Sunday was overcast and beginning to drizzle as we left Boondooma. We said our goodbyes to Emma at Hivesville where we headed North, mostly on country back roads. The drizzle turned into showers as we drove through Murgon, Windera and Ban Ban Springs to Biggendon. The terrain became quite mountainous as we moved North and we contemplated stopping at a bush camp area South of Biggendon that sat at the bottom of a quite spectacular, rocky-faced range. It was still morning and given the weather wasn't great we decided to pull the maps out and look at our options over lunch in the neat little town of Biggendon.
Monduran Dam was less than 100 km up the road, so we chose to head for it, checking out a couple of free camp spots on the way. At Booyal we turned onto the Bruce Highway. Given it is one of Queensland's major highways it's a pretty poor piece of road. While some of it that we have travelled has been upgraded to dual lanes in each direction, there's lots of it that's like a country road with an often rough bitumen surface. The free spots were right on the highway and noisy as hell so we travelled on to Monduran, expecting it to be like Boondooma. It wasn't!
The Lake Monduran Holiday Park was at the bottom of the dam wall with no water views whatsoever. The powered section was the typical sardine tin, so we opted for the generator section which proved to be a good choice. There were only three camps on several very sloping hectares. We got a flat spot up near the top with a fire pit and views of bush all around. That was ok. I even had network connectivity so was able to post my Sunday blog. Brian did some handyman stuff on the BBQ, generator (the bloody thing would not start), a broken key in a lock and a loose wire on the inverter. We had a walk over the dam wall and up to the lookout. It's apparently an excellent fishing spot and holds the record for the largest Barramundi ever caught. We were only staying the one night though so didn't throw any lines in. A fire, dinner and game of Canasta completed our day.
Bundaberg was a bit of a backtrack but we figured we should check it, and the surrounding beaches out, while in the general area. It was a short run back to Gin Gin, then and hour East. We did a bit of a tour around the outside of the CBD before parking the Beast and van to walk into the main shopping drag. It was a really busy place for a mid-Monday morning. Brian and I agreed it is not somewhere we would live. It has some good attributes - it's beside a lovely river, has some beautiful buildings and, according to Brian, looks great in the rear vision mirror. Enough said!
From there we continued 10 km East through cane fields to the small beachside town of Bargara. It was a delightful spot with a fantastic golf course, beautiful homes, a boutique, ocean-front shopping strip and lush green parklands. It had a really nice feel about it. A definite 'yes' on our livability list. By contrast, to our surprise, Burnett Heads, only a few minutes further North, was quite ordinary. It had been drizzling on and off for the morning and the sky was darkening by the minute. We went back through Bundaberg and headed North, in showers, to the coastal towns of Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy, where we planned to stay a night or two. It was a cold 17 degrees and wet when we arrived at Agnes Water. Yuk. We drove around the co-located towns, checked out the sardine tin caravan parks, then pulled up at the boat ramp in 1770 and climbed into the van for a sandwich. It was 2.30, and while the towns might have been quite nice, our appreciation was a tad skewed by the crappy weather and camping options. Workman's Beach was free camp area (a bit like Inskip Point), so we checked it out before deciding it was too full. Our last resort was a homestay at Braeve Heart Retreat, 17 km away. When we arrived in the rain we were the only ones there. It was a nice bush setting and at $11 per night it was a good deal. We stayed tucked up in the van for the night listening to music and playing cards and Scrabble.
The sun was poking through the clouds when we woke up at Braeve Heart Tuesday morning. It actually is a nice spot and if it hadn't been for the rain we would have experienced the bush space instead of the inside of the van. We were on the road by 8.30 with no real plan except North. Yeppoon, where Brian's daughter and family live is where we would end up in the next few days, but there was certainly no hurry.
We were quite keen to have a look at Tannum Sands, a beachside town 20km or so South of Gladstone, so we diverted 8km East from the Bruce Highway, getting there in time for morning tea. The place has clearly had a pretty recent growth spurt with lots of new housing. It sits on hilly terrain so many of the properties have views out over the water. Most of them are really nice with well cared for gardens. The parklands adjacent to the beaches are beautifully landscaped and manicured as well. Tannum Sands extends into Boyne Island, the next town on the coast to the North, It is also a lovely spot, on the river with a very nice golf course. There were a couple of caravan parks in the area so we decided we would stay for a night or two, pull the bikes off and really check the place out. Wrong! We couldn't get into either. One didn't take dogs and the other was full. Bugger! We knew there was a rest area back on the highway at Benaraby, just beside the Boyne River. It was only 11am so we figured we would get in there. There were 10 or so camps already in but we managed to tuck the van into the back corner as far away from the very noisy highway as possible. We unhitched the Beast, locked up the van and headed back to further explore Tannum Sands and Boyne Island. After a good drive around we went for a walk through one of the parks and along the beach. James was in doggy heaven. We really enjoyed it too. For livability the area gets a definite 'yes' for both of us - water, golf, weather, infrastructure, airport (at Gladstone) and a nice feel.
For lunch we headed into Gladstone. It's a fairly basic place but much nicer than Bundaberg. It's a mining town, so quite industrial. The Port of Gladstone is the fifth largest multi-commodity port in Australia and the world's fourth largest coal exporting terminal (info courtesy of Wikipedia). The town looks like it's growing with the building of a couple of big high-rise complexes. We had lunch at the yacht club that overlooks the river. It was lovely. When we got back to the van the rest area had really filled up. We met up with another couple, Alan and Fran, who invited us to bring our dinner over and sit with them, which we did. Alan pulled out his guitar and did a few songs for us. He was quite good. We had a great night and even slept through the road noise.
It was only a three hour drive North to Yeppoon but we got on the road early Wednesday as we wanted to check out caravan parks along the 20km seaside strip between Emu Park and Yeppoon. We had booked in at Poinciana, the closest park to Nat and Scott's house, but we knew they packed vans in. When we rang they told us they use a tractor to move vans into position. That's tight!
The roadworks on the Bruce between Gladstone and Rockhampton were horrendous. We stopped briefly for a coffee at Rocky, knowing we would explore it Tuesday when the Beast was in for it's 20,000km service. Emu Park was about 40km East. The drive to the coast was through pretty, timbered hills and farmland. The water came into view as we approached Emu Park and it was stunning. What a beautiful area!
With a week available to get to know the area we kept moving until we came to a Caravan Park that looked great. It backed onto the Causeway, the beach was across the road, it was set in bush and had lots of space. We parked beside it where the boat ramp was located, wandered in through the back and made our way to the reception desk at the front. There were different areas to the park - some where vans were close together and others with space and lovely bush sites. We were given a couple of different spots to look at and got a large, grassy site under a huge tree at the rear of the massive park. It was perfect. We booked to stay at Coolwaters for a week.
We planned to do some housekeeping while at Yeppoon. I had booked into the doctor to get a script, the dentist for a chipped tooth, the vet for James' vaccination, Mazda for the car service, the Smev repairer to fix the oven, the windscreen man for the bullseye blah, blah, blah.... My appointment with the quack was at 2pm, so once set up we had a bite of lunch and went into Yeppoon, 10 minutes North. As we drove along the beachfront the views out to the islands, including Great Keppel, were beautiful.
Later in the afternoon we gave James a bath in readiness to meet the grand kids. We headed back to Yeppoon around 4.30 to be given a rousing reception by Isla and Halle...the excitement mostly over James rather than Grumpy. The girls and James had a fabulous time playing ball, while Brian and I sat on the deck overlooking Yeppoon and the ocean, enjoying a drink and a long chat with Nat and Scott.
James was due at the vet at 10am Thursday followed by my dental appointment at 10.30. We learnt all about ticks, how to identify a paralysis tick (when you lay it on its back all its legs fold in toward its head, non-paralysis ticks stick their legs out), and how to remove them. I bought a packet of tick forks to pull them out if required. My chipped tooth got fixed without a needle (excellent!) and by 11 we were cruising around Yeppoon, sightseeing.
Yeppoon is quite hilly with some incredibly steep inclines on lots of the streets. It makes for great views for many of the properties. There is a section of the town that is rather old and some of the houses are pretty dilapidated, but by and large most of the residential areas are fairly new. Many of the houses are big, expensive, beautifully landscaped and look out over the islands. Price tags seem to be around the $2m mark for top end properties with ocean views, but there is a lot of lovely stuff in the $500-$800 range. The town centre fronts on to the esplanade and has a lovely, fresh, upmarket, beachside feel about it.
We drove out to the Mercure Capricorn Resort which is about 4km from town. It's quite old but sits amid huge, beautifully landscaped tropical gardens and has two world class golf courses. Our plan was to play golf while at Yeppoon but at the less flashy and much cheaper local course. On the way back to the van we called into the marina which is situated about half way between Yeppoon and Emu Park. The Keppel Island ferry terminal is located at the pretty marina which has been built in a bay sheltered by a rocky headland.
Nat, Scott and the kids came to visit after school. James was the number one attraction again, though Grumpy's electric bike did get a hefty workout from both Scott and Isla, whose legs were just long enough to reach the pedals. Halle had to settle for a dink on the back from dad. After playing ball with the girls until dark we found James had lots of burrs in his paws. The three of us set about pulling them all out while he lay happily on the bed soaking up all the attention. The girls popped his boots on so we could take him for a walk before they had to leave. He loved that but did manage to drop a boot in the dark along the way. We hunted for a while but with no torch couldn't find it. Bugger! We dropped him off at the van and headed out with torches. Thank goodness Halle found the boot and saved the day!
Friday. Golf - you beauty!
Scott, Brian and I arrived at the Yeppoon Golf Course around 10am for nine holes. We had James in the car as Coolwaters had a 'No dogs to be left unattended' rule. It was sunny and in the low 20's so we figured he'd be ok in the Beast with all the windows down a few inches, though we weren't happy about it. When we went into the Pro Shop to pay we asked if he could come on the course with us. Consultation with the manager resulted in a 'yes'. Excellent! The public course at Yeppoon is great and it was in lovely condition. There is a bit of undulation, not much rough, a few holes with tricky water hazards, one of which gobbled up my ball, but by and large it's a fair track. James stayed on the lead which was attached to my buggy. He wanted to chase after every ball hit, but under strict instruction to sit he managed to contain himself. It was funny to watch him try to pick up the flight of the ball on practice swings. There was a bit of wildlife on course - ducks and a few groups of kangaroos - but his preoccupation was definitely 'balls'. He pulled on his lead after each shot to get to the next ball, which was quite handy. I felt like I had a motorized buggy. He did all work while I just directed it. He was totally stuffed by the end and was happy to rest in the Beast while we enjoyed a couple of post-game drinks at the bar.
We headed back to Coolwaters via the inland road from Yeppoon to Emu Park, where we had a bit of a look around. The view out over the ocean to the multiple small islands just off the coast is stunning. It is a much smaller town than Yeppoon and not quite so touristy, but very pretty. Like Yeppoon it has a mix of older housing with some beautiful new homes that have been built on the hillsides to take advantage of the magnificent views. Livability factor for both Yeppoon and Emu Park ranks high. Brian and I think it is a fantastic area.
Saturday Brian spent the morning watching Isla horse riding. I did housework. Early in the afternoon we drove up to Byfield, some 40 km North of Yeppoon. Byfield National park is a coastal area covering 15,000 hectares of beaches, massive sand dunes, tropical rain forests and rugged mountain peaks. Bush camping is available in several different spots, so we thought we'd check its suitability for our next destination. We dropped into the rustic general store and cafe at Byfield township for a bite of lunch. When we looked at a detailed map of the area we realized we hadn't allowed enough time for exploring the area as the four wheel drive tracks to most of the park highlights were at least 3 hour return trips. We needed to be back at Coolwaters for a family BBQ later in the afternoon.
Waterpark Creek was one camping area that was close to the main road so we headed there. It is a pretty spot set in the forest. A crystal clear creek flows over the narrow causeway, cascading over rocks. We considered continuing on to Nine Mile, 28 km further up the road. I had a chat to a young guy who was parked in front of us pumping up the tyres on his Mazda BT 50 (smart bloke). He was on his way back from Nine Mile and said it had taken an hour each way to do the 28 km. The road was really rough. Mmm...maybe another day!
On the way home we saw a black snake and two spiny anteaters. We also saw a sign that said 'firewood'. We had to stop. The lady in the shop gave Brian a wood bag so we could pick our own. You would not believe how much wood you can cram into a sack if you really try hard! Late afternoon Scott, Nat, Isla and Halle arrived and we enjoyed a delightful family evening under the stars in front of a roaring fire. We also made plans to leave early Sunday morning and do a day of real 4-wheel driving at Byfield. Excellent!
Monduran Dam was less than 100 km up the road, so we chose to head for it, checking out a couple of free camp spots on the way. At Booyal we turned onto the Bruce Highway. Given it is one of Queensland's major highways it's a pretty poor piece of road. While some of it that we have travelled has been upgraded to dual lanes in each direction, there's lots of it that's like a country road with an often rough bitumen surface. The free spots were right on the highway and noisy as hell so we travelled on to Monduran, expecting it to be like Boondooma. It wasn't!
The Lake Monduran Holiday Park was at the bottom of the dam wall with no water views whatsoever. The powered section was the typical sardine tin, so we opted for the generator section which proved to be a good choice. There were only three camps on several very sloping hectares. We got a flat spot up near the top with a fire pit and views of bush all around. That was ok. I even had network connectivity so was able to post my Sunday blog. Brian did some handyman stuff on the BBQ, generator (the bloody thing would not start), a broken key in a lock and a loose wire on the inverter. We had a walk over the dam wall and up to the lookout. It's apparently an excellent fishing spot and holds the record for the largest Barramundi ever caught. We were only staying the one night though so didn't throw any lines in. A fire, dinner and game of Canasta completed our day.
Bundaberg was a bit of a backtrack but we figured we should check it, and the surrounding beaches out, while in the general area. It was a short run back to Gin Gin, then and hour East. We did a bit of a tour around the outside of the CBD before parking the Beast and van to walk into the main shopping drag. It was a really busy place for a mid-Monday morning. Brian and I agreed it is not somewhere we would live. It has some good attributes - it's beside a lovely river, has some beautiful buildings and, according to Brian, looks great in the rear vision mirror. Enough said!
From there we continued 10 km East through cane fields to the small beachside town of Bargara. It was a delightful spot with a fantastic golf course, beautiful homes, a boutique, ocean-front shopping strip and lush green parklands. It had a really nice feel about it. A definite 'yes' on our livability list. By contrast, to our surprise, Burnett Heads, only a few minutes further North, was quite ordinary. It had been drizzling on and off for the morning and the sky was darkening by the minute. We went back through Bundaberg and headed North, in showers, to the coastal towns of Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy, where we planned to stay a night or two. It was a cold 17 degrees and wet when we arrived at Agnes Water. Yuk. We drove around the co-located towns, checked out the sardine tin caravan parks, then pulled up at the boat ramp in 1770 and climbed into the van for a sandwich. It was 2.30, and while the towns might have been quite nice, our appreciation was a tad skewed by the crappy weather and camping options. Workman's Beach was free camp area (a bit like Inskip Point), so we checked it out before deciding it was too full. Our last resort was a homestay at Braeve Heart Retreat, 17 km away. When we arrived in the rain we were the only ones there. It was a nice bush setting and at $11 per night it was a good deal. We stayed tucked up in the van for the night listening to music and playing cards and Scrabble.
The sun was poking through the clouds when we woke up at Braeve Heart Tuesday morning. It actually is a nice spot and if it hadn't been for the rain we would have experienced the bush space instead of the inside of the van. We were on the road by 8.30 with no real plan except North. Yeppoon, where Brian's daughter and family live is where we would end up in the next few days, but there was certainly no hurry.
We were quite keen to have a look at Tannum Sands, a beachside town 20km or so South of Gladstone, so we diverted 8km East from the Bruce Highway, getting there in time for morning tea. The place has clearly had a pretty recent growth spurt with lots of new housing. It sits on hilly terrain so many of the properties have views out over the water. Most of them are really nice with well cared for gardens. The parklands adjacent to the beaches are beautifully landscaped and manicured as well. Tannum Sands extends into Boyne Island, the next town on the coast to the North, It is also a lovely spot, on the river with a very nice golf course. There were a couple of caravan parks in the area so we decided we would stay for a night or two, pull the bikes off and really check the place out. Wrong! We couldn't get into either. One didn't take dogs and the other was full. Bugger! We knew there was a rest area back on the highway at Benaraby, just beside the Boyne River. It was only 11am so we figured we would get in there. There were 10 or so camps already in but we managed to tuck the van into the back corner as far away from the very noisy highway as possible. We unhitched the Beast, locked up the van and headed back to further explore Tannum Sands and Boyne Island. After a good drive around we went for a walk through one of the parks and along the beach. James was in doggy heaven. We really enjoyed it too. For livability the area gets a definite 'yes' for both of us - water, golf, weather, infrastructure, airport (at Gladstone) and a nice feel.
For lunch we headed into Gladstone. It's a fairly basic place but much nicer than Bundaberg. It's a mining town, so quite industrial. The Port of Gladstone is the fifth largest multi-commodity port in Australia and the world's fourth largest coal exporting terminal (info courtesy of Wikipedia). The town looks like it's growing with the building of a couple of big high-rise complexes. We had lunch at the yacht club that overlooks the river. It was lovely. When we got back to the van the rest area had really filled up. We met up with another couple, Alan and Fran, who invited us to bring our dinner over and sit with them, which we did. Alan pulled out his guitar and did a few songs for us. He was quite good. We had a great night and even slept through the road noise.
It was only a three hour drive North to Yeppoon but we got on the road early Wednesday as we wanted to check out caravan parks along the 20km seaside strip between Emu Park and Yeppoon. We had booked in at Poinciana, the closest park to Nat and Scott's house, but we knew they packed vans in. When we rang they told us they use a tractor to move vans into position. That's tight!
The roadworks on the Bruce between Gladstone and Rockhampton were horrendous. We stopped briefly for a coffee at Rocky, knowing we would explore it Tuesday when the Beast was in for it's 20,000km service. Emu Park was about 40km East. The drive to the coast was through pretty, timbered hills and farmland. The water came into view as we approached Emu Park and it was stunning. What a beautiful area!
With a week available to get to know the area we kept moving until we came to a Caravan Park that looked great. It backed onto the Causeway, the beach was across the road, it was set in bush and had lots of space. We parked beside it where the boat ramp was located, wandered in through the back and made our way to the reception desk at the front. There were different areas to the park - some where vans were close together and others with space and lovely bush sites. We were given a couple of different spots to look at and got a large, grassy site under a huge tree at the rear of the massive park. It was perfect. We booked to stay at Coolwaters for a week.
We planned to do some housekeeping while at Yeppoon. I had booked into the doctor to get a script, the dentist for a chipped tooth, the vet for James' vaccination, Mazda for the car service, the Smev repairer to fix the oven, the windscreen man for the bullseye blah, blah, blah.... My appointment with the quack was at 2pm, so once set up we had a bite of lunch and went into Yeppoon, 10 minutes North. As we drove along the beachfront the views out to the islands, including Great Keppel, were beautiful.
Later in the afternoon we gave James a bath in readiness to meet the grand kids. We headed back to Yeppoon around 4.30 to be given a rousing reception by Isla and Halle...the excitement mostly over James rather than Grumpy. The girls and James had a fabulous time playing ball, while Brian and I sat on the deck overlooking Yeppoon and the ocean, enjoying a drink and a long chat with Nat and Scott.
James was due at the vet at 10am Thursday followed by my dental appointment at 10.30. We learnt all about ticks, how to identify a paralysis tick (when you lay it on its back all its legs fold in toward its head, non-paralysis ticks stick their legs out), and how to remove them. I bought a packet of tick forks to pull them out if required. My chipped tooth got fixed without a needle (excellent!) and by 11 we were cruising around Yeppoon, sightseeing.
Yeppoon is quite hilly with some incredibly steep inclines on lots of the streets. It makes for great views for many of the properties. There is a section of the town that is rather old and some of the houses are pretty dilapidated, but by and large most of the residential areas are fairly new. Many of the houses are big, expensive, beautifully landscaped and look out over the islands. Price tags seem to be around the $2m mark for top end properties with ocean views, but there is a lot of lovely stuff in the $500-$800 range. The town centre fronts on to the esplanade and has a lovely, fresh, upmarket, beachside feel about it.
We drove out to the Mercure Capricorn Resort which is about 4km from town. It's quite old but sits amid huge, beautifully landscaped tropical gardens and has two world class golf courses. Our plan was to play golf while at Yeppoon but at the less flashy and much cheaper local course. On the way back to the van we called into the marina which is situated about half way between Yeppoon and Emu Park. The Keppel Island ferry terminal is located at the pretty marina which has been built in a bay sheltered by a rocky headland.
Nat, Scott and the kids came to visit after school. James was the number one attraction again, though Grumpy's electric bike did get a hefty workout from both Scott and Isla, whose legs were just long enough to reach the pedals. Halle had to settle for a dink on the back from dad. After playing ball with the girls until dark we found James had lots of burrs in his paws. The three of us set about pulling them all out while he lay happily on the bed soaking up all the attention. The girls popped his boots on so we could take him for a walk before they had to leave. He loved that but did manage to drop a boot in the dark along the way. We hunted for a while but with no torch couldn't find it. Bugger! We dropped him off at the van and headed out with torches. Thank goodness Halle found the boot and saved the day!
Friday. Golf - you beauty!
Scott, Brian and I arrived at the Yeppoon Golf Course around 10am for nine holes. We had James in the car as Coolwaters had a 'No dogs to be left unattended' rule. It was sunny and in the low 20's so we figured he'd be ok in the Beast with all the windows down a few inches, though we weren't happy about it. When we went into the Pro Shop to pay we asked if he could come on the course with us. Consultation with the manager resulted in a 'yes'. Excellent! The public course at Yeppoon is great and it was in lovely condition. There is a bit of undulation, not much rough, a few holes with tricky water hazards, one of which gobbled up my ball, but by and large it's a fair track. James stayed on the lead which was attached to my buggy. He wanted to chase after every ball hit, but under strict instruction to sit he managed to contain himself. It was funny to watch him try to pick up the flight of the ball on practice swings. There was a bit of wildlife on course - ducks and a few groups of kangaroos - but his preoccupation was definitely 'balls'. He pulled on his lead after each shot to get to the next ball, which was quite handy. I felt like I had a motorized buggy. He did all work while I just directed it. He was totally stuffed by the end and was happy to rest in the Beast while we enjoyed a couple of post-game drinks at the bar.
We headed back to Coolwaters via the inland road from Yeppoon to Emu Park, where we had a bit of a look around. The view out over the ocean to the multiple small islands just off the coast is stunning. It is a much smaller town than Yeppoon and not quite so touristy, but very pretty. Like Yeppoon it has a mix of older housing with some beautiful new homes that have been built on the hillsides to take advantage of the magnificent views. Livability factor for both Yeppoon and Emu Park ranks high. Brian and I think it is a fantastic area.
Saturday Brian spent the morning watching Isla horse riding. I did housework. Early in the afternoon we drove up to Byfield, some 40 km North of Yeppoon. Byfield National park is a coastal area covering 15,000 hectares of beaches, massive sand dunes, tropical rain forests and rugged mountain peaks. Bush camping is available in several different spots, so we thought we'd check its suitability for our next destination. We dropped into the rustic general store and cafe at Byfield township for a bite of lunch. When we looked at a detailed map of the area we realized we hadn't allowed enough time for exploring the area as the four wheel drive tracks to most of the park highlights were at least 3 hour return trips. We needed to be back at Coolwaters for a family BBQ later in the afternoon.
Waterpark Creek was one camping area that was close to the main road so we headed there. It is a pretty spot set in the forest. A crystal clear creek flows over the narrow causeway, cascading over rocks. We considered continuing on to Nine Mile, 28 km further up the road. I had a chat to a young guy who was parked in front of us pumping up the tyres on his Mazda BT 50 (smart bloke). He was on his way back from Nine Mile and said it had taken an hour each way to do the 28 km. The road was really rough. Mmm...maybe another day!
On the way home we saw a black snake and two spiny anteaters. We also saw a sign that said 'firewood'. We had to stop. The lady in the shop gave Brian a wood bag so we could pick our own. You would not believe how much wood you can cram into a sack if you really try hard! Late afternoon Scott, Nat, Isla and Halle arrived and we enjoyed a delightful family evening under the stars in front of a roaring fire. We also made plans to leave early Sunday morning and do a day of real 4-wheel driving at Byfield. Excellent!
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