Not Before Time

We have some new additions to the house – 2 new armchairs, and we love them.  They are Jason recliners and the size worked out really well in the van, and we can kick back and relax in them (this life is tough you know, you need to be able to relax at the end of the day J)

The other new addition is the washing machine – it’s a tiny little Lemair top loader (2.5kg) but does a great job, and I can just pop a load on every 2^nd day.  David has just finished installing it in a cupboard and because there was plenty of room in this cupboard even after the machine was fitted, he was able to make 2 more cupboards out of the extra space.  We now have a liquor cabinet (the single bottle of whisky was looking pretty lonely, so I had to go out and buy a couple more bottles of stuff!) and a shoe cupboard right next to the entrance – somewhere to put the thongs/sandals.  Considering he doesn’t have all his tools with him, David has done a beautiful job fitting out the cupboards.  Of course it took a few days to do, gotta pace yourself!

 We haven’t been too far the last couple of weeks, just shopping in either Casino or Lismore and hanging out in the park which has been really nice and relaxing.  We’ve made friends with a really nice group of people who are here for a while.  The nice thing about the park is that most of the people are doing the same thing as we are – permanently on the road and having a great time.  All the ones we’ve spoken to have no interest in going back to a bricks and mortar home, they love what they do and will continue to do it as long as they can.

 I’m also really amazed at the number of women who are into crafts – there are extremely talented women on the road who make the most beautiful quilts, tapestries and embroideries as well as beading, scrapbooking, knitting and sewing.  Some of them make their items as gifts for families and friends, and others sell their work at markets etc.  It’s inspiring me to get back into sewing myself.

One of the Jayco groups had their Christmas rally here in the park – about 30 or so Jayco vans turned up, which made the area around us pretty busy.  Quite a few of the vans put out a couple of Christmas decorations, but I think one of them was called Griswald.

We drove up to the Gold Coast last week to check out security doors for the van.  After speaking to the guys at Roamsafe we ordered one, and it should be here on Thursday this week, so that will give David another project to work on.  We also stopped in at the huge Ikea store up there where we picked up a couple of little storage things for the van (eventually, it took us a while to get round it all – that place is humungousJ)

A couple of people we became very friendly with left the park a couple of days ago which was a bit sad.  This is going to be the hard part I think – you meet people you really click with, spend some time together, then one or the other of you will head off.  I guess it’s good that you are bound to meet up with each other again on the road, and of course, with emails it’s easier to keep in touch these days and find out where people are.  I hope we do meet up with them again, we really enjoyed their company.  Hi Kay and Dennis!

We’re going to Ipswich on the weekend to see David’s brother Rick and Carol.  We haven’t seen them since early this year, so it will be great to catch up with them again.

  This past week we’ve also visited Ballina, Bangalow, Byron Bay, and Kyogle. 

 We did a circuit drive of Ballina, Byron Bay, Bangalow and Clunes.  It’s a love drive, particularly from Bangalow/Clunes back to Lismore.

 I was a little disappointed with Byron Bay – maybe I was expecting a Nimbin type of place, but it’s really touristy with lots of holiday accommodation, trendy restaurants and some fairly expensive shopping.  Having said that, we plan on going back again and perhaps I’ll get a different perspective next time.

 However, it’s worthwhile visiting the Cape Byron lighthouse which is located on the eastern most point of Australia.  You can drive right up to the lighthouse and park just outside the gates (for $6) or you can park lower down the road (free) and walk up – the walk is easy and the views are great – beautiful beaches with white sand, and on this particular day there was a bit of a surf, so David got a couple of good shots of some surfers.  There’s a great walk from the lighthouse out to the point.   There are holiday cottages for rent right next to the lighthouse, but I’m not sure  how I would cope with the busloads of tourists that turn up.

 10km west of Byron Bay is Bangalow and this is a very pretty and scenic village – while it’s considered to be ‘chic’ and quite trendy, to me it still has a peaceful village type of atmosphere (which I really like) and seems really unspoiled.  I’m looking forward to going back again and exploring it a bit more.

We spent the rest of the week around the caravan park, joining in happy hour and meeting other travellers, using the pool, going in and out of Lismore and Casino.  We bought (ordered) 2 new chairs for the van.  The ones currently in there aren’t very comfortable or stable (I’ve already gone A over T on one of them!  Not a pretty sight, but David seemed to find it very amusing).  Hopefully they will be delivered soon.

The following Sunday we went to Channons Market.  About 20kms (I think) out of Lismore on the road to Nimbin, the Channons Market is held on the 2^nd Sunday of the month.  If you are in the Nimbin area and you like markets (and who doesn’t?) try to get to this one, it’s well worth it.  This is great market, with lots of organic fruit and veg, specialist local produce, massage and spiritualist stands, alternative, new and second hand clothing, lotions, potions and soap stands, and heaps of food stalls – with quite a few of them being organic, vegetarian and vegan, but also lots with standard (i.e. non vegetarian) fare.  We easily spent about 3 hours here and I could have spent a lot longer, but it was really hot and we were heading to Nimbin.

Nimbin – what a pretty town, and much as I thought it would be – very relaxed, laid back, and casual.  Nimbin is located in the hills north of Lismore, on the edge of the Nightcap National Park. 

There’s an interesting museum which is well worth a visit (gold coin donation), and the pub has a great deck out the back which makes for a cool spot to enjoy an ale.  There are also plenty of places to eat, and the prices seem pretty good.  The signage on the buildings in the main street took me straight back to the 60’s and 70’s (I do remember those years, I was too young/naive to do anything which would have made me forget them!) with their psychedelic colours and murals.  It’s still cited as the most alternative town in Australia 

The people here are very caring and considerate people too – every 3^rd or 4^th person you pass on the footpaths asks if there is anything they can get for you, or if there’s anything you need – how considerate is that? 

Time is flying by!  We’ve now been at Casino Village for 6 weeks and will be here until December 22 when we are heading back to Melbourne for Christmas. 

We’ve been really busy while we’ve been here.  Casino is a great base for exploring the north eastern area of NSW.  Also, there is quite a bit to do in the village itself if you want to get involved.  Some of the activities include line dancing, craft meets, seminars, walking and aqua aerobics groups, social cards, and dinners.  Just about all of these are free, and some attract a very small fee.  The best bit is meeting all the other people who are living the same lifestyle as we are, and there are plenty of them.  Some have been on the road for 10+ years, others less than that, but all just love the life and have no intention of changing their home on wheels for a brick and mortar home anytime soon.  I’ve also been surprised by the number of solo’s on the road – both men and women, travelling on their own.  Many travellers spend a lot of time free camping, but occasionally put up for a while at a park similar to Casino Village (ie, inexpensive) and use the time to socialise, do some maintenance work on their vehicle or just stay put for a short time before they hit the road again.

 Anyway, here’s a brief update of what we’ve been up to since we’ve been here.

 On Melbourne cup day we went to Tenterfield which is about 100kms west of Casino.  The drive there is very pretty, through hills and little villages and you also drive through part of the great dividing range.  Tenterfield is very different from how we both imagined it – for some reason we thought it would be a dry, dusty town, but it’s fresh and green (mind you, there was a lot of rain around at that time) and the people are very friendly.  All the pubs were offering Melbourne Cup special lunch deals, with varying degrees of quality I would imagine.  We had lunch at one of the pubs in the main street – interesting, it was the first time I’ve had deep fried pork chops!   And hopefully the last.  We’ve found this quite a bit in country pubs and I really don’t understand why they have to deep fry schnitzels and chops, most of them already have the grill on for steaks.  I must remember to ask for grilled meat when we order in future.

 After lunch we walked the town, visited the museum at the railway station, which unfortunately is closed on Tuesdays, and of course we visited the Tenterfield Saddler – made famous by the Peter Allen song.  Peter Allen’s grandfather was a saddler for over 50 years in Tenterfield.  Apart from maintenance, the old saddler building is still in original condition and is classified by the National Trust.  The saddlers is worth a visit and houses historical info about the town and the work of the saddler, and sells nice leather souvenirs.