STARGAZING AT CHARLEVILLE WAS ONE OF MANY HIGHLIGHTS FOR GRAHAM AND JAN CARTER WHEN THEY TOOK A 12-DAY ROADTRIP ABOARD THE EXPLORE BY GEMLIFE MOTORHOME RECENTLY.
The couple were the first GemLife Tweed Waters contract holders to hire an Explore vehicle.
“We are the pioneers for the Tweed Waters resort but only just,” laughed Graham.
“We know there were quite a few others who booked the motorhome as well,” he added, admitting the couple didn’t want to wait a minute once they found out there was an Explore vehicle available.
Graham and Jan, who are based in Lismore while they await the completion of their brand-new home at the boutique over-50s lifestyle resort, have only been in Australia from the UK since May 2022.
They are already familiar with the area around Byron Bay where one of their son’s family reside and were keen to see more of what their newly adopted country had to offer, prompting the hire of the motorhome.
“We have visited the coastal areas of NSW many times on visits from the UK but wanted to drive inland and take a look at what it was like. We weren’t disappointed,” said Jan and Graham.
After picking up the motorhome from the Caboolture compound, the couple headed to Toowoomba with their first night spent in Chinchilla, followed by Roma, Charleville, and Tambo before turning around for the return trip, stopping at different campsites and tourist attraction along the way.
“There were so many wonderful and interesting things to see with stargazing at Charleville among our favourites. It was amazing and we were able to sit around a huge campfire and see Venus, Mars and the Milky Way with the naked eye or through the telescope while also learning so much about the planets,” said Graham.
At Roma, it was the largest bottle tree – which has the incredible girth of 9.62 metres, a height of 15 metres and a crown of 23 metres – that grabbed their attention while the hilarious chicken races at Tambo captured their imagination despite only a few finishing.
“It was so funny to see the chickens running after a little remote car filled with food. They went all different directions, and some stopped for a feed along the way. The one that did the most circuits in the time allotted was the winner. The event raised $1200 for children in the outback,” said Jan.
The couple could not speak highly enough about the Explore by GemLife motorhome which, they said, turned heads everywhere they went.
“We could easily live in the motorhome. The heating system was superb with reverse cycle air-conditioning, the bed was really comfortable and there was plenty of space. It was like a house on wheels.”
Jan and Graham said for two city slickers like themselves, the trip opened their eyes to the vastness of the outback wilderness as well as the glorious forests, scenery, farmland and long straight roads.
“We were quite ignorant to just how big this country is and the trip made us realise there is so much still to see. We can’t wait for our next road trip and you can be assured, it will be for a lot longer.”