2014 Townsville Adventure

Day 75 – Eumundi Markets and the Ginger Factory at Yandina

Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 by shorty

Today Ann and I enjoyed catching up with our friends Neville and Mary. We hadn’t seen them for some time and it turned out that they were staying in Mooloolaba but were flying home on Friday.

We arranged to pick them up at their apartment in Mooloolaba and then drove up to visit Eumundi Markets for a walk, coffee, chat, and lunch.

Neville and Mary at Eumundi Market

Shorty and Ann at Eumundi Market

After a thorough circuit of the market and take-away coffees we ended up at the Lionheart Hotel for lunch. The hotel is currently undergoing major renovations using a medieval castle theme in what is basically an old Queenslander hotel. It’s a bit of a strange combination but it seems to work. One thing that struck us today was that the temperature was in the mid-twenties but they had a fire going in the dining room! Needless to say we didn’t sit near it. The meal was good, the company was great and it was a great environment in which to catch up.

We then moved on to Yandina to check out the Ginger Factory and the Nutworks factory opposite. Mid-afternoon, the weather cooled down a bit and after more nice hot coffees we headed back to Mooloolaba and Forest Glen.

Mary and Ann at one of the shops at the Ginger Factory

Neville and Ann at the Nut Factory

What a great way to catch up with old friends!

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: eumundi, yandina

Day 74 – Maryborough to Forest Glen, Sunshine Coast

Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 by shorty

Ann and I both slept very well last night. There was no rain and no howling winds and, as we realised later, no children and no slamming doors of Hippy/Wicked style campervans. This caravan park is a great place for grey nomads.

As we hadn’t unhitched the van from the Ute, packing up was a pretty quick matter, so we were back onto the Bruce Highway quite early.

Leaving Maryborough, we were surprised that there was still a lot of sugar cane, but it did disappear the closer we got to Gympie, out first stop for coffee. We pulled into the Lake Alford Recreation Area on the south end of town and what a nice spot to stop this was! The lake itself is well maintained and has fountains, bridges and seating. There is plenty of wildlife in the form of ducks, ibis and other water birds. There are also amenities for travellers and other historic attractions in the area. On the highway is a large statue commemorating the early gold miners of Gympie.

Coffee stop at Lake Alford, Gympie

From Gympie we continued down the Bruce Highway which as highway A1 has a maximum speed limit of 90 kph. At one point in becomes the M1 motorway with dual lanes and a speed limit of 110 kph, and then reverts back to the single lane A1 at 90 kph. Very confusing! Then, as we came closer to civilisation it reverted back to the M1 and it continues in that mode all the way into Brisbane.

M1 Motorway

However, as we commented previously, there are some massive roadworks going on along the Bruce Highway. As frustrating as it can be to have to travel at 40 kph at times and to have to drive on newly laid bitumen, the improvements will be massive and will make driving on the highway much safer and more pleasant.

Roadworks on the Bruce Highway

Major roadworks on the Bruce Highway

Just before lunch we reached our destination at the Big4 Forest Glen Holiday resort, just out of Maroochydore. Ann had tried to book a site at Cotton Tree where we stayed last year and where friends of ours are staying, but nothing was available and this park seemed like a good alternative. Unfortunately we had a bit of a problem as someone had changed the site we had originally booked and we couldn’t fit on the replacement offered. Eventually they did find a site that we could squeeze onto, although Andy from the park had to assist us onto the site.

At this stage we weren’t totally happy with the world in general so after a quick lunch we headed out to the nearby Kunara Organic Marketplace. It was quite amazing. There is a huge organic food store, an organic butcher, a small clothing shop with hemp, bamboo etc style clothing, an organic café and a garden centre. The entire place was packed! We had a good look around and enjoyed very nice coffee and non-fattening cake at the café before returning to the Ute. We then drove a short way to the Forest Glen Shopping Centre and had a look around there as well. Ann enjoyed her visit to the Patchwork Angel quilting shop.

Kurana Organic Marketplace

Feeling a lot better we returned back to the caravan park, hitched the van onto the Ute and made a few adjustments to our set-up and unhitched. Now we were feeling a lot happier! This is an older park built on a slope and many of the sites were not designed with big rigs in mind. Still, our site is reasonably flat, unlike some of our neighbours who almost seem to be perched on stilts.

Finally set-up at Big 4 Forest Glen

Not all sites are level – look at our neighbour!

For dinner we got our glad rags on and went to “Jampa’s Spirit of Tibet” traditional Tibetan restaurant which is a separate building in the grounds of the caravan park. Ann had a Tibetan Beef Curry and I had Rashhi Ngu-Tse, which is a goat and spinach curry. Both our meals were absolutely delicious and we will be coming back here another night.

We will be staying in Forest Glen for at least a week and may not post daily entries to the blog while we are here.

Still living the dream!

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: forest glen, maryborough, sunshine coast

Day 73 – Maryborough Day 2

Posted on Monday, August 4, 2014 by shorty

Despite our hopes, it rained heavily all last night. Fortunately the rain stopped early morning but the sky remained grey and overcast all day with occasional showers. We decided to stay in Maryborough another day rather than travel through bad weather and hope that the weather would improve tomorrow.

So this morning we just fiddled about in the van. Some of last night’s rain had somehow got inside so I spent a little bit of time carrying out some emergency sealing repairs where it appeared that the caulking around one of the windows had shrunk slightly and may have been the cause of the leak.

Minor caravan repairs

We had our morning coffee under the awning although the wind blew up quite strongly so we decided to put the awning up and escape inside, out of the weather completely.

As fifth wheel style caravans aren’t that numerous on the road, I am always interested to see them on the road and to talk to other 5^th wheeler owners. A quite unusual 5^th wheeler parked in the site next door so I went out to have a chat to the owner. It turned out that he had made his own 5^th wheeler by converting a conventional Roadstar caravan, because he preferred the towing characteristics of the 5^th wheeler over that of a caravan. Basically he chopped the front “boot” off the caravan and welded in a new sub-frame for the new hitch. He then modified a fibreglass aerodynamic nose cone for large trucks for the new front for his caravan, and while he was at it added additional side storage compartments. He then custom made a special tray with hitch for his ute – a BT50 of course. The end result is a great combination of the best features of both a caravan and a 5^th wheeler. His design means that the bed is in its original position and he can walk around it and he can still lift it up for storage – something we can’t do! Sure there are some compromises but there always are no matter what sort of RV you have. This project obviously took a lot of thought and effort and it’s great to see such ozzie ingenuity.

Interesting home made fifth wheeler caravan

After lunch in the van we put on waterproof/windproof jackets and went for a good long walk. We stopped for coffee at the Station Square shopping centre before walking back past Aldi where we stopped for a few more supplies.

Today has been a lazy sort of day and we haven’t done any touristy type things. We did however see this interesting monument to the pioneers of Maryborough.

Monument to the early pioneers of Maryborough

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: maryborough

Day 72 – Boyne River to Maryborough

Posted on Sunday, August 3, 2014 by shorty

After a good night’s sleep we woke to see the free camp area transformed. Although still early, the sun was out and the scene looking over at the bridge over the river from the van was wonderfully peaceful. Some of the vans had already left and the number of cars and tents that seemed to have appeared overnight was quite surprising. There was even a convoy of military vehicles stopped in the rest area. By the time we were packed up and ready to leave the number of cars simply stopping for a cuppa – or to use the toilet facilities – was again, surprising. This is a very popular place!

View of the bridge over the Boyne River – from the van

Boyne River Rest Area Transformed, including army convoy

Breakfast at Boyne River rest area

Our first morning stop wasn’t too far down the highway at Miriam Vale. Although we had stopped there last year we nearly missed the turn to the main street which is not very well signposted at all on the highway. Miriam Vale is a delightful “village” with a friendly looking pub, a couple of coffee shops, some interesting gift shops, good visitor facilities and is overall a great place to stop for travellers. The coffee shop where we enjoyed coffee and non-fattening cakes was full of friendly, chatty travellers so our morning coffee was very enjoyable.

Main Street, Miriam Vale

From Miriam Vale we continued due south and stopped for lunch at Gin Gin. Gin Gin has a great free camp on the north end of town which we had a look at last year but couldn’t fit in – so we stayed at the Gin Gin showgrounds. Again, Gin Gin is a traveller friendly town with a good variety of shops, pubs, amenities, an information centre, caravan parking in the middle of town, and more. Ann and I lashed out on the $8.50 roast of the day with vegies and gravy at the Highway Hotel.

Interesting street scape in Gin Gin

Highway Hotel in Gin Gin

The scenery today was varied. Around Gin Gin we experienced more sugar cane fields, although there were also orchards growing various fruits including citrus, mangoes and we believe macadamias. We were also a bit surprised to see some pine forests.

More sugar cane fields near Gin Gin

Orchards near Gin Gin

I might also make a quick comment about the Bruce Highway. Last year we made many comments about the state of this highway, most of them in the negative. This year there are still roadworks but it is very obvious that massive works have taken place over the past year or so and the improvements are considerable. The highway has been widened and in some places duplicated, corners and bends made safer, hills flattened, overtaking lanes added and rest stops and pull-overs added and improved. All in all it is a much better and safer driving experience and the various levels of government involved should be congratulated. One can only hope that all the good work going on won’t be destroyed by the next storm or flood!

We drove through Childers without a stop but again, we were here last year and this is a nice little town worth exploring.

Main street of Childers was very busy

From Childers we continued to our final destination today, the Wallace Motel and Caravan Park in Maryborough. Ann had booked a drive-through site which made getting set-up a lot easier. This is a nice park which has been rebuilding after three damaging floods in the last three years. The sites are flat and grassy, we have a concrete slab under the awning, and the facilities are good. TV reception isn’t wonderful here but we do get some channels and we can live without TV anyway – we came prepared with some DVDs just for this situation.

Set Up at Maryborough

Relaxing at Maryborough

After setting up we went for a walk and visited Aldi for a few supplies. Upon our return to the van we sat outside for a while just relaxing and reading. That was until it started raining a little, which got a little heavier, so we packed up the chairs and retired back into the van. We haven’t heard any more rain on the roof for a while now so hopefully it has blown over and we will have a fine day tomorrow.

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: boyne river, gin gin, maryborough

Day 71 – St Lawrence to Boyne River Rest Area

Posted on Saturday, August 2, 2014 by shorty

Ann and I both slept like logs last night. The darkness was a major factor – no bright caravan park security lights outside the bedroom windows – just stars punctuating the blackness! The silence was another welcome factor.

It was a bit cool when I got up so I started in jeans and a long sleeve top but changed into the more traditional shorts and tee-shirt once we hit the road as it was obviously going to be another beautiful day.

Today was to be another driving day similar to yesterday, with no specific destination in mind and just a couple of places that might be possibilities.

The first leg of our journey was one of the most uncomfortable driving experiences we had ever encountered, and I am sure that all caravanners will have experienced similar situations. As soon as we got onto the Bruce Highway from the St Lawrence road, we ended up behind an older Millard caravan being towed by an older Ford Falcon sedan. Speed-wise it stayed around 75 kmh with bursts of speed up to 80 kmh. In itself this wouldn’t normally be a problem as the BT50 has plenty of grunt and we have met these drivers before and I am usually quite comfortable overtaking in the right conditions.

With a fair bit of traffic coming in the opposite direction it was starting to take a bit longer that I would have preferred to be able to overtake the Millard and then disaster struck. The Millard van got stuck behind an older motorhome that seemed to be only able to manage 75 kmh at best, so we were stuck. There was simply no way I was going to be able to overtake two slow and totally erratically driven rvs in one go. The traffic behind us was going berserk and a few crazy drivers made overtaking manoeuvres, even over double lines, and often requiring the slamming on of brakes and pushing in to get back onto the right side of the road in the face of oncoming traffic. At times it was potentially quite dangerous!

Then, obviously seeing the error of his ways, the driver of the motorhome pulled off at a roadside stop and let traffic past. What a relief! Even the old Millard van got a bit carried away and started speeding up. Low and behold, just as it seemed that it was my turn to make a move to overtake, the Millard got stuck behind a slow moving Golf caravan. We were in exactly the same situation as before but with even heavier oncoming traffic making overtaking even more difficult!

Finally, just before Marlborough, the Golf van pulled off onto a side road and the Millard gained speed. We turned off the highway into Marlborough and had a well-deserved cup of coffee. Then, lo and behold, the Golf van parked behind us. Coffees were gulped down, dishes quickly washed, and we were off again. After a quick stop at the servo to top up the diesel we were back on the highway, ahead of that Golf slowcoach. It was a fantastic feeling to be able to get to 90 kmh, and that was in third gear! We eventually caught up with the Millard van but fortune was on our side at last and an overtaking lane saw that problem disappear and we were able to continue our journey at our own pace.

During this time the countryside had changed. We were no longer in sugar cane country and the scenery changed from flat cattle grazing land to bush and scrub, but all the while with mountains in the background. At times we saw the signs of recent bushfires, and smoke from current fires as well.

Changing scenery

We stopped for lunch on the outskirts of Rockhampton. We had spent a few days in Rocky last year and it was quite nice to see the river and some of the other places we recognised. There were also some interesting roadworks underway. While following Gabby the Garmin GPS to a rest are in the Camps 7 book we saw some nice shady spots on the side of the road and decided to stop there instead of driving any further.

Views of Rockhampton

New bridge under construction near Rockhampton

Lunch on the outskirts of Rockhampton

After lunch we headed for the Calliope River Rest Area – Q102 in Camps 7 – which we had seen last year and made some favourable notes about. Unfortunately things have changed since then and the main access road had been closed. When we tried the alternative route we found more changes to access including signs forbidding camping. There were a few parked vans at the end of the Old Bruce Highway and more along the riverbank but we were simply not game enough to take our van down the sandy and rough road that we assumed they used to get where they were.

We were a lot more successful at the next free camp we tried – the Boyne River rest area Q105 – although again there were changes compared to last year. Access to the area had changed with a result that vans had squeezed into all sorts of strange positions. The higgledy piggledy result left otherwise good flat areas inaccessible. In amongst the chaos there were actually several concrete slabs – it just didn’t make much sense. This is a very busy place and there are a lot of caravans and motorhomes here, and also several people simply sleeping in their cars or tents. Despite all this we managed to find a nice flat site with views overlooking the river and without close neighbours.

Views of the Boyne River from our van tonight

Views of Boyne River Rest Area free camp

We feel that the Boyne River rest area isn’t as good as St Lawrence, but after a reasonably long day’s drive, and viewing a beautiful sunset over the river while having BBQ lamb and vegies for dinner, I’m sure that we’re going to sleep well tonight anyway.

We have no idea where we’ll be staying tomorrow night, but that’s all part of the adventure!!!!!

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: boyne river, st lawrence

Day 70 – Airlie Beach to St Lawrence Recreational Reserve

Posted on Friday, August 1, 2014 by shorty

We got off reasonably early this morning as today was to be a driving day. Despite some initial issues getting into our site at the Island Gateway Holiday Park we were well positioned to get out and were able to make an easy and untroubled exit. Armed with maps and our Camps 7 free camps book, we made our way to the Bruce Highway and headed South without any set destination or caravan park booking.

Ready to Roll

The scenery for most of the day was reasonably uninspiring. It was basically sugar, sugar, sugar – remember the 1970s pop song – and sugar mills. The sight of continual sugar cane fields and even the sweet sugary smell in the air became a bit too much after a while. Having to stop at one point for a sugar train was something of a respite from the otherwise somewhat monotonous countryside.

Sugar Cane Train

Sugar Refinery

First stop for late coffee and early lunch was outside the Mackay Tourist Information Centre. We were here last year and the Centre has been significantly improved since then with the addition of a roundabout so you can actually turn around, a dump point, and changed information facilities. No changes have been made to the amenities though.

From Mackay we returned to the Bruce Highway and eventually stopped for afternoon tea at Flaggy Rock Exotic Fruit Garden. This is a really interesting place to stop and the ice-cream and coffee were delicious. We were here last year and actually stayed at a free camp at the nearby Flaggy Rock Community Centre. We noticed that there was a job vacancy for a caretaker at the community centre and also that Flaggy Rock Exotic Fruit Garden was also offering overnight accommodation for self-contained RVs – apparently in competition to the community centre.

Flaggy Rock Exotic Fruit Garden

After Flaggy Rock we made our way to the St Lawrence Recreational Reserve free camp where we decided to stay overnight. We actually stopped here for lunch or coffee last year on our way south and were quite impressed and that assessment was confirmed today. We’re not quite sure exactly what this place is. There are some buildings, animal pens and stock loading ramps, a kiosk, an amenities block including toilets and coin operated showers, and more. This is a huge area and the variety of vans here is quite amazing. A popular local activity is fishing, although apparently the fish weren’t biting this afternoon.

We did a super quick set up with front and back legs on the van but remained hitched up. We put the awning out mainly to dry things out as it was a bit wet from the overnight dew when we rolled it up this morning.

Set Up at St Lawrence free camp

As I was cooking dinner on the BBQ, we were delighted to see a beautiful sunset. Some of our neighbours have lit camp fires and the feeling of near black darkness punctuated by the occasional fires and brilliant stars in the sky is absolutely magic.

Sunset and camp fires at St Lawrence free camp

Free camping is not for everyone but we are set up to be totally self-sufficient. Our fridge, stove and hot water service all operate off the gas bottles and the lights and TV operate from deep cycle batteries which are charged by the solar panel.

For us, free camping at a place like St Lawrence is what caravanning is all about.

We might be tempted to stay here another day …..

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure, Free Camping | Tags: airlie beach, flaggy rock, st lawrence

Day 69 – Chilling in Airlie Beach

Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2014 by shorty

Today was a bit of a slow day after our very early start yesterday and our action packed long day. We both slept in but I eventually got up first and made a start on catching up with the blog while I let Ann sleep a bit longer.

After fiddling around for the rest of the morning we had a light lunch before heading into town for look around and a few supplies. First stop was Bunnings – funny how you never have a screw the right length when something breaks isn’t it? Then we went for a cruise down Main Street. Last year we couldn’t actually drive down this street due to major roadworks, but they’re all finished now and getting around town is a lot easier. Plus the place looks a lot better.

Main Street, Airlie Beach

Having parked the ute we stopped for coffee and terribly fattening cakes at ‘Capers on the Esplanade’ and sat under a huge roofed area that wasn’t there at all last year. Coffee and cakes were delicious.

Capers on the Esplanade

Appetites satisfied we went for a walk along the boardwalk and up and down Main Street. There are some interesting looking shops here but in a way this is more of a younger person’s destination with plenty of backpackers’ accommodation and bars and other attractions aimed at that end of the market. That said, there are also some pretty upmarket places around Airlie Beach, although they aren’t necessarily in the centre of town. Unless you are a mountain goat you would probably need a car here to be able to access most of these higher end places.

Boardwalk at Airlie Beach

Beach at Airlie Beach

Then it was a quick trip to the supermarket before heading back to the van for a few minor repairs and other minor maintenance tasks before we head off tomorrow. The birds we mentioned the other day made an appearance again tonight outside the van door and on one of the nearby cabins.

Some of the permanent residents we share the caravan park with.

I cooked steak outside on the BBQ for dinner, which was complemented by a delicious salad put together by Ann.

We’ve quite enjoyed our stay in Airlie Beach but new destinations and adventures await us.

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: airlie beach

Day 68 – Whitsunday Islands

Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2014 by shorty

By 7.30 this morning we had got up, showered, dressed, had breakfast, caught a bus, and were enjoying a coffee at Abell Point marina at Airlie Beach. By 8.00 o’clock we were boarding the catamaran ferry Kingfish to start our Whitsunday Islands tour.

Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach

Daydream Island

Our first point of call was beautiful Daydream Island where we were met by Alison, our tour guide for the day. Alison was very charming, personable, and certainly knew her stuff.

On board the Kingfish

The Whitsunday Islands National Park includes 74 islands of which over 96% is national parks, mostly uninhabited. Only a handful have resorts or permanent inhabitants. Captain James Cook sailed the HMS Endeavour into a passage between the mainland and the islands on 3^rd June 1770, the date of the ancient British festival of Whit Sunday, so he named the passage Whitsunday Passage.

Daydream Island is a small island resort but with plenty of things to do, ranging from swimming and snorkelling to more active pursuits including jet-skiing, parasailing, skiing, etc. There are in effect two halves to the island. The North end features the main reception areas, accommodation and restaurants, plus swimming pools, bars, spa complex and so on.

Fishy theme at Daydream

It also features the Living Coral Reef Lagoon which is home to sharks, rays, sea stars, and more. The water is very shallow and the marine life is quite visible – although not so much so by camera lens. There are organised feedings as well and apparently no-one has lost a foot from standing in the water for quite a while. We didn’t test this statement!

Coral Reef Lagoon

The North end of Daydream Island also features Mermaid Beach, the Mermaid Bar and some terrific mermaid sculptures. The story goes that Captain Cook ran aground on this beach but was rescued by some mermaids and was refloated, hence the association with mermaids. Alison our guide commented that perhaps Cook had been enjoying his rum ration a bit too much that night which might explain the voices he heard, although the ‘baby crying birds’ we have commented on several times – which we now know are bush stone curlews – might have something to do with the story as well.

Mermaids

The South End of the Island is more the activities end, with playgrounds, tennis courts, outdoor cinema, wedding chapel, swimming pool, a small boutique shopping area, bakery, bar, helipad, and so on.

Enjoying Daydream

After a good walk and explore around Daydream Island it was back on board our ferry – this time the Swordfish – and off to our next destination.

Hamilton Island

This is the place where it seems the millionaires hang out. Our first stop was at the Airport Wharf to let people off before we headed into the Hamilton Island marina where we disembarked. The two things that struck us immediately on arrival were the number and the size of the huge yachts in the marina, and the number of golf buggies everywhere. Actually the buggies make total sense as the only motor vehicles on the island appear to be commercial utes, vans and trucks and the buggies are a very convenient way to get around.

Yachts and buggies at Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island is much bigger than Daydream and is the most commercially developed island in the Whitsundays, but is still about 70% national park. Alison told us that a new resort wanted to claim 6 star status but needed a golf course to do so. There was no extra land available on Hamilton for a golf course so they bought nearby Dent Island and developed it as a golf course and got their 6 star rating. Most of the development on the island is low rise and quite settled in the environment, although there are 5 or 6 high rises as well.

One of the more interesting shops on Hamilton Island is the Foot gallery, where there is an amazing collection of large scale sculptures on display. Inside there are some smaller, many absolutely exquisite items suitable for display or jewellery.

Foot Gallery

Lunch was on the Marina Tavern balcony overlooking the marina and out to sea. Lunch was delicious and we both felt obliged to have a glass of Wild Oats Chardonnay in recognition of the Wild Oats racing yacht, which is apparently due in Hamilton Island very soon.

Lunch overlooking the marina

After lunch we went for a walk around town, and were quite taken by the new yacht club. It has a wide range of facilities available, but the design is quite striking. Debate is out as to where it is meant to resemble a whale, or a manta ray, or a yacht, as all these influences are visible when viewing the yacht club from different angles.

Striking design of the yacht club

Hamilton Island is home to a range of interesting retail shops, art galleries, and so on, but the main focus is very clearly on water sports, whether sailing, fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving, or again the more adventurous activities such as jet-skiing, parasailing, etc. The choices are only limited by the amount of money in your wallet!

Our time on Hamilton Island was way too short before we had to catch our next ferry.

Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island

From Hamilton Island we cruised through Solway Passage to Whitsunday Island, which is the largest island in the Whitsundays and is approx. 18 kms long and 14 kms wide at its widest point. Whitehaven Beach is on the eastern side of the island and is about 9 kilometres of beautiful white silica sand fringed by brilliant blue water that is regularly voted as one of the best beaches in the world. The silica sand is approximately 98% pure and is better quality than needed to make binocular lenses. It is also particularly bright and reflective, yet doesn’t retain heat so it is very easy to walk on.

Whitehaven Beach is part of the national park and is maintained in pristine condition. Although there is a small camping area, nearly all visitors are day trippers on organised tours like us, or others out sailing, etc. There was a sea plane there today as well. Unlike the other islands we visited, there is no wharf or jetty at Whitehaven Beach so it took three smaller ferry loads of visitors out from the ferry onto the beach. Also, there is no shop so you have to take everything with you, and importantly bring everything, including rubbish, back with you. Other than some long drop toilets and a few bench seats, there are basically no facilities at all at Whitehaven Beach.

Whitehaven Beach

A few of our tour group were game enough to have a swim, but Ann and I simply went for a walk along the water’s edge in both directions from our drop off point. It was a wonderfully serene experience, walking on extremely fine, almost pure white sand on a beautiful sunny day, and wading through almost perfectly clear water lapping at our ankles. We did see some small fish in the water, plenty of sea birds, and a lizard about 1 metre long out for a stroll.

Views of Whitehaven Beach

Before too long it was time to go and we returned to the ferry.

Back to Abell Point Marina

Once on board the ferry we were treated to afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream, hot or cold drinks, and plenty of fresh fruit. The bar was open for those so inclined. We then faced a rather bumpy ride back to Hamilton Island where we had to change ferries as the one we were on was heading off to another destination. Alison made sure that we went straight to the start of the queue to board the ferry for the final leg of our trip home. We arrive back at Abell Point Marina at about 6.00 pm and then caught the connecting shuttle bus back to our caravan park.

What a tremendous day!

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: airlie beach, day dream island, hamilton island, whitehaven beach, whitsunday island

Day 67 – Townsville to Airlie Beach

Posted on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 by shorty

After nearly six terrific weeks in Townsville, it was time to start heading South to see more of this great country of ours. The weather in Melbourne still looks pretty terrible so we’re not necessarily in a huge hurry to get there and we’ll be taking our time.

The first stage of our journey today was to Ayr, which we had travelled on a day trip a couple of weeks ago. We stopped for coffee at a very tranquil spot by the river near the Ayr Tourist Information Centre.

Coffee stop in Ayr

From Ayr we headed to Bowen for lunch. We were able to bypass the main centre of Bowen – not much fun in a caravan – and stopped in a good rest area opposite the Big Mango and Bowen Tourist Information Centre. There was also a track to the beach and we thought the view was pretty good, and hopefully a preview of what is to come.

Big Mango outside Bowen Tourist Information Centre

View out to the Whitsunday Islands from the beach at Bowen

Our final destination was Airlie Beach and unfortunately Gabby the Garmin let us down again and we got hopelessly lost. To be fair, when we were here last year the entire main street was undergoing major roadworks and presumably some roads were changed – maybe the Garmin GPS doesn’t know about the changes?

After a desperate phone call to the caravan park for clear directions, we finally arrived at the Island Gateway Holiday Park. Ann had previously booked us into a drive through site which was just as well as Airlie Beach seems to be a very busy place. Interestingly, we are seeing a lot more Victorian number plates here than we did in Townsville, but there is a lot of traffic on the Bruce Highway heading North. After finding our site and squeezing in, we got set up and then went for a walk to stretch our legs after a reasonably long day driving.

Arriving at the Island Gateway Holiday Park

View of Island Gateway Holiday Park

This is quite a nice park with good amenities. One thing of note is that the birdlife here is quite overwhelming. There are flocks of ducks wandering throughout the caravan park looking for food and plenty of strange brown birds that sound just like babies crying at night. There are also heaps of white cockies screeching loudly and dive bombing caravans. Some also seem to understand that food comes from the door of a caravan and hang about outside various vans waiting for dinner.

When back from our walk it was time for an early tea as we have a very early start tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned …….

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: airlie beach, townsville

Days 58 to 64 – Phil, Tracey, Alex & Emily’s Townsville Adventure

Posted on Monday, July 28, 2014 by shorty

Our son Phil, his wife Tracey and their daughters Alex and Emily joined us in Townsville to stay for a week. As we hadn’t seen them for a couple of months it was great to catch up and spend some “holiday” time with them all. The timing was also good as we were able to celebrate Alex’s birthday a week or so late and Emily’s birthday a week or so early.

Arriving in Townsville. Alex & Emily on their apartment balcony.

Over the course of the week we have had a range of adventures including:

Water Park on The Strand

This was actually the first destination for Alex and Emily on the day they arrived. We met the family at Townsville airport and while Phil and Tracey caught a taxi to their apartment with all the luggage to get things set up without the assistance of the girls, we packed Alex and Emily and a bag of clothes etc into the Ute to make a preliminary introduction to Townsville.

First stop was the water park on The Strand and after a change into bathers and hats and sunscreen and the girls were off, shrieking and screaming with delight. By local standards Townsville is enjoying a mild winter, but by Melbourne standards we are practically enjoying a heat wave so the girls stayed under the water until they were a pale shade of blue.

Adventures at the Waterpark on The Strand

The Water Park is a great place for kids and Alex and Emily have certainly enjoyed the wide range of ways to get wet on offer here.

Seaview Hotel

Our first family holiday dinner was at the Seaview Hotel on the corner of The Strand and Gregory Streets, after the girls had changed and warmed up after their initial visit to the Water Park.

Do they meet age requirements ?

The Seaview had a good and wide ranging menu, including a choice of kids’ meals, and the prices were quite reasonable. So with Angus or rump steaks for the grown-ups and sausages and chips for Alex and Emily, we had a very enjoyable dinner.

Fish Inn and the Rockpool

Ann and I have enjoyed several meals at the Fish Inn and so did Katie and Mick while they were here, and Phil, Tracey, Alex and Emily have similarly decided that this was a great place to eat.

One morning we received a phone call from Phil at about 11 o’clock saying that they were at the Rockpool and would we like to join them for an early lunch. This was a bit of a surprise as their apartment is at the other end of The Strand and they had all walked several kilometres to get to the Rockpool. Fortunately there is plenty to see and do along The Strand so Alex and Emily had plenty to keep them busy and entertained during their long walk.

The Rockpool and nearby playground equipment.

After a bit of a play on the playground equipment near the Rockpool, we headed inside for a great meal of fish and chips, calamari, salad and more.

Another day, Ann and I took Alex and Emily for a swim at the Rockpool, and I actually donned my boardshorts and bared my body to the world. There‘s a lot more of it now than there used to be and fortunately there weren’t too many bystanders to be shocked! The Rockpool is a well-planned and safe place for anyone to swim with plenty of grassed areas to sit or sunbathe. There are no stingers or crocodiles, and it is drained and cleaned out every week. There is a large area suitable for wading in and much deeper areas for the more adventurous to dive, swim, etc. After a rather long time in the water, the girls enjoyed cleaning off under the outside showers while Ann got some take-away coffees and hot chips from the Fish Inn to warm us all up. After our swim we went for a short walk around to the beach where Alex and Emily enjoyed making sand castles.

Enjoying the Rockpool

Alex and Emily Drying Off After Their Swim

Cleaning sandy feet before a warm snack after swimming

Harold’s Seafood

We also enjoyed a family dinner at Harold’s Seafood in Gregory Street. Harold’s is essentially a take-away with plenty of tables and chairs outside. There is also a Juliette’s gelato ice cream shop next door and a Coffee Club next to that, so everyone’s appetite can be satisfied. For dinner we shared a couple of fisherman’s baskets amongst the lot of us and the big surprise to Ann and I was that Alex simply loved prawns. Later in the week while we were minding Alex and Emily while Phil and Tracey went out for dinner at Odysee greek themed restaurant, we shouted them fish and chips with a special prawn pack for Alex. Just as well that Emily doesn’t like prawns.

Enjoying tea at Harold’s Seafood. Alex liked the prawns.

Coffee and Gelato Ice Cream

There are plenty of reasons to have a coffee and/or gelato ice-cream and we have certainly devoured our fair share while we have been in Townsville. No-one really needs an excuse and there are always different flavours to choose from. Alex and Emily needed gelato to warm up after their visit to the Water Park and at another time needed gelato for strength before their long walk home along the Strand after their swim at the Rockpool. There are multiple coffee and/or gelato shops along the Strand and Alex and Emily enjoyed many flavours of gelato with “bubblegum” or “smurf” as perhaps their favourites. They particularly liked the fact that all the gelato shops let them taste different flavours before they had to make up their minds.

Enjoying Gelato Icecreams

Interesting Coffee Art

Swimming

Apart from spending time playing at the Rockpool, one morning we bought Alex and Emily back to the caravan park where they had a proper swim in the swimming pool. This is a great facility with a small pool for kids and a deeper area for laps. Alex showed off her swimming skills by swimming across the shallow end of the main pool and both girls had fun playing with the pool noodles.

Alex and Emily in the swimming pool at Rowes Bay Caravan Park

Tracey also took Alex for a swim at the Tobruk Memorial Pool where she was able to do some ‘proper’ laps.

Other Activities

We took Alex and Emily for a bit of a walk around town one morning. They were very interested in what they could see from the pedestrian bridge over the river and were delighted that that could see some fish in the river. We bought them some buckets and spades to use at the beach and further down the footpath, they enjoyed a game of hopscotch. Townsville streets are quite interesting in that they have play areas like hopscotch and snakes and ladders painted on the footpath.

Walking Around Townsville – views from the bridge, hopscotch and buckets and spades

Plenty to do around Townsville

Townsville does a fantastic job catering for kids and along The Strand and also along the beaches opposite our caravan park are many different pieces of play equipment, much under cover, to keep the kids active. Alex and Emily particularly liked the dragon, fish and pirate ship outside the caravan park.

Plenty for Alex and Emily to do in Townsville

Tracey also took Alex and Emily for a visit to the reefHQ Great Barrier Reef aquarium and turtle hospital complex where they stayed for a couple of hours. The girls were very proud of their ‘turtle tattoos’.

Magnetic Island

Phil, Tracey and the girls were all pretty keen to visit Magnetic Island and thoroughly enjoyed the apparently rather fast and bumpy ride over. They had originally thought that perhaps they would just catch the ferry across and back but in the end stayed and caught the bus around to Picnic Bay where they had lunch and explored a bit before catching the bus and ferry home.

Quad Bike Riding

Just to show that they are really just big kids, Phil and Tracey booked a Quad Bike Adventure so Ann and I looked after Alex and Emily for the morning. They were picked up from their apartment and driven out to Herveys Range to the Quad Bike centre, next door to the Heritage Tearooms that Ann and I had visited earlier in our stay. They were the only ones on the morning tour that day so received great attention from their guide. The morning started off with an introductory session on riding a quad bike with laps around a paddock before they set out on their tour. Both Phil and Tracey apparently had their share of “exciting moments” but thoroughly enjoyed the tour through beautiful countryside, up and down some very steep hills and through some old railway tunnels. After a quick snack at the tearooms they were brought back to their apartment. They both agreed that it was “wicked” fun!

Quad Bike Adventure – photos by Tracey

Phil and Tracey obviously had a great time on the quad bikes!

Billabong Sanctuary

Phil and Tracey took Alex and Emily to the Billabong Sanctuary about 17 kms south of Townsville. Tracey said that she had been to quite a few zoos and sanctuaries and that this was probably the best she had ever been to. What sets Billabong apart is that it is truly interactive and that the kids can touch and hold a huge range of native wildlife. Alex and Emily had a great time and handled their fair share of birds and animals, including a crocodile, before having their photos taken with their favourites. A great day was had by all.

Feeding Turtles at Billabong Sanctuary

Emily and Alex with their new best friends at Billabong Sanctuary

The week certainly passed very quickly. It was fantastic to have so much quality time together. We hope that the girls are old enough to remember their Tropical Queensland Adventure in Townsville. Nana and Papa certainly will!

Categories: 2014 Townsville Adventure | Tags: townsville