echuca was only 100 kilometers and we arrived just before 2.00pm which allowed us to book a 2.30pm cruise on a Murray paddle steamer. We retuned to the Echuca Port at 2.15pm aqnd after having a quick look a the relics we boarded the Alexander Arbuthnot for a one hour cruise. There is no denying the fact that the Murray is a magnificant river and we both enjoyed the opportunity to see some old paddle cruisers, new one and a sample of the pleasure craft that operate in the area. The captain of the boat explained that the river was about one metre lower than usual and it is hopeful that the snow fall this year will be substantial and allow for an increase in the amount of water that is released.

Next stop was a winery where we spent a considerable time tasting several ports and muscats before we purchased a significant quantity of port and a muscat. We won’t have a need to purchase port for a considerable amount of time (we also need to reduce our fresh water in the motor home to ensure that we are not overweight from the port).

We stayed overnight at the Maiden’s Inn Holiday Park which is located in NSW at Moama. We had a site adjacent to the river and we both agreed that this rates as the best caravan park we have ever stayed at. More remarkable was the cost (with discount) that was just over $30. Ther park is owned by Aspen Parks and is one of five parks acquired by Aspen Parks in this area over the past year.

We cooked ham steaks for tea and enjoyed several cold drinks after a very hot day.

Wednesday 18 March 09 – Ballarat to Bendigo VIC

Grey Nomad — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:49:34 +0000

We awoke to a cool clear morning and the promise of fine weather for the rest of the day. The forecast also indicated that the temperature would be increasing over the next couple of days heading back to the low to mid 30′s.

With our friends from Melbourne, the plan for the day was to head towards Bendigo by a

non direct route where we could experience some of the older Victorian towns. First stop was Daylesford where we had a quick look at the town and then visited the tranquil setting of the local lake. Next stop was to Hepburn Springs where we stopped for morning tea and also tried the spring water available from several taps. The taste of the natural water was different from each source. It was a pity that we did not have a large water container available as the water was there for the taking. We then headed north towards Bendigo making a stop at chocolate factory (they only sell directly from the stop and apparently the turnover is massive) before stopping for lunch at Mt Franklin. This site had toilets and is a perfect spot for a free overnight stay.

Tuesday 17 March 09 – Ballarat VIC

Grey Nomad — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:48:55 +0000

For the second day in a row, it was raining when we awoke and the forecast was for isolated showers in the morning and then clearing to a fine day.

With our friends seated in the motor home, we headed off just before 9.00am for a leisurely day looking around Ballarat. First stop was in the Ballarat CBD at the Beechworth Bakery for morning tea. We then headed to the local botanical gardens where we visited a flower show before lunching adjacent to the local lake. The local lake is actually very large and is the home of many sailing and rowing clubs. Unfortunately the lake is totally dry (and has been you the past three or so years) and it was amazing to see numerous boat sheds sitting above dry land. It must be very disappointing for the locals After lunch we walked to a POW memorial before driving back into central Ballarat where we did a very quick shop at Coles. After a quick visit to the Eureka Centre, we returned to the caravan park just after 4.00pm for happy hour.

We had a BBQ for tea and then settled down to watch “Packed to the Rafters” on television.

Since we have arrived in Victoria, the temperature has been very kind to us with cool nights and once again, we had a very comfortable night.

Monday 16 March 09 – Ballarat VIC

Grey Nomad — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:27:48 +0000

It was raining when we awoke and the forecast was for isolated showers during the day. At 9.45am we were at the Ballarat Gold Museum before going into Sovereign shortly thereafter.

Sovereign Hill is a wonderful replication of the early days in Ballarat when the city survived on gold. The displays covers both alluvial mining and the latter deep mining of quartz to recover the gold. We visited two mines, watched a majority of the displays, took several hundred photographs and generally had a good day. One of the displays involved the melting and then pouring of a gold ingot said to be worth $141,000. A replica mine has been created on the site and this was the highlight of the visit.

Our friends had arrived from Melbourne when we returned to the caravan park and after a long happy hour, we had a BBQ, watched Underbelly and then headed to bed. More showers are forecast for tomorrow.

Sunday 15 March 09 – Naracoorte SA to Ballarat VIC

Grey Nomad — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:29:50 +0000

We had decided to make an early start with the original intention of going to the evening show at Sovereign Hill at Ballarat. When we learned of the cost, we decided not to see the evening show but to concentrate on a full day there instead. Whilst listening to the radio, we heard that the last remaining fire in Victoria had been contained and that rain was falling over most of the southern part of the state.

We left Naracoorte just after 8.00am and headed towards Horsham via the back roads. There was evidence of recent heavy rain and we drove in very overcast conditions. We should have refuelled at Naracoorte as we could not find a service station open in all the small towns we travelled through. The first opportunity to refuel was at Horsham.

After leaving Horsham we decided to detour via the Grampians as the fire risk was no longer present. We stopped at a small tea house in the Wartook Valley and had a wonderful morning tea before commencing the climb into the mountains. First stop was at MacKenzie Falls (they were running) and then we moved onto Reed Lookout and The Balconies. Unfortunately is started to rain so we only spent a short period of time at the lookouts. The Grampians are indeed impressive and we need to come back to fully explore this area.

We continued in heavy rain to Halls Gap (a stay here was originally planned but cancelled due to the bush fires) where we had a very quick look. After leaving The Grampians, we continued on towards Ararat stopping for lunch but before arriving at Ararat.

We eventually arrived at Ballarat after missing the turn-off, spent some money in Ray’s Outdoors (10 litre water container, a folding bucket and new sandals for up “Him”) then stocked up at Coles before heading to the caravan park for our three nights stay. Tomorrow we will visit Sovereign Hill before our friends arrive in the late afternoon.

Saturday 14 March 09 – Swan Reach SA to Naracoorte SA

Grey Nomad — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:29:02 +0000

It had rained during the night and as a result of having to get up to close windows, we were both only sleeping lightly when the alarm sounded at 6.00am.

By 8.00am we were ready to go but we spent several minutes with last minutes farewells to several of our new friends. Today was to be the longest drive undertaken since leaving Sydney. Our first stop was in Murray Bridge at McDonalds for morning tea followed by refuelling and a swap of our gas bottle. Much to our surprise, we ran out of gas on Thursday night and would not have known except for the clicking of the fridge. “He” had been concerned that there may have been a small gas leak from the empty bottle so the opportunity was taken to swap the bottle. Second major stop was for lunch at Tintinara. Shortly after leaving Swan Reach, the wind had risen and our entire trip was spent fighting the wind to keep the motor home safely on the road. We arrived at Naracoorte just before 2.00pm. Overnight was at the local Big4 Caravan park where we intended to indulge in long showers and also to replenish our water supply.

Soon after our arrival, we were back on the road heading to the World Heritage site of the Naracoorte Caves. Unfortunately we arrive after the last guided cave tour but we still had time to visit the fossil centre, a self guided cave and guided tour of the bat cave. The caves are unique and different to any other that we have visited. It was concerning during the guided tour when the guide pointed out marks in the dirt that had been made by a large snake that had fallen in. It was said that the snake would be a king brown.

We had an easy evening meal with chicken that we had purchased locally and we had an early night in bed. For the first time since leaving Sydney, it was cold and the gusts of wind shook the van reminding that the weather had certainly changed from the hot weather we had been use to for the past couple of weeks.

Friday 13 March 09 – Swan Reach SA

Grey Nomad — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:22:53 +0000

We slept in! The alarm had been set for 7.00am and we were in no hurry to rise as the only planned function today was the Presentation Dinner and that was in the evening. The final UHF radio broadcast took place at 8.30am and we were informed that the local museum would be open and the arrangements for the evening were confirmed.

We spent the day in and around the motor home. We set up the compressor and ensured that the motor home tire pressure was correct, did some washing and took care of some minor maintenance items. The day was extremely hot and it was a challenge (that we lost) to keep the motor home cool. We ran a small fan and also used the roof fan to extract the hot air. Today we saw the real benefit of solar power. We used the television for the entire afternoon accessing our satellite connection via the inverter. With this plus the fan, we made power all day. We had visitors just prior to happy hour.

The evening finalised the safari with various presentations and an excellent meal in the Nildottie community hall. The final of Safari Idol was held and we all enjoyed the seven acts. We sang Advance Australia Fair and then our UK friends plus “He” and “She” (the Lord and Lady) lead “God Save the Queen”.

The safari made around $30,000 that will be shared by the chosen charities plus the local communities who benefited from the safari being in their towns. It was indicated that in 2010 there may be two safaris, Tamworth / Gunnedah to Seymour in Vic and another one after the CMCA Hobart rally. We indicated that subject to all being well, we would attend the mainland safari.

We have made lots of new friends and we shared eleven fun filled days with a wonderful group of people. There were a couple of tragedies during the safari, one family lost their son to cancer (they did not make it home to see him) and the Road Boss advised that a friend associated with the Kidney Foundation had also lost his battle with cancer. Hearing of these events will only encourage us to continue with fund raising to support various charities.

Once again, a big thank you to our major sponsors, Gateway Credit Union (thanks Paul), Sydney RV Centre (thanks Jeremy – we flew your flag) and Chiswick Plumbing (thanks Laurie).

We will be heading out early tomorrow toward Melbourne to catch up with some friends.

Thursday 12 March 09 – Meringur VIC to Swan Reach SA

Grey Nomad — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:52:07 +0000

We were up early but were the fourth last vehicle to leave on the final driving day of the safari. Today we would leave Victoria and travel into South Australia with our intended destination being a small town on the banks of the Murray River called Swan Reach.

It was dry but overcast when we departed and we headed back towards the Sturt Highway. For the first time in several weeks, we drove into heavy rain and a new dimension was added to the driving experience. During this part of the trip, we would cross into South Australia but would need to go through the Fruit Fly inspection site. Just prior to the border, we stopped and disposed of the fruit and veggies that could not be taken over the border. Due to the number of motor homes in front of us, the delay at the border was significant and it was whilst we were stopped that the low fuel warning light came on. It had been the intention to refuel at Meringur however, fuel was not available. Fortunately we had sufficient fuel to reach the next fuel stop which was only 50 metres after the border crossing.

We continued west in continuing rain towards Renmark but turned before Renmark and headed to Loxton, another smallish town on the banks of the Murray River. Our short stay in Loxton was to be amusing with issues at the dump point when a hose being used by one of the safarites broke whilst emptying his black tank. It was like experiencing Robin Williams’ movie, RV Vacation first hand with all present (including the owner) in fits of laughter as the hose uncoiled itself as it was being retracted. We did some shopping in Loxton before having lunch locally and we drove to the Murray River which was a short distance away. After a timely reminder with thunder from a distant storm, we left Loxton on the final leg of the safari. As we drove out of the RV Friendly town, “She” passed a comment that Loxton was one of the nicest towns we have ever visited.

Just over one hour later, we arrived at Swan Reach and headed to the local hotel for our final check-in. The temperature was over 30 celsius and the drinks at the hotel hardly touched the sides as we indulged.

At 4.00pm, the safarites were told they could leave and proceed to the site where we would be camped for the next couple of days. This was a ground adjacent to the local school. The top ten fund raiser were asked to wait behind as they would form a procession into the camp site. Thanks to our sponsors, we were the ninth highest fund raisers and the second vehicle to enter the sports fields. With all lights on plus the flashers and our Australian flag proudly displayed on the front of the vehicle, we were the second vehicle to arrive and be welcomed by the remaining safarites who formed a guard of honour. As soon as we parked, we also joined the safarities in welcoming the remaining vehicles and the highest fund raisers.

We had purchased chicken at Loxton so tea consisted of chicken and salad. We were joined by another couple after tea for drinks and cheese before we joined another group of people for a sing around a couple of guitars and an accordion. We had our latest night since leaving Sydney but that would not matter as we would be sleeping in on Friday.