Meet Axle Rose

FINALLY we have been able to give our baby a test drive. We have owned her for many years now and she has undergone a heart transplant in the last year and we can now take her out and oh yeah she is running nice. She is now sporting a 1.6ltr EFI motor along with too many other parts to mention but it is the heart that gives her the power to face the rocks and ledges and logs that just happen to get in the way.

We were invited recently to test drive the tracks for a new competition and she took it all in her stride keeping up with the biggest of trucks to the 90 point mark all the way.

So why Axel rose well if you look at the bonnet close she has 2 axles for the bones and she is as red as a beautiful rose. I also thought it very fitting for a girly car in a boy dominated industry.

I just thought I would introduce you all formally to her so you can now keep an eye out here for more stories of where we get out to.

Us2martins introducing Axle Rose.

Cockatoo Island

One of the Guys in the Club posted a trip to go Camping on Cockatoo Island. James and I thought it sounded like fun so we put our names down. Peter and Desiree also were free and decided to come along. We got going later in the day then we had hoped but not to worry we headed off for the train and then ferry just after 3pm. We made our way to the 4.25pm ferry and before 5pm we were on the island and setting up camp. We had decided to only book a site though we could have booked a site and tent beds chairs and torch. In hindsight next time we will take the whole package carrying all our gear was a little harder then we first thought. Oh well it is all a learning experience and turned out fine.

We settled in and then produced afternoon nibbles and then went for a walk to explore the island. It is an amazing place and has so much history to explore. We bought a bottle of wine from the cafe and did a lap of the island stopping to admire the buildings along the way.

When we got back we decided it was dinner time and set about using the free BBQ's to get dinner going. We had bought everything to make hamburgers and once they were cooked we sat over looking the water and Woolowich for the evening. The wine was opened and a fantastic drop it was. Peter and Desiree had also purchased a bottle so they enjoyed the whole experience while Ray enjoyed a cool beer.

It was very relaxing to sit listening to the water lap below us admire the city lights and watch the passing boat traffic that the night passed slowly and we even got to see some fireworks over the harbor bridge.

We got to bed and had a wonderful nights sleep. The cafe made us fantastic coffee's while James and Peter cooked bacon and eggs breakfast. We again sat and just relaxed and let time pass us by. We took the 11am ferry back and were lucky to only wait 2 minutes for a train Ray left us at central to head home. It was a hot afternoon so Peter and Desiree joined us for a swim. It was a fantastic way to end a wonderful camping experience and we would both recommend it to anyone. We will be going again so watch out for a post on here for you to join us.

Us2martins Camping on Cockatoo Island.
http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/

Camping at Myall Lakes 2010

Myall Lake

Date: 06/03/2010
Leader: Greg and Di Hamilton
Attendees: David, Liz, Rhys, Effie, Rebecca, Andrew, Kye, Amy, James, Wally, Alicia, Danielle, Nick, Matt, Mel, Lachlan, Laura, Dazza, Kazza, Noah, Cameron, Heather, Micky K, William.

With bad on the radar we were not even sure we wanted to get away. We decided to risk it but to take the Rodeo and small tent just in case. It had started raining even before I got the car packed and it continued and continued. I picked James up from work and we hit the road. Traffic was ok and within an hour we were on the highway and yup the rain continued and it only got worse the further we went. Visibility was poor but the traffic flowed. As we pulled into Wyong to fuel up the car and us we saw Wally and Alicia behind us and we had received a call from Dave and Liz and they were with Rhys and Effie looking for a good place to camp.
With full tummies and cars we hit the road together, and through the rain we pushed. Effie had said she had seen blue patches of sky so we held hope though it was fading. We pulled into camp and found the others easily at about 9pm. We set up and joined the mosquito’s and killer ants. We had missed the worst of the mozzies but they were still around and the killer ants really didn’t get going till the next day. The rain had eased but it was very misty and all night we could hear it raining on the roof of the tent and it didn’t stop.
We woke late to see patches of blue and held hope that it would continue to clear and by 10am it had cleared. It was a very relaxing morning with some people heading back into town for a few things and other just lazing around. By 11am the rest of the group had joined us and began setting up their campsites. We decided to migrate to the lake as it was much cooler sitting by the water.
Liz had packed her surf ski which was alot of fun for the big and little kids. Alot of us had a swim or 2 and some went for the rainforest walk and others just sat and chilled out. We spent the whole rest of the day by the water it was far too still and hot at camp though it was only a few hundred meters away. Later in the afternoon Dazza, Kazza and Noah showed up and then early evening Micky K and William graced us with their company.
We then had a celebrate the clubs birthday with pavlova and Liz pulled out 2 HUGE pavs to feed us all. Most of it was eaten but the last 3rd was just too much for anyone to fit in. We all had a fairly quiet early night.
Sunday saw another great looking day and seemed even warmer. We got to packing early and decided it would be good to be home early so we said our farewells and hit the road before lunch time. We got home early afternoon and had an easy unpack and were sitting with cool drink in hand with plenty of afternoon still to enjoy.
We are so glad we decided to go and really enjoyed the company of the 20 or so other campers. The only downside was not being able to camp with our car but we would go again to the same place to enjoy the lake and maybe even make it over to the beach, it was a very relaxing place that was great for couples and families.

Us2martins Camping with the Zook club at Myall Lakes
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