Where do I begin. Come the end of March, I'm on a 4 week holiday touring the Western Downs of Queensland. This is my introduction to the Grey Nomad life style of seeing this wounderful land we call our back yard. With a ute and trailer, I hope to see, breath and live the dream alot of you experience on a daily bases.
As my wife is not a camping person, I do this trip and possibly a lot more as a solo. "Not sure if I'm supposed to be sad or happy about that" .
As I have read in the general forum, going solo allows one the opportunity to see and do as they please and when they wish to do so.
I would appreciate your comments / suggestions and recommendations for my on coming experience.
At 51yrs of age, I look for the dream of hope. Hope that we all can continue living our dreams.
MACCA.
JRH said
04:10 PM Mar 12, 2009
G'day Macca,
Welcome to the forum Pal, I am certain you will get quite a lot of information and help from our Solo travellers.
John
mike and Judy said
04:25 PM Mar 12, 2009
Welcome Macca, its a good life, and at your young age you get to see it all
Lucky Bugger, I,d happiely do it all again and I,v been on the road since 70s
dave06 said
04:43 PM Mar 12, 2009
gday macca, all been said, so just a welcome from me will have to do, any advice just ask
jandas fun said
05:54 PM Mar 12, 2009
Hi Macca big welcome from us as well.
comments/suggestions ? only one "enjoy"
Going to Melbourne tomorrow by car, will wave as i pass everyone.
JohnW
-- Edited by jandas fun at 20:24, 2009-03-12
PeterH said
08:03 PM Mar 12, 2009
Macca, Welcome from us as well. We are also relatively new to caravanning and this forum and are throughly enjoying both...... Make of the journey what you will.........
-- Edited by PeterH at 20:05, 2009-03-12
xina said
09:01 PM Mar 12, 2009
Welcome Macca, the more the merrier,
Cheers,
xina.
Cruising Granny said
10:51 PM Mar 12, 2009
Welcome Foxy. I'm a lone traveller as well.
You may need to do some homework to make sure that part of Qld is dry enough to get around, especially if you're planning to get off the beaten bitumen. It's been very wet out there for a couple of months now, and it may stay wet for a while longer, especially if more monsoonal lows cross that country.
Last week Bedourie was isolated, and the Barkly was closed in sections. The damage was extensive, which means there will be lots of earthworks once the country dries out.
Safe and happy travels. Cheers Granny
LITTLE BROWN FOX said
08:14 AM Mar 13, 2009
Thank you to all for your kind welcome.
My adventure will only be small in time but hugh in a life time experience for me.
I am hoping to travel from Brisbane to Ballina, Lismore, Casino, Stanthorpe, Texas, Goondiwindi, Mundigully Pub, St.George, Mitchell, Roma, Miles, Chinchilla, Jandowee, Dalby, Kingaroy then home.
I would appreciate your comments regarding any of these places, or places I should see when in that particular region.
Macca.
dave06 said
12:05 PM Mar 13, 2009
Macca I believe you are in for a fantastic trip, I will however hold back on telling you what to see or where to go because, mate, it all awaits you, it will be your exploration, I dont believe in giving too much away about places that I have been because, like sex, the expectation before the event is as good as the actual event itself, sometimes better
grab some reading material on those areas, websites are a great source to tell you what is where and when, grab a copy of camps Australia and just settle down in a damn good chair in a cosy corner with a beer or three, take a dozen good deep breaths, in through the nose out through the mouth and repeat after me "ahhhh!!! now let me see, what have we here" deep breaths and a soothing ale, nothing like it!!
I find it so relaxing that it would be my second favorite pastime, daydreaming, traveling being my first
life is good, you are on a trip of discovery, dont let others thoughts of this or that ruin the expectation for you, discover it yourself and revel in the unveiling
LITTLE BROWN FOX said
01:30 PM Mar 13, 2009
DAVE06 - I love the way you think. That was my thoughts exactly - sit back, have a beer or three and look at what we have to offer. I hope 4 weeks will be enough as I'm not wanting to rush and mis out on the experience. I have bought my self a copy of Camps Australia wide 5, and found it a marvelous book with heaps of places to stay. I've installed a UHF - so hope to talk to other Grey Nomads.
I thought that if I mentioned certain places, one may suggest other places just off the road - a must see while one was there.
Lets all keep safe and well.
dave06 said
02:19 PM Mar 13, 2009
4 weeks will not be enough, 4 months will not be enough one needs 3 or 4 lifetimes to see what is in ones own backyard, I could spend twelve months just around 300kms from my home and not get bored, but one must work within one's own timeframe
but you are on the right track, as you go along force yourself to visit those horrid sordid places that only the lowliest of the low frequent, I think they are called "public bars" or somesuch, just ask the barmaid or publican about areas of interest over a coldie, they all have a dozen little favorite spots and they dont mind sharing it with the travellers, you will find the bar will join in with invaluable little titbits
I of course keep well away from these dens of iniquity, (yeah and pigs fly as well) however good and solid advice is freely given in these torrid devils playgrounds
uhf is good, we had a good yak about them not all that long ago and it was Gary that placed an excellent thread or post or whatever one calls it on the subject
ah! camps 5 awaiting mine still, cant wait till I get my drool all over the new one
Bridgee said
05:39 PM Mar 13, 2009
Hi Macca, welcome to the forum, I think this is what Dave was talking about re UHF radios, hope it helps.
UHF CB for budding travellers
This was on another forum and I thought it might useful to pass on.
The UHF Cb comes with 40 FM channels,requires NO licence,and basically has a range varying from 5 to maybe 15 kilometers depending on landscape. The flatter the further you'll talk.
Channel 1 to 8 are known as REPEATER channels,you program the radio for repeaters by going to ch1 then press and hold the DUP button on the front of the radio till it beeps and you'll see DUP in the display.continue this programming through to and including ch8.
repeaters work very simply,on ch1 DUP you transmit ch31,then,receive ch1...its automatic when you press the press to talk button...ch2 transmits 32 and receives ch2.ETC ETC to ch 8 .
repeaters give you VAST improvement in range cause repeaters are usually mounted HIGH on a nearby mountain etc. Range through a repeater can EASILY reach 80+kms...
so,if youre travelling with your friend 300 meters in front of you,go to a channel other than 1 to 8 otherwise you'll interfere with long range traffic..
Channel usage::: ch 11 is the CALLING channel if you want to talk to a stranger. CH 5 is the Emergency channel [in cities] and uses the repeater for longer range emergencies. ch18 is the caravan ch ch20 is the motorhome ch ch 40 is the Truckies ch
DONT use ch 22 and ch 23 as these are data channels used mostly by farmers to turn on remote water taps to water their stock etc etc,infact the NEW UHF cbs WONT transmit 22 and 23...
using the calling channel if you want to talk to a stranger,put a call out in NORMAL voice in NORMAL english,then IF or ONCE youve got someone you both agree to meet of aclear channel,avoiding the nominated ones above.
Emergencies,in the cities its a simple matter of going to CH 5 ,MAKE sure the DUP is ON,then in plain english call for help,explain your location,if youve got a gps navigator it will display your EXACT position in lat/long so you pass that onto the operator,operrators are volunteers so treat them nicely. Emergencies in the OUTBACK call ch5 ,if nothing look on ALL 40 chs for someone chatting and break in...
most newer sets comes with scanning,thats the radio checking all 40 channels in less than a second,if it finds activity it STOPS on that channel so you can listen,waits a few seconds then starts scanning again.If you want to stay on a scanned channel simply press the press to talk button ONCE that stops the scanning and you can join in the conversation
OUTBACK Travellers ARE encouraged to travel,if youre NOT talking to someone,then put your UHF cb on SCAN. Reason is if someone has an emergency and does NOT know the proceedure they might call on any channel.You might be the only one to hear them,if you werent scanning youd completely miss their call.
Now,having said that,USE CAUTION if you hear a distress call,you can usually hear the sense of urgency in their voice if its genuine.if in doubt,respond and say you'll notify police at the next town.
in the outback truck drivers [ch 40] will ALWAYS respond to you providing you use plain english ,otherwise they might disregard you as a clown.
talking to a truck driver on 40 is easy,get his direction of travel even if it opposite yours. and say "southbound transport can you hear me",he will know by your strong signal you mean him and he will respond,sometimes a few will respond.
Lastly,in Cities [large cities] i recomend you turn the cb OFF unless you really need it. Theres hundreds of ppl on repeaters all abusing each other,swearing,its NO place for family to listen ...trust me
but PLEASE,outback travellers,if youre not already talking then SCAN,someones life might depend on
-- Edited by Gary and Kerry at 20:33, 2008-12-02
LITTLE BROWN FOX said
09:11 AM Mar 16, 2009
Bridgee, Thank you so very much for the UHF CB Info. I had heard off and seen the repeater towers, but I did not realise I could boost the range on MY UHF through these repeaters. I'll ahve a look tonight and see.
I will print off your section, and keep note of the channels I can use.
Thanks again, keep safe.
elders said
11:49 AM Mar 24, 2009
hi little brown fox
congratulations , you are a new era man, one who listens to what partner wants. i too used to encourage my spouse to take trips without me as i didnt wish to be away from home at that time.
i am sure you will have a great time as you are doing what you will enjoy, as far as i can gather there are loads of people out there who will be glad to have a bit of a chin wag and share a fire.
as i have been single for many years now i really cant imagine having to consider the opinion of someone else every time i have to do any simple task, personally i am well used to being on my own and am very fond of reading, watching tv and checking internet every time i want to enquire about any friends.
good luck with your trips.
Where do I begin.
Come the end of March, I'm on a 4 week holiday touring the Western Downs of Queensland. This is my introduction to the Grey Nomad life style of seeing this wounderful land we call our back yard.
With a ute and trailer, I hope to see, breath and live the dream alot of you experience on a daily bases.
As my wife is not a camping person, I do this trip and possibly a lot more as a solo.
"Not sure if I'm supposed to be sad or happy about that" .
As I have read in the general forum, going solo allows one the opportunity to see and do as they please and when they wish to do so.
I would appreciate your comments / suggestions and recommendations for my on coming experience.
At 51yrs of age, I look for the dream of hope.
Hope that we all can continue living our dreams.
MACCA.
Welcome to the forum Pal, I am certain you will get quite a lot of information and help from our Solo travellers.
John
big welcome from us as well.
comments/suggestions ? only one "enjoy"
Going to Melbourne tomorrow by car, will wave as i pass everyone.
JohnW
-- Edited by jandas fun at 20:24, 2009-03-12
Welcome from us as well.
We are also relatively new to caravanning and this forum and are throughly enjoying both......
Make of the journey what you will.........
-- Edited by PeterH at 20:05, 2009-03-12
DAVE06 - I love the way you think.
That was my thoughts exactly - sit back, have a beer or three and look at what we have to offer.
I hope 4 weeks will be enough as I'm not wanting to rush and mis out on the experience.
I have bought my self a copy of Camps Australia wide 5, and found it a marvelous book with heaps of places to stay.
I've installed a UHF - so hope to talk to other Grey Nomads.
I thought that if I mentioned certain places, one may suggest other places just off the road - a must see while one was there.
Lets all keep safe and well.
UHF CB for budding travellers
This was on another forum and I thought it might useful to pass on.
The UHF Cb comes with 40 FM channels,requires NO licence,and basically has a range varying from 5 to maybe 15 kilometers depending on landscape. The flatter the further you'll talk.
Channel 1 to 8 are known as REPEATER channels,you program the radio for repeaters by going to ch1 then press and hold the DUP button on the front of the radio till it beeps and you'll see DUP in the display.continue this programming through to and including ch8.
repeaters work very simply,on ch1 DUP you transmit ch31,then,receive ch1...its automatic when you press the press to talk button...ch2 transmits 32 and receives ch2.ETC ETC to ch 8 .
repeaters give you VAST improvement in range cause repeaters are usually mounted HIGH on a nearby mountain etc. Range through a repeater can EASILY reach 80+kms...
so,if youre travelling with your friend 300 meters in front of you,go to a channel other than 1 to 8 otherwise you'll interfere with long range traffic..
Channel usage::: ch 11 is the CALLING channel if you want to talk to a stranger.
CH 5 is the Emergency channel [in cities] and uses the repeater for longer range emergencies.
ch18 is the caravan ch
ch20 is the motorhome ch
ch 40 is the Truckies ch
DONT use ch 22 and ch 23 as these are data channels used mostly by farmers to turn on remote water taps to water their stock etc etc,infact the NEW UHF cbs WONT transmit 22 and 23...
using the calling channel if you want to talk to a stranger,put a call out in NORMAL voice in NORMAL english,then IF or ONCE youve got someone you both agree to meet of aclear channel,avoiding the nominated ones above.
Emergencies,in the cities its a simple matter of going to CH 5 ,MAKE sure the DUP is ON,then in plain english call for help,explain your location,if youve got a gps navigator it will display your EXACT position in lat/long so you pass that onto the operator,operrators are volunteers so treat them nicely.
Emergencies in the OUTBACK call ch5 ,if nothing look on ALL 40 chs for someone chatting and break in...
most newer sets comes with scanning,thats the radio checking all 40 channels in less than a second,if it finds activity it STOPS on that channel so you can listen,waits a few seconds then starts scanning again.If you want to stay on a scanned channel simply press the press to talk button ONCE that stops the scanning and you can join in the conversation
OUTBACK Travellers ARE encouraged to travel,if youre NOT talking to someone,then put your UHF cb on SCAN. Reason is if someone has an emergency and does NOT know the proceedure they might call on any channel.You might be the only one to hear them,if you werent scanning youd completely miss their call.
Now,having said that,USE CAUTION if you hear a distress call,you can usually hear the sense of urgency in their voice if its genuine.if in doubt,respond and say you'll notify police at the next town.
in the outback truck drivers [ch 40] will ALWAYS respond to you providing you use plain english ,otherwise they might disregard you as a clown.
talking to a truck driver on 40 is easy,get his direction of travel even if it opposite yours. and say "southbound transport can you hear me",he will know by your strong signal you mean him and he will respond,sometimes a few will respond.
Lastly,in Cities [large cities] i recomend you turn the cb OFF unless you really need it. Theres hundreds of ppl on repeaters all abusing each other,swearing,its NO place for family to listen ...trust me
but PLEASE,outback travellers,if youre not already talking then SCAN,someones life might depend on
-- Edited by Gary and Kerry at 20:33, 2008-12-02
Bridgee,
Thank you so very much for the UHF CB Info.
I had heard off and seen the repeater towers, but I did not realise I could boost the range on MY UHF through these repeaters.
I'll ahve a look tonight and see.
I will print off your section, and keep note of the channels I can use.
Thanks again, keep safe.