20 May 2016 - Townsville.
On the way into Townsville we dropped our van off to get the fridge fan repaired and headed to the The Strand on the foreshores of Townsville. The day was magic so we stopped for a coffee and brunch at a cafe overlooking the Rockpools at the northern end of the Strand.
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| Castle Hill from The Strand, Townsville |
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| The Strand, Townsville |
With no word yet from the repairers, we took a stroll along the foreshore soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the wonderful public amenity the Strand now is. When we were at the farthest point in our stroll we received a call from the repairers to say everything was fixed. The fridge was back to normal and we were happy with the work done. I can now replace the fan myself if needs be.
Our purpose for visiting Townsville was to catch up with some of Julie's relatives, so we booked into a van park for three nights and set up. Next day we met up with Julie's father's cousin's daughter (work that one out) and her husband for a hike called Many Peaks in Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park to the north of town. 13 kilometres later, covered in burrs and bites from mosquitoes fresh from the Ross River below us, we had enjoyed wonderful panoramic views over Townsville and the islands. That night we were invited for dinner at Julie's father's cousin's daughter's (Wendy) and her husband's (Tarun) place to catch up with Julie's father's cousin (Thelma) as well. A really great night was had.
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| Climbing Many Peaks, Townsville |
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| Wearing many burrs, Townsville |
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| Many steps up Many Peaks, Townsville |
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| Atop Many Peaks, Townsville |
Our second full day in Townsville was spent with Thelma after we picked her up from her retirement village home and went to Hervey's Range Heritage Tea Rooms which are tea rooms located high up in the Hervey's Range 40 or so kilometres west of Townsville. Not yet tired of views over Townsville we visited Mount Stuart Lookout on the way back to drop Thelma home.
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| Julie and Thelma - Mt Stuart, Townsville |
23 May - Moving Day. After a lovely few days catching up with Julie's relatives 15-16 times removed, we set off towards Bowen. We stopped in Ayr for morning tea after which the cloudy weather cleared to give us beautiful blue skies for our stay in Bowen.
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| Morning tea stop in Ayr |
We set up five metres from the water's edge and enjoyed spectacular views from our camp for the whole time we were here.
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| Campsite at Bowen |
Bowen's beaches and headlands are just spectacular. The place to visit is Flagstaff Hill which we did first. 360 degree views of Bowen, the coastline and islands are provided from the very good lookout area. A bonus is the nice cafe with the great views, offering good food seven days a week - oh, except on Tuesdays until further notice - it was Tuesday. Instead we were offered great views of a helicopter dismantling a lighthouse just offshore. We were still hungry though.
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| Flagstaff Hill, Bowen |
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| Dismantling a lighthouse (helicopter with the top of the lighthouse) |
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| The nose is back! This time looking at the removed top of the lighthouse - which is bigger? |
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| Flagstaff Hill, Bowen |
Next was a visit to Rotary Lookout at Kings Beach. Morning tea was held high up, perched on a large boulder overlooking the Whitsundays below us. Although the locals didn't seem to know about them, there were three other lookouts in Bowen so we just had to visit all of those as well.
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| Morning tea spot, Bowen |
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| Rotary Lookout, Bowen |
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| Mt Nutt Lookout, Bowen |
Concerned our stunning view from our campsite was being wasted we wasted no time in returning after the final lookout was visited. A beach walk before sunset was followed by sunset drinkies overlooking the beach.
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| Our camp |
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| Beach walk in from of camp, Bowen |
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| Guess what time it is? |
The next day we did a long walk along the beach from camp to Horseshoe Bay before driving back up to Flagstaff Hill for our delayed lunch appointment.
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| Beach walk - Bowen |
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| Horseshoe Bay - Bowen |
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| Watching the rescue unfold |
The helicopter was still flying around as we again climbed the steep road up to Flagstaff Hill. What we thought would be the continued dismantling of the lighthouse turned out to be a full on rescue operation in the waters below us. We found out that a commercial fishing vessel and an ocean tug had collided. The fishing boat had flipped and trapped the three crew underneath. Two were saved but the skipper died at the scene. This was all unfolding in front of us as we had lunch with sketchy information slowly filtering through as we watched.
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| The real 'Big Mango' |
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| Our campsite in Beautiful Bowen |
Bowen is a very picturesque location with spectacular headlands and beautiful award winning beaches. For us it was a real surprise and a place we would certainly return to if ever we pass this way again.
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| Campsite at Midge Point |
26 May - Moving Day. The Bowen wharf precinct was getting too crowded for us, especially around the 'Big' Mango, so we packed up and headed south - our destination, the unfortunately named, Midge Point. With very low expectations we settled in for a couple of days. The van park is very good with large sites well spaced with a wonderful bush outlook. Beyond the bush is a good beach with mangroves either end; hence the midges. The midges were under control when we were there so sitting outside was not a problem until around sunset.
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| Midge Point beach |
Crocs are still a threat in this part of the world so we were always on the lookout for them when we went for our beach walks. To the south was a volcanic headland below which, at low tide, we crossed a creek.
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| Croc cam |
A log lying in the creek turned out to be just that but we were cautious until we could confirm the bark was not really skin. Further along the beach we walked behind some young mangroves and came across some beautifully coloured rock. It looked like a partially mixed strawberry jam tart and there was only a small section of it flowing out to sea. We were keen to walk past the northern end of the beach behind some more mangroves but we pulled out due to the croc risk.
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| Rock cam |
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| Plant cam |
Later in the day we drove to Laguna Quays just to the north of Midge Point. Once a 5 star resort in an idyllic location by the ocean offering golf and boating in the 1990's, it is now an overgrown derelict location. $200m+ was spent on accommodation, a world class golf course, a marina, roads and other high class infrastructure but today it is busy fighting off the ever encroaching rainforest and weeds despite a number of homes still being occupied.
We spent an hour or so wandering around the marina and the derelict infrastructure. Some restoration has started and it is rumoured that the current owners will attempt to get it up and running again from the end of 2016. Our last afternoon in Midge Point was spent walking the beach while all the time keeping an eye out for crocs.
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| Midge Point beach |
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| Cape Hillsborough |
Next day we packed up and headed just a little south to Cape Hillsborough NP, a stunning piece of coastline with beautiful beaches, craggy volcanic rocks, headlands and thick rainforest that goes right to the waters edge. After setting up camp we went for a walk to have a look at the beach and were blown away by the natural beauty of the area. Our days were spent walking the headlands, the pristine beaches and crossing the low tide causeway to Wedge Island just off shore.
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| Crab cam |
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| Cape Hillsborough |
Once all the local walks were exhausted we jumped into the car and headed further afield to do a great interpretive walk describing the lifestyle of the local Aboriginal population before white settlement.
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| Wedge Island - Cape Hillsborough |
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| Turtle Lookout - 4 turtles popped up as soon as we arrived |
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| Crabb Island |
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| Shoe cam |
We came across an enormous ancient midden beneath an overhanging rock. Discarded shells from centuries of meals enjoyed by the local aborigines had built up the surrounding area metres thick.
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| Midden |
Nearby on the shoreline was an ancient fish trap. The Aborigines would remove rocks at low tide to let the seawater flow into a large tidal area bringing the fish with the tide. At high tide the rocks were replaced, trapping the fish - simple but highly effective. They would only remove enough fish for their daily needs leaving any of the remaining catch in water filled holes for later - an ancient form of a bag limit.
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| Historic Fish trap |
All this walking and learning needed to be rewarded with a local delicacy - coffee and scones at the Old Station Tea House. It was so good that the next day after we packed up and hooked up the caravan we headed back for a second bite at this very nice local establishment.
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| Waiter at Old Station Tea House |
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| Customer at Old Station Tea House |
31 May 2016 - Moving Day. Our travels today took us further south through Proserpine, past Mackay to Sarina. The van park in Sarina came highly recommended in Wiki Camps so we booked in there for a few nights. The park is the product of 13 years of hard work and pride by the owners. They transformed a previously run down dump of a park into a beautifully presented and maintained caravan park. They don't just have grass, they have manicured lawn, the gardens are perfect, as soon as a leaf hits the ground it is picked up and everything is perfectly maintained. They even have bars of soap on the hose taps so you can wash your hands! Many sites come with its own African animal - ours had a giraffe and a rhinoceros.
Our time here was spent visiting Finch-Hatton Gorge and Eungella NP behind Sarina. The weather was showery with the next day forecast to be slightly worse. We couldn't fully complete one of the walks there due to the swollen steam we had to cross, so we sat on a dry boulder in the middle of the stream and had a bite to eat.
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| Finch-Hatton Gorge |
Further west and high up a narrow winding road is Eungella. Famous for its platypus, we spent a fruitless hour looking for the little creatures in a stream fed pond surrounded by signs and platforms that tell you about and allow you to easily see platypus - that aren't there!. Additionally all the lookouts up there were fogged in, so our time at 900 metres above sea level was a little frustrating. This frustration was further compounded by the fact that the cafe beside the allegedly platypus filled pond only served food fit for future contestants of Australia's Biggest Looser.
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| Eungella lookout |
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| Platypus cam |
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| Fog cam |
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| Tourist cam |
Down the range we drove and back towards Finch-Hatton Gorge we went to find an idyllic cafe for lunch that Julie had spied on the way out earlier. The only ones there, we had the pick of the tables on the huge verandah located in the rainforest overlooking the flowing steam that had earlier halted our walk further up the Gorge. The meal was outstanding, as was the location. The owner told us that on the weekends her cafe is always packed and only bookings will get you a table.
On the way home we called in to the famous Australian Opera singer of the 1920's era Dame Nellie Melba's house that she once lived in. On reading fine-print in the house, it seems that she might have only stayed there for a few months with her husband before she left him with their son to seek fame overseas. Plus the house had been moved from its original location and is now a Tourist Information centre with some Nellie Melba memorabilia in a couple of rooms out back. Anyway it drew us there for a look which is what tourism is all about.
Next day, with the worse weather that was forecast not materialising, we spent our time looking around the coast of Sarina and Mackay. We visited the huge shipping ports of Hay Point and Dalrymple. Twenty-two enormous coal ships lined the bay waiting to be loaded with coal. Huge stockpiles of coal were being scooped up onto conveyors heading towards a couple of ships being loaded. Meanwhile two kilometre long coal trains were arriving from mines out west, depositing their 10000 tonnes of coal at the terminal. Lunch was held at difficult-to-find restaurant at Mackay marina. A fuel ship was unloading its cargo as we walked the high rock walls that protect the marina from the seas.
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| Mackay breakwater |
3 June 2016 - Moving Day. A huge rain event was forecast to hit eastern Australia today starting in our area. With rain over night and under cloudy skies we packed up and left the beautiful Sarina van park headed for Yeppoon.
I did describe that the Sarina van park was pristine and that is due to the quite passionate, bordering on eccentric, nature of the owner. Normally when leaving camp, I just hook up the van, check the lights etc and slowly drive out. In this van park the owner gives you specific detailed instructions on what to do, and more annoyingly what he would have done after the event. So we received detailed instructions while I was in the process of hooking up, that included 1) 'Make sure I miss the giraffe and the rhinoceros' 2) 'Miss the neighbour's car', 3) Don't drive on the grass over the road' even though said grass is another van site and 4) 'Watch out for the roof of the Camp Kitchen beside the van'. To get the angle right to hook up the van so that I could simultaneously comply with all the instructions, I had to go on the grass on the empty site over the road. I did this in 4WD mode to minimise any damage, of which there was none. As I was pulling out, the owner was at the other end of the road literally looking like he belonged on the deck of an aircraft carrier, getting ready to guide me out. Again in 4WD mode to minimise any damage to the sacred grass, I moved out and avoided the Camp Kitchen roof, missed the animals, didn't drive on the grass on the site over the road and missed the neighbours (father's) car but went close to it. The owner came running down the road, saw that I had earlier been on the grass over the road because of marks in the dew and said 'If that grass was damaged it would all quickly turn to mud and he would have to shut the whole van park down!' He asked if I knew how my van tracked behind my car (I really liked that question as I've towed a caravan over 120,000 klm) and then gave me detailed instructions on how he would go about negotiating the upcoming corner so as to get out of the van park.
I bit my tongue and surprisingly I missed everything and safely entered a far less stressful environment - a school zone with 200 mothers dropping their children off at school. At least the maroons had won the State of Origin the night before we left.
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| Our Yeppoon campsite |
We had booked ahead to guarantee a site in Yeppoon as the Great Southern States Grey Nomad Migration had just begun. We jagged a great site on the water's edge as a result of a delay in the arrival of a nomad - he might be in jail because he drove on the grass at the Sarina van park we just came from.
As we were setting up, the first of the showers from the rain event arrived. There was no wind forecast so I put the awning out and the waterproof sidewall up. As everyone now knows, it rained and it rained. We only received 120mm and had a storm go to the north of us around 4am. Early the next day it fined up as the system travelled south. While all hell was breaking loose down the east coast of Australia, over the next few days we realised how fortunate we were to be so far north.
Making the most of the fine weather we spent the day exploring Byfield NP just to the north west of Yeppoon. The early morning storm we heard last night must have been bad as there were lots of branches on the roads and some trees down in the paddocks. The rain made the visit to Byfield with its dirt roads and creek crossings a lot more interesting. We avoided crossing any sort of water-covered causeway so some of our planned exploration had to be curtailed.
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| Byfield NP |
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| Byfield NP |
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| Swollen streams around Yeppoon - we didn't cross |
After lunch we explored the sun drenched coastline around Yeppoon. A headland walk to Fan Rock was an interesting surprise, as was a visit to the Singing Ship memorial to James Cook who discovered and named Keppel Bay in May 1770.
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| Yeppoon lookout |
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| Fan Rock, Capricorn Coast NP near Yeppoon |
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| Singing Ship Cook memorial, Emu Park |
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| volcanic Fan Rock |
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| Double Head lookout, Capricorn Coast NP near Yeppoon |
After a couple of days in Yeppoon, we headed south again to visit the town of Seventeen Seventy. On the way we called into one of my late father's favourite free camps, Calliope River North where the fishing was very good. It has now been discovered and was very busy, partly due to the weekend, but there were a lot of northern-bound nomads there too.
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| Calliope River North free camp |
Arriving in 1770, and with wonderful weather, we enjoyed exploring this beautiful part of Queensland. I was last here over 20 years ago. The development in the area has been unbelievable. Once a sleepy fishing backwater, 1770 is now a thriving town with all the amenities you could want (or not want).
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| Joseph Banks Conservation Park, 1770 |
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| Joseph Banks Conservation Park, 1770 |
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| Beach where I was bitten on big toe by shark - Seventeen Seventy |
Continuing our Cook's Tour we walked the headlands and visited the spot where James Cook landed on 24 May 1770 - his second landing in Australia. On a beach just below the monument (cairn) to Cook's landing is a little beach. Twenty odd years ago I was there fishing with my son Ryan and a friend at the time and his son. Something kept smashing our bait but we couldn't hook it. As I was slowly reeling in my bait it came in close to my foot. Just as I about to lift the bait out of the water, a baby white pointer shark bit me on the toe. Eventually we caught the shark and the local pub was very happy to take it off our hands.
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| Cook 's Cairn Monument - 1770 |
Next day we headed to Agnes Water, just a little south of 1770 and did a fantastic walk, Red Rock Trail, along stunning beaches and headlands. The perfect weather made the walk even better. A gated eco-community is located on the headlands and ridges above this walk. We saw many beautiful houses with spectacular views of the stunning coastline.
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 Red Rock Trail |
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| Red Rock Trail |
Back to the car and with time on our side we continued south into Deepwater National Park. A great 4WD track travels around 15 klm into the northern end of the Park and provides access to day areas and a couple of nice bush camps. We visited all the tracks that led off the main track and walked to numerous pristine beaches and rocky outcrops. This is an area we would certainly come back to.
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| Flat Rock, Deepwater NP |
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| Middle Rock, Deepwater NP |
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| Wreck Rock, Deepwater NP |
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| Wreck Rock, Deepwater NP |
Returning home we had a late lunch and readied ourselves for a long driving day (400klm) tomorrow to Tewantin. 1770 is a great place still and with a 4WD it is easy to get away from the crowds.
We stayed at Tewantin for three nights and spent our time with Mum who lives in a retirement village next to the van park, and cleaning the van to get it ready for storage as we won't be using it until November this year as we will be away overseas before then. Mum is recovering really well after her second knee replacement earlier in the year.
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| Deepwater NP |
So our Queensland Loop trip has come to and end. Numerous 'bucket list' items were ticked off and once again it was another trip we will look back on with very happy memories. The car and caravan went really well (except for the slight problem with the fridge) and we remain very happy with our setup.
Hope you enjoyed the Blog.
Bye for now
Jeff and Julie
Trip Stats |
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| Distance |
9800 |
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| Average Fuel consumption at Litres per
100klm |
12.4 |
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| Average Fuel consumption at
Klm/Ltr |
8.06 |
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| Average Speed in kph |
62 |
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| Time driving |
Hours |
Days |
|
158.06 |
6.59 |
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| Litres used |
790.32 |
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| Fuel cost at $1.20 per litre |
$948.39 |
|
31 May 2016 - Moving Day. Our travels today took us further south through Proserpine, past Mackay to Sarina. The van park in Sarina came highly recommended in Wiki Camps so we booked in there for a few nights. The park is the product of 13 years of hard work and pride by the owners. They transformed a previously run down dump of a park into a beautifully presented and maintained caravan park. They don't just have grass, they have manicured lawn, the gardens are perfect, as soon as a leaf hits the ground it is picked up and everything is perfectly maintained. They even have bars of soap on the hose taps so you can wash your hands! Many sites come with its own African animal - ours had a giraffe and a rhinoceros. 
Our time here was spent visiting Finch-Hatton Gorge and Eungella NP behind Sarina. The weather was showery with the next day forecast to be slightly worse. We couldn't fully complete one of the walks there due to the swollen steam we had to cross, so we sat on a dry boulder in the middle of the stream and had a bite to eat. 
On the way home we called in to the famous Australian Opera singer of the 1920's era Dame Nellie Melba's house that she once lived in. On reading fine-print in the house, it seems that she might have only stayed there for a few months with her husband before she left him with their son to seek fame overseas. Plus the house had been moved from its original location and is now a Tourist Information centre with some Nellie Melba memorabilia in a couple of rooms out back. Anyway it drew us there for a look which is what tourism is all about.
Next day, with the worse weather that was forecast not materialising, we spent our time looking around the coast of Sarina and Mackay. We visited the huge shipping ports of Hay Point and Dalrymple. Twenty-two enormous coal ships lined the bay waiting to be loaded with coal. Huge stockpiles of coal were being scooped up onto conveyors heading towards a couple of ships being loaded. Meanwhile two kilometre long coal trains were arriving from mines out west, depositing their 10000 tonnes of coal at the terminal. Lunch was held at difficult-to-find restaurant at Mackay marina. A fuel ship was unloading its cargo as we walked the high rock walls that protect the marina from the seas.
Red Rock Trail
