Tell us where to go!
Lots of folks have been suggesting places we should see on our way up the middle of NSW & QLD, and on the coast on the way back down to Melbourne. We’ve gathered up some suggestions here – add yours!
Lots of folks have been suggesting places we should see on our way up the middle of NSW & QLD, and on the coast on the way back down to Melbourne. We’ve gathered up some suggestions here – add yours!
August 18th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Just north of Batangabee bay in ben boyd is salwater creek which is smaller and there is a walk between it and batangabee as well as in the other direction – watch out for jellies! the creek is great too and u can canoe up it from memory. Also, north of Tomakin – Gorilla bay is lovely – lots of academics have houses there and they’ve left the bush – whereas further north it just looks like suburbs! Mimosa rocks is wild too.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
OK, I promised – highlights of the coast road.
Bitangabee is fabulous, though I can’t remember how good the road is for a caravan. Saltwater (also in Ben Boyd National Park) is also gorgeous. Good fishing. Watch out for the goannas that get into everything in camp. And grumpy roos.
Just before Ben Boyd is Wonboyn Lake, a kind of lost town out all by itself – or it was last time I was there – could look like the Gold Coast by now for all I’d know.
If you’re going near Sydney, you can drive into the Royal National Park and camp right on the beach at Bundeena (tiny town, I used to live there). Excellent fish and chips, and best old wooden ferry – to Cronulla, or up Port Hacking. In the park there are rock art sites but they are hard to find.
Hervey Bay is gorgeous though getting developed now – whales, long beaches, but killer sand flies in the camping ground at – I think it’s called Two Can Bay. I’d dump the van and go over to Fraser for a night or two.
Then inland from Noosa/Coolum you can go up the Noosa River into the National Park and camp by the water there. If you have a canoe all the better.
Finally, on that spectacular raod between Cairns and Port there is at least one camping spot right on the beach – maybe it’s Oak Bay? Can’t remember. But heavenly.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Don’t forget Seaworld!!!!!!! http://seaworld.myfun.com.au/
September 9th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Hi – there’s something entrancing about sitting in front of the vast Murray River. I remember just losing track of time completely (if you guys have not done so already). Oh, while I remember, other places to visit in NSW: Crowdy Bay, Myall Lakes, Ben Boyd NP (esp Saltwater Creek), Enjoy!
September 13th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I promised I would send some tips to some wonderful sites in QLD outback, so here goes….
After traveling through NSW we took the Matilda Hwy (also called Mitchell Hwy just to make things confusing) seeing many quaint country towns – Cunnamulla, Charleville, Blackall… The next town Barcaldine was worth a visit (place of the famous Knowledge Tree which has since been vandalised & destroyed) . We stayed at Barcaldine Weir (Lloyd James Weir, not clearly marked on any maps) 15 kms out of town – really nice picturesque spot by a river.
Then through Longreach – you must take a tour of the QANTAS Boeing 747, and of course there’s the Stockman’s Hall of Fame (us museum folk can pick it to pieces but it’s worth seeing).
Next stop was Winton – fantastic! We stayed in Bladensberg National Park at Bough Camping Ground, very nice spot on the river. A must is a visit to Lark Quarry dinosaur fossil site, you need to book in Winton before you go. We really enjoyed the area.
Next stop was Mt Isa, and of course a tour of the mines is quite amazing. It’s not the real mine but they do a fine job creating the real experience. Then onto one of our most favorite places in Australia – Lawn Hill National Park – it is well and truly worth the trek to get there. The girls will love swimming in the emerald green fresh water. You can camp at Lawn Hill or at Adels Grove. Adels Grove is where most people stay, beautiful setting with lots of shade. Lawn Hill is amazing as it is where all the canoeing, walks, swimming is – BUT you need to book ahead at Mt Isa.
Next favorite spot is Kurumba, Gulf of Carpenteria. Great fishing, excellent pub with scrumptious seafood and sunsets. If you can afford it take a plane ride over the Gulf country – spectacular.
That’s the outback summed up in too many words!! There were many places we didn’t see and one day we will take the trip again. By the way if you do this route when you start heading over to the QLD coast, make sure you check out the lava tubes at Undara National Park – also has a good camping facility.
October 7th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Hi Groovers
Loving the blog – keep it going good…
Make sure you visit the Big Pineapple,
i don’t know where it is (or if there is one..),
i reckon the Big Pineapple would be ace.
The beaches between Cairns and Port Douglas are magic
and virtually untouched (at least were when i was 8 in ’84).
Cheers,
cuz Miki
October 8th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Thanks Miki – there’s actually two Big Pineapples, one in Nambour and one in Gympie. We’ll be passing both on our way back down south, so will be sure to see at least one!
October 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Don’t miss having a pizza from Piccolo Paradiso at Mission Beach. Yum!
October 16th, 2008 at 9:21 am
If you make it up through the Atherton tablelands, check out Paronella Park (www.paronellapark.com.au) – very interesting place ….and Skybury coffee near Mareeba (www.skybury.com.au) – good coffee, great views from a beautiful building.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:26 am
West of Ingham – visit Wallaman falls – highest single drop waterfall in Australia:
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=131
Check the website for travel conditions – looks like may not be able to take the van up there….
October 28th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Hi there, have been really enjoying reading about your travels. Here are a couple of places we enjoyed on our trip to Queensland last year. We only went as far north as Bowen, which is a relaxed, fairly non-touristy town. There are some good beaches – the boys loved climbing on the rocks at Horseshoe Bay. There is a great view of the area from the cafe on top of Centennial Hill. Of course there is also the Big Mango on the highway just south of Bowen if you are interested in Big Fruit.
Airlie Beach has a lagoon pool and playground area on the main foreshore which the boys enjoyed. There are lots of trips to the Whitsundays from Shute Harbour, mostly pretty expensive. We took a boat trip to Whitehaven Beach which always gets raved about on travel shows, and is a lovely stretch of sandy beach.
Eungella National Park (inland from Mackay) is very scenic and is the best place in the world (!!) to see a platypus in the wild. The recommended spot is the bridge over the Broken River. We saw them swimming around there a few times. There is a camping ground next to the river, which would be a great location, but not sure of the facilities.
Cape Hillsborough National Park is on the coast north of Mackay. We stopped here for a couple of hours. Nice quiet beach and kangaroos hopping around the camping ground. Also a cafe.
Not that much to see in Mackay itself but there’s a big playground on the foreshore of the harbour area, where the boys had a good play.
Have also got some suggestions for further south in Queensland. Will post them later. Keep on enjoying yourselves, all the best from Sharon, Steve, Zac, Benj and Rohan.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Realised I put in the wrong name of that hill in Bowen. Should be Flagstaff Hill, not Centennial Hill. And apparently Nicole Kidman had her 40th birthday party in the restaurant on top of Flagstaff Hill while she was filming the movie Australia in Bowen.
November 11th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Now that you are heading down the coast, if you are going to stop on the Gold Coast (and I imagine the girls would like to visit those ‘parents with children’ traps, the fun parks), I can recommend the Main Beach Caravan Park. It is in a little cul-de-sac at the north end of the strip (so a little quieter), just across the road from the beach (and the surf club), very friendly, has wifi and is just down the road a bit from Sea World. There is a nice up market shopping strip a couple of streets back with some good restaurants and cafes and a good basic fishermans’ cooperative fish and chip place up towards Sea World. You can even walk along the beach into Surfers if you really want to.
The downside might be getting in – it is filled with seniors from Victoria in the winter, not sure about now (might be too hot for us – oops, them). Oh, and my cousin Neil lives in the apartment block just behind it.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Nambucca Heads is a beautiful spot – we stayed at the Nambucca Beach Holiday Resort (formerly Pacific Sands) most years when our kids were teenagers – it’s at the northern end of the main surf club beach and quiet, but we’ve also stayed at Headland Caravan Park (rundown last time we were there, but on a bluff right behind the surf club) and the White Albatross (on the river near the entrance and close to town). There’s a nice library, a great little bookshop/cafe and the supermarket car park has great views! The walks around the beaches, rocks and river are just gorgeous.
While you are there, check out Bellingen (back towards Coffs, then inland towards Dorrigo – with its rainforest walks on the escarpment – and Armidale). You might meet George Negus in the supermarket as I did once. There are some nice gallery/artist co-op places, although the best one closed.