HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thunder down under!

Welcome to my December update, sit back and read away. It won't take long at all this month.

I might start off with a couple of places I visited while still in Young NSW that I didn't mention last update. First was Eugowra Slightly North West of Young, this is a lovely little town with just about every building proudly displaying murals on the side of their buildings, very nice ones at that. I spent quite a bit of time walking around checking the place out.

Another place was Gooloogong also slightly North West of Young. I had heard about a lovely free camp there but as it turned out it is really a donation camp but very nice indeed with only about 8 spots so not crowded at all. A lovely park beside it with flushing toilets. I tell you about these two places as I have included a couple of pics below.

Now, back to where I finished off the November update, my arrival at Greens Lake.

Before anything else, the weather. Hot, Hot and Hot. Yep the month started with mid 30c and giving 40c a nudge on many occasions with none, to little rain and this wasn't much different across the northern half of VIC. Out at Greens Lake, north central VIC there was also very strong damaging winds in the first week of the month and a few thunderstorms, they were loud too and shook the van, it was thunder down under. In fact, a few campers with gazebos and tents had their gear destroyed and had to leave. Still not much rain even then.

Speaking of leaving! Who was? You might remember in my last update the Collie and Aluminium Tent had a service each and all good with both. Not to be left out I also had an annual service and you might remember I was having a few tests. Well most were good but a couple were not so good and needed further investigation and actually ended up in the big house with doctors and nurses for a day, at least it wasn't that other big place with big gates or the hot place in the opposite direction, so I made an executive decision to make a couple of phone calls and leave Greens Lake, yes, you heard correctly so after only one week I'm gone. I'm not sure for how long or how things are going to pan out and hoping just adjustments or additions to current medication is all that is required, so having the TeePee and Collie in a more secure place and power to run the aircon when needed without a noisy Generator running. Where am I? Around the Wangaratta area is where. How Long for? Who knows? 

Access to a pool allows daily dips to be enjoyed including my famous late-night dips before bed. YES!

A bit more on the weather front if I may, too bad, ya getting it anyway. All around the Wangaratta area had heaps of rain over a couple of days and flooded roads and bridges destroyed throughout the area. Even the Hume Freeway around the Wang area didn't escape. It was flooded and closed for two days with detours in place. Heaps of cars etc got caught out and stranded leaving the occupants to be rescued by helicopter over 24 hours. Some even blamed the new safety barriers recently installed along the side of the freeway and down the middle, stopping cars getting out, or in for that matter. Mmmm, to solve one problem only to create another. Some roads will remain closed for months while wrecked bridges etc are replaced. Even a main road from Wangaratta to Beechworth will be closed for some time causing visitors to that lovely town to go the back roads that are still open. Did I say there was some near 40c days during December? Well there was and not only that but as well even there was four days leading to the end of the month that reached mid 40c, that's HOT. Only a couple of months ago the big gas heater in the aluminium tent was getting a good work out, now, the aircon is. Yep, this is Australia.    

I have spent my time seeing medical people and being jabbed and scanned etc, etc and not much else really. I did get to visit my daughter south of Melbourne before Xmas and spent the day with and the grandkids, including the big kid, their dad. A good day was had by all and was an early Xmas day for us. I managed to call in on good friends David and Carol as well on the way back to the aluminium Tent. Xmas day was spent quietly as needed to be this year. All good with only a couple of other vans near me where I am set up.

One thing I have noticed for the first time since being out in the playground is that some people in caravan parks are not as friendly as in freedom or alternative camp areas for some reason. I said hi a few times but didn't even get a response of any sort. One bloke looked me in the eye and still ignored me. No drama, if they don't want to talk its fine by me. Oh! He wasn't deaf either cos his wife spoke to him from about 10 metres away not loudly and he heard her OK.

Not much else took place in the lead up to Christmas but now that's done and dusted I hope to get out and about a little bit while waiting for medical people to get back to work from their Christmas/New Year break. Nothing is allowed to go astray with my health in the mean time I spose.

I was finding the heat a bit much this year and a lot of heat was coming through the two large Perspex roof hatches and got to thinking how to stop some of it. So, I had an old car windscreen cover, you know, one of those silver screens and thought, if I cut two sections to fit to hatch openings it might help reflect some heat just like on a car. Scissors in hand and with a snip here and a snip there the size needed was made. I then got some wide cloth tape I have and taped around the edges, slipped them into place and BINGO! I could feel the difference strait away. It has helped so much I don't know why I didn't think of it years ago, silly old me. Never mind, its done now and I am a happy camper. A simple idea that works.

The last day of the year arrived and I saw 2018 end with people from a couple of vans near me and it was a nice quiet night spent chatting but I didn't last the distance to see in 2019, nearly though. Being up a little higher where we are, we did get to see the early kids fireworks a little further along the track put on in Wangaratta. The kids there and adults for that matter should have been very happy indeed.

So, 2018 has come to an end and a new year, 2019 has started. I might take this time to let you know what I thought was one of the favourite spots I visited during 2018 was, although in this case it was stayed. Where was it? I hear you say, well, Tumut NSW, up in the Snowy Mountains area. I really did like that place and surrounding areas. I will definitely go back there again but not this time of year or any sort of holidays for that matter. 

That all said I wish you all a safe 2019.

I might not do a January Update and combine that with the February Update, time will tell.

A few pics below as usual.

DOUG

And the winner is............