the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected]In this issue: •A Tassie treasure •Rain, rain, blow away •I’m a tech addict Tourists should be top priority – GNT readers From searing heat and spectacular electrical storms to torrential downpours and tropical cyclones, the weather brings an unpredictable and uncontrollable element to the grey nomad adventure. And, judging from the latest batch of meteorological re- search, it seems travellers had better strap themselves in for some turbulent times ahead. An international study has just concluded that extreme La Niña events will almost double in frequency as the climate warms. In Australia, that’s likely to mean more heavy rain and associated flooding. Grey nomads who have suf- fered from the impacts of flooding, bushfires or high winds will need no reminding of what a devastating impact the weather can have on the Big Lap experience. Most travellers, of course, plan their itinerary carefully to maximise their exposure to the perfect sunny days that Australia is famed for, and to minimise the likelihood of running into extreme weather events. Some though choose to test their luck by travelling out of season to avoid the crowds, while a brave few actively seek out the worst that Mother Nature can throw at them. Jane O’Neill and Clyve Herbert are ‘stormchasing nomads’ who spend spring and summer looking for bad weather here, and then head to America to do the same. ey travel in a 2-berth 2002 Ford Transit campervan be- cause it might just be manoeu- vrable enough to get them out of trouble if they ever get too close to a nasty storm. “We’ve seen some memo- rable events in our travels in Australia ... half a dozen tornadoes, flooding, danger- ous lightning, golf ball- and orange-sized hail, hurricane force winds,” said Jane. “We do have many hail dents on the car in the USA, but we try and keep our Australian motorhome out of the hail core of any severe storms we encounter.” Clyve and Jane are weather Australia’s caravan parks should start paying more attention to catering to the needs of their ‘tourist’ clientele, according to the overwhelming majority of GNT readers. During the mining boom, it seemed many parks focussed on permanent and semi-permanent residents, but many of you think now is the time to redress the balance. Some 91.3% of respond- ents to our poll on the issue thought van parks should be a lot more tourist focussed. Many praised the Coraki Riverside Caravan Park in New South Wales for removing substandard ‘permanent’ structures, and upgrading its facilities to attract more tourists. “It’s great to see some parks addressing what has become a growing ‘issue’ in many parts of Australia,” said Cynthia A. “e ratio of permanents to travellers in some van parks makes a mockery of what they are supposed to be for.” Madeleine G agreed, saying different sorts of parks had very different atmospheres. “But sometimes you don’t know what you are letting yourself in for until it is too late,” she said. Click to comment Weather plays a part in all grey nomad journeys ... but, for some, bad is good Light show ... Electrical storms often makes a great picture Photo: Jane O’Neill and Clyve Herbert Issue 90: February 13, 2015 Page 1 experts and emphasise that storm chasing is not a good hobby for most grey nomads. “Storm chasing can be a fascinating pastime,” said Jane. “But it is one where you really do need to know what you are dealing with, and to understand the behaviour of storms.” Racing to be in the right place for when the next front moves through, or when a low pressure trough stalls, means the couple can rack up tens of thousands of kilometres in double quick time. “We spend quite a bit of our time zigzagging backwards and forwards, up and down, and across,” said Jane. “But we love our lives on the road and have chased some spectacular storms in the process!” • What’s the scariest weather event you’ve experienced while on the road? Click to comment Big Lap hobby leads to a perfect storm
In this issue: •A Tassie treasure •Rain, rain, blow away •I’m a tech addict
Tourists shouldbe top priority– GNT readers
From searing heat and spectacular electrical storms to torrential downpours and tropical cyclones, the weather brings an unpredictable and uncontrollable element to the grey nomad adventure.And, judging from the latest batch of meteorological re-search, it seems travellers had better strap themselves in for some turbulent times ahead.An international study has just concluded that extreme La Niña events will almost double in frequency as the climate warms. In Australia, that’s likely to mean more heavy rain and associated flooding. Grey nomads who have suf-fered from the impacts of flooding, bushfires or high winds will need no reminding of what a devastating impact the weather can have on the Big Lap experience. Most travellers, of course, plan their itinerary carefully to maximise their exposure to the perfect sunny days that Australia is famed for, and to minimise the likelihood of running into extreme weather events. Some though choose to test their luck by travelling out of season to avoid the crowds, while a brave few actively seek
out the worst that Mother Nature can throw at them.Jane O’Neill and Clyve Herbert are ‘stormchasing nomads’ who spend spring and summer looking for bad weather here, and then head to America to do the same.They travel in a 2-berth 2002 Ford Transit campervan be-cause it might just be manoeu-vrable enough to get them out of trouble if they ever get too close to a nasty storm.“We’ve seen some memo-rable events in our travels in Australia ... half a dozen tornadoes, flooding, danger-ous lightning, golf ball- and orange-sized hail, hurricane force winds,” said Jane. “We do have many hail dents on the car in the USA, but we try and keep our Australian motorhome out of the hail core of any severe storms we encounter.” Clyve and Jane are weather
Australia’s caravan parks should start paying more attention to catering to the needs of their ‘tourist’ clientele, according to the overwhelming majority of GNT readers.During the mining boom, it seemed many parks focussed on permanent and semi-permanent residents, but many of you think now is the time to redress the balance.Some 91.3% of respond-ents to our poll on the issue thought van parks should be a lot more tourist focussed. Many praised the Coraki Riverside Caravan Park in New South Wales for removing substandard ‘permanent’ structures, and upgrading its facilities to attract more tourists.“It’s great to see some parks addressing what has become a growing ‘issue’ in many parts of Australia,” said Cynthia A. “The ratio of permanents to travellers in some van parks makes a mockery of what they are supposed to be for.”Madeleine G agreed, saying different sorts of parks had very different atmospheres.“But sometimes you don’t know what you are letting yourself in for until it is too late,” she said.Click to comment
Weather plays a part in all grey nomad journeys ...
but, for some, bad is good
Light show ... Electrical storms often makes a great picturePhoto: Jane O’Neill and Clyve Herbert
Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 1
experts and emphasise that storm chasing is not a good hobby for most grey nomads.“Storm chasing can be a fascinating pastime,” said Jane. “But it is one where you really do need to know what you are dealing with, and to understand the behaviour of storms.” Racing to be in the right place for when the next front moves through, or when a low pressure trough stalls, means the couple can rack up tens of thousands of kilometres in double quick time.“We spend quite a bit of our time zigzagging backwards and forwards, up and down, and across,” said Jane. “But we love our lives on the road and have chased some spectacular storms in the process!”• What’s the scariest weather event you’ve experienced while on the road? Click to comment
Grasshopper plagueGrasshoppers have reached plague proportions in parts of the NSW central west and authorities are trying to make a case for aerial spray-ing of the insects. It can be a difficult region in which to control plague locusts be-cause of the concern about impact on watercourses and native species.
Barbecue warningVictorian authorities are warning people could face 15 years jail if they continue their reckless behaviour with public barbecues during the fire danger period. This follows a number of recent incidents in which people left smouldering fire beads lying on the side of the road.
Mammal lossAustralia is losing its mam-mals at a quicker rate than most regions in the world. A three-year study has found Australia’s loss of 10% of its mammals since settlement. Researchers say cats and foxes are mainly to blame.
Nomads in Brief
Long-planned trip lives up to our expectations
Characters of the road
Eils, 63,& Alby, 67, left their Kalgoorlie home
three years ago
What do you travel in?A 28’ home-built caravan towed by a 2004 100 series LandCruiser. It is our home now, and has everything we need for comfort.
Where do you camp?We love free camping, waking up to a new view out of the bedroom window. We love the freedom to go where we want and when we want, with no timeframe and no responsi-bilities.
Was it long in the planning?We planned this trip the mo-ment we landed in Australia from England in 1971. We have worked hard all our lives to fund our retirement and this is wanted we wanted to do.
Favourite on-the-road meal?Our own ‘cheese-and-potato pie and baked beans’. It’s a dish that goes way back to when the children were little and has been our favourite ever since. I also smoke chicken breasts in the Cobb and freeze for lunches.
On the-road hobbies?Alby loves gold detecting, fish-ing and reading. I love keeping a journal, photography, read-ing and I knit squares to send
to a South African children’s charity. We also both love walking.
Do you volunteer as you go? Yes, this is our favourite part of travelling. We volunteer as much as we can. We get great joy from helping out people in need, and have met some wonderful families that don’t want us to leave!
Favourite place so far?It would have to be the North-ern Territory in autumn. We had an awesome time at Alice Springs volunteering at The Road and Transport Hall of Fame. We met some wonder-ful people and there was so much to see and do in and around ‘The Alice’.
What wouldn’t you be without?Our computers, camera … and Alby’s port barrel!
Scariest nomad experience?We were parked up at a farm in NSW for a few weeks and we got mice and a rat in the van. They were chewing the woodwork under the fridge! We had to put baits down and finally got rid of them.
Advice for other nomads?Being on the road full time is not for everyone, so work out what suits you best. Do a lot of research when buying your rig. It took us about two years of research to find what suited us best. When driving, tune your CB to the truckies’ chan-nel 40 and be mindful of the road trains.
Any plans to stop?At the moment, we are enjoy-ing the travelling so much, we can’t imagine ourselves living in a house any more!
Eils and Alby had a great time in the Northern Territory
the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected] Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 3
Dear EditorRe: Corporate van park ownership survey (GNT: Issue 88). When we do have to stay in a caravan park, we prefer the independents. If it has to be a chain, it’s normally Top Tourist Parks. They still seem to manage the personal touch most of the time, but it’s get-ting harder and harder to find a decent caravan park. I hate being crammed in with only about a metre or so between vans, let alone the cost you pay for that privilege.
Mike P
Dear Editor,I used to believe in multi-na-tional companies because they employ a lot of people but, when you look at what they have done over the last 10-20 years, you begin to see just how bad they really are. They have squeezed the viabil-ity out of suppliers and grow-ers, destroyed the little corner shop to a point of almost non-existence, and they are the big pushers to end penalty rates and they’ll be the winners if penalty rates go. I try to use small busi-nesses wherever possible and wouldn’t it be fabulous if we could organise nomads to boycott certain multi-national companies on a regular basis? If we could organise ourselves, then we the people could
make these companies sit up and look.
Roger C
Dear Editor,Corporate ownership of caravan parks is only for one reason … money! And the more they can take from their tenants the more they will charge. While most of the large corporations (Big 4 etc) do improve the park for ten-ants, their prices generally go up as well. A caravan park’s product is the sale of space with or without power and water and rubbish removal. If they complicate that sale by applying high prices or by adding playground equipment (bouncy things etc) then peo-ple go elsewhere (as I do). It’s time that they recognised that
we rent a very small piece of land from them and the rental price should reflect that. After all, we supply the ‘house’, but in many cases they are charg-ing more than we could rent a standard three-bedroom house for.
WayneDear Editor,Leave the parks to the normal people, not those big guys who will make the rules as well, and try to get a monopo-ly over all, so they can price as they want.
Johanna S
Dear Editor,As we drive into a park we find it refreshing to find that the people you see in the of-fice are the owners. They can tell you more about what is around you than the people who are hired just for the short term.
Max & Rita
Dear Editor,Caravan parks are already trying to make it harder for motel owners by increasing
the number of ‘villas’ they are putting up in caravan parks. The extent to which they try to ‘rip off ’ families who want a holiday with their children during school holidays is extraordinary. Once corporate ownership takes over there will be no end to the profit grab. Travellers on pensions or low incomes will be hard pushed to find a caravan park that they can afford. Thank goodness for RV friendly towns. At least the community benefits as travellers do contribute to the whole community in purchas-ing food/fuel/souvenirs/ and other ‘would likes’ in these RV friendly towns. When staying in caravan parks the only contribu-tion is to the park. One only buys necessities – and as few as possible – when being charged exorbitant fees in caravan parks.
Louise D
Dear Editor,Here at Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist park you will find an owner-operated park that has been fully renovated by our own hands (and some little hands too!). So, if you are looking for that personal one-on-one, make sure you pop over. See you soon!
Rohan & Josephina
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the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected] Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 4
Dear Editor,Re: Jaclyn & Heidi (GNT: Issue 89). My sympathies on this one. We had the same problem. We kept finding reasons not to go. Then one day, just went. We only made about 100 kilometres the first day, but at least we were started. We have been on the road for about three years now. We park the van up and fly home to Western Australia from wherever we are, every four months or so, and stay home for a couple of weeks. Our adult children are ‘hous-esitting’ so you can imagine we take little encouragement to leave again.We usually fly home for Christmas and stay for a couple of the hottest/wettest months. Good luck and happy travels.
John & Kaye
Dear Editor,Re: Fruit picking (GNT: Issue 89). I went to Griffith to pick oranges many years ago, I went to Centrelink looking for work, only to find I had to have a resume to get a job. I was 60 years old at the time. I was asked what I was doing when I was 17 years old! I gave up with them and found my own work.
John L
Dear Editor,Re: Gadget of the road (GNT:
Issue 89). If the Ridersmate is waterproof, I can see us us-ing it when we are out in our kayaks fishing and shooting photos.
Robyn B
Dear Editor,What a top idea. Yes, I can see me getting one.
Kerry J
Dear Editor,The Ridersmate is a great idea, I will be buying one!
Lindsay R
Dear Editor,As grey nomads, my hus-band and I have to watch our pennies. Over the years we have stopped at what was the Matilda Road House south side of Gympie. What a pleas-ure it was to fuel up and get good, reasonably priced food then sit outside and enjoy a break. While the food prices may have gone up a lot, the one thing that remains is the surety of a smile and friendly
service from the ladies in the truck shop. We will continue to stop for our fuel, a friendly smile and courteous service but will go elsewhere for our food break.
Wanda J
Dear Editor,When we go camping, we take the dog on a lead. When we get to the campsite I put her on a run, between the back of the camper and the front of the car. She’s quite happy - we walk her on the lead 2-3 times/day. Since we got the dog, we can’t go to the parks. Surely a rule - always on a lead would work. I wouldn’t do anything to damage the wildlife. Why not have a $5000 fine and a ban if you’re caught.
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Dear Editor,We absolutely love camping in Australia’s amazing national parks as we travel this beauti-ful country. I have to say that, considering the facilities – or lack of them – at many places I do think they charge way too much. However, my partner and I can afford to pay the price and prefer to bite our tongues and stay positive about the experience. Ultimately, we consider it a privilege to be able to spend our retirement enjoying the magnificence of these largely pristine parks. What we can’t be silent about though are the plans we keep reading about for various states to allow more and more ‘tourism’ developments in our parks. Once they let this particular genie out of the bottle it won’t be going back in again … and the simple natural pleasures that we are lucky enough to enjoy will be denied to future generations of grey nomads. These short-sighted policy changes have to be reversed before it is too late.
Oliver G
Dear Editor,This evening, we were enlight-ened. We had always thought we were grey nomads but in fact we are VIAGRAs! That is Veterans In Automobiles Go-ing Round Australia.
The road to recovery? Recently our websitewww.thegreynomads.com.au reported that poor infrastruc-ture in some parts of Tasma-nia is being blamed by some for ‘stifling’ tourism on the Apple Isle. And the Mayor of the Huon Valley Council, Peter Coad, says unsealed roads are frightening many visitors – including grey nomads – away.Click here for more.
Other website must-reads:Wilderness no more?Tassie’s ‘title’ changes
On the streetsWhere should free camps end?
Either or?Can van parks cater for both families and nomads?
Merchandise magicShirts, caps, and stubby holders
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Rain, rain blown away ... by an ‘air jet’ brolly
SURVEYAre you ‘scared off’ by unsealed roads?
YES NO
Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Okay, so most grey nomads try to plan their trips to avoid the rain as much as possible … but sometimes Mother Nature just doesn’t follow the script, does she?And, this being the land of extremes, the Australian weather Gods aren’t often satisfied with a few annoy-ing drops of the wet stuff, they have to throw down a bushwalk-wrecking, clothes-soaking deluge. But what’s a poor grey nomad to do? You can’t very well cart an unwieldy, spring-loaded, eyeball-threatening umbrella around with you 24/7 just on the off-chance today’s the day the drought’s going to break.Help is here! In great news for all of us who have spent squillions of rainy days living in fear of a poke in the eye from a clumsy, brolly-wielding fiend, it appears the days of the metal-poles-and-canopy umbrella could be numbered!Yup. Time to say hello to the ingenious Air Umbrella which repels rain, courtesy of its powerful air jets. The device uses a lithium battery to power a motor and
Page 5
fan, which creates a cycle of air flowing through its tip. This forms a protective layer which – incredibly – deflects the rainfall. Apparently, it works! And the umbrella’s ‘shield’ is sufficient to protect two people – and possibly even more – if the rain isn’t too heavy. Wow!And this thing is easy to carry. There is a mini-version which is 30cm long; a midi version which is 50cm long; and a wet season busting maxi version which is 80 centimetres long. The variants weight 500g, 800g, and 850g respectively. The mini versions have a battery life of 15 minutes, and the larger two a battery life of 30 minutes. Not enough time to allow you to stroll the Bib-bulmun Track in a downpour, but just about enough time
Dodge the raindrops with a jet of air
to get you back to the van or some other refuge in most circumstances.On the downside, the air umbrella won’t be cast-ing any shade or protecting over-heating grey nomad bushwalkers from the relent-less Australian sunshine. The Air Umbrella is, as you would hope, waterproof. It can be fully recharged in about an hour. While it is still in development stage, deliveries of the Air Umbrella are expected to start from December, 2015. The Chinese designers behind the project expect the final retail cost will be around $200.• Is the Air Umbrella for you? When do you think it would come into its own? Click to comment
DUAL CAB TRAYS with or with-
out side compartments.
UNIQUE REMOVABLE TRAYS & FRIDGE SLIDES FOR
LANDCRUISER 200 & PRADO 120 SERIES - simply unclip & remove if
The small fishing village of Strahan in Tasmania’s ‘wild west’ is known as the gateway to the state’s fabled world her-itage listed wilderness areas… but it deserves more than mere stepping stone status.Founded in 1881, the town boasts a 19th-century streetscape and a cluster of museums, galleries and cafes. During the summer season, Strahan – which has a perma-nent population of around 700 – transforms into a bustling (by fishing village standards) tourist hub.As well as boasting a rich fishing heritage, Strahan was once a significant port town and an important centre for the timber industry, and it has retained links to these central strands of its history. Its main street faces the majestic waters of Macquarie harbour. Grey nomads can stroll along the waterfront and visit an historic sawmill where craftsmen cre-ate magnificent sculptures from Tasmanian specialty timbers, including Huon pine.As you might expect, there are plenty of places to sample and enjoy the region’s fresh seafood, fine wine and gour-met produce. However, try as it might to keep travellers in town, sooner or later, Strahan has to admit defeat as they are all inevitably lured away to the nearby wilderness areas.
Driving through the moun-tainous landscape, visiting historic mining towns, and exploring the truly incredible national parks here will be one of the highlights of your Big Lap adventure, no matter how long, or how far, you travel.Other than getting out there yourself, there are quite a few ways to experience one of the last remaining examples of pristine temperate rainforest on the planet. You can board Gordon River Cruises from the Strahan waterfront to journey into the World Herit-age area, or bust the budget and take scenic flights over the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.While it may not take you into the world heritage area itself, boarding the fully-restored steam railway from Strahan to Queenstown will take you through dense rainforest, cavernous gorges, and rushing rivers in unforgettable style.
Strahan is also the base for boat trips to Sarah Island, a former penal settlement that earned a reputation as being one of the harshest in the Australian colonies. In Stra-han, the Round Earth Theatre Company performs a daily play about Sarah Island. ‘The Ship That Never Was’ has now been performed more than 5000 times and is Australia’s longest running play.Also on Strahan’s doorstep is Ocean Beach, which stretches for over 30 kilometres; a huge mass of sand dunes called the Henty Dunes; and the Hoga-rth Falls which can be reached via a 40-minute scenic stroll through the People’s Park.There is then so much to see and do in this remarkable part of the world … and that’s even before you’ve got the rods out and started dreaming of salmon or trout for dinner! Click to comment
Strahan is a lovely fishing village
Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 6
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Email us the solution to this pic-ture puzzle. Winner will be drawn from entries and announced in Issue 91. CLUE: All grey nomads dreamed of doing this.
Do You Know 1. I’m travelling directly between the NSW towns of Gilgandra and Dunedoo. Which highway am I on?
2. Itch filled (anagram). It’s rock pool heaven at this NT park.
3. What is the shortest road distance between the WA towns of Albany and Esperance? a) 342km b) 481km c) 592km
4. It sounds like underground workers might find it a tight squeeze to get into this town on the Mitchell Highway.
5. Which NSW town on the New England Highway would go well with jam.
Boost for Outback highways Grey nomads could soon find the New South Wales Outback that much more accessible – if slightly less adventurous – fol-lowing a funding boost to two remote and rugged highways. The New South Wales state government is to give $40 million to help with upgrading and sealing works on the Sil-ver City and Cobb highways.The sealing of these major roads has been strung out over many decades and whilst the ‘turbo charged’ money won’t be enough to complete all remaining works, the govern-ment says it is confident that the remaining funds will soon be accessed.The Silver City Highway in the arid Far West region of New
South Wales heads north from Buronga up via Broken Hill to Tibooburra. The 684-kilome-tre-long highway will receive three quarters of the funding, and new works will include a new bridge over Packsaddle Creek north of Broken Hill.
Campaigners hope it means the day might eventually dawn when the Silver City Highway is fully sealed to Tibooburra.The $10 million dollar upgrade to seal and upgrade parts of the Cobb Highway north of Ivanhoe will appar-
More visitors wanted in places such as Broken Hill Photo: Broken Hill City Council
Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 7
A large part of the joy in taking off on the Big Lap and heading out into the country is stumbling across all manner of weird and wonderful events.While grey nomads may revel in the novelty of attending beer can regattas or goanna pulling competitions, that doesn’t mean they aren’t also looking to enjoy more cultur-ally ‘highbrow’ events.Certainly, strong grey nomad interest went a long way to ex-plaining the amazing success of a tour of regional Australia late last year by a group of professional female opera singers. The stated aim of the 7 Sopranos was to ‘turn opera
on its head’ and to make it fun and accessible for people who wouldn’t normally identify with that style of music.Judging by the response to their last tour, and the fact they are about to do it all again, it seems like it’s very much a case of: ‘Misssion Ac-complished’.The group, which has been performing together for four years and whose debut album made the ARIA charts, is to hit the road again next month.Promising audiences a magical mix of top-flight voices, opu-lent sets and lavish costumes, the 7 Sopranos will stage a series of 11 concerts in towns
across New South Wales and Queensland from March 11-22. They will bring their fresh take on the grand Italian opera tradition to Warwick, Dalby, Kingaroy, North Lakes, Grafton, Glen Innes, Armi-dale, Tenterfield, Byron Bay, Helensvale, and Wynnum.Highlights will include arias from La Traviata, Carmen, La Boheme, Phantom of the Opera and of course the Toreador and Nessun Dorma – soprano style.
• Is opera alive and well and living in the bush? What sort of events do you look out for when you are on the road?
Click to comment
ently make a big difference to how trafficable the road is, particularly in wet weather. The highway begins at its junc-tion with the Barrier Highway near Wilcannia and runs south through the townships of Ivanhoe, Booligal, Hay and Deniliquin, ending at Moama, before continuing into Victo-ria as the Northern Highway.Minister for Western NSW Kevin Humphries said spend-ing money on better roads to boost tourism opportunities was a ‘no-brainer’.
• Have you travelled either of these highways? Would you travel them if they were fully sealed?
the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected] Issue 90: February 13, 2015
Page 8
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,We’re about to head off on our big adventure, and I’m starting to worry about a ‘planning stage promise’ I made to my wife, Darlene. Before retiring last year, my job meant I had to be ‘in touch’ 24/7 and I was one of those annoying people who was always on his phone … even at restaurants or on walks. The problem is, even now I’m retired, I can’t stop. I’m always checking cricket scores, texting old colleagues, or looking at funny videos … and it’s driving Darlene crazy. In a moment of weakness, I promised I would only use my phone for half an hour a day when we’re on the road. I thought she would forget about the deal, but she hasn’t. I’m looking forward to bushwalks, but I know I’ll also ‘need’ my phone. Help!
Neville
I can’t be sure, Neville, but I suspect that you will have changed your tune in a few weeks or a few months time. I understand that silly videos or old cricket scores are difficult to resist but so is the magic of Uluru at sunrise, the evocative colours of the Painted Desert, and the might of the Great Southern Ocean. And that’s all before you start to think about where you are going to camp that night, what you are going to have for dinner, and before you start chatting to the many fascinating new friends you are about to meet. If you are so worried about your ‘problem’, you might try re-negotiate with Darlene and maybe get an extra half an hour a day on your precious smart phone but it will be your loss if you choose to use it. Jaclyn
Give me strength, Neville. You don’t really have to ask your wife for permission to use your phone as often as you like, whenever you like. I guess the real question here is why on earth would you want to stare at a screen and look up useless facts and silly videos when you could actually be out there embrac-ing your new life. Like many newly retired people I suspect you are struggling to cope with your new status in life. Hiding behind a smart phone isn’t going to make you an executive again or even make your wife think you are one. Reality check, Neville. People don’t want to call you at 6am or at midnight, or on the weekend any more … and that really is a good thing! Don’t fight it, enjoy it.
HeidiClick to comment
‘I’m a tech addict’
COWRA, NSW We are a young family of four, looking for friendly ‘Grey Nomads’, to perform build-ing maintenance tasks on our picturesque sheep and cattle property near Cowra in Central West NSW. Tasks involved will require someone with building experience.Click here
***KATHERINE, NT Honest Reliable Cleaner wanted: Looking for someone to take on my position as Cleaner for a Catholic School in Katherine NT, Position can be done by one person or husband – wife team. Click here
***CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, QLD Wanted honest and reliable Caretakers to look after our small cattle property in the Central Highlands. The position is available from 1st April – 1st May 2015. Requires your own caravan /motorhome with all amenities free and a small wage in return for caretaking duties. Click here.
***BLINMAN, SA BLINMAN HERITAGE MINE – ASSISTANT MANAGER . Blinman Progress Associa-tion is seeking, (for their Underground Mine Tours) a person to relieve the Mine Manager for a minimum of 4 days a fort-night from April 1st to October 31st 2015.Click here.
***
HOUSESITTING
ALBANY, WAWe currently have a casual position avail-able for 3 weeks work in February and March 2015. We are a small family owned business situated in Albany WA. The work involves sharpening the chipper knives for the timber companies in the area. Click here.
***SOUTHWEST WA Motorhome or caravan site (beside shed) available with power,water, own bathroom and access to rustic outdoor BBQ/kitchen area from the 13/03/15 – 27/03/15 on our 100 acre property. Click here.
***
KYOGLE, NSWLooking who someone to farmsit 26 acres on the Richmond River at Kyogle NSW. We have 14 head cattle, 6 chooks, 1 dog and possibly a cat to look after. Approx 8th June and 8th July 2015. Click here.
***HUMPTY DOO, NT Seeking great nomads to look after our 5 acre block in Humpty Doo from late March for 4 to 6 months thereabouts. We are happy to discuss the period. Click here.
***CHARTERS TOWERS, QLDI am looking for a house sitter for around a month from 25th July – 25th June or thereabouts. Click here.
