Category: Next Level Adventures #4 (Zone – Off Grid)

Wonderful range of travel experiences. Just some of the highlights:

Whale migration (Hastings Point) – https://youtu.be/OART7xeb7n0?si=NbPOOiPXAOfsutOk

Off grid camping (Eureka, QLD) – https://dngbtt.com/dam-crazy-eureka/

Most challenging 4WD (Nine mile beach) – https://youtu.be/jMkpLnpeIrs?si=VU6zHN1pJcdHOKET

Wettest extended stay (Bartle Frere) – https://dngbtt.com/bartle-frere/

Most enjoyable swim (Crystal Cascades) – https://youtu.be/7q0Tz0H9PiA?si=-HlYPIQyk–MjyZE

Fun day with good friends (Bloomfield Track 4WD & Lion’s Den lunch- https://dngbtt.com/cape-tribulation/

Best tourist locations: Cobbold Gorge – https://dngbtt.com/cobbold-gorge/; Winton – https://dngbtt.com/winton/; Longreach – https://dngbtt.com/longreach/

Most challenging walk (Porcupine Gorge) – https://dngbtt.com/porcupine-gorge/

We spent 90% of our time away (3mths + 1 wk) in Queensland. There were no major issues… The car performed very well but we did need to watch our “weights”. This meant either not filling the car fuel tank fully or taking on less fresh water. A few stats… Diesel cost between $1.77 & $2.30/ litre. And I’ll guess the average to be around $2.05. Fuel consumption was 16.5L/100km. Water was of a good quality and easy to obtain. The total trip distance for the car was 10,300km and 6,850km for the van.

Wingham was an important detour on our way home as Adam, Olivia and family have just moved there.

We enjoyed a family stroll through the tall trees on the Wingham Brush boardwalk, a protected nature reserve. Then there was a play in the park and a cafe lunch.

The appearance of a garbage truck was very exciting for a little boy.

It was good to see Olivia’s family and share in the excitement of toasting marshmallows.

Lunch at Arrawarra rest stop on our way from Murwillumbah to Bellingen. It was hot (32°). Great to pull up, turn on the air conditioning (“off grid”) and have an enjoyable, comfortable lunch.

Our camping spot for two nights was the show ground, which was an easy walk into town over the river. Horses grazed on the oval and there were many birds. A beautiful spot.

Bellingen is known for its hippie subculture and diverse arts community. We had the best coffee and Portuguese tart that we can remember. Posters advertising wellbeing and healing programs, inner peace, crystal and natural therapies, farming methods and more, covered trees, shop fronts and buildings.

There was a steep walk down to the base of the stunning waterfall, where we could have a close up view of the organ pipe rock structure, caused by the cooling of the Ebor Volcano.

We stopped for a break at sleepy Dorrigo, whose trees displayed the promise of Spring

We stayed overnight at Murwillumbah Showgrounds, an easy distance to visit Brian and Wendy at Kingscliff. It is always so good to see them! A lovely time catching up and Wen cooked a delicious dinner.

At last a swim in the ocean…….

On the Sunshine Coast we spent four days visiting Mum, catching up with Brian and Jenny and swimming. It was such a contrast to the weeks of red dust and heat.

Roma’s industries today are wool, wheat, cattle and mining. We were fascinated to learn about the early history of drilling for water which lead to oil exploration and the discovery of gas. This gas is still piped to Brisbane and regional centers in between.

The morning we departed Roma, we visited the sale yards. These are the biggest in Australia. Our guide, Lloyd, was an elderly sheep and cattle farmer, who explained the history and operation of marketing cattle. The auctions were a spectacle to see!

The search for an Akubra hat comes to an end in Roma at Golders men’s store. The rightsize, the right color and the right price.

WE couldn’t leave Roma without viewing the towns’s largest bottle tree.

On our way to Roma we stopped for a break at Mitchell and were surprised to find a cafe open in this quiet town, as it was Sunday. It was in a community hot spa and it was filled with customers. Very pleasant, so we had an early lunch.

Our overnight stop was on the bank of the Warrego River in the small and friendly town of Augathella. The council asked for a $10 donation and provided toilets and showers, as well as generous bundles of fire wood for $12. We met a couple who make their living by travelling the circuit of country shows around Queensland, NT and as far as Darwin. Selling ice creams from their van ! They supplement their income by performing in country pubs and caravan parks.

From A2 there was a 13km dirt road into the campsite around a hot spring fed wetland. Very popular for campers and birds. We walked, soaked in the hot pool, cooked a meal on the open fire and watched the stunning sunsets in the evening. In the middle of the day, the only place to be was in the van with the aircon on.

On our way to Lara Wetlands, we followed the train line and stopped at Barcaldine, which is reputed to be the birthplace of the Labour union movement. The Tree of Knowledge Monument was the meeting place in 1891 for the labour movement, which spearheaded reforms that vastly improved the way of life for Australians.