Sunday 1 April 2001  It’s International Day at the Palacio de congresos and at 10.00am I go down with Iris to help set up the stand for the ICE (International Club of Estepona).  Doors open at 12.00 then it’s non stop.  On the stall we are serving cream teas for 250 ptas (£1.00), I am preparing the scones.  We are between the Cuba stall offering assorted cocktails and Peru with traditional snacks.  Morocco, Poland, Andalucia, Italy, Germany and France are other countries represented in addition to charity organisations.  The entertainment is excellent and varied and kicks off with a Jazz Band followed by Line Dancing, dog parade (refuge dogs needing a home), fashion show then dancing from the various countries.  The belly dancer is brilliant as are the young Spanish children doing ballroom as well as tradition dance.  The famous Italian tenor Toni Dali lives in the area and also chips in with a few songs.  The first time we don’t have a customer is at 5.00pm and even that doesn’t last long.  By the time it winds down at 8.00pm I feel like I have done a days work and never want to see another scones.  Even Steve didn’t get off scot free as Iris used him to fill and empty buckets and bowls.
ESTEPONA

Monday 2 April  We had planned to leave today but Barry & Iris want us to stay longer and insist we need a day of rest by the pool after yesterdays exertions.  We don’t take much arm twisting.  In the evening we are joined by Sarah and Mike when we take Barry & Iris out for a Chinese.  In the centre of Estepona we are surprised to only pay 675 ptas (£2.70) for a varied 3 course menu.  Good food and plenty of it.
ESTEPONA

Tuesday 3 April  Get away at 10.00am and just a little further along the coast we spot motorhomes free camped by a beach with Jack & Teri amongst them.  When we toured round 4 years ago we stopped at Playa Bella in the day but were afraid to stay overnight, not any more.  It’s a good spot with taps, cold showers, rubbish bins, a grassy area in front of the van and then the beach. After a relaxing day with the occasional paddle in the sea we join Jack & Teri in their van for a drink and chat in the evening after which Steve manages to pick up football (but without sound) on our TV.
PLAYA BELLA – 7 MILES

Wednesday 4 April   Well it may be a good spot in the day but with the main N340 coast road running just behind us it is noisy with traffic right through the night.  Explore along the coast turning off at km 195 to check out the naturist beach at Cabopino.  We drive through a narrow street of villas to emerge into a park type area with lots of flat parking space and sand dunes separating it from the beach.  Trapped between vast developments we are amazed that this area is still free of all buildings.  It’s still rather cloudy and probably too quiet for us to feel happy leaving the van so we continue east.  4 years ago this week we were in this area and visited the Playa Nudista (Benalnatura) between Los Boliches and Benalmadena.  We know it’s at km 218 but don’t recognise the area at all until we realise we have gone past the beach as the whole area is now built up and Los Boliches merges with Benalmadena.  Double back but can’t park as there is so much building work going on.  Continuing to the outskirts of Benalmadena itself we spot a number of motorhomes parked on the seafront behind the Sunset Beach Club Apartments.  It’s a good spot with some vans parking here for as long as 5 months.  Settle in then walk for 1/2 hour back to the naturist beach.  It’s still the pretty little wooded cove but now surrounded and overlooked by dozens of almost completed apartments and with a cliff path being built all the way around the bay.  The club own this small piece of land but look in grave danger of either being squeezed out if the price is right or loosing members who don’t wish to be watched over.  It’s still a great spot and we alternate between sunbathing, going in the sea and visiting the bar.  Strange how the apartments surrounding the bay seem to have the biggest workforce but the least amount of work done on them!  Walking back we make a short detour as just opposite the apartments are a discount supermarket and a Burger King.  Pick up a few groceries and then get tempted by any 2 burgers for 500 ptas (£2.00).  Steve is disappointed that we can’t pick up good TV reception for him to watch soccer so he abandons me in search of a bar with a TV.
BENALMADENA, BEHIND SUNSET BEACH CLUB APARTMENTS – 45 MILES

Thursday 5 April  Back to the beach in  the day then Steve returns to the Irish bar in the evening to watch Liverpool draw against Barcelona.
BENALMADENA

Friday 6 April  After peering through the window to watch the sunrise we are disappointed when at 10.00am heavy sea mist rolls in.  Return to Torre Del Mar to try and catch Cyril and Margaret but to no avail as they are both busy.  It’s quite cool with the mist so we decide press on along the coast although we do miss out on the views.  Where the road goes either inland or up into the mountains the mist clears and it’s hot and sunny.  East of Torre Del Mar the concrete jungle ends but rears its head again in Nerja which is busy and touristy.  Continuing along the coast we do get glimpses of spectacular craggy sweeps of coast with the occasional beach.  As we wind our way through the mountains we spot lots of interesting derelict bridges on the even twistier old road.  After the big and busy town of Almunecar we drop out of the mountains to emerge back to the coastal plains and into plastic greenhouse land.  The landscape is very strange as the taught green plastic makes it look undeveloped but the reality is tomatoes and other crops being grown in every available spot.  Continue along the coast with better views as the mist has now cleared.  Wend our way between thousands of greenhouses to emerge at Roquetas de Mar where we settle in behind Playa Cerrillos.
ROQUETAS DE MAR, PLAYA DE CERRILLOS – 145 MILES

Saturday 7 April  Although this is a nice enough spot it somehow doesn’t grab us and it’s very windy on the exposed beach.  Just as we are leaving we spot Geoffrey & Ethel out walking.  We were with them in Morocco and they report that Aidan & Anita and David & Jean are also in town.  We can’t find where the others are parked so head off to Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve.  It’s like entering a completely different Spain once we are in the national park with an abundance of wild flowers, dramatic landscape and no high rise buildings.  San Jose is a small village and the end of the sealed road to the Cape.  It’s then a bumpy 3 miles of dirt tract to Genovese Beach which is near deserted with not a building in site.  Well so the guide book says but it is a weekend and there are quite a few people around.   Walk to the western end of the beach where nudity prevails.  It’s a pretty half moon bay with a clean beach of soft golden sand which shelves gently into the water.   Mid afternoon we set out to walk further round the coast to Monsul Bay.  It’s a difficult walk scrambling over unsettled rocks and with lots of ups and downs.  Discover three more interesting bays before giving up and cutting back to the car park.  We’re amazed at the numbers of vehicles arriving after 6.00pm including a procession of about a dozen vehicles with fishermen.  Steve walks down to the beach after dark and they are all lined up with torches and lights on their rods.
CABO DE GATA, GENOVESE BEACH – 48 MILES  

Sunday 8 April  We get a complementary wake up call at 8.20am by the "Guardia Civil" who ask to see our vehicle document and passport and say we are not allowed to free camp in the national park. For a moment we thought we might get fined or something but they just want us to move on before tonight and also visit the other two motorhomes.  There’s some lovely coastline here and more good free camping spots at La Isleta and Valle De Rodalquilar beaches.  The coast is impassable for a stretch so we return to the main motorway for one junction then head back towards the coast and spot a couple of thin long black snakes warming themselves on the tarmac.  Agua Amarga is a small traditional Spanish village with a lovely beach which has cave dwellings in the rocks at the end.  The football pitch is used as a free camping spot but after checking out the bars in the town there is nowhere for Steve to watch football.  Near La Mesa Roldan there’s an official naturist beach called Playa Los Muertos (Beach of the dead).  Maybe it’s so called because of the steep 1 km stony path to get down to it.  There’s not a nude body in site but it is an unusual beach with the "sand" made up of tiny marble pebbles.  No footie bars in Carboneras where you can free camp by the port.  Resign ourselves to continuing to the tourist resort of Mojacar where we know there will be English football in the bars but no chance of free camping.  A number of bars are advertising the matches so we park nearby at the western end of town by the beach.  My sunbathing is soon curtailed when a strong wind gets up and drives everyone off the beach.  Steve returns at 7.00pm and after we have had tea we back track just a few kilometres to a beach for free camping.
MOJACAR, PLAYA CASTILLO DE MACENAS – 58 MILES

Monday 9 April  No wake up call this morning and even better still we discover from a sign that this is an official naturist beach.  Just how good does it get?  We have a flat pitch on gravel and grass with the beach directly in front of us and the possibility of walking to Mojacar if we need anything.  Make the most of the hot sun and stay put to enjoy sunbathing and swimming followed up with a BBQ tea.  Austrian Bruno and Miriam are tent camping here along with their 4 year old son David who is just recovering from chicken pox.  Mirjam comes over to join us for an evening drink having left Bruno settling David down to sleep.  About half an hour later David walks over to let us know Bruno is fast asleep!
PLAYA CASTILLO DE MACENAS

Tuesday 10 April  After an early sea mist the sky clears and the sun breaks through but we are left with a cool breeze.  Steve sits out all day whilst I bob in and out, one of the great things about this type of set up.  Mirjam & Bruno ask us to join them for a drive up to the bar in the mountains.  Although there is a little friend there for David the place is dead so we return to a bar at the end of the beach where we are camped.  It has recently been open by Brits and all the customers are English but the music is good and the drinks flow.  Pause to watch the moon rise spectacularly out of the ocean before returning around midnight.
PLAYA MACENAS

Wednesday 11 April  Venture further along the coast back tracking over old ground.  The naturist beach where we free camped at Vera Playa has now been taken over by a water park and lots of new apartments.  After a coffee stop at the pretty little village of Isla Plana and a wasted chase around Cartagena for gas we eventually reach Lo Pagan on La Mar Menor.  Another of our old haunts this at least seems unchanged.  Didn’t realise on our last visit that this spot is famous for the mud baths where people smear thick black gunk onto themselves then let it dry before bathing to wash it off.  Presumably it is either therapeutic or good for the skin but either way it’s late in the day and getting too cold for us to give it a shot. 
LO PAGAN – 124 MILES

Thursday 12 April  We are rushing to get to Lomas Del Mar near Torrevieja to visit Clare and Jim.  At Easter Madrid is emptied of people who all flock to the coast and create horrendous traffic jams.  Not only are we greeted by Clare and Jim but also their family of 4 dogs (Jenny, Cindy, Molly & Toby) and 5 cats.  Down at the beach we can’t believe how busy it is but do notice that the Spaniards seem to have a beach session around lunch time then go away and come back at about tea time.  Take a fast walk right along La Mata Beach and back.  Pop down to the Italian bar at the end of the road for an evening drink with Clare and Jim and a pizza.
LOMAS DEL MAR – 20 MILES

Friday 13 April  Good Friday – A cloudy start gives me chance to "play" on the computer with Clare.  Make it down to the beach very late morning and it is packed.  It’s hard to find a spot to sit without overlapping towels.  Note that the young Spanish couples all seem to have an extra girlfriend as a chaperone – or maybe the lucky Spanish lads have 2 girlfriends at a time.   Repeat the walk before returning to adopt the Spanish siesta system.  Friday evening is International Club night with bingo followed by dancing.  Clare does well and wins a line at bingo and also a raffle prize.  Tonight there is also an Easter bonnet parade with a brilliant entry from a man.  His hat has a track around it on which runs a train with Easter bunnies in the carriages. 
LOMAS DEL MAR

Saturday 14 April  Clare gets free Internet use during weekends and bank holidays so I am drawn into a computer session.  Make it down to the beach but the afternoon wind eventually forces us back.  Out with Clare and Jim in the evening to meet up with Doris and Bill at Restaurant La Rueda.  The traffic is horrendous and the short journey seems to take ages.  It’s a nice restaurant which also has branches in London.  I still find it difficult to get used to people smoking at the tables during meals as there don’t seem to be any smoking restrictions anywhere in Spain.  There’s a good choice on the menu but we are both in need of a good steak.  They live up to expectations and are excellent especially after the grotty meat in Morocco.  We savour them as we will probably be deprived of meat full stop when we get back to England if the foot and mouth problem hasn’t been resolved.  A good time is had by all with plenty of good food and drink and still cheaper than England at 7600 ptas (£30) per couple.
LOMAS DEL MAR

Sunday 15 April  Easter Sunday – Usual day, computer, beach, siesta.  Steve and I check out the Chinese "El Leon" at the top of the street where the buffet is 900 ptas (£3.60).  Not very good at all as we reckon the food has been re heated from lunch time and one of the heated trays has not even been turned on.  Complain and get the food on my plate microwaved which helps at bit.  Notice that when someone calls in to order a take away a number of dishes are filled with the buffet food.  I don’t know why but we pay the bill and go back to the van.  We both find the food repeating and have stomach aches.  I head for the toilet at which point Steve figures it’s time to go back and complain.  In Spain all hotels, restaurants and bars are supposed to have a complaints book so he goes back to tell them we feel unwell due to the food but they don’t want to know.  He asks for the complaints book at which point the minimal English they speak disappears and they pretend not to know what he is talking about.  He threatens to return with the Police but the don’t care.  Join Clare and Jim at the Italian bar where the owner shows us his unused complaints book and explains the procedure and that "El Leon" are breaking the law by not having a book so we should pursue things tomorrow.
LOMAS DEL MAR

Monday 16 April  It’s a glorious day with a pleasant warm breeze on the beach so we make an early start as this just may be our last sunbathing day for quite some time. Around 12.30pm we hear a kind of double boom a bit like a quarry blast and Steve feels a tremor but the earth did not move for me on the sun lounger.  It’s such a lovely day that we can’t be bothered going back to the Chinese and stay on the beach until after 5.00pm when we return to hear from Clare and Jim that there has been an earthquake.  At the International Club it’s the Easter Dinner Dance 2750 ptas (£11.00).  We receive a welcome glass of champagne and there is both red and white wine provided at the tables.  The 3 course meal is good and followed by a show of flamenco dancing.  Clare wins 2 raffle prizes this time before the regular dancing starts.  Jim attempts to teach me the quick step but his efforts are wasted and I revert to shuffling round the floor with Steve.
LOMAS DEL MAR

Tuesday 17 April  Steve feels an earthquake after shock during the night but I sleep right through it.  Force ourselves to get up to say our farewells and hit the road by 9.00am.  There’s a huge difference in the traffic now that the holiday is over and we make good progress and cut inland through the mountains just north of Alicante.  We’re repeating a previous route but this time make it round Valencia in 50 minutes as opposed to 1 hour before.  A late siesta stop at one of the many truck stops just south of Torreblanca with 4 course meals including a bottle of wine on offer for 990 ptas (£4.00).  Peniscola is recommended for free camping and Steve wants to be in a town to watch the football tonight.  No sooner have we driven on to the car park than a policeman comes and hands me a piece of paper.  In 4 languages and with signs it states that no caravans or motorhomes can park in the Peniscola area.  We ask if we can just park to look around and he says not.  Continue north on the N340 and spot an Aire de Repos near Playa de Alcanar.  Settle in for the night with our usual sea view. Steve manages to tune our TV in for the football and picks up the commentary on the radio.
PLAYA DE ALCANAR, AIRE DE REPOS – 251 MILES

Wednesday 18 April  A cooler cloudy day.  We have been advised to take the motorway around Barcelona and join the A7 at junction 7 and immediately get a 110 ptas (44p) toll.  Further tolls are 550 ptas (£2.20) junction 37, 580 ptas (£2.32) at 31, 785 ptas (£3.15) at 25 and a final 725 ptas (£2.90) when we come off at junction 9.  A boring journey at a high price,  a total of 2755 ptas (£11).  At least whilst on the motorway we spotted Phil & Sue from Morocco and pulled over to find we are both heading for the same place tonight.  Find the N340 much more interesting first with prostitutes touting for business and then a succession of 2CV’s coming past heading for a rally.  At 4.45pm we reach the chaotic border just north of Le Junquera.  Cars are strewn along the road for people to do their shopping and it takes us well over 1/2 hour to crawl through into FRANCE where the traffic is equally slow through the narrow streets.  In this case the toll motorway would definitely have been the better option.  Turn off to the coast and immediately recognise we are in France by the tree lined streets with drainage ditches at the side and villages with roads which gradually narrow, all nightmares for motorhomes!  We travel with the sea on our right and a huge Etang (lake) on our left.  This is popular wind surfing territory and well developed with villas and marinas but also good for motorhome free camping.  Just north of Port Leucate we park up next to Phil and Sue on the edge of a lagoon opposite Aphrodite Naturist Village. Chance for a good chat about all our mutual motorhome friends, free camping spots and routes.  They tell us that a short stroll from here takes you to an area of oyster beds and fishermen’s shacks where you can get a cheap oyster feed.  Will check it out if we stay on tomorrow.
PORT LEUCATE – 164 MILES

Thursday 19 April  A restless night with the wind rocking the van.  Clare & Jim were on a 7 day chemical diet when we visited.  Plenty of healthy food and food combinations to cleanse your body and guarantee a 1 stone weight loss.  Reckon it’s worth a try so kick off with tomatoes on toast for breakfast.  Another cool day so Phil & Sue head off to Greece.  Before we leave we walk into Aphrodite Village which is completely naturist and includes a sandy beach, swimming pool, bars, restaurant, shop and lots of villas. We’re surprised at just how big it is and how much more is being developed.  Although this is a great place to free camp the wind and cooler weather prompt us to move on.  Fellow motorhomer Jo has now settled down at Ste Valiere just NW of Narbonne so we head off to visit her.  She has a lovely bungalow on the edge of the village and is just having a swimming pool put it.  It reminds us a bit of our cottage at Newport as she describes how overgrown it was when she bought it but saw the potential.  It now has a self contained flat and the possibility of turning a building in the garden into a 2 bedroom property.  Have a good chat and do some washing before taking a stroll around the very small village with little more than a town hall and a post office.  Get back just before it starts to rain.  Jo has brought a digibox and card back from her Easter visit to England and Steve is delighted to find the man arrive to install it late afternoon but then disappointed to find that BBC1 signal has not been received.  Football is on TV at 8.00pm and he was hoping to watch it.  By good fortune the BBC1 channel comes through at 7.30pm.
STE VALIERE – 47 MILES

Friday 20 April  Woken by a horn sounding through the village as the vegetable delivery man signals his arrival in the square.  Bread and meat are also delivered in this way with them all having a different sound to herald their arrival.  Jo takes us for a ride out around the area as she has to inspect one of the rental properties which she looks after.  It’s a terraced house in Argeliers and just oozes character.  Worth around £50,000 it returns £450 week rental in high season and is adored by the Americans.  We like Bize with the river flowing through it and are impressed by Minervois with a gorge complete with Italian style perched village.  The Atlantic and the Mediterranean are joined by the Midi Canal and this passes through here at Homps.  Brief visit to another rental house this time a modern detached house by the canal with swimming pool and a tower to access to the main bedroom – and a £900 a week high season price.  All this is food for thought for us in terms of either an investment property or potential work minding rental properties.  This area is booming since Ryanair started flying into Perpignan and Carcassonne with a return UK flight at Easter only £50.  Jo joins us for chicken in the van then we teach her the Aussie card game Bush Rummy and end up spending the rest of the afternoon playing it. 
STE VALIERE

Saturday 21 April  Jo has mentioned how nice Carcassonne is so we study the map and review our route to take it in.  The weather is still poor so we press on roughly following the Midi Canal to Carcassonne.  Call in for a quick shop at Leader Price reputed to be the cheapest supermarket in France but I reckon Lidl has the edge but Leader Price a wider choice and they do take credit card.  Park by the Cite for 30FF (£3.00).  Carcassonne has the longest Medieval town walls in Europe with towers and battlements.  It is a fantastic sight even in the pouring rain with wind and a temperature of 7C.  Chateau Comtal within the walls is most impressive and by the time the rain eases off we are interested enough to make another circuit within the walls.  Tiny cobbled streets are edged with gift shops and small museums but the thing that seems to dominate the Cite most of all are the fabulous restaurants with reasonably priced interesting menus.  Shame we are already well stuck into the 7 day chemical diet.  Return to the warm van and dry off before heading towards Toulouse.  The rains starts again and deteriorates to sleet to be replaced shortly after by blue skies, unfortunately this cycle keeps repeating.  At Toulouse we turn North and are immediately reminded what a dangerous road this is by the black cut outs at the roadside indicating the numbers and the site of a fatal accident.  Turn off the main N20 just south of Souillac and get a real feel of the countryside as we wind our way down narrow lanes to the Dordogne River and the free camping spot at Pinsac.   I’m having trouble with bad heads again and go to sleep straight away.
PINSAC – 199 MILES

Sunday 22 April  A cold and frosty morning borne out by the fact it takes our central heating 45 minutes to reach 20C.  Hop out to photograph the "Flot Bleu" motorhome service station for my magazine article.  These units offer fresh water, facilities for emptying toilet and grey water and power.  You pay 10FF (£1.00) for 10 minutes fresh water supply and it’s only now that I remember someone telling me that the electricity is free through the winter until the beginning of May.  This explains why a French motorhome is parked adjacent and hooked up to the power which we should have done and used our electric heater.  At Brive we turn off NW to visit Mick and Anne whom we also met in Morocco.  They live in a converted barn in the village of Le Bost.  Pass a sign to Le Bost but with a 3.5 ton limit so press on to Jumilhac with a super chateau.  I’ve seen Le Bac on the map which I suspect is the same place but get lost leaving Jumilhac and explore even more of the countryside before returning through Jumilhac to then find Le Bac is a different place.  Back track once again through Jumilhac (well it does have a super chateau) and ignore the 3.5 ton sign to eventually reach Mick and Anne’s.  They have lived in the area for 10 years and this is the second home they have built from ruins.  Mick’s building experience has certainly come in useful.  They still get snow here in winter so this area may not suit us even with cheaper property and land than down south.  Late afternoon a young couple Mat & Helen visit with their three boys Alf, Etiene and Louis.  He used to be an actor and they came here 10 years ago with very little capital but now own a number of properties which they have renovated.  In the evening Ann & Mick invite us to join them for a meal along with their motorhome friends Alan and Christine who live in static caravan in Greece in the winter.  Instead of travelling in the summer they have now bought a barn and land here.  A nice meal and interesting conversation takes us through the evening ensconced in the lovely farmhouse style lounge with the wood fire keeping us snug and the rain belting down outside. 
LE BOST – 86 MILES

Monday 23 April  Heavy rain through most of the cold night, showers in the morning and we are only a third of the way up through France – however will we cope in England?  Our van insurance runs out at midnight on Wednesday and we have a number of queries before we comit to renewing.  Mick kindly lets us use his fax but 4 messages later we are making little progress so opt to make a dash up to Calais tomorrow to be back in England on Wednesday to deal with it.  Learn a lot from Mick about property prices and the purchasing system in France.  At the moment he is hoping to get a derelict property with land for £15000 which seems a bargain to us.  He bought his present property as a barn with land for £9500 5 years ago and now that he has made it into a 2 bedroom bungalow with an additional granny flat it is worth £70000.  This could be the way for us to go if as and when we get tired of travelling even if they do have cold winters – and springs.
LE BOST

Tuesday 24 April  On the road by 7.00am.  After more overnight rain it’s a brighter and warmer day.  Hit our first snag in Orleans where the supermarket cheap petrol stations are either on the other side of the dual carriageway and we are too high for the underpass or we manage to get to them but the forecourt canopy is too low.  At 12.18pm we find one we can access only to see that it closed at 12.15pm for a long lunch.  End up getting fuel in a small village for 5.65FF (56p) litre and put enough in to get us to the next big town.  More problems as the big town of Dreux now has a bypass for vehicles over 3.5ton but the bypass has no petrol station.  Repeat the process of buying more expensive fuel to get us to Igouille.  As we approach Rouen we drive along the banks of the Seine and notice that it is almost overflowing.  Heave a huge sigh of relief that we can cross the road to get to Super U at Igouille to put in 189 litres of diesel at 5.09FF (50p) litre.  When we leave we find we needn’t have crossed the road and turned off to Super U as there is now an Esso Express on the main road on our side with fuel the same price!
It starts to rain just north of Rouen and it’s obvious they have had plenty as rivers are sand bagged and fields flooded.  Notice how much more mileage we can cover in a day compared to going down in January.  Then we had a 7 hour daylight driving day from 9 – 4 and now we have double that with 14 hours of light from 7 – 9.  Clock up 462 miles by the time we get to Calais and tanking up at Auchan 5.12 FF (51p) takes our daily fuel total to a whopping 255 litres costing 1315FF (£131).  Stock up on booze then return to the special motorhome parking spot at Bleriot Plage which is surprisingly full.  Roley & Anne from Morocco are parked up but this is not surprising as they are also going to the Peterborough motorhome show on Thursday.
BLERIOT PLAGE – 462 MILES

Wednesday 26 April   Awake at 5.30am so we drive round and check in  for the 7.00am ferry as we are not booked on it and there may not be much space if all the other motorhomes are.  Wrong.  Aboard the Sea France "Manet" are a total of 5 vans, 1 lorry and 7 cars!  Having boarded first we are right at the front of the car deck.  Dock in Dover ENGLAND at 7.30am after the 90 minute crossing.  Our pole position gives us a good view of the ramp at Dover which descends to the level of the ship to make disembarking easier.  Although there is far too much traffic on the road there are no hold ups and we make it round London to head up the M11 then stop at the services.  Confirm our motorhome insurance which has gone up dramatically to £528.  The ATM gobbles my card as it is out of date so that leaves us with very little cash and a need to find a Nat West Bank.  Head into Cambridge but all the car parks are underground.  Ely has a big impressive Minster and also a car park at the leisure centre which we can get on to.  Shame we are illegally parked over 2 spaces or it would have been a nice town to spend some time wandering round but at least I can get some money from the bank.  At Peterborough the only vans allowed on the showground today are ones who are members of a club.  We are relegated to the car park of the nearby industrial area.
PETERBOROUGH – 92 MILES

Thursday 26 April  Follow a long procession of vans onto the East of England showground and pay £30 for camping and show admission.  The camping fields are very boggy and in many cases a tractor is needed to tow people onto their pitch.  Steve walks around to check things out and despite us being much heavier at 5 tons we drive straight onto our selected spot with no problems.   Take a stroll around and as we return to Charlie we spot Roley & Anne arriving.  Evening entertainment is included and tonight it’s country and western.  Anne & I manage to fit in a few line dances before Steve & I succumb to the cold and return home to defrost.
PETERBOROUGH, EAST OF ENGLAND SHOWGROUND – 5 MILES

Friday 27 April  A shuttle bus operates between the camping area and showground but there’s still a lot of walking to be done.  Our main purchase is a sun roof  £99 which seems a good price but with our luck will probably cost as much again to be fitted to the leaking roof over the bath.  Steve leaves early afternoon as he is not interested in looking in the motorhomes but I am.  Fortunately I don’t see anything I prefer to ours.  Tonight we see the "Ludwig Beatles" perform followed by Mark Robinson and The Counterfeit Crickets doing a tribute to Buddy Holly. They are very good and the dance floor is full.  Maybe everyone is dancing to keep warm as we are.     The "Beatles" then re-appear revamped as the latter day Beatles playing the appropriate music.
PETERBOROUGH

Saturday 28 April  There’s a shuttle bus operating into the centre of Peterborough but Steve would rather stay home and watch football on the TV.  I pay my £1.50 and thoroughly enjoy my expedition.  The cathedral is good and I am surprised to find that Katherine of Aragon is buried inside and Mary Queen of Scots used to be.  There’s a Peruvian pipe band playing in the attractive old square and I settle myself down with a fresh cream slice to listen to them.  Purchase a Pay as You Go BT Cellnet mobile phone primarily for sending and receiving text messages whilst abroad but also to use as a phone in England.  (Tel number 07761 078025).  Time will tell whether this is a good move as one of the things we very much enjoy in our lifestyle is the lack of interruptions but I guess we should keep up with the times as we certainly can’t keep up with the Jones’s.  This evening Marti Webb is doing a show singing songs from the West End musicals but it costs an extra £12 and we don’t fancy it anyway.  There’s also a disco so we opt for that instead.  Arrive to find loads of young kids on the dance floor and "Bob the Building" belting out.  Wish Daniel had been with us.  Things don’t improve so we leave.
PETERBOROUGH

Sunday 29 April  Last visit to the show with us finally accepting the British weather and investing in a large umbrella and for me a very warm fleece jacket.  Fortunately most of the weekend has been dry with sunny spells but the wind has been cold and it has been bitterly cold at night.   Evening entertainment is provided by comedian Mickey Lewys who gives us a good laugh and singer Toni Warne who is good at singing ballads.
PETERBOROUGH

Monday 30 April   The tractor is busy hauling people out of the fields.  He charges the showground operators a massive £1500 per day for his services.  Surprisingly we do not need assistance but maybe it’s because we have 4 wheels at the back and rear wheel drive.  Continue north to Yorkshire with a conspicuous absence of animals in the fields.  Since reaching England we have seen a total of 3 sheep, 3 horse and one piggery.  Daniel is surprised to see us.  We made the mistake when we spoke to him from Morocco.  He asked when we were coming to see him and Steve said soon.  Well after a few months away another few weeks is soon to us but not for Daniel who went to the window to look out for us arriving.  Claire had to get the calendar and show him that we would be back in May and this is why he is surprised to see us today but says it is OK.  Late afternoon someone phones to offer Claire an evening job cleaning at the vets so we immediately take on the roll of baby sitters.  Daniel and Natasha are no trouble at all at bedtime and it’s nice to spend so much time with them.
HAW0RTH – 141 MILES

 

Thursday 1 March 2001  Busy day in Agadir commencing with us both visiting the dentist for a check up, scale and polish 300 DH (£20) each.  We don’t have an appointment but within 5 minutes I am in the chair with headphones over my ears playing soothing music.  No further treatment required for either of us.  Many people have had vehicle body work done here where the prices are low and the work good.  Drive to the recommended garage as we need a repair to a crack above the door.  Shortly after we bought the van the crack appeared and on investigation we found a join in the chassis.  Returning to Travelworld they put "Charlie" up on ramps and said there was no problem and the chassis join was normal.  They thought we must have grounded onto the skid bumps and jolted the van to cause the crack and also gaps in the kitchen cupboards.  We got the cupboards tightened up and hid the crack with a sticker but the crack is creeping and now may be the time to get it fixed.  They ask 700 DH so Steve hits back with 500 DH and they settle on 600 DH (£40) – a little too quickly we think with hindsight!  It’s noon when they start work and I set off to the bank to withdraw some cash but non of the ATM’s are working.  Luckily when I return the men have knocked off for lunch so we can go into the banks at 2.30PM when they open after their 3 hour lunch break.  The garage fortunately only have a 1 1/2 hour break and finish the work just after 5.00pm. The repair looks good and they have been able to fix a plate behind the crack to hold it firm.  Talk about the possibility of getting the door re-sprayed as it has always been a slightly different colour to the rest of the van.  Call back to drop the TV at the repairers.  Ali fixed the lack of red colour problem but now the picture lacks definition!  He implies that he will put it right at no extra charge.  Typical that whenever we have one thing done another problem rears it’s head.  At Place Lahcen Tamri we try out the restaurant next door to Mille et Une Nuits and enjoy our selections from the set menu but preferred 1001.  Park right on the seafront at Agadir where the guardian says it’s 15 DH (£1) for the night.  Stroll along the promenade which has a real holiday feel and could easily be Spain.  We’re tempted by signs for wine by the glass 15 DH (£1) and large beers 30 DH (£2).  The pianist arrives and our drinks are accompanied not only by music but also complimentary popcorn, pickled vegetables and then a plate of sardines and in fact a second plate of sardines which we refuse.  Wonder along to the hotels and pop in to inspect the pools of one or two to figure out if we can use them when Sandra visits.  Restaurant prices reflect the fact that we are in a 5 star hotel area but we are still amazed to see a 3 course set menu for 260 DH (£18) having just paid 35 DH ( £2.35) for ours.  Back at the van the guardian knocks for his money and asks for 20 DH but accepts the 15 DH we had already agreed on – typical.  We’re kept awake by some rain in the night, the first since we arrived in the Agadir area.
AGADIR BEACH FRONT – 15 MILES

Friday 2 March    Explore the enormous souk and pick up our fruit and vegetables.  Finally find a place to buy a door handle to match our bathroom one which broke.  It looks the same but the difference is that it is intended for the outside of a house which is why it costs 180 DH (£12) and maybe a 5 lever security lock is a bit over the top for a toilet door but what the heck.  I doubt it will be any better at locking Steve’s stink in!  Collect the TV which now seems to be working perfectly.  Ali asks for another 100 DH but gets 50 DH ( £3.35) which he seems happy with.  Pop into Uniprix where Maltesers are on offer at 2.50 DH (17p) a bag, buy 6 bags plus 5 chewing gums at 1 DH (7p) but they try to charge me 35 DH and I have to point out that it should be 20 DH.  Typical of Morocco but it does get a bit wearing after awhile – maybe they are trying to live up to their reputation of thieving Arabs.  We’re very happy to return to the peace and tranquillity of Banana Beach in the afternoon, it feels like coming home although even that is fraught with difficulty getting the van level.  It’s a dull cool cloudy day so lots of people are around and we get frequent inspections on our repair job.  That’s when we spot that the crack is already starting to re appear and there is now also a crack in the door frame which they removed to do the job.  With hundreds of "experts" on hand the conclusion is that the join in the chassis whether original or not is causing the problem.  If we can get it strengthened then any further repairs we make to the crack or kitchen cupboards will hold.  Our group of inspectors also point out that our sinking bath tub, the slight ripple on the inside of the van door and the different colour to the outside of the door may also be part of the equation.  Possibly it was involved in an accident before we bought it?  To cap it all the van door now won’t close whilst we are on the ramps which suggests the framework still has movement.  Plan of action is to contact Gulfstream to see if the van was manufactured with a join in the chassis, return to the crack repairers tomorrow to see what they say and also to find out about getting the chassis strengthened. 
BANANA BEACH, BRIT CAMP – 22 MILES

Saturday 3 March  The garage looks at the repair and ask us to return a week on Monday as next week is a holiday.  For Muslims "Aid el Kebir" celebrates the willingness of Abraham to obey God and to sacrifice Isaac. Every household that can afford it will slaughter a sheep to eat then hang the skin out to cure.  In holiday terms it equates roughly to our Christmas with the sheep instead of turkey.  Shops and businesses will all be closed on Monday and Tuesday but like England many string the holiday out for the whole week.  E-mail Gulfstream then call into a garage near the beach where we park.  The mechanic is only taking a 2 day holiday and will look at our chassis next Wednesday.  With our plan in action we drive on to Taghazoute.  Notice crowds gathered buying sheep.  Spot one being driven home dangling over the back of a moped and another with a man walking it wheelbarrow style.  Drop the laundry off for 2 service washes at 30 DH (£2) a time.  With time to spare we go out for lunch and choose the restaurant next door to Florida where we went with Pete.  A mistake yet again as Florida was far better.  Mental note that once we have found a good place we should stick with it instead of trying others.  Returning to "our" beach we round a bend to find a motorhome broken down in the gutter.  Both the twin rear wheels on the drivers side have come off and the van has collapsed causing the frame to be torn and bent out.  It’s a French motorhome and in broken French we offer assistance and end up taking the man to the next village to arrange a tow truck. Puts our van problems into perspective for sure.  Just back to our spot in time for afternoon boules – what a busy life we lead.
BANANA BEACH  2 – 35 MILES

Sunday 4 March   It’s such a nice hot day that we start by eating breakfast outside.  Sunbathe until time for afternoon boules.  Return to peruse some of the many old magazines which are being passed around.  I’m amazed when in a "Woman" of October 23rd I see an article written by "Clare Swatman".  Know our surname is unusual so to find it matched with Clare is even more surprising even if the spelling of Claire is different. 
BANANA BEACH 3

Monday 5 March  And the weather today is "scorchio"  So hot that we have to abandon boules in favour of a cooling swim in the sea.  It’s still hot in the evening and we linger outside as long as possible.
BANANA BEACH   4

Tuesday 6 March  Another scorcher of a day, too hot for us even to think of playing boules but perfect for frequent swims in the cool Atlantic Ocean.  Walk to the campsite in the evening to make phone calls but the telephone rejects all but one of our coins which is not enough to get through, very frustrating.
BANANA BEACH 5

Wednesday 7 March  A rainy start to the day.  With Saul accompanying us as interpreter we visit the mechanic who has himself decided to take the day off to visit family in Agadir. Sunny afternoon.
BANANA BEACH 6 – 13 MILES

Thursday 8 March  Back to the mechanic who says he can do the job but not until Monday and he may want the van for 2 days.  Take a rain check until the following Monday as we don’t want the inconvenience whilst Sandra is visiting.  Hot but windy day, hope it improves for Sandra’s planned sun and relaxation week.
BANANA BEACH 7 – 2 MILES

Friday 9 March   Very hot day, no wind.  Steve sets to work giving "Charlie" an oil and filter change.  Interesting to note that the last time he did one was at Nordkapp the most northern point of our travels and we are now at the southern most point.  In the evening the boules team get together for a meal and bonfire to celebrate Norman and Joan’s 50th wedding anniversary.  Also 3 couples are leaving on Mondy so it becomes a bit of a farewell do as well.
BANANA BEACH 8

Saturday 10 March  A hot start to the day and we begin boules at 10.00 but still get forced off the beach but this time by a cold sea mist.  Phone Claire from the village and by the time we return the mist has cleared and we can sunbathe again.
BANANA BEACH 9

Sunday 11 March  Away at 8.30am to meet Sandra’s flight which arrives at 10.15am.  It’s lovely to see her and also to receive mail and packages from England.  As it’s a very hot day we get around the new Marjane hypermarket as quickly as possible.  Park in the tourist area at Palm Beach 10 DH (70p) overnight.  It’s busy on the beach and the waves are crashing in.  Spot a fire further along the beach which looks very serious with flames and black smoke belching into the air.  Early evening walk up to 1001 restaurant.
AGADIR, PALM BEACH – 43 MILES

Monday 12 March  Drive along the coast to inspect the burnt out restaurant which just happens to be next to the spot where we parked last time we were in Agadir.  Return to Banana Beach and introduce Sandra to the crowd.  Take lots of cooling dips in the ocean and do our best to get Sandra a tan in order to reduce the hassle from the traders.  When they see a newly arrived white body they are like bees round a honey pot.  Settle on fresh sardines for the evening BBQ.
BANANA BEACH – 21 MILES

Tuesday 13 March  Sandra is recruited onto the boules team for an early game with Aiden, Anita and Saul. Walk to Taghazoute for a fish dinner followed by a drink at Panorama Cafe where the surfers provide entertainment.  Hot afternoon with sunbathing interspersed with dips in the sea.  A storm brews around us in the evening but we sit out in the balmy air and chat with Aidan and Anita until 11.00pm whilst enjoying the lightening show.
BANANA BEACH 2

Wednesday 14 March  Market day in Banana Village so we introduce Sandra to the haggling system and give her a brief tour of the village itself.  Return for boules, sunbathing and swimming giving Sandra a good insight into our lazy lifestyle.  Late afternoon wind forces us inside to eat the Moroccan tajine which I cook.
BANANA BEACH 3

Thursday 15 March  The early wind dies down.  Purchase a large mullet which is delicious barbecued for lunch and eaten with couscous.   
BANANA BEACH 4

Friday 16 March  The dull start prompts Aidan and Anita to leave earlier than planned.  The camp is breaking up and there is a noticeable reduction in the numbers of motorhomes around.  Most people arrive in time for Christmas so with only a 3 month visa they are now having to leave.  Can’t believe that we have already spent 50 days camped in different areas within Banana Beach.  The clouds soon clear and Sandra sets out to work on her tan which is coming along nicely.  Phil & Sue move in next door with Roley & Anne next to them.  Strange how it’s just the "younger" Brits that are left but also nice as we have more in common.  Phil collects some firewood for our bonfire and has spotted an up rooted palm tree along the beach.  With Roly, Sandra, Steve and myself in tow we return to try and saw it into movable pieces but the task is beyond us as unlike the Aussies we don’t carry chain saws.  Unfortunately the wind again puts the mockers on the planned bonfire.
BANANA BEACH 5

Saturday 17 March  Back to Agadir to take Sandra to visit the tourist attraction of La Medina D’Agadir 40 DH (£2.65).  They are in the process of creating a traditional Medina complete with restaurants, accommodation, shops with traditional wares and artists at work.  Although incomplete the guide shows us around the finished area and supplies lots of information about the craftsmen and Moroccan traditions.  Sandra is starting with a bit of an upset stomach but does manage to venture round the traditional Souk back in Agadir.  Get collared by a stall holder who instantly recognises Sandra as a tourist by her shorts.  We get hauled in for the hard sell over glasses of mint tea.  Reckon he must think I am a bit of a hippie in my sarong skirt as he keeps asking me if I smoke or if I want any "special’ things like poppy seeds etc. and giving me the nudge nudge wink wink elbow elbow routine.  Not sure which of us is projecting the worst image!  Anyway Sandra gets away with some tea and a perfume bar and is happy with the price she has paid.  Return to Palm beach but the wind has pushed everyone off the beach.  Our previous recce comes in handy as we stroll nonchalantly into the nearby hotel and settle down by the pool.  Very handy for Sandra as good clean sit down toilets are on hand.  Sandra has promised all week to take us out for a slap up meal as a thank you but by the time we return to the van she is in no state to eat let along move.  We tease her about the extremes she has gone to avoid buying us a meal but refuse her offer for us to go out alone at her expense and settle in for the night.
AGADIR, PALM BEACH – 27 MILES

Sunday 18 March  Sandra is feeling much better and we jokingly suggest she takes us out for a slap up breakfast, except that my stomach is now growling.  Drop Sandra off for her 11.35am flight and check out the toilets at the airport – good sit down jobbies.  Can’t believe how fast the week has gone but she has had the relaxing time she needed and we have very much enjoyed her visit.  After a grocery shop (good toilets at Marjane) and E-mail (also good toilets) we drive back home.  Thank goodness we also have a good toilet in the motorhome as my upset stomach goes into overdrive.  It’s a beautiful hot day with no sign of a breeze and stays that way until nightfall.
BANANA BEACH – 44 MILES

Monday 19 March  My stomach is settling down although I really don’t know what can have caused it and the only thing Sandra and I had different to Steve was the steaks we had bought at Marjane.  Phil and Sue are off to explore Paradise Valley and have invited us to join them as our van is too wide for the roads.  It’s a lovely trip out through a small gorge with pretty blossom by the stream.  Emerge into a valley with hundreds of palm trees and a flowing river which we would normally bathe in.  Unfortunately many of the rivers and oases in Morocco are infected with bilharzia and having read the gory details in my Travellers Health book we don’t want to host a parasite in our bladders.  Continue past the parking area for motorhomes and up to Hotel Tifrit where we stop for a drink and a cooling swim in the chlorinated pool which is considered safe.  Returning we pause by the stream where the motorhomers are parked and notice many of them in swimwear bathing in the river.  Sit by the edge to picnic and find any temptation to enter the water is quoshed when we see lots of small snails on the rocks which is a good indication of bilharzia infected water.  Whilst the water appears to be flowing fairly quickly just now we know that the Hotel had just started to empty the swimming pool into it upstream so it is not a true indication of it’s safety.  Return to the beach as we know salt water is safe and we can relax in the sea.  My stomach has just about returned to normal and I give it the final test when I ask Phil & Sue to join us for a curry.
BANANA BEACH 2

Tuesday 20 March   Slight breeze, nice hot day.  Steve checks the chassis where the mechanic removed the nuts to inspect the job last week and finds they were only put back loosely.  We’re glad we decided against getting the work done here is this is how lax they are.  In true Moroccan style Steve spins the job of tightening them out all day.  Each nut seems to earn him a half hour break. 
BANANA BEACH 3
 
Wednesday 21 March  A busy morning cleaning the awning as having made a provisional plan to leave on Sunday our lazy days are numbered – yes I know your heart bleeds for us.  I push Steve and manage to get 1 hours work per mug of tea out of him – don’t think that would go down too well on a CV.  We’ve planned a bonfire this evening and this has developed into a shared meal.  Stan and Barbara provide pre dinner nibbles which we enjoy whilst watching Steve display his Aussie fire building skills.  Phil & Sue have contributed a home made tomato and lentil soup which is followed by my fire baked jacket potatoes and baked beans.  All this is very nicely rounded of by Roley & Anne’s fruit salad in wine served with cream.  Gee it’s a tough life on the road.
BANANA BEACH 4

Thursday 22 March  It’s a blazing hot day which starts with the hot "shirgar" wind blowing up from the Sahara.  Once the wind drops the temperature climbs even further and just after dinner it’s 36C in the shade and time for yet another cooling dip in the sea.  The usual shepherd comes round to graze his sheep and we give him a toy for his little boy.  The little boy is pleased and comes over to kiss Steve’s hand.  This is quite unusual as when we have previously handed out toys we have then been asked for more or money as well and they haven’t seemed that grateful.  Although we brought a bag of toys which Claire had been throwing out the people here are more in need of children’s clothes and especially shoes so will keep that in mind for our next visit. 
BANANA BEACH 5

Friday 23 March  Same start as yesterday but with a stronger hot wind which blows the dust around.  Apparently this usually happens around this time of year and eventually drives everyone away.  Roley & Anne are the first of us to leave as they set off this morning.  Again as yesterday the wind soon dies down and it’s a scorcher.  Enjoy a final bonfire with Stan & Barbara and Phil & Sue for company
BANANA BEACH 6

Saturday 24 March  Phil & Sue leave followed shortly by Stan & Barbara which leaves us as the only British van left on the beach.  With everyone going it’s a bad time for the Moroccan "send backs".  These are Moroccan girls who accompany older European men for the duration of their stay but get left behind when they leave.  On occasion they do end up marrying as one 22 year old has done to a British chap aged over 80.  They seem to have most tastes covered here as there’s also an abundance of young gay Moroccan boys.  We enjoy the hot calm day with no wind except from Steve who has an upset stomach.  At 4.00pm we reluctantly pack up to leave having found out that Monday is the Muslim New Year and there may be special things happening in Marrakech.  Can’t believe that we have spent a total of 56 days parked in different spots along this beach.  Into Agadir to tie up a few loose ends before parking for the last time at Palm Beach.  The guardian recognises us immediately but looks disappointed to find that Sandra is not with us this time.
AGADIR, PALM BEACH – 17 MILES

Sunday 25 March  Not sure if this is the start of their New Year celebrations but all through the night cars drive past honking their horns.  Fortunately we’re already awake, me with a bad patch of asthma and Steve making frequent toilet visits.  British summer time begins so we’re now 1 hour behind England.  It’s Mother’s Day so we need to keep an eye on the time for phoning up.  The car park guardian’s son looks to be about the right size for an old cardigan of Nic’s which we still have.  We give it to him and he stands in front of the van wearing it and saluting us.  Leave Agadir heading out over the Atlas mountains which still have a little snow on the top. Stop to make phone calls and get answerphone’s from both Mums and when we phone Claire it’s Daniel who answers.  He’s very chatty but won’t let us speak to Claire and keeps asking when we are coming to see him again.  Steve makes the fatal mistake of saying soon but to Daniel I’m sure that will mean a whole lot sooner than in 5 weeks time.   It’s a good fast road to Marrakech and we arrive just after mid-day and guided by the impressive 70 metre high Koutoubia minaret we easily find the car park behind it.  Roley & Anne are already here but the car park is full.  The guardian asks us to wait at the side and as a few cars leave he manoeuvres others to make a space for us next to Roley & Anne.  People leave their cars with the hand brake off and he moves them too and fro (with the occasional bump) then chocks them with stones – won’t be leaving our hand brake off for sure.  Head off into the "Djemaa el Fna" which is the main square bustling with stalls and side shows.  Snake charmers, hustlers, water vendors and dentists pulling teeth are part of the appeal.  From here we head into the souk taking a note of our bearings from the sun.  We must be getting better at this as although the lanes narrow and we do a lot of zig zagging we emerge where we want to be to visit the Ben Youssef Medersa 10 DH (70p).  It’s an old college where 800 students studied the Koran and lodged in tiny cell type dormitories.  The main attractions are the architecture akin to the Alhambra Palace in Granada and the unusual layout.  Back through the souk without even a glance at the map then through the square checking out meal options for tonight en route.  Hotel Ali offer an all you can eat Moroccan buffet for 60 DH (£4.20) so we book a table for 7.00pm.  South of the square we make our way to the Saadian Tombs, again 10 DH (70P) admission which seems to be the standard price throughout Morocco.  We shuffle through a narrow passageway to emerge into an open courtyard full of tourists.  We have to queue to view the lavish mausoleums and tombs where many Royal Princes are buried and most importantly Sultan Ahmed el Mansour who also designed it all.  Return to the van to scrub up for our evening out.  Roley & Anne join us as we return to Hotel Ali and find the buffet excellent.  Up on the Hotel roof top terrace we have a fine view over the square which is heaving with people, food stalls and performers.  The noise is incredible and we quickly descent and make out way into the thong.  Food stalls abound lit up by gas lanterns and surrounded by make shift tables.  The most popular ones are selling roast sheeps heads at 70 DH (£4.90) for a "Grande tete" or 60 DH (£4.20) for a petite tete.  The stall holder picks up the head then bashes it with a cleaver before scooping all the pieces onto your plate.  There’s a terrific atmosphere and had we not already eaten we could easily have shopped from stall to stall to make up a 4 course meal (baa the heads).  Entertainment includes bands, fortune tellers, belly dancers, hook the bottle stalls and most popular of all the highly animated story tellers.  Brilliant.  Having dressed up to the nines we head to the most expensive and the most beautiful hotel in Morocco the Hotel La Mamounia.  Set within its own palace grounds it is rather magnificent and also boasts it’s own casino.  Notice that their Moroccan restaurant 3 course menu is priced at 750 DH (£50) and double rooms from 2500 DH (£165).  After exploring the hotel and grounds we return to our own compact and bijou residence for drinks complete with a view of the floodlit Koutoubia.
MARRAKECH, KOUTOUBIA CAR PARK – 161 MILES

Monday 26 March  Despite many inquiries it seems that although it is New Years Day the celebrations all revolve around prayers and the family.  With nothing special happening we set off towards Casablanca but are first amazed to only be charged 40 DH (£2.80) for parking even though the sign says 80 DH (£5.60) for 24 hours.  The roads are good and although we get lots of roadside sellers trying to attract our attention we have no incidents with children throwing or threatening to throw stones.  Settat is quite a surprise as it is a large town with some very modern impressive buildings but even more surprisingly the Royal University of Golf.  Pick up the motorway just NE of Casablanca with a toll of 28 DH (£1.85) to Rabat, 15 DH (£1.00) to Kenitra and 57 DH (£3.90) to the end 25km north of Larache.  We’ve been told about a free camping area 2km from the end of the motorway towards Larache but as we head back towards Larache we realise that I have miss interpreted the instructions and we should have come off at the Larache junction 25 km’s back.  Fortunately we have made good time today and it is still only 6.00pm when we arrive at the Aire de Repos.  It’s a great spot between the town and the motorway junction and funded by the government for travellers.  We are welcomed in English and invited make use of the toilets and free hot showers.  Just what we both need but unfortunately although mine is piping hot Steve cops for a cold one and can’t even ask for his money back.  There’s a restaurant, children’s playground and prayer hall and buses to town leave from the entrance so our overnight stop may become 2 nights giving us chance to explore Larache itself.
LARACHE, AIRE DE REPOS – 331 MILES

Tuesday 26 March   It’s a nice spot so we decide to stay another day and explore the town.  Local buses in Morocco charge 3 DH (21p) for all journeys but we splash out and commandeer a Petit Taxi for 7 DH (49p).  Meander through the Medina and souk then down to the port where we plan to take a rowing boat over to the lovely northern beaches.  By the time we get there the clouds are gathering so we change plans and walk back around the ancient fort dicing with death along the pavement which has either collapsed into the sea, started to collapse or looks ready to collapse and feels like you are walking on a roller coaster. By the time we get back to the van the sun is out but Steve’s stomach is playing up.  This may well have been aggravated by my suggestion that WE give the outside of the van a thorough clean.  He rests up inside whilst I slave away and get many offers to clean other vans.  A restless night with Steve making frequent visits to the loo and me coughing and wheezing, what a pair of old crocks we are at the moment.
LARACHE

Wednesday 27 March  Awake at 6.20am with drizzle pattering on the van roof.  Get up and hit the road by 10 to 7.  No problems heading back to Ceuta and even the weather brightens up.  We’ve really enjoyed our time in Morocco and have been lucky not to have had any stones thrown at the van as many other motorhomers have had.  It’s still a bit third world style but we reckon in a few more years that will recede as most of the younger people wear western clothes and speak French.  We’ll be back but wouldn’t want to come back here as a donkey having seen the way they are miss treated and over worked.  Reach the Moroccan border at 9.35am and following paperwork and a van inspection we emerge half an hour later into SPAIN at 12.05 (2 hours ahead of Moroccan time).   588 miles from Agadir we are back in Ceuta filling up with cheap diesel at 72.9 pesetas (29p) litre and pumping up our air suspension bags to give us better clearance getting on and off the ferry.  Pick up some cheap whiskey 800 ptas (3.20) and brandy 250 ptas (1.00) at the cash and carry.  Through customs with the sniffer dog doing a quick van inspection.  Check in for the ferry making it quite clear that we are 3.20 metres high.  As usual this goes over their heads unlike the fast ferry deck which will not go over ours.  Retreat to the line of trucks waiting for the 3.45pm slow ferry and settle down to read for a couple of hours.  Along with another motorhome we still have a problem boarding the ferry and have to drive on whilst everyone else is backed on.  After an uneventful 1 3/4 hour crossing we dock at 5.30pm on mainland SPAIN and drive back into EUROPE where Police crawl under the vehicles to inspect for stowaways.  By the time we have done a big shop at Lidl time is pressing on so we turn off to La Linea where we have heard you can free camp.  We’re amazed to find a car park full of motorhomes especially when we recognise two of them as David & Joyce and Norman & John who we were with in Morocco.  They have already been parked here for 2 weeks and say it is a great spot.  We are directly opposite Gibraltar with just the airport runway between us and the face of the rock.  It’s said to be an entertaining place at night as cartons of cigarettes are slung over the border fence to be picked up by youths who race off on motorbikes.  In an endeavour to catch them the Police cars use the motorhomes to hide their vehicles behind.  Just settling in when their is a knock on the door and we are surprised to see Jack & Teri the kiwis whom we also met in Morocco.  Plan for a walk to Gibraltar tomorrow then a catch up with everyone.  As darkness descends just after 9.00pm we peer out of the window to admire the rock which is now floodlight, reckon we should be paying extra for a view like that.
LA LINEA – 111 MILES

Thursday 29 March  We are rudely awoken by the Police at 8.30am.  It would seem that there are now too many motorhomes here and we are all being politely asked to move on within an hour and not return.  Plan B sees us in the queue to drive over to GIBRALTAR and we are surprised to get through within a few minutes as when we came 4 years ago we had to queue for hours.  Still cheap fuel at Safeways with diesel 40.5p litre plus 5p litre off if you spend £40.00 in store. Spend a pleasant hour stocking up the trolley with typically British goods. Steve still doesn’t get his pork pie and anyway you can’t take any meat products back over the border because of the foot and mouth problem.  Quickly back through into SPAIN then along the coast to Estepona where we have arranged to meet Barry and Iris Hands.  They previously bought a motorhome in the States and shipped it back to the UK and mutual friends suggested we look them up.  We immediately hit it off having motorhomes, travel to unusual countries and naturism in common.  They invite us back to their villa in the hills and within an hour we are parked up connected to their electricity,  my washing is in the machine and we are offered showers, brilliant.  It’s a dull day which is unfortunate as they have a lovely secluded swimming pool but as we get to know them they suggest we stay on at least until Sunday when there is an International fete in town.  Late afternoon a couple called Terry & Yvonne call round.  Like us they have contacted Barry & Iris through mutual friends as they also want to buy an RV in the states.  A brainstorming session follows when we all pick up a good few tips.  Straight after Terry & Yvonne leave we sit down to a chilli which Iris has cooked and just as we finish their friends Chris & Marion call round.  They are British but have moved here after living in Oman for many years so we get a chance to learn about another country which sounds interesting to visit.
ESTEPONA – 33 MILES

Friday 30 March  Iris is another Internet addict and I spend an hour or so showing her a few new things on the computer.  It’s a beautiful day so we relax by the pool but unfortunately their gardener is working so we are restricted to only going topless.  The pool is chilly but the sun is so hot that we end up taking quite a few dips.  This is a great spot and it’s no wonder they are able to rent out their villa for 8 weeks a year at £900 a week.  On the top floor it has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, lounge, kitchen and dining room then underneath at the pool level is a self contained one bedroom flat.  You are only 5 minutes from Estepona port and have a great view of the ocean from the terrace. Reckon if we had to put down roots we could put up with something like this but whether we could afford it or not is another matter. 
ESTEPONA

Saturday 31 March  Iris goes off to do some preparation for her English cream teas which are being provided at the fete tomorrow.  Barry takes us into Estepona which is surprisingly not a tourist resort and only has one hotel.  Enjoy hot chocolate and churros in the cafe and a wonder round the town.  Drop Steve at the port to watch the Liverpool match in a sports bar.  I return with Barry and try to regain my all over tan by the pool.  Barry and Iris join me and late afternoon Steve makes his big entrance by creeping up on us and diving into the pool.  Barry & Iris have been invited out for the evening but leave us free reign of the house and all it’s facilities.  Never fails to amaze us just how many friendly and trusting people we are meeting on our travels.
ESTEPONA     

Thursday 1 February 2001  It’s a scorcher of a day.  Steve resolves the inverter problem by removing all the connections to the battery and giving them a good clean up.  I do some washing then paint our doorstep after removing the rust.  By the time we have done this and had lunch we are called to join the afternoon boules session on the beach. We draw lots and I end up in a team with Saul, John & Barbara. Steve’s with Norman, Joyce and Jim.  Our team "the woodentops" beat Steve’s the "blue pegs" 2 games to 1.  Steve has a dip in the sea then we retire for a late afternoon drink and to reflect on how this place is growing on us.  We camp for free with a nice view over the ocean, most things we could need are delivered to our door, the neighbours are nice and very helpful with problems, we’re near enough to 3 villages to walk,  everything is cheap and the weather is excellent.  Can understand why most people here tour in their first year and then on future visits just settle here for the duration.  Watch a video in the evening plugged into the inverter, and it works which means we can partake in the video swapping circle.
BANANA BEACH 7

Friday 2 February  Our first purchase of the day is 2 john dory fish for 15 DH (£1.00).  We eat them for lunch fried in a sauce made of garlic and tomatoes and they are delicious.  At afternoon boules we split into boys and girls and we lose 2 – 1.  A man comes round trying to sell spider crabs and Steve negotiates the price to 2 cans of beer which cost us a total of 56 pesetas (22p).  Once cooked Steve passes a pleasant half hour devouring every piece and thoroughly enjoys it. 
BANANA BEACH 8

Saturday 3 February  It’s a cloudy start to the day so I start work on the computer.  So often we are getting asked for advice and information about motorhome exchanges that I figure I might as well get it down as an article and see if any of the magazines will publish it.  Steve walks to the campsite and phones Pete to find he is still in Spain waylaid with dental problems, shame he couldn’t have got here first as the dental fees here are cheaper than the rest of Europe.  People come here just to have orthodontic work done.  By the time Steve returns the sun is out and we fall into the routine of sunbathing, lunch, boules, afternoon sunset drink then evening meal.
BANANA BEACH 8

Sunday 4 February  An even hotter day.  Steve is borrowing Bill Bryson’s book "Down Under" and as we plan to leave tomorrow he is desperate to finish it.  No chance as the minute you sit out people appear and chat.  They say that if you need help working on your van you just open the bonnet then make yourself visible with spanner in hand and crowds will gather to offer advice.  Just as we are all watching a particularly good sunset a trio of Moroccans meander between the vans two playing instruments and one dancing. Perfect timing.
BANANA BEACH 9

Monday 5 February  Leave just after 9.00am and call into the gas depot to get our bottled refilled.  Wait over 1 hour to find they can’t do our particular type.  Filling the van with diesel produces a problem as we need about 150 litres but the machine cuts out after 20 litres.  The diesel is foaming up and even putting it in slowly we can only get another 15 litres in so give up.  Steve returns to the dentist to get his filling polished whilst I hit the Internet cafe and find the machines extremely slow.  Leaving Agadir on the by pass we try another petrol station but only take 13 litres before having the same problem.  Call into Makro where they will admit tourists without a trade card.  Stock up on a few things but there is a limit to what we can buy by the case but I do submit to Mars Bars.  Head south through Tiznit then out towards the coast.  Notice that the salmon colour used for most buildings has now been replaced by a sandy colour and guess this is all done to blend in with the terrain as we approach the Sahara desert.  Aglou Plage campsite is very basic and with an enormous hole in the middle where many years ago they started to build a swimming pool.  It’s cheap enough at 17 DH (£1.15) a night plus 12 DH (80p) electric.  Park then set out to explore the area as our first impressions do not live up to the Rough Guide’s description.  Notice a hotel just before the beach with motorhomes on the car park.  Discover that you can park there for 15 DH (£1.00) and use the hotels facilities. The hotel is lovely inside and very clean so we will probably move tomorrow.  The beach is mainly rocky and it’s a fair walk to the troglodyte fishermen’s caves in the north so we return for a BBQ planning further exploration.
AGLOU PLAGE CAMPSITE – 83 MILES

Tuesday 6 February   Spend an hour catching up with our back log of washing.  Handwashing bedding is back breaking work especially when you are not used to it but we get stuck in together.  Re-locate to Hotel Aglou Beach where the manager is extremely helpful and offers us use of the washing lines on the roof.  Walk north along the beach and discover that close up the
troglodyte caves look more like rough partly built shacks usually with the roof and some walls missing.  There is a sign in many languages warning how dangerous the sea is and that swimming is forbidden.  For us this place hasn’t got a lot going for it but at least there is plenty of water available in the hotel car park so I clean the outside of the van.  The inside also gets very dusty and I now have to spend well over 5 minutes doing housework each day to keep up. I have a lovely hot shower in the hotel for 10 DH (70p) it’s powerfull and the water’s piping hot.  Reckon the hotel is the best part about Aglou Plage and certainly up to European standards all round.  In the evening a group of 12 German motorhomes play follow the leader to park up on the flat area below the hotel.  They have paid DM 5000 (£1700.00) per couple for the privilege of being escorted for a 10 day tour in their own motorhomes and the price only includes the ferry crossing and the occasional campsite.
HOTEL AGLOU BEACH CAR PARK

Wednesday 7 February  It’s a pleasant run down the coast road towards Sidi Ifni which is also dissapointing.  It’s hilly, the campsite is overflowing with motorhomes parked on the dusty car park outside and as for the exceptional Art Deco buildings highlighted by the guide book well Art Deco my arse!  Abandon our plans for staying and after a drive around we head out towards Guelmim.  It’s a good road and the section in the mountains reminds us of Crete, dusty orange earth, scrubby green bushes and small gorges. The salmon coloured buildings are back and now with bright blue doors and window shutters.  Well that’s the ones that are finished as so many buildings here are incomplete and it’s difficult to tell if they are coming or going.  Speak too soon about the road as it deteriorates first to very narrow single track and then to road works which leave us driving a considerable distance on rubble before returning to a completed section.  We’re still getting lots of children racing down from the fields to stand by the roadside waving and hoping for bon bons.  Steve reckons that in 8 years time they will be in the Olympics as they are putting in great training for the sprints and also the hurdles when they jump over the fences.  Turn off to Abeino which sounds interesting.  The single track road in is sided by red dusty earth with the occasional bush and we are now reminded of similar roads in the Northern Territory of Australia.  Camping Abeino 25DH (£1.70) is small as is the village.  Nearby hot springs are channelled into two bath enclosures the ladies being 28C and the men’s 38C.  Having realised the potential as a tourist attraction they are working on the mens to modernise it and adding a hammam.  Once complete they will start to charge for admission.  For now they are offering mixed bathing in the ladies after 7pm with no charge.  Setting out to explore we have a pleasant walk strolling through the shady palmery where a canal channels water to the individual allotment type fields. The ladies hot baths leave a bit to be desired.  Enclosed by high walls steps lead a long way down to a large tiled pool with stepped sides.  The mineral water itself is warm and clean but in many areas green algae is starting to build up on the tiles.   Return after 7.00pm guided by the full moon.  I wear a T-shirt over my costume so as not to embarrass the Muslims but it also serves a purpose of stopping me feeling the slime if I lean back against the tiles.  Soon relax and realise that once you find a clean patch of tiles the whole experience of bathing under the starts is most pleasant – until a man arrives and starts washing his pots in the pool then another to wash clothes.  Time to exit before someone comes and empties their toilet as well   
CAMPING ABEINO – 79 MILES

Thursday 8 February  Back track and head towards Guelmim then turn off for another detour this time to Camping Fort Bou Jerif.  The single track road is well surfaced but at the last junction a notice says that to Bou Jerif  the final 6 km is piste.  The place is highly recommended so we press on and enjoy lovely scenery first through gorges to then emerge along a river with pretty terraces. There’s a causeway over the river and then the surfaced road peters out and we are onto very rough rocky terrain.  Within minutes Steve is cursing having had more than his fair share of driving this type of road in Australia.  We are please to see two modern motorhomes coming towards us confirming that the track is passable.  The 6km turns out to be 4 1/2 miles and takes well over 30 minutes to cover with an equal number of curses from Steve. Suddenly we spot a Disney like structure in the middle of nowhere and heave a sigh of relief.  Fort Bou Jerif is owned by a young French couple and in addition to the camping 50DH (£3.50) they have motel rooms, a newly built small hotel and a restaurant.  Everything is very nicely decorated including murals in the toilet block.  There’s electricity for a few hours in the evening and hot solar heated showers.  Tour groups come here but further enquiries reveal them to be 4WD tours and not the coach variety.  There are lots of low Berber tents around the grounds with floor mats and tables inside and camels stroll around to complete the "Lawrence of Arabia" image. It’s blowing a gale and no good for sunbathing so we set out on a walk to explore.  Further along the track is the real Fort Bou Jerif from the French Foreign Legion.  It’s enormous and we wonder around the ruins and find a small area turned into someone’s home.  Continue to the river and walk by the side then back over the dunes to the campsite.  In the restaurant we share a camel tajine 90DH (£5.60) of which there is plenty for 2 with lots of tender meat. 
FORT BOU JERIF

Friday 9 February  No wind at all and a hot start to the day.  We had a problem with the cassette eject button yesterday and with the help of a couple of other Brits we manage to remove the button to now be able to operate it with a pencil.  By the time we leave it’s 10.15am and we are pushing it to reach our destination.  Guelmim is difficult to negotiate with either no road signs or ones just in Arabic.  North of Guelmim it’still a desert landscape with a long straight stretch of road.  Arrive in Tiznit just before 2.00pm and have to wait for the gas depot to open but the wait is worthwhile as they fill our bottle for 10 DH (70p).  Check onto the campsite which is overflowing onto a dusty area at the back which looks like a building site.  With little other choice we pull up and sunbathe until late afternoon before walking to explore the town.  Coach loads of tourist come here and this is reflected in the increased amount of hassle we get but see as practise for Marrakech.  Arrive back at the site just before 6.00pm but the office is still not open for registration.  Fall asleep just after 9.00pm to be woken by knocking just before 10.00pm.  The guardian starts to talk in appaling English about "fish".  Steve immediately understands that he wants us to go to the office to register but first plays silly and says we don’t want to buy fish and certainly not this late.  The man says we must go fish "maintenant" and Steve pretends to missunderstand and offer to go in the "matin".  Eventually Steve gives in and storms up to the office with the obligatory passport.  The office youth understands English to about the same extent we speak French but he and Steve are playing the same game.  Steve comes back fuming that the man wants both passports which has not been necessary before. He eventually returns in a foul mood as the man would not believe on the registration form that we are retired or that we don’t live in England, they nearly came to blows which I can well imagine when Steve gets uptight.  Reckon that as good customer relations they really should have left the registration until tomorrow as we are locked in the camp by a barrier and also if they want English visitors they should at least learn the basics of our language.
TIZNIT, CAMPING INTERNATIONAL, 96 MILES

Saturday 10 February  Steve sends me into the office to pay the billl which is 36 DH (£2.35) the same as if we had been parked on the proper tidy site.  I set out intent on being polite but the man is obnoxious and even the guardian agrees with us.  He seems proud to have knocked 4 motorhomers up last night but we will certainly tell other people our version.  Anyway by 9.30am we are heading on the scenic loop to Tafraoute winding our way through attractive oasis like villages.  Good views from Col Du Kerdous at 1100 metres then after the drop down the other side we emerge to an area with a surprising number of big expensive looking mansions.  It’s a single track road after Jemma Ida Oussemial so we slow down and enjoy the scenery enhanced by blossom on the many almond trees.  Aguard Oudad is dominated by huge granite boulders often given names of the shapes they look like.  Many houses are built right onto the rocks which makes it look very attractive.  Tafraoute is a small pleasant town with Camping Les Trois Palmiers full but the overspill is in the valley amongst palm trees and nicer than inside the compound.  Sunbathe but get forced inside at times as it is so hot.  Late afternoon we do our usual town reccy and again receive some hassle in the form of people politely welcoming us to Morocco which leads to where you are from then ends in come and look at my shop.  We have time to spare and having made it clear that we don’t wish to buy we follow an old Berber man to his shop.  He shows us lots of rugs and cloths which his wife has hand made but they don’t appeal to us and after he finds out Steve was once a salesman he allows us to leave.  The campsite charge us 25 DH (£1.70) which is a reduced rate for being outside.  I pay an extra 6 DH (42p) to scrub up under a hot shower.  Steve chats to Kiwi’s Jack & Terri who join us for the evening.
TAFRAOUTE, CAMPING LES TROIS PALMIERS – 79 MILES

Sunday 11 February  Beginning the long and winding road back towards Agadir.  Pass through the Ameln Valley with villages built against the rocks before beginning the long hilly descent.  It feels like "Groundhog Day" as we seem to keep repeating bends which look the same.  It’s an extremely tedious journey made worse by being single track road.  We feel that the things we are seeing in Morocco are no better than what we have seen elsewhere and not really worth the journey.  Tioulit fortified Kasbah-village seems to be the only thing different on this run.  Explore the southern part of Agadir where all the tourist hotels are situated.  Lots of new 4 and 5 starts hotels are still being built.  Park near the beach and feel tempted to join the Germans sunbathing at the hotel but there is no guardian in the car park and we don’t want to leave the van.  Park for the night in the French Square and agree an overnight price of 10 DH (70p) with the guardian.  Walk to Place Lahcen Tamri where the restaurant "Mille et Une Nuits" has been recommended by many people.  Steve chooses from the 35 DH (£2.35) set menu and I from the 40 DH (£2.80) one.  Steve’s traditional Moroccan "harira" spicy bean based soup is lovely and my omelette comes with salad.  Bread is served with a chilli dip, a yoghurt and onion one plus butter.  Steve has liver for main course and I enjoy a steak with green peppercorn sauce both served with savoury rice, veg and chips.  For desert we have Fruit Salad and Creme Caramel (no prizes for guessing who had which) followed by melon.  With a litre of fizzy mineral water at 10 DH (70p) it all represents excellent value.  Meander around the area and notice quite a number of tourists eating even though it is a fair walk from the hotels although with the hotel advertising a basic salad at 40 DH (£2.80) it’s understandable.
AGADIR, FRENCH SQUARE, 103 MILES

Monday 12 February   A business morning with one surprising moment.  At the Uni Prix fixed price store
 I spot dozens of cloths just like the one the Berber man showed us which his wife had "hand made"!  She must have been a very busy lady.  No problem filling up with fuel but we refuse to pay a further 20 DH (£1.40) for water when we have just paid 946 DH (£67.00) for 160 litres of diesel.  We’ve been told of free water down by the beach and arrive at a rough looking shanty town area oddly topped off with dozens of satellite dishes.  Filling up using the hose we are mobbed by children and also feel guilty as we are causing a queue of locals who want to fill their water bottles so abandon the job. Return to the Brit camp but the front line is full so we move a bit further up the beach to the "hippie" area for a sea view pitch parked near Steve & Mary whom we’ve met before.  It’s only known as the hippie end as most people here are younger and travel in home converted vans.  One’s a converted mobile bank with bullet proof glass and another still says "mobile library" on the side.   Steve enjoys a swim in the sea and I brave a paddle.
BANANA BEACH (hippie end) – 27 MILES

Tuesday 13 February  Walk to the campsite with Steve & Mary and phone our friend Pete who is now in Morocco but South of us.  Back to the Brit camp for afternoon boules which we follow up by both having a swim in the sea which I find rather cold compared to Steve’s refreshing version.
BANANA BEACH 2

Wednesday 14 February  Valentines Day and we upgrade from the 30 DH (£2.00) kilo fish to 35 DH (£2.35) kilo prawns and buy 1/2 kilo. Usual day of sunbathing then afternoon boules before returning for our evening meal.  We’ve saved a bottle of "Cote’s de Rhone" and this goes down well with the prawn stir fry and rice, melon filled with strawberries and drenched in Sambucca followed by after dinner mints and coffee.  All the more romantic when eaten at a cosy table for two with a sea view and lovely sun set.
BANANA BEACH 3

Thursday 15 February  Buy a large tuna fish for 20 DH (£1.40) and half it with Steve & Mary.  There are more vendors than ever in the area and we can now buy almost anything we need.  Having been here for some time they also now understand "no" means "no" and don’t hang around.  If I leave a carrier bag on the door the bread man leaves us a French stick and collects the money later.  I’m still attempting to learn Moroccan Arabic having set out to learn a word or phrase each day but I’m not getting enough opportunity to use it as Moroccans are now being encouraged to speak French.  Notice from out figures that we are averaging 100 DM (£7.00) day expenditure in Morocco so that means we are actually accruing money whilst toughing it out here!  Or to be more realistic we are starting to clear the overdraft from our excessive December expenses.
BANANA BEACH 4

Friday 16 February   Usual routine including boules.  Enjoying a late afternoon drink with Steve & Mary we spot Pete’s motorhome on the main road and wave to attract his attention.  He parks nearby and hops out with Mollie (his Border Collie) to join us. Over our evening meal he fills us in on his news.
BANANA BEACH 5

Saturday 17 February  Down to the beach late morning where we play backgammon with Pete and I take a dip.  After boules we all go in Pete’s van to Taghazoute for a drink and a bit of shopping before returning for tea.
BANANA BEACH 6

Sunday 18 February    Cloudy morning so we sit out with Pete, Steve & Mary chatting.  Phone Claire and receive the good news that Sandra is coming out for a week next month, it will be lovely to share our Moroccan experience with her.  After boules we walk up to Taghazoute with Pete for a meal.  Sitting in the restaurant at the edge of the dusty main road we comment on the similarities to being in the Far East as this village is so much less touristy than Banana Village
BANANA BEACH 7

Monday 19 February  .Join Pete in ADD105S for a trip to Agadir.  Visit Makro and the town centre then park up by the beach.  It’s a lovely clean stretch of fine white sand backed by a nice promenade.  The tourist hotels spill onto the beach with their own bars and sun loungers in a roped off area – much like many European resorts.  The car park attendant tells us you can stay overnight in a motorhome for 15DH (£1.00), we’ll be back.
BANANA BEACH 8

Tuesday 20 February  It’s a windy morning but the wind dies down enough by mid afternoon for us to go in the sea for a swim and a bit of body surfing.  Pete joins us for a special chilli pasta then leaves early.  It becomes a wild night with the wind rocking the van and things being blown against it.
BANANA BEACH 9

Wednesday 21 February  A windy and cloudy morning.  We are both pretty lethargic having being kept awake for 2 nights with dogs barking then last night with the wind.  Mope around outside he van.  Buy a kilo of crayfish 25DH (£1.65) but they are very hard work to remove from the shells and we won’t bother again. 
BANANA BEACH 10

Thursday 22 February  Back to hot sunny weather and clear blue skies.  The only problem now is that the British family moved in yesterday with their 7 and 5 year old girls. He came up to see us yesterday and is a total bore who hovers around.  Even worse we have been warned about the 5 year old who has downs syndrome and is left to wander around.  They were camped further down the beach and the young girl was going into people’s motorhomes with a spanner and hammer and causing havoc.  When they arrived yesterday she started to climb up our ladder and we were are concerned about her safety and what would have happened if we hadn’t spotted her.  Steve & Mary leave first thing and with Pete planning to move later Steve sets out to find us another parking place.  He returns with a spot in mind and no sooner have we sat out for our coffee than the family appear and Kimberly starts trying to dismantle everything in sight whilst her Dad appears not to notice.  She sits on Steve’s knee and smells in need of a good wash which would be consistent with her neglected appearance.  Still we’ve always said that the beauty of a motorhome is that if you don’t like your neighbours it’s easy to move but it is a shame as we rather liked this spot and it’s the parents not the childs fault.  After lunch we pack up to leave.  Steve backs off the ramps and as I gather them up I spot a scorpion on one.  I drop the ramp and manage to shake it off but shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn’t spotted it before I stored the ramps inside.  Park on the outskirts of the British camp with our name down on the waiting list for a vacancy.  Boules is late afternoon to fit in with the tide but we still don’t have time to complete the usual 3 games.  Norman has a satellite system and picks up British TV so at 8.00am a group of "lads" pile into his van to watch the British football.
BANANA BEACH 11 – EDGE OF BRITISH CAMP – 1 MILE

Friday 23 February  Get up late then find ourselves rushed to get down to the beach for the rescheduled morning boules.  It’s a glorious day and a swim goes down nicely after our activities.  Steve BBQ’s sardines for his lunch but I opt out.  We’ve been invited to a get together with the boules crowd in the evening.  Yesterday was Aiden and Anita’s 41st wedding anniversary, Monday is Jim and Ellens 46th anniversary and tomorrow Barbara and John area leaving so it’s a collective party.  Anita and Ellen have prepared the food for the 13 of us and we joke about it being like the "Last Supper".  To start there’s salad with chicken, apricot and orange couscous. Main course is a most unexpected and delicious home make steak pie, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy.  Jim lights the bonfire and we sit around it finishing off the meal with dam fine cherry pie and custard. 
BANANA BEACH 12

Saturday 24 February  Make an early move into Barbara and John’s spot with Jeffrey & Ethel on one side and David & Jean on the other.  It’s a nice tidy flat spot which would not have been empty for long.  John has raked over the area and piled the stones up to define a bit of a garden complete with bird bath. By 9.30am we are back on the beach for boules trying to beat the incoming tide.  Early afternoon it gets very windy and gradually everyone disappears into their vans.  We’ve borrowed some videos and are happy to relax and watch TV.  The wind dies down after 5.00pm giving us a last chance to sit out in the sun.  Make use of the water tanker and for 20 DH (£1.35) get 150 litres for the tank and also fill the bath tub and some bottles.  There is no water supply to the village of Taghazoute so the tanker delivers there and on the way back to the depot the driver detours to sell any remaining water to the motorhomes and pockets the cash. 
BANANA BEACH 13

Sunday 25 February  Have to rush to get all the washing done before boules.  Shan’t be doing it again though as we learn of a launderette in Taghazoute.  Repeat of the afternoon wind but we hear that we are getting off lightly.  Someone has just come down from Ceuta in the North where it is cold, windy and raining and also raining in Casablanca and Marrakech.  Top this off with the fact that it has been snowing in England and we realise which side our bread is buttered.
BANANA BEACH 14

Monday 26 February  Make the most of the calm morning to sit out and sunbathe.  Later on Steve and Mary join us for a walk to Taghazoute village where they all have the fish dinner and I enjoy a fish tajine.  Round this off with a good cup of coffee whilst soaking up the view from the Panorama Cafe. 
BANANA BEACH 15

Tuesday 27 February  Take a walk up into the hills behind the beach and get superb views along the coast.  Count over 170 motorhomes spread out in 4 different clusters. 
BANANA BEACH 16

Wednesday 28 February  Usual pattern of a calm morning with the wind getting up later.  At least we are getting plenty of solar power to enable us to watch some of the videos we are borrowing.
BANANA BEACH 17

Monday 1 January 2001  Spend the night at Paul & Elaine’s then wake to a much warmer morning with the snow rapidly disappearing.  Walk back to Pete & Carol’s to collect the van and by 9.30am we are heading towards Bristol. There is little traffic on the road and before lunch we are at our friends Karen & John in Bitton.  Our green card for Morocco has arrived there so we are now approaching the final hurdles for our departure and can start to relax.  Get stuck into the wine with lunch which carries on through the afternoon, the evening meal and beyond. 
BITTON

Tuesday 2 January  Make an early start leaving at 8.00am heading to Poole to get a solar panel fitted.  Notice a lot of flooding especially in Dorset.  Whilst the panel is being fitted we catch a bus into Bournemouth to buy a duplicate Vehicle Registration document (3.00) as ours has not come back with the change of address and we can’t leave the country without it.  Return to Poole and depart at 3.00pm with our 75 watt solar panel, regulator and digital display panel on board and 549.00 overboard.  Next stop Gold Motor Services at Alton to investigate our fridge malfunction problems and to buy a few more things.  Run out of time so when they close at 6.00pm we stay in the car park hooked up to their power.
ALTON

Wednesday 3 January  After purchasing the flyscreen mesh, hob grommets and a fuel filter and ordering the rest of our parts we leave for Newhaven.  Notice some terrific floods en route with fields looking like lakes and bridges appearing in the middle of them.  Dorset seems especially bad.  Take the coast road for the last stretch as neither of us have been to Brighton which we are pleasantly surprised by.  Quickly locate Moore Supplies and emerge a further 80.00 lighter but with a 300 watt inverter which will enable us to transfer the extra power generated by the solar panel from the 12v battery into 240v.  En route at 3.00pm and with the aid of the mobile phone we book our ferry crossing with Sea France for 142.00 return leaving at 5.30pm and returning on 30th April.  Reach Dover in plenty of time and having put our watches forward 1 hour we roll off in Calais FRANCE at 8.00pm.  Reckon we must have rolled off as we have been running with the fuel tank empty for a good few miles.  Head straight round to Bleriot Plage where a special area is allocated for motorhomes to park overnight.      
BLERIOT PLAGE

Thursday 4 January  As soon as it gets light at 8.30am we drive round to Auchan hypermarket to buy fuel.  Diesel is 5.06FF litre so with around 10.50FF to the pound it’s much cheaper than England but we still spend over 1000FF (100.00) to fill up.  Notice severe flooding with some of the narrow straight roads now looking like canals.  For the first time ever we negotiate Rouen without problems helped by new sign boards.  Continue through Le Mans but find it dark by the time we reach Tours.  Overshoot on the ring road and end up on the toll A10 and have to pay 5FF (50p) to get off and join the N10. We see some excellent Christmas decorations and in particular an abundance of Santa figures climbing all over buildings. Make it to the official motorhome rest area in Ste Maure de Touraine by 6.30pm.
[To get round Rouen follow green signs to Le Mans and Caen and Caen if nothing else]
[Tours ring road heading South try exit at green sign to Vierzon then pick up Poitiers sign]
STE MAURE DE TOURAINE – 352 MILES

Friday 5 January  As soon as it is light at 8.30am we continue south.  The intermittent but heavy rain stops in Bordeaux where at 1.30pm the temperature is 14C.  By the time we reach Biarritz at 4.00pm it’s 20C and much more to our liking.  My optimum operating temperature is 25C – 30C with a tolerance of 5C which rules out the English winter.  Start looking for parking in St Jean De Luz but it’s away from the coast which necessitates winding hilly roads only to find height barriers on the car parks.  It’s getting dark and we are nearing the Spanish boarder so settle for the car park at Le Clerc supermarket in Urugne.  At 10.30pm as we are getting ready to settle down the trolley attendant knocks on the window and asks us to move but fortunately only to another area of the car park near the 24 hour petrol pumps.  Heavy rain masks the noisy pumps for most of the night.
LE CLERK, URUGNE – 316 MILES

Saturday 6 January  Oversleep and it’s already light when we wake just before 9.00am.  Purchase the obligatory baguette then head into SPAIN crossing the border at Hendaye at 9.25am.  About 260 pesetas = 1 pound with diesel around 120 ptas (47p) a litre which makes it about the same as Bordeaux area where it was under 5FF. Hope to find it cheaper as we head South. Its Epiphany today which is the Spanish child’s Christmas.  Youngsters leave their shoes on the doorstep to be filled with gifts by the three wise men, or Three Kings.  For us this means little traffic and very few trucks on the road. At San Sebastian we turn into the mountains on a new and excellent motorway the A15.  Notice the excellent Spanish system of numbering road junctions by the distance in kilometres from Madrid which is where the motorway ends.  The scenery is very like the Austrian alps with snow on the peaks.  Turning South from Burgos I take over the driving after lunch as it’s a quiet stretch of dual carriageway and I’ve not driven for well over a year.  Just my luck that the road starts to get busy, we reach the high mountain crossing with snow and then I have to drive through a long narrow tunnel.  Steve must have confidence in me as he snoozes – or maybe he is too scared to watch.  Pull off exactly 50km North of Madrid where I have spotted the lake "E De Pedrezuela" close to the dual carriageway.  The lake is muddy but it’s a pretty spot surrounded by snow capped mountains and good for overnight.
[Few rest areas between San Sebastian and Vitoria then lots]
50KM N MADRID/LAKE ‘E DE PEDREZUELA’ – 295 MILES

Sunday 7 January   Early start into Madrid but we miss our proposed exit off the M30 and have to cut into the city from the SE.  Get a bit lost in the centre and on asking a policeman where to park we come up trumps.  We are just by a market which has an underground car park for delivery trucks.  The policeman explains our parking problem and they agree to let us stay there for the day.  It’s a short walk from Calle de Toledo to Playa Mayor an enormous square with lots of stalls.  Unfortunately our planned tour of the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is off as it is closed today.  Continue on an extensive walking tour taking in some nice statues and buildings with the Post Office in Piaza de la Cibeles being a highlight.  The temperature struggles to climb above 7C but Parque del Retiro is still bustling with people, stalls, fortune tellers and all manor of side shows.  The central lake photographs well with a grand statue and people boating on it and the final point of interest is the Crystal Palace.  Steve wants to see some of Salvador Dali’s work and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is free today instead of 500 ptas (2.00) so we have a quick peak at his unusual paintings and a few famous Picasso’s.  Coming out we are handed a leaflet which side tracks us to Diamantino cafe in Plaza Anton Martin where for 1100 ptas (4.40) there is an excellent all you can eat buffet which includes paella and prawns.  Complete our circular walk with a stroll along Paseo Prado then back through Peurta del Sol where all distances in Spain are measured from.  Back at the van by 2.30pm and pay 250 ptas (1.00) an hour for the very convenient and secure parking.  There is much more traffic on the road now and we slowly but easily make our way out onto the motorway to Toledo.  Pull off just North of Toledo and find a rest area with a park, picnic tables and sports courts.
NORTH OF TOLEDO – 80 MILES

Monday 8 January  It’s been a cold night and we wake to a frosty morning.  Once again we park easily in Paseo De Ricaredo, Toledo where a volunteer keeps an eye on the vehicles.  It’s still only 3C so we wrap up well.  Toledo is a wonderful old walled city perched on a hill surrounded by a deep gorge and the River Tages forming almost a circle around it.  The streets are narrow, twisted, cobbled, busy with cars and with no regular pattern.  We try to follow a plan but it is easy to get lost and end up exploring interesting side streets before we eventually find the magnificent gothic cathedral and then the imposing Alcazar with superb views down to one of the Roman bridges.  Most entrances through the wall have outstanding arched gates and overall we feel more impressed with Toledo than Madrid.  Leave at lunch time noticing a more respectable temperature of 19C as we head towards Granada on the excellent E5.  Stop 30km west of Granada and notice a bit of a problem.  At one point I popped back to make some squash and left the pump on with the bathroom sink tap trickling.  The worst part is that the sink empties into the same tank as the toilet which is now full and overflowing.  Fortunately we are at a service area where we can empty the tank and fill up the fresh water before beginning the horrible task of mopping up the sewage.  Get chance to notice a super sunset with the sky turning bright pink then red making the snowy mountains look lovely.
30KM W OF GRANADA ON A92 – 251 MILES

Tuesday 9 January    At 11.00am we meet Cyril & Margaret in Plaza de la Paz, Torre Del Mar.  They are friends of Keith & Diana from Australia and after phoning them last night they arrange a meeting.  We get on very well and after a coffee follow them back to their house in the mountain village of Puente Don Manuel.  Lunch lasts from 3.00pm until 6.00pm and we then end up sleeping in their house as the van is un-level.
PUENTE DON MANUEL – 95 MILES

Wednesday 10 January  Drop Margaret in Velez Malaga for her Spanish lesson then Cyril takes us down to Camping Almanat where we seek out our friends John & Maureen from Yorkshire.  There’s too much to talk about so we agree to return tomorrow with the motorhome  Pick up Margaret then stop for a tapas lunch.  We have 8 dishes, bread, 2 coffees, 2 beers and a wine and the total bill is only 1200 ptas (4.80).  Steve feels rather ill in the afternoon and retires to bed part way through the evening meal.  He can’t get warm and may be coming down with a cold. 
PUENTE DON MANUEL

Thursday 11 January  Steve is still unwell so he stays in the van whilst I shop at Lidl.  Get a 10% winter discount at Camping Almanat but it still costs 2666 ptas (10.20) a night.  We have a bit list of jobs to do once we are on site and it’s not very warm I can set about cleaning the bathroom carpet and other things.   Maybe the thought of all the jobs has brought on Steve’s lethargy.  I chat to an elderly couple John & Peggy who have been going to Morocco for 16 years and love it, no doubt we shall see them there.
TORRES DEL MAR, CAMPING ALMANAT – 16 MILES

Friday 12 January  Torrential rain throughout the night and we wake to floods and a fresh coating of snow on the Sierra Nevada.  Leave mid day and head into Malaga to buy LPG.  Have great trouble finding the depot and then can’t buy any as we don’t have the correct adapter.  This could mean we have to turn the fridge/freezer off soon as we only have half a tank of gas and for cooking this would last months but only 2 weeks with the fridge on.  Onwards dicing with death on the "Carretera del Muerte" to Camping La Rosaleda at Fuengirola.  We meet up with fellow motorhomer Pete whom we are planning on going to Morocco with in a few days.
LOS BOLICHES, CAMPING LA ROSALEDA – 45 MILES

Saturday 13 January  Hooray we wake to blue skies and sunshine.  Hurl Steve out of bed so I can get the bedding into the washing machine 400 ptas (1.60).  Stroll down to town and find we are actually in Los Boliches which adjoins Fuengirola a little further west.  Promenade along the sea front then succumb to a coffee when we see a packed cafe offering drinks at 100 ptas (40p). Know we are in a tourist area when we find the menu in English with English food and the staff are also English. No sooner have we sat down than Steve glances up and recognises the people at the next table.  It’s Kevin & Anne Southall who have a grocers shop just down the road from where our Post Office was in Keighley.  Continue our walk into Fuengirola with every other person talking English.  Call into "Internet Cabins" and take a 1/2 hour session for 300 ptas (1.20).  Meandering down side streets on the way back we come upon "Bernies" pie shop and lunch becomes a large and tasty steak and kidney pie for Steve and cheese and onion for me 225 ptas (85p) each – boy do we know how to live it up!  Back on site we start to tackle some of the jobs for which we need fine weather.  Inspection of a leaking roof problem reveals a large area where rain has seeped in and soaked the wood. Begin by drying the area with the hairdryer and end by us pondering the proper long term solution.  Pete calls round in the evening and invites us out for a meal along with his Norwegian friend Eva.  The sea front is very quiet when we arrive around 10.00pm with us being the only customers at the Pizzeria.
LOS BOLICHES 2

Sunday 14 January  Another nice day or in reality a day more like it should be here at this time of year.  They have already had enough rain to fill the reservoirs and last them at least 2 years.  On with more jobs but no sooner do we fix one than we find another, this time the TV is on the blink but we do manage a good laugh watching "East to East" on video even if it is either all blue or all green. Brings a whole new meaning to watching blue movies.
LOS BOLICHES 3

Monday 15 January  Settle the campsite bill which should be 2500 ptas (10.00) night but with "Pete’s friends" discount we pay 2000 ptas (8.00).  Pete isn’t coming with us to Morocco at this stage as a friend from England has decided to visit him this week.  Head off along the Costa Del Sol now also known as the Costa Del Golf.  It takes a long time to pass by overdeveloped Marbella or more aptly in our opinion they have marred something that was Bella.  Stop for a major shop at Lidl on the outskirts of Algeciras where we escape with literally just a few pesetas. Alcohol and imported goods are expensive in Morocco so we have to stock up for 3 months.  Find the port easily and book onto the 1.00pm fast ferry to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Africa.  Single EuroFerrys fares are 2670 ptas (10.50) for vehicle passengers and 16405 (64.00) for motorhomes.  You save 10% booking an open ended return and our total bill is 39,130 ptas (155.00).  Drive straight through and onto the fast ferry – well almost.  Nobody asked the height of our vehicle and we won’t fit on and have to back off down the ramp.  Fortunately the same company run a slow ferry but the 1.15pm is full so we must wait for the 4.00pm crossing which leaves us "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay".   Along with lots of trucks and 3 other high motorhomes we board the ferry backing up the ramp – no drive on drive off on this one.  It’s a lovely crossing sailing out past the magnificent rock of Gibraltar.  As we reach the coast of AFRICA we look back and can still see it’s outline in the distance.  Dock at 5.40pm and find disembarking is fun as we have to time our descent down the ramp to coincide with the swell of the sea.  Drive along the seafront to the ferry departure area where a secure car park has been recommended to us and a few other motorhomers.  Take a walk into town which looks very Mediterranean with palms along the sea front and yachts in the harbour.  The area of the old moat if most attractive but we turn back quickly when we continue and find ourselves in an area of high rises with less than desirable people lurking around and it’s getting dark.  There are lots of duty free shops in the area so after a final shop we return to the van. Later on we are playing cards and feel something nudge the van.  Steve hops outside and the French man in the motorcaravan behind comes out with a torch and indicates to Steve to look under our van.  He sees a pair of trainers and realises someone is underneath.  He shouts for them to get out and a youth aged about 17 emerges and quickly runs off.  Call the security guard and explains as best we can in Spanish.  He points to a camera opposite and appears to tell us that this is the most secure area that there is.  After a thorough inspection under the van we find nothing and settle back inside but with the curtains open.  Was the youth depositing drugs thinking we were going to Spain in the morning?  Shortly after we spot another two youths sculling around inside the perimeter of the car park and then four more climb over the fence.  A local has also seen them and called the police who take information from us and then proceed to patrol the area.  Welcome to Africa.
CEUTA PORT – 77 MILES

Tuesday 16 January  Just as we are getting ready to leave Steve comes up with the unlikely theory that maybe the youth was putting a bomb under the van.  He suggests I stand clear whilst he starts the engine but I decide that if we are going to go out with a bang it will be together – we don’t.  Pick up the recommended Michelin map of Morocco 1000 ptas (4.00) at the petrol station and tank up on duty free diesel 76.5 ptas (30p) litre. I’ve already noticed that there are numerous spellings for the same place in Morocco and many places which change names so for simplicity I shall refer to everything by the name on my map.   8.30am and we set off to the border 3km away.  There are lots of people walking, heavily laden donkeys and even more heavily laden women.  It’s mayhem approaching the border as we pick our way carefully through hoards of people amidst a cacophony of horns.  Once through the Spanish departure point things quieten down as we are segregated from those on foot.  There’s quite a lot of paperwork to complete but the border has only just opened and there is only one vehicle in front of us so no queues at the different desks.  Amazingly we are cleared through in 20 minutes and emerge in MOROCCO at 8.15am having put our clocks back 1 hour to GMT.  The currency is dirhams with 15.DIRHAMS 386 CENTIMES to the pound.  Moroccan Arabic is the main language but French is widely spoken and signs are in both.  Culture shock kicks in straight away as we reach the first town with dusty streets, hoards of people and obvious signs of poverty.  Within the first 1 km we pass 4 police road blocks but get waved through them all.  Just a few years ago tourists were hassled and children would stone foreign vehicles. The government have now realised how good tourism is for the country and the King has appeared on television asking everyone to be nice to the tourists to encourage them and others to visit.  The first major town we reach is Tetouan where a motor cyclist tries to grab our attention on the ring road.  He keeps driving at the side of us and waving and shouting that he knows England and has been to Piccadilly.  Think he wants to show us around Tetouan but we smile and wave and keep going until he gives up.  Heading up into the Atlas mountains we feel like we have arrived on a Star Wars set as the Berbers in their long brown wool coats look like OB1 Kanobe.  Just before Larache we pick up the new toll motorway which even has "Aires de Repose" just like in France.  It’s a pleasant journey down the Atlantic coast and we leave the motorway at Kenitra after paying the rather hefty toll of 57dr (3.70) to travel 106km.  Kenitra is quite a big busy town and we plough our way straight through the centre.  Frequently stop to ask policemen directions and are always greeted with a salute and given directions in either French or English.  Reach Sale at 1.30pm and check into "Camping de la Plage" which charges 75dir (4.90) for a powered site in a walled compound.  There are a couple of other British motorhomes but most are French or German.  The toilets are stand up jobs that don’t flush but they are clean and there are plenty of cold showers.  Sale is on the opposite bank of the estuary to Rabat the capital of Morocco and tomorrow we intend to take the ferry over to sight see.  Relax for the afternoon in the hot sun and gleen more information from fellow campers.
[After Kenitra toll exit at signs Fes and Kenitra North.  Continue to Kenitra and keep going straight on ignoring signs to Rabat with a motorway symbol.  At the very far end of town the road veers left and is signposted Rabat]
SALE, CAMPING LE PLAGE – 187 MILES

Wednesday 17 January   Nice hot sunny day.  Set out at 8.30am along the beach to catch the ferry across the Oued (river) Bou Regreg "Father of Reflection". The ferry is a small wooden rowing boat and you pay 1 DH (6p) each to be taken across.  Our first port of call is the Kasbah (palace centre and/or fortress of an Arab town) Des Oudaia site of the original ribat and a citadel.  Enter by the somewhat impressive Bab (gate or door) Oudaia then wonder through the streets to the platforme for a fine view.  Exit via the palace and gardens then head straight through the middle of the main Medina (original Arab part of the town).  Can’t believe that we are not hassled to buy things as carpet sellers and other stall holders are plentiful.  Most women are wearing a version of the djellaba coats as dresses and I suggest that maybe I should get one to blend in but Steve is not impressed with their sack like appearance.  Emerge completely unscathed and without making a purchase.  Head to the main commercial area to find an ATM.  The first bank does not accept our card but the next one displays the Mastercard symbol and we have no trouble withdrawing cash. Much further up the same street a man stops Steve and asks the time but he doesn’t wear a watch.  Today unusually I am and show it to him.  He starts chatting when he realises we are English and proceeds to fill us in on a long story of how he works for the Forestry commission in Marrakech with an Englishman and they teach each other the different languages.  He had an accident in his car yesterday and eventually shows us a telegram he is trying to send to get some money for repairs.  The catch is that he doesn’t have the 60 DH (3.90)to send it and asks us to "lend" it to him.  Now we haven’t been in the country long and although we both smell a rat we agree to give it to him and he says he will return it to us on the campsite tomorrow.  As we walk off we are sure we have fallen for a tale but console ourselves that for 4.00 it was a good line and has taught us a lesson.  All will be revealed tomorrow.  Call into the British Council where they have English newspapers in the library.  Pass lots of embassies and the Moroccan royal palace en route to the Chellah Necropolis 10 DH (65p) a beautiful ruin uninhabited since 1154.  Interesting roman remains and a mosque with royal tombs are the highlights.  We are also impressed with the tranquillity whilst walking through the gardens broken only by the calls of the many storks nesting on the minarets and trees. Feel we are doing our walking tour the right way round as so far we have avoided any steep climbs and each thing we have seen has been better than the last.  This continues as we end up at the Hassan Mosque and Mohammed V Mausoleum.  The mosque is enormous but in ruins following the 1755 earthquake.  The mausoleum was started in 1961 following the sultan’s death and inaugurated 6 years later.  It’s an exceptional building with costumed royal guards watching over.  We’re allowed in and see the carved white onyx tomb below a fantastic gold fancy dome.  We’ve surprised how much we have both enjoyed our visit to Rabat having found it easily walkable, stress free and with quite a few interesting things to see.  Arrive back on site at 1.30pm.  By 4.00pm we have got our second wind and head into Sale where the Medina is small and easy to get around.  In the alleyways we peer into lots of tiny grubby shops selling everything but the kitchen sink then suddenly find ourselves in a smart corridor with shops selling very expensive looking gold. Again no one pesters us to look at or buy anything which is most surprising and very pleasant.  For us the only real downside to the area is that although the campsite is behind the beach we can’t see it because of the high wall, the beach is covered in rubbish, they appear to be dumping sewage in the water and the price of the site is high considering the rough state of it and lack of facilities but it is very handy for visiting Rabat and Sale.       
SALE

Thursday 18 January  No show of the man with our money by the time we leave at 10.00am , what a surprise.  The only thing I’m annoyed about is that we didn’t have the presence of mind to offer to go with him to the Post Office and pay for the telegram there and then – hindsight what a wonderful thing.  Anyway we leave Rabat intending taking the motorway all the way to Casablanca but miss a turning and end up on the coast road which turns out to be rather scenic with low cliffs and pounding surf.  The landscape is very green and not the least like our preconceived idea of Morocco, more like rural England.  Pass a few resorts set up mainly to cater for the French.  There are lots of roadside stalls first with buckets of fruit and then selling cups of tea but strangely they all come in clusters of the same type.  The road deteriorates from good to OK after Bouznika and we finally join the motorway just North of Casablanca and pay the 12 DH (78p) toll having inadvertently saved ourselves the additional 28 DH (1.80) charge from Rabat.  Although associated with the film of the same name nothing was ever shot in Casablanca and the Rough Guide book doesn’t make it sound at all interesting so we press on along the busy motorway avoiding numerous people either crossing it or picking things in the central reservation.  Reach El Jadida mid afternoon to check onto Camping International 70.40 DH (4.60)  with electric.  It’s marginally better than the last site but still nothing to write home about and again we are in a compound behind high walls which cuts off from a view of the sea.  Rain in the evening highlights the fact that the temporary roof repair isn’t working.
EL JADIDA, CAMPING INTERNATIONAL – 123 MILES

Friday 19 January  It’s a half hour walk to the Cite Portuguese (old part of town) where the Portuguese Cistern is recommended viewing at 10 DH (65p).  I guess if you have never seen a cistern before it might be impressive but compared to the one we saw in Istanbul it doesn’t rate and Steve emerges with a smug ‘I told you so" expression.  It’s an interesting walk down Avenue Mohammed V where street traders put Del Boy (Fools & Horses) to shame with the speed they pack up their wares and move on when the Police appear.  They are equally as quick in setting up stall again their stalls being sheets of tarpaulin laid on the ground.  It’s a very busy street with shops being grouped together by the type of stock they sell.  Manage to buy some screws to replace the rusted ones from the shower roof dome and fork out 20 DH (1.30) for 36 screws and some woodfiller.  From the bakery we buy a French stick for 1Dh 10 centimes (7p) then Steve is tempted by a barrow stall deep frying fish and buys a whole small freshly cooked one for 5 DH (32p).  Our final purchase is 1 kilo of tomatoes 3 DH (19p).  No complaints about food prices although I am sure we paid too much for the screws.  We see no other tourists and comment that Morocco so far seems like a cross between the far East and Turkey.  The Turkish element is not surprising as they are both Muslim countries. Almost everyone is clothed to cover their legs and arms and mosques abound which means we are woken at daybreak with the calling to prayer.  Luckily it’s a hot sunny afternoon but although Steve presses on with the roof repair he is not happy as he knows the products he is using are not quite the right thing and won’t last but "Inshallah" we shan’t encounter any more rain. 
EL JADIDA

Saturday 20 January   The campsite offer hot showers at 5 DH (32p) and having paid our money we are given the key to one of their "motel" units which turn out to be simple but clean and with sit down toilets and hot showers.  Have to keep reminding ourselves once on the road that in Morocco they still use the old French system of "Prioritie adroite" on roundabouts and main junctions.  The "ring road" around El Jadida is appalling deteriorating into little more than a muddy stream at times with enormous pot holes.  Once on the coast road things improve and we find ourselves in a farming area with lots of plastic greenhouses over the tomatoes.  We get waves from dozens of children but come across one who threatens to throw a stone and another a stick.  We frown and wag our finger at them and nothing comes of it.  Perhaps they don’t have TV out here and didn’t receive the Kings broadcast.  Oualidia seems a normal bustling town until we turn off right down a hill to the beach and find we have been transferred to a quiet seaside resort.  The footpaths are red tiles, the beach is clean and there are lots of nice restaurants.  Camping Les Sables D’Or 52 DH (3.35) has a clean toilet block and for the first time on a site it has sit down toilets.  It’s pretty windy so after our walk around the resort we sunbathe in a sheltered spot by the van.  We have selected the Restaurant A L"Araigne Gourmande for our evening meal.  It’s a seafood restaurant with menu of the day 85 DH (5.50).  We are met by a roaring log fire in the French style dining room right behind the beach.  Our meal starts with fish soup and croutons.  Next course is a big tray of salad and another of urchins.  We are expecting the main course next but instead receive three more platters with mussels, whitebait and a small shell fish.  By this time Steve is full up and wishing Sandra was with us as she is also a seafood lover.  For our main course Steve has fish whilst I have shish kebabs (beef) and chips. Rounded off by orange tart or crepes we reckon it was good food and excellent value for money. 
OUALIDIA, CAMPING SABLES D’OR – 51 MILES

Sunday 21 January   It’s difficult to phone England as few call boxes can be used for international calls and the ones that do take a maximum 5DH (32p) coin which they eat up. Manage a quick call to Mum on her birthday and find that it is snowing in England, shame as we are basking in sun.  Continue our journey down the coast noticing an unusual landscape of long narrow fields heading straight to the dunes.  There are lots of children around and we grow weary of smiling and waving and still encounter the occasional child making as if to throw a stone.  This all stems from motorhomers who in the past threw sweets out of the window but this is now discouraged as it encourages the begging mentality amongst children and they suggest you only give to a child if they have done something to deserve it.  The threats still seem a little intimidating.  Get lost in Safi where it is not ideal to take a large motorhome into the narrow busy side streets.  Follow the inland route onwards passing through towns with bustling markets and for miles either side people, donkeys and camels laden with goods.  The campsite at Essaouira has been moved further out of town to make way for a big new hotel to be built.  Site fees are cheaper at 42 DH (2.70) with electricity and the toilet block is tiled and clean.  Yet again we are behind high glass topped walls but we have a sandy plot and can pretend we are on the beach sunbathing in the scorching afternoon sun.  The only other British motorhomers are Dot & Jim who join us for a drink in the evening.
ESSAOUIRA CAMPING SIDI MAGDOUL – 175 MILES

Monday 22 January  Climb over the dunes to walk North along the beach to town.  Almost buried in the sand we spot the ruins of an old fort which was the inspiration for Jimi Hendrix’s song "Castles in the Sand" .  He once spent a long drug-happy summer in the town and often visited this stretch of beach.  Another claim to fame of the town is that Orson Welles filmed much of his Othello here and they have named a square after him.  It’s a pleasant soft sandy beach and we pass the enormous posh looking Sofitel Hotel just before reaching the port.  There’s an Internet cafe which charges 20 DH (1.25) hour or 15 DH (1.00) 1/2 hour.  Take a seat and immediately become confused by the Arabic keyboard which does have English letters but in the wrong places.  Finally get into hotmail but the computer is so slow it severs the connection before it can download or send a message.  Give up as a bad job.  Enter the Medina for a pleasant hassle free stroll then return to the port for lunch.  The area of Fish Grills have stalls of fresh fish which you chose and then wait for them to BBQ it and serve it up with salad, bread and a drink.  Prices are negotiable and by the 3rd stall we have an idea what we want to pay and settle on a total of 70 DH (4.50) for a large John Dory fish for me and a big live crab for Steve.  A leisurely stroll back along the promenade and an afternoon sunbathing.
ESSAOUIRA 2

Tuesday 23 January  Follow a sandy track towards the village of Diabat.  The bridge over the river collapsed long ago so now we have to rock hop along the sandy river bed then over a makeshift bridge of sacks and stones.  This village was once a legendary hippie hangout but has now reverted to a typical Berber village although we notice a German then a French car outside properties which look like they are being renovated.  Explore the primitive village and return past the school then stop at a "cafe" for a couple of drinks and some bread.  Having some idea of prices now we feel we are being overcharged at 13.50 DH (85p) but at least it’s helping a small community.  Drop down to the beach for a spot of sunbathing in the dunes.  We’re surprised to pass a tortoise on the way back early afternoon.  Press on with the seemingly never ending task of cleaning the van.
ESSAOUIRA 3

Wednesday 24 January  Another glorious hot day so we continue cleaning and waxing the outside of the van.  Normally with a hose pipe we can complete the job in a day with us both at it but with limited water and ingrained dirt the job seems never ending – also we do keep stopping to sunbathe.   RAF pilot called JJ is staying on our site and he joins us for a drink in the evening and tells us about the area further south which he has already checked out for surf.  He lends us his "Stormrider" book which highlights all the good surfing beaches and also mentions camping possibilities.
ESSAOUIRA 4

Thursday 25 January   Rain in the early hours and we wake to drizzle – time to press on further south.  It brightens up almost immediately and our journey takes us up into the mountains with some interesting gorges.  Roadside attractions include goats up argan trees and vendors selling argan oil and honey.  It takes the nuts from 30 trees to produce 1 litre of oil which makes it expensive.  If the price isn’t a deterrent we read that they collect the nuts out of the goat dung (after the goats have digested them). Back on the coast we stop at one of the areas mentioned in JJ’s book with about 20 motorhomes parked on the cliff top.  Most are small old campervans with young "surfies".  Steve gets chatting to an elderly British couple Carol & Roy and we swap info.  After lunch I take a stroll around site and chat to another British couple Malcolm & Wendy who have been on the road for 3 years and built their own motorhome in gypsy style complete with dark wood, horse brasses, fireplace and wood burning stove. They have a pet tortoise which they rescued when the lorry in front of them ran over it.  Lots of vendors pass between the vans selling bread, cakes and fresh fish.  Coupled with a supply of spring water here we can understand why so many people stay.  With binoculars we can see further along the beach to Taghazoute where there must be 200 motorhomes huddled together on the beach.  For us it is nice to sit out here with a view over the ocean and entertainment provided by the surfers.  For the first time since our return from Aus we watch the sunset over the ocean.
N TARHAZOUTE, ANCHOR POINT/25 KM PLAGE – 93 MILES

Friday 26 January  It’s not a great spot where we are so we drive into Taghazoute to check out the campsite and then the free camping area between there and  Tamrhakht universally known as "Banana Village" after the thriving banana grove and roadside stalls.  It’s not surprising then that the beach is called Banana Beach and this is the area with hundreds of motorhomes parked together grouped mainly by nationality but not really our scene.  Continue to Agadir port to try to buy LPG at the gas depots but with no success.  Resign ourselves to turning off the fridge in order to free camp.  Find a spot on the edge of the Banana Beach free camp and settle ourselves in.  Within half an hour we have bought a 6M X 2M plastic carpet to go outside the van.  Negotiation brought the price down from 250 DH (17.00) to 50 DH (3.20) plus an old pair of trainers and a track suit.  I’m now very happy with an area to stretch out and sunbathe and less dust coming into the van.  An afternoon stroll through the camp brings us to the British section which is one of the best areas with a small patch of green separating them from the beach.  We learn that this area is free but where we are parked a self appointed guardian comes round daily and demands 10 DH (65p).  The 10 DH includes security and rubbish disposal.  Security is a man shining his light into all the vans at 10.00pm then going to sleep and rubbish disposal involves them taking your bags and dropping them in the gully.  Two Brit. vans are moving out in the morning and they suggest we drive over and double park ready to take their spot, unbelievably we do.  I say unbelievably as I always said that I didn’t come away to be crammed into a site with a load of Brits and that’s exactly what we are doing but they did make us feel welcome and we should be able to get information about other things we need including a dentist for Steve who has lost a filling.
BEACH BETWEEN BANANA VILLAGE AND TARHAZOUTE  1 – 24 MILES

Saturday 27 January  Move onto our spot then hitch a lift with Malcolm and Wendy who have called down.  They drop us in the nearest village called Imourane.  We want to phone David for his birthday but can’t get him or Claire so speak to Netty.  Walk back along the beach and then meet some of the Brits, Aiden & wife, David & Jean, Jeff & Ethel, Eddy & Sandy, John & Barbara, Les & Yvonne. Set up our stall for a day of relaxation.  David tells us of an excellent dentist in Agadir whom he is visiting on Tuesday so we make plans to go with him.  A tanker comes round with water charging 20 DH (1.35) to fill any size tank.  Vendors hawk rugs and different types of food but we pass on them all.  Walk north along the beach to see Steve & Mary whom we met previously and to watch the famous Rashid at work. painting dessert scenes onto the sides of motorhomes.  Back at the coral Jeff has his radio operator Ethel relaying the football scores to a gathering of men including Steve.  Before we know it the sun is setting and another day is over.  Can see we are going to find our time passing very quickly here.
BANANA BEACH 2

Sunday 28 January   Walk north along the beach to Taghazoute.  Lots of Moroccans are playing football on the beach and we observe that they have very narrow goal posts and players wearing T-shirts from a wide variety of European teams.  It takes us about 3/4 hour to reach the village and for lunch we settle on fish. 15 DH (1.00) gets you a plate of assorted fish including calamary and prawns, a small dish of salad and bread. Arriving back at he van at 2.00pm we have just settled down to sunbathe when a sand storm blow up and we are forced inside.  Set up the video to watch a film using the new inverter only to find it blows the fuse for the cigarette socket connection.  The instructions reveal that for heavy power supply the inverter must be connected directly to the battery – another job to add to the list.  By early evening the van is positively rocking and we are not the culprits.
BANANA BEACH 3

Monday 29 January  The storm died out late evening and we wake to a hot sunny and just slightly breezy day.  By 9.30 am I have made a number of purchases from the door to door salesmen. 2 DH (13p) for a French stick, 20 DH (1.35) for a 650g gurnard fish which the man cleans and guts for me and a punnet of strawberries for 5 DH (35p).  BBQ the fish for lunch and it is delicious with chips rounded off with strawberries and cream.  Jean next door is a hairdresser and for 75 DH (5.00) does cuts so I invest in a short back and sides.  Steve gets lots of help on connecting the inverter, it seems the minute you appear to be doing a job here the crowds gather round to offer help and advice.  Brilliant for us as we never know what we are doing anyway.     
BANANA BEACH 4

Tuesday 30 January  Jean & David join us to escort us round Agadir.  The town was rebuilt after the 1960 earthquake so lacks character but makes a good resort for British holidaymakers.  Stop in the area of garages where Steve & Dave stand in one shop whilst boys race around getting cables soldered and collecting the things we need.  Next stop the dentist where very quickly and surprisingly painlessly without anaesthetic Steve gets a filling done for 200 DH (14.00).  Part company with Jean & David and set off on foot to explore Agadir. Wanadoo offer Internet at the incredible price of 7 DH (49p) hour and even have good fast computers.   Uni Prix is a useful large fixed price supermarket selling groceries and souvenirs.  Notice the exchange rate is dropping and now nearer 15 DH and less than that on our credit card.  Manage to find just one petrol station which takes credit card and tank up at 5.89DH (39p) litre.  We’re now getting better mileage per gallon probably because of the slow speeds we are travelling at.
BANANA BEACH 5

Wednesday 31 January  Market day in Banana Village.  Set off for the long walk but soon hitch a lift with a van of young Brits. as they are passing.  The market is busy and has two sections, household goods and local produce.  Big tarpaulins are put on the ground and huge mounds of  food are then built.  Most vendors sell only 2 or 3 things so you have to visit many stalls and do quite a bit of bargaining.  We pay between 2 DH (13p) and 3 DH (20p) kilo for most things and buy tomatoes, onions, courgettes, aubergines, potatoes, garlic, chillies and mandarins.  Steve sees a stall with different types of olives and settles for a mixed selection at 5 DH (33p) for half a kilo.  I buy 10 DH (65p) of the Moroccan "tajine" mixed spice and receive a considerable amount in a small bag.  Weighted down with our purchases we are glad to see the people we hitched in with and leave the bags with them for us to collected later back on site.  Walking back we select one of the many roadside restaurants for our first tajine meal.  These Moroccan specialities are cooked over a mini BBQ of charcoal in a clay pot.  A clay platters sits on this and this in turn is covered with a cone.  The meat is first fried in hot oil then spices, stock and vegetables are piled on top and left to steam.   Steve chooses mutton and I have chicken served with huge amounts of bread and washed down with coke.  There is a dispute when we come to pay as on inquiring about the price they wrote on a piece of paper 1 mutton +  1 chicken 60 DH (4.00).  They then wrote that 1 litre of coke was 6 DH (40p) and did a sum showing 60 DH + 6 DH = 66 DH which we agreed as the total.  They now want to charge 60 DH each.   We find this type of thing happening a lot in Morocco and although it may be a simple misunderstanding we feel it is more a case of them deliberately misleading us.  Anyway we have 100 DH note which they won’t take as they want more or 65 DH in change.  We are getting nowhere so put the 65 DH on the counter and say if they want to call the police they can.  We walk off and not a thing happens.  Think this indicates that our latter conclusion was correct.  Our steady walk back takes about an hour which just leaves Steve time to complete wiring the inverter into the battery.  Alas he finishes the job quickly but the inverter cuts out.  After shortening the wire connection as much as possible we still can’t get it to work.  Why is it that jobs which should be simple never are for us.  I cook up a mixture of the vegetables we bought and add the tajine spice which is delicious.  Join a large group of people for a musical evening outside someone’s camper.  An old guy is singing and he has CD’s to back him up.  People are gathered round having taken their own chairs and drinks.  Quite a few people get up to shuffle in the sand but we are content to just absorb the setting.
BANANA BEACH 6

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

c/o Mrs A Spooner (Glen’s sister Netty). Tel 01630 653708
41 Sambrook Crescent, Market Drayton, Shropshire. TF9 1NG. England
E-mail swatman2@hotmail.com

Christmas Greetings time again and the end of our fourth year on the road.  Where has the time gone?  Guess by now you could say we have found a liking for our new lifestyle and intend to maintain it for the foreseeable future.
This seems to have been a year for meeting friends old and new as much as visiting places. Hospitality has overwhelmed us and there would be far too many people for us to name but suffice to say we appreciated and enjoyed it all.  Ran out of time in New Zealand so would conclude that with good weather we wouldn’t have had enough time to get round it all in 6 months, will have to return.  Found the East coast of Australia very different to the West, much more commercialised and with more attractions requiring a larger financial contribution.  Overall we preferred the areas visited last year but hope to come back in the future and travel with a 4WD into more of the outback.  So a brief blow by blow account of our year:-

DECEMBER 1999 Flew to the south island of New Zealand.  On the 15th our Granddaughter Natasha made her debut.  In our exchanged motorhome we did some touring round the north-west but hovered near Nelson for Christmas and New Year.  Celebrated New Year with a party at the site and jumping into the swimming pool then packing 20 people into a 6 person hot tub.
JANUARY 2000 Set off down the west coast.  Plenty of deserted beaches or should I say deserted except for the sand flies which were a pain (literally) at times.  Driving into Milford Sound in the rain was most spectacular.  Knew New Zealand was the place for adventure sports so took on white water rafting on the Buller River, Wilkin River jet boats, tandem parachute jumping at Wanaka and Steve the bungee jump near Queenstown. Got lucky in the Catlins and swam with Hectors dolphins but unlucky with the weather and had a lot of rain and low temperatures.
FEBRUARY Enjoyed some hikes near spectacular Mount Cook but didn’t feel the whale watching trip in Kaikoura lived up to expectations.  Steve however loved his dive with the sharks there.  You pay to be sent down in a cage and have sharks swim around you, strictly for the tourists.  On the 29th we took the motorhome over on the ferry to the north island.
MARCH  Enjoyed Wellington then cut across to the east coast to Napier then in to Taupo area which we liked.  At Waitomo we abseiled into a cave, black water rafted through it, did some caving then rock climbed back out.  Loved Rotorua and visited many thermal areas and had a super night at a Maori concert and hangi meal.
APRIL  Coromandel highlights were hot water beach where we dug our own hot tub in the sand and nearby spectacular scenery at Cathedral Cove.  We were privileged to join friends at Easter when they visited their holiday home on primitive Great Barrier Island.
MAY  Toured Northland which was good making it all the way north to Cape Reinga.  Caught the annual County Rock Festival in Waitangi then turned tail cutting back down the west coast of the north island to take the ferry back to the south.
JUNE Flew to Sydney to pick up our 3rd motorhome a 28′ American luxury one.  Headed North into Queensland but the weather was poor.  Flew back to England for short visit and to meet Natasha who has red hair is beautiful and the most contented baby we’ve met.  Daniel almost 3 soon got to know us again and we were upgraded to "Special Grandma & Granddad". 
JULY  After 2 weeks in England we flew back to Australia with a 3 day whirlwind tour of Sri Lanka en route. Back to greatly improved weather we headed North making it as far as Airlie Beach.
AUGUST  Returning south down the Queensland coast we enjoyed a day trip to Lady Musgrave Island and snorkelled over the coral.  In Hervey Bay we had a fabulous whale watching trip with humpback whales coming right up to the boat.  2 days just wasn’t enough to appreciate the largest sand island in the world Fraser Island.  Gave the Gold coast a blast visiting all the theme parks at least once and winding up with an evening at Draculas cabaret restaurant then Jupiter casino.
SEPTEMBER  Made it back to Sydney in time to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary on the 13th by climbing the arch of Sydney harbour bridge then having a meal at centre point tower.  Had an absolutely brilliant time at the Olympics taking in rowing, hockey, badminton, athletics and the closing ceremony.  We were even lucky enough to be there on the night of the Cathy Freeman race when Jonathan Edwards won Gold in the triple jump for GB.  Sydney was buzzing and like New Years eve every day with lots of free entertainment and events shown on big screens. 
OCTOBER  South along the New South Wales coast.  Off for a few days in another borrowed motorhome.  This time a tiny VW Combi "The Bush Basher" which friends lent us to explore the Sapphire Coast.  Into Victoria and the typical unpredictable weather with more than our fair share of rain.  Highlights for us were the William Rickets sculptures near Melbourne,  the Great Ocean Road (Twelve Apostles Rocks and Lock Ard) and the Grampians.
NOVEMBER Had an excellent day at the Melbourne Cup Races picking the first three horses.  Sovereign Hill at Ballarat was another highlight as was Canberra which we were most impressed with.  The only blight on the month was news that Steve’s Dad had a slight stroke but we hear he is home and doing well.  Flew back to England on the 30th.
DECEMBER  Arrived back to find that one of the motorhome windows had been left open since the New Zealand people returned it in August.  With the heavy rainfall in England that leaves us with a smelly damp and in places wet motorhome.  Straight into it with us babysitting Daniel and Natasha whilst trying to get ourselves straight.  Welcome Home!  Following considerable hard graft and the expense of replacing bedding, mattress and other things we seem to be making progress.  It’s great to see everyone but we are struggling to cope with the pace of life.   The Sydney couple have asked to postpone their use of our motorhome until 2002 so we should be back exploring Europe next year hopefully starting by wintering in Morocco.  Would love to hear your news.  Take care.

Love from Steve & Glen
x

Friday 1 December 2000  Land on time in Manchester ENGLAND at 4.00am.  Claire arrives at 7.30am and along with Natasha, Daniel and the luggage we wedge ourselves into her tiny Fiesta for the ride to Preston to pick up our motorhome (and Steve thought the plane was cramped). We were fully expecting to have to give the van a clean inside but not prepared for the scene which we find.  When the New Zealand couple returned it in August they left a side window open which went unnoticed.  With the heavy rain we have ended up with a sodden sofa bed and a big damp problem.  Claire is dashing back to the Midlands so as quickly as possible we do what we can and set off with the "grandies" in tow.  Head to Keighley where we are going to park at Sandra’s but first call into town for some essentials including a MacDonalds happy meal for Daniel.  The kids are gorgeous.  Daniel seems quite grown up and very clever for his age.  Natasha’s just beautiful and looks so cute waddling around with her copper hair up in pigtails however we are quite relieved when Daz picks them up and we can relax.  Appreciate the use of Sandra’s guest room even more than ever as our van is not habitable.  Get full value out of the bed with a 7.30pm start.
KEIGHLEY, SANDRAS HOUSE

Saturday 2 December  After an initial good sleep we are both awake with 101 things buzzing round in our heads.  At 1.00am I begin wheezing with asthma probably brought on by me cleaning away the mould in the van.  Give up on the bed at 5.00am and start on some paperwork.  Daz drops the kids off at 7.30am – as they say "no rest for the wicked".  Visit Steve’s sister Lisa in Leeds where Sian is very happy sharing her toys with Daniel and Natasha.  Return for Daz to collect the kids at 2.00pm and for us to start the big clean up although just where to start is a problem in itself with damp or mouldy bedding, a ruined bed mattress and problems outside as well.  Get stuck in and find ourselves shattered and in need of an early bath.
KEIGHLEY 2, SANDRAS HOUSE

Sunday 3 December  An unexpectedly bright dry and sunny day.  Whilst Steve helps erecting Sandra’s new shed I make a start on the mountain of washing in the hope of salvaging some of the bedding.  Steve later joins me and we make reasonable progress inside and out.  Fellow motorhomer friends Les & Margaret call round and inspire us with their plans for an overland track to China.  They also mention they are off to collect a diesel operated heating system which we have looked into but at over 500.00 for the unit we were unsure.  At 150.00 for a second hand reconditioned one I make a quick decision and they return a few hours later with one for us also.  This should help in countries like Spain and Morocco where it can be a problem running our LPG heating due to the lack of LPG supplies. 
KEIGHLEY 3, SANDRAS HOUSE

Monday 4 December  We’re both not sleeping well, a combination of jet lag, stress, over work and worry all of which we are just not used to.  The up side is that my belly is already starting to disappear and I can see now why I gain so much weight in our sedentary lifestyle. Invest a considerable sum at the laundrette and increase the coffers of many shops around Keighley.  It seems that when we are in England we spend the greatest amount of money and largely on the least pleasurable things whereas on the road we can spend very little and have a ball.  Round off the day by going out for a spot of line dancing with Sandra.
KEIGHLEY 4, SANDRAS HOUSE

Tuesday 5 December  My 44th Birthday and for my present I get a new bed mattress.  The motorhome is drying out and starting to smell fresher and look more homely.  All thanks to the use of  Sandra’s drive where we have power, water and use of her washing machine. Take Sandra, Rod & Nancy out for a Balti meal in the evening.
KEIGHLEY 5, SANDRAS HOUSE

Wednesday 6 December  Move on starting with a visit to Huddersfield for some van parts and minor repairs.  Drive on over Saddleworth Moor which is very scenic and makes us realise what we have been missing in England.  In Prestwich we pick up David who is coming with us to visit Claire.  Next stop in Leyland where despite a lot of effort the specialist garage still can’t find the reason for our "ABS" and "Check Engine" warning lights.  Arrive in Market Drayton late afternoon and for the first time ever we sleep under one roof with both our children and grandchildren.   
MARKET DRAYTON, CLAIRES HOUSE

Thursday 7 December  Our nephew Nic is off school sick and we are looking after him.  The "bus" sets off with Steve driving, Natasha in the front seat and David, Claire, Daniel, Nic and myself in the back.  Invade Mom & Dad’s at Telford where it is good to see how well Dad is after his stroke.  Steve’s sister Netty also pops round and Mom does a great job feeding us all.  At the shopping centre I buy Daniel and Natasha new shoes and trousers for Christmas, a car seat for Natasha’s birthday and a few things for ourselves.  When we finally fill up with diesel the girl has to phone the credit card company to check up as it has been used excessively, tell me about it! 
MARKET DRAYTON 2,

Friday 8 December  Drop David in Stoke to catch the bus back to Prestwich.  Call on a company who will be able to fit our new heating system next week.  Back to Drayton to begin the mammoth task of clearing out our stuff from Mum’s cellar.  Mum needs the space and  having made the decision the stick with this lifestyle there seems little point in keeping much but it is still a hard task sifting through.
MARKET DRAYTON 3,

Saturday 9 December  Claire goes to work and leaves us baby-sitting which is much easier with the children in their own home. Steve dips out when Bobby phones up asking him to go and watch him play rugby for Adams Grammar School. 
MARKET DRAYTON 4

Sunday 10 December  Round to the Spooners for lunch and a session on the computer.
MARKET DRAYTON 5

Monday 11 December  Continue clearing our things in Mum’s cellar then baby sit in the evening.
MARKET DRAYTON 6

Tuesday 12 December  Steve heads off to Stoke to get our new diesel powered heater fitted.  I complete the tidying in Mum’s cellar then join Claire, Daniel and Natasha for the Christmas pram service.  End up with a 235.00 bill for fitting the heater instead of the estimated 180.00, so much for our bargain buy.   Baby sitting in the evening which is very easy as both of them go to bed with no problems by 7.30pm.
MARKET DRAYTON 7

Wednesday 13 December  Round to Mum’s for a business day where we can spread the paperwork out and make use of the telephone.  Once again we baby-sit in the evening so Claire can fit in a few hours work.
MARKET DRAYTON 8

Thursday 14 December  A fine day with only occasional rain so Steve tackles sealing the roof whilst I make a start on the new curtains only to be foiled by the machine breaking down. 
MARKET DRAYTON 9

Friday 15 December  It’s Natasha’s first birthday and we call round then join them to watch Daniel at the playschool nativity play.  He’s playing the part of a king but as soon as we walk in he downs tools and walks off the job.  Back to Netty & Dave’s for the evening where Netty puts me onto Mary who can run up my curtains.  Bobby & Nic join us in the van overnight.
MARKET DRAYTON 10, OUTSIDE SPOONERS

Saturday 16 December  We have to wake the lads up and turf them out in order to get round to Mums in time to meet Netty & Alan with the removal van.  Their daughter Lauren is moving into a new house soon and they have inherited our clearance lines from Mums cellar.  Two trips later the garage is empty and we relocate to Pete & Carols in Newport.  Paul & Elaine join us in the evening for a take away.
NEWPORT, OUTSIDE PETE AND CAROLS
 
Sunday 17 December  Call for a look at Paul & Elaine’s new house on the way to Telford.  Manage to buy a few more things on our never ending list, it seems that as fast as we buy something we think of something else to add on. The town centre is full of people begrudgingly buying presents with little thought to the recipiants needs.  Reckon the whole thing has got out of hand now but I do still appreciate the infrequent letter contact with friends which Christmas induces.   Arrive at Mom & Dad’s just in time to hitch a lift with them first to Kevin & Sandra’s then Netty & Alan’s.   Round off the evening with games of Crib and Scrabble before crashing out on the air bed.
TELFORD, MOM AND DADS HOUSE

Monday 18 December  Rather surprisingly we both enjoy a good nights sleep which is very unusual at the moment.  We are making some progress on our "to do/problem" list but with no permanent phone contact it is difficult so we much appreciate the loan of Trevors mobile.  We have unearthed a few insurance problems, firstly with the motorhome we can no longer go away for stretches of over 12 months as our insurance policy is invalid without us having tax and MOT.  Unable to cope with the British winters in a motorhome we plan to return early May for a visit.  We can then catch up with everyone, get our van taxed and MOT’d and just maybe do a bit of touring of the British Isles – weather permitting.  A problem has also emerged on our buildings insurance for Parkwood Street in that we currently have DSS tenants which invalidates our policy.  We now have to cancel the existing policy and find another company who can cover us which we know will be more expensive.  Another problem is the ABS and Check Engine warning lights on the van would cause it to fail the MOT.  Travelworld (where we bought the van) are not returning our calls so we drive over to ask them to locate the diagnostic socket.  They manage to do this leaving is just enough time to get back to Drayton to baby-sit.
MARKET DRAYTON
 
Tuesday 19 December  Steve drives back to Leyland to get the van warning lights checked on the diagnostic machine.  He returns 50.00 lighter but with only the Check Engine light cleared. 
MARKET DRAYTON 2

Wednesday 20 December  Collect the curtains but as we come to fit them we have problems.  Firstly the curtain rails are very difficult to fit and then we notice that the curtain lining is hanging down on two, one has been sewn upside down, the slots for the rails are too narrow and one set are missing the slots completely. The spare materiel is in small pieces and not the long strips I need for the finishing touches and to cap it all the overall effect doesn’t meet my expectations. 
MARKET DRAYTON 3

Thursday 21 December  Netty drops Bobby & Nic off at 8.30am for us to baby-sit.  We move onto the car park at Towers Lawn and play cards and Yahtzee.  Claire spots us on our shopping trip and Daniel is added to my baby-sitting roster and then Claire and Natasha join us at lunch time for fish and chips in the van.  Round to the Spooners where I put on a buffet tea in the van. 
MARKET DRAYTON 4, OUTSIDE SPOONERS

Friday 22 December  Mind Daniel and Natasha for a brief spell whilst Daz and Claire go to the solicitors to sign the sale contract on their house with completion set for 8th January.  Over to Newport to settle onto the caravan park, 6.50 with power but without the expected showers.  Spend an excellent evening at Lilleshall for the Squash Club Christmas do.  Good company, good food and good music to dance to.
NEWPORT CARAVAN PARK

Saturday 23 December  Leave the caravan park after lunch to drive to Stafford to visit Shirley & John.  Parked on the flat hard surface near their house and hooked up to power we have all our needs completed with the offer of a bath.   The evening is spent reminiscing about our motorhome trips and especially Australia where they spent last Christmas.
STAFFORD

Sunday 24 December  After tucking into Johns rather splendid cooked breakfast we eventually return to Market Drayton via Newport for a short spell with Pete & Carol.  Claire and family are off to Yorkshire for Christmas leaving us to house sit – bliss, although we will miss watching Daniel & Natasha opening their presents.
MARKET DRAYTON, CLAIRES HOUSE

Monday 25 December  We are woken at 8.45 by a Merry Christmas phone call from David.  Pick the Spooners up in the van to drive up to Tern Hill Hall for Christmas dinner.  We have a lovely meal which takes up most of the afternoon then return to Nettys for a few drinks.  By 6.30pm we are back at Claires falling asleep on the sofa bed whilst watching the Titanic after a strange but most enjoyable Christmas.
MARKET DRAYTON 2, CLAIRES HOUSE

Tuesday 26 December  A quiet day at Claire’s with me catching up on our mountain of washing. Claire & Daz return at 9.00pm with 2 tired children and we retreat to the van.
MARKET DRAYTON 3, CLAIRES HOUSE

Wednesday 27 December  I go with Netty to Newcastle for the sales and make sure I don’t let the side down by investing in a few bargains. At Claires I cook a roast beef dinner for us all which we follow up with a funny "Know Your Partner" game which Mum bought us for Christmas. 
MARKET DRAYTON 4, CLAIRES HOUSE

Thursday 28 December  Wake up in the early hours to find snow falling.  By the time I get  up at 8.30 there is quite a covering and I revel in how pretty everything looks as I walk to town.  Claire tries to build a snowman for Daniel but the snow is too soft.  It’s Daz’s birthday and we baby-sit in the evening so that they can go to the pictures.
MARKET DRAYTON 5, OUTSIDE CLAIRES

Friday 29 December   It’s very cold with lows of -15C recorded in nearby Lilleshall, the coldest since 1981 when we shivered in -25C but that was in a house not a motorhome so it feels much the same. Outside my fringe turns to icicles and reminds me of our time in China.  After Steve returns from a visit to Telford with Claire we relocate to Nettys to begin our farewell tour.
MARKET DRAYTON 6, OUTSIDE CLAIRES

Saturday 30 December  Back to Claire’s for one last Good-bye to Daniel and Natasha who we will especially miss as they are changing so fast.  Up to Telford in time for lunch with Mavis & Trevor where we also stay overnight.
TELFORD, MOM AND DADS

Sunday 31 December  Leave straight after dinner as it starts to snow and with the wind becomes a mini blizzard.  Once we reach Newport the snow turns to rain and the temperature is noticeably warmer.  Park at Pete & Carols and in the evening we all go to Paul & Elaine’s to celebrate New Year with a meal and some games. So that’s the end of our fourth year on the road and one in which we visited only 4 countries – New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and England, will try to do better next year!
NEWPORT

Wednesday 1 November 2000  A late start as we’re rather sleepy.  Into Hamilton for a big shop at Safeway, called Woolworth’s throughout the rest of Australia. Get the 6c (2.4p) a litre fuel discount coupon for spending over $50 (20.00).  Our tanks hold about 250 litres of diesel and 80 litres of gas so it saves us a lot and Safeway fuel prices are always reasonable anyway. Now in the hilly Grampians region we need info on the roads so Lew and Cath have arranged for us to visit their friends Graham and Zilla who live near Cavendish.  At least sitting chatting to them the intermittent heavy rain doesn’t affect us.
CAVENDISH

Thursday 2 November  Into the tourist office in Dunkeld to find out about a bus tour around the Grampians.  Figure the hills might be too much for this motorhome.  Another couple are inside seeking information and hear my conversation.  Outside they ask if we would like to join them in their car to get to the first walk.  Between Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt the Piccaninny hill should reward us with views of Dunkeld and both mountains but we have to be content with glimpses between the showers. Gabrielle and Peter are from the Czech Republic and have spent a year here studying and working but are now enjoying the last few days as holiday.  They are finding it too wet for camping and accommodation expensive.  They invite us to join them for the rest of the day doing the tour of the Grampians and we invite them to spend the night in the motorhome saving us both about $50 per couple.  Move the motorhome to Borough Huts Camp a national park site near Halls Gap, the main centre for the Grampians.  Share the fees of $10.20 (4.10) per site for up to 6 people.  After lunch we start the tour at Silverband Falls which entails a brief walk.  Driving further into the park the heavens open up so we pass the lookouts to continue to McKenzie Falls.  It’s dry so we first explore the nearby Broken Falls then climb down many steps to McKenzie, the largest falls in Victoria. Get drenched on the return but it’s dried up when we visit nearby Lake Wartook. Arrive at Reed Lookout just in time to see a sheet of rain racing towards us across the valley.  Attempt the walk to the Balconies but people are returning with reports of the path flooded out.  Steve continues whilst we return to later listen to his report of the balconies themselves being spectacular but the view non existent.  Don’t even bother to get out of the car at Boroka Lookout as the visibility is so poor.  Whilst traversing Victory Road we have had glimpses of the surrounding countryside and know the views would be excellent.  Last stop Wonderland Park and it’s fine.  Set out intending to just look at this end of Grand Canyon but it is one of those places with twists and turns which keeps inviting you to walk further.  The "path" follows and frequently crosses the stream and we often need the assistance of the rail provided.  The granite rocks are magnificent, shiny grey with lots of layers and frilly edges.  For us it’s the best part of the day.  Climb ladders to continue up above the waterfall.  It suddenly feels cold and starts to rain so reluctantly turn back.  I’m the only one with a waterproof jacket and as the slowest walker I keep going leaving the others sheltered under a rock. The stream is rapidly swelling and flowing very fast.  One crossing is now so wide I have to shuffle across the hand rail but slip and give my bottom a dunking.  I’m concerned about the possibility of a flash flood but figure I could be more help if I get myself back. Despite my waterproof jacket I arrive back drenched and sit in the hut to wait.  After about 15 minutes the others appear soaked to the skin having realised the stream was filling and they needed to get out .  They have had even more problems getting back but the most annoying thing is that it now stops raining.  Back at the camp site Gabrielle is surrounded by colourful red and blue parrots when she gets the food out.  Changed into warm dry clothes we get down to the serious business of eating and drinking.
GRAMPIANS,

Friday 3 November  After a dry night we part company and head into Halls Gap to look around the interesting and informative Parks Visitor Centre.  On to Stawell where we hover until 11.00am to see the town hall clock with animated figures of gold diggers and a gold washing cradle.  We are now in the Goldfields region and like many other towns Stawell was founded on a gold strike in the mid 1800’s.  On the southern outskirts of town are the Sisters Rocks, a series of large boulders covered in interesting graffiti.  A little further on at Great Western we catch the 1.30pm tour at  Seppelts winery. The guide tells of the different champagne (sorry must now say sparkling wine to keep the French happy) making processes before we venture underground.  Miners dug over 2km of tunnels where champagne is still stored.  We are given many samples including one from which the cork is ungorged the traditional way.  In "The Brandy Nook" past Prime Ministers are offered their own niche to store wine.  In the same area company executives often hold intimate dinner parties which must be very atmospheric as it looks like the Adams Family house with a cobweb strewn chandelier and black mould dangling everywhere.  Final stop for the day Mount Buangor National Park with free camping.  Settle on a spot at Middle Creek camp with our own bench, table, fireplace and fire well.  Shame all the wood provided is too wet to burn.  There are a number of families already here and the younger kids are having great fun on push bikes whilst the older ones race around the forest tracks on dirt bikes.
MOUNT BUANGOR NATIONAL PARK

Saturday 4 November  A fine morning so after dinner we set out to walk to the top campsite where the Waterfalls Nature Walk starts.  The track is often boggy and in parts we have to collect wood to step across.  It’s an attractive area with lots of ferns and eucalyptus trees but not much wildlife.  It feels much like a damp cool Autumn day in England but we stride it out and enjoy the exercise.
MOUNT BUANGOR NATIONAL PARK 2

Sunday 5 November  Our planned walk to the caves is rained off.  Day of festering.
MOUNT BUANGOR NATIONAL PARK 3

Monday 6 November  1 hour to Ballarat the largest city in the Goldfields.  Lovely old buildings including the railway station where we are offered a group saver ticket to Melbourne for 2 – 4 people at $28 (11.20) return.  With the addition of zone 1 passes at $4.60 (1.85) each we can connect all the way out to Flemington racecourse tomorrow for the Melbourne Cup.  Sovereign Hill is the major tourist attraction in Ballarat.  On the outskirts of town they have re-created a gold mining town from the 1850’s.  $67 (26.80) buys you a combined ticket for Sovereign Hill museum, an evening meal, Blood Under The Southern Cross evening show and admission to the gold museum across the road.  It’s mid day and getting late to fit in everything at Sovereign Hill so we talk the girl into selling us a ticket for the meal and show tonight but to visit the museums on Wednesday.  Check onto the Goldfields caravan park opposite $15.70 (6.28) unpowered site.  I am delighted to find they have a family bathroom complete with bathtub and enjoy a long soak in the bath, my first since leaving England back in July confirming the Aussies opinion of English washing habits.  Walk back to Sovereign Hill in time for our 7.30pm meal at the Charles Napier Hotel in the main street.  We’re rather disappointed to find a basic carvery meal having been led to believe the meal was traditional camp food of the 1850’s.  8.45pm we troop out to wind our way through an interpretative centre and into the theatre.  The Battle of the Eureka Stockade was fought in Ballarat on 3 December 1854 when miners rebelled about gold licences. 150 men were sleeping in the stockade when twice as many armed soldiers and police charged it.  A brief and bloody battle ensued.  For the first time on Australian soil men fought and died together under their own flag the Southern Cross. The resulting revoking of the licences became a turning point in Australia’s history.  After the explanatory film we move out onto the Goldfields to watch a sound and light show of the events.  We are transported by a futuristic train to another area depicting the stockade for the final battle.  We feel the whole show is lacking in special effects and animation and along with the meal overpriced. Breaking the prices down you pay $18 (7.20) for the show and $22.50 (9.00) for the meal but booking the show alone would cost $26.50 (10.50)
BALLARAT, GOLDFIELDS CARAVAN PARK
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Tuesday 7 November  Decked out in our Sunday best we catch the 8.30am train which arrives in Melbourne at 10.00am.  It’s a bank holiday only in Melbourne but lots of other people take the day off.  Almost everyone on the train are off to the races judging by the ladies in hats, men in smart jackets and the number of picnic hampers heaved into the compartment.  Connect through to Flemington and pay $28 (11.20) each basic admission to the racecourse. The place is heaving with estimations of over 100,000 here.  It’s a glorious hot sunny day and we explore the area and pose for a photo with the famous Phar Lap horse. Having missed the first race Steve is keen to get his bets on the second one and the rest of the 10 races being run today.  Steve studies form and I look at names and pick the winner with my first bet.  Sit up in The Hill terraces with little time to spare between betting, watching the race, sometimes collecting the winnings and then repeating the cycle.  Treat ourselves to a bottle of bubbly $17 (6.80) which we thought was excellent value until we notice from the label it was on sale at Seppelts winery at $5.50 (2.20).    People watching is very interesting and I conclude you could arrive here dressed in literally anything and no one would bat an eye lid.  Ladies stroll in obviously exclusive and very expensive outfits in amongst youths in outrageous fancy dress and men in scruffy shorts and sandals.  The big event of the day is the Melbourne Cup itself for which most of Australia grinds to a halt.  We have bet on 5 different horses and we end up having chosen the first 3. Shame we hadn’t backed them together on a trifecta which would have paid out $3500 (1400.00) for a $5 (2.00) bet. Finish the day covering almost all our costs with our winnings and having had a great day out.  Move onto Eureka caravan park $12 (4.80) unpowered site.  I spot something crawling on the ceiling and when Steve squashes it with a tissue he gets bitten.  It’s a red spider and unsure of what type we take the necessary precautions.  Pack the van for a quick departure, check the location of the hospital, note the time, keep the spider.  False alarm.
BALLARAT, EUREKA CARAVAN PARK

Wednesday 8 November  A hot bright breezy start, perfect for washing.  Back to Sovereign Hill where we start in the Gold museum.  More interesting than we expected and with additional exhibitions including one about the 1956 Olympics as the rowing event was held in Ballarat. Into Sovereign Hill proper which is bustling with tourists and "inhabitants". Volunteers dress in traditional costume and appear to go about their business or do talks.  We tag onto one of the many free tours explaining the history.  On the Chinese tour I’m chosen to receive the fortune telling ritual in the temple.  Stick number 38 pops out but the guide tells me even numbers are not often lucky numbers in China.  He’s not Chinese but says one of the Chinese people around will translate the paper but not to take it seriously.  There are lots of schools and churches here and school children come for 1 – 3 days.  They wear traditional clothing and learn by 1800’s methods which is fun to watch.  Complete a couple of different mine tours, play traditional 9 pin bowling, watch a theatre show and wonder in and out of the active shops and businesses. A Chinese tourists tells me my fortune paper is very bad news indicating a death amongst other thing but when he finds it’s mine and where I got it says it’s only a bit of fun.  A Chinese guide interprets it as mainly bad news but that I am going to have a son – mainly bad news, is she kidding!   Round the day off watching the troops firing muskets and lowering the flag. You could certainly fill in a full day if you watched all the demonstrations and visited every attraction and tour.  Shortly after getting back to the campsite the "Browns" arrive. Dave Spooners sister Nicole, husband George and daughter Paula along with visiting sister Daphne from England. They’ve driven over from Adelaide to combine a meeting with us and a tour for Daphne. Drop lucky at the Bakery Hill Motel where the $7.50 (3.00) special meals are excellent.  Lots of catching up to do since we saw them in Adelaide last May although we did see Nicole in Market Drayton in June this year.  
BALLARAT, EUREKA CARAVAN PARK 2

Thursday 9 November  A humid but drizzly morning.  All walk to Ballarat wildlife park $12.50 (5.00) so Daphne can see all the typical Australian animals.  The kangaroos are especially friendly and they even have a Tasmanian tiger on display.  It brightens up when we get back so we pack a picnic and go to Lake Wendouree (venue of the 1956 Olympic 2000m rowing).  We’re surrounded by swans with really cute fluffy chicks.  Quick walk through the botanical gardens and the city centre then back to start the BBQ.  Round the evening off with Daphne, George, Steve & I playing cards.
BALLARAT, EUREKA CARAVAN PARK 3

Friday 10 November  Couldn’t get Claire on the phone on Monday and have since lost her number so phone Netty.  Bad news that Trevor is in hospital with what now sounds like a minor stroke.  The Browns are off to Melbourne today and we’re heading North so say our farewells then drive into town to buy more phonecards.  Speak to Netty Keen and Mavis to hear Trevor is a little better but still not good which is a worry but there’s nothing we can do from here.  First stop the spa town of Daylesford where you can sample the waters at Central Springs.  There are some wells beside Wombat Creek and also hand pumps but the water tastes rusty and awful.  Castlemaine is where the original XXXX beer came from but the only thing we find of interest is the Market Hall which is an interesting building housing the tourist office and good displays about the gold industry.  Nearby Maldon is a lovely town with almost all the buildings original from the 1850’s.  No particularly outstanding individual ones but the numbers and sheer concentration makes it look like Sovereign Hill.  Bendigo is a fine town with big impressive buildings and again a good free historical display at the tourist office.  Pall Mall area is particularly nice with a wide boulevard with a tram running in the centre, gardens on one side and impressive buildings on the other. We’ve heard about a cinema in the suburb of Eaglehawk and head out for the 7.00pm screening.  Star Cinema $11 (4.40) is held in the town hall and aimed at couples with nice food available and seating on comfy sofas.  Watch the Aussie movie "Bootmen" the story of steel workers turned tap dancers.  The dancing is very modern and of the style featured in the Olympic opening ceremony but the story line is rather thin.  Settle for the night in Whipstick Forest Park.
BENDIGO – WHIPSTICK FOREST PARK

Saturday 11 November   Leave Bendigo after an Internet session, stroll through the mall and a glimpse of the servicemen at the remembrance service.  It’s a warm day with occasional dry spells but lots of drizzle interspersed with heavy downpours.  Echuca is a lovely port on the Murray River.  The historic port area is free to enter and again we find ourselves in a traditional street of old buildings.  There are many weddings here today with receptions being held on the old paddle steamers. Only a third of the original port remains and it was built on 3 levels to cater for the fluctuating river depth.  The river is very high at the moment and flooded in parts eliminating the free riverside camping areas along its length.  When it starts to rain we abandon any plans for a river cruise and press on to visit friends near Cobram.  Phil & Pat are waiting for us with the BBQ fired up and the hot spa tub in action. Much home brewed beer is supped before we all hop into the spa.  The relaxation process is completed when Steve phones and hears his Dad is improving and they are talking of sending him home.
COBRAM

Sunday 12 November  The rain has caught up with us here with a steady flow through the night.  However it becomes a dry warm cloudy day which is good for doing the washing and playing "Phase 10" card game with Pat.  After the spa we feast on fish, delicious yellow belly perch which Phil caught in the local river.
COBRAM 2
 
Monday 13 November   A beautiful sunny morning.  Convince myself that exercise will do me more good than sunbathing and join Pat for the local Aqua aerobics class.  Set off after lunch following the Murray River.  A section has been dammed creating Lake Mulwala which is full of ghostly dead trees.  Park in a rest area near Browns Plains.
BROWNS PLAINS REST AREA

Tuesday 14 November  Wodonga and Albury are one of many sets of twin towns straddling the Murray River also the border between Victoria and NEW SOUTH WALES which we now cross into.  At over 2400km long it’s the longest river in Australia.  Marathon swimmer Tammy van Wisse is swimming the length and last night arrived in Albury.  We catch her setting out for the day and have a chat.  She’s highlighting the sorry state of the river whilst trying to set a record and complete the swim in 88 days but has had problems already with snakes in the water, submerged trees and a stomach upset.  She’s a friend of Allison Streeter the British channel swimmer whom we met when Claire swam long distance.  Good news that Trevor is now home and sounds to be recovering well. Lake Hume is full and it’s quite a sight to see some of the gates open allowing flumes of water to spray out.  Bowna picnic reserve is a quiet spot on the lakes edge and perfect for us to sit out and enjoy the high temperatures and then camp overnight.  We’re surprised when we spot Steve on the local TV news chatting to Tammy before her swim.  The report talks of a small but enthusiastic crowd for her send off.
LAKE HUME – BOWNA PICNIC RESERVE

Wednesday 15 November  First stop in Holbrook to scramble over the submarine HMAS Otway which is now "docked" in the park. Arrive just before 11.00am to sit and wait for the library to open on the hour.  By 10 past we are getting frustrated until we finally figure out that today is Wednesday not Tuesday and it doesn’t open until 2.00pm.   In Tarcutta we are shocked by the Truck drivers memorial listing hundreds of truckies killed on the road with lads as young as 15.  Gundagai made famous by an Aussie song "Along the road to Gundagai" is also home to Rusconi’s marble masterpiece.  For $2 (80p) you can view the miniature cathedral which took him 28 yeas to build using 20,948 pieces of marble.  Also in the town is the longest wooden bridge structure ever built in Australia and pretty impressive it is too.  Just North of the town at Snake Gully is the famous (well famous in Australia) Dog on the Tuckerbox memorial statue also by Rusconi.  As if that’s not enough there’s also the "Dad & Dave" bronze statues depicting the quintessential Australian characters Dad, Dave, Mum and Mabel from Steele Rudd’s "On our selection" – any wiser?   Pull off the Hume Highway to park for the night in Bowning village figuring it will be more peaceful than the rest areas – got it wrong again as the railway rattles through.
BOWNING

Thursday 16 November  A surprisingly quiet night with few trains. Cross into ACT (AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY) to visit Canberra the capital of Australia.  It’s a lovely city full of gardens and very well designed with wide streets and plenty of free car parks.  The Australian Institute of Sport is where the elite athletes train and for $10.80 (4.30) you get a behind the scenes tour guided by a current athlete.  Our guide is a gymnast originally from Russia called Pasha. We are shown the gym, volleyball, boxing, archery and basketball areas some with people in training.  The swimming pool is unusual with a window on one side for the coach to watch the swimmers and a mirror under one lane for the swimmers to watch themselves.  Finish up in the Sportex interactive centre with opportunities for you to test your skills or in my case realise the lack of them.  It’s a rainy day but with lots of museums in the city it’s no problem finding something to do.  The Australian War Memorial and museum (free) is most impressive and it would be easy to spend the whole day wandering round the exhibitions.  ANZAC Parade is lined with large monuments to the different forces and draws your eye across the Lake to Capitol Hill with Parliament.  In Lake Burley Griffin there’s a huge jet of water called the Captain Cook Jet which on windy days wets people on the bridge.  The National Capital Exhibition (free) on the shores tells of the development of the city and after a brief visit to the biggest library in Australia we return to spend the night in the car park.
CANBERRA    
Friday 17 November  Catch the 9.30am tour of the new Parliament building.  Inside is modern and unexceptional but the view from the roof over the deliberately designed government triangle is brilliant.  There are lots of big impressive buildings in Canberra and wide boulevards with outstanding buildings at the head of them.  Questacon science museum $10 (4.00) has heaps to meddle with including a "side show" funfair area complete with simulator ride.  This is my scene, the sports centre was Steves.  In the National Gallery (free) most of the paintings look like they were done by playschool children.  A matching pair of huge "paintings" are plain white canvas with a thin red border. I cheekily ask one of the curators if the pictures out of the middle are missing or is it me missing something.  He explains that’s it and they cost the gallery $80m (32m) because they are done by a famous artist, he grins at me and shrugs.  So Art Galleries neither of our scenes but good for a laugh. It’s a hot day so we stroll along ANZAC Parade to take a closer look at some of the 10 memorials.  Korea, Vietnam and the Royal Australian Navy particularly impress us and we notice more in the making.  A drive through the heart of the city proves easy with little traffic around.  There are many embassies and consulates on the South Bank and we are amazed by the size of the Chinese one which is like a miniature Forbidden City.  Also check out the British Consulate (plain), Papua New Guinea which offers an exhibition, American (big old colonial style mansion) and Indonesian and Thai in national style. In addition many new ones are being built or with land ear marked. It’s a very hot and muggy afternoon so we set out to Kambah Pool about 20km out of the city on the banks of the River Murrumbidgee.  Part way there the heavens open up with a terrific downpour.  4.00pm and with the air clear and the rain stopped we park up on one of the terraced car parks and Steve explores Kambah Pool.  He reports of a pretty spot with an official nude beach with sand, a muddy river and a bit of a climb to it.  It’s hot again but with the sand very damp we choose to stay by the van and sit out on the table provided and play games until it cools down just before 7.00pm. 
KAMBAH POOL

Saturday 18 November   A hot humid cloudy morning.  Clamber down to Kambah Pool for me to have a look and find a small sandy beach in pine forest just downstream from the waterfalls.  Although it’s hot there seems no break in the clouds so we take our leave.  Back in NEW SOUTH WALES we visit the ACT Nudist Club $15 (6.00) powered site, $12 (4.80) unpowered which seems cheap considering the facilities offered.  The guide book says there is a paddling pool, outdoor pool, indoor pool, sauna, restaurant, shop, bar, canoeing, rock climbing, surfing and other things to do.  Wrong, it’s really a small member owned club with just an outdoor pool. The book must have information for another club misplaced under the ACT heading.   However the lack of facilities is made up for by the small club welcome the people give us and they make a big joke about trying to find "alternatives" for all the other things we thought were here.    Tonight for $10 (4.00) they are putting on a fish and chip supper and quiz in the club house. We make decidedly better progress with the fish & chips than the quiz but we are in teams (Steve & I separated) and can offer help with overseas questions and some travel related Australian ones. 
ACT NUDIST CLUB

Sunday 19 November  The clouds slowly drift away and by mid afternoon I’m in the pool powering my way up and down like Claire Swatman. Hey if the book can exaggerate so can I.  By late afternoon everyone has left and we have the place to ourselves, amazing how trusting naturists are.
ACT NUDIST CLUB 2

Monday 20 November  Snatch a couple of hours sunbathing then head towards Sydney on the Hume Highway.  The small town of Berrima is full of craft shops and cafes but more importantly for us they offer a free camping site by the river with cold showers, toilets and BBQ.  Mary-Ellen and Ollie from Perth are already here with their caravan and we hit it off straight away and sit around the campfire.  What we thought would be a nice quiet spot isn’t.  Villages walk their dogs or just drive out here to see who is visiting.  A couple of cars full of youngsters dressed to kill arrive to take photographs of themselves but we eventually get time to chat until rain forces us inside.  Learn that Ollie has come here for the highly recommended Berrima Diesel company where German owner Rheinhart is the countries expert on diesel engines. Surprisingly people travel thousands of kilometres from NT and WA to visit him but unfortunately it would be too far for us to bring our motorhome to him.  I struggle to sleep as I hear strange sawing sounds and the van keeps wobbling.  I must doze off because we are both woken by the van violently rocking and the sounds of some grunting and sawing.  I’m quite frightened when shouting and banging on the walls have no effect.  Steve grabs a torch to explore then calls me out to see an enormous wombat ambling out from under the van.
BERRIMA

Tuesday 21 November  Mary-Ellen explains to us that wombats always take the same route to go places and will not detour so it would have been trying to push us out of the way. They are big heavy animals with short legs making them like powerful little tanks. They once built a house in a wombats path and he often pounded at the door and if they left it open he would stroll right through the house.  Fortunately they are completely harmless.  In the village the impressive old prison detains convicted police and "rock spiders" (paedophiles).  There’s a craft shop selling some lovely things made by them. The weather is poor so we press on to Sydney planning to camp for a week at Sun Valley Club.  After 8 days continuous rain in Sydney the club grounds are very muddy and uninviting.  Change plans and call Mike who says we are welcome to return to them in Sutherland.
SUTHERLAND
 
Wednesday 22 November  The barometer rises rapidly and although clouds hover it’s a good day for cleaning the outside of the motorhome.  I walk into Sutherland and on impulse get a haircut at the barbers $15 (6.00).
SUTHERLAND 2
 
Thursday 23 November  Just miss the 9.00am train so take the next one to Cronulla, $3.20 (1.25) return, leaving us time to check out the northern beach where lots of people are out surfing enjoying the early morning sunshine.  10.30am ferry to Bundeena in the Royal National Park, $3.10 (1.20) one way.  A half hour walk brings you to Little Jibbon Beach where we are soon in club uniform basking in the sun.  It clouds over later afternoon and having caught the 4.00pm ferry back to Cronulla we stroll the pedestrian area which is very nice and similar to Manly with lots of cafes.
SUTHERLAND 3

Friday 24 November  A cloudy hot humid day during which I complete my annual Christmas diary and get it in the post to our Aussie and New Zealand friends.  A BBQ with Toni and Mike in the evening during which we discuss possible routes for their European tour next year.
SUTHERLAND 4

Saturday 25 November  Rain through the night with light drizzle throughout the morning.  Mike confesses they may have a business problem which could make it difficult for them to do the exchange next year and asks if they can postpone it until 2003.  No problem for us as we hadn’t decided what to do ourselves anyway. It brightens up after lunch so we take the train to the city and start at Paddy’s market where with over 800 stalls it’s not difficult to find what we need.  It feels like you are in Asia with most of the stalls Asian owned and many products from abroad.  Emerge into blazing hot sunshine.  Amble over to Hyde Park which is heaving and still resembles an Olympic Live site.  It’s both the Food & Wine festival and Aids awareness day.  Transvestites are putting on a show on one stage and a live band on the other with dozens of food a drink stalls in between. It’s not difficult to spot who has come to support which with very open homo sexual relationships on display. Finally move on to the Domain park then out and around the headland to Mrs Macquaries’s Chair with superb views which we plonk on the grass to enjoy.  We are looking right across the busy harbour and on our left are the Opera House and harbour bridge.  Continue round Farm Cove and through the botanic gardens for a glimpse at the impressive old Government House before taking the train back from Circular Quay.  Yes Sydney is still friendly, vibrant and interesting even post games.
SUTHERLAND 5

Sunday 26 November  A hot sunny day and by 8.30am we are on the train on a mission to discover another naturist beach.  Arriving at Wynyard station our plans are foiled as the bus we want doesn’t run on weekends.  Plan B and a walk over to Martin Place then onto bus 394 in Elizabeth Street to take us to La Perouse – $3.10 (1.20) one way.  We travel through the gay district of Kings Cross with men strolling hand in hand and snogging in the street.  Steve stays firmly tucked in his seat.  I visited La Perouse before with Noel in the week on a dull day when there was only one other car.  After 40 minutes we arrive to find the car park heaving and bodies everywhere.  Walk across Congwong Beach then along the cliff top footpath to reach Little Congwong.  A lovely fine white sandy beach with easy sandy access into the clear turquoise waters of Botany Bay.  Dominated by couples and families this has a much nicer feel than some of the other naturist beaches dominated by gays (well I’m sure that’s what they were hoping for).  It’s a scorcher and we take lots of dips in the cooling sea.  Steve casually asks if I would like an ice cream which I ignore as I think he is torturing me until I spot a boat which has come into the bay selling ice creams and drinks – very enterprising and rewarded with about 100 sales (not all to me).  Taking our leave we spot a crown gathered round an enclosure and find Canns Sunday Reptile Show in full swing with Mr Cann displaying snakes in exchange for a donation, pass.  $3.70 (1.45) to get back on the bus even though we didn’t ask for the scenic detour through the housing estate.   
SUTHERLAND 6

Monday 27 November  Ray & Margaret Stephens from Keighley are over visiting their son John who lives at Bondi Beach.  Catch the early train $4 (1.60) o.w. to Bondi Junction then the bus $2.10 (80p) o.w. to Bondi Beach.  John is renting an apartment directly opposite the beach which gives them fabulous views from the balcony.  Together the 4 of us set out on the full 6km Bondi to Coogee walk. Bondi is already busy and Ray and Margaret say that on a weekend afternoon over 600 people pack the beach.  Yesterday numbers were reduced following a shark sighting in the bay which was later proved a hoax.  Walking south we cross Tamarama beach then Bronte before arriving at Waverley Cemetery where the only Australian survivor of the Titanic is now buried.  Another hot sunny day and at Clovelly we cool down with a swim in the tidal pool built alongside the bay.  Round Gordons Bay then into Coogee with a fish and chip $5.50 (2.20) lunch on the sea front.  Bus to Circular Quay $3.10 (1.20) to catch the Darling Harbour Circular ferry, $8 (3.20) round trip with one stop.  A great way to view the city as we cross under the bridge to the other side of the river making for a great photo of the bridge framing the opera house. Hop off at Pyrmont for a beer stop before completing the circuit.  Should really have just paid $4 (1.60) to do the loop without getting off, wonderful thing hindsight.  Taxi back to Bondi Beach $18.70 (7.50) where at 5.00pm the beach is very busy.  Meal out at the Lemongrass Thai restaurant rounds of a lovely day.  John runs us back to the train station and we finally arrive home after 11.00pm.
SUTHERLAND 7

Tuesday 28  November  Catch the train after 9.00am for the $4.40 (1.75) return connecting with the bus at Wynyard.  The 244 takes us right to Balmoral Naval base for $3.10 (1.20) o.w.  A short walk across the oval then down a rough path to a grassy sunbathing terrace behind the narrow sandy Cobblers Beach.  Ensconced on the sand we take lots of dips to cool off and notice the beach widening as the tide retreats.  Another nice nudist beach with mixed couples and easy access along most of the beach but a few rocks in some areas.  Lots of boats pull in and most anchor up including a water taxi.  However the tourist sight seeing bus comes in close but doesn’t stop.  Having now visited all 5 Sydney nude beaches our all round vote must be for Little Congwong.
SUTHERLAND 8

Wednesday 29 November A humid cloudy day so we are not missing anything whilst we pack up and give the motorhome a final clear out.
Summary for our second Australia trip:-
5 states visited – New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory:-

9485km 5894miles distance covered in motorhome
2395 litres 527 gallons diesel used
$2202  880 pounds spent on fuel
3.96km/litre 11.18mpg average fuel consumption

163 nights on tour
nights  number of different place
18  3   caravan parks
26  9   naturist clubs/homestays
37  34   free camping
82  18   visiting friends 
Plus over 1000km / 600 miles in borrowed vehicles.
SUTHERLAND 9

Thursday 30 November  Airtours flight VZ098 departs Sydney on time at 1.00pm.  It is quite cramped and the service poor, no choice of meals and a charge for all drinks. As they say you get what you pay for and at 180.00 we can’t expect much. (Most people from England paid 402.00 for the return flight).  After 8 1/2 hours and two meals we land in MALAYSIA at Kuala Lumpur airport 6.30pm local time and now 3 hours behind Sydney.  After an hour and a half stop we are onward for a further 8 hours to BAHRAIN arriving at 10.30pm local now 5 hours behind Sydney.  With our body clocks now completely out of synch we go with the flow and eat and sleep at every opportunity.  Only another 7 hours flight to Manchester.
ON THE PLANE

 

Sunday 1 October 2000  A very windy morning causing problems for the rowing events.  Closing Ceremony day and the train is packed, mainly with people going into the city to watch the big screens then the fireworks. It’s quieter at the stadium and with our $105 (44.00) tickets we are again seated high up in the side stand just beyond the finish line.  On each seat is a closing ceremony programme and a small white esky (polystyrene cool box).  In it we find a closing ceremony sticker, official audience pin, paper Olympic ring shaped spectacles, limited edition ceremonies card, fly swatter shaped like Australia (perhaps it’s to swat the bogong months which plague the stadium), a mini torch and a small silver faceted ball hanging on a chain which everyone studies with curiosity.  Before we know it the stadium is almost full and the marathon runners are starting to pour in.  A few have dropped out but the last finisher completes the course to a standing ovation in around 3 hours 9 minutes. Seem to recollect this is about the time Dave Spooner ran his marathon in – perhaps he should defect to an obscure country in order to enjoy his moment of fame!  The programme promises an all Australian cast and following the medal presentation comedians Roy & HG appear and between jokes explain the contents of the esky.  Whilst wearing our Olympic glasses we are instructed to follow strategically placed leaders who will tell us when to do one of the following – the esky wave which is like the Mexican wave but involves us raising our eskies, waving our eskies, shining our torches or shining our torches onto the silver ball to create a twinkling effect all whilst waving our fly swatter.  The pace hots up when groups of children and a band arrive in the arena to be removed by a keystone cops type man on a runaway quad bike careering into everything and being chased.  The ceremony proper begins or to the Australian way of thinking the party starts.  Christine Anu performs "Island Home" prior to the flag bearers and althletes arriving accompanied by Savage Gardens "Affirmation".  Next the serious speech part and handover to the Greeks with handmaidens re-enacting some traditional ceremony which drags on.  Before retiring Juan Antonio Samaranch declares it the best Olympic games ever.  Following Nikki Websters "We’ll Be One" the cauldron is spectacularly extinguished by an F1-11 jet roaring over and sucking up the flame.  The party proper starts with Vanessa Amorosi taking centre stage singing her world-wide hit "Absolutely Everybody" which gets us all up dancing.  "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young is a spectacle with the stadium filled with colourful Latin American dancers. We perform various moves with our Esky contents and frequently stand to clap or dance to the music.  It proceeds like a huge pop concert with great special effects accompanying "Terra Firma" by Phil & Tommy Emmanuel, "What You Need – INXS, "Working Class Man – Jimmy Barnes, "Beds are Burning – Midnight Oil and the Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi singing "Treaty". The Parade of the Icons is led by Kylie Minogue carried on a huge thong (Aussie for flip flop) before taking the stage to sing "Dancing Queen".  Everything signifies Australia with Greg Norman on top of a shark, Elle McPherson on a huge camera, Paul Hogan on an Akubra Hat, Bananas in Pyjamas on a play slide and the big bus from the film Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.  We’ve now been here long enough to recognise and relate to it all.  "Down Under" by Men at Work must be sung by everyone in the stadium as is Slim Dusty’s rendition of Waltzing Matilda to round things off.  We hear the start of the fireworks and watch on the big screen as they proceed down river for the grand finale at the bridge.  Sneak into the press area on the way out to be amazed by the banks of screens.  Such a fantastic evening that no one minds the long slow queues making their way to the trains with the volunteers encouraging us to do the esky wave down the line!
SUTHERLAND 22

Monday 2 October  Back on the road after over 3 weeks static in Sydney.  On highway 1 heading south we stop at Sublime point lookout for great views over Wollongong area.  Stop to pick up a newspaper and a hot fresh pie for lunch.  Steve notices that the closing ceremony (which I failed to set the video up correctly for) is on TV again so we park at pretty Minnamurra Beach.  Whilst all the Aussies are outside on the beach or the grassy BBQ area we sit inside the motorhome for 3 hours to re live last night – and I thought it was the mad dog Englishman who went out in the mid-day sun.  Drive a little further to Seven Mile Beach national park to have an evening BBQ and park overnight.
SEVEN MILE BEACH

Tuesday 3 October  Jervis Bay is a very pretty area and we are soon flat out nude sunbathing on the recommended Greenfields Beach.  Roll onto our stomachs when the first couple arrive and keep their togs on. Nod off to sleep then wake to find lots of clothed families on the beach. Do a hasty cover up and escape concluding that the "Bare Facts" book must be out of date. Follow our own instincts and find a spot to ourselves on the very long and deserted Wairo Beach just south of Ulladulla.  Bodalla State Forest has a nice rest area suitable for over night with toilets and BBQ’s provided.
BODALLA STATE FOREST

Wednesday 4 October  From the rest area we make the 1km walk to the rather disappointing Mummuga Lake.  After shopping in Narooma we stop at Dignams Creek to visit fellow motorhome travellers John & Maggie friends of Frank & Lisa.  They live on a large property and soon have us parked up on the edge of the dam.  Lots of wildlife around with wombats at the bottom by the creek and a plover nesting by the dam whose partner swoops on us if he thinks we are going to head their way.  After lunch John & Maggie take us for a ride to Mystery Bay where other motorhomers are camped out but we would be too big to get in.  Central Tilba is a pretty village beside Mount Dromedary with wooden heritage listed buildings and excellent cappuccino at the cafe.  Chat about our travels throughout the day and John & Maggie offer us use of their VW Combi van affectionately named the "Bush Basher".  With it we could explore the Sapphire Coast side roads and stay out overnight so we accept.  John produces his Jamieson whisky for happy hour and after this they leave us to it for a spa bath.  They have an enormous bathroom with a garden area surrounded by big glass windows and roof  making it feel like you are outside.  We wallow for a considerable time sipping wine.  By the time we have eaten our meal either the whiskey or the spa have had their effect and Steve heads for bed.
DIGNAMS CREEK

Thursday 5 October   Pack the essentials into the VW (our 6th motorhome) and head off through pretty Bermagui.  Down the coast on gravel road turning onto a narrow bumpy track to reach Armonds Beach declared officially clothes optional on the signs.  After clambering down we reach a pretty sandy bay backed by forest and with only one other visitor.  It’s a scorcher of a day and the chilly sea is most welcome.  A few other people come and go but by late afternoon we have the place to ourselves – wonderful.  It’s such a great spot we park up in nearby bush to enable us to visit tomorrow.  It’s strange setting up the stove and eating outside but we adapt very easily and find it great fun (whilst the weather is good).
ARMONDS BEACH

Friday 6 October   Down on the beach before 9.00am and as we are alone I get some exercise walking one way along the beach then running the 400m back al la Cathy Freeman – well maybe not,  you can’t expect her to run in the nude can you.  Drag ourselves away mid day to explore nearby Mimosa Rocks where lots of people are camping.  Continuing south back on sealed road Bare Facts says you can strip off on Moon Beach (or was it Moonie beach).  Correct as we have the place to ourselves until a cyclist passes through.  On the same headland we explore Nelson Beach which is longer and has much easier access making it busier.  The beach runs north into a very pretty lagoon with lots of small sandy bays leading into the bright blue clear water.  Back at the top of the hill and the entrance to Moon Bay we walk out to Wajurda Point just before sunset and spot lots of surfers in Nelson Bay.
NELSON BEACH

Saturday 7 October  A hot but cloudy morning so we head into Tathra and enjoy breakfast at the cafe down on the historic wharf.  The visitors book tells that only yesterday morning whales came into the bay but we are unlucky today and have to be content with great views and watching the fishermen.  Wallagoo Lake in Bournda national park is nice and we pause to read the papers.  Merimbula is a large town and very busy.  Beaches abound on all sides of the peninsula offering shelter from wind in any direction but that’s no help when it’s cloudy.  At the airport we spot the Goodyear balloon which flew over the Olympic stadium saying G’Day on one side and Good Luck on the other.  Chat to one of the crew who invites us on board.  Lunch stop at Yellowpinch Dam where the sun is really hot when it breaks through the clouds.  There’s an interesting display at the cheese factory in Bega and for once Steve isn’t tempted by smelly blue cheese – they don’t make it.  Our last detour is 23km on narrow winding bumpy dirt track to Mumbulla Falls.  The water has formed a smooth channel over a rock which makes a great slide to ride down depositing you into the deep and icy cold pool below.  By the time we return we conclude that a rough and ready small motorhome is a definite asset to explore some of the best parts of this coast and that combi’s are very well designed for their size.  John & Maggie join us for a meal in our van and suggest we stay on tomorrow to use the washing machine, computer and whatever else we need and also offer to help plan our route ahead.   Again we are amazed at the hospitality shown to us by people we barely know.
DIGNAMS CREEK 

Sunday 8 October  At 9.00pm we hear a voice through a loud hailer announcing the last call  for motorhomers wishing to partake in a cooked breakfast!  Bacon, egg, sausage, tomatoes and toast set us up well for the day.  It’s a dull day with occasional drizzle but fine for our tasks. The last of the 4 plover eggs hatches and it’s interesting watching the parents fuss around the babies.
DIGNAMS CREEK 2

Monday 9 October  A cooler cloudy day and our planned departure doesn’t happen due to the excellent company and facilities here plus the offer of another spa bath.
DIGNAMS CREEK 3

Tuesday 10 October  Clear skies producing a cold night and a morning temperature of only 9C.  By the time we are ready to leave it’s hot enough for a coffee together out on the lawn in shorts and T-shirts.  Back on highway 1 and if that sounds familiar it’s because it goes the whole way round Australia.  This area is famous for oysters and a small detour down to Pambula Lake brings us to the Oyster sheds with 5 different companies.  Steve returns with a tray of a dozen already open and with lemon and forks provided all for $6 (2.40).  The gravel roads are smooth and wide in Ben Boyd national park allowing us to visit Long Beach at Quondolo.  The only other visitors are a surfer who soon goes and a walker who passes by on his way out leaving us once again with our own private stretch of long sandy beach.  It clouds over late afternoon so we relocate to the next beach called the Pinnacles after the coloured weathered sand formation in the area.  A 1km circular walk gives us a good view and our exercise for the day as with almost all walks near the coast it includes a good number of steps.  Settle in for the night with Steve feasting on oysters grilled with cheese on top and me with beans on toast.
BEN BOYD NATIONAL PARK, THE PINNACLES

Wednesday 11 October  A lovely sunny morning with clear skies but a slight breeze so it’s down to Pinnacles beach where we find sheltered spot at the end.  Surrounded by multi coloured rocks creating an amphitheatre the sound of the crashing waves reverberates around us.  After lunch we drive to the old whaling town of Eden in Twofold Bay to visit the Killer Whale Museum $5.50 (2.20).  Hone in on a couple of amazing facts.  As a cure for arthritis people used to cut a big hole in the side of a freshly killed whale and then sit in it for an hour.  One man arrived on crutches but after his therapeutic soak he walked many miles back home unaided. (I guess no one would want to get near enough to help him because of the stench).  In 1891 a whaler fell overboard and was swallowed by a whale.  The same whale was caught 15 hours later and when they split it’s stomach the man fell out alive but in a coma.  He recovered but his hair turned white and fell out due to the whale’s digestive juices.   Drive a little further to Scrubby Creek rest area steeped in logging history with interpretative signs explaining the evidence still visible in the forest.
S EDEN, SCRUBBY CREEK REST AREA

Thursday 12 October  After a cold night we are treated to another lovely day.  Just before 9.00am we cross into the state of VICTORIA to the region of East Gippsland often referred to as Lakes and Wilderness.  Recall that whilst in Queensland the locals referred to Victorians as Mexicans because they came from south of the border!  Detour to Mallacoota on the coast, a lovely holiday area with lots of small lakes and river inlets.  Just out of town at the Betka River inlet we find a small flat car park at the edge of a tidal pool adjacent to the lovely sandy beach.  There are grassy areas with picnic tables and BBQ and a toilet block. Although we are in the Croajingolong National Park we can’t see any no camping or no overnight parking signs which is amazing for such a super spot.  Park up in the corner and although a family arrive shortly after we have the beach round the corner to ourselves for most of the day.  As the tide goes out the lake becomes numerous small shallow pools and streams which soon warm up and make a pertfect spot for young children and Glen to paddle.  As people drift off early evening the tide comes in and it’s fascinating watching the pool fill up from our ringside seat.
CROAJINGOLONG NATIONAL PARK, BETKA RIVER 

Friday 13 October  Woken in the middle of the night by heavy rain then a crack of thunder which echoes all around us.  It’s a rainy morning and calling at the "servo" (petrol station) we hear that rain is forecast for quite a few days.  Steve suggests we abandon our coastal route in favour of cutting inland to visit some friends ahead of schedule.  It’s very hilly terrain but much like England with lush green fields.  By lunch time we are at Lakes Entrance and it stops raining long enough for us to walk over the pedestrian bridge to the strip known as ninety mile beach.  There are so many nice beaches in the area it’s easy to see why it’s a popular tourist resort with over 20 caravan parks in the town.  It’s also the largest fishing port in Victoria and we stock up on "trawler fresh fish" at discount prices.  Two noteworthy features in Bairnsdale. The amazing turreted courthouse building which can only be viewed from outside.  St Mary’s church with it’s ceilings painted by an Italian artist.  In fine weather we would have been happy to spend time just browsing round the town but today we press on to the Highway Park just east of Stratford (short for Stratford on Avon).
STRATFORD, HIGHWAY PARK

Saturday 14 October  Intermittent rain which is OK as there is little of interest to visit except "possibly the largest open cast mine in the southern hemisphere" which we see from the road.  Highway 1 becomes the M1 motorway which bears little resemblance to the English one.  Few cars, only 2 lanes, it goes through the centre of towns, has traffic lights and roads cutting across it and can only really be described as a dual carriageway.  Getting closer to Melbourne it does get more like a proper motorway and starts to skirt the towns and have less intersections!   Lynn & Tony emigrated from Stafford in 1984 with toddlers Sarah, Kate and Oliver.  They settled in Warragul a small town a good hour east of Melbourne.  When we arrive at 11.00am Tony an estate agent is out at work but Lynn is waiting for us and a rapid question and answer session kicks off.  In Australia when someone is selling a house they have "open for inspection" times.  The vendor leaves their property and the agent shows prospective purchasers around which is why Tony needs to work some weekends.  Lynn has her own physiotherapy practice and works more conventional hours.  After a quick ride out with Lynn to a local market we return and Tony joins us for lunch.  The red wine comes out and Tony reluctantly returns to work.  Shortly after he reappears as his partner knowing he has visitors sends him home – well that’s his story.  Over a few beers we discuss children and families and inspire Lynn and Tony to do something like us in the future.  The rain stops for us to make the 15 minute walk into town for a session of ten pin bowling.  $12 for 2 games (4.80) resulting in Steve scoring 171, 148 and me an abysmal 116, 112 due to lack of concentration!  End up at the Court House – an Italian restaurant for a delicious pasta meal.  Taxi back in the pouring rain then a great night out rounded off with drinks at our place until 1.00am.
WARRAGUL

Sunday 15 October  Breakfast with Lynn & Tony.  Intermittent rain with my only excursion with Lynn to view the show home Tony is promoting. Tony & Lynn leave late afternoon to collect daughter Kate and boyfriend Jas who are flying back after a weekend in Tasmania.
WARRAGUL 2

Monday 16 October   Tony has the day off and takes us out for a drive.  The Yarra valley area is very green and English and the Dandenong ranges provide great views between the mist and clouds.  Near the William Ricketts sanctuary the Churinga Cafe serves teas by Taylors of Harrogate including Yorkshire Tea.  Tony & I opt for the Devonshire Cream Tea but with coffee and receive big fresh warm scones with lashings of home-made jam and cream.  Into the sanctuary $5.60 (2.20) where William a delightfully eccentric sculptor has created the Forest of Love.  Large rocks have been positioned in the forest and clay sculptures carved then moulded onto them.  Aboriginal figures are the theme and we are so taken with it that Steve seems to photograph almost all 92 of them.  A really unique and spiritual place which we love.  Dropping down through the pretty but touristy mountain villages we stop for lunch in Sassafras and appreciate Tony bringing us in the car as the motorhome would have struggled with the winding hilly roads.  Kate and Jas join us for the evening which is rounded off with a game of Scrabble where Jas realises he has met his match.
WARRAGUL 3

Tuesday 17 October  Big change to a hot sunny day.  Head off down the Mornington peninsula just South of Melbourne.  Near Mount Eliza we crash on Sunnyside Beach for a few hours.  Pressing on down the coast we pass numerous lovely beaches with fine sand, great views of the Melbourne skyline and most surprisingly colourful beach huts.  We met Chris, Elaine and sons Adam & Tristan in Greece when they were on their 2 year world tour.  Now they live at Mount Martha and as we turn into their street we are stunned by the enormous Dallas style houses.  The $1.5m home opposite theirs is owned by a British businessman who uses it for short visits and has houses in London and Italy also.  Their house used to be someone’s holiday home but is bigger than most English homes, has a huge deck with swimming pool and superb views to the city.  Glad we are in the big American motorhome as all the others would definitely have lowered the tone of the place.  A very interesting evening comparing notes on past trips and future plans as they want to hit the road full time in a couple of years once the boys now 18 and 16 are off their hands.
MOUNT MARTHA

Wednesday 18 October   Back to cold rainy windy weather.  At the tip of the peninsula you can take a car ferry from Sorento to Queenscliff on the Bellarine peninsula opposite.  Our vehicle shrinks to 7.9m to get us a fare of $59 (24.00) plus $3 (1.00) per person.  Reckon if the weather had been good we could have been delayed a good few more days exploring this area but as it is we take the 10.00am ferry.  Bev & Norm live in nearby Wallington and we arrive in time for lunch.  In the afternoon they take us for an extensive and informative tour of the peninsula which is very different to the Mornington one, quieter and less touristy.  Wind up at the Bowl Club in Ocean Grove for a meal.
WALLINGTON

Thursday 19 October   A typical British weather day starting nice and sunny then deteriorating to cool with wind and rain.  Fine for catching up and route planning though.
WALLINGTON 2

Friday 20 October  Bev lends us her car to traverse the aptly named Great Ocean Road which stretches for over 300km west from Torquay.  It’s a warm but dull day with occasional sunshine.  For most of the distance the road hugs the rugged coast.  In Lorne we do a small detour to the pretty Erskine Falls.  Back on track we are stopped by Police and informed that ahead of us cameras are filming.  An escort car arrives to take our procession through the filming area and beyond.  We spot a new car and on this very winding steep and dramatic section of the highway we visualise a car commercial or car chase being shot.  Definitely not the sort of road we would have wanted to bring the motorhome on even though it would have been possible.  Apollo Bay is a pretty town with lovely beaches and a real holiday feel.  Something for everyone in this area with rough surf beaches, calm inlets, good fishing spots and interesting scenery.  Climbing away from the ocean into the Otway ranges we spot a number of cars pulled up by the side of the road.  Closer inspection provides our first completely natural sighting of koalas in the wild.  The road rejoins the coast proper at Princetown which is where it gets really interesting.  Climb down Gibson steps to Gibson Beach for our first view of one of the Twelve Apostles.  Erosion has created 12 huge stone pillars which soar out of the pounding surf.  Here we can only see the first one but a short drive takes us to the main Apostles lookout where a huge new visitor centre is being built to cater for the vast number of tourists.  We still can’t see all 12 at once and have to drive a little further to the western end to complete the count gaining even more superb views of this magnificent colourful area. Nearby Loch Ard Gorge is even more dramatic but has a sad tale to tell.  In 1878 the clipper Loch Ard was driven onto the rocks here.  Of over 50 on board only 2 survived and were swept into this gorge, incredible when you see the rugged rocks and pounding surf here.  There are lots of walks and lookouts with plaques telling the full tale finishing at the graveyard.  Easy to spend a few hours here as it is so interesting.  There’s more beyond Port Campbell starting with The Arch.  Then at London Bridge in 1990 a collapse of one of the arches caused people to be stranded at the far end.  Next the little visited Grotto which is a completely different thing with holes and arches formed by sink wells. Here still pools of clear green water make a pretty scene. Continue just beyond Peterborough where the Bay of Islands looks like another version of the Twelve Apostles.  This must be the most spectacular stretch of eroded sandstone coastline we have ever seen and there is more beyond but the best was definitely the last 30km.  Return on the main highway in only 2 hours having taken 8 hours on the outward stretch. Bev & Norm light the wood fire in the sauna and we join them relaxing.
WALLINGTON 3

Saturday 21 October  Off to Melbourne together on the train using the group special ticket at $16 (6.40) return for up to 4 people.  Brilliant value as having caught the train in Geelong we have a 70km, 1 hour journey.  Beautiful sunshine when we emerge at Spencer Street station and begin walking.  Cross the Yarra River to Southbank with the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex.  It’s undoubtedly the biggest casino in the southern hemisphere and we enjoy exploring the casino and the highly salubrious hotel and restaurant area.  Australia is probably one of the few countries in the world where togged out in T-shirt and shorts we don’t look out of place in these surroundings. Emerge to cross the river and hop on one of the free city loop trams.  The conductor is giving such a good commentary between chatting up the girls that we complete the full loop, more to chuckle at his (unsuccessful) chat up lines than anything.  Carlton gardens are laid out like the Union Jack and dominated by the magnificent Royal Exhibition Building fronted by an imposing fountain.  The attraction today is behind here where the new Melbourne Museum is being opened for the first time.  Catch part of the speech by Victoria’s premier Steve Brax but the crowds are huge so we press on to Lygon Street – Little Italy.  It’s just like being in Europe with people trying to entice you into their restaurants.  Select "Il Gusto" which has no tout but an offer of garlic bread, any pasta or risotto plus a glass of wine for $12.95 (5.20).  Our Indian waiter upgrades us to a bottle of wine for 4 and we grab a kerbside seat and enjoy.  After a short stroll admiring the old traditional buildings and ducking into the new museum we hop on a tram to the Treasury Gardens.  Grab the camera when a possum runs in front of us then up a tree just like a squirrel.  Pause in adjoining Fitzroy Gardens to glance at the original Captain Cook’s cottage which in 1934 was uprooted from Yorkshire and rebuilt here.  Spot a number of brides posing for photos in the gardens before we reach the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) home of the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club).  Admission $17 (6.80) but we have a leaflet with old prices and pay $13.20 (5.50) to view the Cricket and Olympic museum and take a 1 hour tour.  It takes awhile for the penny to drop and me to realise the significance of the Olympic museum.  In 1956 this was used as the main stadium for the Olympic Games and immediately increases my interest.  One of the biggest sporting stadiums in the world it is also used for Australian Rules football.  Concerts have been held here featuring Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2 and the Three Tenors.  It’s still a private club with prestigious membership and a huge waiting list.  The club rooms befits its status but the changing rooms for the football clubs most certainly do not being basic in the extreme.  Another long walk back to the tram with the new skin formed under our Sydney blisters taking a hammering.  Alight to walk to the Rialto Tower $9.90 (4.00) for a 20 minute film then a lift to 253 metres making it the tallest office block in the southern hemisphere.  In addition to superb views they have Zoom City interactive live cameras for you to operate which are great fun. Hobble back to the station and Norm calculates we have pounded about 9km of pavement which explains our sore feet.  Catch on the news that a protester jumped out and landed a custard pie in Steve Brax’s face just after his speech, shucks we missed that.
WALLINGTON 4

Sunday 22 October  Bev & Norm take us for a tourist drive which includes the world famous Bells surfing Beach.  Norm explains enough about the sport to enable us to have a conversation with a wax head without appearing complete gonks.  Fit in a couple of hours sunbathing on Point Impossible beach including lunch and bubbly.  Use Bev’s car to drive to Newport in the western suburbs of Melbourne.  Sue (daughter of one of our PO customers) and partner Bob live here and we met them when they were visiting Keighley.  They live in a quaint old (we old for Australia as in nearly 100 years) federation style cottage and have invited us to stay overnight.  They take us for a drive to nearby Williamstown Beach area from where we get great views of the Melbourne skyline.  There’s an interesting restaurant near here called The Titanic.  Long before the film was re made the man set this up and created a dining experience where for $100 (40.00) you are togged up in period clothes, driven in a horse drawn carriage and piped aboard the replica ship.  The "last meal" follows (price includes drinks) and eventually the ship hits the ice berg and begins to sink accompanied by special effects including the "ship" moving.  Shame we don’t have time to fit it into our itinerary.  They also take us to the ex rifle range where big new houses have been built on tiny blocks of land and amazingly made to look like old ones.  Return for a BBQ and much travel talk where they inspire us to add Alaska to our every growing list.
MELBOURNE, NEWPORT

Monday 23 October  At Newport station we buy a $4.60 (1.85) ticket giving us all day use of buses, trains and trams in zone 1.  By the time we reach Melbourne Central the drizzle is rain so we look in the undercover mall where the old Coop’s Shot Tower is preserved under an impressive glass cone with a hot air balloon, plane and clock completing the scene. Melbourne has one of the largest tram and light-rail networks in the world.  Using two trams we go to St Kilda beach the nearest one to the City. It’s like an English seaside with an esplanade, theatre and amusement park.  Luna Park is like the Sydney amusement park which is so pathetic it’s often know by it’s reverse name (anul krap).  Stroll the main street dodging the rain and grabbing a coffee and cake before returning to the city.  Check out some of the attractive old arcades and the interesting and impressive Flinders Street station then drop into the library for a couple of hours browsing and using the free Internet available on over 200 computers.  Hard Rock cafe for lunch then the 3.00pm free tour of Parliament which is poor.  It’s ironic that today our feet are fine but the heavy rain prevents us walking so we head on home.  Belmont is a suburb of Geelong and Sue tells us the Sita is the best Indian restaurant around and all the Indian cricket team visit when in Melbourne. We find it in the High Street but see it is closed on Mondays.
WALLINGTON

Tuesday 24 October  Heavy rain throughout the night making sleeping difficult so I get up before 7.00am to bring the diary up to date.  Bev tells us they were desperate for rain and much appreciate it, we don’t and may have to revise our travel plans. En route to Ocean Grove with Bev we spot lots of overflowing dams and flooded areas.  Mid afternoon the rain eases to be replaced by strong winds.  I crawl into bed to catch up on some sleep and I’m just settling down when there’s a crash and van shudders.  We explore outside to find an uprooted tree sprawled behind the van with the trunk resting on Norm’s garage roof and luckily for us only the soft branches on the motorhome.  The tree stump is rotten and the combination of that and the sodden earth have made it easy for the wind to blow it down.  It is part of a twin trunk tree and the other section could easily go.  Bev & Norm are out so Steve moves the motorhome forwards whilst I entangle the branches.  Norm’s caravan is inside the garage but the roof looks strong, is only slightly dented and seems to be supporting the trunk easily.  Phone Norm who is most concerned that our motorhome is OK and now well clear.  He adopts the usual "She’ll be right" Aussie approach and says he expects the rest of the tree to fall but it will save him a job if it does!  Stoke up the wood burning stove in the lounge and sauna for a relaxing evening.
WALLINGTON 2

Wednesday 25 October  More heavy rain causing our trip to the races to be cancelled.  The racecourse is flooded and the Geelong Cup called off.  A real case of "the cup runneth over". Bev & Norm take us for a drive and we end up at the Sitar Indian restaurant for lunch.  We are the only diners and the Scottish owner Des with Indian wife Joyce make us most welcome.  Des is a little pretentious and insists on explaining about most of the beers he stocks and with almost 50 it gets a bit long winded.  Anyway he’s good entertainment value and we can understand why the Indian cricket team come here.  Stroll along the Geelong waterfront checking out some of the 104 painted bollards.  Nancy Natty Knickers amuses us astride her velocipede.  Smorgy’s at the end of the pier makes a good coffee stop on the way back.  Enjoy our last meal which Bev cooks followed by cards.
WALLINGTON 3

Thursday 26 October   Take our leave heading west hopefully to better weather.  Glance at the impressive tower clock as we pass through Camperdown before stopping in Warrnambool to visit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum $12 (4.80).  Its cool & breezy but dry which is fine for ambling through the re-created Australian port with buildings and ships from 1850 – 1900.  There’s a magnificent life sized china peacock which was salvaged from the Loch Ard.  Fascinating stories tell of the wreckage of the Mahogany ship made from timber only found in Europe.  It was discovered after the "first" Europeans arrived but following over 50 years of sightings it disappeared.   Strolling round the edge of the man made lake Steve calls out from behind me.  I turn to him then hear a rustle and out of the corner of my eye spot a snake slithering into the grass beside me.  I scream and Steve also jumps.  He thought he was going to point a prop out to me.  One of the staff spots it going back across the path and thinks it’s a tiger or a brown snake, both bad news.  Just out of town Tower Hill reserve provides great walks and wildlife viewing within the extinct volcano.  Park on the island in the centre to go on 2 of the many nature walks.  Emu’s stroll all around and we have to shoo them away.  On the lava tongue boardwalk we spot many koalas high up in the gum trees fast asleep. There are over 2000 here and some are being re-located to the Grampians as there are not enough Eucalyptus trees to feed them all.  The first volcano walk is interesting then on return we spot a koala low in a tree right at the edge of the car park. When we close in for a photo it wakes up, eats a leaf, shuffles round the tree for awhile and makes grunting noises, brilliant.  Next near the visitor centre we see an Emu with baby chicks on the lawn.  Whilst Steve cooks tea on the free electric BBQ we also spot kangaroos hopping around.  Neat place.
TOWER HILL

Friday 27 October   Into Port Fairy to eat our breakfast by the sea.  Must have been very well sheltered last night because here it’s blowing a gale and to cap it all we have a short but heavy rainfall.  Drive the historic walk to see the "old" buildings in Portland.  Nearby Cape Bridgewater proves interesting.  Battling against the wind we fight our way to the cliff top to look at the blowholes whilst being showered with spray.  Although nearby we struggle to stay on the path when walking to the petrified forest.  It is thought the forest was burnt out many years ago then sand blasted from the ocean collected around the trunks and solidified.  Cross into SOUTH AUSTRALIA and hear on the radio they are 1 1/2 hours behind Victoria (8 1/2 ahead of BST). At the side of the road we pass lots of Radiata Pine plantations with specimens of various ages and occasional recently felled areas which explains he logging trucks.  Many people have told us we must visit the blue volcano crater lake at Mount Gambier.  I thought Mount Gambier was a mountain with the lake at the top.  Wrong.  It’s right on the edge of the town of Mount Gambier and not high up at all.  It usually changes colour to bright blue in November but we reckon it’s blue today and looks good.   The town is riddled with underground caves and right in the centre of town at the Caves garden you can walk down into a sink hole and see where a cave with water disappears under the city, amazing.  Umpherston Sinkhole is a larger one which has been landscaped to create a wonderful garden oasis.  Climbing down the steps we emerge to an area of terraced lawns with flower beds which lead down to the cave.  The whole sinkhole is surrounded by ivy making it cool and shady. Picnic tables and BBQ’s are provided and it is floodlit at night which is when the possums come out to play.  Extraordinary.  Yes I rather like Mount Gambier.  Drive back to the coast at Southend to enter Canunda Conservation Reserve.  2km of dirt road later we are at Boozy Gully (named before we arrived) just back from the ocean.  The aboriginals used to eat a lot of seafood and here you can see huge midens which are piles of the cast off shells.  Estimates put them at 5000 years old.  Do a few exploratory walks then settle in for the night.
CANUNDA CONSERVATION RESERVE, BOOZY GULLY

Saturday 28 October    Woken by fishermen coming to set and collect their cray pots (lobster pots).  Drive into Beachport and too early for the shops set out on the scenic drive.  The Pool of Siloam is a salt lake seven times saltier than the sea and reputed to relieve sufferers of arthritis and rheumatism.  10km out of town the Woakwine Cutting is Australia’s biggest one man engineering feat.  From an observation platform you can see where 2 men spent 3 years cutting a canal through the rock.  It’s an awe-inspiring sight similar to the Corinth canal.  Today the swampland behind is continuously drained into it by a series of canals and now used for farming.  Just south of Robe we turn off down dirt track to circle Lake St Clair.  Between the lake and the sea is Sunland Holiday Village where weather permitting we can disrobe and enjoy the sun.  $5 (2.00)  p.p.p.n plus $6 (2.40 for the site and $2 (80p) for power.  Meet everyone at the 10.30am coffee morning.  Hike over dunes and across the dried up lake and more dunes to the beach.  It’s cloudy and warm but with a cool strong breeze.  Just after lunch our friends Lew & Cath arrive from Adelaide and the sun breaks through.  Get together for afternoon G & T’s along with Ron whom we also met last year in Darwin.  Round the day off with an evening sauna.
ROBE, SUNLAND

Sunday 29 October  Because of the Olympics NSW & Victoria went onto daylight saving time at the beginning of September instead of the end of October as normal.  Daylight saving starts today in South Australia so we put our clocks forward by 1 hour making us BST + 9 1/2 hours. However I reckon that UK have now gone onto GMT and lost an hour which would put us at GMT + 10 1/2 hours, I think.  After coffee morning Cath & Lew take us for a ride into nearby Robe. It’s a small fishing village with a population of 600 which swells to 10000 in the holiday season.  At the boathaven Stanke Ociana Seafoods are open and selling fresh fish and seafood.  Surprisingly they also sell freshly cooked fish and chips. $4.95 (2.00) for a large portion of chips plus 3 battered garfish and $3 (1.20) for 5 pieces of battered flake (but not the chocolate type).  Steve also spots the fresh crabs and can’t resist one for $1 (40p). Excellent value and delicious.  An afternoon sunbathing with the tiny wrens getting very friendly.  Steve hand feeds them cheese and we particularly like the males with a bright blue top half. Cath & Lew join us for a curry night, she makes a Prawn Thai curry and I a Glen Beef curry.
ROBE, SUNLAND 2

Monday 30 October   Bright sunny morning with good temperatures forecast.  Join Cath & Lew for a very long walk in the afternoon.  We are rewarded with great views after climbing to the top of "Big Bertha" sand dune.  Strutting along the beach we come across lots of interesting things including tins with Japanese writing on them containing what looks like fish in black bean sauce, heaps of seaweed, rope, buoys, fishing baskets, bottles in many colours shapes and sizes and sadly a dead seal.  Return exhausted but invigorated.  In the evening Ruby Roo comes to visit and hops around near the van with a Joey in her pouch.
ROBE, SUNLAND 3

Tuesday 31 October  Bright and breezy start, perfect for drying the washing.    By 3pm it’s clouding over so we set off as storms have been forecast.  There are lots of dragonflies about and we collect quite a number on the windscreen stone guard.  On the highway towards Penola we see a big flash of lightening ahead which looks to reach the road and on nearing the spot we see the roadside grass and scrub ablaze. A couple of people are walking over to deal with it but refuse our offer of help as the rain is starting and will probably do the trick. Approaching Penola we spot the fire trucks heading out but it’s now raining heavily and they shouldn’t be needed.  Petticoat Lane in town has some interesting old houses but it’s too wet for us to venture out.  Back into VICTORIA so clocks forward 1/2 hour (GMT + 11hours).  Between heavy downpours we spot a tortoise crossing the road and unusual grass trees in the forest which look like yellow furry candles.  Through Coleraine where Helena Rubenstein lived as a child and started her cosmetic business with a shop in the main street, now a museum.  Heavy rain comes and goes but it’s fine when we reach Wannon Falls giving us chance for a walk to admire the spectacular curved waterfall which drops dramatically into a pool.  There’s a lovely free camping spot with a canopy over a central fireplace which even has an oven.  Spend a restless night between heavy rain and thunder.  Lonely Planet was certainly right about the climate they say "Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, has a single major drawback – the bloody climate.  The average rainfall is less than Brisbane and Sydney. The trouble with Melbourne’s climate is that it’s totally unpredictable; you can boil one day and shiver the next.  What the hell am I talking about – it’s the next minute, not the next day!  In Melbourne if you don’t like the weather, so they say, just wait a minute.  It’s not that Melbourne has four distinct seasons, it’s just that they often all come in the same day."  Sounds pretty much like England to us.
WANNAN FALLS

Thursday 31 August  Got carried away with my opportunity of computer access and completed the August diary a day too soon – further confirmation that I have lost it!  Move on to Sea World which is located on the Spit slightly north of Surfers Paradise.  Near it the worlds first Versace hotel Palazzo Versace is nearing completion but just a touch out of our price range. Everything inside the hotel is Versace down to the $600 (240.00) tea cups.  Parked up and raring to go when the gates open at 9.30am we notice it is already much busier than the other three parks with lots of school children on educational visits.  Great animal shows, good rides, fun shows and also a water park area must make this the best all round park.  Start with a monorail tour around the park and then the first dolphin show of the day which is great.  The seal show is also excellent as we never knew seals were so clever.  Other highlights are the Pirates 3D show where "things" happen to the audience and the Bermuda Triangle ride into a volcano which erupts to blast you out.  Leave heading off down the gold coast proper backed by dozens of high rise hotels and apartments.  Motel rooms seem cheap with rooms as low as $20 (8.00).  The beach is a fabulous stretch of pure white sand as far as the eye can see with breakers rolling along the length of it hence a stretch being named Surfers Paradise.  We free camped with Lisa & Frank last year in Broome and now visit them at home in Burleigh Waters where their house backs onto Swan Lake.  Lisa cooks a meal whilst we chat about travel and then Lisa & I about computers and Frank & Steve about the stock market so we have a lot in common. 
BURLEIGH WATERS

Friday 1 September  Back up to Sea World to do the rides we missed yesterday and to repeat some of the shows.  It’s the first day of spring in Australia and the temperatures have jumped from the low 20’s to a predicted 26C today.  After lunch it’s hot enough for us to enjoy a spell in the water park checking out all the rides.  Return to overnight at Josh & Noriko’s on Hope Island.
HOPE ISLAND RESORT

Saturday 2 September  A very windy morning for our return to Dreamworld causing many rides to be closed and others closed when power cables are severed by the wind.  12.00pm and we still haven’t got on a ride so take a refund of $10 (4.00) each and call it a day.  3.00pm and Ken & Kay meet us on the car park ready for our evening at Draculas theatre restaurant $57 (23.00).  Park at Broadbeach on Jupiter’s casino car park then Kay & I pop to Pacific Fair shopping mall and return an hour later having both had make overs done.  Walk to Draculas for the 6.00pm start and to be greeted by a ghoulish creature who leads us into the library which turns out to be a lift.  Emerge into the bar with more staff in costumes and corpses embedded in the floor in glass coffins amongst other spooky decorations.  Buy a round of drinks (expensive) then proceed downstairs to board the ghost train with a real person who jumps out at us.  The restaurant is also superbly decked out as are the waiters, ours is called Crypt and looks suitably gruesome.  We sit on long benches and don’t know which way to look as things on the wall move and the waiters keep doing strange things and this is all before the show starts.  The stage show is definitely aimed at adults and extremely funny.  The meal is also spot on and a good time is most certainly had by all.  Emerge at 11.00pm to walk around to the casino for a couple of hours.
GOLD COAST CASINO

Sunday 3 September  Breakfast in the van parked behind the beach and then to Lee & Mita’s at Palm Beach to leave the van whilst we go out for the day with Ken & Kay in the car.  The British and Australian rowing teams are training at the Hinze Dam but we just miss their early morning practice.  In Springbrook National Park it’s a pleasant walk through the forest to the Natural Arch where water pours through the roof of a cave.  Picnic on the banks of the Tweed River in Murwillumbah before returning via the twin towns of Tweed Heads and Coolangatta.  The Queensland/NSW border runs through them so it’s a great place to be on New Years eve to enjoy it twice.   Ken & Kay drop us off to visit other friends tonight.  Lee & Mita organise a bit of a party for us and also invite Pat & Dale who we met with them on tour last year.
PALM BEACH

Monday 4 September   Cross into NEW SOUTH WALES – clocks forward 1 hour for daylight saving time (10 hours ahead of  BST). Take the coast roads where possible but only get glimpses of the lovely sandy coast.  Notice the most expensive diesel so far at $1.06 (42p) following another price increase.  That’s more than 25% more than when we arrived in June. Byron Bay is a busy place with lots of ferals (hippies), wax heads (surfies) and back packers.  Enjoy a circular walk out to the lighthouse and then the eastern most point of mainland Australia.  Follow the coast road to Ballina then inland to Grafton to visit Barry & May for the night.
GRAFTON

Tuesday 5 September   Stop on the northern outskirts of Coffs Harbour to visit Little Diggers Beach.  It’s a lovely day and worth the scramble over the rocks to reach the secluded beach.  Tear ourselves away to continue to Sawtell to visit Don & Dorothy who take us for a drive around the area pointing out everything of interest and suggest we go with them tomorrow to their holiday shack at Hat Head.
SAWTELL

Wednesday 6 September  Don has heard on the radio that the New Endeavour ship is going into South West Rocks this morning so we make an early start.  Park at their shack and then drive up to Trial Bay in the car.  It’s a fabulous spot with lots of fine beaches and the old Trial Bay Goal on the hillside.  Spot the ship in the distance but still have time for a run out to Smoky Cape lighthouse.  An aboriginal elder sets up a fire on the beach in preparation for a traditional greeting of the ships captain.  The crew come ashore in motorised dinghies but the captain is rowed ashore traditional style.  Speeches and exchanging of gifts occur and then the captain offers people over 14 the chance to look around the ship.  We’re at the front of the queue as we thought we would have to wait until Sydney and then pay $17 (6.80) to look round.  It’s quite difficult climbing on board as the side of the ship is bowed and you only have two ropes to haul yourself up the steps with.  The ship has a small regular crew supplemented by people who pay $900 (360.00) for the privilege of working their passage for 6 days!  18 miles of rope are used and it’s easy to see where.  Below deck is cramped with crawling space only in parts as we are given a glimpse of how things were.  It’s amazing that a ship so small ventured so far and we increase our awe of Captain Cook.  Back on land a sausage sizzle has been put on free of charge by the Lions club so that’s lunch taken care of.  Back to Hat Head for a walk around the hill itself with superb views and opportunity to spot some of the many whales off shore.
HAT HEAD 

Thursday 7 September  Press on towards Sydney taking the tourist drive coastal detours where possible but find them disappointing as you can’t see the ocean.  Pull into the little fishing village of Nerong to overnight in a cul de sac.
NERONG

Friday 8 September   Leave early then pull into "The Rock" rest area for breakfast.  The scale model of the rock has shops and a cafe inside but looks very neglected and past it’s best before date.  Rosco Club near Toronto is our destination and we soon find Jenny & Tony on the grounds. A busy day giving the van a thorough clean before we head into Sydney on Sunday.  Nancy & Steve stay here in a converted double decker London bus and along with another Steve and Jenny & Tony we gather round the fire for an evening BBQ.
ROSCO CLUB

Saturday 9 September  Dull morning but sun in the afternoon.  Everyone gathers in the sauna early evening which involves cooling off with a dip in the pool.  We soon warm up afterwards as everyone gathers round the big bonfire by the club house for BBQ time.
ROSCO CLUB 2

Sunday 10 September  Away at 10.00am to get back to Sydney before the city people return this afternoon.  Stop for a drink and to psyche ourselves up for the traffic.  No problems until we get to Hornsby where the narrow road lanes kick in.  We believe they used to be 2 lane roads but they have made them into 3 leaving little space.  In a wide motorhome give me Istanbul or Athens any day.  Opt to drive right over the Harbour Bridge $2.20 (88p) and sneak glimpses above where we will be climbing later in the week – good job it is all booked and paid for.  We also get our first view of the Opera House.  Having chosen to drive over the main part of the bridge we are forced from our chosen route and end up driving right through the centre of Sydney causing a few heated exchanges.  End up at the airport (in fact nearly in the airport) before picking up our planned route and arriving safely in Sutherland around 2.00pm.  Just catch Mike as he is going out to work as both he and Toni are voluntary drivers for the Olympics.  There’s lots of welcome mail for us and greetings cards which I put aside for later.  Our Olympic package is waiting and we eagerly study the tickets and accompanying literature.  It’s interesting to note that of the 199 countries taking part we have only visited 43 – bit of a challenge to do something about that before the next games.
SUTHERLAND

Monday 11 September  Trains are cheaper after 9.00am so we time our 10 minute walk to the station accordingly.  $4.40 (1.75) for a day return and 40 minutes later we alight from the double decker carriage onto the platform under the town hall.  Emerge into the magnificent Victoria Building just in time to watch the Clock perform the Royal Pageant at 10.00am.  Lots of other interesting attractions within the building including an unusual hi tech ladies toilet on the top floor. Out into the street with plenty of opportunities to play "spot the athlete"- with most wearing team jackets it’s not difficult.  Steve wants more tickets for the games but there are massive queues at the two ticket booths we visit so he will try phoning or the Internet instead.  Sydney’s main attractions are easily walkable and we cover a vast area on our exploration visit and suss out the venues of some of the big screens then pause for a pub lunch.  It’s less crowded than we expected and we are impressed by the numbers of people strategically placed to offer advice. Crystal Harmony one of the worlds largest passenger liners has just docked in Sydney Cove near Circular Quay as it was too big to go under the harbour bridge to get into Darling Harbour. It’s enormous and has balconies on all the decks giving passengers a choice of a bridge or opera house view!  The harbour bridge and the opera house both live up to expectations and we enjoy everything we see.  Footsore we call it a day around 4.00pm and arrive back in Sutherland just in time to join the crowds to watch the Olympic Torch Relay pass through – puts the crowds in Noosa to shame.
SUTHERLAND 2

Tuesday 12 September  Mike & Toni are both out working today as voluntary drivers for the Olympics.  Mike is working 5 days on then 1 off and Toni 4 on and 1 off.  They have left us with the key to the house and instructions to make use of whatever we need including the washing machine and computer – I do.  Take a walk around Sutherland town centre in the afternoon and I am delighted to stumble across a Sara Lee factory outlet which sells damaged and discontinued lines very cheaply.  Reckon I could become a regular customer over the next few weeks but for today I content myself with a caramel toffee danish delight at 95c (40p).   Steve phones up and buys more Olympic tickets, a pair for the rowing at $10 (4.00) each and hockey at $19 (7.60) – a bargain as the tickets include all day use of public transport.  Reckon if I was really keen he’d have us at an event every day as there are heaps of reasonably priced tickets left.
SUTHERLAND 3

Wednesday 13 September  So where have the last 25 years flown to since we got married?  If the next 25 go as fast we shall be onto our golden anniversary before we know it.  Heaps of mail has been arriving for us so we open and display the cards (thank you all) before heading into the city for our big day of celebrations. We begin our $150 (60.00) bridge climb with an instruction video, signing of indemnity forms and a breathalyser.  Next it’s into grey silky jump-suits (to help us blend in with the bridge structure) followed by the donning of hats, handkerchief, radio, earphone, fleece jacket in a bag, sunglasses chain and optional gloves all secured to prevent any losses. You are fastened into a safety harness and shown how to walk along a static line and climb ladders correctly.  Fully prepped we follow our guide Michael to enter the bridge structure.  Make our way over the catwalk to the pylon before setting out across the arch to the summit.  The ladders are not too difficult and the climb is most enjoyable.  Michael provides an interesting commentary about the bridge itself, the history of Sydney and the things we can see.   At 134m high the views from the summit are out of this world on this perfect day with clear skies, no wind and not too hot.  What a way to celebrate, are we on a high or what?  Having climbed the eastern arch we make our way right across the top to descent down the western arm.  Just over 3 hours later we collect our special Olympic souvenir pack with photo’s certificate and commemorative pin and also treat ourselves me with a jumper and Steve with a hat both saying "I climbed it".   Walk to Tumbalong Park to collect the Olympic tickets but there are still quite long queues for the pre paid telephone order tickets so I leave Steve and go and get my make over done at the Body Shop.  Before we know it we are heading up the AMP Centrepoint tower to the revolving restaurant for our meal booked at 6.00pm with just time to spare to duck into the toilets for a freshen up and quick change.  For $46.50 (19.00) there’s a vast smorgasbord buffet with 10 appetisers, 20 main courses, 10 desserts plus hot drinks. We are shown to our requested window seat and warned not to put our bags on the window cill as it is slowly moving past us.  The views are magnificent as the restaurant takes 1 hour to turn full circle.  We take our time enjoying great food, wine, views and naturally good company with a lot of reminiscing.  Spot the Clipper Odyssey (the ship we went on last year) arriving in Darling Harbour.  It looks very small wedged between two much larger liners.  Our second circuit is in the dark and the city lights are brilliant and we even spot a couple of fireworks displays.  2 very memorable hours later we are just leaving when we hear people talking about the Olympic flame arriving in the building.  We ask about it and one girl puts her finger to her lips and says follow me.  We sneak up some security stairs to emerge at her AMP company function on the next floor.  She suggests we mingle and try and look inconspicuous but with no name tags and Steve carrying a backpack it’s not that easy.  Notice everyone sipping drinks so I grab a couple from a passing waiter to help us blend in!   Following some speeches by athletes the flame arrives in the lift and the torch is lit for the bearer to do a circuit of the building.  Food and more champagne is brought round on  trays at which point we decide to make an exit before we are sprung!  What a fantastic and most memorable way to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary which could only have been any better with family and friends to share it with us.
SUTHERLAND 4

Thursday 14 September  A late start as we took a long time to come down from our high and get off to sleep last night (well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).  Take the train to Circular Quay and then the ferry to Watsons Bay $4.00 (1.60) one way.  It’s a popular waterside suburb and location of the famous Doyle’s seafood restaurant.  Round the back we buy our take away fish & chips $8.80 (3.50) and sit on the wall behind the beach sharing the same food and stunning city views as the restaurant proper but at a fraction of the cost.  Pick up a big prawn sandwich $4.50(1.80) for taking with us to Lady Bay Beach where nude bathing is permitted.  A tourist attraction in it’s own right with a viewing platform from the cliff top walk above and harbour cruise boats slowing as they pass.  Not quite our scene but the views back to the city are amazing and it’s interesting watching all the boats in the harbour.  Returning to the ferry we spot Daley Thompson coming out of Doyle’s restaurant and he kindly agree to pose with Steve for a photo.  He looks even leaner and fitter than ever and with 3 other guys he strolls to the jetty then boards a private water taxi.  On the ferry back we spot the British team practising wind surfing and the Americans sailing.  Circular Quay is noticeably busier and the big screen is already in place and operating.  Back in Sutherland we visit George and Dorothy (met them at Rosco’s last weekend) for a meal.  Dorothy cooks a lovely spicy meal for us all washed down by copious amounts of wine.  Good job we don’t have far to walk back to the van. 
SUTHERLAND 5

Friday 15 September   I am forced out of bed due to lack of breathable air.  Steve’s numerous beers and glasses of both red and white wine have put him in the David Spooner category!  A late start into the city alighting at Central Station and choosing the wrong exit.  Our first cloudy day in Sydney but perfect for an indoor museum.  Walk through Chinatown district calling in at Paddy’s market to buy a larger Great Britain flag at $4 (1.60).  Near the Powerhouse museum the Pie Factory outlet provides our lunch – $2.10 (85p) hot pies with sauce.  $9 (3.60) basic admission to the museum as we decline the Olympic exhibition with artefacts we have already seen in Greece.  A complicated museum but with some interesting hands on sections and enough to keep us occupied for over 4 hours.  I especially like the 1930’s replica cinema for silent films accompanied by a type of pianola with a special effects section.  There are a lot more people around now and many of our chosen routes are blocked off.  We make the long walk round Darling Harbour to see the Clipper Odyssey but Captain Frank is with his passengers at the opening ceremony.  Tumbalong Park big screen area is heaving.  The screen at the Domain isn’t open and Martin Place is full so everyone is flocking here.  The atmosphere is brilliant with frequent loud cheers.  Struggling to see much from a distance we retire to sit outside the South African sports bar at the edge of the park to watch their big screen TV. Everyone’s very friendly and we are even given some drinks when the lads we are chatting to realise the bar has stopped serving to people outside.  There’s a great big cheer when the British team file into the stadium and we shout and jump around waving the flag (well Steve just did the shouting bit).  There’s an even bigger cheer for the Australian team which is topped by the shouts when the torch is passed to Cathy Freeman (a popular choice even if somewhat political) and an even bigger one when the cauldron is lit.  Everyone goes wild with the spectacle which follows.  What little we miss in visibility is certainly more than made up for by the atmosphere.  Catch the excellent 11.05pm Aqua Spectacular on Cockle Bay where holographic laser images are projected onto two giant semi-circular waterscreens accompanied by music and with the further distraction of distant fireworks and lasers on most of the cities tall buildings. It feels like New Years eve and one great big street party.  Back in Tumbalong park the big screen has been turned off and on stage are the first live act – Monica’s spectacular Brazilian band. Now that a lot of people have dispersed it looks like a rubbish tip with abandoned blankets, drinks, food and millions of empty bottles and cans.  Anyway no one seems to notice as we dance in whatever space we can find.  Capitulate to tiredness just before midnight and stagger through the busy streets to Town Hall Station and surprisingly get a seat on the train.  Plod the last 10 minutes home and roll straight into bed just before 1.00am.  Gosh it is tiring having a good time.
SUTHERLAND 6

Saturday 16 September  Cancel our planned trip into the city to catch Vanessa Amorosi live.  All our walking and the 1000 steps of the bridge climb have left us with heavy legs and we need to rest for our big day tomorrow.  Hover by the TV watching the live games and also re caps of last nights ceremony.  I leave Steve glued to the screen and force myself to walk into Sutherland with the prospect of a Sara Lee cake egging me on.  Return with over 1kg of sticky toffee pudding in a tray for $5 (2.00) – think it’s meant to be party size!   
SUTHERLAND 7

Sunday 17 September  From St James’s station we walk into the Domain park to sit and watch the big screen for the start of the triathlon.  Once the competitors have finished the swim we run to the barriers to watch them cycle past.  We have a good view and plenty of opportunities to shout and wave the flags at the British competitors.  Unfortunately by the time they are running past us it is quite clear that we are not going to be getting any medals.  Return to the screen to watch the finish and catch up on other Olympic news.  It’s a scorching day so we cool off by spending an hour browsing round the Art Museum of NSW which if free.  Back in the Domain there are a number of Country artists appearing live and there are loads of people picnicking and sunbathing.  Another great day out and all free except for our train fare.
SUTHERLAND 8

Monday 18 September   Mike gives us a lift to the Olympic stadium where we enter at the North Gate near the athletes village.  The stadiums are magnificent and from Olympic Boulevard the cauldron can’t be missed.  There’s plenty to see and do as we make our way South for our mens hockey session at 1.30pm.  Spend time watching the big screen and wondering around Olympic Expo where I get the union jack painted on my face.  We look a real pair of hoons with our England shirts and flags!  At the hockey centre our $19 (7.60) tickets give us seats right at the top of the stand behind the goal.  It’s perfect as there is a bit of a breeze and for additional entertainment we can watch the traffic on the motorway many of whom toot and shout out "Aussie aussie aussie" as they pass.  England put on a poor performance and lose 7 -1 to Pakistan – that will have gone down well in Bradford.  Before the second match they announce temperatures of 28C in the stadium and suggest we drink lots of water.   Germany beat Canada 2 – 1 after a boring first half with no goals but the first half was fun for me as the Mexican wave went round the stands.  It’s easy getting out of the stadium and by the time they have zig zagged us between barriers we arrive at the station well spaced out and with no problem getting a seat on the train.  All very well organised and efficient.
SUTHERLAND 9

Tuesday 19 September  Steve’s birthday so I let him have a lie in.  Spot a lovely purple and red parrot on the lawn by the van, the first of that type I have seen in Australia.  Toni has a day off and offers to drop us in Cronulla to catch the ferry Bundeena in the Royal National Park.  Just make the 10.30am crossing which is great as it only goes once an hour.  $3.10 (1.25) one way for the half hour trip which takes you out through Gunnamatta Bay lined with magnificent beach side houses.  In Bundeena we check out Jibbon Beach then walk back to sunbathe in Bundeena Bay.  It’s a lovely area, very scenic and lots of nice beaches.  Lunch at the R.S.L. (returned service mens league) where they do a great Chinese meal and we are torn between watching the Olympics on the big screen or the views over the bay from the big windows.  Catch the 2.00pm ferry back to Cronulla then train back to Sutherland in time to change for our evening at the Olympics.  For the first time we fail to get a seat on the train but that’s only for the short leg from Redfern to the stadium.  Tonight it’s 7.30pm for badminton with $55 (22.00) tickets giving us seats behind the centre of the three courts.  First match starts with Danish Peter Gade ranked 3 against Fung Permadi from Chinese Taipei (14).  10 minutes later a second match starts and the third 10 minutes after that.  It’s difficult to know what to watch and it seems the only easy answer is to concentrate on just one game.  As soon as Peter has beaten Fung 2 – 0 the womens 1/4 final starts with Gong Zhichao (1) from China against Japan.  Throughout the evening we see 10 matches including the men’s number 1 Hidayat Taufik and number 2 Hendrawan both from Indonesia.  The only time a higher seed loses to a lower one is Great Britains Richard Vaughan (16) against China’s Sun Jun (35) which is a poor match despite our cheering.  Only one match goes to three games and that’s an exciting one between Hidayat Taufik of Indonesia (1) and Ong Ewe Hock of Malaysia (11) the scores going 15 – 9, 13 – 15, 15 – 3. Interesting game statistics with shuttlecocks travelling in excess of 200km.  Arrive back exhausted at 12.15 which is excellent as we only left the stadium at 11.15pm.
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Wednesday 20 September  No sure if it’s general exhaustion or what but despite my nose being clear I have a very bad headache again which has building up for some days.  Take the day off trying to sleep whilst Steve watches the games on TV.
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Thursday 21 September  Feeling decidedly better we set off mid morning for our 2pm Badminton event.  It’s a scorcher of a day and I am not over keen to go into the event as I didn’t really enjoy the last lot.   At the stadium Steve walks up the ticket line (looking very shifty) trying to sell my ticket and soon gets a taker at the $75 (30.00) face price. Samsung are putting on a Great Britain display with a pearly King & Queen reciting all the old songs and there’s lots of things happening.  After he goes into the event I begin my afternoon at a military band concert before cooling off under the decorative fountain.  Great views from Kronos Hill over the athlete’s village, Olympic Village and also across to Sydney centre.  Walking back along Olympic Boulevard I pause to watch children having fun aiming water fountain jets at passers by.  Study the Boral Olympic Dream Pathway where thousands of stones have been laid with names and messages on them.  Having been in Sydney for our Silver Wedding anniversary and also attended the games I feel it most appropriate and order
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It’s $50 (20.00) and they give you a certificate then mail the grid reference details when the stone has been laid after the Paralympic.  Will have to call back in November to check!   At the entrance to the aquatic centre plaques mark the achievements of all the Australian swimmers with space left for many more.  I visit the Cadbury Expo twice as you get a free bar of chocolate each time!  At 5.00pm I return to our agreed meeting point and shortly after hear Steve calling from the barrier.  The events are running late but he palms me his ticket and I manage to get in to occupy the seat which has been vacated right at the side of him.  We noticed this loop hole the other day – where events are not full and pass outs allowed it’s easily workable.  I’ve missed Simon Archer and Joanne Goode securing the bronze for Britain but get to watch the play off for Gold then the medal presentation which is enough for me.
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Friday 22 September   Alarm set for 4.30am but not needed as the bin men start collecting at 4.00am.  As Sydney recycles rubbish there a numerous carts going round each collecting different items.  Give up trying to sleep.  Mike takes Toni and us to the station for Toni to go to work and us to catch the 5.10am train changing in Redfern to get to Penrith.  The sun has risen by the time we alight then hop onto a shuttle bus to the Regatta Stadium.  Our $10 (4.00) tickets are excellent value as we have already had about 100km (60 miles) of free transport just getting here and can use the trains free until 4.00am tomorrow.  We’re at the foot of the Blue Mountains which is a beautiful setting for the rowing.  There’s heaps of space and we settle on a grassy bank at the 750m mark. It soon warms up and becomes a great sunbathing spot and even pretty good for watching the rowing!  Britain are poor and Steve is frustrated as he read the programme wrongly and thought we would be seeing Steve Redgrave but that’s tomorrow and now sold out.  Leave at mid day taking the train back into the city checking out China Town en route to Tumbalong Park.  Lots of people are still gathered round the big screen with others in the background dancing to the live bands.  Following our planned rendezvous with Noel (the Kiwi from Hervey Bay) we stroll together through the Harbourside Shopping area pausing for a beer in the Heineken Tent.  Look over the Pyrmont big screen site, the wharf where the mega rich yachts are moored and the Star casino.  Back in China town we eat in one of the food halls where $6 (2.40) gets you soup, rice and a main course with literally hundreds of dishes to choose from.  A bit like a very busy noisy food kitchen with cleaners having trouble keeping up but popular with the locals and good value.  Crash down at Belmore Park big screen.  Prior to the games it was the hang out of wino’s and drop outs but now it’s an alcohol free area and a type of green carpet has been laid to make up for the lack of grass.  A great atmosphere again with people shouting and cheering as much as if they were actually at the event.  Leave after the main swimming and athletic events as it’s starting to get chilly.  Must take time out to buy some new footwear and my feet are full of blisters and we’ve lots more walking planned.
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Saturday 23 September  Steve’s turn to be a bit under the weather with possibly the start of flu.  Suits me to stay around home as my feet wouldn’t take me far today, one blister is as big as the toe itself.  Good to see Steve Redgrave’s performance and special award even if the Aussie’s give poor TV coverage when they don’t win!  I go to the Miranda shopping mall determined to get some new footwear but in the absence of what I want I settle for some cheapies to put me on.
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Sunday 24 September  A real lazy day with neither of us venturing out.
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Monday 25 September  With Steve still under the weather I meet Noel as agreed and we go for a drive.  Follow the coast towards Sydney starting at La Perouse in Botany Bay directly opposite Cooks first landing place at Kurnell. There are many bays in the area all with their own character.  Some have man made beaches and salt water swimming pools, others long sweeps of lovely clean white sand.  Abandon the car by Waverley cemetery as the practice for tomorrow’s cycling road race is blocking our progress.  Proceed on foot never failing to be amazed as we view beautiful shoreline and numerous beaches.  Multi colours streak the unusual wind eroded rock formations. I’m surprised by our first view of Bondi Beach which is much bigger than I expected and dominated by the Olympic Beach Volleyball stadium in the centre.  Bondi seems like an English seaside resort with a pedestrian esplanade behind the beach then lawns separating this from shops and cafes.  Pause for lunch before returning on a slightly different route to see some of the cyclists.  Noel drops me at the station to go to Olympic Park for our evening athletics.  Arrive in time to watch the Army Military Band putting on a good show.  It’s a fair hike around Stadium Australia and then up a ramp to our $65 (26.00) seats high up on one side but almost in line with the finish mark.  Steve has beaten me to it (he’s keen) and is already studying todays programme.  Quite a few Britsh partaking offering flag waving and cheering opportunities for us.  It’s hard to know where to look as track events, pole vault, discus and long jump take place simultaneously.  However the stadium grinds to a halt for Cathy Freeman’s big race.  The atmosphere is electric as everyone is out of their seats to cheer her to victory with a good Bronze for Katharine Merry and 4th for Donna Fraser both with PB’s.  The crowds go wild as Cathy does her lap of honour in front of a record stadium attendance in excess of 112,000.  It’s almost an anti climax when American Michael Johnson retains his 400m title.  A disappointing 5th for Colin Jackson in the 110m hurdles.  In the women’s 5000m we cheer Sonia O’Sullivan from Ireland to 2nd place.  800m women’s final next with Kelly Holmes taking the lead on the last bend running for home.  She’s overpowered but hangs in there to take the bronze.  A great result in the men’s triple jump with Jonathan Edwards taking gold.  He spends ages on his lap of honour and doesn’t seem to want to leave.  Last final the men’s 10,000m won by the great Heile Gebreselassie from Ethiopia with Karl Keska of Britain finishing 8th.  By the time Jonathan Edwards’s medal is presented numbers at the stadium have depleted however along with other Brits we proudly wave our flags and sing the national anthem.  It’s almost midnight when we finally leave after 6 action packed hours giving superb value for money.  Roll into bed just after 1.00am and just before rain starts.
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Tuesday 26 September   Steve’s still a bit low having called upon all his resources to make the athletics last night.  The rain eases late morning so I go into town and buy new walking boots and sandals.  Wonder round some of the sights then meet Noel on Circular Quay at 5.00pm.  There are some excellent buskers including one 12 year old lad who plays the audience so well we end up queuing to put money in his hat.  By the time we reach Darling Harbour it has started raining so we re plan and return to Sutherland.  After we have all eaten and drunk a few glasses of wine the rain is heavier than ever and Noel decides to take up our offer of a bed for the night.
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Wednesday 27 September  Awake to heavy rain and eventual cancellation of our planned trip to Manly Beach.  Within an hour of Noel leaving the rain stops and shortly after we have blue skies and rapidly rising temperatures.  Wrong decision.
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Thursday 28 September  Set off with Noel to the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney.  It’s a misty morning but we do get a view from the lookout in Glenbrook national park.  The mountains seem more like a flat table land with sheer sides creating fantastic scenery, lots of national park areas, walks and waterfalls.  They’re named after the fine mist oil given off from the eucalyptus trees creating a blue haze.  A short walk takes us to the viewing platform over the 300m Wentworth Falls and it’s just clear enough for us to appreciate them.  After lunch at the RSL in Katoomba it’s brightened up so we make for the scenic railway.  For $8 (3.20) return you ride the train 310m down the cliff.  The steepest railway in the world at 45degrees it’s a pretty hairy ride.  Walk in both directions to find an interpretative display, miners caves and Katoomba Falls.  A short drive away we view the famous Three Sisters rock formation from Echo Point, magnificent.  Walk to a few more lookouts all offering fabulous views.  In Blackheath we check out the superb lookout of Govetts Leap with the adjacent Bridal Veil Falls.  With over 80 walks in the Blue Mountains you would certainly need a few days to do it justice so we will try and return in November with the motorhome.  Stop in Parramatta where they have two big screen areas.  It’s a warm evening and we sit out enjoying a meal whilst watching the Olympics.  Stroll around and sadly find the Motown night has been cancelled and replaced by an ordinary band.  Many streets have been closed to cars and are heaving with people sitting out eating, watching the big screens or enjoying the free entertainment.  It’s very late when we get back so Noel sleeps over again.
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Friday 29 September  Cross back over the harbour bridge in order to explore some northern naturist beaches.  The traffic is bad and time’s getting on when we arrive at Middle Head.  From the small bay of Obelisk Beach we can just see the yachts racing in the harbour.  Driving further over the spit we get superb views from Balgowlah Heights where we park to walk and scramble down to Washaway Beach.  It’s a scorcher of an afternoon and we all take a few dips in the sea.  Finally to the famous Manly (non naturist) Beach which at 5.00pm is extremely busy with a lot of people still in the water.  It’s a balmy evening and after Noel leaves to drive back we stroll the Corso and stop for a meal.  $5 (2.00) for either the fast Jet Cat or the slow traditional ferry back to Sydney so we opt for the latter.  It’s dark as we arrive and the city looks wonderful all lit up. Stroll to the side of circular quay for the 8.15pm special Olympic laser display on the opera house.  Chat to a few people and drink beer and wine whilst watching the opera house change colours.  It’s still very warm so we stroll back to the Circular Quay big screen to catch some more of the games and then the 10.00pm performance of "legs on the wall".  4 people walk down the side of a tower building and jump around the make patterns with their shadows, all very unusual and impressive.
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Saturday 30 September  Noel calls for us again and we head south into the Royal National Park $9.90 (4.00) for cars.  Park at Jibbon Beach where we came before using the ferry.  Walk east beyond the beach to Little Jibbon Beach frequented by naturists.   A nice spot but difficult for swimming because of the rocks.  Return mid afternoon as Steve is going to the athletics $95 (38.00).  Our friend Kay is going in my place as she hasn’t been to any events yet.  I was never very keen and having seen the stadium and had such a great evening at the athletics on Monday I’m happy.
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Tuesday 1 August 2000  A cloudy morning so it suits us when Linda asks us to take the mini bus to pick someone up. The gearbox is terrible and we are full of kangaroo petrol which cracks up Tracey & Tony who have joined us.  Walk round Airlie Beach then drive on to Shute Harbour.  Pick up John who is the latest Woof’s (worker on organic farms) for Taylorwood,  in exchange for about 4 hours work a day they get food and accommodation.  A brighter afternoon and we play lots of Canasta with Olly & John.  I get a big shock when helping wash up at the clubhouse.  I am just about to move the bright green ceramic scouring pad holder when Olly points out that it is a green tree frog and very much alive.  I do my own frog impression jumping out of the way whilst John comes and removes it.  Can’t believe how perfect it looked or how close I came to giving it a wipe over.
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Wednesday 2 August  Mainly cloudy day then rain late afternoon.  It’s curry night and I have been asked to take a sausage curry. The food is shared by everyone and includes Thai prawn curry, chicken curry, sweet beef curry, lamb curry and lots of pickles and side dishes.  We are sat with Brownie and Ell, Tony & Tracey and John & Olly.  Brownie introduces us to a disgusting game – if you "break wind" you put your hand over the table doing a thumbs down signal.  Everyone then does the same but the last to do it has to breathe in very deeply!  Bet I know a few who will be playing it in the future.  We have some good laughs with lot of toilet talk brought on by the effects of the curries.  A great evening.
TAYLORWOOD 7

Thursday 3 August    It’s "poms away" at lunchtime and everyone comes out to wave us off.  Just down the coast Laguna Quays is a very posh resort with one of the top golf courses in Australia.  It’s still being developed but already looks highly salubrious.  We met Trevor at Taylorwood but he lives here at the marina whilst doing up his yacht "Inoke".  He meets us on the car park and as an ex truckie he is successful in finally tracking down our noise problem to a bad weld under the bonnet which is temporarily cured with lots of WD40 and not doing any permanent damage.  Stroll around admiring the surroundings then join Trevor in the yacht club to eat, drink and chat to some of the other "yachties".
LAGUNA QUAYS

Friday 4 August  An early start for our visit into Pioneer Valley and up in Eungella National Park where platypus are frequently seen.  Pause in Mirani at the shire offices to re check the road conditions.  We are advised against going into Finch Hatton gorge as we would ground on the recently eroded creek beds but he says we will make it up the mountain to Eungella.  Lunch at Pinnacle Hotel on the famous Wendy’s homemade pies $3.50 (1.40), a bit expensive but big and with crispy pastry packed full of delicious meat, peas, carrots, sweetcorn and potatoes.  Re check with locals on our ability to proceed and are assured that coaches and milk tankers go up and down the hill and with a 6.2 litre engine we will be fine.  Start the climb but by the second bend the temperature gauge is up into the red. Read the manual and turn on the heater to compensate pushing our faces also up into the red.  We are both concerned and pull over to assess the situation but the brakes won’t hold us.  We carefully do a 3 point turn and head downhill at which point the temperature gauge promptly falls back to normal.  We feel Mike has overloaded the bus when he added wood, mirrors and marble type worktops and although he off set this by adding a turbo to the engine it is still straining.  Frustrating for us as it has been a big and expensive detour (we only get 12 miles per gallon/ 4 kilometres a litre) for nothing.  No success finding a tour from Finch Hatton, just people telling us what a great spot we are missing, more reason for us to visit in the future in a different vehicle.  Continue south and back to the nice free camping spot by Calliope River.  Leanne & Sheldon are away for the weekend but Gary calls in late afternoon to say he will be back with some hot food.  He returns after dark with a tray full of ribs in sauce, a big pizza and a bottle of wine.  Plough through the food with the addition of a few beers.
CALLIOPE RIVER

Sunday 6 August  Gary takes us for a tour around the Gladstone area dominated by industrial sites including the largest alumina plant in Australia.  After lunch at the yacht club we stroll over to the park where they are holding the multi-cultural festival.  It’s strange to see Greek dancing and hear Indonesian music in Australia.  Return to camp late afternoon.
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Monday 7 August   It’s a terrible road into Agnes Water made even worse by road works.  Turn off to visit fellow naturists John & Joan who invite people to stay on their property.  Since buying the block 5 years ago they have moved from the original caravan into a nice 2 bedroom bungalow and developed a tea tree plantation. 
AGNES WATER

Tuesday 8 August   John has offered his car for our drive into the town of 1770 named after Captain Cooks first Queensland landing here in May of that year. It’s $125 (50.00) for the full day trip to Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Lagoon on the Outer Barrier Reef.  At 7.45 we are on a Largo (amphibious duck) for our journey at low tide out to the "Spirit of 1770" catamaran.  Heading out over the sand bar and into open sea things get bumpy.  It’s a glorious hot sunny day but there’s a strong swell and we are going directly into it.  The first casualty grabs a sick bucket and as he fills it his wife leans over for a replacement, loses her balance and falls onto the deck.  Her husband reaches to grab her and empties the contents of his bucket over her – yuk.  She just about manages to crawl back to her seat when a big bump causes the process to be repeated.  It’s too rough for anyone to want to offer help and risk ending up in the same boat!  Crew take him below and try to clean him up and which point she starts being sick and misses the bucket.  We reach the island after almost 2 hours instead of the normal 1 1/2 with 3 spewers on our deck and more below.  We had no problem as the boat bumped rather than swayed and we spent our time concentrating on keeping away from the slopping buckets around us.  Lady Musgrave is a beautiful natural coral cay surrounded by a coral reef through which the Japanese blasted an entry channel.  In the lagoon the water is deep, crystal clear and the most incredible colour.  Anchor up then after morning tea you snorkel ashore or take the glass bottom boat.  I am undecided until sight of very long thin fish (long tom) makes my choice easy.  Steve sets off snorkelling and I enjoy seeing the coral gardens, reef fish and turtles from the boat.  Steve missed the turtles but saw manta rays.  It takes less than 45 minutes to walk the sandy and coral shale beaches which circle the pristine uninhabited island then a few minutes to cut across it listening to the many bird calls.  Back to the boat with the first group for a tropical buffet lunch.  Having plucked up my courage we are both togged up to go out on the glass bottom boat to a snorkelling circuit.  For 45 minutes we swim along a natural coral wall following 5 marker buoys which each indicate different things.  Water temperature varies from pleasantly warm to quite chilly . Swim around bommies looking into crevices and caves each with different varieties of fish and coral.  Less colourful than other places we have visited but still fantastic.  A brilliant experience and more exciting than looking through the glass bottom boat.   Back for afternoon tea and fish feeding whilst the second group follow in our footsteps.  Spot some humpback whales out beyond the reef and also dolphins.  Move outside the reef for fishing with someone catching a coral trout very quickly.  A long tom is hooked and landed on deck but it jumps up and with razor sharp teeth bites the next lady.  Not a good day for her as she is one of the people to be sick on the way out.  No other legal catches and with time against us the 1 1/2 hour fishing session is cut to 1/2 hour for us to head back.  A very smooth and quicker journey back taking in the lovely pink sky as sun sets.  Take a very quick drive to explore the twin towns of 1770 and Agnes Water the most northern surf beach on this coast.  Just starting to be developed there is little to see before we return exhilarated but exhausted.
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Wednesday 9 August  A relaxing day with time spent chatting to New Zealanders Stan & Dauphne who roll up in their motorhome.  We all congregate at the house for happy hour with John trying to use up his home brewed beer as he needs the bottles for the next batch. Steve attacks the problem with gusto.
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Thursday 10 August  An early start has us back on Bargara Beach Caravan Park by mid morning.  We chose an unpowered site $14 (5.60) night or $77 (31.00) week in a grassy area with a few trees as all the powered ones are close together and like soldiers in rows. We’re back to catch up with friends Gerry & Anne again and also to organise some tyres being sent up from Sydney as ours are not going to get us back.  Lots to catch up on as Gerry & Anne now have a new caravan.  Cook for us in our van in the evening.
BARGARA BEACH

Friday 11 August  A super morning and by 9.30am we are stretched out on Mon Repos beach – bliss.  Tear ourselves away at lunch time as Gerry has booked the Internet at the library for me to teach them how to use hotmail.  Do some shopping before returning.  Feast together at Anne’s on the bargain pies we picked up at 6 for $5 (2.00) and a $3 (1.20) portion of chips – boy we do know how to live it up!
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Saturday 12 August  A hot and breezy morning on the beach.  Tea at Gerry & Anne’s.
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Sunday 13 August  Intermittent clouds so we hover by the van and do jobs between sunbathing.  Paul, Karen and Emily call to visit and we invite them to join us for a BBQ tomorrow.  Take a walk up to town late afternoon.
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Monday 14 August  Morning on the beach with Gerry & Anne and Paul & Karen.  Anne’s struggling with flu and retires to the van whilst we have the BBQ which also includes Vin and Karen’s Mum Gloria.  Gerry stays on to play games and I surprise myself in Scrabble by scoring 192 from one word.  I play "silvered" and cover both triple word squares and get 50 bonus points for using all my letters. Needless to say I go on to win the game!
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Tuesday 15 August  Gerry & Anne take us out to nearby Coonarr Beach which is a lovely long lonely bay with fine white sand.  Anne retires when we return but Gerry joins us for a meal and we enjoy watching "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" an Australian film about 3 drag queens driving a purple bus from Sydney to Alice Springs.
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Wednesday 16 August  Anne’s still unwell so just Gerry joins us when we take the van into Bundaberg to get the new tyres fitted then the wheels aligned.  Back to "Across The Waves" for the $4.40 (1.80) buffet then some shopping before returning.
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Thursday 17 August  Early start to call back to the tyre place as they forgot to balance them yesterday.  Back into Childers to check out the old pharmacy.  Can’t seem to make Australians understand that old things here are not old or not interesting to us having seen similar elsewhere.  Near Hervey Bay we catch some sun on Toogoom Beach before hitting the town.  It’s really 5 small seaside towns, now merged and the main attraction is whale watching trips and visits to Fraser Island.  Collect our information before driving to nearby Nikenbah to visit friends of friends Noel & Lindy from New Zealand.  We are made most welcome and they put on a BBQ for us during which they guide us on the many whale watching trips.  Phone and book one on Princess 11 at $65 (26.00) leaving at 7.30am and returning when everyone is satisfied.  Noel is going to the Olympics alone so we compare notes and find our events are all on different dates but with gaps in between when we plan to meet up.
HERVEY BAY

Friday 18 August  I wake up full of cold with my nose streaming – thanks Anne.  At 7.00am Noel drives us to the marina where Captain David welcomes us aboard his 32 passenger small boat.  Chug steadily out to sea being overtaken by a few big catamarans.  However unlike the fast catamarans this smaller boat gives a full day with the whales and unrestricted viewing.  Rachel serves morning tea of Aussie damper and golden syrup just before our first sighting.  These humpback whales can grow to 15m long and weigh 40 tonnes.  Being blackish with white underneath they are easy to spot.  Excitement mounts as we draw closer but there are other boats around and after a brief look David spots more whales elsewhere and points us in that direction.  There are many regulations on approaching whales and having cut our engines nearby it is quite acceptable for the whales to swim to us.  One does and almost nudges the bow as it passes by.  It’s a wonder the boat doesn’t tip up as we all move from one side to the other to spot the whale who seems to be playing games with us. It rolls around in the water doing pectoral slaps, tail slaps and blows.  As the activity lessens we set off in chase of a pod.  Plenty of dolphins are around and we stand on the bow whilst one rides the bow wave underneath us, magical.  It’s not a particularly rough sea but some of the Italians are starting to be sick.  Spot a few pods and by the time we reach them they are all close together.  We get the full range of behaviour patterns including one breaching directly in front of us.  This is when the whale propels most of it’s body from the water and jumps and twists doing a Fosbury Flip to crash spectacularly onto the water.  Another rises out of the water with it’s eyes clear and this is called a spy hop.  There is so much activity going on we can’t believe our luck as the whales seem to take great delight in performing for us.  The Italians are pleading to go back and although we are entranced by the whales the consensus is that we have had good sightings and will turn back. In calmer waters BBQ lunch of rib fillet, sausage, salad and pasta is served to us excluding the Italians!  Tracking the coast of Fraser Island we spot a turtle in the water and more dolphins.  The day is rounded off with afternoon tea and carrot cake.  Arrive back at the marina at 4.15pm to be met by Noel.  The Tavern is an American ranch style steak house where we go for a meal joined by Lindy’s brother Rod and wife Liz who are over from England.  The food is excellent and plentiful and we quiz Rod & Liz over what they have been doing.  Fraser Island 2 day safari was one of their highlights. Reckon is my cold if no worse and the weather good we may go ourselves tomorrow.
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Saturday 19 August  I survive the night and it’s a fine morning.  Phone and book the trip at $165 (66.00) each plus $12.00 (4.80) for a double room rather than a quad.  Again Noel takes us to the marina for our 9.30am departure.  Bronco is our guide and herds us onto a coach to take us to the barge at River Heads.  The crossing takes about 1/2 hour then we board a 4wd coach for our safari exploring a little of the worlds largest sand island now a world heritage site.  It feels like another world as we set out along sandy tracks through the rain forest.  Bronco informs us we never get bogged or stuck but possibly motionally challenged which could lead to us becoming geographically permanent!  First stop Central Station where logs used to be collected.  It’s an hour’s hike through Pile Valley along the banks of Wanggoolba Creek.  At first sight the creek appears to have scum floating on it but closer inspection reveals a crystal clear stream with a sandy bottom.  Continue by coach to Eurong Beach Resort where we are shown to our motel units.  Ours is huge with a bathroom, kitchen, settee, twin beds and balcony.  The resort is excellent with 2 pools, tennis courts, 2 bars, TV lounge, shops and restaurant all right on the beach.  After a buffet lunch it’s onto the safari vehicle heading North up the east coast 75 mile surf beach gazetted as a road.  The Cathedrals are towering cliffs of coloured sands hewn by wind into spires and turrets which look great.  The beach also becomes a temporary air strip as a plane lands to offer 15 minute sightseeing flights for $45 (18.00).  Back down the beach the Maheno ship was beached more than 60 years ago but is still visible as an enormous shipwreck.  Next stop Eli Creek where the water flows so fast it will carry you from upstream in the forest right out to the beach.  I’m still full of cold but Steve braves the cool water to enjoy the experience.  Bronco has to use many of his skills negotiating the bus back over rocks and through fast flowing creeks in time for us to freshen up before the evening meal. After our 3 course meal we relax in the TV lounge for coffee before strolling down to the beach bar for a drink and a short spell watching the karaoke.  Having confirmed that karaoke has died a death I head back to bed to leave Steve watching the football.
FRASER ISLAND

Sunday 20 August  I’m much better and ready for action.  Following buffet breakfast it’s back up the beach to be dropped off for a good half hours walk through forest and over dunes to Lake Wabby.  It’s a barrage lake which was created when sand was blown upstream to dam the flow and we have time to sunbathe and swim.  Back for lunch then out to Lake McKenzie judged to have one of  the world’s best 10 beaches (we must have seen at least 12 of them!).  
The water is again crystal clear and varying shades of blue edged by lovely fine soft white sand.  Have to keep an eye on our stuff whilst we are in the water as signs and our guide warn of Dingoes which steal things but we don’t spot any.  Time to wind our way back through the forest to the ferry having decided that we would like to spend at least a week on Fraser Island in the future but with our own 4WD to explore further.  It’s a very special place and we can relate to Broncos comment that we are about to board the ferry back to Australia.  Noel is waiting for us when the ferry docks and I invite him and Lindy to join us for a meal in the van.
HERVEY BAY

Monday 21 August  Down to Noosa where we check out the apartment where Stronach & Judy whom we met in New Zealand are staying.  The parking is poor so we drive to Parkedge Road to walk through the national park for 2.3km to Alexandria Beach.  We soon spot Stronach & Judy sunning themselves and in no time are stripped off to join them.  Reluctantly leave mid afternoon and Stronach drives us around in the car to find a suitable spot for us to stay overnight.  The Bicentennial Club has a good car park hidden from view so we return and re locate the van.  Stronach & Judy return and after drinks and nibbles we go to the yacht club for a meal and this time Steve gets the hock as previously the person in front of him got the last one.  At $8.50 (3.40) he is impressed with how big and tasty it is.
NOOSA

Tuesday 22 August  Another nice day so back to Parkedge Road where we check out an alternative walk to the beach giving fine views over the bays.  Judy also takes me for a climb at the end of the beach to view all the way down the Sunshine Coast.  Return for a shower at Stronach & Judy’s large impressive apartment with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, big enough for a family and a steal at $50 (20.00) a night.  Following afternoon tea it’s off down the coast to Alexandra Headland to check out where we are visiting Ric & Chris tomorrow.  Continue to Mooloolaba to Ken & Kay’s but find we have crossed paths as they have gone north for a few days which is why they didn’t answer our phone messages.  It’s getting late so we park in the same place as last time by the canal.
MOOLOOLABA
 
Wednesday 23 August  Ric works nights as a Doctor at Noosa hospital so with time to kill we drive to the Sunshine Plaza for shopping and a browse.   I buy a pair of zip off trousers $29.99 (12.00) with zips both below and above the knee to create 3 different items. The bottoms of the long trousers and peddle pushers have optional elasticated drawstrings so once you have unzipped them they can then be joined together to make a bag – brilliant.  Chris has invited us for lunch and we arrive late morning to catch up with happenings since we saw them on the cruise last year when Ric was the Doctor.  As fellow travellers they appreciate our needs and we are offered use of the washing machine, computer and phone.  Spend time calling about an Airtours flight we have seen from Sydney to Manchester offered at $799 (320.00) return or $419 (168.00) one way in November but it takes 24 hours to confirm availability. The weather deteriorates to heavy rain with thunder and lightening.  Play cards with Chris after Ric has gone to work and fortunately the rain stops before we retire to bed as the noise is amplified on the motorhome roof.
ALEXANDRA HEADLAND

Thursday 24 August  Stop on the Bruce Highway to visit Aussie World site of the quirky wonky Ettamogah Pub which fronts an old aussie fairground offering fair dinkum fun. Stroll round having a chuckle at some of the funny signs almost all of which end in the word "mate".  Stop further on to buy some incredibly cheap fruit and veg including apples 69c (28p) kilo, 3 pineapples $1 (40p) and 1 kilo strawberries with free chocolate dip at $2.50 (1.00).  End up with a box full of stuff for $14.20 (5.70) but we will be stocked up for ages.  Pacific Sun Friends near Donnybrook is a large naturist park with a special offer of $11.00 (4.40) per family unit for a day visit including overnight camping, normally $14 (5.60).  A lovely spot with the lack of mains power compensated for by lots of solar panels and a wind turbine.  Stroll the grounds and down to the river with a sandy beach just before the clouds roll in. Steve curses the detours on the way here whilst the weather was good.
PACIFIC SUN FRIENDS 

Friday 25 August  A cool night but by 8.00am the thermometer shows 20C and I clamber out of bed.  I get busy and make a fresh fruit salad and enough pumpkin soup for me to freeze 3 portions.  Manage to beat Steve on the 9 hole pitch and putt golf course then decline another game on the basis of quitting whilst I’m ahead.  Whilst sunbathing in the afternoon we spot a sulphur crested cockatoo walking along a rope fence.  He jumps off and waddles over to us chirping "Hello Cocky" (must have noticed Steve in the nude!).  He’s very friendly and allows Steve to hand feed him and even jumps onto his hand.  When something frightens him he ruffles his sulphur crest and stamps around in a circle but stays by us giving us lots of photo opportunities.
PACIFIC SUN FRIENDS 2

Saturday 26 August  A very cold night but nice hot day.  Neville & Denise invite us to join a happy hour in the afternoon which just gives us time to nip back for a bite to eat before everyone gathers around the camp fire.
PACIFIC SUN FRIENDS 3

Sunday 27 August  Take the gateway motorway to avoid Brisbane.  The city is shrouded in smoke and we are glad to be driving around it even if we do have to pay $2.20 (88p) toll to cross one of the big high bridges over the river.  Aquarius Sun Club at Browns Plains is south of the city and ideal for us to head on to the Gold Coast tomorrow.  $23 (9.20) a powered site with good facilities including a saltwater pool and lots of tennis courts.  Within minutes Steve is playing miniten with 3 other men whilst I sunbathe.  During the day we chat to James & Robin who are planning a long motorhoming trip around Europe. Shortly after they leave Ian & Jan call round to ask us questions as they are planning a 2 month trip motorhoming around Europe and surprisingly don’t know James & Robin. So much for Steve’s idea of an afternoon siesta!
AQUARIUS SUN CLUB

Monday 28 August  Approaching the Gold Coast you could easily be in America. Hosts of billboards advertise  factory shopping outlets and theme parks our choice for today being Warner Bros. Movie World.  A three day pass covers you for admission to Movie World, Sea World and West & Wild plus a free return visit to the park of your choice normally $127.80 (51.00) but with 10% RAC discount we pay $115 (46.00).  It’s a cloudy day and we’re parked up and ready for the gates to open at 9.30am – well I’m out checking my plan of action whilst Steve is still drinking his coffee!  Much to his horror Steve gets chosen to play superman in the Movie Magic Special Effects Show.   The Police Academy Stunt Show is excellent but Steve is not at all impressed with the Lethal Weapon ride which is like Nemesis at Alton Towers.  I laugh all the way round whilst he cringes and moans.  I can see it will be Grandma who has to take our grandchildren on all the theme park rides as Steve also declines the Batman simulator ride and leaves me to go it alone.  The day passes quickly with us taking in all the rides, shows, lunch with the legends and Looney Tunes Star Parade by the time it starts to rain at about 3.00pm.  There are few people here today so we have time to go back to watch Police Academy for a second time before leaving the park at 4.00pm.  Hope Island Resort is very exclusive and here we are visiting Josh whom we met at his Mums on our journey north.  Security is very strict and we have to wait on the car park for Josh to return to let us into the estate.  Each house is individual, big and no doubt all have a pool as Josh’s does and either back onto the golf course or have their own mooring on the river.   We park on a vacant block of land next to Josh’s and he says we can stay all week whilst we visit the theme parks nearby.  His wife Nurika is Japanese and we join them and Hayden (3 in November) for Japanese curry and rice.
HOPE ISLAND RESORT

Tuesday 29 August  Josh offers use of his computer and we pick up an E-mail confirmation of our flights back to Manchester which will arrive on Friday 1st December at 4.00am – any offers to pick us up???  It’s a bright hot morning with clear skies – perfect for a visit Wet and Wild which opens at 10.00am.  There are some excellent rides and having done them all numerous times Steve wants a rest.  He relaxes on one of the made beaches whilst I circle around on the lazy river. However you need two people to go on the Tower of Terror twin tube ride so his peace is short lived.  He says I’m up like a bottle of pop and severely hyper now we are at the theme parks – he’s not wrong!  Keep giving Steve a rest and going it alone but by 3.00pm with between 50 and 100 steps to climb to each ride I am also tiring.  Back to Hope Island where we enjoy a leisurely stroll around a small section of the 18 hole golf course whilst admiring some of the impressive homes.  Prices from $295,000 (120,000.pounds) and that’s for a 2 bedroom apartment.  They are having a lot of problems with fires in Queensland and we can see the smoke from one nearby.  At least we can "move house" if it gets too near.  When Nurika gets home they all come into the van for an evening meal.
HOPE ISLAND RESORT 2

Wednesday 30 August  Daniel’s 3rd birthday. Smoke clouds fill the sky so I reckon it was a good thing we chose to visit Wet and Wild yesterday although with the exception of Movie World all the other theme parks here also have a small section with wet rides and a pool.  Dreamworld’s on the agenda today and with the RAC 10% discount we pay $47 (18.80) for a 2 day pass, just $2 (80p) more than a one day so you’ve got to go for it.  Covering a bigger area than movie world we find the shows less spectacular but there are more of the thrilling rides.  Tower of Terror is billed as the fastest, tallest ride in the world and I wouldn’t like to dispute that and neither would my stomach as we blast from 0 to 100mph in 7 seconds. Wipeout is pretty scary when you are twisted, turned and flung upside down on a crooked type of a swing.  On more than one occasion we ask ourselves why we are doing this but keep going anyway.  Call it a day just after 4.00pm and return to look forward to the BBQ Josh is cooking for us.  
HOPE ISLAND RESORT 3