Year off around Australia

Follow instructions to get here (off Flemington Rd, enter Gate 2 to find Camping Office) which we do. Lovely lady in the office, books us in and gives us our campsite number and explains how we get there etc. We drive around in the Park until we get to our site No.86. Wow - plenty of room on this site! Happily get ourselves set up, awning and mat in use. Then we have lunch - sandwich for Roger, yoghurt and banana for me. Relax about camp for the afternoon. Roger calls Robert - to say G'day and check on our mail. I make up some cheese and nibbles to have with our afternoon drink (ginger beer). In the meantime Rog has come across on a local marketplace (on his mobile) a couple of fold up bikes he'd like us to go check out. After arranging a time to meet (5.30pm) - off we go for a drive. Turns out - we don't get these bikes - decide to save up for electric ones! Nice drive about, and Roger has topped up his cash (found an ATM). We return to camp and Roger cooks up tea - chicken snitzels with boiled vegetables. Dessert not required. I ate the licorice (let Rog have a couple of pieces) earlier today. Roger has his shower (in van) and I do the dishes. Now time to relax (write this up) before bed.
26/04/25 Saturday. Roger and I get up around 7.30am. There is a market happening at this Park this morning so I hold off on breakfast, and go and have a shower at the amenities block. When I return I get organised to go to the market, Roger happy to come too. We get back to camp after an hour or so. Now get ready to go driving - we plan to check out a nearby lookout and then go visit the War Memorial. Roger packs our lunch - cheese and vegemite sandwiches and fruit. We head off on our day trip around 9.30am. We return after a beaut day out at 5.30pm. I'm happy to get straight to making pumpkin soup for our tea - using the nice fresh produce we got from the market this morning. Soup is tasty and goes well with the sour dough bread Rog purchased at the market too. Roger goes and has his shower (to amenities block tonight) while I get caught up in reading (starting) 'Judy A Dog in A Million' that I purchased today at the War Memorial gift shop. Roger returns and reads for a while, before going to bed. Not enough dishes for me to worry about washing them tonight, so I read for a while longer before getting to write this up. Bedtime next.
27/04/25 Sunday. I get up first, but return to bed to read until 8am, Roger gets up at our 'normal' 7.30am. We decide we'll do some washing when we get back from our day's outing - so I strip and change our bedding before I have a leisurely breakfast. Once we're tidied up and organised- we leave here around 9.45am.
We return at 4pm - in time for Roger to go and put 2 loads of washing on. I'm hiding in our caravan happily, as I've changed into my PJs so my outfit I was wearing could be washed too. It's getting cold outside so I'm content to be indoors - updating my budget books and continuing to read the book I got yesterday. Roger is making up pizzas for tea - he's panfrying some chicken to use as the meat in the toppings. The pizzas are good. We don't worry about dessert - Roger's not hungry now and I've had a couple of hotcross buns (my 1st for this year) earlier, when we 1st got back. Roger goes and has his shower, I continue reading my book. Then I wash the dishes, now writing this up before bed.
28/04/25 Monday. Roger up and about 7.30am, I read in bed until 8am. We have our breakfasts and tidy up to be ready to go out day tripping. We leave around 9am.
We get back at 4pm and I head straight over to get our dry washing off the clothesline. Roger does some maintenance on the ute's back window protection. I get back and sort and put away the washing, before getting the silverside started in the Thermomix for tea tonight. Now decide I feel like a couple of hot cross buns to have with my gin and soda Rog has organised - he's trying vodka with dry ginger. Tea works out nicely - silverside and steamed vegetables with mustard sauce. Afterwards I wash the dishes, Roger drys and helps put away. Roger goes and has his shower, I work on catching up with this. Bedtime.
29/04/25 Tuesday. Roger up before 7.30am, I'm happy to stay in bed reading until 8am. Roger is preparing a cooked breakfast, so I get up to help with toast and putting on the cold stuff before we load up with the bacon, egg and mushrooms - yummo! Tidy up and get ready for another day trip - Roger packs leftover pizza etc for our lunch. We head off just after 9am.
We return around 3.30pm. Toast up the last couple of hotcross buns for us to have with a cuppa. It's raining so we're content to relax in the caravan, Rog getting landlord insurance quotes and I'm updating the budget books. Tea tonight is reheated silverside and mustard sauce with fresh batch of boiled vegetables. No need for dessert - we nibbled on some beef jerky as entree before tea. Roger has his shower, I'm writing this up before doing the dishes and getting to bed.
30/04/25 Wednesday Roger and I get up at 7am. I feel overdue for a run so I get in my running gear and head off and do 6 laps around the nearby trotting track. A couple of 1st's this morning, group of tradies (4 or 5 electricians?) working beside the track - give me a lovely friendly round of applause as I keep running around the track while they're ducking for cover out of the rain lol. 2nd, when the rain eased, a few swallows (birds) followed me around the track for a while, flying around my feet, catching the bugs that I'm disturbing out of the grass! I get back to our caravan - get out of my wet clothes into my warm dressing gown and have my breakfast. Then go have a lovely warm shower, to return and get tidied up and ready to go on today's outing. Roger has packed our lunch. We leave just before 10am.
We get back at 3.30pm. Now enjoy a relax, staying warm in our van, reading and catching up on travel spend app etc. I make us up a plate of cheese and biscuits to have with cuppa. Tea tonight - we reheat the last of the siverside and mustard sauce and have with freshly boiled vegetables. Roger has yoghurt and fruit for dessert. I wash the dishes, Roger goes and has his shower. I get a call from Sharon (we teed this up earlier today - via texting) - so lovely to have a catch up. Now time for bed.
1/05/25 Thursday Roger gets up a 7am, I stay in bed reading a book until 7.30am. Get up, get dressed and have my breakfast - all at a leisurely pace. We head off about 9am - going to the Museum this morning.
Return from our day out just before 5pm. It's now cooling off becoming cold - unfortunately we haven't been able to get enough charge happening with the batteries so we're unable to use our diesel heater? Just as well we're on power so we can use our reverse cycle air conditioner! I get to and make up some pumpkin soup in the Thermomix. Roger puts together his sausage surprise stove top casserole. After these 2 courses we have yoghurt with fresh raspberries. Roger goes and has a shower and I get the dishes done. Now relaxing until bedtime. Roger in bed reading, I'm updating budget books and spending app, then write this up.
2/5/25 Friday Up and about 7.30am. Have our breakfasts, then I go and have my shower. Get back and tidy up, then get organised for a day out without going in the ute. Roger's decided as it's 'Free Friday' on the public transport - we'll give the Light Rail ago today. It's only a short walk from our camp to catch. We head off before 9am.
Return around 3.30pm - I enjoy a phone chat with Jenny, then relax at camp, sitting outside for a while. We have cheese and biccies with a cuppa, then our afternoon drinks - gingerbeer and red wine. Evenings are chilly, so back in the caravan for warmth. Tea tonight is reheated pumpkin soup followed by reheated sausage surprise. I ring Leigh to find out how he's got on with Shane re Woodbank and water - no news as Leigh hasn't rang him yet. We enjoy a chat, then I finish off with saying I'll ring again next week to find out how he gets on! Next, I get a callback from Robert (I rang him earlier) - nice to catch up on his news, and I try to make sure he'll 'bill us' for something for his birthday (don't think my new runners idea is going anywhere!). After we finish this call, Roger and I go for a drive to checkout Canberra's night lights. When we return I call Raelene back (I missed her call while I was chatting with Jen) while Roger goes for his shower. All under control with Raels and Co. Next, time to do the dishes and write this up before bed.
3/05/25 Saturday. Market day here. Roger up around 7am, I stay in bed reading until 7.30am. Then up to get dressed and organised to leave here (pack up caravan) - I head over to the market to get my breakfast - select a fancy crepe - roasted pumpkin, orange, duhka, Maple and pomegranate- yum but small serving. Roger comes over to the market to stock up on vegetables and bread (sourdough). Finish up packing up to leave - head off around 9am.Read more