Member Since: 01 Dec 2011
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 308
Looks like you're right next to Stockton sand dunes now. Or drive along the beach to Anna Bay.
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7th Mar 2020 10:05 am
dunton10
Member Since: 23 Dec 2006
Location: SUTTON COLDFIELD, WEST MIDS
Posts: 213
Just wondering what’s happened to Del and Mrs Del? It’s unusual for him not to post for so long. No photos of food, I bet he’s starving by now!
I just hope he’s not in lock down or quarantine!
Keep safe both.Currently 2015 D4 SE Tech, Corris Grey
RLD Protector, led interior lights, timed climate, towing equipment
Previously
2006 D3 S
2001 TD5
1996 Shogun LWB
1989 Range Rover TDVM
11th Mar 2020 10:03 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Sorry for not posting, just been a bit tired and my get up & go has gotten up & gone a little. Will update tonight, honest.
Talking of food, just off for breakie. Just been out running with SWMBO past the ‘Roos on the golf course here. We’re both knackered after only a couple of kms as we’ve not done near enough walking never mind running.
11th Mar 2020 10:08 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Right, where we’re we?
After Newcastle & Fighter World we across to Hunter Valley area for a w/end of posh nosh & wine tasting. The latter was a bit of a blur as started schwigging at before 10am and finished at gone 5. Our guide reckoned we’d drunk about 2 1/2 bottles each!!! Might explain why no pics.
Skippy hiding in the vines.
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Though I know where I’d rather be hiding.
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We’ve kept our eyes open for Koalas, luckily we haven’t seen any “sleeping” at the side of the road. Nearest we’ve gotten to them is this.
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After Hunter Valley we headed to Coffs Harbour for a couple of nights. Didn’t do much as the weather was pretty horrible. View from an offshore hill.
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Even with the rubbish weather the surfers were out. This chap on a hydrofoil board.
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SWMBO wasn’t that happy walking back along the breakwater.
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When we walked out there wasn’t much in the way of waves, that changed on the way back.
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And it was all my fault, as usual.
Now just south of Brisbane, several km from where Tom Hanks is in hospital after he caught Coronavirus. Took a bit of a drive through Surfers Paradise (looks like they don’t do apostrophes here ). A minger of a day. Luckily clear and sunny for our run this morning, surreal running along with Kangaroos giving us funny looks. But after that it was wave after wave of heavy rain coming in from the Pacific. We’ll resist the temptation to blame the Kiwis.
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There were surfers out there. Doesn’t look much like paradise to me.
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Short walk along a path in a small National Park. Really nice, very tropical and lush, with very nice views of the incoming rain bands.
Obviously this bird had obtained authorisation, done the risk assessment and was happy taking his life in his beak.
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But the iguana was a bit more laid back. He was on the other side of the path waiting for the sun.
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He’s got a long wait, this is what it’s like as I type.
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It’s all our fault, the weather was fine until a couple of weeks ago.
12th Mar 2020 7:28 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Moved from further up.
Some pics from Fighter World just by Willaimtown RAAF. Nice little museum, with a few gems. Lovely old exSingapore Hunter, beside a lovely skippy powered Sabre. Note blue sky. Almost forgotten what that is.
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Mirage III. Two seater and, in silver, the single seater.
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Then the crowd puller, the F-111C. It’s truly massive!! I’ve never been UC&P with one and had underestimated the size of it. Imagine this beast doing supersonic speeds at 200ft over N Vietnam.
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Top Gun shop mannequin in a flight suit.
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The other version of a shop dummy also in a MIII cockpit.
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It was a tad tight. Now back on diet.
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Finally a couple of blurred outdoor shoots. There are F-35 there but they didn’t come out to play for us. Nice hawk doing touch & goes.
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And some Wedgetails hiding away from prying eyes. We should have those in a few years to replace the Sentry AWACSs.
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If they wanted them kept secret they shouldn’t have parked them in sight of the Thrifty rental car returns bit.
12th Mar 2020 7:38 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Good to see you back on track (running track? ) Del and the effects of posh food and copious bottles of vino have worn off
Hope the weather picks up for you and they maybe you will be out in the bay on a board Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
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12th Mar 2020 12:59 pm
LeighW D3 Decade
Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Posts: 920
DSL wrote:
Right, where we’re we?
...
Now just south of Brisbane, several km from where Tom Hanks is in hospital after he caught Coronavirus. Took a bit of a drive through Surfers Paradise (looks like they don’t do apostrophes here ). ...
The place names standard has changed in Australia; but I can't recall exactly when but there are now no apostrophes in places like 'Surfers Paradise', 'Dead Mans Creek', etc.
A copy of the Aust Gov gazetteer will set you straight.LeighW
The old girl is on her third engine...
* first ran a bearing (design failure in original engine)
* second had a failure of the water outlet on top of the engine (pls check yours)
13th Mar 2020 11:37 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
I was only messing, hadn’t noticed it until here.
Not done much today, just a bit of a drive to the coast and to one of the spits near heat. We were going to walk to the end until a chap passed us going the other way soaked to the skin.
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Tomorrow we go looking for Koalas. And try and dodge the drop bears.
13th Mar 2020 11:49 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Not much happening here, just slobbed in the hotel today while rejigged the back end of the trip. Now flying back from Perth direct to LHR in 3 weeks, not going through BKK or SIN. Things are moving far too fast to rely on going through Singapore, any sign of any symptoms will result in 14 days quarantine even if the test is negative. Plus SIN is now effectively blocked for a number of European countries, it would fe too easy to add UK to that list.
It’s going to be a 17 hour flight, that’s going to be interesting.
Back to normal tomorrow, should be off looking for those elusive koalas. Waved hi to the Roos when out running this morning.
2011 D4 XS - OBD port protection, RLD spare wheel protector, All LED interiors lights, Timed Climate enabled, iiD tool paired.
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14th Mar 2020 8:57 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Hence our direct route from Perth to Heafrow. No stops, no passing go, no collecting £200. Whilst we like Singapore, we’d hate to get stuck in the InterContinental for 2 weeks.
14th Mar 2020 9:11 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
A few pics from today, all wildlife related. We went for a walk along the Koala Trail in Coombabah park area, they are not easy to spot. Luckily we were pointed in the correct direction by some locals and saw 3 in total.
Sorry about the pic quality bit the iPhone isn’t that good zoomed in. They are SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET and fast asleep.
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It was about a 6km hike around, saw a 1m long monitor lizard. Well saw it scurry away just before SWMBO branded it with her boot mark. No girly scream was issued by me, it was more of a manly yelp.
SWMBO was similarly not impressed with kangaroos beside the path.
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But they were lovely and pretty used to humanoids walking past them.
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Then back to hotel to take pics of kangeroos (there’s 2 in this pic) from our balcony.
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Nice day, nice weather, off into the rain forest tomorrow.
15th Mar 2020 8:17 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
A few nice scenic pics from yesterday’s jolly to the rainforest covered ridges to the west of Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise.
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This is an Antarctic Beech tree near one of the viewpoints. Anctarctic? It was positively Baltic! Really strange, everywhere else was warm & dry, there it was freezing (relatively) and a tad rainy.
The view from The Best of All viewpoints.
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17th Mar 2020 6:28 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73125
Back down in Hunter Valley wine area, within striking range of Sydney airport, now trying to figure out how to get home. We’re now waiting until Qantas announces their new schedule, and whether we should head to Perth or stay this side. It’s all a tad complicated and stressful.
Meanwhile, lovely view from our hotel room. Booooooootiful.
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18th Mar 2020 7:46 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26779
Good luck Del. Lots of planes still in the air, hopefully you can get one heading in this direction. On the other hand, I can see from your pic that there are worse places to be trapped in....
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