Sunday 30th - Grandfinal Day

Today was Luke & Tom's Soccer Grandfinal, it was a great game with the boys winning in a penalty shootout. It was 2 all at the end of normal time and they won the shootout 4-2.  Luke scored the first goal for Sawtell and they both scored a goal in the shootout.

A very stressful morning for Pop & Gra.

Saturday 29th - The old blokes birthday

Today I spent a wonderful day with Chris and the family. Chris and I started the day with breakfast at Zest in the Sawty Main Street.

We took Max down to the rock pools in the afternoon and counted fish and starfish.

We finished the day at the Sawty Pub for tea, a great way to celebrate my birthday.

Friday 28th - Sawtell

Last night we surprised Tom when we turned up at the pub where they where staying in Lismore. He ran in the 800m at the area PSSA Carnival and run 2nd, so it is off to State in October.

We then headed to Sawtelll where we intend to stay for 8 nights, It will be good to be able to stay in the one place to finish off the holiday.

We surprised Luke for his 13th birthday today, when we spoke to him in the morning we told him we where in Toowoomba. He had some friends over and we all went 10 pin bowling, I now know I have a teenager grandson with mates the same age. Pop is getting old.

Thursday 27th - Lismore & Armidale

32 days into the trip and this is the first day we have had to drive in the rain all day. We headed towards Lismore through some interesting back country via Toowoomba, Warrick and Kyogle.

Tonight's stop off in Lismore.

Shane, Sueanne, Ian and Helen are heading down the New England Hwy towards home tomorrow, they are staying in Armidale tonight, it is 12 degrees and raining so they are staying in a bit of luxury for their last night compared to the last 32 days. 

Cameron visited the Bundy factory in Bunderburg on his last day with us yesterday to restock his favourite Bundy Rum before heading down the coast to Noosa.

Wednesday 26th - Bouldercomb to Bowenville Reserve

Today was a long drive from Bouldercomb through Bileola and Mundubbera, we then changed plans and headed down to Dalby on an interesting road where it got down to a single lane for many kilometres, Chris was driving behind a large mobile home towing a small 4wd, she has mastered towing the van very well, even passed it on a double section.

We have ended up at the Bowenville Reserve which is by the Bowenville river, 29km east of Dalby, it is a very large reserve with about 30 vans here. It is a well kept reserve with toilets, a place to remember as you could easily stay more than one night.

Tuesday 25th - Dingo Beach to Bouldercombe.

Well it turned out to be a big day, we ended up travelling 549 km, all was going ok until the fuel filter warning light came on again after only travelling 100km today, we drove around all day yesterday with no issues. I decided to stop in at Mackay Toyota to have the filter replaced, they were very good and had us back on the road within an hour.

Shane and the others had reached Yaamba Rest area by 2.15pm so they decided to keep going towards Gladstone as Cam will be leaving us tomorrow to head to Noosa, they camped the night at Mount Larcom Showgrounds.

We reached Yaamba by 4.00pm but decided to move onto Boulderville which is 29km down the Mt Morgan road from Rockhampton, we camped on a large vacant lot alongside the Royal hotel, there are 7 other vans and motor homes parked here.

We went to the pub and met two other couples, one from Victoria and one from Queensland, one has been on the road for 3 years. We thought we might get a pub tea but no such luck, other than the travellers there where 2 locals.

Chris met up with a couple of locals.

The intention is to meet up with the others sometime tomorrow.

Monday 24th Proserpine / Airlie Beach / Dingo Beach /Hideaway Bay

Today we headed into Proserpine to have Toyota look at the fuel filter, as it turned out once I reset the sensor on the filter after been told how to do it, the light went out. Proserpine is an old town centered around the sugar mill, there was not much more in the town to see.

We then headed back out to Airlie Beach but the weather was overcast with a light shower so we didn't get the swim we where going to have. There is a nice boat harbour with some very expensive boats moored there.

The cruise ship Pacific Dawn was anchored in the bay so the place was full of tourists from the ship, because it was in port there where markets in town, we ended up having lunch at the Whitsunday Sailing Club.

It was then out to Dingo Beach which is 20km past where we are staying, it is a small village with a nice beach where the fisherman launch their boats, there is also a fenced off compound to swim in stinger season. There is a quaint little pub and general store.

On our way back we called into Hideaway Bay which has a lot of holiday homes, around the headland there where a lot of yachts moored our of the wind, there is also a resort on the headland. The water was so crystal clear and blue.

Tomorrow we start the long daily drives again, we head off through Mackay to Rockhampton.