Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Parry Creek - Day 45
We woke up early today because the sun wakes up early!! Its dark by 5.30 on the dot and light by about 4.30am. I waited till 6 to head to the toilets still scared from the night before, crazy I know but they are ugly and there is so many brochures about them you just dread seeing them. It was bizarre, not one toad was around, nothing at all, a few of the cute little ones but the cane toads were gone. I went back to the van, turned on the air conditioning as it was really hot already and rolled over to try get a little more sleep. We listened to everyone else packing up and just took it easy. Dan had decided to do a loop road that is on the property, the old halls creek track, we had the warning from Anne that it is not maintained and that she had taken someone out on it last Sunday and the grass was long. 13kms that we had expected to take about 45mins, an hour and a half later we were pretty glad to make it out the other end. This thing was rough, rocky and unforgiving in some places. Dan had to get out and walk the track in certain spots so we could be sure of getting through, there was no going back so we had to go forward! The owners knew where we were and expected us back for dinner with them so we knew we would be ok either way, whether we drove out or had a search party bring us out!! The kids were bored!! What, not sure what it takes to entertain kids some days but this was far from boring. A few scratches and scrapes later we were through and on the highway like it had never happened. We drove down to the Grotto which has over 140 man made steps to reach down to the beautiful swimming hole that is 300ft deep. We went into Wyndham for a look and went to the 5 rivers lookout on top of Mt Bastion, it was amazing, it didn't look real, it was a postcard shot for sure. You could see the road trains unloading the cattle waiting to be loaded on the ships at the wharf. 1200 head of cattle going out this week. And all of Hamptons road trains unloading the iron ore into a stock pile for export from nearby mines. We did a quick lap of Wyndham and got some petrol and headed back to Parry Creek. We had a swim and watched Anne and Terry stoke up the wood fired pizza oven. As you know us Powers love to eat and we were looking forward to wood fired pizza tonight and barramundi and chips. We are not looking forward to the cane toads, will fill you in tomorrow how we go. Am limited on internet here so will fill you in on Anne's homemade & home grown Banana and mango dairy free ice cream tomorrow, all I will say is yum.
Parry Creek - Day 44
Today we head for Parry Creek. We didn't have far to go which is always a good thing, only a few 100kms. We stopped for a sandwich at the Doon Doon Roadhouse which is where we thought we would camp last night, lucky for us we didn't push through as the caravan park is closed for maintenance this season. The roadhouse is great, got bits of everything and they also cater for business lunches etc and were sending out trays of sandwiches and bowls of hot food like a production line. We drove through to Parry Creek, again the scenery was amazing the whole way. We got to Parry Creek and made the 8km trip in, the road is very well maintained but dusty and I mean dusty. By the time we got into reception Dan was almost having a heart attack, it was packed on thick on the car and on the van, but once you see the place you realise dust is a small price to pay for such beautiful surrounds. We have booked in for 2 nights but you could easily lose yourself here for as long as you have. The owners Terry & Anne treat you like friends visiting, they sit and chat and nothing is too much trouble, we spent some time around the pool and listened to some stories from Terry. The place has bird watching and raised walk ways and any sort of accommodation you could think of. They have spotted 1 croc in their lagoon so far this season, the last big one they had last year took their dog in one swoop before they could blink an eye. All was going really well until night fall, the sunset was like all the west coast, amazing. We then took a trip to the toilets to be surrounded by cane toads. There were so many and they were huge, the kids and I were well and truly freaked out, Dan had them jumping on his feet. By now it was Fletchers turn to have a heart attack and quickly retreated into the ladies toilets as there wasn't as many in ours. These terrible things are responsible for wiping out a lot of the wildlife at Parry Creek. There were all the cute frogs sitting on our van and the green tree frogs in the toilets but these things were big and ugly and there wasn't going to be another toilet stop until day break! But again this is a small price to pay for such lovely hosts and a beautiful property. We have next to no service for phone or internet so I will have to add photos later.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Warmun - Day 43
Today we were up early for our tour, we were up and about by 6.45 and every other van in the park was up! We go to bed late and are up by 7 but seriously what time do people start their day? I watched the final of Dawsons Creek last night- thank goodness & was up till 1am to watch the stupid thing- well I cried like a baby. Mack watches it today on the way and says at the end, "mum which bit was sad" either I'm too soft or she's a tough cookie! We finally did our Geikie Gorge tour and wow it was well worth it. $62.50 for a family for an hour, very well run, mainly by volunteers and the rangers. The boat is amazing it is unsinkable, the coolest flip up seats and there was 13 of us so we all got to have seats on the edge for great views and the kids on board got to sit up the front. I'm always suspicious though when on a boat they don't have a life jacket per passenger, there is one under each seat in every 2nd row? Well we were ok we were in the row with jackets, sorry to the man and lady behind us you miss out!! The ranger was so informative and the gorge was stunning. It was 8am and hot already and they have free sunscreen which was needed. They have applied to rename the gorge as Geikie was an English geologist who has never been to Australia so they are looking at renaming it Darn Goo (I think that's the spelling) which is what the aboriginals have always called it. The local people of this area are called the "bunuba" and are very strong and loyal, the head ranger - our mate from yesterday!- was born and bred here and his people are very proud of their area. They even have there own football team of aboriginal rangers. Our tour guide wasn't aboriginal "scobes" but he was really interesting to listen to and spoke about the gorge, the aboriginal traditions & history and also the animals & vegetation. Even at one point turning off the engine for a few minutes just for the silence and beauty of the gorge. The details are amazing of the amount of water, the cave systems & how mother nature brings us such amazing wonders. We saw a croc, which Mackenzie at the front of the boat spotted so she was pretty excited, it was being very cautious, in stealth mode he said, a few weeks further into the season they get a little more used to the boat engine and aren't as shy. Today was the first day a little bird like a swallow had shown up, they come every year to breed, nest and stay for the dry season. There weren't any yesterday but there were 100's circling around in front of us today. We stayed and chatted for a while afterwards to the ranger and volunteers and then headed back to pack up the van. Us and 1 other van were the only ones there and it was only 9.30. We had a long day today, driving from about 10 till 4.30. We stopped for petrol and lunch at Halls Creek. Most of the town was shut being Sunday but we were just in time for the bakery- Dan in his element. Even better for Dan- he got locked in the bakery! The man was pulling in the sign and pulled down the roller doors like a garage door and went in. The kids were horrified and asked "do you hope they let dad out?" I said I hope they did because I didn't know the way but deep down I thought if Dan was going to be locked in somewhere for the night what better place for him to be. I actually didn't know whether to panic or laugh so we just pretended it wasn't happening. Well the man walked into the shop and jumped out of his skin to see big Dan in there, a couple of pies, a sausage roll and a free bag of hot chips later Dan was released from his heavenly prison a little disappointed I'd say. We passed through such beautiful scenery & the landscapes changed as we drove further along. There were so many cattle on the road and the brolga/jabiru birds as well. We passed over Fletcher Creek but weren't able to stop for a photo, always the way. We pulled into Warmun Roadhouse at 4.30 and set up. A really small park of about 20 sites, attached to the roadhouse that is part of an aboriginal mission/community. We had a swim in the pool which is probably the cleanest pool we have been in over the last 6 weeks. The kids found a toad frog and after all the brochures and talks on the boat about the cane toad they were pretty freaked out that it was out to poison them, even more so when after about an hour he disappeared. We got chatting to a couple who have been travelling for 3 years and working at this park for 4months. They were telling us it was roast night and the meals were fantastic. The lure of fresh vegies and someone else cooking was too much so we wandered over to the roadhouse. The roasts were $15 each so we got 2 and thought we would bulk it up with something from the van to make it serve the 4 of us. You have never seen anything like it, roast beef & lamb with gravy, the vegies were potatoes, carrots, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli & cheese & asparagus. We all had a plate piled up like a mountain and there is still meat & vegies left for at least 2 for tomorrow. They do a different theme each night. The roadhouse is so well stocked and there is a dining room with aircon & flat screen tv, separate showers & bathrooms for the truckies. The shop was flat out and food was heading out the door left, right and centre. Another great day today.
Our boat in the gorge, it seats 60 and they can join 3 together to make like a road train of 180 people per tour in peak season
the colors of the rock in the gorge is from the water levels
the nests that the birds make which are actually quite big in relation to the size of the bird, these are left from last year as there wasn't much rain this wet season, normally they are washed away by the rising waters
our quiet moment in the gorge, it really was beautiful
The face at the top of one section said to resemble president Richard Nixon
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Fitzroy Crossing - Day 42
Fletcher : Today we slept in again and missed a cruise tour then we did a big drive around town. Mum found a whole pile of pineapple chocolate and only brought 2. Then we went to Geikie Gorge National Park and got in trouble by the ranger for bringing Bentley. Then we went back to the van and to the pool and had a fun time, there was no sprinkler on. For lunch we had pizza and chips, for breakfast I had 2 fruits and muesli and for dinner we had fajitas and I watched monkey magic.
Mackenzie: Today we slept in and we missed the tour so we are going to the one in the one in the morning. Then we went on a road and we had to do a river crossing, it was little but fun. We went to Geikie Gorge and we got in trouble by a ranger and he said you are not allowed dogs here. When we went back to the caravan park we went to the lounge bar and dad watched football. For lunch we had pizza and chips, it was yum. When we went back home we had a rest and watched our e reader and went to the pool. Fletcher and me jumped at the deep end. When we got out we got the camera and took photos of the sun set and for dinner we had chicken.
We had a really cool night which was such a welcome change, made sleeping easier, or so we thought, music playing at 4am just softly but we are in the middle of no where so it was so silent it was annoying, by the time we went back to sleep the alarm at 6.30 was the last thing we wanted to hear. So much so that we fell back asleep till just after 7 and had to leave at 7.20 for a river tour of Geikie Gorge, that wasn't going to happen in the power house! The kids around us started running about and yelling at 6am so it was a bit of a funny night/morning sleep. We decided to do the 3pm tour and had a look around town, IGA to pick up some tea for tonight. All that is in town is a camping store, post office, take away food and IGA, also a brand new centre link building. That's it. Well they had my pineapple chocolate so no complaints from me, well except its $5.18 a block! So another 2 blocks was a huge treat. We were told that it takes 45 mins to do the 18kms to Geikie Gorge so we thought we would do a trial run, ok so it doesn't take 45mins & you cross into National Park which you aren't allowed dogs...........we learnt this quickly from high beam flashing lights from the ranger driving behind us and Bentley in his crate doing his best dancing beg for the ranger. He turned out to be a great guy who just explained you cant have dogs and the bigger concern is people who bring dogs and leave them in the cars, Dan explained we weren't going to be stopping and were doing a trial run for the afternoon boat trip and they chatted for the next 15mins. Well by the time we got back it was so hot we decided to just spend the afternoon at the van and go to the 8am tour before we hit the road again. We went up to the lodge in the air conditioning and had some chips and Dan had a beer and watched the footy. We had a swim and a walk around the park and dinner in the van listening to the footy on the phone. All in all a lazy rest full Saturday, which we all needed.
Mackenzie: Today we slept in and we missed the tour so we are going to the one in the one in the morning. Then we went on a road and we had to do a river crossing, it was little but fun. We went to Geikie Gorge and we got in trouble by a ranger and he said you are not allowed dogs here. When we went back to the caravan park we went to the lounge bar and dad watched football. For lunch we had pizza and chips, it was yum. When we went back home we had a rest and watched our e reader and went to the pool. Fletcher and me jumped at the deep end. When we got out we got the camera and took photos of the sun set and for dinner we had chicken.
We had a really cool night which was such a welcome change, made sleeping easier, or so we thought, music playing at 4am just softly but we are in the middle of no where so it was so silent it was annoying, by the time we went back to sleep the alarm at 6.30 was the last thing we wanted to hear. So much so that we fell back asleep till just after 7 and had to leave at 7.20 for a river tour of Geikie Gorge, that wasn't going to happen in the power house! The kids around us started running about and yelling at 6am so it was a bit of a funny night/morning sleep. We decided to do the 3pm tour and had a look around town, IGA to pick up some tea for tonight. All that is in town is a camping store, post office, take away food and IGA, also a brand new centre link building. That's it. Well they had my pineapple chocolate so no complaints from me, well except its $5.18 a block! So another 2 blocks was a huge treat. We were told that it takes 45 mins to do the 18kms to Geikie Gorge so we thought we would do a trial run, ok so it doesn't take 45mins & you cross into National Park which you aren't allowed dogs...........we learnt this quickly from high beam flashing lights from the ranger driving behind us and Bentley in his crate doing his best dancing beg for the ranger. He turned out to be a great guy who just explained you cant have dogs and the bigger concern is people who bring dogs and leave them in the cars, Dan explained we weren't going to be stopping and were doing a trial run for the afternoon boat trip and they chatted for the next 15mins. Well by the time we got back it was so hot we decided to just spend the afternoon at the van and go to the 8am tour before we hit the road again. We went up to the lodge in the air conditioning and had some chips and Dan had a beer and watched the footy. We had a swim and a walk around the park and dinner in the van listening to the footy on the phone. All in all a lazy rest full Saturday, which we all needed.
Fitzroy Crossing - Day 41
Fletcher : Today we left from Derby to Fitzroy crossing. We packed the van and left Derby, we had left over kebab meat for breakfast. When we got to Fitzroy crossing we had lunch, we had chicken nachos. Then we went to the pool, it had a sprinkler that rotated from side to side. Then we rested and went for a drive. We had chicken and corn soup for tea.
Mackenzie: Today we drove to the next place and when we got there we setup the van and then me and fletcher played ball for a while and then we went to the pool. It had a sprinkler. Me and fletcher stood under it. When we came back I watched my e reader and had an icy pole, I had raspberry and it was yum. We went or a drive and came home and had chicken and corn soup for dinner.
We left Derby early after having a chat with the people we had met behind us. The man directly behind us sets up for 6 weeks to 3 months depending on how good the fishing is! He has soooo much stuff in and around his van its borderline ridiculous, he brings his van up and then heads home and then comes back in his helicopter! Yep his helicopter...... all 900 thousand dollars of it. Its one of those bubble looking helicopters that you may have seen Milton off "keeping up with the Jonses" use to muster cattle. Its called Helifishing ! This man brings back so much fish and crabs that he could open a fish market. His wife sits at the van for the day and then when he gets back they clean and gut fish, Dan was really impressed with the smell and they hammer away at the crab shells into the night. Our other friends at the park were a beautiful white peacock and 3 lovely doves that snuggled up each night together in the tree near our van. We also saw 2 great sites at the park and had to photograph them before we left. The first was a Goldwing motorbike towing a camper trailer, they were stuck in town as he had taken a chunk out of his back tyre on the bike and it was taking nearly a week for a replacement to come up from Perth. The camper weighed 180kilos and he and his wife (and sausage dog, don't know where he sat?) went to a Ulysses meeting in Queensland and brought it there and were on their way back home when they broke down. The other funny site was a tent with an air conditioner. It was a dome tent, with a small coffee table outside and a box air con blowing through the window, it was hilarious but a great idea. Uneventful drive again, except for the hawk that flew into our windscreen. There was about 10 on the road, who watch you and don't move from the road kill until the last minute, Dan slowed up and even swerved but he hit and hit hard, all in slow motion, just like in a cartoon. These outback animals are tough - he flew off!? The kids saw this one happen so I'm glad he was ok. We crossed into town over the Fitzroy river, a massive stretch of bridge but like many along the way was only one lane and works on a courtesy system. Its funny a major highway with these massive road trains and they build 1 lane. We are staying at the Fitzroy River Lodge which is such a large park with so many different types of accommodation. Caravan Park, Riverview studios, which are built up high with views of the river, motel rooms and the most amazing things called safari tents, this is camping in style. They are tents, canvas army style tents, on a concrete slap with an en-suite built on and inside they have beautiful beds, fridge, air cons, you name it its in there. People call this "Glamping" Glamour camping, too funny. We spent most of the day looking around the huge property and swimming in the pool, this one had a sprinkler that went over the top of it, bit of fun, I hate to say the pool was actually cold but we were hot and sweaty again within minutes of getting out. The place has its own restaurant and bar, tennis courts, pool and all the staff have their own accommodation on site, including a caretaker of the caravan section that lives down in the van section in a separate building. We saw a heap of kangaroos minding their own business jumping around our van. We went into town as there was an outdoor cinema but it wasn't open, we also drove past a market that was packing up at 5.30 so I was pretty cross that we hadn't gone in earlier. The night temp has dropped considerably here but the day was still 36 the last time we looked.
The tent at Derby with an air con out the window, it looked like it should be in the scrap heap but it was working as we heard it running
Mackenzie: Today we drove to the next place and when we got there we setup the van and then me and fletcher played ball for a while and then we went to the pool. It had a sprinkler. Me and fletcher stood under it. When we came back I watched my e reader and had an icy pole, I had raspberry and it was yum. We went or a drive and came home and had chicken and corn soup for dinner.
We left Derby early after having a chat with the people we had met behind us. The man directly behind us sets up for 6 weeks to 3 months depending on how good the fishing is! He has soooo much stuff in and around his van its borderline ridiculous, he brings his van up and then heads home and then comes back in his helicopter! Yep his helicopter...... all 900 thousand dollars of it. Its one of those bubble looking helicopters that you may have seen Milton off "keeping up with the Jonses" use to muster cattle. Its called Helifishing ! This man brings back so much fish and crabs that he could open a fish market. His wife sits at the van for the day and then when he gets back they clean and gut fish, Dan was really impressed with the smell and they hammer away at the crab shells into the night. Our other friends at the park were a beautiful white peacock and 3 lovely doves that snuggled up each night together in the tree near our van. We also saw 2 great sites at the park and had to photograph them before we left. The first was a Goldwing motorbike towing a camper trailer, they were stuck in town as he had taken a chunk out of his back tyre on the bike and it was taking nearly a week for a replacement to come up from Perth. The camper weighed 180kilos and he and his wife (and sausage dog, don't know where he sat?) went to a Ulysses meeting in Queensland and brought it there and were on their way back home when they broke down. The other funny site was a tent with an air conditioner. It was a dome tent, with a small coffee table outside and a box air con blowing through the window, it was hilarious but a great idea. Uneventful drive again, except for the hawk that flew into our windscreen. There was about 10 on the road, who watch you and don't move from the road kill until the last minute, Dan slowed up and even swerved but he hit and hit hard, all in slow motion, just like in a cartoon. These outback animals are tough - he flew off!? The kids saw this one happen so I'm glad he was ok. We crossed into town over the Fitzroy river, a massive stretch of bridge but like many along the way was only one lane and works on a courtesy system. Its funny a major highway with these massive road trains and they build 1 lane. We are staying at the Fitzroy River Lodge which is such a large park with so many different types of accommodation. Caravan Park, Riverview studios, which are built up high with views of the river, motel rooms and the most amazing things called safari tents, this is camping in style. They are tents, canvas army style tents, on a concrete slap with an en-suite built on and inside they have beautiful beds, fridge, air cons, you name it its in there. People call this "Glamping" Glamour camping, too funny. We spent most of the day looking around the huge property and swimming in the pool, this one had a sprinkler that went over the top of it, bit of fun, I hate to say the pool was actually cold but we were hot and sweaty again within minutes of getting out. The place has its own restaurant and bar, tennis courts, pool and all the staff have their own accommodation on site, including a caretaker of the caravan section that lives down in the van section in a separate building. We saw a heap of kangaroos minding their own business jumping around our van. We went into town as there was an outdoor cinema but it wasn't open, we also drove past a market that was packing up at 5.30 so I was pretty cross that we hadn't gone in earlier. The night temp has dropped considerably here but the day was still 36 the last time we looked.
The safari tents, in the background you can see the white structure attached which is an en suite
The Goldwing and camper trailer
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Derby - Day 40
Mackenzie: Today we slept in then we went to the old Derby jail where people were chained to the ground, it was really sad. The next jail we went to was where some people were kidnapped and put in a Boab tree, they say snakes are in the tree now. For lunch we nachos, it was yum. We watched a dvd and played at the caravan. For dinner we had kebabs it was good then we watched a movie.
Fletcher: Today we had a big sleep in, dad went to get the car serviced. First we went to the old Derby jail where aboriginal people were held. They were locked up by chains that were screwed to the floor, luckily they ended up building them a shower and toilet. Then we went to a huge boab tree that used to be a prison, like the old Derby jail. The man working there said put your head in there and feel the change in temperature, it was cold. Then we went to the van and had nachos then we had a play. We had dinner which was kebabs it was great. We saw an air conditioner in a tent.
Today we had to get the car serviced! Over 10,000kms already. We had it serviced on the Tuesday, we left on the Sunday and 40 days in we have done 10,000. There was a few places in town but most weren't interested in doing it, the guy behind us was getting his done at 7am so Dan rang at 7.30 and was on their doorstep a few minutes later. The guy behind us Mark, also works on the wharf but in Gladstone. So the kids and I got to stay in bed, the kids keep saying they had a big sleep in - 7.30am, not a sleep in in my eyes but they were happy. Dan was back by 9, all refreshed after some blokey time in a workshop. We mostly visited jails today. First stop was the old Derby jail, this was sad and shocking to see. It was built in 1906 and was still in use in 1975 under the same conditions, the only addition in the latter years was a toilet. This was truly an old corrugated shed on 2 sides and jail bars on the other 2. There were large o bolts in the concrete floor and the prisoners were chained around the neck and to the floor. They slept on the concrete floor, again kindness in the latter years they were given a blanket! There was a shower head in the cell. There were 2 cells about the size of a large master bedroom or lounge in a home today, built for 30 prisoners - these 2 cells housed up to 109 prisoners at times, men and women, some doing 2-5 years for stealing food to feed their families. We then went to the Boab Tree Prison, this was the biggest boab I have ever seen. This was used to house prisoners too. These prisoners were kidnapped to help work on the land. They were putting a new fence around the tree so the man said we could go over to it and put our heads in to see the change in temperature. It was so much colder in there it was amazing, I would have liked to have stayed there all day. We then went to the new jail they have built in Derby, it is such a contrast to the other 2, apart from the obvious high fences and wire you would think it was a new shire building or information centre, it is a nice looking building!? Out with the boab prison was the Myal bore & cattle trough, the bore is 322mts deep into the ground & the cattle trough is 120mts long, it was built around 1917 and could handle 500 bullocks at one time. The town has a real community feel about it with adverts up all around the place for different upcoming events and there was even a carnival in town .
The cattle trough
Boab tree prison
The old Derby prison
the old Derby jail
Fletcher: Today we had a big sleep in, dad went to get the car serviced. First we went to the old Derby jail where aboriginal people were held. They were locked up by chains that were screwed to the floor, luckily they ended up building them a shower and toilet. Then we went to a huge boab tree that used to be a prison, like the old Derby jail. The man working there said put your head in there and feel the change in temperature, it was cold. Then we went to the van and had nachos then we had a play. We had dinner which was kebabs it was great. We saw an air conditioner in a tent.
the boab tree prison
Today we had to get the car serviced! Over 10,000kms already. We had it serviced on the Tuesday, we left on the Sunday and 40 days in we have done 10,000. There was a few places in town but most weren't interested in doing it, the guy behind us was getting his done at 7am so Dan rang at 7.30 and was on their doorstep a few minutes later. The guy behind us Mark, also works on the wharf but in Gladstone. So the kids and I got to stay in bed, the kids keep saying they had a big sleep in - 7.30am, not a sleep in in my eyes but they were happy. Dan was back by 9, all refreshed after some blokey time in a workshop. We mostly visited jails today. First stop was the old Derby jail, this was sad and shocking to see. It was built in 1906 and was still in use in 1975 under the same conditions, the only addition in the latter years was a toilet. This was truly an old corrugated shed on 2 sides and jail bars on the other 2. There were large o bolts in the concrete floor and the prisoners were chained around the neck and to the floor. They slept on the concrete floor, again kindness in the latter years they were given a blanket! There was a shower head in the cell. There were 2 cells about the size of a large master bedroom or lounge in a home today, built for 30 prisoners - these 2 cells housed up to 109 prisoners at times, men and women, some doing 2-5 years for stealing food to feed their families. We then went to the Boab Tree Prison, this was the biggest boab I have ever seen. This was used to house prisoners too. These prisoners were kidnapped to help work on the land. They were putting a new fence around the tree so the man said we could go over to it and put our heads in to see the change in temperature. It was so much colder in there it was amazing, I would have liked to have stayed there all day. We then went to the new jail they have built in Derby, it is such a contrast to the other 2, apart from the obvious high fences and wire you would think it was a new shire building or information centre, it is a nice looking building!? Out with the boab prison was the Myal bore & cattle trough, the bore is 322mts deep into the ground & the cattle trough is 120mts long, it was built around 1917 and could handle 500 bullocks at one time. The town has a real community feel about it with adverts up all around the place for different upcoming events and there was even a carnival in town .
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Derby - Day 39
Fletcher : Today we drove from Roebuck roadhouse to Derby. We had a ice cup for breakfast. Mum and I went to the toilet block this morning and a green tree frog was in the toilet that mum went to, it was in the toilet watching mum. After that mum and I had a little dip in the pool then a man said look over there t that lizard, its a frilled neck he told us, he was trying to get it to do its frill but it just looked at him and walked away. When we got to Derby we drove on a jetty and tried to look for crocs. We had to get some stuff from the shop that's where my mum found her favourite chocolate flavour which is pineapple.
Mackenzie : Today for breakfast I had a ice cream and on a tree was a lizard, it was a frilled neck lizard. Then we got in the car and drove for a while. When we got to Derby we set up the caravan and then we went into town. Me and mm went in to IGA and had a look at a jetty and we tried to find crocodiles. We couldn't find any. For dinner we had chicken and it was yum.
Well after my early morning scare by the backpackers, I didn't think it could get worse. But a quick trip to the loo, lift the lid to go sit down and a green tree frog is staring back at me....... little scream, more an oh my goodness but it had dan coming in for a look, I wanted him to take a photo but as he did he hopped down the toilet, yep into the toilet. Well of course then I'm too scared to go just in case the s bends are joined and he pops up in another of the loos, the kids think its hilarious but are just as cautious as me to go! We had a dip in the pool and looked at the little bananas on the trees, such a beautiful park and after speaking to one of the staff there is more money being spent. There is 15 staff rooms all with big flat screen tvs and foxtel and they have their own pool and bbq etc. Many are long time employees of between 5-8 years, their conditions are great so I can see why they stay. We saw the best frilled next lizard camouflaging itself on the tree behind us. The grounds keeper was trying to get him to frill his neck for us but he wasn't interested and just looked at the kids poor attempt to scare him. He didn't miss a thing and his sight and hearing must have been amazing. We stopped in at the roadhouse to return the key and the food in there is great for travellers, they do little lunch packs for truckies and travellers, nibble boxes which have cherry toms, cold meat, cabana, cheeses, gherkins etc. Hot meals like lasagne and casseroles, cold meat and salad boxes and pieces of cake. The biggest ribs I have ever seen, she wrapped them in tin foil, they would have been the length and thickness of my fore arm. We travelled on to Derby and crossed over the Fitzroy River, I am positive I saw a croc so we stopped to inspect but couldn't see it where it had been, could have been a log but logs don't move when you go to take a photo of them?! It was a pretty easy and uneventful drive. We set up in the park, which is huge and has had so much money put into it. The park is owner/operated which is pretty unusual, there is long term employees here too that live on site and are very proud of their "backyard" All 3 toilet blocks have been gutted and renovated over the last 12 months at a whopping cost of over half a million dollars - ceiling fans again in the bathrooms and he has added 71 extra sites which are now grassed and water, power and trees are in the making. There is a big aboriginal presence in town but like all the other towns they are yelling and abusive, but only to each other. There are very strict alcohol sale rules which we soon noticed only applied to the aboriginals, it seemed to be discriminating against them but it was easy to see it was for their safety and to try help & control the situation up here. I went into IGA and Dan had them trying to sell him fruit or something, he couldn't quite understand but as they kept coming over to him he took a quick drive around the block with Fletcher while he was waiting for me. As it turns out our friends who did the same trip had a similar experience in exactly the same spot. We did a drive around town and realised we wouldn't fit everything in so we did what we could and decided we would definitely stay another night. We drove around the jetty and the kids did their best to try see some crocs. We got some great meat at the butcher to cook up for tea. It is crazy hot again, although the locals are saying it was hotter last week, thank goodness we missed that! The air con in the van is getting a work out and worth every cent it cost to install. We are cleaning the filters weekly because of the red dirt, we could do it more often. We are doing pretty well with what we have in the van and still haven't needed to buy anything yet other than food, although a long handled broom or mop that collapses down would save our backs using the half pan & brush a few times a day, will be packing one when we get back. We have under estimated the dirt and dust and don't have enough cleaning stuff to get us through the whole trip, lucky I have a few contacts!!
Mackenzie : Today for breakfast I had a ice cream and on a tree was a lizard, it was a frilled neck lizard. Then we got in the car and drove for a while. When we got to Derby we set up the caravan and then we went into town. Me and mm went in to IGA and had a look at a jetty and we tried to find crocodiles. We couldn't find any. For dinner we had chicken and it was yum.
Well after my early morning scare by the backpackers, I didn't think it could get worse. But a quick trip to the loo, lift the lid to go sit down and a green tree frog is staring back at me....... little scream, more an oh my goodness but it had dan coming in for a look, I wanted him to take a photo but as he did he hopped down the toilet, yep into the toilet. Well of course then I'm too scared to go just in case the s bends are joined and he pops up in another of the loos, the kids think its hilarious but are just as cautious as me to go! We had a dip in the pool and looked at the little bananas on the trees, such a beautiful park and after speaking to one of the staff there is more money being spent. There is 15 staff rooms all with big flat screen tvs and foxtel and they have their own pool and bbq etc. Many are long time employees of between 5-8 years, their conditions are great so I can see why they stay. We saw the best frilled next lizard camouflaging itself on the tree behind us. The grounds keeper was trying to get him to frill his neck for us but he wasn't interested and just looked at the kids poor attempt to scare him. He didn't miss a thing and his sight and hearing must have been amazing. We stopped in at the roadhouse to return the key and the food in there is great for travellers, they do little lunch packs for truckies and travellers, nibble boxes which have cherry toms, cold meat, cabana, cheeses, gherkins etc. Hot meals like lasagne and casseroles, cold meat and salad boxes and pieces of cake. The biggest ribs I have ever seen, she wrapped them in tin foil, they would have been the length and thickness of my fore arm. We travelled on to Derby and crossed over the Fitzroy River, I am positive I saw a croc so we stopped to inspect but couldn't see it where it had been, could have been a log but logs don't move when you go to take a photo of them?! It was a pretty easy and uneventful drive. We set up in the park, which is huge and has had so much money put into it. The park is owner/operated which is pretty unusual, there is long term employees here too that live on site and are very proud of their "backyard" All 3 toilet blocks have been gutted and renovated over the last 12 months at a whopping cost of over half a million dollars - ceiling fans again in the bathrooms and he has added 71 extra sites which are now grassed and water, power and trees are in the making. There is a big aboriginal presence in town but like all the other towns they are yelling and abusive, but only to each other. There are very strict alcohol sale rules which we soon noticed only applied to the aboriginals, it seemed to be discriminating against them but it was easy to see it was for their safety and to try help & control the situation up here. I went into IGA and Dan had them trying to sell him fruit or something, he couldn't quite understand but as they kept coming over to him he took a quick drive around the block with Fletcher while he was waiting for me. As it turns out our friends who did the same trip had a similar experience in exactly the same spot. We did a drive around town and realised we wouldn't fit everything in so we did what we could and decided we would definitely stay another night. We drove around the jetty and the kids did their best to try see some crocs. We got some great meat at the butcher to cook up for tea. It is crazy hot again, although the locals are saying it was hotter last week, thank goodness we missed that! The air con in the van is getting a work out and worth every cent it cost to install. We are cleaning the filters weekly because of the red dirt, we could do it more often. We are doing pretty well with what we have in the van and still haven't needed to buy anything yet other than food, although a long handled broom or mop that collapses down would save our backs using the half pan & brush a few times a day, will be packing one when we get back. We have under estimated the dirt and dust and don't have enough cleaning stuff to get us through the whole trip, lucky I have a few contacts!!
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