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.
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.
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.
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.
Mainly holiday rentals and a caravan park, the river was pretty broad and would have been fun to explore if we had our big kayak with us. The brisk southerly that had blown up meant getting the packrafts out would have been a struggle.
After a lovely salad for lunch, it was time for a read for me, quickly followed by a nap, I’d had another 5am wake up this morning.
There are some pretty swanky houses here, a mix of holiday rentals and retirees we would guess by the demographic of the residents we saw.
Just over 10km. under our belts, Ms Tasmania decided to take a pre-dinner stroll – returning at full gallop to the “safe Zone” once the magpies and minor birds had spotted her and let their feelings known shouting “Cat! Cat! Cat!” (or so it sounds like to us!).
For dinner we decided to test out the pub’s very predictable menu. We shared a plate of oysters. I asked where they were from which threw the kitchen into a hubub – apparently no one has asked that before. For main Mrs A had a nicely done Red Emperor with chips and salad, and I had the locally caught Barra. Very nice…even though the pub has all the atmosphere of a bus shelter. Nothing unusual about that of course – situation normal in Australia.
We chose an interesting wine from the Eden Valley, absolutely delicious, and recommended by our sommelier who clearly knew her stuff. The Alejandro Saperavi was initially fruity on the palate but had a lovely dry finish, complimenting our menu choices perfectly.
Our food commmenced with bite sized steamed buns containing fried chicken, sriracha mayonnaise and pickles, followed by a shared dish of fresh locally caught snapper with beetroot, apple, raddish, smoked almonds and pork scratching. Finally we shared a small portion of sticky beef short ribs with coconut and ginger caramel. All this came with two sides – triple cooked fat cut chips with a rosemary aoli and pan fried broccoli topped with chilli, garlic and anchovy oil. All dairy-free! Delicious, every bite.
It was a little window into life in Hervey Bay. It’s an economy based on whale watching tourism, although the biggest employment sector is healthcare. Perhaps this is reflective of what seems to be an older demographic. The town is experiencing a significant population boom, and is one of the top 10 fastest growing areas in Australia. Let’s hope there are jobs for those who want them.
The rest of the day was spent pottering along the bay on our bikes, and a little siesta went down a treat. We are really enjoying the quiet pace of life in this friendly little town.
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.
A guy bounded out and with my city hat on, I wondered what we had done wrong. But no – he had come to check we had enjoyed our stay on their free RV camp. He owned an adjoining property and was himself building an RV park on his other property just outside of town. We chatted about the likely demand, and what customers are likely to be looking for. I am so enjoying this different pace of life in the country where strangers are still willing, and have the time, to talk to one another.
Then after some hectic calling around to determine a supplier to help us with some battery charging issues, we headed for Battery World in Hervey Bay, a relatively short drive down the busy Bruce Highway.
We were promptly met outside by a very polite technician who started to diagnose what was going on. I’m in no position to assess anyone’s technical skills but I can see when someone is clearly sincere about trying to help customers. That was Dan. Then the girls in the shop were just as helpful, one of whom even gave Catherine a lift to a hair appointment she was running late for. Finally we met one of the franchise owners Dave, who picked up where Dan had kicked off and soon had the issues isolated.
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.