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Australia
  • Lucy M
  • Colin Martin
Sep – Nov 2022

Australia

A 66-day adventure by Lucy & Colin Read more
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  • Australia
    YeppoonWreck veiw lookoutEmu Park beach1

    Capricorn Caves

    October 13, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    About 40 mins from where we’re staying (Emu Park - no emus tho’) is Capricorn Caves.

    One of the oldest tourist sites in Queensland apparently, having been going for 100 years. It’s not an underground cave system, the caves are in the rock face. Also not damp like some caves, so minimal stalactites too.

    When the guide turned off all the lights for a few mins, the blackness was unbelievable - at first comforting and enveloping in its inkiness - but long term, no thanks!

    To add to the ambiance, there was a colony of micro bats: https://www.allaboutbats.org.au/little-bent-win…

    We could see their shadows darting about, because the dim light caught them as they flew around. We tip toed by their colony - couldn’t see them - but we could hear them. As they chatter, bicker and socialise, their calls sound like trickling water! Very cool.

    After the caves we drove down the coast to Yeppoon, where we had a cuppa and mosey around.

    Matty takes us back to our site and after a cuppa and walk on the totally deserted beach, we wait for the micro bats bigger cousins, flying foxes: https://www.allaboutbats.org.au/little-red-flyi…

    We caught a glimpse of them last night, as dusk fell, the skies filling up with their silhouettes. Then today it took us a min, but we realised we could see them hanging in the trees, a few feet from us! Their wings wrapped round them like sheets of filo around a strudel. Every so often one might stretch a leg or reposition their wing.

    As the light faded tonight, we see them stretching their on the branches, chattering, grumbling, waking up (they’re much noisier than the micro bats). Then they start to take off, short circuits at first, as they warm up, ready for their long-haul flights, which will keep them out until dawn. For the next 15 mins or so, the sky is full as they take to the air in shifts, making their way to wherever. It’s really exhilarating to watch (whilst inwardly hoping they don’t poop on your head!)    Read more

  • Australia

    Flowers, foliage, feathery friends

    October 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Moving on from our last stop, and we arrive at Gladstone, as it is the gateway to our next few days in Heron Island.

    We have booked Matty in to secure parking here, next to the port, hope she’ll be ok without us!

    Prior to parking up for the night, we explored Tondoon Botanic gardens, which was tranquil, cool and oh so green.    Read more

  • Australia

    Vodafone mobile coverage debacle

    October 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    When we first landed, Col spied a Vodafone kiosk at Brisbane airport. He shot in and 20 mins later emerged with an Aussie sim and number.

    Great we thought, comms should now be affordable and problem free….

    Only they weren’t problem free. Wifi on the campsites turned out to be sporadic and mobile signal non existent. Very frustrating for us, as we like to exist in an online world.

    At this stage we thought the connectivity issues were the same for all, so when we saw another Vodafone shop I bought an ‘e-sim’ to doubly cement our fate.

    It wasn’t until we were on our 6 hour drive, with no connectivity for most of it, that we realised something had to done. Had we broken down, we’d have been in deep trouble.

    We needed to call our campsite to say we were going to be late, and a very kindly person in the petrol station dialled for me on her phone! (This was after she’d stopped laughing when we said we were on Vodafone 🫤)

    Fast forward to Rockhampton, and we waltzed straight into a Telstra shop, trashed our Vodafone rubbish (sadly, losing about $100 of pre-paid).

    We are now fully connected, which is both useful (safer) and one less hassle to contend with!

    Moral of the story: when travelling, choose the country’s mobile provider 😁

    Update: a few days on and Telstra defo way to go, we have a good signal everywhere, and much of the time 5G 😊    Read more

  • Australia
    1

    Heron Island

    October 15, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We’ve left the security of Matty for a couple of days, to stay on Heron Island: https://www.heronisland.com/

    Had to do a mini pack for the weekend, which was surprisingly hard. All our bits and bobs have found their spots in Matty now, and for some reason it was tricky to assemble what we needed.

    The catamaran takes two hours. There were warnings about the sea being choppy these last few days, and when we boarded I wasn’t sure how reassured I felt about seeing sick bags everywhere 🤢

    Anyway, it was all fine, a bit of a jump every now and then on the open ocean, but pleased to report no sick bags were deployed 😅

    Heron is an island eco resort, which is shared with a variety of native and migrating birds, plus green and loggerhead turtles, who are just starting to nest here now.

    In the sun the crystal clear, turquoise water surrounding the island shimmies and sparkles. Different shades of aquamarine graduate across the ocean, which is teeming with fish. The waves break gently over the reefs and coral cays. It really is a wow moment when you step off the boat.

    We check in, and wind our way through the trees and chattering birds to our room. Oh the novelty of sleeping on a ‘normal’ bed, having an en suite, and a terrace! It feels like the lap of luxury 😊

    Col goes off for a dive, and I go on an island tour. The guide (who is a marine biologist) isn’t an expert on birds and trees, but she knows about the inmates here and it’s a very informative session.

    There are birds nesting everywhere right now, they chat to each other constantly. This is their island, they have priority, but somehow the mix of humans and tourism doesn’t put them off and they go about their birdie business and we go about ours. The birds do get a chance to assert themselves, however, as they poop everywhere - so we’re bound to get caught at some point!

    After our activities, we sit looking across the ocean for a bit. There is a cooling wind. Everyone seems chilled. What a magical place.

    After dinner, we go to the helipad for a stargazing session - there is minimal light pollution here.

    It takes a short while for our eyes to adjust to the dark, but the Milky Way is immediately just there, stretching like a long band of paleness above our heads. WOW. The stars hang low and twinkle like beacons. We see shooting stars and Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye and through a telescope. Stunning.    Read more

  • Australia
    A cute rail, they run about all over the place
    Egret (also comes in grey)'Noddy' tern nests - high rise living1Egret nestNesting ternOur local egret - loves a good bin!Adorable railVery poor pic of nesting shearwaters!Grey egret (also comes in white)

    Birds of the island

    October 16, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Too many for me to list: http://dev.aldestahotels.com/heron/eco-adventur…

    Amusingly, Heron Island has no herons (the egrets are close, though) and it isn’t an island, it’s a coral cay!

    Also saw a tiny kingfisher, but couldn’t snap him in time.

    We’re here just as the shearwaters are arriving to nest. They make crash landings at night due to poor eye sight, and dig nests into the sand wherever they please. At night-time, amongst all the usual chirrups, calls and birdie noises, they add their ghoulish call, which literally sounds like the noise a ghost would make! Thank goodness for ear plugs!    Read more

  • Australia
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    More Heron

    October 16, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Col is completing three more dives, allowing me to go in a semi sub to view the reefs with my own eyes.

    There were loads of fishies there, several green turtles and lots of hard and soft corals. The reef looks in good shape here.

    Hard to take good photos though - with everything looking somewhat bleached - thankfully this is a visual thing only, not an environmental issue.    Read more

  • Australia

    Heron Dives

    October 16, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Did 4 dives in total here at Heron (cram 'em in while you can). The dive crew are great and take us to 3 different sites around the island's reef. Superb dives on a very healthy looking portion of the Southern Barrier Reef with sightings of groupers, Moray eels, bat fish, green turtles and a rather splendid Leopard shark. I'm feeling all Cousteau (or should that be Zissou) now! Video to follow as soon as I've got it off the camera.Read more

  • Australia
    1Huntsman, not venomous, but it can bite 😳

    Well, it’s finally happened ….

    October 17, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    ….. our first close proximity and shocking encounter with a VERY LARGE spider 😱😱😱.

    OMG my heart was pounding, but despite my terror, I felt the need to video it!!

    We’d no doubt spent the night with it. It could have been sauntering around the room as I got up for my night time loo visits 😳.

    We had a normal sized glass at the ready (doubt it would have fitted it 😬) but it very helpfully walked itself to the door and out. Well done to the the huntsman 😅    Read more

  • Australia
    Aaahhh
    Chopper transfersStorm clouds brewingRayCoral from the beach2

    Last few Heron pics before we leave

    October 17, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On our stay Col managed 4 scuba dives, and I managed 1 snorkel session!

    I’m not a swimmer, so getting in the sea is a big deal for me, but I did it with Col’s help, in the shallows, and I saw one little fish. Result!

    As well as a semi sub, I went on an island walk and a bird walk and we both enjoyed a turtle info session (no turtle laying seen, sadly).

    The main turtles in the area are green ones and their numbers are healthy and abundant in this are. Col saw some on his dives and I did too in the semi-sub.

    Other turtles in the area are loggerheads and the occasional hawksbill. The resident naturalists (hope I’ve used the right word - ie not nudists!) on the island were fab, very knowledgable about their patch and I loved learning about the place and seeing where the birds were nesting.

    On our last last evening we had drinks with another couple (whose names I have annoyingly forgotten 🙄). They’d just arrived on the island, but had lived in London and visited the UK many times, so it was nice to get their impressions of home.

    On our last morning I showed Col some bits of the island I’d seen on my walks. We saw rays lazily flapping their way around the waters edge, burying themselves in the sandy shallows for a snooze and we saw a shovel nosed shark doing his shovelling thing, just a few metres from the shore.

    Eventually the catamaran back to the mainland beckoned and we were back at Gladstone before we knew it, to the land of cars, concrete and people hurrying about their business. Talk about a culture shock!    Read more

  • Australia

    Sorry, had to post this too….

    October 18, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    …. to contrast a previous more horrific post 😬

    I would consider this to be a ‘normal’ sized spider (lurking within Matty). Note it’s size relative to the glass.

    However we were joking (nervously) that’s it’s prob the tiddlers who have the killer bite 😳Read more

  • Australia
    A BBQ boat!Who would you vote for? This guy or the next?Is he worthy of your vote?3Torquay Beachside campSome cards I brought away with me - thank you all ❤️

    Big ‘0’ birthday

    October 18, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I transitioned into a new decade today 😬

    We had a lot of driving to get to our next stopping point, so I spent most of the day snoozing which was very pleasant indeed!

    Here are some ‘awake’ moments 😊Read more

  • Australia
    Mutarnee
    CardwellMission BeachGumluGumluBowenRubyvaleEmeraldKinka beachNr Childers

    ‘Big’ things - updating as we go

    October 18, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    https://www.australianexplorer.com/australian_b…

    4.10.22
    Cassowary - Mission Beach
    Crab - Cardwell
    Mango - Mutarnee

    6.10.22
    Watermelon - Gumlu
    Pumpkin - Gumlu
    Mango - Bowen

    11.10.22
    Gem miner - Rubyvale

    12.10.22
    Easel with VG’s Sunflowers - Emerald

    13.10.22
    Whale - Kinka Beach

    18.10.22
    Budgie - nr Childers    Read more

  • Australia
    New friends

    Torquay beach, Hervey Bay

    October 19, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We’re staying at Hervey Bay, on a pitch with Matty facing directly to the ocean. So it’s a shame it’s raining today 😂

    Our options here are whale watching and Fraser Island…….the latter is booked out, so whale watching it is, tomorrow afternoon.

    We’ve been on the go quite a lot over the last few days (being on holiday is hard work!!) so the excuse of rain has allowed us a slower day, pottering around the area and forward booking our accom next week.

    Camping in the rain brings some challenges - everything feels damp, and a pile of soggy shoes lurk miserably at the door. Also, rookie error, we didn’t realise it was going to rain so much, and completely forgot our outdoor chairs were getting wet, and have little chance of drying at the mo!

    Our next door neighbours are very nice and chatty, and as is often the way in our encounters, they’ve been to the UK, they love the UK (Beer in Devon in particular) and the husband was born in Wiltshire!    Read more

  • Australia
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    Pretty planty pics

    October 19, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
  • Australia
    Puffer fish - he was plopped back into water❤️One man and his dogPier from the boat

    Morning walk

    October 20, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Had a lovely walk on Urangan pier this morning. What is it about walking on a pier that’s so appealing and pleasing?

  • Australia
    Noosa?

    Sunshine Coast (ha, ha)

    October 21, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    En route to our stay in Landsborough last Friday, we passed through the ‘un-user friendly’ town of Gympie. Supposedly home of a giant pineapple (sadly defunct now), Gympie’s streets were afflicted with steep hills and tight turns - treacherous in a motor home. The supermarket car park was cramped, with no suitable parking for Matty, so we had to abandon our shopping ambitions, plus it was ‘absolutely bucketing it down’. We didn’t even get out to have a look around, we negotiated ourselves up and down the hills and out of town as quickly as we could. Sorry Gympie, you made a bad first (and last) impression!

    We then motored on to Noosa Heads. More ‘user friendly’ street and parking wise, it is known for its beautiful beach, shops and eateries etc…. but it was still ‘absolutely bucketing it down’.

    The street was empty of all but a few folk (prob tourists like us), everything was grey, and the rain soaked pavements reflected monotone skies and buildings back at us.

    We did stop here long enough for an eggs bene (our brunch of choice) but gave up any thoughts of sightseeing and carried on with our mission (not managing to find the big pelican either). Shame as we’d been looking forward to Noosa.

    We arrive at Landsborough and set up camp quickly (yep, still raining).

    By morning it had been raining solidly for 24 hours. I allowed myself a glance at the creek, which ran along the top of the site, wondering how much rain it would take to overflow.

    We bought a two day ticket to Australia Zoo, but went into Caloundra first to see what wet weather gear might be available. As I walked through the bikinis, cozzie cover ups and sun dresses, I realised we were on our own and had to make do with our current totally unsuitable wardrobe!

    So after our pit stop, off we went to the Zoo…..    Read more

  • Australia
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    Camp observations

    October 21, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    and the perils of being a shortie 😬

    Showers
    They’re like shopping queues - you think you’ve chosen a good one, but someone else’s always seems better after the fact.

    It all starts off well, abundant hot water, satisfying water pressure. Then someone starts up their shower. Your hot water turns cold and into a trickle. Just at the point when your hair is fully lathered and needs a good rinse.

    Forget to mention shower mops. Often a mop is provided so you can clean the shower cubicle once you’ve finished. Well, turns out these mop are full of horrors. If they’re not well rinsed, they stink, but the worst bit is seeing other people’s hair clumped on the bottom, which then gets deposited into the cubicle you’re trying to clean 🤢🤢🤢

    Hand driers
    So many are installed high up. Why? I have to hold my hands way above my head to dry them (I would say this isn’t just a shorties prob). Being so high is neither comfortable or natural and the water drips down my arms, ending up in my arm pits.

    Laundry
    An essential part of any holiday longer than two weeks (or is it just us who have a finite number of undies?)

    I have used the Rolls Royce of washers and dryers, right down to the Austin Allegro of facilities (and just as old).

    The former are clean, fluff free, high tech, program timings, card payment, with a reassurance the washing will be ok.

    The latter is often rusty, no idea if you’re doing a cold or boil wash (disaster) no idea how long it will take, undefinable ’bits’ lurking in the drum, and of course uses an obscure combo of coins, which are never on your person.

    Washing lines
    I know I’m a shortie, but most washing lines/whirrlies seem to be made for giants. I choose not to use them for that key reason, but also we can’t afford to lose any of our stuff, should someone take a shine to it!

    Door hooks
    All the bathrooms have hooks on the doors, conveniently sited at the highest point of the door, and out of reach of this blogger!!

    Awning/gazebo
    Matty doesn’t have an awning. Turns out that is more of an issue than we realised (sorry Matty)

    ALL the other rigs have their indoor living accom, AND an awning or gazebo. The space and shade (from both sun and more recently, rain) these shelters offer can’t be underestimated. You can sit, store things and dry washing under them, as well as increasing your living space substantially.

    We considered buying a gazebo early on, but due to cost and uncertainty about space available on our booked sites, we didn’t. Now halfway in its prob too late to make a U turn (although there are a lot of these about…. )    Read more

  • Australia
    Soggy site
    Mellum CreekNo probs for the ducks!!Really hope there isnt anyone in this tent 😳

    Wet, wet, wet

    October 22, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    The weather’s been good these last few weeks, but the East Coast of Australia is dealing with the La Niña effect ( https://amp.abc.net.au/article/101446044 ) which means rain, rain, rain, with more expected.

    These last two days have been Marty Pellow - it’s rained solidly, without stopping for the last 48 hours, and is set to continue. There are numerous flood warnings in our region.

    Our current camp site has very deep puddles and a creek running through it which is filling rapidly. At night it’s full of operatic frogs and/or toads who must be having a fab time….

    Meanwhile I’m hoping we don’t get in to any bother, as we have to drive across a low bridge when coming and going from the site. The bridge is currently submerged in a fair few inches of water 😳    Read more

  • Australia
    1Glass House Mountains

    Benches….

    October 23, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Places of quiet contemplation 💭

  • Australia
    Palm Cove
    Palm CovePalm CoveMossman GorgeCape TribAirlie BeachYeppoonCapricorn CavesLandsborough

    Scary signs - updating as we go

    October 23, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    How many ways Australia can injure or kill you…..

  • Australia
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    2

    Australia Zoo

    October 23, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    This was to be a highlight of our trip, a golden nugget. It was, but not for the reasons expected.

    We’d watched Steve Urwin back in the day, never thinking we’d get to his zoo. Then all the more poignant with him having died.

    We bought a two day pass and set off. It had been continuously raining since Friday morning (now Saturday) and it literally bucketed down wallabies and kangaroos for the full two days we were there (and the nights). I’m not a fan of squelchy shoes, but I had to endure them this time. Fair to say my mood was a little grim by day two (donning the previous day’s cold wet shoes was a low point!). The rain, cold, constant flood alerts and a bad sleep unfortunately suppressed my enjoyment a tad 😬

    Anyway, it is a fab place - but defo best visited in the sun as there is a LOT of outside walking, or in our case trudging through cascading surface water 🫤

    The place was very spacious, and whilst not ‘the wild’ obviously, the inmates live well and have spacious enclosures. Largish lizards darted about, playing ‘statues’ for long periods of time. We squelched thru paddocks full of kangaroos and wallabies (you could feed and stroke their rough fur). The adorable koalas had their own habitats, as did Tassie devils, wombats - to name but a few!

    There was a ‘crocoseum’ show, featuring amazingly trained parrots, lorikeets, birds of prey, and a stork which flew in on cue. How they trained these birds is beyond me 🤷‍♀️

    Then Robert Irwin came on (Steve’s son) to interact with Casper a very large saltie croc, with a stubborn disposition. We didn’t feel it was demeaning to Casper, Robert made it informative and educational, with some jeopardy thrown in on his part.

    We ended day two with a walk through their animal hospital. As well as caring for the zoo inmates, they have a constant influx of wild creatures brought in by the public, mainly koala and joeys, often casualties of some sort of thoughtless human behaviour (destruction of habitat, building, road injuries etc). Very moving.

    If we’re ever lucky enough to come back, please let the sun shine 😊    Read more

  • Australia
    Stick insect making friends with Matty
    The creek level much reducedBush cuppaNo mountain viewYippee2John (and Anna ❤️)

    The 🔆 shines and an old friend

    October 24, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Monday morning and at last we wake up to sun. The sky is blue, the air is warm on our backs and we can start to dispel the dampness in our bones, clothes, shoes….

    The other day we made a trip to the Glass House Mountains. It was wet (of course) so they were obscured (although we had a warming brew up there to raise our spirits).

    We realised it would be a splendid view today, so we motored on up the hill. We weren’t disappointed.

    The sun continued to shine, as we drove to Matty’s spiritual home (Maui depot, Brisbane). We picked up some fresh sheets and towels (still resolutely brown) and some toilet t-bags. You bung one of these in the ‘waste cassette’ each time it’s emptied (by a very galant and unsqueamish Col). Brisbane was where we first arrived 28 days ago - that was some round trip!

    Our next visit was to Redlands, to meet up with John. John is the husband of my oldest friend (Anna). We were due to see them in 2020, but covid got in the way. Tragically, Anna then succumbed to an infection, and passed away (over two years ago now). Big gulp.

    Seeing John was great, we talked about Anna the whole time, she was defo with us. I managed to hang on to my emotions - just - and it was both a happy and poignant meeting up. Lovely lunch at the Redlands Bay Hotel, which John said he’d been to with Anna in the past ❤️

    Hoping to catch up with Anna’s daughters later in the trip 😊

    After we said our (emotional) goodbyes, we carried on to our stop for the next three nights: Tweed Heads.

    Most exciting of all - we were dipping our toes into a new state: New South Wales! To our surprise, the clocks went forward an hour, which confused our senses somewhat 🤪    Read more

  • Australia
    Qld - left, NSW - right!Stranded jelly

    The Gold Coast

    October 25, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Having left the (non) Sunshine Coast, we’re just at the tail end of the Gold Coast, home to high rise hotels and the most majestic beaches. To visit, we’d be passing back into Queensland and therefore back one hour 🤷‍♀️

    En route we passed a monument to the state lines. So of course I had to stand across the borders so my left leg was in Queensland (an hour behind) and my right in New South Wales.

    Part of the coastline is called Surfers Paradise, but the ocean conditions were too challenging even for surfers - we didn’t see any!

    There is nothing to break the Pacific surf, by the time it hits these beaches, it would have last rippled off the coasts of Chile/Easter Island, so no wonder surfers love the power of these waves.

    Col had a dip (I paddled), and I just loved watching and listening to the surf breaking, the power, sound, rhythms, beauty - very meditative.    Read more

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