Hervey Bay - Burrum Heads and back

Hervey bay - Burrum Heads
Time to move on, Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park is worth a return stay next time I'm in the area, nice.  Drove to Burrum heads and stayed just one night as the Park was booked out for the public holiday on Monday.  Rang Lynn at Hervey bay and booked in again for the next week.

Burrum heads Hillcrest Caravan park
Mostly permanents older and a bit tatty not a lot of grass sites uneven some unsealed tracks. The Council CP in the middle of town is a better option but not during holiday time a it has no privacy. The main street of town goes right through the middle and the river path as well.

Might be worth a visit out of season as a traveller told me the fishing was good.  The town has an IGA and a nice pub.  Cycling is easy and the roads are mostly quiet.

Burrum heads - Hervey bay.
Lots of rain and wind overnight but the morning cleared to a beautiful day, again.  Drove back to Hervey bay and the top tourist CP.  Booked in for another week.  Alan Walker is still here for a couple of more nights.  Did some more waxing of Dora after setting up camp.  A big job, a labour of love, will do a bit more each day.

Did some more of the same riding and walking etc.

 Water park on the beach at Hervey Bay

Rainbow Beach to Hervey Bay

Rainbow beach - Poona
Easy drive to Poona some roadworks but ok. Poona is a small hamlet, 7km off the main road, on the mouth of the river.  Quiet, just a CP and a coffee shop, that of course, is closed today. Stayed just one night then on to Hervey Bay.

Booked into the Top Tourist CP for a week and rode to Woollies for provisions.  Nice bike paths all along the coast, north and south and back from the beach also.  Lots of bars and restaurants scattered about, a great tourist destination.  Most every chain store and service is available here as well.

The Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park is ideal to stop at.  As well as free Wifi it has a pool and spa and gates that are locked at night.  Its just a block or two to the beach and there is a pub nearby, ideal.  Alan from TCB turns up here after a day or two.  Great someone to ride with!

Prim my neighbour here at the CP is from Malaysia and was telling me Australians are very unhealthy and overweight because of the state funding of health care services.  We expect the government to look after us she tells me.  The funny thing is she is on the big side of obese and I think would just like someone to look after her and feed her as she gets old.

Got the bus into Maryborough, what a disappointment!  Some nice old pubs dating back to 1860s, Town Hall, PO etc but little else of interest.  Not much access or use of the river for tourism, surprising.  Coffee only $2.70, if quality dictates price, I got nothing for free.  No coffee culture here.

Had lunch at the Post Office hotel and then back to Hervey bay.

25th September headed of the Burrum Heads.

Click image to enlarge

 Mist in the morning

Hervey Bay marina

Tin Can Bay - Paralympics

Booked into the Top Tourist CP in Tin Can Bay.  A little bit away from the centre of town but close to bay and a nice bike path into town and down to a nice restaurant and coffee shop on the water's edge offering free internet.  My site has good TV reception for the watching of those late night wheelchair basketball games from the Paralympics in England.

Rode to the local pub and was reminded of Papua New Guinea and the dropouts and misfits that choose to live there.  Maybe they all transferred from here?

Loving it here.  Quiet.  Good bike paths and light local car traffic.  A good IGA just up the road or a woolies about a 10km bike ride away.  Layback nice clubs, yacht club, golf club and RSL.  Good fishing.  And at this time of the year no bugs but apparently thats different in summer.  Ended up staying three weeks.

Whilst here I met Alan from north of Sydney somewhere just touring about in his caravan.  We rode, fished and had the odd happy hour together.  I also fell in with the park owners, Ian and Chris, because my park was a TT Park as well.

The Gliders take out silver, congratulations girls.

Rode the bus into Gympie for a bit of variation walked around town and then back to the Bay.

Packed up and moved to Rainbow Beach expecting to stay awhile but its a bit like Noosa and not my style.  So will move on after just 2 nights.

 Dinner

 Tin Can Bay Yacht Club 

Rainbow Beach

Cotton Tree CP for 9 weeks

Cotton Tree CP is probably the best CP in Qld for location.  Right on the river with north facing beach so there's sun all day.  Then on the east side is the mouth of the river and the surf beach.  Across the road is a small shopping centre with most what you need and the clubs, Maroochy surf club, the Bowling club or RSL just up the road.  On the other side, up stream along the river, is a lovely park with walking and bike paths to the Plaza shopping centre for the serious shopping.  The bike paths extend for miles north to Coolum and south to Alex Headland and Mooloolaba along the coast.

I booked into Cotton Tree Caravan Park for a week at a time but will stay until the Olympics start.

Whilst here this time:
Climbed Mt Coolum usually every week.
Walking and bike riding the coastal bike paths.
Entertaining Brad and Kelly in August for 7 days
Started looking at an investment property here.

Mary and co were going to the Paralympics and I started a blog for them to keep in touch and to record the event.  http://gliderscheersquad2012.blogspot.com.au/

Friday, 24 August, after nine weeks here am heading off to Pomona.  Just a short drive 50km to Pomona showgrounds, nice. Rode around town and to the base of Mt Cooroora. Too late and too hot to climb the mountain today but will do it first thing in the morning then on to Tin Can Bay.

Click image to enlarge

The view from atop Mt Coolum

Brad and Kelly

Mt Cooroora Pomona

Back to Queensland - Not the Newell this time.

Mirrool - Gooloogong
Overcast still no wind, warm, nice.  Dumped and brought beer and stuff at Grenfell before washing the road grime of Dora because of road repairs at Gooloogong.  Met Alan, retired NSW cop, my neighbour for tonight. A few beers at the pub then roast veggies and salmon for dinner, nice. Watched the NRL on the box, boring, bulldogs and dragons, who cares!

Gooloogong
BGL 7.1 - 78.1kg.  Not so many times that I need to get up in the night lately, good.
Lots of rain overnight forecast for all day as well. I'm staying here, power and warmth for a small donation, will move on tomorrow. Spent a quiet day listening to the radio and reading my book.  Rugby tonight Australia vs Scotland, yeh!

Gooloogong - Carcoar Dam.
Rain stopped overnight.  Stopped at Canowindra on the way to Carcoar Dam to do some provisioning and get a coffee. Its turned windy and overcast big time and its going to be cold tonight.

Carcoar Dam - Richmond
Cold overnight fog and mist in the morning.  The drive from Lithgow to Richmond was spectacular if not just a bit scary at times dropping from 1100m down to 120m through the Blue Mountains, nice. Stopping at the Richmond Club, nice. $4 to join as a member then $10/n for a powered site plus complimentary drinks at the club for a new member, nice. The weather here in Richmond has been excellent, clear sky no breeze, loving it. Took the bike for a ride down towards Windsor 8km. Two beers at the club then Chinese takeaway for dinner, not bad.

Richmond
Another nice day on the way.  Laundry and then bike ride around town and the river.  Rode 10km along the river looking for somewhere to have a picnic lunch but found no access.  So went home and had lunch sitting in the sun with Dora.  Did food shopping and got ready to escape tomorrow.  Went to the club for happy hour and used my last free drink voucher, I like that!  $4 to join the club and 3 free drink vouchers worth about $4 each.  Dinner at the club then home and read my current book.

Richmond - Wallabadah
Fog and cold overnight but will be a nice day.  Fueled up and headed of about 10am.  Stopped at Grey Gums for lunch, a good spot to camp if you got here late in the arvo but that's not me so on on.  Arrived at Wallabadah about 4.30pm. ~340km that's enough. Made and cooked a pizza and had an early night.

Wallabadah - Tenterfield
Very cold overnight and in the morning. Slow to get away, drove about 100km then had a shower and morning tea.  Had lunch late at Glen Innis and refuelled Dora then stopped at a rest stop just short of Tenterfield shortly after 4pm, ~350km that will do for today.  Home? to Maroochydore tomorrow.

Have to make sure I'm somewhere with good TV reception come the paralympic.  My sister Mary's daughter Bridie. Captain - Go Girl!