the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected]In this issue: •Picture fish •Scenic Central Coast •’My van is my sanctuary’ Fun loving grey nomads join the selfie generation More space needed, GNT readers say A new survey has revealed that grey nomads are eagerly embracing the ‘selfie’ obsession more commonly associated with young travellers. e practice of holding up a mobile phone to snap yourself with a group of people, or in an exotic location, has become a widespread one … and it’s also something of a social media phenomenon. Famous people as diverse as pop bad boy Justin Bieber and US president Barack Obama are notable practitioners of the selfie art. And now it seems Australia’s army of caravanners and motorhomers are joining in the fun. A survey of 7000 Australians conducted by travel booking site wotif.com found that more than half of Australian travel- lers admit being selfie obsessed on holidays, and take at least one photo of themselves every day, Among senior selfie snappers, two in five travellers aged 50- 65, and one in five over-65s, enjoyed putting themselves in the picture. Eighty-something adventurer, Nancie G, is a self-confessed selfie addict. “It’s all a bit of fun and is just something different to show the family rather than hun- dreds of landscape shots,” she said. “ey always have a good laugh at what we get up to.” Husband Arthur is not quite so enthusiastic, though. “ey are called ‘selfies’ aren’t they, so I’m not sure why she always has to drag me into her blooming pictures,” he told the GNT. “She can be very embar- rassing sometimes!” Despite the enthusiasm of many grey nomads, baby boomers have still got a long way to go to catch up with the masters of the selfie art, Gen Y. e survey found that one in 10 young Aussies snap more than 10 selfies a day. Four out of five 18-to-29-year-olds said they were regular selfie- takers, along with three in five It’s time for caravan parks to do more to accommo- date Australia’s growing number of big rigs ... and so says a whopping 95.2% of respondents to our recent GNT poll on the issue. Correspondents want other parks to follow the exam- ple of the Coolum Beach Holiday Park on Queens- land’s Sunshine Coast which is upgrading to offer more over-sized sites. “It seems that the norm is 22’-plus these days, there- fore it makes sense for parks to move with times,” said Reiner and Karen, who travel in a large 5th wheeler. Even when Anne E finds a park with a site able to ac- commodate her 34’ rig, she says she sometimes can’t get through the park to reach it. “It’s usually narrow roads or low trees that create prob- lems,” she said. Sharon B says her husband is an expert reverser, but still gets annoyed if the sites are really tight. “I try to stay clear of him until he is parked as I am always in the wrong spot, or the wrong side of the van, or standing on the wrong corner,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.” Click to comment Older travellers move with the times ... and put themselves in the picture Young at heart ... Nancie shows selfies are not just for Gen Y’ers Issue 79 August 29, 2014 Page 1 30-49-year-olds. Selfies have become a cul- tural phenomenon with an appeal that apparently spans the generations, but there are still those who argue that it detracts from the travelling experience. “ey’re so busy document- ing, I wonder whether they’re actually experiencing it,” said American psychology expert, Peg Streep. “What should be an experience of learning and growth instead just says, ‘Look at me’ … it’s a narcissistic mo- ment.” • Are you a selfie fanatic? Or do you think it is just silly? What is your favourite pho- tographic self-portrait? Click to comment, or post your ‘selfie’ on our Facebook page here.
In this issue: •Picture fish •Scenic Central Coast •’My van is my sanctuary’
Fun loving grey nomads join the selfie generation
More space needed, GNT readers say
A new survey has revealed that grey nomads are eagerly embracing the ‘selfie’ obsession more commonly associated with young travellers.The practice of holding up a mobile phone to snap yourself with a group of people, or in an exotic location, has become a widespread one … and it’s also something of a social media phenomenon.Famous people as diverse as pop bad boy Justin Bieber and US president Barack Obama are notable practitioners of the selfie art.And now it seems Australia’s army of caravanners and motorhomers are joining in the fun.A survey of 7000 Australians conducted by travel booking site wotif.com found that more than half of Australian travel-lers admit being selfie obsessed on holidays, and take at least one photo of themselves every day,Among senior selfie snappers, two in five travellers aged 50-65, and one in five over-65s, enjoyed putting themselves in the picture.Eighty-something adventurer, Nancie G, is a self-confessed selfie addict.
“It’s all a bit of fun and is just something different to show the family rather than hun-dreds of landscape shots,” she said. “They always have a good laugh at what we get up to.”Husband Arthur is not quite so enthusiastic, though. “They are called ‘selfies’ aren’t they, so I’m not sure why she always has to drag me into her blooming pictures,” he told the GNT. “She can be very embar-rassing sometimes!”Despite the enthusiasm of many grey nomads, baby boomers have still got a long way to go to catch up with the masters of the selfie art, Gen Y.The survey found that one in 10 young Aussies snap more than 10 selfies a day. Four out of five 18-to-29-year-olds said they were regular selfie-takers, along with three in five
It’s time for caravan parks to do more to accommo-date Australia’s growing number of big rigs ... and so says a whopping 95.2% of respondents to our recent GNT poll on the issue.Correspondents want other parks to follow the exam-ple of the Coolum Beach Holiday Park on Queens-land’s Sunshine Coast which is upgrading to offer more over-sized sites.“It seems that the norm is 22’-plus these days, there-fore it makes sense for parks to move with times,” said Reiner and Karen, who travel in a large 5th wheeler.Even when Anne E finds a park with a site able to ac-commodate her 34’ rig, she says she sometimes can’t get through the park to reach it.“It’s usually narrow roads or low trees that create prob-lems,” she said.Sharon B says her husband is an expert reverser, but still gets annoyed if the sites are really tight.“I try to stay clear of him until he is parked as I am always in the wrong spot, or the wrong side of the van, or standing on the wrong corner,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.” Click to comment
Older travellers move with the times ... and put themselves in the picture
Young at heart ... Nancie shows selfies are not just for Gen Y’ers
Issue 79 August 29, 2014
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30-49-year-olds. Selfies have become a cul-tural phenomenon with an appeal that apparently spans the generations, but there are still those who argue that it detracts from the travelling experience.“They’re so busy document-ing, I wonder whether they’re actually experiencing it,” said American psychology expert, Peg Streep. “What should be an experience of learning and growth instead just says, ‘Look at me’ … it’s a narcissistic mo-ment.”
• Are you a selfie fanatic? Or do you think it is just silly? What is your favourite pho-tographic self-portrait? Click to comment, or post your ‘selfie’ on our Facebook page here.
Last week’s picture puzzle solution: The winning entrywas sent by Len A.
Do You Know 1. Which Queensland city might also be some man-made piles of stones.2. I travel between the Victorian towns of Mildura and Bendigo on just one highway. What is it?3. Reverse into Yow Yow to find a NSW Central Coast beauty spot. 4. Shortest road distance between Qld towns of Mount Isa and Winton? a) 467km b) 573km c) 659km5. Creak Vow (anagram). Surf ’s always up in this iconic WA destination. (Answers on p. 6)
QUIZ CORNERWin 2 grey nomad
bumper stickers!
Caravan tragedyTwo people died and five others were injured in a horror smash on the Pacific Highway, north of Grafton in NSW. The collision involved three vehicles - a southbound B double truck, a southbound 4WD towing a caravan, and a northbound 4WD towing a trailer.
Heart attack horrorA 75-year-old man crashed his motorhome through shrubbery and nearly onto a railway track after he suffered a heart attack at the wheel. The driver was taken to hos-pital in a serious condition after the accident in Blen-heim, New Zealand.
Koala ‘miracle’A very lucky koala is “doing well” after being brought back to life by firefighters and a wildlife carer. The koala, named Sean after one of his saviours, ‘died’ after being hit by a car in Melbourne’s southeast. The animal ‘lived again’ after rescuers performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and compressions.
Birdsville bonanzaRecord crowds of more than 6,000 are expected at the Birdsville Races, which takes place on September 5 and 6. The famous Queensland Outback town has a perma-nent population of just 115..
Nomads in Brief
City slickers happiest on dirt roads of the Outback
Characters of the road
Sandra and Kerry B, 69 & 63, love to escape their Brisbane home to head bush
What do you travel in?Our 2013 Grand Cherokee Jeep tows a 20’ Bushtracker. We have an ensuite, washing machine, four solar panels, and five water tanks which en-ables us to stay in the Outback for weeks at a time. While we can, we want to see most of the Outback, which includes dirt roads. We figure we can leave the bitumen roads until we are a bit older.
How long are your trips? The last trip from Brisbane to Western Australia took 5½ months, but generally we go on trips around three months long. The more time we spend on the road, the more we enjoy life and broaden our minds.
Where do you like to camp?We mainly like to stay at free camps, national parks and bush camps that are near riv-ers or lakes. We enjoy fishing so anywhere where there is water is our preference for camping.
Likes and dislikes?We love the freedom to choose where to stay and for how long, and meeting fellow
campers and taking part in happy hour conversations. We don’t like to see campsites littered with rubbish, which happen sometimes even when there are rubbish bins pro-vided.
Favourite on-the-road meal?Camp oven roasts.
Do you volunteer?Yes, we have worked at cattle stations caretaking and feed-ing animals.
What wouldn’t you be without?Generator and diesel heater in the van.
On the-road hobbies? We love fishing, fossicking, bushwalking and the wife does craft work. We also write notes of our day, and then develop the notes into a story of our trip.
Favourite place to camp?Home Valley Station on the Gibb River Road in WA.
Any scary experiences?Our scariest experience was when we were the only campers at the Wuruma Dam campsite and a group of three drunk roo shooters decided to launch their boat next to our campsite. They were acting strangely and it was scary and uncomfortable as we were alone.
Advice for other nomads? Just get out into the Outback, especially the desert areas and enjoy its beauty. Travel safely, drop your tyre pressure on dirt roads, slow down and take time to smell the roses. Especially respect other campers and their privacy if necessary.
Sandra and Kerry are keen to see the Outback
Tow bar Email your entries here
Issue 79: August 29, 2014
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GRAB A CUPPA AND TEST YOUR GREY MATTA
Email us the solution to this picture puzzle. Winner will be drawn from entries and announced in Issue 79. CLUE: It’s definitely not a grey nomad favourite.
Dear Editor,Re: Wildflowers (GNT: Issue 78). As we live just south of Perth in WA we’ve been lucky enough to travel north each year to catch the warmer weather. As a bonus the aston-ishing wildflowers on display around August and September never cease to amaze us. Your article paints the picture beau-tifully and anyone who hasn’t been to the West at this time of the year should do themselves a favour and make the effort.
Judy G
Dear Editor,Here are some wildflower pics that I took in WA in 2008 … a good year!
Maurie Y
Dear Editor,For many years, we have vis-ited the northern wheatbelt of WA in late winter/early spring and we still get wowed every time we go, especially by the Wreath flowers. We are plan-ning a trip again this year.
Jim C (Jaycee)
Dear Editor,We had a great time while in WA. We spent time at Coal-seam National Park and saw
acres of wildflowers 2011. We had a very pleasant stay at the national park camp ground there.
Val B
Dear Editor,We travelled through that area of WA in 2012. Usually, ‘him outdoors’ takes all the photos, but I decided to get my cam-era out too, and took some wonderful pictures. Memories never forgotten. Kalbarri was a lovely place to base yourself to see all the wildflowers.
Julia R
Dear Editor,Taken near Morrowa, WA … the fabulous Wreath flower.
Sandy P
Dear Editor,Re: over-fishing (GNT: Issue 77). This will stir up a few but the vast majority of ‘over fishers’ would have to be boaties. I’ve never seen shore-based fishos taking excessive
Issue 79: August 29, 2014
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numbers of fish although you quite often overhear boaties in caravan parks commenting on how they “only got 15-20 whiting today”. Maybe more diligent Fisheries Inspectors would help! Not to worry, I’ll just keep feeding ’em.
Gregg M
Dear Editor,Re: early wake-ups (Jaclyn & Heidi: Issue 78) If you have to sleep in till 10am, you should have stayed home or should use free camp sites and not park near other campers! You should go to bed early and get up early to enjoy what the bush has to offer early in the mornings
Wendy F
Dear Editor,I have been on the road for a couple of years and find that when camping I often wake to find everyone gone and I haven’t heard a thing. Can’t say the same when in caravan parks, but that is due to close proximity of neighbours prob-ably. Give yourselves time and you will sleep through almost anything.
Vida W
Dear Editor,Personally, I believe that it’s not wise to compare a life on the road with life working 9 to 5. Your circadian clock kicks in after a short time and being woken early in the morning by wildlife, traffic or early risers is far better than that blasted alarm clock. Also, your own special clock will find you in bed at stupid-o’clock in the
evening, ie shortly after the sun goes down. Embrace and enjoy.
TrishDear Editor,Having just spent three months on the road. Using free camps 3-5 nights, then a caravan park for two nights and sometimes longer, we never found our co travel-lers inconsiderate. We often woke to find most has silently moved out. We’ve only one comment to make: ‘Get a life’ (perhaps your not suited to the open road).
Peter & Patricia F Dear Editor,It appears that most retirees especially men cannot get out of the ‘time to do something’ or be somewhere like the next town mentality. You are retired! You do not have to be anywhere in a hurry. Go back to bed until a reasonable hour. Yes, get up for the sunrise, but be quiet. As for packing up, wait until after brekky!
Ian C
Dear Editor,Most new vans being built these days cater for the grey nomads. They increasingly want the comforts of home when on holidays, so often buy a larger van with shower, toilet, washing machine and most other comforts they leave behind at home. Older caravan parks do not have proper or large enough sites to cater for these larger vans and parking can become a real hassle. Judy
Dear Editor,Re: Great Places (GNT: Is-sue 78). Carnarvon Gorge is absolutely sensational. You must visit to appreciate what everybody says. I have stayed at Takaraka Bush Retreat on a powered site. Excellent camp kitchens and amenities blocks. The sites are very spacious (not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for). If you or your partner are limited as to long physically demanding hikes, then Takaraka will cer-tainly suit, so serene/peaceful. We could have stayed forever.
Graeme B
Dear Editor,Re: Jeff and Sam (GNT: Issue 77). What a wonderfully up-lifting story about grey nomad Jeff and his companion dog Shannon … and now Shan-non’s grandson, Sam … enjoy-ing life and new adventures as part of their prescribed ‘Big Lap therapy’. Jeff was very for-tunate indeed to receive such practical advice from his wise GP. With depression in today’s fast-paced, high-stress society reaching almost epidemic proportions, the best thing people can do to help them-selves is to become active. Go for a long daily walk, play sport, get involved in com-munity and/or volunteering activities, or hitch up the van and hit the road where every day is a new adventure. May
Jeff and his furry friend Sam enjoy many more happy years of travel adventures together :)
Sandra B
Dear Editor,A life on the road beckons for my partner and I in a few years time. We have already lived and worked in the Outback but are at present living in our home on the NSW South Coast. Now that is bloody depressing. Some people say the Outback is a lonely place but you feel more alone surrounded by people in a street that choose to ignore you.
Dean G
Dear Editor,On our recent trip to Bris-bane, we called into the RSPCA to check out their new facility. Whilst we were there, we noticed that they had a grey nomads’ site avail-able. For a small donation of $20 per night, we were able to stay on site. The site was equipped with water, power, a sewage dump point and small BBQ/undercover picnic area. The staff explained that a condition of us staying was that we had to volunteer for a few hours each day. We didn’t have any issues with this (what a great way to give back) so my wife helped out with a bit of laundry and I did
a bit of gardening. It felt really great to lend a hand to such a good cause. The site position is conveniently located just a short walk to the city train. It’s left us feeling pretty special to know that we’ve helped them by contributing in our own little way and we’d definitely recommend it to others who are after a unique and reward-ing experience.
Griz
Dear Editor,As we travelled along The Ma-tilda Highway, the Savannah Way, and the Peninsula De-velopment Road to Cape York and on to Thursday lsland and Horn Island, our trusty 4WD and off-road caravan car-ried us, and more than 1,000 books specifically for young Aboriginal readers, all the way. Distributing the books to primary and high schools, radio stations, Aboriginal cultural centres, women and child safe houses brought us in contact with many interest-ing local people, and enlarged our understanding of the ar-eas we were passing through.
It gave our trip an extra sense of purpose to get much-need-ed books to young readers and the stories gave us insight into these small communi-ties. Many schools wanted more, and there are many more to distribute! There are around 230 remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. So please volunteer to be ‘Car-riers for Literacy’. Check out ad in ‘volunteering’ classifieds section of this newsletter.
Julie H
Dear Editor,Re: truck rest stops (Letters: GNT 77). Even suggesting truck drivers “...can choose to stop in a town and sleep in a motel...” shows how idiotic some people are. Just con-sidering the issues of parking and security of road trains, B doubles and even single semi-trailers in towns (which in many cases is illegal) and without recognising that most larger rigs are restricted to certain roads / routes clearly demonstrates the ‘me, me, me’ attitude of some others on the road. Yep, I’m a semi-retired long distance truck driver (and proud of it) doing the Big Lap. Without trucks Aus-tralia will stop. More consid-eration must be given to our integration with trucks on the road and where and when we stop, particularly for the night.
We pick up after others, but not toilet paper. We all realise that it is not the older travel-lers that are leaving the toilet paper around. It is often, but not always, the overseas back-packer in a whiz bang! It is a shame that the hire companies do not stress to their custom-ers the importance of keep-ing Australia clean. But, then again, maybe they do!
Maz W
We are nomads travelling from NSW, currently in the Carnarvon area in WA. I am flabbergasted at the amount of litter on the side of the highways (Kalgoorlie to Perth and the Northern Coastal Highway). I have not seen this to the same extent in any of the eastern or southern states. The amount of bottles and, in particular, beer bottles is astounding! It is disgraceful.
Jo & Trev
My wife and I own a van with no toilet facilities. We, and I believe the majority of ‘no toilet vans’, are very conscious of our environment. If we have the need to go, I head for the bush with a shovel and the wife uses the Portapot. Let’s not play the blame game and accuse those vans without toilets as the culprits.
Ray To say that the toilet paper
is, or could be, left by these smaller van people is so very wrong. We do have ethics and morals. And we do not throw used toilet paper all over the place. The thought makes me feel sick. We too pick up rub-bish at roadside stops.
JW
We were at a big long site just west of Richmond in Queens-land. There were seven or eight bins there. Some were tipped over and some were broken. It was a real mess. I would have loved to clean it up, but it would have taken days to do it. I do hope the Shire people get to it soon.
Wendy B
Many council-supplied bins are put in, and then left to fill up for the crows to spread the rubbish. However, a lot of the bins in WA have a wire mesh lid which can deter them … if people keep them closed.
Maurie Y
During our trip through Western Australia recently, we were given bags contain-ing tongs, large rubbish bags, smaller rubbish bags, and a ‘Keep Australia Clean’ sticker. The bags are sponsored by Rio Tinto Mining. The bags, are available, free at most tour-ist venues in the north west and other parts of Western Australia. It only takes a few minutes to make a difference to the appearance of an over-night rest area. We too, did
not pick up the ‘backpacker confetti’, a term we learnt dur-ing our travels.
Vic W
Early this year, my wife and I stopped at a scenic picnic spot by a river in southern Queens-land. While there, the council rubbish truck came to empty two green wheelie bins. These bins were full to overflowing after a busy weekend, with litter scattered all around on the ground. The guy simply collected and emptied the two bins and totally ignored the rest of the litter. We were both gobsmacked as he drove off down the road.
James M
I recently travelled back from Cape York. I was astounded to see full and overflowing rubbish bins up there. One in the car park at ‘The Tip’ was so overflowing that people had put rocks on overflowing plastic bags on the ground so that the rubbish wouldn’t blow away.
Ian E
On the Caves Road in beauti-ful Margaret River, WA, going towards Denmark, there were no bins for rubbish in the rest areas. We met a volunteer who was spending his retirement (and money for petrol) col-lecting rubbish on the side of the roads. We mentioned the lack of bins and he said the council had removed them all as it was too costly to empty
them. Yet, in other remote parts of WA we saw rubbish carts attending to isolated rest areas cleaning the loos, and emptying ins. They said that they did this three times a week.
Peter & Patricia F
We have just travelled through Victoria and New South Wales. The roadside rubbish was disgusting. Wake up State Governments! If all states had recycling such as South Australia has, it would signifi-cantly reduce the amount of roadside rubbish. South Aus-tralia is a much cleaner state.
Shaz C
I camp a lot at Lagoons Beach on Tassie’s east coast and I find a lot of rubbish, especially toilet paper, in various sites. Also, the amount of trees and low shrubs being cut down for fires is very annoying.
Shayne L
When we go beach fishing, I always come home with some rubbish that some lazy visitor to the beach has left behind.
Ann EAs we travel and stay in free camps we are disgusted to see the amount of toilet paper in the surrounds. We often see campers that obviously don’t have their own toilet. Perhaps we need to lobby those com-panies that hire these vans to educate the traveller that it’s not acceptable to use our bush as a toilet.
Reiner & Karen
Mitchell Camel Races & Ute Muster Saturday 30 August 2014
Mitchell Showgrounds
Gates Open 11.30 am till late Canteen & Bar Operating
Live Music by Travis Holland
Novelty Races for all
Camping available: Major Mitchell Caravan Park, Neil Turner Weir,
State of confusion Recently our websitewww.thegreynomads.com.au reported that the strange divergence between the costs of registering caravans in the various states is causing seri-ous angst. People seeking to register caravans in NSW have to pay about eight times more than Victorians, even those living on the border of the two states.Read more here
Other website must-reads: Bunbury joy Free dump point on its way
Camper fine shock Untidy travellers hit with huge bill
Grey goes blue Nomads choose the waves
Merchandise magicShirts, caps, and stubby holders
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Caught on film ... the ones that got away
SURVEYShould van rego chargesbe the same in all states?
YES NO
Issue 79: August 29, 2014
Are you fed up with friends and family back at home not believing your tales of the ‘one that got away’?Well, now you can bring them back photographic proof! The Strike Cam is a waterproof video camera that attaches to the bottom of a fishing line near the lure. One they have cast their line, hopeful anglers can just press a button to get the camera rolling … and then carry on fishing, and filming.The lens points at the lure and then records the behaviour of any curious fish that is tempted to get up close and personal. It all makes for interesting footage, but there’s more to it than that. If you are one of the downhearted grey nomads who is fed up with watch-ing fellow fishermen cook barramundi on the open fire while you trudge back with an empty bucket, then the Strike Cam could be all the help you need.Instead of sobbing quietly in your van as you eat baked beans on toast again, you up-load the damning underwater footage via USB to a com-puter, and spend the even-ing studying video of those missed catches. In theory, this
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will help you understand how fish fight when they are on the hook, and how they react to different lures.You could go from ‘fisherman zero’ to ‘angling superhero’ in one easy step.The Strike Cam itself is submersible to 10 metres, shoots at just 480p/30fps, and can record up to three hours of footage before the battery needs recharging. Okay, with a cost of $US189, you are all worried about a giant barra swimming off with your cash, or are a little bit reticent about possibly being tempted to wade into north-ern waters to retrieve your expensive bit of gear.Well, the Strike Cam comes with 65 pound super line leaders on front and back. And the company says that, if
lighter line is used on the lure side, the ‘snagged’ lure will break free before the cam-era does. It would still be an anxiety-inducing experience for most budget-conscious grey nomads, though.The Strike Cam is available online. • Do you think the Strike Cam could be the missing ingredient that will finally bring you that elusive fish supper?
Click to comment
Smile ... you’re on candid underwater cam!
The mysteries of the deep (and why you don’t catch fish)
While an area as populous, and as well visited, as the Cen-tral Coast of New South Wales can hardly be described as a secret, it is certainly an area which too many grey nomads miss out on.While it’s close enough to Sydney for commuters to take the trip to the ‘Big Smoke’ daily, it has an atmosphere and an ambience all of its own. The area, which stretch-es northwards from Broken Bay at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River nearly up to Newcastle, boasts beautiful beaches, incredible national parks, gorgeous lakes and some truly fascinating towns. You can’t this miss out of your Big Lap!There are numerous towns in the Central Coast with a com-bined population of around 330,000, making it the third biggest urban area in the state. Gosford is very much at the heart off the district and boasts a massive range of ser-vices and facilities that cater to the weary traveller’s every whim. But this area’s real charm doesn’t lie in its bigger centres such as Gosford and Wyong. There are some beautiful coastal towns and villages to meander though, includ-ing the likes of Norah Head, the Entrance, Toowoon Bay, Bateau Bay, Woy Woy, Avoca
Beach, Terrigal and Ettalong Beach.The beaches throughout the region are gorgeous and there are an awful lot of them to explore, including the popular Umina Beach, Soldiers Beach and the surf beach at North Avoca.If you’re not in the mood to don your Speedos and hit the sand, you might be tempted by one of the many coastal walks, a spot of fishing, or even a visit to the historic No-rah Head lighthouse. You’re spoilt for choice.Whale watching is another favourite activity during the season, and there are numer-ous excellent vantage points, including Crackneck Point in the Wyrrabalong National Park. Here you will also find sandy beaches, red gum forest, rainforest and an abundance of wildlife.The Central Coast is blessed with some superb national parks. Other favourites
include the Brisbane Waters National Park just nine kilo-metres from Gosford which offers great walks, spectacular sandstone landscapes, and the impressive Somersby Falls. If you time your visit right you will be rewarded with some impressive wildflower displays.The Bouddi National Park is also on Gosford’s doorstep and has a varied landscape, some significant Aboriginal sites, and a rich variety of birdlife and wildlife.Of course, there are numerous caravan parks and camping opportunities in the area, as well as a host of markets, and other events including the Central Coast Ukelele Festival, the annual Gathering of the Clans, and the Brisbane Water Oyster Festival. It seems the unforgettable Central Coast has got all bases covered. Click to comment
Beautiful beaches, lovely lakes and remarkable riversPhoto: Hamilton Lund; Destination NSW
Issue 79: August 29, 2014
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1. a 4.5cm wide x 3cm tall ad provided in high resolution (300dpi is best) in either jpg, gif, png or pdf file format - for a newsletter ad.
the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected] Issue 79: A
ugust 29, 2014
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CLASSIFIEDS
DISCLAIMER: The Grey Nomad Times team is not responsible for any sale, trade, or other transactions between vendors and vendees or advertisers and respondents. All parties enter into transactions at their own risk.
Click here to see all the Classified listings on our website
FOR SALE HELP WANTED
Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,I’m not an anti-social traveller but I do have a bit of a ‘thing’ about having other people inside my van. My question is – how do I keep people from wanting to invade my private space without appearing rude or unfriendly? We have what you might call quite a ‘smicky’ van and fellow travellers are always hinting that they would love to look inside. And, when we get invited inside other people’s rigs for a drink, I feel there is some sort of pressure to reciprocate. It’s not like we live like pigs or anything but we don’t always get to the washing up straight away, and the odd dirty sock is left lying around. We are on holiday, after all! I am happy to have people join us under our awning, but we feel the van is our own private sanctuary. Are we unusual?
Veronica
Please don’t feel you are alone in this, Veronica … and it is doesn’t just affect people on the road, either. Even for house dwellers, there is nothing worse than getting a surprise visit to your ‘lived-in’ home from a super houseproud neighbour. I guess most grey nomads can’t pull the handy, old ‘oh, those messy kids’ excuse but they can perhaps count on a bit more under-standing from fellow travellers who also understand what it’s like to live in a confined space, whether it be in a caravan, motorhome or camper trailer. I think you will be surprised by how little interest people have in the tidiness of your van when compared to the stories you can share, and the advice you can offer. Don’t worry so much about what others might think, Veronica. Just relax and enjoy. Jaclyn
Jeepers, Veronica. It’s your van, do what you like! There is no great grey nomad rule about ‘van inviting’ etiquette. If you don’t want people to poke about in your van because you like to have your own private space, then keep the door closed. Easy! You don’t need to justify yourself or explain yourself. If, on the other hand, you secretly do want to invite people in to your van but don’t because you are ashamed of a stray smelly sock or dirty dishes, then you’ve got two choices. One: toughen up. If people are going to judge you because you don’t put as high a priority on ‘housework’ as they do, then they are not worth knowing anyway. Two: Kick the sock under the bed and throw a big tea towel over the dirty dishes. It works for me!
HeidiClick to comment
‘I like my privacy’
VOLUNTEERING
WEE WAA (NW NSW) We are needing someone to stay on the farm from mid October to end of Decem-ber.We would need the garden maintained such as lawns mowed, beds weeded hedging & watering. Click here for more.
***DONALD, VICWe are looking for an auto electrician to manage our workshop in Donald Vic for up three months from early March 2015. Click here for more.
***BYRON BAY HINTERLAND, NSWSeeking help on our twenty acre property in the beautiful Byron Hinterland. We have just moved in and would love to have some help to smarten the place up. Click here for more.
***NSW, QLD, SA AND VIC 2014/15 HARVEST STAFF REQUIREDWe have upcoming harvest positions as: • Grain Handler • Grain Sampler • Weighbridge OperatorScreening of applicants will commence in August 2014. Successful applicants will be required to attend pre-harvest training days to be held during September/Octo-ber 2014. Work may commence October/November. All applications must be made online at: www.graincorp.com.au/careers/harvest-recruitment.
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www.easyoffroad.com.au
Trailers from $44,950Sale Ends June 30
2/5 Solar Pass BIBRA LAKE
DARWIN/HUMPTY DOO, NTWe are looking for someone with a caravan or motor home to look after our property and Jack Russell dog for ap-proximately 6 weeks commencing in early October 2014. Click here for more.
***NOOSA, QLD AREAlooking for competent housesitters who could mind a close knit family of dogs (2) cats (2) BIRD (1) and 2 horses in October on land in Cootharaba, 20 mins north of Noosa. Click here for more.
***TENTERFIELD, NSWWanted couple or single to set up camp on our 860 acre property. Click here.
CENTRAL COAST/EVERYWHERE indij Readers, a not for profit registered charity located on the NSW Central Coast, is donating culturally appropriate books for distribution to Aboriginal children in remote communities. Carrier for literacy volunteers wanted. Click here for more.
***NORTH QLDCampground Hosts wanted in various national parks in north Qld. Click here for more.
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