Week 454 - Hervey Bay - Dundowran Beach, Queensland

Sorry about the absence of the blog for two weeks, we have been busy busy finishing the repairs on the bus and all the other jobs around the place that needed doing. Bill also treated Jo to a custom built office in our motorhome. She is truely spoilt. So after a four week stay at Bill's maintenance shed, we departed to the other side of Bundaberg to spend some time with Jo's mum preparing for our departure south.

Rusti and Narelle - Narelle and Rusti share a joke 

Rusti sits out the cold weather - A bout of wet cold
weather hit us again in Bundaberg 

Our next stop Hervey Bay to catch up with fellow motorhomers at "God's waiting room". Five days of happy hours was a bit exhausting, but it was a great catch up.

Office works! Jo sitting in her refurbished office. 
After finalising the necessary repairs, 
Jo asked one more favour of Bill, 
an office desk fit for a queen. 

We write our blog enroute to Maroochydore to participate in the well alligned Novemberfest. The Novemberfest is a dangerous cocktail of beer, wine and song with a few of my bestest mates.

Relaxing in Alan and Di's shed, Hervey Bay - 
Hervey Bay has got a dozen or so Highway Wanderers 
who meet and gather on many occasions throughout the year 

So it feels good to be back on the road with the bus in tip top condition. However, we have a grumbling starter motor which has a mind of its own and will have to be fixed sooner rather than later.

Hervey Bay - Camped at Bruce and Di's 
place Hervey Bay, dodging the rain clouds 

Our plans for the not too distant future is to travel to Adelaide then to Western Australia for a couple of years. We hope to reinvent the sense of adventure we started off with nine years ago, exploring, fossicking and searching out some of the unusual places in Australia.

Week 452 to 453 - Bundaberg, Queensland

Our bus should be ready for the road in about 7 days. The last and final job is in the process of being built. Jo is getting a luxury office desk installed in the motorhome as she spends most of her time on the computer, knitting or sewing.

Before - The rain damage is obviously evident 
in this photograph 

We have now been in Bundaberg 10 weeks and have been through hail, wind and storms. The worst weather we have encountered over our 9 years of travelling. But now we are at the stage to put that all behind us.

After - Bill's cabinetry work is excellent and
 we are very appreciative of his skills

Bill's bees - This swarm of native bees are also 
resident at Bill and Narelle's maintenance facility

A few highlights of our week has been a swarm of native bees that spread across the driveway and were there on and off for a few days; and a lovely early morning bike ride from Mon Repos to Bargara and back. The ocean views, the beaches and the heads of the Burnett River were spectacular in the early morning sun.

Beyond blue - A peaceful mornings' ride with the 
Prime family took us along the coastal cliffs of Bargara. 

Peaceful Peaceful - Not a storm in sight, however 
we were buffered that night by a ferocious storm. 
Fortunately we were under cover.

Prior to the Tuesday (Melbourne Cup), Jo rang a lovely seafood restaurant to see if they had a Melbourne Cup function, but they regretfully said no. Jo said that's good, we would like to book a table for 6 and Alan, Di and Bill, joined us. It is the first time in many years that we have not had a bet nor watched the race of the Melbourne Cup but we had lovely company and magnificent river views.

Less stress - In this stress related environment, 
I have taken to drinking several drinks at the same time.

So fingers crossed and legs crossed, we are eagerly awaiting completion of repairs.

Week 451 - Bundaberg, Queensland

We are still at Bundaberg at Bill's maintenance facility and at last the weather is on our side.


The inside of the bus is now complete, new cupboards, bedroom rear wall replaced, redecorated and faulty seal on the back window repaired.

Self leveling sealant - An amazing product, 
easy to work with and can be painted. 

The roof has now been resealed with an amazing product called "Self Leveling Sealant by Dicor Products". American of course but it has done the job. All we need to do now is give the roof a couple of coats of specialised roofing paint. However, we have to wait 7 to 10 days for the sealant to cure but at least we now have a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Kerry and Jan - Fellow travellers from Tasmania 

This week we have had a couple of fellow motorhomers, Jan and Kerry - from Tasmania, staying over. A medical problem necessitated that they do not drive and be near a hospital. In fact one day they even travelled to the Royal Brisbane Hospital by train for a specialised visit. Their future is uncertain and are parked here in limbo with us, courtesy of Bill and Narelle.

Before - Jo sitting on the bull bar of the 
motorhome with it's old decals. 

After - New decals give the motorhome 
a fresher look. 

During the week we took a short break from repairs to visit the Bundaberg Botanical Gardens. A breath of fresh air as it were. The gardens had been flooded in the last flood and have recovered to their former glory, however, a flock of Ibis has taken residence on one of the islands and are slowly destroying it for the other critters around the lakes.
So with the work almost finished, we will soon have time to play.

Cranky Franky - We came across this old photograph 
of this blue face honeyeater that travelled with us for 
some 5 weeks. Here he is doing some computer work. 

Eastern Waterdragon 

Bert Hinkler's house - Bert Hinkler's house 
on a sunny day is glorious