Well after years of dreaming, planning, and talking about it, we have finally left.

With all our leave approved, and with, we hope, everything else all sorted out, paid up and taken care of, Marty and I left home on Friday 15 April.

The first stop was the Taree show grounds where we were the only campers. Lovely, nice and quiet and lots of room. A good night's sleep was followed by a very early start as the good folk of Taree run markets from the show ground and started setting up from 5 am.

The next night was at Broadwater just south of Ballina. A lovely caravan park adjacent to a koala sanctuary which provide a lovely walk. Thoughtful staff who gave us a perfect camping spot and we didn't have to unhitch. Just before we left Canberra a work colleague of Marty's, Anne, gave us a couple of farewell gifts which were handy this night. Firstly our planned meal did not quite defrost as expected so we used Mrs Mac's curry instead. Her other gift was a lantern holder and I found out that it will support the weight of a short fat bald over-active husband, sort of a bush time out device for me.

We travelled up the east coast to the Gold Coast where we have been able to visit and spend some time with family and friends over the extended Easter holiday period.

We took our trailer up to DSS on the Sunshine Coast to have the electrics in the trailer updated and then with that all done we headed back down to the Gold Coast.

We stayed a couple of nights with our friends Janice and Terry at North Arm. Terry drove us around to show us the sights on the Sunshine Coast region stopping for coffee at Mapleton, shopping at Maleny and lunching at Kenilworth before returning to North Arm to change so we could go out for dinner that evening. We have had a lot of rain, so much so, that while getting ready a large tree on Terry's property could stand no more and down it came with a large thud bring down the power lines with it across the drive way. So a long time later with the help of the local fire authority, electricity company, and a chain saw, we were able to get out, but we decided a night out was to be no more so it ended up with a candlelight Thai takeaway dinner at home.

Back down on the Gold Coast for Easter, we enjoyed a picnic with my brother Eddie, his wife Carol and their boys and their families at Natural Bridge.

On Saturday we visited our friends who were spending the Easter break at Binna Burra in the Lamington National Park.

Both of these places were just wonderful and we enjoyed a couple of short bush walks through the rainforests, but nothing too strenuous, just enough to walk off lunch.

Sunday was my oldest nephews birthday and he cooked us all a lovely Sunday roast, it was good to spend a bit more time them all again.

Monday saw Marty and I off to visit my Uncle Jim up at Burpengary.

With the Queensland school holidays over we are going to head off, again this time up to Hervey Bay until next week.