We are staying in Boulia tonight at the caravan park, and once again the town and the park in particular, is full. The park that the recent volume of vans has been twice what they would normally expect – we assume everyone just wants a break away because they missed travelling last year.
We had planned on two nights here, hoping for a powered site but as it is so busy we have an unpowered one. They showed us first of all to a very pretty site but it was well shaded and because it is unpowered we would prefer to have a sunny spot to ensure plenty of solar; they were happy for us to move. We set up and then drove into town to refill at least one of the gas bottles – both empty – only to be told there was no gas until Wednesday. (Expletive!)
Thinking we might just as well move on and free camp somewhere along the road rather than pay $40 camp fee for nothing, we went back to the park and started to pack up when a very kindly camp neighbour offered
us the use of his spare bottle for a night – how generous was he and how grateful were we because we were both feeling a bit tired and didnt relish the thought of more driving. The gentleman didnt want to accept any money, but we insisted and so popped $20 (one nights tariff) into the pocket of some trousers hanging on their washing line. His generosity gave us time to relax and as we sat under our awning we had an inquisitive visitor. The pony must from the childrens petting area adjacent to the caravan park and he happily walked from one campsite to another to see if there were any horsey treats on offer.