Day 4 Hervey Bay

Mick is off collecting the car.Needed a new compressor but thankfully not radiator as well.
We have extended our time in Hervey Bay because it was such a big push to get here and we have such a beautiful spot overlooking the bay. The weather is superb as it would be in Brissy ( but not in Sydney, I've heard...)and the temperature is perfect for the kids to spend hours on the beach.Sam had a playmate until this morning and the replacement neighbours have been travelling for 8 years. Should prove a font of knowledge.
 Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Our other neighbours just gave us some whiting fillets for tea.( caught today)
We went whale watching yesterday and while we did see whales, they were pretty quiet and did not put on the displays that occur later in the season. Still, we can tick that one off...
We plan to stay until fri morning and free camp near Moura then arrive in Carnarvon on Sat. Booked there for 3-4 nights.

Day 1. Brisbane - Hervey Bay

Well...I knew that life on the road wouldn't be without it's fair share of dramas but I didn't expect them to happen quite so soon... Just 15 minutes after leaving home, having just hit the open road, we had smoke billowing out from under the bonnet, accompanied by a horrible smell of burning rubber. ( insert plug for RACQ )
To cut a long story short, 3 hours later, we were back on our way but need to get the compressor for the air-con fixed. Just bad luck; they can apparently go at any time.
Probably it was good luck really...We could have been at the back of Burke...
And Mick had said he didn't want to drive the van in the dark...and especially didn't want to be reversing the van
in the dark...
Hopefully whale-watching tomorrow...

Finally...

Well the day has finally arrived...
It's a beautiful Winter's day; clear blue skies with a light breeze. Perfect for
 setting off on the adventure of a lifetime.The van is packed ( well almost ) and we're heading north to Hervey
Bay to settle in to life on the road for 6 months.
Thanks to everyone who offered their help and to those friends who wined and dined us before leaving. We may be going a bit later than originally planned but we've had fun catching up with everyone and it made a good start to the holiday.
Thanks also to Natalie for setting up this blog site.She had plans for teaching me some fancy tricks but I just ran out of time...
Don't forget to stay in touch. I'll be keen for news of home. Hopefully I can work out how to post photos with my new camera. ( Insert plug for the Panasonic Lumix... Maybe they'll advertise here and sponsor my blog...)
Cheers and see you all next year. xx

Farewell to friends

Today was a wonderful gathering of friends at a lunch to say " Farewell "

Six months seems like a long time to be away; but in reality it will pass in the blink of an eye....