Cabra History.Com

I received this email from a good friend of mine in Australia where he has lived there for a good many years. He too is originally from Cabra West. Hopefully he will soon join the chatter on the website. This is an account of his holiday travelling across Australia. Now it’s not bad for a young lad who grew up with no Ar*** in his trousers and I applaude him for what he has achieved out there. Like so many other people who left Ireland, he worked hard all his life to get where he is today. Well here goes…!!!

Well we did get away on time and everything went well on our part. The caravan behaved as it should so no worries there. The first part of the journey was driven in bright but cool weather and we got to Narrandera in 7 hours. Stopped for the night and observed this big black cloud coming over. So into the caravan we went and the heavens opened up at 5pm. Next morning we had had 144mm of rain about 5 inch’s.  What a start. On to our next port of call which was Parkes where the Hugh telescope is and we spent a pleasant 2 hours there while it was still raining outside.  Ah well away we go again. We were going to stop at Dubbo but the rain came down harder. We couldn’t see the road for rain, so we kept going to Coonabarabran (tongue twister) still raining. Bloody hell we thought.  But we had to stop overnight. Away we go again to Tamworth , a big town. Filled up with LPG and on to Armadale once again we kept going,, IT BLOODY SNOWED. Next stop, Glen Innes right at the top of the Great Dividing Range but at last, it wasn’t raining.  Big blue skies, great we thought. Stayed the night and woke up with a thick frost on the ground and it was minus 2, ah well we are nearly at our destination in Ballina.  Northern New South Wales.  Found a site we liked and stayed for seven days.  Went up through lower Queensland to see my sister at  Maroochydore, stayed 3 days and back to Ballina. Went for a few side trips and saw humpback whales in the distance for the very first time. 

So away we go again to Cuffs Harbour on the New South Wales coast. A couple of night’s there and  a trip down the coast  where all the banana’s are grown. Weather by now is fine but a little cool. Not swimming weather at all.  Then the highlight, we went out on a boat to spot some whales. Well it was fantastic, the Humpbacks where coming under the boat and surfacing with there big heads out of the weather. This was all about 12 foot away. What a memory. And to think the bloody Japanese want to slaughter them.  2 days later we moved on to Port Macquarie.  Weather is getting warmer.  Again a few side trips.  As ever the gypsy, we headed down to Port Stephens, a lovely spot in the summer but in our kind of weather, well not so nice.  We contacted a friend there and spent a delightful two days talking and drinking.  By now we are getting weary with all the driving.  So lets head home which is still  a thousand kl away.  

So we drove a long way to Canberra the nations capitol. Spent two days at the war memorial and parliament house, Australian institute of sport and a few other attraction’s. Now we are getting tired.  Mt wife drove the 400 kl to Albury on the NSW Victorian border and stayed for one night only. This time we treated ourselves to dinner at a club add watched the Aussie’s beat New Zealand. hurray.

Last day now and I drove the 387 kl back home.  It’s great to go away but its even better when you get home. A few statistics: we covered 5,500 kl and  to reach half way up Australia. We would still have had to drive another 2,780kl to reach the top. Some the towns, Not cities we went through included. Melbourne, Wandong, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Tocumwal, Parkes, Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Gunnedah, Glen Inns, Tenterfield, Casino, Lismore, Ballina, Murwillumbah, Mudgeeraba, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Nambour, Caloundra, Caboolture, Surfers Paradise, Grafton, Nambucca Heads, Woolgoolga, Wollongong, Coolongolook, Bulahdelah, Kurri Kurri, Cooranbong, Woy Woy, Liverpool,  Phew?, Canberra, Gundagai, Albury, Wangaratta, Glen Rowan (Ned Kelly country), Euroa, and a few little ones before we hit Langwarrin. Would we do it again, not unless we took our time and spent two weeks on the road before we reached Cairns which is always hot.  But there again. We could have got on a plane and spent a week in Northern Queensland with no fuss for the same amount of money.