Our home for the last 3 months - Jayco Freedom Caravan

It's been our home over the last 3 months and we have created so many wonderful memories in our little home. We've got it up for sale now as we head home to Sydney.

Jayco Freedom 2000

Ideal lightweight family van with 3 bunks, easy to tow and quick to set up for weekends or a big trip around Australia. Recent full service and in excellent condition with rego to end April 2013. 14" rims with relatively new tyres, spare on front and electric brakes on van. Includes roll out awning with fully enclosed annex in great condition.

Practical layout, good size L shape lounge dinette, functional kitchen and tinted windout windows with curtains/fly screens. Double bed, 1900L and 1270W, includes Latex mattress (value new $1300). 3 bunks all with their own window, all 670W, 1 1520L, 1 1750L and 1770L. Privacy curtain separates the kids at nights and assists getting them to sleep. 4 Burner Gas Stove/Grill/Rangehood and Microwave, 90L 3 way Fridge/Freezer and down lights throughout. 1 X Gas bottle and 1X 20L Jerry can and holder, TV aerial, fire extinguisher, external tap outlet and loads of storage. Tare Weight is 1040kg GVM 1340kg. NSW Plate X19489

The Long Road home - Wallumbilla, Goondiwindi, Myall Springs at the Carters and back to Tamworth at Weemala to visit the Rogers - Sat 23rd June to Thr 28th June

Sat 23rd
Janene got up early to do a 7km walk / run up to Boolimba Bluff which gave amazing views of the whole valley system that makes up Carnavon Gorge. The climb is really steep for 300m metres as you walk up stairs and rock stones to scale the 150m high cliffs. Janene came back pumped and suggested I get up there, so I drove back into the National Park and had a great mornings run / walk up to the top of the bluff.

We packed up and headed back out onto the highway passing a number of large wetland birds again and a family of wild pigs (boo!). The birds were about a metre tall, grey with red markings on their face. We had to use our 20L jerry can for the first time to refuel on our way south to Injune. A quick bbq chook for lunch and a game of chase for the kids and we got back into drive mode. I got chocolate freckles as a treat for everyone and Janene presented the kids with a new magazine each to keep them occupied for the afternoon shift. Tas was pretty excited with the latest edition of Bacon Busters – a Pig hunting magazine.

I listened to the Wallabies vs Wales on ABC Grandstand and soon enough we made it to Roma our scheduled destination. Tas and Ella were out to it so we punched out another 50km, heading east and stopped in Wallumbilla at the local showgrounds which turned out to be a free camp site complete with power and even basic toilet and shower facilities. An early night with a bit of blogging, as we have another big drive tomorrow to Goondiwindi, just near the NSW border.

Sun 24th

It turned out to be  freezing cold night and I mean real cold, somewhere around -2 degrees, enough for ice to from on the windscreen. The Van has been amazing but a heater would have been very handy last night to keep the Meldrum 5 a little more cosy. Amazingly none of the kids woke during the night due to being cold.

We hit the road by 8.30am keen to put in some miles early. Our first stop in Miles was the bakery  and then we turned south again stopping at Moore's crossing for lunch. Barnaby Joyce rocked up for the occasion, I didn't know my trip blog was getting some much airtime :-). The real story, however, was that the roadhouse holds Australia's largest collection of Feral Pigs. Check out the fangs on the massive unit below, just the thing to put up in the pool room, NOT! Anyway we saw a few emu's and then came into cotton country, a first for the kids so off we went t explore and pick  bit of cotton. We must be getting bored of driving home as we started our own dance session on the Leichhardt Highway.

We reached Gundy in the afternoon and loved our drive through site (a bit of caravan jargon) and then hit the spa and heated pool before eating out at one of the Pubs. We returnedto base to sharing some QT round the campfire. Check out Ella being a ghost in the photo below.

Mon 25th & Tue 26th

We travelled down through Moree and Narabri and Bogabri and cut east to Myall Springs to see Matt and Mel Carter and their 4 beutiful children. We became friends with the Carters through the passing of Chris Wild and last year spent the October long weekend on the farm 40km north of Gunadah which is 1 hr north east of Tamworth in the New England region.

The Carters are just salt of the earth, fantatsic people and lovely to hang out with. We had a wonderful family meal with mel cooking a supberb Lamb roast followed up by a Sticky Date Pudding, yum, yum!

It was a real pleasure to spend time with Matt an organic beef adnd lamb farmer on the property moving some cattle around as part of his rotation policy. He aims ot get the right balance between mananing the environment, making it easier on himself and most importantly keeping the cattle happy and heathy. If you are after some high quality meat please place an order online at www.myallsprings.com.au, you will not be disapointed.

Wed 27th to Fri 28th

We left the Carters in the afteroon and made our way to Tamworth for our final stop with the Rogers. Sally and James just had their third beuatiful boy, Digby Roger, some 6 weeks ago and it was great to meet him and share time with the Roger clan. We managed to test out the new Yabby trp and caught a few big ones which Tas sampled for lunch.

Charters Towers, Clermont and Carnarvon Gorge - Tue 19th June to Fri 22nd June

We packed up at Townsville and got the local Ultra Tune man to tighten one of the fan belts which was making a horrendous noise when you started up. A quick trip up Tower Hill gave a great view out to Magnetic Island. Next we meet Ed and her 3 kids down on the Strand for a quick bike ride and early fish and chips. We loaded up the kids and said our goodbyes, filled up the Pathfinder and were ready for the 130km inland dash to Charters Towers.

We ended up at one of the Van parks and had the rather unusual neighbour of a horse out the back for the evening. We made our way over to the camp kitchen and fire area for a beer and a yarn with our fellow travellers, albeit we were the youngest by 25 odd years. We struck up conversation with a couple from down Emerald way and had a few $3 burgers with proceeds to the Flying Doctors. Another great community event, as the Fitz files would say “you gotta love this city!”

Next morning it was my turn for a run and I headed back in through town and up Charters Hill. It provided beautiful big sky vistas of the surrounding areas and we had a return visit with the whole family after we treated the kids to a Macca’s breakfast. The area was an ammunition storage facility in WWII for the 5 surrounding airforce bases and housed 15000 Americans. In a previous life it was also the centre of the gold rush in the late 1800’s.

Our destination for Wed 20 June was the small town of Clermont, 366km south. We stopped at the Cattle Sale Yards which were holding their weekly auctions, another country treat for us city folk. The morning was spent doing many an impression of the auctioneers as we passed more and more cattle. The road was amazingly straight in sections with fatigue signs everywhere. No worries of boredom for the Meldrum’s, in between road trains whizzing past we managed to do some maths homework! The mining boom has hit this region with accommodation shortages in motels and hotels up and down the inland route.

Clermont's local van park is converting all its sites to donga style accommodation for miners and we were sent to the ‘overflow’ at the Showground. Well it turned out to be another great adventure as last weekend they held a horse ‘camp draft’ and some of the horses, riders and stable hands were left over waiting to drive 1000km to the next event! I gave Dave Paris a call to share my excitement, he is right into camp drafts and I relayed everything I could to give him a god picture of the facilities. The kids loved the horses but gee it’s getting cold and we really noticed it. Luckily father and son had stocked up on new winter PJ’s and all was good with a few extra blankets

Carnarvon Gorge was just a little red dot on the map and looked an interesting place to visit for a few nights on our way home. How we underestimated this amazing National Park. It truly is nature’s best mixed with a significant gallery of aboriginal artwork. We arrived on Thr afternoon after a solid days drive from Clermont through Emerald, Springsure and Rolleston (lunch) with the last 40km on a dirt road. The wildlife on the way into the park was also interesting Janene spotting an Echidna on the road (luckily Tas saw it, he is still devastated he missed the snake yesterday J). Also we pulled up to observe 3 large wetland birds on the side of the road and kangaroos or hop hops as Ella calls them! We stayed at the Takarakka Bush Resort which had a pleasant grassed campground. It struck us as to how many people where staying with a large school group and about 40 odd caravans. Janene served up a great beef stir fry and everyone woofed it down. The kids watched a bit of the “Incredibles” before bedtime.

I made an early start as I had been planning an adventure up the gorge. I got up at 6.30am and was freezing as I rode the 5km up to the ranger station and the start of the bushwalks. The dirt road was corrugated with a few creek crossings and it was after 7am before I reached the visitors car park. I locked up the mountain bike and transitioned to running carrying 2 gels, a powerbar and water. It was 22km round trip to the top of the gorge, a place called the Big Bend but as Janene reminded me the night before I haven’t run that far for a while and whilst it might be great for me it just meant she had the kids for longer on her own and a tired  and cranky Reidy is not good for anyone. So I selected a 14km round trip (marked a to g on map below) and had agreed to meet Janene and the kids at 9am, a little under 2hrs to take in the sights and run the bush tracks crossing the river about 10 times.

The amazing scenery of Carnarvon Gorge was another trip highlight. Being the first out on the track meant I didn’t see any other walkers until near the end of my journey. The suggestion was to go to your furthest point and then take the side trips to points of interest on your return. My furthest side trip was an Aboriginal rock art and carving gallery which was once also a burial ground. The photos don’t do it justice but it was not only long but also has 80-100m cliff faces rising up above the artwork and makes it a special place.

I also visited a few waterfalls and a unique formation aptly called the Amphitheatre. You had to climb up 3 ladders then walk through a 2m wide canyon before being greeted by a massive circular area which had 60-80m sheer walls surrounding you and creating amazing acoustics with a huge echo. I really took in this place which was a little eerie on your own first thing in the morning and then gave it a nudge on the last 4km back down the track to meet the family. What an amazing start to a day combined with that great bush smell you get every so often there is no other place or activity I’d rather be doing – I love it out here and have regularly thought of Wildy who was our inspiration to do this trip.

We decided on seeing how the kids would go on a longer walk and so made our way as a family unit up the main track retracing my route. We made it 3km to the river with Mya having a little melt down. A session of throwing stones and even a log (see below) soon fixed her fatigue along with a couple of jam sandwiches. We ate lunch by the creek and Mya and Tas continued their wonderful play. Next it was up to the Moss Garden waterfall and then back to the creek for more play.

Janene took off up the valley and did the rest of the landmarks for a 3hr walk and I played with the kids. Mya and Tas marked the stepping stone path across the creek with ‘orca’ paint and we all made stone towers. Considering the kids walked nearly 8km they did a fantastic job of keeping it together. Ella walked a fair way on the return and my shoulders appreciated anytime she was out of the backpack J. All in all a sensational day all with loads of happy memories created. Carnarvon Gorge is underrated as a National Park.

Cairns, Paronella Park via Joesphine Falls and Townsville - Wed 13th June to Mon 18th June

coming soon