Bundaberg Caravan Handover Trip

After buying a Ford Ranger at the Manheim auction in Brisbane in early August, it was all go to get back to Bundaberg to pick up the caravan in the Jayco yard. Handover day was booked for Monday 10th September.

Here is our lovely old 1987 Toyota Coaster, just to show some of the contrast we will be getting into in OZ

Richmond’s Queen Street with its new updated Main Street.

Leaving NZ (Nelson in particular) the views are stunning



There are only two such natural Boulder Banks like this in the world and we’ve been to both. The other is in Japan near Miyazu called Amanohashidate: “The Bridge to Heaven”.

Brisbane arrivals seem to be always at sunset...nice, nice!

So we left NZ on the 5th Sept to stay with relatives in North Lakes, near Brisbane to get all the various ducks in order.

Setting up a Westpac bank account in Australia was clunky and difficult at best with several trips to the bank, finally we got there!

The warmer weather was much appreciated on my morning walks around the suburbs and we even had some rain (not much in drought stricken Queensland).

The photo below show the local park which has a cricket ground in the middle, with combination Rugby/Soccer goal posts.

Crazy paving

The golf club has a treemendous bulge tree, you could say it has quite a bit of bottle!

Proof that yes it does rain in Brisbane!

The first job was to replace the “munted” damaged aluminium bar on the back of the ute, so that the canopy guys can install the new checkerplate canopy. This was quite a nice job...thanks Nick for the use of your tools and workshop (much appreciated).

On she goes mate, bolted down through the old ali deck which is also lined with 4.5mm rubber sheet.
 

A Chinese guy called Max (yeah right) bolted it all down through the existing deck.

Next job, get some folding bikes to put inside the canopy.

Back at North Lakes bike shop, some folding action was happening.

The canopy has two walls 450mm in from the sides, with an inside ceiling height of 1m

Gas struts and rubber seals, hopefully making it red dust proof?

So we should have plenty of storage room both in the car and canopy.

Off we head north staying in the Mooloolaba/Caloundra area, with the essentials.

This is the Mooloolaba Marina.

The next morning at 7am on a Sunday it is all go!







Classic lifeguard stance and build...he’s sunk a few too by the looks!

We double backed a bit to go to the Caloundra Market, which was worth the trip.

This artist finger painting on the spot on glass with oil paints was really good...but couldn’t put a finger on it!

Nope this hat didn’t pass muster

Meanwhile back in the marina this was happening.

Oh oh...I’ve come to the End #6....good job I survived the other 5!

 Next Blog will include handover day and all that, that entailed.

Whew...this holiday is enjoyable hard work....

Cheers Jimu & Christine.

“Too easy...Too easy.... Mate”

Return to Brissie on a car buying mission.

Having bought a 16ft Caravan (our first Caravan) about 4 weeks ago and returned back to New Zealand I had been researching what and how to buy a vehicle suitable for the job at hand. Christine’s nephew who lives in Brisbane has been very helpful and suggested we view the Manheim car auctions who run weekly sales, auctioning around 400 cars per week. These can be accessed from a Simulcast and even bidded upon via the internet from anywhere in the world and also NZ. In researching these and also perusing (via the internet) Gumtree and other Brisbane area car sales yards specialising in utes etc, to hopefully get my buying eye into order. It soon became apparent to me that the best solution was to return to Brisbane and to take in a possible two auctions (in case the first one didn’t come up trumps....or I was too gun shy to make a bid). So with this all in mind I booked my flights and off I went.

The morning of heading away from home I loaded up our Nissan Tiida all set to drive to the airport but the car wouldn’t start..a flat battery.

No worries mate (Aussie slang coming in at the ready) we used our Toyota Coaster Motorhome to appropriately, take me out shopping for another vehicle, for another adventure in Australia!

Plane connections were tight as the initial flight from Nelson left 15 minutes late, which meant I had no time for snacks & this continued all the way to Australia, with no meals provided.

This was the weather as I left NZ.

The view upon arrival as the sunsets over Brisbane

The next days sunset in OZ.

Sunsets are so attractive to me where ever they are!



These are Chuka Chuks, percussion Juggling balls invented by an Aussie guy in NSW.

They have ball bearings inside which can make terrific rhythms (and noise) with various juggling patterns.

I had been checking out the Manheim, Auctions at Eagle Farm near Brisbane on line, but now the day before I perused the yard and catalogue and ear marked some possibles. However on sale day it was vastly different. My #1 choice started its bidding $500 over my budget limit, so I was a bit taken aback, however, I took the bit between my teeth and started bidding on the 2014 PX XL Ford Ranger diesel 3.2 Tiptronic ex Mining Company vehicle with 147,000 Kim’s on the clock  as you see below.

I won the bidding. I had spent part of the previous day visiting local canopy makers with the idea of perhaps having to add one if I bought a flat deck, which in fact did happen.

The rough dirty deck will be covered with the new aluminium checker plate canopy which has a floor inside it, with two internal walls and three exterior locking doors.

It took a couple of days for the money to come through from New Zealand. I also had to register it and get new number plates. Huge thanks to Nick, Christine’s nephew with the terrific help and insider info on these fronts. When we got it home we realised that this vehicle had beefed up (and therefore  raised suspension all round) making it 80mm higher than standard. We decided to revert back to the standard suspension and also ditch the heavy Bull bar in favour of an Aluminium upmarket one. These were easily procured locally, and pretty cheap too!

Ford Rangers have the most crazy wheel nuts I’ve seen on any vehicle, especially a 4 wheel drive, with weird end caps which appear loose and are needed to be hammered on so you can use the wheel brace to undo the nuts. We replaced the lot with the old fashioned simple nut with a cone on one end. We fitted all the suspension in a morning.

The new/old Ali Bull bar was a bit more tricky, but hey we got there!

This is the raised height, so we dropped it 80-90mm

After all this excitement I took some time off in the city to relax.

The ultra new modern Architecture below...

...right next to this old Queenslander building.



Not something you’ll see in NZ...or Australia every day ... an 8 seater pram!

The mothers work in the city

A busker going for it outside the Apple Store..beating out quite a rhythm...right on the pipe

An old style Engraver Shop in the Brisbane Queen Street Arcade.
A super sized model shop also upstairs in the Arcade.

Stefan & I went on a bike ride around the city to the Powerhouse and back around the river.





At Kangaroo point...note the Aussie flag tights...no worries mate!

We had lunch at a bowling club, Friday’s are bare feet day, 

I think beer day is everyday in Australia...real foot measurements going on!

This coffee table (one of two) I made for Sue when I was in Brisbane attending the Common Wealth Games in 1982.

I made these in a Tile Warehouse, with only hand tools.

I was impressed looking at this joint after 36 years...not too shabby!

A trip wouldn’t be a trip without a new hat.....

I thought I was past the dreadlocks stage....but there you go!

Without this we’re going no where...look out Australia!

This is from Australia’s only native big foot

 .... cut off in the tropical north 

.... sold and purchased at Supercheap Auto

 The Westfield mall at North Lakes, has allot going on. 
I visited three times and got lost inside three times. 
Upmarket outdoor restaurants...the Maori security guard checked me out, 

just because I was taking a photo (might have been my colourful clothes?)

They have quite a few basket cases in this mall!

Never having been in an IKEA Store .... in I wandered!

The place is full of subliminal and non subliminal messages

This is how the locals park at Petrie Station

Below a True Blue Aussie...yup they got Bogans over there too!

Heading home now at 30 thousand feet (what happened to meters?)

I finish an Ipadpro drawing....it is fabulous weird world we live in...too easy...too easy!



The export logs of Port Nelson signal the end of another successful trip.
.

11 days, job done, now I take it easy, till we return in September to pick up our new Caravan in Bundaberg.

Stay safe and well...be creative...because its free and healthy.
Cheers from Jimu & Christine.

Ps Apologies for spelling and grammar, this is the unedited creative version!