Day 98 & 99 Boonah to Armidale

We were a bit indecisive about which way to go today. We have to be back in Melbourne in a week’s time. But looking at the weather forecast for Victoria we decided to take it slowly to get there. We might as well enjoy the sun and drive a bit more the last two days, right?!

So off we went to Boonah where we did some grocery shopping and visited theTourist Information Center. The information Centers in Australia are terrific. You can get lots of flyers and booklets about the area and there are always some friendly volunteers around that can tell you a lot about the highlights and the history of the area. In the odd occasion the volunteer is a bit too keen to talk and you find yourself searching for the opportunity to run away without being rude. Not in Boonah though and we left a lot wiser.

After saving a bird that was trapped in the public toilet we drove to Mount French. From there we had a great view over the Scenic Mountain Range.

Then we drove the Falls Drive which was a winding road and very steep in places but the view and scenery were amazing! It was heaps colder up in the mountains. We had lunch at the Queen Mary Falls Picnic Area and then we walked to the lookout and then to the base of the Falls. Very pretty!

When we got back to the car we drove to Tooloom Falls leaving Queensland behind and entering the state of New South Wales. There were a few signs saying ‘Council seeks funding from the government to upgrade these roads’.  If I had plenty of money I would have put in a donation straight away. 

These were some awful roads!

But we made it to the Falls and put up camp next to a provided fire pit. We had bought a bag of wood from a farmer today and this evening we will not be freezing.  A great spot to spoil ourselves with some meat on the BBQ and meanwhile I have slow cook beef on the fire in my Dutch Oven for tomorrows dinner. Yum!

After a rather cold night it became even colder the next morning. We drove towards Tenterfield and we could feel the wind getting more intense as we went. By the time we got to Tenterfield we could see people dressed in hats, scarfs and winter jackets. As soon as we got out of the car we knew why. The wind was absolutely freezing. We put on some extra layers and walked around town for a bit and did some shopping.

We had lunch a bit further out of town at Bluff Rock Rest Area. It was too cold and windy to enjoy it in peace and a soon as we finished eating we jumped back in the warmth of the car.

We drove to Armidale via Glen Innis. After reading some reviews about accommodation we chose to book a site at Armidale Tourist Park because we read that they had a heated TV room. And that’s where we’re sitting right now… warm and cosy, watching Master Chef.

Day 96 & 97 Beerwah to Brisbane

When we woke up this morning it was a bit foggy but it wasn't long until the sun came out.

That was perfect as we wanted to visit the lookout at the Glasshouse Mountains. It was a gorgeous spot to start the day and we did a little walk in the area soaking up the sun and the gorgeous smells of the forest.

We drove into Brisbane around noon and did a bit of shopping at one of the many shopping centers.

It was nice to be back in Brisbane. As we lived here for a few months back in 2010/2011 we decided to catch up with our friends whom we met back then. They didn't know we were coming so that was a bit of a surprise.

 It was so nice to catch up Shirley and Greame! Thanks again for a great afternoon/evening in your lovely house. We enjoyed your company as always and it was nice to see the girls again!

The next morning it was time to meet another friend. After enjoying a big brekkie together, we had a stroll around the market. Then we drove to Sandgate, a suburb in Brisbane, and walked along the boulevard for a bit.

It was great catching up Spammie!

What a great weekend it has been. 

At the moment we are parked next to a highway near Warwick where we will spend the night and try to get mentally prepared to go back to winter for a month! Just one week left until we will be back in Melbourne for a few weeks!

Day 94 & 95 Gayndah to Beerwah

It was a grey morning and the last couple of nights have been rather chilly, so the hot shower was very welcome this morning. 

From Gayndah we drove to Gympie. All we can say about Gympie was that is was very confusing to get around. 

After lunch in a park we moved on and set up camp at Kandanga RV Park. It was a lovely little park in the middle of the town center of Kandanga (it was a tiny, little country town).

In the late afternoon all the campers gathered around the communal campfire and so did we. It's a lovely way to meet people, but unfortunately there's always a few less pleasant people around. Nevertheless we had some nice conversations with fellow travelers.

The next morning we drove to Montville which is a touristic mountain village with lots of little souvenir shops. It started raining when we got there but nevertheless we enjoyed our stroll around town.

In the afternoon the skies cleared a bit and we decided to drive to the sunshine coast. There wasn't much sunshine around though... lol.

That night we camped at a Scouts Camp in Beerwah and sat around our own little campfire which was nice!

Day 92 & 93 Rockhampton to Gayndah

This morning we discovered we had forgotten to buy bread the previous day, so we decided to have breakfast in Rockhampton (or Rocky as it’s called by the locals).

Before driving into town we had a quick stop at the Tourist Information Center. The guy at the counter was very helpful and told us all about the must sees in the area. So instead of driving into town we found ourselves on our way to the little coastal town of Yeppoon a bit later. It was a great detour. We enjoyed a yummy brekkie there and afterwards we had a walk along the beach. From there we went to Emu Park where we drove to the marina and spotted dolphins nearby. Magic!

When we got to Rocky we had a stop at the next 'must-see', Hershey Park. The park is known for its nice gardens and a waterfall.

Monique really wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens next as she had read much about it. The gardens and especially the free (!) zoo adjoining it were just awesome. It was really quiet and therefore we almost got a VIP treatment by their staff. Learning about the casuari and seeing it from up-close was very special. And on top of that we got to pet a koala. Too cute!

It was already getting late and just with a bit of luck we found a free campsite just a few kilometres out of town. It was such a nice campsite. We were in the middle of the country side, surrounded by cows and overlooking a lake.

The next day it was time to cover some distance again, so we had a full day of driving. We stopped at Gayndah in the late afternoon where we camped on the local showgrounds for a few dollars. That night we had the local scouts entertaining us by building their own mini-hot-air-balloons :)

Note the little dolphin fin!

The Queensland Tullip Oak

Day 91 Mackay to Rockhampton

As much as Sander wanted a hot shower this morning, he had to settle for a cold shower instead.

After packing up we drove to Sarina. 

Now that we had been driving through Sugarcane Fields for hundreds of kilometres we decided it was time to learn a bit more about this thriving crop. So we took a guided tour at the Sugar Shed Museum in Sarina.

It was actually a really nice, little tour. At the end we had the possibility to taste the actual sugar cane and some of the products made from it. The chilli/lime sauce, the coffee liquor and the fairy floss being our favourites.

From Sarina we just did a lot of driving. We stopped at a rest area just next to the Bruce Highway to spend the night. The place itself wasn’t much more then a truckstop next to a roadhouse but it was just packed with caravans, campers and vans staying for the night. We managed to find a spot and had a decent sleep that night.

On a funny note; Sander and I had camped here a few years ago. It was during the Queensland flooding of 2010 when we headed north and had just escaped Rockhampton before it flooded the next day. Back then we had the whole parking lot to ourselves!

Day 90 Eungella NP to Mackay

It stopped raining this morning and when we drove to Finch Hatton Gorge. We did a walk towards a gorgeous waterfall and swimming hole and I kind of regretted not bringing our swim wear. It was too far to walk back and get it so we just enjoyed the beautiful rain forest setting.

We drove onto Eungella, a little mountain town in the middle of Eungella National Park. The surroundings were absolutely stunning and we felt like being in southern Germany although the Palm Trees told us different.

The drive up the mountain to Eungella was steep (12% for 4,5 km) and the view on the top was amazing! Luckily the skies had cleared pretty well by then.

We had a drink at a mountain chalet and drove further to Owens Creek where we prepared lunch and tried to spot a platypus in the river below. No platypus was to be seen but instead we saw heaps of little turtles floating around. Cute!

From Eungella we drove to Mackay, did a little bit of shopping and drove about 15 km south to camp at the back of a little roadhouse.

Note; we finally tried the coconut we had found on the beach a few days ago. it was delicious!!! We were happy we took two.