Hervey Bay

We are very settled here in Hervey Bay Caravan Park. Have a large area of grass all to ourselves until a couple of days time, when we will have to move on.

A couple of nights ago we had such a torrential downpour,. It was the most rain in a day for 14 years! And we survived it!! Our camper was water tight, but the annex floor of the grass was wet, so the next day when the sun came up we opened up all the windows to let the breeze through. These photos were taken while I was sitting inside our annexe with windows and door open - with a very rude passer-by raising his finger!!
FOOD PRICES HERE are so cheap, especially from the markets. Lady Finger bananas are only $1.50 or less a kilo, a capsicum cost 50c, and so much more vegetables are $1 - $2 a kilo. So cheap.
I have found the warmer weather really good - no sore neck or arthritic toes.... which means I haven't been getting daily headaches either. And the nearly daily icecreams are pretty good also!!
Thanks my friends for checking this blog to see where we are, and putting comments.
Les, I will email soon - just been out and about so much. Tony is running really well, as you can see from photo!!

Dundowran fishing day

Well, Tony had his first day of fishing since we have been on holiday, and he caught lots of small fish at Dundowran beach. Joey had 2 of the small fish, but the rest got thrown back. they enjoyed it anyway.

No, I didn't make the sand castles!!
Then we saw a dead Cane Toad on the road, so here it is!!

Foxes and Bats

At this caravan park at Hervey Bay there is a resident fox!! It comes around every night to see if there are scraps and of course twice now Joey has gone out and growled and chased it.
Also every evening we see thousands of bats fly overhead and swirl and head off to Fraser Island to feast.

Today it has been showery but not cold at all - 25 degrees, and only 21 degrees overnight. It has been good to walk on the wet grass in bare feet, in shorts and tee shirts, not worrying about getting wet or cold.
We went to Dundowran beach today, was absolutely beautiful there.

Later this afternoon, as usual, with the tide way out over the sand we went for a walk and paddled in the shallow water. Joey just loves it - looks really dirty with the sand, but it brings her fur up nicely when she is dry! Saves bathing her.
We are standing just near the long jetty at Urangan.

Here we are now at Hervey Bay, just 2 1/2 hours roughly north of where Jimmy and Bel live. We are in shorts and tee shirts all the time - phew, some parts of the day are quite warm, then the cool breeze comes along and it is lovely. Even the hotter days are just relaxing and great to be out and about.
This photo is of our camper with the enclosed annexe added, giving us more living space. We have all this grassy area to ourselves which is lovely - for the 10 days that we are at this camp site.

I will take some photos over the next few days to add - tomorrow we head off to Toogoom where Tony and Joey will go fishing.

More photos with baby Amelie!!

These photos, apart from the last one of Tony and Lochie that sneaked in here, are of the day we were leaving Jimmy and Bel's to come up to Hervey Bay.
The first photo is of Bel, the lovely mum of little Amelie with her gorgeous baby. Then there is Monica, Ben and Lochie with little Amelie.

Beach photos taken yesterday and today. Top is of Ben, Daniel and Monica in the surf at Coolum Beach, across from where they were staying, also the second photo is of the beach, and the bottom photo is Maroochydore River towards the sea.

Francis family photos

This is me soothing Amelie off to sleep - it worked too!!
Next photo is of my beautiful daughter Monica, with her gorgeous 4 year old, and little Amelie - how lucky am I?
The next photo is Daniel's gorgeous partner Michelle, with Amelie.
Then Daniel and Monica playing with babies!
Then Monica with Lochie and Daniel's Ben.
Then my handsome son Daniel, with his little 4 year old princess Zoe, and Amelie.

Tony supervising kiddes

This is Tony with Lochie, and the the 4 kiddies were pretending they were on a plane.

Francis family photos

It has been great to see my three 'kids' and their families all together, and to see how well they get on, how well the cousins (their kids) get on too.

So here are some photos.

This one is of Daniel with his three, Sam, Ben and Zoe on his lap, and Monica with Lochie beside her, and Amelie on her lap.

Palmwoods, Sunshine Coast

We are still at Jimmy and Bel's place, here in the little oasis in the tropical forest. At night when we come home down the drive there are small cane toads that hop across the drive! They also get little green frogs, and all manner of different birds singing different songs.

This photo is of their grass clearing with the forest trees at the edge of the property. A stream runs through this forest into the dam where there are eels.

Montville, Hinterland

Yesterday we drove to Nambour, then up the Blackall Ranges to the Hinterland towns, mostly Montville which is a real tourist destination of art and crafts, and souvenir shops, and little boutiques and cafes.

Our favourite shop that we always have to go in is called Cadman's Cottage, and it is a spiritual new age type shop - they remembered us from a year ago!!!! So here it is, plus a few of the other little places there.

Bath time for Amelie Rose

Like most babies Amelie loves her bath time, so of course the doting grandmother had to take photos - so here they are!

Daddy's little girl

Daddy, Jimmy reckons his little Amelie has said her first word, at 4 weeks old, and it is dad! No, I am sure I heard her say Nanna!!

So this is besotted daddy - will get some photos with mummy soon.

The very proud grandmother!

Amelie went to sleep on my lap so I quickly got Jimmy to grab my camera and take some photos!!! Not a very glamorous nanny, but I had been walking through mud at the Maroochydore Market, and was feeling rather hot! But here they are.

amelie is now 4 weeks old, and 8 lb. totally gorgeous!

Palmwoods, Sunshine Coast

Jimmy and Bel live in a very tropical spot of the Sunshine Coast, at Palmwoods, where they place is like an oasis in the tropical forest. The edges of their block is forest with palms, trees, creepers, etc, and a little stream running through it, that opens up in to a dam, with water lillies on it, and papyrus hanging over it, as well as large stands of bamboo.

Newell Highway - over 2000 kms to Sunshine Coast

Joey having a helicopter ride at a park at Warwick. Also at this park is this sculpture of wool bales and shears.
The old building is the Tenterfield Saddler's Shop, that Peter Allen sang about. The stone henge is at Glen Innes, a Celtic town. Of course Tony had to have a go at pulling the sword out of the stone.
The Art Gallery in Coonabarabran still belongs to my friend Claudia, and this is where she and I shared an exhibition. I thought that she would like to see the front door again! No?
All along the higway in the Coona area there are these huge display boards about the planets. You can see how large they are in comparison to Tony standing there.
The distant mountain top is part of the Warrumbungles, near Coonabarabran.

Our first stop at Narrandera, where we put the camper up, but did not put up the awning.

Next photo is of Tocumwal, where we had our lunch beside the mighty Murray River.