Well after a great two weeks in Maroochydore we finally hit the road again and headed off north wards towards Gladstone. In keeping with our fatigue plans we managed to travel as far as Burrum Heads for a four night stay. We were only going to stay for three nights but decided another night would be best. Burrum Heads is a small seaside town around 30 kilometres north of Hervey Bay. The caravan park was nice with big sites and not very crowded. We are finding that this is a good time to be travelling as most caravaners have headed home till next year so you have no problems getting in anywhere and you an always get a good spot. A lot of parks in the quiet times let you go in and pick your own spot which can be really good most times.
While in Burrum Heads we got the bikes down again and did quite a few rides around the town which keeps Kaye off my back and on a bike. While we were in Maroochydore we bought a better bike rack that does make it easier to cart the bikes around and not damage them as they were starting to get a few marks on them and that wasn’t from being over used. Burrum Heads is a nice little sleepy town that was an ideal place to base for a few days and travel around the Hervey Bay area.
There a some nice little housing areas between Burrum Heads and Hervey Bay and these were nice to travel around to look at and also to swim at some of the nice beaches and also take in some extended lunches by the sea.
- Toogoom – walking off lunch
As with all good things they must end and we packed up after chilling out at Burrum Heads and headed off towards 1770/Agnes Waters. 1770 was where Captain Cook stepped ashore to survey the land and look for fresh water with Joseph Banks, there are no surprise to guess what year this was in, the name says the answer. We stayed in a caravan park about halfway between 1770 and Agnes Waters. One thing you do notice over here is that there is a lot of development in all the coastal towns in Queensland and also just how much greener it is over here near the coast. They do have it very lucky over here. While here we did a few walks and took in the local markets and surprise surprise we relaxed. The Paperbark Forest walk we did was an excellent little walk and though very short the feel and atmosphere of the place was really different.
- 1770 Joseph Banks Conservation Park
- Agnes Waters/1770 Markets
- Agnes Waters – Paperbark Forest walk
- Agnes Waters – Paperbark Forest walk
- Agnes Waters – Rocky Point Beach
After three days of non stop adventure at 1770 and Agnes Waters we headed a bit further up the coast towards Gladstone. Not wanting to stay in Gladstone we stayed at the Tannum Beach Caravan Park. This is around 25 kilometres from Gladstone and was well worth stopping at. Nice large park and not very many staying there. We got the bikes out again and it was like the “Tour de Tannum” as we cycled everywhere. One great thing about this little town was the amount of cycle paths there were, really made it easy to get around. Tannum Sands also adjoins Boyne Island and you can easily ride between the two of them. On a day trip to Gladstone we did the Coffee Cruise around the harbour. For $24 you get a two hour cruise of the port and loading wharfs plus some dodgy coffee and cakes. It was a great little cruise and well worth the price. The boat you go on is also not your usual cruise boat which also adds to the trip. Well worth it if your are ever in Gladstone.
- Gladstone Port
- Gladstone Port
- Gladstone – the “Coffee Cruise” boat
- Gladstone – the “Coffee Cruise” boat
- Gladstone Port – gas loading arms
- Gladstone Port – Rio Tinto unloading raw Bauxite
- Gladstone Port – coal stockpiles
- Gladstone
From a very nice stay at Tannum Beach we hit the road again for Bundaberg. With the weather warming up a bit we have decided to start heading south a bit and make our way slowly towards to southern states, mind you it wont be a rushed trip though as we still have to keep ourselves in the holiday groove. We are staying in a small park on the banks of the river in Bundaberg that overlooks the main part of town. The nights a very nice with the lights reflecting on the river and with a wine in hand the sundowners are very pleasant. Have done the obligatory Bundaberg Distillery tour which was very good and I would recommend it on your itinerary. We were both surprised how big Bundaberg was. It seems to be that a lot of the regional centres over this side are very big compared to WA and the amount of industry in the areas is very pleasing to see. Not sure if they are doing any good though but there is a lot of it around.
- Bundaberg Distillery – Bundy Bear
- Bundaberg Distillery – at the bar, best part of the tour
- Bundaberg – harvesting cane
- Bundaberg – loading cane onto the train
- Bundaberg – loaded train with cane
- Bundaberg – cane fields
- Bundaberg – cane fields
- Bundaberg Rail Museum
- Bundaberg/Burnett Heads Lighthouse Festival
- Bundaberg/Burnett Heads Lighthouse Festival
Tomorrow we are back on the road again and making our way towards the Gold Coast where we have a couple of things planned to go to. From Bundaberg it will be a two day trip for us. I tried to make it three but was out voted. Apparently Kaye is allowed to use both hands when voting and I am only allowed one. Not sure how this came about but I was told that I agreed to it and it is not up for any further discussion, so until next time…………………………….