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

OCTOBER PHOTOS

Free camping at Calliope River

Calliope River

The Old Bruce Highway that's now a bridge from the lower to higher level at Calliope River

Koorana Crocodile Farm

Ocean bbq at Bowen

It's a hard life but someone has to do it!!

The happy hour gathering spot

The area that was used to film scenes from "Australia"

The Big Mango at Bowen

Some of the wall murals at The Town of Murals Bowen

Bowen Harbour

Beautiful Rose Bay

Grays Bay

Shute Harbour where the ferries go to the Islands at Airlie Beach

Another view of Bowen Harbour

A frequent sight in Qld sugar cane trains loaded with cut suga cane

A colourful toilet block in Townsville

The Big Brolga (upside down - oops)

Sally in her spot in the car, always ready to go somewhere

 Next Week we're free camping for 2 nights on our way back down  to Bundaberg where we're getting a few reapirs done to the carava under warranty.  Then we're going to Woodgate Beach - about 45 minutes from Bundaberg - a beautiful ropical paradise that we found on the way up through Queensland.  Can't wait and hopefully our air conditioner will be working properly. 

Hope you enjoyed the many photos.  I'll try to post the blog weekly so there's not a big back-log again.
Hope you all have a good Melbourne Cup Day.  Will  keep you up-to-date on our latest adventures very soon. 

Thanks for logging in once more.  Bye for now Love Marian and Richard

ON THE CAPRICORN COAST

Thursday 18^th October  We leave the Fraser Coast and drive further north.  Our destination is Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast.  We drive for about 4-5 hours with a few stops and reach Calliope River a gorgeous spot where we’re free camping overnight.  It’s about 15 minutes off the main road.  We’re worried there might be no-one else around.  If that proved to be the case, we would drive a bit further up to another free stop.  When we drove into the area, our fears were needless as there were lots of caravans, motor homes, trailers and tents already set up.  I think many of them had been there for a while.  It’s a gorgeous spot right on the river.  We chose to stay on the lower level right on the river edge.  Many people were set up on the higher level on the other side of the river.  We went for a walk across the river – the bridge an unused partial roadway now. We chatted to lots of people and discovered many of them had been there previously, some many times.  It’s obviously very popular and you need to arrive fairly early to get your spot.  We had happy hour looking over the river and then settled in for the evening.  Unfortunately we had a dreadful storm once again.  We’re really getting into this free camping and there are so many beautiful areas to stop for free.  We will need a generator for longer stays and will probably get one early next year.  Most people we talk to have a generator and highly recommend them.

Friday 14^th October  We leave our beautiful river stay at 8am.  We have to evacuate a few stowaway frogs from the back of the car that we found when packing up.  We thought that was quite funny.  We arrive in Yeppoon at 11.30.  Heading out of the main town and up to our caravan park there’s a magnificent scenic drive with deep turquoise water that’s quite breathtaking.  We stay at The Causeway in Yeppoon.  It’s a fairly old park, very laid back, but it’s facing the causeway and beside the beach and has character.  There’s a boat ramp at the end of the park where you can hire out canoes, kayaks, fishing boats and paddle boats.  It’s a popular fishing area off the bridge with picnic/bbq areas for families, play equipment and tables and chairs.  It’s already busy when we get there.  There’s a kiosk at the entrance to the park with a big undercover eating area which is always busy for lunch and dinner.  We had fish and chips from there for tea that night.  It was hard to find a seat under cover with groups from the other caravan parks coming out for their Friday fish supper.  It has a very good reputation and is open from 6am to 7pm every day. The car parking area was chockers too.

Saturday 15^th October   Went for a drive to the surrounding areas.  We first went to Emu Park which is a popular tourist area by the beach.  The main feature there is “The Singing Ship” sitting on the hilltop.  It’s a monument built like a ship.  When the wind blows it blows through the monument and makes it sound like it’s actually singing.

Our next stop was Rosslyn Bay which is very beautiful and probably my favourite spot of this area.  It’s a dog friendly beach.  Unfortunately at this time of year there are lots of marine stingers about, so swimming in the ocean is not recommended.  We saw lots of them scattered on the beach, so kept Sally well away from the water.

The main town of Yeppoon is lovely with a beautiful esplanade stretching for miles from the Sailing Club on the corner right past Farnborough Beach.  It’s a new, modern esplanade with floodlight pathways for night time, shaded under cover areas to sit and play areas. The town is quite touristy but not overly done.  I really liked the feel of the place.  We stopped for lunch there a few times and for supplies.  We sat at the City Beach parkway that evening and had a beautiful Thai takeaway watching the ocean.  It was a beautiful mild night, quite magical.

The beach by The Causeway was full of blue/green alga that give off a really foul stench when the tide is out.  We renamed it Yeppong instead of Yeppoon.  Apparently it’s a seasonal thing, but isn’t very inviting.  It also leaves a trail that looks like a petrol spill and resembles crinkled newspaper when dry.  Not very pretty I must say!!

We’re surprised by how flat Queensland beaches are and most of them have deep yellow muddy sand/mudflats.  To be fair, I’m sure last year’s cyclones and floods haven’t done them any favours.  They certainly fall short of what we expected.  Many travellers we meet share our opinion.

We’re amused to find lots of little frogs beside the caravan and Sally spends ages chasing them (not actually getting them as we have her leash shortened).    They even come on the caravan step.

Monday 17^th October  Koorana Crocodile Farm  We decide to make the 45 minute trip out to Koorana Crocodile Farm, although we’re not sure what to expect.  We’re pleasantly surprised and our young host Adam (the son of the founder) is very informative and funny.  It’s a 1 ½ hour guided tour and we can’t possibly imagine what’s going to take so long.  We start off with a very interesting pre-tour video telling us the history of the farm and the family that started it over 30 years ago.  That goes for about 15 minutes then we go out to actually look in the ponds.  We learn some fascinating crocodile facts and see Rocky the biggest crock the farm currently has measuring 4.7 metres and weighing in at over 1 tonne.  Crocodiles can live to the age of 100.  The park has one that’s 103. They grow until they’re 39 years old.  We toured the ponds and watch them eating chicken bits.  Apparently they really don’t eat much as they can slow their heart rate down to 3 beats per minute and may not eat for 12 months.  We see another male who started out with 24 girlfriends in the same pond, but it was too strenuous for him (poor old fellow) and he now has only 4 females to nag him – imagine 24 nagging wives!  We learn lots about their habits and Adam really brings their characters to life for us, telling us where each one came from.  One was a donation from someone that had kept a pet from a baby in his bath, but when he got to 5, his wife insisted he get rid of it.

We learn that crocodiles can hide very well in water less than 3 feet deep.  Adam demonstrates that for us and even he can’t find the one he’s looking for.  He says beware of the crocodile you can’t see.  Never feel secure that the water is crocodile free just because it’s shallow.  I shall never paddle in a river again.  They sense movement by vibration.  Their heads are one fifth of their overall size.  Their ph levels are 1 (in other words pure acid).

We handle a 2 year old crock and are very surprised by just how soft its underbelly is.  We’re also surprised to learn their top skin is full of spiny bones and is like concrete to feel.  Crocodile skins currently sell for $25 per 1cm, which would explain the cost of the souvenirs in the gift shop.  We passed on eating crocodile burgers and kebabs in the café.  Adam tells us it tastes like a sweat pork meat.

All too soon the 1 ½ hours has passed and our tour is over.  We’re both so glad we took the time to drive to the farm.

Tuesday 18^th October  I was looking forward to a day trip to Great Keppel Island today, which has just been refurbished from the cyclone last year.  Unfortunately, we’ve had very strong winds and all boat tours are cancelled today.  This trip only goes each Tuesday, so I will miss out this time.

Wednesday 19^th  Still very windy today.  We’ve seen all we can in the area so decide to move further up the coast the next day.

Thursday 20^th October  We leave the Fraser Coast at 7.30 and our destination is Bowen on The Whitsundays.  We intend to drive for a few hours and free camp half way.  We decide to drive on to Bowen and arrive at The Tropical Beach Caravan Park at 4pm.  It’s been a long day and we’re glad to get set up and have a rest.  It’s a small very pretty, well maintained park right on the ocean front.  The owners are really friendly and helpful.  It’s lovely to hear the ocean so close.  We’re behind the cabins which gives us some protection and shelter.

Friday 21^st October   After chatting to our neighbours and just about everyone else in the park we take a drive around the local beauty spots to Horseshoe Bay, Grays Bay, Rose Bay and up onto the pinnacle called The Interpretive Centre (an aboriginal centre/café), offering  a spectacular 360 degree panoramic ocean vista that is stunning.  We drive down to the Harbour and buy some fresh seafood for dinner that night.  We drive to the famous site by the Harbour where some of the scenes from the movie “Australia” were shot.  It’s barren now save for the facade of the Police Station just about standing.  The town is called the town of murals and features amazing Australiana feature walls throughout the town.

We have happy hour with our neighbours Ros and Rob, originally from Derbyshire in England, now living in Ulladulla.  Lovely people and similar ages to us.  We learn Rob is an Aries and also a Rolling Stones fan.  We reminisce about England good and bad and pass a couple of very pleasant hours and promise to do it all over again the following evening.

Saturday 22^nd October  We went for a drive to Airlie Beach – 1  ½  hours south from Bowen.  It’s a real tourist trap for young backpackers and very dog unfriendly.  The main beach is smaller than I’d imagined.  We felt like we were in any resort in Spain full of bars, shops and cafes.  They were hosting a 4 day Reef Festival so the place was ultra packed and parking was difficult.  They also charge to park.  It was disappointing to find no lookout areas to stop and take photos of the magnificent drop overlooking the harbour coming up the hill and into the town with bright turquoise water.  We drove further along to Shute Harbour where the tour boats depart.  That was very pretty and we found a lovely spot by the water to have our morning cuppa.   We filled up with petrol and drove to a few other beauty spots, driving through Strathdickie (which made us chuckle to think there actually was a place by that name).   We were glad to see the area but wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back again.  We came back to a lovely happy hour with our neighbours Ros and Rob once again.

Tuesday 25^th October We went for a huge daytrip to Townsville – 3 hours north from Bowen.  We stopped off at Ayr and Alva Beach a very pretty but very quiet area.  We drove through Home Hill which has a free overnight stop area by the station which has been recommended to us for future use.  We saw The Big Brolga at a Tourist Information Centre on the way up and have to take a photo.

We have to call into Jayco at Townsville for some clips that have broken off the kitchen cupboards.  We instantly love the feel of the big town and how the old refurbished buildings retain their integrity amongst the new modern ones.  We comment on how spread out the town is and how wide the streets are.  The main beach is caged off and is being rebuilt from last year’s cyclone and floods.  We drove further along the coastline to the designated dogs off leash area and see signs saying “crocodiles spotted here recently”.  Needless to say we don’t let Sally anywhere near the water.  We had lunch in town and a huge dish of ice cream by the beach which melted very quickly as it was a sweltering 30 degree day.  We drove around by the Harbour where the tour boats go to Magnetic Island and up and down The Strand which is the main area of the town.  It’s 5.30 by the time we get back to Bowen but we’ve had a very enjoyable day.

Wednesday 26^th  October We took a visit to “Jocheims Pie Shop” the famous pie shop in town.  Apparently the friendly service by the owner and a history of  the shop to a then unknown Baz Lurhmann sealed the deal for him of where to shoot some of the famous  movie “Australia”.   They now boast an indoor seating area for 65 people full of historical photos.  The pies were delicious.

We also had to have a photo by The Big Mango at South Bowen Tourist Information Centre.

A lot of people staying at the park are working through the tomato season picking and sorting.  Many come here from year to year.

We’ve really enjoyed our stay at Bowen.  It’s been one of the friendliest places we’ve stayed at and we can understand why so many people come back time and time again.  There’s always a happy hour happening by the bbq area overlooking the ocean.  The owner an ex-Hungarian refugee called Ernie always has time for a yarn and to pass on helpful tips, whilst working very hard with his family to maintain the place.

Saturday 29^th October  Sadly we leave Bowen and turn around for the slow trip back to Sydney by Christmas.  We’re heading for Bundaberg to get some repairs done to the caravan and to get the air conditioning fixed which hasn’t worked  properly since we bought the van -  very inconvenient to say the least with the high temperatures we’ve had the past few weeks.  Not happy Jan!!!

There are lots of photos to go with this blog so I will post them separately.  Don't go away just yet.




   
The

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