12 days in a caravan

 12 days in a caravan

 

Our great, family summer adventure north along Australia’s eastern coast commenced for the four of us with our hire of a lightweight 1600kg caravan through - Camplify (https://www.camplify.com.au) which in turn led us to our local provider – Outback 2 Sea (https://outback2sea.com.au) run by Greg and his family.  

 

Despite Outback 2 Sea’s great website and images supplied, Greg permitted us to drop by for a firsthand look at what we might expect to hire. 

 

We chose the Serendipity. All insurances are covered. Spacious bed & bunk beds.

Greg was professional, friendly, thorough in his explanations, knowledgeable and made himself available to answers any questions by text or mobile after we collected our hire van.

 

Being first-timers hiring a caravan, what followed were new experiences, as was our intent. Our 2020 Mazda BT-50 easily pulled the van north to Emu Park outside Yeppoon, where we stayed for four nights at Fisherman’s Beach caravan park. Towing was not as heavy on fuel consumption as was expected. 

 

Traffic along the Bruce Highway was light to medium due to the inclement weather. Heavy rain persisted throughout our journey due to the tail end of cyclone Seth heading west. Our road trip took longer than expected due to numerous road repairs where traffic was halted to permit vehicles to pass on undamaged portions of the highway. Council and State road workers worked tirelessly repairing cyclone and heavy water damage, and a big thank you to all of them.

 

I must add at this juncture, my respect for heavy vehicle operators has risen immensely. While works progress to improve Australia’s No 1 thoroughfare along the eastern coastline, that work should continue non-stop until that highway is two lanes. The manner in which heavy vehicle drivers conduct themselves travelling that highway earned my highest respect.

 

Daisy, the Fat Russell travelled well in a red pet carrier situated over the rear armrest between the two boys. A little anxious at first, she settled quickly and spent her time sleeping, or on my wife’s lap watching the countryside pass by.

 

Some eight and a half hours later, we five arrived at Fisherman’s Beach caravan park adjacent to the seaside village of Emu Park.  Being late on arrival due to the roadworks and weather, we easily communicated with staff through an intercom and were quickly rolling on to our campsite, situated some seventy metres from the beach.

Throughout our stay, Fisherman’s Beach Park staff were friendly, helpful and polite. The four days stay cost slightly over two hundred dollars. Fellow travellers we encountered were quiet, happy to chat and good company. Our grandsons quickly set off exploring on their bikes and soon met a group of similar aged children. Within minutes, they were off cycling and scooting around the park having a great time, while we set up listening to the sounds of waves crashing on the nearby beach.  Setting up took not long, thanks to Greg’s mentoring and we were having a well-earned cool drink within fifteen minutes.

The boys discovered a skate park several minutes from the caravan park opposite the singing lookout.

 

A public pool is situated some 100 metres from the park north toward Yeppoon. Emu Park village has all a visitor requires for a short or long stay. Situated a three-minute stroll to the south through a well-kept park, Emu Park village has a fish & chip shop, pizza & coffee shops, supermarket, hotel and service station to mention but a few.  Having sampled both the pizza and fish & chips across two evenings sitting in the park, I recommend trying both.

 

Emu Park Caravan Park facilities were a mix of older and newer, clean and well maintained by diligent staff. We had purchased a pet-friendly drive-in site close to an older amenity block. 

 

We fell asleep on our first night, listening to waves beating on the beach, while a pleasant breeze passed through the van. Up at the crack of dawn, we five hit the beach. Only to discover a long, low tide, muddied waters and so much debris leftover from the slowly diminishing cyclone Seth, swimming was not an option for the boys. 

 

Daisy, our Jack Russell pup was enthusiastic to explore with the boys along a beach strewn with all manner of storm debris. A short walk south had us climbing to the “singing lookout” from which we could see a chain of small islands spreading across storm-disturbed water south, and north to Yeppoon.

 

Daisy the Fat Russell.

Yeppoon is a great seaside town a 15-minute scenic drive away, where we discovered a public water park for the boys to enjoy. 

From Yeppoon, many interesting tourist opportunities are available. In particular, fishing and a boat trip out to Great Keppel Island. However, the aftermath of cyclone Seth created continual poor weather and a disturbed sea, which prevented us from exploring that far.

 

Unfortunately, the beach and ocean continued suffering the after-effects of tropical cyclone Seth, during our short stay. So, the public waterpark and a stroll around town filled the gap. 

 

Yeppoon is a short drive out of Rockhampton, a great town with a rich cattle history and all conveniences of a regional city and well worth a walk around. 

 

A smaller, but well-designed and interesting toddler’s public waterpark is situated on the Yeppoon foreshore adjacent to coffee shops and restaurants.  We did not do much apart from relaxinging, walking the beach and village, and following the boys as they rode about exploring the village and surrounds.

We departed Emu Park for the Big4 caravan park at Point Vernon, Hervey Bay four days later. After a three-hour drive, we arrive at Point Vernon’s foreshore, where we spied an adventure playground. At the insistence of the boys, we stopped.

This playground is one of a chain of children’s public entertainments stretching from a great public waterpark down to neat, grassy parks edged by a long cycle/walking path. While the Big4 had a pool, the waterpark was much more fun for the boys, so we visited it daily.

 

Big4 staff were helpful upon arrival with questions asked by first-timers. We were expertly guided into a corner site and were quickly set up. Facilities were older but serviceable. The cooking area was clean and spacious, with a widescreen TV beside the pool. The pool had a new liner, was well maintained and clean. Park numbers were down due to cyclone Seth, and I suspect, COVID. 

 

We shopped local and cooked in the public eating area without any issues. There are a host of restaurants, and all the usual takeaway food one might expect of any large town.

 

Hervey Bay has to be the place for whale watching. We did not take a boat out this visit due to the inclement weather. However, having done so before, it is a highly recommended leisure pursuit and wildlife experience to pursue with children.

 

Things we did not know as first-timers. Take coins for older laundries, sugar sachets – to avoid spills, in-car charge cables for devices, cycle pump and tyre repair kit, large(er) bottle of tomato sauce, a portable vacuum to scoop up sand and, dog hair and, take a portable BBQ. You can buy a lot of what you require in nearby supermarkets. 

Reversing a caravan takes skill and a lot of practise and, time. Though I managed, it was not easy and I offer my thanks to Big4 staff for good directions.

 

At the conclusion of our trip, we held a family conference over dinner to discuss what we liked and, could have done better. The boys concluded they enjoyed all aspects of the trip, playing with a host of children – murder-in-the-dark, you’re IT, bike riding, swimming, water slides, ice-creams, etc, but wanted to take their X-Box’s next time. Not sure we like that idea… 

The boys concluded their comments with a question, “When are we going back to Thailand? Soon, we hope, was our reply. I'm not certain what that question says about caravanning, but I take it for what it is and no more. They would be happy holidaying anywhere.

 

As to the adults. We decided the 16-foot van was great but, way too small for the five of us. Next time, we will hire a larger, more spacious caravan and not travel so far a long weekend test.  The awning was not high or, sturdy for what we considered to meet our needs. Having said that, it is a hire van and worked well.

 

The boys with Daisy the Fat Russell heading for home.