Closed On Tuesdays

By Jon Peasey

Living the dream! For many Australians that dream is packing up and travelling around this great land of ours. Maybe you are wondering why a book about travelling is called 'Closed On Tuesdays'? Travelling in the southern states of Australia, time and time again, we found businesses closed on Tuesdays. As tourists we found this inconvenient as we could not access their services.
At the end of 2001, I resigned from my job as a male Nurse at Innisfail District Hospital in Queensland, Australia. It was time to begin living the dream! My wife Rachel and I decided it was time to see more of this wonderful land of ours – Australia. Our plan was to sell our goods and chattels and live in our tent, until we could purchase a good second hand caravan. Then we would commence a touring holiday of this ‘Big Country’. I would supplement our funds by finding casual work as a nurse. Rachel would have a good break from being a Family Day Carer; which she had worked at for many years.
Some people thought we were mad; others would have loved to be bold enough to do the same thing. I think a lot of Australians have the same dream; to travel around Australia, and take their ‘home’ with them.
This eBook contains recollections of our time living the dream; with its many ups and downs.
Come along and join us on our journeys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jon Peasey
• Release date: Oct 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9780987379238

Jon Peasey

I am a retired male nurse, married with three grown up sons, who have all left home to pursue their own interests in life. My wife and I moved from Toowoomba in south east Queensland in October 2015 to Brookfield a suburb in Brisbane Queensland (QLD). We made the move to be closer to family. In December 2018 we moved to Nundah Queensland to move even closer to family. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland. Queensland is famous for the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane River and is known as the 'River City'. It is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. I am a Christian and I fellowship with like minded Christians. I enjoy writing, reading my Bible and Christian books. I tend to read non-fiction books in my spare time. My interests are my family, writing, bible study, beach walking, car touring, gospel preaching and bible teaching.

Book preview

Closed On Tuesdays

By Jon Peasey

Published by Peasey Publications

at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Jon Peasey

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free eBook.

Although this is a free eBook, it remains the copyrighted property

of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for

commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed the book,

please encourage your friends to download their own copy at

Smashwords.com where they can also discover other works by this author.

Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Preamble

Heading South

Brisbane

Sorrow And Joy

On The Move

A Change Of Direction

Bannockburn

Winter In Bannockburn

Spring In Victoria

Decision Time

Destination North

South Mission Beach

Epilogue

About The Author

Preamble

It was time, to begin living the dream! My wife Rachel and I decided it was time to see more of this wonderful land of ours – Australia. We had lived in Innisfail in Far North Queensland for about 17 years. Our three sons grew up in Innisfail. They left home, one by one; Joel and Andrew went to live in New Zealand, and Michael to study at the University of Queensland, in Brisbane.

Maybe you are wondering why a book about travelling is called 'Closed On Tuesdays'? Travelling in the southern states of Australia, time and time again, we found businesses closed on Tuesdays; particularly in regional and rural areas in Victoria. As tourists we found this inconvenient as we could not access their services.

At the end of 2001, I resigned from my job as a male Nurse at Innisfail District Hospital in Queensland, Australia. Our plan was to sell our goods and chattels and live in our tent, until we could purchase a good second hand caravan. Then we would commence a touring holiday of this ‘Big Country’. I would supplement our funds by finding casual work as a nurse. Rachel would have a good break from being a Family Day Carer; which she had worked at for many years.

Some people thought we were mad; others would have loved to be bold enough to do the same thing. I think a lot of Australians have the same dream; to travel around Australia, and take their ‘home’ with them. The following pages contain recollections of our time living the dream; with its many ups and downs.

So buckle up your seat belt, put on your sunglasses, and enjoy the ride.

[Our Falcon sedan at The Coconuts - Innisfail QLD]

Heading South

The big day arrived! It was Christmas Eve 2001 in Innisfail, North Queensland. The house was immaculately clean, ready for the inspection by Campbell’s Real Estate. Our Falcon sedan was crammed full of personal belongings, camping equipment and food for the journey. We had one last look around the house. The house keys were placed on a kitchen bench. The front door was locked and closed for the final time. The rest of our belongings had been packed in cartons and consigned to Rachel’s cousin Elizabeth in Brisbane Queensland.

We backed slowly out of the driveway it was 7:10 am. Rachel and I were tired from the big weekend clean up. The trip today would take us down the Bruce Highway; through Tully, Cardwell, Ingham, Townsville, Ayr, Bowen, Proserpine, and finally to Midge Point about 100 km north of Mackay.

The day turned out hot, we appreciated the air conditioning in the car. The weather was hot, humid and sunny. Today was the beginning of a touring and working holiday to the southern States of Australia. Brisbane would be our first major lengthy stay. Our plan was to camp in our tent until we could buy a decent, second hand caravan for the big trip.

Travellers Rest Caravan Park at Midge Point had plenty of shady sites. In fact too much shade, as the abundance of trees tended to block the sea breeze from the beach; making it feel hot, close and stifling. We decided it was not for us in a tent in the hot, humid conditions.

The Beach Caravan Park in Mackay was our next port of call. We had camped here previously and had enjoyed it. We unpacked our four persons', dome tent and set up camp for three nights.

What a great spot, right at Illawong beach, with good sea breezes. The beach was just over the sand dunes at the side of the van park. The weather continued to be hot! Christmas Day was 36 degrees Celsius with hot, north easterly winds. We took advantage of the swimming pool to cool off. Even though the tent was in the shade most of the day; we needed our three speeds, 240 volts AC, box fan; which kept the inside of the tent bearable.

[Camped at Beach Tourist Park - Mackay QLD]

The hot conditions even affected the crows. They seemed to be suffering from a lack of fresh drinking water. We filled a dish with water and put it in the shade. Sure enough, as soon as the crows found it they began drinking from it. Crows weren’t the only birds around. The caravan park had resident peacocks; two male birds and two female birds, followed closely by seven baby birds.

Later in the twilight, we saw an inquisitive possum searching for food among the caravans, motor homes and tents. It seemed accustomed to people, as it came into our tent vestibule and I had to shoo it away. The second night we also saw a female possum, with a baby possum on its back.

With Christmas Day and Boxing Day behind us we left Mackay on Thursday morning. The Town of 1770 beckoned! For years we had gone past the turn off on the Bruce Highway at Miriam Vale, wondering what the Town of 1770 would be like. This time there was no excuse! We drove to the town of Agnes Waters on a bitumen road; except for about 7 km of gravel in the middle section. Agnes Waters is located in a beautiful area. You drive through Agnes Waters to reach the Town of 1770. Agnes Waters was extremely busy. It was the height of the tourist season with every available camping site crammed with people camping.

We moved on to the Town of 1770; which has connections to Captain James Cook and his ship the 'Endeavour'. We were enthralled by the glorious views from the hills overlooking Bustard Bay. The Town of 1770 was also absolutely jam packed with campers. We made a mental note to return to this beautiful area; sometime in the future.

Reluctantly, we left this lovely part of the Queensland coast and took the road south towards Bundaberg. This road runs for long stretches beside the main North/South railway line from Brisbane to Cairns. The latter portion of the trip to Bundaberg led us through lush cane fields. That night we camped at Cane Village Caravan Park in Bundaberg. We stayed here in 2000 in a cabin for one night.

Next morning we replenished our dwindling food supplies at a nearby shopping centre. A big decision had to be made; my mother was quite ill in a nursing home at Killarney Vale, on the Central Coast of NSW. Did we risk travelling through the bush fires ravaging NSW, or stay in Brisbane, or, the Gold Coast? Another factor to be considered was accommodation; it was the height of the NSW coastal tourist season. After careful deliberation, we decided to risk the trip to Killarney Vale; however we were aware that there were bush fires in the Grafton area. Accommodation would have to be sorted out along the way.

The trip down the Pacific Highway and over the border to the Ballina region in NSW was uneventful. From Ballina on we began to look for accommodation. ‘No Vacancy’ signs, proliferated along the highway. Friends in Innisfail had given us a business card for a motel at Tyndale located between Maclean and Grafton. We rang the number; they only had one room left for $65.00. We booked it; estimating it would take another hour to reach Tyndale. To compound matters, we were now on daylight savings time; consequently had to put our watches ahead one hour.

Bushfires made a fiery, red silhouette against the night sky. An air of desolation was everywhere, thick heavy smoke hung in the air. At one point a whole mountain appeared to be on fire. Evidence of very recent fires along the highway edges, plus a burnt out farm house and equipment, including motor vehicles, made us realise the ever present danger about us. Six or seven fire engines parked in a rest area reinforced this realisation. Kilometre after kilometre, we passed the smouldering remnants of bush fires.

Plantation Motel at Tyndale looked impressive from the highway. It was a big white building set back from the Highway. Closer inspection revealed a building definitely, showing its age; however, we were glad to stop as it was 9:30 pm NSW time. We paid our money and were directed around the back of the motel to our room. The room was up a flight of stairs. I walked into a large cobweb near our car. There were no lights on the stairs, so caution took precedence.

What an eye opener! This was obviously a last resort room; used only when the motel was fully booked. A broken door lock on the bathroom; barrel bolts on the main doors not functioning properly; sheets and quilts with holes in them and stains on the towels. Also, dust on the furniture; an oscillating fan that drooped and would not oscillate; no air conditioning and no laundry facilities. All capped off by a bomby old TV set and light fittings with missing globes or tubes. The front verandah furniture was dirty and had not been cleaned for a considerable time.

Surprisingly, the bed was reasonably comfortable and we slept well.

Next morning we headed south, glad to be away from that motel room. We passed through more areas blackened and smouldering from bush fires. The Pacific Highway had been closed for two days and had only re-opened yesterday. The run south to the Central Coast of NSW went smoothly. The next large town we went through was Grafton.

My sister Lyn, and her husband Bill, had moved recently from Long Jetty NSW to Emerald Beach NSW, near Coffs Harbour. We rang her for directions to her house. What a surprise! Expecting a normal suburban type home, we found a large double storey house, with verandahs on two sides and a garage with room for four vehicles. The house was set up high on a hill, on one and a half acres of land, with views to the ocean. The land sloped away from the house, down to the Pacific Highway and was bordered by lots of trees, with a small dam on the lower gentler slope. The view from the back verandah on the top level was stunning! The house was like a private hideaway; the neighbours' houses on both sides were not visible from the back of Lyn’s house.

We enjoyed a visit for about an hour before moving on. Lyn had visitors up from Long Jetty for a few days. We were talking about accommodation near Killarney Vale and her visitors suggested we try the Chittaway Motel at Chittaway Bay; as they had heard good reports from friends who had stayed there. We kept that piece of information in mind; we knew tent accommodation would be well nigh impossible to obtain as we were in the middle of the peak tourist season.

Coffs Harbour was about 15 minutes drive south from Lyn’s place. We drove down to Coffs Harbour and then headed for Kempsey. A very heavy flow of traffic was heading north; most of it holiday makers held up by the bush fires. Just outside Kempsey on the southern side of the river, the traffic was either stopped or crawling along. We clocked up seven kilometres before it freed up. We pitied the people in cars further down as they had no idea what was in store for them. We figured the problem was due to the highway changing from two lanes into one lane near Kempsey. Also, the traffic lights in Kempsey at the northern side of the river stopped traffic completely as they went through their normal cycle. The closure of the highway for two days also meant a much higher volume of traffic heading north. Road conditions further south were better.

That afternoon we pulled off the freeway and drove to the motel at Chittaway Bay. They did not have any vacancies, and had been turning away people all afternoon. I explained that we were visiting my mother in the nursing home at Killarney Vale and that the motel had been recommended to us. The receptionist suggested that we try the motel at Wyong and then looked at her watch and saw it was 4:20 pm. She had been holding a room until 4:00 pm and had not noticed the time. So we obtained one night’s accommodation. The Lord was looking after us! We asked if there was any possibility of another night’s accommodation. She told us to try again in the morning at 9:00 am in case there were any cancellations.

We unpacked the bags and equipment we needed; left them in the motel room and went to see Mum. Mum was very ill; as a result of a severe heart attack last July. Problems with her cardiac output, high blood sugar levels, and an ulcer on her left inner heel area, plus vomiting and nausea had left her bed bound and very debilitated. Expecting to see her looking gaunt and very unwell, we were pleasantly surprised to see she had improved slightly and was starting to eat a bit of food. Ice cream was one of the few things that she could keep down. Her doctors had put her on very high doses of insulin as they feared that the high sugar levels in her blood were feeding the infection in the leg ulcer. This, plus the antibiotics and a new type of wound dressing were turning the tide. The leg ulcer was beginning to heal and the likelihood of Mum having a below the knee amputation was now unlikely. The nausea and vomiting were still problems, but not as severe as previously.

Next morning (Sunday) we checked with reception at our motel and were pleased to hear we could have another night’s accommodation, but in another room. Motel staff will