Working Life

Well a couple of shifts down and I feel I have a reasonable handle on things now - that first shift is always the worst.  The staff at the hospital are all pretty friendly, there are a few agency staff working there at present and quite a few students from USQ doing placements - I always like having students around as they are so positive and eager to learn and bring a different dynamic to the job.  Got my first roster and its pretty crappy - lots of night shift which I haven't done for over a year so thats going to be a shock to the system!!

We have managed to book sites back at the Mission Beach campground and move there on Wednesday next week.  The camp here at Tully Heads is okay but we we much prefer Mission Beach and the distance to Tully for me is the same. 

We are heading in to Cairns on Monday as the DMax is due for its 3000km service - that clocked up fast.  We have a list of things to get while in there for the van etc and it will be good to have a look around Cairns as neither of us have been there before.  Will organise for Chip to go to doggy daycare somewhere in Cairns so we can be free for the day or may even end up staying the night there as I have the two days off work.

Have been chatting to the staff at work and patients and their visitors and learning heaps about how bad cyclone Yasi was here.  There is so much damage to houses still not even assessed properly  let alone being fixed.  One staff member was telling me that her house is probably going to have to be demolished but they are living in it at present waiting for the insurance company!  Another staff member was telling me how a few tradesman have been up in her roof assessing damage and have found several snakes up there....apparently when they came and fixed the hospital roof they found several snakes are up there too...freaked me out!!!  Mal has decided that he won't be contacting the local electricians to see if there is any work available afterall..he doesn't like the idea of being stuck in a roof or under a house with snakes - fair enough!

The wife of a patient was telling me yesterday that they got their insurance renewal notice - normally their policy for house, contents and car insurance for a year is around $2,000 - their bill for this year over $5,000!!!  A sign of things to come probably for all of us.

Okay so if I won lotto I wouldn't work!!!

Well nearly 4 months off work is not a good idea....had my first shift today at Tully Hospital and I am exhausted to say the least.  Was supposed to be orientated today but when I arrived the Nurse Unit Manager who was supposed to be orientating me was looking after a labouring girl so I had to tag along with her...it was a very long day as the she didn't end up delivering till after 4pm!!!  At least I found where the staff toilet is (after getting lost) but really I have no idea of where anything else is apart from the birthing suite - its going to be an interesting afternoon shift tomorrow!!!

Got home to find that Mal (aka the official caravan bitch now) has organised for us to go to a mid year Xmas do at the caravan park.  By the park office come supermarket there is a bar and function room and they run occasional get togethers and a dart night every week as well.  What a laugh all these grey nomads are - boy they know how to have fun and the stories they can tell.  Bit embarrassing to pike out early when most of the others (who happen to be at least 20 years older than me) are still partying away as I type this.  Mal has already made a few friends around the park today while I was busy at work....referred to tonight as the 'handsome man with the nurse sister wife' - LOL. 

Mal took Chip on his maiden voyage in the front pack on the scooter today.  Mal said he absolutely loved it, the wind in his fur, the speed, the comfy ride......(see picture in last blog)

An afternoon shift tomorrow so I can sleep in...yehaaaa

Now at Tully Heads

We left Mission Beach today and headed to the camp ground in Tully where we were planning to situate ourselves during the course of my contract.  Long story short, it was the pitts!!  Not only was there some guy camping across from where we were going to camp who had three horrible dogs, one of which kept licking its chops every time it caught sight of Chip, but there were several groups of 'undesirables', the train line was very close, and to top it off there was a lot of work going on building temporary accommodation in the park we guessed for the workers who were there to help fix up houses etc after cyclone Yasi - not a good mix for someone working shift work.

We chatted to a Salvation Army woman who was staying there - she has a 12 month placement in Tully area manning a mobile counselling service.  She was staying in a cabin at the park and said it wasn't too bad but she would have preferred staying out of Tully too.  She suggested we head to Tully Heads as the park there wasn't too bad.

So that's where we are.  The camp is pretty nice though the site we currently have isn't the most private but they said they would be able to move us to a better site quick quickly when others move on. We will stay here till the site at Mission Beach where we came from is available early September.  Its about a 25 minute drive for me in to Tully but thats fine. 

Tully Heads was badly damaged in cyclone Yasi and its still really evident all around with houses badly damaged and lots of roofs with just fix up jobs.  We went down the beach which is about 1km from the camp ground.  Mal has worked out a way to get Chip around on the scooter while I am at work....have a laugh at the photo!

There are two rivers that feed in to the sea here - the Tully River and the Hull River - both of which have crocs.  We have been advised that if we go fishing in the rivers and take Chip we should keep an eye on him all the time - yeah right!!  Apparently the crocs don't go near the beach though we kept our eyes peeled the whole time we were there.

I have my first shift at the hospital tomorrow - don't have to start till 0800 so won't be too much of a shock to the sytem thank god!

Wongaling Beach...Mission Beach

We are staying at Wongaling Beach which is the beach in between Mission Beach and South Mission Beach.  You can't actually drive along the three as you would imagine that you could. 

This beach is just fantastic - its pretty quiet, the camp is just across the road literally, the water temp is like bath water, there is no sign of crocs! - this is the life!!!  We have booked to come back for the last month or so of my contract - why stay at the camp in Tully (20km away) when you can stay here - it is booked up till then bugger it, though Mal is checking out another camp round the road at the moment.

Mal went for a dip with Chip in the sea...I went out up to my knees....its glorious.  Chip loved it and cooled down as he was pretty hot, came back to camp and gave him a long overdue shampoo and hose off...he looks and smells delicious now.  He is coping so well with the caravan life and doesn't mind being tied up on a long rope at all.  Other campers just love him and he's a good conversation starter too.

We drove in to Tully for a look around today - the town doesn't look too bad, a few shops, and was certainly pretty busy.  The hospital is older looking and small as I imagined it would be.   The camp we have booked in to there looks okay but it would be good to change around our camps while we are here for a bit of variety.

drive to Mission Beach

we drove from Bowen to Mission Beach today - a very long drive!!  Lots of sugar cane along the way..and still evidence of cyclone Yasi up here.  The weather is even warmer...just lovely, though we want to make sure we are well out of this neck of the woods come the arrival of summer.

We couldnt find the camp in Mission Beach....didnt have the correct beach in the GPS so it wouldn't pick up the road, so we just thought that we could rock up to Mission Beach and easily find it - NOT!! 

We drove past Tully on the way...looks a bit bigger than I expected.  We might head out there tomorrow just to have a quick drive round and quench the curiosity before we head there for 3 months on Sunday/

The camp at Wongaling Beach (aka Mission Beach) looks out across to Dunk Island, its right opposite the beach and is very nice.  It has a little takeaway place so we treated ourselves to hamburgers for tea....think it will be an early night for all as we are all a bit stuffed!

Here is a piccie of our route from Helensvale to Mission Beach

The Day in Bowen

We gave ourselves a 'Chip' free day today and put him in the kennel so we could have a good look around.  6 hours of barking dogs has tired him out...he is curled up fast asleep in his little bed while I write this - giving both mum and dad the silent treatment for being so mean to him!!!

We got around all the beaches in Bowen, they are really lovely and no wonder they have won awards.  All were pretty deserted apart from HorseShoe Bay where we found where many grey nomads obviously spend the winter months.  There is a small caravan park right up on the Bay packed to the hilt (our big van wouldn't fit up there) and many elderly couples sitting around the camp and making their way down to the beach in their swimsuits with their comfy chairs etc.  They are brown to the crisp and I saw way too much flesh on most of the men....men with big fat tummies and little scrawny legs should be banned from wearing speedos but they all were!!!!   We had coffee and cake at the cafe up there.

We went in to the shopping metropolis of Bowen....I have never seen such a tiny Target store..having said that I got a skirt and pair of 3/4 pants that I have been looking for, for a long time...

We had a lovely lunch at the GrandView Hotel...it had a small part in the Australia movie - the old building across the road was featured in the movie too as the Carney business.

Oh and for those Wellingtonians or other NZers reading this...have a look at the photo of the 'BowenWood' sign that greets you off the water tower as you drive in to Bowen....and they made such a fuss of putting WellyWood up!!!!  its old hat....

Bowen

We drove to Bowen today...another reasonable drive, a good 4 hours.  We tried Chip out in his car seat today and think we have him sorted now...he can see out the window so is hardly whining at all...don't laugh at the photo - if it works we are going with it!!!

We stopped off at a rest area half way to have lunch and let Chip run around.  Mal started talking to a guy who was parked up there having a rest.  He turned out to be a sheep shearer from Taihape (for those ozzies there are lots of jokes about 'Taihape blondes' aka sheep!!).  Its a small world and Mal found out his whole life story in about 10 minutes.

The toll of dead kangaroos along the Bruce Highway is getting up there now...thankfully we aren't travelling in the dark so don't have to worry about them hitting us.

The park in Bowen is just south of the town and on the highway so a bit noisy.  I had tried a few others but they were booked up.  We have organised for Chip to go to the boarding kennel down the road for a few hours tomorrow so we can have  break and check out the many beaches here.  The weather is really warm so might even venture in for a swim and a snorkel, and of course we have to check out the hotel where they filmed the movie Australia....

Clairview

We arrived in Clairview finally....was a big long drive today - 4 hours. 

We were just a few km down the road from the turnoff and the traffic was at a standstill  and we werent sure what was going on.  I put the UHF radio (the walkie talkie) on  to see if anyone was talking  and there were a load of truckies that were stuck in the traffic all having a chat.....they aren't the politest of people are they.. anyway they start talking about how they are dying to 'move their bowels'....there is bush on either side of the road and they are asking each other if they would do it infront of the traffic?  it was hilarious...I was going to go on and tell them that the Jayco caravan lined up in the traffic hired out the toilet for $5 a 'movement'!!! - I think we could have made a tidy sum...but then again someone has to empty the cassette!

Apparently there had been a huge accident at 5am with a semi trailer...wasn't cleared till we came through around 3pm so we came through at just the right time as we only got stuck in traffic  for less than 30 minutes.

The caravan park is surprisingly okay...very easy to get in and out of (drivethrough) right by the beach, they do cooked meals every night if you can't be bothered cooking, and even have a licenced bar!!!  A blog that I read about the camp had said it wasn't the best.  Its right on the beach too so we took Chip down for a lovely walk at sunset.

literally on the road

isn't technology amazing...I am typing this while we are driving along the Bruce Highway...still 91km to go to get to our stop over for the night in Clairview on our way to Bowen for 2 nights. 

We packed up no problem from Tannum Sands....boy we are getting to be a well oiled machine!!  It was a shame to leave there as it was a lovely camp - somewhere you could easily set up camp for a few weeks.

We stopped off in Rockhampton for lunch..haven't been there before - seemed like a nice town. 

The weather is just fantastic - the beautiful clear blue skys that we remember when we first arrived in Brisbane four years ago in winter.

Am still trying to get some photos up on this blog - internet access has been pretty bad where we have been so will keep trying.

Tannum Sands

17/07/11
We left Hervey Bay today - it had stopped raining finally - typical!  No huge dramas packing the van up, although Mal did take off when I was in the back of the van - he thought I was behind the van......consequently we left behind my jandals which I had left outside the door and the door mat!!

We were heading out the main drag  to Hervey Bay and got flagged down by the old guy that had crunched in to the back of the van....he wanted to tell Mal that a place up the road sold white bait!!!  I think he took a bit of a shine to Mal...

We stopped off at Childers and got a lovely wood fire pizza for lunch and some really different types of jams....Strawberry and Shiraz with Cracked Pepper....hmmmm

Another stop further along the way to let Chip have a run around...there seemed to be a lot more rest areas to pull over and have a rest in this stretch of road.  Chip is slowly getting better at not whining as much when we slow down or put the indicators on...thank god - its worse than kids fighting in the back of the car!!

We found the caravan park as easy as pie (thanks to our GPS) - a really nice camp and we are a bit spoilt as they only had ensuite sites available when I booked (for $10 extra) so that means we have a lovely full size shower and toilet block all to ourselves conveniently at the end of our van.  The camp is really lovely, would definitely come back here to stay for a few weeks some time.

Took Chip down the beach, the tide was right out - it obviously comes right in at high tide.  It was quite nice, though a lot of notices up saying there are strong rips.  We could see out to the shipping channel and a whole lot of big ships all lined up out there.  Chip found a stick so he was happy....

Can't get tv channels out here on our tv aerial and internet is a bit hit and miss....oh well guess that means catching up on reading and perhaps having to talk more to Mal!!! 

We can really tell the change in temperature too...its at least a couple of degrees warmer than Hervey Bay was - yahhhh

Rain at Hervey Bay

16/07/11

It started raining last night which lasted most of the day today - not what we were wanting having escaped NZs winter although it was lovely to hear the rain on the van roof.

The old gentleman that shunted the van yesterday came round this morning and dropped off some beer and wine - he still feels really bad for hitting the van - and so he should!!!

Another trip to the shops today to get more necessities. We brought an anti flap kit for the awning which works really well and we'll use that to attach the annexe walls when we get them made.

We invite our 'neighbour' over for a coffee to hear about her travels around Oz - she has been on the road for a few years now. She was very interesting to talk to and boy she loved to talk!She tells us that midgies are attracted to black clothing - wonder if thats true????  

Off to Hervey Bay

15/07/11

Another go at packing the van - all goes better than the first time although its been raining and I just about get drenched with the torrent of water that comes flying off the corner of the awning - luckily my reflexes are quick. One of the other campers suggests that next time we have one side down a bit lower so the rain drains off the awning - good to know!!

Mal gets a bit flustered putting the van on the ute with all the other experienced campers around and I am still not the best at giving him instructions. One of the other campers comes over and gives him a hand but Mal gets distracted and forgets to hitch it up properly - luckily we don't drive off before he realises. He drives the van out to the level ground to get the antisway bars on but we can't work out how they go on - finally we realise that we have to put the jockey wheel back on to lift the tow bar up to get them on - duh!!!

We have a good drive up to Hervey Bay...Chip is getting better at travelling although still whines when we slow down and/or put the indicators on!

We arrive at Hervey Bay and this time I am more than prepared with directions (and the GPS working properly) to get us to the camp ground. While I am in the office getting sorted Mal gets shunted up the bum by an older gentleman in his new car trying to push past the rig....Mal is surprisingly calm as he feels sorry for the old guy who is visibly shaken. Our brand new van has a little crack in the rear indicator light....she is no longer perfect!

The camp is pretty compact and Mal has a bit of trouble backing the van in to the site - despite the help of the park manager, myself and some other (un) helpful camp goers, one of which wants to have a full on discussion about the DMax ute while Mal is still trying to park the van!!

We are like a well oiled machine getting the van set up this time..no major hiccups!!! We get sorted then head off to Bunnings to purchase the items on our ever growing list one of which is a set of walkie talkies so I can give Mal instructions for backing the van. I am playing with these on the way back to the camp site with one of them by the dog and me using my sexy husky voice to call him.....some random guy starts talking to me on the radio.....didn't realise that other people can hear you as well!!!

Campfire drinks

14/07/11

Another nice day in Rainbow Beach. We head down to the beach again with Chip who loves running along the sand. Bit of a relaxing muck around day today.

One of the blokes from the other sites has been out getting yabbies and showed us them - we havent seen them before and were surprised with their long claws! These campers are all in to fishing and spend about 6-8 weeks here every year. We get invited to have drinks around the campfire with them tonight.

Drinks turns out quite interesting though we get introduced to the 'hierarchy' of camping....there seems to be a bit of snobbery around what type of van and tow vehicle you have....guess some things are the same no matter where you are or what your doing! Apart from that we have an enjoyable time listening to their stories and advice and get eaten alive by the midgies.....

Rainbow Beach

13/07/11

Took Chip down to the beach today and had lunch. Lovely mostly deserted beach though the water was quite cold. Chip loves being back at the beach, though seemed to miss all the driftwood that the beach in NZ has...

back to the campsite and Mal is busy mucking round...he takes the scooter off the ute and goes for a blat in to town - Chip and I relax in the van and do a bit of caravan study

Arriving Rainbow Beach

12/07/11
We had a good trip to Rainbow Beach without any dramas, although we forgot just how far from Gympie it is - that undulating road seemed to go on forever.

Mental note for me...make sure you sort out directions to the camp ground before leaving...a vague idea doesn't help you find it even in a small place like that. Had a squabble over the GPS - apparently I was supposed to know how it works - haven't actually used it for months but will sort it out later along with everything else!

The site is quite different to what we expected, basically like free camping around a power socket. We pull up and find a spot and quickly start chatting to another couple there who are new on the road as well. They invite us to have a drink with them - who can say no? We make sure the power lead is plugged in and then pull out the beer and the wine and sit down for a good yarn. Learn a few more dos and don'ts and add to the 'what to buy' list...other campers comment about how quickly we sit down for a drink (is this a sign of things to come???)

Leaving Brissie

12/07/11
The big day dawns....time to start our travels up to North QLD.

We used the checklist to go through the pack up procedures...had one hitch. In our eagerness to pack everything away tidily we packed too much under the push out bed...so of course when we draw in the hydraulic slide-out there is no where for all that stuff to fit!! Fortunately when we heard the strange noises coming  from under the bed we stopped what we were doing and had a look....a little fix up required to the base of the bed which has snapped off on one side....

Next how to get the van off the site .... Mal is a bit stressed at the prospect of towing the van and there are a few issues over my backing directions and Mals interpretation of what they mean....we are sure the others in vans around us are looking out sniggering....

we manage to get the van hitched on the ute and both out on the driveway....Wayne the manager comes past and helps us go over everything to make sure its all done properly - big ticks to both of us!!!

we are off to Rainbow Beach...little Chip harnessed in the back of the ute, a few whines then he settles on to his little bed for the drive

Learning the Ropes

10/07/11
Some steep learning curves over the last 24 hours....little things like how to open windows, how the loo works (Mal wasn't impressed with his 'golden shower' - long story!), how the water heater actually lights itself so you leave well enough alone,  how to get the slide out bed to slide out (take the handle off lock works well for a start!).....but we get there and have a reasonable nights sleep.

Next day, off to the shops to replace things we sent over to NZ in our container....and of course buy those things that have been suggested by other more 'wordly' caravanners...

Chip is getting used to his new home though isn't impressed at how high the bed is...there is no way his little legs will ever be able to catapult him up on top of it unaided.

Amazing how tired you can get just fluffing around all day.....

Starting our journey

9/07/11
Chip (our cavoodle) and I arrived back in Brisbane this morning from NZ - great to be back in Oz and Brissie put on a gorgeous day for us both.  We left behind gale force winds and an approaching bad weather front in NZ....that felt real good!  We also left behind all our kids again...but it was great to have had them all together for a meal the weekend before we left - see you at Xmas kids!

Mal was already in Brissie after flying over a few days beforehand to pick up the new vehicle - an Isuzu DMax (aka tow beast).  He told me to pick it out in the carpark - not hard when it was piled to the hilt with all the stuff we had left behind for our travels around Oz!

Next stop Quantas imports to pick up little Chip.  It was hilarious watching him coming out on the front of a forklift in his little cage looking directly at us....poor thing was shaking like crazy but so happy to see us....

Next Brisbane Camperland where we picked up our new house....24ft of luxury - our brand new Jayco Sterling.  Mal had already (supposedly) had the 'official' handover and brief of how everything worked, so it was basically hook her up and your on your own... a bit daunting for us caravan newbies.  Of course Mals memory was a bit jaded....and how on earth do you watch the instructional DVD when the TV is still in its box!!!  Guess we find out through trial and error.

Next stop Gold Coast Holiday Park in Helensvale...our stop off for the next couple of days to sort out all the 'stuff' currently piled in the caravan and make sure we know how everything works before we head up north.  Thank god for Wayne the park manager who stepped up to the plate as soon as we told him we were brand new to the game....he graciously spent at least an hour helping Mal back the van in to the site and went through all the set up procedures - and gave us a heap of suggestions of what to do, and what not to do!

A few hours and all our stuff was seemingly swallowed up by the van...a little enclosure put round the front so Chip can go in and out and we think all the switches that should be on, are turned on....time to relax!!!