"Sod This For A Game Of Soldiers"

After leaving Lake Cooroibah, we drove to Standown Park Veterans' Retreat for a few days - well - retreat!  We both needed some peace and quiet after leaving Brisbane, and Standown is usually the place we get it.

Last time we were here (4 months?), Rod (the owner) had designed and was building a Memorial for War Veterans.  He wanted it finished by Long Tan Day, August 18, but the weather was just not cooperating - lots of rain...

Now, however, is a different ball game.  The Memorial is finished and looks fantastic.  He and his assistants have done an outstanding job, and Pam (Rod's wife and partner) has done brilliantly with the surrounding gardens and lawns.

 

 

I just cannot speak highly enough of Standown Park, it has grown from your basic paddock with a fruit trees, to a fully mature caravan park with lots of room for vans and campers.

From Standown, we drove up the Cooloola Coast Road to Maryborough and spent a couple of days at Maryborough Park - the local Showgrounds and Equestrian Park.  We wanted to catch up with Brett and Joanne, and we also needed to get the tug windscreen replaced.  Novus Glass came to our site at the park and all is now well.  Bloody trucks!!!!

And now, here we are at Mingo Crossing again.  It's a beautiful spot and well worth the visit.  Last night was very busy, couple of kids' birthdays as well as the usual mill of weekend campers, fisherrmen and water-ski boats.  Very, very warm though - the A/C got a good run after lunch.  Unfortunately, today is even worse - 38 degrees.  Now, low thirties is kind of OK, providing there is some breeze, but 38 is way over the top!  We may have under-estimated just how warm this choice of route could be.  Consequently, plans have changed!  We will now be heading for the coast (next stop perhaps Bargara) and hopefully, cooler weather. 

8 Oct to 11 Oct 2012 Brisbane, Clontarf

This has surely been an expensive week.  We knew going in to Brisbane, that we had a few things to do and get, but between visiting the doctor, renewing (finally) my Snoreguard (that is STOP snoring!!), getting new sullage hoses and finally replacing the awning fabric, the bank balance is screaming in pain!!!!

Caught up with Dad & Denise over lunch on Wednesday as well which was very good as we wont be back for a while.  But thanks to the wonders of modern technology (SKYPE) we can still see and talk to them.

NOW we begin to head north.  We will stop off at Lake Cooroibah briefly to visit Terry & Nelly and pick up a jar of beautiful raw honey from Phil (the HoneyMan).  Along the way, I'm thinking that stops at the Peanut Van (peanuts in different flavours and peanut paste), Nut Worx (Wasabi Macadamias) and the Ginger Factory (Ginger and chocolate of course!) will be in order.  Can't head to the Far North without stocking up can we??

Tomorrow, we're out of here!!

3 Oct to 7 Oct 2012 Millmerran Camp Oven Festival

This makes the 3rd time we have come to Millmerran for the Camp Oven Festival.  It's a really good gathering, this time approximately 1700 booked vans and campers of all varieties from all over Australia.  Very well organised though, the Festival Society seem to get better each time.

Rod & Mavis had arranged this particular outing of Kedron Owners and once again did a fantastic job.  Each nights Happy Hour was well attended, and we roped in some newbies and even ring-ins (non Kedrons!!).  Didn't matter – it was all great fun!

We also had our own in-house Bush Poet (Tom), who kept us hugely entertained.

Shirley and her team (PotScrubbers) once again came high in the cooking results.  The menu this year was quite demanding, and the weather really rotten for camp-oven cooking (very hot and dusty weather).  The team beat the odds however, and came up trumps with several prizes.  Shirley and her husband Clive are also Kedron Owners, so it's good to see her high in the ratings.

The Camp Oven Festival is primarily about - obviously - camp ovens and cooking, but it also includes many other aspects of bush and caravanning / camping life.  There was a big display of olderly steam driven machinery, together with displays of such crafts as whip cracking, blacksmithing and a foot-operated wood-lathe.  It was great to have a wander around and check out all the inviting stalls.  In particular, I was looking for jams, marmalades and pickles.  Picked up some Rosella Jam, but it was a long search.....

 

A GREAT BIG THANKS TO ROD & MAVIS AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO ATTENDED, FOR THEIR FUN AND COMPANY!

 

 

 

30 Sep to 2 Oct 2012 Millmerran Village Caravan Park

This is a very nice park, and quite good value for money.  It's the first time we've stayed here, and it opens up a whole new opportunity for the area.  The current owners have been here for about 18 months and are slowly bringing it up to scratch!  Nice big van sites and a brand-new camp kitchen.  Tony and Dawn (owners) are very welcoming and helpful.

 

Tonight is the NRL Grand Final - Bulldogs and Storm. It goes completely against the grain, but the Storm is our team of choice for tonight.  Neither of us can stand the Bulldogs.  We've got a good TV signal, so it's all good!!

Dad rang tonight to tell us they are back from Gympie. We'll catch up when we get into Brisbane after the Festival.

 

We spent the three days here washing everything in sight – even started on the curtains, trying to clean up the dust!  Big job, but it's gotta be done before we start heading north.