Coolangatta to Clermont in Queensland - March / April 2018

I noticed that when I published my last Post a few weeks ago, it did not send out the normal email advice to those who have subscribed (box in right hand column near the top).  If you haven't visited the site in the meantime, you might like to read the previous post "Mid North Coast Forster / Tuncurry to Coffs Harbour Feb / Mar 2018" before reading this episode.

Tuesday 6 March 2018

After publishing the last chapter, I completed my packing up (in quite heavy rain) for the short journey to a car & van storage facility between the park and Coolangatta ("Gold Coast") Airport.  Unfortunately the caravan park site was tight and despite trying to be careful I managed to rip the cover off, and damage the gas burner flue on the hot water system at the rear of the van.

I was not impressed, and had to park the van in another tight spot at the storage place, then drag my luggage through the pouring rain to the office and courtesy bus. Even the credit card machine wasn't working, so I got to postpone the payment until my return.

Fortunately the trip to the airport, bag check-in and security all went well at Coolangatta.  Nice to travel from a smaller airport where things are a little simpler and people are still friendly. 

I contacted Bushtracker by email & was able to add the HWS repair to a booked caravan service on the Sunshine Coast after my return from home.



 The flights home (via Melbourne) went well, but I have to comment on the snack served by Qantas on the first leg.  It was described as chicken nuggets and wedges, but turned out to be 3 small "nuggets of something" and a few soggy pieces of potato in a small cardboard box.  Close to the worst airline food I have ever received, and that is including domestic flights in the US.   Melbourne to Perth was much better in a larger aircraft and longer flight time.  The salad choice was not bad at all, plus I had an empty seat next to me.

Jean picked me up at the airport and drove us home.  It was still warm, but dry, a nice change after the humidity of the NSW North Coast.  Axel still remembered me and was excited for a short time before becoming bored pretty quickly. 

Home felt a little strange after having been away for nearly four months.  Jean cooked a nice meal and I had a pretty lazy first night.

Joyce (Aquino) had died suddenly & unexpectedly, which meant that both an Autopsy and Inquest by the Coroner was required.  This meant that an immediate funeral date could not be set.  I spoke to Frank, who was still pretty shocked and he was hopeful that a funeral could happen next week.  His two daughters, Danielle and Katherine were staying with him to help out with arrangements and give some support.

Meantime, life goes on and I got involved again with a number of the things that had happened around Folly Farm during my absence, including one of the aircon units breaking down, branches falling, gutters filling up with leaves and a car service becoming due.  As usual, the time just seemed to flash by.  I went down with Jean to Rockingham to visit Betty and after a number of errands we had a nice lunch down at the foreshore in the favourite "cheapie" cafe.  It was good to catch up with her.

On or around Wed 14 March I went for lunch with Frank & Danielle.  Had a great catch up and talked about many things, old and new.  Katherine returned a bit later with her two kids.  Full of energy and keeping her running.  Husband Pasquale was doing a course in Perth (from Geraldton, where he and Katherine live).  Funeral planning was well advanced and date had been confirmed for Friday 16 March 2018 at Karrakatta.

The funeral went very well, with an excellent Celebrant and I would guess about 120 people were there, including friends and family.  Frank struggled with reading his eulogy, but Katherine stepped in and took over.  For me it was a celebration of Joyce's life and a chance for Jean & I to catch up with a number of friends and people we hadn't seen for some time.  The coffin disappeared for cremation to the sounds of "Benny & the Jets", an Elton John song, which was one of Joyce's favourites.

My remaining time at Folly Farm seemed to just flash by, but I managed to get the more urgent jobs done before time ran out as well as a visit to the shoulder surgeon about ongoing soreness.

Whilst I was away, Jean had arranged the construction of a new arena, which got underway during my visit. Just a small project.

Jack was showing a bit of interest in what was going on in the next paddock.







Friday morning the 20 March came around all too quickly and it was an "oh dark hundred" get up to be at the airport before 5am.  I had already checked in using the Qantas App and had a good seat, plus the bag drop was quick and efficient.  Unfortunately, I then ran into the huge security check line brought about by the large number of mine and mining service town flights that all leave from around 5:30am in the morning.

The queue was huge and slow moving, but I got there in the end.  By the time I arrived at the gate, my flight was already boarding, so it was much tighter than I would normally be comfortable with.  Note for next time perhaps.

The flights via Sydney to Coolangatta, both went well and I was slightly early arriving.  Gave me plenty of time to pick up the van and Landcruiser before heading North.  The vehicle started first time and all was good with both it and the Bushtracker.  Fridge was still running and no further damage or incidents.  The drive up the M1 Pacific Motorway to the Gold Coast also went well, with just the normal high volume of traffic but no accidents or stoppages.

As always, it was great to catch up with Gordon and Edith, and to spend a little time with a number of their neighbours as well.  The first couple of days there were some fence and retaining wall repairs happening, so we were fairly quiet with some dog walks and a number of red wines in the evening.  On Friday we went for lunch at Ribs and Rumps at the Marina Mirage, Main Beach on the Gold Coast.  The service at first was a little disappointing, but "Grumpy" Howie managed to fix that up and we then were attended by a Canadian Waitress, who was a great deal more professional and friendly than the initial contact "lady".

 Portions were large and both Gordon & I needed bibs to protect the innocent.

I had a half kilo serve of the premium pork ribs, which were very good.  Glad I didn't order the full kilo serve.









Quite a bit of chaos on the Gold Coast as a result of extensive preparations for the Commonwealth Games due to start just after Easter.  All designed to make the games run smoothly for visitors, but not all that friendly for residents, including many parking restrictions and difficulties in accessing some areas.

On Saturday 24 March 2018, Edith and Gordon had organised a barbeque, so I could catch up with a number of their close neighbors again.  As usual, Edith had gone to a lot of trouble and the food was excellent.  Regan and Paul Kennedy from across the road came plus Regan's Mum Edna.  So did Dan & Veronique, as well as Phil and Pam from next door.  I had planned to take at least a few photographs, but I am afraid I succumbed badly to the red wine and it did not happen.  However we had a really good time except for me opening another bottle of red wine around 1am in the morning that finally did collateral damage to Gordon, Paul and myself, the only ones silly enough to still be there by then.  Suffice to say the next morning was not good and the day was pretty quiet, with only a small amount of red consumed on Sunday evening.

On Monday, we took a drive to Paradise Point where we had a very pleasant lunch at a Cafe on the strip in the town.  Many cafes and restaurants in the area, so very competitive on price and a very enjoyable lunch watching the exotic vehicles drive up and down the road, no doubt from the expensive mansions on the gated islands nearby.

Tuesday 27 March 2018.

In the morning I packed up, and after a fresh local bread sandwich lunch set off for the Sunshine Coast and Kunda Park, for a Bushtracker service and hot water system repairs booked for Wednesday.  Traffic up to and over the Gateway Bridge (Brisbane) was fine, but the journey further North was marked by quite a lot of roadworks and large volumes of traffic joining the Motorway.  However, no accidents, just a slowish trip which was good after a spell of no driving and towing for the last week.

I camped outside the Bushtracker factory overnight and was ready for business when people started arriving from around 5:30am in the morning.  I met up with Stuart Dawson not long after 6am and he took note of a list of issues for the service.  He said the work should be all done by around 4pm and would call me if there were any issues, or if they were finished earlier.  I set off to Nambour for a stock up shopping trip to Coles and then a nice leisurely breakfast at the nearby Nambour Social Cafe.  This was followed by a number of errands around Maroochydore and a movie (Red Sparrow) to fill in a couple of hours in the afternoon.  The day disappeared rapidly and when I arrived back at Bushtracker around 4pm, the van had just been finished.  They did an excellent job and I was very impressed by Stuart.  Yet another excellent Bushtracker long term employee.

Bushtracker repaired the flue and replaced the hot water system cover with a new one.  Like new again.







To have somewhere to stay over the busy Easter period, I had previously booked into Palmwoods Tropical Village, South of Nambour and not far from the escarpment and Montville.  It, like most places on the Sunshine Coast was pretty much full for the holidays, but a good central base for a number of places I planned to visit before heading further North and inland.

On Friday 30 March 2018, I took a trip to Australia Zoo, located near Landsborough, where I had stayed on a previous trip to this area.  I had meant to visit the Zoo then, but ran out of time.  This time I did it and was not disappointed.  It was Good Friday, but they were open and a huge crowd there.  However they are geared up for lots of people and the place is very well organised and staffed.

The zoo area is large with many different walk through areas and themes, as well as many hands on and touching experiences with various animals, presentations and a daily show in the "Crocoseum", a large stadium area which caters for thousands of visitors at a time.

 A very entertaining show, involving lots of different animals, featuring birds flying in spectacular fashion amongst the stands and of course a large crocodile and attendants performing for visitors.

...and yes that is Terry Irwin, with Monty a large old croc who was acquainted with Steve Irwin, the famous Crocodile Hunter.  Daughter Bindi was also part of the show.

Plenty of snakes to touch and many different photo opportunities available.

There were also heaps of koalas to be seen.  Many were very busy with their main activity when not eating of sleeping very soundly.

Most of the animal areas were very large, well set out and lush tropical settings with walk through paths.  Really well set up for visitors.

Commercially the zoo has a number of shops, coffee and food outlets as well as a huge food court with a wide range of meals and snacks to tempt visitors.  There are all sorts of add on photograph or experience options.  Kids are encouraged to become "Wildlife Warriors" and there is plenty of clothing & souvenirs on offer.  Very touristy, but also extremely professional.  Always a pleasure to see a successful business in action.

On Saturday morning I took a short journey North up the Pacific Motorway to the small town of Eumundi and had a look around at the markets.  I went early and was there not long after 7am.  Already things were busy and huge car parking lots filling up.

 The markets were much larger than any others I have ever visited, covering a large area around the town on two sites. By the time I left there were very large crowds swarming all over.  They also open on Wednesdays. 

I had my eyes open for potters and good bakers, but unfortunately there were very few of those that I could find.  I did, however come across a sturdy peg bag (hard to find these days) and an excellent coffee before escaping the hustle bustle of the for me huge crowds.

On Easter Sunday I made a return visit to Montville, up in the hinterland above the Sunshine Coast.

Montville is such a beautiful place, full of galleries, shops and cafes, with views out over the coastal plain.

The main road through Montville.








Maleny is a short drive away along an extended ridge line along the edge of the escarpment.

 Maleny also has many interesting shops and galleries, including one featuring creations from local artisans that I had visited before.






That included a husband & wife pottery team (called Reid) who make beautiful items, with some spectacular glazes.  Finally I was able to find a couple of hand made coffee or tea mugs of just the right size and shape.

 To celebrate I had a nice sandwich and good coffee at the nearby Pallet Life Cafe & Gallery.

Quite a large lizard was roaming the garden grounds, keeping an eye on the customers.
 






Enough for another day, but on the way back to Palmwoods, I did stop at Beerwah on the Highway to take one more photo.

There is an "Ettamogah Pub" pub located there.  Similar to the one at Cunderdin in WA, but with some extra bits added on each side.





Monday 2 April 2018.

I made an early start and headed North and then West to Monto and a recommended small country town Kui Caravan Park where I set up for a couple of days.  After the Sunshine Coast it was quiet with the Easter crowds having departed that day.  A nice rural setting outside town with lots of native bird visitors.

On Tuesday I visited nearby Cania Gorge National Park.

Cania Dam was built in the early 1980's inundating the old goldmining town of Cania.

 The Gorge is one of the large limestone country features, closest to the coast.

Some very handsome cattle along the road through the National Park and some very pleasant walks around the information area and creek bed.  It was quite and overcast day with some heavy showers, so I passed on any of the longer more challenging walks.

On Wednesday I continued the journey North, overnighting at Dingo on my way to Moranbah, where I arrived on Thursday afternoon.

The town was founded in the late sixties but expanded rapidly in the late 1970s and early 1980s to house workers at the nearby Utah Development Company Peak Downs Coal Mine.  Now there are many (coal) mines around the area and the town hosts a fairly large stable population as well as a number of camps for fly in fly out miners and service personnel.

I came to visit Matt Stockwell, a mechanical supervisor for BHP who has invented the Stocklock torque lock device for Landcruiser 200 series vehicles.  I had been waiting on one for quite some time at home based on recommendation from another Bushtracker owner. There was quite a delay due to some parts, it hadn't been posted before I left home in November.  During the trip I talked to Matt and the opportunity to have it installed by the expert was too good to pass up. 

The device electronically reduces slippage in the auto transmission with lower transmission fluid temperatures resulting in more efficient towing and less wear and tear on the gearbox (hopefully).

On Friday morning 6 April 2018, I met up with Matt and he very professionally installed the device in my vehicle.  It took about 2.1/2 hours, followed by a test drive and instruction session.  All good, so fingers crossed for the future.   The controls (located in some existing spare slots) are very simple as you can see in the picture to the right.





 The caravan park in Moranbah was not the best - essentially a miners camp, so I decided to move on to Clermont during the afternoon, the beginning of my return journey to the West, then South and eventually home.  Along the Peak Downs Highway are a series of distinctive volcanic plugs.

Close to the Highway is Wolfgang Peak, quite an impressive feature standing out from the flat surrounding countryside.

The Clermont Caravan Park is much more pleasant than Moranbah, with more tourists passing through, as well as some local miners. Later this morning (Sunday 8 March) I will move on to the larger town of Emerald about 100km to the South for a couple of days and then on to Carnarvon Gorge, further South again.

That will be the start of the next chapter.......