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Banksia National Park
Sue ready to set off. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. climb that goddam mountain” - Jack Kerouac On 12
th May we bade farewell to
Seventeen Seventy and set sail for a tiny beachside town by name of
Woodgate Beach which was about 180km further south. Avoiding the A1, we threaded our way onto the Tableland Road which is where the back country and real heart beat of a country is found. Apart from gazing out front at the scenery unfolding, it is always of interest to tune into local radio chat shows. On this occasion some interesting conversation was taking place on ABC centring mainly on the upcoming federal election. At some point it had been arranged that the current PM, Scott Morrison, would call in from somewhere on the campaign trail. He duly did and certainly sounded like a good bloke but always good to keep in mind that’s what politicians excel at; smooth talking stuff that often means very little. On the hour the news came on and SA got a mention along the lines of the ANC’s win in the election and Ramapromisa’s “promise”/” pledge”/” whatever”
Woodgate RV Park
A weird garden prepared by a long time grey nomad? that he and his merry men would ensure that a strong and prosperous economy was high on their agenda. Right, heard that before!
The first town of any substance,
Bundaberg, soon came into view and is reasonably well known for a few stand outs. Plenty of agriculture in the area which attracts loads of back packers permitted to visit Aussie provided they commit to picking fruit for a certain period of time. This hard work can then be soothed by indulging in the dark rum produced there and which is much sought after by rum connoisseurs. Due east of the town are some delightful small coastal beach hamlets which were on the radar. Bundaberg’s main street was an impressive blend of very old buildings wonderfully preserved in their original finery. An important stop was at the local McDonalds, not for their less than wonderful burgers, but rather to download Netflix series using their free wifi (one learns lots of stuff on the road). The RV Park evenings unfold as follows; firstly, all important sundowners and then dinner (this is often done and dusted by 7pm) and then secondly, settling down in front of notebooks and ipads to watch movies/series.
Woodgate Beach
A typical old Queensland beach cottage. This is all tiring stuff and by 9pm the lights are flickering and silence across the Park deepens. With entertainment secured for the next week, the journey continued taking in
Elliott’s Heads before arriving at Woodgate Beach which once again, I suspect, many Aussies have never heard of. Checking in, locating the RV site and setting up camp is a doddle and within fifteen minutes we set off on foot for a 5.2km walk along yet another splendid walkway just off an impressive stretch of beach. The RV Park was located just over the road from this walkway and had two really good creeks set roughly 10kms apart on each side of the town.
With these estuaries in mind and the poor fishing performances to date, it made sense the next morning to drive 10km south to the Burrum National Park and a location on the shores of a pristine estuary. In a very strong wind, the fly was offered but those fish remained elusive. Undeterred, a 15km nudge the other way was the Theodolite Creek which looked even more promising but the fish were simply not playing fair and no catches to record (maximum points for effort).
Theodolite Creek
Beautiful, pristine estuary. Fish? When the fish aren’t biting, strap on the walking shoes and venture forth. Right behind the RV Park was a 6km walk through the Banksia Nature Reserve, a pristine and unspoilt coastal woodland populated with coast banksia, a tree found on the east coast. Unfortunately, they weren’t in flower but the dead cones gave a hint of the riot of colour which must have been there earlier in the year. A fitting finale to the two days spent in this charming, laid back little coastal town.
The journey needed to continue and the next morning the back country remained a feature on the southerly heading. Impressive farming countryside with lush fields of fairly high grass feeding the numbers of cattle seen. Up ahead there was always a spunky town.
Maryborough, proved to be just that and more. It is one of Queensland’s oldest towns and many of the original buildings in the main street stand proudly to this day. No signs of decay and it boasts proudly the fact that it is the birth place of one PL Travers, creator of Mary Poppins. A statue proudly announces this heritage and there is an annual Mary Poppins Festival. We also
Woodgate Beach
Superb double rainbow. passed through
Childers, which also punched above it’s weight with it’s preserved historical buildings.
On things Australian; what is very evident in many of the towns we have seen is the lack of tall buildings. The main streets are lined both sides with a blend of old, original buildings and the odd new structure but even they seem to blend in and not detract them from their much older siblings. Maybe it has something to do with the “Tall Poppy” syndrome?
The nostalgia theme on this particular section of travel did not end. At some point ABC radio announced that Doris Day had passed away at age 95 and they played some of her original songs in tribute.
Short of a town by name of
Gympie, it was apparent that it just might be a chronic driver “fall asleep” zone. Numerous signs imploring all of those at the wheel not to fall asleep and then another trivia pursuit question on a massive billboard; “What is a monotreme?” Instantly awake, the brain starting to race. What the hell are they/it? Further on one is wide awake and there was the answer; a mammal which lays eggs and no prizes for guessing Australia has cornered this market with their Echidna’s and Platypuses.
Wide awake we drifted into
Noosa to join our good friends, Roland and Pat McNamara, who had left SA about 15 years ago and now lived down the road at Hope Island. Roland had figured out that by that point on the journey, a break from the RV would be needed and had booked the four of us into the Noosa Springs Resort which is located on a stunning golf estate. Brutey was duly parked out of the way of other far more impressive sets of wheels and we relinquished the RV comforts for a luxurious apartment. We had been to Noosa 10 years ago at the end of a three-month trip to Ozland and I had at that stage intimated that if we ever had to swim for it from SA, Noosa would be my first choice.
Roland and I have a golf rivalry going back to our Mount Edgecombe days in Durban and this was the theme of an early morning round of golf early the next morning. His old set of clubs and golf shoes nearly helped me to an unexpected win but he had the bragging rights. Exploring this seriously impressive coastal town was a pleasure and the mountainside walk on the south side is top class. From an elevated 6km walkway one looks down at tucked away beaches and numbers of surfers doing what they do best. Superbly positioned, the Noosa Surf Lifesaving Club is located just off the main beach and a very convenient position for a cold beer after a bit of exercise. It was such a superb set up that we returned there that evening for dinner (making use of Uber, given nobody in this country dares venture onto the roads with a hint of hooch under the belt). Drifting out of Noosa after two splendid days there, it remains my “go to” place if ever there was that unlikely need to bolt from SA.
Our break from luxury was not quite over as we then made for Hope Island where we spent a wonderful evening with Roland and Pat catching up on years gone by and special memories of our years in Durban. They live on a very impressive golf estate in their new country of adoption but often get back to SA for the all the reasons so many of us live there; the bush, the beauty, the people and undoubtedly, the thrill of life in Africa.
It was then time to pull out the maps and refocus. Where does the compass point next?
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Michael Keevy
non-member comment
Excellent stuff Tim and always a pleasure to read, keep it up. Thanks Mike