Bore-ed at Thargomindah!

Visiting the Hydro Power Plant at Thargomindah had been on our wish list for a long time. We lucked out in 2010 due to summer closure (and maintenance).

Our next visit in March 2014 was also unsuccessful - and though we hoped to return before May of that year (when the bore was capped), we didn't manage to make the drive.

We finally saw the Hydro Power Plant this trip - not quite seven years since our first attempted visit!  Good thing we're patient, eh?!

Was it worth the wait?  Vaughan wasn't impressed.  In fact, he seemed ... bored?!  

In fairness it was quite hot and we were all pleased to be travelling back to Yowah in Elmer's air-conditioning.

Yowah-ing!

Those St George nets and buckets proved a great investment!

Fun was had dip-netting the Yowah bore drain for the "bullshit-fast" fish that lived in the water.  Vaughan took us all "fishing" and he discovered a turtle also.

What else did we get up to?  There was rock-stacking on the Bluff, lizard catching and identification, some fossicking, a bit of strolling around town - and generally lots of mooching about, watching the cows and emus go by.

It had been more than three years since our last visit, so we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends and checking a few favourite places.

We camped in a friend's backyard but were able to use an inside kitchen and bathroom also, which we definitely appreciated.

The school had closed since Vaughan attended in 2014 but the craft ladies still met on Tuesdays.

Erin and I joined them for a pleasant morning of chatting and crafting.  I sold another owl brooch while there, which would have covered my small attendance fee if I hadn't also bought some leather labels for my stash! Even so, I was only $1.00 behind at the end of the day!

While we were crafting, the boys went yabbying.  They had fun catching (and releasing) a few.

Nick checked on "his" diggings in the fossicking area and tried his luck again along Blackgate Road.  No joy this trip but that's OK.

I was pleased to see the bower still standing in the fossicking area, though we didn't see the bower bird.

We spotted other birds during our stay though and ticked a few more off our Yowah bird list.

We dined on the Bluff a couple of nights - once using the wood BBQ for a sausage sizzle, eating at the picnic table provided.

Another time we took our camping chairs and table to set up closer to the plateau edge. Our thermal-cooked curry and rice was very well received!

Vaughan caught geckoes in the twilight after dinner and we spotted for spiders on the way home also.

Simple stuff.  It was wonderful to kick back, enjoying life at a much slower pace.

Quick Squiz at St George!

We re-fueled at St George, bought a few groceries - as well as a few pair of thongs, two buckets and several scoop nets. Gotta be prepared for critter catching!

Vaughan was keen to have a break by the river when we headed out of town and it was good to stretch our legs for a bit.  Bandit enjoyed a dip in the shallows but had mostly dried before getting back into the car.

We saw many young emu chicks on the way to Cunnamulla, which caused great excitement! We often see adult birds out west but it was novel to see the stripey offspring. It was mid afternoon by the time we rolled into Cunnamulla.

Many emus were gathered on the oval in town, taking advantage of the green grass there. Although we wanted to BBQ near them, the closest BBQs weren't connected so we chose a table further away.

As it happened, the BBQs there weren't working either and we needed to use our dual fuel stove to cook our burgers.

We'd re-fueled on the way into town, so bought a few more groceries on the way out - and then got back on the road to Yowah.

Bungunyah, we're good!

Nick applied for September (school holiday) leave much earlier in the year but his application was rejected, so we had decided to do day-trips from home. When his roster was received though, it showed him as being on leave for the first week of the holidays even though there had been no other approval advice.

The roster for the second school holiday week arrived a bit later and we cheered to see Nick's line again marked as annual leave. Given several medical appointments, we semi-planned for departure at the end of the first week but were still unsure of our destination.

As departure day loomed closer we hadn't achieved much packing, cos we still hadn't chosen where to go. 

On Wednesday afternoon, with map on the table, Nick and I discussed a few ideas. Neither of us were overly keen - until Nick suggested Yowah!  It was a lot further away than our original vague "plan" but we were much more excited about going!

Packing commenced in earnest but even with our best efforts, we didn't hit the road till around 2:00pm the next day - pretty much 24 hours after deciding to go. Bandit packed himself into the car at 10:00am, so was very pleased when we finally left the driveway!

We ate a very late lunch en route and rolled in Bungunyah Rest Area at around 9:00pm. Nick set up a table for our new-to-us three-burner dual fuel stove (purchased earlier in the week), so I could chef an easy dinner.

There had been bacon and cream in the fridge at home, so I bought mushrooms at Toowoomba and then pasta at Goondiwindi (cos I'd forgotten it at the previous stop).  I'd chopped the bacon and an onion before leaving, which streamlined cooking on site.  I'd also sliced strawberries to macerate with sugar as we traveled.    Our late dinner was much appreciated as were our decadent strawberries and ice-cream.  It's a hard life, eh?!

There was no real menu plan this trip.  We packed one Engel as a freezer, stocked with meat from home.  It was stashed in the back of Elmer.  Cold items were packed into two eskies, which travelled in the camper trailer storage box. 

Erin was excited to use her new swag (and a silk sleeping bag liner) for the first time - real camping rather than bedroom floor trial!  She slept very well as did Nick and I with our revised bedding of 4WD mats and latex foam overlay.   The innerspring mattress from the van fit into the trailer but wasn't as comfortable as we hoped.  The lower profile of mats/overlay meant we could stack Erin and Vaughan's mats on our bed during transit for easier set-up on arrival.

We were up early, breakfasted and back on the road by 8:30am.  A great first night/morning effort!  Hooray for us!

Kettle bag ...

Now that Nick has installed the rear drawers, we can re-stock them with various essentials.

Our kettle, small dual-fuel stove and beverage case were some of the first items packed.

Although we used a billy on the little stove initially, we decided a kettle was safer.  Not long after we started carrying the stove inside a billy - and packed the kettle in an old pillowcase.

The other day I cut some pieces of pool noodle to hold the stove inside the billy, so it doesn't rattle in transit (see bottom pic).

That success and my silk sleeping bag project prompted me to think of replacing the old pillowcase (which I had considered a temporary fix).

I stayed up far too late last night, looking for ideas.  I thought a bit more this morning, before heading downstairs to raid the infamous stash.  (The stash has provided fabric and notions for a number of camping projects in the past).

Erin will turn 25 this year.  It was during my pregnancy with her that I attended sewing classes at TAFE.  My sewing teacher helped me make one maternity dress and I cut out another, using a different pattern.

The second dress was never completed and some of that fabric became the lining for today's bag.  (I wanted a darker print because it will be blackened by the kettle).  The outer material was a remnant purchased from an op-shop far more recently.

I followed the drawstring bag method on this tutorial, after deciding on fabric dimensions using calculations from here.  I didn't make a fabric casing but rather used a length of wide twill tape.  The drawstrings are ANZAC ribbon that I also used for my chair bag. I'm very impressed with the end result. It's definitely far more flash than the old pillowcase!

Starry, sari nights!

Our recent first night in the camper trailer prompted Erin to buy a swag.

She'd been thinking about the purchase for a while, so it wasn't a reaction against the cramped conditions - or the fact that Bandit stood on her face during the night!

In researching the available styles of swag at a few local camping stores, we also checked various sale-priced items.

Anaconda had some sleeping bag liners - including a silk blend.  Erin seemed to be considering them, so I reminded her of the sari silk she'd purchased for a different project.

Over the weekend, three lengths of sari silk were retrieved from the infamous stash and I've now crafted two large silk sleeping bags.

Although my initial thought was to line Erin's sleeping bag, she is not sure she'll continue to use it now we are based in Queensland. My Plan B was to create wide bags by using the full width of the fabric lengths.

Erin tested one bag last night in her new swag (set up inside). She can be a restless sleeper, so found the extra roomy bag very comfortable - and didn't need any additional covering.

It was quite warm here overnight but if she does need another layer, she can unzip her sleeping bag and use it as a doona.

The sari silk was originally purchased to make special pillowcases and there was plenty left for those. I've made two so far, one for each of the sleeping bags.  (If a swag is silk-lined, does that count as glamping)?!


Erin paid approximately $13.00 for each sari piece. The fabric isn't exactly the same width or length but I think it is fair to cost a sleeping bag and co-ordinating pillowcase at $13.00. (A full silk, plain coloured sleeping bag liner was on sale at Kathmandu for just under $90, discounted from $149.98)!

Construction of the bags was simple. I hemmed the short ends and sewed the bags with the right side of the fabric to the inside. The non-door side seam is sewn along the full length. The side seam adjacent the door was left open for the top third, to allow easier access. Both side seams were double-stitched. There was no need for overlocking as the seams incorporate the selvedges of the fabric. (One bag measures 116xm x 192cm and the other is 112cm x 183cm).

I used the burrito method to make these pillowcases.  (There are a number of free tutorials on YouTube.  I like one by Crafty Gemini).  No overlocking is necessary, which is great as I wasn't sufficiently motivated to unpack mine and set it up!  

Sales and Celebrations

It's two years since we left our former Hamby Home(in) stead and started a much longer than expected transition period. Our family were in limbo for 492 nights in total - between leaving the acreage property and then (finally) departing Victoria in February 2017.

This time last year we returned to the caravan and large tent, after spending two months of winter in a proper house - such luxury!

The van was our home-base for 412 nights in total (when we weren't house-sitting) and we had the extra big red tent living area for 207 of those.  We initially used our 10-plus touring tent and a gazebo for shelter beside the van.  You can see pics of that arrangement in the second collage.  The tent was definitely not usually that tidy!

Three massive cheers for Nick who did the full 412-night stint, while the rest of us enjoyed various reprieves from tent/van living (additional to any breaks taken as a family group).

We were hugely thankful when our Red Desert tent was acquired for $600 via Gumtree last May.  Even at that time, it was getting too cold for outside cheffing and I was very glad of my "tent kitchen" - though some nights it looked more like a steam room than a meal prep area!

During our long period of caravan and tent living we weathered huge winds, lots of rain, heavy frost - and even SNOW!  Our large tent provided much appreciated extra living and storage area.  It was a bit of a giggle that the brand name was Red Desert and the two main rooms sported pseudo-Persian carpet.

Our two Engel fridges and some food items lived on a table in the dining area.  Nick also acquired a small bar fridge when his workplace moved offices - and that was handy for storing fruit/veg.

From May to mid-July (before our winter house-sitting), we would dine in the middle room, often with both doors zipped shut and a small heater on full blast.

The back room was used as a walk in wardrobe / storage area.  When the weather warmed up around late October, Nick set up a table in there so I could have a small sewing nook for crafting Erin's birthday gifts.  I also sewed a few little Christmas goodies, though needed to coax the machine into action due to heavy condensation while it had been stored in the van.

There was a small desk in the van, where I could use my laptop.  Most of the table area was given up to storage.

The caravan sink was tiny with very limited bench area beside it.  For that reason we washed dishes outside (as described here), till the outside temps dropped too much.

The dish draining rack was located immediately adjacent Erin's lower bunk bed.

We used an absorbent mat beneath the rack to ensure water didn't escape onto her pillow. Mostly we were successful in our efforts to keep Erin's bedding dry - and every so often we weren't!

Our van didn't have a hot water service, so instead we used an insulated 7-plus litre cooler jug to carry water from the amenities block back to the sink.

The insulated jug kept water warmer than a bucket and this method was a bit easier than repeatedly boiling a kettle - with added exercise benefits.

Trekking to and from the amenities block for hot water, bathroom, laundry etc did account for a reasonable amount of exercise each day.

We certainly noticed the difference in activity when we returned to house-living in February!

We sold the caravan about a week after purchasing our camper trailer.  The sale price was less than we'd paid back in October 2014 but we were happy to see the new owners drive it away, knowing the van would provide extra accommodation for another family in need.

Although I originally listed our large tent for sale in March, it remained unsold. We were out of phone range during our first night in the camper trailer. When we again had signal I responded to a buyer query and negotiated the sale of the kitchen annexe wall. The buyer had a smaller, slightly older Red Desert tent and believed the wall would fit his tent, so the deal was struck. (He had considered upgrading to our full tent but decided it was too large for his needs).

That sale prompted Nick and I to erect the tent to take photos for a new listing. After various silliness, we were contacted by a very keen purchaser who arrived early yesterday morning. He was a lovely guy and we really hope he and his large family enjoy many happy adventures in their new acquisition.

As a result of the two-part sale, we've recouped nearly the full amount we paid for the tent last year - and significantly more than our best offer for all components listed together.   Of course we are immensely pleased with such a positive outcome. Just under 50c a night for vastly improved comfort during our time of use seems an absolute bargain!