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Airlie Beach

From Eungella I headed back to the coast and a little to the north, to Airlie Beach. I paid for two nights at the Island Gateway Holiday Park, and extended that today until tomorrow.

Airlie Beach is a 20 minute walk from the holiday park, but that's fine. Airlie Beach has a bit of a combined vibe going. On the one hand it's clearly the backpackers crowd, but mixed into that is the well–to–do crowd of the rented yachts and sailing boats. I kinda like it.

Yesterday I did some shopping at the IGA next to the holiday park in the morning and then later walked to Airlie Beach. Had a BLT for lunch and followed that up with a chocolate thickshake, that had me so full for the rest of the day that I more or less skipped dinner. I just ate a big piece of not–fully ripe melon and a bunch of Cadbury chocolate… You need to stay healthy of course…

The lagoon was looking so inviting yesterday, that today I packed my swimming trunks when I walked to Airlie Beach again. Went in the morning, before breakfast, so first I had a club sandwich, which was kinda bland, sad to say. Not recommended at that place… The cappucino was fine, though.

After breakfast I headed to the lagoon and settled down beneath a tree for some shade. Spent quite a while people watching, as I needed to let breakfast settle. But finally I could hold off no longer and went for a swim. Nice and cool. Definitely recommended…

So now back at my camper van, writing this. Next up is figuring out where the trip goes next. I think I'll go directly to Townsville. The Lonely Planet has some interesting things to say about that town, so I think I'll check it out.

Finding the elusive Platypus

The next day I drove back down to the Finch Hatton Gorge—last bit over unsealed road with a few shallow creek crossings—and walked up the trail to 'Araulen Falls'. A nice walk, but I felt like I could stand to walk a bit more, so I decided to go on to the 'Wheel of Fire'.

Nice walk and quite worth it. I wish I had thought ahead to bring swimming gear with me, though, because the pool at the end of the 'Wheel of Fire' trail looked mighty inviting. Ah, well, next time…

After getting a steak hamburger in Finch Hatton I drove on through to Broken River. Determined to see the little bugger I planted myself on the viewing platform and readied my camera. There was a family with two little girls there, who kept on running and stomping about on the platform, so I was losing hope of the shy platypus showing itself. Luckily the family gave up and left.

And then the magic happened. First this fellow showed up:

And then the main attraction showed up:

That's what it does, by the way. It dives down, swims about a bit on the bottom—which I couldn't see—and then resurfaces a little further up or down the river. Looks about a bit and does it again.

So, sighted in the wild, a platypus. And I even got film (but click through as it is cropped on my site for now):

Search for the elusive Platypus

On the first day at Eungella I decided to immediately try my luck to see the Platypus. So I drove out to Broken River and parked at the designated area near the Platypus Viewing Platform. I was a little early in the afternoon—best time to see the platypus should be around dawn or dusk—so I decided to walk a little along the trails marked in the area.

It's very beautiful in its own right. Nice, dense forest, with quite a lot of diversity and wild–life. Although not always easy to spot and see.

These little fellows were everywhere, however. And, although fast to scurry out of sight, still easy to spot.

So this is the small creek that is supposed to harbor the elusive Platypus.

The first expedition was not a complete failure, but all I saw was a glimpse of a Platypus diving away as I too noisily walked back on the trail to my van, already thinking I'd try next day and not paying too much attention to the water anymore. That'll show me…

Eungella

Cape Palmerston Holiday Park

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 • 2015-04-08 • thijs • Australia road trip 

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A stop at Wowan Caravan Park

Another open pit mine

Visit to Koonara Crocodile Farm

She was doing the tour, because her father (who runs the place) and her brother were out at the entrance to the farm catching one of the escapees from during the recent cyclone. Half–way through they came back with the juvenile delinquent ready to be taken back to his pen. Now, to catch the 20 or so others that are still missing…

Luckily none of the bigger crocs went walk–about…

Kinka Beach

Open Pit Mining

Cracow Heritage Center

But leave a donation in the donations box…

Woodgate Beach

Catching up some more

So, Tuesday the 31^st of March, 2015. First time I've stayed at one camping more than one night. Just a bit of walking in Tin Can Bay and some catching up on here. Probably tomorrow the trip goes on up north quite a bit. I'll need to look into where the trip goes to from here later today.

But first, catching up. All the way up.

Sjors picked me up at the drop–off point for the Jucy camper van and took me to his place in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. He has a great pad on the sixth floor of an apartment building, close to where it all happens in Brisvegas. Not that I partook of that aspect of Brisbane, though. I mostly just did my laundry and took in a little of the beautiful city and river.

Sjors and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, took me to see her apartment that she is selling and that they had been giving a new coat of paint and generally readying for sale. After that we headed over to Kangaroo Point to walk a little along the river there. A lovely walk–way complete with the ubiquitous public BBQ place. Quite a lot of joggers that use the steps up and down the cliff–side as a training exercise.

Just when we were farthest from where Sjors had parked the car we felt the first few big drops of rain. Soon it was pelting down pretty hard and we were soaked. Not that I really cared. Getting soaked over here is a lot better than getting soaked in cold Dutchland.

The next day was Monday, so both Sjors and Elizabeth had to go to work, which they did very early in the morning. Nothing like my lazy–ass starting times back home… I, of course took the opportunity to sleep in.

The previous day Sjors had explained a bit about what I could do in Brisbane, so I followed his advice and took a walk along the newly rebuilt river walk–way all the way to the Powerhouse, where I had some lunch. From there I took the City Cat up–river, using Sjors' public transport card.

I can recommend doing that, because you get a nice view of the city from the river. I took the City Cat all the way to the end–point at the University and stayed on for the trip back. I got out about half–way back and walked through Queen's street to Fortitude Valley, taking in the main shopping area of Brisbane.

That evening we tried to watch a documentary on Heath Ledger through on–demand TV, but for some reason half–way through it started to act up, so we were unable to watch it all.

The next day, Tuesday, the trashhh started at Mt. Warning National Park, to the south of Brisbane. I had managed, with the help of Sue, the organiser of the trashhh, to arrange a lift with Liz, who worked about nine minutes walk from Sjors' apartment in Fortitude Valley. Which was great, but even then nine minutes walk in the sun with a heavy back–pack and a heavy ruck–sack was a bit much. I really need to learn to pack less. Although, a lot of the weight was due to the laptop I'm now typing this on, which is an old model and so pretty heavy. Also, I needed a pair of running shoes which adds to the weight. Luckily most of the time here I have transportation where I can stash everything and not have to carry it all.

The trashhh was great, as usual. Different than in Europe. For starters, there were a lot less people than usual. I think there were around 35 people this year, compared to an average of 60 or 70 most times in Europe. Partly understandable, of course, but a shame none–the–less. Keith and Audrey managed to come, so what excuse did a lot of others have?

No, I understand why it was hard for some to come. Too bad Erik had to cancel at the last moment. I was looking forward to seeing him again, as he had consistently been on the 'coming' list. As it was, the only younger–generationers that were there, were me and Sam and Kirstin. Bad show.

Also different was the number of Ozies present, which was also expected of course. Quite a few I didn't know, or just from one or two earlier trashhhes. It was a great event regardless. Glad I made the trip over. Not just for the trashhh, of course, but it had been the trigger for me to plan a trip Down Under. Still very happy I did.

After the trashhh I picked up my 'new' camper from the Spaceships depot in Brisbane. It's the exact same make and model as the previous one Sam and I drove up from Melbourne, but it was quite a bit cheaper from this rental company. And the setup is a lot better than the Jucy camper, too.

For one, there's a proper refrigerator in it which runs off an extra battery hooked up to the car electrical system. A lot better than the coolbox that was in the Jucy van. There are two gas stoves, although I've only used one at a time, it's nice to have a back‐up, especially as I'm going to be on the road for quite a long time. Also nice is that the front seats don't have to be moved to setup the bed. The storage space for the kitchen is underneath the bed instead of in the back, which makes that possible.

There's also some negative points. Adjusting the mirrors with the controls from inside doesn't work, but the mirrors were almost completely correct for me to start with, so I don't mind that. The front–left speaker is dead, but I'll also survive that. At first I thought the right–hand side window was not working either, until I figured out the 'window–lock' was on.

So, after I picked up my 'Moon Dust' camper van I drove off up north. I made an early stop, and spent the night at a camping in Beachmere.

The next day I went on a shopping spree, buying some stuff to make my stay in the camper a little better. Top of the list were a couple of storage boxes to put my clothes in. Living out of a back–pack gets tedious, as I seem to always need that thing that is all the way at the bottom. Now I have a large box for my shirts, a smaller one for my shorts, an even smaller one for my underwear and the smallest for my socks. Everything within reasonably easy reach in the back of the van.

I had passed a sign for Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, so I decided to go there the next day. I spent most of the day walking around and watching the various 'shows'. The first was the main show in the 'Crocoseum' at 12. A number of birds fly around the arena and of course the main attraction of the show are the crocs. Well, two. One small juvenile croc and a proper big one. Robert, Steve's son, was part of the show, too.

Other shows I picked up were the Tigers and the Birds of Prey. Both low–key, but interesting and well done. All in all a nice day at the zoo.

After the Zoo I drove on to Maleny, where I stayed the night on the showgrounds. An excellent and cheap alternative to a camping, complete with warm showers and toilets. Only missing thing was a kitchen sink to do the dishes, so I made do with the regular sink. First time I had electricity (I finally bought an extension cord) so I spent a while writing the previous entry outside in the camping chair with the laptop on my lap. I actually ended up changing into my jeans and putting on a fleece due to the significantly lower temperature.

While I was cooking (pasta with shrimp, broccoli and green pesto) I was alerted by a ruckus in the tree. Looking up I saw what I think was a possum. Later a rat passed before my van and ran up in to the bushes, too. Welcome to the outdoors.

The next day I drove back to the coast and ended up in Tin Can Bay, a nice little town across from Fraser Island. Where I'm now sitting in the camp kitchen typing this, looking out on the rainy camp grounds. It just started to rain a bit, but it's picking up, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to my van reasonably dry…

Although, what I actually want is to get to the front office first, so I can get on the Wi–Fi and post this…

Tin Can Bay camping

Maleny showgrounds

Australia Zoo

The Cassowary is a big bird.

The Emu is another big Australian bird. The sound these make is remarkable.

Catching up

Today is the 29^th of March, 2015. I might be exactly at the half–way point of my extended holiday here Down Under, but I'm too lazy to calculate it.

Right now I'm sitting in a reasonably comfy folding chair with a citronella candle to my left, a table in front of me with the left–overs from tonight's dinner and the extension cord with the charging plugs plugged in, as well as a cheap‐ass, but working, solar camping lamp. Also a bottle of red wine that was one of the things we got at the 2015 trashhh. However, it was stashed in my camper van that sat in the full sun the whole day while I traipsed around the Australia Zoo. When I picked it up to move it out of the way earlier it felt decidedly warm, so I wonder if it will still be drinkable once I get around to opening it.

I'll try to keep it short, but to catch up to where I'm at today is going to take some doing. So expect a long one and enjoy the ride…

So, we picked up the camper van (the first one, I'm in a different one now) in Melbourne and headed off. Everyone (mostly the Lonely Planet) says you need to drive down the Great Ocean Road, so instead of heading the right way, which would be about due north–east, we headed the opposite way.

It was not a mistake, but I would certainly like to do it again and take my time. The road is indeed a joy to drive down, with lovely ocean views and nice twisty corners. Only, next time let me borrow the Ferrari or Jag, okay? Then it would really be awesome.

We got to see our first real Australian wild–life besides birds. On a pit stop for lunch we walked a bit and came upon a couple of people, some of whom were taking pictures and others who were being mobbed by a flock of parrots. After taking some pictures ourselves and Sam allowing some of them to perch on her shoulder and hands (I'll just duck, thank–you–very–much), we asked where we should walk to, to see the rumoured koala's. At which point someone pointed up a tree, and said "Ta–da!" (well, not really, but I could see they were thinking it).

And there they were, a couple of koala's. One was ducked away and obviously sleeping, and the other was in a second tree, also not very considerate of picture–taking people. The sleepy–head woke up and moved a bit after a while, though, so I did get to take some reasonable pictures.

A bit further down the Great Ocean Road we stopped at the Twelve Apostles. There aren't twelve of them at all, but it sounds better than "seven and a half apostles", right?

After driving down the Great Ocean Road for a day, the next day we turned around and headed back in the direction we came from. Sydney, here we came.

Not much to tell about the drive up Hume Highway, except that Australia — in the small part I've seen of it up to now, already — has a lot of diversity. It was a bit unexpected, because I've heard people say that it can be very boring. Might be, but the part we drove through up to Sydney and beyond certainly wasn't boring.

On one of our last days before getting to Brisbane (the last?) we camped on a basic camp–site, close to the beach, in the middle of nowhere. To get there, we had to drive along a long stretch of unsealed road and — just before entering the site — through a creek (don't tell the rental company…), which looked quite deep. Luckily another car was waiting on the other side to drive out, so I let him through first and he didn't drown, so I chanced it myself.

We got through okay and then were a bit confused about where the camping site actually was. Finally we saw that we had to go a little further. There were a few other campers there, but mostly it was an empty field and two toilets. Basically a toilet seat set above a hole in the ground with a small enclosure around it.

Mosquito's. And more mosquito's. And even more mosquito's. But also kangaroos. Two, a joey and his mum, I think. The next morning there were four.

We ended our road–trip at the home of Peter and Yvonne, friends of Sam's parents that now live in Gold Coast. They offered me a real bed and great food, so I spent the night at their beautiful home.

The next day I returned the camper van in Brisbane by myself, Sam continuing on with her parents and just arrived sister. I dropped the camper off (all good, so no extra costs) and got picked up by Sjors, where I was staying a couple of nights before moving on to the trashhh.

Not caught up, but out of writing space…

To be continued…

Campervan backpacker wardrobe

To buy, or not to buy

Since arriving in Melbourne I have been spending quite a bit of time in McDonald's. Not because I like their food (on very rare occasions do I eat a McDonald's meal), but because they were the most convenient place for free internet access. Well, free together with a small purchase. So I have been enjoying quite a few McDonald's Chocolate Sundaes and Cappuccinos… And to be honest, they make a reasonable cappuccino, so it wasn't all bad.

My main reason for hanging out where I could get internet was so I could check out gumtree. I had started out planning this trip thinking I would buy a camper and then sell it at the end of my stay. Reading up on what would be required I thought better of it and decided to just rent. Also, the idea of not being able to sell it at the end weighed heavily.

But somewhere on the way I came upon another site that basically said, "you're crazy if you rent". So I reconsidered. And studied some more. And found a workable solution. That solution is to only look at Western Australia registered campers. The information online is sometimes contradictory, but about WA rego they all agree: easy, cheap, doable.

So, by the time I got to Melbourne, I was back to thinking I'd buy. Ergo, my many visits to the McD.

Before the weekend I had sent out a number of mails and texts (using my pre–paid, local mobile number) and had managed to make a viewing appointment for a camper van that looked promising.

So, the viewing appointment was Monday, 1 pm. Turned out Candy from gumtree was Candice and her boyfriend, two nice and friendly young people that were selling the van because they were being kicked out of the parking garage where they had stashed it. They were open and forthright about the van, showing me the engine, the papers, how to setup the sleeping area. It was looking good.

And, of course, I asked for a test–drive. No problem, was expected. So out we went. I let the guy drive out of the garage (they had let out a little air to be able to fit through and even then, at the exit we scraped the roof with the back of the van a little) and to a little less busy part of Melbourne before taking over.

This was the first time since the previous summer that I drove in a RHD vehicle on the left side (last time was a short visit to England for the trashhh in 2014 where I drove to the location in a rental car) and Melbourne has some weird crossings for right turns, so I was a bit nervous driving. And because the wheels were a bit flat, turning was pretty heavy, especially going slow.

But all in all, it felt okay. It's an old vehicle with a lot of kilometres already on it, and that was apparent in the way it drove, but nothing stood out that was telling me this was a lemon. So, after asking if I could think about it a little, I went my own way to meet up with Sam. He said he had another viewer directly after me, so he asked me to come back with an answer quickly.

While Sam and I were enjoying a cappuccino and a cheese cake I was thinking if I should do it. It took me a while, but after asking through SMS if we could do the sale on Wednesday (I had a little cash flow problem with one bank not letting me get money from the ATM and the other limiting the amount per day) and if he could sweeten the price a little (yes, he could drop $200), I was just on the verge of texting him "yes" when I got a text from him saying sorry, the next viewer had bought it.

Crap.

He texted me he thought I might be relieved by that news, because I had been nervous. Well, yes, I'd been nervous, but that was from the traffic and the left–hand driving right off the bat in an old not–mine vehicle that was heavy on the steering…

But, oh well. Nothing to do about it. I immediately fell back to my old plan, renting, because by now it was too late to setup other potential camper van sellers. We had to get to Brisbane by Sunday, so we had to leave Tuesday or maybe Wednesday at the latest to have a stress–free journey.

I called Jucy campers, and luckily they had enough campers in Melbourne for us to pick one up the next day.

And so…

Race day

So Sunday was F1 race day. I had stuff to figure out about the rest of my stay here Down Under, so I spent most of my morning in the McDonalds, using their Wi-Fi. By the time I got to Albert Park it was pretty crowded. A lot more than Saturday during the qualifying sessions.

Just as I arrived the F18 display started. I'd seen and taken some video of it on Saturday, so this time I just watched. The pilot was clearly enjoying himself and his routine was a bit longer than the previous day. I wonder how they decided who got to do it. Rock—paper—scissors?

After the F18 disappeared into the skies—straight up and away—one of the Qantas pilots got their turn at playing around. Pretty impressive to see such a big bird like the 747 flying around so low and slow over the city.

Soon after the action on track started up. First the formation lap, where one of the cars already had problems (can't remember which). Later, the warm–up lap, and then the race itself.

It's a great experience to have been at the track for a race, but really, you're a lot better off watching from your couch at home if you really want to follow the action on track.

And, of course, too bad that the Mercedes competitors still seem to have a large gap to overcome before they can challenge them. Hope that soon there will be a bit more competition at the front.

Too bad also that the first race of Max Verstappen ended up as a DNF due to engine troubles. Hope to see him finish strongly in Malaysia.

Saturday some culture, and qualifying

On Saturday Sam and I met up in front of Southern Cross Station. We were both late, so I had been worrying in my delayed train for nothing. We went for a walk and ended up at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image on Fed Square. Admittance was free and there were some interesting exhibitions.

After that little bit of culture we walked to the Queen Victoria Market, where Sam bought some mango's and I bought a couple of hats. You like?

That second one was pretty cheap, so…

After the market we ate a late lunch at a Chinese restaurant. My dish was very good, but a bit too much for a simple lunch. I ended up skipping dinner and settled for a large chocolate sundae later at McDonalds because of that.

After lunch we parted ways and I headed up to Albert Park for the Formula One Qualifying sessions. It was a nice experience to be there, but you're a lot better off following all the action from your comfortable sofa at home in front of the television. Not that I'd rather be there at the moment, though!

The F-18 display was pretty cool. I've actually managed to get some video footage that looks pretty good, so I hope to get that online somewhere soon.

The qualifying itself was as expected. Too bad Max Verstappen made a small error on his fast run, missing the top ten qualifying session. He starts from 12^th tomorrow. I'll be interested to see what his race pace is going to be.

Looks like the Mercedes dominance is still there this season, so let's hope the other teams quickly manage to catch up and make it a bit more interesting than last year. I doubt it, though. In which case I hope Rosberg gets his act together and beats Hamilton. Also not very likely.

Pictures of the F1 cars racing on the track are pretty hard to get. I might try my luck on Sunday. The cars on display next to the track are a bit easier to get on film.

And then, when the action ends, the exodus starts…

The crowd waiting to be transported to the city centre by tram was also big, and the trams that came from further up were constantly full with people from the other gates. Took a while to get back to Flinders Station. Sunday will probably be worse…

Hunting for a camper

After updating the blog this morning using the free wifi of the local McDonalds I went to the city center to collect my Formula One race ticket.

Anyway, I got my F1 ticket. Tomorrow around 12:30 the first free practice session is scheduled (I think, need to check the schedule—another visit to McD), so I think I'll go and check where I can get a reasonable view. I only have general access, so I won't be able to sit in one of the grand–stands. Which is fine.

Then later in the afternoon, at 3 o'clock, I have an appointment with a guy to view his camper he's selling on gumtree. It's an old 4x4 Mitsubishi camper van. Not a problem if it's still in reasonable repair. I thought it had registration until next year, forgetting for a moment that it's already 2015. That could be a bit of a problem. So I'm not so sure about it. I'll go see and if it's really looking good I might be tempted. But at least I would have to have a test–drive. Which is unlikely if it's not registered.

Anyway, another reason to re–visit the McD, as I have a few other potential camper van ads I want to check out further. I was in a cafe with wifi, but it just works better with a laptop instead of a mobile.

And, of course, I need to upload this piece…

Tired but happy

Writing this the second morning in Australia, after a reasonably good night's sleep.

Yesterday I arrived early in the morning (local time) at Melbourne International Airport after a long journey from Amsterdam, with a stop–over in Dubai.

Although the flight left with a delay from Amsterdam, I had enough time in Dubai to do what I had planned: buy a compact camera. I settled for the Canon PowerShot SX700HS. Frankly the electronics duty–free shopping was a bit disappointing. I had expected (and dimly remember) it to be a lot better, with a lot more choice and, I don't know, a bit classier.

As it is, the few camera's that were on my short–list after some quick and not very thorough research before I left Amsterdam were no–where to be found. The camera I decided on turned out to be out of stock, so I settled for the Canon. All in all a nice camera. I haven't used it beyond a few snapshots. I'll maybe have more to say later.

For now, enjoy some of those snapshots, optimized afterwards for web use, so not the actual quality of the pictures the camera takes. Once I get a good internet connection I'll upload some originals to photobucket or something.

The flight from Amsterdam to Dubai was with a Boeing 777-300ER. From Dubai the trip continued in an Airbus A380-800. First time I have been on one of those monsters. It's big. But once you're inside it doesn't really feel a lot different from that other monster, the 747.

I imagine most long–range flights these days are equipped similarly for entertainment, but I don't remember there being an USB port or a 110v wall plug available the last time I flew long–range.

Both came in very handy. The USB to keep my mobile battery full while I listened to my own music, and the 110v connection to charge the battery of my newly bought camera.

Which enabled me to make some pictures like the following.

Does the hotel room look a little familiar? It did to me. I've stayed in quite a few Accor hotels in Europe, and this looks just the same. Of course, it's also an Accor hotel I'm staying at here the first couple of days. It's the Fawkner Ibis hotel.

I've luckily managed to extend my booking through the weekend. When I first knew I would be going to Melbourne and watching the Formula One race here, I check for accommodations. I found this hotel and kept it in mind. When I finally came around to actually trying to book it for these first couple of days, it was fully booked in the weekend. Not surprising of course. It was a bit stupid I waited so long.

When I got here yesterday early in the morning I immediately asked to extend my stay. To my surprise it was possible, so now I have this room until Monday. Which gives me some time to organise other stuff (and watch the race without having to find a different not too expensive hotel and move). That other stuff mainly being buying or renting (probably buying) a camper for the rest of my holiday here. I'll keep you updated (probably).

Maybe something like this.

Going somewhere

Last post: 2011. Way to keep up the blog, man…

You'll have to have patience to see and read about the rest of the 2011 summer trip in Albania. Maybe forever. Depends if I can remember enough to write it up in a way that will be interesting. And on me keeping up this blog thing from now on.

So, to just completely start off with new stuff, here's another plan.

In short: a long flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Melbourne, Australia, via Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A weekend of racing, watching the Formula One 2015 opening race in Melbourne. Then to Brisbane, for the 2015 trashhh, which will be somewhere around those parts. And then probably a rental camper or a second–hand camper for a road trip up the coast, heading to Cairns.

I'm still pretty flexible. The only fixed things are the flights there and back, the F1 race and the trashhh weekend (which will not be in the weekend, but mid–week). The rest will sort out itself, I reckon. ;)

If you have ideas or suggestions, feel free to drop me a line…