OUR LAST FEW DAYS IN QUEENSLAND

Friday 18^th November   Yesterday feeding the dolphins was just so amazing that I couldn’t wait to come back today to do it all over again.  This time there were 2 dolphins in the Bay – Mystique and his favourite girl Patch.  She was pale grey too with pink spots all over.  She’s 24.  There was a bigger crowd on the beach today.  A ferry comes from Fraser Island each day to join in the feeding session.  As there were 2 dolphins to feed today, we got 2 fish in our bucket.  It was still an amazing experience standing so close to these magnificent creatures and hand feeding them.  I think for me this has been the main highlight of our trip so far.

Saturday 19^th November     The Tin Can Bay markets were on and I just  had to look around.  They were bigger than most local markets we’ve visited along the way.  There was lots of local fruit and vegetables, home baked goodies and Christmas gifts.  There was even a hairdressing stall set up.

We went for a drive up to Rainbow Beach the famous beach opposite Fraser Island.  We haven’t been here for 8 years and the place has become very developed with resorts and shops.  The area was pretty bare when we last visited it.  The beach is beautiful and full of 4WDs.  It’s a very long, wide beach.  There is a caravan park that takes dogs but it’s quite small and you have to be valet parked by a tractor.   We had a quick look around the town and decided to drive to Inskip where the ferries leave to go across to Fraser Island.  What a beautiful place, flagged by an inlet on one side and sand and ocean on the other with a magnificent view across to Fraser Island.   You can camp on either side but need a permit from Queensland Parks and Wildlife which will cost you $5.50 per person per day.  It was packed with campers and caravans and with such a gorgeous view you can understand why.  Had we found this place sooner we would definitely have stayed here and it’s on our “to do” list whenever we happen to be back in Queensland.

We went for a walk on both sides and the water was so warm and crystal clear.  Everyone was out on boats or fishing at the water’s edge.  We walked across to the other side that faces Fraser Island.  It looked just like a picture postcard, absolutely stunning.  We’d brought a picnic lunch and decided to sit on the beach there to eat it.  As we were finishing lunch I jumped up very excitedly as there was a pod of dolphins jumping really high out of the water chasing squid.  It was all over so quickly and they went further out to sea. There wasn’t any time to grab the camera.  One of those “you just had to be there” moments.   We were so glad we’d gone there.

That night we went to the Tin Can Bay Hotel for their $12.50 2 course meal special with our friends Colin and Margaret.  There was a help yourself buffet of salads, whiting, baked vegetables and potatoes and a choice of roast beef or pork.  Good size helpings of everything.  Dessert was lemon meringue pie which was very nice.  A good value meal.  The entertainment was a man playing guitar who thought he looked and sounded like Willie Nelson (he maybe resembled him slightly).  Some of the more senior ladies were up dancing and enjoying themselves.   The dining area was fairly large.  At the back it was set up with big old wooden dining tables and looked like someone’s home.  It was a comfortable, homely atmosphere and we enjoyed the food, atmosphere and company.

Sunday 20^th November  We  said goodbye to Colin and Margaret and arranged to meet them at Harrington on 4^th December.  We left at 10am and were headed to Yelgun Rest Area where we’ve stayed before.  At 1pm we crossed back into New South Wales once more.  We didn’t want to get back to our overnight stop too early so we drove to Brunswick Heads and had a walk along the beach and through the town. It was really busy there as schoolies had just begun.  There was a very loud band at the pub and the place was rocking. It was a beautiful day and everyone was out enjoying themselves.  We bought a cooked chicken for dinner and headed back to the rest area.  It wasn’t so busy this time.   There were about 5 or 6 other caravans there all night.

Monday 21^st November  We left Yelgun Rest Area at 8am heading for South Grafton where we had to get a new element fitted in the water heater as we haven’t had hot water in the van for 4 days.  We expected to be at Grafton around 10.30.  As we got to Ballina there was a lot of traffic and we discovered the main road was closed indefinitely as a tanker had spilled its load of oil all over the road and the clean up would take most of the day. Everyone was parked by the roadside unsure what to do as that’s the only road into Grafton.  We decided to turn around and go back along the highway almost to Byron Bay and pick up the road for Lismore/Casino and into Grafton that way.  It was a very pretty drive but added a further 2 hours to our trip.

We arrived at the caravan repair place at 12.30 and were on our way by 1pm.  The guy there was very helpful and knowledgeable, cheap and efficient (what more could you ask for).  Jayco at Port Macquarie couldn’t look at it until 18^th December.  The water element isn’t covered by insurance in any case.  We just wanted it fixed asap.  So now we have fully working cold air and hot water – bliss!!!

We stayed at Glenwood Tourist Park South Grafton. It was a fairly old and run down park, situated right next to a sawmill which was noisy all day long from 7am – 4pm.  They had a good swimming pool and a grassed dogs off leash area.  The managers’ children had a horse at the back of the caravan park and they exercised her daily in the dog exercise area.

We drove around Grafton to see the jacarandas and flower displays.  They were dropping their blooms and weren’t quite as impressive as they would have been a few weeks ago when the festival was on.  They were still worth looking at.  The streets were filled with blue/white displays of agapanthus on either side and the blues complimented the jacaranda colours.

Wednesday 23^rd November   We left Grafton at 8am on our way further down south to Laurieton Gardens Resort to visit our friends Chris and Tony who live there.  We were going to stop off at Maelstom for 3-4 days on the way down but changed our minds.  When we left Grafton it was hot and humid and we were sweating.  By the time we reached Laurieton the weather had changed and we couldn’t believe how cold it had turned.  It was also sprinkling and turned into a heavy downpour for the following 4 days.  We were so cold we had to get out our ugg boots and track pants again!!!  We suffered through heavy rainfall for the next 3 days and it was a relief to see the sun again, despite the fact that rain was forecast soon again.  Laurieton is such a beautiful area and we always enjoy coming here.  The caravan park isn’t too busy at the moment.  Chris and I have been to bingo a few times and we always enjoy the Friday night meat raffles at North Haven Bowling Club.  We were all lucky to win a meat tray which we bbq’d the next day.

Sunday 27^th November  The first sunny, hot day since we arrived.  After a long walk on the beach we went to the local cinema for a $12 special double Sunday afternoon movie deal.   They were showing Drive with Ryan Gosling and Moneyball with Brad Pitt. We’ve been trying to see this for a while.  Drive was different, quite violent and gory but very good and Ryan Gosling played his role very well.  Moneyball was excellent.   I thought it was one of Brad Pitt’s best roles.  It was a true story about American baseball  and how one man revolutionised a scientific approach to picking players.  Well worth watching.  We came back to Chris and Tony’s for a scrumptious baked dinner and apple pie – yum, yum.

We’ll be staying here until Sunday 4^th December.  Then we’re going to  Harington 40 minutes south from Laurieton to meet our friends Colin and Margaret for 3 nights.  We’re looking forward to seeing them again.

Can’t believe it’s now December and the start of summer.  It’s pouring rain again, great start to summer.  Christmas is literally just around the corner.  Hope the Christmas shopping is going well and the shops aren’t too crowded.

Some typical Queenslanders 

Dolphin  Feeding Day 2

Cormorants trying to get in on the act

Inskip looking towards Fraser Island

 We’ve got 2 more stops before we’re back in Sydney.  We’ll be staying with Hayley and Karina at Holsworthy as they moved to a bigger 3 bedroom house there 2 weeks ago.  We’ve arranged to put the caravan into storage at Heathcote whilst we’re there.

Take care and happy Christmas shopping.  Don’t spend too much money (haha).  Love Marian, Richard and Sally

MAROONED AT WOODGATE BEACH

Our plans changed this week.  In our last blog we were intending to leave Woodgate Beach on Wednesday 9^th November and head back to Bundaberg to get our new air conditioning unit installed.  Instead we were marooned at Woodgate for a further 5 days as our air con unit got misplaced by Cope Transport en route from Cairns.  It was supposed to now arrive in Bundaberg that Friday 11^th (we weren’t holding our breath).   It was a blessing in disguise as we had originally wanted to stay here for 2 weeks.  We were trapped in paradise for an extra 5 days  (what a hardship I ask you).  I really didn’t care if the unit ever turned up as I was more than very happy to stay put indefinitely as it was such a beautiful place.  When we rang to enquire if the unit had arrived on Friday we were quite devastated to learn it was actually in Bundaberg but couldn’t be installed until the following Monday.

We spent the next 5 days swimming in the ocean, doing lots of walking, relaxing and discovered another fabulous author called Tess Gerritsen.  We both had one of her books we’d found in a second hand shop and couldn’t put them down.  When we got to Bundaberg on Monday I bought all the books I could find by her at another used bookshop (about 9).

Monday 14th November  Very sadly we leave wonderful Woodgate and arrive back at the air conditioning company at Bundaberg at 8am.  It’s supposed to only take 2-3 hours to replace the unit. We had to visit Jayco for replacement light bulbs, restock supplies at Aldi and Dan Murphy’s.  We also checked into the caravan park at East Bundaberg (minus the caravan) and caught up with our friends Colin and Margaret who were also still there awaiting delivery of spare parts for their 5^th wheeler.  We ended up having to wait until 2pm before the van was ready – no surprises there.  Finally – YEAH – we have a fully operational air conditioning unit which we absolutely needed in Bundaberg as it was stinking hot without a sea breeze to cool us down.  Needless to say we kept it running all afternoon to make sure it was working ok. 

I had planned to go on The Bundy Belle River Cruise on Tuesday so was disappointed to discover it only operated at weekends now when the tides are higher.  Since the floods last year the tides aren’t high enough through the week.  We weren’t having much luck with the things we’d planned on doing in Bundaberg.  We had happy hour with Colin and Margaret who were leaving the next day for a week at Tin Can Bay (the other side of Hervey Bay). 

Wednesday 16^th  November   We set  off  at 8am for a  2 ½ hour trip south to Tin Can Bay staying at Tin Can Bay Tourist Park.   We arrived there at 11am and found Colin and Margaret well set up beside us.  Tin Can Bay is quite a small place, but very pretty and as soon as we had set up we went off for a drive around the place.  It’s surrounded by water leading into the jetty and marina and is close to famous Rainbow Beach where all the tours depart for Fraser Island. That night we had a lovely bbq at the camp kitchen where everyone gathers at meal times. 

Thursday 17^th November    Dolphin Feeding Day at last.  We were at the jetty by 7am and already one of the dolphins was in the bay waiting for the daily feeding ritual.  I couldn’t wait to get into the water to watch it.  We were told the actual feeding wasn’t until 8am so I stayed in the water talking to the two female dolphin volunteers who attend daily to protect the dolphins and answer questions about them.  I learnt some fascinating facts. Contrary to what you think you know about them they are quite aggressive – at least the males and in particular the alpha male of the pod.  Mystique (named by the local primary school children in a competition) our marine visitor today is 20 years old and full of battle scars from tussles over females and territory.  He was a pale gray as they’re born dark gray and as they age their body colour becomes a paler gray – opposite to us.  They eat at least 25kg of seafood per day (the daily feeding is a maximum of 3kg).  Mystique has 4 females in tow but only allows his favourite a 24 year old cougar called Patch to come into the bay most days for the feeding ritual.  Sometimes his son Harmony is also allowed to accompany Patch.   Mystique is a third generation dolphin to regularly visit the bay.  It all began in 1952 when his grandfather was injured by a boat and came into the bay to recover.  He was well protected and looked after and stayed for 11 days with 24/7 helpers.  After the 11^th day he flipped his tail and took off into the ocean and came back every day after that.  Mystique also spent a recovery period in the bay when he was badly attacked by 2 sharks and still has a chunk out of the end of his tail and disfigured dorsal fin to prove it.

We weren’t allowed to actually touch the dolphin – there’s a $300 instant fine by Fisheries if you do.  We could put one hand out straight under the water and wait to be nudged by him if he chose.  He came right up close to me but didn’t actually nudge me.  He put on a wonderful performance of turning and flapping his tail several times and really enjoyed the attention.  I paid $5 for a tiny fish in a bucket and lined up behind 40 other people to wait for my 15 minutes of fame up close and personal with Mystique.  I went into the water absolutely in awe of this magnificent creature and felt so privileged to be allowed to get so so close to him and felt a real buzz handing him his fish.  There was a big crowd on the beach watching and taking photos and lots of cormorants flapping about trying to steal the fish from us (they too got their share from the volunteers).

We’re going back to the jetty tomorrow to take some more photos and see if Patch and Harmony are with Mystique as he was on his own today.

Tomorrow night we’re off to the local pub for a $12.50 two-course meal and live music.

We’re staying at Tin Can Bay until Sunday when we leave to head further south and into New South Wales again, staying overnight at a free camp at Yelgum.

Next week we’re in Grafton for 2 nights to see the jacarandas in full bloom and the flower displays.  Unfortunately we’ve missed the festival which finished last week.  Then we’re stopping off at Maelstom once more for 3 days and returning to our friends at Laurieton by 28^th.   Quite a hectic agenda.

Take care and thanks once again for logging in.  Love Marian, Richard and Sally

HEADED BACK TO BUNDABERG

Our filthy car and caravan after road works to Gin Gin Rest Area

Wish this was your dentist???

Woodgte Beach looking back from the beach to the caravan park

Some of the kangaroos that visit us at night (not the BIG fella) 

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Part of the 16km pathway following the ocean

Looking at the caravn park from across the road

//Tropical Paradise!!!

A sign that tickled us - what more do you need to know about a place?

Saturday 29^th October    Sadly we have to leave Bowen.  We really wish we could have stayed here longer.  I wasn’t  sure about the place at first, but it definitely grows on you and the people we met made it very enjoyable.  Everyone here has been so friendly and within a short time you feel like you’ve been lifelong friends.  We will definitely come back here again.

We left Bowen at 8am and intended to drive for 4-5 hours and find a free camp spot overnight.  We always have a few comfort/cuppa stops along the way.  I spotted what looked to be a beautiful beach for our lunch stop. We’d missed it on the way up as it’s on the other side of a railway line that you can’t see going up the coast.  It’s called Clairview Beach.  A magnificent spot that we discovered you can free camp at overnight.  There is a caravan park towards the end of the beach.  There are no shops or facilities there, so the residents must have a fair hike for their groceries and supplies.  It was an absolute gem with the beach stretching for miles.  Lots of campervans had pulled  up under the shady trees for the day.  All along the railway fencing the residents had laid down old tyres and painted them white and filled them with brightly coloured plants and flowers.  It was very effective and certainly brightened the place up.  I really wanted to stay there overnight but we weren’t far enough down the coast and it would have meant a long and hard drive the following day.  The tables and toilet blocks had been painted with a sea theme by the local artists and it was another wonderful feature of the area.  Our table was painted with huge shells in browns and creams.

We decided to keep driving further along as far as we could and ended up at Calliope River where we’d free camped 3 weeks previously.  We decided to camp on the upper level this time.  It was about 5.30 when we got there and the place was packed.  All the prime spots overlooking the river had already been taken up.  It didn’t matter as we were heading off early the next morning.  There were lots of camping groups with children canoeing on the river and some water skiing or fishing off the bridge.  Everyone was having a great time.  There was singing around the camp fires that night and everyone was relaxed and having a good time.

Sunday 30^th October   We left at 9am and decided to have a look/see at a few areas we wanted to check out along the way.  We drove up to Tannum Sands about 45 minutes from where we were. It was difficult to find a spot to park the car and caravan. Also the beaches aren’t dog friendly.  The place looked very nice and quite developed with all the necessary tourist requirements, cafes, shops etc..  We drove around a few times and decided to press on to Agnes Waters that had been recommended to us.  We had been told the caravan park was right on the beach front and took dogs, so we were anxious to see what it was like and were very hopeful we’d go there after Bundaberg.  It was a long 2 hour drive from Tannum to Agnes Waters on rough isolated roads and we thought we’d never get there.  It was an absolutely beautiful spot.  The caravan park was indeed right on the beach front with a stunning outdoor Bali style café with cane seats under shady trees.  We couldn’t wait to come back for a longer stay.  There are lots of little cafes and shops around the area.  Alas when we reached the actual beach it was closed due to the blue algae that I’ve mentioned before. It absolutely stank too.   Apparently it’s very toxic and is actually spawning coming off the Reef.  It was obvious that it wasn’t going to clear any time soon.  I felt sorry for the families staying there as all the kids coming up to the beach approach were very disappointed to learn the beach was shut indefinitely.  So it was with reluctance we scratched it off our list of places to stay this time at least until the blue/green algae have disappeared.  We had lunch at the park and continued on our journey down south.

We drove along the worst stretch of road we’ve yet encountered in Queensland – very bumpy with no side edging and very narrow.  Queensland roads are pretty rough and we’ve found most of them consist of more filled in potholes than smooth surfaces.  Richard was fast losing his patience (he’s not blessed with much to start off with).  Our backs ached from the constant bumping backwards and forwards and Sally was having a hard time sleeping as she was constantly jerked to and fro. There was worse to come with road works in progress on two long stretches of dirt road leading to our next overnight stop.   We got stuck behind the water spraying truck both times and the car and caravan were caked with thick sepia coloured mud.  Absolutely wonderful!!  Thankfully we reached Gin Gin Rest Area at 4pm and relaxed with a well deserved cold beer for Richard and a glass of sauvignon blanc for me.   We’d covered around 6oo km over the past 2 days.  We don’t normally like driving that amount of distance, but it was necessary to get us back to Bundaberg by Monday morning.

Monday 31^st October   Halloween   We left Gin Gin at 8am to bring us into the Jayco dealer at Bundaberg by 9am.  We were hopeful we wouldn’t be delayed too long getting our kitchen tap repaired (the lever on the swivel part keeps falling out and is very, very annoying).  The people there were really efficient and helpful and replaced the top part of the kitchen tap very quickly.  One task ticked off the “to do list” with a minimum of fuss and inconvenience.  Our next destination was East Bundaberg Caravan Park, part of the Family Parks group that we belong to.   They’re only 10 minutes up the road from Jayco, which is why we booked to stay there.   Each site has its own en-suite at no extra charge which is unusual (normally it’s at least $10 more expensive per night for this luxury).   We’ve got our own en-suite in the caravan so it really didn’t matter.  It’s a very hot day with no air conditioning.  It takes us a while to catch up with the washing and recharge the batteries as they were almost flat after the two nights free camping.  We now know we can only free camp for a maximum of two nights without a generator.  We hadn’t even finished setting up when our new neighbours Colin and Margaret came over for a cuppa with us.  They’re lovely people and have been travelling and working all over Australia for the past 12 years. They reckon another 2 years and they’re coming off the road.  They have an American 5^th wheeler and a very old schnauzer dog called Toby.  We had a long chat to them and discovered another place we hadn’t thought about called Tin Can Bay just past Hervey Bay.  They tell us you can hand feed the dolphins from the jetty.  After doing some research about the area, we’re heading there next week.  Colin and Margaret are also staying there, so we will definitely catch up with them both again.  We finished setting up and went for a lovely walk along the Burnett River that flows through Bundaberg.  It’s a lovely big, old town and we both really like it.  Our caravan park is just up the road from the Bundaberg Distillery where you can do tours and sampling.

Tuesday 1st November   Melbourne Cup Day  We’re stuck at the caravan park waiting for the air conditioning mechanic to arrive to look at our air conditioning unit.  Our neighbours are off to the local club for a Melbourne Cup Lunch (as are most other people).  Thankfully it’s not quite as hot as yesterday where a fully working air conditioner would be most welcome.  We can’t even get good reception on the tv to watch what’s happening in Melbourne.  The mechanic finally appears at 2pm (which is 3pm elsewhere as Queensland haven’t gone on to daylight saving).  He fiddles about on top of the roof for a while and makes a few phone calls to his company and finally tells us what we already know – it’s not working properly and more than likely was a faulty unit when it was first installed. Ok we know all of this – so what’s next????  Wait on ……… we have to wait until the following day to hear back from his company whether or not they agree to replace the whole unit.  Margaret and Colin are back from a lovely lunch and we arrange to have happy hour with them at 5pm.  Margaret has made a big pasta bake and invited us to join them for dinner.  It was delicious.  At the end of the night we swap phone/email details and promise to keep in touch.

Wednesday 2^nd November   We leave East Bundaberg at 9am.  It takes us 50 minutes to arrive at our next destination Woodgate Beach Tourist Park. I mentioned in a previous blog that we’d checked this place out a few weeks ago on our way up the coast.  We couldn’t wait to get back here to stay.  It’s a tropical paradise with a 16km stretch of pristine beach lined with trees and a pathway all along. There are no high rises or resorts here.  There is only the one caravan park, 2 coffee shops a pub at one end and a bowling club at the other.   It’s totally unspoilt and the most beautifully quiet sanctuary to recharge your batteries.  The caravan park is very big set on 8 acres of land.  We’re at the front section.  It’s reasonably quiet as a lot of the Victorians are heading home by this time of year.  There is no algae/stench here thank goodness and we’re very relieved.  As soon as we’re set up we go for a long walk along the beach.  At the front of the park there’s a café/restaurant that’s open until 7pm each evening.  There are fairy lights around the café area which is just so pretty to see lit up at night.  They have homemade pies and burgers and seafood baskets and it’s BYO.  We wish we could stay here longer than one week.

Ah yes, we get a phone call from Air Command to confirm that they will replace the air conditioning unit.  We arrange to be back in Bundaberg next Wednesday where they expect it to take 3-4 hours to be replaced.  Will let you know the outcome next week.

Later that evening whilst we’re sitting outside the caravan with our beer and wine we spot a group of kangaroos hopping up and down the fence line across from us.  Two of them are massive and one in particular is very well endowed.  Richard commented on how painful it must be for him jumping around so loaded up.  We have a lovely t-bone steak/veggie bbq and it’s delicious.

Friday 4^th November   We went for a drive to Theodolyte Creek a popular boating/fishing bay at the end of the road at Woodgate.  The water was so warm and the sand too hot to walk on.  We’ve since learnt there are quite a few small bottle nosed sharks there and a few have also been caught off the beach recently – yikes.

We also took a 40 minute drive to the nearest town of Childers.  It’s a popular backpacking area.  It’s a small town featuring at least 4 big old pubs and 2 clubs – can’t have the residents not being able to get a cold beer.  It’s a real over-kill for such a small place.  We had lunch at the café next to the post office, offering old-fashioned grandmas cooking.  It was like an old Raffles style hotel, with lots of big ceiling fans and cane chairs under the open verandah.  It was a very pleasant place.   Childers featured on the news in 2000 because of a tragic fire at the backpacker’s hostel where many backpackers were killed.  It was sad remembering that whilst walking through the town.

We went to the bowling club for dinner.  It took us less than 10 minutes to walk there from the caravan park.  We were looking forward to a stroll along the beach on the way back.  Unfortunately that wasn’t to be as the heavens opened up to torrential rain for the rest of the night. We had to get the courtesy bus home and the poor girl driving the bus could hardly see where she was going.  It was quite funny as we got door to caravan door service and still ended up completely soaked.  We found out this morning that over 40mm of rain fell down last night and I can believe it.  Fortunately it’s sandy soil here so we’re not wading through a swamp.

Next week:  We’ll be staying at Woodgate Beach until Wednesday and heading back to Bundaberg.  We intend to do The Distillery Tour and also The Bundy Belle lunchtime river cruise.  Hopefully on Friday we’ll take off for Tin Can Bay where I’m very much looking forward to hand feeding the dolphins. 

That’s all our news for this week. Take care and “log on the blog” again soon.  Love Marian, Richard and Sally