Author: benandleahscamper

The weekend and our four days off work has come and gone. Glen and Amanda came up to Townsville to visit us on Thursday and left yesterday. Just prior to them arriving we took our dogs, Brock and Chev, to a close by but well reviewed boarding kennel. We knew that while Glen and Amanda were here we were going to be out a lot and we preferred to know they were being taken care of, rather than sitting in our annex on their own. This also meant that Ben and I had some freedom for a few days!

We greeted Glen and Amanda at Townsville Airport. It was great to see their missed, familiar faces coming down the terminal. We then met up again at their accommodation, The Ville, which also happens to be Townsville’s one and only casino. We had lunch there and a good chat about what had gone on in the seven or so months since we had seen them. The night time, like all of the other nights they were here, were then filled with walks along The Stand and main streets of Townsville City. Townsville has numerous themed and interesting little bars and restaurants to explore. The Taphouse is one of them. Ben and I had been to the Taphouse previously and this was one place we were sure they would enjoy. It is a trendy bar in an outdoor arcade area, they specialise in craft beer but they do offer self-pour beer taps. You just get one of their cards, put credit on it and then pour whichever beer you like the sound of into your glass. They charge per ML and so you can pour as little or as much of each beer as you like. As you can imagine, Ben and Glen took hold of the self-pour novelty with open arms.

The next day we took a trip to Magnetic Island, affectionately called Maggie Island by the locals. It is a short ferry ride from Townsville’s shore to the island. When you arrive your eyes are taken by the massive boulders and rockiness that graces its points and its shore line, then the thick greenery that covers the rest of the mountains that make up most of the island. We hired a mini moke (not an actual one), which was basically a tiny, topless, door-less, manual car to drive around the island. Ben and Glen had a great time pushing the little cart to its limits, which were not very high, while Amanda and I sat back and enjoyed the ride. We visited a pub over there for brunch then went to Horseshoe Bay, which is a picturesque area of the island. It features a wide beach with, clean aqua waters and beautiful palms. We found a pub in Horseshoe Bay where we could stop and quench our thirsts. It is around 12km from one side of Maggie to the other, keeping in mind that much of the Island is inaccessible via road due to bushland and rocky mountain. There were lots of bushwalks and National Park areas to explore but these were not on our to-do list this time. After a bit more driving and seeing Picnic Bay and a few of the other places Maggie has to offer we stopped at the breakwater for a bit. We were surprised when we saw rock wallabies coming from caves in the rocks and stopping to take a look at us. We returned to Townsville and to top it off, we had ourselves an amazing dining experience at one of Townville’s most popular restaurants called A Touch of Salt. Everything there was great, the food was decadent, the drinks were cold, except for the cognac, which was rightfully served warm and the service was fantastic. What was even better was that everybody had a great time there. It was a late night, more drinks were had and some time in the Casino was spent. What a great day!

There were many, many more drinks and food and every night was a late one. I think Ben and Glen tried just about every unusual whiskey, bourbon, scotch and rum on the rocks that Townsville had to offer. Amanda and I had a few too but there was no way we were keeping up with the boys pace. We visited an Irish bar where Glen graced the open mic stage with his presence at one stage. A different night they had a great live band there that drew us in. We laughed every day and had an absolute blast while they were here.

When we said goodbye to them at the airport yesterday we could not believe that our time with them had already passed. We had definitely made the most of it though and we cannot wait to see them again. It is truly special when great friends make the effort to come and see you, especially when you are so far from home.

Although we miss our friends greatly we were glad it was not us having to get on the plane and go back to chilly Melbourne. We are enjoying our time in Townsville, despite how much work we have been doing, and plan to stay here for at least another fortnight before we move up the coast. We wanted to visit Castle Hill while they were here but this

We wanted to visit Castle Hill while Glen and Amanda were here but this did not end up happening due to a fund raiser they had here, which required road closures in that area but Ben and I did visit Castle Hill when we first arrived in Townsville. Here are the pictures we took from the look out. They give a good overview of the spread out, chilled out, country-feel city we currently reside in. I have also added a few random Townsville fishing pics! Enjoy.

It’s blog time! Many of you may be thinking… finally… another blog from Ben and Leah’s Camper. I would like to apologise for the wait on this one. Townsville has now been our home for around about one month. We are staying here at the Coral Coast Tourist Park and when you read that, you may think… ohhh, that sounds tropical. It is really just a regular, well maintained little park. It is not the fanciest caravan park we have seen on the road and it is situated in the suburbs next door to the R.A.A.F. base, which makes it a pretty noisy place at times. The thing that really makes this place special is the people who run it. They are absolutely lovely, they are laid back and ready to help if they are needed. They make everybody feel very welcome and at home here. They even hold a burger night at the camp kitchen every Wednesday, for a gold coin donation (money goes to motor neuron disease research) you get as many homemade rissoles as you like, bread, salad and sauce. They also light the campfire and everybody sits around, chats and eats together. It’s a good night, they do a couple of raffles and for us, it is a chance to have a cheap meal and have a mid-week relax.

I would like to tell you that we have been out on the town here, going to the beach every day and exploring all of the nooks and crannies but if I told you that I would be lying. Ben has been working flat out for a bricklaying mob. They normally do a lot of block work around Townsville but they happen to be building a school out of bricks at the moment. There is many bricks to lay and Ben has been working hard at it almost every day.

I have been locum vet nursing for a veterinary emergency hospital, most of my shifts have been night shift and weekends and so if I am not trying sleeping during the day then I am caring for the dogs. I can tell you now that sleeping in a camper trailer during the day, when the sun is beaming down on the canvas, when you have the R.A.A.F. base next door and other caravan park users just outside is no easy feat.

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to catch up with Zac, Katie and their two kids, who we first met at Workman’s Beach in Anges Waters. They happened to turn up in Townsville and happened to be staying at the same park as us. It was good to see them again for a few days. Ben got to go fishing with Zac and they were so close to landing a large threadfin salmon that it made the hairs on the backs of their necks stand.

For the first week or so that we were in Townsville we did not have jobs yet and so we did do some things. We went up Castle Hill, which is a large rocky hill in the middle of Townville. From it’s look outs you can get a unique 360 degree view of all of Townville and is well worth a look if you are in the area. We visited Reef HQ, which is the aquarium here and it was fairly average. In the first couple of weeks Ben did do quite a bit of fishing and bait catching with his cast net. We went around Townsville and discovered many of the local fishing spots, but unfortunately we haven’t been lucky enough to get a keeper here yet.

The fun times that we did have here now seem like a distant memory with all of the work we have been doing but thankfully there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is in the form of Glen and Amanda, who are coming to see us later this week in Townsville. We have been looking forward to seeing them since the moment they told us they were booked in months ago. While they are here we hope to get in some well-earned drinks, some great meals and do a bit more touristy stuff. Can’t wait to see you both!

MACKAY

We left Stanage Bay (‘the middle of nowhere’) early last Thursday morning and headed back out along the dirt road and then to the Bruce Highway again, it took us around five hours to reach Mackay. We had heard a lot about Mackay but had not ever had the chance to go there and so we were interested to take a look around. We decided to go to a place called MyCowAccommodation. MyCow is not exactly a camp ground as it had all of the amenities but it is not exactly a caravan park as it does not cost a fortune to stay. It was a flat rate of $20 per night for a powered site (caravan parks can be double this cost and more sometimes), which included full access to their camp kitchen (which was an interesting little place), hot showers, toilets, town water, power and unlimited WIFI. There was also a coin laundry there and clothes lines. It was simple but comfortable enough and the amenities were clean and well maintained. There is some work going on there at the moment and so there was a bit of machinery noise during the day and some sites are fairly close to the road so it was a little noisy at night but for the price, this place offers really good service and good value for money. The staff there are very casual and are basically happy for you to do as you please as long as you are not causing problems.

On our two day stop in Mackay we took a few drives, focusing on looking at the breakwater and the town itself. Mackay is well equipped with most of the shops and big outlets that you would need but, for us, it did not have the ‘wow factor’ that so many other places have produced.

We cooked a couple of meals in the camp kitchen at MyCow, finding out that it is a common place for backpackers and other Aussies who are working in Mackay to hang out in. There is a television in the camp kitchen so people tended to gather and eat in there and chat about where they are from and what they have been doing.

Positives of using the camp kitchen:

• There is a proper oven and a microwave and so you may be able to cook meals you otherwise couldn’t with the camp stove and barbeque
• You can use all of the pots, pans and utensils provided by the place to avoid dirtying your own
• You’re not using your own gas and let’s face it, you are paying for the camp kitchen whether you use it or not, so you might as well use it
• You have a full size sink to wash up in, you can use their cloths and their dishwashing liquid, again saving your own
• It is a good place to meet people who are staying at the same place as you

After two nights at MyCow we decided to move on. After much deliberation and after hearing how pretty the hills in the area were we decided our next stop was to be a bush camp at Eungella Dam.

EUNGELLA DAM

It took us two and half hours to tow the camper up the hills and to the Eungella Dam. Upon arrival we could not stop commenting on how beautiful the place was. It felt homey… fresh water, camping right on the bank, no crocodiles, thick bush, rolling hills and peace and quiet. There were a few other campers about but there was a good selection of great spots to set up camp to choose from.

There were some comments on WikiCamps about the road being a bit treacherous to get in but we did not find any part to the road that made us think twice. Yes, it was a dirt road and parts of it were quite gravelly, but it is wide enough for two cars and as long as you take it carefully nobody should have trouble getting in there. It was mostly flat and well maintained and there were no big ruts or any other obstacles to speak of.

We set up camp on a beach like area where Ben could easily drag the tinny into the water and the dogs had plenty of room to run so they did not need to be cooped up. Looking directly across the dam you have a view that is hard to top… tall, tree covered mountains that line the far side of the water. The thick bush covering the mountain is home to a lot of animals including dingos, we could heard their eerie howls at night as we sat by the camp fire but did not see any. One night we had a heard of curious cattle grace with their presence as they came to the water’s edge to drink. They had a good look at us and us at them, then they peacefully moved on. The bird life at Eungella is amazing from birds of prey to coots and ducks to shags and herons. It is very easy and relaxing just sitting and watching the herons walk slowly through the shallows and the shags dry their wings on tree roots.

We fished the mornings and the evenings at Eungella Dam in the tinny. There is a thick weed and lily bed that rings the shallower outside of the dam. This was slightly annoying as Ben had to keep pulling the motor up and cleaning the weed from the prop, but once you are through the weed and into the deeper water it is less of a problem. We putted through the skeleton like, grey trees that protruded from the water trolling lures and we even tried some bait one morning. After fishing the right times of day, with the right lures and the right bait we were starting to wonder why we had not yet seen a fish or even got a bite. It was then that Ben’s rod buckled, I took hold of it while Ben slowed the boat and thought this does not feel like the snags we have been getting. I handed the rod to Ben and in a minute or so he had his first good sized sooty grunter in the boat. He was a dark, hefty looking, lazy fish, despite the locals telling us they were good fighters. We have a freezer full of fish at the moment and so we took a few snaps and put him back in the water to fight another day. There is supposedly barramundi in the dam but we did not see any, locals tell us that the water is a little cold for them at the moment but hopefully they’ll be back on the bite when they acclimatise to the conditions.

The day before we left we took a drive down to Finch Hatton Gorge, it was around an hours round trip of walking through thick but stunning forest to get to the gorge. The force of the water falling down into the emerald green gorge was a site to see and was definitely worth the walk in. You can swim there if you like but these mid 20 degree days are getting a little too cold for us to be considering swimming at the moment. Plus, the water running down the mountain looked just as fresh as I am sure it was cold.

Eungella is a place we will remember and maybe even return to one day. We left it behind on Tuesday morning of this week and tracked just over five hours to arrive in Townsville.

ARRIVING IN TOWNSVILLE

For the last couple of weeks our final destination on our minds has been Townsville. It has been on our minds because we knew it was a place where the chances of us finding work were high and at the moment we are in need of some extra funds. It is also going to be our home for the next 5 to 6 weeks as we are very excited to have Glen and Amanda coming to visit us here in mid July.

On our way to Townsville and upon talking to people we kept getting this vibe that people thought that this place was pretty average. Upon having a drive around yesterday and today and also having a fish off the pier last night we are unsure why people are not more excited about this place. Townsville is a flat city, it has everything you need with no traffic problems. The Stand and the beach areas are amazing and absolutely breathe taking. The people of Townsville that we have met so far are friendly, outdoorsy and laid back. They have a main street where some nice little eateries and breweries are and they say the weather is great here for most of the year. There is around three months where is it too hot and sticky and is a little unpleasant but hey, the other nine months are great, which is more than what can be said about a lot of other places.

Today we visited Reef HQ, which is the aquarium here, it was okay. The big living coral reef is really cool to look at and the turtles were super cute. The Melbourne Aquarium is way better and is much bigger. We then went to a place called The Taphouse, they have craft beer (self-pour option available), tantalising tapas and a great open plan area to chill out in. The Butcher’s Block was the name of the dish we ordered and was basically a selection of chicken skewers, steak, lamb kofta and pork belly pieces served with some delicious dips and sauces and ciabatta bread, it was brilliant.

I had an interview at the emergency vet clinic here in Townsville yesterday and I have another interview at a different vet tomorrow so hopefully I will get some locum shifts up here soon and Ben has been in touch with a local bricky who is keen to get him on site. So, if all goes well we should have our funds up and be ready to enjoy ourselves when Glen and Amanda arrive in a few weeks. We are looking forward to discovering more of Townsville and looking forward to seeing our mates soon!

Dear Diary,

It’s Wednesday 31st of May… Just kidding, it is May 31st but I’m not going to bore you with a sappy diary entry. This is a blog.

WORKMANS BEACH CAMP GROUND

Two Sundays ago my family left Anges Water. We had sent off our hot water service to be fixed and they had posted it back to Anges Water Post Office for us. We couldn’t pick it up until the Monday and so we had to stay in the Anges Water area for at least another night. This didn’t upset us too much as Anges Water and the Town of 1770 is a really special spot and we were more than happy to hang around a little longer.

We had enquired at the local caravan parks and upon learning that it would be around $40 per night to stay at those, we drove into Workman’s Beach Camp Ground, which was just $9 per person per night (it is $25 per night for a family pass if anybody is interested). There is no power but they do provide clean toilets, a cold shower, bins and fresh tap water. We were really glad we decided to pull in there because it turned out to be one of the best camp grounds that we have come across thus far. It is less than a five minute walk to Workman’s Beach, which is an absolutely stunning and secluded little beach and only a 5 minute drive to the local Agnes Water shops.

We met lots of friendly campers at Workman’s Beach including two lovely Canadian girls, a young family who were also doing a big trip, an ex-diesel mechanic travelling alone and a friendly fellow fisherman called Jake who we may catch up with further down the road somewhere. You do need to watch out for snakes at Workman’s, the habitat is perfect for them and we did see a couple. You would think that given the location midges and mozzies would be a problem but thankfully they were few and far between.

Ben ventured back down to ‘the catwalk’ a few more times and picked up some nice school mackerel and got some bull shark from another fisherman down there. The Canadian girls, Chantelle and Shaye, joined us for our sweet ‘n’ sour bull shark meal, which turned out great. We had a few games of cards and a good chat. They even bought us a few gifts to say thank you, which wasn’t expected but was lovely.

We took a day trip out to a well talked about area called Eurimbula, just out of Agnes Water. It is a national park and the area is gorgeous. It is secluded and quiet and the water is warm and full of life. We saw fish, a turtle and what we thought was some type of small whale (possibly an Orca). It was there that we met Jake, he just happened to be camping at Workman’s as well. Ben got a lesson from him on how to throw his cast net properly and is now using it like a champ. The bait fish were in trouble after that. We loved Eurimbula so much that we decided to go back and fish it the next morning, Jake joined us again. When I wasn’t lure fishing I helped keep the bait alive. Ben was loving his fishing, he caught his first Queen fish and a good sized flathead, which we were very excited about. He also caught some nice bream, which went back in the ocean.

By this time, our two day stop at Workman’s had turned into a five day stop, we just didn’t want to leave. The owner, Aaron, and his family were lovely and the place was buzzing with other campers and backpackers. Everyone was out to enjoy it. We sucked it up and made the decision to go, otherwise we never would… so, after our last fish at Eurimbula Friday morning we hit the road again.

RAGLAN TAVERN

After leaving Workman’s we drove two and a half hours to a tavern with good reviews called the Raglan Tavern. You can camp in their large gravel car park for free and they have free hot showers and toilets there. They do encourage you to at least come inside and pay for a beer before using the amenities, which is fair enough. The staff are laid back and the managers are absolutely lovely. Everybody was very accommodating and friendly. The meals were reasonable but we were there on a busy night and so the wait time on food was fairly long.

The staff allowed us to play free pool for our entire stay, which was great and the cold beer and cheap Canadian Club and Dry wasn’t bad either. We met a trucky called Matt there who stops at the Raglan fairly often. We had a great Saturday night there playing pool with Matt and one of the bar girls.

On Sunday night, after the sun had gone down there was just us and some English backpackers in the bar and one other local. It was quiet and the owners were happy as it was looking very likely that they were going to get an early night. They closed the kitchen down and had most of the lights off… when out of the blue, truck after truck drove into their large carpark. There was about eight trucks, they were carrying heavy loads of brand new caravans and the truck drivers were weary and hungry. Seeing so many trucks and so many new caravans all together was something you just don’t see every day. As soon as the owners saw them, they sighed, but a country pub like this has a reputation to keep and they weren’t about to send the truckies away hungry. The truckies entered, sheepishly asking if the kitchen was still open. The lovely bar lady made them feel welcome, turning the lights back on in the meals area and offering drinks. She explained that the deep fryer wasn’t on but they could make them steak and salad or steak and veg or lasagne or curried sausages or a mixed grill. I thought it was awesome to see a country pub belt out eight meals, just like that, no complaints, after they thought they were done for the night.

There is one small downfall, which has nothing to do with the pub itself but the location. It is near a waterway, so the midges are very friendly and bitey. It is beside the highway and very close to the train line where noisy coal trains squeak back and forth on the metal lines at all times of the day and the night. So, you may not get much sleep at the Raglan but you are guaranteed a hot shower, clean toilets, lovely staff and a good country pub experience.

STANAGE BAY

Information:         Name: Stanage Bay

Population: 52 people

Location: 3hrs off the main road, 2hrs of dirt road driving, one road in/one road out (otherwise known as ‘the middle of nowhere’)

Early Monday morning we headed to a spot recommended by some people at Workman’s called Stanage Bay. It is free (donation of no set amount encouraged) to camp and you are right on the beach. It was going to be a long drive to Stanage and so we drove through Rockhampton and did not stop there, thinking surely there will be fuel and a supermarket on the way. What we didn’t realise is that Stanage Bay Road is three hours of unsealed road through cattle farming country with no towns or shops along the way. There is one road in and one road out and so we were forced to wait to get fuel and supplies until we arrived in Stanage Bay. Luckily, there is a general store there, which also happens to be the local take away store, pub, petrol station and post office. The only other shop in the quiet main road, facing the ocean, is the fishing, boat and tackle store, which is run by Von who is very welcoming and helpful.

The camp ground is average, though the location is desirable. It is right on a point where you can enjoy seeing the tide come in and out on the beach and it is an easy drive to the river mouth where cloudy aqua water sits calm and the mangroves grow thick. Despite the locals telling you repeatedly that it is safe to swim, there are crocodile warning signs at the boat ramp, at the beach and river entrances. There is only one local (the lovely owner of the tackle shop) who admitted that she had seen a crocodile a few times whilst walking her dog along the beach. Most people said they had never seen one or if there was some they were way up the river and not near them. In any case, Ben and I were not prepared to take any chances, the water wasn’t clear enough for us to know if a croc was lurking close. We went fishing at the river mouth but stayed back from the water’s edge and kept our eyes peeled at all times. We were only lucky enough to pull in one small fish that we thought was a sooty grunter.

We spent one night in the local pub (aka general store) so that we could watch the State Of Origin. As most people know, the Northern people of this country are just as crazy about their rugby as Southerners are about AFL. It would have been a shame not to watch it with the locals. Most of the twenty or so people who attended the pub that night were going for the Maroons and Ben was one of them. I, myself, quite enjoy watching it but I don’t really mind who wins. The Blues ended up smashing the Maroons, much to the horror of most of the people in the pub. The other good thing about the camp ground is that it is an easy walk to the pub from there, so we were able to walk back with the other campers once the game was over.

The local pubs are always a good place to meet locals and get a feel for the people of a town. The owners of this particular business really have it all going for them, they sell the only groceries, grog and petrol within 3 hours of where they are, they collect the campers donations and have the business of all of the campers who come through. The thing about being in a business like that is that you have to be nice to customers and give them value for money so that the locals use your service and the visitors feel welcome and are happy to go back to you. It appears to be a family owned business and the males that man the shop and the bar are actually really nice, the lady, on the other hand, does not seem to care much for good customer service and could do with a little bit of lightening up. We would not recommend using the showers at the general store as it is $2 for less than 30 seconds of warm water. We don’t mind paying for a shower, but when you can barely wash yourself even after putting $6 in the machine, it gets a bit ridiculous.

We took a look at what the locals call Beverley Hills at Stanage Bay, which is a gorgeous lookout. It allows you to see over the rock formations and secluded beaches at a height and is picturesque especially in the mornings.

COMING UP… Mackay, Eungella Dam and Arriving in Townsville (sorry I’m a little behind due to lack of reception in the sticks).

Over the last two weeks, Ben and I have been staying in a house for the first time in 6 months. We were very excited as we got to spend some time with my parents, Lyn and Gary, my brother, Barney, his missus, Tracy and our little niece Jasmine. They also have one little boy on the way (due in August). The house we stayed in was just a short walk away from Anges Water beach. It was a double story and large, so it allowed everyone plenty of space. It was strange abandoning the camper and going into a house for a couple of weeks. When we changed spots today and opened the camper again, it felt like coming home.

While our family was here we did lots of fun activities. We spent the second night of their stay at the Agnes Water tavern, we had a few drinks, a few games of pool then we all went into the bistro and had some dinner. There just happened to be a local poker competition on that night at the pub and so Ben, Barney, Dad and I joined in. A few beers and many deals and hands later Barney and a man called Jeff were the last two left at the tables. Ben, Dad and I had all been eliminated but we watched from the sideline hoping Barney would beat Jeff, the local serious poker bully. When the last hand came up and Jeff produced pocket Jacks and Barney produced two low suited cards. Jeff went to take his winnings, then Barney piped up… “Do I get the flush?” he asked casually. The adjudicator looked again and apologised, pronouncing Barney the winner of the $100 prize!

We spent time at Anges Water Beach, 1770 Beach and at the beautiful TreeTop Bar across from 1770 Beach. Barney, Ben and Dad were keen to fish of course and so they spent most mornings and some evenings doing that. Ben and Barney braved some big rocks and big swell to get out to some of the spots. There was one, in particular, the locals call ‘the catwalk’, they had to be part bloodhound to find it and part mountain goat to make it there but the rocks, when you eventually reached the spot, allowed you to cast into very deep water. They pulled in school mackeral and mack tuna off the rocks and saw locals hook up to sharks. Ben even hooked onto a black marlin but was unable to get him in. What an exciting spot! Ben and Barney really got to try out their lures, different baits and different rigs. They got to learn about some of the Queensland fish species and had a great time doing it.

Ben, Barney and Dad also went on a fishing charter for a day, they had fun fishing with livies and bottom bouncing on the reef. Ben caught a large Cobia, travelley and some coral trout along with some Nanagai and lots of smaller fish. Barney caught a nice coral trout and a Nanagai. Dad hooked some decent fish too and enjoyed seeing the boys pulled in their big ones. They all had a great day and also got a chance to see what Queensland’s tropical waters have in store for fisherman.

While the boys were fishing Mum and I went stand up paddleboarding (SUP-ing) for the day. This was my second time paddleboarding (1st time was in Noosa). Tracy and Jasmine joined us at the beach and I got to take Jasmine out on the board for a paddle! Loving life! Mum did really well on the board, after being a little rocky at the start, she was going like a pro by the end of our two-hour session. We figured after all that exercise we had ernt a drink and some lunch back up at the beautiful tree top bar.

We spent some good times at the stunning beaches up here. We had quite a few nice dinners all together including home made cobia and chips, coral trout baked two different ways (one in a salt crust and one with tasty stuffing) and we even had a roast one night.

Yesterday, we all went to the Captain Cook Festival at 1770. There was a parade, food, rides, a market and most importantly at beer tent. It was fun watching some of the local talents.

Ben and I were happy to get to spend some time with Jasmine, who is growing up fast. She is cheeky but absolutely adorable and loved going to the beach and playing in the sand.

It was sad to see our family leave today and two weeks seemed to have gone way too quickly. Thanks so much for coming up guys, it’s so special for us to be able to see our family while we are on the road. Agnes Water is so beautiful that Ben and I have not left yet, we have set up our camper at Workman’s Beach Camp Area, which is just down the road from where we were staying in the house. The camp area here is great, it’s sandy and bushy and you just need to take a short walk on a gravel pathway to get to a gorgeous surf beach with rock pools and sandy areas. The campground offers running water, toilets, a cold water outdoor shower and bins and is also pet-friendly, not bad for $9 per person per night. Thanks again to Mum and Dad, Barney, Tracy and Jasmine for coming up, loved seeing you guys!

Well, the last couple of days at Baffle Creek have been a really wonderful experience. We have had some lucky and some unlucky things happen but all in all we have really loved this spot. We got to enjoy one of the absolute best meals we have ever eaten. It was so good in fact… that I need to tell you all about it. So, Ben caught a fairly big mud crab the night we arrived here. We also caught a small mulloway and a small diamond travelley that night… but back to the mud crab story. He was feisty and we kept him in a bucket overnight. After some research on YouTube we learned that putting a feisty mud crab in the freezer for an hour or so will subdue him and send him peacefully into a death bringing sleep. This method is the most humane and also keeps the crab from getting stressed so their meat stays tender and they don’t drop their legs. We also learnt how to clean and gill the crab.

Once prepared we made a sweet chili sauce by adding a tablespoon or so of hot chili sauce to two or three tablespoons of honey and shook a little cajun spice over the crab. We then added the chili sauce and marinated him in the fridge for a couple of hours. I say ‘him’ because we know it was a male, YouTube also taught us how to tell the difference between a male crab and a female crab.

We then melted a large knob of butter in a pan, added sliced onion, frozen peas and corn and a small amount of cooked rice. Once cooked through, Ben added the sweet spiced smelling crab with all of the sauce.

The rice took on the flavour of the crab, the chili, and the honey. It had a gentle burn but the sweetness was enough to make it very pleasant. The crab meat was sensational, soft and sweet and cooked to perfection. All of this we enjoyed on the bank of Baffle, with a nice cold glass of Bundy Banana and Toffee on ice to take it a step higher. Most perfect lunch EVER!

Yesterday we had some good luck and some bad luck. We spent most of the day concentrating on fishing. The tides here are fast and the current gets quite strong so there were a few trials with rigs that Ben tried.

Ben caught some fresh bait (small fish and a prawn in the opera house and cast net)… good luck.

We got a few bites on out frozen baits and fresh baits but no fish… bad luck.

As it got later it started to get windy and there was some light rain… bad luck.

The people camped next to us left and we were able to take the opportunity to use the wood they left behind to make a lovely warm fire… good luck.

We are in need of warmth now when the nights drop below 20 degrees. The weather waxed and waned but we stuck it out and it turned out to be a pretty good night.

On dark, a man approached the bank in his tinny and asked if we wanted some fresh bass yabbies as he had finished finishing for the night… good luck.

He nudged into the bank to give us the yabbies and as he took off in his boat again, his motor grabbed the line of my pink fishing rod, making it fly out of the rod holder and pulling it into the murky Baffle creek waters… bad luck.

It wrapped around Ben’s little Diawa rod too but thankfully we saved this one before it fell into the drink… good luck.

Ben caught some more bait sized fish with the bass yabbies… good luck. This gave him the ability to set up some good live bait rigs on his big rod.

We were sitting by our toasty warm fire with Ben’s big rod and big bait about 50 meters away in the water. It was dark, so we had a lamp on the bank lighting the rod and had three sets of bells on it, we were still a bit nervous about losing another rod after seeing the last one fly into the water. Ben started saying that he was considering leaving the warm fire so he could sit right next to his rod as he did not trust the rod holder and his bait and rig was big enough that if he was going to hook up, the fish was going to be of a decent size. As he spoke, and as if the fish had been listening to our conversation, we heard the bells ringing frantically and saw in the light of the lamp a large bow in the rod. In less that a second Ben had left his chair, dogded the hot coals on the ground and sprinted toward his rod, doing a plugger in one thong on the way he abandoned it halfway an effort to get to his rod as rapidly as possible. The fish ran downstream with strength and determination but when Ben turned him the bait slipped from his mouth and away he swam, free to fight another day. Ben got three big bites and two good runs on the big rod but was unable to pull in the big fish he had been hoping for… bad luck. When you are fishing from the bank here you are pulling hooked fishing towards a stump and towards mangroves and sharp rocks, so landing them is a challenge, to say the least. He got one large fish almost right to the bank but it anchored itself against a big stump and was able to break off the hooks and the bait before we could get him up. We would have loved to have seen what was on the end of that line, a mangrove jack or a mulloway or something angrier perhaps? A swarm of biting midges came through and attacked us… bad luck. One of the last times Ben reeled his line in he bought with it another fishing line that was coming out of the water. He grabbed a hold of it and pulled, and pulled, and pulled, the line just kept coming out of the water.

Eventually, we could see that the line was attached to my pink rod and reel that we had lost earlier that night in the water, he pulled it back onto the bank and we regained the lost rod and reel… good luck.

At the end of the day, we found ourselves standing by the warm open fire pit, in our waterproof jackets and pants, in 19.7 degrees, talking about the monsters that could have been on the end of Ben’s fishing line. With our bellies full of Continental Sidedish and Nutella sandwiches. What a day and what a time we have had at Baffle Creek. Today we move to Agnes Waters and are very excited to spend the next couple of weeks with Jay, Tracy, Jasmine, Mum and Dad! See you soon.

We left the Sunshine Coast on Saturday 29th April in the morning and tracked about three and a half hours North to the well-known town of Bundaberg. We were offered some accommodation by an old school friend of mine Steph and her husband Chris with their two kids Ben and Emily. Ben was really looking forward to seeing the Bundaberg Distillery and it was one of the things that we had on our bucket list so instead of going straight to Steph’s to drop off the camper, we ended up visiting the Bundy Factory first. We tasted a little bit of rum and purchased a few nice bottles, enquired about the tours then headed to Steph’s to set up. We knew we would be back at the Bundy Factory before long.

Steph and Chris live in a small town just outside the main part of Bundaberg, called Sharon. They have a spacious property where we were able to set up our camper. That night we had pizzas and chatted. The river that is close to their home is the Burnette River and it is certainly impressive. Like most waterways up here, it is full of life and the water is warm.

We spent a day at Bargara Beach, which is the main tourist beach in Bundaberg. It was fairly quiet the day we went and we all had a great day. The sun was just warm enough and the surf was shallow and calm. We drove the Prado onto the sand and used the awning for shade. Brock and Chev had a great time chasing the ball. I had a swim with little Ben (Steph’s son). We had to resort to calling my Ben ‘big Ben’ and Steph’s Ben ‘little Ben’ to avoid confusion. We all had some good friend and family time together.

Tuesday came and it was time… time to do the Bundaberg Distillery tour. We would like to extend a bid thanks to Steph for driving us around that day and accompanying us on the tour. I have to say, I was not a fan of rum before I did the tour but the factory and the different flavours and variety of Bundaberg really impressed me. I found myself enjoying tasting the different rums and the liqueurs, when previously the smell of rum almost made me gag. I am a changed girl since going to Bundaberg, that is for sure.

Ben, on the other hand, has always loved his rum and this was the only museum and tour I have ever seen him in his glee with. The Bundy Distillery is impressive and has a very noble and historic aura about it, the smell of molasses floats thickly in the air and the vats and storage areas are really interesting to see. The tasting at the end was by far the best part of the tour!

After the Bundy factory Steph, Ben and I caught up with Chris at a cafe and all had a really nice lunch together. Then we headed off the Bundaberg Barrel, which is where you can taste the famous Bundaberg Ginger Beer and range of lovely brewed soft drinks. What a great day we had!

Wednesday came and it was time for Ben and I to go on another road. We took off and headed South to the highly spoken of town called, Hervey Bay. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect. We found one very quiet little beach where the tide was out, so we walked across the strange hard but mud like sand to reach the water, which was over a kilometre away. We laughed at the soldier crabs who ran in little packs away from us and admired the water and uniqueness of the place. We had lunch at a waterfront restaurant then went to the more touristy areas. The 2.2km pier was long but was extremely interesting and Ben watched enthusiastically as locals fished. Life teams under the pier and the locals told us that the fishing is amazing there. On the way back to Bundy we visited the small towns of Burram Heads, Burram and Woodgate, stopping quickly at Woodgate for a beer and a game of pool.

We can not thank Steph and Chris enough for their hospitality. It was great to catch up, great to have time for a girls movie night (Beauty and the Beast, hell yeah!), great to have nice meals together, play some games and get to spend this time together. Ben and Ben enjoyed their nightly chess games and good times were had by all. Ben and Chris got to go out fishing for a day and explore the Bundy river system a bit more. Thanks again guys!

Yesterday we left Bundy and drove about 50 minutes North to Baffle Creek. We are at a great little campground, called Rocky Point, right by the wide, salty river. We are having fun fishing and relaxing here and we are getting ready to have sweet chilli fresh caught mud crab for lunch. We’ll let you know how we go. Just a couple more sleeps until we meet my family in Agnes Waters. Pretty excited!

Hello, out there! Thought I had better update all of our Pal’s and Gal’s on our travels. We hope everybody had a great Easter and Anzac Day. Our Good Friday was actually an awesome Friday. We spent the day with David and Cheryl. We rode on David’s Jet Ski over to an island in Noosa and spent the day picnicking on the beach. Cheryl bought her stand up paddle board along and I learnt how to do that, it was heaps of fun and I’ll be sure to pick the paddle up again next time I get the opportunity. Went all went for a ride out to the waves on the Jet Ski with David and got to admire the beauty of Noosa’s beaches from the water, then had a couple of beers, a swim and a relax. There was plenty of people about, some had hired boats and were fishing off them or having a miniature on-board party. Some were just out to have a swim or a surf and others were just happy sitting on the beach reading a book. What a great lifestyle!

On Easter Saturday Ben tracked up to Noosa again and spent the day fishing on the Noosa-Cat. He bought back a good feed of shark fillets and some pearl perch. The next night we had the freshest and most delicious home made fish and chips ever!

Ben has been working hard every day still and the days are cooling down a little here. It is normally mid to high twenties during the day and then is reducing to under 15 degrees at night… brrrr. Last night it was only 9 degrees overnight. So we are glad to be moving onwards and upwards on Saturday to Bundaberg where I am really excited to catch up with an old school friend Steph and Ben is really excited to hit the Bundy Factory.

I have worked a few shifts at Greencross Vet Kawana Waters, the girls there have really been great and I enjoyed helping them out.

Last weekend we had a look around Mooloolaba beach, it is a beautiful spot, full of hip cafes, beach goers and surfers.

Anzac Day was a quiet one, Ben went fishing off Mooloolaba with a mate from his work and caught a few nice Mack Tuna to add to the freezer. He had a great morning on the water. There was a bit of swell but not much wind and the fish were on the bite!

So, today is pack up day and tomorrow morning we will scoot up to Bundy. We have loved the Sunshine Coast and it would be really easy to hang our here for longer (even though we have been here for over a month). Fossil Park has been great for the price but we are getting a bit over the traffic noise here and there is another couple who have been here for the last few days who are creeping us out a bit. Our hot water system hasn’t been working since we have been here and so cold showers are getting a lot less refreshing and a lot more chilling, especially since the nights are cooling down so much.

Well, next time I blog it will be from Bundaberg! So, I’ll catch up with all of you there. We are due in Agnes Waters (near Seventeen Seventy) in early May to catch up with my family. Yay! Looking forward to it. Glen and Amanda will be seeing us in July in Townsville also super excited about that!

Things we have learnt and things we need to remember about the Sunshine Coast…

• Live life to the fullest
• Hasting’s Street in Noosa is like ‘the land of the beautiful people’
• Maroochydore and Mooloolaba are as tropical and wonderful as they sound
• Rick’s Garage is an amazing place for a burger and a had crafted whisky
• Be positive and active and follow your dreams
• Ocean Street in Maroochy is awesome and so is Macchu Picchu
• Impressive mountains on one side, beautiful beaches on the other
• Sun and smiles
• Aussie World Pub and Aussie World shops, unique and handy
• The Bruce Highway is busy
• A good conversation is always better than good technology

Hey guys, it’s been 15 days since my last blog so I thought I’d better catch everyone up. Well, it’s April now so we have officailly been on the road now for 5 months. We are still staying at Fossil Park near Aussie World and the Sunny Coast. Ben had been working hard during the week and we have been seeing some sites on the weekends. I have been getting a couple of locum shifts at Greencross Vet in Kawana Waters and I have been writing. My first novel is now officially an ebook you can check it out at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/714918.

We caught up with Ben’s Uncle and Aunty again, David and Cheryl. We joined them for dinner in Noosa and they took us for a drive around the beaches of Noosa and into the National Park. Noosa is a truly beautiful town it is loved by those with lots of money but also by those who love surf and travel. It is definitely the shiny diamond of the Sunshine Coast. After dinner we walked the streets of Noosa. There is some very classy restuaraunts and homes lining the pathways. At night they light the trees with fairy lights, which makes it seem all the more magical. We got some icecream and then went back to their apartment for a while. It was a great night, we love spending time David and Cheryl, they are positive, happy and very relaxed.

There is something about the Sunshine Coast lifestyle that allows you to be who you want to be and do what you want to do. Melbourne should seriously have a look the way work is put on the back burner a little here and life is bought forward. Most businesses closed by 5pm and tradies are normally home by 3pm, Sundays are quiet days where only the bare essentials are accessible and most shops are closed. After work, the residents are outside, exercising, surfing and socialising. What a life!

We have been to a few waterfalls over the weekend. The valley at Mapleton Falls was a site for sore eyes, it was thick with trees and was so deep that it reminded us how tiny we, as humans, really are. The look out there was impressive.

We also went to Buderim Falls but these were probably the least impressive falls we have seen to date. On the other hand… the Kondalilla Falls and National Park was stunning and although there is a bit of walking involved to get to the falls, it was worth it!

On the way home from the falls Ben spotted this shiny gem amongst the rocks of the Sunshine Coast… The Big Barrel. It had wine tasting and craft beer tasting and a great cheese platter, what more could you want in life?

We did visit The Big Pineapple as well but it was closed due to the category one cyclone that passed over us… oh yeah, the cyclone, probably should tell you about that. We survived the off shoot of Cyclone Debbie really well. Yes, we got over 200mL of rain and yes, the winds were strong and scary. It kept us and the dogs inside the camper for an entire day, the annex floor got saturated and it turned the turf farm that we overlook into a river. Chevy was freaking out a little so Ben let the dogs lie under his legs in the top part of the camper, while I read my book in the annex. When the strong wind started late at night, we started to worry, the annex began bending and moving and when one side started to collapse Ben made the call for us to get in the car. The dogs jumped in the back and we drove to the Aussie World carpark away from trees and other objects to wait out the storm. It calmed down around an hour later and we returned to the camper. Everything on the annex floor was wet but thankfully there were no broken poles and no permanant damage so we faired pretty well. Considering that some people, including one of Ben’s cousins, had the windows of their homes blown in.

We got some running repairs done on the camper as there were a few annoying things we wanted to have fixed before the warranty runs out and over the last two days have made a couple of new friends at Fossil Park, Matt and Linda, they are from South Australia. We will be here in the Sunshine Coast until April 28th and then we move upwards and onwards to Bundaberg. I’m looking forward to catching up with an old friend from my school days, Steph, when we get to Bundaberg and Ben is looking forward to the rum tour and factory. We will then head to Seventeen Seventy and catch up with Barney, Tracy, Jasmine and Mum and Dad. Very excited!