Preparing for the Trip and Maryborough

After picking up the van quite late from the Gold Coast we ended up staying in a caravan park right in Surfers at Main Beach. It was very dark and Lloyd had to back into the only site they had left. he did very well. The next day we had to register the van and so we headed to my cousins wayne and Sandra as they had informed us that mail had arrived and we guessed it was our Queensland driver licenses.
While at Waynes, he kindly took us to the local stores to buy things we needed and then Lloyd decided to change the gas bottles. The van had 2 small 4.5kgs and we knew that we needed 9kgs so Wayne leant Lloyd the gear and helped changed the brackets which were welded on.We stayed the night in Wayne and Sandras drive way and then completed the job and got away the next morning. We are very grateful for their help.
Our mission was to head north and we drove as far as we could by about 5pm. In Queensland there are many roadside rest areas were you can stay only 20 hours. They are next to the main Bruce Highway often and some even have showers and water available.
The next day we visited Maryborough which is a lovely little town. There was a market on with music and we managed to buy things like spices and fresh veges.
We were driving looking to empty our toilet tank and came upon the airfield which had a dump station. While there a lady informed us we could stay the night and use the hot showers so that seemed pretty good.                                    

Statue of Mary Poppins

Of course Maryborough is now know as the place where PL Travers the author of Mary Poppins was born and the family left going to the town of Allora where her father died. This has all come out in the film Saving Mr Banks and there is a museum with a lot of information about her. What I didn't know was her real name and where she had lived in Australia only came to light in 1995. She left Australia in 1924 and never returned, writing Mary pippins in 1933 and living in London until her death in 1996 at 96 years old. Its an interesting story and news cutting in the museum tell how much she hated the Disney version of her book.

Market Day in Maryborough