Headed off 10 August 2014. After a short trip stopped the night at Fassifern Rest Area on the Cunningham Highway just short of Aratula.

Nice camp beside the highway with plenty of room and flushing toilets. No other facilities

---

Happy and safe travels to you and Maggie. I wish Jude and I were travelling with the van also.

Jeff

Keep the updates coming Derek. Gives us "still working" class something to drool over [smiley=drool5.gif] [smiley=drool5.gif]

First photo is Coolmunda Lake near Ingklewood, Qld,  Stopped there for lunch.  There is a campground with basic facilities @ $10 per person per night.

Second photo is North Star Rest Area just south of Boggabille, NSW where we stopped last night. Drop toilet and no other facilities.

---

We stopped here at Tooley Creek in the Pilliga North of Coonabarabran.

This is Yowie country and Slim Dusty sang a song about this camp. :)

[media width=640]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-UjD-m6L9g[/media]

---

We have stopped for the night at Hicky Falls Rest Area south of Coonabarabran

There is even water coming down the falls. First time I have ever seen it.

---

Where is everyone? You have the places to yourselves.

You need a tripod so you can use your timer and get yourself in the waterfall pics  :)

Geez, you look like you are having your share of nana naps at the lunch stops with the bedroom extended  :P

That looks a beautiful spot to stop for the night!


Rufzgutz wrote on Aug 12^th, 2014 at 9:54pm:

Geez, you look like you are having your share of nana naps at the lunch stops with the bedroom extended

I was thinking the same Rufz. ;D

Jeff

Three campers plus us last night.

Takes 10 seconds to put the slide out.  I can then sit on the lounge and don't have to climb across the bed to the toilet :P

Derek wrote on Aug 13^th, 2014 at 7:36am:

Takes 10 seconds to put the slide out.  I can then sit on the lounge and don't have to climb across the bed to the toilet

Yeah yeah we believe ya Derek. ;) ;D

Jeff

Wednesday night we stayed at Terramungamine Reserve near Dubbo.  Free camp with flushing toilets. No other facilities but can have fires.  One night stay only on a big sign that not a lot seem to take much notice of

---

Thursday night at Gum Bend Lake Reserve near Condoblin.  What a great little place.

Free but donation asked for which we will happily do.  Toilets and hot showers if you need them.  Fresh water.  Electric BBQ.  Fishing in the lake I am told.  Plenty of room.

Today we head off to Junee to spend the weekend with friends parked up at their little farm

---

We don't watch a lot of TV but if we want to it is great to have the Auto Sattellite Dish on the roof of the van.

Wednesday we changed it over to receive all NSW stations.  Fantastic!!!!!

---

What a nice surprise.

A lovely lady knocked on the caravan door this morning and asked if we were staying the night.  She is the convenor of a courtesy bus to and from the camp ground to the local RSL

Amazing!!!!

You are staying in some nice places Derek.


Derek wrote on Aug 15^th, 2014 at 10:29am:

A lovely lady knocked on the caravan door this morning and asked if we were staying the night.  She is the convenor of a courtesy bus to and from the camp ground to the local RSL

Seems like the town is RV friendly - excellent!

Jeff

Staying with friends on their farm at Old Junee for the weekend. Parked in the cow paddock

Started to rain this morning.

---

Home grown lamb roast for dinner last night. 

When we were last here Mark bought a 12 inch deep Lodge from Cabelas and was keen to give it a go with a roast.

---

Home grown lamb? Do they plant them on that farm  ;D

Guinness straight out of the can? How uncouth :) my favourite drop when camping. Very easy to drink and a beautiful smooth frothy head when poured into a big glass with the aid of the widget  [smiley=cheers2.gif]

Some more great stopovers. Not my cup of tea parking with the masses, but then my caravan is not insulated  :)

Travelling full time would be great with the satellite.

The only thing you seem to be lacking is a kayak to explore and fish those waters.

Great camp, great company and great tucker, it doesn't get much better than that. :)

Jeff

Pulled the Ozpig out last night and cooked up a curry

---

Stopped at The Police Paddocks camp ground near Carlyle, Vic on the banks of the Murray River.

Very handy to the Rutherglen wine/port/muscat region  :D

Free camp with no facilities.

---

G'day Derek.
We camped in that spot a few years ago but just cant recall what time of year it was.
Could be significant because all night we could hear crashes as those old river red gums shed branches.
As it turned out we were not camped under any branch overhang, (nor did anything drop off near us) but a large branch landing on the rig would be very nasty. :'(
Very wary these days, another situation we don't camp under are trees with a colony of flying foxes in residence. :-?
mikel

That looks a nice spot Derek. We stayed at Shaws Flat which is a little down stream from there. We spent about five days relaxing there. It certainly is a nice area and as you say just out of Rutherglen. All Saints winery is worth a visit. :)

Jeff

mikel wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 9:13am:

G'day Derek. We camped in that spot a few years ago but just cant recall what time of year it was. Could be significant because all night we could hear crashes as those old river red gums shed branches. As it turned out we were not camped under any branch overhang, (nor did anything drop off near us) but a large branch landing on the rig would be very nasty. :'( Very wary these days, another situation we don't camp under are trees with a colony of flying foxes in residence. :-? mikel

Mike

We are just out of range for them.  Very much aware of the damage those buggers can do.

Picked up a nice fish this morning on a worm.  Would have been nice of it was a yellow belly and not a bloody carp though :)

---

Just found out that this is not the Murray River but a tributary called Murphy's Creek  :-?

Derek wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 1:46pm:

Just found out that this is not the Murray River but a tributary called Murphy's Creek

I think we were camped near the mouth of that creek where it joins the Murray. We thought it must have just been a split in the Murray with the opposite side being an island.  ::)

Jeff

Bacon and eggs for brekkies and lamb chops for dinner. All cooked up on the Ozpig.

The local lamb down here is amazing.

---

You could have baked some of that carp. Would have stretched your retirement funds a bit further  :)

Perfect location for cooking on the pig. Sure beats bending over.

Hi Derek

Good camping on the rivers down that way

The oz pigs are great does it draw better with the longer chimney ?

Greg

gregm wrote on Aug 20^th, 2014 at 9:04am:

The oz pigs are great does it draw better with the longer chimney ?

100% on what it was. Really happy with it now.

I am really taken by baked corned beef after doing it in the camp oven.

Cooked up a piece in the Weber for dinner. 1.2 kilos and baked for just on two hours.

Was nice and moist and had a smoky flavour.

---

Going to visit a couple of wineries here around Rutherglen today to stock up on Port and Muscat and then start the trek back north to cross the Snowy Mountains to Jindabyne.

That looks to be a very tasty roast Derek. :P
From my experience one can buy the same piece of silverside not brined (I think its called "gerello"?), nearly twice the price but cooks to nowhere near the moistness or flavour. :-?

Last time I looked you had bought an Everdure Nero as a travelling companion.
Does the Weber baby Q mean that you were not happy with the Nero?  :-/
mikel

mikel wrote on Aug 21^st, 2014 at 12:36pm:

Last time I looked you had bought an Everdure Nero as a travelling companion. Does the Weber baby Q mean that you were not happy with the Nero?

The Everdure is way to big for the van but I use it all the time at home on the veranda.

Spent a great part of the day around some wineries.

Maggie wanted the "little" keg to bring home  ;D ;D ;D ;D

---

When they lined the Tokay and Muscat up the comment from me was, "You don't HAVE to spit it out, do you"!!!!!!!  :D :D :D :D

---

Heading up towards the Snowy Mountains and Jindabyne.  Stopped for the night in a small rest area in the town of Woomargama, south of Holbrook and 2 kilometres off the Hume Highway.  It is actually on the old Hume.

Flushing toilets, fresh water and rubbish bins.  Small shop/post office just over the road and a pub 2 minutes walk away.

A great overnighter if you are between Sydney and Melbourne looking for a break.

Hard to find a leven spot but with the ramps managed to get it reasonably level for the night

---

Most people would maybe require a shopping trolley for their wines, but you two had a pallet  :o ;D

Those tasting glasses look very inviting. I'm guessing that there was no spitting  [smiley=cheers2.gif]

Rufzgutz wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2014 at 12:42pm:

Most people would maybe require a shopping trolley for their wines,

Nicely spotted on the pallet and pallet jack Ruffz.

I think Maggie is on the right track, no end of things you could do with a barrel that size.....besides filling it with booze.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p33i6lhuSTU/UTMCbzdxGsI/AAAAAAAAGvY/copIQoibLRg/s320/beerbed02.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/07/article-2683044-1F71E5F800000578-283_634x467.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/07/article-2683044-1F71E5D900000578-853_634x463.jpg

This would be more like the two lovebirds  :)

---

Been out of internet for a few days. A bonus!!!!!

Stayed a night at a great camp site alongside the Tumut River at Jones Bridge on Tumut Plains Road.

No facilities at all and for self contained so need to take grey water with you.

One of the photos shows my portable grey water tank in use

---

Last night at Yarrangobilly Camp Ground alongside the Snowy Mountains Highway between Tumut and Kiandra.

Great camp ground with heaps of room but be careful on the lower sections if it has been raining.

Long drop toilet, water in the creek, BBQ's, fires allowed.

Freezing bloody cold in winter.  Was one degree in the van when we woke up but the diesel heater had us sitting on 20 degrees within an hour.

On the photo taken through the window before I was game to walk outside you can see the ice crystals.

We found snow not that further up the mountain and it can snow here as well.

---

While camped in the Snowy Mountains it was time for a warming stew

Shin Beef
Carrots
Parsnips
Swede
Onion
Potato
Pumpkin
Thyme
Port
Extra liquid (water)

All in the camp oven and simmer on the Ozpig for two hours. Thickened with plain flour

---

Looks good Derek, one question though.
Do you brown the meat/veg. mix before you add the liquid?

My method is to start with a small amount of very hot olive oil, sizzle the mix in this adding port in drizzles to cook off leaving a "port residue" which caramilises the mix.
Then the flour cooked in before more liquid etc.

I have also been using chunks of beef brisket which breaks down beautifully in a slow cooked stew. :)
Mike

No, I don't brown the meat or veggies any more.  That does sound good though.

Livin' the dream Derek & Maggie!!!

Thanks for the update.

Jeff

Home for the next three nights. Jindabyne Holiday Park.

Costs are a premium at $55 a night but free and low cost camps are just a bit hard around here.

However in saying that the view over Lake Jindabyne from the front of the van is priceless.

It isn't always about free and low cost. As my realestate agent would say, location, location, location. :)

---

Looks like there is plenty of water down there, has any start to the thaw set in?
As a young bloke spent a lot of time in the area fly fishing.
Once the dams start to rise, a big black beetle wet fly can be a killer on browns fished in close to the bank as the water level floods the hatching beetles out.
You sure are having a good winter trip with the weather holding. ;D
Mike

Looks like you and Maggie are well prepared for the cold weather. You must the only caravan that is NOT in Qld at the moment. We've just had a month in Qld's outback and there are thousands of caravans, camper trailers and motorhomes everywhere. It was a very enjoyable trip, although the whole area was in severe drought.
On a couple of stretches of gravel road, we managed to get quite a lot of dust into the motorhome through the fridge and gas vents, settled mostly in the drawers. The motorhome is definitely not designed for outback dust, but still a very good trip.
Travel safe all those travelling.

Stubby.

Spent most of the day at Perisher.  Do you know people actually play in that white stuff.

The photo was taken from the bar  ;D ;D ;D ;D

---

I challenge you to make a camp oven cast in snow  :D

Rufzgutz wrote on Aug 26^th, 2014 at 8:33pm:

I challenge you to make a camp oven cast in snow  :D

Too bloody cold to put your hands in that stuff. This is as best I could do.  :D :D

---

I tips me lid to you Derek. Excellent bladder control to do print like that   :)

Thought we were heading for disaster yesterday.  Filled up with diesel before leaving Jindabyne.  Got to Adaminiby and the dash lit up with an alarm and a message that the fuel filter needed maintenance.

Thought, bugger, bad diesel.  Rang Toyota in Cooma and they said just drive it here which we did.  New filters and a system flush and we were back on the road again late in the afternoon.

Headed up the mountain and set up camp back at Yarrangobilly as we did last week.  Knew it was going to be a cold night so set the heater to keep us warm for the night.

Around midnight the heater cut out.  Bugger, with all the issues with the car had forgotten to fill up the heater diesel tank.

Woke up feeling cool just after 2.00 am.  Got up to go for a pee and the temp gauge said -5 degrees.  After tossing and turning for a while said to Maggie we are going to be warmer driving in the car, let's get out of here so we did and headed towards Victoria at 2.30 am. :)

Currently at Granthams Bend camping reserve on the Murray River near Corowa.  Nice free camp on the banks of the river with no facilities

---

Butter chicken for dinner.

---

Good thinking to warm up travelling. I would normally call you a woos, but -5 does give your actions credibility  :D

Beautiful, Calm surroundings to cook up dinner  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Those camp sites along the Murray River just make you want to sit back and relax.

Jeff

Headed south yesterday towards Bendigo as we wanted to visit the Bendigo Woolen Mill which we did today.

Stayed last night at a roadside stop called the Lions Park in Huntley just north of Bendigo.

Nice stop where there are good clean toilets, fresg watr on tap and a few shelter sheds.

Even more amazing is that the Bendigo Pizza bus pulled in just before dark and set up.  Pizzas were $10 each so that is what we had for dinner :)

---

Camped for the next few nights at the abandoned campsite at Lake Catyo Batyo near Donald in Victoria.

This is amazing. There is no water in the lake so it has simply just been left although recently mowed.

We found some of the power boards are still connected as is the water so we are connected to power and water.  Will do the washing tomorrow in the van's washing machine :)

The amenity block still has power but no lights or hot water. I just took to the disabled toilet with spray and wipe so there is one good toilet to use.

There is nothing about fees and there is no donation box.

---

Any pics of the Pizza Van?  Sounds interesting.

More good spots. Thanks again for posting them.

Rufzgutz wrote on Sep 1^st, 2014 at 6:27pm:

Any pics of the Pizza Van?

Nope, didn't take any.

We are about two or so hours from Lake Ratzcastle so will most likely arrive Thursday afternoon after stocking up with food at Horsham

Sounds like your having a good run there Derek.
Pizza delivered to the door, and free camping with electricity thrown in, it doesn't get much better than that.