29-30 November: Blissful bounties in Berry

Author: Mrs A

Location: Berry, NSW

Thursday: We survived the storm in Kiama, emerging unscathed to head a short way south to Berry. We’re fortunate to have good friends living there not far from Seven Mile Beach, and parked up the Zone at the top of their property.

After a cup of tea with Barb, Mr A and I decided we ought to get out for a walk, despite another impending rainstorm. We drove down to the very deserted beach, arriving just as the heavens opened!The weather didn’t stop us, and we enjoyed the hike with the rain and wind at our backs, with the shower stopping in time for our return route.We enjoyed a great evening with Barb and Omar, a delicious chicken hotpot and some fine wine of course, before retiring to our bed up on the hill, lulled to sleep by a chorus of croaking frogs. Very relaxing indeed!

Friday: The day dawned bright and sunny, and we got a chance to admire our fine view across to Budderoo National Park.We had a delicious breakfast in Berry with Barb, Omar and another friend, Joanne who happened to be in town, before taking our kayak down to Broughton Creek and launching it for a paddle. After all our hard work the past few weeks, this was finally us reaping our reward, and the morning was perfect for it.Spring has truly sprung here, and the riverside was lined with young calves, staring in shock at this 7+ metre giant boat cruising past. There was not a breath of wind, providing us with some amazing mirror-like reflections.We paddled just over 9km, before returning for hot showers and a relaxing afternoon. It’s been a while since we’ve been allowed such luxury!

The four of us concluded the day with a delicious Thai feast at Leaf, a local Berry restaurant, before retiring for the night. What a perfect start to our time away from home!

30 September: A Sunday on the lake

Author: Mr A

Location: Cicero, Indiana, USA

This was our last day with the “hosts with the mosts”, Carol and Tom. We had a substantial amount of wine and bourbon to soak up front last night, so the Eggs Benedict for breakfast was much appreciated and left us feeling a great deal perkier.It was time to try out those wave runners (jet skis). It went a lot less well for me then I had expected! I just could not get comfortable with the balance and steering, so quickly gave it up and returned dispirited to watch the nimble Mrs A roar off with Carol.Tom and I headed out on kayaks. I confess to taking inordinate pleasure from regularly waiting for him to catch up with me after my dismal performance with an engine underneath me.The bird life on the lake was prolific, and clearly had plenty of fish to keep them well fed. A bald eagle soared over head (sorry no photographic evidence), and the lakes edge was home to many Great Egrets.After all this activity it was time for another lunch down on the water’s edge in their bar-come-pergola named “Margariterville” – yes they are Jimmy Buffet fans. We had a fabulous Chardonnay (Cakebread Cellars) with all the lovely dips and roasted garlic Carol had made.To end this fine day, our last with these guys for a while, we headed off on their boat to potter around the lake and watch the sunset, clutching Manhattan cocktails Carol had prepared for us “to go”. Dinner at the local waterfront grill was a fun affair, with Carol and Tom’s neighbours from across the lake joining us.What a wonderful community this is, with the lake drawing people together and giving them common ground to chat about and build relationships.We went to bed a little sad knowing this was the last time we would see these guys for a while, but happy with so many great memories from this perfect weekend in Cicero.

Tomorrow we head south down into Kentucky to explore the geologically unique area of the Red River Gorge.

29 September: …when the day starts with a Bloody Mary…

Author: Mrs A

Location: Cicero, Indiana, USA

Saturday: The first sight we were greeted with was a row of Bloody Mary cocktails lined up on the kitchen bench, which we sipped on as Tom cooked up his favourite southern breakfast of ‘biscuits and gravy’.It turns out the ‘biscuits’ are savoury dough circles baked in the oven, while on the stove top a mixture of sausage meat, flour and milk are cooked up. This is served with hot-pepper sauce and is surprisingly delicious!After all this endless decadence, we decided we should go for a paddle on the lake (Morse Reservoir) and up to one of two water sources.Tom’s boat was much longer and sleeker than ours and he was soon but a speck in the distance as Mark and I explored the shoreline. We spotted a bald eagle circling above, a red squirrel scurrying along the branches and cute little chipmunks hunting for snacks.We eventually caught up with him and continued our exploration up the shallower areas, where Little Cicero Creek enters the lake, home to herons and turtles among other creatures.Eight kilometres under paddle later, we returned to warm up in the garden jacuzzi, with our second cocktail for the day. This time Carol whipped us up lemon, lime and ginger beer with vodka – A Moscow Mule – delicious and served in ice cold metal mugs which fit perfectly in the drink holders!A delicious dinner of marinated pork loin, pumpkin risotto and fresh salad, served with some very tasty wines followed, and the evening finished with much laughter over darts and a board game. Awesome fun!

14-15 July: Adels Grove and Boodjamulla National Park

Author: Mr A

Saturday

Dr Google told us it was going to be a 2hr 33 min trip of 94km, as most of the road she knew was unmade. Too long we thought…be there in 90 mins. Well if you attempt this road from Gregory Downs across to Adels Grove, DO NOT FOLLOW DR GOOGLE! We blithely took the left turn she indicated, and bumped our way down 20km of corrugations…to a locked gate. This was the road to the zinc mine, and became private before coming out by Adels Grove. Back we went.

We arrived 1 minute after the good Doctor’s initial prediction, after having to stop to de-air when the bad corrugations kicked in. Adels Grove is a little oasis sitting in the middle of an enormous dry plain of spinifex. After the area was mined for zinc, silver and lead, the property was purchased by a French botanist who worked for the government. He spent his life planting an incredible botanical garden, irrigating his prize plants from the river, and recording the flora and fauna around the property in meticulous notes, only to have the whole lot burn down from a fire that escaped from a local mine. He no doubt cried “Merde” and promptly laid down in a deep depression and passed away.

We had a bit of a wander round, its a pretty big camp area, no power but with predictable blue skies every day solar is the go. River water is pumped up to some shared taps, but we came with full tanks (300 litres) so won’t be needing to boil that, and there is plenty of shade. Just 100 metres away from where we are set up, the vegetation changes completely from the parched, dustiness of the camping area, to the lush bamboo that grows along the clear, cool water of the creek. It made a lovely change to see this oasis after the dust and dryness of the previous week.

Sunday

We headed to explore Boodjamulla National Park, just 10km down the road. This is what everyone comes to Adels Grove for, and if you are travelling with your fur buddy like us, then you have to stay outside the national park.

Our first suprise was the jam packed car park, we hadn’t expected quite this many people in this out of the way spot. As more people head out for their “wilderness experience” we must expect this I guess. We had been looking forward to getting our packrafts out here, as there is a gorge you can paddle. It was pretty busy out on the water for the first half an hour, then most of the hire boats had tuned around and we started to really appreciate the beauty of the place.I would definitely recommend not listening to the advice they give you to “come out here early”. By lunchtime we were on our own, and what a fantastic place this is. One of the most beautiful locations we have ever paddled in with absolutely prolific birdlife echoing across the gorge. Apparently there are freshwater crocodiles in here – we didn’t spot any but did hear at least one suspect splash as we travelled silently along.There’s one short portage, no problem for us in lightweight boats, then the second part of the paddle was even more spectacular. The archer fish were out in shoals, spitting water up at me (did I look like a fly?). Fly catchers darted around above the water doing a much better job of catching their prey.

On the way back to the car we stopped at the information boards and read about the significant aboriginal history of the area. The gorge and surrounding area has been lived in for 35,000 years, according to the latest radiocarbon dating of artefacts found here. Not for the 200 years as you would think just reading the information back at Adels Grove. Just think on that for a moment. A continuous, sustainable, culture in this area stretching back 32,000 years before the Pyramids were being built. Nowhere else in the world has anything like that.

I’m just reading a fascinating book about the history of archeology in Australia (Deep Time Dreaming by Billy Griffiths), which helps explain why we still really know so little about our country’s “deep history”, as he calls it. But more discoveries are being made here (like the oldest known shaped tool in the world at 65,000 years old), that are forcing a rethink of the first migrations of our species across the globe. Finally Australia’s history is being put into a proper context.

1 & 2 June: First days of winter in tropical Queensland

Author: Mrs A

Location: Wongaling Beach, Mission Beach and Tully River

Friday brought us the beginning of June and with it the first day of winter. With daytime temperatures in the mid 20s (centigrade) and nights dropping into the mid teens, this is our kind of season!

A strong southerly wind had picked up during the night, making the Coral Sea quite choppy. We were not too surprised then, when we received a call to say our three island boat trip had been cancelled. I didn’t much fancy a three hour journey with a bucket on my lap anyway.

So we decided a walk would be in order. We drove up the coast to Clump Mountain National Park to hike up to another lookout. Signs at the bottom warned of a need for adequate fitness to do the walk, but it turned out to be much less steep than yesterday’s effort on Dunk Island.

More signs as we started the walk warned us of the dangers of the stinging trees, with ‘heart shaped leaves’ (don’t they all more or less?) and fruit that looks like raspberries. Touching these leaves will release lots of tiny hairs which will lodge in your skin and potentially airway and lungs, causing incredible pain for several months, potentially years. Ugh. No off piste walking then – in fact we were careful not to touch anything on our walk up the hill.

As we climbed up there were lovely glimpses of sea views, leading to inland vistas as we wound our way around. The walk was a fraction of the steepness of yesterday’s hike on Dunk Island, but still rich in wildlife, predominantly skinks and butterflies.A beautiful view south towards Hinchinbrook Island was our reward on reaching the top, which we enjoyed along with a pair of sea eagles which glided before us. We’re just loving the richness of this tropical environment.

Saturday morning dawned fresh – just 14 degrees in our caravan, and a good opportunity to try out our newly repaired diesel heater. After a couple of tries it got started and worked a treat, making us nice and toasty as we got up to face the day.

We did a little food shopping before an early lunch and getting ourselves ready to head to the Tully River. We were excited to be going white water kayaking using sports rafts – inflatable kayaks, suitable for one or two people, not too dissimilar to our pack rafts, but a lot heavier (about 16kg when dry) and a lot hardier.

We were picked up by John, one of our tour guides from Wildside Adventures, and driven the hour up to a parking area alongside the Tully River. There, we unloaded the boats and carried them down to the river to launch.

While we both have done quite a bit of paddling on flat water and the sea, white water paddling is a completely different kettle of fish. To start with, there are always rocks, and these are just centimetres below the water’s surface. Secondly, the water is heading downhill, so continues moving regardless of the obstacles in its place.

We did a little practice play in the first pool, realising how heavy the boats are to manoeuvre, and the heavy aluminium and plastic paddles are to lift – not quite like my carbon fibre paddle! Then it was off down the first couple of easy rapids. They were quite exciting, with a lot of white water splashing – these are grade 3 rapids

Class 1: Very small rough areas, might require slight maneuvering. (Skill level: Very basic)

Class 2: Some rough water, maybe some rocks, might require some maneuvering. (Skill level: Basic paddling skill)

Class 3: Small waves, maybe a small drop, but no considerable danger. May require significant maneuvering. (Skill level: Some experience in rafting)

Class 4: Whitewater, medium waves, maybe rocks, maybe a considerable drop, sharp maneuvers may be needed.(Skill level: Exceptional rafting experience)

Class 5: Whitewater, large waves, large volume, possibility of large rocks and hazards, possibility of a large drop, requires precise maneuvering. (Skill level: Full mastery of rafting)

Class 6: Class 6 rapids are considered to be so dangerous that they are effectively unnavigable on a reliably safe basis…a dramatically increased likelihood of ending in serious injury or death compared to lesser classes. (Skill level: Full mastery of rafting, and even then it may not be safe)

As I sailed down backwards on the second rapid I notice Mr A perched high, stuck on a rock – it was hard to right myself as it was a challenge to see through the tears of laughter!

Onwards we went until we reached a particularly serious rapid. There were only three of us novices on the trip, with two guides, and at this location both guides went ahead to be ready to rescue, should we need it. I was waved down and off I went. You are at the mercy of the river to a great extent, paddling as hard as you can to guide your vessel between the rocks and away from any hazards.

In particular we had been warned about a big rock here called ‘Tombstone’. Apparently it has a huge ‘hole’ behind it, a bit of a whirlpool, that sucks you in if you are not careful. I managed to avoid it and although I got quite a bit of water in my boat, emerged unscathed. Mr A was less fortunate.

Footage from his GoPro shows what went wrong, as he headed right instead of left behind Tombstone and got sucked right on in. To him, it felt like he was under water for a long while, but we timed it at around 20 seconds. Still quite frightening when its happening.Other than a purple fingernail, and a few minor bruises (including a black and blue ego) there was no bad outcome from this one, and he was soon back in his boat continuing the trip.

Just to make Mr A feel better, I managed to come out on the next rapid, a similar story with lack of experience meaning I paddled the wrong way and was tipped under water. The same thing happened on the very next rapid too, allowing Mr A to feel very smug that I had come out twice!

Despite the unplanned swims, we continued smiling, and would definitely do it again!The trip concluded after about 6km of river, and just before the saltwater crocodile infested waters commenced, thankfully!We were dropped off at the caravan park, and we hurried off for hot showers to warm up.

We then headed out to dinner again at Nana Thai Restaurant, just across the road. We took along our own wine and glasses, and enjoyed a spectacular massaman beef and a spicy pad Thai. We slept well!

Tuesday 1 & Weds 2 May: We’re going bush…finally!

Author: Mr A

Tuesday 1 May: Woodgate to Bundaberg to South Colan, Queensland

We headed out from our cosy camp behind the pub with some happy memories of Woodgate, and steered a course for Bundaberg. We had our Zone booked in for the diesel air heater to be repaired. Zone had a look at it during the service and tried some basic things like draining the diesel and repriming it, but to no avail. So we arrived at Dempster’s Caravan and Appliance Repairs, organised by Zone.

We left the van with them and headed off for a much needed grocery shop before we headed inland for a couple of weeks, where we usually find fresh food is a rarer find than a Scotsman’s wallet. I spotted a “Fresh Fruit and Veg” sign on a very down at heel looking shop but decided to pull up on the principle that “anywhere is better than Woolies”. And it sure was! The quality and price was fantastic, and we loaded up big time.It was haircut time for me and with some trepidation I walked into the “Hair Dinkum” salon where “no appointments needed”. For the bargain price of $22’s I was shorn and sent on my way 10 minutes later. Catherine didn’t laugh too hard when she saw me so I took that as a good sign.

We collected the Zone mid afternoon and were told the fault was that the heater was just full of dirt. The exhaust pipes are apparently prone to taking up a lot of dust, and those in the know cover them while travelling in the outback. I’m now in the know.

We only had a short drive out of Bundaberg to our camp for the night – Platypus Park Riverside Retreat. It had been recommended by some other Zoners we had met. We owe them…it was amazing. We were given the code to an electric gate and guided through landscaped gardens by the very amiable host Colin.We parked on his manicured lawn with a view right across the Burnett river. We had power and water if we needed it. There is access to toilets and showers in their guest house. Colin and his wife have created this resort style facility where they host weddings, as well as offering holiday accommodation in a villa.

We settled in for the night watching the sun go down across the river. Magical.

Wednesday 2 May: South Colan to Ceratodus, Queensland

We were up as the dawn broke to head off in a double kayak that is put at the disposal of campers – no extra charge. We pushed off into the Burnett river and headed down a small tributary where Colin said we might see platypus. Well we didn’t see them but we did a multitude of water dragons, looking pretty silly as they do bobbing along on their stumpy legs, then a bright blue azure kingfisher darted in front of us and landed on a branch with one eye on his next breakfast morsel and one eye on us. An Eastern Great Egret stood regally admiring his kingdom, what a majestic bird.As for the platypus, well we saw plenty of bubbles that we imagined was them rooting around in the mud, as they do, but not a glimpse for us. We were happy with the other wildlife on display in this beautiful river.

We had a chat with Colin before we left and he told us a little about how he and his wife Julie had grown the business stage by stage. A really great achievement, and I would encourage anyone who wants a 5 star camping site to head his way. You will pay for it (currently $20 p/person per night), but in return you will have a memorable camp in a beautiful location – and free kayaks!Even our Burmese princess gave the place a big paws up.

But it was time to head out, we weren’t quite sure where we were staying tonight, it was times to head bush and get out of the caravan park booking constraints. We had a fantastic drive up the range into the hills behind Bundaberg, it was really fab scenery and we both experienced this sense of euphoria that we were heading deeper into the country and away from the popular spots on the coast.We diverted off the highway to check out Boolboonda Tunnell, all 192 metres of it – and its claim to fame twofold. Its the longest unsupported tunnel in Australia, and its home to a massive bat colony. Wandering through it was pretty smelly, and those bats were going crazy flying around our heads.We stopped for lunch at a rest area and Tas just couldn’t wait to get out and start bounding around again. What a little energiser cat she is turning into! By late afternoon we found another rest area to camp at just as we turned onto the Barnett Highway, good old WikiCamps. Again Tas was straight out the car and exploring,

There were already several vans there and no sooner had we set up than we were invited over to join three couples for sundowners. Chatting with six total strangers, sharing laughs and learning lots, the sky turning orange and the birds chattering away as they settled down for the night. Yes…we’re in the country and it’s wonderful.

Sunday 29 & Monday 30 April: Embracing the Woodgate serenity

Author: Mrs A

Location: Woodgate Beach, Queensland

Sunday – Distance walked: 7.5km

We are joined only by one other caravan here at the Woodgate Beach Hotel, making for a very serene campsite. The whole village is extremely quiet, especially now the weekenders have disappeared back to work.

Despite the beautiful blue sky days reaching into the mid 20s, the strong southerly wind has continued the blow, putting us off swimming and preventing exploration by Packraft. So Sunday morning saw us head off on foot to explore the beach, heading north from where we are staying.The tide goes out a long way, leaving mirror-like reflections across the sand, and a surreal feeling you are walking amongst the clouds. We walked barefoot, splashing through the warm waters at the edge. For the most part, there was not another person on the beach.There were many little blue swimmer crabs, most of which ran in their dozens for cover when they spotted us coming, burying themselves in the soft sand. And birds, huge flocks of cormorants, terns and gulls, resting on the sandbanks. In the distance we could see four whistling kites, two of which were constantly fighting and swooping – probably juveniles, jostling for top spot.We reached the mouth of Theodolite Creek, wishing we had our Packrafts to allow us to cross, but instead enjoyed the peaceful ambience a while, before ambling back to camp, into a headwind this time, a little harder going.

We had a relaxed afternoon, I did a little painting while Mr A read, before having a final explore on our bikes as the sun set.Mr A got talking to a local resident, an elderly man who had purchased his dream retirement home on an estate here. Our exploration of Woodgate had revealed there are no shops – just the pub where we are staying and a cafe and takeaway near the caravan park.

The nearest grocery shops are 45km south of here. There are also no hospitals or doctors nearby, no police or services – a very pretty yet isolated place to retire, particularly given this resident’s wife has since taken ill and is now receiving care elsewhere. I think he is now regretting his decision to stay. It’s a beautiful place to visit but we wouldn’t want to live here.

Monday – Distance paddled: 3km!

Another beautiful day dawned so we decided to head up to Theodolite Creek to see whether it was sheltered enough to do a little paddle in the Packrafts. We could see a couple of people fishing from kayaks, so decided to give it a try.We paddled upstream, feeling like we were on a treadmill, constantly battling the outgoing tide. Once we had reached a particularly shallow area full of stingrays speeding along just under the water’s surface, we decided to just roll with it, and put our feet up and let the current take us back. There’s not much more relaxing than that – an extremely meditative experience of just watching shapes in the clouds, drifting with the stream.

After all that exertion (ha ha) we returned to camp to commence packing up. We head off tomorrow, briefly to Bundaberg to complete some tasks, then start our move inland. This will be our last glimpse of the ocean for a couple of weeks.

Saturday 20 April – Markets and a Zone meet up

Author: Mr A

Location: Eumundi & Kenilworth

We had heard so many good things about the Eumundi markets, it was time to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. Apparently they started with a couple setting up a craft stall, and have grown to over 650 stalls with over 1.6 million visitors a year. I love their branding: ‘Make it, bake it, grow it or sow it”. Every kind of artisan product can be found here, with an emphasis on locally made and grown.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.

Some unusual stalls caught our eye, a woman sporting a snake around her middle for instance! Musicians were everywhere, and pretty accomplished ones at that.

What a great market! All too soon we thought we should head back to camp, we decided one more run down the Mary river was called for.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.

Friday 20 April: Paddling the Mary River

Author: Mrs A

Location: Kenilworth, Queensland

Friday morning dawned bright and sunny, so Mr A, Phil, Greg and I drove up into Kenilworth to find somewhere upstream to drop our kayaks and Packrafts in. After a little hunting around plus Googling someone else’s kayaking blog we found a park beside the show ground with water access and off we went.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.

The river is also the only known home of a turtle which breathes through its tail – one of the top 25 most endangered turtles in the world! A very special place indeed.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.

It wasn’t long before Andrew Pitcher, one of Mr A’s old work colleagues (his boss from SAP) arrived to meet us. The first thing he said to me was ‘You’re much shorter than I remember!’. Hah! Must be that last time we met I was in heels after work – that feels like a lifetime ago. We had a lovely catch up, learning all about his life as a developer around these parts.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.

The fire was lit and out came the wine of course for an evening of getting to know one another and learning about the adventures people had enjoyed.

Sunday 25 March: Sunshine brings paddling with Dusty

Author: Mrs A

Location: Moonee Beach

Moonee Creek was our destination this morning, just a few metres down a wooded slope from our caravan. Having left our beautiful fibreglass kayak back in Sydney, we inflated our pack rafts, sacrificing speed for the benefit of not having a 7.3 metre boat on the roof of the car. We were joined by fellow Zoner, Darryl and his boxer Dusty for a paddle. The creek is fairly shallow most of the way up, but Dusty preferred to ride on the front of Darryl’s boat rather than swim or bound alongside, while we were entertained with stories of Darryl’s adventures paddling around Cape York, in the far north of Queensland. Tales of large crocodiles, hammerhead sharks and three hour hikes before dawn to find fresh water reassured us we will probably not be paddling in our inflatable boats up in that part of Australia!

We returned for a BBQ brunch and a chat with our fellow Zoners, learning more about the individual tips and hints they had to share.

The afternoon was too breezy to get the boats out again, so we went for a stroll down to the water from the campground. It’s such a picturesque area, with the campground sitting up above the estuary of Moonee Creek, offering views across the water. It was approaching low tide, so we were able to stroll across most of the creek through its warm waters.From the rocks at the mouth of the estuary you can see right up the coast along Moonee Reserve, the salt spray making the air look misty and atmospheric.This is such a special part of the coast. We wished our family in the UK could be magically transported here – the children would love playing in the sandy shallows, and there is so much to do and see. Some people staying on the site were feeding the lorikeets with honey and bread [below: Scaly-breasted Lorikeets]

We concluded our day with another 6pm drinks o’clock in the camp kitchen with all the Zoners. We all reflected on what a success this weekend has been – some like us are relatively new caravanners, learning as we go, while others are seasoned experts with experience to share. I think we have all learned something from one another, whether it’s a new gadget or modification or finding a new storage space – along with the friendships made, the time here has been absolutely worthwhile.

We’re planning to advertise another date towards the end of April (thinking around 20th-23rd), somewhere north of or inland from Noosa where perhaps some of the Zone team could pop along and join us for an evening or afternoon. We floated the idea with the Zoners here, and there is already some interest and ideas of locations being suggested. If you’re interested in joining us and think you can get there, watch the ‘ Zone Owners – Zoners’ forum on Facebook for more details as plans firm up!Off to pastures new tomorrow, Wooli Beach (as recommended by our good friends Rosemary and Richard in Sydney)…looking forward to finally getting our oysters there!