Livin’ On The Road

13/12/2023

TIARO QLD

We never miss an opportunity to go to Tiaro Meats & Bacon when in town but today we discovered Retro Espresso Tiaro.

And what a blast from the past it is!

And the coffee is brilliant!

12/12/2023

Couldn’t resist 🤣

09/12/2023

CLAIRVIEW / ST LAWRENCE QLD

We had heard so much about Barracrab Caravan Park Clairview that we thought we would try it for ourselves.

The beachfront sites did not disappoint and the sea breezes were a pleasant distraction from the heat. The bin at each site was a nice touch.

There is an on-site bar / cafe which has a lunch and dinner menu. I ordered a lunch special of crab sandwich and chips for $20. It did not disappoint.

Yes as others have said, the amenities are old but they are very clean and user friendly. The water is bore which is salty but there is a fresh water tank for guests use and a store selling bottled water.

Clairview itself is only a small fishing / holiday village along the coastline. There is a park with picnic facilities and bathrooms.

We did a trip to St Lawrence and found a fabulous free camp, wetlands, meatworks ruins, a quirky general store and a pub that was a cracker! They allow camping at the back of the pub (unsure of cost).

The area is definately worth a look see, even if only for an hour or two.

09/12/2023

Gotta look after our fur babies when travelling.

🐾🎄🎅🤶

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Thanks to Teddy from IG/4boysandacaravan for the gorgeous pic 😍

05/12/2023

MACKAY QLD

We spent the last 3 weeks on friends’ farms south of Mackay.

The first was a cane farm, where the Huz learnt the ins and outs of winches, irrigation pipes and dunda. It was also harvesting time, so plenty of activities everyday. They had the most amazing sunflowers in their mixed crop paddocks which were the size of a small sun.

We did a trip to the Mackay Marina for lunch and I Christmas shopped at Canelands Shopping Centre.

The next stop was a cattle farm that borders the beach and a river.

The days were hot but exciting as they were mustering their herd. So much to see and learn. We caught up there with lots of friends and built some Xmas trees from wood off the property.

So many laughs and good times were had with friends that have become family.

The festive season has began …

02/12/2023

Surf’s up! 🌊

28/11/2023

BOWEN QLD

Have you even been to Bowen if you don’t stop at the Big Mango? (Love me any big things). And we were lucky to hit this town at the start of the mango season where you buy a bag on the roadside for $5 🥭

We were both exhausted from travelling across from WA on the Great Central Road but Bowen was the relaxing stop we both needed.

As it has been many years since our last visit, we were amazed how much Bowen has grown up. The beaches are beautiful and there are a choice of caravan parks to stay in.

The public parks on the waterfronts are so inviting and we enjoyed a couple of feasts of prawns from Bird’s Fish Bar.

We stayed at Tropical Beach Caravan Park and it is a cracker! Only a small park but check out the amenities (no not an ensuite!).

There are a few water front sites but we elected not to stay on the booked waterfront site as it was very windy. The sites back from the waterfront are massive, with our Roger RAMjet and the van fitting in with room enough to spare.

The service was amazing and we are recommending the park to all who ask.

27/11/2023

Aaahhh Western Australia, what a special place and these photos are spectacular!

We have been to 2 of these places, how many have you been to?

24/11/2023

JULIA CREEK QLD

The artesian baths at Julia Creek have long held a place on our To Do List, so a stop at the Julia Creek Caravan Park was a must.

To say it was hot and dusty is an understatement but the thought of a relaxing soak at sunset was the rewarding goal.

We chose the premium package, which included 1 1/4 hours in a Boundary Rider Hut Bathhouse and a gift bag of goodies.

Boy was it great to soak away the 1,000s of ks it had taken us to get there! The time went by so fast, as we enjoyed drinks and nibbles watching the changing landscape as night fell. I could have soaked longer.

We stayed at Julia Creek Caravan Park, which has lovely amenities that were very well presented and meticulously clean, with the service being friendly and efficient.

Good to be back in Queensland (but not so happy about the crappy roads).

16/11/2023

🌟HOT OPPORTUNITY ALERT 🌟

Great caretaking opportunity for a nomad in Qld for Dec through to end Jan 24.

Call Kym direct on number in the post for further info.

14/11/2023

We watch the ‘sun set’ over the cane fields …. this is Australia 🌏🦘🇦🇺

10/11/2023

DEVILS MARBLES HOTEL NT

Located a little south from Devils Marbles, is this wonderland of a pub with camping out the back.

We had driven from Yulara, so had been a long day and we had passed some extremely scary bush fires. This little cracker of a Pub is an oasis amongst the harsh, hot, dry landscape.

There is some paid parking out the back (which was nearly full the night we stayed) and free camping across the road.

The grounds are lush and inviting and the pool was a pleasant respite from the heat of the day. Although we did not eat, we heard that the meals here are yummy. The amenities are donga like but satisfactory.

Worthy of a night’s stop over.

10/11/2023

YULARA NT

If you are even thinking of planning a trip to Yulara and all the wonders to be found there, just do it!

We drove into the area on the Great Central Road, which meant we saw the Olgas before Uluṟu. Due to bush fires, it meant that the views were very hazy but this made for some stunning sunsets.

Although the heat of the day was very oppressive, a drive around Uluṟu and doing some of it’s walks gave us an appreciation of this amazing landscape. A sunset heli ride was a once in a lifetime experience and gave a new perspective of this land.

A huge thank you to our friend Paul, who has lived and worked at Yulara for 9 years for organising the heli tour and showing us around this amazing ‘town’.

We stayed at Ayers Rock Campground.

03/11/2023

GREAT CENTRAL ROAD - LAVERTON TO ULURU

We completed our three day trip on the Great Central Road and what an adventure!

Day 1 - left Laverton around 10am after getting permits at the Information Centre.

Saw Steve Grahame from Outback Truckers not long after Laverton. He was filming his 10th season of the show. Road was not too bad but we drove to the conditions.

Stayed at Tjukayirla Roadhouse. The managing couple were so welcoming and the burgers were the best we have had for yonks! It was hot and very windy and we had a massive electrical storm late in the evening. As we have a storm phobic furgirl, not a lot of sleep was had.

Day 2 - left camp with the chooks and drove to Warburton, where we did a splash and dash ($3.60 p/l). Saw Steve and his film crew outside of Warburton again. The road was not too bad with not much traffic. The scenery changed so quickly and we glimpsed a couple of camel near the road.

We stayed behind Warakurna Roadhouse and were the only ones there.

Day 3 - went to the Giles Weather Station for the balloon launch and we met a couple of chippies from
NSW that are working in the Community. The museum at the weather station was interesting, along with some space junk and a grader from the Gunbarrel Highway.

The road in patches, was the worst we drove on, getting down to 60-70 ks in some places. The short patches of bitumen that were there were only teasing. Drove into Docker River Community - lots of litter but not many residents.

Saw four camels, one of which crossed in front of us. They seemed as curious of us as we were of them.

Next stop was Lassiter’s Cave, where the flies were extremely friendly but the country was beautiful.

The moment we made bitumen was a major yahoo moment, followed closely by the sighting of Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and shortly thereafter, Uluṟu.

We drove into Ayers Rock Campground exhausted but happy for the experience (except our inverter, which blew up on day 1 😢).

30/10/2023

KALGOORLIE WA

We spent a couple of days in Kalgoorlie stocking up for the Great Central Road.

As we had spent some time in Kal in August, we did not do much sight seeing but the Goldfields Museum was on the to do list.

The Museum is free to visit and the highlight for me was a visit to the platform on the derrick which had amazing views over Kal. There is also a Gold Vault in the basement which houses 5m worth of gold.

Outside is a miners cottage replica, along with an old bank and a police station on rails.

There is a visiting space display, which contained a reminder of a childhood favourite tv show.

In town, there are lots of old buildings to remind us of days gone by.

We stayed at Discovery Park at Boulder.

28/10/2023

ESPERANCE WA

What Esperance town lacks in size, it sure makes up for with a stunning coastline, magical beaches and scenery.

As we had our furgirl with us, we did not visit the National Parks and the treasures they held but we did drive the Great Ocean Drive and visited Fourth and Twilight Beaches.

We also did a drive to Wharton Beach and explored the caravan park there for future stays.

On the way to Wharton, we did a quick stop at Esperance Stonehenge which is an exact sized replica of UK’s Stonehenge. Made from locally quarried pink marble, it is worth a visit.

In town, we saw the Whale Tail sculpture, explored the little boutiquey shopping precinct (Cafe Louis had the best chocolate croissants and cutest takeaway cups) and the beachfront gardens.

We stayed at Bushlands Caravan Park where we saw Travelling Nurse (Wendy) and Lee who we first met in Mandurah.

The park has a unique feature in the Laundry - can anyone guess what it is?

25/10/2023

Oops 😬

A man drove nearly 160 kilometres before realising his wife was not in fact sleeping in the back of the car like he thought, and was actually left on the side of the road.

25/10/2023

ALBANY WA

What a surprise packet Albany is!

Gorgeous beaches, historic buildings, Anzac Museum, bunkers and military equipment and the whale station to name but a few attractions.

Did I mention gorgeous beaches?

We stayed at Tasman Park in an ensuite site.

04/05/2023

Proserpine Dam - 1 to 3 May 2023

25/04/2023

Beautiful Haliday Bay 🌴

11/04/2023

FREE CAMP - COUNCIL SITE - LINVILLE

6 and 7 April 2023

1. Booking / Communication

You are not able to book a site, it is on a first come, first served basis.

2. Location

This camp site is located across the road from Linville Hotel and is located on the 161 km Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. It is situated around 1.5 hours from Brisbane, Sunshine Coast or Toowoomba and is provided and maintained by Somerset Council.

It is popular with bike riders and horse riders due to its proximity to the Rail Trail.

4/5

3. Amenities / Facilities

We were fortunate that there were very few campers when we arrived, so we had were able to set up in a private area. The camp ground has modern toilets and showers, rubbish bins, BBQ and a shelter shed.

The real gem of this place is the Linville Hotel, which has been in business since 1910. The Hotel provides great pub grub for lunch and dinner seven days a week. We also enjoyed a couple of Eumundi ginger beers from the tap.

Down the road, is the General Store / Post Office which was well stocked and offered a selection of hot food. When we were there, there was a small vegie stall at the house near the entrance to the camp site offering cheap and fresh pumpkins, bulbs of garlic, apples, zucchinis and plums.

3.5/5

4. Would we return?

Probably, as we would like to ride on the Rail Trail and enjoy another visit to the Hotel to enjoy the country hospitality.

4/5

TOTAL SCORE 15/20

Till next time
Susie x

https://thelinvillehotel.com.au/free-camping/

10/04/2023

Bath time for Ms Stella at Kingaroy Car & Dog Wash

06/04/2023

SHOWGROUNDS - CABOOLTURE (SITE UP10)

5 to 6 April 2023

1. Booking / Communication

Essential bookings can only be made by phone, which was easy as the person at the end of the phone was friendly and efficient.

Once we arrived, and as the Office was closed (after 4pm), we drove around to the campground and the after hours on-site manager checked us in, which she did promptly. Payment was made and a site map and code to toilet block was given to us.

4/5

2. Location

The Showgrounds are located at 140 Beerburrum Road, and are located about 3 minutes from Caboolture town, hospital and train station.

There are plenty of shops handy, with Drakes Pumicestone being a couple of minutes drive and the Big Fish Shopping Centre (with Coles and Bunnings) being about 5 minutes drive.

The showgrounds are located near the on ramps to the Highway to go North, South or West and the road to Bribie Island is closeby.

4.5/5

3. Amenities / Facilities

The Showgrounds contain both powered sites and unpowered sites.

There is a serviceable and clean toilet / shower block, disabled access and a pay per use laundry. There are some undercover tables, a dump point, water access and ample rubbish bins. There was plenty of green spaces to walk Ms Stella who enjoyed a sniff fest whilst doing so.

The sites were generous with the ability to keep the caravan hooked to the car as we were only staying overnight.

The one things that was not enjoyable was the road and train noise through out the night which was quite disruptive.

2.5/5

4. Would we return?

Probably not but for $15 per night for unpowered site, it was a good solution for us between camps.

2/5

TOTAL SCORE 13/20

Till next time
Susie x

https://cabooltureshowgrounds.com.au/

06/04/2023

I've often said travel is 50% about the journey and the things you find along the way.

Today we travelled through Kilcoy to our stop for the next couple of nights and we found a local Fisho, who had the freshest, tastiest Mooloolaba king prawns.

A local park nearby provided a perfect spot for fresh prawn and avo sandwiches.

Shame the Huz is allergic.

Sx

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075667915609

05/04/2023

HIPCAMP - LAKE VIEW (CAMP AREA 5) - BEACHMERE

29 March to 2 April 2023

1. Booking / Communication

All Hipcamp bookings are done through the Hipcamp app, which is user friendly and efficient.

All other communications with the owners are done through the app too. We had to contact the owners on a couple of occasions and they responded quickly one time but not at all the other time.

3.5/5

2. Location

The campsite is located on 48 acres, 45 mins from Brisbane CBD, 10 mins from the Bruce Hwy and only a few mins to Beachmere. The owners send you directions once a booking is made and they are useful. There is no sign on the road, just the house number.

Beachmere is a cute coastal town located on Moreton Bay (just before Bribie Island) and has tidal beaches (both pet leash on and off areas). There is an IGA, pub, couple of coffee shops, butchery, bakery plus some specialty stores and a bowls club.

We loved the proximity to the town and ease to get on the highway as we had some ’chores’ to do.

4.5/5

3. Amenities / Facilities

Lakeview is poised towards self sufficent campers with no toilets or showers. There are a couple of powered sites but we stayed on an unpowered site.

This camp caters strongly for kids, with a massive play area which they have obviously spent some dollars on with multiple pieces of play equipment. There are also kayaks to take on the lake, a water slide and a slippery dip into another lake on the property. There is also a water ski cable set up but I think this was for the owners use only.

The camp sites are well signposted, as is the driveway leading to the lake.

The serenity factor here was high, looking at the water birds on and around the lake, dragon flies and water lillies.

4/5

4. Would we return?

Absolutely!

Each site was huge and was worthy of the just shy of $30 per night fee.

Dog friendly and camp fires permitted.

5/5

TOTAL SCORE 17/20

Till next time

Susie x

Lakeview Camp