OUR FIRST WEEK IN QBN

On our way down from the
Central Coast to Queanbeyan
The country side was so beautiful & green & lush

It's no wonder though after all our rains!!

As we got closer to our destination

We passed a sign which read
Lake George
This Lake is massive @ 25 Km's long & 10 Km's wide
Strange though as we looked out we could see nothing but
Grassy land for miles & miles!
We could not work out where the Lake started & where it ended!
No wonder it was empty it would take months of non stop rain to fill this huge area!

The trip down was good!
Even though the weather was more like a
Winters Day than a Summers Day!

Well we reached QBN & booked into our Caravan Park
Many of the locals eagerly informed us that this park had flooded earlier in the
Month & was totally evacuated!
It sits on the Queanbeyan River
We could see all the debris that mother natures destruction had left behind after the
Rivers Rise & Fall!
Hopefully that wont happen again!
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Day 2 & it was once again time to seek out some employment
Seeing as we had nearly 2 months off over Chrissy!
I rang the local Nursing Home
Within the next  few days
I had started work!
That's a first that I beat
Mark to the Mark!
Hahaha!!
It is nice to be Nursing again or Caring as I call it
It is so gratifying to put smiles on
Peoples faces & to be able to help make their days happy!
 I love it!
I was walking along the corridor the other day & low & behold I ran into a lady
I had worked with for many years @ my old Nursing Home back home
We both could not believe our eyes when we saw each other!
Such a small Country we do live in!!!
Husband is working once again for a local builder!
He came home after his 2nd day with stitches in his hand, after he sliced it open on a porcelain basin!
Oh dear looks like I will be the bread winner now, while he recuperates!!

I love it here!
We are about 2 minutes walk from the heart of town!

It reminds me very much of Mt Isa, the only difference is that when you drive
Out of town you are not out in the middle of nowhere with nothing around
but rocks rocks & more rocks!

 Canberra is only about 15 minute drive away with lots of
Outlying suburbs along the way!

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Last weekend we decided to do some sight seeing

The War Memorial was our first stop

WOW!!

When we first walked in a tour was about to begin

Which we joined in on
We were lucky as there was only one other couple plus us!
We all agreed on the later day war tour!
Our tour guide was fantastic & the whole Vietnam exhibition was fairly new & done so very well!

This fighter helicopter was donated by Dick Smith

This place is massive & it is impossible to see everything in one day!
Our guide ended the tour with a couple of stories!
One of them went something like this....... A young boy & his parents migrated to
Australia from New Zealand back in the early 1900's
His father wanted to settle in the country on an orchard & his mother in the city
The young boy stayed with his mother, his dream was to fly air planes.
He was so infatuated with flying that as a small boy
He climbed to the top of their home & on the roof called to his mother
Come watch me fly!
 Before she could stop him he was on the ground!!
He broke both his legs!
As an adult he was refused in to the Royal Australian Air Force because of his broken legs!
At the same time though
The English were desperate for any pilots to fight in the war 
They advertised, he applied & was delighted to be accepted!
In 1942 in the defence of Singapore, his plane was shot down by the enemy
He tightened his harness as the plane plummeted to the ground!
It quickly caught fire & he was trapped
A priest nearby ran to his aid & dragged him out of the burning inferno!
He was alive barely & had sustained shocking burns to most of his body with his face unrecognisable.
It was believed by all that he was missing presumed dead!
After his hospital stay the priest who saved his life decided to stick him on
Ship & send him back home
He was still so very ill & could not walk
& was strapped into his stretcher
The captain refused him entry on his ship as his condition
Was so bad he did not think he would survive the trip!
The priest said to the captain
Well I am not taking him back with me so,
 You can do what you want Chuck him over board then if you have too!
With that said he had no choice but to let the man sail.

This poor mans story just keeps getting worse!!

The ship he was sailing home on was blown up by enemy fighters & he was catapulted out
Still strapped to his stretcher he landed upright & floated out in the ocean for days before another Australian ship came to his rescue & homeward bound they went!

Unbelievable!!

He went home & recuperated on his fathers orchard

Where he was happy to spend his days working on the land farming!
Oh my goodness as you would!!!
I bet he was now thinking he had nine lives!!!
Anyway to finish this incredible strory......

He was very well liked by the locals in the community & many of them
 Suggested he should enter into politics which he did!
He became
Our 19th Prime Minister of Australia!
John Gorton

The Australian War Memorial is a must see place to visit so so well done & you can go back many times as it is free admission
All they ask is a coin donation, which we happily gave!
So interesting & a very moving experience!
Makes you very very proud to be an Australian!!!

Till Next Week

CHEER'S & ENJOY!!

DOWN THE BEATEN TRACK!

         

Whilst we were back at home on

The beautiful Central Coast of New South Wales
over Christmas 

We decided to go on a little picnic up to the

Wattagan Mountains

Seeing as we were only a stones throw away from there & the rain had stopped for a few hours
We decided to pack a Picnic basket & set off! 

When we left Dooralong we thought there were accessible ways up to the

Mountain via four wheel drive tracks!

As we approached these tracks there were signs saying no thru road!

This we couldn't work out as Mark had seen the tracks in the camps 4 book!

 The Navman was also guiding us in that direction
 Seeing as she has been known to be wrong on many occasions before
 We decided not to trust our poor out dated old girl this time!

Well that was the end of our thoughts of
Doing a bit of off roading..........Or so we thought at the time!

We took the long way around & obeyed the signs

Which was a pretty drive through lush valleys & quaint little townships. 

  Once up the mountain we enjoyed a very tranquil lunch

 surrounded by acres of beautiful old & very tall pine trees

Hence the name of this particular picnic spot

The Pines.

Yogi getting out the picnic basket.

After our little forest walk we decided to head back down the mountain 

What a spectacular drive as we meandered our way back down the

Wattagans!

Not long into the trip, we saw tracks with signs reading

Wyong Via Dooralong 30kms

Oh very good!
This must be the track we were looking for when we first set off.

We could see tyre marks in the dirt which meant others had come along here recently!

Hubs locked four wheel drive engaged & we were off!

The first 10 kms were OK little bit rough but hey we had been up to
Cape York & back via the Old Tele Track
This was pretty easy driving really!

Well that was not to be for long as we came to a few deep dug out mushy parts of this track

Which mark navigated around with great expertise!
 As you know the weather has done nothing but rain for like 40 days & 40 nights

Well maybe not that many but it is pretty wet up here!
As it is in nearly the whole of
Oz at present!

As we turned the next bend 

Low & behold we drove straight into a deeply rutted quagmire

 the ruts were too deep for the wheels & bang down
she went with a massive big thud!

Holey Dooley!!!

There is no way we could possibly turn back!

So how the heavens are we going to get through the rest of this???

This was starting to look & feel a whole lot worse than the Telegraph Track!

Also it was getting late in the afternoon & we had told no one where we were going

 plus there was no phone signal!!

 I was now getting very concerned!!

We both got out to check if there was any damage to the truck luckily none, we could see!
  The tow bar saved the day!
 This is one tough truck!

We stood their in amazement trying to work out the best way
to get through this mess??

The only way mark thought, was to gun it straight through there!
2nd gear low range & plenty of right pedal as he puts it!
I stood back & I said my prayers!

Now I must add these next few words are Marks
First attempt I missed it by a bees dick
Second attempt missed it by a flees dick
 ( Sorry that last line was mine
I couldn't help myself )
Anyway enough of that rot & back to the business at hand!
Third go
 He Did It!!!

WOW!!!
What a relief that was!
That was seriously the most worried I have ever been
Not even any of our outback adventures were as scary to me as that little episode!
I think it was made worse by the fact no one would be able to find us!
When they did finally realise we were missing it would be too late!

Plus we had no water, food, phone & most importantly

Beer or Wine!

Back on track & it was out of there quick smart for us!

As we got towards the end we saw a sign facing the
Opposite direction which read
Road Closed!
Well......It would of been nice of them to have put that
Sign at the other end of the track!!!

Back at the safety of Dooralong we enjoyed our farewell dinner with our family!
Thank you to my Beautiful Brother & Sister in law for a
Fantastic, Fun & Very Welcoming Stay!
We will miss all our Family & Friends
But the trip must go on!



Queanbeyan Here We Come!

Counting our Blessings

Hi all

We had a fantastic stay back home over Christmas time
We caught up with our families
Which was just magical & some of our friends!
There never seems to be enough time to do all the things & see all the people we would of liked too!

We thought of staying back home for a few months & going back to our old jobs but........

As the plan is to travel around Australia we decided it was time to head off again!
We are in shock at what is happening in
Queensland & Northern New South Wales!
Just so so heart wrenching to watch & hear of their stories of survival!
The elements are so unpredictable & so Fierce!
This started when we were leaving Mt Isa in the middle of December!
When we arrived in Longreach on our way home
The lady in the caravan park told us we would have no hope of getting back to
New South Wales
Poor old Wagga Wagga was underwater & many parts of Southern Queensland 
We took a different route & some how missed the lot!
So lucky we were & count our blessings!
Well on a brighter note

 We arrived in Canberra yesterday! 

We hope to stay for a couple of months & pick up some work here & then head up to Darwin by April Before everyone else beats us to a spot!

I am so excited as I have full signal here
 Which  means I can now get stuck into
Writing & fixing up our blog!
Hopefully this wont take me too long!
Till Then Our
Prayers & Thoughts
Are with those in flood regions around Australia!