Virgin Rock Rest Area - Springsure

July 26 th - 28th

Sapphire to Springsure  (118m) 
Part 4 of our 2021Adventure

Hervey Bay to Springsure 890km
Accommodation   Virgin Rock Rest Area 
Our Rating: 
Cost: FOC
Camp Fires:  Allowed
Images of Springsure
Travelling with: Fiona Ellis

Virgin Rock, which is situated four kilometres from Springsure is on the eastern side of Mount Zamia and has a naturally formed likeness to the Virgin Mary and Child. The spectacular cliffs are floodlit at night and can be viewed from the Lions Park. The formation is amazing and a must see when travelling to Carnarvon Gorge. This free campgfround offers toilets and it is dog friendley

Blue Gem Tourist Park - Sapphire

July 23rd to 26th

Blackwater to Sapphire (129m) 
Part 3 of our 2021Adventure

Hervey Bay to Springsure 772km
Accommodation  Blue Gem Tourist Park
Our Rating: 
Cost: $33.00 per night Powered Site
Camp Fires:  Allowed (Fire Pit)
Image Gallery of Sapphire
Travelling with: Fiona Ellis

Situated on the banks of the beautiful River Red Gum lined Retreat Creek, “where sapphires were first discovered in the region”, the Blue Gem Tourist Park offers a range of facilities to the sapphire seekers. Accommodation ranges from ensuite and economy cabins to more than 40 powered sites positioned in tree lined, lawned gardens with several drive throughs to accept the larger vans and homes. Our convenience store boasts a range of fresh food and quality takeaway delights. We also offer unleaded, premium and diesel fuels from our service station.

Well the Ranger is travelling well, and we have now re arranged some dates, and all our plans are now back on track.

We started the day with a cup of coffee and said goodbye to Katrina and Rod before heading to our next destination, Saffire, for some Fossicking. We stopped at the local bakery in Blackwater, but the pie and sausage roll were terrible, so we'll make a note not to stop there again. We then went to Emerald to stock up on food, beer, and fuel before heading west. The main roads were bumpy, and we felt every little dip and bump as we were carrying 2.5 tonnes of van. We checked into the Blue Gem Tourist Park, where we would be staying for the next three nights. We were pleased to discover that we could have a campfire in the park as long as we had our own fire pit and it was off the ground. The girl at the counter was helpful and gave us all the information we needed about fires.

We headed out that afternoon to check out what this fosiciking was all about, and we were told Pat's Gem is the best place to learn how to make our fortunes.

SO today we learnt the art of searching for sapphires, in Sapphire

1 Pour some of the dirt from the bucket into a special double sieve so you can shake the excess dust out

2 Put the sieve into  the dunking contraption called a Willoughby

3/Spend some time washing the dirt and mud off your rocks

4 Take you seive full of wet roacks to the table and flip them out like a pancake

5 Grab your tweezers and start pulling out the sapphires

6 Goto the bank, deposit funds, contact your boss and say we are not coming back to work

OH Welll, 1 to 5 worked out well, have to work on number 6 next time 

 

 

Saturday 14th July - Day 8

Miners Heritage is Australia's largest Walk-in Underground Sapphire Mine Tours. Established in 1982 as a working mine, it was then decided to run Mine Tours after the mine entry and underground showroom were completed. Miners Heritage was officially opened for its first tour in 1984.

The new above-ground air-conditioned showroom was completed in 2004 for their 20th anniversary.

We highly recommend this tour as it is a 40-minute fully guided walk underground, learning about the process of underground mining and the history of this particular mine. The walk is full head height all the way through, and while Kat and I didn't have a problem, Fiona felt very claustrophobic. Once back up on the surface, when you try to imagine where you walked, you have no idea. How they managed to make these trails beats me...

The cost of the tour is $20 per head.

Once we finished the underground mine tour, we decided to get another bag of wash each, and to test our hands, searching for our retirement funds, Kat decided to get a bag, with a guanteed sapphire. Once again, only steps 1 to 5 occured, we ddint get to step 6

Back to camp for a good feed and a camp fire, by the way, Lovin the new fire pit.

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Sunday 25th July

We had an amazing few days in Sapphire/Rubyvale. It was a bucket list item for you us to go fossicking, and after two days of doing the tourist fossicking, we headed out on a tag-a-long tour to a private plot to do the real thing. It was hard work, but Kat managed to score a pretty nice star sapphire, as you can see in the picture after it was cleaned up. We had a blast We hooked up with Keith from Fascination Gems & Crystals, a Kiwi bloke who has been fossicking in the region for over 30 years. It cost $50 per person and all equipment was supplied. We were told to meet him on the main highway at the rest area at 8:00 am, and he would lead you to the dig site. 

There was another couple from Brisbane who were at the rest area. We all headed off in a convoy, driving west on the main road. Eventually, Keith's indicators went on, and we turned left onto a dirt road, thinking we were getting closer. Eventually, he turned off again on a small, rough and dusty track. As we headed down this track, we noticed all these other vans set up and off the grid.

Keith stopped in the middle of the track, got out, and wandered around getting some gear out of his trailer. Then, he said, "Follow me, grab a shovel and a bucket." We all wandered off to this dig, and he explained to us about the different levels and creek beds and what we were looking for and how the dig works. So he filled a bucket, walked us over to the big sieve which we poured all the bucket through, to get to the smaller stones. Then he walked us over to the Willoughby to do the wash, and we poured the stones out on the sorting table, hoping to find our riches.

Between the three of us, we actually loaded up about eight buckets each, and these were about twice the size of the buckets we got at the tourist parks back in Sapphire and Rubyvale. Considering they were $20 or $25 a bucket, and we paid $50 for the morning, it was worth every cent.

        

Aparently Kay did alright and afound a STAR Saffire

  It was a tough morning at the office, so after some lunch in the bush, we back up and headed back to Rubyvale to wash down the dust with a bloody cold beer at the NEW Rubyvale Hotel.

Fossicking Tag along Tours Big Thumbs up to Keith Awesome day

Private House - Blackwater

July 22nd to 23rd

Cania to Blackwater (342km) 
Part 2 of our 2021Adventure

Hervey Bay to Blackwater 643km
Accommodation  Private Home(fiona's sisterhouse)
Our Rating: 
Cost: 
Camp Fires:  

Travelling with: Fiona Ellis

SO a nnice early start this morning, up at 5:30am, Coffee for the road, and pack up the last of the van. 

But someone forgot to tell us is was going to be -3 degrees this morning.
ICE on the winshield, fingers turning blue, but we had to be in Biloela by 8:30am to get thiese llights fixed.

WE made it to the auto electric right on 8:30am, and they sent out OLD mate, who thought this was going to be a quick and easy job, and so did we..... 12pin plug going into a 7 pin plug, playing disco lights at the back of the van, so under he went scrathed around, lights still playing tunes Kat and Fiona at the back of the van, saying it still flashing, old mate back out scratching his head, and back under the car, trying a few more tests, still the lights kept flashing, Kat and Fiona decided to head off and get windscreen wiper blades breakfast, old mate still scratching his head, and this went on for 2 and 1/2 hours later, and plenty of swearing and cursing, and than he found the fault, some one else had been playing uder the back of the car doing some strange wiring. All Fixed and we are now back on track.

We left Biloela by about 10:45, and headed straight through to Blackwater, catching up with Fiona sister Katrina and her partner Rod, and spent the evening with them.

Early Start at -3 Degrees	Ranger Hooked Ready to Roll

BIG4 Tourist Park - Cania Gorge

July 17th - 22nd

Home to Cania (302km) 
Part 2 of our 2021Adventure

Hervey Bay to Cania 302km 

Accommodation Big 4 Cania Gorge

Our Rating: 

Cost: $45.00 per night Powered

Camp Fires:  Allowed

Image Gallery of Cania Gorge

Travelling with: Fiona Ellis

Located 35km out of Monto is one of southeast Queensland's most picturesque gorges - Cania Gorge. Cania Gorge National Park boasts 3000 hectares of spectacular landscape, prominent sandstone cliffs, caves, eucalypt forest and dry rain forest with mosses, orchids, figs and vines growing in moist, sheltered areas. This secluded area is home to a variety of Australia's native flora and fauna including kangaroos, rock wallabies, and over 100 species of birds.

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9 am departure and we are off on our big 3 week adventure.

We left Hervey Bay and headed north through to Childers. We stopped for a coffee at the old theatre, which I didn't even know about. It was an amazing place and the coffee wasn't too bad either. Then, we continued north passing through Gin Gin, and made our usual stop at the Gin Gin bakery for one of their amazing pies before heading west. We passed through Mount Perry and turned north towards Monto. Suddenly, there was a drop in power as we were climbing a hill, and we were down to 20km/h. The old song "I think I can, I think I can" started playing in my head. We had only just put in a new clutch on Thursday prior, and now only 200km into our 2500km trip on day 1, we were thinking, "Noooo." So we pulled up on the road between Mt Perry and Monto, where we met some locals who were wondering why I was walking around with no shoes on, with prickles everywhere. My feet were sore, so Kat became my nurse again and removed the prickles.

My Feet	The Locals

We continued our journey towards Monto, slowly ascending hills at a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour. Whenever possible, we accelerated to 80 kilometers per hour on the downhill flat. We still had about 80 kilometers left to reach Monto when we contacted RACQ for help. However, the scan tool showed no issues, and there were no warning lights on the dashboard. The RACQ representative advised us to keep going to Cania, as we only had one hill left. He also arranged for the car and van to be towed back to Hervey Bay. At this point, I felt quite deflated. We eventually arrived at the BIG4 Cania Gorge, where we worked on a plan.

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Sunday 18th July

Decission to be Made

1/ Take prado for Test drive Sunday, after disconnecting battery and see if fault has gone - NO
2/ Steffi and Nick both have offered us their cars to use. (I dont think they wanted us home) - Possible???
3 / Pack up and go home.... Noooooooooo

We decided to borrow Steffi's car, but I needed to go back to Hervey Bay to have someone fit the electric brakes and check the wiring. Now we can finally enjoy our holidays and explore Cania Gorge. Our first adventure was a 1.5km walk to the Two Storey Caves and then a 500m Picnic Walk around the car park before lunch.

After a rest and a feed we headed back to the Car park for the next 3 locations Followed by a walk up to Dragon Cave and Blood Wood Cave, and than onto the lookout, just a lazy 3.5k hike. The two sites were incredible, its was worth the walk in. 

Once we finished here we went for a little drive out to Cania Dam, A LITTLE FACT, The old township is below the waterline

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Monday 19th July

I woke up early to take my Prado down to Monto to see if the Monto Auto RACQ mechanic could fix it. If he couldn't, I would have to go back to Hervey Bay. Unfortunately, he changed the fuel filter but it still wouldn't start. The mechanic told me that it might be an expensive fix, costing around $3,000 to $4,000.

I decided to go back with him and get my Ranger. He offered to bring it back for me since he had to come back anyway. On the way, I told Kat and Fiona the news and they came to get me. We emptied out the Prado and put everything in the back of the Landcruiser. We then went to town to have a look around and enjoy some morning tea.

While leaving Monto, we stumbled upon the Historical Museum. Although it wasn't open, we could still explore it and learn about the region's history. It was an awesome look back in time.

If you are ever passing through Monto, make this a visit  VISIT WEB SITE

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Tuesday 20th  July

We knew the Ranger was back in Monto, but we were uncertain about when the electric brakes would be fitted. We will wait until we hear from Monto Autos for an update. For now, we plan to explore more and maybe do some more hiking.

We went back down to the main car park to do the last of the three minor hikes. We weren't ready for the 10k hike yet. So we went to Dripping Rock and The Overhang, which turned out to be the best one we had done so far. It was amazing and refreshing, especially after a short hike up a small hill. This trail is a must-do if you only have time for one walk.

After we finished this little 3.4klm hike, particually that it was all downhill on the way back to the car, and i was feeling just a little chuffed at what we had just accomplished,, we were all ready for some more.

So off towards the dam we all headed, and than on to the last trail of our visit, Shamrock Mines Trail, just a short lazy 1.5klm hike up to the old mine shafts dating back to the late 1800's

We made our way back to the campsite after a long day and were ready to unwind with some drinks and snacks. The Big 4 Cania Gorge was a beautiful spot surrounded by wildlife, including kangaroos, lorikeets, cockatoos, and king parrots. Fiona was really enjoying getting up close to the animals and embracing her love for nature. It felt like we were in our own little wildlife reserve.

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Wednesday 21st  July

"We've been in Cania for two extra days, but it's time to move on. We need to go back to Monto to get the Ranger, repack the car, change the tow ball, figure out where to put the bikes, and make sure all the lights work. So, we were excited to get back on track and started the journey.

After fitting electric brakes in Monto, we headed back to Cania to figure out where everything would go in the two cars. We loaded the bikes into the Fiona Cruiser, the firewood into the back of the Ranger, and the spare fridge into the back of the Ranger. We also changed over the tow hitch, but it was not as easy as we thought. Our Prado has a long tongue, but the Ranger has a short one and was blocked at the end. Changing the hitch over to the other tongue was not easy. It was challenging to remove the 33mm nut off the tow ball that had been on there forever. The McHitch wasn't too bad, but the tow ball on the Ranger was a round ball that had nothing to grip. 

As we were working, some old blokes around the park came over and offered help. Most of them were helpful, but there was one guy who thought he knew everything and everyone. He went off to get a grinder, MIG welder and anything else he could find. Eventually, one of the other blokes turned up with a very good set of vice grips, which did the job. We were getting closer, and it was time to test out the electrics. We backed up the Ranger, plugged in the 7-pin plug into the 12-pin socket, and voila! We had disco lights on the back of the van. 

However, the lights didn't work correctly, so we contacted an auto electrician in Monto to have a look at them on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, he was already out of town, but he gave us a name to an auto electrician in Bilola. We contacted them, and they said if we could be there at 8:30 in the morning when they opened, they would have someone look at them for us. We were happy with this and decided to head there early tomorrow. Fiona would be behind us, and the disco lights would be hidden. We were heading in the right direction, feeling good about the progress we were making. 

Cania Gorge was amazing!"

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Standown Park - Kia Ora (near Gympie)

July 3rs and 4th

Hervey Bay to Standown Park 103 klm
Accommodation: Standown Park 
Our Rating: 3.5/5
Cost: $20 pn - Fires only in communal areas
Image of Standown Park
Traveling with : Fiona Ellis , Steve and Melinda Conlan

Nestled on 18 lush acres beside Toolara Pine Forestry, Standown Park is a short 24km drive from Gympie on the Tin Can Bay road. Standown Park offers beautiful gardens, quiet and safe surrounds with pkenty of open space and is sand fly free. Its the perfect base to relax and escape the hustle and bustle. With grass or slab sites for caravans and camping, drive through options for big rigs and plenty of room for large groups

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Well this is the first weekend, our mate, has been able to get his van this year, due to medical reason, and it was great to be able to spend a relaxing weekend aay with Steve and Mellinda

We here going to be heading down on the friday, but the Weather Gods decided it was going to let go that FRiday, and dump some incredible amout of rain. So we eneded up leaving on the Saturday morning, much safer than trying to drive down the back road in during those rains.

Even though we left in pouring  rain, as we arrived at the property, it started to ease up, and by mid afternoon, it was clear blue skies, with a magnifiocent sunset.

Steve and Melinda had a bit of a slower run up the H'way from Brisbane due to traffic, and also due to Brisbane being let out of a small lockdown, we basically spent the afternoon just relaiing  and catching up.