On the homeward leg

With a family commitment (great relies we are really looking forward to seeing), we've realised we have been on the homeward stretch for the last two weeks and had to consciously still take our time and enjoy the journey, not "gallop for the stables".

After the time at the beach areas, we headed back slightly inland.

We "parked the caravan" at someone's property for a couple of nights .... and, like the other folks doing the same, we stayed with the van each night. Seems an odd comment? Well this is a van storage yard and people just happen to stay there too, a compromise that has temporarily satisfied council relating to the owners not having planning permission to operate a "caravan park". We didn't know that until the morning we were leaving. Anyway, the day in between included a trip to the Eumundi Markets where we spent too much, but so be it. We also had our first look around Noosa. This view is from Tewantin Forest Reserve towards Noosa.

Travelling on, we avoided the main part of the Sunshine, Brisbane & Gold Coasts by skirting around the western side of Lake Somerset and Lake Wivenhoe. We stopped at an all-but deserted campground at Somerset Dam. Pretty spot and the road is heavily used by motor bike riders, especially on Sunday which is when we were stopped.

On our way to the next place, the "weird animal thing" happened again. We only noticed because the bull suddenly became agitated and started seriously rocking the vehicle. Note to John .... don't walk through paddocks containing wild animals, they don't seem to like you!

We happened upon a privately owned & minimal charge "wilderness gorge campsite" which was another true delight. We had fire flies but missed the koalas and platypus. The young guy tending the property was a gem .... at first appearances, an absolute feral however really kind, great sense of humour and, well, thrifty. He had caught & smoked himself a large eel and, whilst up the pub, saw a road train hit a roo and, yep, roadkill stew (for his dog, not himself, he told us). Would have been funny to see this guy hauling a full roo into the boot of the fairly new BMW he owns. As others judged him harshly and we didn't (we reckon "each to their own" & he's enjoying an alternative way of life), so he opened up and chatted with us. Seems his family is prettttttty well off.

Back to "responsible fire" (from John's white man version at Carmila Beach) 

Last year, a couple raved about Girraween National Park near Stanthorpe, on the NSW/Qld border. We now understand why. A couple of nights at the campground gave us access to some very scenic walks.




The first walk, only 5km's, just about wore us out. Heaps of steps, but what a magnificent view at the end. The photos just don't make an impression, so we haven't loaded many. However the walk over the massive granite boulder where one slip would be your last got John's heart going and Jane sensibly deciding to not risk it. Hard to believe a walk like this is still accessible given the risk however thank goodness for Qld Nat Parks taking a view that "they care about our safety but we ourselves are ultimately responsible for it".

See the "turtle"? - centre of shot, head to your right in front of trees, body to the left

Granite Arch

The second day, with sore shins, a more leisurely walk along the flats was enjoyed. Would love to see the end of the walk ("The Junction") a future time with a lot more water. It wouldn't be better, just different.

We didn't take photos of the showers (as in "those in the ammentities), but how MUCH did we appreciate the hot showers after a week or so of bucket baths!






Back to the coast for the last week or so, starting with a couple of nights at Hat Head in the National Park. As with most camps, we met lovely people. The couple we spent the evening with kept plying John with Aldi wine, so he didn't have the best of "mornings after". The second night was the start of the, um, crappy wet weather. Even the poor wallaby looked bedraggled!

After a night at Bulladelah under the bridge (also wet and very muddy), we decided to chance the weather at Myall River. It started off very promisingly .....

.... but didn't finish up that way. We ended up in the middle of a lake. The good news is that it allowed us to finish the last  blog (whales & dolphins) and get this one largely complete. It also gave us lots of time couped up in the van, which we spent doing the TV show "Survivor" thing. ie reflecting back on this year's journey. It's been everything we wanted it to be and again reminded us that we shouldn't have left it this late to start travelling more.







And so to the last and best "camp" on the entire trip, we think we'll stop here for a few months.

Whilst we may not do blogs in the future, we've already started planning our next trip!

Cheers,
John & Jane

Whales, whales, more whales and dolphins

Pictures tell a thousand words and this blog is mainly pictures.

This trip included Hervey Bay. Whilst it's very commercial, there are some gorgeous locations and the whale cruise was truly awe inspiring.

We started off wandering the beaches and had THE best fish & chips ever from a takeaway called Maddigans which is on The Esplanade. If you are ever there, try out the local barra & chips.








But it was the whale watching - surrounded by 8 very inquisitive whales for over two hours - that will be a memory of a lifetime for us both. For much of the time, there would be one or more whales within a metre of the boat, rising up to stare at us at times. If only we could load the videos on to this blog! Even the owner and crew were in awe at how much interaction we all had with these massive creatures.

Back at  camp, we caught up with a couple who are on the road for three years with their four young kids. They seem a really nice family, with the kids all outside having fun. Dad was also having fun, distilling another batch of spirit (10 litres at a time once diluted back). It's a permanent set-up that swings out on the rear door of their bus. He's one of the few we've  met who seemed to have an idea about how his still worked, so hopefully the moonshine won't send him mad.








On to Tin Can Bay which is a place time has almost forgotten, with limited development or "ritzy" homes. It's main claim to fame is the pod of dolphins, a couple of whom come in each morning for a feed. Nice to see creatures that feel safe with people and yet are still able to be totally self sufficient. They don't need us, but the feed is a bit like them going for takeaway.  

Tin Can Bay is also an overall very pretty part of the world

Nearby Rainbow Beach is the "easy" gateway to the southern end of Fraser Island which we will go to next time we are up this way. Like Tin Can Bay, it has stunning beaches.

and that's it for now, short & sweet.

The next post will be our last, as we will be home shortly. With the cold & wet weather now settling in, it will make returning to the same location each night a lot easier to adapt to!

Cheers,
John & Jane

FNQ & CQ (far north & central Qld), Part 2

For a change of pace, we had two nights at a cattle station where we worked in lieu of camping fees, bar tending & labouring for the owners who were hosting working dog trials (an attempt to generate another revenue stream). There's no money in cattle or horses & their road trains are struggling under high costs ..... a 3 day road train cattle haul cost over $4,000 in fuel alone and haulage rates are depressed too. Anyway, we loved the experience, including catching up with friends we met last year.

Watching the cattle mustering was fun, with some dogs/owners clearly not up to the task. The one in this photo was sensational, quietly taking control and completing the obstacle course in no time flat. 

Whilst we were cooking dinner, these foals all headed by, with the lass on the quad in full chase. The foals were seeking freedom, but the girl was too good for them. Not often you are camped somewhere and a herd of large animals go by! 

We enjoyed a couple of other fun camp sites including one that backed on to a "disused cattle loading run". Yeh, we hadn't finished setting up and a couple arrived wanting to unlad their 800kg angry bull. The couple were nice, but the bull took an instant dislike to John. It figured why waste time before coming to that conclusion. Once out and in the holding pen, it took a short charge at John who promptly decided to go inside (to change his underwear no doubt).

Bowen (and Proserpine) don’t take kindly to free campers however we found a “home stay caravan park” a few km’s out which was brilliant. The owner was in the throws of setting up a no frills free camp on an old field. She hadn’t quite finished it, so John got his jolly’s driving the tractor to flatten out the middle of the field. Not as much fun as our friends who stayed on at the cattle station where they had a ball including 2 hours mustering in a chopper! Anyway, the owner of this home stay (Lyn) does a really mean damper over the evening fire, it’s worth staying for that alone.

We headed into Bowen for a walk along the beaches which are really pretty. 

Whilst on the walk, we met a fisherman, the only other person on the beach. He was perched on a chair way above the receding tide mark "just relaxing". He lives in a little town which he told us “we wouldn't know” – but we do, one of John’s aunt lives there and they are friends. Small world syndrome again.

We repeated last year’s stop at Boulder Creek, as much as anything to see our favourite camp dog "Rex". He greeted us with enthusiasm and made himself at home sitting with Jane for most of the day. 

Carmila Beach was in our sights and we managed to score a great spot. 

Our friends from the cattle station camp arrived the next day and the pyromaniacs in the two blokes promptly emerged. THE Photo shows just a small amount of the wood that went towards our massive fires two nights in a row with spuds in foil, too much to drink & a heap of people joining us made for a lot of fun. The fishing was also successful if you count quantity, not quality/size. Heaps caught, but all under size, thankfully Jane had the sense to get stuff out of the freezer! 

We stayed out of Rockhampton for a couple of nights and met a delightful (yeh, not really) lady. She promptly called John a dickhead, probably showing good judgement in her reading people, albeit for the wrong reasons. It was our mate who she should have been getting stuck into, even though he'd done nothing wrong either. Had to have a laugh about that one. 

A short time in Rocky saw us at the Council-owned/run zoo which is small but well worth the time. But then it started again ... not only did the lady getting stuck in to John, more wildlife decided to stare him down too.

Jokes aside, we couldn't believe our luck with the koalas which were highly alert and just inside their enclosure right at our feet.

We took a punt and drove out to a bush camp at the tail end of Awoonga Dam. We were expecting it to be dry & boring but figured we'd chance it anyway. It was a real surprise package, 500m wide at the narrowest point even though it hardly showed on the map we checked it out on. The main section a number of km's "upstream" must be massive. Anyway, the Gladstone Area Water Board has provided a great location for folks to chill out, go fishing etc.

Bundaberg beckoned, especially the distillery. We did the tour of the Bundy factory and then held up the bar for a while, made all the more enjoyable by the couple who donated us their drinking vouchers. Having a chauffeur for the day was such a luxury (thanks Greg!!!) After that, cooking wasn't going to happen so we hit the RSL for dinner. 

And so there, in a couple of pages, is the last month of our life on the road. We're continuing to love the lifestyle and, as always, encourage you to get out and live life to the full.

So until we get around to writing the next blog, have fun. 

Cheers,

John & Jane

FNQ & CQ (far north & central Qld), Part 1

We're back to the coastal area for much of this post.

First stop was The Boulders, a great spot just south of Cairns that we went to last year. And again our luck held out, with one spot in the free camp there. Spectacular river, would be truly scary to see it during a "wet" wet season.

We stopped and spotted a turtle sunning itself on a large boulder over the other side of the river. However it was a very inquisitive fella and came over to check us out. We were mesmerized as it checked us out, face on, with it's left eye, with it's right eye. Almost like it hadn't seen people before. Or maybe it was giving John "The Stare" ... more to follow on that topic in Part 2!








We took up the option for a free return-visit to Paronella Park (the Spanish castle etc which we loved so much last year). Just as good this time around!

This also meant we were close to Liverpool Creek free camp which we really enjoyed last year. Again it was a ripper. One couple brought along a jack fruit to share. The way they sliced it open, it looked like a rotten fish. It tasted better ..... somewhat.

As with most places, we met great characters. The couple who pulled in next to us were there to catch up with their best friend who also happened to be their "Best Man" when they were married 47 years ago. After 4 wives (imagine that guys, the good and the not so good), the Best Man is single again, at least at present. He kindly arranged for us to visit the only commercial pepper plantation in Aust.of any size (7 acres) and we came away impressed with the efforts folks go to in order to  accomplish their goals.
 John was in 7th heaven, (given herbs & spices has in part paid for this lifestyle). As with most of the trip, the much less that 6 degrees of separation came in to force ... one of their main customers is a former work colleague who John reckoned was "the best in the business".


We had a day trip to Mission Beach and Kurrumine Beach.

At Kurrumine, the locals save time hooking up their boat trailers by leaving them permanently hitched up to tractors. Funny sight!

A few days at Tully Heads was a true reward for several reasons. Great neighbours, discovery of just how good battery chainsaws actually are (yep, one will be on the birthday list for John from some wonderful son/s maybe - was that lacking subtlety?)

This was our view from our front  

 and the view "out the back behind the trees" 

and a couple of snaps on our walk                                                                                            

We also drove up Tully Gorge. Pretty nice part of the world, although renowned for huge rainfall.

Seeing the fun people were having white water rafting had us wishing we'd booked to go as well. We watched everyone bail out of their rafts and slide/swim/nearly drown going down the water/rock slide.

Back at Tully Heads, the only other person on the beach (2 hour walk) turned out to be a relatively close ex-neighbor and is also the mother of one of our boy's first "girlfriend" (primary school bus love affair).





A late decision to stop at Toomulla Park, which initially looked quite bland but turned out to be yet another gem, further rewarded with a couple of fresh fish for dinner.

Yep, the boy got coached in how to set up his tackle (fishing, not personal) and ended up being the only person on the beach to catch anything that arvo.

Two were legal, the rest (3) went back to grow a bit more. We now have a fishing tragic in the family.

Nice photo and shows where John's huge haul of fish took place. 

And that ends Part 1 of FNQ & CQ. Part 2 will follow before tooooooo long. 

Cheers,

John & Jane