Author: Mrs A
Location: Hervey Bay, Fraser Coast, Queensland
Distance cycled: 22.25km
It was a perfect washing day, so that’s how our morning commenced, ticking off blankets, towels and sheets which needed their weekly freshen up. Mr A dropped off the car at Battery World so they could do an in depth investigation into why it was not charging the caravan properly. A staff member dropped him back at the caravan park and we prepared for a bike ride exploration of Hervey Bay.
An off-road cycleway follows the coast for several kilometres, commencing at Urandangi Pier to the south and leading to Point Vernon in the north. We’re staying in a suburb called Torquay (now where have I heard that name before?!) so we started there and headed north. It’s the first time in a long while (since South Australia) that we have seen flat water along the coast, the islands and reefs offshore calming the waves. The beaches are pristine and empty – it’s like a little paradise, a long way from the Hervey Bay I remember. I first visited this town 19 years ago as a backpacker – it has changed substantially since then, becoming more of a destination in its own right than just a hopping off point for Fraser Island.
The pathway winds its way along the coast through picturesque scenery, through parklands and bush, along cliff tops and past mangroves. We had a small diversion to a bike shop on our way so Mr A could check out a strange clicking sound on his bike. The bearings had worn down and needed replacing. He later found someone to do the job on the spot for $55, for a 45 minute job. Certainly not Sydney prices!
The expensive part of the day came later in the afternoon – our faulty plug and under-spec wiring in the car was replaced, we had to purchase three new batteries for the caravan (replacing the ones which had been damaged and no longer held a full charge), and a 160 watt portable solar panel…more than $2k in total spent – gulp! At least we are back on track again for getting off the grid without sleepless nights worrying whether our fridge will still be running in the morning.
Miss Tassie had a good explore of the caravan park this afternoon, her favourite locations tending to be my least – ie the dusty, dirty areas behind and under cabins, apparently all smelling intriguingly of mice and lizards. A sunny supervisory spot on a cushion was her preferred place of rest, as Mr A and I ran around servicing her needs and cleaning her palace. Oh what a life it would be to reincarnate as our blue Burmese Princess!
Lunch enjoyed, we picked up a few other supplies in town before heading back to Kenilworth, hitching up and saying goodbye to our fellow Zoners.
Bauple is the ancestral home of the macadamia nut, discovered thousands of years ago by local aboriginals. There is a little museum here, a petrol station and free wifi for the residents between 9am and 12pm. There are even clean toilets for campers open beside the museum, complete with green tree frog!
It’s extremely peaceful and Miss Tassie enjoyed a d.o.g free stroll around the area during the afternoon. We camped for free in the RV rest area with a lovely view across the park towards the hills in the distance, not another soul seen.
We were soon sampling a plate of Tibetan dumplings, I had an Argentinian empanada which was simply delicious, also some dairy free donuts packed to go. We then spotted the Japanese pancake stall, we had not seen these since Sydney. Wow…a taste sensation.
Suitably sated we picked up a small bowl from a pottery stall we could use a mortar, plenty of peanuts and chillies to grind up for our Pad Thai creation for instance.
We all then started to prepare the camp for tonight’s visitors from Zone RV. They had kindly offered to give up their Saturday afternoon and evening and have a bit of a chat with us about our experiences with their products and service.
It was great to hear Dave Biggar, one of the directors, talk about some of the initiatives they are taking to mature their build processes and strive to offer even an more consistent quality experience to their new customers. He was joined by key members of the Zone team in customer support, systems improvement and marketing. There were 14 customers there, and all of us really appreciated the effort the team made to come and meet us and openly discuss where they were at as a business and seek input from us on their initiatives.
One of the customers, Phil Clem, had a surprise for everyone as darkness drew in. He had brought along an enormous hollow tree trunk to burn on the campfire, and had taken the trouble to carve out ‘Zone RV’ into the side with a chainsaw, so when the fire really got going the letters shone out. What a star.
It seemed a fun and educative night was had by all, and we were very grateful for the effort they made to come out and visit. Their journey to being a leader in the industry has not been an easy one. They have pushed the boundaries on design with materials and finish. That doesn’t come easily, and clearly there have been some significant hurdles along the way. But these guys have pushed through and are now at the stage where they just need to bed down this innovation with robust processes allowing on time, on spec builds at the lowest cost to them and their customers. We think they will do it, and are proud to have been a small part of their journey.
Greg had only paddled a Canadian canoe in the past, so the sit on top kayak was a new experience for him, but he did really well. We took our time, enjoying the scenery and birds, mostly letting the current guide us down the gravel races (we prefer to call them rapids!)
Rainbow bee eaters, cormorants, black kites, red backed wrens…the list of birdlife was endless and made the paddle even more interesting.
The Mary River and its surrounding valley was saved from being flooded for a reservoir by the discovery of an extremely rare fish. The Australian Lungfish is only naturally present in this river and one other in Australia. Lungfish fossils were found in New South Wales which date back 100 million years, virtually unchanged, making this creature a living fossil and really important ecologically.
We had a great hour or so paddling downstream 4.5km, finishing up at our camp for showers. Greg then dropped us back at our car and Mr A and I drove to the Kenilworth Hotel (pub). As we walked in we discovered the Sunshine Coast Ukulele Festival was on in town with the pub hosting some of the performances. It’s funny how you can spot a ukulele player – rainbow coloured tie died outfits and funny crocheted hats! Some performances were better than others, but we avoided the stage and found a table inside.
After a great feed, Mr A and I farewelled Andrew and headed back to camp to catch up with the next batch of Zoners who had arrived.
We chose a site on the lush banks of the Mary River, and then right behind us pulled up another Zone, it was Greg Nolan in his almost matching rig, the grey Landcruiser and shiny caravan, albeit a slightly longer one.
Phil Clem was due to arrive at lunch as he had thoughtfully organised to bring some gazebos and firewood, but sadly got an irreparable puncture and was delayed until late afternoon. However, once here he was his usual whirlwind of activity and we soon had gazebos up and firewood all stacked ready.
We rode down Gyndier Drive, a locked gate road winding up through the forest. The route is used as part of the Noosa triathlon and twice a year the site for road and race cars which enter the Noosa Hill Climb, with 14 corners to race through – just us there today though, on our private road.
Everything seemed to be against us, as the rain fell down as hail, and then in ridiculously heavy torrents. The road was mostly unpaved and the orange mud ran down in rivers, making the surface sticky and slippery as well as it already being extremely steep. We kept on going. Finally, we reached the carpark with some relief, and the rain stopped!
We left the bikes leaning in the car park, hoping nobody would steal them, and hiked up the final kilometre to the summit, with fabulous views over Noosa Heads and the next rain shower heading our way.
We enjoyed the view, then retraced our steps (wheels?) a short way before heading through the forest along an ‘easy’ route.
I’m certain it is easy when dry, but the wet conditions had us slipping and sliding sideways down the tracks, thankfully staying upright. It was a short way from the end of this track back to our caravan, with just over 20km under our belts. Boiled eggs & Marmite soldiers burned off I think!
We headed back to camp for a relaxed evening. We move on from here tomorrow…
Next door to the deli is Eumundi meats, an equally amazing treasure trove of some of the finest, and most expensive, meat goods I have ever seen. Tiny pieces of silverside enough for one at $35. We “just” brought some nitrate free bacon and organic pork sausages that had combined price ticket about the same as our weekly bill at Woolies! I’ve only just learnt about nitrates and why they should be avoided (if you can afford to). I can see why health and life expectancy is so clearly correlated with income. We spent $125 on breakfast, a few veggies and enough meat for a decent fry up. Blimey…
As we ambled down the street, checking out clothing stores, art galleries and jewellery shops, we watched people sitting outside busy restaurants with glasses of rosé, people watching. It so reminded us of Provence, except everyone speaks English and they accept Aussie dollars!
A relaxed afternoon continued, with Mr A heading out on his bike to try and find some swimming goggles (a failed mission).
We had a quiet evening, alcohol free with a vegetarian dinner shared with all. It was a fasting day, after all! We are so grateful to Wendy and Ray for their friendship and kindness over the past few days, we didn’t know them that well when we arrived last Thursday afternoon, but certainly now hope we have them as friends and soul mates for life.
It was sensory overload, and bike panniers were filled at a rate of knots. We tore ourselves away and cycled back, to find Ray and Wendy cooking up a storm of a breaky with their friends Sue and Chris who were house sitting in the apartment downstairs. The nitrate free bacon was definitely the tastiest I can ever remember.
Catherine and I then jumped on the bikes again to explore around town, finding ourselves on a network of shared paths and ending up at the stunning main beach at the river mouth.
We headed back through a packed out Hastings Street. Sunday would be a day to avoid coming down here, especially with a car, but we cruised past the traffic jams on our bikes of course.
Ray negotiated the sandbanks today very carefully, and pulled us up on the other side of the river mouth where the water was rapidly draining out, making for some fun fast floats with the current. We watched kite surfers racing across the water in the stiffening breeze, what amazing skill – it looked exhilarating.
Sea eagles again soared overhead. What a place.
The walk continued along the coast, with a lookout at Dolphin Point (but no dolphins this morning), giving us a view up the coast towards Fraser Island.
We were rewarded with fabulous views as we went, our walk concluding at Hell’s Gates, which promised Ospreys but failed to deliver!
We strolled back along the coast to Main Beach, where Wendy and I threw ourselves into the water for a refreshing dip and jump in the waves, a fabulous treat after our warm walk. Mr A declined, and instead joined Ray for a coffee at his favourite café.
Back at the ranch, we enjoyed a delicious scrambled egg breakfast outside on the balcony. We could definitely get used to this life, and Miss Tassie quite enjoys it too – she’s so adaptable!
A relaxed afternoon followed and the day concluded with a delicious meal, for which we were joined by Chris and Sue. The goal of this meal was to use up all the food left in the fridge, in preparation for the farmer’s market tomorrow morning. The fun is never ending!
We love having this view of the river, it changes frequently and is always seductive.
