Our Travels Across and Destinations in
Queensland
Table of Contents
N.T./Qld. border, Mount Isa,
Richmond & Charters Towers
Bilyana, Mareeba, Daintree National
Park, Cape Tribulation & Kuranda
Cairns, Kurrimine Beach, Cardwell,
Townsville & Magnetic Island
Airlie Beach, Proserpine, Hydeaway
Bay, Marlborough & Bundaberg
Coolum, Tewantin, Noosa & Brisbane
Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, The Hinterland
& off to New South Wales
N.T./Qld Border, Mount Isa, Richmond & Charters Towers.
The roads are getting rougher as we
get to Queensland and once there they are more like rolling seas than flat
roads. 
That said, they are OK once you get
used to them. Next, the sign welcoming us was not as significant as the
Northern Territory sign but we are all ready for the pleasant change that we
know is coming. Our first stop in Queensland is at Mount Isa, which is a true
mining town where everything seems to hang off the mine. We only spent the one
night there and then proceeded towards Richmond. We didn’t quite get there as
we found a roadside stop that looked quite inviting. David made a friend in,
“the camp (not gay) Emu”, who was very friendly. It was fun sleeping right on
the highway and the free facilities provided were exceptional. Up very early it
is my job to put the central heating and the hot water on so that when her
majesty rises it is all ready for her. It is quite something to have a hot
shower in your self contained caravan, roadside. On Tuesday we are off to
Charters Towers – more upydowny roads – but on the way we stopped at Richmond
to pick up some Fillet steak (cryovacced) in package sizes as requested for
$19.95 per Kg. On arrival it is found that Charters Towers is a quite quaint
town and it was decided to spend an extra day here. David took the opportunity
to have his car serviced and I purchased a new car battery as my original
equipment battery from 2002 was sounding a little sad. It was also nice to take
a leisurely look around a town with such history. Whilst in Charters Towers we
were told that it would be hard to get a booking in Cairns and that the town of
Mareeba was a great place to stay in being just 60 or so kilometers from Cairns
so it was decided that we would go there for a few days.
Bilyana, Mareeba, Daintree National
Park, Cape Tribulation & Kuranda
We left at
around 8AM and decided to stay the first night at a free camping spot
“Bilyana”. The free spots are usually very good and Bilyana is no exception.
The resident Cassowary comes through the camp at around 5:30PM and we had been
warned that they could be quite dangerous. Of course by then David & I are
sitting in front of a barbecue and had consumed quite an amount of courage – we
didn’t leave like everyone else so when it came within a metre of myself David
told it to P#ss off which it promptly did. The other campers then came back out
of their caravans to again join us. Early next morning we were off to Mareeba
Showground’s where you can for $12.00 per day enjoy a powered site. We arrived
at about drinkoclock after stopping enroute at “Milaa Milaa” for a coffee break
and a quick walk around this quaint town. Next morning it is the 7th
of July and it is decided to spend the day in the Daintree National Park. After
about an 80-kilometre drive during which we see more wetlands than we witnessed
in Kakapoo, we arrive at the Daintree Township. The Daintree Township is an
information stop with a couple of shops but probably could be left off the list
of places to visit. From there we are sent back to the turnoff for Cape
Tribulation where after a couple of kilometers you 
come across the ferry crossing. For
$18.00 you get the return ride for people and car and then it is off to the
Cape. On the way we stopped at the Discovery Centre (which we had been told not
to bother with by a fellow caravaner) and ignoring that took the “Jindalba
Walk” which leaves from the same area – It was excellent. Next it is off to the
Cape again with an ice-cream stop slotted in and this time we go all the way to
the end so that we can work our way back with a plan to get back to the ferry
by 5:30PM. The end of the road at the Cape isn’t that great (it’s OK) but on
the way back the first walk we come across “Dubuji Boardwalk” is the best we
see as it is rainforest coming out onto a tropical beach. 
All of the boardwalks are free and
are so well constructed that they can be enjoyed in any footwear and you don’t
even need any ropes (memories of Karijini haunt me). We did get back to Mareeba
in time to watch the Eagles be beaten by the Lions – What!! – and to ring Lyn
(our good friend from our Indycar adventures) to wish her a happy birthday.
Sunday is a rest day so we washed cars, caravans etc. We did manage one side
trip to visit NQ Coffee where we met Bruno’s 81-year-old side kick (Bruno is
82) that showed us around the place and sold us some great coffee. His tour was
free (normally $4.00) and was good fun – We had visited other coffee places but
they are intent on financing new factories with their tours so we didn’t bother
with them. Monday is Kuranda time so we are off at 9AM with around a 30 minute
trip to get there. It is a cute tourist town full of markets selling the stuff
that men call crap and women love to fossic through. After the girls had enough
of their treasure hunting we had a bite to eat then took a compilation of the
town walks to circumnavigate as much of the town as possible. Once again they
are beautifully constructed tracks and boardwalks. Next we drive to Barron
Falls (more impeccable walks) and then the nearby lookout where we come across
two other separate traveling couples – One couple from Stoneville and the other
couple from Lesmurdie. On the way back from Kuranda we turn off to see the
“Emerald Falls” which is down around 9Km of dirt track. On the way a young man
came around the corner reasonably quickly and managed to spray my windscreen –
two more chips. The falls were down a 1.9Km walk track and even out here the
track is constructed with concrete steps etc.
Cairns, Kurrimine Beach, Cardwell, Townsville & Magnetic Island.
On the 10th of July we
are off to our pre-booked sites in Cairns. We are booked into the “Cairns
Crystal Cascades” caravan park, which upon arrival is like it says “a piece of
paradise”. It is surrounded by mountains with lots of palm trees and due to its
location is very protected from the weather. Tennis, Barbecues, Swimming Pool
etc are all free or 
inclusive and if you care to sit in
the reception area with your laptop on a provided desk the internet is also
free. We immediately ask if we can have 7 instead of 5 days but unfortunately
it is of course booked out.
As we have
arrived so early (at around 10AM because Cairns is only 64 kilometres from
Mareeba) the day is all ours so we went straight into town after setting up.
Cairns is lovely and the scenery, tropical and as pretty as the town
(Photograph inserted – Thinking of Wayne). Wednesday and we are all off to Port
Douglas which is yet another very pretty, tropical holiday resort type town.
Everything is at its best in what is of course peak season. On the way back we
stopped at a myriad of other beautiful beaches and resort areas. Thursday is
our wedding anniversary so after the car windscreen is replaced (broken when we
were showered by rocks after a speeding young man went off the road whilst
rounding the corner we were coming the other way on – He did wave as he went
past) we drove out to Yorkeys Knob where we had lunch at the yacht club. In the
evening we went to dinner at Mangostines in Cairns, which was very nice. A
Happy Anniversary was had by both of us. Friday brings with it another perfect
day so we visited the local hydroelectric power plant then a lake and next we
were off to the “Copperload Dam”. The drive to the dam is 14 kilometres of
absolute terror for me with my fear of heights as it progresses for almost the
entire distance along the edge of a mountain with close to a sheer drop on the
edge of the road. Of course I handed the driving on this one over to Mary and
cowered in the passenger seat all the way. Between my bouts of terror I was
able to enjoy the view and appreciate the beauty of the tropical forest we were
sort of hanging out of. The dam itself is also a worthwhile stop. From there we
went into Cairns to check out an apartment for Jane and my mother as they had
booked it for a future trip to Cairns 
and they thought it would be a good
idea for us to inspect it for them. It was OK! Saturday is a lazy day but just
up the road from our caravan park is “Crystal Cascades” which is a waterfall
that very much is described by its 
name. Whilst there we discovered the
“other track” with the “warning sign” (photographed at left – note the dial
“000”) and followed it to the other waterfalls that most tourists don’t see –
very worth the effort. Sunday the 15th is our move day and Mary has
chosen “Kurrimine Beach” as our next location. On the way there we stopped at
Babinda for a coffee only to discover that there was no coffee shop open so we
tried again in Innisfail. Alas the “lollypop man” in the middle of town
informed us there was nowhere there “on a Sunday” to have a coffee. In
desperation we purchased sausage rolls from a bakery and then headed to our
destination. After setting up at our caravan park we drove around town to see
what there was to do locally. First impressions are that there is not much to
do if you don’t own a tractor? It would appear that half of the population here
own a tractor to get their boat out over the mud flats to the ocean. We left
early on Tuesday for Caldwell and stopped in at Tully on the way. Tully holds
the record for most rainfall in a year at just under 6 metres a few years back.
On arrival in Caldwell we set up at the “Top Tourist” caravan park which has
two shower blocks one of which sports a shower with one tap knob missing and
then there are the door catches which don’t line up with the door latch on the
next cubicle etc. The other shower block is OK but this is not what we had
hoped for. The town is nice though and on Wednesday we all went together on the
recommended drive. The Cardwell Lookout was worth the walk but the highlight
was “Attie Creek Falls” where after walking a distance of around 500 metres we
arrived at a swimming pond halfway down the falls. As it looked so inviting I
took a dip in the pool, where I missed out being caught in it by the next
tourists who arrived just minutes (David & Merrilyn didn’t come up to the
falls but waited at the car so it was just Mary & myself at the pool) after
my getting out. Thursday, 
Mary and I are off to Townsville
whilst David and Merrilyn are going straight to Airlie Beach. Townsville has a
2k walk along the city foreshore that we did on arrival after we were set up.
On Friday we are of to “Magnetic Island” which at $26.00 return each is
probably the cheapest island resort ferry trip we will get. The ferry is very
modern and the 30 minute trip to the island comfortable. On arrival we used our
all day bus pass, which took us to Horseshoe Bay where we took the walk to Balding
Bay (possibly the prettiest place on the island) after which we had lunch back
at the hotel at Horseshoe Bay. It was something of a solemn occasion being the
20th of the month so a text was sent and a drink toasted to WG. The
rest of the day was used bussing around the island until it was time to return
to Townsville.
Airlie Beach, Proserpine, Hydeaway Bay, Marlborough & Bundaberg.
Saturday the 21st of July
and we depart for Airlie Beach. It is a pleasant, quite scenic drive that takes
you via several small towns many of which are bypassed unless you deliberately
make an effort to go in. On arrival at our caravan park – “big 4 airlie cove
resort & caravan park” – we were welcomed by David & Merrilyn whom had
arrived two days before. They were not happy with Merrilyn exclaiming “5 out of
7 ladies toilets were without toilet paper when she had made a visit to the
ablution block”. On inspection they did look run down but what the heck we are
in a lovely location and are intending to enjoy our 5 day stay. Whoops!, I
shouldn’t have tried to use the showers as the cubicle I chose had a shower
head flopping around and squirting much like an open hose would. It doesn’t really affect us if the ablutions are poorly
as we have our own shower etc in our caravan but it is a bit sad for tourists
that don’t have the luxury style caravans that we are lucky enough to be in.
Double Whoops! Mary decided to try the
showers next morning (against my advice) and was fairly quickly back after
having a coldish shower (she had some warm water but David had earlier had just
cold water). Management would appear to spend more time handling complaints
with indifference than doing actual maintenance. How does a caravan park get 4½ stars and a “accredited tourism
business best practice √ from within the
caravan park industry”, one would have to ask or do these indicators have nothing
to do with the condition of the facilities in a caravan park? It would seem that the only accurate way of
finding out what you are heading to next is to ask a fellow traveler.
All of that aside we decided to have
a leisurely Sunday and to book a Whitsundays cruise on the catamaran “Camira”
for Tuesday. There is a boardwalk along the foreshore at Airlie Beach so we
also fitted part of that in before returning to our caravan where Mary prepared
a Turkey roast for us all to share for Dinner. Monday and we decided to take a
look at Proserpine. On arrival there and after driving around the town we
visited the Information center where we were pointed in the direction of
“Hydeaway Bay Eco Resort” as being the 
ideal lunching spot. 50 or so
kilometres later we arrived there to enjoy a lovely lunch followed by a beach
walk with an island so close to shore that you felt you could easily swim there
(if you could swim). After lunch we returned to our caravan via some shops for
an early night before having to be ready for a 7:15AM pickup for our cruise
next 
morning. The “Camira” is a $3.5M
boat that is a thrill to be on particularly with higher winds and a fair swell.
Everyone on board seemed to be enjoying themselves very much with Mary being
pleased to enjoy a snorkel at one of our stops. I on the other hand did not
leave the boat even for the beach visit but did enjoy the day. The trip
included morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, wine, beer, and all the snorkeling
equipment that was needed. Wednesday is again a more leisurely day so in the
morning Mary & I drove to Shute Harbour where we found a walk to 
Coral Beach. In the afternoon it was
decided that I should slack off whilst Mary did some shop reconnaissance.
Thursday and we leave early to make our way further south. We drove for much of
the day and eventually stopped in Marlborough where the local publican allows
campers to stay behind the hotel and use his showers and toilets for the
princely sum of $2.00 per person. We walked around the Marlborough block and
then enjoyed a couple of drinks in the hotel before retiring early. On Friday
morning we departed for Bundaberg where we arrived with the help of our GPS,
which 
is becoming invaluable in the larger
cities especially where the parks provide Latitude & Longitude. Being 
a 370k drive we took it fairly easy
stopping at some of the quainter towns on the way. On arrival we set up and
then rang Lynn (our friend of many years from the Indy carnival at the Gold
Coast) to find out where we should book on the Gold Coast and she informed us
that she was on a bus with a netball team she supports, arriving into Bundaberg
as we spoke. Of course we met that evening with her Netball crew where we
shared their barbecue. Saturday morning and we were off to the Bundaberg Rum
Distillery tour, which is excellent and culminates with the free drink of any
Bundy you would like. Mary also found time to sift through their shop for some
bargains. We then took a drive around the Bundaberg area before going to see
the latest HP movie which was a great kids movie maybe but was definitely not
for me. Sunday morning and we are off again on our relatively short drive to
Coolum Beach which is our first stop at the Sunshine Coast.
Coolum, Tewantin, Noosa and
Brisbane.
Arriving in Coolum late in the
afternoon we had time to take an extended walk to check out the area. It is a
beautiful beach which you can actually swim in. The township is a resort style
layout and the caravan park is actually fronting the beach. Merrilyn cooked a
Sunday roast for us all to share (the girls do a roast turn about on a weekly
basis) and then it was off to bed after watching the usual Sunday TV. Monday
– Surfs in at 9AM – 12 Midday the Adria
people have sent their photographer to take some pictures of the two caravans
and us for a press release that they are planning on our trip – Were going to
be famous caravaners! It is quite eventful with all of the other caravaner’s
taking an interest. Further there were the constant interruptions of arrivals
and departures. With that over we planned a dinner at the 
local surf club. Tuesday we are off
to Tewantin which is the highest point that my family were able to get to when
my 
parents took myself at 7 years old
and my sister Jane at 5 years old in 1959 on an around Australia caravan trip
with the Fawell family. As a 7 year old I caught a fish on the jetty in front
of the caravan park after sitting their for several days, the skin of this fish
which was duly posted back to my grandmother (I now have this wonderful
heirloom at home as it was given back to me when I was deemed to be fit to have
it back). We found the jetty and Mary photographed the re-enactment 48 years
later. Next whilst trying to verify the location I had identified (as even the
information people had no idea that there had been a caravan park in that
supposed location) we met a gentleman in a historic shed who was able to supply
a photograph of the park from 1966. Wednesday and it is time to move on to
Brisbane which we did driving via the Ginger Factory in Yandina that was on the
way. We had been warned not to eat there by other caravaners but the girls did
of course find things to buy there before we moved on to the coffee place and
the macadamia nut factory in the same area. Brisbane was only another 100k away
so it wasn’t long before we arrived and set up at our caravan park which was
located only 5km from the city. It was decided to drive straight into the city
to collect our mail and as luck would have it we spotted a parking sign that
said “from $3.00”. On parking we noticed the sign inside that showed that the
$3.00 was for 15 minutes so even with rushing down to collect the mail and
picking up some brochures, we had spent $10.00 for an hour. The roads in Brisbane
are twisty, uppydowny, roundabouty so it is just as well that we have our GPS
that is now lovingly known as the bitch (as she [the voice] does tend to go on
when we get it wrong). Thursday bought a lazy day where we went our separate
ways with Mary & myself visiting the Paddington antique markets which was
well worth the visit as we couldn’t really buy anything – much. 
A barbeque dinner was in order with
the plan being for us all to spend Friday in the city. With great courage I
drove all of us in to Southbank at 9:00AM when Mary was sure the traffic would
have abated. Of course it was a nightmare but with a lot of help from TomTom we
arrived safely and parked in a car park that advertised free parking if you eat
at one of the participating restaurants. Going our separate ways Mary & I
walked to the city where I picked up our mail whilst Mary looked for a bargain.
The City Loop buses looked interesting so I took a free sightseeing tour and
then somehow got myself entangled in a protest march – something to do with
Noosa and shire amalgamations. Out of there and met Mary to find an appropriate
restaurant for lunch back on the Southbank side. Dined with the Pecks then with
our parking voucher in hand we set off back into the city to take a walk along 
the river and down through the
Botanical Gardens until it was time to return to Southbank for the markets
which opened at 5:00PM where Mary hoped to find a bargain. Once back at the
caravan we went to see David & Merrilyn who had returned earlier by bus and
they now had their own TomTom. Saturday we decided to take in some Brisbane
suburbs. Sunday and we visited Laurene & Michael Hillyard (family friends
of old) who now live on Bribie Island. Bribie Island was a retiree spot that is
fast becoming a very swank up and coming area. We shared a lovely afternoon tea
with them and then proceeded from there to Redcliffe where Mary wanted to see a
“very long bridge” she had seen on the news the night before. It was on the
trip back to Brisbane from Redcliffe that we found it and yes it was a very
long bridge. A fun day was over so we proceeded back to the caravan when on the
way we received a phone call from Simon who was returning from John’s (JB)
where he had been working and he was now going to the Eagles game where he was
going to be in a corporate box (show off). Tomorrow we are off to the Gold
Coast!
Gold Coast, the Hinterland and off
to New South Wales.
The drive
from Brisbane to where we are staying at the Southport Tourist Park is an
adrenalin rush with the G.P.S. taking us on the highways and motorways through
the city before heading to the Gold Coast. After arrival/setting up we went for
a walk to the “Grand Hotel”, “Australia
Fair” and around the Southport shopping precinct which kept us busy for some 4
hours before upon our return Mary made us one of her gourmet dinners back at
the caravan. Tuesday was a take it easy day but Wednesday we all went to
Sirromet Wines to take a look as they are a sponsor of a V8 supercar and we
assumed that they must be big. The winery is very impressive but we didn’t
bother trying or buying their wines as they wanted $5 each for tasting which is
generally an indication to me that you probably won’t buy any wines so you are
pushed to pay for the samples. Next Mary & Merrilyn went for afternoon tea
at Versace (the 6 star hotel) for a cost of just $22.00 which Dave & I were
told was a bargain? Whilst the girls were there David & I went to see the
new Subaru AWD which is very smart but not up to towing our caravans due to it
having a maximum ball weight of only 100kg. On return to the caravan park we
met some neighbours and took them on a mini tour of the caravan. We have given
hundreds of these tours now as nobody seems to believe that we can tow such
large caravans with our Xtrail’s. In the evening we received an email from the
promotional company that worked for “Adria” with a copy of an article about us
attached. It was run by several newspapers around Australia. Here are three of
them for viewing providing you have an “adobe” reader installed. 
West Australian Newspapers
* Have-A-Go (you
will need to rotate this in view to read it) * The Chronicle -
Guess we are famous now! Thursday the 9th of August is Service day
so the car is to be taken to Nissan for the big 80,000 service at the bargain
price of just $740.00 including the auto gearbox oil change (ouch). Whilst the
car was being serviced we were dropped into Surfers Paradise where we felt very
much at home with our familiarity born out of our 
many visits for the Indycarnivals.
The real-estate interested us as they are still getting a 3.3% net return on 
rental units which makes our Perth
returns look a little sick. Missed out on a unit we made an offer on! Oh Well!
Friday takes us all to Mount Tamborine which is a terrific little “village
atmosphere” place. Whilst there we stopped to watch the hang gliders as this
was the place where two hang gliders were carried to 40,000 feet with one of
the pilots dying and the other surviving but suffering frostbite etc just last
year. We have been to Mount Tamborine many times before but still manage to
enjoy the place. Saturday is paperwork day for me so Mary decided to go
shopping before in the evening our meeting with Lynn (a good friend made
through the Indycarnival) to take her to a #0th birthday dinner (as
we missed her party in July). We met Lynn at our caravan and after chatting for
a time proceeded to the 3sixty restaurant at the Grand Hotel in Labrador, which
was Lynn’s choice as she had had her original party at the hotel. Everyone
enjoyed wonderful service from the staff at the restaurant along with what we
thought were excellent meals. After dinner we went back to the caravan to have
a cup of tea but whoops! I (Gary) 
lost everything YUP FOOD POISONING.
Mary rang the restaurant to warn them but was answered by an answering machine
where she left a comprehensive warning and a contact number so they could
confirm their actions. The loss of stomach contents went on until 4:00AM the next
morning by which time I was exhausted. The next day was spent recovering and
another day had to be booked to stay at Southport as I was unable to travel.
After Mary had done her fourth load of washing she by now a little annoyed rang
the restaurant to ask why she hadn’t been contacted. The manageress of the
restaurant explained that she hadn’t checked her messages yet and that she
allowed nobody else to check them. We shan’t be going back there and if we had
time we would lodge an official complaint but what the heck were of to N.S.W.
tomorrow with a bit of luck. Tuesday and life is feeling like it is creeping
back so we are all off to Brooms Head about 240 km away in N.S.W.
Last
revised: Date Saturday, December 27, 2008