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| Gav at Hydaway Bay |
Well it has been awhile since I last wrote... and we have travelled a long way, 1114km to be exact, from Townsville to Hervey Bay. I will break it into two blogs, so that this one doesn't get too long. After we left Townsville we headed south on the Bruce Highway towards Ayr where we had lunch at a lovely little beach near Alva. Although there looked like a few spots to camp we decided to keep on going towards Bowen. Here we stopped for the token photo at the giant Mango and had a bit of a melt down at the lack of free camps in the area. We spoke to the information centre and they said that although it wasn’t free, there was a nice caravan park in the wilderness at Hydaway Bay around half an hour drive from Airlie Beach.
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| Hydaway Bay Whitsundays |
When we arrived at Hydaway Bay we decided that this was a place we could stay for a few days. There was a beautiful little park with kangaroos, lots of different birds, possums... lots of night visitors, and a magnificent bay right in the Whitsundays. Over the next few days we explored the area and went snorkeling and reef walking where we saw wonderful, colourful coral and fish. After such a rushed journey up north it was nice to finally slow down and relax, and the weather was beautiful. We did a day trip to Airlie Beach and wandered around amidst the backpackers - it reminded me of Thailand and staying on the islands, very touristy and focused on the backpackers, but lots of fun. We went to Conway Beach and did a small bush walk to Cedar Creek Falls and saw some turtles swimming, while Gav chased after some goannas who raced out of his reach! Went to Dingo Beach just south of Hydaway Bay and spent the day swimming and sun baking. It was a nice 5 days of relaxation but after awhile we got itchy feet so we headed on.
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| Gav and his Rainbow Lorikeet friends |
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| Hydaway Bay |
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| Eungella, view towards Pioneer Valley |
Drove onwards and stopped in at Midge Point which was a lovely little park for lunch. We looked in the camps book and decided to stop in at Cape Hillsborough, Smalleys Beach. After a long day of driving we pulled up and started setting up. Unfortunately we started setting up before I read the signs, which said that it was an e-camping site and you needed to pre-book. We rang the hotline, but the campsite was apparently booked out because it was a long weekend. We have since learnt our lesson and always pre-book wherever we go. However, at the time we had to pack up again and set off trying to find a camp before dark. This turned out to be the longest day of our lives! We headed west to go towards Eungella National Park about 50km west of Mackay. The road drove through a large valley and then we were faced with the largest mountain climb we have ever seen - the road twisted up the mountain with cattle grids and was so steep that we had to go the whole was in 1st! At the top of the mountain we pulled off into a caravan park which had the most magnificent view of the valley, it was like being in the clouds for the night. There were these little fireflies that flew around and light up the sky, really magical place. The next day we did a few rainforest walks, taking in the view. We also went platypus watching but unfortunately we were at the wrong time and they were all in hiding. On we pressed, and we spent the next day and night at Eungella Dam, which was filled with water skiers and boats. It was a free night, so we couldn’t complain.
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| Myself at Eungella |
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| The road up to Eungella - so steep! |
We visited Finch Hatton Gorge on the way down the Pioneer Valley, and what a beautiful place it was. We had a lovely walk through rainforest to Araluen Falls and then dove in to icy cold but very refreshing water. Some locals were jumping from the 7m high sides but we just took it easy as there were a lot of rocks in the water. On we drove and headed to Mackay, which was a laugh. As soon as you enter the shire, there are billboards with tradie signs for tool shops, mining gear etc. and that is pretty much what Mackay is like from first impressions! Camped up at Ball Bay near Cape Hillsborough - didn’t dare try and reach Smalley’s Beach again after the e-permit fiasco. We met a nice old couple at Ball Bay and had a great chat to them. The guy was like Doc from Back to the Future - absolute classic.
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| Gav at the Sky Lookout, Eungella NP |
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| Nina in Eungella NP - tallest tree |
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| Finch Hatton Gorge, Araluen Falls |
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| Gav and his baby goanna catch |
The next day we drove on to Carmilla Beach where we were to spend the next 5 days (another free camp). When we arrived, the weather was not looking promising so we hurriedly set up the entire tent on a nice little beach camp spot. Luckily we did because the weather was foul for pretty much the entire time we were there. Played backgammon, watched movies, went for walks along the beach when it wasn’t raining, cooked damper, and Gav set the crab traps out the front and down near the mangroves. The whole time we were there we only caught one mud crab, and the only reason we caught it was because we walked out to the trap at night to check it and there was a crab on the side of the trap. Gav grabbed it and dinner was served! We spent some time doing some job hunting and putting together resumes to prepare for work. Carmilla Beach is a great spot but I think it would be even better in the sun!
Over and out,
N & G
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