Braving the countryside on a search for their elusive quarry… 🦆

Vern and Merle decided to celebrate spring by heading to the countryside in southern NSW and NE Victoria.

First stop on the trip south was one of their favourite surfie towns, Sawtell. Just south of Coffs Harbour, it boasts beautiful beaches and a laidback lifestyle. Managing to get a great site next to the beach, they settled in for a few days.

Sawtell turned out to be a good start to the season, and they were able to bag their first catch at Taste Restaurant… Yum… 😋

.So the hunting season was off to a great start!

After arriving at the nation’s capital, Vern and Merle slipped into tourist mode to visit some of the city’s great attractions.

First stop was the National Gallery to see the Gauguin exhibition, which was fabulous. What an incredibly talented and prolific artist who seemed, like many of his peers, to fight personal demons throughout his life. His best known images are from his time living in Tahiti, where he went to escape the torments of modern life in the 19th century.

Next stop was Floriade, on a perfect spring day. The flowers were beautiful, and the whole event was very well done.

This was followed by a trip to the National War Memorial, where Robert found his Uncle Geoff Wood on the Roll of Honour. He was a fighter pilot from the RAAF flying Hurricanes for the RAF at Morston Moore in Yorkshire.

After he had finished his tour he was to head back to Australia, however in a dreadful twist of fate he died as a passenger in a plane crash just after take off – the plane was heading for Morocco on it’s voyage back home.

After Canberra it was on to Rutherglen, a cold climate wine district just on the Victorian side of the Murray River.

Rutherglen is famous for its fortified wine and, as the sign in the town attests, it has a great port… Its most famous product is Liqueur Muscat, which is a wonderfully rich fortified wine that fetches over $250 a small bottle for the good stuff. Surprisingly, they didn’t have any of that for available for tasting…

Rutherglen is a lovely town and the caravan park is on a lake a short walk from the centre. Vern and Merle did some stocking up on local wines and even managed to bag another hunting trophy at the delightfully named Pickled Sisters restaurant.!

On to Whitfield and Bright, two favourite towns nestled in the valleys of the Victorian Alps. Whitfield has a winery across the road from the caravan park (very convenient), and the wine tasting at Gracebrook in the King Valley was a highlight!

Bright is a great place to walk shop and eat, so plenty of that was done….

Just near Bright is Mount Buffalo which has amazing views right across the Australian Alps. After a very windy drive to the summit you get to the resort, which was the place to go for Victorians in the twenties and thirties. It is now being restored to its former glory and should be magnificent when the restorations are complete.

After Bright we headed on to Yackandandah, a strangely named but wonderful little village not far from Beechworth. Here Merle was able to rekindle her love for shopping in the Emporiums that many of the cool country towns have these days. Vern got very nervous… 😬

The final destination was to Walwa, following a stunning drive along the Murray River.

This tiny town has a caravan park right on the Murray and was absolutely beautiful. Vern and Merle will be back for sure!!

Until the next trip…

Vern and Merle have hit the road again. With a new rig comprising the aptly named Ernie (a Jayco Journey caravan) and a Land Cruiser named Bert – because what else would go with a caravan named Ernie…

We decided to head for Yeppoon, and to visit a range of places on the way up and back, many that we hadn’t been to before.

First stop was Hervey Bay, where Merle was pleased to find new shopping experiences.

While it wasn’t whale season, Hervey Bay is still a pretty place to visit, with great cycling tracks right around the bay.

Next stop was Agnes Water which is the last real surfing beach heading north, and nearby 1770, a beautiful bay inlet. The weather was perfect and these are both really pretty and laid back coastal destinations. No wonder they are so popular these days.

Yeppoon was nice but very windy. Our favourite place in the area was Emu Park, where the locals have their own way of going to the beach.

Definitely in cowboy country now, we ventured to Rockhampton to try to get a nice steak for the BBQ – seeing as it was Beef Week there. After trying many butchers we gave up in frustration. Fair to say that Rockhampton is not top of our list of places we want to return to.

On to Tannum Sands, a quiet little beachside town just south of Gladstone, with beautiful parks and bike tracks along the waterfront. Had a lovely time riding to Canoe Point for coffee and treats. Couldn’t convince Merle to go for a swim for some reason though… 🤔

We had one of the highlights of the trip here, when a green tree snake decided it would be fun to scare Merle whilst she was having a shower. 🐍 At the time, it was difficult for her to channel her wildlife warrior instincts. Instead the shower was cut very short and she came scurrying back very quickly to the caravan with shampoo still in her hair. 😳 Fortunately no medics were required to attend. 😅

Our final stop was Cotton Tree, where Vern got to capture a beautiful sunset and simultaneous moonrise on the evening of his birthday. Cotton Tree really can be magical.

And finally it was lovely to enjoy a family vacay with kids, grandkids, the lot. It took two years to organise but for Nan and Pop it was well worth the wait. A great time was had by all!

We hope you enjoy these snapshots of our first big trip in Bert and Ernie!

Vern & Merle head to Victoria to compare the wine districts there to South Australia… 🍷

First stop was the mighty Murray River where they managed to get a great camp – right on the river…

Camping along the river was very relaxing. A family of ducks decided they would adopt Vern and Merle… Maybe not the wisest decision… 🥘

Paddle steamers are still plying the river, as they have been doing for over 150 years. These days the cargo is tourists, who get a great view of the beautiful gum trees on the river banks.

Moving on from the river, Vern & Merle visited the Goldfields area of Victoria.

Merle wasted no time fossicking for treasures in Daylesford…

On to Ballarat, a city that Merle insists is the coldest place on earth… Not to disappoint, the weather turned out to be freezing cold – with strong winds and sleet as a bonus!

Bendigo was a much nicer experience, a lovely town with beautiful buildings and gardens to stroll through.

During their stay at Avoca, Merle found an additional traveller in the caravan, who had hopped on board at the Murray River to bum a lift… After the initial shock of discovery 😱 there turned out to be no joy to be had for the little joy rider…

RIP Stuart Little…

Heathcote turned out to be a great place to stay, with a wonderful wine centre and the beginnings of winter fires…

The King Valley was the next stop and, after initial disappointment that the trattoria at Dal Zotto wines was closed for renovation, the travellers settled on the pub, BBQ meals and camp fires…

The setting at Whitfield was absolutely stunning… This is what camping is all about!

The final port of call for the travellers was beautiful Bright… As usual, the Autumn leaves were stunning… as was the “Roberta” pizza… 🤓 topped with pepperoni, chilli, tomato, scamorza, smoko hot honey and guindillas pizza… a crazy combination that works a treat!

With the weather getting decidedly cooler, the nightly fire was really appreciated…

So the travellers are heading home, but will be back with more adventures soon!

Last stop had to be Taste restaurant at Sawtell, to sample (again) their signature twice roasted duck… and try not to think about friends from the river… 🫣

Finally, NSW had to prove it won’t be beaten by Victoria… The picture below was during our overnight stay in Goulburn… Take that Ballarat!

That’s all for now, until next time… 😎

South Australia… WOW!

Vern and Merle didn’t know what to expect from the South Australian countryside, turns out it is amazing. So different from the eastern states, with stunning coastlines, an abundance of beautiful historic houses, fabulous wineries and very cool eateries. In other words, right up their alley!

First stop was the Fluerieu Peninsula, including the McLaren Vale wine region – and the must do D’Arenberg winery, art gallery and restaurant.

The gallery is housed in an architectural cube in the middle of the vineyards, and is currently hosting the Dali exhibition…

Words can’t do this place justice, from the entry…

To the surreal artwork…

And even into the men’s toilets! 😳

After all that culture (and weirdness) it was time to leave the Cube and head for the restaurant in the old homestead.

Merle and Verne agreed that the entree of lobster medallion with blue swimmer crab, prawn ravioli and lobster bisque was basically the best thing they had ever eaten… 😋

The duck that followed wasn’t too shabby either… 🍷

The other great thing about the Fluerieu Peninsula is the beautiful coastline around Victor Harbour and Port Elliot.

Back at Victor Harbour, Vern and Merle took the long walk on the bridge out to Granite Island…

There was an opportunity to get the tourist bus back – but considering how much eating and drinking had been happening, getting exercise was deemed more important!

Vern and Merle wanted to do their bit to support Aussie farmers, so it was off to more wine country!

First stop was the Barossa and the pretty, and historic, village of Tanunda. Vern was happy that there was some lunch and some wine tasting to be done, while Merle was impressed with the facilities available to support a woman while she visited the shops!

Another day, another wine tasting… this time Murray Street Vineyards, on a beautiful Barossa day…

There are many beautiful historic buildings in the Barossa and the Adelaide Hills, often reflecting the original German settlers from the late 19th century who established the areas as some of the greatest wine regions in the world…

On to the Clare Valley, home to some of the best rieslings – wines that Vern and Merle enjoy greatly.

As well as wine there is a wonderful historic village at Mintaro…

On the outskirts of Mintaro is Martindale Hall, a heritage listed, Georgian styled sandstone mansion.

It was built by a wealthy pastoralist – so wealthy that when it was built there were 14 servants to look after the 2 occupants… 😳

The hall featured in the film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, where it was set up as “Appleyard Girl’s School”. It is now owned by the SA government, and can be seen as it was in its heyday…

The rooms are beautifully decorated, it’s like stepping back in time…

Exploring historic buildings can build up an appetite, so onto the Magpie and Stump pub in Mintaro – where they have been quenching traveler’s thirsts since 1851! 🍻

Sadly, it was now time to bid SA farewell – so it was decided a celebratory lunch on their last day was the way to go. The venue was the stunning wine cellar at the Sevenhill Hotel.

Goodbye SA, we will miss you! 🍷

Kicked off the trip by catching the ferry from Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula – and settled in for a few days at Ocean Grove.

It was a shock for Vern to realise there are actually amazing surf beaches outside NSW 😱… Bells Beach was stunning, and great to see that it is still pristine countryside all around – luckily the developers of the Gold and Sunshine Coasts haven’t been welcomed there…

Vern was very happy to relive fond memories of his surfing days, watching the surfers tackle the waves at Bells … if he only had a “mal” to join them. 🤣

Torquay, Lorne and Barwon Heads are very cool beachside towns, while around the bayside is home to some pretty impressive food and wine purveyors. The fish tacos at “Fishos” in Torquay were great…

And who knew that Portarlington is the mussel capital of Australia? 😋

Merle was in heaven, and after lunch was the perfect time to check out a few trendy boutiques… Looks like the guard dog at one of the shops had enjoyed a delicious lunch as well! 🥱

No trip to the Bellarine would be complete without visiting a winery or two…

Or first stop was Jack Rabbit, right on Port Philip Bay, where we got the feeling lunch might have been a bit expensive – considering the two helicopter landing pads for lunch guests… 😬

On to the beautiful Scotchmans Hill, where they make some delicious chardonnay and pinot noir…

Perched high on the hill and with some beautiful weather, our next stop was the stunning Apollo Bay. The caravan park that was to be home was in a great position…

The almost deserted beach was a great place to walk…

And at the end of that walk was the fish co-op, where we discovered that Apollo Bay is the lobster capital of Australia… Yay!

After all their recent indulgences, Vern and Merle needed some exercise, so they headed up into Otway National Park to a rainforest walk at Maits Rest – which was beautiful, serene and also cool on a very hot day. Huge Myrtle Beech trees towered throughout the area, with some over 300 years old. A must see for anyone travelling through the area…

Meanwhile, our little Aussie neighbours in the gum tree at the caravan park were friendly and not fussed so much about the concept of after lunch exercise!

What a view of the sunset we had from our campsite on our last night at Apollo Bay…

The drive from Apollo Bay was jaw dropping with the well-known scenic views of the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. Photos really don’t do this coastline justice, it really is quite magical.

Our next stop, Port Fairy is a very pretty town with beautiful old houses and a lovely harbour. The weather was clear but there was a wind blowing straight in from Antarctica… 🥶

I think Merle was a little upset that she couldn’t go for a swim… 🤔

Stay tuned for the (hopefully coherent) next update from Wine Country! 🍷🍷🍷

Vern & Merle Are Back!!!

Covid tried to stop them, but intrepid adventurers can’t be kept down for long… 😎

After we spent 4 months alone at Mudjimba Caravan Park, registered as “Itinerants”, with “No Fixed Address”, we figured that Covid might have beaten us… So, we bought a house, sold our caravan, and settled into a different life.

However, at the end of 2021, when it was possible to travel again, we bought a little camper and set off to see Merle Senior (Sue’s Mum, Peggy) in her nursing home in Melbourne. We made 2 more trips in 2022, and are now in Victoria, having just visited Peggy again.

We are now about to embark on a new adventure – a few months exploring the Great Ocean Road, the vineyards of South Australia, the Murray River and then the vineyards of northern Victoria… Yes, there is a theme again… 😊

So, stay tuned for updates from the new adventure in the next couple of days but meanwhile, here are some pictures from our initial travels in our little camper…

Yep, we have hit the rocks – both figuratively and literally!

Editor’s note: Merle would like it pointed out that she took the fabulous photo above… ????

South West Rocks

After a great time at Woopi, we ventured further down the coast to the beautiful South West Rocks area. First stop was a climb up to the lighthouse at Arakoon. Amazing views!

Crescent Heads

Vern was chomping at the bit to relive his old surfie days so off to Crescent Heads we went!

Crescent was doing what it does best with some great waves rolling in. It is still as beautiful as Vern remembered, however the camping area/caravan park was much bigger… but still packed!

Go to Jail

Just down the bay from South West Rocks is Trial Bay Gaol.This was built in the 1800s to house prisoners whose job was to build a breakwater at the point so ships travelling from Sydney to Brisbane had a safe anchorage. Unfortunately, the project was a bit of a disaster, with most of the breakwater washed away in a big storm. The gaol shutdown in the late 1800s but was reopened in 1914 for internment of Germans during the First World War.

Still, it must have one of the best views of any gaol…

Vern and Merle had a great time being tourists at the gaol. Unfortunately, Vern couldn’t find a padlock big enough…

These days, the only inhabitants of the gaol are from the local kangaroo population…

Hitting the rocks, again…

After only a few days at South West Rocks, it was obvious that the situation with the coronavirus was becoming very serious – very quickly.

Vern and Merle made the difficult decision to abandon their trip and head back to Queensland. Definitely the right decision…

Where are we now?

Vern and Merle are practicing social distancing, caravan style, at Mudjimba.

We are very lucky to be at a beautiful beach where we can walk and collect shells for our grandkids. We will be back on the road once we get through this thing – which we will.

In the meantime, we are working on staying sane and maintaining our sense of humour…

Stay safe everybody! We’ll be back…

Vern and Merle have been exploring Woolgoolga – a beautiful, but unpronounceable, part of the world. Even the locals have given up and now they simply call it “Woopi”.

We are staying at Lakeside, a lovely caravan park right on the beach and the lake. A bit surprised that the marketing department didn’t go for “Beachside”, but there you go.

Fun at the beach

Being right on the beach means it’s a great spot to ride the pushbike at low tide, as well as a beautiful place to watch the sunrise. Not sure whether Vern’s photographic assistant was aware of just how lucky she was to be woken up at 6am to help out though… ????

The lagoon that feeds out to the ocean is a great place to do some kayaking, however Merle is getting a little concerned that Vern never actually does any paddling at the back – instead spending all his time taking photos…

The views from the headland toward Coffs Harbour are stunning. Coffs will be a wonderful place when they finally figure out how to divert the Pacific Highway from running straight through the centre of what is actually a small city! The traffic is frightful.

The beautiful Bellinger river

Just to the south of Coffs is the beautiful Bellinger river. We spent a day exploring it, starting at Urunga for the walk along the break wall at the river’s mouth.

Waterfalls and Rainforests

We then headed through Bellingen and up the Waterfall Way to the Dorrigo plateau. The climb is stunning, with waterfalls running right next to the road. At the top of the hill is Dorrigo, which is surrounded by lush, green rolling hills. We went to the rainforest centre and explored the skywalk and some of the best rainforest in Australia.

The Promised Land

On our way home we took a detour out to the aptly named Promised Land, basically to gawk at the sprawling properties of the rich and famous – as well as to visit the captivating Never Never creek… We’re not making these names up!

On our return to Bellingen, Merle got to visit a range of the shops in this trendy country town. Vern was very relieved when we escaped with only a couple of coffee mugs – a great result!

Making Woopi – the video

We put together a little video with some music that aims to show the fun we had staying at Woopi. We hope you enjoy it…

Finally…

During our time at Woolgoolga the Coronavirus started to tighten its grip on the world. It has been a worrying time as it raises a range of uncertainty about what the future brings.

We hope all our family and friends are safe through this pandemic, and that we all get out the other side as quickly as possible.

If ever we needed a superhero, the time is now…

That’s all for this update – stay tuned for more to come!

Beach, river and rainforest

We are beginning our first longer trip away – a two-month loop of Northern NSW. We’ll be heading down the coast to the Hunter Valley and returning to the Sunshine Coast via the New England region and Stanthorpe. Seems like there is already the beginnings of a grape theme to our travels… ????

Our first stop is Brunswick Heads, a place we know and love.

Brunnie, as the locals call it, is home to a fabulous 1940s art-deco hotel that has been owned for many year by Delvene and John Cornell – of Paul Hogan fame. We suspect it is one of the best pubs in Australia, but intend to do the research to validate our theory…

There are three caravan parks to choose from – Ferry Reserve has become our favourite as it is the quietest and accepts pets. It is a peaceful and relaxing spot – serenity by the river. It also has amazing sunsets.

Other top attractions include Tokarina Beach – a great swimming spot nestled behind the breakwater of the river inlet. The beach has crystal clear water and no waves. A big thumbs-up from Merle for a lazy float around. Then there is the Starfish fish and chip shop, where they make the best potato scallops (potato cakes for the Mexicans), in the world…  If you don’t believe us, try one – you will be a convert! Nothing beats a cold beer at the pub, with a potato scallop, after setting up the caravan on a hot, humid day. 

The hinterland has beautiful, rolling green hills, waterfalls and rainforest. We visited Minyon Falls, which was flowing nicely thanks to the recent rains and then braved the dirt track out to Protester’s Falls at Terania Creek.

The walk through the rainforest and along the river to the waterfall was truly magical. This was the site of the first major eco-campaign in Australia in the late seventies where protestors banded together to stop the logging of the old-growth forests of the Nightcap Ranges. Many of the protesters stayed and helped create the nearby hippie town of Nimbin – where the grass is even greener than on the rolling hills… ????

Next stop, the almost unpronounceable Woolgoolga! Stay tuned…

There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so we just kept rolling under the stars.

Merle, via Google

After years of dreaming, planning and preparing we are finally hitting the road to live the dream! Our first trip is a fairly small one for a couple of months exploring northern NSW. We hope you will follow along as we find out what this Grey Nomad stuff is really like.

What’s the plan?

Each year we aim to head somewhere south during the summer months and then come back to a base on the Sunshine Coast for the winter months.

This year it’s only a short trip as we had a few setbacks selling our house, which delayed us by a few months. Later this year we will jump right into the deep end when we hitch a ride on the Spirit of Tasmania for a 5 month trip exploring the beauty of that state.

What sort of adventurers are we?

Vern and Merle aren’t really the rufty-tufty 4WD types you’re likely to find wrestling crocodiles in Kakadu. We’re more your sit down at 5 o’clock for a nice glass of wine and a few nibbles type travellers – preferably with a stunning view…

We love to go on bush walks, though not any over 5kms. We have pushbikes and use them to get to exciting places – as long as there aren’t many hills. And we also have a kayak , not for white-water rafting, rather for a more casual paddle on beautiful lakes and rivers.

Raring to go

We have road-tested Billie (our van) throughout 2019, and have already seen some beautiful places, as the photos below attest. It’s now time to take the plunge and and make the van our home.

The tyres are pumped, the batteries charged, the fridge is stocked, the pantry full… Here we go!

You can watch a caravan go by, and wonder where it goes – or you can join it and steer it to your destiny…

Merle, via Google