Oldies at Large Aus.

Drop Bear Warning! Be Vigilant!

Drop Bears – Look UP!

A warning youtube video clip sourced from archives.

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Available at Amazon are the books of the ‘Oldies at Large’ Series. These are e-books which are a collection of travel tales by Jan and The Man.

Freely available here, these blog posting have been compiled for ease of reading and may be purchased for less than the cost of a cuppa.

Blog Articles:

2018

• A Sydney Siders Bucket List
• Route 39 – The Dark Sky Park
• Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
• Route 39 – Travelling the Newell Hwy – RV Daily
• Secret Places – Cockatoo Island, Sydney
• Gold WA
• A Different Route – Route 39 Outback NSW
• Living The Dream – And Family
• Noodling for Nundle Diamonds
• Home, Hearth (or Campfire) and THAT Fridge
• A Celebration in Sydney

2017

• Secrets of the Gascoyne – RV Daily
• Mon Repos, Bundaberg – Turtles and Taking to the Skies
• Australia’s Longest Shortcut – The Red Centre
• The Longest Shortcut in Australia – Leonora to The NT Border
• The Longest Shortcut in Australia – The Gold Fields of WA

Western Australia : East to West – Australia

• It’s All in the Planning… Making the Most of Travel
• Kalbarri WA and the National Park
• The Red Pilbara, Karijini NP, WA
• Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
• The Principality of Hutt River, WA
• Time Out – The Pinnacles Desert WA
• Penguin Island and the Swan Plain Karst, WA
• Crystal Cave – Yanchep National Park
• The Murrawijinie Caves – Nullarbor
• The Murrumbidgee – Carolling with the Cockatoo’s

2016

Tasmania – Touring the Apple Isle

• The Devils of Trowunna Wildlife Park
• Tasmania and Travellers Rest Area’s
• Maria Island – Tasmania
• Beautiful Freycinet – Tasmania
• Up There, Our Heads in the Clouds – Ben Lomond, Tas
• The Tamar Valley – Launceston
• The Huon Highway – Tasmania
• Van Diemans Land and the Bushmen
• A Tassie Christmas Season
• Camping Through the Central Highland Plateau of Tasmania
• The Cradle in the Mountain
• The World of Gondwana – Tasmania
• Where the Platypus Swim
• Discovering The Little Penguins of Tasmania
• Exploring the Inland Canyon Region – NW Tasmania
• The Great Nature Trail – NW Tasmania

Touring NSW – Vic

• Parks Victoria – Touring East Gippsland
• National Parks NSW – Brou Lake
• Holidays with the Grandies – Sydney to the Snow
• Stepping Back A-Times
• That Favourite Aussie Destination is?
• Its All in The Planning
• Time to Renovate on the Road
• Secret Places – CBD Sydney
• Aussie Cities – Oldies at Large
• Freecamping is Really About Community 
• Re-Tiring to the Timeless Forests
• The Wealth of a Country – Australia
• Nundle – A Gem in the NSW Goldfields
• There’s Gold in Them There Hills
• Our Wilderness – Places Living Outside of Time
• Our Cities – Places of History
• An Idiots Guide to being Unplugged
• The Land of the Snowy River Legend
• Discovering Australia and Her Lore – Oldies at Large
• Living the High Life – Oldies at Large
• Summer in the Victorian High Country
• The Sundowner’s of Todays World
• Becoming Part of the Wildlife
• Oldies At Large – Fast Food Feasts
• Oldies At Large – The Friends You Make
• Oldies At Large – All About Downsizing

Tropic & Subtropic Australia

• The Wet Season in Far North Queensland
• Living in a Rain Forest – Born of the Dreamtime
• 15 Things I’ve Learnt as a Grey Nomad
• It Rains in the Rainforest – Oldies at Large
• On the Road Again – Oldies at Large
• Travelling Australia – Oldies at Large
• Outback Pubs – Australia

The Savannah Way of the Top End & The Red Centre

• The Red Heart of Aus’ – The Macdonnell Ranges
  

  Anthology of Blogs 2015
  

• The Moving World of the Ghan
• Camping Tales
• Travelling Around and Camping Out
• Litchfield National Park – NT
• Savannah Way – NT National Parks
• Savannah Way – The Wilderness NT
• Savannah Way – Channel Country
• Savannah Way – Carpentaria Qld
• At the Edge of the Rainforest – Kuranda QLD

• Cruising Sydney : The Hawkesbury
• Cruising Sydney : Parramatta River
• The Adventure Doesn’t Stop – Australia
• Grey Nomads & The Digital Divide
• Stepping of the Edge – Aus’ has Changed
• Lapping Aus’ – What Next?
• Secret Places – Sydney’s Cave Dwellers
• Free camping Around “Country” and What it Means
• Camping Amongst the Giants – Victoria’s Forests
• So You Plan to do “The Lap” – Grey Nomads of Aus’

Heading East – Crossing a Continent

• The Nullabor Links – Golfing the Longest Course in the World
• Seafood Heaven – Eyre Peninsula SA
• Nullabor Caves – Caverns of the Dreamtime
• People of the Nullabor – Mundrabilla
• The Oondiri – Travelling the Nullabor
• Across the Nullarbor – Oldies at Large

Western Aus. Exploring The SW Corner

• 

  E-book Blog Anthology

  Revised and Revisited – An Authors Journey

• The Bush Camp – Oldies at Large
• WA’s Recreational Camps – A History
• Albany WA – Discovering Waugal
• Blogging, Travelling and all that Biz
• Farmers Market Bunbury – WA’s Best
• Sea, Sand and Sun WA – Albany
• Sea, Sand and Sun WA – Rangers, Councils and Rec’ Areas
• Sea, Sand and Sun WA – Dongara and Port Denison
• Gnamma Holes … An Ancient Lifeline
• Understanding Freecampers – An Aussie Lifestyle
• Caves of the Nullarbor – Sanctum
• The Beautiful Salt Lakes of WA
• Kalgoorlie – RV Friendly and Doing it Well
• The Season’s Celebration – What is This Really?
• Gnome Expose’ – Not on any Map I Found
• Freecamping, Sunset Side vs Sunrise Side

Across the Top – Touring the Savannah Way

• Freecamps, Reststops & Travellers in WA
• Oldies at Large – Looking Back Down the Years
• Nature in Action – The Kimberley
• Anna Plains – Between the Desert and the Ocean
• The Kimberley – Geikie Gorge and Broome
• My Love Affair – The Kimberley’s
• Oldies at Large – Old Man Boab
• When It’s Time to Take a Holiday – From Freecamping
• The Devils Marbles NT – A Place of Meeting and Legend
• Oldies at Large – Icons of the Northern Territory
• The Gateway to the Frontier Territory – Camooweal
• Oldies at Large – The Gulf Country and Legend
• The Old Gulflander – A Train to No-where
• Normanton – Home of the Biggest Damn Croc’ in the world
• The Aussie Savannah – Across the Top
• Undara’s Volcano – Kalkani Crater
• If the Croc’s don’t get you – The Trees Will
• Gateway to the Tropics – Cairns

Touring the East Coast in an Aussie Winter

Continue your journey north into Cape York with Jan. A wonderful 4×4 adventure into remote Australia. Available in e-book and print from Amazon.com

• A Mans Dream of the Old World – Paronella Park
• Ancient Limestone Caves – Chillagoe FNQ
• The Taming of the Bloomfield Track
• Oldies at Large – Remember When…
• Australia’s  Volcanic Lands – Soaking Atop a Magma Flow
• Oldies at Large – Freecampers and Squatters
• Oldies at Large – Gods Own Country
• Oldies at Large – Freecamping and the Rules
• Oldies at Large – Travelling with Fur Kids
• Back Home Amongst the Gum Trees

Our Trek Through NW America & The Canadian Rockies

Read the full travelogue of Jans adventures in the e-book
‘The Rockies and the Greater NW USA’
now available at Amazon for just $US1.99

• Back Home Amongst the Gum Trees
• Oldies at Large – Seattle WA
• When the Planet Burps – Visiting Mnt Snt Helens
• Oldies at Large – Portland OR
• Dispersed Camping – Freecamping US Style
• The Redwoods – Old Men of the US Forests
• Oldies at Large – A View of Young America
• Oldies at Large – On the Oregon Trail West
• Oldies at Large – Craters of the Moon
• Camping in the US : Bear Tooth Mountain Pass
• An American Wilderness – Yellowstone
• Oldies at Large – Yellowstone
• Oldies at Large – Freecamping on the Montana Prairie
• Oldies at Large – Indulging in Mountain Life
• Oldies at Large – Rocky Mountains High
• Oldies at Large – The Foothills of the Canadian Rockies
• Oldies at Large : Vancouver BC
• Rewriting History – At the Movies
• Oldies at Large : Aussies Abroad in the Rockies

Exploring New South Wales – Australia

Visit a voice from the past with Cecil Roy Mackaway. Raised  in the Hunter Valley region with this Grandparents his recollections are wonderful . Revisit the colonial era in campfire tales, memories and bush prose. Available at Amazon.com in print and e-book.

• The Convict Trail outa’ Sydney Town
• Newnes – Visiting an Industrial Ghost
• Oldies at Large – Freecamping Extremes
• Oldies at Large – The Wilderness Camp
• Oldies at Large – Staying in Touch
• Oldies at Large – The Majestic Jenolan Caves
• Classic Aussie Culture in Sydney Australia
• Oldies at Large – Finding Yesteryear in Port Macquarie
• Oldies at Large – A Road to the Past
• Oldies at Large – Back on the Wallaby
• Oldies at Large – What a Pest!
• Bringing the Bush to the Backyard
• Oldies at Large – Intermission
• Freecamping – An Australian Historical Right
• Oldies at Large – A Change of Pace
• Oldies at Large – A New Day Dawns
• Oldies at Large – Housekeeping and Holidays
• Oldies at Large – Leaving the Gold Trail
• Freecamping – It’s a Dogs Life
• You Have Mail – Born on a Nugget of Gold

Freecamping Around the East Coast of Australia

The Spirit Children Series, those born of the Dreaming.

Tales of the Featherfoot. Discover an ancient Lore, a world hidden in and around Sydney. Tales of the Kadaitcha to be found in a modern world. The Spirit Children Series.

• The Journey – Adapting to Freecamping
• Oldies at Large – Out on the Wallaby
• Oldies at Large – The Little Joys and Annoys of Freecamping
• Freecamping Travelling Stock Routes TSR
• Oldies at Large – Man on the Loose
• Food for Thought – Wild Snacks
• Oldies at Large – Life Around Camp
• An Aussie Bounty – Gold and Precious Stones
• Oldies at Large – Out on the Tar at Last
• Oldies at Large – CHRISTMAS CHEER
• Oldies at Large – Giving up the Rituals
• Oldies at Large – Camping in the Backyard
• Oldies at Large – Settling into Retirement
• Oldies at Large – The Cradle of the Family – The Bed
• Oldies at Large – Golf 1.01
• Oldies at Large – Retrenched!
• Perils of Being a ’30’s Something’s’ Mum

Preparing for the SKI Trip The 30’s Somethings’ generation is a pretty good lot I often think. They lead you into all manner of problems as kids do of all ages, but it is of a particular pleasure when they get to this age. You can scare the crap out of them so easily if you just but try. They are independent mostly (they think), and if they aren’t then you can plague them about how they should be. A double-edged sword that, really… one which nips at the conscience. So it is now Monday and I am thinking it’s time to post more about the 30’s Somethings’ Mum experience. A new commitment of mine that I quietly enjoy. The sunset years of our working life were a kind of a prep’ for the more dependent 60’s… mine… and I am fast approaching that age too. I plan on bounding through retirement as a gleeful and irresponsible grey nomad out for a good time and I can’t see any problem with that at all. Dependent? I hear your groan. Yep… dependent on the 30 Somethings’ lot to look after the home and chattels. After all it will be theirs one day so they better man-up. If they don’t they will only have themselves to blame… and to deal with the fiscal mayhem we could leave them. We are Dependent… despite one of the brood pointing out that they get to choose my retirement village!  I fixed that shenanigans…  we built us a granny flat (Mum version) at the bottom of the garden. Never give up I a say. We will also be Dependent… because they also get to organize the bills that hit the letter box while we are off gallivanting around the countryside and that takes some training which has been going on for a while. You see I… hubby and I that is, will be somewhere out in the Never Never very soon. This in our trusty van otherwise known as the Grampie Flat (Dad version) and one of the 30 Somethings’ will be house managing for us. The Man was retrenched this week, quite shockingly but this has been on the table for a long time and we have been making preparations for equally as long, so the shock is more physical than emotional. However the escapade now begins and we are taking a couple of weeks out for a sortie run, with some glee and anticipation. Unlike when they were littlies, the 30’s Something’ crowd have something extra to offer the parents as mentioned. Independence! Ours. This was the trade off, little did they know it at the time of their maturity, that our nurturing had a flip side. They maybe didn’t realize that their dependence on our help, once they achieved ‘their version of independent’ back after the celebration of their 24yr, had a pay-back clause.  A parent to any 30’s Something offspring who have offspring (Grandkids), will understand that rationale perfectly. I figured back in some time distantly passed, that the age of dependence (my version) was when our offspring reached the age of somewhere around ‘24-34yrs’ and hopefully had by then managed to produce a few Grandies for us to enjoy. Once that touchstone was reckoned with, they were then dependent on the legacy’ of Grandparents … their kids Grandparents that is, or US.  This is a time when the Grandparents (us) became on-call babysitters, in part role-models, mentors and the ‘Bank of Dad’ opened for trade. Prior to that we didn’t consider that anything was ‘pay-back’ material. We after all had decided to have the brats, so we were natually obligated to raise them, feed & nurture them and put up with all manner of crap. After the age of 24yrs though we figured they were truly their own people and therefore everything then came up for negotiation. Everything being… accommodation, food, fiscal considerations, holidays, time etc. This all became pay-back material. You get my drift? Enter the 30’s Something crowd dealing with the parents bent on escape and it is Pay Back time! Hubby and I can now, having been thrown early into his retirement together, will now be depend on their commitment, practical not physical and we hope their training has gone well. They after all decided to have us after they had reached the age of 24yrs… did they not? Particularly when it came to accommodation, food, fiscal considerations, holidays, time etc.  I see this as an elective decision on their part and one that comes with responsibilities now. Pay Back – I love that term, it has primeval connotations does it not and it is now fast approaching Pay Back time. So as we now descend deeper into the irresponsible anarchy of retirement, bent on becoming unruly and purely out to enjoy ourselves often. This hopefully with the little Grandies in tow at times, the now ‘30’s Something’ brood is looking on with some trepidation. I guess they are hoping we will not make it solely a Spend the Kids Inheritance extravaganza, otherwise known as a SKI holiday in Aus. They live in hope that we will behave responsibly… sooooo… reminds me of their own teenage years which we muddled through bemoaning their excesses does it not? Currently we are busily trying to convince the Baby Boy that he really does need to live with Mum and Dad to look after the primary residence… something he thankfully has taken too despite the loss of kudos in ‘looking to be living with the parents’ as it is a long way from ‘living on the titanic’ which is his current abode. Yes the Baby Boy lives on a boat and enjoys his freedom (from  us). Our proposal has huge advantages for him, many of which I may save for another time but the cost of ‘being seen to be living with the parents’ comes as a blow to his own sense of independence… while he is trying to impress the all important new Out-law. But we are going to fly the coop and leave him to it which will seem a lot better from his outlook (and the Out-laws). Then there is convincing the Princess, the one and only girl in the brood and the youngest, that she can manage the responsibilities of ‘Power of Attorney’, particularly now that she has shed the responsibility of the irresponsible spouse… otherwise known (for as long as we’ve known him) as The Scrubber or the new and improved name of Derelict Dad. I guess her reservations come down to my explanation of what the role of POW entailed… it was a bit gruelling. It didn’t help that this antonym also means Prisoner Of War. Put like this “Darlin’ all it means that if I drive your dad around the bend and off the road… you get to scrape us off the pavement, dust us off, patch us up and pay the bills.” The rest of the brood, Son no.1 and Second Son look on with a degree of trepidation, waiting for the blow of Our expectations. We are saving their particular expose’ for another day and the trepidation in their manner is really delightful. Bring it on… The challenges of the 30’s Something Mum