Category: East Coast of Oz

North Narrabeen NSW

June 22nd, 2020 by

Arrived at the NRMA Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park in North Narrabeen late in the day after a very wet 400km drive (maplink) from Gundagai. Got set-up without getting wet, then kicked back with Merrisa, Wally & Wendy and a frothy for the last rays of daylight, taking in the view from our caravan window – very noice.

Narrabeen Lagoon Trail Walk

The Narrabeen Lagoon is right outside of our caravan and it’s inspiring to see the number of people walking the trail alongside the water. So we decided to join them as well, but only walked a fraction of the 8.6kms. We then strolled over to the North Narrabeen Rockpool for a gander. Water looked inviting but a bit fresh for us today. A bit of surf was also happening too.

Bobbin Head

We went to visit friends Tim & Anne in Hornsby Heights today and took their suggestion of taking the route through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Wow, what a great idea, this place is truly beautiful.

We stopped off at Bobbin Head to check it out (maplink) and took stroll through the mangroves. Lovely reflections in the water.

We then went on to enjoy a lovely afternoon with Tim & Anne, who are Bailey friends. We’ll be catching up with them in South West Rocks next week.

Avalon Beach

Today we went exploring along the coast to the north of where we were staying in North Narrabeen. Some of the vistas of the coastline are truly fantastic. Got a glimpse of the Warriewood Blow Hole in action from atop the cliffs

We ended up at Avalon Beach for lunch, watching the waves and the brave souls taking a swim in the Avalon Rock Pool.

Ku-Ring-Gai-Chase National Park

We needed to decide on a destination for our day trip today. Sydney city or Ku-Ring-Gai-Chase National Park. Great decision choosing the national park as it is not only a great destination but the “getting there” part is awesome.

We headed off to a part of the park called West Head and drove around some of the most amazing water views you could ever see (maplink). In some places there are soooo many yachts that it looks like a forest of masts. A large amount of money is floating there and makes you wonder how often they are “taken out” for a sail.

We then moved onto a lovely little cove by the name of Cottage Point for lunch at the Cottage Point kiosk. So quiet and lovely (maplink).

Our home of Melbourne may be the sporting capital of Australia but Sydney truly wins when it comes to their waterways. Nothing beats the views and ruggedness of this part of the world – one word – stunning!

North Narrabeen headland walk

Over the road from our caravan park is the North Narrabeen headland and the walk up it provides some stunning views of the coastline as well back toward the Narrabeen Lagoon and our caravan park.

I played around with some settings on my camera to see what effects I could get from the wave action – I’d say they’re not bad (see below).

Over the road from our caravan park is the North Narrabeen headland and the walk up it provides some stunning views of the coastline as well back toward the Narrabeen Lagoon and our caravan park.

I played around with some settings on my camera to see what effects I could get from the wave action – I’d say they’re not bad (see below).

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – NRMA Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park is a great place to stay with spacious sites and great views of the water (from our site)
    • Cost per night – $55 (@ 22-Jun-2020 – school holidays)
    • Facilities – Neat and tidy 8/10
    • CP Location – next to the beach and close to the national parks. You can catch public transport into Sydney CBD if desired (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 8/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – Yes
    • Activities & places of interest – plenty to do here with national parks everywhere and the beach is over the road
    • Would we return? – Definitely
    • Overall Score – 10/10
  • Summary – We love this location as it is a great park and close to lots of places to visit etc. I know we should try other locations but why would we need to move when this gem is here.

South West Rocks NSW

June 29th, 2020 by

About South West Rocks

South West Rocks is a coastal town which attracts both holidaymakers and retirees. Like all the North Coast towns that are not on the Pacific Highway, it is most commonly bypassed by holidaymakers. This has resulted in a town removed from excessive, modern development. It is a haven for people looking for quietness and coastal relaxation. For many years it was a popular hideaway for television personalities eager for a little privacy. Today the township is primarily a tourist destination. It has plenty of accommodation, beautiful foreshores, pleasant beaches, and particularly beautiful stands of Norfolk pines (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more)

South West Rocks Caravan Park

Moving northwards from North Narrabeen we headed 454kms to South West Rocks to catch up with some Bailey caravan friends. We booked into Ingenia Holidays Caravan Park for 7 nights (maplink).

On our 2nd night we got out the fire-pits for happy hour down by the creek. It’s a lovely location and the sunset viewed up the creek was glorious.

Trial Bay Gaol

Today started with a group breakfast at Trial Bay Kiosk then a walk up to the German Cemetery.

Trial Bay Gaol is full of history. The gaol opened in 1886, after 13 years of construction. It must have been a strange feeling building a prison in such a beautiful setting. The prison labourers were there to construct a breakwater to make Trial Bay a safe harbour between Sydney and Brisbane. Unfortunately the scheme failed, however the remains of the breakwater can still be seen from the guard tower lookout.

During World War I the gaol became an internment camp for people of German descent who were feared to be enemy sympathisers. We walked to a cemetery which was built for those who died during the internment.

You can find out more about Trial Bay Gaol and internment camp on Wikipedia.

Smoky Cape Lighthouse

A short drive from South West Rocks to Smoky Cape Lighthouse (this is a great website!) found us in the Hat Head National Park (maplink).

Fantastic views over the coastline and we even got to spot some whales moving north, even though they were a fair way offshore. We also spotted a beautiful diamond python slithering through the scrub right below the viewing platform at the lighthouse.

Accommodation is available at the Smoky Cape Lighthouse, in the old lighthouse keepers quarters, which is pretty cool.

One of our friends, Keri, told us that their uncle, Mr Harry Handicott, retired from active service in 1985 and was the last lighthouse keeper to manage the light. We found a little bit of history about him plus a photo in the museum and the poem below…

The man stood at the pearly gates looking all tired and old.
He meekly asked the man of fate for admission to the fold.
‘What have you done,’ Saint Peter asked, ‘to gain admission here?’ ‘I was in the Lighthouse Service and got leave once a year.’
The gate swung open widely as Saint Peter tolled the bell.
‘Come in,’ he said, ‘and take a harp. You’ve had enough of hell.’

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Ingenia Holidays Caravan Park is well set-out with plenty of room around our site
    • Cost per night – $35.43 (@ 28-Jun-2020 – Bailey group booking deal)
    • Facilities – a bit dated but very clean – 7/10
    • CP Location – walk into town for pubs, restaurants and beach – 8/10 (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 7/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – yes – a small town with lots to offer
  • Activities & places of interest –Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape
    • Tourist info centre? – #1 Boatmans Cottage, Ocean Dr, South West Rocks (website)
    • Would we return? – Definitely
    • Overall Score – 8/10
  • Summary – We were a bit uncertain about this caravan park but we loved our stay (in the end). Our friends were camped on the “creek frontage sites” and we were 2 rows back. They froze as there was no sun during the daytime which we had (LOL).

Woolgoolga NSW

July 5th, 2020 by

About Woolgoolga

Everyone who travels north along the Pacific Highway knows Woolgoolga because it is “that town with the Indian temples”. The traveller, noting the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple on one side of the road would be forgiven for thinking they were not in the New South Wales northern rivers district but in part of the Punjab. It is also, although few people stop and spend time, a pleasant seaside town which spreads from the hills down to the beach and headland. The region’s real bonus is that Ocean View Beach at Arrawarra Headland, just 9 km north of Woolgoolga, has some of the finest Aboriginal stone fish traps in the country (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more)

After leaving South West Rocks we decided to have an overnight stopover in the lovely town of Woolgoolga (maplink) or as it is locally known as “Woopie“.

We love Woopie, having visited whenever we call in to see our mates Dave & Julie, who live 10 minutes down the road in Sandy Beach. This is the first time we’ve camped here though, at Woolgoolga Beachside Caravan Park. Our site backed right onto the beach, which was fantastic.

Lunch at the wonderful Blue Bottles Brasserie Café with Dave & Julie. Just had to order their specialty Corn Fritters – yummy! If you are ever in Woolgoolga you MUST pay this Café a visit and try their delicious dishes – menu is available on their website.

Then we shared sunset drinks with Neil’s mate from the Aquarena gym, Bryn and his wife Barb. Not bad for a one night stop.

We will definitely come back to Woopie and stay longer next time.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Woolgoolga Beachside Caravan Park is a great park right on the beach – totally recommend it
    • Cost per night – $42.17 (@ 5-Jul-2020)
    • Facilities – very clean and tidy
    • CP Location – right in town, next to shops, restaurants and beach (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 8/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – yes – lovely place. We have visited before but never camped here
    • Activities & places of interest – didn’t really look as it was just an overnighter
    • Tourist info centre? – 35 Beach St, Woolgoolga (website)
    • Would we return? – Definitely
    • Overall Score – 8/10
  • Summary – We love Woopie to begin with but this was the first time we had stayed in the caravan park. Perfect location, right on the beach, but it was really cramped with not much room between sites and really hard to park our van. But we’d still come back.

Byron Bay NSW

July 6th, 2020 by

About Byron Bay

Byron Bay is an intensely beautiful town which, because it has become a popular watering hole for backpackers and holidaymakers on the way up the New South Wales coast, has become deeply divided. Historically “Byron”, as it is often called, became associated with the alternative lifestyle movement of the 1970s and slowly evolved into a rather upmarket hippie retreat in northern New South Wales (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Byron Bay Caravan Park

Byron Bay is a “must stop” location on any trip up the east coast of Australia. Despite the Covid19 pandemic the place was absolutely buzzing and not very much in the way of social distancing; except for restaurants, cafes and shops how were really strict on numbers entering their premises.

We stayed in Glenvilla Resort which is a nice park (maplink) with plenty of room around your caravan sites; unlike the other parks where everyone is cramped on top of each other.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

You just cannot come to the lovely Byron without taking a trip to the Cape Byron Lighthouse (maplink).

Built at the turn of the 19th century to protect ships passing along the coast, Cape Byron Lighthouse stands resolute on the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Operated by resident keepers until 1989, its now an automated light is clearly visible from Byron Bay township.

Migrating whales could be seen from the viewing platform plus a pod of dolphins were swimming right below us as we checked out the views.

After leaving the lighthouse we ventured along the coast checking out some of the beaches, ending at Belongil Beach. Along the way we encountered the Byron Solar Train (the 1st of it’s kind in the world) as it crossed our path. Merrisa took a very funny video (see below) where she lets out a tiny scream as the train toots us.

We are staying at the Glen Villa Resort, right up the back with lots of bushland and critters, including some cute and really cheeky kookaburras.

 

Minyon Falls

A day trip into the mountains with friends Tim & Anne saw our first stop at Minyon Falls. Weather was a bit bleak and the hills were very misty but we headed out to take in the views of the water falls.

A decision to take a track to gain a better view ended up with us all getting drowned by a sudden downpour, but the views were worth it.

After drying off we headed to Mullumbimby to have lunch at the Lu Lu’s Café. Great food and totally recommend a visit if you’re in town.

Laird visits

Our great mate, Laird, rode his Harley down from Main Beach for the weekend to spend some time with us. We shared a beautiful dinner at The Cyprus Tree Greek restaurant. What a great feed and very friendly staff who welcomed us. We highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in Byron.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Glenvilla Resort is a bit out of town but we enjoyed the stay
    • Cost per night – $42.71 (@6-Jul-2020)
    • Facilities – pretty old and not the best, but at least they were clean
    • CP Location – a 10 minute walk to town or a 15 minute walk to the beach (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 7/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – very trendy and VERY crowded considering the Corona Virus was supposed to limit peoples movements
    • Activities & places of interest – plenty to do here. We loved our early morning walks on the beach and my daily swim was great
    • Tourist info centre? – 80 Jonson St, Byron Bay (website)
    • Would we return? – probably not – been there & done that (too busy and crowded)
    • Overall Score – 7/10
  • Summary – at first we thought it was a crappy park but soon changed our minds after settling in and seeing how cramped other caravan parks were.

Kingscliff NSW

July 13th, 2020 by

About Kingscliff

With a sad inevitability worthy of the less attractive and overcrowded destinations on the shores of the Mediterranean (think Costa del Sol or north coast of Crete) the Gold Coast, like some huge and all-consuming monster, is slowly heading south. It crossed from Coolangatta to Tweed Heads decades ago and now, inexorably, it is moving further and further south. Fortunately the local councils are not enthusiastic about high rise – there is a limit of three floors on buildings – and consequently Kingscliff has a similar ambience to Coolangatta fifty years ago. Kingscliff is nestled between the Tweed River (the mouth lies further north at Tweed Heads) and a run of attractive beaches which stretch from Cabarita in the south to Fingal Head in the north (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Kingscliff Caravan Park

Arrived in Kingscliff today to settle into the Kingscliff Beach Caravan Park for 4 days (maplink). Wow, what a great spot! Our site is looking straight at the beach which is only a few steps away. One great advantage with our Bailey Caravan is it’s large front windows give us the best views and this is one of them.

The sunset on our first night was pretty awesome with massive black clouds overhead (but no rain) and the sun going down behind them.

Kingscliff Surf

There is some great surf here and I got some nice shots of some young guys ripping a few waves.

Fingal Head

We caught up with Neil’s old school mate Greg and his wife Denyse, who live in Kingscliff and they took us out for the day. We began at Fingal Head with it’s tiny lighthouse and views over the ocean to Cook Island (maplink).

The waves at Fingal Head were pretty spectacular with a massive backwash colliding with the waves coming into the shore. I tried to capture some on my camera but missed the best ones.

We had lunch at the Chinderah Tavern with views over the Tweed River.

Snapper Rocks Surf

I first visited Coolangatta in 1974, staying in the (then famous) 77 Sunset Strip Guesthouse and surfed the legendary “Green Mount” for hours – best waves ever!. Some 46 years later we ventured over the border from Kingscliff to check out the surf at Snapper Rocks and found the old guesthouse is still there, but we did notice that it’s about to be torn down for a new development, which is a bit sad.

Back to Snapper Rocks – in 2007 a surf “superbank” was developed, using sand pumped out of the Tweed River estuary. This has created a surf break of about 2kms long with multiple take off points. The main break begins at the rocks on the southern end – more in Wikipedia

The surf today at Snapper Rocks was great and you can check out the photos below. We then chilled for a while in the Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club sinking a few quiet beers with our friends Greg & Denyse while the sun set over the Surfers Paradise skyline.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Kingscliff Beach Caravan Park is a fantastic park
    • Cost per night – $48.75 (@ 13-Jul-2020)
    • Facilities – Absolutely beautiful
    • CP Location – right in town – shops & beach on opposite sides (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 9/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – Yes
  • Summing up – This is a fantastic caravan park and location providing access to lots of activities etc. The park itself would rate as one of the best we have stayed in. There is a lot of concrete so may not be suitable to all, but you have direct access to the beach and heaps of restaurants etc opposite.

Mudgeeraba QLD – staying with mates

July 20th, 2020 by

We caught up with great friends Colin & Tracey in Mudgeeraba for a few days, staying in their beautiful home in the hinterland behind Burleigh Heads.

4 days of rest and relaxation with views over the coast and mountains topped off with drinks around the firepit each night – sweeeet!

They have some chooks roaming around the property, some beautiful wallabies dropping by and even a plover who laid her eggs on their lawn.

O’Reilly’s in the Gold Coast Hinterland

July 22nd, 2020 by

Moving north from Mudgeeraba we caught up some more friends, Louis & Cheryl in Wynnum West (suburb of Brisbane) for a couple of days. We met these guys on our Cambodia & Laos trip in 2016. It was great to see them again.

They took us up to Tamborine Mountain and the famous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat for a day trip.

Tamborine Mountain was a great little village with the usual tourist shops to browse through and a great coffee stop too.

O’Reilly’s was an interesting and challenging drive with heaps of single lane sections of roads and 10km/hr switch-back bends (maplink). The resort is located in the Lamington National Park.

The first thing you encounter at O’Reilly’s is the Stinson replica plane, which was used in the Australian television movie “The Riddle of the Stinson” (1987) where Jack Thompson played Bernard O’Reilly. The film tells the true story of the Stinson plane crash into the thickly forested valley in the McPherson Range on February 19th 1937, as well as the rescue of its survivors by experienced bushman Bernard O’Reilly and other locals.

The bird-life at O’Reilly’s is incredible with so many different types of parrots creating the best photo opportunities anyone could wish for – check out below.

After lunch we took a stroll through the Booyong Forest Walk . This is truly a great place to visit. We actually had our Outback Imaging (the company I used to work for) EzyScan team meeting getaway at O’Reilly’s in 2016 – great memories.

Many thanks to Louis & Cheryl for a great day out and also welcoming us into their home for a couple of nights stay.

Summing up…

  • What did we think? – After a bit of a drive we were really glad we came.
  • Was it value for money? – absolutely – only cost was our fuel & meals
  • Would we return? – yes
  • Overall Score – 10/10
  • How do you book a tour? – try TripAdvisor

Rainbow Beach QLD

July 24th, 2020 by

About Rainbow Beach

Rainbow Beach is a town in transition. It was once a quiet and idyllic holiday, fishing and retirement getaway but, in recent years, the holiday developers have moved in and the boast that it is an ‘eco-tourism’ destination has had to take in multi-storey beachside apartments and a feeling that it is rapidly becoming upmarket and fashionable. It still promotes itself as the ‘Gateway to Fraser Island’ (more correctly ‘The Southern Gateway to Fraser Island) as there is a regular and reliable barge which makes the crossing from the far northern end of Inskip Point (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Rainbow Beach Caravan Park

We arrived at the Rainbow Beach Holiday Park just in time to check in and set-up before the rain arrived; and then it rained for the next 3 days (torrential at times). This made our stay just a little bit dreary (maplink).

The town of Rainbow Beach (maplink) is a nice little town and is one of the several access points (via Inskip Point) to Fraser Island. We did intend to make the trip over to Fraser but the horrible wet weather made up our minds for us. Maybe we can do it on our return trip.

We took a few day trips to some interesting places…

Carlo Sand Blow

The Carlo Sand Blow is a huge 15 hectare sand dune right next to town (maplink) and you should take the time to explore it. Part of the Great Sandy National Park it is believed to be created by a lightning strike a very long time ago. It was named by Captain James Cook after a member of the ships crew.

Tin Can Bay

We came across this nice little village on the water at Tin Can Bay Yacht Club for lunch (maplink). It was great to sit in the sunshine for a couple of hours with a couple of beers, tasty egg & bacon rolls and listening to some music while the local pelicans kept on trying to sneak into the café for a nibble or two – very funny.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Rainbow Beach Holiday Park is pretty run down and dated. Looks like it needs a fair bit of work to meet the fee charged per night
    • Cost per night – $41.00 (@ 23-Jul-2020)
    • Facilities – very run down, but clean 4/10
    • CP Location – 3kms out of town but next to the water (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 6/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit?–not too shabby
    • Activities & places of interest – not much to do, but the weather did affect us a fair bit
    • Tourist info centre? – 6 Rainbow Beach Rd, Rainbow Beach (website)
    • Would we return? – Probably not. Tin Can Bay may be a better choice to stay next time
  • Overall Score – 5/10
  • Summary – The caravan park is 3kms out of town with nothing much to do around it so a drive to town each time is required for supplies and activities. The biggest positive is the amount of room each site has is great, compared to the park in town which is pretty cramped.

Bargara QLD

July 28th, 2020 by

About Bargara

Bargara is a seaside holiday resort town with a road which runs along the coast – The Esplanade, Miller Street and Woongarra Scenic Drive – and a long strip of holiday homes, flats, apartments and motels all built between the beach and the hinterland. As recently as the 1980s Bargara (pronounced b’gara) was a sleepy coastal village full of interesting historic artifacts. There was a swimming pool which had been built out of the local volcanic rocks by the Kanakas – the slave labour brought from the South Pacific – and equally the kanakas had built impressive stone walls. Today the gods of development have taken over. The main street is full of chic cafes, a huge modern pub and lots of gift shoppes. The sea front – which in the 1980s was just a collection of fibro holiday homes – is now a solid row of five storey apartment blocks with land for development selling, in 2017, for $3.5 million and apartments trading for upwards of $700,000 (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Bargara Caravan Park

Checked into Bargara Beach Caravan Park for 4 nights, on the coast 15km east of Bundaberg (maplink).

After our set-up I headed over to check out the beach (right next to CP) and had a swim – the water was freezing! I’d already had daily swims as far south as Burleigh Heads, Byron Bay and Woolgoolga (730km away) and the water was FAR colder here; I just could not believe it. It was a “tight fit” in the caravan but we still enjoyed our stay. We did a great walk into town and had our lunch in the park over looking the beach. Noice!

Using Bargara as a base we ventured around the area, taking in some of the attractions on offer. Went into Bundaberg for a bit of an explore but, thanks to Covid19, the famous Bundaberg Distillery was closed to the public.

Elliot Heads

We discovered Elliot Heads which was a lovely little town to the south of Bargara. We took our lunch and had it in the park right on the beach and then took a stroll out to Dr Mays Island bird sanctuary. Elliot Heads is a beautiful spot to visit and there is a really great looking caravan park there which we’ll look at staying next time.

Tinaberries Strawberry Farm

Another outing took us to Tinaberries Strawberry Farm where we tried their super delicious ice-cream and naturally purchased a couple of punnets of there wonderful strawberries. On the way back we checked out The Hummock Lookout which has superb views over Bundaberg and the coast.

Our last little trip took us north to Burnett Heads for a look around. It was nothing notable except when I walked over to check out the (all rock) beach I discovered an Osprey in a tree attempting to eat a fish. There was no way he was going to loose that fish as he was buffeted around by very strong winds.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Bargara Beach Caravan Park is not a bad park. Heaps of sites but we were pretty “packed” in with not much room
    • Cost per night – $42.00 (@ 28-Jul-2020)
    • Facilities – Pretty good, neat and clean but a bit dated
    • CP Location – top location right on the beach and a 10 minute walk into town (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 7/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – yes
    • Activities & places of interest – we had a good look around the nearby towns and took a day trip into Bundaberg but attractions were closed due to Covid regulations
    • Tourist info centre? – none in town (website)
    • Would we return? – probably/maybe
    • Overall Score – 8/10
  • Summary – would probably return but will look for another location nearby (e.g. Elliot Heads or Hervey Bay), just to be different

Yeppoon QLD

August 2nd, 2020 by

About Yeppoon

Yeppoon is part of the commuter belt around Rockhampton. It is also a popular holiday destination which is surrounded by attractive beaches where, for most of the year, the swimming is good and the opportunities for fishing, walking along the coast, cruising around the Great Barrier Reef, exploring the rugged headlands and relaxing are inviting. The town itself is a modern service centre for the surrounding district (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Yeppoon Caravan Park

We tried real hard to get into the Yeppoon Beachside CP, right on the beach in Yeppoon, but it was totally booked out so we settled for the NRMA Capricorn Yeppoon Holiday Park which is about 13 kms out of town, in the town of Mulambin, but it was a good 2nd choice (maplink).

Took a stroll out to the beach (which has massive tidal drop) and caught site of some “Blokarts” (AKA Sand Yachts) flying down the beach at about 50km/hr – wow what a site! Came back to see our travelling buddies washing car and van.

Big tides!

The tidal changes in these parts are massive and it’s best shown in these photos. Check out the local creek (Ross Creek) which has a drop of about 4.6 metres.

The Wreck Lookout

The Wreck Lookout has great views over Yeppoon’s Cooee Bay. The lookout depicts a ship’s deck, in memory of the wreck of the 62-tonne trading schooner, Selina, which drifted crewless for 2600 nautical miles and was washed up on Wreck Point in October 1848, after disappearing in 1847 with a load of cedar logs, bound for Sydney. The headland was subsequently named Wreck Point.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – NRMA Capricorn Yeppoon Holiday Park is a very nice park with great sites
    • Cost per night – $31.25 (@ 2-Aug-2020)
    • Facilities – Great facilities, very clean & modern
    • CP Location – 11kms out of Yeppoon (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 8/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – Yeppoon itself was just another town; nothing special
    • Activities & places of interest – Sand yachts on the beach was great
    • Tourist info centre? – Scenic Hwy, Yeppoon (website)
    • Would we return? – Maybe, but we’d try to get into the beach CP in town next time
    • Overall Score – 7/10
  • Summary – Not a bad stay. Would recommend for a first time visit

Airlie Beach QLD

August 7th, 2020 by

About Airlie Beach

For all those people who do not fly into Hamilton Island airport, Airlie Beach is the entry point to the complex mixture of islands and resort towns known as the Whitsundays. This booming holiday town lies between Cannonvale and Shute Harbour; is ideally located at the bottom of the Conway Ranges beside a beautiful tropical beach and extensive marina; and is ideal for people planning to take a boat from Shute Harbour or Airlie Maritime Terminal out to the Whitsundays.

Airlie Beach township is a strip of holiday gift shops, eating places ranging from fast foods to quality restaurants, pubs and bars, and a wide range of accommodation catering for everyone from backpackers to upmarket holidaymakers. The township has a distinctly tropical ambience and at night it is driven by the huge numbers of backpackers who fill the pubs along Harbour Road (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Roadtrip to Airlie Beach – Sarina overnight

Leaving Yeppoon we travelled to Sarina for an overnight stop then onto Seabreeze Tourist Park in Cannonvale (Airlie Beach) (maplink) for a week stay. It rained from Yeppoon to Airlie but cleared up on the 2nd day there (had us a bit worried).

The caravan park in Sarina was one of the neatest parks we have ever been in. If you are ever looking for a great CP then you cannot go past Sarina Palms Caravan Village – Dennis, who runs the park, went out of his way to make our stay a nice one. Sorry – no photos as it was raining the whole time!

Airlie Beach Caravan Park

Seabreeze Tourist Park has heaps of Blue Tiger butterflies flying about with lots of different bird types – in particular these weird birds called Curlews (check out this YouTube video example), they make the scariest calls during the night which sounds like a child crying.

A visit to Shute Harbour

Cyclone Debbie totally destroyed the Shute Harbour facilities in 2017 with gusts over 250 km/hr. The reconstruction of the Marina is underway. It’s a massive project and you could see that there is still a long way to go.

Dingo Beach & Hideaway Bay

A great day trip is out to Dingo Beach & Hideaway Bay, about 63kms from Airlie Beach (maplink).

Dingo Beach Pub

Lunch at the Dingo Beach pub was great and we also entertained by a couple of singers. Nice afternoon chillin’ to great food, beers and music. A walk after lunch to burn off that huge “dingo burger” I had!

Hideaway Bay – Montes Resort

Montes Resort was unfortunately closed but the manager actually let us have a look around and a couple of drinks looking over the beautiful views from their deck. We’ll return here in the future after all of the Covid crap has passed us.

Airlie Beach Bicentennial Walkway

We took a beautiful walk from Seabreeze Tourist Park into Airlie Beach. It’s called the Airlie Beach Bicentennial Walkway which travels alongside the waters edge into town. The coastal walkway was practically destroyed during ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 but has been rebuilt since.

We had a “pit-stop” at the Sorrento Bar & Restaurant for a couple of cooling ales before continuing into town. Brilliant views over the harbour.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Seabreeze Tourist Park is a great park to stay in. Totally recommend it
    • Cost per night – $48.00 (@ 7-Aug-2020)
    • Facilities – Interesting set-up and always tidy and clean
    • CP Location – Great location. Not in Airlie itself but still a good spot (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 9/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – Yes. Pretty busy but it was expected
    • Activities & places of interest – So much to do here. Need to return to do more – check out TripAdvisor
    • Tourist info centre? – 277 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach (website)
    • Would we return? – Definitely
    • Overall Score – 9/10
  • Summary – We loved our stay here and will be back, that’s for sure

Whitehaven Beach QLD

August 12th, 2020 by

You cannot come to the Whitsunday’s without travelling out to their islands. Today we booked a day trip with Ocean Rafting on their Northern Exposure tour out to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet on Whitsunday Island, along with snorkeling at two different locations on Hook Island.

These guys are the best! We booked the lunch as well, which was scrumptious and had a few beers to wash it down. A perfect day out on the water.

Totally recommend this tour if you’re in Airlie Beach or surrounds as it was worth every cent (cost was about $355 for 2 – bargain)!

Snorkel time

Tour map from Ocean Rafting website

Summing up…

  • What did we think? – bucket list ticked! Totally loved it!
  • Was it value for money? – absolutely. Cost was $177 per head (with discount from our Caravan Park)
  • Would we return? – yes
  • Overall Score – 12/10 !!!
  • How do you book a tour? – try Ocean Rafting website

Cairns QLD

September 3rd, 2020 by

About Cairns

Cairns is unique. It is, for the tens of thousands of backpackers that flow up the eastern coast of Australia, the end of the line. It is their final destination and it has a final destination feel about it. It also has a very heavy focus on adventure activities for backpackers. But, more than anything else, it is the major tourist destination in North Queensland. An international airport; a superb Aboriginal theme park; a Skyrail with aerial gondolas which float above the tropical rainforest; charming hinterland villages with craft markets; and a rich variety of modern accommodation and eating options attract visitors all year round. But the special appeal is to catch a boat – a catamaran or a sailing vessel – and head for the Great Barrier Reef and the islands (many of which are unspoilt coral cays) that are all easily accessible from the city’s harbour.

Cairns is an aggressively modern city driven by tourism. Its fundamental raison d’etre is to attract tourists and to provide them with a wealth of ways to spend their money – from gift shops, reef visits, snorkelling, Aboriginal artefacts and culture, nightclubs and forays into the hinterland to places like Kuranda and the Atherton Tablelands, opal shops, deep-sea fishing, adventure holidays to Cape York, seafood restaurants, white-water rafting, catamarans and helicopter joyrides (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Lake Placid Caravan Park

Well, we are now back onto the east coast in the lovely city of Cairns. Staying in the Lake Placid Tourist Park located about 18kms from the CBD (maplink). Nice caravan park with great amenities and a pool.

It was also great to catch up with friends Paul & Esther (from Noosa) whom we had met on our travels in Karumba.

We really enjoyed our stay at Lake Placid Tourist Park. Great location away from the hustle bustle of Cairn but close enough to go into town.

There is also a lovely walk along the Barron River from the CP to Lake Placid, which (supposedly) has a 4 metre saltwater croc living there. At the start of the trail there’s a sign warning about crocs but it’s covered over by a palm frond – LOL.

Cairns Botanical Gardens

We spent the afternoon taking a stroll through the beautiful botanical gardens then drinks and a blueberry muffin in their great cafe.

Barron Gorge Power Station

We took a short drive from Lake Placid Caravan Park to Barron Gorge to check out the power station (maplink). It was nothing really exciting but still worth a look. The power station was commissioned in 1963 with a maximum capacity of 66 megawatts and is still operating today. It takes it’s water via a 1.6km (3m wide) tunnel from the Kuranda weir and releases it back into the Barron River.

If you’re lucky you may even get a glimpse of the Kuranda Train, as we did, traversing some of the ravines.

Crystal Cascades walk

It’s been raining for a few days now so we decided what better way to spend a rainy day than checking out the Crystal Cascades. So we packed the rain coats and umbrella and headed off to check out this location.

This is a beautiful rain forest walk with the bubbling creek running directly below the path. It is basically a series of small waterfalls flowing into large pools surrounded by large impressive granite boulders. It was a nice afternoon spent here and we totally recommend it.

New boots for the Cruiser

The car got booked in for a full set of new tyres (BF Goodrich Ko2’s) from Bob Janes in Cairns; so now we will be able to tackle Fraser Island on our way south – YAY! Merrisa also had her hair done and we stocked up on food and beverages (aka grog).

Kuranda Skyrail

We were really lucky as the Kuranda Skyrail had been closed due to the Covid19 pandemic and opened today! We managed to book a return trip on the gondolas as the train was unfortunately booked out. The normal thing to do is to travel one way by train and the other by Skyrail.

Skyrail is a unique rainforest experience travelling over and through Australia’s World Heritage listed Tropical Rainforests. The rainforest cableway spans 7.5km and as our gondola (or as I heard one guy say – the glass bubble thing) traversed the McAlister Range, through the Barron Gorge National Park, we sat in wonder of the forest canopy below.

We caught up with some other travel buddies, Paul & Shayne (from Canberra) and spent the day checking out the 2 hop-off stations and then lunch in the Kuranda Pub followed by a stroll through the town.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Lake Placid Tourist Park is a great park with good sized sites
    • Cost per night – $35.10 (@ 3-Sep-2020)
    • Facilities – a bit dated (like the caravan park) but very neat & tidy
    • CP Location – about 15kms out of Cairns town centre but we liked the location (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 8/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – loved it
    • Activities & places of interest – plenty to do in Cairns but our stay was not long enough
    • Tourist info centre? – Cnr Esplanade & Shields St, Cairns City (website)
    • Would we return? – definitely, and we would stay longer
    • Overall Score – 9/10
  • Summing up – we really enjoyed our stay in Cairns but may look for another caravan park; not because the one we stayed in but just for a change.

Palm Cove QLD

September 11th, 2020 by

We travelled a measly 18kms from Cairns to Palm Cove (maplink) to spend a full week at the NRMA Palm Cove Caravan Park. It’s a fantastic location situated right on the beach. The park is very green, but the sites are also very “tight” and crowded (its a popular place). We had great neighbours while we were here, so that always makes the stay more enjoyable.

Only problem so far has been the wind. After four days here it’s been extremely windy (about 40-50km/hr winds) and the first three days has been wet. Apparently the Cairns Harbour was recently dredged and the spoils were dumped near Trinity Beach. The strong south-easterly winds have then been blowing towards Palm Cove making the water here very muddy. It’s sort of taken the edge off our stay at this iconic location but ‘s*#t happens’

On a more positive note the main drag (Williams Esplanade) is truly beautiful; with massive melaleuca paperbark trees along the side of the road. It almost appears that the buildings have been built around the trees and in some cases the trees actually grow through the building – pretty cool.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – NRMA Palm Cove Caravan Park was a good park but space was a premium. Everyone’s crammed in
    • Cost per night – $54.00 (@ 7-Sep-2020)
    • Facilities – good
    • CP Location – excellent, right on the beach and close to town (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 8/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – a truly beautiful town with restaurants are shops within walking distance. The trees around the shopping strip are incredible. some are even inside the restaurants
    • Activities & places of interest – we really didn’t do much, just chilled and soaked in the serenity
    • Tourist info centre? – 119-121 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove (website)
    • Would we return? – yes
    • Overall Score – 8/10
  • Summing up – We’d definitely return and hope the wind is not as strong (really put a dampener on it)

Port Douglas QLD

September 14th, 2020 by

About Port Douglas

Port Douglas is primarily a popular holiday destination (an upmarket alternative to Cairns characterised by a proliferation of resorts) which offers a wide range of activities including trips out to the Great Barrier Reef’s Outer Reef (often the vessels go to both Port Douglas and Cairns before heading for the reef); sailing excursions to nearby coral atolls; excellent golf courses; boutique shopping in the chic shopping centre; a huge range of holiday apartments and holiday accommodation options; and the tropical relaxation at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort with its golf course, neat rows of palm trees and huge upmarket apartments.

Port Douglas was once a wild frontier town filled with itinerant seamen and gold prospectors. Very little of that wild frontier town is left. The village of Port Douglas is now a major tourist resort centre with fashionable arcades, well-heeled shoppers, and the tangy aroma of urban luxury (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

It was about 12 years ago that we last visited this icon of tourism in Far North Queensland. Last time we flew up and stayed in fancy accommodation; this time we’ve driven over 6,000kms and reckon our accommodation is even fancier (in our Bailey caravan).

Pandanus Caravan Park

We’ve booked in for 5 nights at Pandanus Caravan Park which is not far from the town centre (maplink). A nice park with lots of trees and spaced out sites as well.

Some car trouble

About 3 weeks ago we were travelling from Karumba to Georgetown in outback FNQ and received a large chip in the windscreen of our car. It stayed the same 1cm star for this amount of time and I was thinking “cool – I will get it fixed after we have finished our trip“. Well that did’nt happen; 5 minutes after arriving in Port Douglas the chip grew and grew and grew. The car is now booked in for a new windscreen during our stay here – something we did not want!

Around Port Douglas

After we had set up camp we had a quick look around town with a drive up to the wonderful Flagstaff Hill Lookout. Magnificent views down the coast from this location. We will definitely be doing the walking trail from here to the beach. (more photos to come)

Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge is part of the Daintree National Park and definitely worth a visit. To truly experience this beautiful location you must do the 2.4km walk through the gorge (if you have a good level of mobility and fitness). There is a bus which leaves every 15minutes from the information centre to the beginning of the walk – no cars allowed and good walking shoes are a must.

Your experience begins with a boardwalk along Baral Marrjanga track which ends with views over the Mossman River; truly beautiful. There’s a great swimming hole here, which made us regret we’d left our bathers behind.

Moving along we got to Rex Creek bridge, a real swinging bridge had Merrisa holding on with both hands as it really did swing a lot. This is the beginning of the Rainforest Circuit Track which, in places, is a bit rough and ready. The walk takes you through a thick rainforest with massive strangler figs along the way which is truly beautiful.

Once we completed the walk we just wanted to go for a dip in that swimming hole – next time we will bring the bathers and towel!

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Pandanus Caravan Park was a bushy type of park with heaps of trees and plenty of room for each site
    • Cost per night – $55.20 (@ 14-Sep-2020) – a bit high but it’s a “premium town”
    • Facilities – basic and clean
    • CP Location – about 2kms from town (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 7/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – it’s always a great place to visit
    • Activities & places of interest – we had already been to Port Douglas before and done a lot of activities, so Mossman Gorge was the only really important thing to visit – loved it
    • Tourist info centre? – 23 Macrossan St, Port Douglas (website)
    • Would we return? – probably not, only because we’ve been before
    • Overall Score – 7/10
  • Summing up – as mentioned, we’ve visited before but if you haven’t then make sure you put Port Douglas on your itinerary. It’s a “pricey” place to visit. Make sure you visit Mossman Gorge and take the trip up to Cape Tribulation too.

Cape Tribulation QLD

September 19th, 2020 by

About Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation is one of the iconic places in Australia’s European history. It was here that Captain James Cook, who had successfully navigated the H.M. Barque Endeavour through the treacherous waters of the Great Barrier Reef, was finally beaten by the reef. The vessel ran aground, limped its way to Cooktown, and was there for a number of weeks while repairs were made. It was the first time Europeans had settled, albeit briefly, on the east coast of the continent. Today Cape Tribulation is a popular destination for tourists making a northerly day trip from Cairns and Port Douglas. It is an opportunity to enter the tropical wonderland that is the Daintree National Forest. For the more adventurous it is the beginning of one of the most outrageous journeys on the planet – a road which should never have been built – which runs from Daintree to Cooktown.

Why, never built? Because this is cyclone country and every year when the rains come they wash the red and yellow soils into the once-pristine waters. Still, for all its failings, the road is spectacular and the experience of driving through the rainforest is unforgettable. Equally unforgettable is a stay at Bloomfield Lodge, a remarkable and exclusive resort in the rainforest with superb views across the Coral Sea (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

We left Port Douglas for a leisurely 82km drive (maplink) up to the Daintree for a 4 night stay at Cape Tribulation Campground.

Daintree River Ferry

To get to our destination we had to cross the Daintree River on the ferry ($33 return). A no fuss crossing as you cannot get out of your car to check out the view or look for crocs. This was also our last chance to use our mobile phones as once on the other side, there is no phone reception at all.

Cape Tribulation Campground

The drive from the ferry to Cape Tribulation Campground is nothing but spectacular passing between gigantic melaleuca trees and through avenues of palms and greenery that totally encloses the road – a big green tunnel.

Arriving at our destination we checked into one of the coolest looking caravan parks (maplink) we’ve ever been in. It was so lush and green and only metres from the beach – shame you cannot swim here as it’s a beautiful beach only 1km south of the famous Cape Tribulation. A 4 metre saltwater crocodile was reportedly living on the southern end of our beach which was probably about 300 metres from other  camp ground – whoo hoo – a bit scary (hence no swimming).

As soon as we’d set-up our campsite we immediately headed off to check out the beach. A short walk through the coconut palms and you are onto a truly beautiful sweeping beach. Mangroves on one end (home of the croc) and Cape Trib on the other end. The tide was out so we got some great photos of interesting sand formations and some great shells. We also found ‘WILSON!’ plus a cheeky backpacker – see if you can spot them in our photos below…

Exploring Cape Tribulation

On our second day we went for a lovely stroll out to the Cape followed by a short drive up the beginning of the famous Bloomfield Track which links the Daintree to Cooktown with 30 kms of really rugged 4wd track. We didn’t go that far but agreed that we’d have a more serious look at it later from the Cooktown end.

We then took a stroll along the Dubuji Boardwalk travelling over swampy looking mangroves with their space creature looking tree roots. It was rather devoid of bird-life which we found a bit strange; and we did not see a single Cassowary while walking along but we did arrive at a beautiful beach.

Snorkeling on Mackay and Undine Reefs

When we were in Airlie Beach we took a snorkeling tour with Ocean Rafting (click here to view that blog) and it was soooo good we decided to do another with their Cape Trib crew – Ocean Safari and it was not disappointing at all. This company really do know how to run a great snorkel tour.

We headed out to the Great Barrier Reef from the beach at Cape Tribulation due east for 25 minutes to visit 2 fabulous snorkel locations at Mackay and Undine Reefs. It was a bit choppy but what we saw was really amazing, nemos, plate coral, sea cucumbers, clams and heaps more fish. Merrisa and I were the only people to not see a turtle (bugger) but we still had a ball.

Cooper Creek Croc Tour

We’d seen so many crocs on our half lap trip in 2018 we were a bit undecided whether to do another one or not but decided too anyway. This single man operation travels up Cooper Creek (it’s an ocean estuary about 10km north of the Daintree River).

The tour only cost $35 per head for a 1 hour trip (up and back). It was a bit underwhelming to say the least but we at least got to see one female pregnant croc on the creek bank and the eyes of another, just poking out of the water.

Cape Tribulation Sunrise

On our last day at this paradise of a location I got up nice an early to join a few other bleary eyed campers on the beach to watch the sunrise. It was fairly overcast but I still got some nice photos. See what you think…

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Cape Tribulation Campground is totally awesome. One of the best places we have stayed at.
    • Cost per night – $48.00 (@ 19-Sep-2020) great value!
    • Facilities – bush camp type facilities
    • CP Location – in the best location, about 2kms from the cape. It’s right on the beach located within the national park and really “bushy” (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 10/10
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – absolutely. Make sure you include this in your itinerary
    • Activities & places of interest – as you can see from our post we crammed a fair bit in – fantastic!
    • Tourist info centre? – Daintree Discovery Centre (website)
    • Would we return? – definitely
    • Overall Score – 10/10
  • Summing up – This was one of the real highlights of our trip. Make sure you go there and stay at the campground.

Cooktown QLD

September 23rd, 2020 by

About Cooktown

Cooktown is justifiably famous as the site of the first white ‘settlement’ in Australia when Captain James Cook, having struck the Great Barrier Reef off the coast north of Cape Tribulation, struggled up the coast and beached the H.M. Barque Endeavour on the shores of the Endeavour River. Cook and his crew were to stay on the river’s edge from 17 June to 4 August, 1770. Today, with a sealed road from Port Douglas and Cairns, it has become a popular northern point for those not wanting to make the long, arduous and difficult journey to the top of Cape York. It is a charming town which wears its history – lots of statues of Captain Cook and a number of impressive buildings constructed during the gold mining boom at Palmer River in the 1880s – with ease. In recent times it has been driven by tourism and, particularly, fishing (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

Getting there

There are 2 ways to get to Cooktown from our last location at Cape Tribulation. The 1st is 104 kms via the famous Bloomfield Track (maplink) or the 2nd is 318 kms via the inland route (maplink) which is the one we took so we didn’t end up with a destroyed caravan. The Bloomfield Track is notorious for destroying all types of vehicles let alone caravans.

Cooktown Holiday Park

We settled into the lovely Cooktown Holiday Park with plenty of room around us plus heaps of shade and soon learned that with this shade came heaps of car duco destroying bird poo. They would have to have the ‘sickest birds’ we have ever come across! The plan is to return here after our trip up to Cape York but will be definitely be looking for a campsite with no overhead trees.

Town Walk

A walk along the recently completed $11million (according to a local) Cooktown Waterfront Park (maplink) which was rewarding with lots of eating shelters and a fabulous water park for the kids. There was lots of info about Captain James Cook and the story of his stranding on the great barrier reef, in 1770, outside of what is now Cooktown.

Grassy Hill Lookout

Just a short drive from the town centre is Grassy Hill Lookout with its mini-me sized lighthouse. This is where Capt James Cook surveyed the reefs surrounding his stranded ship to plan a way of escaping the reefs clutches.

Point Archer

We took a 20km drive south of Cooktown to check out Point Archer as we’d heard that there is a great ‘free camp’ there (the only one near Cooktown) as well as fantastic views of the coastline. It didn’t disappoint and after a stony & dusty 15kms we found this lovely location. It also had a mini-me lighthouse too.

The Lions Den Pub

So many people had recommended we must visit the historic Lion’s Den Pub when you’re in Cooktown. Well, they were absolutely correct. Built in 1875, this very eclectic pup has so many bits and pieces; like hats, beer coasters, beer coasters, money and old miners ‘IOU’s stuck and written all over the walls.

It took us both back to the Daly Waters Pub in NT, which we visited in 2018 on our ‘half lap of Oz’ trip (click here to view that blog).

A nice lunch on the pub veranda then a stroll through the caravan park out the back – even saw another Bailey caravan there.

Summing up…

  • Accommodation – Cooktown Holiday Park is a nice park, just try to get a site away from the trees so you don’t end up with bat shit all over everything
    • Cost per night – $44.10 (@ 23-Sep-2020)
    • Facilities – not bad but were a bit of a walk if you needed to get there in a hurry (get the drift?)
    • CP Location – not bad, about 1.5kms from town. (maplink)
    • Our rating/score – 7/10 but might try Cooktown Orchid Travellers Park or even the Lions Den Pub next time we’re in town
  • Was it a nice town to visit? – yes. Loved this place
    • Activities & places of interest – plenty to do here. Make sure you check out the Lions Den Pub
    • Tourist info centre? – 1 Walker St, Cooktown (Facebook)
    • Would we return? – yes, but it’s along way from the last stop
    • Overall Score – 8/10
  • Summing up – it was a great place to visit. “Nicko” the prawn guy was fantastic allowing us to leave our van on his property for the time we were up on Cape York.

Cotton Tree – Maroochydore QLD

November 2nd, 2020 by

About Maroochydore

Maroochydore is a typical Sunshine Coast holiday destination with high-rise blocks of flats and apartments, shopping malls and new developments mixed with housing from the 1970s which stretches 20 km down the coast to Caloundra. It is the geographical and commercial heart of the Sunshine Coast and a perfect holiday destination with kilometres of golden beaches as well as fishing, boating and other aquatic possibilities, shopping centres geared to the tourists, some small industrial development in the hinterland, a superb coastal walk all the way from Sunshine Plaza to Cotton Tree, and a sense of holidays in the air all year round. The town is located at the estuary of the Maroochy River where pleasant riverside parks and picnic areas mix with surf beaches and the sands of the Maroochy estuary (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

The Cotton Tree Holiday Park in Maroochydore (maplink) has a special place in our hearts as we visited in 2012 and fell in love with the place. It’s right on the Maroochy River has fantastic sites which give you complete access to stroll across the road for a swim or just chill out on the sand.

We only had 3 nights here and basically chilled out on the beach, taking some swims and watching the kite surfers in the Maroochy River Estuary. it was a great, but short, stay.

Since we were last at Cotton Tree they have installed these huge sandbag groins to stop the beach and estuary mouth from being eroded. The Maroochy Groyne Field Renewal Project is currently underway to save the caravan park at headland.

The sunsets are still pretty spectacular as well…

Brisbane & Mudgeeraba QLD

November 8th, 2020 by

We’re seriously heading south now and, after dropping our caravan off at Jabrumke Bailey maintenance near Brisbane for some warranty work we headed off to catch up with our friends Louie & Cheryl in Wynnum West (Brisbane suburb). Out for dinner at Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club, looking over the harbour – nice.

Stayed overnight with Louie & Cheryl then headed down the road to catch up with more great mates, Colin & Tracey, in Mudgeeraba for a few more days as we wait for the work to be completed on our caravan by Jabrumke.

The norm at Colin & Tracey’s is to fire up the firepit each night and sit back and share our life stories & a few jokes. What a great life!

A great thank-you to our friends for opening up their homes to the Touring Wombats so we cold take a break in our long journey and just chill out for a while.
Your friendship mean lot to both of us! Muchly appreciated

Iluka & Yamba NSW

November 11th, 2020 by

It was hard to choose between Iluka and Yamba as out next destination as we’d heard a lot from other travellers about both. We decided on Iluka as it appeared to be a bit more laid back, which it turned out to be.

As we are starting to get the sniff of home it was decided to park up at Iluka Clarence Head Caravan Park for 3 nights. This was a nice park but we felt that we’d blown it on this decision as the Riverside CP looked like it would have been a better choice – oh well, looks like a return trip is on the cards in the future.

A stay of 3 nights basically means you have 2 full days to check out a location so we made the most of it.

The first day saw us exploring the coastline to the north of Iluka which was quite spectacular.

We caught the Clarence River Ferry over to Yamba on the second day but only had about an hour to explore Yamba before catching the return ferry back to Iluka. Talk about poor planning! All I got to photograph was the Yamba Lighthouse!

Port Macquarie NSW

November 13th, 2020 by

About Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie is a major service centre and important holiday destination on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. It is a town steeped in a history which dates back to convict times. There are superb nature reserves with lovely beaches known for their excellent surfing and fishing. There are also beautiful walking tracks with panoramic views around the headlands and beaches.

We were looking to stay in Nambucca Heads or Crescent Head but both were fully booked out so we decided to venture back to Port Macquarie Breakwall Holiday Park where we stayed in 2012. This is a huge caravan park and we managed to get one of the last available powered sites for just 2 nights; so many people are starting to venture out as the Covid19 restrictions begin to ease.

One of the features of this location is the rock art along the breakwall. Back in 2012 we left our own Wombats on tour painting at the end of 16th Avenue and we were ecstatic to see that it’s still there.

The Entrance NSW

November 15th, 2020 by

About The Entrance

The Entrance takes its name from the narrow channel which connects Tuggerah Lake to the ocean. It is a popular holiday resort and retirement centre located between the large Central Coast lake system and the ocean. A pleasant holiday ambience pervades the town twelve months of the year. The region’s attractions include surfing beaches, the quiet and shallow waters of Tuggerah Lake, foreshore parklands, a unique Heritage Walk, an open-air mall and some excellent National Parks.

Returning to another location we had stayed in 2012 it was great to pull into Dunleith Tourist Park located right on the waters edge in The entrance. If you are fortunate enough to score a water view campsite they actually tow your caravan so the tow-bar is virtually sitting on the sand. The big front windows of our Bailey Rangefinder Comet caravan made it a great spot to stay. We could only get 2 nights though, which was a bit sad.

This was a great opportunity to catch up with Peter Lazarus, a great friend of ours (going back over 30 years) who lives just up the road.

The sunsets at The Entrance are very special too…

Hornsby Heights (Sydney) NSW

November 17th, 2020 by

As we work our way south we dropped into visit our Bailey caravaning buddies Tim & Anne. It was a great 3 days spent with these guys. They showed us around their part of Sydney and made us feel extremely welcome.

One lovely location was a walk through Crosslands Reserve (photos below) followed by lunch at The Empire Marina in Bobbin Head.

The next day we took a drive to Berowra Valley National Park to check out Galston Gorge. What a tight road in this was with some bends sign-posted at 5KPH – glad Tim was driving. Lunch was at Berowra Waters Waterfront Restaurant then we crossed over Berowra Creek for the drive home. Another top day out in this beautiful part of Sydney.

Thanks Anne & Tim for sharing your home with us and playing tour guides during our stay!

Gundagai NSW & Shepparton & Home in VIC

November 20th, 2020 by

A one night stay at Gundagai River Camping & Caravan Park was a top spot to break our journey home. Will definitely put this location down as an overnight stop on future trips.

The two timber rail & road bridges spanning the Murrumbidgee flats near the caravan park are both (thankfully) closed due to rotting timbers. They are now a tourist attraction – not sure if they’re heritage listed or not. Even the bridge still in use has some pretty unsafe looking timber in it.

Our very last stop was to stay with long time friends Gary & Lorraine in Shepparton. I went to primary school with Lorraine and spent a lot of my younger years with Gary, so they are really long time friends.

Back home on Sunday 22nd November after 160 days on the road (5 months & 2 days since we left).