June 19th & 20th, 2012- Noosa Caravan Park- Tewantin

Tuesday morning saw us on the road again towards Noosa. The roads are typical Queensland with lots of stops for road construction. After a bit of difficulty we find our caravan park, Noosa Caravan Park located in Tewantin. Very steep gutters and narrow sites so luckily they assist you in getting situated on your site. Nice clean park although roads and sites are difficult to manoeuvre on.

Stephen's foot is acting up badly with Gout so Carol takes him in to see a doctor in the afternoon. Doctor wasn't sure what the problem is so he is taking antibiotics, pain killers, and gout medicine. Hopefully something works as he can barely walk. Sandra and I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon and sat out in the sunshine for a while.

Had a really cool night but the sun was shining nicely in the morning. We decided to do a bit of a drive around the area to see some of the sights. First stop was Tewantin Lookout in the Tewantin National Park. Short drive out of town and a short walk to the top of the mountain. Stephen didn't join us to the top lookout as his foot is still swollen and sore. What an incredible 360 degree view of the Noosa area, coastline, and the surrounding mountains. Lovely sunny day with no wind so we enjoyed a few minutes taking in the view.

We then headed back into town and followed the Noosa River through Noosaville. Had morning tea in a nice park along the river. Noosa and its suburbs, Tewantin, Noosaville,etc; are beautiful but crowded and the roads are terrible. No street lights in the whole town but probably 200 roundabouts. The signs are hilarious as well as will say "Noosaville foreshore" on the first exit of a roundabout and "All other destinations" on the other exit. We did manage to get lost a few times but always found are way back without too many difficulties.

After morning tea we continued along the foreshore and into Noosa Heads where we travelled the length of Hastings Street before ending up in a park at the river mouth. Beautiful river mouth with the tide going out at a very high speed. We did a short walk to the beach and Coast Guard building where we could see along Noosa Beach and out into Laguna Bay. This is probably the nicest coastline we have seen so far on mainland Queensland. Beautiful housing as well along Noosa River, the Coastal hills, and beside the many canals; that make up the area.

We returned up Hastings Street which is a very trendy and expensive looking shopping area before we headed out to the headlands and Noosa National Park. Sandra, Carol, and I did a nice walk along the coastline on boardwalks. Sites along the way were the Boiling Pot, Tea Tree Bay, and Dolphins Point. Beautiful walk and a lovely coastline with gorgeous blue waters. Best water colours so far in Queensland.

We did a bit of shopping on the way home to the caravan park. After lunch we hosted Di & Terry Butler who are staying in Noosa for a few months to spend time with their daughter, Renae. It was great to catch up with our travel partners from the first year of our travels. Had afternoon tea and a few cold refreshments while we caught up, and reminisced about old times. Got quite cool after the sun went down so we retreated to our caravans for the evening. Noosa and area is beautiful but roads are like a series of mazes and way to touristy and busy for our liking. Di and Terry, who have been here for a while, say it is also one of the most expensive places to live. We really can't wait to get out of Queensland.

June 15th-18th, 2012- Happy Wanderer Caravan Park- Hervey Bay

Friday morning saw us on the road again heading towards Hervey Bay. We drove south as far as Bundaberg where I topped up with diesel before heading on towards Childers. Had morning tea in Childers which is a fair size.


Continued on south and then East towards the coast, and Hervey Bay. Couldn't believe how large Hervey Bay was as both Sandra and I thought it was a seaside tourist town. About 65,000 people and stretched out a long way. We found the Happy Wanderer Caravan Park with little difficulty and checked in. It is a top tourist park and very nice. Very clean and good size sites although the roads are a bit cramped and winding. We enjoyed a quiet afternoon doing some cleaning and washing.

Saturday morning we had a sleep in before doing a late morning drive along the Esplanade with the Ransleys. It was low tide again and the coast is really not that attractive. We found Hervey Bay somewhat dated along the Esplanade and it really looks like it could use some refurbishing and cleaning. We continued right around the Esplanade ending up at the Marina. This area was quite nice and we enjoyed a lunch overlooking the boats. Rans birthday was the occasion.

Did a bit of shopping on the way back to the park. Carol dropped Stephen & I down at a local pub for a few cold birthday beers and a bet or two on a Saturday afternoon.. Sandra and I prepared a baked dinner for the four of us to top off the birthday celebrations.

Sunday was another quiet day with Sandra doing some laundry and me catching up with the computer work. We enjoyed a lovely walk along the beach and out on the Jetty during the afternoon. Lots of people were out enjoying the sunshine and doing some fishing along the jetty. Had afternoon drinks watching football at the Ransleys. Carol joined us after tea to watch second last episode of "The Voice".

Monday morning saw us picked up at the caravan park by a Hummer for a guided tour of Fraser Island. It was a very enjoyable experience as the tour was just the four of us and our knowledgeable guide Roscoe. We set off to catch the Ferry across to Fraser Island from River Heads.

We loaded on to the Ferry for the 30 minute crossing to Fraser Island. Ferry was a bit old fashioned as only had one entry/exit point and all the vehicles had to reverse onto the ferry. Trip across was calm and uneventful. We rejoined Roscoe in the Hummer as we reached the other side to begin our exploration of Fraser Island. We had considered taking our own vehicle to tour the Island but are glad we decided against it. It would have cost about $200 to get our car onto the Island and the roads were narrow and many. We most likely would have got lost and not seen near as much as we did with the tour guide. Our first stop was for morning tea and a short walk through the rainforest. Satinay Pines were the main attraction with one we saw about 1200 years old. Amazing vegetation on this all sand Island. Morning Tea was very nice with several gluten free options for the girls.

Back into the car and off we went to 75 Mile Beach on the Eastern side of the Island. We travelled  several kilometres up the beach at a good rate of speed before stopping at the Maheno Wreck. We saw a healthy Dingo along the way to the wreck. Got some group pictures before heading a bit further up the beach.

Next stop was the Pinnacles or Coloured Sands. Red, Yellow, and Orange coloured Sand cliffs. Beautiful!

Back in the car and retraced our steps to Eli Creek. We had a bit of a walk up the creek to a swimming hole. We passed on the swim as water was fairly cold. Wet our feet before jumping back on board the Hummer.

We then headed inland to a lookout overlooking a Sand Blow. Area where a huge amount of sand is blown over the trees and continually moves further as wind blows the sand. We had our lunch here as well and it was superb. Classy meals with great gluten free ones for Carol and Sandra. Topped off with a bottle of wine for the girls and Crown Lagers for the boys. One of the best tour meals we have enjoyed on our adventure. We had another Dingo show up to watch us eat. Very strong rules and fines against feeding the wildlife are in place.

Next stop was Lake McKenzie located in the centre of the Island not far from Kingfisher Resort. This lake is well above sea level and filled completely by rainfall. Beautiful clear water and white silica sand. Water level was very high as Roscoe advised there was usually 30-40 Meters of sand past the posts. Had a nice walk but passed on the swim because of the temperature. Would be a very popular spot during the summer months.

We headed towards Central Station after our time at Lake McKenzie. This was the central point for the original forestry settlement on the Island. Obviously the forestry was ended some time ago as is now a World Heritage Site. This area is a beautiful picnic area set amongst dense rain forest. A number of huge stag horns were features of the trees in the picnic area. We enjoyed a leisurely walk through the rainforest along Wanggoolba Creek along a boardwalk. This creek is so clear that you think it is just a sand bed. Beautiful and peaceful walk. Also home to the King Fern which grows to 6 metres in height.

Back in the picnic area Roscoe served up afternoon tea. Crown Lagers for Stephen and I again and Champagne for the ladies. Served with strawberries and fruit. What a great day! We made it back to catch the 5PM ferry to the mainland. Enjoyed a beautiful Sunset on the return crossing. We got dropped off at the caravan park just before 6PM. A wonderful day and a great tour. Cost a bit more than some of the other tours but was great value. Highly recommended!!

Carol joined us for The Voice finale after tea while Stephen found a Pub to watch football. Hervey Bay was fairly nice but a bit crowded for our liking and a bit run down we felt. Fraser Island tour was definitely the highlight of our visit.

June 13th & 14th, 2012- 1770 Campground- 1770

Wednesday morning we headed South again to the small coastal village of 1770. Roads were crappy again and very busy with lots of road construction. Took us over 3.75 hours to travel some 230KM. One thing we have found really annoying is that despite all the delays for road construction there is very little actual road construction taking place. Most activity is on the side of the road and there are an amazing number of people sitting around doing nothing. Surely they can't be on Smoko every time you pass them!! Queensland Roads are by far the worst we have experienced and the drivers match the roads.

Campground where we stayed is right on the beach and has power and water but is quite expensive. Very nice facilities and setting but a bit overpriced at $37/night. We went for a short tour of the area after we got set up. We did a short walk at the lookout at Bustard Bay. Nice walk through rainforest type vegetation to a couple of lookouts.

We had an easy late afternoon before the four of us were picked up by a courtesy bus to be taken to the Agnes Waters Tavern for Origin Game 2. We enjoyed a nice meal and lots of cold refreshments watching the Blue tie up the series. We were definitely outnumbered in Maroon Country but we held our own and got out alive. Bus returned about a dozen Blues fans back to their respective accommodations after the game ended.

Thursday we had a relaxing morning around the campsite, reading and enjoying the sunshine. Sandra gave Stephen and me haircuts after lunch. The afternoon saw us take a nice long walk down along the beach to the Jetty. We enjoyed an ice cream on our walk back. We walked down to the beach again in the afternoon to watch the sunset. One of the few places in Eastern Australia where you can see the sunset over the water. 1770 is a beautiful little community and well worth a trip in should you be in the area. The other people at the campground were telling us not to tell anyone about it as they want to keep it to themselves.

June 11th & 12th, 2012- South Side Caravan Park- Rockhampton

The holiday Monday saw us up early and heading East towards Rockhampton. The Capricorn Highway was somewhat better once we made in back through Emerald and road construction was shut down for the holiday. Traffic was fairly light but a few idiots on the road. Arrived at Rockhampton around lunch time and checked into South Side Caravan Park. Nice clean park with good size sites although the roads are like a maze.

Did some shopping at Woolies and Dan Murphy's after lunch. Did some cleaning and enjoyed an easy afternoon. Evening had Carol joining us to watch the Voice while Stephen found a Pub to watch Monday Night Football.

Tuesday morning we did a drive with the Ransleys out to Yeppoon and Emu Park. Tide was low while we were there so views weren't as good as they could be. Nice beaches and a good view of Great Keppel Island. We had morning tea in a lovely park along the beach in Yeppoon.

We then took a tour of the Marina before heading South towards Emu Park. Emu Park was a nice little community and looked like a good place to stay for future trips. We drove up to the lookout and the Singing Ship Monument before returning to the caravan park via the scenic route.

My shoulder was giving me quite a bit of pain so I spent the afternoon resting in the caravan. Couple of Panadol and a nap helped a bit. Sandra went to the Rockhampton Zoo and Botanical Gardens. They really enjoyed them both and they were both free which is great. Had great tour talks with the Cassowary's and the Chimpanzee's. Thoroughly enjoyed and gave us all a good impression of Rockhampton.