In 1986, our whole family, Marg, myself, Craig and Brett undertook our first camping trip to Queensland and back.
Our itinerary was carefully planned and we intended to drive up the Newall highway and take in places like Tocumwal, Narrandera, Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, including a visit to the Dubbo Zoo. Also camping in the Wurrumbungle ranges then onto Goondiwindi (Gunsynd’s statue), Brisbane (where we were to visit some friends), the Giant Pineapple, then travel the Princess Highway south on our way back home and camp at places like Ballina, Coff’s Harbour (the Big Banana), Foster, then on to Sydney to visit my brother Greg and his wife Ann.
Then onto Canberra, to visit the Australian War Memorial, cross the Kosciusko National Park over the then very rough road from Jindabyne, through Thredbo and Khancoben. We were then to drive to Yarrawonga, camp there and spend the day swimming in Lake Mulwala, and then spend the last 2 nights at Sheepyard Flat in the very picturesque Howqua Valley camped next to the Howqua River.
Our camping safari started fairly uneventful until Brett caught a stomach bug and we spent our day at the Dubbo zoo running him to and from the toilet. He had a chronic dose of the shits (in more ways than one) and was still quite ill when we arrived at the Warrumbbungle’s.
To make matter worse, on our second night there, a swarm of tiny beetles came and he managed to get one stuck in his ear. All attempts to get it out failed, much to Brett’s consternation as you may well appreciate. We tried to flush it out with warm water and then cooking oil, but to no avail.
After him spending a uncomfortable and sleepless night, we packed up and drove him to a clinic at Coonabarabran (what a name), but the doctor’s efforts to remove the unwanted intruder also proved fruitless. He in fact was quite concerned about it and recommended us to an ear specialist at Armidale, 400 odd kilometers away. We were told that with the prospect of that particular doctor having to do an emergency operation on Brett, and so necessitating an anaesthetic, he was not to eat or drink anything on his way there.
To cut a long story short, after driving to the aforementioned town, (the temperature that day reached 110) that doctor, after a couple of tries got the bug out with a long pair of tweezers. Can you imagine Brett’s discomfort through the whole ordeal. We still talk about this episode every now and then, at least now, years later we can all have a good laugh about it