SASS at OZ

It's been a while since I entered a blog. I had trouble working in the blog site and finally figured out it is the Explorer browser! 

After our Broadbeach visit with the family we headed inland to the National SASS, Single Action Shooting Society, championships, The Chisholm Trail. It had been a wonderful visit and great fun! However, as usual I did not take enough pictures.

Leslie gets a ride to deliver her
sandwiches to the range with Jim

Our campsite attacked by hillbillys

We got there early and got a great place for the camper! Carl went and met Virgil Earp, and a number of other shooters as he signed up for some of the shooting events. He also arranged to borrow some guns and buy some ammo. Leslie volunteered to help in the kitchen and got put right to work. The hired cook walked off the job the second day so the volunteers got worked hard as 3 meals a day are served to the shooters, volunteers and guests!  The kitchen crew, mainly 2, were busy making 200 sandwiches a day to take to the range while prepping for dinner.

Leslie and the other volunteers hard at work in the kitchen

The lake at the camp site

Kangaroos by the lake

The camping area is separated from the shooting ranges by a lake, but we didn’t go for a swim. However, we did see some wild kangaroos by the lake one day.

Leslie and Rooster at the camp

More of the camp

The "rabbit hiding under the table

some of the stages

 On the lake Cisco Kid and his” pardner” Rooster set up an authentic civil war field tent and campaign area. Even a stuffed rabbit added to the details.  I didn’t shoot the side matches the first few days, but watched them. The stage construction is really nice and well built. It made each stage more fun to shoot. Some of the side matches were speed shooting, a 600yd shoot, a challenge match like an IDPA with a lot of movement and reloading as you shot each target setup, and more.

Boot Hill

More stages

The challenge match course with shooting stages on both sides

The matches begin!

contestants in action

By Friday when the main match began there were over 200 shooters! There was also a great dinner on Friday, a Dance, social and recognition of the top shooters on Saturday.

I believe she is 14 years old

She is a great shot also!

Some cool gun carts

Some of the costumes and gun carts were really unique! The shooters comprised all age groups and I was really impressed with some of the younger shooters. There were teenagers running some of the stages and doing a great job at it!

Carl tries to fit in

The top shooters

The "army" guards the event

All and all it was a great competition! I only wish it lasted longer as I was getting better each day and it was so much fun! Sunday arrived and we had to head back to Brisbane to get ready to head back to the U.S.

The closing dinner

We are now getting ready for Christmas with Eric and his family then head back to the boat the first week of January.

On to Oz

Our Wicked Van The Mystery Machine

We got to Oz too late to get our next Wicked Van so we took a hotel room. The hotel was right on the river and 1km from a stop on the Water Cats route. It was also the first hotel I ever stayed in where the bathroom was at the end of the hall, not on suite. The hotel was really convenient as we took the water cat across the river and walked to the Wicked Van place. We got the Mystery Machine which was a 5 speed stick. So Carl started driving. A 5 speed stick with the stick on the left since the wheel was on the right and the turn signals on the right and drove on the left side of the road onto a freeway and across the bridge to the hotel through the middle of town. Was I scared? It was a stressful ride to say the least!

 

We have a drink on the river

One of the City Cats

We took the Water Cat into Brisbane which is a city on the river. It is a beautiful city with many parks and public spaces including a cliff where people can rock climb.

Brisbane at night

The river at night

Denise is the hostess

Carl prepares "bugs" and crabs

This trip was all about visiting family. So our first stop was Broadbeach on the Gold Coast to Carl’s sister-in-law, Denise’s, apartment where we immediately left to have dinner at her daughter, Astra, and son-in-law, Stephen’s, house. A sausage sizzle. Carl re-met Asher, who is now 5, and met Tennison, who is 2 and a half. They all had a great time playing in the back yard by the river.

We bury Asher at the beach

It was a chore to get him out!

 We spent 4 days at Denise’s and we met the kids at the beach several times as the beach is beautiful and Asher is a fearless swimmer. He really enjoys playing in the surf as well as digging in the beach. One time Carl and Asher dug a hole up to Asher’s chest and buried him. Carl had a tough time pulling him out of the sand.

A neat playground

 They have some great playgrounds all over for the kids.

An innovative slide at the playground

The campsite at Arlie Beach

Leslie feeds bird at Arlie Beach

We headed up the coast to see Alan at Townsville a 1000 km away. We took 3 days driving it as the van was old and shook and bounced and swayed all over when you went over 80 km/hr, about 55 mph, so Carl kept it at or below 100 km, 68 mph. In fact air streamed in the door jams and you couldn’t lower the window as it would pop out of the track and you had to stop to get it back in while trucks passing sent the van swaying over the road. The first day everyone passed us, including an old lady pushing a shopping cart! We stopped over night at a campground at Arlie Beach and the next morning walked around Arlie Beach. 

Marina at Arlie Beach

Carl in part of the freshwater "Lagoon"

They have a great man made freshwater lagoon in the middle of town for people to swim in and lay on the beach. There is also a large marina there and of course beach front shopping.

 

Carl found a backpack for day hikes

Annabelle, Leslie, and Alan

A playground in the park by the beach

We arrived in Townsville and met Alan, my brother, and his significant other Annabelle, Alan and Denise have separated. After dinner Alan grabbed a bottle of Scotch and called Carl outside. At 9 AM they both came back in the house with 2 more empty bottles. That was the end of that day! We spent several days exploring Townsville with Alan and Annabelle. It has a big park by the beach with several playgrounds, a pool, a couple of lagoons and a man made waterfall.

The man-made waterfall

Magnetic Island

A Kuala we saw on the way up to
the bunkers

 We visited Magnetic island one day which was fun. We hiked up to some World War II bunkers and gun emplacements and saw a couple of Kuala bears up in the trees. We ended up at the beach having drinks.

 

Carl is the gun on the emplacement

the battery spotting bunker

Another Kuala we saw on the way out

We enjoy drinks on the beach

A line of Prius taxis

A sugar cane train

We drove back down to Broadbeach. It was a 3 day run and we stopped at a couple of campsites.

The camp site theme was Africa

A rhino sneaks up on Carl

We say goodbye to our old van

Our new Beatles van

On the way back our Mystery van over heats and leaves us a 100 km out of Brisbane. We call and in 4 hours we have a new van, The Beatles, delivered to us. It is automatic and much nicer. Carl's driving is now over.

Leslie, Denise, Maria, and Novs

Jorrie, Nova and Astra

We went to Nova’s house, Alan’s daughter, to see her, her husband Jorrie, a surgeon who we didn’t see until 10 PM, and her daughters Illia, who is 5, and Maria, 18 months. There we had a dinner get together with Steve and Astra's family.

We  feed the black swans at Nova's

Illia, Asher, and Steve

Grandpa Alan with grand kids

The champagne ladies!