Tin Can Bay is a tranquil village with plenty to do. Located at the southern end of the southern tip of the World Heritage listed Fraser Island. The town adjoins the great Sandy Strait and offers a sheltered paradise for birdwatching, sailing, cruising on a houseboat or fishing.

20/7 We have slowly set up camp bit by bit. We are planning to stay here for a good few weeks and need to be organised. Part of that organisation is exercise. On This trip I have taken along one of my bikes and have taken my first ride in a long time. I did only 20km, but that is better than nothing. I explored the inlets and the point of Tin Can Bay where all the boats are moored. There is even a Marina here with Chandlers and boat repair facilities.

There are some great restaurants serving good fresh seafood….

Looks and feels tropical

Our home for a while/

Camp with caravan, on-suit, and annex (yet to be deployed)

Finally some cycling

Mangroves everywhere

boats stranded on the mudbanks

During the low tide boats are resting on the mudflats. During high tide everything floats.

Irish Boat

They even have a Dragon Boat club

Coast Guard

The caravan park for boats

All good things come to those that wait!

We finally started our journey to get out of the Victorian winter on 15 July. After 2 months of cold temparatures and fires every evening, we headed north to a little-known place,  north of Noosa  Qld , called ‘Tin Can Bay’. We had been delayed for a few months because my dear wife had developed a heart condition that required a number of stents. This has now been done and we are now safe to travel.

On said morning we had to defrost the door locks and the windscreen before we departed. The ‘From’ temperature was 0C degrees.  The first leg took us to Narrandera in NSW. Great little town for a stopover.  We prefer stopping at the Lake Talbot caravan park as it is away from the traffic noises of the main road. It sits on a hill overlooking the lake  and has many drive through sites for caravaners. Since our last visit all drive through sites have been reconstructed and many other sites have been renovated. (see pics below.)

Neat construction and heaps of space!

Cute homebuilt caravan

After enduring a frosty night, the next day (16/7) saw us move along to Gilgandra just 65km north of Dubbo. The Newell highway was a pleasure to drive along with work continuing at improving the surface. The scenery along the road was dry and mainly boring. However,  the temp had improved a bit. Along the way we came across a Dakota. Used to jump out of these in the army/

Reno option in Gilgandra

I used to jump out of these in the army!

On day 3 (17/7) we moved along to Goondiwindi in Qld. This is a lovely town on the MacIntyre river which is the catchment for the Murray Darling basin irrigation scheme. It is also the cotton and grain capital of Australia. During the day we reached a temp of 26C degrees.

Today 18/7 we made our way from Goondiwindi to Tin Can Bay. We travelled some 530km and completed the trip late arvo. We booked into the caravan park and then drove to the boat launching facility just in time for a pic or two. The temp is now cruising in the high 20s.

OK, after 4 days and 1820km we are here. To-morrow we will set up camp and then start exploring. Fishing is very much on the agenda; will keep you posted. The temp has been around 26 degrees each day.

That’s a big ask! First we need to define what constitutes a beach that can be considered for this list. I am not talking about the longest or widest or most sandy etc, etc. By the way, the longest beach probably is the Coorong from Kingston to the Murray River mouth in SA. It is over 150km long. I did that with the boys some 15 years ago in my great GQ Nissan Patrol. That was a decent trip.

I would say that some of the defining criteria for the top 5 might be: (I would love to hear from readers what some of the other defining criteria might be).

• At least 1km long with a sandy beach of decent width at low-tide,
• Not dangerous to human life; ie no crocodiles, blue ring octopus, Box Jelly fish,
• Attractive natural setting ie defining natural beauty or pleasing features,
• Definitely not overdeveloped or overrun by human beings,

Top 5:

I cannot name all 5 beaches that deserve to be in this list. I have not seen 5 such beaches. However I have been on one beach that definitely fits the bill.

So my first beach would be Cable Beach in Broome WA. I have been there several times.

Then I have two more beaches that might make the list.

The first could be the beach at Woodgate Qld. between the Theodolite creek and the Barrum river. It is just sensational, stunning and has a chill factor when you are there.

The other beach is at Lammermoor on the Capricorn coast south of Yeppoon. I wonder what other readers may think.

So…….I  can propose only these:

1. Cable Beach, Broome, WA

2. Wood gate Beach Qld

3. Wineglass Beach Tasmania       https://www.google.com.au/search?q=wineglass+beach+tasmania&biw=1366&bih=639&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEMQsARqFQoTCOK3hM–38gCFQblpgodRzMKdg

  Pic credit:  Touchdowndownunder.wordpress.com

4.  Whitehaven Beach Whitsundays

5.  I have not seen it yet.

If you were to draw a line from Rockhampton to Yeppoon and then to Emu Park (and Zielzie) and back to Rocky, you’d have put a border around some of the most scenic and interesting countryside in Queensland. There are a number of geological features called ‘plugs’ where rocky outcrops appear to have been forced out of the ground. They look almost like pimples on the landscape. These were created by volcanic activity millennia ago.

I am constantly amazed by the foliage. There are many spectacular species of old trees like the Fig tree below. The area is very easy on the eye. One bay follows the other as you head south from Yeppoon. There are at least 15 bays and headlands. One never tires of walking on the beach at any tide. As the bays are very shallow you can walk into the sea forever it seems. Every day we have 23 degrees C. Only a slight breeze…  Yeah I know, it is really tough to endure!!

  and another tree:

However, I am really surprised by the interesting history of the area as some of the links below might indicate:

The town of Rockhampton was created in 1853 by the Archer family. Soon gold was discovered and a 50 year gold boom endured. The largest mine was at Mount Morgan. Initially sheep were farmed and these were later replaced largely by cattle. This area still is a major cattle area. These industries attracted the populations in the early days. These days there is a substantial coal mining industry as well. In the process Rockhampton has become the capital of central Queensland.  The wealth from the gold boom resulted in riches that afforded the building of the many beautiful buildings that have been preserved and adorn the town and river frontage.

In the early days roads were constructed to Yeppoon and Emu Park. There was no road from Yeppon to Emu Park as the Causeway lake at Kinka beach presented an insurmountable barrier. A railroad was built to Emu Beach where the wellheeled had their coastal homes in this slice of paradise.

Some of the history at the link below:

http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/cqcollection/manuscripts/short-manuscripts/rockhampton.pdf

This summarises some of the main industries of the early days like Beef, gold mining and natural wealth. Gold was found throughout the region and in places was very lucrative like at Mount Morgan.

Some old images showing early Rockhampton at:

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/old-images-show-how-much-rockhampton-cbd-has-grown/1894214/

A summary of early development can be found at

http://ajthompson.com.au/capricorn-coast/history-rockhampton-environs-early-settlement.htm#.VcHpAfmqqkp

The history of Yeppoon is similarly interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeppoon

A quick summary can be found here:

http://queenslandplaces.com.au/yeppoon

Further info includes Emu Park where we have been a few times now:

http://www.cqhistory.com/places/yeppoon.html

I have just had a look at a list of shipwrecks to be found off the Qld coast. There are literally hundreds of them. In some cases Queensland towns derived their names from the name of a shipwreck in their vicinity, for example: Coolangatta at the Gold Coast

http://oceans1.customer.netspace.net.au/qld-wrecks.html

Needless to say the above is just the tip of the iceberg.

I spent some time on top of Mount Archer. The hill overlooks the city from about 9 km  away. It shows off the big Fitzroy river snaking through then landscape. There are some stunning views for 360 degrees.

Woodgate beach at sunrise

Canoe, watermelon, just can’t find the darn paddles.

Good work, don’t you think???

We stayed at the Woodgate Beach caravan park, The first impression of the caravan park is of the plants/foliage. It is lush and green with many tropical plants abounding. The park is across the road from the beach and what a beach!

It must be one of the top beaches near a caravan park in this country. The park is dog friendly and that suits us as we travel with our dog Lexie. The owners are relaxed and leave visitors alone. The park is very organized and professional. It has many really attractive and clean cabins. The park is large, but visitors do not sit on top of each other as the sites are spacious.

After a few long walks on the beach we went to the mouth of the Theodelite  River which is just 2km north of Woodgate..  A number of people were fishing, but I did not see anyone catch a fish.T he beaches grow a coastal pine tree that offers shade and protection from the wind. So it is possible to soak up some sun in a quiet spot.

Just to the south of the village there is access to the beach. This is great as the beach is wide and flat with hard sand to drive on most of the time. This allows one to get away from the crowds and have some solitude. Above the high water mark is the Burrum Coast national park so there is no traffic from there. The area is dog friendly and it takes about 10km until one comes to Walkers point and the adjacent Burrum river. It is a tranquil large estuary with the village of Burrum Heads on the opposite side of the river. Tucked away behind the national park, in the estuary, is the sleepy village of Walker’s Point. As one gets out the car the peace just enfolds one… and you relax as you walk along on the sands at low tide.

As for looking after the body beautiful, there is a Hotel that serves a good fare and cold refreshments. I could not resist the hamburger and chips. The hotel includes a bottle shop so there is no excuse for running dry. Down the road is the local Bowls club. They are set up very well with superb greens and a very active membership. The facilities are well maintained and have a great restaurant that serves really great food. Needless to say the bar supports the food offering. We have been there a few times already.

The other day we came back from an excursion and nearly ran into a mob of kangaroos that were lounging around the neighborhood spilling onto the street from the nature strips. All this in the middle of Woodgate. We slowed down and stopped so as not to run over the little ones.

On Monday 13/July the trusty Navara is having its 40k service in Bundaberg;  gee its come around quick!

Walking the Caravan

We booked in at the Southend Caravan Park where we had been for a week 18 months before. Everything is very dry at this time of the year. There were only a handful of travellers when we booked in, so we got to pick the best spot in the park. We positioned ourselves behind a dune on the other side of the beach. The spot is protected by a few trees and the wind just bounces over the top. At night the waves sing you to sleep. It is very relaxing.

The ‘Engel’ car fridge/freezer

Our Camp

The next day we went to Millicent to get some supplies. This is a lovely town in the east of South Australia. The people are friendly and there are some shady and grassy places in the parks. We had some coffee at the ‘Java Café’ and noticed this great idea printed on a poster on the front of the shop. In a gesture of cheer and goodwill the Uniting church has started the concept of a ‘Kind coffee’. Patrons of the Café or members of the community or parishioners are able to donate money for providing members of the community, who were doing it hard, with a hot coffee for free. These are people who could not afford the spare $5. See pics.

The next morning we decided to go to Beachport for a coffee. So instead of travelling the normal route, I deflated the tyres to 20 pounds/sq.inch and we drove the 20 kilometers along the beach. There were a few patches of porridge (soft wet sand), but the rest was easy. After the coffee we returned by the same way to Southend.

In the afternoon we walked along the cliff tops and got to a secluded beach where we had to clamber down rocks. We spent a good hour playing on the beach before we returned. On the path back I saw evidence of shell deposits in the bank along the path. Only problem was that we were walking on a path six meters above the sea. The sea level must have been much higher a few thousand years ago.

Seashells 6 meters above sea level?

Commercial fishermen returning their catch

Secluded cove

When we were walking on the beach at Southport it suddenly hit me that the one thing missing here were signs of investment in infrastructure. This is the first place we have come across that has not had any work done to improve or preserve infrastructure. In fact since our last visit the seaward face of the dunes had been eroded and swept away by rough spring tides. Like at Byron Bay and Norah Heads we have here evidence of rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Unless local or State government do something about this a number of properties will disappear over the next few years. Here at the caravan park the owner had to sell a number of buildings before they disappeared into the sea, see pics.

The last week at Port Vincent just flew by (23/10-28/10). We spent days relaxing at the water’s edge and watching the tide come in. They have a school program that teaches the children about kayaking, sailing, windsurfing and water skiing. I took the dogs for a walk along the sand-bar at the spring low tide and watched the shells and crabs do their thing. At high tide we had rays come in right up to the stairs to the caravan park.

Sailing

Afternoon smming at Port Vincent

We spent an afternoon going to Stansbury, just down the road, to look at their very long jetty. The real point of interest however turned out to be the red sandstone cliffs close to the coast. They were full of holes that had been worn away by birds of ages past, but were now occupied by flocks of domestic pigeons that had turned feral and making their own way independent of man. Very interesting how quickly this happens! On the other hand we had a repeating ceremony play itself out where feral birds had become reliant on man. Every day the fishermen were gutting their catches at the cleaning station and feeding the pelicans that were loitering around all day long. When the pelicans opened their beaks they revealed a cavity big enough to swallow a baby, including pram. They have a little hole in their thorax through which they make a trumpeting sound; see pics.

Waiting for a meal.

Me please!

The next day our very friendly neighbour asked me to come along fishing on his boat ‘Duifken’ which is Dutch for little dove. We had a great day all around the coast catching squid, whiting and snook. The snook are around 30 to 55 cm in length, give you a good fight and taste great once you have prepared them properly. We had a great day and after a few beers later that evening. I was exhausted from all the fresh air and exercise. The cleaned fish and squid has been cryo-vacked and frozen for an evening meal of Salt & pepper squid, yum.

Duifken