Well have to say its been a while since last blog and there have been many enquiries on when we are going to get our butts into gear and update, and looking back it's going on 3 months since then so fair enough.
Of course most of you know that we are now working here in Queensland at Boyne Smelters, being environmental terrorists some might say as a smelter isn't The most eco friendly of processes, however saying that we keep buying aluminium, and therefore creating demand, so guess have to think of that from ones pious heights, Bevin working there as a Trades Assistant for Aestec, and loving the variety and me as a Process Technician on the Reduction Line..incredibly hot dirty work that took quite a bit of acclimatisation.
While we have been here we have been getting out and about most weekends taking in different areas with their own interesting aspects. One thing Australia has are many National Parks and can see why as there are vast areas of bush land everywhere which is a great thing to see.
Around the beginning of April Bevin and I took the bikes up to Kroombit Tops National Park about 120k round trip from Gladstone. We rode up through dirt road and about 30 river crossing with about 95% of them being wet so mastered the feet up in the air technique as we crossed, to where a 4wd track started. With day and Weather running out returned home leaving the airplane wreck 'Beautiful Betsy' for another trip in
April 9th we along with friends Brendan and Vania rode north to another National Park area Byfield(a round trip of 400k's) which has very different vegetation as its more rainforest and sports a unique Byfield fern, so in turn looks more like vegetation we'd see in NZ. We visited an amazing Pottery and Art Gallery set in a gorgeous bush location that you could stay at if you wished.
On the way had bit of delay getting there as after we'd stopped for a break my bike decided to play hard ball and not start, turns out just like that battery decided it was dead. Boys rode to a super cheap in Yeppoon to get another..phew! Wasn't fancying mastering the art of being towed on a bike.
Next day we went back to Byfield in our friends 4wd ute, and visited the Cooberrie Wildlife reserve there, then headed into the Byfield National park camping areas of which there are several sites best accessed by 4wd visiting both Upper Stony Creek Camp and Red Rocks camp..lovely spots all with bbq areas and toilets in amongst lovely lush bush
Another weekend saw us heading back up to Kroombit Tops National Park this time in a 4x4 to do the track into the crashed World War 2 Liberator Bomber 'Beautiful Betsy' rather poignant seeing the plane in pieces through the bush at the top of a ridge it flew into killing all 8 airmen aboard. It was also my first real experience of freezing up here, as its at a reasonable altitude.
Following weekend another trip to Rocky (Rockhampton) in the 4x4 with Vania and Brendan to the Botanic Gardens, they do their botanic gardens very well up here. The birds just love it and the ground one area, obviously where big white egrets roost for night was so covered in birdie doos you had to hold your breath walking through..yeesshh. Inside the gardens was also a zoo, a lovely wee one and free to go to, and hosted the normal wombats, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, Tasmanian devil, snakes and goannas etc. We then drove out to Emu park on the coast (Brendan had said he was taking us to the 'Singing Ship', and we weren't allowed to google it J )
The Singing Ship was a large white sculpture and it something like organ pipes on it as part of it, that when the wind blew through them it sung..be an awesome thing on our foreshore in Taranaki given the likelihood of catching a good ol breeze. We found there to be a market day on with the main attraction being a kite display, not your average kites, but huge animals and fish etc that had been inflated.
That night we decided to head on down to the Gladstone Fair, haven't been to one of those in I don't know how long..ferris wheels and all sorts of vertigo testing rides and of course sideshows I hadn't seen in years, remember the clowns that move their heads from side to side while you put balls in the their mouth? Duck shooting galleries etc all with the prizes being various stuffed animals big and small. The candyfloss, the music, the lights, all so nostalgic.
Other weekend rides saw us going to Turkey Beach, just south of here and Mt Morgan up near Rocky..can buy a house for under $100,00 up there, but you don't wanna live there we were told…why not?? Because the police are really busy up there with all the burglaries and the odd murder or two. Mt Morgans claim to fame apart from its notoriety is the now defunct gold mines that you can still tour or look out over.
We have also had a couple of cracks at go-karting, between Rocky and Yeppoon. Awesome fun once I realised they wouldn't flip over but they do big drifts sideways into tyre walls
Long weekend..forget which one, we headed off for a walk up Mt Larcom, which from memory isn't too lofty at around 574m (1500 feet) but takes round 2hours to get up, and well worth it for the spectacular 360 degree views of all round us. What surprised me talking to folk who live here, not many people have made the climb up there
Another weekend, while I was off working, Bevin and friend Brendan did a fairly big ride at around 600k's starting at 7.00am and getting back round 2.30pm doing the Monto loop (Monto, Mt Perry, Gin Gin and back to Gladstone)
First week in May we headed off to Rocky once again..yip we do go there quite regularly, most people round here do as Gladstone's retail options are sadly lacking. On the way we stopped at wee village of Mt Larcom(actually nowhere near the peak we climbed as we found out on an earlier ride looking for it) and visited their monthly market, and if you thought the knitted toilet roll covers a thing of the past, not so here along with many other articles we thought had disappeared...got an awesome lime chilli sauce there though
Once in Rocky, after a coffee we rode up Mt Archer an awesome ride and views allover Rocky up there, and lovely picnic areas and cafe up there..no didn't succumb. We all(went with friends Brendan, Vania and Warren) go karting again, that's when I discovered the tyre wall at speed :-)
Mid May we moved out of my cousin's, was so awesome staying there and getting to know their wee family, but it was time for us all to regain our own space and so for a week we stayed at our friends, Brendan and Vania. Another trip to Rocky, and bought an espresso machine, same on as I have at home(with the idea we ship it over to Sarah in WA when time to hit the road again),also bought new bike jacket for me.
My cousin John and his wife Carol arrived in Gladstone in their camper that is now their home, on the way back to their hometown of Cairns, so had a good couple of days catch up with them
While at our friends we scouted the various camping grounds...accommodation so incredibly short right now that even the camps are struggling to cope, due to all the projects on the up here in Gladstone. We were so lucky to find the very beautiful camp we are in now out at Tannum Sands(moved on 24/5)..we wanted to move out here so as not to be riding such distances in the dawn and dusk..we don't think of that in NZ but always mindful of wildlife over here, and work was only 7-8 mins ride as opposed to 25 and it's right by beach and walkways , camp is also surrounded by bush, and have seen have kangaroos visit from time to time.
We are on a powered site in our tent( we bought a slightly bigger one for our longer stay) and have lights, heater..yip sure need it as winter not as warm as lead to believe and wait for it.....yes the espresso machine! ..it sits on floor and is used several times daily, and much to my amazement fellow campers don't hear it not even at 5am in morning when I first flash it up
While here at camp, and me off working, Bevin has kept busy pottering on bikes, they now have crash guards, and sump guards (for those areas not so sealed) Bevins bike is also sporting some pretty flash panniers (Hepco Becker..German made) however panniers are serving time in tent as food storage units at present, coulda done with those back when a certain Wombat tore his way into tent in search of food down in Victoria!
The beach here has cool markets once month on Saturdays from 2-7pm, have nice food too ..had a yum wildfires pizza for dinner one night
On the work front, Bevin continues to work for Aestec, maintenance firm onsite at Boyne Smelters, his days starting 6-6.30 am till 2.30pm or bit later if overtime Mon- Thu and finishing 12.30pm on Fridays. he does all sorts of jobs from concreting, putting new grating in the reduction lines (where I was working) building gates, concrete and metal cutting, digging holes and he says he feels it these days haha
My job as process technician on the reduction line at the smelter came to an end on the July 4th as contracted time had come to an end..felt bit down for oh all of a day when was told I was starting another job the following day so on July 6, started at Blackwoods, as a store person ..Blackwoods supplies the company like the smelter and others with all their business needs like tools, PPE gear, cleaning products etc, so I put away stock, pick orders, enter orders and pack them for shipping..the downside working Mon- Fri 7.30 till 4.30-5.30 pm..feel like Zi have hardly any time to do stuff now, the 4 days on 4 days off at smelter certainly had it's upside
On the camping front, we are absolutely loving being tent dwellers and part of a community that comes and goes. Have had some great conversations with our nomadic friends and has only rained about 2 days whilst here so far and that was only showers
On the personal front, had a very sad loss of a beautiful friend back in NZ after a battle with cancer on July 27th, NZ so far way at times but her wonderful husband and family thought to set up a live feed of her farewell for this that could not be there so Bevin and I were able to share in that via laptop on a park cliff top overlooking the sea...arohanui Brenda x x
We spend weekend mornings often tripping off to various market days and farmers markets, going fir bike rides and visiting family ...for the odd birthdays and get lucky some times picking up baking and soup ..yumm thanks Lara
That should bring you all to date on what we have been spending our time doing in Queensland
The next plan is our daughter is coming over August 25th for about 3 weeks so we plan to head up to Cairns with her then back down to the Sunshine coast before she flies out of Brisbane.
After that we will head on back down to Sydney to meet our son who is flying over (costly birthday pressies haha) October 5th. We will all then head down to Phillip Island to MotoGP Oct 14-16, then put Ben on plane back to Blenheim Mon 17th.
from there our plan is to make our way across to WA by Christmas to family, our daughter Sarah and partner Tom, and my brother Mark and wife Rose.
Well you's it's time for me to hit the swag..this has been an epic so best I not leave it so long in future..see you's later x xp
Sent from my iPad 2
Bevin & Felicity Lealand
http://bikersfromdownunder-lealand.blogspot.com/
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