A Successful Jaunt North

I managed to persuade Charlie to accompany me on the last trip north and we had a great time. Besides the company, Charlie is on his L-plates so he got some good experience on the Pacific Highway.

We arrived at Wollumbin on Sunday afternoon to a friendly welcome from Chris and Darrell and then it was off to the Riverside for a smart dinner with Wendy and Nick. They head home on Monday and it was good to catch up with them and I know Wendy was thrilled to see Chris after such a long time and also to see Darrell again.

I gave the red wine a nudge at dinner so I wake on Monday very seedy and wander around the QEIII for 15 minutes wondering where I can throw up that Bob wouldn't get the shits. A shower and a strong coffee help me bypass the throw-up stage but Chris's Panadol come to the rescue and by 3pm I am feeling fine. We go to Tweed City and get some sushi and chippies... there goes the diet!

We set Chris up with his new HP computer and load every imaginable anti-virus and spyware to keep it up and running. We also find the latest version of Kyodai which Chris sinks into and is not heard of again!

Trips to Brisbane for work... boring shit so I won't go into it. Get to stay with Mum for a night and then head back to Sydney... Charlie gets more driving practice... in the rain and with the traffic on the Pacific very heavy but we dock at Emu Plains at 2230 hours on Thursday and collapse into bed.

Another successful jaunt north and some great company at E3 with Chris... can't wait to get back up there again in a few weeks.

E3 is Back Online...!!!!!

After a sensational effort by budding technician Chris, E3 is back on line again! This involved a complete rebuild of an HP computer from scratch and setting up the net connection. All is now working and a great solo effort.

Darrell giving us a lesson in Karate. He is gonna give us a flogging if we don't get it right! 

The Mt Warning Road in about 1960. 

The QEIII at the Purfleet Annex Campsite in the rainforest at Mt Warning.
Click for larger image.

Charlie with Darrell, the newest member of the Purfleet Annex. January 2004. 

Chris outside B6 in March 1994. Notice the dirt (mud) road and no annex on the cabin. 

Cloudcatcher - Mt Warning 

You Light Up My Life

The nights are pretty dark at Wollumbin and especially outside E3 at 1am so we decided to install some night lights to save us tripping over the guy ropes and other assorted night nasties. Consequently, a team of 3 solar lights are now on duty outside E3 ... Alphonse, Nigel and Aloyisous. They each come on at different times and seem to have a character all their own.

E3 Is On The Air...!!!

Well after months of waiting, E3 at Wollumbin is finally on the air. The phone line was installed on Tuesday and Chris got it all connected on Wednesday. He even did it without a safety net and I believe he is going to be asked to perform a death-defying internet connection in the next Cirque Du Soleil show! Chris's partner in this dastardly crime, Darrell King, was on standby performing security functions in case the connection was sabotaged ... by a wild Jacob or other Wollumbin wild animal!

Anyway guys, glad to have you on board and the Purfleet Annex Blog will really start to hum now.

By the way, while we think of a name for Darrell's wagon... it is timely to announce that he is officially a member of the Purfleet Annex crew.

A Very Special Place

I know I speak for all the Purfleet Annex team when I say that Wollumbin - Mt Warning, is a very special place. I can remember going to the area as a kid and in fact we used to catch eels in the creeks and headwaters of the Tweed River before there was even a caravan park.

But when Chris went to stay there for a few weeks in the summer of 1994, that was when it really all started. The Sai centre was humming with activity and it was there that Chris met Liba and Michael Jugas, Maralyn and all the others. It was a magical time and I couldn't wait to get there.

I headed up there for the first time in March 1994 and Chris and I stayed in B6. It rained all week but was one of the most memorable times of my life.