We seem to have been incredibly busy with our 'Grand Design' lately, the end is almost in sight so we have been pushing ourselves to finish. This means other things have been neglected, namely days off and this blog so what you read here today is actually from June and July. 
As I said in a previous post, we had gone away to escape the rain and cold at home, which was all a bit bizarre because Australia was in the grip of one of the worst droughts in years. The rain followed us much of the time so I like to think we provided a bit of drought relief as we travelled around.

Having fuelled up at the home of Australia's biggest cactus we found that was certainly the case when we reached a damp Inskip Point, the furthest point of our trip. Camping behind the beach is permitted here for 4WD drivers so we trundled in across the sand, got bogged, dug ourselves out while fending off 'helpful' comments from other campers and finally got settled in a quiet spot at the back of the beach, which faces Fraser Island. We strolled along to watch people taking the short ferry ride across and kept a keen lookout for dingoes on the island. I still have not seen one even though the tourism signs give the impression they are everywhere. We walked along the beach for about one and a half hours before the storm clouds started to gather sending us scampering back to the van.

 We had planned to stay a couple of nights at Inskip Point but it was pouring all night so we decided to begin the journey back. After coffee in the town of Rainbow Beach (nice town but hosing down by then) we pressed on. Rain was predicted all the way down the coast for the next few days so we opted to take the inland route back. I like travelling inland and stopping in country towns and they had not seen rain since the previous November so were guaranteed to be dry. 

Our first stop in the big dry was Kilcoy, where it was raining! We stayed at the showground which had the best showers ever and would have been an interesting place to look around, but it was getting progressively wetter so we only stopped for the one night.

 The target for the next day was Goondiwindi and we finally started to outrun the rain as we drove for about 6 hours along winding, hilly roads through countryside peppered with lakes until we reached Toowoomba. This was a much bigger city than we realised and the landscape changed dramatically there to flat farming country with dark brown soil that floods regularly. 

It was quite a boring road, not helped by Queensland's lack of rest stops but eventually we rolled in to Goondiwindi. 

 We found the, much advertised, free camp absolutely packed so carried on to the showground. I could see why people crowded into the free camp because the showground was alright but a bit pricey at $25 a night and a bit of a way out of town whereas the free camp was in the thick of things. 

 Goondiwindi itself turned out to be a bit of a surprise, the town had beautiful old restored buildings, the finest example was the Victoria Hotel, it was magnificent. The town was a decent size with a good selection of shops and cafes and after a coffee we headed for the Botanical Gardens which were fabulous. 

The gardens were not about flowers but trees and very interesting to me because they were so different to the native trees where we live.

 Next onto the water park which had various walking trails marked out. This was another well thought out place with a beautifully kept lake welcoming fishing and bushland which was home to all kinds of wildlife including kangaroos, finches, wrens and hundreds of Whistling Kites. 

The weather in Australia has been incredibly dry this year and many of the farmers are suffering great hardship, having to buy in feed when usually their cattle and sheep would be able to graze in their fields. We witnessed this on our most recent trip, many places we passed through had signs out saying 'Livestock on Road' and the cows were roaming about the roadside eating the last bits of dry grass left. It has not been as bad for us but the long dry period has meant that, even a wet few days at the beginning of June, did not have much impact on the dryness of the bush leaving us vulnerable to fire.
Everyone's worst nightmares were realised two weeks ago when a fire a few kms from us quickly got out of control and engulfed a large percentage of our peninsula. I am not going to include pictures of the fire because they are too depressing but have included a map to give an idea how large it was.  

We were very lucky in Lemon Tree Passage because the firefighters managed to stop the blaze on the edge of our township. We had our bags packed and the caravan hooked up ready to leave and it was very scary standing on our deck watching the orange glow get ever nearer and bigger, but it was a great deal more frightening for some residents in Salt Ash and Tanilba Bay who had the flames licking their back fences. The firefighters performed an astonishing feat, not a single property was lost and nobody was hurt, you can imagine how grateful we all are. 

Instead of fire pictures I have included some shots of the wildlife who came through it, including a flock of Musk Lorikeets who moved into a tree in our garden. We get Rainbow Lorikeets all the time but not these so I am guessing they have relocated to get away from the fire.
Onto happier topics. My blogging about our recent trip was 
rather interrupted by the fire so I will try to pick up where I
left off.
After Brisbane, we carried on north as we were enjoying being a bit warmer than at home so we took the Steve Irwin Highway up into quite mountainous terrain. The scenery was stunning, gulleys and gorges galore! Our route took us past Glasshouse Mountain which is a real mountain (most Australian mountains are just hills by European standards). The road then followed a ridge with glorious views on either side and took us into Maleny.

 Maleny was a pretty little town full of vegan and gluten free restaurants (where does all the gluten go?). The town was gearing up for its forthcoming Knitfest with knitted bunting strung across the roads and woolly jumpers on the trees. 

Appealing as Knitfest looked, the town was very busy so we decided to press on and we were very glad we did because about 45 minutes later we came to Kenilworth which was a splendid place to stop. The showground was 
excellent and the town was very pleasant but much quieter than Maleny.
I spoke too soon because we woke the next morning to find quiet little Kenilworth packed with bikers. They were soon off though as the ridge road we came in on was a bit like a rollercoaster so perfect for motorbikes and they had only stopped in Kenilworth for breakfast. I could see why they had because the breakfast options were excellent. There was a cheese factory across the street from the showground with very generous free tastings of cheeses and yogurts but we had heard good things about the bakery on the high street and decided to give it a go.
 The bakery ran a 1kg Donut Challenge. If a customer managed to conquer the beast they got to sign their name on a plate to be hung on the wall of fame. We decided to decline but a young couple were taking up the challenge, it looked quite easy to begin with but they soon slowed down and took so long we couldn't make our coffee last long enough to see if they were successful.  
One of our reasons for staying in Kenilworth was to be within striking distance of Buderim, the home of ginger. We drove along the winding ridge and passed the Big Pineapple as we came to the Buderim Ginger Factory. It was fantastic for a ginger lover like me, a bit like Cadbury World in England with a couple of rides and a little train but, most importantly all kinds of goodies all made from ginger. 
Having had my ginger fix we decided to move on and go to have a look at Noosa, a smart, go to resort in Queensland. My sister Gill was there earlier in the year and told us it was often pretty rainy there. Well it won't be rainy now, we thought , because nowhere is. I am afraid she was right. Noosa was so wet  we will have to go back another time to get a decent look at it. 

MacLean was our second overnight stop on our journey north to escape the rain and cold. The town is medium sized and sits on the banks of the Clarence River on the North New South Wales Coast. It was listed as an RV Friendly Town, which meant there would be some sort of cheap camping option available. Here it was the showground, unbelievable value at $10 a night with toilets and hot showers and walking distance into the town centre. We were able to set up on the riverbank too so enjoyed splendid views into the bargain.
 MacLean itself was a charming place, very proud of its Scottishness. 

The power poles were all painted in different tartans and every inch of spare hanging space around the town centre was taken up with posters and banners showing pictures of the Highland Games and the shops were full of tartan rugs, kilts and sporrans.
At sunset thousands of flying foxes passed overhead, they took about 40 minutes to fly over  and they did the same each evening, that is a lot of bats, I can't imagine what it would be like to see them at their final destination. It was not noticeably warmer in MacLean, although we were now dry, but it was so pleasant sipping wine and watching the sun go down over the river that we decided to stay for a couple of nights. 

The next day we took the ferry over to the neighbouring town of Laurence, the ferry ride was quite nice but Laurence had very little (nothing actually) to offer apart from an impressive radio mast and a house made from a railway turntable so we trotted out to Yamba, a surf destination with a pretty lighthouse and good fish and chips at the fishermen's co-op. 
After another cool, windy evening in MacLean we set off with the aim of reaching Brisbane, so back on the Pacific Highway. I have mentioned before the ongoing work to upgrade the Pacific Highway to bypass towns and become a serious motorway but the scale of the construction project is just astonishing, it all seems to be happening at once, not just a bit at a time. There must be thousands of people employed on the upgrade, a massive bridge was in the process of making its way over the Clarence River and looked like it would be open soon, meanwhile kilometre after kilometre of areas beside the old freeway have been flattened ready for the next stage. 

 The scenery changed instantly as we crossed the border into Queensland. The Pacific Highway travels close to the coast (the clue is in the name) and in New South Wales the freeway is mostly surrounded by trees. This is because NSW benefitted from laws passed in the 1980s which dedicated much of its coastal areas to National Parks. Not so Queensland, as soon as the freeway changes state it is bordered by warehouses and factory outlets for, what seems like, an eternity, a bit like the M6 in the UK. 

We had found a showground in Samford, just outside Brisbane to stay in and after a bit of a hair raising drive through Brisbane's city centre towing the caravan, we arrived. Well the place was immaculate, it looked like they trimmed the grass with nail scissors, $20 a night with power, water, toilets and showers - excellent so close to the city. We sauntered into the little town and found we were staying in a very smart area. The town was extremely pleasant with artisan bakeries and the like and it was only a short drive to catch the train into Brisbane. 

 The next morning we tried to do just that and found we could not take Monty on the train so had to drive into the city. This turned out to be a better option as we found a car park beneath the theatre right on the South Bank for $17 for the day with the added bonus of it being underground so, if we needed to pop Monty in the car for a while we could.
I had heard mixed reports about Brisbane but I loved the bits I saw. We wandered along the South Bank which is very much a copy of London's South Bank, the theatre and museum even look like replicas of the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre, there is a big wheel  too but the whole area has been organised in a very family and visitor friendly way. 

 The wide riverside walk allows plenty of room for segway riders and cyclists as well as people just strolling like us. The pathway is dotted with free community bike repair stations and plenty of picnic and sitting areas, there is even a community veggie garden where people are encouraged to help themselves and a little rainforest area and bougainvillea covered walkways to allow people to keep out of the sun.
 My favourite part of all though was the artificial beach. Apparently there were sneers of derision when plans were announced for the beach but it is fantastic! It is all free with a large swimming and paddling area and sunbeds to lounge on and soak up the sun. How fantastic to be able to come out of your office in the busy city centre and eat your lunch on a beach - brilliant! 

 After nine days of non stop, torrential rain and with the promise of many more to come, we decided to hook up the van and head north up the coast to Queensland to try and escape the cold and wet. 
Friends are always telling us we should be used to the cold, coming from England, but it is surprising what a short time it takes to acclimatise. Also, England does cold weather much better with nice cosy insulated houses and central heating. There is very little of that where we live because winter is so short and it is very unusual for the temperature to get as low as 10 degrees overnight. Some houses have wood burning stoves while others rely on reverse cycle air conditioning but generally people tend to just rug up until it is over. 

 We set off in more pouring rain and scooted off up the Pacific Highway. Our first break was planned for Port Macquarie to visit the Koala Hospital. We had been meaning to have a look at the hospital for some time because we are asked about it regularly by tourists who visit the Tilligerry Habitat where we volunteer. Well, I will be recommending it to everyone from now on, it is a fantastic visit! 

Free entry (although I hope everyone would see fit to make a donation) there is a really educational information centre and visitors can walk quietly around the pens to see some of the patients. Koalas are there for varying reasons, some are being put back together after run ins with cars or dogs, others are being treated for illnesses (mainly chlamydia) and there are a few who will never be released because they would no longer be able to cope in the wild. My favourite section was the dehumanising area where koalas who have needed intense nursing, often in the home of a carer, are sent to learn to be wild koalas again. Many of these are orphaned joeys who have been hand reared and cannot be released until they are about a year old so, although the area is screened off up to a couple of metres high, above that the branches of the trees are dotted with tiny koalas just waiting to get big enough to leave, wonderful!

 As if that wasn't enough, the koala hospital is on the site of the historic Roto House which was built in 1890 and stayed in the ownership of the same family until 1979 when it was handed over to the National Trust. For a gold coin donation visitors can have an introduction from a curator and explore the whole house, because it was in the hands of one family for so long much of the history is still intact making Roto House a worthwhile visit. 

Port Macquarie itself was pretty nice too, quite built up but with low level apartments. The beach is huge with beautiful gardens leading down to it.
It was still raining as we drove on up the Pacific Highway towards Crescent Head where we were planning to have our first overnight stop. we turned off at the Slim Dusty Interchange and headed for the Delicate Campground, a National Parks campsite which allowed dogs. If we are travelling inland we manage to find plenty of cheap or free camping but it is virtually impossible to find anything inexpensive along the popular stretches of coast so the national Parks are a good alternative if your camping set up is suitably equipped. We are self contained so always happy to take a risk but, as it turned out there were immaculate flushing toilets and cold showers all for $24.

 The campground was very quiet and set prettily amongst the trees, the rain had finally stopped so we explored and found a path to a huge, empty beach right behind us. The sand was squeaky and a rainbow arched across the dark clouds, gorgeous. 

After a lazy breakfast and another walk on the fabulous beach (sunny this time) we drove into Crescent Head to remind ourselves what it was like. It is a very nice town with a caravan park overlooking a huge beach, a magnificent clifftop walk to a golf course with panoramic views of the coast.

 The landscape was definitely getting dryer as we took a short jaunt up to MacLean. The Pacific Highway is being upgraded at the moment and it was fun to take the new bypass around Macksville which, until recently had the highway going right through the middle of town with a constant stream of cars and trucks thundering over the bridge. We could see the town in the distance, it looked wonderfully peaceful, what a change for the residents.

 Now the excitement of Zoe's wedding and the visit from the UK contingent are all over we are finding it quite difficult to motivate ourselves to get on with more work on the extension. Part of the point of enlarging the house was to give ourselves more room in the existing accommodation by shifting some of our crap into the new area, that has now been achieved and we are quite comfy so it is easy to forget there is still more to be done. 

So we have been having a bit of an extended break doing the things we enjoy like wandering around taking pictures of koalas and birds or just watching the wildlife from our (new improved) balcony. A pair of Galahs are entertaining us at the moment as they try to hollow out a joint in a tree to make a nest, one works on the excavation while the other stands guard, then they swap roles when the digger gets tired.

 We are also taking our time over things a bit more so when we needed to drive to Sydney a couple of weeks ago to buy some flat pack bookcases from the blue and yellow warehouse of doom, we decided to time the trip so we could stop at our local airport where the Antonov......something or other.....second largest cargo plane in the world, was due to take off between 8.30 and 9am. Williamtown Airport is a RAAF base as well as a domestic airport so the huge plane was there delivering secret stuff for the fighter jets. There were hundreds of people there but the scheduled take off time came and went and nothing happened. 

We would have left but every time we thought about it there was a flurry of activity as if something was about to happen making us stay a bit longer. Eventually the thing started to move at around 11am and everyone got ready with their cameras expecting to see the massive plane take the full length of the runway just to heave itself over the fence at the last minute. 

Well it wasn't like that at all, it trundled onto the runway and took off after a very disappointingly short run up just like a normal plane, it was big though and at least we've seen it in action.
Onto Sydney via a different route this time, we decided to divert off the motorway just short of the city and take the Berowra Ferry which brought us in quite close to our target. It was a beautiful way to go, tiny winding roads took us down the valley to the river where we caught the ferry across.

Berowra Waters would be a sensational place to live with houses and restaurants nestled peacefully on the banks of the river right on the outskirts of Sydney. We came back the same way as it was just as quick as the usual schlep through all the traffic and the toll roads but far more pleasant, I think this may become our preferred route in future.
Back to the reality of building work now. We like to recycle materials when we can and Ian has found 2000 brick pavers on Gumtree at a bargain price for the path. These are located an hour's drive from us and we can only get about 500 in one trip so we did two trips on Saturday and have another two to go tomorrow, I hate days that involve this level of manual labour but it will be worth it in the end.
I will finish with a few before and after pictures, when I look at these I am astonished at the change in just 8 months. 

After saying goodbye to our UK visitors and the newlyweds we set off with my sister Gill for a couple of weeks in the outback. The plan was to start at Hill End, spend a few days in Broken Hill then onto Lightning Ridge to visit the opal mines and hot springs before wending a slow path back home. We had two weeks before Gill was due to fly from Newcastle to Melbourne on her way to connect with one of the first non stop flights from Perth to London.
The photos in this post are taken in Broken Hill.

 Hill End was marvellous, we were only there a few months ago but it was still fascinating. Once a thriving gold mining town it is now only home to a very few people but is being thoughtfully restored and the buildings, information boards and excellent information centre, really gave us a feel of how life must have been in the, not so distant, past. 

The only disappointment in Hill End was the National Parks owned camp site which had been a money in an envelope system when we were there at Christmas, had changed so it was now essential to book online. This was easier said than done in a tiny town with virtually no signal and certainly nothing stable enough to make an online booking. Eventually I found a spot where my phone worked for long enough to make a call and managed to pay that way. The whole site reverberated with grumblings from regular visitors about the change and the price hike that went with it, I couldn't help thinking they should have had a transition period. However, we had a great time there exploring the old mining tracks and walking among lolling kangaroos, Ian even went on a mine tour.

 After a couple of days in Hill End we struck off to Broken Hill on my birthday. We knew this was going to be a long day of driving, partly because it takes quite a while to get back onto a major road as Hill End is in the middle of nowhere along winding tracks, so we decided to get as far as possible before dusk when it becomes dangerous to drive because of the kangaroos. We took the Mitchell and Barrier Highways through Dubbo, Nyngan and Cobar until finally stopping in Wilcannia after ten hours of driving.
The campsite at Wilcannia (Warrawong on the Darling) was very pleasant, just outside the town with brand new facilities but Wilcannia itself was a disappointment. Years ago it was a town with real social issues but we came through about twelve months ago and it was busy with a nice cafe in the centre and plenty of visitors bringing their dollars to the town. The council seemed to be driving this change with good, clean facilities and neatly kept parks and public areas. This time though the cafe had closed down, the toilets were dirty and covered in graffiti and the town was dead , such a shame because it is a beautiful place on the banks of the river we had been planning to stop for coffee there but there was nowhere to go so they lost our money too.

About two hours further along a road strewn with kangaroo roadkill, lay Broken Hill the Silver City. Now I love Broken Hill, I don't know what it is about the place but, more than anywhere for me it brings about an understanding of how it must have been to live in the outback in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There is a wonderful miners memorial which lists how each miner died and demonstrates how safety improved over the years for them and the superb railway museum has rooms dedicated to the history of the local nurses and tales from migrants who moved to the area.

 Ian and Gill went off to see the Royal Flying Doctor Service (I had only been recently) and Gill came back brandishing fly nets for all of us to wear over our hats. We scoffed at them but soon put them on when we went to see the Sculptures in the Desert that evening which was glorious but also fly central. Unfortunately the starter motor on our car chose this very remote spot in falling darkness to pack up. Luckily sunset was a busy time to visit the sculptures so plenty of willing helpers produced jump leads and tried to help but the car was going nowhere. Eventually the ranger was called and he, along with several other kind folk who had stayed to make sure we were ok, gave us a push and we got started and made it back to the camp site. So Broken down in Broken Hill just like in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It was Friday evening so, even though we found a mechanic willing to work on the weekend it turned out the part had to come from Adelaide. 

The difficult timing was compounded by ANZAC Day which is a public holiday, falling in the middle of the next week and the breakdown of the TNT lorry bringing our starter motor. The mechanic kindly loaned us a car free of charge(!) so we carried on seeing the sights. We took in the ANZAC Day dawn service, drove out to Silverton, visited Bell's Milk Bar and 1950s museum. Our visit even coincided with a month where the town hall was illuminated and a short history of the city projected as a slide show onto the building, but time was ticking and Gill had a flight to catch. When it became clear the starter motor was not going to arrive until after we needed to leave Gill hired a car and she and I drove back, Ian then had to bring the caravan back once the car was fixed.
It all worked out in the end, Gill made her flight to Melbourne and Ian and Monty rolled back in the day after she departed, Lightning Ridge will just have to wait for next time!