30 April 2012 - Farewell Coast, hello Charters Towers

We packed up in record time and were soon excited to be again leaving the coast and heading west. While the coast is beautiful, there is something wrong with being unable to swim in it 6 months of the year due to marine stingers – namely the box jellyfish and irijandi.

We hadn’t fully decided whether to stop at Charters Towers or push on for Hughenden, but once on the road we agreed to go to Hughenden listening to 6 hours of kiddie music would be more than we could manage so we planned a stop at Charters Towers to regain our sanity.

En route we saw the start of Outback Australia again, but surprisingly, very little wildlife. We did at one point pass an old man on a horse and trap pulled by a Shetland point to which Emily shouts, “Look, there is Granddad on a Goat”. Poor girl, we laughed so hard, but she was determined the pony looked like a donkey.

We checked into a wonderful campground and for $25 a night got a spot directly opposite the bouncing pillow and swimming pool. Em and Lachie were in heaven as they hadn’t seen a bouncing pillow for some time, but, the joy was short lived when the fighting started – they didn’t want to share. Give me patience!!

We headed out for a look around town, starting with the obligatory stop at Tourist Information. The kids were a disgrace screaming and throwing themselves around the room, so the afternoon was looking a little scary. Not to be outdone by the kids and retreat to the tent we set off on a walking tour of the town once called “the World”.

We visited the Town Hall, Stock Exchange, before getting lost with Nick not up to his usual map reading standard – apparently the map was rubbish. Anyway, with the heat splitting the stones, we took refuge in the library where the kids were thrilled. There was a monster bucket of trucks, which Lachie emptied and drove around the floor of the kiddie area and we read a few books on dinosaurs to get them ready for the Dinosaur trail ahead.

Having pottered around further and failing to get them to sleep we packed them back into the car and headed for the Hill.  This was where the town was born:

“…. in the 1870s when gold was discovered by chance at Towers Hill on Christmas Eve 1871 by 12-year-old Aboriginal boy, Jupiter Mossman. Jupiter was with a small group of prospectors including Hugh Mosman, James Fraser and George Clarke. Their horses bolted after a flash of lightning. While he was searching Jupiter found both the horses and a nugget of gold in a creek at the base of Towers Hill”

We travelled to the top of the hill to the lookout and to absorb some of the history. At night they run “ghost tours” from here which we would love to have done except that Em and Lachie would be too much to bear this time of night. Thankfully they passed out in the car, so we had some peace to explore and check out some of the WW2 bunkers scattered around the hill.

As expected the kids were too nuts to take them back to the Hill that night, so we enjoyed a quiet one at the campsite.

29 April 2012 - Day trip to Magnetic Island

After a not so brilliant run to kick off the day, we headed for the ferry to Magnetic Island. We grabbed a coffee en route thinking this would be badly needed to keep us going for a full day of fun and frolics on the Island.

The Island crossing was beautiful, and at only half an hour, just long enough to keep the kids attention as they looked for marine life off the side of the boat. When we got to the Island Lachie was in heaven to know we were getting a bus to do the Forts walk, close to . Depending on the brochure we read, the walk varied in length from 2.8 to 4.2 km – obviously we hoped for the shorter one and the bus dropped us at the start point, half way to nowhere.

The walk was great, though it was definitely closer to 4km and the last kilometer was up and down pretty steep steps to the bunkers and lookups at the top of the Island. The kids managed it, Em no probs, and Lachie with the obligatory tumbles, but we enjoyed a picnic before heading back down to the “main road”. Whilst there are apparently koalas along the way, we saw none, but no surprises the noise we were making.

On finally getting to our bus stop we realized the next bus in our direction was an hour and 20 mins, so we waited half and hour and headed back to the other side of the Island – Picnic Bay. Both kids passed out briefly on the bus, and Lachie slept on myself and then the grass for a further hour and half when we got there only waking when Nick got icecreams for all but him. He ate mine of course.

Nick and Em went swimming in the swimming enclosure as it is still stinger season, and then Em and myself went looking for crabs and instead found a shipwreck poking out of the water – only visible at low tide. She was thrilled!

A quiet evening at the campsite before yet another move tomorrow – yawn…..

28 April 2012 - Onward to Townsville, as "north" as we go!

Rain and black skies were by now well established and we packed up in the rain. Memories of Victoria and the cold came flooding back as we headed north to Townsville our last stop before turning around and heading South again and back to Winter.

After setting up camp we decided to risk it for a night without the annex and hope the flies weren’t too bad. It certainly made the setting up a little easier. Em and Lachie located a play ground not far from our tent so they were happy to play driving buses and boats for once. Joy.

We headed for a look around town and Townsville struck as a bright clean city with some great facilities. First stop was the free water park on the Strand and the kids had a ball.

Then onward to Castle Hill, a rock hill in the centre of town. We drove up, amazed by the number of people walking, running and generally keeping fit on this monster of a climb. Definitely glad we drove. We took an hour or so to do the walks around the hill and admire the 360 views of the city, right out to the Islands.

We made the mistake of leaving before sunset and as we pulled into our campsite I saw the most amazing red sunset sky – it was stunning, but I bet a lot better from the top of the hill. Next time!

27 April 2012 - A day on the Reef

Nick, Em and Lachie bought me a gift today - a day out and a day off from them all. I was dropped at the tour terminal bright and early to spend the day on the Outer Barrier Reef at a place called Knuckle Reef, 95km off the coast of Airlie Beach!

After a 3 hours very rocky ride we arrived at the Knuckle Reef – our piece of paradise for the afternoon. I snorkeled for a couple of hours which was stunning, went for a ride on a “submarine”, and enjoyed the peace – far from anyone I knew.

Three hours more of a rocky hell on the way home and I was glad the kids and Nick were not with me.

26 April 2012 - A grey day in Airlie Beach

Spent the morning catching up on shopping as it had been a while since we were in civilization, close to anywhere decent shops. Then onward to Shute Harbour to have a look around. It being a very grey day this was really not so appealling, but at least we got a little peace from the kids who passed out en route.

We headed to the beach to look for crabs in the arvo, something to keep us busy as it is still stinger season. Kids were thrilled to report heaps of crabs and Em even got bitten by one and in the panic it lost its claw and left it embedded in her finger. Lots of tears later she calmed down when we explained that this was really a very lucky thing and that she would have to get a lotto ticket as it is not everyday you win the battle of the crabs.

Then off to the pub for a beer while the kids danced on stage and kept us well entertained. The lemonade went straight to Lachies head as usual so he busied himself dancing like noone was watching.

Pity about the grey skies, but hey, you just can't pick the weather.

25 April 2012 - Arlie Beach for ANZACs Day

We headed to the beach first thing in search of solider crabs but had to settle for one. The kangaroos had finished up and headed onward, but not to worry, they were back at the campsite.

After packing we headed for a swim at the lagoon pool and the kids were in absolute heaven. We got our obligatory bumper sticker to say we were here and headed north to Airlie Beach – a relatively short drive.

As usual on arrival the kids were kids, hot, hungry and feral and all war broke lose. They seem to have this timing of losing the plot down pat and whenever we need to get something done, like set up camp in 27 degree sweltering heat, they play up.

Having set up and fed them, I headed along the boardwalk – Bicentennial Walkway – into Airlie Beach past the marina. The plan was to get the kids a little time out and sleep and give Nick a break, but Em of course fought it all the way and I gave up on her.

The walk was stunning and on arrival we found the Airlie Beach lagoon and play area – Kiddie Heaven I reckon. We did some shopping and called Nick to come bring the swim gear and save me the 2.9km walk home. Again the swim was heaven after a busy day and kids think the pool is even better than the one from yesterday.  Town was heaving it being ANZAC Day, but we were not in the mood for 2 Up at the pub – rather get the kids dinner and bed and enjoy a long awaiting sav blanc. Bliss, it has been a week or so since our last white wine…..

24 April 2012 - Eungella and platypus

An early start for the day, 5.30am to go down and see the sunrise over the beach and the possibility of kangaroos. The sunrise was a certainty but not necessarily the kangaroos.

We were in luck, there was a mob of wallabies near the low tide mark eating something. I was curious as to what they were eating and it turned out to be mangrove seed pods washed in on the tide. Clare stayed for photos while the kiddies and I headed down the beach to look for 'sand dollars'. These are flat, round, urchin type creatures about the size of a 10c piece. There were plenty of live ones about but we were looking for the dead ones that have dried out so we can use them as coins in shop playing. We managed to find a good haul by the time we got to the end of the beach.

A couple of young kangaroos came over in hope of getting some food. We followed the message posted at the campsite saying 'A bread fed roo is a dead roo' and politely told them to go away. They were a bit reluctant to leave us alone but eventually hopped off to look for richer pickings back down the beach.

We had decided to spend today at Eungella (pronounced 'youngella') National Park in the hope of seeing that most elusive of Aussie animals, the platypus. Given our lack of success back in Forrest, we hoped that Eungella would yield success. We had heard several reports from people who had seen platypus in the middle of day at Broken River, outside the usual viewing times of dawn an dusk.

We arrived at Broken River around 11.30am and headed to the viewing platform just upstream from the bridge. Initially there were only a few turtles hanging around but after about 10 mins a platypus popped out on the far side of the river. We were both excited and relieved that we did not have to stick around until dusk for a viewing! Another one popped out shortly after and we spent about half an hour watching them swim around. 

This had made our trip worthwhile but we decided to squeeze in a bushwalk at Finch Hatton Gorge as well. We walked to the Araluen Cascades and after dangling our feet in the water and attempting to catch tadpoles, headed back to the car. It took about 1.5 hrs to get back to camp. After a quick dinner we got the kiddies into bed and after what had been a tiring day, jumped into bed ourselves. All of us were sound asleep before 8pm!

23 April 2012 - Cape to Cape

While we had considered staying on another day in Cape Patterson, with too much still to see before we head inland we packed our bags and headed inland. The debris from the night before (dead crickets) were evident all around the slab with lots of feasting ants to keep the kids entertained.

We headed to Cape Hillsborough and what a wonderful part of the world it is. The campsite itself was about 5 metres from the short walkway to the beach and had this been Sydney would have been sold as “uninterrupted harbour views”. As it was we could see the water, but a few trees blocked our view – had this not been National park they would indeed have been chain-sawed to the ground.

The kids collected a few coconuts as we set up camp, and then it was Nicks turn to treat us all to some coconut, fresh from the trees. It was quite an effort to get to the milk and the kids were not at all impressed. Then for the flesh and it was spat out pretty quick. Nick reckoned it was a dud and said he would try later to get us “a good ‘un”.

Nick took the kids off to check out a campsite at a nearby National Park and I got a bit of peace of and quiet thank crap. On their return we checked out the pool – which had a mushroom and caterpillar water feature in a lagoon style pool and they were delira.  Lachie is really getting into his swimming and jumping from the edge and for once demands Daddy and Daddy lets him submerged for longer – Cool!!

While there were kangaroos hanging about the campsite, we heard that they frequented the beach around sunrise and sunset someimtes, so we went to the beach to look for kangaroos before sunset but settled for crabs and sand dollars, and then enjoyed a bbq dinner. After dinner the possums visited our tent and prowled around boldly looking for food – everything was getting locked up tight for sure.

An early night for all as we planned to get up at sunrise to see if the kangaroos were at the beach or the soldier crabs out. Lets hope!

22 April 2012 - Peace at Cape Palmerston

We packed up and left the Causeway and the Yepoon area and again began our trek north. We had spotted what looked like an interesting campground at Cape Hillsborough north of Mackay, but it looked a bit too far to drive in one day so we settled on stopping at a little coastal park south of Mackay near Cape Palmerston National Park. The Park looked great, but unfortunately you need a 4WD to do much there so again we are a little stumped.

So we got to this new campground and the owner just said to pick our site. Having only been open for 6 months there wasn’t much shade, but he reckoned there weren’t too many mozzies, so I was sold on the place. We opted not to put the annex up and try a night under the stars…..and then we realized there was no camp kitchen, so cooking should be fun later on.

We headed to the beach, 100m walk through mangroves from the campsite. The mozzies were ferocious there and Lache had 3 on his hat before I roared to run – and that was covered in repellent. Thankfully the beach was fine.

Nick and Em headed for a swim which no joke must have been a kilometer walk the tide was so far out. I stayed with Lachie at a rock pool collecting hermit crabs and helping him chase and try to catch shrimp very unsuccessfully. I got talking to a couple out for a walk on the beach when I heard Lachie screaming hysterically. I raced for him only to see an army of soldier crabs running down the beach away from him – the poor boy was petrified, and I wouldn’t blame him. These crabs are pretty big and a group of them that size would terrify the best of us. I was dying to grab a happy snap, but the closer I got the louder he shouted and with him in my arms clinging for dear life it wasn’t easy. What an amazing sight!!

When Nick and Em returned we tried to located another army, but no luck so we headed to a nearby rockpool to catch more fish and play jumping off rocks. In the end the kids had to be coerced off the beach as I was beginning to freak about getting home via the mangroves and cooking dinner outdoors….

We survived the mangroves, but a large number of crickets got fried or boiled with our dinner. The kids were in the tent while we cooked, but we let them out eventually to chase crickets and look at a huge spider that was disentangling a cooked cricket Nick has thrown in his web. All was going swimmingly until Lachie got pinched/biten/stung by a cricket and went nuts. Only Lachie – the poor boy is cursed.

We had a good chat with the owner of this place about how/why/etc he embarked on opening a campsite and it was quite enlightening. Sounds like a lot of money, work and huge investment before you see much return and I am thinking at $25 a night it may not payback in his lifetime.

After watching a few shooting stars I had had enough of the crickets and it was time for bed. 

21 April 2012 - Great Kepple Island - A visit to the Reef

We were up bright an early to pack our bags and head for the ferry to Great Kepple Island. Em and Lachie were hyper at the thought of a boat trip and not only that but a “glass bottom” boat trip. Heaven.

After having what must be one of the worlds worst coffees at the ferry terminal, we headed off to the Island. It was sweltering early and thankfully we got shaded seats on the boat. We had morning tea on board before the ferry landed “on the beach” and we hopped off and onto the boat for our glass bottom trip.

The glass bottom cruise lasted an hour and took us out to see the coral reef at a nearby island, along with some fish, turtles and other sea creatures. Em and Lachie as always were not too patient, and were demanding fish as soon as we were on the boat – it took some time to find them. When they did make an appearance the kids were chuffed and we were somewhat relieved as they had started asking when could they get off the boat and go to the beach. The cruise was interesting enough, but I had expected we would see lots more coloured critters of the sea, but it was not meant to be.

We were dropped off back at the beach, and once we found a few coconut trees to shelter under we headed for a swim. The water was pure bliss, absolute heaven. Nick headed off for a snorkel and left us to it.

Nick came back a while later having spotted a few sting rays, turtles and other fish and feeling sea sick. So now my turn, But with thoughts of Steve Irwin being struck through the heart by a sting ray I panicked snorkeling over rocks when I thought I saw one and headed for shore.

After another swim it was off to the pub for an icecream and a beer - $8 for a Coopers Pale Ale! And off for another quick dip as the kids ran down the beach towards our awaiting ferry. What a fabulous day and we couldn’t believe it went so fast and the kids survived the 9:15 – 4:30 outting. Em did crash out on the boat, Lachie didn’t, afraid as always that he would miss something.

Thankfully when we got back the Lion King was enough to entertain the kids so we had a little quiet time before dinner and bed.

20 April 2012 - A Visit to Coorona Crocodile Farm

After a morning of avoiding mossie bites  as the kids cycled the park and I called childcare centres, we packed up and headed to the local crocodile farm Coorona to meet some salt water beasts. The jury was out on what to expect, but it was a great day.

After a short talk on the history of the park and hearing about what they do, we got to see a baby crocodile egg hatch. They brought the egg to the table Em and Lachie were at so they had a birds eye view, but my camera went on strike (very frustratingly) and with Lachie squirming excitedly on my lap I managed zero photos of the “birth”. The little hatchling came out feisty as anything with such sharp teeth – easy to see why these guys are kings of the waterways. The kids were in absolute awe of its teeth and got to hold bits of the egg.

We went on a tour of the farm to see some of the big boys of the croc world and got to see a few of the big boys of the croc farm. The kids loved this again, and man would you want to supervise the kids or they could just lose a few fingers, or an arm – if lucky!

We then got to hold a little crocodile. They called the kids up early for “a shot”, and while both were nervous and shy with all the people they were proud as punch to hold the little critters.

Having failed to get the kids to sleep after their morning out, we headed to Emu Park to check out the monument the “Singing Sail”. A tribute to Cook, this is supposed to sing in the wind – well we were a smidgen disappointed as it failed to deliver any sound.

A shopping trip to get new sandals for Lachie nearly drove us over the edge as he lay on the floor in the shop screaming like someone totally demented. New shoes, change, that boy has issues. We bought them anyway having only managed to get one on his feet and ran from the store before we were barred.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the pool at the campground which was beautiful, but where the mossies came out to bite it was time to pack up and run for cover and call it a day.

19 April 2012 - Crazy Lady Pack-Up-And-Move Day at the Causeway

TBC

18 April 2012 - Mt Morgan and onto Yeppoon

The tour bus picked us  from the main street of Mount Morgan at 10.30am.  The first part of the trip was around the town, finding out much of the local history. The number of houses in the town has reduced from thousands to hundreds with the mine shutting down in the late 1980's. Many of the miners simply packed up their house ie. contents and the house itself (in true QLD style) and relocated  Rockhampton. Mount Morgan is also the home of the first Australian serviceman to be killed in overseas conflict, Trooper Victor Jones, killed in the Boer War. 

After taking in the town, we then headed up to the mine site. The mine is now just a large hole in the ground, full of water and pretty much a wasteland. Much of the land and water is an environmental hazard due to chemicals leaching into the soil. One of the major toxins is arsenic, which was used in the process to extract gold from the rock. The office on site held some fossils and plaster casts of the dinosaur footprints that we were unable to see.

The tour of the site was very interesting and concluded with a hunt for fools gold at the site lookout. Emily was quite selective and good at picking out some, nice fools gold while Lachie simply filled his bag with rocks.

After some lunch and a coffee, we jumped back into the car and headed off to Yeppoon, our next stop.

17 April 2012 - Onto Mt Morgan

We contemplated staying on another day in Cania Gorge as the place was so nice but instead decided to keep moving onto Mt Morgan.

Mt Morgan is an old gold and copper mine. There are also dinosaur footprints that can be seen in the old clay pits, dug to make bricks for the coal mine. We had left Cania Gorge quite early, so we tried to get onto an afternoon tour of the mine. The afternoon tours were not running and we also found out that the old clay pits were closed due to rain damage. This was a disappointing find but we decided to stay in Mt Morgan for the night and do the tour the next day, as we had heard good reports about it.

We set up camp next door to a couple from Melbourne, Julian and Susie who are on a '12-24 month' trek around Australia with their kids Amber and Zara. Em and Lachie finally had someone to play with so they had a great evening together and late to bed. Julian had some tour guide work lined up but was also on the hunt for gold with his detector, gold pans and sieves. They did not seem in too much of a rush to get around Oz!

16 April 2012 - Around Cania Gorge

First item on the list today was to fry the eggs Em and Lachie collected the previous afternoon and eat them up for breakfast - yum, yum.

We then set off for a bushwalk. With some advice from the people at the campsite, we headed off to see 'Dripping Rock' and 'The Overhang' in the national park. The walk was only 3.2km return but at the limit for the kiddies, particularly as it was quite steep in some parts. The walk took us through some temperate rainforest and we had fun spotting butterflies, centipedes and lizards. Lachie was a champ and walked almost the whole way, only requiring carrying up a couple of steep sections.

After the walk, we headed off to visit Cania Dam, at the head of the gorge. We went to the lookout and then down to look at the spillway. Water had been flowing over the spillway until very recently, for the first time in the dams history. On the way to the spillway we spotted a tortoise heading off for a stroll and this kept us amused for a bit.

In the afternoon we headed back and stayed around the camp site. The park was one of the better places we have stayed, lovely grounds surrounded by cliffs. At 4 pm, they feed the local birds, dominated by lorikeets, and this was great fun. Every evening there is a camp fire, so we wrapped our potatoes in foil and roasted them on the coals for a change.

15 April 2012 - Cania Gorge

Time to pack up from 1770 and head inland. Before heading off, I took great delight in throwing the previous night's leftovers from a group of backpackers, pots, pans, plates included into the bin.  They had left everything lying around in the communal camp kitchen, making a right old mess. This was the same group I told to shut up and go to bed the previous night as they were making a racket way after our bed time - bah humbug!

Today's destination was Cania Gorge, roughly 3 hours inland. Upon reaching the road between Gladstone and  Monto, there was a sign saying 'Road Ahead is unsuitable for caravans and trailers due to steep sections'. This was a little off putting as we would be unable to get through without a long detour. We drove about 8km to a small town called Ubobo, where I called into the local shop and asked if the road was in fact so steep or if the signs were overkill. The shop owner said that the, signs were targeted at 'dickheads driving a Datsun 120Y towing a 40 foot caravan'. He then proceeded to tell me about the various feats people had accomplished in getting across the mountain, including his own expedition with an HQ Holden and a 3 tonne unbraked trailer - interesting. Based on that wealth of local knowledge we decided to tackle the mountain ourselves and while it was very steep, it was nothing like the 'Wall of Death' we experienced on Wild Dog Creek Road between Apollo Bay and Forrest, earlier in our travels.

We arrived at the Cania Gorge Campsite around lunchtime and set up camp. The campsite is in a fantastic spot, surrounded by sandstone cliffs. The place is well maintained and everyone very friendly, possibly another unexpected gem on our trip. On arrival, the owners were collecting the eggs from their chooks, so Em and Lachie ventured in and were lucky enough to get an egg each. 

14 April 2012 - No Fish in 1770

We woke to pouring rain and grey skies and deciding not to let the weather get to us, put on our swimmers, grabbed the fishing gear and headed to the beach. We checked out the beaches at Agnes Waters, but both were a little wild and more surf beaches, so we returned to 1770 and headed for the beach across the road from the beach.

The kids were more interested in crabs and rocks so Nick got some peace and quiet to go fishing. We succeeded in finding some crabs and a yabbie so the kids were thrilled, but unfortunately the rocks on the beach were covered in old oyster shells and treaturous. Having had both kids cut on them I decided to retreat to the sand, so Lachie did some fishing with Nick, while Em watched the huge sand crabs run down the beach and run for cover when she chased them screaming.

“Quiet Time” was again a nightmare and eventually we gave up and decided to head off to walk out to Bustard Head. We headed complete with bottle of wine and glasses so that if it was a fab spot we could chill out and wait for the sunset. As it turned out there was a wedding at the point and the wedding party had commandeered the viewing platform for the wedding. Sigh. Anyway, we popped out and were surprised that it wasn’t the best view in the world and infact the wedding party were welcome to it. We settled for our glass of wine on the way back while the kids ran amuck collecting stones and seed pods – a new fixation of theirs.

The sunset was stunning but we missed it as we headed back for an early dinner with the kids. They were cream-crackered and we needed peace. But alas the peace was not to be had as a group of backpackers moved into the nearby camp kitchen and proceeded to make ridiculous amounts of noise. Nick rudely evicted them at 10pm – God, we are indeed getting old!

13 April 2012 - 1770

This morning we headed down to the beach along an 800m track from the camp site. The beach was very wild and exposed so we stuck to building sand castles.

Later in the morning we headed down to the town of 1770, so named after a visit from Captain Cook during his first tour of the South Pacific. Apparently he was observed by the local aborigines during his time on land but he did not see them. They commented later that the tall leader, Cook, seemed very knowledgable as he was looking at edible plants such as figs and bush plum trees. They were less impressed that the smaller leader, Joseph Banks,  who was looking at all sorts of plants that were useless for food or medicine. This is quite ironic given that Banks was the expedition's botanist!

In the afternoon we tried a bit of fishing but were rained out so went for a beer at the pub and home for dinner. A bit of excitement followed in the evening when a bird flew into the annex of the tent and had to be chased out.

12 April - Town of 1770

Time to pack up and bid farewell to Hervey Bay. Nick kicked the day off with another run, I got the kids up and started the pack. As per usual WW3 broke out when the packing commenced, with Em and Lachie tearing each other apart over the green truck Christine and Grandad got for Lachie.

We paid one last trip to the beach to race up and down the sand with the truck and look for hermit crabs and starfish. Unfortunately the tide was too far in so no luck. Em has started asking questions about why the tide goes in and out….time to google me thinks.

After picking up our obligatory trailer sticker of Hervey Bay we headed towards 1770. We travelled via Childers, home to the Backpacker fire that killed 15 backpackers back in 2000. We did a brief coffee stop, got a few marshmallows for the kids and kept on going.

A few hours later and hurrah, we are back on the coast at a spot called 1770, with the town of Agnes Waters just down the road. This was the first landing spot of Captain Cook in Queensland in 1770 (surprise), and hence the cool town name. It has been labeled “the new Noosa”, but being a little harder to get to get to.

Our new camp ground is fabulous – compared to that of Hervey Bay. It is a bush setting, about 1km outside 1770, and is quiet. We decided to trial the annex without walls which went well until half way through dinner when it started to bucket rain. Dinner was ditched in the panic of getting the annex walls up and the rain continued….sigh, here’s hoping for a dry night.

Nick spotted and squashed a couple of cane toads so we are well are truly hitting their territory now. Yucks –will have to watch my step at night and remember to always wear havvies!

11 April 2012 - Maryborough

We drove to Maryborough today for a look around. We managed to join the free guided walking tour that leaves the front of the town hall at 9am. The tour was excellent and  Maryborough was much more interesting than either of us expected it to be. During the late 1800's, it was a major immigration port for Australia. The city was also lucky enough to have a great number of benefactors over the years who have contributed to the architecture. We were unaware of the city's connection to Mary Poppins, the author Pamela Travers (P. L Travers) was born there in 1899. Will put Maryborough down as one of the surprise packets of the tour!

In the afternoon we visited Hervey Bay's free water park, established by Wide Bay water to raise awareness of water issues. Not sure too many people who visit care too much about water issues as they are having too much fun on the slides.

10 April - A Look around Hervey Bay

Nick braved a run this morning while I got the kids fed and popped a few kilometers up the coast to meet Rod for breakfast. Christine has wisely opted for a sleep in and some time out. WW3 started soon after I took the kids on the bike track on the esplanade as Em attached Lachie with one serious scrawl (yes, drew blood) as he was singing “Na na na nan a, I’m faster than you…..” as he tried to cruise past her on the bike. Suffice it to say I had enough and retreated to the coffee shop for a large cappuccino.

We all hit the beach for a swim, and then back to the playground for some fun until Christine caught up and then we all headed out to the Marina. We saw plenty of fish, had a walk and then coffees before it was time to bid farewell to Rod and Christine. Em bawled crying – she had had such a great time with them this last week she just didn’t want them to leave. They left and she clung to Daddy crying….aww….there is a first for everything.

We actually managed to get both kids to sleep in the tent for a couple of hours, so I finally finished my resume and managed a walk in peace before Em was up, ready to hit the beach. She was so thrilled to go without Lachie, and even happier to take his truck. Like yesterday we collected heaps of starfish and a few hermit crabs before finding a toad fish in a shallow pool, caught by the receding tide. Em was in fish heaven as we caught him and put him in the truck with the starfish.

Nick and Lachie soon joined us and it didn’t take Lachie long to reclaim his truck. The 2 had a ball swapping the truck for the toad fish – named “Teddy Bear” – as they ran up and down the beach until sunset. They also managed to befriend some people who has a suction gun for pulling yabbies’ out of the sand so we had lots of fun spotting and grabbing these little beasts.

They watched Happy Feet while Nick bbq’d some whiting fillets purchased today. Bliss. And Night #2 of the kids going to bed and not even talking not to mention singing – they were truly shattered. Hurrah!!!!

9 April Hervey Bay - Back in the Tent again

We packed up and after being fed another wonderful breakfast by Christine, we finally go on the road and left Murgon. The kids were sad to bid farewell to Henry the cat and the Rocking Horse – named Sherry Loveheart  - but knowing that we would see Grandad and Christine later in the day cheered them up.

We got to our new campsite incident free, but looks like we are camping beside a tinkers camp.  The tents are nearly on top of one another and it appears there are a few serial smokers and drinkers next door, so it will be interesting to see how we over night.

The kids were back to their old selves fighting like cat and dog while we put the tent up. No bouncing castles here, so suppose it was to be expected. Then straight to the beach – about 20 meter from the tent – to cool off with a swim. The beach was a little seaweedy and water brown, so myself and Nick refrained while the kids went in.

They were in starfish heaven as the beach had “millions” to quote Lachie. There were also hermit crabs, so plenty to keep them entertained and filling their buckets.

Rod and Christine arrived shortly afterwards and while we had intended to go fish at Urangan Pier, it got too late, so we opted for a walk followed by a Chinese feast. Thanks Rod, it was wonderful. Of course the evening could not be complete without Em spilling greasy food on me and Lachie smashing a glass and going bananas…..yes, I think that is largely why we don’t go to restaurants too often these days.

Nick purchased ear plugs and good job for him as the knackers next door, are not only chain smokers and drinkers, they snore too. Sigh!

8 April - An Easter Feast

The long awaited day arrived when the Easter Kangaroo dropped off a few eggs at Murgon (again) and the kids were ready and waiting to go searching soon as they had eaten their breakfasts and allowed out of the house. Anyway, they were both thrilled with what they found and stuffed their faces soon after. Yums, this is what Easter is all about. Interestingly Lachie call it the “Uder kangaroo” and “Uder Eggs” so not sure what is going on there.

After an early trip to the markets in Murgon with Christine and Rosalind, Christine and myself planted some bushes in her garden while Nick helped Rod with a few odds and ends.

Ian and Rosalind left, and Christine rolled out the Easter Feast. We started with prawns and Oysters and a wonderful salad, with some lovely local Verdolho on the side, and went on to a full lamb rack roast feast. I haven’t eaten so much in a long time – Christine, you have spoilt us rotten.

The kids said farewell to the frogs. She got a major shock when she tried to pick up a rather large green frog and it squirted something at her – wee and poo apparently. She now says “frogs are DISGUSTING, I will never touch one again”. Within half an house this had changed to “frogs are DISGUSTING, I will never pick up a large fat green one again”. Hmm…..

5 - 7 April - Murgon with Rod and Christine

Finally the day the kids had awaited with such anticipation arrived. Since we left Smiths Lake all they wanted was to get to Granddad and Christines, and they were so disappointed with our stops at South West Rocks and Byron along the way. Finally we were here!

I hadn't realised until on the road there that Christine had other friends staying over Easter also, otherwise we would have rescheduled, but as it turned out it worked perfectly as we got to stay in the house with Christine and Rod again. We will have to book early for next year at the "guest house".

The kids were absolutely ecstatic to see the rocking horse in the living room. Christine had purchased an amazing wooden horse which was to provide hours of enjoyment, and just a few fights over the coming days. It was named Sherry Loveheart after the horse at the farm. This proved to be only the first in a series of surprises for them. Em got a beautiful new pink princess dress complete with tiara and earrings - she was over the moon, and Lachie got a truck which I think is up there with the best presents ever - he is hooked. Lots more treats followed but these were the favs by far!

Luckily Christines friends did not arrive on the 5th, so we got lots of attention and the kids were thrilled. They love collecting the eggs from the chooks, playing with Tex and Henry, feeding the guinea pigs and the best of all was the cane toad hunt at night where Grandad slayed (with a knife, or life as Lachie calls it) any toads found on the property. We are hoping there are a few green frogs left and they haven't all be scared off by the over enthusiatic kids.

Emily, mentally scared from the tractors rides last year (or lack thereof as Lachie refused to give up the tractor) was first in line this year and thrilled to let Lachie watch her drive about from the ground. He got his shot eventually, and Em was delighted to get to ride the mower with Grandad too. I was totally dissed for him, but should be thrilled with this.

Christines friends Ian and Rosalind arrived the next morning and the feasting continued. After being spoilt with a fabulous roast on night one, we had a delicious bbq on night 2..... Great to be fed like the royalty we are not. Poor Christine didn't get much rest, but hey, we all had a ball.

Nick managed a few runs and a ride or 2, I was a little less enthusiastic and only managed one ride. The scenery around Murgon is just so beautiful at the moment after all the rain, but fine dining did not bide well for keeping fit.

We had a wonderful afternoon at the Dam where we enjoyed a lovely lunch and headed to the Dusty Hill vineyard for a great burger. We were not to relax for long as Lachie fell in the dam while trying to reach some little fish, and I had to jump in after him - waist deep. Not a particularly good look, but I am sure it provided entertainment for those enjoying their lunch or tasting wine. Lachie was a little traumatised and it was a wake up call as to just how quickly these things happen. All ended well, so lessons learnt - though I am not convinced he wont do this again.

We enjoyed seeing the full moon rise and a fine wine at "the guest house" and then returned for a relaxing evening at Rod and Christines. I think by now we have all eaten about as much as we can....but then with Easter on the way, why stop now.

1- 4 April Too Old for Byron Bay

I never thought I would see the day that I felt too old for this beautiful place, but rocking up to a campsite full of dope smoking backpackers pretty much had that effect on us. Having left the mostly tranquil setting of South West Rocks for the backpackers and traffic jams of Byron was quite a shock. We were just glad we were only there for 3 days and getting out before the Blues Festival madness set in at Easter.

We headed to Benongil Beach as soon as our tent was up for a run in the sand before sunset. With shorter days we are desperate to tire the kids out before they get in the tent at night. This pretty much did the job, though dragging them from the beach as it got dark was not so easy.

While our campsite was a dive, the kids were thrilled with the campsite. It had ducks, bush turkeys and roads to ride their bikes - bliss for them.

We took a drive to the lighthouse, but they were not too interested so we left it and I said I would head back for sunrise the next day. With Cape Byron being the most easterly point in Australia, this is recommended as "the place to see the sun rise first". I had planned to take the kids, but they were so shattered we left them behind. The sunrise was good to see, but not the most beautiful I have seen.

Most of our time here was spent on the beaches - Watego to collect perriwinkles, Caseys to swim and Benongil of course for the surf. The currents were very strong and not the best place for the kiddies, and i was somewhat paranoid there having been 2 Indian tourists drowned there the afternoon we arrived. We also managed a swim at the campsite pool - probably the once plus of where we stayed.

Not sure why I feel Byron has lost the magic it once had - perhaps we have just outgrown it, or seen too many more beautiful spots on our travels of late.