Greenvale

Three nights in Greenvale.

Greenvale used to be a flourishing nickle mining town of 3000 people. The houses and units are still here and many available for purchase. Now only approximately 150 people live here.

On our first day we walked the streets to look at the layout of the town.

Our stay is in the local caravan park, which is not frequented by many people. There is a springfed channel in the middle that serves as a green oasis and on which the ducks swim.

We found a nice shady spot near the channel and moved a fire bin to our site. Campfires are allowed here.

On every other Saturday night the local golf club has a meals night. So we walked up there to join the locals. It was fun! A large outdoor firepit was going with huge lovely warm fire and people chatting around it. A darts match was also set up.

Dinner was either rissoles, chicken schnizel or crumbed steak with chips and salad with dessert of passionfruit flummery or spongcake (both home made). Food not brilliant but the charm is in meeting the people who live here.

We were given the instructions for locating the Burdekin River, which we did the next day. A magnificent river in the midst of such dryness! We drove to two different sections, both had river crossings. At this first one we found a suitable hole for a dip.

Teresa Creek Dam and Charters Towers

Lake Maraboon was really low. Irrigation to surrounding properties is still occuring. The bottom of the dam wall was clearly visible!

Took on a few supplies from nearby Emerald as we intended to stay nearby at Teresa Creek Dam for a few days. The dam was built for mining ooerations in the district, but the maintenance of is is now supported by local businesses and interest groups in the area.

It is a great place to stay, providing you chose or a able to get a good location beside the dam. Many caravanners choose to camp close together on the hillside around and close to the amenities.

We were lucky enough to be able to have the same campsites that we've had for a few trips before! It's a tricky spot with a steep decline, so not accessible to many.

People with fish traps were endeavouring to catch redclaw, a type of fresh water marron. The weather had been so cold at Teresa Creek Dam that the meter-long barramundi and died. Many were floating near the dam wall and some lay in the mud on the edge. Fortunately no smell!

Our campsite at Teresa Creek Dam and with open fire being made by Peter.

From Teresa Creek Dam, we set off for Charters Towers, a historic gold mining town with lovely old heritage buildings (Queensland style). Too late to do anything other than a caravan park. A very pleasant surprise to find a beautiful and not jammed-in spot in the caravan park outside Charters Towers. A outdoor camp kitchen had everything and meant we didn't have to unpack the kitchen in irder to cook that night. Very quiet and relaxed, obviously not all caravanners go there. It seems most want to stay at the free camp site on Fletchers River with only one toilet; and cleaned only once a week! When we passed the free camp spot the next morning, the place was jammed-packed with caravans, very dusty and nit so clean!!

August 4 - 7 2018

Saturday 4 August began the way of each morning; getting up at 6:00am. Today we had a deadline departure time of 8.00am to set off to "who knows where?"

First overnight stay in a motel in Gilgandra. Clean and well presented but a really soggy bed! Back not wonderful as a result!

Was it dry on the way? Yes and no. There had been recent rain in the Lachlan Valley and around Orange. Grass only just really visible but a green tinge to everything and puddles.

Wagett and surrounding areas dry, dry, dry!! Not a blade of grass, green or otherwise. Bare paddocks with hoof prints in the dust. Huge semi trailers laden with hay and lucerne is being driven to this area.

Droving is occuring on all the roads at present with some cattle looking in better shape than others. We have met with road cattle trains right through the centre of NSW and Queensland. Some are being taken to feed lots and others ???

Second night, Roma in a motel, third night Fairburn Dam (Lake Maraboon) in a cheek-by-jowl caravan park and surprisingly quiet that night.

Drakenburg Mountains

The final day for the family from Scotland, a picnic at Midmar Dam.
When the Philip family had gone home, Peter and I went with Alison and Mike to the Drakensburg mountains for a couple of days.
We had by this time we had returned our rental car.
The cottage that we rented was on a small 90 hectare farm in the southern part of the range.
The view from the cottage is spectacular!

This mountain is called Bamboo Mountain.

Rain approaching!

The beautiful clear water river that marks the boundary of the property.

A perfect clear day with blue skies, allowed us to walk along the river towards the gorge.

The view of Castle Mountain from our cottage.
We took a wonderful drive in the afternoon through the Garden route, which took us between the two main spectacular mountains of Castle and Bamboo.

Yesterday, we took Alison and Mike to a wonderful local Italian restaurant, La Lampara. The food was delicious!
This is our last night in South Africa, sadly. Also thus my last blog for this holiday. I hope you have enjoyed the blog.
We have certainly have had a sensational holiday.

Nambiti

Peter and I had the cottage at Mike and Alison's farm, Rod and Janet Philip had a room in the house as did Alistair Philip. Harvey and Debra, together with Dave and Sue Harries stayed in cottages at Toad Hall, just down the road. Brittani, Gary and Roy stayed in a very large house on the property of Netherwood, where the wedding receptionhad been held.
The day after the wedding of Gary to Brittani, we all enjoyed breakfast together, the Philip Family and the Barford Family
Roy was in charge of the brai (barbeque) that evening. Meat and more meat!
The following day we all left to go to Nambiti Game Reserve. Mike and Alison had booked two nights for all of us at this private game park. The lodge itself is owned by the local Zulu community. The lodge is called Springbok Lodge.

Two very tired newly weds!

Serious glamping; inside/outside bathroom, lovely seating area and large verandah.

Lunch on the verandah, outside the reception, dining room and loungeroom of the lodge.

Here we are going out on one of our four game drives. This was the first afternoon session. Our group took up two Landcruisers. We had two brilliant ranger guides, Bronwyn and Martienliza.
We had brilliant weather on the first day and then it rained!

Inside our very palacial quarters.

The view from our tent/house.

Morning tea break! Mike and Alison with Janet and Rod.

It was very cold, so a hot cuppa was very welcome.

Gary and Britani's Wedding

Early the next morning, Alison went to the reception place (Netherwood) and checked the flowers, ensuring that they had plently if water and were in the right places.
At the house, Alison then made the buttonhole flowers for the grooms and bridal families. Janet, Debra and I made the flower rings for the flowergirls and small posies for them to carry.
Gary and Britani were married at 3:00pm that afternoon by a deacon from the Catholic church. Special permission had to be sough from the bishop to perform the ceremony in the chapel belonging to the reception centre - the first time a Catholic marriage ceremony had been performed outside of a Catholic church, in local history.
The ceremony was beautiful. Britani looked radiant and Gary extremely happy.

The reception was held in the reception centre. Netherwood is set, high up in the Midland Hills on a beautiful farm.

Alison's brothers and father wore their traditional Scottish kilts as part of the Philip Clan.

If you would like to see any more photos about the wedding, go to the Facebook page that I have set up called Gary, Britani Wedding

South Africa

A long journey to South Africa. We left the hotel in Piraeus at 11:00am. The plane (4 hours) went via Frankfurt with a six hour stop over there. Then a ten hour flight to Johannesburg with another eight hour stop over, before catching the hour flight to Peitermartizberg. Here we collected our hire car and met Mike, who had driven to the airport to show us the way to the farm.
We drove in the dark and the fog with a car we didn't know, on unfamiliar roads with a very under-powered car (990cc). There were major road works on the highway where sections went from three lanes to just one. It was peak hour traffic with huge double trucks on the road.
It was quite tricky following Mike as he overtook trucks and we didn't have enough oomph to keep up at times.
We arrived at the farm at about seven that evening.

Alison's family were there, except her brother Ian as were Roy, Gary and Britani. The photo above is of us having breakfast in the morning. Alison's 93 year old father came with Deborah and Harvey (Alison's brother) and her other brother, Rod was there with his wife, Janet.
The following day was spent creating the flower arrangements for the Reception and chapel. Alison is a trained florist and directed us to create the table decorations and the posies on the end of the pews.