Happy Days Caboolture Bus Tour Part 1

statt Motorraeder sind  wir zur Abwechslung mit dem Bus unterwegs!

Dank Maureen und DJ haben wir auf der Hinfahrt  die vorderen Sitzplaetze

in diesem Bus:

 

Aber beginnen wir von vorn: Es war Freitag, der 6. Maerz 2015. Mit unseren Freunden waren wir auf einer ganz normalen Motorradtour:

Seven Bikes, but Eight of Us, just had one of the most Amazing Bike Rides, we've been on. Headed up the D'Aguilar Range, and on to Beerwah Road, turning off and then up the awesome Bellthorpe Range. Amazing forest environment, they've got lots of big wire netting blocks, packed with blue metal rock to hold back the cliffs, on the way up, with lots of twists and turns. We had to make it before 7:30 am, because they close the road to make way for the School Bus. We then headed for a lookout, which was completely unknown to Uwe and me (!!), but unfortunately clouds were coming closer and it started to drizzle. So we went to Maleny for a nice brekkie and some laughter before heading home through Peachester and Gympie Road.

During that ride – at 9.30 am - I heard from Maureen that they are on a bustrip together with Ann and Greg, and that two seats were available as one couple had to pull out because of illness. So the Friday developed as under:

At home – 10.30 am – I started to do phone calls.

At 11.30 am we had our booking.
At 12.30 pm I was at the bank to pay.
 

7.3. Siggi s birthday

First I had a push bike ride with Marie (a student of my German class), then a walk of one hour and back home by bike. As it was Siggi’s birthday, we three had a nice morning coffee, later we enjoyed lunch at the Bowls Club together with Stefan, Yasmine and Emily, and then had an afternoon coffee at Siggi’s.

At 10.30 pm finally we packed our stuff for the bustrip.

8.3. on tour

Siggi -  who was on early shift -  picked us up at 4.30 am . Not even 40 hours from hearing about the bustrip to be sitting in the bus! That’s speedy!

 

 border Queensland / New South Wales

First stop: Macadamia Castle near Ballina

 Second stop: Ferry Park at Clarence River near Mac Lean

 with Mavis

 Third stop for lunch: Coffs Harbour - known for its big banana

 Next stop: Taree, in the Manning Valley

 Meg, very happy smiling

 We had to switch to Daylight saving time (Sommerzeit in NSW)

It took about 14 hours for the 900 km to Gosford.

 

 The view from the verandah

 and our room for the next 6 nights:

 

Half an hour later, we got our first (of many) very tasty dinners!

 

9th March 2015:

 

Maureen and I met every morning one hour before breakfast time, to have a fast walk:

a little bit fog up in the range.

and: very hilly area for our walk

 

 There we are coming back, and just made into Ann's photo

Our first day out saw us at a Hydroponic Rose Farm, in the Northern District of Woongarrah, very interesting to see how they grow and process the roses that appear in our florist shops. This place is all organic also with bought beetles brought in to eat the pests and all the waste organic matter thrown out for the goats, nothing goes to waste. There is also the animals from lizards, mice, frogs and snakes all working together to make a balanced environment within the glass houses.



 the goats enjoying their delicious food

 

We then went to the Harry Kendall Cottage and Museum after a scenic drive round West Gosford where they had a lovely displays of days gone bye,

 the baby scale

 and already in those days they had 3 in 1:

pram, high chair, low chair

  This was followed by a BBQ lunch cooked by our lovely coach driver Sam

 It was a hot day so we were longing for shade

 

 Another tasty dinner,

 and entertainment! No, no bingo (which was one of Uwe's biggest thoroughs -

besides having to starve as all meals were served)

 It was some sort of Italian bocci

 and we had lots of fun

 Peter and Uwe

- by the way:

42 people in the bus, and we knew already about 35 of them -

Morayfield Heart Foundation Walkers,

Wy Wurry Walkers,

Caboolture Community Choir,

Bikie group

 and we made it to the finals!!

 DJ and I made it even to the grand final

 but despite our efforts, we did not come first.

But it was big fun - and that is the main thing!

 

10th March 2015

Ann and Greg made it to the front ... thanks to the rotating seat system:

 first stop for morning tea in Penrith, at the Nepean River:

 Whilst I was taking photos, the table was set up

 cups matching the area

 and we reached Echo Point Lookout in the Blue Mountains:

 The three sisters

 Our bus got a flat tyre in Katoomba,

so whilst we were having our lunch at Leura Golf Club,

our busdriver was repairing the damage.

 We spend some time in Leura

 As shops are not our main interest, we looked around the Bloome Park

 After our dinner, we listened to Chris Bond on the electric guitar

 Ann and Greg even danced!

 and Sam showed us his Ducati ....

 That was our day in the Blue Mountains.