Zelma’s Trip

I woke up and left the caravan park in Chinchilla and headed down the final stretch to Brisbane.  This stretch was perhaps the easiest with dual carriageway practically the whole way down.  When I got to Brisbane I managed to find the place to drop the van off easily enough and made use of their free internet to check out places to stay in Maroochydore.  I also found out that a shuttle bus went from the airport so got a cab there to get the bus.

I was sad to see Bern go as I’d had another amazing time on the road.  Amongst the amazing scenery, flora and fauna I also saw some very strange towns.  I don’t think I mentioned "Big Rig" either which was a place I visited in Roma.  It was dubbed as "a living history of Oil and Gas exploration".  I stood at the desk deciding whether or not to go in and when I asked the guy managing the desk he told me that there was not a great deal to see although he did get rather more excited about the night show that evening.  I decided to go in and walked around the exhibits which were mostly billboards explaining about the history of gas.  It was interesting though and a chirpy old man was doing the same route round as me.  When I got to one indoor section where there were buttons to press which made an Australian man tell you about the history he was pressing the ones behind me so there was this strange kind of stereo thing going on.  For some reason I found this very amusing and he looked slightly confused as I chuckled to myself.  He must have felt let down when he got to the sections after me.  What really got me though was the final section.  I’m guessing that few people reading this are likely to visit Big Rig so I don’t think it will spoil the surprise.  Anyway, it’s the piece de resistance when they strike gas and a big drill comes through the ceiling with sound and smoke.  This made me jump out of my skin and let out a little yelp.  I really should have expected it after the warning signs and the fact that I stood underneath it to figure out what it was before it popped out, but I didn’t.  That was perhaps the highlight of Big Rig.  Actually it was quite interesting and the industrial vehicles, drills and cranes made for some great black and white photos.

Just before I conclude the section on my road trip I will share with you the dos and don’ts when in campervans.  These were instructions available in both Bernie and Bern:

"Never attempt to find a gas leak with a match".

Relatively self-explanatory that one eh?

"Never use cooking appliances for comfort heating".

Erm, do people actually do things like that?  Actually I guess they do and more hence the Darwin awards and the like.  Can you imagine it though, the mental images of a couple shivering in their van and one of them having the great idea to put the stove on while they sleep is a bit of an odd one.

"Always ensure that the hand brake is released and jockey wheel is stored before moving off".

Well I get the hand brake bit but what’s a jockey wheel.  More comedy mental images now!

"Always ensure the electrical lead is unplugged prior to moving off."

Now that one I can see actually.  Although I’m not sure having read the warning would make one any more likely to remember to disconnect it.

So, having successfully managed not to search for naked flames with matches nor use the cooking devices to keep my tootsies nice and toasty I was in Brisbane airport car-less and waiting for a bus to Maroochydore.  The bus arrived and I listened to the driver and an old guy sharing unfunny jokes for some time prior to arriving at the YHA in Maroochydore.  The hostel was actually really nice although I was slightly disturbed that the bunk bed opposite me had clearly male clothes strewn all over it and a box underneath with, "Sharon" written on it!