Greetings from Australia

[Gafferbill]

Hi.....................just thought I would say hello

Currently staying at a campsite in Swan Hill Victoria where there are blue skies and 38deg C temperatures and we have seen very little rain .....unlike the UK I hear.
We are staying in a serviced cabin but it is very interesting seeing how the Aussies go caravaning.
Their vans are much more robustly built.... they are heavier usually over 2 tons and £20K would be a cheap new one.
It is so hot I have retreated to the air conditioned library to make use of their free wifi to catch up on emails.

Stay safe

 

[soldlisa04]

G'Day! veryjealousofyou.com!

 

[Sproket]

G'Day! veryjealousofyou.com!

Have a good time Bill

veryjealousofyou.com

 

[Gagakev]

You lucky devil you Gafferbill, are you going to fly back in that new plane they have revealed in the last couple of days.
4 hour flight time----Whoooooooosh

 

[Gafferbill]

Hiya Kev.....sadly not

Currently waiting at Melbourne Airport for a 25 hour flight.
Had a brilliant 5 weeks

Next trip will be with the caravan at a sedately 55mph!

PS........it is 18.35 here.....11 hours ahead.

 

[Gafferbill]

Have a good time Bill

veryjealousofyou.com

Thanks Sprocket........we had a great time

Back home now and feeling the cold and not liking the time of day the Sun sets!

 

[Parksy]

Hi Bill, welcome back to dear old Blighty

 

[Dustydog]

Welcome home Bill,
Mud , floods , snow , freezing cold, airports closed, mmm maybe down under was better

 

[Gafferbill]

Thanks Steve and Alan........Gooooooodddd totoooto bebe backbackback
(sorry about the teeth chatter!!!)

You would never believe it but the campsites out there have facilities for Woosies just like the UK

Not sure about the signage though!

 

[Mel]

Just look at that sunshine...............

You know what, my parents were part of the £10 assisted passage crowd that emigrated to Aus in the '60s. I was a kid. My mother never settled and we all came back after a couple of years.
Bu***r
mel

 

[joeby]

we love Australia , stayed 2 months from January until March earlier in the year , we took a flight for a day trip to Sydney , and got off the plane in shorts and T shirt , and i thought i was back in the UK it was raining and cold , it was there worst summer on record , i did notice that as you got nearer the opera house the cost of food got more expensive , fish n chips was about £20 each , i couldnt live in Sydney , maybe the suburbs are better , much prefer it further up the coast to Coffs Harbour , and Tweed Heads , its beautiful up on the gold coast , loved the free parking even in the town centre , showers on beaches , free electric BBQs , the ausies seem a lot more active , used to see them out surfing at 6,30 AM before they went to work , we looked at there caravans to they are a lot more robust than ours , with proper car leaf suspension , i noticed some had 2 spare wheels 1 mounted in the A frame and 1 on the back , gas cylinders were also mounted on the front A frame , washrooms also had a small auto washing machine , i also felt fitter while i was there due to the sunny weather we were out swimming more and doing a lot of walking , and fishing , and body surfing , cant wait to get over there again

 

[ProfJohnL]

Back in the 1980's there was UK folk band called 'Roaring jelly' a member Clive Harvey wrote a Christmas song.

"Christmas in Australia"

Here is a more recent updated version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMkRpu8a0MY
Happy Christmas

 

[joeby]

Loved it prof , pmsl , shared it with relatives in Ozz

 

[joeby]

There was a programme on the TV with Chris Tarrant on the rail road from Adelaide to Darwin , the train is called the Ghan , after the Afghanistans who came with the Camels , the Camels were the original way to cross the interior , my grandson lives in Tweed Heads he married an Ausy girl they have 2 kids now , we tried to get over there ourselves , but unless you have a large pension they said there is no hope , even if you do get there its only a 4 year visa , can be sent packing any moment , most of the places we went to were green not much different to the UK , apart the weather being splendid , any way we are going to Stowford , so we will have to have a drink and a chat ,

 

[Gafferbill]

Hi Joeby............yes we love
Australia too.

We have been several times and are
slowly year by year exploring what is a massive country.

Western Australia.... just one of the
states is bigger than Western Europe!

I took the above picture this November north of Adelaide where the road to Darwin crosses the railway line to Perth/Darwin.
Perth is 1600 miles straight ahead and Darwin is 1600 miles to the North after branching off further ahead.

When you flew to Sydney I guess you
flew south which meant the weather got colder.....we British are not
used to that since if we fly south the weather gets warmer!!!

When we visited Sydney in
November2011..... we stayed in the suburb of West Ryde..... the weather then was
very hot and they were having a few bush fires in some city
areas......scary!

We travelled around the area on the
frequent ferries which operate like buses with frequent stops
and very cheap.

We also made it up to Tweed Heads and
the Queensland border that year....... hope to do the Gold Coast and
Cairns next year.

Now this is a hot place.........Coober
Pedy

It exists because Opals were discovered there and it gets very hot.....up to 50deg C in high summer......40deg when we were there and I took this picture.

The locals being miners have built their houses/ shops etc..... mainly underground to escape the heat and this is all there is to see on the surface

PS..........just though I would show these pictures of hot places to warm everyone up a bit