22 August 2012 - Yandina Caravan Park, Sunshine Coast, Queensland

The past three days have whizzed by as they all seem to; a sign of a busy life. The weather  has remained fine and warm but is forecasted to change in the next couple of days. The locals welcome the possibility of rain as wild fires are popping up about the region.

On Monday we explored the more southern reaches of the Sunshine Coast after dropping into Caravan World at Woombye where we had purchased our Lotus caravan at the beginning of last year. We looked through other Lotus caravans on the yard and chose a couple of vans we would upgrade to if we were of a mind to do so; all hypothetical but always fun. We were directed to the caravan repair yard now located in Forest Glen and purchased parts appropriate to install an external television aerial. Many caravan parks, as for instance this one we are in now, are located in spots where television reception is poor however they offer the opportunity where a caravanner can plug into an aerial system on a post just as one plugs into the electricity. In fact we have only done this three times, and had to feed the cable in through the window, not ideal when bugs are plentiful. Masking tape plastered over the gap works quite well but is hardly ideal.

We drove to Caloundra, a centre we had visited last year to seek out the Bunning’s Warehouse. Then we were busy setting ourselves up and did not spend any time exploring this community.

Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the area was known as Bulcock Beach and was a tourist destination offering lovely beaches, as it still does today, but it was not until the early 1950s that Caloundra started to boom. By 1968, it had become the base for the Shire of Landsborough. Then it had a population of about 3,700; by 2006 it had increased to 41,293.

We drove around the suburbs of Pelican Waters and Golden Beach, picnicking at the latter and decided that we liked the area very much. Golden Beach is situated on the edge of the Pumicestone Passage, the narrow waterway between Bribie Island and the mainland. At this northern point of the passage, Bribie Island is little more than a narrow spit of sand, but does still offer excellent shelter from the open sea. The growing residential area of Pelican Waters utilises the waters from that passage to fill the many canals and private waterways. We imagine that the real estate prices here are high or at least higher than those we saw for Caloundra.

The original part of Caloundra is situated right on the “mouth” of the Pumicestone Passage but of course now stretches both north and south of this point. Views from the main street between the buildings can be had south over the northern end of Bribie Island and far beyond to Moreton Island.

We parked in the main street of Caloundra and walked up and down, as is our want, purchasing some shoes, sox, ice-creams and the newspaper; our modest contribution to this lovely township. We then followed the coastline up north as far as Mooloolaba, an area that our friends had taken us through last year, but this time going under our own steam, we grasped the lay of the land better and confirmed their opinion that this is indeed a delightful spot. We walked out along the northern breakwater of the Mooloolah River and looked northwards, across to the high-rise apartments at Mooloolaba and those further north at Maroochydore. Quite a few tourists were braving the cool sea water and more were stretched out wearing very little and developing their skin cancer.

From there we headed north west back to Nambour, shopped at Woolworths because our Tomtom directed us to a non-existent Coles (obviously they have relocated somewhere else) then came on back to camp in time to rescue the line full of washing before the dew settled.

We spent yesterday on another drive tour, a break from the crowds of the coast, heading through Nambour up to Mapleton 370 metres ASL in the Blackall Ranges from where there are amazing views of the Sunshine Coast similar to those from Montville. This small settlement does have a population of 2,000 however most of them are tucked away in avocado orchards and other similar hideaways.

We made our way to the Mapleton Falls National Park where the Pencil Creek, well named for a diminutive flow already at the top of the range, plunges 120 metres over an escarpment. The lookout over the falls is more spectacular for the views of the valley below than the falls themselves. We set off on the Wompoo Circuit walk, just 1.3 kilometres through a beautiful forest of piccabeen palms, strangler figs, and towering eucalypts. The birdlife was wonderful, so much more than those near Montville, but then Tuesday does not bring the crowds of noisy children. Alas the wompoo pigeons were silent here but we were delighted to hear the bell miners, not heard since leaving the Central Coast NSW.

Back on the road, we travelled westward and descended steeply into the Obi Obi valley, so steep that towing vehicles are forbidden access and the road divides into an upward sealed route and a downward gravel one. We were soon in no doubt the exclusion of some vehicles was wisely made.

Once in the valley, we followed the Obi Obi Creek to Kenilworth , near where it converges with the Mary River. This is not the first time or place we have encountered this river which enters the ocean just south of Hervey Bay after passing through Maryborough. Last year when we were travelling north, we camped at Petrie Park, Tiaro just south of Maryborough. Here near Kenilworth, the river is obviously shallower, more in its infancy and all the more beautiful.

A little south of Kenilworth, we arrived at the confluence of the Little Yabba Creek and the Mary River, a delightful picnic spot. We had our lunch in the company of a butcher bird family, watched Mary River Cod leaping for insects flying too low for their own preservation and then walked the Fig Tree Walk, an 1.1 kilometre walk through a small patch of rain forest featuring some very fine examples of strangler figs in much the same way the kings of New Zealand kauri are exhibited in Northland. Here we saw roots at least a hundred metres long and tree tops that challenge one’s neck muscles, and here we heard the Wompoo pigeons.

We travelled on up the Mary River valley as far as Conondale; here the river disappears south while the road climbs back up into the ranges to Witta and then on to Maleny.  This was a case of déjà vu, having been here with Neil and Pauline last year although Chris did not immediately realise this. However when we entered David Linton’s Furniture and Timberworks outlet, he clearly remembered how impressed we were then, just as we were yesterday. There is some lovely work here, small and large; to suit all pockets and I should be requesting a commission for saying as much. Divine dining tables selling for in excess of $7,500 and chairs to fit the same at $880 a pop rather rule us out of the market, even if only for the fact we have no dining room to accommodate such classy furniture.

After walking up and down the main street, busy with tourists including a bus load of oldies on tour and much new construction work, we drove on to find the showgrounds which had actually been our intended next camp a week before we left Brisbane. The knowledge that all roads to Maleny were straight up was a slight deterrent and so when I suggested Yandina and spelled out the merits of such an alternative, the driver was keen to switch options. Having said all that, we were impressed with the position of the showgrounds and many other camps we passed along the way, most listed in Camps 6, and would recommend them to all who don’t worry about stressing their tow vehicle with two and a half tonne behind.

Distant views of the Glasshouse Mountains

We took a route just south of Maleny, Mountain View Road, from where one can enjoy the most wonderful views over the Glasshouse Mountains and out to the islands to the south. Fabulous! We stopped briefly at the Mary Cairncross Park but then decided that we would learn or experience nothing that we had not earlier in the day, so pressed on toward home, turning off the Maleny - Landsborough Road at the top of the ridge that stretches out toward Bribie Island like the buttress roots on a fig tree. Unlike the steep main road which does have warnings about the level of incline but is otherwise a traffic friendly road,  that we took was signed as not being a through road and as being forbidden to any towing or heavy vehicle. The narrow gravel road just tipped off the ridge down to Mooloolah where we joined the northern railroad, then followed this up through Eudlo, Palmwoods, Woombye, Nambour and home. It had indeed been another excellent day.

We were out on the road again this morning soon after nine, which used to be normal for us but over the past month or so has become the new early. Today Noosa was the main destination, an apparently fabulous tourist destination which we had dismissed as otherwise last year when we called there. But then in all fairness we were towing the caravan, and not only that, it was the very first day we had set out with the new rig. Then we found Noosa impossible for anything but smart cars, crowded, convoluted and altogether unwelcoming. Such a reception tends to sour one’s impressions but we did want to have another opportunity to form a contrary opinion.

Today, as then, the sun was shining and we were in good health. Today we had only the one vehicle to consider and there were none of the frustrations of the last time. Our first stop was the Laguna Lookout at the top of Progress Hill. We drove up through the Noosa National Park to a large level area at the top from where one might have extensive views over the entire Noosa area if there were no trees. Instead there is a narrow view across the river and little else. It is a pretty spot; the multitude of birds think so anyway.

Frustrated we descended into the maze of tight little streets that make up the village of Noosa Heads and drove into the National Park centre, parked and from there walked along the shoreline to Hells Gate at Noosa Head, high above Alexandria Bay, then back; a distance of close to ten kilometres. It really is the most beautiful walk, first through archways of pandannus and scrubby gums, past sandy beaches between rocky outcrops, along the top of high cliffs covered in banksia and casuarinas, and all the time beside the blue blue ocean. Returning to the park office, we lunched in the company of several curious brush turkeys, one of whom could not be pacified until I had fed him all our discarded fruit cores, something one is ill advised to do. 

From there we drove out on to the Spit, new since the 1970s and even since then covered in vegetation and many pathways. Along the river edge there are a number of fishing platforms and several folk were making good use of these. We wandered about through the scrub still delighting in the lovely areas of this truly wonderful seaside region and could now understand why it was so well celebrated.

Had we bicycles, I could imagine spending even as long as week here, discovering all the ins and outs of the waterways and cycle-ways and walkways and perhaps even patronising some of the many attractive cafes and restaurants, and maybe even shopping for some new shorts in the smart fashion boutiques, of which there are many. However we are not on holiday, so I shall leave those delights to others who choose to pass their vacations in Noosa.

Having reconciled ourselves with Noosa, we drove directly south, hugging the coastline, along the road we had come north on nineteen months or so ago, but this time taking greater note of the charming beachside settlements we passed through: Sunshine Beach, Marcus Beach, Peregian Beach and Coolum Beach where we parked and strolled along through the commercial centre in search of our daily newspaper. Right now there is a mess of work going on in the township, new paving on the seaside of the road. Hopefully this will all be complete by the time summer and the extra tourists arrive.

We followed the road even further south to Marcoola and Twin Waters, before turning west back through Bli Bli, then north through Maroochy River, on up the Maroochy Valley across frequently flooded flats of neglected looking sugar cane and so to Yandina.

Tomorrow morning we will leave the Sunshine Coast confident that we have this time explored it well, and yet having said that, I am sure we will find a multitude of other things to do when we return. It has been a pleasure to be here to simply explore rather than rush around dealing with the business of caravans and other related business. Decisions as to our next destination will be made over breakfast no doubt, and I, as you, will learn this of this tomorrow.