Brisbane to Alice Springs via NSW, VIC and SA

I must admit that I am finding a little more difficult starting my scribbles in this new life it is probably that I am still trying to adjust to it. Don't get me wrong I am enjoying what we are doing it is just the adjustment that I have to get used to. So those good followers out there please excuse me I will get better.

Brisbane to Iluka - 05/11/2014

(The campsite in Wynnum)

(Friendly pelican)

We left the free camp area and headed the 302Kms to Iluka, this is one of our favourite stopover's when we were sailing. We selected here for two reasons to see our friend Rob who is the local copper there and also to break the trip up in easy travelling distances.

(There are many changes to the highway since I travelled it last)

We stayed two nights at the Clarence Head Caravan Park, the young couple that manage the place are very obliging, they gave us two sites so we did not have to un-hitch the trailer and only charged us for the one site. The park is quite tidy and there is modifications happening bringing the park up to date, amenities are very clean.

Iluka itself is a small community but has plenty of cafes and restaurants, there is the bowling club that has a Chinese restaurant and then there is the hotel that serves great pub meals. We had lunch at the Laneway Cafe they have just applied for a liquor licence I can recommend it along with the Bowling Club and Hotel. There is also a fish and chip take-away down at the fisherman's dock.

There is a ferry that runs over to Yamba regularly and if you like pies meat and fruit the Pot Belly Pie shop is the place to go they are to die for.

(Clarence Head Caravan Park)

(A grey morning on the Clarence River)

(Sedgers Reef Hotel)

Iluka is the place many fisherman come to for fishing charters and put their own boats in the water, it is also a place for a quiet holiday with sheltered waters and beaches for young children to play.

There are two caravan parks and both are very good with friendly management.

For those wishing to travel and used caravan parks or free camping there is a program you can download on your IPad called Wikicamps at a low cost of less than $10. But please be warned some of the comments written by some should be discarded. Reading some of the reviews they complain about one thing or another and we have been to some of these places and their comments are unfounded. One of the common complaints is highway noise, well if the free camp or caravan park is next to a major highway guess what you going to get highway noise so get over it or pick another place away from the highway.

Port Macquarie

07/11/2014

We headed down the highway to Port Macquarie and one thing I keep my eye on in our travels is the price of fuel in different places, we find that some places out of the larger towns have cheaper fuel prices. The cheapest fuel we found was at the caravan park come service station at Tyndale and the most expensive is in Port Macquarie.

(Our camp site at the caravan park)

We arrived at Port Macquarie and booked into the caravan park near the break wall of the ports entrance. This park is very close to town so it is easy to walk into and around town from there. Our main reason for visiting here is to see two step daughters and two grandchildren. Cherie and Tarryn were the first to meet us at the park to say hello. We got ourselves set up and chatted we were actually a day early to what we had told everyone so we had the first night out by ourselves and went to the Spanish Tapas Bar which we had visited some years ago they serve a wonderful Spanish red wine there.

(These three gents were busking and I could have listened to them all night)

Saturday we met Cherie at her hairdressing shop for haircuts and then did a little shopping with Cherie and Tarryn in tow with them showing us to the different shops. On the way back trough the caravan park loaded up with some shopping I tripped and fell and has Murphy's Law came into play the only way I could try to save myself and not very successfully was to take the brunt of the fall with my injured left hand and shoulder. I think the air would have been a little more blue if my granddaughter was not with us. It jarred my already sore shoulder and left hand and the thumb and surrounds soon swelled up and turned blue.

Cherie and Tarryn returned later to pick us up and take us to Lindy and Steve's for dinner with grandson Sam and Steve's mother Bev. Steve as usual put on a fine dinner and we had a great night.

Sunday we went for a walk and the family came to us in the park in the afternoon for a BBQ dinner after which we said our goodbyes.

This caravan park is located in a good place and is quite large the facilities are very good clean and tidy and there is a large swimming pool. Nearby is a skate park and the beach. Being so open the park has been subject to theft during school holidays and many people camping and caravaning often make it quite easy for a thief leaving items outside and not locked up. However, the usual items of theft is booze, they will pinch eskies with booze and then dump the esky, so lock things away even in an annex they will enter at night. We do not have problems because we lock things away when we are not there or asleep.

(It is interesting watching the talents these kids have on their boards and scooters)

(Night lights)

 

(Early morning)

(The colourful breakwall)

 (Port Macquarie)

(The town beach)

Most caravan parks have similar problems and often have warnings posted to that effect around the park or it is written in the material you get when you book in.

Cheers

Tinnanbar - Great Sandy Straits to Lake Macdonald - Cooroy via The Matilda Rest Area

22/10/2014 - 23/10/2014

(View from Tinnanbar, Wide Bay Great Sandy Straits)

We have come to Tinnanbar for the sole purpose of dropping some gear off at a friend's place who are away sailing at this present time. They have a holiday house on the waterfront and a caretaker looks after it for them. They own a double block so we are camped on the vacant block next to their house.

(Beach at Tinnanbar)

Tinnanbar is a very pretty place overlooking Wide Bay between the mainland and Fraser Island on a sunny day the water is so blue, the unfortunate part is that you have to use the Bushman's spray as the sandflies are rife.

We are staying for a couple of days then we will continue slowly making our way back to Brisbane via The  Matilda Rest Area.

Matilda's Rest Area - 23/10/2014

We left Tinnanbar  and headed to Tin Can Bay via Maryborough as we had to go to the shops before heading out on the highway to the Matilda Rest Area. Maryborough is a place of history it has some wonderful old buildings after shopping we went for coffee at the Muddy Waters Cafe, it used to be located on the docks by the marina but since the 2013 floods they moved, after their fifth flood the owner had enough and also driven by higher insurance premiums. After coffee we walked around looking at some of the great buildings. The only thing that is left down at the marina is a public laundry, the marina office and the marina berths. The marina is up for sale. There is also powered sites for RV's down alongside the marina. After our look around we headed for Tin Can Bay then onward to Matilda's.

(Marina)

(Flood height, 2013 is just under the top fence rail, this level we stand on is where the Muddy Waters Cafe is located)

 (Some of the historic buildings)

(Maryborough Birth place of  Mary Poppins)

Matilda's is a large complex that consists of a Puma Fuel station which used to be Matilda Fuels, hence the large kangaroo with the Matilda Fuels sign, it also has a large food hall, coffee shop, general/newsagents 7 Shop, information centre, showers and toilets, to use the showers you pay the person in the general and newsagents 7 Shop. It is a truck stop and tourist bus stop. Going passed the fuel station on the highway side is a dirt track that goes into the rest area where we can stay overnight free of any charges. I noticed as we entered there was a sign stating a limit of 48 hours stay, this sign was put up by management the day before we arrived due to a person that has over stayed his welcome. There is a man in his 30's/40's that has a caravan on the water's edge, set up with generator, satellite dish and his motorbike, no towing vehicle for the caravan. He has been there for a month obviously living there rent free. The management has had to put an official sign up stating period of stay as they cannot ask him to move without some sort of official warning. Most people stay a few days at the most but this person is stuffing it up for everyone else.

(Our campsite at Matilda's)

(Some of the camp area)

(The permanent camper)

(The bird island)

(Tree full of birds)

 (Sunset at the lake at Matilda's)

The rest area is beautiful with the lake waterways around the park area and many types of bird life around. There is a small amount of highway noise but not bad.

We decided to have dinner at the food hall we was told that the mixed grill is good at a cost of $19. Well I can say it is very good but you really need to be hungry or a big eater the meal was huge.

We had a good night sleep before moving on the next day.

Cooroy - Lake Macdonald via Tewantin and Tinbeerwah Lookout 24/10/2014

We did not rush to get away as we are not going far. As we headed towards Lake Macdonald we decided to go passed the turn off and go into Tewantin for a look around and morning coffee which also ended up being a bit of retail therapy for Nancy. We walked around the waterfront, yes it is hard to leave the water, we have always loved the water.

(Tewantin Marina)

(Tried a dozen only eight worked)

(Parkyn's Hut, miners hut transported from the Gympie Goldmines in 1922, now the information centre)

The marina area looks a lot flasher than I remember, it appears to have more restaurants and new deck areas. We have never sailed into the Noosa area the bar crossing is a little delicate and needs good local knowledge many have been caught out trying to cross this bar.

We found a quiet coffee shop and had morning tea, coffee and muffin.

After leaving we headed towards Lake Macdonald but first we headed up to Tinbeerwah Lookout. Getting there is via a narrow climbing road with some unsealed surface but in good condition, there is a small car park near the top and then there is a paved walkway to the top of the hill. The lookout gives great 360⁰ views of the Noosa areas.

(Lookout platform)

(This place is used for abseiling)

 (Long way down)

 (Noosa from lookout)

(Lake Macdonald from the lookout)

 

(Views from the lookout)

After the lookout we headed for Lake Macdonald and Camp Cooroora, this is a scout camp and has six powered sites that are located on a centre pole and there is lots of space for many unpowered sites. Showers and toilets are old but clean, there is a camp kitchen and a few fire places for camp fires.

The caretakers a husband and wife team are very helpful. It always amazes me that when one reads the comments on Wikicamps about places there is often some negative complaint. There was one about this place that said the management were unfriendly etc. Well they were wrong, they are a very nice couple and very friendly. I think in most cases people reap what they sew, if you approach people with an arrogant or demanding attitude you are going to find that the people are not friendly. If you are polite and friendly you usually get the same back, I know that there can be exceptions.

This camp has a few walks around it some of the Noosa tracks are nearby. There is a short walk to the dam and around the lake. There are many kayak fisherman around the lake each day and there are a lot of people that train in rowing.

(Good Aussie gate)

(Cooroora Scout Camp and camping ground at Lake Macdonald)

(Lake Macdonald from one of the walks)

(Sunset)

(This kookuburra tries to steal meet off the BBQ or your plate and is very good at it, he sat here whist I cooked outside and gave up when I put a lid on the meat but stole a sausage off a plate next door)

 (Forest walks)

 (Lake Macdold's Dam)

(Fishing platform just near the Dam wall)

(Noticed this on the walk, yep he fixed it)

We met a few people at this camp site and actually met one of our good sailing friends brother and sister-in-law, it is a small world.

We had a three night stop-over here and it was very pleasant, having sundowners or as they call it happy hour at camp sites, with our neighbours and sat around chatting at the campfire with a large bunch that were there to celebrate a mates 70th. We had an enjoyable time.

Cheers