June 2018

01 June2018

After three peaceful and pleasant days at the Glebe Weir we packed up this morning and headed back towards Taroom. A number of others also packed up and it was tempting to move spots and stay a little longer.

Arriving in Taroom some 60km's later we visited the dump point to empty the toilet and grey water tank and then filled up with fuel at the nearby 24 hr fuel depot. Being 9c cheaper at ($1.52 c/l) than the Caltex ($1.62 c/l) in the main street near the camp spot it was a no brainer.

We initially set up camp at the Apex Park where we had done so before, but as Joanne walked up into town she beckoned for me to move up to the spare block she was standing on, the one with the sign saying caravans are welcome to park here but at own risk, so I did. The block is next to the community cabin park on the other side of the road, and not only is it further away from the highway, it is also sheltered from the wind a bit better, it is still close enough to the toilets and shower, and we will catch the sun earlier and for longer, something needed with the low overnight and early morning temperatures of late.

06 June 2018

Having enjoyed our time again in Taroom, we took the short drive down to Wondoan, formally known until 1926 as Juandah. With cool nights and low 20 degree days we were glad to be able to grab a good spot where the sun would shine all day long down at the Environmental Park free camp.

Settling in for a few days we enjoyed a easy going, lazy couple of days. A short walk over to the free hot showers at the football oval and a short walk into town made life even easier.

So after a few days at the free camp we moved a few kilometres up to the Historic Village where they have a small camping area with power, water, toilets and showers for $15 a night.

The historic village sits on the site of the original homestead and cattle station, with only the main chimney left after the homestead caught fire in 1906 and finally being demolished in 1956. With the original station store, meat shed and other buildings to browse through it's a good spot to camp for a day or two.

Historic Village Camp

The Historic Village and our camp from above.

One advantage of staying here is that you get a free entry to the buildings, a little like at Hermannsburg where you have the place to yourself once it closes. A walk around and look in the buildings here revealed the all of the usual objects of yesteryear, old farm machinery and implements and of course the history of the area.

So with about a week to go until we start work, we are making our way back to Dalby slowly. We were going to stay behind the hall at Kogan which is about 20km's away from the site at the Braemar Power Station, but with access to the work site via Company provided bus only, and the work being extended from 10 days to 6 weeks, we have decided to stay in the main caravan park in Dalby.

22 June 2018

Well, thanks to the employment agency that we have been working for on the component refurbishment contract getting it wrong (again), we finished work today at the Braemar 2 Power Station after 9 days of work. Having originally been told that it was six weeks, we soon discovered that it was not going to be that, and was going to be more like the last two shutdowns we have done. But never mind, we made some good money, caught up and worked with some nice people again, have two other shutdowns to consider doing, but for now, we are free of commitments. For an idea of what we have been involved in you can check this video of one of the shutdowns we did in Oakey. https://youtu.be/wo9h8Y46teU

Being booked into the caravan park here in Dalby until Tuesday we will be catching up on a few things, getting our work clothes washed and sorted out and then we will be heading to Toowoomba to Winjana and then we will be off into the blue yonder and the open road. Where? You will have to wait and see.

30 June 2018

After hanging on in Dalby for a few more days, collecting the mail and doing a bit of shopping we hooked up and headed out of town and into Toowoomba.

Stopping in at Winjana we got another solar panel (160w for a total of 480w) fitted and got rid of our problematic lead acid batteries. We did some shopping, bought a spare tyre for just in case, and added a Thuraya Satellite Sleeve to our list of gadgets.

We were going to put in a Lithium battery system but David from Trip Tracks is still down in NSW, so we have canned that idea for the moment and have replaced our 2 x 100aHr lead acid batteries with a 100aHr Lead Crystal Battery. Our having a 12v compressor fridge means we need reliable battery power and being able to run the lead crystal down to almost nothing it is far superior to the 50% use we had with the lead acid's, and the battery price was just a little bit higher than a lead acid. Anyway, we will see how things progress, but so far, so good.

So leaving Toowoomba a little heavier in equipment and a little lighter in the wallet we made our way to Cecil Plains where we grabbed a good spot at the free camp, and settled in for the night.

Waking the next morning to a pea souper we took our time to let the fog lift somewhat. Eventually hitting the road at 10.30am we passed through the countryside and very deep water course dips to arrive in Moonie. With the price of fuel being nice and cheap we filled up and then made our way to Westmar.

Cecil Plains Fog

Joanne managed to capture the fog over the railway bridge perfectly.

Arriving in Westmar we managed to grab a good spot at the free camp before the hordes arrived. Westmar has a toilet block with good free hot showers and so it is popular with the travellers and the truckies.

A quiet night at Westmar despite some trucks coming to stop for the night. We awoke to a bright orange glow in the sky and after breakfast and packing up headed off up the highway to St George.

Pulling into St George there were caravans, motorhome's and camper trailers everywhere. Shopping, fuel and water in that order were the go before we made our way out to the free camp at Wallam Creek just on the outskirts of Bollon.

Having camped here before we were aware of it's popularity and when we arrived there were more than a dozen already in residence. With some weather forecast we stayed away from the trees along the riverbank and settled for a spot along the fenceline. All afternoon there was a steady stream of vehicles coming in and setting up, and by sunset there was nearly 30 rigs in.

Bollon Free Camp

The free camp just on the outskirts of Bollon on the Wallam Creek.

Wallam Crk Tree

Of course there was also the chance to get the camera out to dust off the skills.

Taking the drone up the creek was also on the agenda and it almost ended in disaster. Clipping a small branch as it went down the creek almost saw it up the creek. It was interesting to see it clip the branch with a propeller, start to fall and then once clear of the obstacle, right itself and go into a hover. So, another lesson learnt and one we don't want to repeat in case the outcome was not as positive. Thankfully the propeller is also okay and still works as it should.

And so ends another month, and another financial year. Our stats for the FY are:

23,800 km's driven using 3,855.79 litres of fuel at a cost of $5,240.84 at an average of 16.2 litres per 100km. The dearest fuel was at Madura Pass on the Nullarbor at $1.84, the cheapest was at Barmera in SA at $1.17 and the average was $1.359.

Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.