Time to venture into the outback.

All the preparation has been done and sleep eludes me tonight as I anticipate a big day tomorrow (Friday) heading to Walk=about Creek in far northwest Queensland.

I am really looking forward to the trip to try out my new van. I have an awesome travel buddy and it will be an exciting couple of weeks.

First stop should be Chinchilla and a couple of hours with the grandies.
CHEERS until the next update.

DAY ONE.
 Took to the road from Boonah and headed off through Cunningham's Gap. Had to pull off the road at Allora due to pouring rain and fierce winds. The rain continued all the way to Miles so we didn't get in to see he Grandies.
Had to stop for repairs to the solar panel brackets to stop it from flapping and lifting off. 
Arrived in Miles and afternoon an camped under the bridge to get out of the rain.

DAY TWO

Arrived in Roma and the rain had eased, had a fun afternoon with Ferel then off to the pub for dinner, what a wild night that turned out to be!!!!

\\DAY THREE,

FOOTY, SIGNINGS, and BACK TO QLD FOR A SHORT TRIP.

Finally had to drive through the city{Melbourne} by myself when Ray couldn't pick me up on Saturday for the VFL at Sandringham. Pretty proud of the fact that I got through without any detours. :)
Loved St Kilda with all the cute little houses and units, must get back to spend a longer time there.
Great time at the footy where I met Bucks, Rocca and Scotty Burns some of the coaches at Collingwood. Nice guys to chat to even though we didn't win the game.

Sunday saw me at the MCG for the AFL game.  This was a trip on the train, all new experiences for me and all without getting lost again. Excellent game where we beat Geelong, best feeling, and a fantastic game to watch. 

Adam Trelor had a good game.

Went for another drive to St Kilda but it was too late by the time I got there to find the campsite I as told about so I headed back to Werribee.  
Did a few short sightseeing trips this week and Thursday May 4th saw me heading to the Holden Centre to see the boys train in the morning before  going for a walk around Richmond and back to the centre for some signatures.
WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!  that was the plan but as we all know even the best laid plans can go astray. To make a long story short, there were no parks to be had at Werribee, Geelong or Hoppers Crossing Rail stations for my planned 9am start. To say I was upset would be putting it mildly so I went back to the camp to change clothes and think of another plan of action. 

I decided to give it one last shot before I brave the traffic again and drive in. Well I thought I had won the lottery when I pulled into the station just as some one was leaving. Mad dash into the station to catch the train I could see waiting at the platform. Disaster!!!!!!! Platform closed and no trains moving due to a power outage. It is now 2.15pm and the boys are there from 3.30 to 4pm. Best option was to wait for the bus to Laverton and connect with the train there, better than not going at all I guess. 

I made it to Richmond station at 3.50 which left me 10 minutes to walk to the Holden Centre. Getting along at almost a jog and  walked in {puffed in} lol at 4pm just as they were leaving. Jamie Elliot was there still getting his photo taken so I ask him if they were still signing? When he said "No we have finished" did it for me, that was the last straw. end result was he called the boys back and I got some signatures for Lilliah and some photos with them. 
Took me from 9am until 4pm to get there for a 5 minute meet but it WAS worth it.
Sat 6th May and Collingwoods' 125th anniversary weekend.  So sad to say Carlton beat us on the day however, there is still one more chance to beat them this season. Go Pies. 

Left on Monday 8th to spend some time inn QLD with family, I had a much better trip than last time and the Navman played nicely. Beautiful scenery in the outback of NSW

The Great Diving Range NSW

Tuesday 4th May was a devasting day for AFL and Collingwood fans with the passing of the great Lou Richards. Lou was loved by many and respected by all. I would love to be there for the funeral next week but family calls at the minute and that is first priority.

The weekend saw my solar and batteries hooked up to the driving battery which means I no longer have to worry when it rains for days, I will still have plenty of power and won't have to toss food out when the fridge defrosts.


Monday 15th and the service on the car has been done, just have to wait for the fuel filter to be changed and I will be set to roll again. Fuel filter  changed and thank you to a camper mate I am on my way asap.

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday 16th April

I have moved on after another big blow turned my other awning inside out. Met a nice couple from Townsville, at Ballarat, who are on their way doing the big lap. Great to stay in the Shady Acres caravan park in Ballarat and had an interesting wander through the EUREKA museum then off again on a lost day on the road. How can one get so lost with a GPS!!

Found Merideth late in the afternoon so that was where I set up camp for a couple of days.  Great company and excellent steak at the pub accross the road.

I  love how all the old buildings are still standing. 

Peter, Gai and Steve at Merrideth.

Had a night at the service center at Avalon and then on to Werribee to train it to the MCG. Arrived on Sunday night and went for  a test run on Monday and was amazed how easy it is to get to the city. 

Settled in to here for a week or so to go to a couple more games then will move on to "who knows where?"

26th April

Collected my new card from the Holden Center and all set to go for ANZAC day. Loved my new seating arrangement such colorful characters around me now it adds to the enjoyment and atmsophere.  Had a great day at the footy for ANZAC Day, even thought the team lost by 18 points they played well.

Found my way back to the car and truck stop ok and ready to do it all again on Sunday for the Cats game.

Had a trip to Ballarat on Wednesday to have my new house battery fitted and happy to say my fridge is now working as it should.

HAPPY DAYS. All we need now is some sunshine to keep it charged up. Will post some photos of the latest "scenic route" shortly. I am getting more relaxed with the "scenic routes" now and as long as I have plenty of fuel I can relax and enjoy the scenery.

This three are from Geelong; beautiful place.

Cheers for now, some footy pics next time.

NOT A GOOD GAME :)

Enjoyed my first time at Etihad Stadium but oh the game!!!!!!!!

We got beaten  thankfully however, not by a huge margin, hopefully the boys can do it ANZAC day and give us another win.

Interesting time in Geelong where I had my sunnies taken from the toilet and not handed in for 15 hours. So pleased they returned them when they realised they are prescription, could have just as easily binned them. Just shows they are half honest lol.

All set up back at ARARAT for the week to relax and save some $$$$$ for a new battery. Need to get this fridge running right and I will be all set.

The Avenue of Honour at BALLARAT each tree has a marker for a Serviceman

Sunset on the Lake

Sunrise 19/04/2017 Green Hill Lake Victoris.

Windy here today but it is to be expected after so much beautiful weather.

Off to do some organizing for the weekend.

Cheers Barb

HOW LOST CAN ONE GET?????

Absolutely froze last night so it was an easy decision to pack up and head closer to Melbourne today.

Arrived at Geelong 5 hours after I left Ararat!!!!!!!!  The supposedly 2 hour trip turned into a marathon of wrong turnes, hence the new navman coming up soon.  I do like to go the scenic route, but, not every time.  Can't complain too much as I left myself plenty of time to get here.  

I wanted to be close to town and the railway station so planted myself firmly in Maccas carpark. Of course I OK'd it with the manager first.

Found the shopping centre and spent some serious $$$$$ on some warm PJ's.

Off to get some shut eye so I will be nice and fresh for the game tomorrow.

Cheers Barb.

THE TRIP BACK TO THE FOOTY

Up earlier than I have been in weeks and ready to hit the road by 7.30am.

Got just down the road and saw the red and blue lights behind me,  pulled over and ask my misdomeaner 

1} You passed where you shouldn't have;
2} you're a COLLINGWOOD supporter.
I have my flag in my back window.

That was so funny and he told me to blow them up at training in the morning hehehe  nice to find a man in Blue with a sense of humour.

Drove all day with a stop off for half hour to see cousin Rodney in Stawell.. 

Called in to the Ararat information centre to find a camp for the night and found a spectacular gem called Green Hill Lake. I have never felt so peaceful and relaxed! so I am here for as long as it feels good.

Busy little camp with people fishing all day. Hot showers toilets and water. What more could I ask for.

Check out those clouds.

More updates as time goes on and OH I am off to the footy on Sunday  GO PIES.  

CHEERS AND STAY HAPPY ALL  Happy Easter 2017.

COCKATOO LAKE RESERVE SA

Drove in to find a beautiful campground by the lake. This was to be a seven day stop over to catch up on washing and just to slow down.

It was quite windy but nothing out of the ordinary ..... until 1.30am

Woken up by the wind and flapping of the awning, I opened the door and quickly closed it again.  No way I was going out in cyclonic winds just to rescue the awning. Wasn't sure what I would find in the daylight but it wasn't as bad as expected.

One of the arms on the awning was bent and broken however the rest was still intact.

We stayed here one more night to try getting the washing dry then moved on.

 Fast moving trip through Naracoorte and the likes until we reached TINTINARA

Found a nice campground with toilets but no showers that were advertised in the book. Spent one night there making plans regarding the quarantine between states and planned to head off in the morning closer to the NSW border on the way to Broken Hill.

I decided here that I had to turn around and head back to Melbourne. My thoughts as I drive along have been "You are getting further away from the football" when they should have had me excited about getting closer to Coober Pedy. That was enough to make up my mind on the future  of the trip so I told my travel buddies I would be turning back in the morning.

I have to say it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders so lets just enjoy what the season brings.

Cheers Barb

PENOLA. SA. St Mary McKillop

More tree carvings as we passed through.

The sports ground had the following paintings on the wall. Note the population is 360.

Carvings outside PENOLA

Not much more from here it was just a drive through.

Next stop Cockatoo Lake Reserve.

Cheers Barb