WE'RE IN QUEENSLAND

Tuesday 4^th October  We left lovely Maelstom at midday for a 4 hour trip to our first overnight free camp stop at Yelgum Rest Area near Brunswick Heads.  It’s a very big rest stop used by many of the large refrigerated trucks as well as caravans and campers.  There are lots of grassy areas, toilets and play equipment for families to use.  We had our LED lights and switched the fridge and hot water over to gas.  This was the first time we’d used gas for our hot water.  It was piping hot.  We couldn’t use the microwave but had the gas rings on the stove for cooking dinner.  There were lots of people parked there by the time we arrived and lots more came afterwards.  Quite a crowd in fact.  We met some lovely people and they were all keen to tell us about where they’re going and where they’ve come from.

Wednesday 5th October  We left our rest stop at 8am heading to Yandina in Queensland a further 4 hours drive north.  About 1 ½ hours later we finally cross the Queensland border.  Yeah , we’re finally in Queensland!!!  We arrive at Yandina Caravan Park about 2.30.  We’re at the back of the park on top of a grassy hill where the bigger buses and 5^th wheelers are.  We feel like we’re in a bus depot as there are a lots of buses parked up there.  There’s a lot of bush around us and a housing development under construction behind us.  It’s only $20 per night and we’re only there for 2 nights. We’re here to catch up with our friends Janet and Paul who are stationed in Nambour for a while awaiting major roof repairs to their caravan.  They’re 10 minutes away from us.  There’s not much around Yandina except for THE best bakery where we bought the yummiest home made orange/date scones.  We did find a good free camp area further up the road from the caravan park where you can stay 48 hours maximum.  We may stay there on our way back down to Sydney in late November so that we can catch up with Janet and Paul again.

Thursday 6^th October   We went for a drive along the coast road.  Our first stop at beautiful Coolum Beach.  There’s a lovely beach front caravan park there but unfortunately they don’t allow dogs which is a real shame, I’d love to stay there.  We then went to Maroochydore, Buderim and Caloundra.  We found a lovely vegetarian café at Cotton Top with another lovely beach front caravan park (no dogs allowed once again).  Then the sky turned really black and we had a dreadful storm. We headed back to Yandina as Sally was alone in the caravan and she’s absolutely terrified of thunder.   She was so happy to see us. 

Our friends called over to see us in the evening and it was really great to see them both again.  It’s been about 3 years since we met them last at Corindi Beach.  We first met them on one of our weekends away at Shellharbour Caravan Park on the South Coast about 5 years ago.

Friday 7^th October  Hervey Bay – Australiana Caravan Park.  We left Yandina at 8.30 and had a 4 hour trip further north to Hervey Bay.  I was really looking forward to visiting Hervey Bay and it has been on my wish list to visit  for a long time.  The park is about 10 minutes away from the ocean and Scarness is the closest area. The park is very well maintained and run by really nice helpful people who guided Richard into our spot. There’s a swimming pool here. It’s a smallish park and the sites are a bit smaller than many of the parks we stay in. 

Once we were set up and had eaten lunch we went for a drive along the esplanade from Point Vernon through to Torquay, going through to Boat Harbour where all the whale watching boats are lined up waiting for the day trippers to Fraser Island and the Barrier Reef.  Along the esplanade there are lots of ocean front cafes, pubs and shops.  We stop at Torquay and go for a walk on the beach.  I’m immediately struck by how flat the ocean is and how yellow and muddy the sand is.  There are lots of mud flats everywhere when the tide is out, which is not particularly pleasant to walk on.  The weather is glorious.  All along the esplanade is a long cycle/walking path with plenty of people exercising all the time.  There are 4 lovely beach front caravan parks along the esplanade and a big water slide amusement park.  There is one other caravan park Harbour Town that do take dogs but it’s really noisy there with buses and boats coming and going with all the day trippers from 7am through to 7pm when the last boats return to the Marina.

Saturday 8^th October  We went for a drive to Toogum, a very small sleepy town and also Burrum Heads which is slightly bigger (not much though). It’s another glorious day and so many new places to see.  Once again the afternoon brings black skies and heavy rain.

Tuesday 11^th October  We left at 8.30 for a big day trip.  After 1 ½ hours we arrive at Woodgate Beach.  It’s a tropical paradise and we instantly fall in love with the area.  We’re here to check out a caravan park that we learnt about when we stayed in Yamba.  It’s run by the same owners and was definitely on our list of potential places to stay.  It’s a very small place with 1 pub, 2 coffee shops and 1 caravan park.  There’s not much else to do but swim, relax, eat and enjoy the fabulous scenery (such a hardship).  The long beach is lined with palm trees and you almost feel like you’re a castaway on a remote island.  There’s a coffee shop/restaurant  at the front of the caravan park and most of the residents  look like they’ve been there for a while with no intention of leaving any time soon.  We have our morning tea overlooking the ocean and feel like we never want to leave and can’t wait to actually come to stay here for a while.

 Reluctantly we decide to press on to Burnett Heads to check out another potential caravan park.  It’s very nice here also, but seeing Woodgate first has tainted our impression of anywhere else we’re going to visit today.  It’s a very big caravan park, very laid back with not much shade. It’s on a waterfront which is a mud flat when the tide is out.  There are some lovely parks and walkways around the area.  It’s not as striking as Woodgate.  It is very close to Mon Repos Nature Reserve and Turtle Rookery which is a place I’d love to visit.

From Burnett Heads we went to visit Bargara Beach.  One of the people at the caravan park suggested we really should visit there.  It’s a lovely area very modern with a resort feel to it and ultra modern units facing the beach.  The esplanade is very new with Turtle Cove recreation area for children.  The place has a very nice feel to it with tourist shops and cafés surrounding it.  We stop at a dog friendly café for a lovely lunch.

After lunch we drive on to Bundaberg which is a very big major town with huge old historical buildings.  We have to stop at the Jayco dealer to pick up some hinges to fix some of the cupboard doors that have broken already.  We took a quick drive though the town and drove onto Childers another town.  Typically mid afternoon the skies turn a horrible shade of black and we’re hit with hard torrential rain and spend a scary hour not being able to see much through the windscreen for the hour trip back to Hervey Bay.  We arrive back safe and sound in Hervey Bay to discover they missed much of the storm we’d driven through.  A cup of tea was very welcome at that moment.

From the moment we reach Queensland we’re struck by the houses. The big weatherboard typical Queenslanders brightly painted with huge surrounding enclosed verandahs.  No two are the same and it’s quite fascinating looking at them as we’re driving past. There’s a real mixture of really old and really modern side-by side.

Tomorrow we’re leaving the Fraser Coast and heading further up north to Yeppoon –Kinka Beach.  We’re doing another free camp tomorrow night and will arrive in Yeppoon on Friday.

That’s all the news for this week.  Stay tuned for all the details about Yeppoon in our next blog.  Take care and hope all’s going well in your lives.  Please keep in touch as we love to hear what you’re up to also.  Love for now Marian and Richard