A New Adventure Begins

[wardy1]

Well, after the events of the last couple of months (loss of licence/job etc), I along with my partner Ken are about to take off on a big adventure.

We are going to work our way around this great country over the next few years doing relief caravan park management.

On Friday of last week we received a call from a company I’ve been talking too and BINGO! We have our first job [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3].

During the first couple of weeks in March we’ll be making our way to Tiona which is just south of Foster/Tuncurry in NSW. A truly beautiful part of the world. We’ll be working pretty hard there as the park has been closed down for about 9 months and requires a fair bit of TLC apparently but hey, we love doing all that stuff anyway. Our contract will be for 4-6 months.

From there we’ll be looking for a new destination...... somewhere inside our beautiful coastline...... anywhere really.

Hopefully along the way we’ll meet up with some other friends from the forum, perhaps there may be some who’d like to hook up the van and come for a short stay?

We can’t wait..... this is a new challenge and certainly qualifies as an adventure in my book.

We’ve finally reached “Grey Nomad” status [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[donh54]

Keep us posted. If you're in our area some time we'd like to meet up.

[trout1105]

Well Done, What a Great idea [thumbsupbig]

[Chops]

Adventure before Dementia,,, geez, you guys are cuttin' it fine [bigwhistle]

Party hard before you leave [biggrin]

[Bytemrk]

That's great news Wardy!

as others have said keep us all up to date as you go - I suspect you might meet quite a lot of AULRO folk in your travels..

Glad you found such a positive answer !

[The ho har's]

Wonderful news !! You know where we live Alan, so drop in if you can [smilebigeye]

Mrs hh

[justinc]

Following this thread for certain!!! All the best for the move and what lies ahead!!

Jc

[rangieman]

Enjoy your dementia [bigwhistle]Sorry adventure [wink11]

[CraigE]

Well done, you will enjoy.
And if the Dementia sets in you may enjoy the same place several times.[biggrin]

[alien]

Congrats guys, onwards and upwards is the only way to go.

[wardy1]

dam! Just realised we’ll mis Winter Wombat! Actually we’ll miss the entire Winter [emoji3]

[Bytemrk]

It's OK Wardy... I'm sure there will be a few volunteers to have a quite drink for you. [tonguewink]

[Tins]

What a brilliant idea! What do they say about one door closing?? Maybe we might see each other when my next door opens. The other one isn't completely shut yet. One day at a time..

Wombat is COLD. You'll be fine staying warm, and Mark and I at least will have a drink for you. Not sure Mark is up to the cooking thing you do, but he'll learn.

Well done. Good luck.

[DiscoMick]

I know a bloke who goes around doing relief managing of bowling clubs all over. In between he spends a lot of time fishing at Iluka. Sounds a good life.

[Vern]

Btw wardy, its Forster, not Foster, but pronounced Foster! Better get used to that, wierd bunch up here.
I'm a couple of hours up the road at The Rocks.

[wardy1]

Then I hope we can catch up Vern. My mistake on the spelling[emoji847]

[rangieman]

Btw wardy, its Forster, not Foster, but pronounced Foster! Better get used to that, wierd bunch up here.
I'm a couple of hours up the road at The Rocks.
Well does that mean your fitting in well mate[bigwhistle]
I should lay off the one liners hey [bigrolf]
Hope it is working out for you Damian[thumbsupbig]

[wardy1]

Bought a new home for the job yesterday. We were going to live in our camper but decided that 6 mths or more deserves a bit more comfort LOL.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/273.jpg

[justinc]

dam! Actually we’ll miss the entire Winter [emoji3]

😅😅😅 thats the way!! 😅😅😅

Best wishes!!!

[wardy1]

Well, after a 2 week course in caravan park management at the Big4 Holiday Park in Nelligen NSW, I’m now qualified[emoji108].
On Saturday we leave this lovely part of the world for another at Tiona, just 10 minutes Sth of Forster as assistant managers until somewhere between September and December.
We’ve already been offered a permanent gig there but that’s not the point of the exercise. We’ll more than likely head west after our stint there. We do plan on being home in Melb for Xmas but will probably hit the road again pretty soon after.
Living the dream [emoji3]

[Mick_Marsh]

Adventure before Dementia,,, geez, you guys are cuttin' it fine [bigwhistle]

Party hard before you leave [biggrin]
Your game plan?

[Chops]

Your game plan?


Hehe,, like as if you don’t know 🤪

[wardy1]

Well, just finished Cert III in tourism at Nelligen NSW (inland about 10k from Batemans Bay). Great course[emoji3].
Tomorrow we leave for Tiona and start work Monday. We can’t wait. [emoji106]

[wardy1]

First chance to give an update!
The Sundowner at Tiona is quite simply one of the most beautiful places in the coast. Ocean beach one side, Wallis Lake on the other.
We of course had to work our butts off over Easter with the park at full capacity. Learning plenty and enjoying every day. We’re here until September (possibly till early December ) so if you’re up this way, get in touch[emoji106]

[wardy1]

Hard to believe we’ve been here almost a month! 4 days off now so off to port Macquarie for a look see tomorrow.

[wardy1]

Well, after a couple of great months the park is now in Winter mode...... really not enough work here for this many staff so we leave here for good old (cold) Melbourne on Thursday. We’ve learned a huge amount here but it’s time to move on.
We’ll get home Friday. The van will go into storage at Ken’s place for a while.
The adventure continues next Tuesday[emoji3].

With our camper trailer in tow, we’re off to BIRDSVILLE [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3][emoji3].

We plan on arriving there about the 26th May and will be there until seasons end in November.

THIS IS LIVING [emoji108]

[rangieman]

Well, after a couple of great months the park is now in Winter mode...... really not enough work here for this many staff so we leave here for good old (cold) Melbourne on Thursday. We’ve learned a huge amount here but it’s time to move on.
We’ll get home Friday. The van will go into storage at Ken’s place for a while.
The adventure continues next Tuesday[emoji3].

With our camper trailer in tow, we’re off to BIRDSVILLE [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3][emoji3].

We plan on arriving there about the 26th May and will be there until seasons end in November.

THIS IS LIVING [emoji108]
Happy Travels ya poor buggar:woot:

[Homestar]

I'm insanely jealous... 😁

Safe and happy travels guys. 👍

[Roverlord off road spares]

Just remember Wardy whilst you are swanning around the rest of us still have to work. Enjoy your travels . Cheers, Mario

[DiscoMick]

I'm insanely jealous... [emoji16]

Safe and happy travels guys. [emoji106]Me too. Where do I sign up?

[loanrangie]

Living the dream Alan, good luck.

[wardy1]

Well, here we are in Bourke, 1/2 way to Birdsville. Been a great drive so far (for Ken..... remember I have no licence[emoji35]). Going to stay here for a break tomorrow and have a look around.
One comment though..... the drive from Nyngan to Bourke..... the litter on the roadside is disgusting! Not sure whether it’s the trickiest or the nomads but there are water bottles from arsehole to breakfast all the way along [emoji35].
Bourke is a nice town however. Will know more tomorrow when we get to look around a bit.
Decided to take a little side trip to Tombpine pub, nice memories from a trip with Kyle a couple of years ago[emoji3]

[trout1105]

Why solely blame the grey nomads for the rubbish??
Most of this mob have water tanks in their vans, They fill their water bottles up as they go and they don't chuck them out of the window.
I have found that the young crews and Mum, Dad and a bunch of kids mob tend to trash the area much more than the old farts do.

[donh54]

Should get cleaner soon, NSW has bought in a bottle refund scheme. Made a big difference already around Moree!

[wardy1]

Why solely blame the grey nomads for the rubbish??
Most of this mob have water tanks in their vans, They fill their water bottles up as they go and they don't chuck them out of the window.
I have found that the young crews and Mum, Dad and a bunch of kids mob tend to trash the area much more than the old farts do.

I didn’t blame it solely on the grey nomads, I said I wasn’t sure if it was the truckies (it got auto corrected[emoji35]) or the nomads.

I have noticed a few people with utes picking up, so hopefully it will get cleaned up. Just amazes me that people just chuck it all out the window.

[wardy1]

Well on Saturday we finally reached Birdsville. It really is a special place and the people here are super friendly.
The road from Windorah is a bit rough, with LOTS of rocks from marble size to tennis ball. They did a bit of damage to some wiring under the trailer and knocked some paintwork around, other than that, all good.
If you’re coming up this way, I strongly suggest that you avoid buying fuel at Quilpie! $178.9/ltr. In Birdsville and most other places it’s around $1.55.

The park is very busy already and all the regular sites are booked for the Bas in July. There are about 200 ‘overflow’ site that will become available about July 1st, so if you’re thinking of making the trip, make sure you ring to book (07 46563214).

The weather here atm is lovely. Day time temps around 25, evenings are cool, but not cold.

Anyway, off to work I e to see some aulronians up here soon[emoji3]

[Bigbjorn]

Stick to short stay tourism oriented parks. Avoid parks with a high percentage of permanent residents. These latter are unfortunately often welfare ghettos.

[DiscoMick]

Well on Saturday we finally reached Birdsville. It really is a special place and the people here are super friendly.
The road from Windorah is a bit rough, with LOTS of rocks from marble size to tennis ball. They did a bit of damage to some wiring under the trailer and knocked some paintwork around, other than that, all good.
If you’re coming up this way, I strongly suggest that you avoid buying fuel at Quilpie! $178.9/ltr. In Birdsville and most other places it’s around $1.55.

The park is very busy already and all the regular sites are booked for the Bas in July. There are about 200 ‘overflow’ site that will become available about July 1st, so if you’re thinking of making the trip, make sure you ring to book (07 46563214).

The weather here atm is lovely. Day time temps around 25, evenings are cool, but not cold.

Anyway, off to work I e to see some aulronians up here soon[emoji3]I've stayed there. Friendly they were. How is the river? Across the river there is even a beach and picnic area. Water is a bit greasy though. Have you had a camel pie yet?

[wardy1]

Going to try the camel pie tomorrow [emoji15]
The river is pretty high right now, have t had time to explore down there much yet..... as already said, it’s bloody busy here!

We won’t be getting involved I Park’s with permanents. Bee warned by several people in the industry already.

[wardy1]

Well today is our first day off[emoji108]

First thing on the agenda was to fix the wiring that got totally trashed under the trailer. I was going to put conduit on it, but time didn’t allow. Anyway, all is good again now, and yeah, it runs through some thick poly water pipe now so shouldn’t be a problem again.
Tomorrow is BIG RED day [emoji3][emoji3][emoji2]. Will post some pics then.

Cheers

[wardy1]

https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/36ef1a5aa73659bbea666f680d5032f4.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/830e93dd46164ac959b650dc689aba47.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/467a51c7b722d9f25c37a2cc7023d780.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/ed789b41b005fc8d10ed4ca4bdf39701.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/dfb14793701573fb6afd59b1584bef8c.jpg

[Robmacca]

Wow, just finished reading the post.... what a fantastic way to see the country.....

I've probably got another 5>7yrs before I can look at doing something similar....

rob

[Chops]

hehe,, nice finger placement [wink11]

[wardy1]

Wow, just finished reading the post.... what a fantastic way to see the country.....

I've probably got another 5>7yrs before I can look at doing something similar....

rob

Yes, it is a great way to see the country, just be aware that it is also bloody hard work at times. A park like Birdsville has up to 600 sites which means that there are up to 2000 people in the park during major events like the races. Front office is flat out most of the time and there are amenities to clean along with rooms and cabins.
It isn’t a holiday believe me....... but we’re loving it all the same[emoji108]

[Lee Jackson]

Hi Wardy,

If you have any RMS questions I am sure i could help you. :)

Really enjoying the photos inspiring.

[wardy1]

Well, after resignation of the park managers a couple of weeks ago, we are now co-managers of the park [emoji108]
It’s been extremely busy here for the Bash and will stay that way till next week. A bit of a break then before the race week at the end of August.
The organisation for the Bash is amazing. There are 8000 people plus crews and volunteers involved.
I’ll try to post an aerial pic later

[wardy1]

https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/0245ad0d2ef429a72adc009c107a0f00.jpg

[wardy1]

https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/b64cb1d6ee9f1aad8d4d15d8a7673065.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/cbb79c71696b71074dadffb31009fbf1.jpg
Just a cuppla pics to make you all jealous [emoji23][emoji23]

[Bytemrk]

Yep... pics had the desired effect Wardy... [biggrin]

Looks like you are having an amazing time between the hard work........

[Chops]

Just a cuppla pics to make you all jealous [emoji23][emoji23]


*****,,,

And next time,, I’m hangin’ up :bat:

[wardy1]

https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/37a15081d613e11d4d130e3257b122f5.jpg

[wardy1]

Took this pic the other night just past Waddi Trees

[alien]

Took this pic the other night just past Waddi Trees
Stop it, and stop it now!
2020 before or next serious dirt road trip.
Having said that you missed a good Winter Wombat.

Good to to see you’re both still enjoying Birdsville.
Have you made an offer on the pub yet?

[Roverlord off road spares]

Apparently the Birdsville pub is up for sale I heard.
"Dessert Change" maybe Wardy?

[rangieman]

Apparently the Birdsville pub is up for sale I heard.
"Dessert Change" maybe Wardy?
He would have a lot more mates than he wished [bigwhistle]

[wardy1]

Apparently the pub has been on the market for 6 years or so. Same owners have Innamincka.

We’re still enjoying ourselves here but when November arrives, we’re outta here. Heading home for Christmas with family etc.

After that, SA beckons..... or maybe NSW..... or maybe Qld....... who knows [emoji23]

[wardy1]

Absolutely bloody horrible day here today!
35 degrees and 40kmh winds..... huge dust storm happening right now.

Almost makes me jealous of Melbourne at 13 degrees LOL

[rangieman]

Absolutely bloody horrible day here today!
35 degrees and 40kmh winds..... huge dust storm happening right now.

Almost makes me jealous of Melbourne at 13 degrees LOL
We all feel for you mate [bighmmm] NOT !

[wardy1]

Well tomorrow we leave Birdsville!
The summer caretakers are coming in a bit earlier than expected so we’ve decided to move on. We’ll be heading down the Birdsville Track to Marree tomorrow and then take a couple of days to get to Adelaide where we have a couple of job interviews early next week.
Birdsville has certainly been an experience, the races last weekend were simply huge with the town literally bursting at the seams. The crowd were very well behaved and everyone had a great time.
Looking forward to getting home to see all of our friends and family, especially my little grand daughters.
We’ll let you know where too next, looks to be SA but nothing set in stone at this stage.

[wardy1]

Well we’re now in Gawler SA. Nice town really. Pretty uneventful trip down apart from 2 punctures, one on the trailer and one on the car. Apart from the front prop shaft issue, the car has gone extremely well in some very tough conditions. By the time we get back to Melbourne on Wednesday, we’ll have clocked up about 5,500 km. Average fuel consumption so far is 14l/100km. Keep in mind that most of these k’s have been towing a camper and both it and the car have been loaded. I’m pretty happy with that anyway.

Just as an aside, I met a guy in Birdsville who has been a diesel mech all his life. He drives an 01 deefer Td5. He told me about adjusting injectors and what a difference it can make. He ended up offering to help me do mine. Now this is a relatively simple job once you see it done and I was surprised at just how far out mine were, especially number 5. The end result is more power and torque, which I believe would be measurable. The difference in driving it is marked. It’s smoother, and holds speed on hills much better than before.
The entire job took about an hour and a half, but we did have trouble getting the fan off so I reckon and hour would do it normally. The only tools required are a dial gauge (he used a digital vernier), a screwdriver and a 13mm spanner (I think). It takes 2 people as one needs to hold the gauge and the other turns the motor over.

[wardy1]

Now back in Ringwood and all of us including our trusty dog Lyric are enjoying re-settling for a while.
Landed the job in Gawler and so will be heading back there on Boxing Day. I think we’ll be there until Easter 2019.not too far from Melrose[emoji3].

[wardy1]

Well right now we’re in Bordertown on our way to our next gig at Gawler SA. We’ll be there till the week before Xmas then home for a family time. Also picking up the new Mars Hybrid caravan[emoji3]. Boxing Day sees us head back there till a bit after Easter.
After that, who knows [emoji3]
Loving this life

[wardy1]

Well the new van won’t be ready until mid January, so we’re still going home for Xmas and will have to make another trip back in February after the busy season here. All good.
The park is great, quiet and easy to run. Couldn’t be happier right now[emoji108]

[Homestar]

Geez, I need to pull my finger out - was going to come say hi but you’ve buggered off again! Hopefully catch up before Christmas for a cuppa if you have time?

[wardy1]

Be great to see yo umGav but time will be very limited. We drive back on18/12, then back here on Boxing Day. We’ll be here for Easter, so maybe drop in on your way to Melrose??.

[Homestar]

Plans for next year are a bit sketchy still at this stage beyond Corowa - will catch up at some stage. 👍😊

[wardy1]

Well, our stint at Gawler has ended and we’re back in Melbourne for about a month.
Looking for relief jobs now as we don’t want to be stuck in one place for too long anymore. The Gawler park was good except for one Pia.
Anyway it’s led us into the Discovery Parks network which has 340 parks all over Oz. Gotta be some relief jobs there [emoji106]

[wardy1]

Well, after a slightly longer than expected stint at home, we’re finally off again[emoji106].
This time we’re off to KARUMBA up in the Gulf in Qld. It’s a great job and the fishing there is nothing short of brilliant.
We’re there for the season which ends early September.
Hope we see an aulronian or two during our stay[emoji106]

[jonesfam]

You will love Karumba.
We lived there for 3 or so years in the late 80's.
Worked very hard, partied even harder & I believe (very distorted memories) we had a great time.
Probably a bit more civilised these days.
Jonesfam

[Bearman]

Well, after a slightly longer than expected stint at home, we’re finally off again[emoji106].
This time we’re off to KARUMBA up in the Gulf in Qld. It’s a great job and the fishing there is nothing short of brilliant.
We’re there for the season which ends early September.
Hope we see an aulronian or two during our stay[emoji106]

Give me a yell if you are coming up the coast road Alan. We might be able to catch up over a coffee - I met you in Birdsville last year

[wardy1]

Well, after 3,050km we arrived in Karumba yesterday. A nice little drive really [emoji106].
The D4 performed absolutely beautifully except for me having a seniors moment in Longreach where I put about 17 litres of unleaded in the tank[emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]. This cost us an extra day as I had to wait for a mechanics shop to open on Monday morning. I DIDN’T start the car once I realised what I’d done btw[emoji106].
Anyway, apart from that little hiccup, the drive was very easy, even on the fairly ordinary and narrow blacktop and a bit of dirt heading from Nynunda across to Julia Creek and then from there to Normanton and Karumba.
Towing the van of 2400kg? Hardly knew it was there, cruise set on 106kmh (actual 100kmh) and returned 13.1l/100km. Gotta be happy with that.
Now, where’s my fishing rod [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[RobMichelle]

Nice [emoji3]

[wardy1]

For those who’ve never been... but wish......
https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/643d6ff396b97a2345cf370724708183.jpg

[jonesfam]

Wecome to the Gulf Country.
And the end of the road.
Jonesfam

[V8Ian]

I had to evacuate the manager from there a few years ago, I hope that's not an omen.

[wardy1]

Well, the boss at Karumba turned out to be a right arsehole so we’re out of there [emoji106]
Ken had a few issues so we’re now on our way to Cairns so that the tests he needs can be done. We should get there on Saturday as we’re taking a day or two to check out the Atherton Tablelands. He can’t see anyone at the Cairns hospital until Monday

Hopefully all will be fine and well then retrace the last 900km or so and head over to Kununnurra.

[wardy1]

Well..... this part of the adventure is now pretty much over.
We are currently in Cairns and unfortunately Ken is in hospital☹️. What we thought was a precautionary colonoscopy has become much much more.
Attended Cairns Hospital ED yesterday. They decided that they should also do an ecg...... turns out his heart was fluctuating between anterior fribulation (AF) and partially normal with a few beats missed here and there. His pulse rate went from around 70 to over 150 on a cycle of around 2 minutes. No symptoms at all.
Anyway, the main focus has turned from his rear end to his ticker. They’re running pretty much every test there is but they’re still having difficulty getting his heart beat regular.
The colonoscopy will still happen but not until next Tuesday.
Weird thing is they have also diagnosed sleep apnoea and he doesn’t snore!
So here we sit in Cairns until he’s sorted.... could be plenty worse I guess. We think though that the caravan park work may be over for us. Shame really, I enjoyed most of it. We’ll play it by ear once he’s right again.

[incisor]

hope the recovery is quick and the fix is easy...

[DiscoMick]

Well..... this part of the adventure is now pretty much over.
We are currently in Cairns and unfortunately Ken is in hospital[emoji852]️. What we thought was a precautionary colonoscopy has become much much more.
Attended Cairns Hospital ED yesterday. They decided that they should also do an ecg...... turns out his heart was fluctuating between anterior fribulation (AF) and partially normal with a few beats missed here and there. His pulse rate went from around 70 to over 150 on a cycle of around 2 minutes. No symptoms at all.
Anyway, the main focus has turned from his rear end to his ticker. They’re running pretty much every test there is but they’re still having difficulty getting his heart beat regular.
The colonoscopy will still happen but not until next Tuesday.
Weird thing is they have also diagnosed sleep apnoea and he doesn’t snore!
So here we sit in Cairns until he’s sorted.... could be plenty worse I guess. We think though that the caravan park work may be over for us. Shame really, I enjoyed most of it. We’ll play it by ear once he’s right again.Really sorry to hear that. Hope they can stabilise his heart and improve his other issues.

[Chops]

Thanks for the update Al,, that just plain sucks [bigsad]
Please give Ken our best wishes.

[loanrangie]

Hope all goes well, may as well head south for WW [bigwhistle].

[Chops]

I have passed this on for Wardy and Ken.

Clem Walton Park and Corella Dam. Between Cloncurry and Mt Isa.

Ohh, or possibly not even [bighmmm] I’ll have another crack shall I ??

[Chops]

Ok, so no short cutting this time. [biggrin][thumbsupbig]