20 January 2025. Finally after all the holdups over the Christmas holiday I am on the road. Spend the whole day at Horseshoe bay after an overnight stay at Cuthalungra. Beautiful weather and warm water. Next Mackay to Luke and Nikaela. Luke told me already that they had a few jobs planned. They certainly had. A water leak in the main line to the house. The soil was peppered with stones which made digging very difficult. Luckily Luke has a mate who has a digger and was able to borrow it for the trench in the front yard. Next day installed a new line and filled it all back in. The other job was to scrape all the spray on tiles of the back veranda. Another hard job with the jack hammer. This worked reasonable well for the first half. The second half did not work at all. Bought two angle grinders and diamond disks. Nikaela's father had come up from Rockhampton to help out. Finished the job on Australia Day. The easiest job was to seal the leaking veranda roof.

I also still needed some work done on the bus. I found someone who said that all was OK. Put all the parts back in. Bus ready and the jobs around the house on hold because of the rain. Time to make tracks again.  Last night I did the cooking. Mackay was just on the edge of the rain depression. Townsville is copping a beating. Stopped for a look around in Middlemount and found a lookout over the open cut mine and decided to stay for the night. The picture is the view from the bus.  Diesel price here $2.45 L. the most expensive . Normal around $1.80.  This is a coal mining district and you frequently have to get off the road when you find this opposite you.

Travelled south via Bilowela, Cania Gorge, Monto and Gaindah. Camped at the lookout overlooking the Burnett River and orange orchards. This is a holiday exploring National Parks. 5 February stopped for the day at the Kimbombi Falls and rest area.

We passed this area several times over the last 20 years but now I discovering some gems we just drove passed previously like the Coomba falls. A lot of the photo's of gorges and waterfalls don't look good unless you show them really large. Also did all the walks in Crows Nest National parks. 12000 steps today. 7 February.  Toowoomba and ready to spend some money there.  After all the running around in Toowoomba ready to explore Main Range and Border Ranges National Park. Unfortunately on the way there the bus made some funny noises which turned out to be a broken control arm for one airbag. Drove to Allora rest area and had to wait till Monday to get it repaired. 

Everything fixed in the morning and back to Main Range National Park. It was a long walk to Bare Rock Mountain but well worth it. Magnificent views over the Cunningham Highway. Started at 12.30 and back at 5 with 30 000 steps. I wanted to stay near the Maryvale pub and have a meal there but they are closed on Monday and Tuesday. So it was pizza night.

Cunningham's gap valley

Next day the bog city of Warwick for Aldi, laundry, fuel and bits and pieces. Another 90 KM and parked beside the road for the night near Urbenville. Urbenville has a free camp and when I spoke to another camper there he mentioned there would be a  rodeo in a few days. There is also a waterfall where we stayed a few times over the years. The rodeo was typical for a small town. They had a classic car show, fence post manufacture, bucking bull rides and a live band at night. The band played till 10 PM there were only ten people left. Farmers go to bed early.

19 Feb.  We have been in Glen Innes a number of times over the years. It is a small place but has some interesting architecture.
More shopping and a cup of cappuccino. They have a free rest area beside the golf course. There were a number of campers there. I intend to head south but made a detour via Walshpool National Park, Grafton and Cathedral Rock National Park, New England National Park and Armidale. The road is called the Waterfall Way. We previously been to the spectacular waterfalls but never done any which involved a long walk.

Camped in a free camp in Uralla just south of Armidale. They call it a prospecting area there supposed to be gold here. The place was packed. From Uralla via Tamworth, Gunnedah to Coonabarrabran where I stayed at the golf club. The temperature is picking up and the days are around 36 degrees. 27 Feb. Another National Park. Warrumbungles N.P. We went there six years ago and it has one of the best views in Australia, so I had to visit again. I could feel that I am six years older. First time no problems. This time I was knackered. Drove to Gilgandra and had a meal in the pub. In a lot of outback places you can camp for free beside the pub in the hope you spend some money there. It is 9PM and still 33 degrees in the bus.

Dubbo. Filled up with diesel, wanted to started the car and nothing. I got towed to a spot where I could charge the batteries and drove to a battery place but it was not the batteries. The alternator gave up the ghost. Friday afternoon and nobody could do anything till Monday. Stayed three night in a caravan park. Outside temperature 40 degrees. Monday to a garage and at one o clock after $2250 all fixed. Now parked beside a river with the sound of cockatoos. After I got here I realized we camped here one and a half years ago also.   Three nights here, very relaxing.

                           Pinto Falls Reserve                                                                                   Bathurst

4 March. Via Wellington to Orange. We never spend much time here over the years but it is a very interesting place with lots of wineries and great nature reserves. Did a couple of bush walks. Two nights here at the showground. Next two nights in a pine forest and one night in Bathurst. It took me 8 and a half minutes to go around the track. The V8ts do it in just under two minutes.