Aussie outdoors. Bushwalking, etc.

Bob W said:
Any of you Aussie blokes work in the collieries?
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Not me , I wish lol .
I used to work swapping out linings on crushing circuits on gold nickle zinc tin bauxite etc mines .
I am working slowly on setting up something in the photographic field .
Back damage says no can sell muscle power , lack of qualifications means Im freelancing till I get them :)
 
dartanyon said:
Try this spot near Singleton for a swim S32.16008 E151.48964
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Too funny, I was up there. Trying to find the correct track to the hanging swamps. Driving up the road in pouring rain in a 2WD HiAce. Pulled over to let some workies in a big rig go by, the tyre dropped into a ditch, and I was stuck there at 5pm. Of course the workies hauled ass and never looked back. :grumpy:

Knocked the mirror off the hired HiAce too, as it smacked a vine. The mirror didn't fold up as it should have, 'cause it had been damaged before and was held to the van with deck screws. So the mirror was hanging by the wires and banging on the side of the van - had to use my Swiss Army Knife to cut the dang thing off.

I don't recall it being that close to Singleton though - seems like it was a two hour drive each way. Especially via a detour to Dungog for lunch and a flat tyre on the way home. Trying to find and use the strange HiAce jack and irons in the rain, in the dark, next to a paddock full of cows...
 
Myal said:
Not me , I wish lol .
I used to work swapping out linings on crushing circuits on gold nickle zinc tin bauxite etc mines .
I am working slowly on setting up something in the photographic field .
Back damage says no can sell muscle power , lack of qualifications means Im freelancing till I get them :)
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I'm in the pits frequently, operating a transmitter for a radio imaging geophysics system. Mostly coal but sometimes lead, copper, or gold mines.
I couldn't work underground day-in, day-out like the full time miners. Not in the filthy coal seams anyway. But for a few days each month, it's not too bad. Interesting really.

The best part is being able to travel on the company's dime. :thumbup:
 
Woods Walker said:
Nice pics.
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Thanks. Maybe the pictures will inspire a BF reader to visit Australia for the first time. Getting around and navigating is quite easy, much like the USA. People are friendly. And the services (hotels, restaurants, gas stations) are very similar to in the States.

Although it is expensive to visit, the exchange rate is in our favor now. ;)
 
These pix make me miss Australia so much...I keep telling the wife we need to visit since she's never been! Everywhere you look is beautiful in it's own way and the people are some of the friendliest, down to earth people I have ever met (And Ive been through the Mediterranean and driven across the U.S.)
Thanks for the post!
 
shockjockey24 said:
These pix make me miss Australia so much...I keep telling the wife we need to visit since she's never been! Everywhere you look is beautiful in it's own way and the people are some of the friendliest, down to earth people I have ever met (And Ive been through the Mediterranean and driven across the U.S.)
Thanks for the post!
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I'm taking the family in June for a two week trip. Had enough frequent flier miles on Qantas that the tickets, including all fees and taxes, were only $500 each. The preliminary plan is to catch a flight up to Rocky (Rockhampton) for a few days, back to Sydney for a drive down the coast to Eden and back through Canberra, and then a couple of final days to spend in the Blueys (Blue Mountains) or maybe the city - weather dependent.

I've been about fifteen times, but my family has never been. They're really looking forward to it, even hanging a giant wall map in the dining room. :)
Been trying to teach them the lingo, as much as I understand, and getting a head start on some dietary adjustments. Calling French fries "chips," for example, and eating them without ketchup. :D
 
Hey Bob have you thought of getting up to Cairns? Daintree, Atherton Tablelands, Barrier Reef?
 
dartanyon said:
Hey Bob have you thought of getting up to Cairns? Daintree, Atherton Tablelands, Barrier Reef?
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Yes, we considered it in order to see the tropical rainforest. We still might, as none of our domestic travel plans are set yet. My idea was to avoid Cairns, but fly to Port Douglas and drive up to Cape Tribulation.
What puts us off, June seems to be the peak visitation season up there. I'm dead-set on avoiding crowds and fully-booked tourist towns. I think we can get enough 'tropical' atmosphere in the Rockhampton area anyway, especially a bit north in Byfield.

I also considered Western Australia, since it would be an entirely new area to me. But June is almost certain to be a very rainy time of year.

A dream trip would be touring from Adalaide to Perth and seeing all of the national parks and shorelines of southern Australia. But since we're stuck with June travel, I feel we'll have better weather luck on the east coast.
 
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Yea Cape Trib would've been my suggestion, there's a few good resorts there ... backpacker heaven tho and avoiding Cairns itself would be a good plan although the city has a few great attractions like the harbour and markets. Don't forget about Kuranda, catch the train up. The bigger crowds are at the school holidays so avoiding that time could help but that's the same everywhere I suppose. What about Whitsundays, as a compromise?

Adelaide to Perth ... nice! Getting out of Esperance is a challenge then round the bottom via Albany what an awesome adventure.

Its sure nice is to think about the travelling.
 
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So many possibilities for only two weeks. It would take a lifetime to see all of Australia!
Heck, it would take a lifetime just to see everything in New Mexico or Colorado.
 
I'll be doing the Conondale walk in july coming up, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm treating it as a shake-down trek to make sure I really know whats going on. Piles of gear, but not nearly the level of experience that I'd like. Hopefully it will lead to some new trekking buddies (there is a large group going, so that should help, and I have some trust problems) Either that, or will mean that I will be confident to tackle some of the other tracks. I would love to do Cooloola, and Fraiser if and when it opens again.
 
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