new plans

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This week we having been staying on the farm of a Canadian friend on Woodford Island on the Clarence River near Grafton, NSW. I cannot understand why he is not here full time. It is so idyllic. On the veranda we look out over the 20 or 40 resident Kangaroos grazing in the front yard. There are Macadamia nut farms in front of that and then in the distance we see the sugar cane fields. The plethora of colourful and loud birds has our fingers flipping through the bird book frequently trying to identify.....kookabarra, rainbow bee-eater, kinfishers, heron, ibis, egrets, many doves, plover, lorrekeets, parrots of all sorts.......amazing.

Our original plan when we came to Oz was to immediately buy a camper van and start driving north to circumnavigate Australia, doing the north first before the very heat and wet of the summer sets in. But, as we learnt, we are already too late. June and july is the time to be driving around the Northern Territories. So...plan B....we booked onto a Holland American Cruise which leaves Sydney October 21st, travels north and then west, arriving in Perth 19 days later. Easy-peasy 18,000 kms done. We will figure out how to do the last 6,000 kms from Peth to Sydney. Who would have known this is such a BIG country.

So we had time to rent a car and travel south to visit friends, Jackie and Noel, who were so helpful in selling Periclees. We had a storage area down there chocker block full of stuff to deal with. Stuff!! we dealt. Then we came north to the Clarence River. Tomorrow we will drive the 640 kms back to Sydney to catch that cruise ship. Cruising by any other name........

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Photos

biting insects
This one inch long red ant with huge pinchers was very aggressive when I got close to take a picture...back off was the clear message.

big cattle country in NSW
Every head of cattle has his own egret satnding close by to eat insects that are kicked up by their big friend. Not the Clarence river behind.

Tansportation
Note the "roo bar" and the snorkel for driving through rivers or through floods during the "wet"

Aussie style
Angus gets his pie and schooner as Noel promised him.

Jacaranda
The prolific Jacaranda tree is in bloom right now

our co-residents
These 2 are annoyed that we have disturbed their tranquil spot.

Comments

[dale]

from one extreme to the next
You both look laid back, relaxed, and happy. Must say imagining you on a deck chair reading a novel, while you cruise, is a far cry from the vision we had of you last year braving waves as tall as skyscrapers hoping like hell a cruise ship would not appear on your horizon. Enjoy the food and the full night sleeps! We'll sleep well too knowing you won't have any 4 hr. shifts and night watches. Great to hear from you both--we didn't get a chance for an official "good bye" after that enchanting evening in Henry Bay. Blog on and we'll follow your travels. xoo

[Barb Craig Waite]

glorious
Glad you are having such a great time already...wind and rain, noisy, more to come, no damage, just wet leaves all over here, smell of wood smoke in the air. Thinking Australia not a bad place to hang out for the winter...

[Joanne and Keith]

enjoy the cruise!!! We will look after the copies for Evelyn - love your pictures!!

[LawrMaur]

There YOU Are!
Took me awhile to catch up with your new blog site...Keep on Cruisin' Kids!!