WE’RE AT WOODGATE BEACH

TWO WEEKS IN PARADISE 

TUESDAY 13TH MAY   -   We left Palmwoods on The Sunshine Coast and our friends Janet and Paul and headed 261 kilometres further north to Woodgate Beach on The Fraser Coast.   It was a lovely sunny day and after 4 hours we arrived “in paradise” Woodgate Beach Tourist Park  -  our favourite place in Queensland.  We stayed here 3 years ago on Stage 1 of our travels and have talked about it so many times and told many of the people we’ve met along the way about it.  To say we were really looking forward to coming back here was an understatement!!!  It was so beautiful to be driving along the beach front again heading towards the caravan park.  We pulled up at reception and got directions to our site.  We were at the back of the park this time.  There were quite a few vans already set up and they looked like they’d been here for a while.  The front section where we were before was almost full up.  It’s becoming more and more popular with people from Hervey Bay (1 ½ hours away) and Bundaberg (1 hour away) as a quick weekend destination. It’s also only a 4 hour drive from Brisbane.

 

Our site was under a shady tree and beside a tall hedge along one side and along the back of the site, so we were quite private.  We quickly set up and couldn’t wait to get down to the beach for a stroll along the white, flat sand. The beach stretched for 16 kilometres of pristine sand and was ideal for swimming, fishing, sailing, skiing and boating with calm waters protected by Fraser Island.  There was a paved winding path snaking all the way along the ocean, like a slithering snake, with tall leafy trees bending over in a cool protective canopy overhead.  There were picnic tables and seats at intervals along the side of the pathway, with ample space for everyone to sit and relax and enjoy the view.

The park was set on 8 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds backing onto 230,000 hectares of National Park.  There was an abundance of kangaroos, black cockatoos, lorikeets, poincianas, bougainvillea, eucalypts and pine trees throughout the park.    It had a lovely casual and relaxing feel and everyone was very friendly and only too willing to have a yarn with us.

The park owners were doing lots of improvements around the park and put in more undercover seating areas as they’re opening up the back section for more caravans.

There was a gazebo beach café at the front of the park which was always busy.  It overlooked shady trees and picnic tables across the road where people sat to have happy hour, relax and watch the water.  The park had a general store, camp kitchen and immaculate amenities, as well as a car and boat washing facility at the rear end.

VIEW FROM THE CAFE TO THE BEACH

It was unspoilt and idyllic with Woodside Beach Bowling Club at one end of the esplanade and Woodgate Hotel at the other.  In-between there was a real estate, hairdresser, post office, a second coffee shop and general store.  There were no high rises buildings, only houses either with permanent residents or holiday lets available.  The club was a 5 minute walk from the park and the pub about 15 minutes.

FRIDAY 16TH MAY   -  We were finding it very difficult to tear ourselves away from Woodgate and were feeling totally relaxed and “into the swing” of the laid back, relaxed  lifestyle there.  We had to drive into Bundaberg to pick up some kitchen cupboard latches that we had ordered from the Jayco dealer.  It was an hour’s drive and we had a look around the town, got the catches from Jayco, did some grocery shopping and had a lovely lunch overlooking Bundaberg River in the RSL Club.  We arrived back to Woodgate in time to have happy hour with our neighbours Peter and Penny.  They were cooking a roast chook in their turbo oven under their awning.  I’ve been toying with the idea of buying one, so I had a good chat to Penny to see if it was a worthwhile investment.  We’ve seen so many caravanners with them.  It’s a big, round glass dish with a lid – a mini oven.   They don’t use as much electricity as a conventional oven.  The beauty is you can keep all the cooking smells outside of the van. It was bigger inside than I’d imagined and you can cook a roast with all the veggies and potatoes around the meat.  Penny told me she cooks steaks, bacon and cakes with hers and it’s a crisper dry end result as you don’t need oil to cook with. Penny and Peter told us the 1300 watt oven works perfectly with a 2kva generator for free camping. There’s also a rinse cycle after you’re finished cooking and it washes itself – brilliant!!  They were going to Maryborough the following day to have their car serviced and kindly said they’d pick one up for us.  They’re usually $39 from Kmart or Big W.  Will let you know later in the blog how well it worked out.  Can’t wait to try for myself.

SUNDAY 18TH MAY   -   Time to try out the turbo oven!!

We went shopping to Childers, a 30 minute drive from Woodgate.   On the way there, we stopped at The Hollow Log – the local fresh fruit and vegetable shed.  We bought a bag of avocados for $2, tomatoes for $2, fresh zucchini, pumpkin, freshly picked broccoli and lots more.  It was so fresh and cheap, we couldn’t help ourselves.

We had a look around Childers then had lunch at the Post Office Café, where Russell Crowe had been spotted a few times when he first started going out with Danielle Spencer.   It was a lovely open plan balcony café, overlooking the town, with comfy cane chairs and ceiling fans.  The service and food were really good.

We bought a 1.6kg marinated, stuffed chicken and got back to the van anxious to put the turbo oven through its paces.  2 hours later we sat down to a beautifully cooked roast chicken dinner.  The chicken was really crispy and succulent.  Whilst we were tucking into our baked dinner, we put the oven on wash cycle.  It worked really well.

MONDAY 19TH MAY   -   We went down to the beach for an afternoon walk.  The beach was deserted, except for 4 kangaroos hopping along the sand and in and out of the water.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hurriedly put Sally back on her lead as the kangaroos were getting closer.  They hopped up to the grass verge at the top of the beach and watched her going past and then they disappeared.  We only saw them that one time.  We kept an eye out other days, but didn’t see them on the beach again, although there were lots to be seen in gardens munching on the grass and on the other side of the fences in the caravan park.  

FRIDAY 23RD MAY  -   We walked up to the Bowling Club for the 6.30 raffles and dinner.  We bought $20 of raffle tickets and were astonished to win 3 lovely meat trays:  2 trays of rump steaks and 1 pork roast that we’ll cook for our friends Rob and Ros next week when we get to Rockhampton.

The place was swarming with groups of the big electric blue Ulysses Butterflies.  They were amazing to watch and flew right into us many times.   I was fascinated and totally mesmerised looking at them. On the beach we watched them flying out to sea. 

PEAK HOUR AT WOODGATE

 

VIEW LOOKING UP THE STREET FROM THE CARAVAN PARK

 

THE PATH FROM OUR VAN TO THE OCEAN

 

SOME TALL COOL SHADY TREES

 

THE PATHWAY UP TO OUR VAN

 

THE PAVED PATHWAY ALONG THE 16KM OF BEACH

 

VIEW OF THE BEACH FROM THE PARK

 

A GNARLED TREE WITH A HORSE HEAD PROTRUSION AT THE BACK OF THE PARK

 

We’ve had a fantastic fortnight here at Woodgate.  It’s been so relaxing and idyllic and we’ve met some lovely people. We’ve read lots of books.   I finally got around to reading the new Jack Reacher novel by Lee Childs that I bought Richard for Easter.  We’ve also been reading some new female authors that we hadn’t read before – Sheila O’Flannagan and Di Morrissey that we’re enjoying – very easy readable books. Richard’s been fishing a few times, with no luck.

NEXT WEEK:  We’re heading north to Rockhampton for 3 nights to catch up with friends.  Then we’ll be heading inland to start the 3,000 kilometre drive through Emerald, Winton, Longreach and eventually up to Darwin.   

Stage 3 Around Oz With The Winters - Warnervale to Laurieton

 

^{Welcome back to the first Blog of the year.  I hope you all had a good, relaxing Christmas and New Year, although it probably seems a very long time ago for you by now!!!}

^{In the last blog I posted in December last year, we were leaving Western Australia and headed back to New South Wales.  We arrived back on The Central Coast on 9th January where we were based in our friends’ driveway at Warnervale on The Central Coast, affectionately called “Camp Cox” for 3 ½ months.  During that time my girlfriend Maggie came over from New Zealand for a 2 week holiday and it was fantastic to see her again and show her around.  We also helped Kate and Jeff out with household jobs, handyman repairs and child/dog sitting during school holidays and an extra 10 days whilst Kate visited her parents in New Zealand, I nursed Hayley through her wisdom teeth extraction in hospital and at home, and we helped Kieran and Karina move house.  I trod a well-worn path from Warnervale to Sydney by train to visit the girls and friends as often as possible.  We originally came back for a cousin’s wedding in The Hunter Valley in March - the rest was just a sideline.  Another major reason we ended up staying longer than anticipated was our van needed major warranty repairs.  Jayco in Newcastle couldn’t fit it in until 10th April and needed it for at least a week.  We tried unsuccessfully in Perth to get the repairs done, but gave up and decided to wait until we were back in NSW.  After it was finally fixed to our satisfaction, it was school holidays once again, Easter and Richard’s 60th Birthday.   We did manage 2 separate trips to Jimmy’s Beach Caravan Park in Hawks Nest and Shoal Bay, which we really enjoyed.  Jimmy’s Beach had new owners and had been extensively renovated since our last visit there 4 years ago.  My, how time flies when you’re fully occupied!!!   That wraps up 3 ½ action-packed months.}

^{At last it was time to head off on our travels once more for “Stage 3 Around Oz With The Winters”.}

^{MONDAY 28TH APRIL   -   We left Warnervale travelling 267 kilometres north to visit our dear friends Chris and Tony in Laurieton, near Port Macquarie.  It was lovely to see them again.  Laurieton is such a pretty area with a great surf beach at North Haven, river, walkways and picnic areas.   A 35 minute drive takes you into the major town at Port Macquarie.  Chris and Tony live at Laurieton Gardens Caravan Park which recently had new owners that have really spruced the place up with garden beds full of gorgeous, bright marigolds and lush grassy areas.  Most of the residents had coloured solar lights in their garden patches and surrounding their homes.  At night time it was really colourful and stunning to watch.  It was a small park with mostly permanent residents that backs onto the sports oval and Laurieton RSL Club. We spent a fun-filled week there with them and our other great friends Paddy and Mary came up from Sydney and spent 3 nights with us all.  It was so good for the six of us to be together again.   We had too much food and alcohol and plenty of laughs, a few trips to bingo and the raffles at North Haven Bowling Club.}

LOOKING DOWN ON LAURIETON FROM BIG BROTHER LOOKOUT

A LAURIETON KOOKABURRA

ANOTHER VIEW FROM BIG BROTHER LOOKOUT

THE BOARDWALK THROUGH LAURIETON

GORGEOUS NORTH HAVEN BEACH

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BOARDWALK

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE LOOKING UP TO BIG BROTHER

 

^{SUNDAY 4TH MAY - The main roads from Laurieton to Port Macquarie were closed as The Australian Ironman Event took place from 8am to 4pm.  There were over 2,000 competitors taking part from all over the World.  The oldest male was 72, the oldest female was 64 and the youngest competitor was 18.  We watched the cyclists roaring up and down the roads in front of the caravan park and it was quite a spectacle with people lining the road cheering and hosting sausage sizzles from their balconies and gardens.  Others had moved their lounge suites outside and placed them along the footpath for a good comfortable vantage point.  Everyone was having a great time and the riders appreciated the support.}

^{MONDAY 5TH MAY - We left Laurieton at 9am for a 690 kilometre drive to Yelgun Rest Area at Brunswick Heads where we have stayed a few times before.  It was a long drive with a few rest stops along the way and by 4pm we arrived there.  The area was already quite busy as it was a popular stop-over.}   

^{TUESDAY 6TH MAY -   We left Yelgun Rest Area for a 260 kilometre trip and 4 hour drive to Nambour in Queensland to visit our friends Janet and Paul plus their 3 dogs Matrix, Rusty and Lulu.  We met Janet and Paul in Shellharbour Caravan Park 5 years ago.  They have been based in Nambour for the past 3 years.  We last met up with them on Stage 1 of our travels when we were in Queensland 3 years ago, but keep in touch by email and Skype regularly.}

^{We stayed at Palmwoods Caravan Park in Palmwoods on The sunshine Coast.  It was a small caravan park with mostly permanent residents.  There were lots of trees and palm trees around the park and it had a nice feel. It was well maintained and everyone was very friendly and helpful.  There are only a few caravan parks on The Sunshine Coast that take dogs and they’re all about 20 – 30 minutes drive from Maroochydore or Mooloolaba.}

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT ALEXANDRA HEAD, SUNSHINE COAST

 

OVERLOOKING THE SUNSHINE COAST FROM ALEXANDRA HEAD

 

^{WEDNESDAY 7TH MAY   - We went to Mudjimba Beach near Maroochydore which is a big dog friendly beach. It was a 25 minute drive from Palmwoods.  Sally was happy to have a good run along a beach again and meet more doggie friends.  After a good long walk, we headed to the famous Eumundi Markets, held on Wednesdays and Saturdays each week. They were pretty big markets and had lots of stalls offering crafts, foods and clothing for sale.  They took up both sides of the road and parking was a real problem.  They were well worth a visit and we came home with bags of cheap fresh fruits and vegetables.}

^{THURSDAY 8TH MAY   -   We went for a drive along The Blackall Ranges in The Sunshine Coast Hinterland, passing by some really picturesque rural properties, green hills and valleys.  Our first stop was at Montville, an absolutely gorgeous “olde worlde” village with lots of small vintage shops, cafes and restaurants looking into the deep lush green valleys of the Hinterland.  It was really breathtaking.  Next we headed to Maleny to visit the well-known Cheese Factory that made its own cheeses and yoghurts.  We tasted so many cheeses and, spoilt for choice, ended up buying some garlic/herb feta cheese and mango yoghurt which were delicious.   The feta cheese was a welcome part of happy hour that night and got rave reviews from everyone.  When we left Maleny we drove through Witta and Conondale and onto Kenilworth, an interesting old town with its own Cheese Factory.  We passed by The Showground which is a popular stopover for camping and caravans .  It was fairly crowded.  We were told it gets very cold there in winter as it is nestled amongst the hills of The Hinterland.   We couldn’t help ourselves and taste-tested lots more lovely cheeses.  It was a bigger factory than at Maleny and had a good range of sauces also.  We had lunch in the park opposite with many other grey nomads firing up their weber bbqs.}

LOOKING DOWN THE VALLEY AT MONTVILLE

 

 

ME AT THE BIG PINEAPPLE SUNSHNE COAST

 

 

^{We had happy hour (or two or three) with Janet and Paul and their neighbours every night.  They were very friendly and made us feel so welcome.  We hosted a sausage sizzle under our awning one night which went down very well with everyone.}  

^{We really enjoyed our week on The Sunshine Coast and were very impressed with the facilities everywhere and the amount of beaches, parks, picnic areas, cycle and walking paths around the place (lots of them dog-friendly).  We could quite understand people wanting to retire up there.}

^{NEXT WEEK:  We will be continuing to travel north to The Fraser Coast to spend 2 weeks at our favourite Queensland spot Woodgate Beach near Bundaberg.}