5 Jul 2012 to 9 Jul 2012 – Mingo Crossing Caravan Park, Paradise Dam

We found Mingo Crossing quite by accident, by taking a back road from Monto to Biggenden via Mount Perry.  It is a superb little spot, not free but relatively cheap – $23 per night and if you stay 7 nights, you only pay for 6.  Power, water, large camp sites, and grey and black water sullage points at each camp site.  Management is very good and very helpful, and we would definitely stay there again.  The most amazing fact is that this park has been completely re-developed since the floods of late 2010 – early 2011 when the whole area went under water.  The park is on the banks of the Burnett River.  The following photos are a mix of current and flood conditions.  The differences are staggering.
Quite coincidentally, just after we arrived at Mingo Crossing, fellow Kedron owners Sue and Anne arrived also.  They were planning on staying just overnight, so we joined them for happy hour.  It’s quite some time since we have seen them so it was really good to catch up.











We also took a drive downstream to the Paradise Dam.  There is a nice little camping area there, and photos of what the conditions were like during the floods.  Once again – than and now!


6 metres of water over the spillway - the small object is the top of a water-tank going over the dam!

29 Jun 2012 to 4 Jul 2012 – Monto and Cania Gorge

After leaving Standown Park, we headed off towards Monto via Kilkivan, Gayndah and Mundubbera.

Mundubbera Water Tower - lovely painting!

 
We had arranged a quick visit to look over a prospective house-sit just out of Monto, and had decided to go on to Cania Gorge afterwards to camp.  However, we were invited to camp for the night on the property at Monto.  It was lovely meeting Annette and Richard and having dinner with them, but unfortunately (because it was a lovely opportunity) realised we would have to decline the offer of the house-sit.  Because Rick is having further facial surgery (skin cancers) on 16 July, we realised that we could not say definitely that we would be able to start on 30 August.  The last time he had surgery in that area, it took 4 attempts and 3 months before the surgeon set him free and we didn’t want to let our prospective clients down at the last minute.
Cania Gorge is just a beautiful place to stay.  The last time we went there was in August 2007, and like everywhere else at the time, Cania Gorge and Lake was very, very dry.  There are two camping grounds at Cania – Top Tourist and Big4.  The Big4 is the closest to the lake, therefore the most expensive.  We stayed at the Top Tourist on both occasions, and feel we got the best end of the deal.  It’s cheaper, has a roomy feel about it, and is now very green and well looked after.
The first series of photos is August 2007, the second is now.  Huge difference.

August 2007

July 2012

22 Jun 2012 to 28 June 2012 – Standown Park via Kin Kin (Morning Tea of course!)

 

Once again we are back at Standown Park – I’ve commented before on what a gem this place is.  Rod and Pam Elkington, the owners, are in a continual process of upgrade and renewal.  The grounds are beautiful after last years’ rain and the dam is full to bursting.  Unfortunately, the rain keeps falling, and Rod has been delayed in his new major Project.  He is a very proud veteran of the Vietnam War, and has designed and is in the process of building a Veterans’ Memorial to celebrate Long Tan Day on 18 August.

He has done all the design himself, and visitors to the Park and friends have helped him build it.  It is a wonderful piece of work and will stand them in good stead for many a year to come.  Each year on Long Tan Day, Rod and Pam host a schedule of events – a march, a memorial service and a group dinner for all guests at the park.  On that day the campers are primarily Australian Defence Force veterans, and many book camping spots from year to year.

Even though most of the week we stayed was wet, it was a quiet and peaceful week for us.  We drove out to Cooloola Cove and also to Gympie (bloody shopping), and then decided to finally invest in a ‘new-fangled’ digital Satellite TV VAST receiver (we previously had the analogue version).  This gives us the dubious benefit of being able to receive all digital TV channels that are broadcast when we set up the satellite dish.  Primarily rubbish, but there ya go!!

23 Apr to 22 Jun 2012 – Lake Cooroibah

April, May and June turned out to be quite busy months for us at Lake Cooroibah!  Started out with Dad & Denise visiting us at Easter, and then on Anzac Day, Rick marched at Tewantin, which was a very well attended community event.


The following weekend, the Nambour Caravan and Camping Show was held.  This turned out to be quite a good event, considering it is a local show.  It was well attended by manufacturers and suppliers and we were able to buy several items which had been on the list for a while.  Rick has been hanging out for a new UV protection sun shirt – made by Sun2Sea, these shirts are fantastic both to wear and also to wash and dry.  They are light, and best of all, breath well in the heat.  I was also able to get hold of a new camp oven.  I have spent a long time looking at the Aussie Camp Oven made by Southern Metal Spinners in SA.  These are a Bedourie style camp oven, made from steel rather than cast iron.  Time will tell whether it is worth the hype.
We met a couple of local (Sunshine Coast) Kedron owners via the Kedron Owner Group forum, and invited them to lunch at the start of May.  It was a lovely afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.  They have decided to come along to the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival, so we get to catch up with them again.
We had lots of visitors in the lead up to our week away for the Pumpkin Festival – mostly Kedron owners, funnily enough.  Lis Cocks (from SA) came to visit for a few days after going to an event in Maryborough.  Her husband, Brian, continued back home to SA as he had other commitments, so we were able to enjoy Lis’s company and conversation whilst pottering about the local area.  Took a quick trip out to Boreen Point, on Lake Cootharaba.  This is a lovely, quiet little area, but it apparently becomes bedlam in summer holidays.

Then Tony Heat and his father Gordon (both from NSW) arrived to stay for a few days.  Fortunately, they were able to overlap with Lis and get to know her as well.
We had arranged with Brett and Joanne to come and look after the Lake Cooroibah property while we took off for a week to go to the Pumpkin Festival.  They were able to arrive on Sunday so we had a couple of good days together before setting off.  On Tuesday, we drove to Cobb & Co. 9 Mile Campground, near Tandur.  Considering that this is only about 45km away from Lake Cooroibah, we arrived nice and early with plenty of time to set up.  Deb & Glen B. had arrived over the weekend, so everything was sussed out and the fires ready to burn.  Cobb & Co is a lovely spot, with lots of room for Big Rigs.  It has toilets, showers and you can buy firewood.  No power or water is available, but it’s lovely and quiet.

The ants KNOW it is going to rain!!!!

Cobb & Co. 9 Mile Campground

Leaving Cobb & Co on Thursday, we headed for Goomeri and the Pumpkin Festival.  This was a KOG gathering organised by Rod & Mavis (Spinifex owners!!!) and was a ripper of a weekend.  The photos will give a much better impression than I can with words.



Sadly, we heard from Terry & Nelly in early June to say that they would be returning home a month earlier than originally planned.  Terry was still suffering problems after a double hernia operation in February so they wanted to get home and get it checked out.  Also, they had cancelled their planned trip to Canada and the US in September and October for the same reason.  Pity, we were really enjoying the property.
During this period, Rick visited both his dermatologist and his plastic surgeon.  The plastic surgeon removed a couple of problem areas AND THEN the dermo found more!!!!  Unfortunately, the pathology results from the plastic guy showed that more needed to be removed.  Add this to what the dermo found, and Rick is now scheduled to see the plastic guy again in mid July.  Damn it all!!!



Then the fertiliser really hit the fan!!!  Ralph, a very good friend of T&N’s had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma (that’s Asbestosis for the medically challenged – like me) in mid-April.  The doctors told him that he was terminal and gave him about 6 to 8 months to live.  By mid-June, that period had dropped to a couple of weeks.  Terry & Nelly made it home in time to celebrate Ralph’s 60th birthday, and marriage to his partner of 12 years.  6 days later, Ralph passed away.  It was the most awful time for Ralph’s partner Christine, as well as for their combined family.  We were only peripheral to the story, having met Ralph & Christine a couple of times, but you can’t help but be affected by such a tragedy.  9 weeks from diagnosis to death!

Nelly & Terry were quite happy for us to continue camping on the property for as long as we liked, but we decided to leave them to recover their composure in peace and quiet.  We left Lake Cooroibah on 22 June and headed for Standown Park, between Gympie and Tin Can Bay.