Days On The Road  :  104 

Distance Travelled (Car)  :  11,828 Kms

Distance Travelled (Caravan)  :  7,769 Kms 

Fuel Used (Ltrs)  :  2,099    (Costing $3,009)

Ltrs Fuel Used Per 100 Kms  :  17.75

Average Cost Per Night Stay (Powered Site + Free Camping)  :  $22.57

Jan 27 We make a mad dash from Iluka back to the (so called) Sunshine Coast, making our way slowly through the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Oswald (what a stupid name for a cyclone). We arrive at the caravan park in Caloundra to find that everyone else had left !! However, we do have a couple of days to relax before Siobhan leaves for Ireland to escort her mother back to Australia.

Jan 21 to 25  We continue our trek north with brief stops at The Entrance, Taree and Iluka, with Iluks being the star location which will definitely be revisited if we are in that area again soon.

Jan 19  We decide to head east towards the coast as our direct route north is potentially blocked by bush fires. Also, there is a cyclone developing in NE Queensland and we have to be back on the Sunshine Coast for Siobhan to catch a flight to Ireland to collect her mother for her visit.

So we make our way to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains where there is some of the most spectacular scenery in Australia … except the weather is against us with fog and mist spoiling the views. We do enjoy, however, a display of old cars in the town centre.

Jan 18  It is not very often when you get to drive around an actual race track in a large 4 wheel drive. At Bathurst you can and we did. The bad news – the 60 kph speed limit !! The famous Mount Panorama track is amazing – the TV screen just does not really show how hilly the actual place is.

 

Jan 17  Parkes is best known for its large radio telescope which had an historic part to play in transmitting the pictures from the first Appollo 11 moon landing. Parkes has had an important role in the scientific community. In addition to local research conducted at the radio telescope, Parkes scientists have assisted NASA for several missions as a relay and communications station. (The movie The Dish was based somewhat loosely on the role the telescope played during the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.)

Jan 16 This is what the local tourist information says about this area, which is in central NSW – Lake Cargelligo is an unexpected oasis in central NSW and its beauty and tranquility has remained unspoilt and relatively undiscovered by the travelling public. How right they are. It is a lovely place to stay and relax a while.