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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 22, 2007 10:38:18 GMT 10
hi all you easteners
spoke to a few people over the munmorah weekend and thought it was time to start organizing the trip to mount gambier next march. some of you showed interest in going over there as a group, so here is the first draft of an itinerary.
we have to travel about 1500km, so we have broken it up to a 6 day journey, averaging less than 300 km each day.
we have chosen coledale as a meeting point and the journey will begin from there on tuesday 11th march - so here is the initial draft. (cumulative total in brackets).
monday night 10th - coledale - meeting and starting point tuesday 11th - coledale to batemans bay - 270km (270) wednesday 12th - batemans bay to cann river (vic) - 313km (583) thursday 13th - cann river to moe - 320km (903) friday 14th - moe to torquay - 227km (1130) saturday 15th - torquay to warrnambool - 195km (1325) sunday 16th - warrnambool to mount gambier (sa) - 185km (1510)
this itinerary has now been altered - please see later post on 24/5/07, (page 2, reply #26) - geoff 'n jude
we tried to keep the daily totals low as we drive the great ocean road so there will be plenty of time for stopping and looking.
we haven't contacted any van parks yet, so the itinerary may need to vary depending on the numbers on the tour and site availability, but we will endeavour to keep the daily distances fairly close to what is listed.
anyone south of coledale is welcome to join the tour at any of the overnight stops, so please advise if you intend to do so.
(we will phone van parks when we have a good idea of how many people are interested in joining us, so please leave your name on this thread if you're coming along).
haven't started the return trip itinerary yet.
geoff 'n jude
ps itinerary subject to change if 'you' have any good ideas.
pps bondwoods and fibreglass are both welcome to join this 'tinnie tour'.
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Post by firefighter on May 22, 2007 12:29:40 GMT 10
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 22, 2007 13:05:08 GMT 10
hi f/f and others the itinerary is based on running the princes hwy to melbourne then onto the princes freeway to geelong(ish), onto the surfcoast hwy to torquay then the great ocean rd to warrnambool and back onto the princes hwy to mt. gambier. it matters not if individuals want to deviate from the final planned route from point to point but it will be necessary to have confirmation on all the stopovers (once they are finally planned) so bookings can be made. just looked up the ferry site ( www.searoad.com.au/ ) and the cost to cross with car, caravan (<6m) and two people is $103 ($90 if <4m). it leaves every hour on the hour (no bookings required), so if enough people are interested, we could include the crossing in the trip (it sounds like a pretty good idea - have a look at the website and tell us what you think). 'where is' says it's 5km and 40 min longer so that's no big deal. inputs always welcome. by the way, don't forget this trip will be over the pre/post easter period, so we would like to have it organized by the end of july or mid august at the latest so we have guaranteed bookings in the van parks. geoff 'n jude
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2007 15:06:07 GMT 10
"The red eye bondwood special" will be heading out of platform 3 downtown barnsley at daylight on saturday. first station wodonga- 620k @ 6.5hrs run. Passengers will alight for an overnight stop at Holbrook van park $22 powered site. Out of bed sunday. train departs early for next stop at Castlemaine or somewhere nearby- 411k @ 4.5hrs Botanic gardens C/V park The interstate flyer pulls out of castlemaine sparrafart monday 17th morning and heads south to the coast then over to mount G by lunchtime monday 391K @ roughly 5 hours. As an added feature of the trip we wont be running on .. or sleeping near railway lines Passangers are invited to get drunk with the driver for next 5 days to celebrate his 54th birthday on monday the 17th. "Plastic vans" can use the caboose. "Tin cans" will be flattened and used as drinks trays. Bondwoods can ride up the front with the engine driver and be served champagne Reddo and fireman Wally .. woooo wooooooo ;D
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Post by chippydave01 on May 22, 2007 18:42:32 GMT 10
Hi Guys, I Just booked into the Mount.Looks like ill go the shortest possible inland route from Sydney.1300kms Cheers Dave
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Post by humpty2 on May 22, 2007 19:09:18 GMT 10
Humpty & Mrs Dumpty will be ready to go from Coledale as suggested.........Would you consider the first stop at Moruya, 30 ks further on but a grrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaat c'park on the riverside! only a suggestion!!!!
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 22, 2007 19:36:35 GMT 10
Hi Humpty, As geoff said earlier all suggestions are welcome, will wait a bit till we see how many of us there are on the "Meander" then book, so keep the ideas coming.
One idea I had, was to make the meet at Coldale on the Sunday, that way we have an extra day & could possibly do a 2 night stay somewhere about half way, to have a break from packing up & moving on every day.
Early days yet & as you might have gathered I haven't spoken to Geoff since early this morning when I left for work, I've been just reading the posts along with everyone else ;D ;D ;D
Jude
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Post by firefighter on May 22, 2007 21:34:31 GMT 10
HEY first up you blokes have to be granted permission to enter Mexico ;D ;D Tinnie is the gate man on border duty down there in Gippsland If you promise not to hang sh#t on us poor old mexicans again I will ring my mate Tinnie up & tell him to let the mob through with vintage vans on ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D F/F ;D ;D
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Post by wwill and Lyn on May 22, 2007 21:36:08 GMT 10
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Post by tinnie on May 22, 2007 23:45:40 GMT 10
Heeey man - Mexico border Patrol here, I let in anyone for a little Tequila or a few Corona's (and I don't mean sh**ty old Toyos!). I would like to be you personal tour guide for the trek through Mexico. Remember to bring you sombreros so yous weel fit in weeth th locals! Hi Geoff and Jude, and everyone else....... As it is a "Tinnie Tour" I had better come along (asuming I can get away from work for the extra couple of days).Worst case scenario, I will tag along from Warnambool. Some comments re: the dash through eastern Victoria. Last time I saw the park at Moe it looked a little run down, there are a couple of parks in Traralgon (my home town) which would make the drive about 25km shorter and a very nice park in Warragul (about an extra 25km from Moe). I would recommend the Warragul Park as the best as I stayed there in March for a wedding. Some comments for consideration, the road from Vic border to Cann River is hilly and windy (undulates a lot) for those using older six-pot towcars. The run from Cann River to Bairnsdale also has some good hills, although a bit milder. Both of these stretches are quite scenic (if you like trees and bush). Bairnsdale to Traralgon is flat as a tack. Fantastic choice in stop over at Warnambool, I would recommend Surfside Holiday park, it's on the beach and is huge, from memory they only take bookings for Christmas and maybe over the Easter weekend. Some parks to look at: Cann River, very small town and can't say I have ever seen the park: www.eastgippsland.com/towns/cannriver/cannriver.phpWarragul: www.warragulcaravanpark.com.au/index.htm - just off the freeway. OR Traralgon: www.toptouristparks.com.au/ParkDetails.asp?jump=5&ident=pltp - on the highway, Melbourne side of Traralgon. Warnambool: (Nice big Park) www.surfsidepark.com.au/rscms_homepagelist.phpTorquay: Sorry no local knowledge here - surely someone else will know, but there are a couple of options I found: www.gorcc.com.au/torquay-caravan-park/ www.torquayholidayresort.com.au/index.cfmCheers, Tinnie
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 9:25:47 GMT 10
hi tinnie, humpty and all those interested in the "meander"
thanks for the info on the van sites that you have suggested.
we will certainly have a look (on the net) at them alter the itinerary to suit if it causes no problems to others.
(the "draft" itinerary stopover points were based purely on time/distance factors, so adding/subtracting 30km or so to end up at a better park should be no problem).
geoff 'n jude
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Post by 313royal on May 23, 2007 10:44:05 GMT 10
Hi Geoff & Jude
Sounds like I should rustle up some interest from this end, save me trolling through past posts if you can & forward me the park details. I understand individuals make their own bookings ?
313
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 11:25:16 GMT 10
hi 313 royal - welcome aboard (you can join us at any point along the way).
no park details at this stage.
we won't post any park details 'till at least the end of next week when we have confirmed with ALL the parks that they can accommodate our group. (some changes may be required if they can't).
we'll assume at this point that there will be about 10 vans on the meander and pre-book for that many.
you can book through me once the itinerary is finalized or you can contact the parks directly, but you'll need to wait until we know which parks we will be stating at.
geoff 'n jude
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Post by spyder on May 23, 2007 13:09:14 GMT 10
Hi Jeff & Jude.
Please put us down for your trip
Carol & John (Sunliner)
Julee & Brian (Sunliner)
Thanks very much, we look forward to Mt Gambier even more now.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 13:42:26 GMT 10
hi all
there has been a need to make a second draft of the itinerary, below is the new schedule. (subject to change if van parks are not available).
monday night 10th - coledale - meeting and starting point tuesday 11th - coledale to bermagui - 321km wednesday 12th - bermagui to lakes entrance (vic) - 336km (657) thursday 13th - lakes entrance to chelsea - 300 km (957) to be modified friday 14th - chelsea to apollo bay via the ferry - 222km (1179) saturday 15th - apollo bay to warrnambool - 163km (1342) sunday 16th - warrnambool to mount gambier (sa) - 185km (1526)
hope this doesn't cause any inconveniences - the start and finish days are the same but the point to point stop-overs are changed.
geoff 'n jude
this itinerary has now been altered - please see later post on 24/5/07, (page 2, reply #26) - geoff 'n jude
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 17:13:52 GMT 10
hi all - it's now all organized.
12 sites have been reserved at the following caravan parks for the following nights.
mon 10th coledale beach camping reserve - 5 powered, 7 unpowered sites. no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $25 power, $20 unpowered ($5 senior discount)
tue 11th zane grey tourist park - bermagui - all powered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $23
wed 12th koonwarra family holiday park - lakes entrance - all powered sites you need to pay deposit (03) 5155 1222 - mention vintage van group $24
thur 13th
blue gum caravan park - chelsea heights - all powered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $20 (may increase) to be modified
fri 14th pisces holiday park - apollo bay - all powered sites you need to pay deposit (03) 5237 6749 - mention vintage van group $29
sat 15th warrnambool surfside holiday park - warrnambool - all powered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $25
we now have 7 in the group so there are still 5 places if anyone else wants to join us. we can increase the group numbers but we will need to contact the van parks if you intend to part of this tour.
jude and me jailbars will and lyn humptys spyders brian and julee (globetrotter)
geoff 'n jude
this itinerary has now been altered - please see later post on 24/5/07, (page 2, reply #26) - geoff 'n jude
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Post by kingy on May 23, 2007 18:13:45 GMT 10
Well, the only thing stopping us from going to the mount is the fact that MaryAnn CANNOT get time off work during Easter or Christmass, so we're sorta thinking Easter would be a good time for her to give up work all together. We'll give it a bit more thought and decide shortly. --- But nothin's gettin in the way of Wintersun & Coledale ;D ;D Kingy
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Post by 313royal on May 23, 2007 19:44:40 GMT 10
Hi G & J
I should have stated I will get a group from the Adelaide end to join you at the Mount. Which park at the Mount ?
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Post by globetrotter on May 23, 2007 19:51:19 GMT 10
Gday G & J
There's a 98% chance we will be mobile by then and would luv to go with ya's. I don't want to muck you around but is there a chance of being pencilled in pls.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 20:11:43 GMT 10
Hi Globetrotter,
Geoff has booked 12 sites, so we can pencil you in no probs, can you PM us your contact details, email etc, so we can forward info direct to you
Jude & Geoff
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Post by firefighter on May 23, 2007 21:08:38 GMT 10
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 23, 2007 22:07:46 GMT 10
hi all
the finalised itinerary will probably change to get us away from chelsea (big smoke) and down around tooradin area for that stop-over, just waiting for some local info from f/f.
i'll update the info when it is sorted.
thanks for your patience,
geoff 'n jude
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Post by tinnie on May 24, 2007 0:12:44 GMT 10
G'day all, Count me in for Warnambool definately, gotta look at school timetable for next year to figure the rest. I would love to join the convoy at Lakes Entrance, but I think that will be too much time off work for me. Firefighter has made valid point about stopover in Melbourne area, turn off Princes Highway at Pakenham and head for the Mornington Peninsula - maybe stop over at Blairgowrie? should be plenty of Melbourne based members know the park there and will 'rate it'. Blairgowrie is also very close to the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry, making it very easy to time it so there will be no waiting for the ferry. Distances would be Lakes Entrance to Blairgowrie 350km and Blairgowrie to Apollo Bay a mere 170km (which allows more time to sight-see that beautiful part of Mexico). Otherwise stopover at Tooradin will cut 1 hour off the Lakes Entrance day and add it to the Apollo Bay day. I think that the Ferry option is much better than going through the big smoke (Melbourne) and then Geelong. I have been through both a few times towing with a modern car and that's bad enough. Let's see what suggestions F/F can come up with........... Tinnie el Capitano - Mexico Border Patrol
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Post by firefighter on May 24, 2007 9:25:11 GMT 10
Hi Geoff Judy Pakenham has a caravan park right on the corner of the princes hwy were you turn down to Koo-Wee-Rup I think the traffic noise there would be bad the c/park at tooradin is non rated would not stop there either I would go the extra 30/40 kms down to mornington peninsula to Rosebud 6 c/parks in rosebud any of the top 3/4 parks would be ok If you did not wont to go the extra kms you could stop back at Warragul , only 1/2 hr up to the pakenham turn off Tinnie did suggest a good c / park in Warragul I looked up www. travel mate........ lakes entrance to rosebud 338 kms BUT it took you to far into towards the city ( not turning at pakenham ) if you need any more info come back to me Geoff ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Geoff & Jude on May 24, 2007 11:06:13 GMT 10
hi all
hopefully this is really the final itinerary for the meander.
sorry about the changes we have made but in the end we think this will be a better journey - lots of time to stop and sightsee as we travel the great ocean road.
the road down the eastern side of the mornington peninsular to flinders is through pastures that overlook the waters of western port across to phillip island - very picturesque - so we're told.
couldn't get any sites around sorrento areas - the parks have only a few sites - the rest converted to permanents.
anyhow, here it (finally) is.
monday night 10th - coledale - meeting and starting point coledale beach camping reserve - 5 powered, 15 unpowered sites. no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $25 power, $20 unpowered ($5 senior discount)
tuesday 11th - coledale to bermagui - 321km zane grey tourist park - bermagui - all powered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $23
wednesday 12th - bermagui to lakes entrance (vic) - 336km (657) koonwarra family holiday park - lakes entrance - all powered sites you need to pay deposit (03) 5155 1222 - mention vintage van group $24
thursday 13th - lakes entrance to flinders via koo-wee-rup - 338 km (995) flinders caravan park - flinders - 6 powered/14 unpowered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $25
friday 14th - flinders to apollo bay via the ferry and barwon heads - 181km (1176) pisces holiday park - apollo bay - all powered sites (some unpowered if we want to clump together) you need to pay deposit (03) 5237 6749 - mention vintage van group $29
saturday 15th - apollo bay to warrnambool - 163km (1339) warrnambool surfside holiday park - warrnambool - all powered sites no need to contact them - pay when you arrive $25
sunday 16th - warrnambool to mount gambier (sa) - 185km (1524)
thanks to firefighter and tinnie for their local knowledge around the peninsular.
any problems, give us a pm.
geoff 'n jude
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