Fraser Island: White sands, bumpy roads and beach highways

On our previous trip around Australia, we skipped Fraser Island on our itinerary (mainly because the 1974 VW Kombi we travelled in was as far away from a 4WD as you can get!), but this time around, we decided to take the Ranger for a spin on the sand.

We planned to take a day trip over to the island to see what all the fuss was about, mostly because lugging all the gear for the three kids over and back for a few nights was just a bit much and also because Luke is still technically "working" each day, so internet connection is crucial! We booked our ticket on the ferry and a couple that we met in Hervey Bay asked whether they could tag along with us because they were nervous of driving off-road (ironic as Luke's "she'll be right mate" attitude was as far from their "Be prepared!" motto as possible but lucky for us, they had a tyre pressure release gauge, shovels, tow ropes, and most probably a dingo trap and emergency satellite beacon as well packed and ready if any of this stuff should be needed and no, it wasn't).

We drove our car onto the ferry at River Heads, about 20 minutes from Hervey Bay and the kids probably liked this part as much as the Island itself! A car on a boat? Bassie was in transport heaven and sat in the drivers seat of the car for much of the 40 minute trip with a big smile on his face. Once we arrived at Wanggoolba Creek, it was action stations and straight onto the sandy roads. The kids thought the bumps and lumps were funny in the beginning but soon got a bit sick of the dips and dives. Driving through the rainforest sections of the middle of the island was a nice distraction however, before we arrived at the stunning Lake McKenzie.

Walking past the many dingo signs, warning of their presence on the island and how food should only be eating in the fenced areas, we were overwhelmed with the beauty of Lake McKenzie when it finally came into view. A 'perched' lake, containing only rainwater and no groundwater with soft, pure white sand, its not hard to be impressed with this amazing natural wonder which is surrounded by dense bush. Surprisingly warm, we loved swimming in the aqua water and the kids played for ages in the clean, soft sand. When the tour buses turned up however, the feeling of being somewhere pretty remote and pretty untouched was dashed - add a hundred backpackers and Lake McKenzie resembled Bondi Beach!

Back in the car and we took the inland road over to the beach past Lake Wabby, but geepas, 20 kilometres on the map can take up longer than an hour to drive with some pretty big dips and bumps. Most of the roads were single lane tracks which meant always being on the look out for on-coming cars and finding a spot to pull off into the bush so they could pass - our relatively new car got a few scratches as a memento of the trip! And despite the wild 4WD ride, Bassie managed to nod off and slept for almost an hour as his poor little head went back and forth, back and forth until we reached 75 Mile Beach.   

We were pretty surprised about how long it actually took to cross the island and with a return ferry deadline, we decided to drive straight up to Eli Creek, a favourite tourist spot. It was much smoother driving on the sand, and we actually had tour buses fly past us (and shared the beach with landing aeroplanes) and even went past a parked policeman in a 4WD monitoring the 80km per hour speed limit and doing the odd breath test I imagine. The kids thought driving through the little creek crossings were fun and Luke didn't have too bad a time of it either!

Arriving at Eli Creek and the place was really packed, with 4WD's lining the creek and visitors setting up tents and picnic rugs, some for a short stop off like us and other's who were camping on the island, settling in for the day. We made the 5 minute walk along a wooden boardwalk to the start of the freshwater spring where you can jump in and ride the natural current in the freshwater all the way down to the beach. The water was crystal clear but freezing!! Arley and Sage were undeterred and rode the current again and again on their boards. I found it interesting to discover that this site was extremely important to the traditional Aboriginal Butchulla people of Fraser Island who used to meet and baptised their children there. What a different scene it is today. 

We had just enough time to drive another 10 minutes up the beach and check out the shipwrecked Maheno, which came ashore in cyclonic weather in 1935. The vibrant colours of the wreck were amazing and the kids loved reading about how and why the ship came to be on the island. 

Smashing it along the 75 Mile sandy Beach all the way to the Eurong turn off, where there's a resort and a few tiny shops (but all looking like they need a but if TLC), it was time to get back to board the ferry. We didn't see any dingos (and truthfully not too many people do) on our visit, but we did get a taste of some of the other wildlife as we bid farewell to the island on sunset - Midges. Or they got a taste of us, more like it! These tiny black sand flies were out in swarms as the sun went down and in seconds we had an unexpected momento from our exciting and adventurous day on Fraser Island - tiny little red bites all over our legs! Next time we'll fork out the $5 at the over-priced takeaway shop and get a postcard instead!      

Movin' On Up: Noosa to Hervey Bay

We hit Noosa just in time for the Anzac Day long weekend and boy did we know it! Luke and I had been to this tourist hot spot before but we were gobsmacked by the sheer volume of people flooding this seaside town, making the most of the extra day off work to lounge in the sun.

The caravan park was chockablock and not with the friendly, "How ya going mate?" travelling types that are always up for a yarn and want to know where you come from, where you've been and where you're going next... but with a different clientele altogether. These campers are only here for the long weekend, most looked like it was their first time putting up a tent (and emerged very, very wet when we had an unexpected downpour one night) and with the remainder of their campsite consisting of slabs of beer, a lone fold-up table, an esky with wine in it, some plastic bags with plastic plates and cutlery in them and maybe some sausages, more beer, potentially a brightly coloured hammock and also a bunch of blowup inflatable pool toys.... 

Movie Night at Noosa's Big 4 Caravan Park

But despite the company and it taking almost an hour to get into town on Sunday morning with Hasting Street, the bustling cafe and boutique-lined main street in Noosa, looking more like downtown Pitt Street, its pretty clear why people flock to this beautiful part of the Queensland coast. 

There's a mix of beaches to suit everybody's needs, from the gentle waves of Noosa Main Beach which is great for kids, to the National Park beaches that will give you a better wave if surfing's your thing. 

There's also plenty of shopping with a selection of the bigger boutiques like Witchery and a bunch of smaller, more quirky offerings with clothes and gifts to splurge on. And of course, there's the food and there's plenty of amazing places to eat and drink in these parts, before you even venture into the hinterland which boasts farmers markets and amazing cafes with fresh produce on offer. During our visit to Hastings Street, Betty's Burgers had a line up out the door and onto the road and Aromas Cafe was also jam-packed but after paying $6.90 for a cup of coffee (public holiday surcharge we were told), good old salad sambos in the park looked good for lunch for our crew!  

The kids loved a dip in the calm, warm water of the Noosa River at Noosaville and watching all the boating and fishing action, plus it was a bit less hectic than in town.  

A change of pace, and two and a half hours up the coast, Hervey Bay was our next stop on the map. Luke took a gamble and booked us in at the Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park and much to his horror (but the kid's delight!) the place was pet-friendly!! Anyone who knows Luke, knows he's not the biggest animal fan on the block and dogs just aren't his thing, so to have a mixed assortment of these furry friends "holidaying" with their owners at this caravan park was hilarious. Sage and Bassie, on the other hand, can't get enough of dogs, so found great delight in sharing their space with BJ, Max, Henry and the rest of the four legged campers!

Hervey Bay is known as a gateway to Fraser Island, but also as the 'Whale watching capital of the world'. We had such a beautiful time just hanging out in this picturesque town. We took advantage of the great bike tracks that line the bay, which are broken up by amazing children's playgrounds, perfect for morning tea breaks. 

Arley and Luke dipped their fishing rods in the water off the peer at the Urangan Marina and caught a few tiny fish that made Arley's day. 

We hit up the incredible free Wet Side Water Education Park, on the foreshore at the junction of the Main Street and the Esplanade, Pialba. This place seemed too good to be true with the kid's claiming it to be "better than Wet 'N' Wild." It came with an amazing cafe with great coffee as a parental bonus! 

   

And we played on the low tide of Hervey Bay, collecting shells and bits of washed up coral that Sage used to decorate many-a mermaid castle on the sand. We even extended our stay and could have easily stayed longer after heading over to Fraser Island for a 4WD adventure, but more on that to come! 

    

Arley's Video Blog #2

Arley is back behind the camera showing off all the highlights from the next leg of our caravanning adventure!

Going Green: The Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Holiday makers could easily while away the days on the waterways or bike tracks in and around the beautiful Sunshine Coast of QLD but a short drive inland and a whole other world of magic awaits. During our time at Caloundra, we took a few trips to discover the beauty of the townships and National parks of The Glass House Mountains, and we were so glad we did!

Growing up with two uncles as National Park rangers, no family holiday was complete unless we had trampled through the bush in some capacity. Whether we were camping in remote National Parks like Humpy Island off the coast of North Queensland, hiking to the top of mountains such as the Bread Knife in the Warrumbungles or exploring the bush and waterways of the Top End, Mum and Dad always chose holidays that helped my brothers and sister and I to appreciate nature and the simplicity of camping instead of booking into a resort for a week (not that they could have afforded it back then with four kids in tow!). It certainly has rubbed off and we want our kids to value time spent in our beautiful National Parks also, and with the silhouette of The Glasshouse Mountains clearly visible even from the coastline at Caloundra, we couldn't help but pack the backpack and suncream and head off to tackle one of these ancient volcanic mounds ourself.

With five kiddies under six between my brother's crew and ours, we chose one of the easiest of the mountains to climb, Mount Ngungun. We were told it is a great beginners walk amongst the fourteen mountains within The Glasshouse Mountain area, which was perfect for little legs! Despite it being a hot day, our gang powered up to the top and the view out over Mount Beerwah and the beautiful farming land beneath was definitely worth the extra cargo when the kids wanted to be carried on top of shoulders and backs.

     
Besides the beautiful National Park, there are so many beautiful little villages nestled in the hills of the Sunshine Coast that really do deserve a visit. Quaint and full of gorgeous cafes, art galleries and gift shops, the kids were kept busy in the pretty town of Maleny with the lovely park right next to a trickling stream which runs through the heart of the town centre, and an ice block helped buy me some time in the amazing book shop too!

But I would leave the kids behind and sneak off to really get the most out of Montville. My beautiful cousin recently spent a few days post-wedding here and it's not hard to see why this pretty little town nestled high up in the hills is a favourite for couples. With chocolate shops, a cheese factory, cute little shops like The Clock Shop and a The Candle Shop, plus tons of great coffee spots and restaurants to choose from, you could easily laze the day away up here! 

And whether you have little ones or you're just a mad crocodile fan, you can't really head up this way without visiting the now world-famous Australia Zoo. Brought into the spotlight by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, we by-passed this park the last time we were holidaying near-by - it is quite pricey and how many crocs can you see in one day, right? But I must say, after visiting on this trip, we were so impressed by the Zoo - it is set on over 70 acres of bushland and is HUGE, but even more impressive than the sheer size of the place, is the high quality of exhibits, facilities, the staff members and the amazing gardens - we found everything to be of such a high standard that I almost felt a bit sad seeing all the images and footage of Steve everywhere, knowing that he didn't get to see his Zoo in all of its glory today. 

Arley, Sage and Bassie loved the animals, the Safari train ride, the random play equipment and jumping castles scattered all over the park and the big show at the Crocoseum and the only advice I can offer is to pack your own food - $3.50 for a small juice popper was the starting point with things getting more and more expensive from there up make for a very expensive day if you buy lunch out as well! And if you have babies or toddlers, take a stroller because there is plenty of walking to be done!