2009 - East Coast Inland Spring Tour

[Deleted]

Greetings Vanopedes.

Ok here is a rough draft of “Where to in 2009”
Its the wests turn again to get an invasion of those weird and wanderful wobbly wheeled roadsnails
The East Coasts 4th tour is based very loosely around the Olympic Hwy . A bit of an inland diversion on a few occasions. Eventually picking up the Mitchell Hwy at Orange and then onto the Mid western Hwy for the run to Bathurst and over the Great Dividing Range towards Sydney

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2009
Day 1 + day 2
Make your way at your leisure to Wagga Wagga Beach Caravan park.
www.wwbcp.com.au/index.htm
Arrive Saturday or Sunday. Its your call.
Just ring and book in .Spend a few days checking out Wagga or just recover from the road trip.

Monday 19th October
Day 3
Head up to Cootamundra via Junee - approx 93K – 1hr- 20mins
Then across to Temora approx 51k – 1/2hr
Then back over to Young via Grogan and Milvale approx 78K
Total 222k - = around 3 hours
Stay the night at Young Caravan Park
www.about-australia.com.au/travel-guides/new-south-wales/capital-country/accommodation/caravan-camping/young-tourist-park/

Tuesday 20th Oct
Day 4
Head over to Grenfell approx 50k – 45 mins
Then up and over to Cowra approx 53K -45 mins
Book in to Cowra Caravan Park
www.cowravanpark.com/
Those that wanna kick back and check out Cowra can do so.
Those that want to see a bit more of the country side , maybe some vintage van, car, bus, bike, tractor, barn, spotting can unhook their vans and we will do a drive out to Forbes via the south bank of the Lachlan river through Gooloogong Approx 88k – 1hr 20mins –
Have a stretch , some lunch and a look around Forbes . Then back to Cowra via the north bank of the Lachlan through Eugowra and Canowindra
Approx 118k – 1hr 40mins


Wednesday 21st Oct
Day 5

Head up to Orange via Canowindra and Dargo ( not too sure about the condition of this stretch of road?? Investigations ongoing?? Gunna pm a bloke that is on the early holden forum that lives out that way to get some local knowledge.)
Approx 103ks – 1hr 30mins
Lunch at Orange somewhere
Then on over to Bathurst approx 54Ks – 45mins

Find time to do a few hot laps of mount panorama with vans swerving behind . Done this on the first tour .. heaps of fun drifting a van down the mountain esses
Check out Bathurst. head on over through Lithgow and hartley.. up victoria pass on through Blackheath and
Stay the night at Katoomba Falls caravan Park
www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/yourcouncil/contactus/caravanparks/katoombafallscaravanpark/
All up around 250ks and 4 hours on the road.

Thursday 22nd Oct
Day 6
Up early so we can be in Coledale by around 12 noon
Leave Katoomba by around 8.30am / 9.00am for the run to Coledale Beach Camping Reserve.
Via The Great Western Highway through, Blaxland , Lawson, Penrith…. turn right ( actually its an exit ramp on the left that puts you on the highway heading to Goulborn, Canberra, Melbourne etc) at the Light Horseman interchange on to the M7 motorway which becomes the south western or.. what i call the Hume hwy turn left onto Narellan rd at Campbelltown, down to Appin ..

Regroup just on the east side of Appin. Meet up with the “Local welcoming committee” for the run over to Stanwall tops and down onto the land bridge for the run to Coledale
Approx 145k – 2.5 hours

Total Kilometres for the trip including the Forbes loop run…
Approx 730 Ks.. or less than 500 miles = 12hours of actual tour driving over 3 ½ days

I haven’t added any tourist type attraction to go see while we are on the move.
We can sort a bit of that stuff out once we get the beaten track sorted out.
..
I will leave it with you guys to pick the eyes out of.

Reddogsbody

[Don Ricardo]

G'day Reddo,

Looks like another great tour you're planning for 2009.

I'm not sure whether you've had the time to decipher John Jennison's diary about the motorbike trip he took in 1920 - Reply # 23 on the following thread: vintagecaravans.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=2597&page=2

However, when I was reading it through I realised that the first three days of his trip cover the same route as the last couple of days you're proposing for the Yeast Crust Tour, except in reverse...

Amazing to read what he and his mate had to deal with (multiple punctures, broken springs, scarce petrol, shocking roads, 70 miles in a day) and compare it with what you guys will (hopefully) encounter on your trip - a nice smooth run up and down the mountain.

Some bits of Australia's touring heritage we can live without if we really have to, eh?

Don Ricardo

[sportsman 1]

Sounds good Reddo,

I have an Auntie in Forbes, perhaps I could crash there and spend some quality time and meet up with you lot again the next day.

One thing puzzles me though. Wagga Wagga Beach Caravan Park? Been to Wagga a few times (rellies there too) but I ain't never seen no beach!

Toodles for now, Leigh.

[Cruz]

Hi Leigh,
Great beach at Wagga. You can catch the 4o'clock wave on your board as i goes by . all the way from Blowering Dam when thay let the water out at 8am. (true story).
Great park and close to the main sreet of wagga .Very easy walk to Romanos Hotel one of many watering holes in the main sreet.

[firefighter]

hi leigh

the beach runs along the river ......in the caravan park
or you can park beside the caravan park on the left .....& walk through the council park to the beach
we stoped at the caravan park there last year for a week on a chev rally
f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[sportsman 1]

I'm confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tinnie]

Nice one Reddo - looks good to me....Wagga Wagga is only 640km from home.........and the East coast tour presents a (fairly) sensible way for us Mexicans to get to Coledale. And then a nice tour down the coast to get back home

Cheers,
Gristy

[Deleted]

Giving this a bump too..
i know its still a fair way off.... but as a matter of courtesy to the van park owners we will need to dust off the first message and get some sort of committment soon.
In the mean time.. go back.. have a read of whats doing .. and have a say in anything you would like changed .. added / subtracted.

Not worried about the day to day touristy stuff . You guys can do your own homework on that to suit the overnight stays and travelling pace.

Reddo

[Jennison]

I might well meet you at Cowra Reddo and join in from there jennison

[Deleted]

Hi All

Just dusting this off again.

Have a read back over the previous posts and what is propose for this years pre coledale east coast spring tour .. make up your mind if you are "in" or "out" and then have a say on the plan..

True... its still a fair way off , but as the months roll on it would be good to have things ironed out and firm numbers attending so i can start screwing the van park owners for a good price on powered sites etc. ;D

Reddo

[sportsman 1]

Hey Reddo,

my better half has just started a new job in a school and as such will not be able to get hols at that time.

I don't thinkl I would come by myself so you better cancel me for this one.

Bet that opens the floodgates for everyone else to come!!!!!!!!!!

best wishes with it,

cheers, Leigh.

[Deleted]

Hi Leigh

Thanks for getting back to me.... As i have mentioned before the tour is still a fair way off.. so is Coledale but people are starting to commit to booking sites there already.... and the tour is before that weekend.

The response so far has been a deafening silence.and that is cool with me.
I think the best i can do is break from the traditional phone around to parks to confirm numbers and the usuall " rev up" reminder to those intending going.

Leave the identified parks as the overnight stops.
Those that are coming can make thier own bookings at each of them and then just turn up on the day.
No need for replys here... sort of add to the mystery of who is gunna be at the parks when we/I arrive at the end of the day.

Yup... sounds like plan to me.

No nappy changing , holding hands or making bookings by me .. We are all big people now . I just set my own pace and do my own thing each day. If someone else ends up tagging along behind or in front of me .. well .. so be it.
Much.... much .. much easier for me
Less stress is best.

I am heading down to Cowra to collect a van on saturday arvo.. gunna do the Cowra to Orange stretch ( via cargo) of the tour to check out road conditions for towing our vans. Spend the night at Orange showground in my latest aquisition and then do the rounds of Orange swapmeet on sunday morning before heading home.
Life on the road is sweet.... even if it is only for 2 days

Reddo

[sutcac]

Hey Reddo...this years Inland Spring tour looks just dandy to us.....we'll be there with bells on...checked all parks out and Tally can come to each one....thanks for that.
...your Spring Tours are really the highlight for us...with Coledale being the icing on the cake.. .we really enjoy travelling on the road with the small group of like minded Vintage Vanners.
...the shortish travelling distances allows for individuals to do their own thing while still being able to meet up at the end of each day at the chosen parks.
...to anyone who hasn't experienced a Spring Tour ...can highly recommend.. ;D ;D.
...especially this year for our Mexican friends as it's sort of on the way to Coledale anyway, eh.

Thanks again Reddo for the efforts you've put in over the years to organize the Spring Tours ...have all been excellent..and this one promises to be no different.

Cheers, Sutcacs ;D


....and here's a few happy snaps of the vans, localities and personalities over the past 3 Spring tours.............































....and here's the bloke who instigated,organised.and went to a lot of trouble( travel bags, freebies, trophies, raffles etc) to ensure that each tour was hugely successful and enjoyed by all ...

...onya Reddo

[Deleted]

Hi There Sutcacs..

Yup.. as you say.. travelling and staying in different parks each night is a bit of fun.
I think it was John Williamson who said or sang... "The windscreen is a travelling picture show" ... every corner , every bend in the road is a fresh scene when your on the road ......, ... and i never tier of that.
My Aunty also use to say to me that she could "Sit in a car until the wheels fell off it"....

I haven't done too much about this years tour as i have just tossed my job at the council after 19 years and have a couple of options in my change of career path.
One is dusting off the tools of trade ( electrician ) possibly working on new locos for state rail...
Or
Still in the electrical game ... but doing something similar to what i use to do a lot of at Council..... Training.
A company doing "Overhead wires awareness training" for anyone who operates plant and equipment that can come within 3 metres of overhead wires.
Job entails a 3 day week. travelling and training anywhere from Sydneys north shore ... up to Coffs Harbour ... and out as far as Dubbo....
Car included in the deal and all accomodation paid for while away training......
I sorta sat em on thier bum when i said "can i have a ute with a towbar" ;D ;D ;D ;D Ya never know when i just might have to lug an old van or motorbike home from one of them thar "Business trips"

But seriously..... In no rush to make a decision. Still need a bit of time out to stop and smell the roses ... enjoy a bit of that long service i clocked up in those 19 years ..... I dont want to leave it too long as "the life of leisure" can be too easy to slip into.
I have only been off work a tad over a week and i have bought an FB sedan, a HR ute ( for parts), in negotiations for purchase of a 1946 BSA 600 and emails are toing and froing with negotiations on another early Holden Panno

Spending too much... naaa .. not realy ... just diversifying my wealth. Bloody sight more secure than what my super annuation has been doing for me ( and everyone else) of late

Which brings me to the hurdle of .. Might be working when the tour comes around this year. Probably wont be able to get the time off.
Hopefully i can negotiate the week off before Coledale.
If not i will still organise the van parks and a bit of an iteneray for whoever is going on the tour and email it to them.
Just because i might not be there doesnt mean the show cant go on.
If i cant get away from work....... ...... well .... i will try for a "sicky" on the Friday so i can at least have 3 days at Coledale to catch up with all the crew.



Meanwhile ... Katoomba is closing in fast .... almost as fast as the temperature up there is dropping ;D


Reddo

[Deleted]

Hi All

As predicted in my last post here i wont be able to make the spring tour this year.
I start work tomorrow and certainly wont have enough time accrued to do the tour this year.. . all good things must come to an end... for me.

Should be right for a roster day to get to kendalls beach getogether in September and a day off in October on the Friday to slip down to coledale for a 3 dayer.

Soooooooooooooooooooo...
If anyone wants to pick up the organising baton for this years tour that would be much appreciated.

There is bugger all to do besides encourage thise that wanna go to ring ahead and book themselves in to the parks on the dates listed back at the start of this thread....
Oh.. one other thing.... this is compulsory..... Have a good time .

Reddo .. ( The Storeman ;D ... new career path )

[Deleted]

Hi All

Just thought i would bring this trip to the surface one more time in case someone wanted to pick up the organising ( there is none) batton and run with it this year.

Go back to my original post. Have a look.... and if ya feel its worthy of dusting off and doing... welll... Go for it..

If the east coast tour dont happen this year i hope to be able to come up with enough time off next year to throw another trip before Coledale together for 2010.

The fact that i cant score any time off doesnt mean that the 12 to 15 van toters that have made it an annual event for the past 3 years should give up what has become a tradition.

Just ring thje van parks.. book in .. and be there if ya keen.
I had a report from a well travelled vintage vanner that the Olympic Hwy isnt a gem.. but it has to be a whole lot better than it was when granny and grandad trudged the same track.

Choice is yours..

No matter what.. i will be there to greet anyeveryone.. even if it is only one ... that does the loop .. when they arrive at Coledale this year.
Here is some pixs form the last three E.C.S.Tours..
































Cheers all
Reddo

[sportsman 1]

Come on Guys (and Gals),

surely someone out there is willing to pick up the ball and carry on this great event???