HOW MY LIFE WAS IN A CARAVAN, THE EARLY YEARS
Once we return to Brisbane I will see if my old mother has any photos of the van and our travels, I know a lot were lost during the period when her and father split up and at that time I was not really interested in that stuff.
PART FIVE
WORK IN PROGRESS, OUT SOON
PART 4 |
So we were in the caravan building phase for some time and after a year we moved back to the beach caravan park at Yeppoon .
Not long after that we went though the toughest few weeks with some 3 cyclones hitting coast around the area which was something we would gotten used to and it seemed we all knew what to do and how to get ready and even to this day ,
storms have never really worried me and it just wind and rain. So we had been in or around Yeppoon for about 3 years now and it was close for us to get packed up and moving again. I was not looking forward to going I had just started to enjoy the fishing at Emu Park.
But we started moving south to our next stop and we headed inland to Biloela and south towards Brisbane and to our next stop at Stradbroke Island which sounded very nice.
But the road we had ahead of us was going to be interesting as parts were still dirt and the steep climbs I remember were very much not fun as in some place we had to get and walk up them some dad could drive the van up at some speed and we were always stopping due to the heat and radiator boiling, and a couple of flat tyres to top it off and it took 4 days just to get to a place called Ban-Ban Springs which we arrived in the middle of the night and stopped for a day or to. Did notice a big increase in traffic now and we had to pull over a lot to let others past as road was very narrow and dirt in sections. Then suddenly we arrived in the city of Brisbane which was huge for us and just finding our way out to the ferry was fun as those days you needed to go into town to get out to south side and what a site we must have made.........
Not long after that we went though the toughest few weeks with some 3 cyclones hitting coast around the area which was something we would gotten used to and it seemed we all knew what to do and how to get ready and even to this day ,
storms have never really worried me and it just wind and rain. So we had been in or around Yeppoon for about 3 years now and it was close for us to get packed up and moving again. I was not looking forward to going I had just started to enjoy the fishing at Emu Park.
But we started moving south to our next stop and we headed inland to Biloela and south towards Brisbane and to our next stop at Stradbroke Island which sounded very nice.
But the road we had ahead of us was going to be interesting as parts were still dirt and the steep climbs I remember were very much not fun as in some place we had to get and walk up them some dad could drive the van up at some speed and we were always stopping due to the heat and radiator boiling, and a couple of flat tyres to top it off and it took 4 days just to get to a place called Ban-Ban Springs which we arrived in the middle of the night and stopped for a day or to. Did notice a big increase in traffic now and we had to pull over a lot to let others past as road was very narrow and dirt in sections. Then suddenly we arrived in the city of Brisbane which was huge for us and just finding our way out to the ferry was fun as those days you needed to go into town to get out to south side and what a site we must have made.........
PART 3
we are still in Yeppoon, my father and mother decided to build a new van, yes build so we moved over to Cooee Bay and lived in a house for a year or so while dad had a steel frame built and worked out the layout and over the year put together what would become our home for the next 7 years, as well as this we got an extra sister join us. So my weekends were helping build the van and to say I did not understand why I had to do this when all I wanted was to go fishing.
But I look back now and understand it was some of the best times I spent working on the van and along with this, dad decide with a larger family he needed a bigger tow car and choices in the early 60’s that was limited but being a type that did not let that bother him he set out designed his own tow car, it started out as a ford custom line Ute then he cut the cab out and added and to cab with a back seat for us kids the add an extra section the rear it was a last floating axle which gave him more Ute area as well could tow a bigger load, so after many months of work we ended up with a 6 wheel monster the was cable of pulling a big van with a large deck for our gear and with 6 kids now was a lot.
So I guess when I had to learn how to drive and I did and got plenty of belts around the ears till I understood speed was not that important as knowing what the car was doing and getting to where ever in one piece, that meant learning to drive by the seat of your arse and get a feel for what the car is doing, I got to drive on the dirt, wet and the black stuff and both were important you got to remember the roads and I talk of the main highway were not as wide or good as now you had in a lot of cases needed to drop wheels into the dirt so others could pass both ways and the speed was only around 45 to 50 mph in most cases.
Then my dad put a trailer on the car with a load, and then I learnt about towing, and that was a whole new thing with different loads in different places it could be like driving on ice or in sand depending on loads and he did not make it easy as I had to drive the car with some big loads taking gear to the dig sites and I was expected to load and get the balance right and sometimes water or fuel which brings new load issues to towing.
PART TWO
So we all ended up in Yeppoon, From what I understand they had a contract to dig all the trench's from Byfield to Emu Park and lay all the water pipes so that the towns along that area had water so we were lucky in those days to work in such a pretty place.
We had breakfast and went and played on the beach and around the area as long as we were home before dark our parents did not seem to worry too much about us.
So when I reached around 9 or 10, my fathers made me work and be with him on Saturdays where ever they were digging the trench's and my job was when we arrived on site was to run along the trench that was dug the day before with a 20 lt. drum and pour fuel mixed with old used oil the length, while dad and the others had their morning smoke and get ready.
Then light it up, such fun to watch the fuel catch fire as it ran along the trench , why you ask well in those days the men had to get down into the trench and work but that area was a sandy area and over night the snakes would fall in and get trapped and it was dangerous to be in a 6ft trench with some of the most dangerous snakes in the world.
And my other job was to get out the grease gun and grease every piece of the gear on site and for that the boys bought me lunch or I got some new fishing gear, it was heaven, not really knowing but I was learning to look after machines and cars for them, and I learnt how to drive and pull the trailers along the site with the lunch donga and the mobile workshop and keep it ahead of the work site and reverse parking came with that as well, we also when we lived here learnt how to prepare for a cyclone and tie down the vans etc. as we lived in it and went though a good number of big storms and to this day I don't really get worried but do make sure we are well prepared with our tie down and a back pack filled with stuff just in case we have to make a run for it, I had such life skills and organising skills taught to me that just by looking at something I knew what to do and why ...........
See you all next week and I will carry on my story, if you want me too....
So we all ended up in Yeppoon, From what I understand they had a contract to dig all the trench's from Byfield to Emu Park and lay all the water pipes so that the towns along that area had water so we were lucky in those days to work in such a pretty place.
We had breakfast and went and played on the beach and around the area as long as we were home before dark our parents did not seem to worry too much about us.
So when I reached around 9 or 10, my fathers made me work and be with him on Saturdays where ever they were digging the trench's and my job was when we arrived on site was to run along the trench that was dug the day before with a 20 lt. drum and pour fuel mixed with old used oil the length, while dad and the others had their morning smoke and get ready.
Then light it up, such fun to watch the fuel catch fire as it ran along the trench , why you ask well in those days the men had to get down into the trench and work but that area was a sandy area and over night the snakes would fall in and get trapped and it was dangerous to be in a 6ft trench with some of the most dangerous snakes in the world.
And my other job was to get out the grease gun and grease every piece of the gear on site and for that the boys bought me lunch or I got some new fishing gear, it was heaven, not really knowing but I was learning to look after machines and cars for them, and I learnt how to drive and pull the trailers along the site with the lunch donga and the mobile workshop and keep it ahead of the work site and reverse parking came with that as well, we also when we lived here learnt how to prepare for a cyclone and tie down the vans etc. as we lived in it and went though a good number of big storms and to this day I don't really get worried but do make sure we are well prepared with our tie down and a back pack filled with stuff just in case we have to make a run for it, I had such life skills and organising skills taught to me that just by looking at something I knew what to do and why ...........
See you all next week and I will carry on my story, if you want me too....
PART ONE
Well me for a start, have been lucky in that I have been able to travel a lot about the country it first started when I was about 6 or so when our father came home with a van in the early 60's and took us away from the big smoke to Mackay, as he had work with PMG digging the trenches for the telephone cables. So us 5 kids in a 1956 Humber Snipe and a 15 ft. timber van left our 3 bedroom house on the adventure of our lives.
So in those early days I spend a lot of my days with my 3ft. steel fishing line and my bread bait waist deep on the beach fishing.
During our time there I believe Mum And Dad got a bigger van with an annex so us kids got our own bed, double bunks in the annex and it was much better, but it was an old girl but was a home for us.
From there we moved down the coast slowly as they required and ended up in Yeppoon for three years on the beach in the van park around from the town called the Bluff with by now 5 brothers and sisters and in that time learnt about cyclone's as we had more than 10 in that time and we rode them out on the beach in the 25ft van and annex where we slept and lived. We visited there a few months back and it has changed a lot the old Strand Hotel has under gone a big change.
As I remember near every afternoon us kids had to sit in the car while Dad had a few drinks before heading home, would not happen today as with drink driving and etc.
But we lived in a time where even wearing seat belts was never heard of and cars just did not have them. Well next week more about Dave the early Years......
So in those early days I spend a lot of my days with my 3ft. steel fishing line and my bread bait waist deep on the beach fishing.
During our time there I believe Mum And Dad got a bigger van with an annex so us kids got our own bed, double bunks in the annex and it was much better, but it was an old girl but was a home for us.
From there we moved down the coast slowly as they required and ended up in Yeppoon for three years on the beach in the van park around from the town called the Bluff with by now 5 brothers and sisters and in that time learnt about cyclone's as we had more than 10 in that time and we rode them out on the beach in the 25ft van and annex where we slept and lived. We visited there a few months back and it has changed a lot the old Strand Hotel has under gone a big change.
As I remember near every afternoon us kids had to sit in the car while Dad had a few drinks before heading home, would not happen today as with drink driving and etc.
But we lived in a time where even wearing seat belts was never heard of and cars just did not have them. Well next week more about Dave the early Years......
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